#Killer Killer

[danggirlronpa]

Female Danganronpa protagonists/perspective characters and their media

[penguwastaken]

Nobody Understands Mukuro Ikusaba (aka Mukuro Character Analysis)

...except for the people that do (lol).

But first I want to clarify what I mean by this title and why I even wrote this thread in the first place. Mukuro is my second favorite Danganronpa character, only beaten out by Kyoko. There's a lot of reasons why I really like Mukuro, but one of them is her writing.

I think she's one of the best written characters in the series. But unfortunately, she also happens to be one of the most misunderstood characters as well. Not even by the people who don't like her, but also by her own fans.

"Mukuro has incestuous feelings for Junko" "Danganronpa 3 retconned her character" "Mukuro was just a plot device" These are all claims that baffle me because simply just consuming the media will say otherwise.

To many, Mukuro is either a one note incest freak or a pure innocent cinnamon roll who did nothing wrong and both of those interpretations are wildly incorrect. I've been meaning to write this post for a while, but we're finally here.

Nobody understands Mukuro Ikusaba (a ""🧵"") (Spoiler warning for the entire series)

Story Overview

We don't actually know too much about Mukuro's backstory aside from the fact that at a young age, she was separated from her younger twin sister Junko. Before being taken away, she claims that she was homeless and after she was taken she was forced to become a member of the military group Fenrir.

So clearly Mukuro never really had the chance to have a normal life, and more importantly: never had a chance to feel the care of another person.

Her sister, who Mukuro had not seen in years, suddenly got in contact with her and called Mukuro over to participate in her plan to overthrow Hope's Peak Academy (and the world). Mukuro, who already felt bad for losing her sister and was desperate for any kind of affection, accepted and began working for Junko.

Junko took advantage of Mukuro's desperation and had her basically work as a servant to her plans. She started by having Mukuro wipe out the entirety of a middle school in order to prove Mukuro's skills and how far Mukuro would go for her.

With that out of her way, Junko made Mukuro obey like her servant in order to overthrow Hope's Peak and cause the tragedy. Mukuro did so without batting an eye and disregarding any second thoughts she might have had, all while facing Junko's abuse.

During her time attending Hope's Peak, Mukuro met Makoto Naegi. Unlike most of her classmates, Makoto was friendly to her and showed her compassion. This confused her as we already established that Mukuro wasn't used to affection. Because of this and her tendency to latch onto anyone who shows her even an ounce of care, she began to develop feelings for Makoto (that even Junko acknowledged).

"In the past two years, Ikusaba had gained an interest in the world beyond her sister. And in that world, Makoto Naegi--the first person who smiled at her and bridged the gap between her and the world--had become like a sapling of sincerity taking root in her heart." -Danganronpa IF confirming Mukuro's feelings for Makoto

"Upupupu… I wonder what kind of fun you were having in the infirmary? Did you take care of your rival in love, or did you wish them a happy marriage? Either way, don't you think our nice guy Naegi standing side-by-side with Kirigiri makes for a wonderful picture? If this were a thriller, they'd be the last surviving couple!" "Upupupupu… Or how about just killing all of the others? If everyone but you and Naegi die, then the two of you can spend the rest of your student lives together! After all, we can't even hold a trial if there's only two people left. Maybe it'll be best if you just hole up here, safe in the building forever!" "And what're you going to do once he goes back to his old self? It's not as if you were dating Naegi, right? You were just watching him from afar all this time! Now this is a shock. You can shoot right through people's heads and hearts without even blinking, but you can't even steal away some skinny little boy's heart! You want me to tell you who Naegi had a crush on before his memories were erased? Upupupupu…" -Junko teasing Mukuro about her feelings as she aids Makoto in Danganronpa IF

Once the tragedy occured, Mukuro was locked inside of Hope's Peak with Junko and the rest of their classmates and she helped orchestrate the killing game. She disguised herself as Junko, under the impression that Junko would fake her death and they could spend the rest of the game together.

