#Syo answers

[askthedespairkids]

Are our fighters any good at fighting games?

I only ever played arcade games when boys in my class invited me out, but I'm really not good at 'em.

Kids at the orphanage would make me play those video games with them. Turns our I'm not too bad at them.

Yeah, I fuckin' rock at shit like that! Mortal Kombat was my fucking homefield.

I, uh...I don't really play video games or anything like that.

I am much the same as Mukuro. I was never much of a fan of video games.

Likewise. I ain't made for that kid stuff, y'know?

As for me, well the only video games I'm interested in are R-rated in a different sense!

[diapgirlronpa]

sayaka, your bio mentions a ‘humiliating incident’ during a performance what happened there?

"I... I'm not sure if I want to talk about it..."

"As if videos aren't all over the internet already! She thought she could keep up with her dance routine and fell with her fat ass in the air! And if that wasn't enough she totally crapped herself in front of basically the whole world! Kyahaha!"

[mythgirlimagines]

An idea for a funny HC if you wouldn't mind? Komaru's bringing Toko to dinner with her parents for the first time. Alls going well, then Toko sneezes. It's Jill and she's, being Jill. So what would be Komaru's reaction be when her parents act unconcerned, saying they already met Jill during Makoto's previous birthday party, and Jill's suddenly acting like a 'model daughter' to them? Especially Mama Naegi. If you don't mind.

I hope these are alright!

Komaru wasn’t as nervous as Toko was to have her meet her parents. She kept assuring Toko that everything would be alright, that they were sure to love her as much as she did.

Somehow she didn’t foresee the possibility of Syo fronting during dinner. Obviously Syo didn’t know what was happening, Komaru had to scramble to explain everything.

Her parents stopped her, though, even though Syo was still laughing a little. It just so happened that they already met Syo, during one of Makoto’s birthday parties.

Komaru’s mom really appreciated Syo’s manners, which Komaru was kind of surprised by. Syo knew how to charm her parents, apparently, and could read a room.

The rest of dinner went smoothly because of that. The situation was explained as best as possible, so her parents both understood and were alright with everything as long as she was happy.

[monokumafightclub]

I have no idea if you done Genocide Jack for that ask game or not

i have not, but better late than never! bonus toko as well bc why not

Sexuality Headcanon: obviously syo presents herself as a boy-liker and boy-killer, feels like she might be bi after her experiences with komaru, eventually settles on pan. toko insists that she's straight, but she's prob more bi than anything (once again, after the komaru thing). Gender Headcanon: toko rings off as cis female to me, syo probably doesn't give a shit especially when she goes by so many gendered names/nicknames in true crime circles that sticking to one is just too much effort. so agender/genderfluid on syo's part, probably? A ship I have with said character: syomaru and tokomaru, obviously. :'D admittedly i do enjoy syomaru a lil more than tokomaru, if mostly because i feel like they could've been showcased a bit more in UDG. that, and the shenanigan potential with syo and komaru is endless, i want silly casual antics with these two!! A BROTP I have with said character: i feel like syo and kotoko would be good friends, given the proper opportunity? i think she'd be a good guardian for kotoko! as for toko, i'm kinda growing to have a fondness for her and either aoi or sakura, if only toko would give either of them a chance, dangit!! A NOTP I have with said character: for the sake of both syo and toko, keep byakuya several leagues away from them. that being said, i do like syo fucking around with him just to piss him off. also people shipping syo and toko romantically is kinda weird, i don't like it A random headcanon: syo knows how to work with sheet metal and refuses to elaborate how or why. post-UDG, toko and komaru are attempting to collab on a novel together. key word being attempting. General Opinion over said character: even during the somethingawful LP days, i loved toko and syo and that love still holds strong even now. syo's a very fun character, but even beyond that, she adds some interesting facets to toko's character even if she wasn't exactly handled the best in her inception. as for toko, i'm probably one of the few people who did like her even before UDG; comedic assholes are my weakness. i do agree toko felt like she wasn't really fully utilized in DR1's main story though, so it's nice she got some expansion in UDG, as well as a genuine friend. ;o;

obviously there's people more qualified than i am in talking about them (esp in regards to their histories, their arc in UDG, and the whole DID thing), but i can still appreciate syo and toko as characters even if i can't articulate all the more complicated stuff regarding them.

also i REALLY enjoy seeing fun and fluffy stuff with syo, and your animations are a fantastic example of that! yandere/yangire stuff is kinda overplayed, so it's really nice seeing silly stuff with the silly serial killer!

