#between him and her showing interest in Izuru in dr3

[princescar]

do you think junko slips yasuke estrogen in his coffee in an attempt to make their relationship yuri (<- normal about them)

oh most definitely

i just KNOW her ass was a little too into putting him in dresses

[avikats66]

Komahinamiki Headcanons: Post Game/DR3

Mikan ends up nursing Nagito often due to his incredibly unusual illness(es) which worsen then miraculously clear up in an almost entirely unpredictable and ever-changing cycle whilst defying the majority of medical understanding. She and Hajime (due to his capabilities/talents as Izuru) look into and experiment with a variety of different treatments for Nagito over the course of the years, which expands into looking into different types of treatments and therapy techniques to help soothe some of the varying issues (physical, emotional, and mental) plaguing their classmates as well as the group as a whole.

During periods of serious relapse when his health is very poor, Nagito often needs assistance or supervision with basic self-care (getting/eating food, walking, bathing, house-keeping), which is almost entirely taken care of by Mikan as the ultimate nurse (with Hajime and occasionally other classmates pitching in when needed or to help give Mikan a break). Nagito and Mikan first begin opening up to and bonding with one another due to the physical intimacy, dependence, and time spent together required during this type of care. After he recovers, Nagito always insists on returning the favour by offering to do or help with the same tasks Mikan performed for him - as well as anything else she might ask for.

Mikan is unused to receiving such care, and then insists upon offering the same care to Nagito again in turn even when he is not sick, and he lets her do whatever she asks after seeing how nursing/caretaking brings her happiness/security and gives her confidence in her self and her capabilities. Neither of the two put much value into their own self care, but both are highly invested when doing things for the other, and the mutual care and caregiving benefits them both physically and emotionally/mentally.

Nagito and Mikan end up standing up and looking out for each other a lot: Mikan watches over Nagito’s physical condition and ensures he doesn’t push his body more than he should, while Nagito speaks up for Mikan, backing her talent and power as an ultimate and person of value by defending/supporting her whenever the others too greatly ignore, dismiss, or ridicule her.

Hajime often takes Mikan and Nagito together or individually out on walks or picnics around the island. Nagito always makes interesting discovers and finds while beach combing or exploring, and Mikan enjoys spending time idle with company she feels completely safe and at ease with. Hajime likes seeing them both behaving more carefree and less guarded while they��re out.

The three of them are often giving each other gifts as a way to show appreciation and love, from little knickknacks found around the island to handmade items and things made with the help of their other classmates and their talents. Their gift-giving also includes acts of caretaking and putting together little surprises for each other. Examples include unique seashells found on the beach, matching handmade bracelets, favourite desserts (or approximations of due to limited resources) made with the help of Teruteru, little handwritten notes of love and encouragement, soothing candlelit massages, etc. etc…

Nagito is banned from cooking while unsupervised due to one too many disasters, but he is always willing to help out in the kitchen, and takes the lead concerning most of the house maintenance/cleaning. He’s good at it for the most part, though he always manages to mix up or temporarily loose track of clothes while doing laundry, leading to the three of them borrowing/wearing from each other’s closets often.

Though their relationship involved physical intimacy from quite early on, there is initially nothing sexual or romantic going in between Nagito and Mikan. The care Mikan first starts providing for Nagito is undertaken out of medical necessity and approached by her with a nurse’s mindset and attitude, and the reciprocal care he then offers her in return is done with him wholly concerned with him helping her and showing his appreciation. This lack of sexual/romantic tension or expectations is one of the things which helped them to become comfortable with each other and start opening up and getting to know each other.

The relationship between the three of them develops over time, as they first get to really know each other, build up an intimate emotional bond, and make progress with their own individual growth and recoveries before they begin voicing or acting upon burgeoning romantic and sexual feelings. As they communicate and establish the specifics of their relationship with each other over time, not one of them ever publicly state their relationship status to the rest of the group, but it’s not long before everyone realizes that there’s something going on between the three. Eventually, the three are in an established and committed relationship and everyone knows and references this openly despite it having never been officially announced.

Nagito and Mikan are very physically affectionate and appreciative with both each other and Hajime. In public they mostly stick to holding hands, arms around each other’s shoulders, sitting pressed up/leaning against one another, and sweet/chaste kisses on each other’s foreheads, hands, cheeks, and lips. In private they frequently snuggle, cuddle, hold, carry, groom, care for, and admire each other. When sleeping/laying down or sitting together, Hajime is typically in the middle with Mikan and Nagito on either side, and they frequently end up more on top of than beside him after a while.

Moving into NSFW/sexy times territory…

Mikan and Nagito are both extremely eager and willing to try and please Hajime sexually, and will offer to try or do anything they think he might be interested in. At the start of their relationship, Hajime has to help them establish healthy boundaries and concern for themselves and their own comfort/pleasure, a process which they also work on with separately with each other and individually by themselves. Over time, each of the three come to understand both their own and each other’s wants and sexualities to develop a healthy and fulfilling relationship/sex life.

Hajime is bi. Growing up he was unsure about being open with it, but on Jabberwock Island with only his classmates he feels close and comfortable enough with everyone for it to be out in the open. Nagito and Mikan are both a bit more complicated and less easily defined.

Nagito falls into a sort of mix of the gay, demi, and pan identities. As a teenager growing up, he never really felt much of a romantic or sexual attraction to any person in particular, but was able to recognize his orientation in general of what he found attractive to be more orientated towards men/masculinity and a gay identity while also being potentially. open to a variety of gender identities and expressions based on an individual’s specific personality and qualities: these qualities mainly being the capacity/ability to spread and foster hope (or his ideas of hope) and if they could/would genuinely get to know and care about Nagito himself. It is indeed these two qualities which Hajime and Mikan share which forms the base for Nagito’s attraction and affection towards them as they develop their relationship on Jabberwock. Before Hajime and Mikan, he never actually believed he would ever get to be in a romantic or sexual relationship with another person due to his low self-worth and avoidance of intimacy due to fear of his luck hurting those close to him, and he never allowed himself to get invested in any sexual/romantic endeavours or fantasies/indulgences.

CW for discussion of sexual abuse / Mikan had a complicated and unhealthily warped connection with romance and sex due to the severe abuse she underwent growing up. As established during DR2:GD dialogue and free time events, she will take abuse as a form of “care” over being ignored or people being upset with her (because god only knows what people might have done to her when they were in a bad mood based off of what she describes people “having fun” with her as doing), and readily offerers to perform sexual favours/activities to appease others (again I think as a coping mechanism - sexual activities were probably a way for her to please and distract her abusers from inflicting worse harm on her, and I think she likely came to convince herself that the sexual nature of the interactions must have meant that there was some sort of attraction or affection involved and it was a positive thing in at least some aspect [obviously this is not true - fuck abusers, especially those who abuse children/minors] but a young Mikan’s mind might very well come to this conclusion in attempt to cope). As her relationship with Nagito and Hajime develops, these unhealthy views and behaviours have to be hashed out and addressed over an extended period of time and it’s a long process moving past them, but eventually with support Mikan gains a healthy understanding of sex/sexuality, relationships, and her own wants/desires.

In terms of orientation Mikan rests in a sort of pan/demi category, capable of sexual feelings/desires regardless of gender but only developing emotional and romantic connections with specific individuals based on personal qualities, namely her being able to feel safe with and cared for by someone, which is the basis for her relationship with Nagito and Hajime.

Sex between the three of them usually centres on Hajime, as both Mikan and Nagito love and enjoy showing their attraction and appreciation to him and receiving his attraction and appreciation in return. Between the two of them, they usually keep his hands (and other parts) busy/full, and when he needs a break they’ll usually either both snuggle up to him or gently show and appreciate each other’s bodies for him to watch/enjoy.

They mostly just enjoy and appreciate each other’s bodies and attention/affection, but they do a bit of role playing/teasing and incorporate some different toys as well. In addition they enjoy physical intimacy and activity together in a more casual and relaxed context such as cuddling or soft make out sessions.

When without Hajime, Nagito and Mikan are less sexually driven, and a lot of their physical intimacy and affection focuses more on caretaking and comfort, such as taking baths/showers together, cuddling, giving each other massages, giving verbal and physical affection and affirmation to each other, and sometimes mutual masturbation or oral sex.

Due to the nature of their individual issues/struggles and past trauma, communication is especially important between the three of them, and they take care to verbally discuss and affirm things with each other whenever needed, whether this involves sexual activity, health concerns (physical or mental), or general relationship/interacting with points. That being said, they also learn to read and understand each other very well, and develop their own way of communicating different things to each other via physical or non-direct verbal cues.

