#it's probably actually kaede

[aparticularbandit]

I think what I don't like about the Makoto cameo is that he incidentally and accidentally saves Kyoko's life through his luck.

He trips her and they both fall and Kyoko subsequently does not get her head smashed in by a shot put that Sakura has thrown like a baseball.

Because I know Makoto is being set up as the person who takes over Yui's spot in Kyoko's life. Who gets her to trust people again and emotions and etc.

So we have Makoto immediately saving Kyoko just like Yui literally just died saving Kyoko.

Except that Makoto. doesn't have a choice here. He does in THH, and he canonically makes that choice, and that parallel is important, that Makoto unintentionally sacrifices himself for Kyoko.

But that's the thing - both of these are unintentional.

In his cameo, Makoto saves Kyoko by accident.

In THH, Makoto intentionally saves Kyoko, but he's not aware that will put his own head on the executioner's block.

Yui walked directly into putting her life on the line for Kyoko full-stop, constantly, not looking back, until she died doing it.

That's not the same.

And the closest parallel we get to it isn't Makoto for Kyoko, it's Kyoko in DR3 saying that if she has to choose between herself and Makoto, she will choose keeping Makoto alive. Full-stop. And then sacrifices herself in that pursuit.

(She gets better because she found an antidote for poison, but she had no certainty that would work or that anyone would even notice she wasn't really dead. Bless Mikan, actually, because none of the others noticed. Kyoko out here literally teaching Makoto how to investigate, and boy has learned NOTHING.)

And this is not, like, anti-Naegiri or anything like that. Clearly, canon sees the appeal here.

But Makoto is not the Yui parallel that canon wants him to be as entirely as it wants him to be.

Kyoko is.

[stardoopy]

This game sucks

[sayakxmi]

Saiouma Puella Magi AU, but Kokichi takes Madoka's role and Shuichi takes Homura's.

For one, Kokichi's too naturally distrustful to just hear "I can grant you any wish :)" and not think ok where's the hook. So he just does what no one ever has & essentially interrogates Kyubey, so he knows it all even before he gets to make a contract. So, some of his classmstes are MGs & he won't become one himself BUT he still ends up tagging along to just protect them in his Kokichi ways. (Though I'm entertaining Kokichi lying about being a magical girl, because, well, it's Kokichi).

(I also got a small idea of Gonta being a magical girls and Kokichi originally tagging along him into labyrinths, Gonta also makes him a magic gun from the toy one he had, and at some point witches out & Kokichi manages to kill him with that gun. So he always has that spare Grief Seed on himself, bc it's still his best friend & he can't handle the idea of just giving it away or using it himself (he does anyway in the end).)

Shuichi prolly ends up being a new kid & it isn't like MadoHomu, the ppl who reach him first are Kaede & Kaito, classic. Kokichi's there, too, but he's his usual sus self. He's actually discouraging ppl from making a contract when they find out magic and miracles are real, which absolutely includes Shuichi. He's very vocal abt it, but he won't explain stutf, bc 1) he's a liar, so who'd believe him? and 2) he doesn't want them to witch out upon finding out the truth or, idk, murder everybody Mami-style.

Anyway, fast forward, bad things happen bingo & by the end of the run most charas are dead, there's Walpurgis nachting, and he makes his wish to bring back the ppl who died notably not as magical girls. Contract signed, he fights & fails, rip. I also thought it was similar to how he thought he could end the killing game by himself - he though he could finish Walpurgisnacht by himself, too. And he failed in both times. Whatevs.

Shuichi doesn't actually make his time travel wish for Ouma specifically, he wants to save all his friends. Timelines are messy esp at first bc he either tells then or it backfires or just makes himself look very sus bc he's trying not to tell them. He also realizes why Kokichi hadn't told anybody aby witches at some point, bc, yeah, it messes them a lot, assuming they believe it.

