#Kodaka stop trying to keep Ouma a mistery after the game is all done

[kaibutsushidousha]

Artbook data - Kokichi Ouma

Chapter 5 spoilers but frustratingly no chapter 6 spoilers.

Seiyuu’s comment: Hiro Shimono

As Ouma is an emotional rollercoaster of a character, he was very fun-yet-difficult to play. The impression I got from him is that he is really meek if you take away his strong wish to outwit everyone. At first I was worried he was going to be hated because he is the guy says the things no one wants to say, but I’m very happy to hear so many people find him interesting exactly because of that. Please keep a close eye on him!

Kodaka’s comment: The always sensational liar character

His name was made combining the grandious, big-sounding, mastermindish family name “Ouma”(king horse) with the very small-sounding given name “Kokichi”(small luck). His characterization was focused on duality and the name reflects that nature. The keyword on his initial design was simply “shota”, so we made him look like a cute and personable boy. However, we also wanted him to feel creepy, so we made his uniform as white as we could and gave his hair and scarf colors that contrast with this white. We thought of making him as aliar to add to the story’s main theme of lies and, speaking in Mafia terms, the double-agent role. And becaus of this, making him into a trickster stirring up the Trials was indispensable. Looking from this perspective, he would feel more in place as a Super High School Level Liar than a Supreme Leader. As he is the character who personifies this game’s central themes, I put more thought into him than into everyone else.

Besides, his design was popular when first revealed and he got a fanbase fitting of his part after the game was released. I have to thank Komatsuzaki, Ouma’s craziest sprites were completely his idea. “Crazy” is a word with lots of meanings, but Ouma’s case is completely different from Genocider Shou, Junko Enoshima or Nagito Komaeda. You could say his case is more of a line of thought taken to it’s logical conclusion. They’re not overdramatic expressions, they’re instead phisically impossible, or should I say, otherworldly expressions. I think their creepiness express his true nature to some extent. I had my second guesses about them as they are a little overblown and I thought this would be too much but I ultimately decided to keep them.

So far, the DanganRonpa series never had a character who just simply enjoyed the Trials, even if that was just a lie. That’s why we decided that for his final moments, we would have him naming himself as the ringleader and battle against the real ringleader. I managed to make chapter 5′s plot a seesaw back and forth of truths and lies, so I like it quite a lot. He’s not the kind of guy I would want to met in real life though.

Design notes:

Hairstyle: Moderately long black hair flowing to all directions, with the tips moving up and down. A hairstyle resulting of him playing with his hair. He seems not to care about his hair, but Ouma sometimes makes use of the shadows his bangs form to make himself look evil...

Scarf: Black and white spaces alternating exactly like a chessboard. The way its tones also contribute to his clown imagery make it a perfect fit for the incorrigible Ouma.

Buttons: Buttons, all of different colors. There a couple more hidden behind his scarf and it seems hard to close them all.

Ripped uniform: His eye-catching white uniform is in a misterious state, with the hem ripped and big parts of it are fixed with metal clips. The collar part is also completely gone. Is that the decadent fashion style of the evil supreme leaders?

Underwear: Ouma’s favorite pop underwear. He hides his playful heart and true fashion sense in a place no one can see. So vibrant colors hidden inside the black-and-white uniform.

Punk-style pants: An essential piece of punk fashion with bondage belts tied to both legs... Or so it seems, but that’s a lie, they are actually just fake belts sewed to thicker part of the thighs. It’s all about feeling fake here. Nishishi.

Slip-on shoes: Two-colored black and purple shoes that mixed simplicity with an expressive sense of fashion. Wearing 9/10 lenght pants and no socks is trending nowadays, you see. And of course, those shoes are very well polished by Toujou!

Favorite presents:

Electempest: A pop electro-water gun capable of continuously shooting water up to 10 meters for one entire minute. Undoubtly exciting for both grown adults or evil supreme leaders.

Hammock: Everyone’s favorite sleeping tool, the braided thing you hang between trees or pillars, famous for its relaxability. This should be able make Ouma feel like a child again and enjoy himself.

Hated present:

Oil for Robots: Oil used for robot construction, not maintenance. If he ever feels like doing Ki-bo the kind favor of helping his maintenance, it would be a problem to let him have that.

Key phrases:

The Supreme Leader Covered in Lies: As the supreme of an evil secret society that claims to have over 10 thousand members, Ouma was chosen as a Super High School Level talented student. Not unlike his claim of being evil, his speeches and action are always teasing and scaring his friends, plunging them in fear whenever they are feeling too confortable and overall messing around with them. Only someone as plastered in lies as Ouma could look at this killing game enforced by Monokuma with cruel rules like “only someone who commits a perfect crime can graduate” and call it “not boring”. He is heavily burdened with his suppposedly enormous organization that controls the mafia, politicians, businessmen and has underlings in the White House, the Kremlin, Wall Street, City of London and even Kabuto-chou. Does it make sense that he can laugh even when his is life is being threatened?!

Games Should Only Be Played on Hard Mode!?: Using the “Run” command is forbidden and “Continue”s even more. He wants his enemies to be as strong as they can and figure his way out solid lockdowns. Ouma talks about real through references to the videogames he’s been playing his whole life. He came up an original theory that enjoying the extreme thrill of cornering yourself with all exits sealed is the definition of fun. He thinks of even the killing game he has been forced into as life-threatening entertainment. That’s exactly why everyone assumes his line of thought is not just abiding by the told rules, but taking the most enjoyable outcome of outwiting both his friends and Monokuma alike... The nerves of steel necessary to constantly dismiss the abnormal situation with the simple catchphrase “It’s less boring this way” are what you need to play life on Hard Mode!

Lockpicking Victims: One of the few(?) non-lies that come out of Ouma’s mouth: his “evil supreme leader-ish” ability to pick locks. When his friends watch over his actions under the lens of suspicion, he proves the truth by picking a cilinder lock right in front of them. We know it’s an useful skill to have and not something a regular high-school student wouldn’t need, but don’t you think that suits a small-time criminal better than an evil supreme leader?! 

Main Quotes:

“Half of my lies are made out of kindness": The truth will not always spare all living beings from suffering. If you say some people were saved by lies, many will agree. But why does this sound so fishy when its by our matchless liar Ouma?! To completely decieve a person with sugar-coated words and short-lived joy is the truest form of terror... After pulling off many overblown lies just to tease, he’s gotta have a lot of nerve to go around saying half of them are kind!?

“Lies have infinite possibilities, you know?“: Ouma’s Trial method involves frequently toying with his friends with lies and driving the accused into dangerous corners. However, unlike the only one cruel truth, lies have infinite possibility, even ones that can save people. Ouma is an expert on this subject. Despite all his friends claiming that lying for no reason when their lifes are on the line is begging to be killed, some who enjoys the risk wouldn’t pull any punches. Is he serious about this? Is it bluff? The Super High School Level Supreme Leader cares not for such questions.

“Common sense, le sens commun, sentido comun, huh... I wonder who decides what gets to be common sense?“: Starting from the way he calls himself the supreme leader of an evil organization, Ouma is quite scenical when talking about his past deeds and crime plans. His stories are so away from common sense that even Akamatsu, the character defined by wanting to believe in everyone, is always taking him with a grain of salt. “I wonder if what you consider ‘right’ on your definition of ‘common sense’ is the same everyone else considers ‘right’?“, he says. Sounds legit but not when Ouma is the one saying it!? Akamatsu’s lack of patience for his drivel is so relatable.

Final comment: Lying is like breathing to Ouma and that makes him an extreme entertainer who pours all his energy into stirring up his friends. He is giving his all so that no day is ever boring!