[dr-rarepair-week-blog]

Starting shipping korekiyo and genocider because they’re always having casual conversations about being serial killers in utdp. It’s always like

“Found any new girls yet?”

“Not yet. How about you?”

“Nope still focused on master 👍”

I got wrapped up looking at Korekiyo's interactions, my bad. I can definitely see the potential! They give me funny sitcom turned romcom couple vibes.

Bonus Sakura being a third wheel in UTDP:

[genoscissors]

Hi! Love your Toko & Byakuya analyses. You parse their perplexing, one-of-a-kind relationship in a graspable way for me. I'm hoping your understanding can answer something I'm wondering on my own: does Byakuya truly tolerate Toko (and Syo's) behavior? Does he accept his lack of control over them, or is there something in it for him about their association?

Hi! Thank you for the kind words and apologies for the delayed answer.

To answer your question, I'm going to focus on Trigger Happy Havoc since I'm only aware through secondhand info of what happens in the rest of the franchise (though I got started on the second game recently!). I feel like there may be a development in his treatment of her later in the game, honestly.

He spends a good chunk of it actively hiding from her/openly running from Syo, so we can tell they genuinely make him uncomfortable. It's kind of interesting, in fact, because imo it says something about his level of discomfort that he's willing to show so openly that he's unnerved. But after the fourth trial, he seems to have resigned himself a bit to their dynamic, as seen when he praises her for finding the knife or when he tells her she's their only hope.

Thinking about it as I type, the key here might be that she's now his ally. Not merely an asset or liability, someone who is a nuisance but will do what is told, but someone who is firmly on the same side as him. After Ogami's trial, Togami's goal changes, so it's only natural his attitude towards the others would too. I think he comes to view the others as his equals--not necessarily intellectually, but at the very least ontologically (I doubt he'd offer help to an asset or a subordinate), and this extends to Fukawa and Syo. So I'd wager this allows them to interact on slightly more equal ground, where to Togami they stop being inferior beings that are failing to behave as they should and start being fellow classmates whose treatment of him does have its ups and downs.

[shiningparty]

the “he’s a 10 trend” but its starish

He’s a 10 but he has a really dark past and tries to hide it behind a super positive disposition.

He’s a 10 but you can’t date him because his father would never approve and expects him to take over the family conglomerate.

He’s a 10 but when he takes his glasses off, he becomes super angry and domineering, but he doesn’t seem to remember it when the glasses are back on.

He’s a 10 but he claims to have a twin brother who also happens to be an idol but you’ve never seen them in the same room.

He’s a 10 but he has a harem of “ladies” and manages to go on dates with all of them.

He’s a 10 but he’s 5′2 and has short people anger problems.

He’s a 10 but he was cursed to be a cat and the only way he can transform into a human boy is if he kisses you.

(answer in the tags what you rate them as lol)

[agalnamedlunasea]

How different does Syo show her affection to Komaru compared to Toko? Would she confess first immediately before Toko?

So here's the thing. I have a far, far weaker grasp on Syo's character than I do Toko’s. Her place in their situation is a bit harder for me to figure out. So im a bit less confident in my answers here, but ill do my best lol 😅

That being said, I don't think she'd confess before toko. I don't even really know that she'd confess,,, at all? I feel like once everything is out in the open between toko and komaru, things with syo kinda just happen. Its an unspoken thing.

I think Syo would be noticeably more shameless about her affections than toko. Where Toko is kinda shy and super easily flustered, syo isnt nearly as fazed by acting on her feelings. She's kinda flirty and affectionate in the first place (in her own outlandishkind of way), its kinda just how she is, and post confession it just gets ramped up. Obvious flirting, frequent smooches, lots of banter that type of thing.