Still, Kokichi ends up one of the few people who are nearly always giving him a chance, not necessarily out of belief, but out of pragmatism - bro can stop time & knows the truth, that's just too useful. So they often work together & Shuichi grows closer to him but still we ain't there yet. But the thing is, Shuichi's time travel still makes Kokichi more & more powerful with each timeline, bc Shuichi usually goes back after Kokichi dies, so the universe figured out this guy's life's important. Anyway, another notable thing is the iconic Homura kills Madoka scene, but it's Saiouma with guest stars of Kaito & Maki. It's Walpy, it's not defeated yet, but the training trio are spent & just kinda accept their fate of turning into witches together. And then, boom, Kokichi appears & steals their Soul Gems for a sec & he's like did u know you can cleanse your Soul Gem with a darkened one? But it's a lie & he quickly tells them so, he just had a spare Grief Seed after cleansing his Soul Gem & he needs them to do some stuff. Shuichi can travel back in time & fix things, and Maki & Kaito are needed to fight Walpy here. He actually questions what happens to the timelines Shuichi leaves behin, and ofc he doesn't know. There's a chance they remain, so Kokichi needs Maki & Kaito to fight Walpy here.

Kaimaki leave, and Shuichi finally looks at Kokichi & realizes sth is Wrong. Kokichi struggles to hide how he's trembling & grimacing, and it's Kokichi, so obviously it must be extremely bad. Shuichi dreadfully realizes something worse, and he weakly asks Kokichi why aren't his wounds healing. And Kokichi just falls, laughing weakly, and Shuichi catches him & searches for his Soul Gem and, God, he knew it. It's nearly completely black. Kokichi laughs & admits he lied abt having two Grief Seeds, he only had one he never wanted to use. But they'll have the second one soon, so no need to worry. He asks Shuichi to maybe destroy his witch form as it's hatching, so he'll have the Grief Seed without any fighting… and he admits that he hates fighting, he hates this magical world and all its violence. He says that Kaito was right in calling him a coward, even here he just can't handle the idea of fighting any longer, he's so sorry. And Shuichi tells him he ISN'T a coward. He was scared, but he always followed everybody, trying to help, and when push came to shove he would always make a contract for the benefit of others rather than himself. He's a lot of things, but a coward isn't one. Kokichi actually tears up hearing that, and Shuichi promises he won't let him fight ever again, and especially he won't let him turn into a witch and hurt anybody, because he knows it's the last thing he's ever wanted. Even now he only accepts turning into a witch to help them fight to keep others safe. So Shuichi won't let him. Kokichi probably apologizes and thanks him and then he dies.

Keeping Kokichi from fighting starts off as a side quest that gains importance with time, bc it's something Shuichi won't compromise on (ah, trauma), which leads him to occassionally neglect others a bit, which makes them more likely to get hurt & ironically Kokichi more likely to make a contract, especially since he gets more powerful & Kyubey is more interested in him with each timeline. And that also makes him witch out super quick. Shuichi's paying more attention to him & over time grows resentful of others for how they're treating him. To Shuichi it's no question that Kokichi cares & is just doing his best to help, but nobody realizes that.

But the biggest obstacle in keeping Kokichi from fighting is actually Kokichi himself, bc he's too smart and nosy, lmao. Even if he knows nothing, he will find out quickly. Doesn't help that Kyubey wants him to make a contract.

Also, obviously Kaito is Sayaka-coded and Maki could be Kyouko-coded, so that's a thing, BUT it's usually Maki that witches out. Kaito is usually pretty close, but Kokichi intervenes & he survives, but Maki later cracks on her own (and since in the new timeline Kokichi isn't there, Kaito's the one to die, so he's still the secretary). So it's Kaito who gets the dramatic sacrifice. I imagine he genuinely hoped you could bring somebody back if you tried Very Hard & Kokichi called him a moron bc obviously it's not possible. If it was there'd be far less witches that there are. But it's Kaito, he doesn't listen to reason. So, Kokichi follows him to the labyrinth. At first Kaito's mad cuz what if Kokichi being there ruins the plan? Maki hates his guts! But eventually he gets hit pretty hard, and Kokichi is near immediately by his side, trying to help him get up, which kinda makes Kaito short circuit a little bc wait Kokichi's trying to help? But witch!Maki attacks them & Kokichi pushes Kaito away & gets caught himself (and choked until unconsciousness, naturally). Anyway, Kaito gets him away, Shuichi catches Kokichi & Kaito makes up his mind about going down with Maki & asks Shuichi to tell Kokichi that he's sorry. He doesn't get him, but he got hurt trying to protect him, so he'll believe in that if nothing else. F.

As for The WishTM, in the last timeline Shuichi lashes out at Kokichi for his willingness to just become part of the system. In no timeline has his wish actually helped, it did NOTHINHG, which OUCH but it also makes Kokichi think out of the box more & he becomes the Law of Cycles. And Shuichi realizes what is happening & freaks out bc Kokichi's doing it bc of what he told him & like Homura they end up having a momentTM in space & Shuichi remembers. He feels a lot of guilt even tho he also questions whether anything was real, but if it was, he pushed somebody he far too realized he loved into erasing himself from existence.

