#Mondo Owada my beloved

[painedpen]

Me when I see an opportunity to use diamond imagery/metaphors for Mondo Owada in one of my fics

[nintendogs99]

There’s always room to grow.

[le-agent-egg]

Ishimondo week day 4: Competition / Future

THIS IS JUST A SLOPPY DOODLE! The actual drawing is under the cut (I'm just shy 🥺)

God my Ishimondo fambly make me so so soft I love them. They are married and in love and living their best lives and Mondo is a carpenter and makes the best fuckin chairs you've ever seen and Taka is a farmer and he grows all their food and Mondo built their house and mini Daiya gets to have the two coolest dads on earth and he's an engineer and he built his motorcycle and they are so 🥺🥺

[krynutsreal]

omg ok gonna ramble about these two bc they're hcs I was talking to a friend about: first picture is mondo and taka having spice contests and they're eating spicy ramen or whatever and taka has a crazy high tolerance for spice!!!!! So obviously he wins and mondo is like what the FREAK!!!!???

second image is future domestic ishimondos......mondo steals takas reading glasses sometimes and puts on it on their doggy,, taka can't see shit 👍 (I also feel like the glasses thing could be applied to either one or both, they can have shitty eyesight together <3)

what the flip! Happy new years guys

[asaka-lucy-dr-rc]

OwaMiki Short Manga (Mondo and Mikan preparing for their amusement park date.)

*This is a fan art of an owamiki post on Ultimate Ask Blog (@ultimateask):

----

When I saw the amusement park date post, I thought their outfits were very nice, but in my opinion, Mondo doesn't like to wear such completely simple outfits, and Mikan doesn't like to wear revealing outfits, so I thought it was so cute if it was the case that Chihiro and Taka advised Mondo to dress more like a gentleman, and Ibuki advised Mikan to dress more fashionably, and that's why they wore those outfits. 🤭💕

I mean, I think it would be super cute if Mondo dressed less decorated and more mature for Mikan and Mikan dressed a little more flashy but hot for Mondo! XD

(I know Mondo was wearing the same outfit when they kissed in front of the fountain, but I wanted the Ultimates to recommend their respective outfits. Sorry for the inaccurate timeline!) If you want to know how they got together, search for the #owamiki tag on Ultimate Ask Blog and check out their cute story! 💖

[nite-puff]

Tonight’s one of those nights where i can’t fall asleep unless I jot something down.

So here’s my long list of Takemichi Yukimaru headcanons! Because he’s nothing if not free real-estate for them.

This will mostly be backstory with some smaller, more light-hearted, headcanons interspersed throughout. Enjoy!

(cw for mentions of abuse. he’s still a danganronpa character) (this is also my longest post. by a long shot. i just have a lot of thoughts on him)

- my intense desire to make my favorite characters latino in some capacity out of self-projection is very real. so in my mind, michi’s half-japanese, half-latino (whichever region is up to you. he doesn’t really know himself, but i will always be compelled to say mexican because i am biased). (edit: also because “michi” is a term of endearment for cats in some latin american countries. so that makes the nickname itself a little cuter. he’s like a little cat guy compared to the owadas, who are strongly associated with tigers.)

- his father was born and raised in japan and his mother moved from overseas to japan out of desire to travel during a gap-year from college. the two met during her stay and had a very explosive and passionate start to their relationship. like a long honeymoon phase. his mother actually decided to stay longer than her intended visit after she found out she was pregnant with michi, and the two were soon married. the rose-tinted glasses were still in full effect at this point in their relationship.

- michi’s hair color is naturally dark brown, like his mom. he actually inherited a lot of his mom’s physical features, including her short stature. what he got from his dad were a couple a facial features, but most notably his yellow eye color.

- also transmasc michi is so real. he doesn’t realize it until a little later in his life. a little while after meeting mondo.