[eitolore]

okay fuck it im just gonna talk about danganronpa 3 unprompted

so i watched Danganronpa the animation first so my expectations were not high to say the least. but then every episode just keeps getting better and better (im switching between future and despair arc btw)

makoto is adorable i never thought i would be so happy to see grown up makoto again and then we FINALLY get to see what happens to aoi and hiro and they’re all in another killing game (makoto being carried by aoi is something i never knew i needed but i love it)

OH YEAH monaca is there?! and komaru and toko too? AND BYAKUYA?

oh and don’t get me started on the dr2 characters (chiaki and nagito are precious)

apparently dr2 characters are a grade older than the dr1 characters which really messed up my timeline but now that i think about it it makes a lot more sense.

i love junko and izuru’s dynamic they are literally opposites (but as cool as izuru is hajime really deserves better)

nagito is stranded on a fucking island? wth?

gundham and sonya are adorable together i just ship them more after watching this (AND GUNDHAM’s HAIR??? im still not over it)

mitarai i honestly feel bad for but at least he has imposter with him (i guess even imposter has a heart)

nagito blowing up the gym was? totally something he would do? the characterization is amazing and i love his dynamic with his ultimate luck (like the seesaw effect between being extremely unlucky then extremely lucky to balance it is so fucking cool)

i love the girl in the mask (don’t remember her name but she’s the ultimate pharmacist) and basically every new character in dr3 is so interesting and it’s bittersweet to see how they used to be in despair arc and how they are now in future arc

okay i need to shut up now but i genuinely cannot stop thinking about this show and my brother is tired of me rambling to him about it lmaooo

[kimmysfandomblog]

Makoto and Hajime, since it's the week ? :D

Thank you, Chloe~ Sorry I took so long to reply!

I’m really sad the week’s at an end TTvTT It was honestly a rewarding experience, and I’m really pleased with how it turned out (so far... I know some people still with WIPs or said they were wanting to join, but didn’t have time to start, and I hope they submit it later rather than give up!)

Anyways, on with the ask!

From here:  A MORE DETAILED CHARACTER MEME!

Makoto Naegi:

What I like about them

How he had been in the first game was really endearing! Yeah, there wasn’t a whole lot of confidence in himself, but he was still one to try to be optimistic and see the best in people. He’s truly kind and pretty selfless, although a bit of a goof as well XD I think that he was alright of a protagonist! And even in DR3, he had good moments. I liked how he was able to piece together what had been going on using Kirigiri’s clues, and his suspicion of Mitarai as well (from what I remember, that was his own way of connecting the dots?) And while I’m not sure I’ll ever be satisfied with the ending of any conflict, Naegi in DR3 could think fast. He sets up traps for Munakata and made it impossible for him to escape while the wristband was on. I thought that part was clever (even if the following conversation didn’t convince me much)

What I dislike about them

Ehhh, after DR3, my opinion of him lowered. A lot. He ended DR3 played off as the hero when he really, really didn’t do much. And honestly, he couldn’t. The writers wrote that he couldn’t run. That’s a good idea on paper, maybe, but not in execution. Especially considering how he is the protagonist. He ends up relying a lot on Asahina to save him from situations, and even when he does come across situations where he is supposed to be good at, talking to people, it comes off a lot less realistic… kind of forced. I’m wondering if that is a fault on the animation studio’s end, or whoever wrote the final script. Not to mention, when it comes to the very end, Togami giveshima whole squad to get to Mitarai, endangering them all… for Makoto to leave it to Hinata and company in the end lol. And then he gets to be the figurehead of Future Foundation for supposedly defeating the Remnants of Despair… yeah, that doesn’t sit well with me at all XD

Favorite moment:

It’s hard to choose! I think, though, I was most hyped when he showed up as a silhouette in the Investigation part of SDR2 Chapter 6? Him avoiding his execution was really cool, too, though!!! Oh yeah, and my Hi/Naegi heart fangirls over that one scene where they nod at each other XD

Least favorite moment

Mostly DR3 moments, lol. Especially the last episode! Like I said, Naegi was made to be the hero after failing to get there to Mitarai. He just hardly does that much in the grand scheme of things. In DR1, even if he leaned a little heavy on Kirigiri, it is him who was targeted a lot by the mastermind, and him who broke everyone’s despair away. In DR3, he kind of does it with Munakata, and then no one else. Just the way the game was designed made it so that he hardly knew most of the victims, and he was split away from even Kirigiri, who really did most of the work for him.

As for a non-DR3 moment… the bathhouse scene lol. The fan-service scene is really out of character. My first time with DR1 was with the anime, so such a scene was skipped, thankfully.

A situation with this character that I want to see explored more

I want to see how he gathered up the remnants, and all the things he had to do while watching DR2′s killing game. I’m really curious about how he confronted Kamukura specifically, and why it is he had no clue this Hajime Hinata wasn’t Izuru Kamukura. I mean, sure, Remnants of Despair may have changed themselves drastically, but Hajime was even more so, and it was not necessarily changes due to Despair. Also, meet up with Komaru please???? Interactions with Hinata???? His parents were just forgotten????

An interesting AU for this character

I’m so bad at this because all I’ll ever come up with is a fantasy AU XD He’d be the gardener or something that somehow is able to save the princess from a raid by an enemy kingdom and they somehow gather up morale and he ends up leading the rebellion and saves the day without having ever lifted his sword. Something like that XD

A crossover

…. The only thing besides Danganronpa that I care about is Kingdom Hearts ^^;;; He’d be Ventus in my crossover, rather than Sora!

OTP (or OT3+ etc…. just… favourite ship)

I like Nae///giri and Hin//aegi both!!! Nae///giri is something that develops rather well in DR1, and Hin///aegi is just such a warming and soft ship to me! Like, I just feel like they’d complement each other pretty well? They have a ton in common, and could teach each other different things.

Other ships?

Nae///zono! It’s a ship that I don’t talk a lot about, but I really liked his relationship with Maizono a lot. I truly miss her :( I really want to know what their relationship was like in the pre-DR1 year that they were in the same class together. 

BROTP

Pretty much all of the survivors of DR1, and Sayaka, and of course his sister! Also Hinata!!! I feel like they could really help each other!

NOTP

Well, I don’t really have one that really irks me, honestly? I’m not the most comfortable with Kom///aegi and Nae///gami all the time, though. Kom////aegi tends to be weirdly balanced, where Komaeda overpraises Naegi, but may till manipulate him and have some kind of power that way. It’s not my favorite interaction. As for Nae///gami, It’s also got that imbalance issue. In either case, if you portray it in a way that they are or become equals (without any messed up stuff happening mind you) then I’m really okay with them.

An assortment of headcanons!

Makoto does eventually find his parents, however even though they are physically unharmed, they are catatonic. They don’t respond to much of anything anymore, and it’s a mystery how they were able to live by the time Future Foundation got to them

Makoto holds grudges for very few people. They are not always bad people, but while outwardly he tries to be optimistic, inside, he’s wishing he was anywhere but near those people, or talking about those people.

Makoto and Sayaka, during their year in Hope’s Peak, grew very close, but never brought up dating each other. They were attracted to each other before they knew each other, and while they still are romantically attracted by the end of the year, it’s different, a little more sure, now that they do know each other. The apocalypse comes, and it never feels like a good time to brig it up anyways.

Makoto doesn’t realise he is the target of romantic attraction for quite a few people. Within the school year, he takes it as people just being naturally shy or standoffish. After the killing game, he assumes it is because of his supposed title of Ultimate Hope that he never actually called himself. (The exception to this is Kirigiri... he’s gotten to know her well enough to get that they like each other).

Hajime Hinata

What I like about them

Hinata was, and remains, DR’s best protagonist. He has development throughout DR, and I was really rooting with him slowly. He’s really funny in how blunt he is, and that sarcastic nature of his is great. But, probably most importantly to me, is that he is ever so relatable. He’s actually really sweet and caring, and he’s not one to resort to violence first. If there is something he thinks he can do for a friend, he’ll try to do it. And he’s imperfect.... He doesn’t have any talent whatsoever, he’s insecure about himself, he pushes people away and tries to run away and find easier solutions. Those are good things. It makes him feel more real.

What I dislike about them

Hinata’s a really good character... but well, the ending of DR2, I feel like he could have snapped out on his own. Nanami being there... I would like to believe that the one that was talking to him in that mindscape was not the real Nanami, not even really the AI Nanami. She’s a figment of his imagination that represents the gentle side of courage. Still, I wish that it wasn’t her exactly, or it was more clear that this was Hinata convincing himself that he doesn’t need to run away from hard choices.

I also gotta say that while I am entertained by post-canon Hinata’s potential... he lacks a lot of what I liked in Hinata in the first place. He’s now too perfect, even more so than Izuru who’s fault is the inability to empathize. I guess if he was shown to struggle at least a bit between feeling and not, not always being able to consciously use a talent, but in other situation it happens consciously, or really showing any kind of repercussion than being so clearly rewarded for having taken part in the Hope Cultivation Plan instead of chosing to be himself, I’d feel more satisfied. I also just am not a fan of how much they center Nanami in the end of DR3. At DR2′s ending, it was clearer to me that his decision was also for the sake of everyone else. Now that they are all awake, it’s almost like it’s all for her sake now. Like, how Mitarai should join them because it is what Nanami would have wanted... that’s just weird.