[karinmisono]

[sapphic-suchoripterus]

I feel like we should discuss Tenk asking Shu to be a trans girl more often

[dog-forest-spirit]

I have so much more appreciation for Sesshomaru bc he tells jaken if his plan fails he’s killing him and when the plan fails he does none of that like he’s literally so much bark you can say the plan failed bc of him but idt Sesshomaru was capable of seeing fault in his actions let alone taking ANY sort of accountability I think he was truly miserable and let himself get consumed by power and he kept Rin around (forever maintain he took her in like a pet at first) bc he was touched that she shown him kindness despite everything and just let her do whatever

[ultimateplaylistmaker]

What's the AU you're writing?

Okay so basically I have a friend and we have three ouma sibling ocs between us and we adore them, so we keep making stories about them, basically au aus, and this one was one where they are all dragons and their mother died killing their father because their father was a destroyer dragon while she was a guardian dragon and he'd finally crossed the line by trying to leverage their eggs for power. So many many many decades, maybe even century, the eggs finally start hatching, and being raised to become the next lords of their mothers old territory, with their mother being held up as a god like figure while also dealing with the remnants of their fathers followers and also coming to understand their own place and the threats that threaten their kingdom/territory. However due to everything the eggs hatch much more slowly and far apart then they should, with the last egg hatching decades after everyone else and he's like the main character and he goes on an adventure set up by his older brother Kokichi and also Shuichi is there because he lived on the outskirts of the territory and after an attack fucked up kaede's family ending with her father dead and her twin sister kidnapped, and he wants to prove himself to enter into Kokichi's court and Kokichi was like "oh uh cool uh you gotta do something uhhh go guard this one while he goes on his quest" and Shuichi has no fucking clue that is not in fact, a servant of the lord dragon, but his brother. Much chaos ensues.

The story I wrote isn't about that though, I wrote a story about the first hatched sibling, Kokichi is the second, and the fact he's infamous between the two of us for always coming to the wrong and most self destructive conclusion every single fucking time just talk to someone for once in your life Kouchi good god.

[amelikos]

Sango being a loudmouth who goes at her own pace and often questions orders, yet cowers at any sign of an authority figure intimidating her is such an intriguing contrast in her character.

She quickly complied and behaved when Hamber asked her and Onyx if they were protesting his orders in HZ024. Kaede glaring at her and scolding her after she made a mess of the cooking competition in HZ047 actually worked, and Sango felt cornered enough that she decided to leave. Kihada explaining the battle rules to her in HZ055 and Aoki telling her that her personal rules don't apply in society got her frustrated and upset enough that she just ended up leaving the battlefield.

There are just many recurring instances of Sango reacting in similar ways towards authority figures. They don't necessarily have to raise their voice at her, yet Sango feels easily intimidated and overwhelmed by implied threats and criticism.

[eggs-can-draw]

Am I projecting my love of warm weather and hiking??? Absolutely, anyway here’s wonderwall

[inun4ki]

i had a realization i don't like.

[flamingthespian]

A couple snippets of a tokomaru text conversation for a scene in the fic im working on

[doritofalls]

Idk if you already answered this, but what does the v3 cast do after the killing game in your au?

ooh it never came up!

i imagine most of them would try to just, recover and cope with normalcy and a weirdly parasocial microcelebrity status. they would remain relatively close for a time (with some exceptions) as friends, but by the time kiyo would be rooming with shuichi, it would be a very loose thing with specific people remaining closer to specific people and meeting up from time to time. kind of a post high school graduation classmates setup, except with less trauma. it is important to note however, that by the time kiyo is even released from care, a good chunk of time has passed and the cast have already grown apart as a group.

[thatstroubling]

the "came back wrong" trope except like... they didnt. like this mad scientists wife died, and so he studied necromancy, brought her back, and she came back and it all worked. like she came back exactly the same as she was before with literally no difference. but the scientist guy is like "oh no... what have i done.... shes Different now!!!! she came back Wrong!!!!" and shes just like. chilling. reading a book. cooking dinner. shes just so so normal but in the guys mind hes like "oh shes soooo weird" but shes just normal

[spectralreplica]

Uhhhhhhhh Sburb AU!! This was more of an excuse to classpect and make sprites, so don’t ask me questions about plot details because I put like zero thought into it. Tsumugi probably had something to do with setting up the session, and she’s hiding her real title and the fact it’s not her first session. Baby Kiibo is a robot baby because I thought that was the funniest option.

