#drv3 analysis

[chickensoup1025]

I like the idea that Kaito isn't actually a genius or smart in an iq book way. He's an astronaut trainee through sheer determination. He got to where he is not because he was naturally gifted like Kaede was at the piano or Leon for baseball, but because he worked hard every single day to get to the level geniuses normally put only some effort into. Gives hope for the dumb dumbs.

[hopeiskindacool]

The circumstances of Rantaro's Motive Video is strange. I'd assume that it was made before the game even started, but looking more into it that doesn't make sense.

In the prolouge, Rantaro wears a more casual like outfit like everyone else up until they get their Ultimate. The clothes worn in the motive video is the ultimate clothes.

If he was just wearing the same clothes as he did in his previous game, then why would they waste their time taking him in, out, and back into his clothes?

Another thing in the prologue is that the Monokubs also accidentally didn't wipe or give any of the students their memories yet. So, Rantaro should've still have the memories of making the motive video. Although Rantaro seems to recognize the situation to some degree, he doesn't seem to expect it.

There's also more thoughts about this but I'm not sure how to organize it

[lampochkaart]

I have been thinking about one interesting thing lately.

I noticed it first during my secong DRV3 walkthrough, but with each rewatching I noticed it more and more.

Tsumugi throws shade at Kokichi SO often, it's insane. Almost from the very beginning of the game, she makes comments about how suspicious Ouma is, or how scary and dangerous he is. She jumps at pretty much every opportunity to point fingers at him and say how bad he is. Now, I wouldn't pay any attention to this if Tsumugi was an ordinary girl. It's much harder to find those who like Kokichi than those who dislike him. But the thing is... Tsumugi is not an ordinary student. She's a mastermind. She is not wary of Kokichi because she believes that he is a potential threat. She deliberately turns the group against him. She knows exactly what she's doing. Every time there is an opportunity to throw shade in his direction, Tsumugi is using it. And in cases where she is not the initiator of the idea, she is one of the first people to agree.

This is a very interesting detail that I have been thinking about for several months now. The more closely you look, the more you notice how often this happens.

I also have been thinking about how Shirogane is literally a wolf in sheep’s clothing, and Ouma, on the contrary, is a sheep in wolf’s clothing. Tsumugi looks and acts like a sheep: nervous, weak, defenseless. But at her core, she is a blood-hungry, ruthless wolf. At the same time, Ouma goes out of his way to be perceived as a wolf. He puts in a lot of effort to be considered scary, dangerous and evil. But in reality, he is just a sheep.

Admittedly, a very weird seep, that was even biting other sheep in order to convince everyone that he was a dangerous predator. But the only thing he has from a wolf is it's hide. Wearing it, however, is risky, because hunters can actually mistake the wearer of this skin for a wolf. Then there just will be one less sheep, and the wolf will remain unnoticed among the herd...

Version with a black sheep Ouma

[rumorren]

I was looking back at how Kaito revealed himself in the 5th trial and a certain comment caught my interest.

Monokuma already had the hint that it could be Kaito in the Exisal. And the chance of Shuichi's lie actually working is a 50/50 chance but still low with the way Monokuma responded to Shuichi.

Kaito getting the hint that Monokuma was not fooled by Shuichi's lie completely took the bullet and the blame for Shuichi's mistake. And in a way there are players that blame Kaito for this, which is what Kaito wanted since he did say "I'll take full responsibility". Thankfully I've seen Let's Players actually understood that Shuichi's lie wasn't gonna work on Monokuma. It was all left to luck in hoping that Monokuma would get it wrong. And Kaito wasn't gonna gamble on everyone's lives.

So in a way Kaito did take responsibility for Shuichi's mistake here. Shuichi's mistake was revealing the truth and helping Monokuma without a second thought till it was already too late.

Kaito did put everything on Kokichi's plan, believing it could work out but he also knew Shuichi would foil the plan. Kaito still looked at the positive side for Shuichi to keep pushing forward, even though he was minutes away from dying. But the sad truth is that Shuichi did push Kaito to reveal the plan, as Shuichi said he cornered Kaito.

Remember Shuichi is terrified of revealing the truth and this trial could have 100% rebound Shuichi back to being how he was in Chapter 1.