Favourite moment

I complained about Nanami’s part in the very end of SDR2, but honestly, besides her, I genuinely loved to see Hinata and his transformation! I don’t mean just in his “Awakened” form, but more like how broken he had been by the knowledge that he was the one who destroyed  himself, in just about the worst ways possible, and the consequences of which had driven the world mad and eventually came to destroy the lives of people he had been calling friends, and then how he’d come to accept that, yes, this was his responsibility, no one else’s, and he was going to live with it, move forward, and through as much sheer willpower as possible, survive as himself. Hinata’s truly grown a lot from how he had been in the beginning.

Least favourite moment

I’ve already discussed this kind of, but that confrontation with Mitarai at the end was so weak. What a let down it had been. Like, yeah, DR3 was a mess for a long while before, but you could at least somewhat enjoy it were it not for such a weak ending. Hinata saves the day by offering Mitarai to become a figitive alongside other people who have caused the end of the world, and then after saving the world from the lamest threat ever, he takes the blame for the event and lets Naegi be the hero he never was (in this situation at least... seriously SC, stop treating Naegi as the hero when you didn’t even let him do much in this part of the series)

A situation with this character that I want to see explored more

Oh, like I’ve said before, that struggle of acceptance of being Izuru kamukura at the same time as being Hinata! Like honestly, he shouldn’t be completely rewarded for choosing talent over everything else- that goes against what his story tells. If talent is not the most important thing about Hinata, then why is it the way he solves everything in the end, pretty much?

We also really needed some more background on Hinata: There are a lot of speculations that Hinata’s parents may be abusive or Neglectful for letting Hinata take a part in the HCP. Is that really how it had been? And how did he come across HPA? What was it like growing up talentless in a world that idolizes talent? Just some basic backstory of things that pushed him into the belief that Talent meant more than his own sense of Self.

And we get a hint of it, but what really happened while Hinata was in the HCP? Like, what was he doing for the months between Episode 3 and him going into the pod?

And on an aside, I want to know what he did to wake the others up? I am 99% certain that Komaeda’s case was completely unique... Komaeda always makes things harder, and AI Kamukura really had to dig deep and go to extremes to wake Komaeda up. I think that AI Kamukura would have had to do less drastic things to wake the others up. How did Hinata choose the design for AI Kamukura anyways? Was this something he worked together on with Alter Ego?

An interesting AU for this character

I suppose one AU I’m curious about is what would happen if he did not lose his memories and emotions in the HCP? Like, he’d find it hard to emote, but at the same time, he still felt empathy, if that makes sense? I wonder if Junko would still be able to use him, if e’d actually end up joining class 77, or whatever else could change.

A crossover

Kingdom Hearts Just kidding XD So actually, I read a fic that I really loved a lot, and it was a TWEWY crossover! Hinata took place of Neku, Komaeda took place of Joshua, Nanami took place of Shiki, and the Kuzuryuus took place of Beat and Rhyme. It was awesome!

OTP (or OT3+ etc…. just… favourite ship)

I’m a really die-hard Koma//Hina///Nami shipper! I mean, for me, it’s more like HinaKomaNami (so centered around Komaeda instead). I feel like I talk way too much about how great I think it is, though, lol. I’ll try to make this shorter? I feel like all of them can provide support to each other in different ways! I like the idea that they still have conflict among themselves, but work together to come to a certain point of understanding. I guess I’ve always liked poly ships more, though. I’m not completely sure why that is, lol.

Other ships?

Koma///Hina will always be my favorite Hinata ship. There is so much complexity to their relationship because of how they met, and because Hinata did like Komaeda, at the very least in a platonic manner. Hinata wanted to trust Komaeda as a friend. The relationship they had in the beginning made it that much harder for Hinata to accept the Komaeda post CH1′s trial... and I do believe that Komaeda’s FTEs could be taken as canon. They were written in such a way that they make sense to happen in canon. And people are always calling it abusive or unhealthy when honestly, it’s not. Komaeda had a reason to act as he did. Was it right? No, but the clues are there that he has difficulty understanding things the way other people do, and his traumatic experiences simply reinforced such thinking.

Hin////aegi and Hinat///sumi are tied for the second Hinata pairings I care a lot about. Hin////aegi, as I’ve said before, just makes me feel really warm inside... it’s a comfort ship. Hin////atsumi I really love a lot because of just how similar him and Natsumi are! Though Hinata keeps to himself much more than Natsumi and doesn’t try to publically antagonize people, Natsumi and him both sare that admiration for people with talent, and instead of accepting themselves as talentless, try their best to be more. They see the system they are in and accept it, but decide they wanted to be on the better side of it. inata in DR3 was only ever allowed to act like how he did in DR2 with Natsumi... he saw her as equal. All of the other students who had given up the desperation to be better, he really did picture them as not worth his time for not understanding how he felt. He was less upfront about it than Natsumi, who openly admits her disdain for those who blindly follow the rules of the Status Quo. Like, these two bring out the truth in each other... and I just simply loved their interactions in Episode 3. Really, it was because of Natsumi and her relationship with Hinata that DR3 had at least one enjoyable episode that I can call my favorite.

BROTP

Hinataxeveryone he knows, pretty much XD Hinata is just such a sweet and loving guy, and he gets along well with most people given time. I love his interactions with his classmates because he can at least be blunt about how weird they are while still entertaining what they do or say. To pick a few that I’d list high, him, Nanami, and Komaeda are still my favorite OT3. Nanami is like his quite cheerleader and Komaeda is the one who pushes him out of his comfort zone a lot. I also really loved his interactions with Fuyuhiko and Kazuichi- They make such a funny trio! All the survivors do, really (but Akane and Sonia don’t get to talk to him quite as much, I think?) Also, I obviously BrOTP him with Naegi and Natsumi! Above reasons for shipping them romantically apply to frienship as well. And for not-survivors, Ibuki and the Ultimate Imposter!!!

NOTP

I’ve sid it previously when talking about kamu///Koma, but I’m also not fond of Hina///Nami. At the very least, I can’t ship these two toggether without Komaeda. Nanami is his courage, but also just as much his escape. DR3 really proved that- she could tell him all about how useless talent really was, and he’d hold on to it and repeat after her simply wishing it was true, but in his mind, he still staunchly rejects what she says because everything else in the world is telling him otherwise. AI Nanami, meanwhile, is better, as in she at least has flaws, but they aren’t obvious to him. She’s pretty much always nice or teasing to him. And then, of course, the ending where she turns up again.... why was she allowed to be his escape? A healthy relationship does not mean constant positive reinforcement... it means actually listening to the problems. You can’t fix every problem by saying that it will get better.

Other ships: I’m not really fond of Hina///miki, but it’s not like I would shirk from it if I saw it. Mikan acts innocent and sweet, but she is willing to hurt  people to et them t stay with her, and willing to hurt herself for the attention. Hinata in her FTEs and island Mode kind of just... accepts it all. Teruteru and Hinata... no thanks, either. Teruteru literally drugs Hinata, even if it was maybe some kind of joke. He was kind of condescending as well in their interactions, so it was just not my cup of tea.

An assortment of headcanons!

Hinata has trouble sleeping sometimes because the memories he has as Izuru, and as the Hajime before the project, and as the Hajime Hinata during the simulation all feel as different as they do as himself. His memories often mix together into uncomfortable messes. He begins logging them to sort himself out sometimes.

Hinata actually does enjoy riding in boas: there are occasional patter changes that aren’t so easily calculated in his head, and especially so i he closes hi seyes. I f he is feeling particularly apathetic and bored, he’ll lock himself in his cabin and try to lose himself to it until he’s able to work with everyone again.

He doesn’t actually like taking lead of the class. He only takes over when needed to show face that he is the leader of Ultimate Despair, or in desperate situations. Otherwise, he tries to make things as equal as possible, splitting up the group in teams in charge of different things (like gathering info on other remnants that linger the world, coming up with confrontations plans, making technology to keep the group safe and capture assailants, finding a way to rehabilize, or in worse-case scenarios, put down remnants.

The change in eye color is not actually real. The red eyes of kamukura and the black hair are merely visuals to us, the player, that something about Hajime is different. Red eyes are a sign of power, black for despair, white for hope. That beautiful heterochromia he has in Hope Arc is more of a sign that he has accepted his past as Ultimate Despair, but holds himself with confidence and will make decisions based on what he, as Hajime Hinata, deems is right.

[serahne]

for the Let's Make Dr3 Right thing: Nanami?

That’s actually a very interesting challenge. Making Nanami into a real person was risky from the start - in my opinion - because the narrative doesn’t need her. At all. Hinata would have gone through the Kamukura Project without her. Junko would have manipulated the students without her, too.

She isn’t needed, and yet, you have to make her the heroine. Somehow. And if possible, without shooting holes into the original story with a bazooka to try and make her relevant, of course.

This is riding on a lot of my headcanons, so it’s pretty much an entire different story, but I think it could have played out better that way.

     ●First, let’s give her more focus. Despair Arc is a mess, because it tries to show everything, and does it in the worst way possible. If dr3 was rewritten by someone with some basic skills, they would focus on a) Chiaki’s POV, b) Hajime/Izuru’s POV c) Chisa’s POV. These are characters who needs it more, any other ‘POV’ can be thrown away.