This is when the seeds of doubt began to sprout inside of Mukuro. I wouldn't say that she necessarily began to go against her sister, but she definitely was starting to get a little more hesitant.

"It was only recently that she began to question her mindset. Hearing about this plan from Junko and watching the world burn at the hands of people in Monobear masks did nothing to sway her, but when she heard that Junko was intending to plunge Naegi and the others into a game of murder, something within her began to move. The seed of doubt soon took root, sprouting into a thorny vine that twisted around her feet. And the moment she met her friends for the first time under the identity of Junko Enoshima and realized their memories were truly gone, the vines quickly tightened around her ankles." -Danganronpa IF describing Mukuro's feelings when the killing game began

To Makoto and the player who are under the impression that this is Junko, they assume that she's referring to not wanting to be a model anymore. But given her backstory of never being able to live a normal life and always having to fend for herself or follow the orders of others, we can infer what she actually means. She expresses disappointment in the fact that she never really had a chance to do what she wanted.

This all culminates in the moment where Junko was supposed to fake the death of Mukuro, but that isn't what happened. Instead, Junko killed Mukuro and betrayed her. To say that Junko felt no remorse from this action would be a lie, however. Junko only did this because she knew it would hurt both of them.

...but what if that wasn't what happened? What if Mukuro wasn't killed? What would happen then? That brings us to:

Danganronpa IF

Danganronpa IF answers the hypothetical question of what if Mukuro survived Junko's attack. Of course this means it isn't canon, but due to Kodaka being involved with its creation and its existence as an event that hypothetically could have happened, it is canon compliant. This means that while the events didn't happen in canon, they could have and things like characterization are all accurate. Think of it like an extended free time event. While the events themselves aren't canon, the things they say and imply are. I'll also be referencing Danganronpa IF a lot because since it's told from Mukuro's perspective, it gives a lot of insight on her thought process.

After regaining his memories, Makoto recognizes and rescues Mukuro seconds before her would-be death and he gets impaled by one of the spears. Mukuro rushes to save him, abandoning her disguise and goal.

During this time, Mukuro does a lot of thinking. Why did Junko try to kill her? For all the time they've been working together, Mukuro always assumed that her job was to prop Junko up and help her achieve despair.

It turns out that Junko didn't want Mukuro to obey Junko's every order, Junko wanted Mukuro to retaliate. She didn't want Mukuro to submit to her, but instead to fight back.

With this Mukuro changes her mind, choosing to fight Junko instead of assisting her. Not because she's on the side of hope, she never cared about hope or despair, but because she only wants what's best for the only person in her life who cared for her.

"'That's why… I'll take responsibility. I'll make you happy, Junko . I'll make youdespair. I'll save Naegi-kun… I'll make sure none of our friends die. I'll get them all out of here. And I'll kill every last one of the ones on the outside. You planned this for years and killed so many people to make this work… so I'll destroy every last trace of it.' She was not driven by resentment at the sister who abandoned her. Ikusaba would do all this for her sister's sake." -Mukuro changing her approach to making Junko happy in Danganronpa IF

Who is Mukuro Ikusaba?

Now this is the part where I finally exit the synopsis phase and finally get into the character analysis, explaining why Mukuro acts the way she does in all entries.

Now, I want to begin with a common critique of Mukuro's character, specifically one that's attributed to Danganronpa 3. The one that says that Mukuro's behavior is not only out of character, but also claims that she has romantic feelings for her sister.

First point out of the way, Mukuro's blushy and flustered attitude is nothing new when it comes to her character. It's been an aspect of her since the very beginning of her characterization.