I feel like post game Syo would show up a lil less, but the emotions there are no less strong. She cares about komaru a lot, and its obvious whenever she's there :)

[dcomposing]

Ok game time: Naegami Headcanons after the tragedy let’s go.

anon i am kissing you so sweetly for this one. under the cut bc i have MANY.

SO i don't see them getting together while at hope's peak pre-tragedy. maybe if the tragedy hadn't happened, something would have happened in their final year -- but togami has such a stick up his ass that i think that they would have juuust become real friends when the tragedy happened.

post-killing game, i think togami has. feelings for naegi that he doesn't recognize as such. he just thinks he's neat! i also always like to think of him as devoted to naegi to the point of comedy. hagakure is behind on his work? no mercy. naegi is behind on his work? "well i suppose i could stay late tonight and help you get through the backlog. do you want coffee?" he's whipped he just doesn't know it yet.

naegi, for his part, is really proud of how far togami has come since the beginning of the killing game/since their first days at hope's peak -- but i don't think he has romantic feelings for him until after he gets back from towa city.

SPEAKING of towa city and togami being freakishly devoted to naegi. the moment they find out that komaru is alive and being held captive, togami volunteers to lead the rescue operation. he justifies it as a way to settle the debt he owes to naegi for saving him in chapter 6, but really? he would have done it even if naegi wasn't the ultimate hope.

naegi doesn't take it well when togami is captured. obviously. not only does he have no idea where his sister is or if she made it out alive, now he's simultaneously dealing with the possibility that he may have just lost another friend to the tragedy (and, of course, he blames himself because it was his sister that togami ran out to save.) he... doesn't sleep much during UDG.

on the other hand, the relief he feels when togami is rescued and his sister is confirmed to be safe? he practically launches himself at togami when he gets back to headquarters, triggering a moment of Realization for both of them.

that said, i think both of them are really good at managing their priorities -- it's still the end of the world, after all -- so while they might feel Extremely awkward around each other during meals or around the office, when push comes to shove, they actually work together better than ever.

when naegi first approaches him and kirigiri with the idea for the neo world program, it wasn't even a question for togami. he believes in naegi (they all do) so when he says "hey lets commit treason" of COURSE he's in.

i think they get together while they're on jabberwock island. not while the killing game is happening, of course, but as they're setting up. they're all still so hopeful that this will work and they're (practically) alone on a beautiful island. awkward first kiss while they’re pulling an all-nighter before the system launches in the morning. a moment of hope before it all goes to absolute hell.

again, they’re very good about priorities. the minute killing game (2!) starts, they kind of silently agree to put things on hold until they can figure out wtf to do. it’s very tense and they share several charged moments where they’re *this* close to cracking under pressure.

shortly after sdr2 chapter 6, togami realizes that he’s full blown in love with naegi and has been for awhile. kirigiri is ready to kill him because she’s known the whole time (of course)

they don’t even really have time to recover/actually figure out their relationship because -- of course -- naegi is put on trial for treason and dr3 starts. turns out having a relationship in the middle of the apocalypse is difficult. togami has never been more afraid in his life, but he’s determined to get naegi out of there if he has to strangle munakata with his bare hands. naegi realizes he’s fully in love with togami the first time he sees his face once he’s out of the future foundation black site.

the reconstruction of hope’s peak is where they finally get to have an actual relationship, holy shit. meanwhile komaru and syo have been dating for like a year and a half, totally unbothered.

i’m a huge fan of the thh survivors sharing a living space because, as i’ve mentioned before, they aren’t great at functioning without the others nearby. shortly after the reconstruction of hope’s peak begins, naegi quietly moves into togami’s room. kirigiri notices right away, but it takes the others about a week to realize LMFAO.

once the reconstruction is finished and naegi and kirigiri are prepping to take on the incoming class, togami gives naegi the extremely normal anniversary gift of an entire fucking house. it’s... understated, given that togami was the one behind it.

the original plans he showed the other survivors (+ komaru lol) were much more extravagant, until asahina and komaru not-so-kindly pointed out that naegi is normal and probably doesn’t want a fuck off huge house.

