#Drv3 chapter 5 mystery

[whattheskyknows]

Chapter 5 au where instead of Maki breaking into the hangar, it's Tsumugi. She breaks in using an Exisal but doesn't reveal herself. Instead, she uses the voice changer using Maki's voice so both Kaito and Kokichi think she's inside. Tsumugi wounds Kokichi using the Exisal's gun and tries to kick-start another trial because everyone is too depressed to do anything (including Maki, hence why Tsumugi has taken matters into her own hands.) She leaves pretty soon afterwards, assuming Kaito will sort everything out (Kaito tells 'Maki' to leave, promising her everything will be okay.) Kaito and Kokichi are still both alive but Kokichi is gravely wounded and Kaito's illness is getting worse. Kokichi points out that it's strange 'Maki' didn't leave the Exisal and reluctantly reveals he thinks the true mastermind is trying to continue the game, bating Kaito to murder. Kaito believes him eventually and they both work together to trick the mastermind. I think they'd go down the hydraulic press mystery route, although there's a different outcome at the trial.

Stopping there because I kinda want to write this as a fic because I've already started to plan out what could happen lol

[danganronpasurvivoraskblog]

Dangancember 2024 - Danganronpa Top 24 Class Trials - Number 5: Danganronpa V3 Case 1 {BEST CASE FROM DRV3}

//Me running from the angry mob who think this case is fucking overrated:

//Okay, okay, I already knew going into this, looking at my top 10, that this is probably the second or third most divisive placement on this list, because the feelings that people have for this trial are generally mixed, and all of it rides on one particular aspect of it, that carries the whole thing.

//But that's not a problem becase we already have a set precedent for that on this list, and yeah, I will not deny it. This trial is only up here because of one massive bias that I have towards it, and if you know me by now, then you already know what it is.

//But I have lots of other reasons as to why I absolutely love this Class Trial, mainly because even if it's not as good a mystery as 2-1 or A2-1, this is the best opening case for me because of how it kicks V3 off with an emotional bang.

//This isn't like the first trial of Another 2 where I think it's generally not a good sign that my favourite case in that game was the first one. This one has a legitimate reason for being up here because of how, even to this day, it sets itself apart from every other Danganronpa trial that we've covered so far, not just among the openings.

//And trust me, it was SO GODDAMN DIFFICULT trying to decide which I liked more between V3-1 and V3-4, because they're both AMAZING. But the thing that ultimately decided it is that I actually have come back to this case a few times over the course of my time as a DR fan. While I only sparingly go back to Chapter 4 of this game, because it's already had its impact on me.

//If you thought the opening cases in previous games were wild, V3 comes out swinging (literally) with a mystery that doesn’t just set the stage but completely flips the script on what you expect from a Danganronpa trial.

//It’s not just about solving the murder; it’s about the emotional gut-punch, the clever twists, and the bold storytelling choices that make you question everything you thought you knew about the series.

So let’s dive into what makes this case such a standout moment in the franchise.

//The first victim in Danganronpa V3 is Rantaro Amami, a man of mystery whose Ultimate Talent remains unknown during the first chapter. His untimely demise occurs in the library, where he’s tragically bludgeoned on the head with a heavy shotput ball.

//I know there are other aspects of the trial that stand out to people more, but I actually want to kick this review off by saying that Rantaro’s death is not just shocking but downright brilliant.

//It's one of the best character fakeouts in the series, and the only time I think Kodaka does it better in any of his mystery games is the prologue case of Rain Code (If you know, you know.) It's executed so well that it leaves you doing a mental double take.

//At first glance, Rantaro seems poised to become this game’s equivalent of Nagito. i.e. a morally ambiguous outcast with potentially twisted ideals.

//His enigmatic vibe and cryptic behavior practically scream "plot relevance." Honestly, he even gives off shades of Yuri from SDRA2, with that same aura of someone you’d expect to stir the pot in bizarre and unsettling ways.

//To emphasize this further, all the other Ultimate ???'s have been integral to their games. Kyoko was the deutragonist and leading lady of DR1, and Hajime was the protagonist of DR2. And in the first chapter of DR1, Kyoko is mostly unnasuming, and you don't know what her relevance to the plot is until the trial actually happens; since most of the screentime of Chapter 1 is taken up by Makoto's relationship with Sayaka.

//But before we even get to unravel his deal, he’s unceremoniously removed from the board. It's as if the game chuckled to itself and shouted "SIKE!"

//This clever bait-and-switch caught me completely off guard. I was ready for Rantaro to take center stage as the group's wildcard, only for the game to pull the rug out from under me.

//Instead, the role of chaotic, antagonistic schemer eventually falls to Kokichi, who turned out to be another fantastic choice, though his brand of chaos is a touch different.

//I'd really like to see a potential fanfic rewrite where Rantaro survives, and serves as the rival character to the main protagonist. Because most V3 rewrites are one's that have Kaede survive the first chapter, but Rantaro still dies, and he hardly gets any screentime, if any. And that's a shame, because I'd like to see what people do with his character.

//Please read all these fanfics by the way, they're so good.

//And sure, you could argue the setup feels a bit reminiscent of Danganronpa 2, where the first victim is also a character cloaked in mystery, and then later, his real talent is revealed to be something monumental to the plot of the game. But hey, if it ain’t broke, why fix it? It’s a bold way to kick things off and keep players guessing, and it sets the stage for the rollercoaster ride of twists that V3 is known for.

//But...okay, let's not delay ourselves any longer. All ya'll motherfuckers know the precise reason why it is that I love this trial.

//When it comes to the first trial of Danganronpa V3, the victim is certainly a shocking element, but let’s not kid ourselves...there’s one reason why this trial is etched into the annals of the series’ history as one of its most mind-blowing moments.

//And that reason is…The culprit.

//So, who killed Rantaro Amami? Who's the mastermind behind this library bludgeoning?

//You are!

//Okay, to be more specific, the person who turns out to be Rantaro's SUPPOSED murderer is Kaede Akamatsu, the Ultimate Pianist, who starts V3 by serving as the player character.

//Yep! The character you’ve been controlling this whole time is the murderer. And that alone is one of the best plot twists in the entire series, already rivalling the final plot twists of Danganronpa 2.

//And if that doesn't set a precedent for this game, I don't know what could have.

//To elaborate, the game opens with you playing as Kaede, a talented and determined pianist with a big heart, a hopeful spirit, and a knack for rallying her classmates. Everything about her screams "main protagonist," from her bright demeanor to her prominent placement in marketing materials.

//But as this trial unfolds, the game pulls the ultimate fast one.

//At first, the trial plays out like classic Danganronpa fare: you gather evidence, debate your classmates, and cross names off the suspect list. The usual, right? But as the suspects dwindle and the pressure mounts, it becomes clear that solving this case won’t come easy.

//The group edges closer to despair as they struggle to pinpoint the killer. This is where Shuichi Saihara, the Ultimate Detective, the game's current deutragonist, becomes the prime suspect for much of the trial.

//After some prompting, Shuichi, putting his sleuthing skills to good use, proposes a theory that flips the entire case, and the game, on its head. The real killer isn’t anyone standing on the sidelines. It’s Kaede herself. The cheerful, hopeful pianist you’ve been guiding through this madness turns out to be the one who orchestrated Rantaro’s death.

//Let’s pause to appreciate just how wild this twist is. Up until this point, Kaede was framed as the central figure of Danganronpa V3. You’ve bonded with her, rooted for her, and poured hours into her perspective. And now, she’s sentenced to death.

//The "main character" doesn’t even survive past the first chapter! It’s a daring, genre-defying move that caught players completely off guard.

//To make this twist land, the game’s developers went all out. They weren’t just pulling a fast one on Kaede; they were pulling one on us. Here’s just some of the things they pulled off this grand deception:

On the game’s official Steam page, the promotional images heavily feature Kaede as the protagonist. Shuichi, on the other hand, is LITERALLY a background character.

Kaede is front and center in nearly all official artwork; at least those that dropped at the time of release. Shuichi’s presence is muted, making it seem like she’s the undisputed lead.

V3 is the only one of the Danganronpa games that had a fully released demo. In the game’s demo, Kaede is marketed as the hero, reinforcing the idea that this is her story. Makoto and Hajime, both of whom make reappearances for the demo, specifically refer to her as a "fellow protagonist."

The developers warned fans repeatedly on social media to avoid spoilers, knowing this twist was too good to ruin.

To cement the illusion, they even slapped the "Female Protagonist" tag on the game’s store page.

//This level of misdirection is nothing short of genius. It’s one of the most ambitious twists the series has ever pulled off, and it solidifies this trial as a standout moment in Danganronpa history. Clever, daring, and a little cruel, it’s the kind of narrative gut punch that keeps fans talking years later.

//Also, as a side note, while I was doing this analysis and getting screenshots from YouTube to use as part of it, I found this comment, and I never actually thought about it this way, and it's so goddamn funny for some reason:

//It definitely keeps ME talking years later, since these days, Kaede is quite possibly my favourite character in the entire series.

//And yes, I'm sorry, this is turning into a rant about why I absolutely love Kaede, but it is very relevant to the plot of this trial, since this is her one and done. So I want to establish what she was able to achieve within her time.

//Kaede is a delightful bundle of joy, determination, and just the right amount of chaos, and even though she is the protagonist initially, she sets herself apart from the previous series hitters; Makoto, Hajime, and Komaru.

//She’s a hardworking leader type with a strong will, unshakable beliefs in herself and others, and a heart set on making people smile. especially through her music. But while her Ultimate Pianist title highlights her talent, it’s Kaede’s personality and quirks that truly make her shine.

//For starters, Kaede’s kindness and selflessness often lead her to put others first, sometimes to a fault. She’s so trusting that in the game’s demo, she outright fakes an alibi for Makoto based solely on gut instinct, even though she has no rational reason to believe he’s innocent. She does this for Shuichi as well, but obviously, as far as she's aware, SHE'S the culprit, so she knows that if Shuichi is voted for, she gets executed.

//She’ll lie if it’s for a good cause, but at the same time, she’s hilariously bad at it, squirming uncomfortably every time.

//Like previous protagonists, she’s sensitive to others’ struggles and listens earnestly to their concerns. But Kaede takes it a step further: she actively pushes people to improve, even if that means bluntly pointing out their flaws.

//It's easy to go through all of V3 without seeing her FTE's, because she's obviously only around for this chapter, and has two per character. And unless you reset the game multiple times, you won't get to see them all.

//Which is a shame that you have to go through so much effort to see them because they're all packed with moments of encouragement that show her as an unshakable force of positivity. Unsurprisingly, most of her classmates quickly grow to like her.

//That said, Kaede isn’t without her...problems...In fact she has quite a few.

//Her obsession with piano borders on comical; she works musical metaphors into everyday conversations and avoids any activity that might harm her precious fingers. Her Free Time Events with Tsumugi even lead to a minor existential crisis when she realizes her entire identity revolves around piano, prompting her to desperately search for new hobbies.

//Which is not true, because personally, I think she's among the deeper characters in V3, but it's still funny.

//Kaede also has a goofy, impulsive side that often makes her unintentionally funny, or awkward or awkward depending on the situation. For example, she has absolutely ZERO sense of restraint

//In K1-B0’s Free Time Events, she casually asks questions about his robotic nature in ways that come off as insensitive. She’s the type to poke buttons (literally in Keebo's case, where she pushes his emergency shutdown) or cheeks without permission, giving her a playful, almost childlike quality.