Drawing with anti-aliasing off really brings me back...

Classpect thoughts under the cut if you really want:

Immediate caveat: I mention speculative stuff here like unconfirmed active/passive class pairs and inversion theory. If you don’t like those things or otherwise disagree with the titles I gave people that’s fine but just know I’m not super interested in debating about it and won’t reply.

So, to start out with I wanted to make the 8 of them a session, so I needed no overlaps in class or aspect and one Time + one Space. I also wanted to have Kaito and Kokichi as opposing aspects. In general, I think of a Title as kind of the end of your assigned character arc, so depending on your level of maturity/introspection at the start, it can seem either really obvious or really unintuitive. I tried to base them off of the hypothetical chapter 6/survivor versions of characters, since those (plus maybe the chapter 5 deaths) of the ones that get a full arc in DR canon.

Immediately Tsumugi seemed like a deadringer for Space, not so much because of the literal physics-related stuff but because of its associations with creation/narratives and setting things up for other people to act. I made her Sylph of Space here, but that's a facade. She's actually a Muse of Space who participated in past session(s) and wants to watch how things play out.

Based on the Extended Zodiac description, Kaito or Kaede has to be time, but Kokichi CANNOT be Space by any stretch of the imagination. I made her Heir of Time with the interpretation of Heir as someone who invites change/influences of/through their aspect. Time is also associated with music and death, which is both fitting and a little mean. (I can also see Kaede as Breath outside of having to have someone be Time.)

So moving onto Kaito and Kokichi, I was considering Hope vs Rage (belief vs doubt, possibility vs restrictions), but 1) Rage is defined partially by hatred of lies despite otherwise sounding Kokichi-ish (that alone could be interesting, with the possibility of a negative/reverse title or else giving him Hope and Kaito Rage for the unexpected swerve........) 2) I really wanted to give Hope to Kiibo. So instead I went with Heart and Mind (emotion vs logic, intuition vs planning, identity/motivation vs action/decisiveness).

Kokichi is Thief of Mind for taking away other people's decisions for his own purposes but also for generally "stealing" things (e.g., the Mastermind Role, narrative importance in general, along with literal items) through his own cleverness. Vs Kaito, a Knight of Heart, who uses his constructed identity as a weapon to face challenges. I'm also a fan of inversion theory, so I think at low points they'd both trend towards Page of Heart (grows powerful late in the narrative based on his own ego/identity) and Rogue of Mind (taking choices/agency/logic away from people for their own good), respectively.

I always wanted Kiibo to be Hope since 1) Ult. Hope Robot 2) big on possibilities/faith but can be a little self-centered. I went with Bard at least partially to make a "guess we know whether he has a dick or not now!" joke, but I also think "inviting destruction through Hope, inviting destruction of (false) hope" is pretty spot on for chapter 6 Kiibo. Like, as the camera/audience surrogate, he's been forced into passively leading the others to despair, not to mention how the audience takes him over to destroy the hope of ending the show. But Kiibo ends up reversing this and helping destroy the audience's faith in Danganronpa, destroying the whole academy in accordance with the vote. (Sidenote: I wonder if Kiibo gets taken over by Horrorterrors and goes grimdark? Or if he's just really, really susceptible to orders from his Exile)

Shuichi, Page of Void, was another one that immediately came to mind. Like, "starts off weak but becomes really strong/important by the end" is Shuichi's thing! Also, counterpart to Kaito's Knight. And Void is all about secrets, mystery, etc. From the Extended Zodiac: "Where others might be compelled to go out and seek answers, the Void-bound lean more toward casting doubt on what is already considered understood. They don't take much on faith and would rather live in a state of confusion- than believe something that might be untrue or bow to intellectual authority... At their best, Void-bound are wise, intuitive, and vibrant. At their worst, they can be dismissive, indecisive and apathetic." 

I had considering Light, for seeking out knowledge/truth, but Shuichi's character arc ends on "fuck you, I refuse to play. You all get nothing more from us" and learning to live with ambiguity, so I think he's way more Void. But, again, inversion would be Thief of Light, so selfishly taking away knowledge/importance from others.