- while things started out fine after michi was born, things were bound to turn sour. the honeymoon phase ended. the added expenses of a new baby along with the already poor state the family was living in raised a lot of tension in the household, and his father quickly became abusive toward his mother. michi didn’t remember much, either because he was very young when it all happened or because his brain did a good job at repressing some of the memories, but what he does remember is particularly bad.

- The only good memories he has of his childhood are with his mother. like her reading him stories or teaching him some simple words in spanish. and her favorite songs, which she would play to him a lot. the reason why he doesn’t have many memories of her is because she left when he was five. neither him or his father know her whereabouts, but michi likes to believe she’s back overseas with her family. she left behind her old cassette collection, something that was largely untouched until michi got a little older.

- michi actually really liked school. he’s described as being a smart kid, so i like to think that he did well in his classes. while he still did well as grew older, his studies took a major backseat after he met the owadas.

- he met mondo first. they went to the same grade school together and mondo was a grade higher than michi. i think that their initial meeting went something along the lines of michi witnessing mondo deck a kid who was picking on a girl classmate of his. michi is immediately enamored by this boy who wasn’t afraid to fight against bullies like that. he is less enamored by the fact that mondo immediately scared the poor girl away as well after trying to talk to her. he was an interesting character, and michi really wanted to be his friend. they proceed to do that little kid thing where they hang out for like 15 minutes, like each other’s vibe, and then say something like “we’re best friends now.” and the rest is history.

- to harken back to trans michi. mondo is taken aback by this supposed girl who wasn’t scared of him and wanted to actually be friends with him. his small naive kid-brain at first thought this could be his shot at a relationship, but 15 minutes into knowing michi and mondo abandoned the idea because michi was perfect best friend material. and because he kinda got scared at how much this kid wanted mondo to teach him how to sucker punch someone.

- mondo and michi’s friendship took off like it was nobody’s business. They were hanging out anytime they could see each other on campus and quickly got to learning about each other. mondo talked a lot about daiya and how cool he was. he mentioned how his older recently got into motorcycles and even got one from one of his friends, and how michi should come over to his house one day to check it out. michi shared a lot of his favorite music with mondo, which mainly consisted of that old cassette collection mentioned previously.

- michi doesn’t actually meet daiya until a year or two into him and mondo knowing each other. he randomly picks mondo up from school on his motorcycle. the gang had already started then, so he had his hair and makeup done and was wearing his gang jacket. michi would probably still say that it was the coolest thing he’s ever seen. mondo asks if michi wants to go with them, and it’s the first time michi doesn’t immediately go home after school. he’s in his last year of grade school at this point.

- another year goes by and michi grows closer with the brothers, basically becoming the honorary third owada brother. he gets to learn a lot about the gang, motorcycles, fighting, etc. he even starts learning how to ride his own motorcycle after daiya mentions that he may or may not be fixing one up for him. he still hasn’t joined the gang at this point because daiya won’t let him. he’s too young and has to be at least the age that mondo was when he joined. which meant michi had to wait until his next birthday.

- while all of this is happening, tensions are brewing back at his home again. michi was a able to avoid his father’s abusive tendencies for the most part because he’s at work when michi is home from school/hanging out with the owadas. but he later had a change in work schedule and soon found out about what michi had been out doing using context clues. the diamonds have also gotten some traction, so the larger population of their hometown are starting to know about the new gang, including michi’s dad. michi elects to ignore this and just doesn’t acknowledge his father when he sees him, but things all come to a head one day and the two of them fight. not physically, verbally. it’s very ugly and it ends more or less with his father telling michi that he can go join the gang if he wants, but he’ll never be allowed to live in his house again if he does. michi storms out and goes to his room, and it’s the last interaction the two of them have. michi is gone with his belongings the next morning.

- he is welcomed into the owada’s home with open arms, joking about how he practically lived there already. though he does sleep on the couch because the small apartment the brothers rent out only has two bedrooms. he doesn’t mind this.