//But then there’s her tendency to blurt out comments that can sound…questionable. She enthusiastically calls Tenko cute, describes Tsumugi’s "sexy aura," and even threatens to lift Tsumugi’s skirt to get her to talk, prompting Shuichi to point out that she’s acting like a creepy old man.

//Her layered personality doesn’t end there. While she’s a genuinely kind and brave person, Kaede also has a fiery temper and a knack for standing her ground. She’s quick to lash out when provoked, whether it’s snapping at Shuichi for panicking, telling Himiko to shut up during an investigation, or calling out Kokichi for his attention-seeking antics.

//Yet, these moments of frustration come from a place of passion, as Kaede firmly believes in justice and doing what’s right. She’s not afraid to call out any behavior she deems unacceptable, earning her a reputation as a bossy but well-meaning figure.

//However, Kaede’s determination to do the right thing is both her greatest strength and her biggest flaw. She’s relentless in pursuing her vision of justice, even when it’s misguided or downright dangerous. In this chapter, she rallies the group to escape using one of Monokuma’s obvious traps, earning everyone's pointed criticism, specifically from Maki and Kokichi. Her pushy attitude sometimes rubs others the wrong way, but Kaede genuinely doesn’t realize how her actions affect those around her until it’s pointed out. When her good intentions go awry, it leads to moments of genuine regret.

//Of course, Kaede’s defining moment comes in the trial, where her unwavering sense of justice drives her to extremes. To save her classmates, she attempts to murder the Mastermind, a decision that ends in disaster when her plan misfires and Rantaro becomes the unintended victim.

//And despite the inclusion of the First-Blood Perk, which allows whoever commits the crime to escape the school without the need for a Class Trial, she refuses to take the chance, because she wants to use the trial to out the Mastermind.

//This twist not only redefines Kaede’s role but also highlights her complexity. She isn’t just a good person in the traditional sense. Her belief in her own righteousness blinds her to the consequences of her actions, making her a beautifully flawed and deeply human character.

//Now...before I go onto what I actually liked about the trial itself, and how, while the Kaede twist carries it, it's still supported by a bunch of really neat moments, mysteries, and pacing, I want to go over one massive concern that we haven't really established with this case, and give my opinion on it. Because this is something that we've kind of already gone over, but I want to talk about it in more detail here, because this is where the point becomes relevant.

//During the trial, the evidence begins to point toward the fact that Rantaro was killed by a heavy shotput ball dropped from the vent above the library’s bookcases, which is how Kaede set up the trap. Initially, suspicions are scattered among several characters, with Shuichi himself being a prime suspect for much of the trial.

//However, in a dramatic reversal, Shuichi pieces together that Kaede’s actions prior to the murder align with the placement of the murder weapon. He theorizes that Kaede had hidden the shotput ball inside the air vent with the intention of setting a trap for the Mastermind. This trap involved the ball rolling out of the vent and hitting whoever triggered the motion-detecting cameras set up in the library. Tragically, Rantaro happened to be the one caught in the crossfire.

//Or so we thought...

//In truth, Tsumugi Shirogane, who is secretly the mastermind of the killing game, altered the events of the murder after Kaede set her trap. Kaede’s plan to kill the Mastermind failed, and the shotput ball actually MISSED Rantaro. He was instead killed directly by Tsumugi, who procured her own ball and smashed him over the head with it.

//Using her authority over Monokuma and the game, Tsumugi manipulated the evidence to make it look like Kaede’s trap had succeeded. Ensuring that Kaede would take the fall for the crime, not only eliminating a strong-willed leader who might disrupt the killing game early on, but also, due to Monokuma's threat of killing everybody if nobody died within a certain time limit, to ensure her own survival.

//The group unknowingly plays into her hands, convicting Kaede as the blackened based on incomplete and fabricated evidence. And it's quite possibly the only substantially evil thing Tsumugi does in the whole game.

//Now...this element of the game is controversial, both for me, and for the audience, for several reasons.

//My big issue is that it's an unfair manipulation of the rules of the killing game, which usually relies on airtight logic and player-driven deductions. Knowing that the evidence was tampered with by Tsumugi retroactively feels like a betrayal of the game’s premise of uncovering the truth.

//And yeah, this isn't the first time the Mastermind does this. Junko does this in Game 1, in fact. And it's highly unrealistic for you to believe that the Masterminds would ever willfully play by the rules, but my problem is that it really undermines them from being the powerful villains that they play themselves as in the final Chapter. It's why I believe AI Junko in the second game is the best Mastermind of the lot, since she's the only one who doesn't royally fuck up at one point (barring Mikado and Akane T.)

//The bigger issue for people in general, however, is that some fans feel that the framing diminishes Kaede’s role in the twist. Instead of her actions directly leading to the crime, her plan is sabotaged and used against her by an outside force. This makes her appear less culpable, which can feel like a cop-out for such a high-stakes moment.

//One could argue that if Kaede had actually succeeded in killing Rantaro, the twist would have been more impactful. It would’ve forced players to grapple with the moral complexity of Kaede’s actions, as she would’ve knowingly crossed a line to protect her friends. By shifting the blame to Tsumugi’s interference, the narrative somewhat softens the weight of Kaede’s decision.

//And I do agree with all of these notions, and understand where people are coming from. HOWEVER, despite these criticisms, Kaede’s framing still works within the context of the story and doesn’t take away from the emotional impact of her being the Chapter 1 culprit.

//What you have to remember is it isn't simply that Tsumugi committed her own crime individual of Kaede. Kaede started the murder plan, and Tsumugi finished it.

//It still means that Kaede isn't the killer, and shouldn't have been executed for it, but it doesn't change the fact that she still TRIED to kill somebody.

//It doesn't take away from the complexities and flaws of Kaede as a person in this game. The Despair she felt, and the corner she was driven into, still mattered, and she still acted on it in the worst way possible. Had the shotput ball hit Rantaro and not missed by pure coincidence, she would still have been the culprit.

//Even though she was framed for the actual murder, Kaede’s actions remain central to the story. Her plan to kill the mastermind reflects her unyielding determination to save her classmates, even at the cost of her own morality. Whether her trap succeeded or not, Kaede willingly put herself in a position where she would’ve been responsible for taking a life. This is the heart of the twist, and it’s not about whether she succeeded, but about her willingness to go that far.

//The framing doesn’t change the fact that Kaede is executed believing she is responsible for Rantaro’s death. Her guilt and despair as she tries to encourage Shuichi to carry on in her place still land with full emotional force, and the player shares her devastation, and her death leaves a lasting impact on the narrative. This doesn't change with Chapter 6's revelations.

//And on top of that, Tsumugi’s interference is consistent with her role as the mastermind and a villain who thrives on deception. The killing game has always been about manipulation, both of the participants and the audience. By framing Kaede, she ensures that the game starts with a shocking betrayal of expectations, cementing her as a calculating and ruthless antagonist.

//Only to fumble the ball much later, but this is more of a knock on Trial 6 than Trial 1.

//And that's mainly the big reason why I think this trial is great as an opening. It allows several characters to shine early.

//Kaede’s bold leadership, Rantaro’s mysterious potential, and glimpses of complexity in Kokichi’s manipulations and Kaito’s steadfastness all take center stage.

//But beyond Kaede, the real breakout star here is Shuichi, whose journey from hesitant sidekick to true protagonist begins in earnest during this chapter.

//At first glance, unlike Kaede, Shuichi feels eerily familiar to Makoto and Hajime, or previous protagonists. He’s polite, serious, and perpetually anxious, sporting a hat he refuses to take off because he’s self-conscious about making eye contact. He blushes, breaks into cold sweats, and often assumes everyone else is more capable than he is.

//In short, he doesn’t exactly exude confidence or charisma, and that’s exactly why his growth feels so satisfying. V3 may have ups and downs in terms of its characterization and plot development, but if there's one thing that I can say for certain, it's that Shuichi's character writing, throughout ALL of this game, is FLAWLESS!

//Despite his meekness, Shuichi shows surprising flashes of initiative early on. He’s the first to suggest they set a trap for the mastermind, proving he’s not as passive as he seems. He’s also quick to stand up for himself when pushed too far, such as his angry outburst at Miu accusing him of being a pervert.

//Kaede’s role in shaping Shuichi cannot be overstated. As the initial protagonist, she radiates optimism, courage, and determination. Her plan to stop the mastermind, though it fails, demonstrates her willingness to take risks for the group’s sake.

//When the truth of the trial forces Shuichi to accuse her, the weight of that responsibility crushes him, but Kaede’s faith in him remains unwavering.

//Kaede’s final words, encouraging Shuichi to believe in himself, become the foundation for his transformation. Her trust in him, paired with Kaito’s relentless support afterwards, helps Shuichi shed his self-doubt (and his hat) and step into the spotlight as the protagonist. From here on, Shuichi is determined not to look away from the truth, no matter how painful, a promise he makes in honor of Kaede’s memory.

//Trial by trial, Shuichi grows more confident and assertive. By the time the finale rolls around, Shuichi has fully stepped into his role, calling out the mastermind and rallying his fellow survivors with unshakable resolve. His passionate outrage upon revealing Kaede’s unjust execution shows just how far he’s come, not only as a detective but as someone who refuses to let lies define their lives.

//What makes Shuichi such a compelling protagonist is how different he is from Kaede. Where Kaede is bold and charismatic, Shuichi is quiet and thoughtful. He lacks her boundless optimism but compensates with razor-sharp intellect and a deep sense of responsibility.

//His understated heroism makes his victories feel earned rather than inevitable, and his struggles resonate with anyone who’s ever doubted themselves.

//In the end, Shuichi becomes the protagonist that Team Danganronpa never anticipated. While Kaede was ideal for their manufactured Killing Game, Shuichi subverts their expectations entirely. By rejecting the binary of Hope and Despair and refusing to vote, he takes a stand that transcends the game’s twisted rules. His quiet determination and intellect ultimately bring an end to the Killing Game and the series itself.

//Just as he promised Kaede.

//Kaede’s death and the way she passes the torch to Shuichi set the stage for one of, if not, THE most rewarding character arc/arcs in the series. Her impact is felt throughout the game, not just in Shuichi’s growth but in how her sacrifice inspires the survivors to keep pushing forward.

//Shuichi’s evolution from anxious and self-doubting to confident and decisive is what makes him such a standout protagonist. His relatability, paired with his ability to rise to the occasion, ensures that his journey, from the first trial to the game’s finale, is as compelling as it is memorable.

//But while the characterization and the relevance of Kaede is what carries this trial this high onto the list, I want to talk a little more about my thoughts and feelings on the invesigation, and the trial itself.

//The first chapter of Danganronpa V3 is just as heavy and depressing as its predecessors, but it cranks up the confusion factor to eleven. While Hope’s Peak Academy and Jabberwock Island had some sense of familiarity, the Ultimate Academy for Gifted Juvenies in this game feels more alien, making the stakes even harder to grasp initially.

//I kind of already said this, but from the way Rantaro carries himself in the prologue, acting all mysterious and competent, I was convinced he was going to be a key player. Maybe even a leader figure who would stick around for the long haul. And then when he started going a bit off the rails, I thought, "Ah, I see where this is going."

