Shuichi Saihara

“Some lies can lead the world to hope... Some truths can lead the world to despair... So I don't think anyone can really say which is more right in the end.“

Shuichi Saihara (最原 終一) is a student in the Ultimate Academy for Gifted Juveniles and a participant of the Killing School Semester featured in Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony. His title is the Ultimate Detective

Shuichi, along with the other talentless 53rd Killing Game participants, underwent the fabrication process, where all of his past memories and personality were permanently fabricated. He also received the talent and title that he so desired, the Ultimate Detective. All of this was done for the sake of satisfying Danganronpa's audience from all around the world. After the fabrication process was completed, Shuichi entered the Ultimate Academy for Gifted Juveniles as a completely different person with the other participants, officially commencing the 53rd killing game season known as the Killing School Semester.

Most of the cases that happened to come to his uncle were small things like investigating infidelity, but on the one rare occasion, Shuichi managed to solve a murder case faster than the police and became publicly known as the junior detective, gaining him his Ultimate title. However, Shuichi does not believe he deserves the title, claiming that he only happened to solve this one case by chance.

In reality, the situation was more complicated. When the culprit was captured thanks to Shuichi, his eyes were full of hatred and malice as he looked at Shuichi, and the boy never forgot that gaze. Shuichi heard later that the culprit had killed the victim to avenge his family and the victim was a horrible person who had tricked the culprit's family and driven them to suicide. Shuichi felt guilty for "siding with" the victim and felt everything was his fault because he exposed the truth. He gained a fear of exposing the truth, considering himself a pathetic detective, and he began to wear a hat because he couldn't look at other people's eyes anymore.

Part of the fake backstory created for Shuichi and the other fifteen students was The Gofer Project, which supposedly happened before the killing game started. It was initiated by the government after countless meteorites crashed into Earth. To try and preserve the last vestiges of mankind before the Earth’s destruction, the government decided to select a number of excellent human beings, put them in a spaceship, and have them escape.

Shuichi and fifteen other high school students were chosen to participate. However, not wanting to abandon their loved ones, they attempted to escape from the plan.

Around that time, an extremist cult came into power. They believed that the meteor crashes was a punishment humanity brought upon itself, and having heard of The Gofer Project, they tried to stop it. As a result, the “Ultimate Hunt” started and spread throughout the world, and the sixteen students were hunted down.

The government then decided to counter the situation by faking the students’ deaths, calming down the “Ultimate Hunt” while providing protection to the students. The Gofer Project was then put into action while the Earth was being destroyed. Shuichi and the others went to space in a massive spaceship colony, the true form of Ultimate Academy of Gifted Juveniles

Personality:

Shuichi appears to have quite a serious and polite personality. He often has negative remarks, frequently blushes and suffers from a cold sweat. With his unsure demeanor, he has a tendency to assume that other people can do things better than him, and he comes across as quite unreliable at first glance. Among the sixteen students, he is a boy who stands out for his submissiveness but also for his level-headedness.

However, Shuichi can also have a stronger attitude at times when the situation calls for it. He is the first to immediately suggest going after the mastermind during chapter 1 and goes to great lengths to trap them, showing an affinity towards proactivity. His hat is an especially sore subject for him and he dislikes to look at other people's eyes, which is why he wears the hat. When meeting Miu Iruma, she accused him of being a pervert with no reason, causing him to angrily yell at her to leave him alone. She had said that boys wear hats to hide their staring, which is obviously very poor reasoning, and Shuichi angrily told her he doesn't need an excuse to wear a hat.

Even though he is a very skilled detective with superior ability and insight, Shuichi lacks self-confidence, as he claims he hasn't accomplished enough to be called a famous detective. He also feels he doesn't deserve his Ultimate title because he only happened to solve a murder case by chance, frequently referring to himself as "kind of a detective", although Kaede Akamatsu (deceased at this point) says she doesn't believe something like this is possible. However, he later reveals to Kaede that his biggest issue with detective work comes from the first murder case he solved, which gave him a fear of uncovering the truth, which is something a real detective would never have in his opinion. He fears the guilt, consequences and the hatred he might receive and the pain he might cause if he reveals the truth.

Whenever Shuichi feels depressed, he tends to stay in his room and doesn't eat nor shower and at times he can even feel suicidal, but he can get moving with his friends' support. With Kaede assuring him that she believes in him and he should be more confident in himself, Shuichi promises he will try although he's not sure if he can. After Kaede decides to put all her thoughts on him and believe in him prior to her execution, and with Kaito's assistance, Shuichi's timid veil breaks considerably and he even stops wearing his hat, feeling that it was "getting in the way". He begins to show more profound confidence in his abilities as a detective and when interacting with other people. He always takes a very large role in every single Class Trial after the first one, choosing not to look away from the truth anymore and keep his promise to Kaede. He also becomes noticeably more vocal than before, displaying immense outrage during the final Class Trial after revealing to his fellow survivors that Kaede was executed unjustly.