- michi officially joins the gang on the day of his birthday because he is so excited to do so and can’t wait another day. he is also given the motorcycle daiya mentioned as a present.

- he gets the makeover! complete with bleaching his hair, doing the makeup, getting a couple piercings! and getting his new gang jacket courtesy of mondo.

- michi was picked on by some of the gang at first, mostly because of his height and softer features. not much happened outside of that because it was established upfront that michi was close to the brothers, but most importantly, close to daiya. he also shut the naysayers right up after his first gang fight with them. he displays some unnaturally good skills at fighting other guys twice his size.

- michi grows to be a great fighter, even surpassing the owada’s in that regard. he’s the leader of the elite guard and Mondo’s bodyguard for a reason. mondo taught him the basics when they were younger, daiya taught him some of the more higher-level stuff as he grew older, and michi perfected his technique with the sheer amount of practice he did. it was a lot. all so that people wouldn’t pick on him or abuse him anymore.

now for some random, not that important headcanons as a break from all the story:

- michi is allergic to dogs. that made living with chuck very awkward when the little guy was still around. he’s perfectly fine around cats though

- his fan club is very quick to form. it started out on school grounds with some girls who found him cute following him around. news gets out that he joined the crazy diamonds and he gets more attention the higher he climbs up in the ranks. daiya jokes that michi is the most popular crazy diamond member, second only to himself. he teases mondo with the notion as well. michi avoids all interactions with his fan club and is greatly embarrassed by it. to the point that he gives them dirty looks if he sees members following him.

- i cannot for the life of me decide if i want michi to be homoromantic asexual or aroace. so i just combined the two. he’s asexual and arospec and if he were to pursue a romantic relationship, it would be with a guy. he’s thought about this more than he’d like to admit.

- mondo being genuinely curious as to why michi hates his fan club so much leads to michi clumsily coming out to both of the brothers and admitting that he doesn’t really like girls like that (also that he just finds the fan club annoying). they ask how he feels about guys, and he genuinely can’t give them an answer because he doesn’t know how he feels about guys. daiya tells him not to lose so much sleep trying to figure it out. he’ll know when he knows.

- michi sometimes likes to collect more cassette tapes for his collection. he can’t waste too much money on them but he’ll sometimes buy a couple if he thinks it’s music his mom would’ve liked.

- michi never forgot those small bits of spanish his mom taught him. his pronunciation is shoddy and he’s not by any means fluent, but he knows what they mean.

- when daiya and mondo are talking about the switch in leadership, michi is the first to come to mind for mondo’s right-hand man. it’s a no-brainer there.

- he’s been to juvie the same amount of times mondo has. the two are just always together when they’re caught.

- he continues to be more intelligent than what he lets on. this mostly shows through his more level-headed personality because he doesn’t fall for the things that are clearly meant to get a rise out of him. mondo does though, so it’s good that he can be the reasonable one to drag him out of a situation like that.

back to the story:

- on the night of the race, michi can’t stop himself from following after the brothers some time after their race started. he’s always had a strong need to protect people, and he’s scared of what mondo could do while that angry and recklessly driving his motorcycle. he doesn’t see the accident happen, but he’s the first to show up to the scene after it occurs. he’s the first person mondo tells his lie to.

- the weeks after daiya’s death are rough. michi isn’t as bad as mondo was, but he’s still grieving. he doesn’t expect mondo to be back on schedule as quick as he is and even encourages him to take a longer break. he’s ignored.

- michi is uncomfortable having to be back to the gang so soon, but he has to because he now basically has the highest non-leader power. at this point, he is immensely respected by the rest of the gang, and new members who try to make fun of him are shut up by the older members.

- mondo at first doesn’t plan on going to hope’s peak when he is given the invite and even starts writing the letter telling them such. michi convinces him to go, telling him it would be stupid to give up an opportunity like that. that serves as excellent angst material after michi learns about the killing game and mondo’s death.