"'I don’t know if… she attracts despair, or despair attracts her, but… she’s lived her whole life with despair by her side. She lived while immersed in despair. That’s why she began looking for despair in others; she began to enjoy pushing people into despair. But you know… that’s normal. It’s no different than someone cursed by misfortune falling into hatred for those who are better off than them. But what’s special about her was that… she learned to enjoy inflicting despair upon herself. That’s how the link to despair began: as she chased down despair, she pushed it onto others along the way. Doing so caused her to crave falling into despair even more… and because of that chain to despair, the Ultimate Despair was born.' While she spoke, it was like she fell into a fever; the expressions on her face slowly turned into ecstasy. It was so completely absurd that it would have been difficult for anybody to think of it as anything but a joke, but I could tell that this was real. It might have been the hazy memories of Junko Enoshima inside me that led to that conclusion. 'You don’t get it right? That’s fair, I don’t think anybody could… But you know, only I can understand it…' Consumed by ecstasy, even Ikusaba’s breathing had begun to turn ragged." -Mukuro describing Junko in Danganronpa Zero

The second (and more important) point to address is the one that Mukuro holds some kind of romantic feelings for her sister. Now, in all honestly, I can't hold this against anyone for thinking this even if I think it's a wild misinterpretation of her behavior. Danganronpa has a track record of using incest for comedic effect (to always poor results). However, Mukuro's relationship with Junko is not used to comedic effect and it's portrayed in a negative light. Not only that, we know that Mukuro does not enjoy behaving that way.

"'She hoped that, perhaps her sister on the screen would say something like 'Not! You seriously thought I'd say something that sappy? Jeez, you're annoying! Can't you just disappear forever or something?'. She hoped that Junko might criticizeher and call her useless. Ikusaba was no masochist, but she would have preferred to hear scornful laughter and be shot at rather than continue to endure this pain." -Danganronpa IF explaining Mukuro's "masochism"

Mukuro doesn't behave the way she does because she has feelings for Junko, she does so because she believes that's how Junko wants her to behave. Danganronpa Zero and IF makes it clear that Mukuro was wrong about how Junko wanted her to behave.

“'You don’t get it right? That’s fair, I don’t think anybody could… But you know, only I can understand it…' Consumed by ecstasy, even Ikusaba’s breathing had begun to turn ragged. 'Only I’m able to understand her… That’s why she needs me. She still hasn’t realized it, but… maybe she’s only pretending not to. Ufu… It’s because she’s so shy. Ufufufu…'” -Mukuro explaining that Junko needs her in Danganronpa Zero

"Ikusaba knew that not even she herself was her own ally. After all, despite the fact that Junko had betrayed her and very nearly killed her, Ikusaba still believed that she was the only one who could understand her little sister. And that was why she felt that she had to protect her. That's right… you were just being you, Junko. You just wanted despair, right? It's because you love me. You wanted to kill me and fall into despair. That must have been it" -Mukuro in denial in Danganronpa IF

"Ikusaba believed that she alone could understand the despair known as Junko Enoshima. It was a ludicrous notion. The moment Junko said, 'I love you', Ikusaba realized--to her agony--that she never truly understood her sister. Only now had she come to realize Junko's feelings." -Mukuro realizing that she didn't understand Junko in Danganronpa IF

Because of Mukuro's incorrect interpretation of understanding Junko, Mukuro believes that Junko expects her to respond to her abuse with acceptance and masochism. Even if she was uncomfortable to, as long as it made Junko happy, that's what mattered. Of course, we learn that Junko wanted Mukuro to respond her abuse with retaliation, and as soon as Mukuro realizes that her behavior immediately shifts. Mukuro holds a great deal of admiration for Junko, so much so that she only wants to do what would please Junko the most.

She does not have romantic feelings for her sister and to say so misses the point entirely. She isn't behaving that way because she's a masochist, she behaves that way because she believes it's how she's expected to, even if she's visibly uncomfortable. Once she learns this isn't what's expected, she immediately changes course.

Danganronpa 3 also has official relationship charts that depict the relationship between characters. In this chart, crushes or explicitly shown romantic feelings are labeled with a heart (as seen with Kazuichi's attraction to Sonia or Toko's attraction to Byakuya). Mukuro's relationship does NOT feature this heart. You would think that if Mukuro's very obvious admiration towards Junko was romantic it would have a heart, but it doesn't because it isn't. If what I said before didn't convince you, I think this itself is proof enough.