Shuichi is also shown to take romantic relationships very seriously. During his Free Time Events, when Kaede asks him if he feels uncomfortable about women and romance due to seeing so many tough adultery cases in his detective work, he fiercely denies this and says he would never be unfaithful. During his Love Suite Event with K1-B0, it's shown that he only feels a bit uncomfortable about the idea of dating the robot because of the fact that he assumes he is asking for a pretense relationship. He tells K1-B0 he doesn't want a relationship based on lies, but gladly agrees to have a romantic relationship with him after he confesses that he truly is in love with Shuichi. In general, Shuichi is shown to be a bit shy about romance, but also very supportive and willing to make the other happy even if it's just dream-like situations like the Love Suite Events. Since he is a bit submissive, some other characters tease him by calling him a masochist in Chapter 4, as he often looks so pleased to obey orders (mostly from Kaito). Miu uses this as an excuse to boss him around and Shuichi looks a bit saddened that everyone thinks of him like that. During one of the conversations beginning Miu's Free Time Events, he even obeys Miu's non-serious suggestion and plays tricks for her like a dog.

As a detective, Shuichi has a keen intellect and is a sharp thinker. While he is timid when talking to others, he is seen to be calmer and firmer when analyzing and doing reasoning. He suggests that there might be a "mastermind" among the students simply by Monokuma's claims. By the first trial, he is able to reach the truth faster than anyone else, but is hesitant to say it because of his "fear of revealing the truth". However, he progressively gets more confident within this area as we progress ingame.

When Maki started to realize her feelings for Kaito and struggled to ask advice from Shuichi, she asked him if he had liked Kaede. Shuichi had a flashback of an infamous scene where Kaede was reassuring him, holding his hand in Chapter 1. Maki then pointed out that it would be weird to develop feelings for someone after you met them just a while ago, which offended Shuichi a bit, especially since Maki then refused to reveal her personal things and what she wanted to talk about.

Relationship with Kaito:

In general, Shuichi greatly admires Kaito for his honesty and helpfulness, though he does recognize his sillier moments. According to Shuichi, he has never been around someone like Kaito, and he says that his own insecurities and anxiety fade away in his company. He thinks it might be what he has been missing all this time and that "only someone like Kaito could tell him what he needs to hear". During Kaito's Free Time Events, Shuichi even gets a bit flustered by his own thoughts and feelings towards Kaito, considering that he's a boy. During the Love Suite Event, he also gets flustered when Kaito corners him against the wall and thinks it's hard to stay calm with Kaito so close to him in such a place. In Chapter 4, when the other students agree that Shuichi is a masochist, Maki points out seriously that Shuichi always looks so pleased whenever Kaito gives him orders and appears happy as the sidekick, and that he might just be into that sort of thing.

Relationship with Maki:

Shuichi and Maki got along well after the events of Chapter 2 after Kaito brought Maki to their training regime. This resulted in the three doing exercises together, although Maki outmatched the two boys at everything they did. Shuichi seemed impressed with Maki's skills, and the three began to meet up nightly to do these exercises. As the two grew closer, Maki began to feel more comfortable around Shuichi, although she still had some trouble trusting others. Despite her cold and rather intimidating demeanor, Shuichi is one of the students who trusts Maki despite her status as an assassin.

Although Shuichi initially only trusted Maki because of Kaito, he grows to genuinely care for and believe in her. In Chapter 3, when Maki confides in him about her not feeling "human", Shuichi assured her that he can relate, as he has his own insecurities about his work as a detective. Because of this, Shuichi strongly supported Kaito's decision to take down Maki's "mask", as he believed he is the only one who can help her open up.

During murders, Maki often reminds Shuichi to "get a grip" as he is the detective. She even assisted Shuichi during Chapter 3's investigation, helping him creating hypotheses and finding clues. When on the discussion of Tenko's last moments, Shuichi and Maki work together to lie about Tenko dying instantly, so she wouldn't be able to kill herself inside the cage, despite Maki being the one who suggested this method in the first place. Shuichi told Maki that she helped him a lot with the investigation, although Maki only said that she found him surprisingly reliable during the investigation.

During the events of the virtual world in Chapter 4, Maki did make a point to remind Shuichi that he's a person before he's a detective, which he's touched by, despite her telling him he's more reliable during a murder case than daily life. Nonetheless, it's apparent the two have grown quite close to each other, with her asking if he's okay, making sure if he and Kaito aren't fighting when Shuichi forcibly logged him out to test something.

Saihara is not necessarily athletic, lacking the prowess to do 100 push-ups or sit-ups as effortlessly as Maki can.

Quote examples for development:

“I'm... Shuichi Saihara. They call me the Ultimate Detective, but..."

"We can't rule out suspects that way... We need to look at all the possibilities."

“Ah, well...some dangers are hidden where you can't see."

“Being strong-willed could get you into a lot of trouble around here..."

"...I'm not a real detective, Kaede. What kind of stupid detective is afraid of finding the truth?"

“Yeah...I'll try. I don't know if I can do it, but... No...I'll do it! I have to believe in myself... I won't be afraid anymore. I will face the truth...for everyone. I promise."

"I didn't want to figure it out... I didn't want to know... But... I can't turn away from the truth..."

"I said I wouldn't back down. I made a promise!"

"I'm...scared. I try hard not to be, but I'm scared. I can't stop thinking about...the pain and sadness that comes if I reveal the truth. That's what I'm afraid of..."

Deceased include: Kaede, Rantaro, Kirumi, Ryoma, Korekiyo, Angie, Tenko