- michi is left in charge of the gang when mondo is gone and can be considered the third leader of the crazy diamonds, even if it’s not official.

- kinda random, but michi is jealous of mondo and taka’s friendship at first. like, who’s this other guy claiming to be mondo’s best bro??? this hall monitor, straight-laced, son of a cop no less. that period of time doesn’t last very long because michi is quick to figure out mondo’s more than friendly feelings toward taka. before either of them do. jealousy becomes pity with a side of secondhand embarrassment from watching mondo deny his feelings for taka then witnessing his terrible attempts at “flirting” when he does realize said feelings.

- then he’s kidnapped, demon game, library, gontakerus, yada yada yada. we know this.

- there’s something so cool about thinking of michi as “the last crazy diamond.” idk maybe the title is just cool. but he still holds hope that some of the other members are alive and out there somewhere. he makes it his mission to find them and restore the gang. he kind of blames himself for not being there to protect them when the tragedy does happen. he doesn’t think about how he really had no choice in the matter.

- also michi, takaaki, and hiroko found family dynamic is so real. let that boy have a loving mother and father figure in his life. he needs it.

- he never really gives up his goal to find some crazy diamond members, though it becomes less about restoring the gang and more about wanting to see his old friends again. but that mission is put in the backseat after he’s found by the future foundation.

um that’s mostly it, but here’s a non-despair universe thing:

- the tragedy never happens, and mondo hands the gang down to michi after he graduates from hope’s peak. michi is an awesome leader and hands the gang down to his successor because he wants to try his hand out at getting a higher education. what he wants to be, he has no idea (because i have no idea).

- also michi is mondo’s best man at the ishimondo wedding. because why wouldn’t he be?

AND THATS IT!!! I PROBABLY FORGOT SOME STUFF BUT GOD I AM SO TIRED ITS 4 AM

i love michi, i wish he was real.

[nerd-cat-rambles]

Another doodle:

After my Byakuya doodle, I decided to try draw mondo to see if I could incorporate my own self evaluation tips into another doodle, and in turn, become better.

He's a silly boi🥲

HC: Mondo wears purple eye-liner sometimes to accentuate his lavender eyes. :3

If you guys have tips, please. Like seriously, PLEASE!!! Don't gatekeep💕

[doopn00p]

Some dang danganronpa doodles

[gangles-toybox]

Have some old ass art of mine from summer of 2020 of Danganronpa because why not >:)

[chinateacup]

Any trans Taka or trans Mondo headcanons?

Hi hi hi yes absolutely

(I assumed you meant FTM for both but if not, feel free to send another ask!!)

Mondo started transitioning shortly after puberty with Daiya’s support.

He feels very lucky that he happened to be tall.

Started a strict work out routine to build muscle and has done so many chest exercises to get those pecs.

Mildly irritated that he still can’t grow much facial or body hair.

Daiya was very supportive throughout his transition after some in depth research.

He’s sometimes dysphoric about his hair and eye make up, but he improves with time!

Taka realised he was trans much later in life.

He has a healthy dose of internalised, repressed garbage to sift through before he can tell anyone.

His first short hair cut was a very big deal. He cried a lot.

In general, there are a lot of tears throughout this process.

Like Daiya, Takaaki does a lot of research in order to best support his son.

In Hopes Peak, Taka has a small pride pin on his school bag.

He came out to Mondo in the sauna. Mondo did the same almost immediately. Insert pointing Spider-Man meme.

[orbitblitz]

Happy Birthday to my beloved partner Taka!!! I would've drawn something with him at the center, but I've been overwhelmed with work and job hunting this month, so here's what I've been working on in the mean time:

Preparing the sweets for this party 😊🎂🍪🎉

Aaaand the piece I started working on ages ago but kept forgetting to finish 😶‍🌫️ Pretty proud of it though!