//I began thinking that he was going to turn out like Tsurugi from the Another games. Like the morally rigid, justice-obsessed type whose sense of right and wrong is slightly…off.

//But nope! The next thing I knew, Rantaro was lying there, very dead, and I was sitting there questioning my life choices. That little arc of his really threw me for a loop.

//Unless you're NicoB and somehow channeling detective-level intuition, figuring out who the killer is in this case is next to impossible based on the investigation clues alone. And that’s exactly what makes it so brilliant.

//With Kaede as the culprit, you essentially experience the entire murder setup firsthand. You’re there for the plan, the execution (as in the crime HAPPENING in real time, not the execution that kills Kaede, although we are also there for that), and the aftermath. But the game cleverly omits just the right moments or twists key words in a way that keeps you from ever suspecting her.

//Now, let’s address the elephant in the room: some fans argue that the protagonist switch is the only good thing about this case, dismissing the rest as basic or bare-bones.

//Respectfully, I think they’re wrong.

//Sure, the protagonist twist is a massive highlight. It’s chef’s kiss in terms of execution. But the case itself has plenty to offer.

//As a first case, it had some big shoes to fill. On one hand, it easily outshines the first trial in Danganronpa 1, which, let’s be real, was serviceable but not exactly riveting.

//On the other hand, it had to compete with Danganronpa 2’s first trial, which featured Teruteru’s surprisingly intricate scheme. That one’s a tougher act to follow, but I’d argue that Kaede’s case pulls ahead in terms of how engaging and multilayered the mystery is.

//Teruteru's crime was more complicated, and engaging, but it wasn't as fun to solve as this one was for me.

//Is it the most complex case in the series? No.

//Does it redefine what meta means in V3? Not quite.

//But it’s still an awesome, tightly crafted mystery that deserves its spot among the series’ best. In hindsight, even though they are my least favourite set of mysteries in the main trilogy, V3’s cases are all pretty intricate, so the fact that this one holds its ground says a lot.

//And really, how can you not appreciate a case where the game essentially says, "You’re the killer, but good luck realizing that before we drop the bombshell?"

//It’s clever, it’s bold, and it sets the tone for V3’s penchant for subverting expectations. Whether you’re here for the shocking twists or just love seeing your brain get tied in knots, this case delivers.

//For good measure, I'll reiterate how this whole thing goes.

//So, the whole mystery kicks off with Rantaro getting murdered, and Kaede, being the brilliant hero that she is, takes it upon herself to help the group narrow down the list of suspects. She shuts down anyone who tries to throw blame at others, using hard evidence like a detective on a caffeine high.

//The excuses for why certain people couldn’t have been the killer range from, "They were miles away at the time," to "They’re physically too weak to throw a shotput hard enough to kill someone". Basically a smorgasbord of alibis and physical limitations that could’ve come straight out of a detective’s handbook.

//But as it goes, all suspicion seems to funnel onto Shuichi. After all, he’s the only one who could bypass the security system, because Miu, the mastermind behind the tech Shu and Kae used for their trap, told him how to do it, while Kaede was not informed beforehand. And since Miu has her own alibi, she's off the hook.

//However, in a classic display of Kaede's wits, she manages to throw a few crafty suggestions, and a little white lie here and there, to get Shuichi off the suspect list.

//But if Shuichi isn’t the culprit, then who in the world is? Well, Shuichi, after a brief moment of hesitation, and probably some deep internal screaming, suggests a bold new theory: Kaede could be the killer.

//Now, if this was a soap opera, this is where the dramatic music would kick in. The rest of the trial devolves into a full-on "everyone vs. Shuichi" situation. Which is a terrible situation to thrust the poor boy into, especially since this chapter also features a whole ass scene where Shuichi is crying about being scared of the truth.

//I get why Kaede did it, and it did help Shuichi in the end, but it doesn't change the fact that she was making him fight everybody over a truth that he didn't want to come to light.

//The tension is palpable, and the whole room is practically ready to tear him apart, but this is where Shuichi starts showing his detective chops. He doesn’t flinch, doesn’t back down, and argues with the same quiet determination you’d expect from someone who’s been taking notes on how to deal with chaos. It's a subtle flex of his growing skills as a detective, and honestly, it’s pretty satisfying to watch him hold his ground against everyone.

//Eventually, the trial wraps up with Kaede confessing to the murder. But here's where things get a bit…well, complicated.

//Now, if there’s one thing that makes this trial truly stand out, it’s how the protagonist switch ties into the game’s larger themes of Truth vs. Lies, and more importantly, the colossal twist that the world of V3 isn't even real.

//Shuichi, the true protagonist, is like the ultimate punchline to the whole game. The fact that Kaede doesn’t make it past the first chapter is like one giant narrative rug-pull. Not only does it break your expectations for what you thought the game was going to be, but it also ties directly into the overarching narrative of deception that runs through V3.

//And, if you’re paying close attention, it’s not just a clever narrative trick. It's a commentary on the entire premise of the game. The creators themselves are in on the joke, which adds a whole layer of meta to the experience.

//In the end, this trial is a perfect storm of clever writing, emotional punches, and mind-bending twists.

//Kaede may not have been the killer, but her actions set the stage for everything that follows, and that’s what makes this trial one of my absolute favorites in the Danganronpa series.

//So yeah, I'm definitely biased. And I'm sorry if that ticks people off.

//But I should warn you. If you think THIS is the most controversial pick for the upper rankings? You'd best get ready for tomorrow's.

[brainrot-mx]

I DON'T KNOW WHERE ELSE TO POST THIS BUT HERE U GO ‼️spoilers hsr 2.2‼️

I am aware the danganronpa fandom is prolly really inactive rn and I also have no idea if the HSR fandom is on here BUT I HAVE TO SHARE MY IDEAS (saiouma mixed into hsr)

Kokichi would be an emenator of the Enigmata or Elation:

I'm leaning Enigmata honestly, but his lies and hatered for violence would be a great motivation for him altering history to prevent humanity from ever commiting heinous crimes ever again (like the killing game?)

The remark from Shuichi after the 5th trial about Kokichi being a lie itself would fit perfectly for being someone either made by a fictionologist (like Gallahager) or being an emenator

He's also incredibly smart which would help him with covering up history, twisting facts and generally messing with public opinion/knowledge about history in subtle ways by using lies

His belief that lies can be used for good also factors into this

Messing with anyonr related to Nous, specifically Shuichi here but I think the memebers of the Genius Society would hate him <3

As an Emenator of Enigmata, it fits that his backstory is very unclear and messy/dkesn't make sense even when you have clues (like DICE for example)

Him not being given any credit for his plan in chapter 5 also solidifies him being perfect for this, as he wasn't written down to be remembered, leaving him with no legacy and no history

I take his ultimate to mean he is the perfect leader, so he fills a groups gaps and the support or drive, depending on what is needed, which is what I think a leader should be. Here, it would be used the way he did in the DRV3, which is to say he turned people against him (either by writing down false history and acting it out or making the planet hate him specifically therefore throwing the repeating history off it's rails with a new factor)

A lot of people would mistake him for a Masked Fool. He is friends with a bunch of them though and uses it to his advantage

Because he is so elusive and has very similar ideals to Mythus, he'd probably be given a lot of power. Deciphering the messed up history and stories he leaves behind is a giant pain

Would go very heavy on the planets that constantly repeat their own history, especially if it involves lots of killing and unreasonable authorities doing it

Hates the IPC, constantly messes with their records and

HOWEVER for the Elation:

Being a Masked Fool or even an Emenator would fit him becuase he loves pranks and subtly changes the situation is ways to fit himself (which is a characteristic of Aha)

Messing with people, making fun of people, having his own agenda and generally orchestrating everything from the background works as well.

And Shuichi would probably be part of Genius Society and blessed by Nous, the Aeon of Erudition:

As is customary for anyone in the GS, he would live a life engrossed in his own work, trying to find the truth of cases across the cosmos

The cases he solves are very important, usually solving mysteries connected to important figures in the universe or were unsolved for years before being solved by him, prompting Nous to actually notice him

A lot of people dislike him for revealing corrupt leaders, especially the IPC, because he exposed how horrible they were and as a result the IPC was unable to invade his home planet

Accidentally solved a case where an Aeon was involved, it was a really big scale conflict/event and he got involved, then solved it

Is curious about the Aeons since (and because he was blessed by Nous). Has been invited to work on the Simulated Universe, where he tries to solve historical events like the Swarm, dissapearance of Aeons and what could've happened to them

Probably constantly getting fucked with by Kokichi, by having his records of cases and notes of findings from years ago altered. He gets targeted because of a case he solved earlier in his life, where he exposed that someone messed with the evidence, that person having been Kokichi

He always figures out when his records were messed with, while alse realising that Kokichi was the one doing it, but he could never solidly prove it, causing him to continue his research on the other

Their end comes when Shuichi fully realises who Kokichi is and finds out everything there is to know. None of the information makes sense, accept for the others name. He then dubs Kokichi a "living lie" and calls him by the only things he's certain is true, prompting the Eminator of Enigmata to start fizzling away, as he has become "real" because of Shuichi solidifying him as "real" and "true" by the use of his name instead of a "lie" and "nonexistent" or "altered"

(this is because the Enigmata wants history to be obscured and therefore untrue, which is why I believe it's Eminators would follow, having fabricated lives with no records to show their true history.)

Shuichi would then spend his whole life trying and forget Kokichi's true name, just so he could see him one more time.

[pottedplant53]

Danganronpa V3 Fic Recs!!

In my six years of being a Danganronpa fan I've read a lot of fanfiction, so I've decided to compile a list of some of my personal favourites (in no particular order) for your perusal. Contains very minor plot spoilers, but nothing beyond what the tags/descriptions will tell you. Enjoy :D

New Danganronpa V3BOOT: Killing Harmony Redux - EternalSailorNeptune_53.

Unique in the fact that not only is it a Talentswap AU, but a Simulation AU as well. The general premise is that DRV3 wound up being such a monumental disappointment of a season that Shirogane is forced to rewrite it and try again.

Something that stands out about this fic in particular is its characterization. It tweaks the personalities and backstories of the cast to fit their new talents, all while remaining fundamentally true to their canon counterparts. There's a new death order, new motives, and all of the jokes hit. It's really funny but also made me cry at a few points. Ships include SaiMatsu, KoreKichi, TenMiko and some ShinToujo.

Words: 598,513

Chapters: 53/53 (Completed)

2. The Powerful Skeletons Series - EternalLoveSong

Another V3 Talentswap AU, except this time it's a collection of shorter fics, currently about 27 of them, set in the same talentswap universe. It features Supreme Leader Maki, Assassin Kokichi, Inventor Shuichi, and Servant Rantaro to name a few, and each character gets the spotlight at some point. I don't have a lot to say about these but they're very good.

Words: 95,923 Total

3. Alternative Ending, New Beginning - CrowSandwhich

V3 Chapter 5 canon divergence AU, in which various factors (Maki) cause Kokichi's plan to backfire before he can complete it. Due to his injuries, he winds up confined to the hangar by the rest of the survivors, under the belief that he's the mastermind. Incredibly engaging, but tragically discontinued. Kokichi & Kaito centric, no ships.