     ●As a call-back to her role in sdr2, I like the idea of her being picked because Komaeda refused to join Hope’s Peak, at first. Then, he did accept, and the class has one more person now, among them. This is a detail, but this allows the first meeting between the audience and Chiaki to be in Kirigiri’s office, with Chiaki’s parents worried that their daughter isn’t going to be accepted anymore. It would be great to show that her being always in her video games cut her off from the outside world, and that she is failling class, and more than that, failling life, really, and her parents are just so happy that Hope’s Peak wants her.

     ●I’ve already explained how I would change her meeting with Hinata, and also how I wanted to change their relationship : Chiaki, in this re-write, doesn’t act like a hypocritical and self-centered teenager. Quite the contrary, she listens to Hinata’s insecurities, and his complaints about Hope’s Peak, and start to learn and grow, and to question the place.

     ● So, this is strongly inspired by Euphemia’s arc in Code Geass, but heck. Seeing how bad the situation is starting to be, she starts coming out of her shell, and starts getting more assertive. Yes, this is only now that she is really becoming a leader, and she goes to Yukizome to transmit the idea of a ‘mixed’ course, where people from the Main AND Reserve Courses could applied to. She manages to convince a bunch of her classmates ( though some people like Fuyuhiko aren’t having any of that ), and a lot of people from the Reserve Course. Of course, Komaeda gets sick at the sole idea but after talking with her, he decides to let her a chance.

    ●Then we are joining this thing I’ve written about Izuru and Chiaki. While Chiaki is giving hope to all the Reserve Course Students, Izuru joined Junko and is testing his powers, and killing Ultimates ( which, in the chaos, isn’t really noticed, yet ), but then Chiaki is the one who has to go against him to test HIS skills as Gamer. Their games last for a very, very long while because Chiaki refuses to lose, in order to protect her classmates.

   ● Junko eventually gets bored of these games, and decides to put some nails into the coffin of the ‘mixed course’ by tricking Chiaki live. She is put in the same room than a dead Reserve Course Student and is told that she has ten minutes to find the key - somewhere in the body - if she wants to get out. This is gruesome and painful, and Chiaki eventually accepts to debase herself that way - which is broadcasted through Hope’s Peak. Chiaki is seen as a traitor, and the light of hope is turned into one of despair when she becomes the embodiement of Hope’s Peak opression.

    ● Violent demonstrations break out through Hope’s Peak, and it’s absolutely terrible. Hope’s Peak is falling, and so are the students ( I personally don’t think showing Junko’s manipulation is that important, just showing the events leading to this possibility is enough ). Chiaki manages to get out but then Komaeda finds her. He is completely hysteric because his entire system of values is crumbling in front of him and kill her, claiming that it’s the least he can do to recreate Hope. I’m a sucker for parallels.

    ● Izuru cries Hajime’s tears over her body. Junko laughs. The end.

[rirururu]

Komaeda and Hinata in DR2.5

Before you ask, yes. This is a sequel to That Post, where I waste my time on a university thesis-worthy essay trying to convince you why the Danganronpa 2.5 OVA both brought a decent conclusion to Komaeda as a character, and showcased Komaeda and Hinata as perfect for each other. Am I looking too deep into everything? Possibly. Do I regret it? Nope.

Seeing that this time around, we got way more than 10 seconds of screen time, I’ll be splitting up this monstrosity into three parts. First, we’ll look at how Komaeda’s luck works in the OVA, then we’ll tackle the roles his friends took and what they mean. The implications these have on Komahina will be interspersed between all the arguments, but the bulk of the Komahina-centered scenes will take precedence in the third and final section.

1) Komaeda’s Luck

The first glimpse that we really see of Komaeda happens at that oh-so-cliche “running to school with bread in her mouth” scene with Maizono. The event then unfolds with her crashing into Komaeda which causes him to be hit by a car, land against a tree, and get attacked by chestnuts and a cat. This doesn’t seem too far-off from what we know about him so far. Normally he experiences bad luck, which is then followed by a bout of good luck of equal value-

Oh, but no. Instead what we see is Maizono being cared for by her possible idol/crush Makoto Naegi. I bring this up because this scene indicates a dramatic shift in how Komaeda’s luck works. It is addressed multiple times in the OVA that he’s “always been really unlucky” or that his luck “always turns out badly.” What happened to being “incredibly lucky” as he reiterates time and time again in DR2? By labeling what luck he experiences as specifically ‘bad,’ it is not an inconsistency or bad-writing. It’s actually a subtle implication of something very vital and personal about Komaeda’s character.

What this implies is that in Komaeda’s ideal world, he would want his luck cycle to work so then all the bad luck only targets himself which results in good luck happening to those around him. While in canon, he purposely acts malicious so others stay away from him, in this world, he keeps so many close friends and acquaintances (even Seiko, Ruruka, and Izayoi) because he knows having contact with him will cause him more bad luck, but result in good fortune for them. At seeing those around him happy at the expense of his own, he grew up to be very empathetic and supportive of his friends and amicable at just the very idea of living.

He looks so genuinely joyful at just the sight of a cat in the tree. This is someone who is completely content with his life.

On the other hand, in canon where he grew up to be much more twisted and cynical, his bad luck targets those around him which results in good luck happening to only him. Something like the luck Komaeda has instead in the OVA could be hugely taken advantage of. But because this luck is such an unknown force, Komaeda is the only one who believes it’s true. He’s even shown telling Fuyuhiko and Souda in one scene, just for the two to brush him off. Instead of trying to prove it to them in any way, he just lets them excuse it as him being weird. So it’s not like he wants recognition or gratefulness from them. What COULD he want, then? What does this mean? It means that he falls into despair at seeing others unhappy, and his deepest wish is to help his friends with nothing in return. We got a literal glimpse into Komaeda’s heart and this is what he’s telling us. Even Hajizuru agrees.

But of course, while this is sweet and all, it’s a double-edged sword. There is something else that can be derived from this; Komaeda most likely thinks that his biggest worth is his luck. Instead of wishing for traits such as looks, skills, a solid career, or dreams (something that other teenagers would desire), Komaeda prioritized changing his luck. He most likely doesn’t think of himself as a real person who could have respectable looks, skills, careers, or dreams, and hence he didn’t even bother. And the only trait about himself that he did bother to change, it was for the benefit of others. This is proven by his reaction to Fuyuhiko asking if he has any dreams.

Lo and behold; the subs released shortly after I speculated this and it was confirmed

This is very important because I’ve seen so many people on here arguing over the controversy of whether Hinata should’ve woken up Komaeda or not. The “nay” side generally has the argument that the latter was so much happier than he was in the real world. But the thing is, Komaeda was never really happy in his dream world. What he experienced was simply what he thought happiness meant, a concept which, may I add, he doesn’t have much of a grasp on. His idea of happiness is watching others be happy until he either grows old and dies alone or dies early from his own luck. This is why it’s necessary that Komaeda was woken up, that his luck can finally cease as long as he stays by Hinata’s side, and that he can begin building an actual future for himself.

We then move onto another interesting aspect of this OVA; just what was the intention behind having Komaeda hate talent in this world? Why do ultimate talents not seem to exist? We could interpret it two ways: either the shock of finding out that those talented students he believed in ended up being Ultimate Despair subconsciously carried over, or this is yet another personification of his desires projected into his fabricated society.

For those of your who don’t know, DR3 actually came with two songs sung by Komaeda. The one that we all know as the ending to Despair Arc, Absolute Hope Birthday, was supposed to be what Komaeda felt and said on the outside. While the one that coincidentally also doesn’t receive quite as much exposure, Sakura Zanka, is what Komaeda feels on the inside.

When I think about this whole idea of what Komaeda is like externally versus how he feels on the inside, I am reminded of his death scene in chapter 5 of DR2. Although he insisted time and time again that he was more than willing to be a victim, in the end, his face conveyed his true emotions of fear and desperation; feelings which implied that despite what he thinks, what he actually wanted on the inside was to keep living. His insistence on sacrificing himself was a defense-mechanism to atone for all the loved ones who died for him.

It is entirely possible that just as this defense-mechanism may have blinded him of what he truly felt about death, his dependency on hope and talent as his only comfort may have blinded him on what he saw as worthwhile in the world. It blinded him so drastically that his mind found an alternate outlet by having him hate talent in his new fabricated world. Add this on to the fact that he was nurtured by his luck to only care about material gains such as money/talent at the expense of affection and a future, it’s entirely possible for him to build up such contradictory walls around himself. This is supported by certain lyrics of Sakura Zanka where Komaeda expresses a desire to be ordinary.

cherry blooms, as if to convey the warmth the life of ordinary blooming and ordinary withering where would it fall the hand of the unforgettable clock stops, my heart blooms fully, the rain of cherry blossoms the storm of flowers, the sudden wind, I halt and open my eyes the flower petals on water like little boats, flowing away cherry blooms, as if to cherish the vanishing spring, if I can live an ordinary life, and die with you together oh, if that could come true

And what do you know, all the threads of Komaeda’s personality are coming together...