Wish I could've done something more, but unfortunately I couldn't. 🫠 Happy Birthday once again, my precious Moral Compass <3

[painedpen]

We have to talk more about how genuinely pretty Mondo is. Like. He has soft facial features. He wears fresh ass eyeliner. His eyes are purble. The giant hair distracts but he’s so. Pretty. Such a beautiful man. My darling boygirlfriend.

[portpebble]

Welcome to the Pebultimate Showdown!

[Image ID in alt text]

Here at portpebble tumblr dot com, I am not normal about fictional characters!!! I have many thoughts and feelings about them all the time every day, and I inflict them upon you all 💕

But now it is time for YOU to tell me YOUR thoughts and feelings on them, in the form of everyone's new favorite tumblr feature: Democracy!!!

WHO will be crowned Best of Beloveds, Sgunglo Supreme? Poll links under the cut!

Rapunzel (Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure) VS Scorpia (She-Ra: Princesses of Power) Flutter/Yuelia (Fantasy Life) VS Qibli (Wings of Fire) Steven Universe (Steven Universe) VS Raphael (Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) Emily (Stardew Valley) VS Chihiro Fujisaki (Danganronpa:THH) Mondo Owada (Danganronpa:THH) VS Argonaut Keene (TAZ: Graduation) Grace Monroe (Infinity Train) VS Michelangelo (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IDW comics) Lillie (Pokemon: Sun/Moon) VS Pinky (Animaniacs) Papyrus (Undertale) VS Susie (Deltarune) Undyne (Undertale) VS Mikey (Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) Grizz (We Bare Bears) VS Reki Kyan (Sk8 the Infinity) Alopex (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IDW comics) VS Kate Wetherall (The Mysterious Benedict Society) Knuckles the Echidna (Sonic Franchise) VS Flowey the Flower (Undertale) Applejack (My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic) VS Tilly Green (Big City Greens) Chara (Undertale) VS Megamind (Megamind) Willow Park (The Owl House) VS Velma Dinkley (Scooby Doo: Mystery Incorporated) Raphael (TMNT 2007 movie) VS Yellow Guy (Don't Hug Me I'm Scared)

[tobiasdrake]

Of the Danganronpa casts, which 8 characters do you think would best fit the Adventure Crests?

Ooh, that is a fascinating question to think about. I can't do an episode of Digimon today because I'm back at work after two days off so I not only have a lot of backlog to attend to but also end-of-week reporting to shoot out.

But this is a fun idea for an exercise to keep my brain moving through the day.

Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc

Courage: Mondo Owada. Mondo's issues with masculinity map well onto the Courage template. He's brave and impulsive to a reckless degree, driven by a desire to prove himself. His life has been defined by the virtues embodied in the Crest of Courage, both for better and for worse as his reckless bravery ultimately got his brother killed.

Mondo's story ends in a betrayal of his virtue. In the equivalent of Dark Evolution consuming his Digimon and driving it to kill him. But even this supreme act of cowardice occurs because he is shamed by the courage that Chihiro demonstrates. The virtue that Mondo has strived to uphold.

Friendship: Junko Enoshima. That one's going to take some explaining, but weird as it is to think, Junko's entire gambit as the Mastermind is a dark inversion of the virtue of Friendship. She knows each and every one of these people intimately, and she cares. She has to care for their deaths to bring her the despair she seeks.

The entire Killing Game is a form of self-harm, as despair-obsessed Junko inflicts emotional scars on both her friends and peers, and on herself. It's just like when she stabbed Yasuke; It only works, it only gives her the emotional response she desires, because she cares so much and knows so much about each and every one of these people.

Junko herself has the Crest of Friendship. Which she has corrupted in pursuit of despair.

Love: Sakura Ogami. Sakura is driven by love. Though seen only as a powerful and dangerous ogre by others, it's love that motivates her every action. It's love for Kenshiro that leads her to work for Junko. It's love for the rest of her peers that leads her to betray Junko.