Words: 36,523

Chapters: 6/6 (Discontinued)

4. Irreplaceable - apollo_python

Set many years after the events of V3. The participants of the final killing game have all disappeared under mysterious circumstances, with the exception of Shuichi and Kokichi, who've been out of contact and down on their luck since the game ended. At Shuichi's insistence, they take it upon themselves to find their missing former classmates. A Saiouma thriller/mystery with a heavy focus on their relationship. Ships include Saiouma, and background Kaimaki/Irumatsu.

Words: 31,827

Chapters: 3/? (Unfinished)

:D

[kkatastrophic]

Danganronpa Chapter 5 - V3 Daily Life:

SPOILERS AHEAD DON'T READ UNLESS YOU'VE PLAYED ALL OF CHAPTER 5!!!

ALSO, SPOILERS FOR THE MASTERMIND, BECAUSE I FIGURED IT OUT!!!

Cute Kaimaki to begin, because they're such cuties.

Aight, the people who haven't played should be gone by now!

--- The Start:

DANGANRONPA V3!!! DROP A MAKI HIMIKO FRIENDSHIP ARC THIS CHAPTER AND MY LIFE IS YOURS!!!!!!!!!!!!

(I love them both sm, and Tsumugi is great too, and Kaito, and KOKCIHI IS SO FUCKING MESSED UP I LOVE IT RAHHH!!!)

I'm listening to Linger aughhhh

BAHAHAHAH KEEBO ROLLING OUT OF THE HYDRAULIC PRESS IS SO FUNNY, IMAGINE THAT WITHOUT CONTEXT BAHAHAH-

"rush in peace Keebo"

HELP THE HIDDEN MONOKUMA IS BREAKDANCING

Also: Kokichi where tf are you? U gon die soon if you don't come bacl bbg.

--- THEORIES!!!

Maki FTE: "A daughter of a Yakuza leader. She was a child mistress with no ties to the gang. Her father loved her very much... which is why she was seen as dangerous. The yakuza's elites decided to have her removed, in case rival groups used her."

...

Natsumi Kuzuryu...?

--- MAKI AND KAITOOO!

MAKI TEACHING KAITO THE CROSSBOW, AUGH MY HEART OHH THEY'RE SO CUTE.

(Kaito's gonna die soon, he's planning a murder.)

ALSO, WHERE IS BB KOKICHI, HUH?!

Shuichi: While watching those two... I thought of a similar scene. Kaito struggling while Maki gave him instructions...

FUCK! KAITO YOU'RE GONNA DIE. KAITO DON'TTTTT

How lovely :3

"D-Dammit... why now? Why me? I haven't... even... gone to s-space yet..." say that shit again and I'm BAWLING, KAITO. BAWLING. BAWLING!!!!!

OMG ONE MORE FTE AND I FINISH ALL OF TSUMUGIS! YAY OMG I LOVE HER SM IM SO HAPPY AND EXCITED OMG OMG OMG OM GAHHHHH AUGHHHHH I LOVE HERRRRRRR!

--- Kaito Momota is NOT the luminary of the stars:

GUYS I JUST REALISED KAITO KEEPS MAKING SIMPSONS REFERENCES HELP

Kaito always says "WHY YOU-" or "Why you little-" or "Why, you better-" and stops halfway through. He's a goddam simpsons reference. Kaito Momota Ultimate Accidental Simpsons Reference.

Me when goddamronpa.

I CLEARED THE STUPID TUNNEL GAME IN 3 TRIES OMG HIMIKO SAVED ME, I ATE IT UP, AUGHHH I HATED THAT BUT I DID IT SO FAST OMG YAY

--- Gofer Project is a goofy ass name:

Bro the Gofer project chooses 16 students as the saviours of humanity... and they choose a mf who doesn't remember his talent, a ROBOT, a magician, a COSPLAYER and a bug guy...

Erm okay guys.

Why the hell is Kokichi controlling the exisals, I don't believe he's the mastermind what the hell.

Kaito punching people:

Shuichi, Kokichi, he just punches people.

Also Maki's voice line... goddam "STOP IT!!!" like goddam girl.

GUYS. KOKICHI JUST SAID "YUPPERS".

I say that quite often help-

"THIS SCHOOL IS MINE, I AM THE KING!" jesus okay chill out there blud.

--- Poor Shuichi...:

"There's no reason...to keep living."

"There's no reason to live."

"I don't care. If I...just kill my-"

Maki saving Shuichi rn.

Oh my fucking God, Junko is in the flashback light, if she's somehow the bloody mastermind again I'm gonna cry.

THE KILLING GAME OF THE 78TH CLASS??? *crying, screaming, KIYOTAKA IS ON THE SCREEN IN DRV3 GUYS!!!!* <- That image brings so much nostalgia omg.

Erm where is the SDR2 cast? They only get an honourable mention as "ReMnAnTs". What.

Bruh Makoto started the gofer project? AUGHHH MAKOTO FUCK OFFFFFFF ISTFG BRO-

"We just happened to be immune to the virus" <- Bro thinks he's special or smth.

IF I HAVE TO HEAR JUNKO ENOSHIMA ONE MORE TIME I SWEAR TO GOD BRO-

No guys, there's NO saving Kaito, he's sick. He's gonna die. He probably has the mysterious asteroid virus thing.

--- Guys I know who the REAL Mastermind is... fuck:

Kokichi isn't the stupid MM he's lying again.

Tsumugi: "Yeah. That's the sort of thing the remnants of despair or Kira would do."

Tsumugi Shirogane. It's you, isn't it.

Maki triggering the electro-bomb:

Keebo in the corner:

--- VICTIM ALREADY?!

Wait who the fuck is under the press?! WHO'S UNDER IT?! WHO IS IT AUGHHH

[moldsporr]

As much as I love Raincode it's just. So rushed. I really wish they'd taken more time on it, to really make it shine. Because. With what we have I can't really recommend it to anybody except my friends who have to listen to me rave about it anyways

Game-play wise, Raincode reminds me of Danganronpa, Ace Attorney, and Persona 5 and I think the Raincode in my head incorporates stuff from those games. Like for example, imagine if:

We get a few days in-game that pass without us immediately tackling a mystery. Like how Persona 5 has a ton of time separating each palace, you get time to explore Kanai Ward and really get to know it.

While we're not working on the story-mysteries, we can pass the time by hanging out with our fellow detectives and Kurumi- possibly Makoto but maybe not. Or we can hang out with Shinigami!! Similar to freetime events and confidants.

We get more quests that aren't just "go talk to this person and then this person". Maybe we get little mysteries to solve. We could expand on the red rain!! On that wizard!! Why did they include that and then never do anything with it??? Maybe in the beginning we can do simpler cases, like finding lost pets and such! Like how Yakou said his job usually involves.

Can we get more gambling in Raincode actually. I spent a lot of time in DRV3's slots. It's a fun way to pass the time. Maybe we could even pay Halara back their shien

Have the other detectives there for the other cases. Chapter 4 did a good job having everyone involved, but the rest SUCKED ASS at that. In the games I listed above, we always have the remaining students/court members/Phantom thieves. And ofc not everybody is involved each time but it's more than what Raincode gives us (Yuma, helper detective, Peacekeeper, and the suspects + victim)

I just. Man I wanna replay it but it has no replay value for me... I replay Danganronpa every so often because there's so much to do and it's not just the same things over and over again.

[wackpedion]

1 12 30

YIPPEEE ok so

1.) Favorite Game?

SUPER DANAGRONPA 2: GOODBYE DESPAIR BY FAARR. the writing is the peak of the series, the mysterys and murders set up r amazing, chapter 2 with pekos and fuyuhikos relationship is so emotionally striking and not to mention the never-before-done attempted execution interruption LIKE that was just so cool. And then there are the characters and their relationships in general, it feels more of them are friends as opposed to like THH, they grieve and fight for each other. NAGITO IS ONE OF THE BEST CHARACTERS he is so well written and absolutely fascinating, and his relationship with Hajime is so gripping. CHAPTER 5 WAS SO GOOD the convoluted mystery, the emotional rollercoaster near the end, and once again THE MYSTERY whether it be how the murder was done, the intentions, and also what he found out etc. etc. WHICH LEADS INTO CHAPTER 6 BEAUTIFULLY DONE CHAPTER the way it confuses and throws the player through a whirlwind as reality falls apart and makes you question everything, hands you all these pieces, and in the trial itself THE TWIST AND TURNNSSS from finding out they're in a virtual reality, that they're the remnants of despair, Makoto turning out not to be actually Makoto, BUT THEN THE PREVIOUS SURVIVORS DO TURN UP FOR REAL, and then there's the whole Izuru Kamukura thing its. just so good. Not to MENTION how the whole thing ends and its themeing and messaging, that the future is what we make of it, and that all we can do is try etc. etc. PEAK DANGANRONPA GAME NO CONTEST I personally hold DRV3 closer to my heart but SDR2 is undeniably the best to me

12.) Least Favorite Unused Execution?

Ohh that's an interesting one. They're all kinda banger I think, but also my memory isn't the best. I think I'll go with Hifumi's as my least favourite

30.) Smartest Murder Plan?

HARD QUESTION esp going off of memory..... I THINK it has to be Nagito because like. dude literally had them cornered it was scheme upon scheme of making it look like a suicide when REALLY it was a murder he orchestrated on himself except NOBODY KNEW who the murderer was not Nagito not even the murderer themself and the only reason they made it out was because they took a guess that he was targeting someone, specifically the traitor, and the traitor outed themselves for the sake of everyone else.

Also I was tempted to say Mondo at first cuz the onlyyy fukn reason he got caught was his slip-up, but there kinda was. no plan. he committed the crime on impulse lol

[cosmical-flowers]

who's your top three favorite characters from enstars and danganronpa? im curious and havent found someone to talk to about danganronpa in a while hehe

mb i have to post this the day after this was asked because THERES A POST LIMIT???? Im so mad. Anyways. Characters!

Danganronpa + Fanganronpa:

1. Yuki Maeda (SDRA2)

I loveeee his character arc. I like the way he decides to cope with only being the Ult. Lucky Student. His growth from that as well is interesting to me! His backstory intrigues me as well. Hes awesome, top 5 blorbo of mine. His character design also looks cool, I like the school boy fit.

2. Kaede Akumatsu (DRV3)

I died in chapter 1, recovered, and died in chapter 6 again. I like her optimism in the game so much. Shes so cool!!! Also her character design is mad cute. Like the pink and the yellow??? YES!!!!!

3. Teruya Otori (DRA + SDRA2)

the games killed me. I did a character analysis for him cause I made a playlist for him and. HES ME FR!!!!!! i like him a normal amount trust. His character arc is cool and I like how he copes with the death of his friends (im sorry if you dont know dra mutual)

Danganronpa Maingames:

1. Kaede Akumatsu

same statement as before: shes awesome.

2. Makoto Naegi

i love my very plain protagonists so much. I like how he just has the Ult. Lucky Student, and while I’ve seen others talk down on themselves because of it (cough cough YUKI MAEDA), he’s like “cool!” And moves on. I like his optimism as well, and him coping with the killing game. Hes cool.

3. Sonia Nevermind

Hey. how do i mention that i never finished sdra. i erm. got to ch1 and stopped. so uh. I like her fit! It’s very cool. I also like her proper behavior (and I remember correctly from the manga, she also likes murder mystery / true crime. I haven’t read the manga in a bit though.) shes neat!