But thankfully Kaito made Shuichi promise him to end the killing game. It paralleled Kaede's trial but showed Shuichi's development. Instead of the quiet meek teen he was in Chapter 1, he now back talks at Monokuma.

Shuichi talking back at Monokuma will always be my favorite, this is what Kaito wanted Shuichi to do in Chapter 1 instead of blaming himself.

I feel like I could write more but I just wanted to throw this little food for thought out there.

I like how Danganronpa V3 doesn't spoon feed to the players. There's just so much to analyze and interpret in the game.

[giveamadeuschohisownmovie]

Shuichi, Himiko, Keebo, and Maki represent our fave characters in general. They’ve been made aware of their existence as characters and are horrified by the way they are being written.

Tsumugi represents companies that continue to milk franchises dry because the public keeps consuming the content. They don’t care about the significance of the story, they care about what sells. So, they keep coming up with all these ridiculous storylines to keep the show going, even though it’s at the expense of the characters we love.

The DRV3 in-game fanbase is the other main villain since they’ve lost appreciation of the story. All they want is more blood and lewdness, they don’t care about the characters and their journey. The thing is, the loss in appreciation happened because the company (aka Tsumugi aka Team Danganronpa) keeps churning out content for people to consume.

So it becomes a vicious cycle of the company not understanding the significance of the story they’re telling, which makes the audience care less and less about what they’re consuming. Tsumugi LITERALLY takes the form of previous Danganronpa characters just so the audience can go, “OMG, it’s my fave character from the other game!” There’s no other reason why Makoto and Kyoko show up, they’re just there for us to cheer as cameo characters.

And how do the villains justify their treatment of the heroes? They tell them that it’s all fiction, so it doesn’t matter what they do to them. Who cares if we kill off all your favorite characters, it’s just fiction bro. You’re just there for people’s entertainment, so do what the audience wants. Say the line everyone likes, or make their favorite ship canon. It doesn’t matter how much we torture you (read: “butcher your story” / “assassinate your character”), we can do whatever we want to you since it’s all fiction anyways.

And how do our heroes fight back? They tell Tsumugi and the audience that their lives matter and that fiction can change the world. That we need to remember that the media we consume has meaning and that we shouldn’t treat it like disposable material. It doesn’t matter if they’re fictional, they matter to someone out there.

/

/

Perhaps I’ve been too harsh on V3. People were so up in arms about the game supposedly dissing the fanbase when the ending was warning us about the dangers of companies destroying their own IPs by not letting them rest, as well as toxic fanbases losing appreciation of the series they’re a fan of. And they did it by having the characters themselves speak about how their lives are being ruined by the people writing/influencing their stories.

This is straight up something Black Mirror would make. In fact, they kinda did with Bandersnatch.

Okay, it’s official. V3 is my favorite Danganronpa. It’s got a lot of flaws, but I give it props for the vision.

[joneleslament]

So I've noticed that people seem to really misunderstand Maki's dynamic with Kokichi and Korekiyo(separately)...And if anything, People get them confused with each other

The fanon portrayal of Maki and Kokichi's dynamic is that they both hate each other, Kokichi jumps at every chance he has to antagonize her and she hates him enough to jump at any chance to hurt or kill him

The fanon portrayal of Korekiyo and Maki's dynamic is that they're perfectly fine with each other, Especially because of their calm and collected personalities

When it's actually..Kind of completely backwards..

In canon, After Korekiyo finds out Maki's talent; He jumps at any opportunity to antagonize her, Knowing the rules of the game and every other participant protect him from her actually hurting him. And she antagonizes him way more in chapter three even before the murder. He's also blatantly rude to her(Actively ignoring her in conversations and then asking, "Did you say something?" or "Did you hear something?/srs), And Maki is always annoyed with him even being there

Meanwhile in canon with Maki and Kokichi, Even after her talent is revealed she's literally completely fine with him, He antagonizes her for a bit but she is always shown to just not care at all or even at some points responds calmly to him..In chapter 1, She was the only person to agree with him and didn't just assume he was up to no good like literally everyone else did..She only gets more aggressive with him when he says he killed two people for fun and that he was the mastermind. She even felt guilty about killing him even when she still thought he was a remnant of despair(After finding out he wasn't the mastermind)

Am I the only one to find it funny how the fandom got those two dynamics completely confused😭😭

[craetor]

Rewatching a playthrough of DRV3 and remembering the hours upon HOURS i spent on social media picking apart when Ouma is lying and not with moots & detailing how Saihara's understanding of him progresses throughout the game.....