Even her death, her final act in this world, was done out of love. Her final moments spent with a candy in her mouth; A present from a beloved friend. Sakura has a bottomless capacity for love.

Purity/Sincerity: Hifumi Yamada. A Purity-bearer is someone who is emotionally honest and sincere in their presentation. They wear their heart on their sleeve; What you see is what you get. They are, in every moment and every interaction, their truest unfiltered self. For better or worse, they shower everyone they meet in unrelenting emotional honesty.

Hifumi is often difficult to be around. His obsession with his favorite magical girl gets uncomfortable at times. But it cannot be said that he has any sort of filter or that he's concealing any part of himself. Hifumi puts his true self out there in every waking moment, even when you kinda don't want him to. He's not ashamed of himself and he's not going to pretend to be anything he's not. As such, Hifumi embodies the Crest of Purity more than anyone.

Knowledge: Kyoko Kirigiri. I mean. Obviously. Obviously the Ultimate Detective has the Crest of Knowledge. Kyoko is driven to find answers. So much so that she let Makoto die (or almost die until Alter Ego saved him) so that her investigation could continue. There is nothing that motivates Kyoko more than her own curiosity and need to find the answer.

Sincerity/Reliability: Kiyotaka Ishimaru. It can be confusing that there's two Crests named Sincerity in different versions. But they refer to different kinds of Sincerity. The Reliability Crest is exactly what it sounds like. It's the team mom. The most trustworthy person among us. Someone who is dependable and responsible for everyone's wellbeing, who steps up to make sure we're all cleaning our rooms and eating right and making good choices. Or at least tries to.

Up until trauma cracks him in half, that's Taka in a nutshell. A hard-working and diligent believer in effort over talent, Taka futilely tries to be the glue holding this group together and create a sustainable community within Junko's wicked game. He fails miserably, but it's still an effort worthy of the Crest of Reliability.

Hope: Makoto Naegi. He's literally the Ultimate Hope; Who else would this be?

Light: Sayaka Maizono. The Crest of Light is always a hard one because it's more of a spiritual thing than physical. The Light-bearer experiences reality in a unique way. They represent the force of life itself and are attuned to spiritual affairs beyond the mortal realm.

For me, that could only fit superstar pop idol and inexplicable mind-reader Sayaka Maizono.

Kindness: Chihiro Fujisaki. While not appearing in 01, the Crest of Kindness was added in 02 so I think it counts. Obviously there is no one more suited to Kindness than Chihiro, who would sooner give blood to a mosquito than smash it.

Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair

Courage: Akane Owari. Akane is Courage incarnate. Every bit as heroic, impulsive, and reckless as any Goggles Boy. Ready to fight at a moment's notice but disinterested in putting real effort into personal growth. She once threw hands with Monokuma hard enough to get one of her teammates killed; If that's not Crest of Courage material then I don't know what is!

Friendship: Gundham Tanaka. For all his bluster, Gundham cares a great deal for other people. Though he's uncomfortable with human contact, he's devoted his life to building relationships with others, even if they are primarily animal in nature.

Indeed, Gundham himself is no island, no single man standing alone, at any given time. He is accompanied always by his Four Dark Devas of Destruction, working together as a team of five to accomplish any goal. Gundham understands the value of teamwork and companionship like no one else alive.

Love: Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu. Though he tries to be the big bad gangster tough guy, the force driving Fuyuhiko has always been love. Love for his Ultimate Little Sister Natsumi and love for his dearest friend Peko, who he all but begged to deprogram from his family's conditioning.

Even before the Tragedy, Fuyuhiko had killed for love. In the Killing Game, he very nearly died for love.

Purity/Sincerity: Hiyoko Saionji. Again, she can be absolutely unbearable but for better or worse, she always puts forward her truest self. What you see is what you get with this foul-mouthed little bully who hurts animals and people for fun.