Enstars:

1. Shinobu Sengoku

he is just. !!!!!!! I like him :D I think his character is very interesting to look at tbh, especially after reading Scroll of the Elements and Chuunibyou. The way he decides to cope with loneliness is going like “oh! I think im meant to be a ninja because they’re always alone too!” And I respect that so much. As an only child myself, he’s just. Cool!!!!!!!

(I also struggle with Identifying voices sometimes in songs and if they’re too similar I cant point them out. He has a really identifiable voice so like when I listen to a song im like “THATS HIM!!!!!” And it makes me happy :D)

2. Subaru Akehoshi

The lore… uwagh. I love when really cheery characters are more than that because it’s me fr. Im happy go lucky, Im also sometimes sad!!! I also like Trickstar in general because I like the orthodoxness of the group (is that a word. prob not.) And he is just!!! Silly!!! He should be allowed to do as many antics as he wants. BIGBANG REFLECTION!! that song is so good.

3. Hiiro Amagi

difficult choice tbh. But gets the spot since he was the first one I had a major hyper fixation on. I like how he decided to deal with being in a new environment and what he does. I think of scout white lilies everyday too. Its one of the first ones I read. Anyways, I also like his red hair and how he has an undercut. Its awesome to me.

[198d]

also i think people miss the point that drv3's trial 4 isn't about the mystery. its about setting up the character dynamics and choices of chapter 5. people will say they want a character focused story and then miss the forest for the fucking trees with this shit. but i guess recognizing that really puts a wrench in any kokichi and shuicihi shipping because the latter completely rejects the ideology of the former

[fit-artichoke8738]

What Kiibo Detected in the Hangar in Ch. 5

So this scene has always been odd to me, and has led me down a variety of theory holes.

Kiibo is definitely detecting something that is making him feel sick, and he’s pretty sure it’s unrelated to the electro bomb. This is made more clear in the Japanese version, where he’s more direct and mentions nothing about malfunctioning.

[Due to image limit, I can’t include screenshots, but here’s a Rough Translation of Japanese version: “By the way... the atmosphere inside this building is kind of bad, huh.” “I don’t think its due to the electrobomb’s effects, and it’s not just me, everyone probably thinks the same...” “I’m starting to feel a bit sick.”]

Besides, given how they just threw and electrobomb outside the hanger and he was totally fine then, I’m inclined to believe his self-assessment. Whatever is affecting him is coming from inside the hanger and is unrelated to his electrical processes. And even stranger:

Tsumugi and Himiko apparently feel fine.

That’s strange. What non-electrical thing could be affecting a robot that humans couldn’t be affected by? And more specifically, a thing Kiibo thinks should be affecting everyone?

Kiibo very explicitly mentions in Ch1 how he can detect pollutants and “dislikes polluted air as much as the rest of you”:

So maybe it’s some kind of undetectable pollutant?

When first considering the possibility of Ouma faking his death in Ch5, my first thought, and probably the first thought of many others, was that the blood under the press was actually paint. After all, there is a painting arm for the exisals within the hangar.

However, paint has a fairly strong smell (Shuichi mentioned being able to smell the paint from the exisal painting arm earlier in the chapter), and if it was poured in such a large quantity, I can’t realistically believe the humans of the group wouldn’t notice it or be affected by it. Especially if the paint used under the press was paint used to paint a vehicles (in this case, the exisals)—that type of paint has an incredibly strong smell, and would give anyone a headache within seconds. There’s no way that no one would notice.

Besides, Kiibo can detect different scents as well, so I don’t think it’s something with a distinguishable scent.

So what else could it be? Some kind of poison, perhaps?

When the body under the press is discovered, the same eerie music that had been played when Nagito Komaeda’s body in DR2 was discovered was playing—“Sing the Empty Truth.” In his death plan, Nagito had used a type of poison that was most effective when vaporized, so my thought was maybe the music was a hint that a similar method was used here—maybe Maki had thrown some kind of airborne poison into the hanger and killed both Kaito and Ouma in a vengeful rage. However, that wouldn’t really make sense, and there’s a bunch of issues that arise as to how exactly she would go about doing that, and there’s no evidence that any poisons are available that would be effective through vaporization. Also, despite how shady she is, I really don’t think she would intentionally kill Kaito like that.

So likely not paint, likely not poison, what else is there?...

What would cause a robot that‘s sensitive to pollutants to feel sick, but leave the humans unaffected and unaware? It would have to be some kind of invisible, odorless, tasteless gas of some sort, but it’s not clear why such a thing would be in the hanger or why it’s even relevant. And I certainly had no ideas...

...Until I replayed Ch. 3.

“Burn the Necronomicon to ashes. Use caution! Be mindful of carbon monoxide poisoning!”

...Carbon monoxide, huh? What a strange detail to add to the Necronomicon...

Carbon monoxide is an tasteless, odorless, colorless gas that would fit the bill, and with low levels of exposure, humans would likely not experience any symptoms at all. A robot that can detect pollutants would know for sure, but humans could remain completely unaware. While it is an enclosed space, the hangar is very large, and it’s unclear when the Necronomicon would have been burned or how much carbon monoxide it would produce, so the gas produced definitely could’ve dispersed by the time Shuichi and the rest enter the hangar, but still remained potent enough that Kiibo could detect it.

Still kind of a long shot, though, right? Well, just a few scenes earlier, right before Kaito was captured, Ouma said this interesting line:

It’s a strange time to bring back the topic of resurrection, unless, maybe, it’s relevant to this chapter. And I dunno, the way he said that kinda makes it sound like he’s lyingggg.

[Though this would also imply that he knows of a way to ‘turn earth back to normal.’ Im not exactly sure what he means by that yet, but I guess that’s another mystery to figure out later.]

So maybe, there really was a victim in Ch5, and there is an actual body under the press—but whoever’s under there may be alive and walking around once again...

[evercelle]

how's chapter 5 of drv3? :0 (take ur time with this lmao)

uuuUUUUU MAN. best chapter in the game...!! i don't want to spend a lot of time word vomiting about it (tho i definitely have quite a lot of thoughts about it lol), so i'll limit it to my positive impressions:

ouma kokichi absolute MVP!! there were lots of little hints in the prior cases that ouma was always several steps ahead of everyone else, but this chapter really highlighted just how far ahead of the game he was. ouma u poor bastard... if only u had been capable of putting ur trust in other people (specifically, saihara, and much sooner) he absolutely would have thwarted the killing game. knowing just how close he came to exposing the truth/cornering the mastermind but failing still makes him really tragic...!!

setting up the mystery victims to be ouma + momota and slowly unveiling What Happened through the trial was great fun! chp 4 really ramped up the blind faith/cold cunning character foil set up between the two of them, and the payoff in 5 was excellent.

god harukawa has been through the fucking wringer in this chapter. i thought her confession to momota was very sweet (':

[danganronpasurvivoraskblog]

Dangancember 2024 - Danganronpa Top 24 Class Trials: Number 23 Danganronpa V3 Case 6

//Oh Jesus...

//Now, let me just make one thing clear with this one. I actually don't dislike V3's ending with a burning passion. I definitely don't LIKE like it, but after sitting on it for a while, some of the twists and events of the trial are...pretty good actually, and really show what Danganronpa V3 is all about.

//So I don't tend to agree with the lavish hate that this trial gets.

//HOWEVER, with all that being said, I DO agree that this is by far the worst ending in the entire franchise. And yes, that includes both the Another games, Ultra Despair Girls, AND DR3.

//Which...Actually, to their credit, despite having a very iffy runtime for me, all of those examples had actually pretty killer endings that I really enjoyed.

//But yeah, I mean...V3's final trial and the whole thing that happens in it is just so fucking infamous. And for all very valid reasons. So...without further ado, let's talk about it for the umpteenth time.

//In case I already didn't make it clear, describing Danganronpa V3's final trial and ending as "controversial" among its audience...honestly doesn't do the full scope of the situation justice.

//It's very hard to come by someone who has played V3 and is a fan of Danganronpa who probably doesn't have more mixed feelings about a single segment of a video game.

//And honestly, I'm not sure if I should talk about the good things, or the bad things first; because again, divisive implies that it kind of balances out.

//I think I'll focus on the stuff I don't like, because that's the main crux of the argument that explains this trial's placement.

//Something I've always noticed is that when you look at the ending trials for all three mainline Danganronpa games, you notice that all three of them suffer from very similar issues. Those issues being the ridiculousness of the events, the sheer length, and the fact that they are just incredibly blatant plot dumps that try to scramble every bit of the established lore together in one uncomfortable package. And the reason why DRV3 is the worst of the endings is because it does all three of these at MAXIMAM VELOCIPY.

//(I spelt that wrong on purpose by the way.)

//In the Danganronpa series, it has become widely recognized that the trials progressively increase in length with each installment. I kinda see this as a good thing, as it contributes to the franchise’s appeal, because longer trials mean more intricate mysteries, additional plot points, and unexpected twists.

//The final trial in Danganronpa V3, however, takes this idea to the extreme, likely in recognition of its status as the series' concluding chapter. It goes all out, lasting, at minimum, 4 to 5 hours.

//And unlike the ending trials of 1 and 2, that ridiculous length of time is filled up by basically random bullshit. Some sections are highly innovative, like the segments where players must intentionally fail certain minigames to progress as a means of rejecting hope in confrontations with Tsumugi. However, other parts can be frustrating, and just...packed with pointless dialogue.

//For example, the whole segment where they kind of bring up the fact that Kaede had a twin sister as a red herring? Pointless.

//I mean, I take advantage of that fact later, but generally why was this even a plot point to begin with? It's so weird, and nothing comes of it.

//There's also the strangely unfomfortable spike in difficulty, and the fact that fluctuates VERY often.

//The trial features a mix of straightforward puzzles and extremely challenging minigames, some of which rival the difficulty of Danganronpa 2’s notoriously tough (and ridiculously fucking stupid) "Improved Hangman’s Gambit." These difficulty spikes, combined with long stretches of dialogue between minigames,don't do anything for this trial other than cause a pacing imbalance.

//How about the actual culprits though? Well, they are equally as divisive.

//This is, unfortunately, the only moment in Danganronpa V3 where Monokuma gets to show himself off to be the same bad bitch bear he was in the original game, and the Monokubs don't stick around long enough to be an issue to him. And unlike the first two games, he sticks around for the entire trial.

//But then he's coupled...with Tsumugi...

//And all my homies HATE...TSUMUGI...

//Okay, to be fair, Tsumugi is one of the most fun characters to write for Survivor, but I feel the need to point out that a large part of her character arc is that it involves her desperately trying to take up the mantle of the Ultimate Despair, and be on the same level as a criminal and terrorist Mastermind as Junko.

//And the reason I even have leeway for this type of character building for her is because there isn't just room for character development and improvement with her. There's FAR TOO MUCH of it.

//Tsumugi isn't just the least compelling masterminds in the series, but one of the least compelling characters IN GENERAL. And even after she IS revealed to be the big bad, she somehow remains the incredibly blank and boring character that she was for most of V3's run time.

//Junko, Monaca, and even Nagito as something of a pseudo-Mastermind were all batshit crazy and demonic to the core, but it's important to point out that they all have REASONS driving their evil acts, as psychopathic and evil some of them were. But Tsumugi lacks any sort of personal motive, and relies on her role as an avatar for the audience’s desires. The general passivity compared to other masterminds makes her insanely underwhelming.