2) The Roles his Friends Took and What it Means

Hajizuru mentioned that these people Komaeda created were actually personifications of his own psychological defense mechanisms as a way to keep him mentally sane after the shock of dying. The way I interpret this is that these modified versions of his classmates were akin to what Komaeda sees as comforting thoughts before being killed by the poison. Similar to someone whose life flashes before their eyes, they each represent a summary of either what Komaeda himself wishes he was like, or what he wishes he had throughout his entire life. For that reason, I find that how his friends were presented in this world to also be significant.

Now, it makes sense to start with Hajime, so let’s start with Hajime. About 9 minutes into the OVA, incomes the amazing man-in-black!Hajizuru here to destroy Komaeda’s world, finger-gun style, guns in his fingers, fingers for guns. But before I even go any further, the fact that the one who showed up here was Hajizuru is actually a huge game-changer. Why, do you ask? If you recall the end of the Hope arc, there was this little (huge) plot twist revealed where it turns out that any AI that’s uploaded into the Neo World Program starts out as a blank slate.

That’s right; when the AI’s begin, they have no personality or appearance, and it’s whoever the person (or people) trapped inside the Neo World Program wants to see the most who the AI ends up taking the form/personality of. Connect the dots, and this implies that Hajime/Izuru was the one that Komaeda missed and wanted to see the most. If this isn’t enough proof for you, it is later hugely supported yet again by the three flashbacks that Komaeda has when his world begins crumbling.

According to the theory of the primary-recency effect, it makes complete sense that Komaeda would best recall the first thing he sees of the killing trip (that is, the island through the window while on the boat) and the last thing he did before dying (that is, forcing a murder disguised as a suicide). If Komaeda were truly remembering things at random, then Hajime shouldn’t have appeared here, but he did. Not only so, but his face specifically appears to be blurred out while everyone and everything else either takes the form of a sentient being, or just appears regularly in his flashback. The OVA had purposely juxtapositioned a distorted Hajime next to these clear and logical memories, and it wasn’t a coincidence. Just as the appearance of the AI in his world taking on the form of Hajizuru implies, these flashbacks also point towards the conclusion that Komaeda misses and wants to be with him the most, but the memory of Hajime is painful for him so his mind blocked his face out. It may be painful because he regrets pushing Hinata away. It may be painful because he betrayed and didn’t believe in Hinata back in DR2. It may be painful because Komaeda isn’t capable of projecting a version of Hajime that doesn’t flip his entire world upside down. It’s never explicitly stated, so we can only speculate for now.

So what, does Hajime just symbolize someone for Komaeda to miss, then? He does, but that’s not the entire truth either. Hajime knows Komaeda at this point, and he knows that no matter how much of a paradise Komaeda built for himself, he wouldn’t want to be trapped in there. There’s no future in a fabricated hope. And while anyone else would probably stay, Komaeda would leave in a heartbeat. Hajizuru understands that, and he’s the only one in Komaeda’s ideal world to take action in breaking it. He’s the only one who was serious enough in his ways to antagonize and make Komaeda hate him just to finally reach him.

This understanding is brought up again close to the end, when Komaeda states that he’s glad everything in that world was fake, that he couldn’t believe that he’d sacrifice his ideals so everyone else would be happy. That’s a line that’s so wonderfully Komaeda-like in nature, and sounds like one of those things that he would’ve said in DR2 that got everyone else pissed off at him. But instead of going off on his rails and brushing it off as Komaeda being crazy or an asshole like he had done in the past, Hajizuru just gets him. He understands what Komaeda really means when he says these things, that there is a clear contrast to what Komaeda says to what he really feels. He also knows exactly how to reply to make him feel better: by giving him the confirmation that even Komaeda living a normal and happy life without talent was possible. What Hajime represents to Komaeda is someone to miss when they’re gone, as well as someone who understands and accepts him.

...Would it be cheesy to say then that Hajizuru represents love for Komaeda?

Now, I know what you’re going to say. “But Rirururu, Hajizuru wasn’t part of Komaeda’s fabricated world, he forced his way in.“ Well, doesn’t it say even more that Hajime was apparently so painful for Komaeda to remember, that he couldn’t take form on his own, that Komaeda needed to be forced to think of the one he misses the most when the AI appeared? Doesn’t it say even more that Hajizuru wasn’t doing all of this due to following some command sent out by Komaeda’s head, but because he’s an extension of the real Hajizuru’s will? Komaeda doesn’t need to fabricate love for himself, because he already has it.

On the other hand, Fuyuhiko seems to take on the role of that friend who knows how strange Komaeda can be, who’s experienced his mood swings, but chooses to stick around anyways because that’s just a part of who Komaeda is. Komaeda lacks social tact, he feels passionately and passionately feels. But the Fuyuhiko in his dream accepts him anyways. To him, I think it really is just as simple as Fuyuhiko representing true acceptance/friendship for Komaeda. He’s the friend that Komaeda has always wished to have. There is the question of why he chose Fuyuhiko of all people, and I think there was a reason for it rather than just the writers randomly sticking a bunch of names in a hat for drawing.

If you recall, Fuyuhiko was in a similar position as Komaeda was in the beginning of the game. Everyone (except Hinata and Peko) was wary of him, didn’t trust him, and overall just found him not worth the effort of getting along with. It was all because he was a part of the mafia and was used to putting up an unlikable persona so others won’t get close to him, just like how Komaeda put up an unlikable persona so others won’t get close to him and consequently be hurt by his luck. He was similar to Komaeda in that sense. A lot of people who’ve played DR2 forget this, but it did get to the point where after hearing that the others had tied Komaeda up in chapter 2, he actually defended him. He defended Komaeda by calling everyone else cowards for so easily turning on their own friend. The reason why Komaeda can most easily project Fuyuhiko as his friend who accepts him no matter what is most likely related to that part of Fuyuhiko which could still defend Komaeda despite his skewed ideals.

Souda is a bit of a tough one, seeing as he died off pretty quickly shortly after his appearance. Luckily, we managed to see just enough to get an idea of what this Sonia-loving mechanic meant to Komaeda. Interestingly enough, the focus of his character in the entire OVA was specifically on his infatuation with Sonia and how, no matter how hard he tried, she didn’t respond. Or at least, she wasn’t supposed to respond, but for some reason and almost exclusively in Komaeda’s head, she does. Going off by the pattern of his ideal world, this means that another one of Komaeda’s wishes is to see Souda’s feelings answered.

I wonder why that is? Surely Souda’s efforts are in vain. Pretty much anyone in the class who’s seen how they interact agrees. Heck, even I initially thought that Souda’s feelings won’t go anywhere. They’re with good intentions, sure, but he just doesn’t view Sonia as a person enough for it to work out. So with everyone in agreement that Souda should just give up, it’s interesting that Komaeda is the one person who seems to think otherwise to the point of projecting the two as a couple in his head. It’s not like he was particularly fond of the either of them during their time in DR2. Sonia barely talked to him at all, and Souda did nothing but call him creepy and become the butt of most of Komaeda’s tricks. There’s really nothing that would make Souda/Sonia, in particular, a pairing that Komaeda would support...or is there?

Perhaps what Komaeda saw when he observed Souda and Sonia in the game was a guy who was pursuing a hopeless goal, yes, but whose efforts and determination to the point of being delirious was actually inspirational for Komaeda. He isn’t interested in things that just naturally happen, but rather, the things that can only happen when people fight for it. And to him, by projecting Souda finally getting the person he’s been pursuing, what he represents for Komaeda is success. Success for what? Perhaps success in the hopeless effort to make something of his life despite it ending soon due to dementia. It could be success in getting the affections of someone you’re in love with despite knowing that they hate you. Or maybe it’s the success of becoming the hope that inspires others, even though you know you’ve fallen into despair. Success could mean all these things and much more to Komaeda.

The last significant character who had a huge impact on the plot was Sonia. Similar to the role she played in DR2, she doesn’t really interact with Komaeda at all yet the OVA made it a point to highlight her actions in this particular scene at the funeral. The way they structure her words seem to be such that they act as a parallel to what Komaeda couldn’t do. Yes, she’s the Ultimate Princess and is better off than he is, but when concerning something like avenging a friend’s death from a murderer, she would arguably be just as if not more useless in it as Komaeda feels that he himself is. Unlike Komaeda, however, she was able to overcome her own uselessness, gain the resolve to fight back, and follow Fuyuhiko regardless.

And here we come to how this relates to Komaeda. Throughout the game and despite the fact that he was actually one of the most able characters, he was constantly berating himself and setting the expectations for his own capabilities low. He expresses the mentality that if something difficult comes up, then it’s better to wait for someone who is more suitable to handle it to step in rather than try to do anything on his own. It isn’t until the fourth and fifth chapters that he breaks past this and uses his luck to its full potential in his effort to become Ultimate Hope. And that’s exactly it. That burst of determination from Sonia in this OVA to reach for something that may be impossible, was the same burst of determination that Komaeda felt when he began planning his own death. A nice word to summarize this feeling is probably will that is free of one’s own low self-esteem or circumstances.