Like the time after the first trial when Ouma is like "I can't forgive myself for being so USELESS" & Shu's just like "yeah right. Liar" but atp he doesn't know jack or dick about him yet so it's heartbreaking because he dismisses even the possibility of Ouma having any feelings whatsoever and it's so UGHHHH💔✨️

Saiouma my beloved

[beearcheops]

this thought has been stuck in my head for a while soooo

y’all know the saying “earn one's stripes”?

“: to do something which shows that one deserves to be accepted and respected by the other people in a field or profession”

(Yes, I did ripped this from Merriam Webster)

Well, you know who has stripes (and been haunting me for the past few years)?

That’s right, the one, the only, Shuichi Saihara!

“but Rattle” you may ask “when did Shuichi earn his stripes?”

Well…

After this, he got his talent aka his stripes!

anyways, that all I have to say about this (maybe not all but the best guess I got from the incomprehensible mess of my brain)

[unweavinglies]

This isn't meant to be a full analysis or anything, but there is something interesting about V3 that I don't think anyone's ever really talked about--and that is how strange the First Blood Perk is.

While I personally don't subscribe to the "it's all fiction!" interpretation of V3, if this interpretation was the truth and Tsumugi wasn't just saying nonsense at the end... then why does this motive exist at all?

Fandoms like Danganronpa are all about the tropes and thrilling murders, class trials, and executions. To deny a class trial is to also deny an execution, which are two of the three main components that fans of the franchise adore so much. Why rob them of one case's worth of content? It would just leave fans disappointed.

If you are like me and don't subscribe to the theory that it's all fiction, then this motive is still strange. Why allow someone to escape after killing someone? What is the point of that? You could argue that if the Secret of the Outside World is real that the motive just leads the culprit to their doom anyway, but... I always found it strange, considering that in the previous games, it was always imperative that a murder be punctuated by a class trial and then an execution. It was basically essential to DR1, as it not only showed the world that their final bits of "hope" were killing each other, but to also show the mastermind torturing them to death.

In V3, however, they just casually offer to throw it away--of course alternatively they don't actually do that for the sake of the actual franchise, but the question remains:

Why does it feel like V3 just wanted the killing game to start? It's almost as if the game is meant to kill these particular students.

[suddenlymicah]

so, we agree that kokichi's love hotel is really interesting, right? for saiouma purposes, of course.

in most of the love hotel events, the characters don't act like themselves. they act a bit differently, and on top of that, don't have their actual roles.

but with kokichi's love hotel event...

they just act like themselves. shuichi is a detective, kokichi is a sly antagonistic thief. shuichi even says says it himself, "Ah, so I'm not a different person here. I'm me, and Kokichi is Kokichi.

this sets it apart from every other love hotel event.

think about it.

notice how all of them are clearly imagining someone else. kaede is imagining a lover, miu a childhood friend. korekiyo is imagining someone that confessed to him, angie a "lower rank"(presumably something related to worship of atua on her island). gonta is imagining an actor(?), and tenko a fellow user of neo-aikido. rantaro is imagining a student, maki is imagining a fellow person at her orphanage. ryoma is imagining a former manager, himiko is imagining an animal she granted a human form with magic, kaito is imagining a rival pilot, and kirumi is imagining the son of an employer. i'm not even touching tsumugi's event.

now, some of them are more unclear, like kiibo's event. it's implied that shuichi is a close friend, but either way, he's not meant to act like shuichi usually acts.

this is all unlike kokichi's event. if anything, SHUICHI is more in-character during the event than kokichi is, but that makes sense, considering kokichi's character. that's an argument for another day, however.

one other think that's odd about his love hotel event is that kokichi leaves.

in all of the other events, the screen just fades to black with the character sprite still standing there. but with kokichi...

he leaves. after playing around with shuichi a little bit, he turns and leaves. NONE of the others are like this.

now, i think it's worth mentioning what the love hotel events are. the danganronpa wiki states; "The student fully believes in the dream scenario even if it is farfetched, but has no memory of the encounter when they wake up, whereas the protagonist is fully aware that it's a dream, and has some foggy memories of the encounter when they wake up." the reason none of the other people leave is because this is a dream on their part, an ideal. in kokichi's ideal, not only is he toying around with SHUICHI, he leaves him pining and confused, just like he does in-game.