Mukuro's admiration doesn't extend to just Junko though. Due to her unfortunate upbringing, Mukuro has a tendency to get attached to anyone who shows her the affection she's desperate for. So much so that her behavior changes completely around the people she cares about.

"The mass of monochrome spun round and round, making it look as though they were projecting a hypnotic image from three directions, but Ikusaba remained expressionless. In fact, the bizarre sight unfolding before her compelled the Super High School Level Soldier to regain her focus. She was an entirely different person from the girl who had panicked at Naegi's injury in the gymnasium." -Mukuro while fighting in Danganronpa IF, behaving completely differently from when she panicked over Makoto's injury

"Not only that, if anyone who knew her as the Super High School Level Soldier and mercenary were to see her now, the difference in her attitude might even make her look like another person altogether. And Monobear continued to drive the girl into a corner." -Mukuro panicking over Makoto's injury in Danganronpa IF

"The mask of ice she wore around others was entirely unlike the face she showed her sister, making it almost seem as though she had multiple personalities." -Danganronpa IF explaining that Mukuro's behavior around Junko is different from her typical icey expression

This is why around most people, Mukuro has a pretty blank expression. However when she's around Makoto or Junko, the two people who she cares about, she displays a much more soft and emotional side.

That being said, an often overlooked aspect of Mukuro is that she actually has a slight ego and is proud of her skill. This is especially obvious in her fight with Peko in Danganronpa 3. Of course, if I spent years in the military without getting a single scratch, I'd probably have an ego too.

Mukuro is also capable of turning off her feelings and going into a "killing machine mode" whenever the situation demands it, mostly when she's carrying out some mission. It's not because she doesn't feel bad for what she's doing or isn't having any second thoughts, it's that she pushes any doubts to the side to focus on getting the job done.

"In battlefields, where she made her home, her main mission was to kill and survive. And in that setting Ikusaba was invincible. She could put her own emotions on a leash in order to become a killing machine." -Danganronpa IF explaining how Mukuro is capable of ignoring her own feelings

"With a single whisper that was drowned out by the sound of gunfire, Ikusaba went completely silent. Thanks to her status as a member of Super High School Level Despair, her heart was filling with joy. And as if to offset the sudden surge of emotions, the sparkle in her eyes disappeared." -Mukuro turning her emotions off while fighting in Danganronpa IF

So Basically...

Due to her upbringing Mukuro is someone who gets attached to people easily, particularly those who give her attention. Junko took advantage of this to make Mukuro essentially act as her servant. Believing that Junko expected her to return the abuse she faced with enjoyment, she forced herself to do just that. Even if it made her uncomfortable, making her sister happy at her own expense is better than being alone. She's capable of turning off and ignoring her emotions to following orders when necessary and is generally a proud and skilled soldier, though she has a softer side that she only shows to people who she cares for.

That is who Mukuro Ikusaba is.

Conclusion

There's a lot of reasons I really like Mukuro. I think she's silly and cute and I like her singing voice. But I also think her characterization is really good in all of her appearances. I think a lot of the critiques made towards her (especially towards her appearance in Danganronpa 3) are misguided or just a result of her being misunderstood.

She's not a plot device or a character exclusively there to act as an extension of Junko. She's filled to the brim with character depth and interesting writing and has plenty of characterization on her own. I'll admit that her presence in Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc is a bit limited, however she doesn't just become an important character in four other entries without getting some kind of development.

Many think her characterization is inconsistent or different across entries, but I honestly think it couldn't be any MORE consistent. The only times where I'd say she acts out of character is in the comic anthologies, but those are non-canon media that's kinda known for flanderizing characters for the sake of comedy.

Basically, I like Mukuro. I hope I managed to change some minds or shed a new light on her to anyone who didn't before. And if you already liked her, I hope maybe I could make you appreciate her a bit more or just help you explain her in some way.

anyways follow me on twitter cough cough

Also special thanks to Twitter user @LKSixtyfour for their tweets about Mukuro's characterization, many helped me organize my thoughts to form the thread that you just read.