And there you have it. Through his projection of his classmates, Komaeda got to experience love/understanding, acceptance, success, and free will. These concepts were the main defense mechanisms which his brain set up. As mentioned in the luck section, they’re all part of what any normal teenager would want. But because Komaeda is inherently giving and sees no self-worth in obtaining these things himself, the nature of this world is that he gifts two of these upon his classmates, and gets one of them (understanding) shoved upon him unwillingly. We are learning so much about Komaeda from this OVA that it’s almost scary.

(On another note, that means Komaeda head-canons Naegi as a suave casanova who is probably a good 30 cm taller than he actually is and gets all the chicks; oh Komaeda...)

3) Ne… kikoeru?

I’m sure that 90% of the fandom has noticed this already, but the (beautiful) scene where Komaeda wakes up to Hinata watching over him while asking “Ne...Kikoeru” parallels how Hinata woke up at the beginning of DR2. I have to ask though: just why is this scene so significant? My first thought is that it’s like the analogy with Hinata facing the sun from DR2 and DR3. Just as his name means “a new day” or “a new beginning towards the sun,” the game tends to depict him watching the sun to indicate a brand new start.

In this case however, “ne kikoeru” is something that is specific to just Komahina. In DR2, it was uttered during Hinata’s first real awakening after being asleep inside Izuru for many years. In DR2.5, it was uttered during Komaeda’s first awakening as a version of himself who’s starting to come to terms with who he and his classmates are, after being asleep in the Neo World Program for a long time. In both cases, it is the other person who they see first when they open their eyes. Although this is not true of human babies, I find myself relating to the concept of a newborn baby bird who imprints on the first person they see when they open their eyes. Of course, Komahina are grown adults and quite a bit more complex than that, but it’s still a layer of their relationship that symbolizes a bond of trust, nurture, and care. 

I remember back when all we had of the OVA was a crappy quality recording in poor lighting and voices talking over it in the background. It comes as no surprise then that when this certain scene came up, no one noticed it. And here is why I should’ve waited for the DVD quality sub; because then I wouldn’t have missed this subtle smile that Hajizuru sends Komaeda during the climax in the building. Up until that point, Hajizuru was completely emotionless. He was detached while killing Peko, he had no guilt in stating that Souda’s life meant nothing to him, he freaking sent a picture of Komaeda’s dead friends to him for Pete’s sake. These are all the things that we’ve come to expect from Izuru Kamukura, let alone an AI with a blank slate for a personality.

For that reason, the fact that Hajizuru was even capable of smiling in this scene was really significant. He showed an emotion other than boredom because and I quote “what you’re feeling is hope.” I liken this to when Izuru first discovered despair in the killing trip of the student council in DR3. He showed no emotional attachment to anything until that moment when that student, with his head already sliced clean off and with all hope of winning lost, had still managed to nearly shoot him. That was the very second when Izuru was doomed; when Izuru decided to dedicate himself to that feeling of surprise that despair offers.

Just like the killing trip of the student council, Komaeda’s story begins with his friends being killed off mercilessly. Instead of running away, he confronts Hajizuru with everything he’s got despite knowing that there’s no way he could win. The scene where Hajizuru smiled was like seeing that moment where he discovered despair all over again. Except this time, what surprised him was Komaeda’s hope; what he can dedicate himself to now is hope. And he both sees and is excited by that hope that is in the recesses of Komaeda’s mind. Just as Komaeda is “in love with the hope that sleeps inside Hajime,” Hajizuru also expresses fascination with the hope that resides in Komaeda.

To further drive home the point that Hajizuru’s analysis abilities had not predicted the extent of Komaeda’s will, he outright states that he wasn’t expecting Komaeda to show up so soon.

Speaking of Hajime smiling, he sure does it a lot in any Danganronpa installment that takes place after DR2. It’s a little painful for me sometimes to read his wiki and see it stating that he retained 100% of his personality after waking up, when it’s not even close to being the truth. The Hajime from DR2 was almost constantly scowling, came off as a tad cynical towards his friends’ quirks, and had a bad habit of saying exactly what was on his mind no matter how blunt it would come off. Of course, at the same time, he was the go-to guy to confide in, easily approachable, and was wholly selfless and accepting to his friends’ problems. Merging with Izuru has matured him in all of these aspects, but the most noticeable to me is just how often he smiles. He now smiles like the weight has been lifted off his shoulders; he no longer suffers from his self-imposed inferiority nor from the overbearing boredom of superiority.  He’s finally found an equilibrium within himself to enjoy his friends and future, and I’m very proud of him for this.

As we wrap up our mountain-tall essay of an analysis (and I apologize that you had to sit through it all), we can’t stop without mentioning the famous hand-holding scenes. Was it just fanservice? Maybe. But I find it interesting that Kodaka scheduled the release dates so to make a point that the last thing we see of the original DR universe is Komaeda and Hinata holding hands. Not headmaster Naegi, not the Ultimate Despairs sailing away, but Komaeda and Hinata holding hands. Typically, the last moment of a film or series can either make it or break it. It’s like how the movie Inception ended with the screen fading to black before we could see if the top fell over; it was symbolic of how the main doesn’t care if he’s in reality or not. The last moment of a series always serves as an indication of how much the characters and their circumstances have come such a long way since the beginning.

What Kodaka decided to show us in this case is Hinata taking Komaeda’s hand, despite it being Junko’s mutilated one and an object of everything Komaeda did and was. This seems to indicate that Hajizuru is not repulsed by the person Komaeda is any longer, and Komaeda is willing to take that hand even though Hajizuru stated that he’s both Ultimate Despair and a reserve course student. It’s a symbol of their acceptance of each other’s worst parts. Why was this the last thing we saw? Well, I mentioned before in a rant about Hajime that I felt that his character was a personification of everything that was wrong with Hope’s Peak Academy even before Junko showed up to wreck shit up. He evidently works very hard during trials, cares about his friends enough to take a bullet for them, and is utterly selfless in some of the free time events. Yet he’s bullied, harassed, and considered too plain to ever accomplish anything in life. He’s an integral part of what makes Danganronpa tick. Perhaps in a similar manner, watching Komahina evolve from a burst of unhealthy admiration, to weak friendship, to betrayal, to hesitant mistrust, to rejected acceptance, to finally understanding and love is also symbolic of what finding both despair and hope with another person means. They were shown last because the fact that they’re okay now is actually a vital part of the entire thematic narrative of Danganronpa.

And this is why I think that the Komaeda OVA is by far, the best DR3 installment and anyone who thinks this OVA is crap can fite me (ง'̀-'́)ง Also, congrats to our boys for being the only non-heteronormal pairing in the franchise that got a happy ending. This has been a wild ride and I’m happy that I stuck with these characters and this pairing all the way through.

Oh hey look. Hinata is conveniently placed in this shot standing with Fuyuhiko and Souda’s waifus while waiting for Fuyuhiko, Souda, and Komaeda to get on board. I wonder what that means.

In conclusion, Komahina.

[kimmysfandomblog]

For the character meme: junko!

Thank you Nina!!! <3

From here: A MORE DETAILED CHARACTER MEME!

What I like about them:

I think the plot twist revealing that Junko was very much alive and that the “Junko” that had been killed was her maternal twin sister is really cool! Just the fact that she was able to pull that off was amazing. I think in terms of her outfit and character design in general, she’s definitely living up to Ultimate Fashionista, and for whatever reason, she is really pleasing and fin to write/draw. She’s thus far the only competent mastermind DR ever had (I think she did it best in DR2 personally)

What I dislike about them:

Just about everything else ^^; She’s literally got no background, even though she’s definitely a character you’d assume would have a really interesting background. Her talent actually being Ultimate Analyst is not something that should mean that she could copy talents. While it is cool to have a character like Junko, a girl you’d least expect being smart in the stereotypical fashion, at the same time, she’s just... nuts. I can’t get into a character that doesn’t have a reason to be crazy, and no other motive than Despair. I of course also don’t like that she literally ruins peoples lives, lol. She’s kinda of a neutral character for me over all, where I don’t hate her, but I also don’t like her.

Favorite moment:

Probably when she meets Izuru? It’s so wild XD And I don’t mean it because of a certain meme line, but because it shows how she views Despair. I’m not sure if I fully believe it, of course, since to me, it looks more like she was goading Izuru into joining her.

Least favorite moment:

Basically as soon as she appears in the first game XD Like, I’m just not a fan of her constantly switching personalities in the first game. The personalities were a bit more fun in the second game, I feel? The whole cliche of the world actually being in an apocalyptic state and such was not so exciting for me. Because she appears so late, we didn’t really get to know her much. Yet, she is still the Danganronpa icon XD

A situation with this character that I want to see explored more:

I want to force Kodaka to give her a backstory, lol. Like, please, put some effort into this well-known character? And also, I want to see what she did while in class with the DR1 cast. In DR3, we focused too much on her and some other pointless things, and not enough on the class she was in. We only catch a glimpse of the interaction in the end as the DR1 cast tries to lock themselves up inside.