//Speaking of which, if I may be allowed to go on a bit of a tangent here; the way that Tsumugi is outed as the Mastermind is kind of controversial in and of itself for me.

//By which I mean it's discovered that what actually happened at the beginning of the game is that Kaede's trap to kill the mastermind failed to kill Rantaro. But because of the first blood perk that meant the students would all die if no one was murdered, it meant that time was running short, and in the heat of the moment, Tsumugi got a second shotput ball, killed Rantaro with it, and used her authority as the Mastermind to frame Kaede for the crime anyway.

//Which all feels like unnecessary bullshit if I'm being honest.

//Case 1 and the twist that Kaede was the actual killer was great; and her subsequent execution is one of the most emotionally impactful moments in V3, because it it sends her off as a tragic, morally gray protagonist who was willing to kill for the greater good. Hence the reason why she's my favourite character in the series.

//However, the revelation here retroactively strips her of agency, making her a victim of Tsumugi's manipulation rather than someone who took a flawed, bold step to save her friends.

//This twist also diminishes Kaede's character arc. Her determination and selflessness, even if her actions were misguided, is largely the reason why she manages to be such a spectacular character despite her short runtime. By revealing that she was framed, the story shifts her role from an active participant to a passive victim, which feels like a betrayal of her established personality and the unique premise of her narrative.

//Additionally, the reveal is poorly foreshadowed, and feels like a contrived attempt to shock the audience, and a desperate attempt to redeem Kaede, rather than a natural development. The explanation relies heavily on Tsumugi’s ability to perfectly execute a plan without leaving meaningful clues for the detectives, which feels inconsistent with the game's emphasis on logical deduction, and inconsistent with her being an absolute dumbass every other time, even AFTER her Mastermind reveal. As a result, the twist feels less like a clever subversion and more like an unfair rewrite of the story's emotional stakes.

//All in all, Tsumugi's character feels less developed than those who came before her, and it feels like the emphasis on her being a "cosplayer of fiction" was little more than a bad excuse to avoid giving her any type of depth or a unique personality.

//She's just plain. And she stays plain even when she's revealed to be the main villain.

//Also, this is a comment that's gonna get me smited by everybody, but fuck it, I refuse to hide how I truly feel: Keebo is equally as dogshit.

//Keebo is such a NOTHING character, and I don't understand why he has such a massive fanbase. This is supposed to be him at his best, and his whole point is that he's the one who has to stick it to Tsumugi, but he fails to do even that.

//There's a tiny segment of this trial where we get to play as Himiko and Maki, and a large segment where we get to play as Keebo, and BOTH are UTTERLY POINTLESS, even though they are kind of cool.

//Keebo's actions during this trial when you play as him are a clear homage and cliche to the series' origins, where he is constantly encouraging everyone that they should never give up since the game isn't over yet. But this is effortlessly shut down when Tsumugi abruptly informs him that she WROTE his character that way, and it's exactly what she wanted him to say, as well as the fact that he unknowingly served as the audiences eyes and ears for the game. Thus Keebo's one single moment to shine in this entire game is ultimately futile.

//What was the fucking point of even that?

//So between the dogshit gameplay, and the dogshit Mastermind behind everything, this case is already bad enough. But sad as it is to say, we have to talk about the elephant in the room. Something that I believe is always a make-or-break for the final trials, and that's the Ultimate plot twist that it entails. Usually a big reveal of some sort.

Game 1: The world outside the academy has been basically destroyed.

Game 2: Jabberwock Island is a virtual simulation, and the students in Class 77 are the brainwashed Ultimate Despair terrorists who aided Junko in the Tragedy. Hajime is also Izuru Kamukura, a talentless boy who was experimented on by Hope's Peak Academy against his knowledge.

Another 1: Similar to Game 2. Yuki is revealed to be the true Mastermind behind the Killing Game, and his real identity is Utsuro, the boy with the power of Divine Luck that reshapes reality in his favor.

Another 2: Sora isn't real, is actually an AI based on Akane Taira, is the one who really has the Divine Luck Mikado seeks, and she is left behind as the virtual world is erased.

//I'm not gonna dance about it any longer than I have to, we all know the twist of V3, and we all know it's kind of bullshit.

//The case reveals that the events of Danganronpa V3 are part of a fictional reality show within the game’s universe. The students' lives and personalities were fabricated, their memories manipulated, and the killing game broadcasted for entertainment.

//V3 is actually the 53rd entry of the Danganronpa franchise, with the V in V3 actually being the roman numeral for 5. And Tsumugi directly references the previous Danganronpa games, framing them as part of the same fictional reality show franchise.

//This retroactively positions Danganronpa V3 as a reboot rather than a continuation, suggesting that the events of earlier games may not matter either.

//And the final trial frequently breaks the fourth wall, addressing the player directly and critiquing their role as consumers of violent, despair-filled entertainment. Tsumugi frames the killing game as something the audience demands, effectively blaming players for perpetuating the cycle.

//So yeah...

//EVERYTHING here just SUCKS!

//In the Meta sense, I will say that the twist is interesting, kind of humerous to an extent, and shouldn't be taken seriously in any sort of degree. Not to mention, to a certain extent, it's innovative and quite thought-provoking, as it rightfully critiques fan obsession with sensationalized entertainment.

//But it's done in a way that, in the attempt to portray their games audience, makes me wonder if Danganronpa understands its audience at all.

//The way it's handled here is a betrayal of the narrative, dismissing the emotional weight of the characters' struggles and reducing them to fictional constructs.

//If you're someone, like me, who is/was deeply invested in the original cast and continuity, this just feels insulting. It's like the series we love has been seemingly reduced to a meaningless cycle of fabricated tragedies. Some even see it as an attempt to erase the legacy of Danganronpa's 1 and 2, and it generally makes V3 feel disconnected from the rest of the series.

//I think what upsets me the most is that Tsumugi's claim that the game is made "for the fans, by the fans," is done as a way to make the player complicit in the killing game, suggesting that their desire for entertainment is what perpetuates the franchise’s cycles of despair.

//In other words, this game is basically telling you that you are a terrible person for playing and enjoying it. And I don't vibe with that AT ALL.

//This meta-narrative comes across as kind of self-indulgent and dismissive, overshadowing the characters and plot in favor of philosophical commentary. And not even the good kind.

//But this is why I specifically use words like "controversial" and "divisive" to describe this twist. The events of V3 single-handedly created a divide in the fanbase, with some appreciating the meta-commentary and others feeling disrespected.

//But besides the twist itself, what makes me personally lean towards the latter side of the argument is that all these twists, turns, and concepts are brought up, and despite the trial almost physically forcing the ideas into your throat, what baffles me is how strangely and concerningly ambiguous everything remains by the end of it.

//When you think about it, there are no grounds upon which Tsumugi makes her claims, so everything she says and states in this trial is questionable at best, and a blatant lie at worst. Shuichi even makes note of this at the very end of the game.

//It’s unclear whether the events of Danganronpa V3 were "real" in the context of the game world or entirely fictional within its universe, which many at this point in time have accepted as its own alternate timeline; hence why I make it so in Danganronpa Survivor. This ambiguity extends to whether the surviving characters have truly escaped the cycle of the killing game or are trapped in another layer of fiction.

//The surviving characters (Shuichi, Maki, and Himiko) are left in an uncertain state. Their escape from the game is metaphorical rather than literal, and their identities, forged through fabricated memories, remain unresolved.

//It's up for debate whether this can be called clever storytelling or unnecessarily confusing bullshit. For some, it feels like a cop-out that avoids resolving the story definitively, while others appreciate the open-ended nature, which allows for personal interpretation.

//The lack of clear rules or boundaries for what is real made the ending feel nonsensical or overly convoluted, and it's hard to get invested in a story that defies traditional narrative logic in this way. Even for something like Danganronpa.

//The ambiguity about the trio's futures and identities felt hollow, and that's why a lot of people want more closure.

//Speaking of which, yet another huge issue with this trial is something that V3 shares with 3. Despite the fact that the purpose of the game is to tie the knot on the franchise, there is SUCH a lack of CLOSURE, for FUCKS SAKE!

//Ultimately, it doesn't matter at all whether we can say that V3 was truly real, or fictional. It doesn't matter, because either way, people still want a satisfying conclusion for the characters they’ve followed, but V3 provides NONE of that. The ending’s open-ended nature, while probably done with good intent, makes it difficult to discern any definitive meaning or takeaway from the story.

//So god tell me, what did I just waste four hours of my life on!?

//Trial 6 of V3 is the worst ending in the series because it is generally a waste of time, spends so long trying to meticulously explain a very stupidly handled twist, and ultimately has NO CONCLUSION.

//Which is why it's so low, and yet, it still manages to avoid not only the honorable mentions, but the bottom spot (although it's really fucking close, trust me.)

//My opinion of this trial is overly negative, and it's not one I enjoy revisiting in any sense, but there are things about it I like.

//For starters, the characterization. I kind of already rambled on about this before when I went on that tangent about Tsumugi being a stupid as fuck villain.

//But while Tsumugi is incredibly poor...SHUICHI is BRILLIANT!

//I like all the Danganronpa protagonists about the same, and though I generally prefer Kaede, I ADORE Shuichi too, and THIS is why. He is EASILY the best-developed protagonist in the main series, and the way that growth that happens throughout all of V3 culminates here is near FLAWLESS.

//He's been through so much pain for this whole game, and it crushes him tenfold when he finds out what little enjoyment and fulfillment he DID have wasn't even reality, and just part of a fictional series. That, and the fact that people will never empathize with him, because in their eyes, he's just a character behind a screen.

//But he goes on to assert himself as a protagonist and chooses to challenge the killing game’s rules. His defiance is a moment of growth festered in him by the emotionally REAL relationships he had with Kaede and Kaito, showing that he can stand up for his beliefs, even in the face of overwhelming odds. His journey from self-doubt to confidence is deeply satisfying, well-handled, and emotional for fans who connected with his struggles. His choice to reject both hope and despair in favor of forging his own path is empowering, just as much, if not more, than even Hajime's from Game 2.

//There were a few characters, namely Kaede, Kaito, and Kokichi, who did massive gambits in an attempt to break the killing game and ruin it, but they all failed. It feels good to know that Shuichi was the one who succeeded.

//Despite its kind of unholy subversion, the trial also acts as a tribute to the Danganronpa series and how far it's come, incorporating callbacks, references, and homages to earlier games; most notably when Tsumugi transforms herself into characters from the series before this.

//It's not quite closure, but it's the closest we get.

//As far as the twist goes, while I generally think it was handled poorly, the idea behind it comes from a very important place. The meta-narrative of this trial turns the game into a commentary on the nature of fiction and the role of creators, characters, and audiences. It’s a fresh and daring approach that sets this game apart from its predecessors, making it memorable and thought-provoking in regards to people's relationship with the series and the medium of storytelling as a whole.

//And while I generally dislike the open-ended conclusion, it does invite the idea of interpretation, allowing players to draw their own meanings and decide what is real within the story.

//I mean, I did that. You're reading that very blog now.

