#this description have no respect for ki-bo at all and I think that's beautiful

[kaibutsushidousha]

Artbook data - Ki-bo

Again, no chapter 6 spoilers when I really think we should have some.

Seiyuu’s comment: Tetsuya Kakihara

Seeing Ki-bo’s character profile for the first was a big surprise. “I was expecting him not to look like that?!”, I said (laughs). As the one who voiced him, I grew very attatched to him not really because he is a robot, but because his emotions and thoughts are so close to human that I don’t know where to draw the line. I think he has more expressions than the humans, so I would find it really great if he turns out to be a character you all love. Please love him.

Kodaka’s comment: DanganRonpa’s very own Hope Robot

Ki-bo is named after, you guessed it, hope. He was conceptualized as a way too serious and oversensitive robot who talk and acts like an honor student, but at first I hard time deciding if I should play him as cute or cool. In the end, I went for a middle ground, and it turned out surprisingly pretty well, I guess. The way his robosuit looks like a gakuran uniform was Komatsuzaki and even now I still find it very unlikely any actual inventor would design it like that. We made his hair robotishly stiff and added lines to his face for even more robotness. I like how pale he looks. We had many ideas for the jetpacks on his back, like shaping it like an elementary school kid backpack, but later changed it to the current simple and cool design. For the most of the ideas concerning his design  I just let Komatsuzaki do everything the way he wanted and I think the result felt very true to his artstyle.

In the first visual released, Komatsuzaki had just to draw the two major characters that would set the image of the game plus one character of his personal choice, but because of that a lot of people thought Ki-bo was going to be the protagonist. But anyways, no matter how “anything goes” the world of DanganRonpa looks like, it’s still a mystery game in the end. Whether or not it’s okay to include a robot in the main series was a question I pondered a lot. I mean, a robot that is a robot from the start, unlike Nidai from 2. I was really afraid of how people would react to it. I decided not to include the zombie character in 2 for the same reason. When I decided to check how things turned out, I was glad to see a remarkable ammount of people said they liked him.

Design notes:

Ki-bo-Antenna: An antenna that connects him to the “voice of his heart” who tells him what path to take when he doesn’t know what to do with his life. It standing upright is a sign he is feeling well.

Ki-bo-Mask: His piece modeled after a school uniform’s collar has the cool function of becoming a faceguard. It’s main use is not as a combat equipment, but to hide his blushing face.

Ki-bo-Eye: His eyesight is a regular 1.5. We know that’s not the most impressive thing in the world, but thanks to Iruma giving him a flashlight function, he was able to improve his robotic appeal just a little bit.

Inner Part: An inner part around his hips that regulates the temperature and humidity of his more important parts. It’s a system that he has to switch everyday and wash before reusing, so it’s pretty much underwear.

Ki-bo-Mouth: When he needs to display information stored in his memory, he prints it from his mouth. He can’t eat food with it, but it has other utility installed to it. What was Dr. Iidabashi going for with this?

Ki-bo-Arm: His strenght is on the same level of a slightly fit elder. We live in an era where our seniors are magnificently active, but he is still below the high school avarage, on a level people hesitate to ask him to do work that can be handled by light machinery.

Ki-bo-Body: A body that can deform a lot with a considerable impact. You could call it a crumple zone, but his durability is still very questionable for someone who calls himself the Super High School Level Robot...

Favorite presents:

White Mustache for Robots: A gentlemanly fake mustache for robots that looks like the it was picked from the mustachebot from the mountains. A present that could make Ki-bo more dignified.

Oil for Robots: Partition oil used for building robots. If you have the time to give this to other students just for kicks, give it to Ki-bo instead, he’ll love it.

Sparkly Sheet: A cleaning sheet you use to wipe the kitchen’s sink or the faucet and throw it away. Even for Ki-bo’s maintenence, it doesn’t fail to impress.

Hated presents: 

Saishuu Academy Bracelets: Handcuff-themed bangles with the Saishuu Academy emblem engraved on it. Saying this is a proof of his friendship with everyone who fought for their lives in the middle of despair won’t deceive him!