Speaking of Light, I made Miu Mage of Light. Mage is like, active Seer, seeking out knowledge for yourself (vs advising others) and Light is luck, knowledge, and also importance/plot relevance. As an inventor, Miu keeps innovating and figuring things out, plus she's very motivated by her own importance to the world. She wants to be seen more than anything else and loves being smarter than those around her. Also: "At their best, the Light-bound are resourceful and driven. At their worst they can be fussy, pedantic, and insensitive." Inversion is Heir of Void, so "inviting change via hiding things" or "changing what's kept secret", which suits Miu when plotting murder.

Finally, Maki is Prince of Blood. Blood is trust, bonds, relationships, stubbornness, duty, obligation (vs freedom, change, choices) so "someone who breaks bonds/destroys relationships" but also "someone who destroys using/motivated by duty/relationships". Like, Maki is inherently a fracture point in the group because of her talent and then directly breaks the group apart and sabotages her relationships with the others in chapter 5, but also she's deeply motivated by her bonds to others in all of her destructive actions (protectiveness for orphanage/friend, love for Kaito). This sound super negative, but I think this is also the Maki who commits to destroying the institution of Danganronpa in chapter 6. Sometimes you have to be decisive and cut bad relationships out of your life.

Inversion would be Sylph of Breath, so "healing via change" or "encouraging growth towards freedom", which you can argue is sort of the way Kaito wants her to go? But she just doesn't. Idk, for better or worse, I think Maki is very aware of who she is and how people related to her, so even at her worst she's true to herself, vs, say, Kaito or Kokichi, who act "ooc".

[ts4ritsa]

༊*·˚ cold + unapproachable s/o who has a soft side for them

ft. makoto naegi, hajime hinata, shuichi saihara, & kaede akamatsu from danganronpa * ˚ ✦

tags / cw ✎ male!reader in mind but is pretty much gn, established relationship, fluff, reader is easily angered and quick to defend s/o, headcanons, not proofread, may be ooc, requested

MAKOTO NAEGI ✰

a lot of people say you and makoto are the grumpy and sunshine trope — and they would be right. you, someone who is closed off and unapologetically cold towards others, with someone as upbeat and kind-hearted as makoto? your classmates would say they’d like to be surprised, but that kind of pairing isn’t uncommon nowadays

makoto thinks their opinions are funny, taking them lightheartedly. he knows you are indifferent about them, but he enjoys mentioning it every once in a while, enjoying the little smirk he might elicit from you instead of the scoff you give other people when they make such comments

besides that, makoto couldn’t be more happy to be in a relationship with you. he considers himself extraordinarily lucky, being able to attract a guy like you. whenever you get affectionate with him behind closed doors, he’s just can’t help but become a blushing and giggly mess. yes, he appreciates everything you do for him and reciprocates in full

he doesn’t ramble that much about stuff and usually enjoys hearing you talk instead; also is really interested in trying out the foods you enjoy

in the event that someone is disrespecting and being blatantly rude to makoto, he tries to not let it get to him but it does hurt — though he immediately snaps out of his thoughts because he realizes he has to de-escalate the situation since you are always dead set on defending him and returning the insults to the other person

makoto appreciates your… commitment towards him, promise! but he tells you he’d rather you use a more peaceful approach while chuckling awkwardly

HAJIME HINATA ✰

hajime’s personality paired with yours is quite the dynamic, but you compliment each other well. both of you are relatively reserved, perceived as aloof and kooky, and although hajime isn’t an expert with people he certainly seems like he is when you both are together in public

honestly, hajime finds it very surprising — how uncaring and standoffish you are with other people but how warm and attentive you are with him and only him. in a way it boosts his pride

tries to keep up with your affectionate gestures as much as he can, but he can be left quite speechless at just how much love you can give him. still he accepts it in full

you can both just talk for hours on end, secretly it’s hajime’s favorite thing to do with you

for dates he enjoys going to what’s been recently popular since exploring and reviewing is fun with you around and he can give you his honest thoughts while also being curious on what you have to say

when getting into an argument with another person and they get heated, he gets easily irritated but remains level-headed. though when you insert yourself and defend him like your life depends on it he secretly finds that delightful and helpful

you and him pretty much always win whatever quarrels you find yourselves in since he’s quick to prove them wrong and you’re quick with your comebacks

though hajime will thank you he’ll probably tell you it’s better to not openly show them that they hit a nerve with their words