Edit: didn't make any changes to the post, just fixed some typos

[genoskissors]

Daily Danganronpa Fun Fact #290

Of the entire Danganronpa Series, the character with the most lines/brush strokes in their name is Kenji Tsuruhashi from the Killer Killer manga. He has a total of 61.

Link to my full document

Home | Previous Fact | Next Fact

[worms-for-brains]

The main protagonist for my slasher short film concept

[likesaly]

Same person different universe you can't tell me otherwise

[dailydangan]

From Danganronpa Gaiden: Killer Killer

[junkosblunt]

i don’t know how people manage to uwu-fy mukuro and argue that she’s even remotely redeemable when these panels from killer killer exists

like only danganronpa stans are dumb enough to think a redemption arc would suit a terrorist and mass murderer who we saw graphically slaughter an entire middle school full of children

[ultimateplaylistmaker]

Always remember no matter how weird you think your danganronpa headcanons and theories and ideas are, danganronpa has probably already done weirder

[ryuunoko]

Izuru: What kind of protagonist are you?

Kaede: Do you have an ahoge?

Makoto: Do you believe in hope?

Hinata: Does a talking animal harass you?

Komaru: Did someone put a bomb on you?

Kaede, Makoto, Komaru: were you executed?

Syo & Takumi: Do you like killing?

Makoto: Does a person of doubtful morals make your life more difficult?

[evangelistofmurder]

[ If you really want to murder me... ]

[katshours]

requested

takumi hijirihara x afab!reader

tags: Prompt 6, NSFW, possessive behavior, creepy behavior?, ooc, a little dirty talking, semi-public sex, comfort, small misaki appearance.

a/n: this took me a while because i kept changing it and I’ve been busy but I enjoyed it! I haven’t read much of Killer Killer so it may be… unusual. also there’s not much content for this guy out here so.. here’s some crumbs! Definitely longer than I expected it to be.

Takumi has no problem showing his possessiveness. He has no shame in showing it just like everything else he does. This is known because he reminds you at every. waking. moment. And today is no different.

Seeing you with his coworkers, having fun, too much of it; you forget that you had to meet up with him in the evening. It’s only when you open the small closet’s door to retrieve your jacket to leave that you yelp in surprise when you’re met with Takumi standing there, glaring down at you.

“We were supposed to meet up in front of the HQ an hour ago.” He doesn’t even greet you properly. He speaks in a low, cold tone. Which is enough sign that he’s pissed off if you couldn’t tell since he usually clings to you, bathing you in praise and pet names the moment he sees you.

Before you can force out an apology, he pulls you into the closet by your arm with enough force that it makes you stumble right into his arms. Where you’re meant to be, he thinks.

Though, he doesn’t embrace you. Instead, he shuts the door with his other hand and is pressing you against the wood. You can’t see too clearly, the light in this closet is dim but you can see, feel, how irritated he is.

You try to reason with him, make him calm down as you stare up at him. Your brows furrowing and your eyes wistful, hoping to get through to him. “Takumi, I just look track of time.. “ Your voice is in a whisper, trying to be cute as you try to reach up to brush the strands of hair in his face.

He doesn’t listen. He catches your wrist, pinning it against the wall. His grip on your arm is tight as if to restrain himself from the little self-control he has right now. He refused to listen to anything right now, too blinded by the jealousy bubbling up inside his stomach.

It was making him sick, seeing the group of investigators looking at you with gazes that were way too inappropriate in his eyes! Was it the skirt you wore? The one that he likes, purely because he can see under it whenever he’s hiding under the break rooms sink? Or maybe he just hates anyone who looks at you and is a little delusional.

Yet right now, he wasn’t thinking about his weird behavior. All he thought about was how you’d make it up to him. Right here, right now.

“Pull up your skirt.”

“W-What? But we’re in—“

Takumi only seemed to grow more agitated at your words. His eyes narrow and his hand comes up to grab your face. His fingers digging into your cheeks as he speaks sternly. “I’m going to fucking ruin you. So be good for me or else.”