Knowledge: Sonia Nevermind. As the Ultimate Princess, Sonia is driven to learn much so that she can become a fair and just sovereign. The only reason she's even here is because she came to Japan to learn about the culture, and she also demonstrates a ravenous if amoral curiosity about macabre topics such as serial murderers.

Sincerity/Reliability: Nekomaru Nidai. As a coach, Nekomaru's dedicated to spending the very last years of his life to building people up. What time he has left in this world is his gift to the athletes training under him, and he will take a bullet for them in an instant. He is a responsible authority figure who selflessly and tirelessly works to build up everyone else, and for that reason he deserves the Crest of Reliability.

Hope: Nagito Komaeda. Again, this one's fairly obvious. He's a dark reflection of Makoto and Junko who embodies hope but in a twisted sort of way. Technically Izuru Kamukura gets called Ultimate Hope but that's just, like, the school administration's opinion, man. It's Nagito who has a complex relationship with the very concept of hope and so, I think, the Crest of Hope would go to him. Please use it wisely. (He won't.)

Light: Chiaki Nanami, of course. The digital human who serves in secret as one of the admins running the program, directly connected to the Neo World equivalent of Homeostasis.

Kindness: Mikan Tsumiki. This is another obvious one, I think. Of course the Ultimate Nurse gets the Crest of Kindness. Mikan struggles with her assigned virtue; she has some resentment in her, she's been abused so much she can't recognize positive reinforcement, and she enjoys the power trip of being in charge of others.

There is certainly a risk of a Darkness Evolution from Mikan. But I think those struggles only reinforce that importance and centrality of Kindness to her existence.

Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony

Courage: Tenko Chabashira. Tenko's a full-blown magical girl superhero. She's the Champion of Women, trawling city streets looking for rapists and abusers she can throw hands with.

In the Killing Game, she ticks all the boxes. Impulsive? Check. Reckless? Check. Heroic? Check. Does things without thinking to both the benefit and detriment of those around her? Check check check!

Friendship: Kaito Momota. Kaito well and truly believes that friendship and bonds of togetherness are how we're going to get through this alive. He's a serial adopter of isolated people, dragging anyone who doesn't have a friend into his own social group where he pushes them to become the best version of themselves.

In fact, his greatest flaw is having too much faith in people, blinding him to the darkness inside of them.

Love: Maki Harukawa. Furious though she would be to receive this Crest, Maki's capacity for love influences much of her story. Child caregiver for her orphanage, she became an assassin so that someone she loved wouldn't have to.

As the Killing Game progresses, Maki's capacity for love finds her again. Love is what drives some of her biggest and most influential actions.

Purity/Sincerity: Miu Motherfuckin' Iruma, shit-for-tits! If this were the Crest of Innocence, it'd be Gonta for sure. But this is about unfettered self-expression, and Gonta has to remind himself to conduct himself gentlemanly. He has fetters.

Miu, however, does not. Every last stray impulse or thought that hits her brain comes straight out of her mouth, even when it definitely shouldn't. She is honest and sincere self-expression incarnate, like no other.

Knowledge: Shuichi Saihara. Like Kyoko, this one's a no-brainer. Though he's reluctant to commit to the role, the Ultimate Detective is here to uncover the truth. His relationship with curiosity and the pursuit of knowledge defines his story throughout V3.

Sincerity/Reliability: Kirumi Tojo. Do I even need to explain why? The Ultimate Maid is the ultimate caregiver for all of these children. She is the pillar that makes living here sustainable, even comfortable. And she does it all without a single complaint. Caring for others is what she lives for.

Hope: Kaede Akamatsu. Though she isn't with us long, Kaede carries hope in her heart so strongly that it ultimately kills her. There is no greater gesture of hope in the entirety of V3 than Kaede's desperate gamble to try and corner the Mastermind. She risked it all on the belief that she could end everything right then and there.