But then again, what do I know? This could be not-canon, and thus not saiouma.

[aetherphobia]

Y'know what? I feel like throwing myself to the wolves today.

Hello Danganronpa fandom! I would like to hear unbiased opinions, please. Emphasis on unbiased.

In my opinion, V3 was honestly one of the weaker games of the franchise. And our resident asshole (/lighthearted) of the game, Kokichi, is believe it or not, not a perfectly written character.

Please do not come onto this post calling me a dumbass that is falling for "propaganda." I know his plan was to end the killing game the whole time. The problem is that he doesn't have a solid motive to do so. At least not one that is clear to the viewers. His plan may have been to checkmate the mastermind, but his plan seems to fall apart when you realize he has no proof Monokuma would end the killing game. He’s doing this massive elaborate plan, assuming Monokuma won’t just pick a random person to execute so the game can continue. Because fundamentally, this game is unfair. Kokichi assuming Monokuma would play fair makes his plan just seem redundant, as well put together as it may have been. A buddy of mine posted a similar opinion a couple days ago and got absolutely dogpiled because she wasn't absolutely praising the hydrologic press that he was crushed in (too soon? Nah it's been four years it's fine). In fact, one of the points made above was one I directly copy pasted got from her in specific and I took so that you as the readers could hear her without her getting all the notifications. will not be stating any names out of my respect and care for this friend. But for the love of god, don't dogpile anyone for their opinions.

The purpose of this post is to hear outsider, completely unbiased opinions about Kokichi as a character. So when replying to this post, take those biases and lock them away in a safe. You don't need to throw them away entirely, just put them away until you hit the post button. Info dump to me and clearly point out what exactly his motive was, based entirely on the context clues of the game. What are things that are clear as day? What can be read in between the lines? Why did he want to end the killing game? What was his motive? If you think you know the motive, explain to me what I apparently missed and when it happened. Provide me proof and screenshots. Just all around make it make sense without using profanity and calling me an imbecile for not understanding something that was not written in a way that was clear. I dont not want those kinds of responses, as they really do not help. And as lightheartedly as possible, calling me names in the replies over something like this really doesn't provide me with a reason to take your word for it.

And hey! If you agree with me, I would also genuinely love to hear your personal take on the whole thing and what you think could've been done better with his character. What are your ideas? What do you think would've been really cool and interesting if it had been implemented?

I do not condone the way a lot of you handled my friend's post. So please do not talk to me the same way. Please come in to this post with the assumption that I have already completed the game and I already know what happened.

I humbly await for your perspectives.

[chickensoup1025]

For Kokichi, I like that his organization's name is connected to his first name: 小吉 (Small Luck)

A die (singular dice) is literally just a small object whose sole purpose is determined by luck.

[fairytalewonders]

Also nothing like my usual post, but I couldn't help but think of it.

For those of you that know about Danganronpa, particularly Danganronpa V3, I just had a thought I think might help people understand a character more.

You all know Kokichi Ouma, right? How Kokichi Ouma has a no killing rule in his organization? (Something that is probably important to have when your group mainly goes around committing illegal activities. The longer you do such things, the easier it becomes to do and the lines get more blurred. Which is why the rule probably exists and isn't an unspoken rule but one that's clearly outlined. Because members of the group actually have the potential to do such a thing.)

Well, that doesn't necessarily mean that Kokichi is morally upstanding like some like to make him out to be because all this rule does is ban killing. But everything else is on the table. Another way I just recently thought to put it in-- you know Batman, right? How Batman has a no killing rule? But he'll do everything but kill you? He will send you to the ER and brutally disfigure you if need be, but he won't kill you.

I think that's how people should start looking at Kokichi. Not a pioneer of justice like Batman, but someone who is willing to do everything but kill someone.