An interesting AU for this character:

I don’t know... I’ve read some interesting fantasy-ish kinds of AUs, but I’m a real sucker for those XD Maybe an AU where she starts off as Ryoko, but then develops a Junko personality in a “Jekyll and Hyde” kind of deal?

A crossover:

The problem of always being stuck in one fandom at a time XD I just don’t know, the only thing I could offer is Kingdom Hearts AU, where she would most definitely be there in place of the main villain, lol.

OTP (or OT3+ etc…. just… favourite ship):

Junko is so hard to ship with people because for the most part, things end in disaster, usually resulting in a really unhealthy relationship. The only thing that can be called an OTP is Jun//zuru. I really liked their dynamic, they made a fun duo XD She’s so out there, and he’s so calm and unfeeling. I don’t think a ship like that could ever last (since he so obviously hates her, especially for managing to trick him), but I also rather like the ship and how it looks.

Other ships?

For the simple reason that they were both able to surprise Junko with hope, Makoto and Hinata! I read one good fanfic where Hinata and Junko were friends? In a relationship? It’s unclear since it went back and forth between the past as Hajime and the Future as Izuru. She had left a big enough impact on Hajime before he went on to become Izuru that Izuru is somehow able to recognize her in that story, and ever since I’ve been trying to find some kind of fanart, lol. Also, MakotoxJunko is just a really cool ship to me, because Hope and Despair opposites, and it just seems cute to me, even if it is simultaneously messed up lol. I just feel like if there was anyone able to date Junko and not fall for her corruption, it would be Naegi. Whether that “saves” Junko or not, that is another question. Also, I guess Matsuda? But I just was not able to read Zero, such a boring read that I never continued it. I know the basics though.

BROTP: 

Just Izuru? I mean, if we take Mukuro from IF, then that was a really cool dynamic too. DR3 Mukuro though... :P I’m not a fan of such a submissive sister...

NOTP:

Just about everyone else besides Makoto/Hajime/Izuru. But especially Junk//omaeda and Junk///omiki. Just NO.

An assortment of headcanons!

Junko actually shows hatred for who she loves, and shows love to those she hates. THat is why she treats Mukuro so poorly: Mukuro is the one person who can understand her. Mukuro is the one person who she can talk to without fibbing. But Mukuro is not always with her- Mukuro left her to unloving parents to go fight in wars without her “little” sister, who would have also been able to hold her own. And that’s where the feigned hatred comes from.

Junko is very disgusted by Hope’s Peak Academy, but also highly amused that such a place supposed to inspire Hope is writhing in potential Despair. Hope’s Peak made such a big name for itself that it’s own misplaced values would be used against them. She despises Hope’s Peak, and so she ruins it.

Junko didn’t use her own classmates as Remnants of Despair in the end, but from the beginning she had planned to. She knew from the start that she was going to destroy the school, so she didn’t expect to care much for her class. However, in keeping up with the act of innocence, she found herself becoming friends with them. That friendship doomed them- she was starting to love them so much, she was itching for an opportunity to kill them in the worst ways possible. Meanwhile, an opportunity came straight to her in the form of Nanami and Komaeda, and she now had a class that she cared nothing for to become her disciples and catalyssts of Despair. It was a good thing that class had connections that would help them spread Despair internationally.

While DR1′s killing game was going on, Junko had been texting Kamukura about everything she could and how much Despair she was having. When she destroys Alter Ego and erased his data from the system inside of the school, she asks Kamukura for a favor, knowing he’d do it because she knows he has plans against her as well. That is why it is such a shock to see that Naegi’s execution was stopped by Alter Ego: This truly is exciting now! She starts to slip more and more, pretty much allowing Naegi and the others to come to the conclusion that she was, indeed, the mastermind.

[kimmysfandomblog]

Ohh, 6, 9, 11, 19 and 25. For all the games, but if it's too hard to pick, you can have one by game :p

Thank you, Serahne!!! ^ v ^

From here: https://kimmysfandomblog.tumblr.com/post/170470327942/lafumiko-hi-people-i-was-searching-for-a-good

Spoilers for V3, so these are under the cut!

6. Favorite plot twist?

DR1: Gosh, it’s a tie between Sayaka being the one killed and even planning to kill to escape the game and Naegi escaping execution!!! Bot of them realy threw me for a loop! I will say that discovering Sayaka was murdered left the greater impact, though, and was the reason I stuck to Danganronpa early on. It blew my mind at the time!

DR2: Hajime being Izuru/the “mastermind” was the most shocking thing to me! I really wasn’t expecting that??? I really came to love Hajime a lot by this point, and was feeling incredibly sorry for him already. When we were exploring the school for the last trial’s investigation and the Hope Cultivation Plan came up, I kinda figured it out. I don’t think I connected the dots completely though, ahaha. Also, just the fact that all of them were evil and responsible for spreading Despair worldwide was such a great plot twist, in my opinion!

DRAE: There weren’t many plot twists in this game, but I guess the most shocking was that Monaca was not an invalid. Like, she was pretty obviously the one running the show, and she was obsessed with Junko, but her faking being handicapped to control both her family and friends for sympathy and to get what she wanted was a genius plan on her part!

V3: I honestly didn’t like them all that much, especially Kaede not being the protag. The ending one where Tsumugi reveals everything is a lie (literally) wasn’t bad or good in my opinion. Like, I wasn’t necessarily disappointed by the ending like I thought I would be (that one was spoiled even before the game released in Japan because I couldn’t blacklist on PC and thought going through Hajime’s tag would be okay :( Damn you, dataminers!!!), I kinda just accepted that this was it. Also the trio being alive was not an exciting plot twist in the least (I love you Himiko and Maki, but your survival kinda makes me go ehhh with how the game ended). I guess that only leaves Kaito being ill and dying before his execution killed him as my favorite! I really liked how that last execution (not counting Danganronpa’s execution) was the reverse of the very first execution we see (Jin Kirigiri’s), and I already loved Kaito. It was nice that Kaito’s final goodbye was a middle finger to Danganronpa’s theme of killing the blackened with an over-the-top execution!

9. Favorite Ultimate Talent?

These are all very tough decisions…

DR1: Ultimate Biker Gang Leader! I honestly would never expect such a talent to exist, and I gotta wonder how HPA was able to gather data for that talent, hahaha. It helps that I found Mondo endearing even if he swears a bit and reacts with violence. He hast a golden heart full of regrets, and I liked his backstory! Also the talent itself is just… really cool.

DR2: Ok, so this is kinda weird, but Ultimate Lucky Student. Makoto was a totally different kind of Ultimate Lucky Student than Komaeda’s, where all-in-all he is an average guy and his luck only affects him sometimes. While that is an interesting talent, it’s not as interesting as Komaeda’s. Komaeda is probably the truest definition of Ultimate Luckster! His luck is tragic. It takes away any personal relationships and turns it into materialistic fortune. It is so powerful it warped Komaeda and his view of the world drastically. Gosh, it is very interesting and gets me wondering what could possibly happen around Komaeda because of his luck in different situations and with different people. Truly, a fascinating talent that I wouldn’t bestow on anyone!

DRAE: There were only a few people with an Ultimate Talent here, haha. I liked that Kotoko was the Ultimate Li’l Drama who actually will not perform for anyone (understandably) and the Fighter of the Group! If that counts, haha. Otherwise we only have Byakuya, Fukawa/Syo, Makoto, and Komaeda (and technically Izuru but he is on the screen for, like, 5 seconds and has every talent, so that would be boring anyways). If I had to choose between the four talents without Komaeda repeated, I think the most interesting would be Syo’s Ultimate Murderous Fiend! It’s really interesting to me that she’s a split personality of Toko. I kinda have to wonder how Toko can get exhausted easily, but Syo can slash and dash, even hurling herself several feet in the air, without breaking a sweat!

V3: It is a tie between Ultimate Anthropolgist and Ultimate Mage Magician! Unlike with the previous installments of the series, I was able to just see the talents before knowing the characters, though, so Ultimate Magician was the one that really caught my eye since I’m obsessed with Fantasy AUs, especially of the RPG kind with that class system! I’ve also always been really fasinated by Magic and magicians in general, haha. After playing the game, though, Kiyo really sold me on the Ultimate Anthropologist talent! I was a Cognitive Science major in the school within the university that focuses on the humanities, so not only am I very interested in human cognitive thinking as individuals and as a group, but I took a lot of history and some anthropology courses. I really nerded out with Kiyo and Shuichi during those FTEs! History/Folklore is truly fascinating! 

11. A character you’d revive?

Alright, this is a tough one for some of these because most of the ones I liked who died died “well,” as in their story was finished and satisfying. I’d surely love to see them alive again, true, but if we are going by canon and I could only bring back one, then it almost feels cheap. Kinda like “DR3 cheap.” That makes most of these characters not my favorites, but ones i felt deserve a second chance/should have survived.

DR1: Ishimaru. He isn’t my favorite character (I’m honestly gonna place him in the “he’s ok!” range), but he clearly didn’t have any satisfying development. You can’t get FTEs from his Kiyondo form, and he dies having done very little as Kiyondo other then some inconvenience regarding Alter Ego! It would probably be super interesting to see what he would do in later chapters, and if he ever snaps out of it in the chapters after.