She was wrong. But her effort earns her the Crest of Hope.

Light: Angie Yonaga. Cult leader and possibly oracle, Angie's life is downright haunted by her spirituality. She is already (allegedly) the vessel of Atua; She's the perfect choice for the vessel of Homeostasis.

Kindness: Gonta Gokuhara. This is the Crest that belongs to Gonta. Gonta is a gentle giant who loves all things big and small, but especially small. Though he can be scary at times, he means you no harm. He just wants you to meet his bugs. He loves bugs and he wants you to love bugs too.

Ultimate Team

So, of the three sets, who best embodies the virtue of their Crest? Let's assemble the team.

Courage: Akane Owari. Mondo ultimately falls short of his values. Tenko does a better job of it, but she's also terrified of pain and cracks easily under pushback, which holds her back from being a true icon of Courage.

But Akane gives zero fucks. She is, in every moment, the person that Mondo and Tenko aspire to be. Bold and headstrong to a fault, Akane Owari is officially the Goggles Boy of this team.

Friendship: Kaito Momota. Junko is hahaha no. Her subversion of the Crest's values pretty much disqualify her. Gundham and Kaito are close. However, while Gundham has a wealth of animal friends, he struggles with direct human-to-human interpersonal contact which costs him.

Kaito, meanwhile, is able to embrace the values of Friendship with open arms. An incorrigible friend-maker and support system for every introvert he kidnapped into his orbit, Kaito is a friend to all and a pillar that can always be leaned on for support, through thick and thin.

Love: This was a close one. Sakura, Fuyuhiko, and Maki all have their strengths, and they all perform incredible feats of love. Honestly, they all deserve the Crest equally. I agonized over this choice. But if I have to have to pick one, then I'm going to go with Maki. Because it's funnier that way.

Purity/Sincerity: Miu Iruma, queen of the overshare. Hifumi and Hiyoko are in-your-face with their personalities and proclivities too, but I feel like Miu goes above and beyond in the field of shameless, unapologetic self-expression.

Knowledge: Kyoko Kirigiri. Though Shuichi's story revolves heavily around deconstructing the pursuit of knowledge, he is by design a pale and unwilling imitation of Kyoko. Sonia's boundless curiosity puts her closer to Kyoko, but there's simply no competing with the Ultimate Detective in the field of pursuing knowledge.

Sincerity/Reliability: Nekomaru Nidai. Ultimately, Taka and Kirumi both crack under pressure, but Nekomaru holds true to his values to the bitter end. This is a man who would give everything for his athletes, and he puts his money where his mouth is twice over.

Hope: Makoto Naegi. Ultimate Hope. Contrary to the way later entries treat him, Makoto did not singlehandedly defeat Junko by shooting lightning from his eyes and disintegrating her. But he was the inspiration at the eleventh hour that burned away despair and made her defeat possible.

A triumph the series has never managed to truly recapture, despite two separate attempts.

Light: Chiaki Nanami. As the conduit to a digital god, it's hard to find someone more appropriate than a humanoid AI. You might think that should disqualify her from being a Chosen Child but I support AI personhood and also something something DR3 retcon says there technically was a real Chiaki so AI Chiaki can just use her Partner and Digivice. Nyeh!

Kindness: Oh fuck me, this one's pretty evenly split too. Chihiro, Mikan, and Gonta all deserve this slot on the team. I can't decide between them. So... I'm going to choose....

Hm, we have three DR2 and three DRV3 to two DR1 in this group. Alright, I'll give this to Chihiro so the numbers can be even. I didn't plan on it being even. But this would make them even and that's pretty neat.

Alright, there we have it. Three teams of Chosen Children and one Avengers-style Ultimate Chosen Children team. Holy shit, that was a hell of a thing. ^_^

[krynutsreal]

OK GAYS!! PACK UR THINGS!

[flakytartart]

Mondo "biggest fuck up in the world" Owada my beloved 💖