SHUICHI SAIHARA ✰

shuichi can’t believe he pulled someone like you. despite the both of you having a more withdrawn nature, you’re practically different in almost every other aspect. but he isn’t one to complain — after all, shuichi’s feelings for you are just as strong as yours are for him

finds it really endearing that you show him a more gentle and kind side of you. he tries to hide how much it makes him feel all warm inside but the tint of red on his cheeks along with a silly smile give it all away

actually really loves that you let him ramble about what’s on his mind. well, even if he doesn’t technically ramble, he is a very thoughtful person deep down and it’s refreshing to be able to talk freely without being judged

appreciates each and every gift that you give him, though every time you do get him something he insists you you’re spoiling him and he usually finds a way to gift you something right back

shuichi couldn’t be more happy with you, really, you make him feel like he’s won the lottery, and in return he wants to show his love for you in any way he can, any way that you’ll let him. he tries to hide how strong his feelings are to his classmates but they can see right through him, it’s pretty funny

though sometimes shuichi feels low-key intimidated by you, especially when you get into fights with other people. he is fully aware that you do not hold back with your insults, and tries to calm you down, yet it doesn’t really do anything to stop the argument. usually he just lets you settle it in your own way and lets you cool off with him after, complimenting your stubbornness but suggesting you try to avoid getting into trouble

KAEDE AKAMATSU ✰

another sun and moon! all of your classmates and kaede’s friends like to joke about the contrasts between you two, and while kaede herself thinks it is pretty amusing, she brushes them off since they can be a bit of a handful and she doesn’t want them to bother you about it since she knows how you are

kaede really adores your personality, more specifically the way you treat her so special compared to regular people. she gives you special treatment in return, unabashedly too. does not care who sees her pouring her heart out on you, she’d rather focus on the guy of her dreams that’s right in front of her!!!

definitely takes advantage of you listening to whatever she has to say. she likes to bring up trivial matters and silly topics that have been on her mind and just go on small but passionate rants about them. definitely asks you questions too and feels more enabled when you simply nod and agree

oh and kaede just melts whenever you give her gifts! it’s the cutest thing to her. she’ll shower you with affection again and again, praising you for your kindness

kaede may come off as simple and non-serious with her affection, but it really comes from the heart. behind closed doors she really loves having quiet intimate moments with you. ex. cuddling while mumbling sweet nothings as you both are on the verge of falling asleep

if someone ever insults kaede, she usually just returns the energy and laughs it off. but when you both first started dating she found it hard to just dismiss things since you were quick to bite back even harder — which she found interesting. it kind of sparked something in her to be more openly taunting when people tried to start something with her. however she does still prefer to remain composed and not make much of it after

©2024 ts4ritsa | req by anon

[ultimafangirl]

I think I realized why the Project Eden's Garden execution affected me more than the Danganronpa executions.

It's the emotion.

Looking back, the Danganronpa executions don't have a lot of emotion. Sure, you're horrified but the expressions are kinda...

Leon is freaking out but you only get glimpses of his face once the execution starts going. I always thought that dizzy expression on Mondo's face was goofy. Celeste had a smile on her face and you don't see her when she actually dies. I can't tell what expression Alter Ego has cause the screen is too small and obscured by the carnage. Kyoko and Naegi are probably the most emotion we get in an execution cause the focus is on their expressions. Junko is... Junko.

Teruteru's expressions are goofy by default and the execution is no exception. Peko starts to cry before her execution but acts calm (for lack of a better word) during it. Mikan is... Mikan. Gundham faces his death head on with a smile. Chiaki tries to escape but ends up waiting quietly.

Kaede gets silly dizzy eyes. Kirumi lets out a scream (and she is actually my favorite execution to describe to people who don't know the series). Shinguuji is another one who gets a lot of focus on his expression. We do not talk about Gonta's execution. Kaito died with a smile on his face. Kiibo went out in a blaze of glory. And Tsumugi gave everyone a final wave goodbye.

What's one thing that didn't show up? Crying. We didn't see anyone cry as they died. But that's what we get in Eden's Garden. The culprit is crying as the execution continues. There's no determined expression, there's a scared teenaged crying, probably still begging to live. We just can't hear them over the music. There's no cutaway from their face. Instead we see the last look of horror on their face as they take the final fall.

The execution just feels so much more visceral than Danganronpa. This isn't an Ultimate trying to face death with dignity only to get that chance ripped away by a stuffed bear. This is a scared child (I'm 31 they're all children to me) who was never given a chance at dignity in the first place.