And that warning was all it took for you to obey.

—

Soon enough, your watery eyes are looking up at him, pools of salt reflecting the light of the closet, tears running down your soft and warm cheeks and your lip is all swollen and raw from how much you’ve been biting down on it. Skirt bunched up around your waist and your panties long finding their way into his pocket. It all makes him insane, you look so alluring like this, fuck. He can’t let anyone else get this gorgeous sight, he won’t allow it.

His fingers are moving slowly in and out of your messy cunt. Your cheeks flushed at how loud the noises are. The wet, squelching noises that remind you how needy and desperate you are. To please him, to reach your own high especially but he’s thriving in your tears that he doesn’t give you what you yearn for.

You can’t see his face but you can hear how heavily he’s breathing in your ear, the way his hard on is pressed against your ass, ever so slightly being rubbed against you. He knows it makes you only grow more heated with the way your walls are clenching down on his fingers, the way your hips wiggle around to make him touch the tender spot deep inside of you.

He’s so close, his fingers occasionally graze it, making you shudder and hold onto the door in front of you. You screw your eyes shut and beg, which is something you’ve been doing for a while, “Please, Takumi. ‘m sorry.. I-I really didn’t mean-“

He roughly rubs his thumb against your bundle of nerves and it forces a moan out of you. It simultaneously too much and too little and you can only clench your fists as you sob.

“It’s a little too late for sorry. Just be good and take what I give you.” Takumi speaks lowly as he continues his ministrations. He’s not doing this just to tease you, of course. He’s doing this to prep you as well, don’t want you to be in pain while he’s having his way with you.

Though you’re lucky because he was tempted by the idea.. a bit of a sadistic tendency since he wanted you to feel as hurt as him when he saw you getting chummy with other guys. But! He’s not going to be so mean today.

After moving his two fingers in a scissoring motion inside of you for a few more minutes, he decides it’s enough. The way you’re whining and how your pussy is practically drenching his hand makes him give in and have mercy on you.

He pulls his hand away, bringing his fingers to his lips to have a quick taste since he’s not able to fully enjoy you in this damn closet. But it’s only for a moment as he’s already reaching for his belt buckle. You hear it clinking behind you, making your stomach swoop in excitement of what’s to come, your little hole fluttering around nothing.

He doesn’t make you wait any longer, he’s just as desperate as you are. A moment of silence passes before you feel the tip of his cock prodding against your entrance, forcing a moan out of you as you feel him immediately shoving his way inside.

“Oh fuck.” Takumi bites his bottom lip, screwing his eyes shut to let himself savor the feeling of your tight inner walls making him groan, how they seem to suck him in, begging him to go deeper.

He looks down to see where you two are conjoined, moving his hips slowly as he’s enjoying the sight of how his cock disappears into your pretty soaking cunt.

He’s snapped out of his trance when you whine, pushing your hips back against him to move faster. “So needy.” Takumi teases, giving one of your buttocks a squeeze before he starts to move his cock inside you faster. The sound of skin slapping against skin filling the small closet.

It feels too good, so good. The pleasure is quickly burning inside your body, building up in your lower belly. You hold onto the door, your hands occasionally balling up into fists when he hits the spot inside that makes you almost moan loudly.

And Takumi can’t get enough of it, your whimpers, whiny and filled with his name. “You’re being loud. I wonder.. would you like the others to see how much of a slut you are for me?”

You clench around him at the sound of his voice, making him hiss and his grip on your ass just a bit tighter. “I should— God. I should just open the door and let them see, huh? Show them exactly— thrust who you— thrust belong to.”

It has your eyes rolling to the back of your head, how his cock is dragging along your walls, filling you up, stretching you out and making your blood run hot through your veins and unknowingly, your moans louder. Its all starting to get too much, your breaths are getting shallower and you feel—

You can’t even finish your thoughts as he gives one, two, three circles of your clit and a shaky moan leaves your mouth, your whole body tensing up as you cry out Takumi’s name. Your pussy pulses around his cock and the sight of your face, your mouth hanging open and the way you say his name.. it automatically makes him cum on sight, shooting his load inside of you.