(timeline here is about a year post dr3, three years since UDG, 4.5 years since the events of thh, and a whopping 6.5 years since they met at the original hope’s peak for the very first time)

8 years after they escape hope’s peak, togami decides he’s going to propose to naegi -- they’ve talked about it before, of course, but now that the world has finally started to really, truly recover from the tragedy, it feels more appropriate. he enlists asahina and komarus’ help in picking out the ring and obsessively plans out the perfect day/time/place.

when the day finally comes where he’s finally going to do it, naegi beats him to the punch with a simple-yet-sweet proposal over breakfast that morning. togami rapidly cycles between stunned to elated to furious that naegi beat him. he gets flustered and accidentally rejects the proposal before backtracking and having to admit that he wanted to be the one to propose, damn it!! they figure it out, eventually

their actual wedding is just a simple and sweet courthouse ceremony with kirigiri and komaru there as witnesses. once the news of their engagement got out, they were pretty immediately overwhelmed by attendance requests and, while togami is one for excessive ceremony and naegi loves his friends so much, they’re actually pretty private about their personal lives and ultimately decide to do one wedding that’s just for them before throwing the obligatory big party with everyone being invited (and, of course, media coverage bc, y’know. ultimate hope and the last surviving togami heir.)

i have SO many more thoughts about them/their domestic life but oh my fucking god this got way too long. sorry for liking a really really long slow burn LMFAO

[of-comfort-and-love]

[peeks] Did I see a new crush~? 👀

Yes...

[askthedespairkids]

Genocider what’s the mind of Toko been looking like since the confession

Hmm...hard to say. I mean, we share emotions so I can see she's feeling a lot of shit pretty intensely...

Buuuuuut I ain't really here to solve those kind of issues! Or really speak on 'em! I sure Miss Morose will figure it out herself.