DR2 (assuming the DR3 anime never happened): Saionji died for nothing, let’s be real here, lol. She was just barely going to reform herself and become a better person, and then she dies, offscreen, on accident. A friend also helped me realize that we never come across her murder weapon. I think that what would have been the best solution was not having a double murder. Plus, it would make it interesting to see whether she is able to forgive Kuzuryuu at all or not, how that affects the groups trust in each other in later parts of the game (since it is really hard to get close to her since she doesn’t trust people easily), and especially her reaction to being Ultimate Despair, as well as her growth spurt.

DRAE: Chihiro’s dad Taichi. He and Yuta died for shock, but how sad would it be if he was alive and found out his son was killed? And that his son’s legacy, Alter Ego, survived? Man, what a tragedy! It would have been nice to see him tag along with Toko and Komaru to the adult’s base and maybe try to hack into devices, or slowly give upgrades to Komaru making her life a little easier. He could also join Togami and leave Towa City.  He’d be an incredible asset to Future Foundation, but he would either refuse out of grief, or he’d take time to warm up to the idea, before accepting and becoming the head of any project regarding the Neo World Program/Alter Ego Chihiro, working closely with Miaya, and keeping close to those who had been Chihiro’s friends.

V3: hmmmm, this one I don’t know for sure. It’s between Hoshi, Miu, Kiibo, and… this may surprise you, but Angie as well.

*** Angie Negativity, you can skip it ***

I hate Angie, but she honestly needs the story development. She got the most abrupt ending, another offscreen death, and no resolution. Honestly speaking, if she had a better story and some form of redemption/questioning of her actions, I would like her a lot more. She just never learned that what she did was wrong, and unlike in her FTEs, telling her “no” made her stick more to her own opinion. Like, initially I didn’t like Celeste in CH3, but I actually grew to like her because she had that backstory that made her want to be more than she was, and she anyways accepted her death in the end without being spiteful and ruining the secret of Alter Ego, even giving the others a hint of where she kept him. She was leagues a better character than Angie. Angie, I was starting to kinda accept her after finishing her FTEs when I was still in CH2 (even if I hate the racial stereotypes, what with orgies, sacrifices, etc). She really made me mad when she refused to listen to anyone else and manipulated others to agree with her (I have an extremely soft spot for Himiko and Gonta, so my bias didn’t help her at all). I’ll give her that she’s really sly and a lot smarter than she tries to let on, but  her cutesy personality combined with manipulation to convert to a religion, suggested by light brainwashing using her paintings (and the fact the others were converted overnight), all so that she can get whatever she wants, and then not seeing any kind of downfall: no backlash or consequences because of what she did? It makes me mad. I’m sorry. I hate her and yet, she is one of the people I’d revive, hahaha. Geez, I honestly tried to like her despite my initial feelings I would dislike her, lol.

*** End of Angie Negativity ***

Kiibo dying while the other three survived is something that rubs me the wrong way since he almost never got respect until he was destroying the school, even when he was one of the few character that were actually helpful during the trials. Honestly, if the others survived, which, given the ending, was kinda pointless, then him surviving as well wouldn’t detract from the impact. Seriously, if anyone deserved to survive, it would be him or Maki.

As for Miu, her death felt like a cop out, for some reason. I can’t explain it exactly… I know that her being killed was because they needed her to go after Kokichi, so that they could get him to trick Gonta to kill her, but it feels wrong somehow? Like there was unfinished business? She had the electrohammers, electrobombs, a remote control, and a bug catcher, her more amazing inventions, made after her death. All her upgrades to Kiibo were very useful, but not as amazing. A drone and the camera set up are really simple, too. Her working with Kokichi on these amazing inventions feels like a plothole instead of plausible. It would be really nice to see her survive since, despite being vulgar, she’s really entertaining! And I wonder how she’d react to being told she wasn’t real, nor was she actually a genius inventor.

And I can’t forget Hoshi! He died horribly for no reason. Kirumi could have bashed him in the head with a tennis racket, or against the wall or something, after she knocked him out. There was no need to pin the blame on anyone. The second trial p*ssed me off so much because it was unnecessarily convoluted and cruel for no reason and anyways made no sense. My heart truly goes out for Hoshi. He had a horrible life! He was imprisoned for killing the Mafiai, was a true hero, and I wish he could have learned that he could find something to live for.

So yeah, V3 was the hardest for me this question, hahaha. I honestly can’t choose between these four. BIG SIGH

If this was bot the answer you were hoping for and you just wanted to get a list of my faves who dued, it would go like this: Sakura, Komaeda, Taichi, and Kaito! Priority goes to Sakura since Ko lives post-canon, hahaha

19. Favorite Free Time Events

DR1: Alright, honestly I need to actually play this game myself. I’ve only seen LPs of the game, and the anime does not have FTEs. The only FTEs I recall are Sayaka’s, Chihiro’s, Ishimaru’s, Kyoko’s, Sakura’s, and Asahina’s. I don’t think I can really say which is my favorite, but I really like Sakura’s and Kyoko’s. I just… can’t remember most of their backstories ^^

DR2: DR2 had too many good FTEs. Komaeda’s are probably the ones I liked the most, though? I didn’t care much for Komaeda initially. He was an interesting character, and I didn’t hate him (I was very neutral). I felt like there was more to him, so when I played the game myself after abandoning the LP I was watching, I went after him first and it changed my mind completely! I like it when a character’s background is explained and matches consequences and actions the character makes during the main story, and DR2 did this really well for my taste. Komaeda’s helped explain everything and made him a sympathetic character and helped me to understand him. Of course, it also sparked the Koma/Hina shipping, hahaha. If I had to come up with a runner up, it would be Souda’s for a similar reason! His also ties really well to the main story, especially with not being able to finish his FTEs until like after CH4, after he is done doubting Hajime.

V3: I’m stuck between Kiyo and Maki’s. Kiyo’s had more of an impact on me, though, because it flipped my initial suspicion I would hate him. Him being fascinated with anthropology and teaching Shuichi about it made me seriously love him as a character even though I was sure at the time I would hate him since I was spoiled about the incest plot twist. Maki’s was really well explained and tied nicely to the game’s story. She is kinda like Komaeda, in a way, hahaha. She had a tragic backstory because of her talent, been through hell, lost someone very precious to her, and her talent makes her actively try to avoid people and trust them. And, like I said before, I like FTEs that help explain why a character reacts the way they do (although in her case, a small part of her FTEs do land up in the main story, so I say they were slightly less effective, but tied better to the story)

DRAE doesn’t have FTEs, but there are explained backstories of the kids, and I loved Nagisa. His was the most relatable, with all of that pressure to succeed, never feeling good enough.

25. Saddest Death

DR1: 100% Sakura’s!!! She’s a real gem of a character, and I wish Danganronpa had more female characters that were like her! Anyways, she was so interesting, and not just for how she looks or her talent, but that she was the traitor torn by family duty and her loyalty to her friends. She thought that the best way to end this killing game was by sacrificing herself so that the group would not be split. She was so selfless and loved so much, yet she was treated horribly in her last hours because Monokuma made sure to make her as disliked as possible. And then he spits on her death further by stealing her last letter and will so he could use Hina to make the trial more interesting. My heart goes out to her more than anyone in DR1.

DR2: My gut instinct was to say “Komaeda” or “Nanami”, but truth be told, CH2 wrecked me! Peko’s execution really got to me because, firstly, I never suspected her, and secondly, her backstory with Fuyuhiko and the fact she killed and died to save him made the execution 10 times worse to endure! I hadn’t seen her FTE’s all the way through the first time, but I saw most of them and while she hadn’t been a favorite, she had a cute personality! I really did like her!. What made her death worse was Fuyuhiko’s reaction and him trying to intervene. I’m getting shills remembering it ^^;

DRAE: Most probably Taichi! Though it is hard to choose between him and Yuta, Taichi’s was the one that was most tragic, because up to his dying breath he was so excited to be able to have the chance to meet his son again. I mean, even if he did survive, his son would still be dead, but somehow it just felt worse than Yuta’s since we seemed to get to know Taichi better (he worked at Towa for the company, we talked to him more and his love for his son).

V3: Another hard one, and it is between Kaede, Hoshi, and Gonta… I feel like none of these three should have died, or at least for Gonta and Hoshi, not the way that they did. Gonta’s was the one I felt the most emotional over leading up to his death because of the present feeling of how Kokichi betrayed him and the feeling of how it wasn’t even his fault, really. Kaede’s I felt the angriest at because she was 100 times a better protag than Shuichi and I loved her. It doesn’t help that her death was especially tragic and her execution was gruesome (not that Gonta’s wasn’t gruesome, but it was too weird for me to feel much). Hoshi’s I felt the saddest over during the trial because of just how not-fair this was. I don’t even hate Kirumi, I really hate the writers for the trial because of all the pointless and illogical parts of the case and how Hoshi was murdered, but I ranted enough about it.