He leaned forward to rest his head against your back, kissing your shoulder blade as he was breathing heavily against it. He can feel how your taking in deep breaths, trying to calm down from your climax. He gives a few more gentle thrusts to help you ride it out before he lifts his head up.

“…You’re alright? I didn’t hurt you? “ Takumi speaks up, scanning your body for any signs of painful markings. Sure, he has some sadistic tendencies here and there but he can’t break you! Nobody compares to you, nobody can replace you. Which is why he tries his best to take care of you.

“No.. I’m okay, really. Just wanna go home.” You mumble, shaking your head in response to his questions. You’re already in a state of post-bliss and fuzziness, your body is tingling and you have a craving to go home and simply lay in bed with Takumi. Simply put, you’re fucked out.

“Figured.” Takumi pulled out of you, making you breathe out, feeling a loss of warmth. He’s quick to lower your skirt back to its respective position, whispering a quick, ‘i’ll keep these’ when you ask about your underwear.

He turns you around, sliding his hand up and down your arm in a comforting manner. “Let’s go home then. We’ll do whatever you want.” He murmured as he brought you into his embrace for a moment. His familiar scent comforts you and you want to just stay in this moment with him forever, closing your eyes and pressing your cheek against his chest. He’s even rubbing your back as you nod, letting out a content sigh. “Sounds amazing.”

That is until Misaki opened the door. “Just getting my stuff, sorry! Hmm… it smells a little weird in here.. It’s a little hot too. Where’s the air freshener?”

[danggirlronpa]

Thinking 'bout the *real* Sparkling Justice. Like...who is this Spanish teenage girl killing people dressed as a magical girl? Do she and Jack know her each other? Are they friends or homoerotic rivals? Much to consider

Listen I KNOW the implication of Killer Killer is that Takumi Hijirihara is probably Sparkling Justice, and he had a stint in Spain before joining the Future Foundation. I know it to be true. But Please consider. Teen girl who witnesses the Killer Killer in action and becomes obsessed with imitating his works after he disappears with Asano. Sparkling Justice, who is imitating Killer Killer, who is imitating Mukuro Ikusaba, in a big circle of teenage girl murder with Takumi and Shūji stuck in the middle. And then I build an AU in my mind where Sparkling Justice goes searching for Mukuro information to emulate her idol better, and meets a different serial killer who is Also looking for information about Mukuro for Future Foundation reasons, and they become fierce rivals who slowly fall in love over the course of a big murdery adventure. Maybe They Even Kiss

[shockersalvage]

Salvage Showcase - Eichiro Saiyama

...And so I missed the Killer Killer anniversary like, well, a lot! My bad, but trying to find who to do next was pretty difficult. I didn't want to do a salty or disappointed Showcase like the last two, so was trying to focus on who I could write about that I liked.

So on that end I decided to do a Showcase on one of Killer Killer's better serial killers of the week (having a backstory will do that to you) - its Eichiro Saiyama!!!

Eichiro was a lonely and rather unpopular kid in his youth. The only happy moment he could gather was when one girl complimented his art and said he should be a mangaka.

And so he did!! That moment inspired him to be a manga artist that worked under Comic Ponpon...except the issue of people praising him persisted. While he's surviving the Tragedy enough to continue his work, it should be noted that his work was considered just...okay. Editors or readers, no one really cared for it.

Cue one day, Takumi Hijirihara shows up in a box, going over his work and about one he liked was Eichiro's documentary manga about the Tragedy. It had gotten popular with Takumi for its hyperrealistic graphic displays of death, but there was just one issue.

See, they were a bit too realistic.

Yeah, Eichiro is a serial killer that murders his victims to use as references in his manga. To be specific, he's a copycat killer that murders his victims in relation to past cases, such as stringing up people to look like Chihiro's corpse.