[ecogirl2759]

~~~NEW UPDATE~~~

(I'M A DUMBASS WHO DOESN'T KNOW HOW TUMBLR WORKS SO IF YOU SAW THIS ALREADY NO YOU DIDN'T)

I'm glad people liked my 4コマ KINGS post so much lol. I love spreading the word about obscure lore :)

Under the cut I've responded to some of my favorite tags, given a little more backstory into the source of these pictures, as well as posted a few new ones :D

There's also a question at the very bottom that I'd love to hear opinions on, but no pressure if y'all don't feel comfortable answering ^w^

You're welcome >:D

Same, bro. I was basically thinking that the entire time I was reading these books lol

I feel like I should give a little context to these comics and where they come from lol. I wasn't very clear about the backstory in my original post. I do agree, when I found these, I thought they were super important, too, particularly because I don't think a lot of the fandom knows about these books lol.

The Danganronpa 4コマ KINGS anthology series was published in the early 2010's featuring a bunch of different artists. The series is 4 volumes long and published by Spike Chunsoft, meaning, while these aren't necessarily canon, they ARE official :)

There is another series of anthologies in relation to both the first and second games, but I don't have those.

The first two volumes of this series is relatively well documented. There are sites where English translations have already been added to all of the comics in them (I'm pretty sure), as well as some screenshots popping up on places like Pinterest.

The third and fourth installments, however, are really poorly archived. The third has some content from it floating around, but it's hard to come by. The fourth had almost no information on it no matter where I searched.

I say this because a while ago I found the ONLY pictures of the Mastermind!Taka comic on this really old Tumblr blog from 2014 and REALLY wanted to figure out what it was about. (Didn't help that I couldn't read some of the bubbles in those photos.) First I searched for an English translation (there wasn't (so I'm working on one hehe)), then I tried to find which book it was even from, and NOTHING!

These books, since they were in circulation around 2014-ish, have stopped being printed, so copies of them are very hard to come by. Luckily, I was able to get my copies from a kind stranger on Ebay :)

-NOW-

Here are a few more pictures that I thought were funny/interesting that I couldn't add in my first post because of the picture limit lol.

Sorry for the really long post, I just thought it'd be interesting to share :)

Here's the page of artists that contributed to this anthology! Please go check them out (or see if they have any socials since it's been so long). Some credits change per volume, hence how many photos there are. (And sorry for my hand, it's hard to hold these open lol.)

You've probably all seen the covers, but have you seen what's behind the covers? (Also including the opening illustrations. These have probably been posted online already as well, but they're worth including imo.) (Again, please excuse the fingers, I'm trying my best ;-;)

^ Sayaka came with a smudge :( she still pretty tho

So, uh, remember when I said Hifumi made ship fodder? ......Here it is. Eat your heart out lol

Also remember when I said that Mondo's hair was fluffy and bouncy? Here's the proof:

Sakura has been de-buff-ified twice LMAO

ALSO remember when I said Syo was a fan of BL? ...... :)

ALSO remember when I said Kyoko was kinda socially awkward?

(Context: Kyoko sees Kiyotaka and Mondo calling each other bro and, thinking it'll strengthen their bond as well, calls Makoto "Makoto-oniichan," or "big brother Makoto" lol. Also, second picture says "I have come to save you, Makoto")

Chihiro Shinji chair meme

I'm at my picture cap, but there's a lot I haven't brought up lol

-SO-

For a different thread, would people like me to find pictures of certain characters? (i.e. just photos of the characters looking cool/hot/stupid without a lot of the text.) Because I am totally willing to do that :)

I've already got a lot on Byakuya, Sakura, Aoi and Mondo for all you simps out there, and it's not hard to find even more lol.

So lmk :D

[mythgirlimagines]

What if instead of being a serial killer, Syo was a vigilante hero? Any headcanons for that?

ooo sure

Syo knew that her purpose was protection, but to others it seemed like she maybe took that a little far. Whatever, she loved what she did and knew she was making everything safer for people.

The best part to her was that there was a very low chance of her getting caught. She wasn’t exactly doing illegal things, but she wasn’t really doing legal ones, either.

Being a vigilante kind of gave her a rush nothing else did. It was truly irreplaceable! Knowing that she was putting herself at risk for the good of the many was an adrenaline rush for sure.

Though she did know she shared her body, she thought a little less about that when she was doing what she did best. If she got a little hurt, she’d patch herself up, no worries.

There were some distinctive things about her that were known as her calling cards, like her laugh, but that never deterred her from actually doing those things. They’d never catch her!

[theamityelf]

Have you ever noticed that whenever people do protag switches it's always dr1/sdr2 or sdr2/ndrv3 but never dr1/ndrv3? I feel like that has unthought of potential. May I ask how you think that would go in both cases?

Ooooooh, I love it. Let's see. Let me try not to let my character biases factor in here, lol. (And you can obviously ask for elaboration on any of this, because clearly I'm not going to be super focused. Pretty much just stream of consciousness.)