//The worst part about this trial for me is the fact that it feels like the twist is designed to attack the hardcore fans; something that I can't really forgive. But the way the trial critiques fandom culture, exploring the implications of endlessly consuming horrible concepts for entertainment, is kind of a valid statement to make at the current state of the world. It asks the audience to consider their role in perpetuating the killing games and questions the morality of reveling in such dark content.

//I just wish it had done so more kindly.

//But yeah, overall while I do appreciate V3's final trial for its boldness and willingness to subvert expectations, I generally dislike it for its perceived disrespect to the series' characters, themes, and fanbase. Case 6 is somehow both a brilliant deconstruction of the series’ tropes and a reflection on the nature of storytelling, fandom, and media consumption, as well as a betrayal of the series’ core themes. The ending’s ambiguity, meta-commentary, and radical deconstruction of the franchise leave it as one of the most polarizing conclusions in gaming history, and I doubt there are many that come close.

[hopeymchope]

An overview of the “Danganronpa S: Ultimate Summer Camp” AU

There are some interesting divergences from the other timelines within the reality of Danganronpa S — and I don’t just mean the obvious main plot in which the characters are about to graduate when they attend a VR summer camp. Some of this stuff is backstory that is only explained via specific character scenes you can get on Friendship squares. Some of it is just some throwaway dialogue casually referenced between unrelated characters. Some of it is blatantly stated during story cut scenes. And some of it is changes to the characters which... I can’t help but wonder if it’s caused by this writing team not “getting” the characters right, or if these are intentional deviations. 

So - without any significant spoilers - I’m going to run down 10 most noteworthy aspects of this new Danganronpa universe as revealed through “Development” mode and the progressively unlocked story chapters.

1) The casts of DR1, DR2, and DRV3 are graduating from Hope’s Peak concurrently in this reality. Ultimate Talent Development Plan portrayed them as classes 78, 77-B, and 79 respectively, but in DRS, they are all the same age and are simply in separate classrooms within the same year. (Which number class of Hope’s Peak are they in this reality? That’s... not specified as far as I’ve seen.)

2) Monokuma is a robot created by Junko, of course. He is not controlled directly by her as he was in DR1, however; he operates independently here, just as he did in UTDP and V3. And we learn that Hope’s Peak has let the little bastard run amok on campus for three straight years because they consider his presence/influence to be part of how Junko is developing her talents. *facepalm*

3) Usami is a robot (implied to have been created by Gekkogahara, althought she’s never named) to serve Hope’s Peak’s students... who the Monokuma robot forcibly converted into “Monomi” immediately on her first goddamn day of service. Because of COURSE he did.

Not even Kazuichi and Miu’s combined power can restore her Usami-ness.

4) Maki Harukawa is legitimately dual-talented here! Her “cover story” talent from the main V3 canon and from UTDP is now a legit, confirmed talent she has in addition to her secret one. She doesn’t fully understand why she has it or necessarily want to have it, but she still demonstrates that talent whether she intends to or not. 

5) Some of the playthroughs you have to do on the “Development” board game are absolutely non-canon, even within this AU. Specfiically: Izuru Kamakura, Usami, and Junko Enoshima. Do you have to complete playthroughs with them in order to reach the end of the canon story? Yes. Does anything you see in their cut scenes or Friendship Square scenes actually count as canon within that story? Absolutely not. These characters are definitively established in the main storyline to NOT be present within the Neo World Program. Funnily enough, however, some of these characters do share events with each other that can be encountered in either characters’ playthroughs... so I guess they share a bubble sub-universe?

*WAVES HANDS FRANTICALLY* THIS IS NOT REALLY HAPPENING. IGNOOOOOOORE THIIIIIIIIIIIS!

6)  As was the case with Ultimate Talent Development Plan, there are some story threads that run across multiple character playthroughs in the “Development” board game, so you can gradually build a more complete picture of what goes down during everybody’s time in the Neo World PRogram. I always liked that aspect of UTDP, and it’s cool to see it here once more. You can gradually piece together the story of various characters putting on a play, the mystery of the photos Mahiru doesn’t remember, These include the the characters putting on a play of “Momotaro,” the mystery of the photos that Mahiru doesn’t remember taking, the odd rivalry between Masaru and Gundham, and more.

7) Much weirder, there are some cut scenes/dialogue that are DIRECT FOLLOW-UPS to scenes from Ultimate Talent Development Plan! Even though this clearly isn’t the same AU as UTDP! For example: Hagakure has a scene where he’s talking about “Atua” and recommending that a character go to Angie to sacrifice some blood for Atua. Given that he shares no scenes with Angie in the entire game, this makes no sense unless you take into account the scenes from UTDP where Angie convinced him to believe in Atua. Furthermore, Tenko actually references this dialogue exchange from UTDP at one point. And Kaede seems to be doing her best to befriend Izuru Kamukura in a way that harkens back to their interactions in UTDP. As I said, it’s all kind of weird.

Tsumiki has sacrificed enough already, but thanks.

8) If you’re wondering “Does character x still have that one part of their backstory/personality that some fans didn’t like/wanted them to get over in the DRS universe?” Sorry, but the answer is almost universally YES. All the kids from Ultra Despair Girls still have the same experiences, they all still despise adults, and they remain determined to never grow up, and they remain completely worshipful of Monaca. The culprit of V3′s third chapter is exactly the same as they ever were, so if you didn’t like the reveals about that person’s nature? Sorry; it’s exactly the same here. 

There is ONE exception to this: The mastermind to DRV3, who has a secret side that is kept merely ambiguous throughout any given run on the “Development” board. This might be a world where they aren’t psychotic.

9) If you’re wondering “Is there a Despair plot in this universe?” the answer is “Yes.” The Despair plot isn’t unveiled until the final chapter that you can only unlock after completing Development mode with all 62 characters, though, so I’m not going to really get into it here. Suffice to say that it’s not the same one seen in UTDP, further cementing that this is a separate universe in spite of the references I mentioned under point #7 above. (And as I already stated elsewhere: Don’t start the last chapter without building up a strong team of characters in the Despair Tower. You’ll regret it if you don’t.)

10) Sadly, some characters seem to be more squarely fixated on one specific aspect of their character than ever before. A big example here is Toko Fukawa/Genocide(r).  Toko and her alter ego are more obsessed with Togami than ever before (which is really saying something). The characters are very near to graduation in this game, and yet Toko is still silently following Togami around like it’s Chapter 2 of DR1, constantly stalking him from the sidelines. The fixation is even more noticeable in Genocide Jack’s scenes, though, because almost ALL of them are centered around her non-stop obsession with her “White Knight.” She had a much broader range of behaviors within DR1, UDG, or UTDP, but the DRS universe pretty much narrows her down to being a Togami simp and little else. 

(...................... And this is just my two cents, but I legitimately suspect this is the current writing team desperately trying to insist that Toko and Jack/Syo are absolutely, completely straight. :-/)

She’s only got one thing on her mind now, and it’s not even murder.

Questions Without Answers:

- It is completely unclear what the Monokubs’ role within Hope’s Peak is. Who constructed them? Why? It is often referenced that they are supposedly “Monokuma’s children” (...so did Monokuma build them?), and for that reason, many of the students inherently distrust them. But they also are directly working in the interest of Hope’s Peak to serve the intention of this incarnation of the Neo World Program  (...did Hope’s Peak staff build them?), so for that reason, many students have befriended them. Ultimately, the latter group is correct; they are genuinely trying to be helpful through most of the story But we still never learn where they came from or why they behave how they do.

- Shirokuma and Kurokuma are here because...... why, exactly? Who built them (...Junko, I presume? Unless it was Monaca doing it for “Big Sis”?)  and for what purpose? I mean, Monokuma is already here. And Junkuro, too. Is there anything that Shirokuma and Kurokuma need to contribute? 

[transpanda-1]

Panda’s full rewrite of DR1 with explanation because she has nothing better to do before DND:

Put under spoilers because it’s long + dangan ronpa cringe

1. Sayaka is the actual protag, but Naegi is the bait and switch death protag instead of Kaede.

- (From what we’ve been told), Sayaka is “supposed” to be a critique twist of how oversaturated mystery series were with a guy protag and a sweet innocent assistant girl. The problem is jumping immediately to “kill the girl character as a twist instead!” always blows chunks. (Also if she still planned to kill someone, that would be an interesting “no one trusts you” emotional dynamic)

2. Fuck ALL of chapter 2. Chihiro lives. She’s trans. Fukawa is a true crime enthusiast. Also trans. Togami’s the killer. Not trans.

-Was originally the worst chapter in the entire series before DRV3. Transphobic, pluralphobic, letting a spoiled rich kid get away with desecrating a body, and it barely makes any sense. It sucks across the board just. EW! Change all of it!

3. Maybe actually do something with Ishimaru freaking out so badly he basically gets an introject of his dead friend?

-What’s the point of giving him a radical design and personality change if he just. Dies the same chapter? There’s no story there. This is a series about extreme grief, I’d like to see more emphasis on characters attempting to cope with what’s happening.

4. Maybe Hagakure should actually... have a presence?

-I get the point of a more comic relief character, but uh... by the end of the game the cast is so slimmed down there’s less of a point to having one? A character designed to defuse a situation between 12 characters becomes a little too effective when it’s, like, 5 or 6.

5. Make Monokuma actually a robot.

-There should be more emphasis on the fact that Monokuma is meant to be representative of extreme capital punishment and enforcement, and it’s tie in to systematically forcing people to commit crimes. (Think about how Naegi said it wasn’t the first two people’s faults that they killed each other, but Monokuma’s for putting them in that situation. That should be the vibe the whole game.) Making him a literal AI makes it easier to connect as a literal system without lived morals applied to it. And it makes it harder to blame a single person, like...

6. Basically completely overhaul Junko Enoshima as a character, and don’t make her take the individualistic blame for a completely societal structural failing

-As she stands now, Junko is a character who’s basically blamed for the destruction of the entire world “because she’s mentally ill enough”. She swaps personalities every couple of lines. She says she doesn’t feel anything but “despair”. “Demonization” is putting it lightly. And the thing is: We don’t even want to get rid of her depression, her plurality, etc. etc. etc., we just think it’s counterproductive to put all the blame on a single person. Her sister’s a child soldier for god’s sake, the world’s already plenty messed up before she showed up! She doesn’t even have to be good, just acknowledge she’s probably just a teen coping incredibly poorly with the world ending.

[quixotic-dragon]

Kokichi Oma’s Crocodile Tears   (MAJOR DRV3 SPOILERS)

Ah, good ol’ Kokichi Oma. The Ultimate Little Shit- and a controversial little shit at that! I’ve recently played v3, and Kokichi is the one character who always seems to be on my mind (aside from my fav, Keebo, of course) because he’s such a mystery. We never get to know what’s going on in his head, at least not openly, and many players are led to assume that he is a malicious troublemaker, or even an outright sadist. 

I’m going to take a moment to analyze Kokichi specifically during that infamous scene at the end of Chapter 4 because that is all that’s been on my mind as of late. 

Underneath the Keep reading, there WILL be major spoilers for the entirety of v3. There will also be a very long essay, but I will do my best to break it up so it is easier to read. Read at your own risk.