Takumi deduces his motives were in a vain attempt to gain some praise, and criticizes him for using murder to seek out approval from others, believing attempts like that won't ever sell well. Takumi ranks Eichiro's murder as being 20 points for his misdeeds, and notes that Eiichiro's manga, while he does like it, won't ever be a bestseller since it's just too ordinary (to the point he marks Eichiro's manga as just being 55 points, even though Takumi likes it)

Upon hearing this, Eichiro (who had been progressively losing his mind) snaps and attacks Takumi, trying to kill him with his Wolverine-eqsue pens. But, Takumi get's the leg up and kill Eichiro similarly to how Mukuro Ikusaba died.

Eichiro is a man that seeks out praise above all else since he sorely lacked that in life. Self-describing himself as dull, he believes his only redeeming quality is his artistic skills since it net him one praise he got in life. He is very sensitive to people dismissing him and his hard work.

Eventually, his need for approval escalated until he became a serial killer, killing others to use as reference for his work out of some desire to gain what he wanted the most.

Rundown

In Killer Killer's theme of Passion vs Shallowness, Eichiro represents Shallowness in the form of attention and represents the dangers of being obsessed with validation from others. He wants people to notice him, and gives him the praise he feels he deserves. It's what fuels him to become a mangaka and drives him to the point that became a copycat killer to try to get what he wanted.

But its all at a detriment to himself. He focused so hard on his artistic skills he neglected his personal life, be it making friends or enjoying life that he made his own self-esteem issues worse. And because what he chased after was something so brief, and in a career so demanding, it had become a cycle of toxic disappointment and desperation. It's basically a self-fulfilling downward spiral in a way.

Another aspect of Eichiro that's telling to his own 'dullness' is the form of manga he made, a documentary, and even his own killing: copycat murders. He's essentially recapping events that most people in the world at the time would be privy about, and committing the cardinal sin for those in the artistic world - plagiarism. No one really cares for his work because he's essentially just regurgitating common knowledge for the public. If he had made something more original, he'd probably would get better success, but given how much he shut himself away to 'hone his talent' he probably doesn't have the life skills or proper imagination for it (and never will thanks to Takumi).

Finally, he's killed in similar way to Mukuro's Spears of Gungnir, though instead of spears its his own pens that kill him. in Danganronpa, ironic murders are all the rage, so you can think of it as symbolizing his own talent - his own crutch and downfall in life - being the one to lead him astray and betray him.

Personal Thoughts

I really like Eichiro, because he's one of the few characters in Killer Killer to be fully fleshed out. In backstory, in motivations, in personality - he's brimming with it in one chapter, when most of the main cast lack it in all 14. (Probably since the writer for KK is speaking from their own feelings in the industry, but that's just me). He's one of the few gems that I can say are good about Killer Killer and wish the other killers replicated. Especially Ted, who debuted in chapter 3.

I also like Eichiro in how he fleshed out an established lore item in DR2, that being the Tragedy manga found in endgame. He's heavily implied to be the author of that, and I always appreciate it when the DR series tries to build upon past continuity. Same reason why I like Koichi or Another Episode! Or later on concepts like the Mukuro Cult. It's building upon and even expanding the world of DR in a pretty good way. And in a 'flash, but little substance' story that Killer Killer seems to tred, stuff like that needs to be treasured.

Also, even as a killer, I just like he's the sort that should have been promoted more - he feels like a realistic DR villain. He's not drinking blood due to thinking it'll make him younger, he doesn't have parasite monsters that break the world - no, he's just a copycat killer trying to use his murders to increase his fame and get him praise. That's it, and God is it refreshing.

In short: Eiichiro is a breath of fresh air in the Killer Killer entry.

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With that, another Killer Killer entry done! Hope it's a good read, with the next up being, again, the miscellaneous section of the DR novel side.

[knightscanfeeltoo]

When Mako is so Unlucky yet Very Lucky to have someone like Muki looking after him...

(this is a sequel to my old dumb drawing and just ignore taku if you don’t like killer killer too...)

[aretmaw]

My Buddy is You... Redraw of a Danganronpa Killer Killer Frame :) (Below the cut)