In all scenarios, at least some of the deaths would happen differently, to different people, by different people, etc.

The Shuichi in THH scenario depends so heavily on which character he attaches himself to right away, lol. Unless we mean Kaede in THH?? Okay, that gets its own section. Yeah, let me section this...

Shuichi in THH

Like I said, this one depends on which character he attaches himself to right away. It could be Hina for her positivity and energy; she's probably the closest to Kaede, there. It could be Taka, who is also high energy and has the added bonus of being called the Ultimate Moral Compass. Shuichi really wants someone to be decisive and strongly believe in something when he feels he can't, and I can see Taka being that person for him. Where Shuichi's scared of doing the wrong thing and hurting people, he can feel assured that what Taka believes is generally going to be right.

Also great because, for all his passion, Taka's actual observations about the school are generally very surface level, so having Shuichi tag along will give him more information to report in his booming voice, while Shuichi gets to chill in his shadow.

When Taka and Mondo have their sauna showdown, I think Shuichi wouldn't go to bed when nighttime comes; he is more loyal to Taka than the nighttime promise. So he'd see the whole inception of the Ishimondo friendship, and I think it would take him a while to trust Mondo. There would be definite "Are you sure about this guy?" energy between him and Taka once Mondo is rolled into their friend group.

And due to Shuichi's overlap of being unfailingly loyal and super harsh when someone brings it out of him, I think the moment Byakuya talks crap about Taka, Shuichi would be the entire Byakuya Hate Squad.

Toko and Genocider would be interesting, because I think Shuichi's fear of convicting someone and ruining their life or getting them killed would interact in an interesting way with the prospect of Genocider Syo, who has gotten away with tons of murders because no one caught her...but then also Toko, who is just a temperamental artist who doesn't want to kill anyone and I bet Shuichi's read "So Lingers the Ocean". I think Toko and Syo would be a reason for Shuichi to confront his feelings about punitive justice. They're practically two diametrically opposed arguments in one body: Syo kills because she likes to, she doesn't regret it, she will keep doing it if no one stops her, but Toko has no choice but to be involved in it, etc. Idk. It's still a bad look for DID representation, so maybe we can take or leave that whole plot thread, but it would do interesting things for Shuichi's character, thematically.

He and Kyoko would work together frequently on investigations (in more of a parallel play kind of way) but not really develop the same bond of trust that she had with Makoto. They trust each other's competency, but beyond that they're not especially close.

Also, when Junko reveals this is a battle of hope versus despair, he would tear apart her whole argument. Like: No, this is a battle of whether subjecting people to absurd conditions might make them hurt each other, and the answer is obvious. Grow up.

It'd be interesting, lol.

Kaede in THH

In this case, I think she'd start off fully believing that someone is going to rescue them. She meets Byakuya and she's like, "Perfect! There's no way someone won't come looking for this guy. This will all be over soon." Since the situation in THH is more grounded than in V3, I think she wouldn't be nearly as serious about getting out until after the first motive. And even then, she's not the one who starts the killings; I still think that would be Sayaka.

I don't think any of the THH motives would really get Kaede, so she might not kill anyone.

I think she would flirt with Chihiro. She would think Chihiro is the cutest thing, and she would say so, and Chihiro would blush profusely. I think those two would get really close, and Kaede would encourage Chihiro, in Chapter 2, that they're already strong in their own way, which would cause them to really focus on using their talent to help the group.

She would also flirt with Mukuro, for however long that lasts. And she would be excited about Sayaka; another musician!

I think Kaede would absolutely match Toko's energy so hard. Toko would definitely have crap to say about her looks and probably her proportions, and Kaede would throw it right back. Honestly same deal with Syo. They would be the toxic yuri to end all toxic yuri. (This is my first time saying "toxic yuri". Did I do it right?)

I hope she makes it long enough to see the music room. She would have a field day with Junko.

Makoto in V3

Finally, this. Wait, actually...

Makoto in V3 replacing Shuichi

Yeah, it occurs to me I have to split this one, too. Okay. I think if Makoto were in Shuichi's place, he would also partner up with Kaede. I think when the whole "tunnel escape" sequence happens, he would suggest that they go to bed and try again tomorrow before everyone reaches the "Screw this forever!" threshold.

I like to imagine, as a result of this, trying the tunnel escape would be a daily thing for a while. Just a scheduled thing that the group regularly does together, much like breakfast. They might give up on it after Chapter 1 or 2, but I just imagine it lasting longer as an activity than in canon.

He wouldn't notice the bookcase thing, so whatever Rantaro was planning would happen. I think, in that chain of events, Makoto and Kaede notice Kaito's little gathering taking place and go see what's going on there, someone spots Rantaro opening the bookshelf or just sees the bookshelf opening, and they reach the conclusion that the mastermind (or Monokuma) is making their move, resulting in a kerfuffle in which Rantaro is killed. Something like that.