(Not that I think Kokichi would send someone to the ER. The fact that I think he was scared of Katio when he punched him makes me think Kokichi just doesn't like violence in general, and has a personal hatred towards the art of killing. But, I think Kokichi would be down for breaking-and-entering, as well as stealing and everything like that. I don't think that would bother him in the slightest.) (Though, Kokichi's seemingly personal hatred to the idea of killing makes me think something may have happened to him, which is a completely different analysis than this one, as such I will not be going into in.

Which, I would like to point out, I also think Kokichi was trying to get everyone killed by Chapter 4. If he figured out they were being watched, he probably figured out they weren't the only people to participate in a killing game, he also probably figured there would be future ones. So to stop the games, he would make it unplayable to the viewers. (In other words, even if he got the rest of his peers killed, they were doomed after the first killing, it was probably better from his perspective to ruin the game and prevent any future games from being held. Saving the future people, instead of his peers basically.) (A choice he and Maki, Kiibo, Shuichi, and Himiko would have ironically shared if that was the case.)

The reason I say this is because I'm frustrated with people making Kokichi this "soft boy" who did no wrong and was only trying to help everyone, or making him a horrible hypocrite with no values. When in truth he's morally grey, was long before he even set foot in the killing game, and was then put in a killing game that would make anyone's morals worse. If anything his actions are an attestment to how much he clung onto those morals and beliefs. (He was far from the only person that's actions that got others killed, and he didn't have the worse motive by far. It shouldn't be swept under the rug, but he shouldn't be automatically worse than every character for his actions just because of a rule he has with his organization. A basic rule that everyone in society has, though it normally doesn't need to be lined out.)

Which, this is just how I view Kokichi, and it may not even be accurate. Just a thought.

[lampochkaart]

Thinking about how Kiibo tries so hard to be seen as a human and not a robot. He often gets offended when someone reminds him of his characteristics, he tries to avoid using his abilities as much as possible, and he reacts emotionally to the tragic events of the game. He is one of the more soft and sensitive people in the group. And although he is often guided by logic, feelings and emotions still play a big role in his perception.

All the while Kokichi tries really hard to NOT be perceived as a human. Masks sincere emotions behind exaggerated or inappropriate reactions, almost instantly switches between moods, talks about "resetting emotions", tries to distance himself from the group as much as possible, to such an extent that even his dying words are doubted. Many of his actions in the latest part of the game are best described by the word “inhuman.” He is the most cynical person in the group and one of the most cold-blooded ones.

But at the same time, they can't really change who they are. Kiibo has to accept himself and his abilities, which are only avilable to him. And Kokichi can't completely get rid of emotions and force himself not to feel anything, no matter how hard he tries.

[chamacofresaalv]

Yk, i like the concept of this a bit too much; kokichi unintentionally being mean when someone (or when the situation) makes him nervous, scared, etc. It would make a lot of sense for him to behave the way he does when he has to live with a bunch of strangers he doesn't trust on a lit killing game

[lockpickingliar]

Ouma Kokichi (Kichi) on Lies

I've been meaning to write this post for a while, but it's been really hard.

But that's a lie.

What if it wasn't, though? Or what if it was, but the excitement of not knowing which way or the other makes for a good opener on a post about lies? Lies have a lot of uses, y'know.

Lies change the way you see the world, while truth forces you to confront it whether you like it or not.

I love lies. I love them more than anything. They're something that got me through the day by making things more fun, or easier to swallow, or just kinder in some other way. I say in the game: "There only ever is one truth, but endless possibilities for lies."

So if you don't like the truth, then lie.

That's a lie, too.

I hate lies. I hate them more than anything. Every lie I've ever told, it's only made things harder, or more stressful, or hurt people in some other way. Lies are scary things that can be used to hide the truth from people when the truth is what they need.

Do you think this might be the lie instead?

I grew up a liar. I lie because lying's fun. I lie because it's safe, and changes the world. I lie because it helps people, when you know how to do it.

I lie because it doesn't matter. I lie because it always matters. I lie to cause problems for the people in my way. I lie to make things easier for the people I care about.

I've gotten really good at telling lies over the years. I have lots of reasons to lie, and when you have as many reasons as I do, you end up lying a lot. Practice makes perfect, after all.

Or maybe I'm just naturally good at it.

Maybe my Talent is a lie, and my true title is the Ultimate Liar.