So without further ado, here is my analysis of and my thoughts on Kokichi, his actions, and his character circa Chapter 4:

INITIAL REACTION:

Before I go into how I feel about Kokichi now, I’m going to have a discussion about my thoughts on him while this scene was playing out. (I know my exact feelings because I was liveposting in a discord server as I played, haha)

At this point in the game, the player does not yet know that Kokichi is not the true mastermind, nor do they understand what Kokichi means by “winning” the game. 

I had personally been spoiled of who the v3 mastermind was (thanks a lot danganronpa wiki), so I recognized that Kokichi wasn’t the mastermind, however I did not recognize that he was trying to win the killing game via unconventional methods. So from my point of view, Kokichi had just intentionally murdered Gonta (and Miu) just to increase his chances of winning and had the nerve to shed fake tears over it. I was furious! (behold, my fury!)

Kokichi sobs over Gonta’s death, and I interpreted this as entirely fake tears. One of my friends suggested, “i feel like there was a difference between like his / crocodile tears and this.” 

I was enraged at this suggestion and stood beside my initial reaction because I felt that there were no signs that Kokichi never cared for Gonta as anything more than an asset, so I could not trust Kokichi to have any real remorse for his death with such a manipulative relationship having existed. (Massive disclaimer that this is my interpretation of their relationship; if you have a different interpretation, that is totally fine and valid!)

At this point, I considered why Kokichi might be crying so intensely even if it was an act, and came to the conclusion that if there was any sort of truth in those tears that Kokichi would be upset for a different reason than Gonta. He would be upset because he was truly alone. Not a single living person wanted to spare him the time of day besides Gonta. And now that Gonta is dead, nobody wants Kokichi. Even though I was fully convinced he was a sadistic, evil bastard at this point, I still figured that he must’ve felt some sort of sudden and crippling loneliness realizing that the only person who cared about him in the slightest was dead.

This interpretation of Kokichi I had really didn’t change much until after I had finished the entire game and stopped to think about Kokichi a bit more; his heartfelt final words to Kaito felt like lies to convince him to play along (blackmailing Maki certainly didn’t help with that much either), and his whole trick felt less like him trying to help and more like him just trying to cause chaos for the hell of it in my mind.

So, in conclusion, my initial reaction to the Kokichi scene? I thought Kokichi was a heartless bastard whose only remorse could be crippling loneliness. Although my initial analysis while I was still playing was quite interesting, I have some different opinions on it now that I’ve taken a step back and viewed the game as a whole.

KOKICHI ONLY WANTS YOU TO THINK HE’S EVIL:

Surprise! Kokichi isn’t a sadistic fuck! Crazy right? 

Well, not really if you’ve watched/read any Kokichi analysis ever. However, Kokichi’s act seems to be a common thing that many casual players of v3 fall for. I certainly fell for it when I played, as you saw above!

It isn’t until far later in the game that it is revealed that Kokichi is the “supreme leader” of a pacifist prankster club (DICE), and it isn’t revealed until the end of Chapter 5 that Kokichi actually had good intentions in setting up his mastermind persona (although, as seen above, those good intentions are still very easily interpreted in a bad light).

So why does he bother to so obviously cry wolf at Gonta’s death just to double back on his persona ten-fold as soon as he’s called out on it? Because he’s just trying to sell his mastermind persona, not only to the other characters and the mastermind, but to the player themself. This is intended by both Kokichi and the writers themselves, made obvious by the fact that we get no real evidence of Kokichi being a benevolent person until long after this scene. (There are many moments in earlier chapters where Kokichi is trying to be helpful to the group or to a specific character, however every time he attempts this, it is painted in a negative light because he is either going against the protagonist’s will or achieving things in a more underhanded manner via lies or provocation). 

When I saw Kokichi crying for Gonta, my first thoughts were, “I am going to THROTTLE this fucking BASTARD.” Because even if those tears were real, Kokichi was still the one fully responsible for Gonta’s death, so I felt that he had no right to shed tears over it. If it weren’t for Kokichi’s crying during this scene, I would have been very suspicious of how suddenly his evil villain act amped up. If he hadn’t shed tears that were so obviously fake, I would not have been nearly as enraged with him, and therefore not nearly as willing to just accept the fact: “Well. Guess he’s evil now.”

Whereas I would’ve chalked the scene without crying to bad writing, the viewers of the killing game, and by extent the mastermind, would garner suspicion towards his actions. Although Kokichi was not aware that Keebo had direct contact with the outside world, he was very aware that the killing game had to have been broadcasted to somewhere. He had to ensure that he was as convincing as possible; that meant no “bad writing” mistakes could be left anywhere.

I stand by what I said before in that Kokichi’s crying in this scene is just a bunch of crocodile tears. However, with new context and information surrounding the situation, they probably weren’t devoid of emotion. Kokichi only allowed himself to cry here in order to properly double back on his new mastermind persona, however, unlike what I believed before, he most likely did feel remorse at the deaths of Gonta and Miu. He just broke his last standing moral code: don’t murder people. And he broke it by indirectly causing the deaths of two people he may have considered to be his friends. That’s heavy stuff! 

Kokichi is faking these reactions to the trial because he has to if he wants to deceive everybody. But... the best acting comes from the heart.

LONELINESS AND GUILT:

As I covered in my initial reaction to Kokichi’s breakdown, I felt as though he couldn’t possibly have any remorse for his actions, so he must have been devastated knowing that he would now be truly alone. This view was heavily influenced by Shuichi’s words after the trial... because they were true. 

After Kokichi criticizes the group for coming to Kaito’s aid, Shuichi turns around and tells Kokichi that he is the pathetic one because he will always be alone. There are no lies to these words. Now that Gonta is dead, and now that Kokichi has gone so far into his persona, not a single person wants to even be near him.

Now that I’ve established that Kokichi’s actions post-trial were most definitely an act and not representative of his true feelings, we can discuss what his true feelings may have been. I come back to the idea of Kokichi fearing being alone because, hey! My past ignorant self was actually onto something!

The acknowledgement that Kokichi feels remorse for his actions just makes this situation even sadder for him; not only did he just indirectly murder two people and has to put up with the guilt of that, but now, nobody cares about him either. Not that anybody in the cast cared for him all that much in the first place (aside from Gonta), but Shuichi’s words to him here seal his fate as the permanent outcast and assigned villain of the group. He had already been struggling with loneliness throughout the beginning chapters of the game, and now Shuichi - the only person he finds truly trustworthy (according to his little whiteboard, at least) - is confirming to him that nobody wants him. Ouch.

I am personally led to believe that a large part of the reason that Kokichi ends up sacrificing himself in Chapter 5 has a lot to do with the broken feelings he would’ve had under the combined guilt of his actions and the crushing reality of loneliness.

Would Kokichi have offered to sacrifice himself anyways given the circumstances? Probably, yeah. However, the way he was so accepting of his death reminded me a lot of Kaede in Chapter 1; she couldn’t allow herself to take the First Blood Perk because she felt that she had to atone for her sins, or she could never live with herself. Kokichi seems, in the moment, to be more than willing to die, perhaps for the same reasons. Not only would be feel like he has to make up for the deaths he caused, but he would also feel like he had nothing left to live for, at least not within the academy anyway.

Or maybe he was just tired from the poison, not from life. But who’s to say? We can’t see inside of his head.

FINAL THOUGHTS / CONCLUSION:

OK, so some final thoughts before wrapping this up: Holy shit, Kokichi is an asshole.

Even knowing the emotional turmoil Kokichi must have been going through, it was still infuriating to see him treat Gonta so poorly in Trial 4. Perhaps it was just a part of his act as well? Regardless, it really just did not sit with me well. Under no circumstance should Kokichi be continulessly yelling at Gonta while he’s crying from the insults, for real. But hey, at least if it was just another act from Kokichi, then he can rest easy knowing he certainly had me fooled.

...

So, in my opinion, Kokichi’s infamous breakdown was entirely fabricated. He had to fake both his tears and his sadism in order to fully convince the world that he was a force of pure malice in order to get away with what he had planned. However, despite his apparent change in personality, he never really was sadistic, and may have even cared for the people around him till the very end.

That’s all I guess  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[computerram]

aight so i finished drv3 and i have some Thots about it below and Yes Unfortunately Its Long Im So Sorry If The Readmore Doesnt Work

tldr overall a fun and entertaining game, very streamlined in terms of mechanics compared to the last two, and was rly close to being my favourite but shot itself in the foot in the last hour which sucks a bit + theres a chara tierlist at the bottom

so in an effort to try and be positive im not gonna harp on too much about anything i didnt like im just gonna get my grievences out with a couple of things bc at the end of the day i genuinely rly did like playing it lol

so yeah elephant in the room but yeah i. did not like the ending, which is a shame bc i was rly excited for it! but then it just goes way too far with team danganronpa and the fourth wall stuff and it just really killed my enthusiasm. i get what they were going for but there were much better ways to get across the themes of fiction/reality, audience entitlement + not letting urself be used as someone elses personal feel-good device while still keeping it in the actual dr-universe, but more importantly than all that all it it just kinda throws out the mystery solving/plot points and the last like hour or so is just Being Talked At about the Unbelivable Big Twist which in mystery games just completely kills it dead and it felt like a cop out

HOWEVER the intial set up of them being normal non-ults who volunteer/get kidnapped/whatever with the fake memories on reality tv? really good, felt like it was organically leading you there rly well since the start and i always felt pretty excited whenever i could find something that pointed towards it. good idea just bad execution

chapter 1 is personal preferance but its sadly the weakest chapter for me just bc like above i rly dont like unreliable narrators when im playing a mystery game, if we’d played as shuichi the entire time itd be more understandable but since we’re kaede all it rly did was make me feel kinda disconnected from her which is a shame. also i just wanted her to have more fte with ppl :’(

that being said i loved revisting it in the first half of ch6 and it cleared up a lot of things i thought were weird it wasnt commented on like rantaros bloody hand + where his monopad went

the murders from ch2 onward are pretty solid throughout. there are a couple of blips with the motives being a little weak but it still does a lot of stuff i always thought would be cool to see (not having a body left in ch2, a murder in the middle of an investigation in ch3) which is exactly what i wanted from this game

little disappointed that the special rules in this one never rly cashed in on themselves (the first blood perk, a tie w/ two blackened killing them both even if theyre not guilty, a murder basically being able to walk away scott free if they kill during an investigation) but c’est la bee

chapters 4-5 were genuinely amazing, chapter 5 bascially became my favourite in the franchise and they both really captured the whodunnit spirit i love, the characters felt a lot more involved in those trials, the emotional beats were intense, the back and forth between the different theories, it all had me HYPE bro

The split debates are also a rly fun mechanic the music slaps every time and they help break up the monotony + make you feel like ur not just the only one trying to solve stuff

The lying/back route mechanic is Really good. I love the fact shuichi is such a Shit liar in the first few chapters and by the end of chapter 5 ur lying straight to monokumas face. get his ass

speaking of shuichi didnt think it was possible but Shuichi stole first place protag from hinata. i think the fact you get to see his sprite in the corner means its a lot easier to infer his reactions with people a lot better and the relationship between him and maki/kaito felt rly genuine. also the backroute mechanic rly helps ground him as someone with a good head on his shoulders and not just Protag Powers.

i wish i could talk about more characters but this is already so long so ill send it off wow Kaito rly said ‘fuck you’ to monokuma and died in space the way he wanted huh god what a KING

anyway heres the tier list A^ gets a kiss from me personally