I'm not saying who killed him just now; the sequence of deaths is its own thing.

I like to imagine that Kokichi calls Kaede and Makoto the team's mom and dad.

I think Kaito would be unsatisfied with Makoto's manliness, but I don't know that he'd invite him to workout sessions like he did with Shuichi in canon; I think, where Shuichi reads to Kaito as actively unconfident and in need of boosting, Makoto more reads as overly apologetic and easily manipulated/malleable. And depending on how long Kaede survives, I think Kaito would be less likely to treat Makoto as his sidekick than to just say that he, Kaede, and Makoto are all a powerful trio. (Maki does get roped in eventually, but it starts with them.) After all, Makoto isn't an accomplished detective; he's just a normal guy doing his best. And even when he does a really good job, it doesn't make Kaito all that insecure. The vibe is just different. (An Ultimate Detective effortlessly surpassing Kaito's efforts versus an Ultimate Luckster surpassing Kaito's efforts through high efforts of his own.)

The lack of Shuichi means the group does not have a detective. I think a result of this will be that Kokichi would be a bit more active in guiding the protagonists towards clues.

Maki still falls in love with Kaito, and she's also super protective of Makoto, mainly because he's short and can't take a hit. (If Kaito ever punched him, he would pass right out. But I don't think Kaito does punch him.)

Whenever Tenko talks to him, he reflexively apologizes. It's a running gag. His narration will be like, Why am I apologizing? and This was a pretty weird conversation...

Makoto in V3 replacing Kaede

Now, in this case, I'm imagining Makoto manages to trip out of the locker, does a full tumble over Shuichi, and bumps his head on a desk. Just full disaster stuff right off the bat, and Shuichi panics like "Are you okay??" and checks his head, makes sure he didn't bump it too badly, etc. I'm specifying this because Makoto won't be as energetic right out the gate as Kaede, but I do think Shuichi would really like and trust him if he stayed with him for longer than a second, so this is a contrivance to make sure Shuichi stays with him for longer than a second. Some luck, if you will.

(It might not be totally necessary; if they wake up in the same room, it makes sense for Makoto and Shuichi to stick together through the introductions. But this is just to make sure, lol.)

In this version of Chapter 1, they try the escape tunnel a normal amount of times and then give up on it, never to attempt it again (until Electrohammers).

Shuichi notices the bookcase, and they do set up the cameras, but there's no shot put ball trick. Rantaro dies a different way (likely orchestrated by Tsumugi) and the cameras are crucial evidence in the trial that follows.

Because of the steps needed to get to the camera plan, there's a running gag where Miu sees Makoto and Shuichi as her subs. Kaito sees Makoto and Shuichi as his sidekicks. (In this version, the nightly workouts do happen.)

Kokichi tries to make Kaito jealous of Shuichi's closeness with Makoto. (Kind of like, "Why would Shuichi need you when he has Makoto?")

In both versions, I like to think that Tsumugi relates to Makoto on the basis of plainness...or competes with him over it, to his confusion.

And in both versions, I think Makoto finds Angie really cute at first and they hang out a few times, before she starts the Student Council thing. He's kind of her friend. When he doesn't join her, it lowkey hurts her feelings a lot, but she expresses this by casually calling him a heretic.

Aaaand, in both versions, Makoto is the only person Kaito can best in the arcade games.

[dr-rarepair-week-blog]

syokuro angst where genocider is the only one who remembers her only to find out she died and no one even knew it was her until the very end trial.

Syo noticed the absence immediately because there was no portrait

OUCH

Everyone thinks that Syo is messing with them when she mentions that someone's missing. When it finally comes out in the last trial she says "I've been telling you that! I told you military girl is gone!" Even after they all get out of Hope's Peak, Syo keeps thinking about her, but the others don't get it. There's a special bond between them.

[otomegrandma]

CC request (thoughts on the comment below)

To answer your question -- the personalities of these characters is very different, but I understand this comparison. Both relationships are defined by service in a kind of feudal way (knight/lord), although the tone is also very different.

In my mind, a classic iteration of this relationship is Samwise and Frodo from Lord of the Rings, who have a class difference. The hierarchy is dissolved through struggle, yet Sam still upholds an obligation to Frodo (which Tolkien portrays as noble and Romantic).

This is a very fantastical way of portraying such a dynamic (I don't think there's anything positive about feudal class structure, or any class structure for that matter) but it's still very fun!

The fact that the knight in this relationship is a woman is also fun - although she is deferant to the lord, she is also powerful, capable, and takes initiative in her own way. (In dancing terms, the physically capable one is the 'follow' while the precious one is the 'lead'.)

Also, Fuyuhiko and Peko are intended to visually (and in story details) remind the player of Touko(/syo) and Byakuya - glasses, beauty mark, braids, red eyes, suit vs school uniform, and so on). And an early design for syo happens to include a katana!