Maybe I don't have a Talent at all.

Maybe nothing about me from the game is real.

Maybe it's all lies.

But that's no fun, I don't like that. So let's come up with another, better lie.

My name is Ouma Kokichi, I am the Ultimate Supreme Leader of Evil, but that's a lie. I'm a liar, after all, it's what I do. Which part of that is the lie? That's your job to figure out.

Everyone needed a focus. A focal point to fixate on, so they wouldn't go around and around in circles with baseless accusations. It's hard to cooperate against the bad guy when you don't know who in the group the bad guy is.

So I'm evil now.

It gave them something to focus on.

It made things a little easier for them to stomach.

No big deal.

I kept lying, because I'm a liar, and I'm evil now.

I didn't like that lie very much, actually. Everyone hated me and my lies, and I couldn't lie that hatred away. That's a lie. It didn't stop me from trying. It's not like I can help it.

That's another lie.

It's not a very funny one, though. Compulsive lying is a scary thing. Sometimes I lie so much that I don't even realize I've lied until hours later. Sometimes I lie and feel so sick afterward because I wanted to tell the truth. Or maybe I feel sick because I was fighting the whole time to tell the truth and failed to the compulsion to lie.

But I lied about being a compulsive liar, didn't I?

If you lie enough, your lies start to overlap, and if they overlap enough, it stops mattering. No one knows what the truth is anymore, not even you, because there are so many lies to untangle that you can't even remember what the original lie was.

I lied when I first came here. I came here five years ago, y'know. They liked to ask me all sorts of questions about where I came from, and I liked answering them because it gave me the opportunity to spin all sorts of lies.

Lies about growing up in a facility.

Lies about being diagnosed with something different every week.

Lies about a very good friend, who was taken away one day, never to be seen again.

I loved to play pretend as a kid, so who knows? Maybe it all was a lie.

Maybe I was just some sick kid in a hospital, trying to make things more interesting for myself.

My favorite manga is Promised Neverland.

The first time I ever touched grass, it was given to me in a tray after I asked for it one week wanting to know if it was real.

Or maybe it was when I organized a lie where we all went to a summer festival together, with crayon cutouts of fireworks and ill-fitting yukata, out in the yard because I asked so nicely.

Or maybe I'm just lying about the grass.

I lied a lot, after all. So much that sometimes I can't even tell what's real.

It's scary.

That's a lie. It's just how I live.

I love lies. They have the power to make the world a better place.

But in the Killing Game, the world couldn't become a better place.

I lied and lied and lied for everybody else, but no one would lie for me. I told so many horrible, horrible lies just to get the puzzle pieces to fit. I lied about being evil until I wasn't lying anymore. Until I broke the one rule I made for myself.

Or maybe I'd already broken it the night Taro-kun died.

Or maybe I broke it before I even came to the Killing Game and forgot.

Or maybe I didn't break it at all because I'm in a time loop and everyone's still alive, I just have to get it right.

Or maybe I didn't break it at all because it's all a simulation and if I go back and finish the job, let the press take me, I'll wake up in the hospital and everyone will be there and everything will be okay because they're all alive.

Or maybe I didn't break it at all because it's all a simulation and if I go back and finish the job, I'll wake up in the facility and no one will be there because they were all a part of the simulation.

But no, that must be a lie because Taro-kun is also here.

But robots and AIs have come here, too, so maybe it's not a lie after all.

...

I hate lies.

I hate that I hate lies.

I hate that the Killing Game has tainted them for me.

In the time that I've been here, I've gotten into the habit of monologuing to myself. When I used to thrive more on questions and answers, the questions eventually stopped, so I just started talking to no one in particular, musing to myself. I can't tell if any of what I'm saying is true anymore. Or maybe it's all paradoxically true somehow. It feels like I'm compulsively telling the truth.

But that's a lie.

I'm trying to rebuild my relationship with them, but it's hard to do. I miss them. I miss telling lies and enjoying it. I miss the kindness that goes into the lies I tell. I miss being able to lie however I want because in the back of my mind I always had a firm grasp on the truth.

Did I, though?

That's more Cookie's thing.

Maybe I'm lying again.

Does it even matter?

I don't know anymore.

But that's a lie.