Key phrases:

The Early Days of the Super High School Level Robot: A robot, but a Super High School Level one. Due to this questionable merit, Ki-bo became a student on Saishuu Academy. Being a creation of Dr. Iidabashi, the number one mechatronic engineer, he has high learning capabilities, but his performances are all in a very human level so, to be honest, he doesn’t have much going for him as robot!? He was actually designed like this to avoid further tragedies, since he once caused an unforeseen accident that harmed the professor. Then, because of that incident, his AI was reset and he had to relearn everything in a new life, or so he was told. His will to learn lots of to grow closer to people is admirable, but he could have some better functions!?

Mentioned function list:

Strenght: On the level of a strong elder

Eyesight:  1.5 on both eyes

Breath: Works a hand drier

Fingertips: Swiss knives (not actually produced in Switzerland)

Sense of smell: Aroma discernment function

Eyes: Strong flashlights

Mouth: Memory image printer

Others: Recording/reproduction function (images and audio)

Akamatsu is his “Mother”!?: As someone learned their lesson from the previous incident, an emergency stop button was installed on the nape of Ki-bo’s neck. However, Ki-bo fears someone might take advantage of this system with ill intents, so he tries not to let anyone know about it. Except it’s completely exposed and within hand’s reach, so human curiosity leads any who finds it to want to press it. Akamatsu couldn’t resist it and pressed it, immediatelly ceasing all of Ki-bo’s functions. Akamatsu points out the somewhat dangerous design that baits pranksters, suggests a revision and Ki-bo immediately agrees with it. Like Dr. Iidabashi is his father, he now considers Akamatsu his mother because she is affecting his design?! He laughed it off saying “It was a joke”, but overly serious as he is, it could that his words carried genuine trust and gratitude. 

Being so extremely easy to shut down is a terribly sloppy design flaw for a so-called Super High School Level Robot!?

Inner Voice: Ki-bo might say he is learning a lot about the world, but the way he talks and acts is very stiff and unflexible, so he lacks the basis for decision-making his friends have. And yet Ki-bo frequently mentions he has an “inner voice”. Whenever he faces conflict or indecision, he listen to a voice in his brain for unknown reasons and it tells him what to do. His friends write it off as half-jokes, but for Ki-bo it’s huge source of support and a metaphorical compass leading him out of harsh situations. Could it be an important ability arranged by Dr. Iidabashi?

Main Quotes:

“I want to confirm this no matter what. If I don’t, I won’t be able to rust in peace.“: Ki-bo wants to reach greater heights living as person, not a robot. However, he has a metalic body that can’t eat or sleep and even his sadness values are high, he cannot shed tears. Because of how he brags about being so close to a person, he suffers with this unclosable gap. And then Ki-bo finally decides to gamble on whether or not he was really a robot by lying down on a machine equipped with a life sensor. With his body under the giant hydraulic press that crushes anything inorganic without mercy, will he be saved by the sensor and return alive?!

“You’re the worst person here, second only to Ouma-kun“: Ki-bo has to deal with bullying from the snide Ouma, who never misses an opportunity to mock him, calling him an “azuki-washing robot“ or a “robotic dustpan“, and saying “his breath smells like gasoline“ regardless of what moves his motor. Ki-bo is living sad days, with his pride in tatters, his personal identity on the brink of collapse and suffering unspeakable robophobia nonstop... Despite all this, Ki-bo still tries to motivate his friends with heartfelt optimistic speeches, only to be respond Yumeno’s harsh “The only way a robot can get to shine is with a special self-destruction blast“. Even living under the same roof, there’s still a deep dark river separating people from robots. With she telling him to actually kill himself, its no wonders she gets to be called the second worst person, losing only to the atrocious Ouma.

Final comment: For Dr. Iidabashi, Ki-bo not having any special powers carries a deep meaning. Do not tell him a camera function was added for bowel movement checking!