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danganronpasurvivoraskblog · 2 months

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Mod Talks #2: Ranking the Danganronpa Series:

//So this ranking list might be a bit confusing to some people, since the title of it isn't exactly a dead giveaway at what I'm going to be talking about here.

//So let me just explain.

//Since the first game released in Japan in 2010, Danganronpa has become an absolutely huge franchise, spawning a fair few sequels, countless media, even more countless fan-projects, and there's so much more to it's name. Even after 14 years or so of it's lifespan, and with the series not really getting anything else lately since Kodaka left Chunsoft to form his own company with Uchikoshi, Danganronpa is still a much beloved franchise by many.

//Which is what causes all the fan-related projects like this blog to pop up. Because people cannot get enough of these characters.

//So in this ranking post, I'll be ranking each and every installment in the main series, as well as a few notable spinoffs, adaptations, and fan-projects featured on this blog. My rankings will be based on my own personal opinions first and foremost, but I'll mainly be judging these on factors like story quality, character writing, and the overall impact it had not just on me, but on the series.

//This is also going to be classified as a Mod Talks because I'm going to go more in depth than I normally do with these rankings. Beyond just a few paragraphs, I'm going to be analyzing basically everything that I possibly can.

//Let's break it down a little bit more.

This list WILL include:

Each of the mainline games - From DR1 to DRV3

The End of Hope's Peak Academy Anime - Both arcs will be counted as one.

Every Fanganronpa featured in the blog - None outside of that though, so don't expect to see Despair Time or anything like that pop up here.

All the Light Novels and Official Manga - Such as IF, Zero, and Kirigiri.

This list WILL NOT include:

Kirigirisou - I haven't played it, and so few people know what it actually is that I don't think anyone will care if I leave it out. I'll gladly give it an honorable mention though.

Magical Miracle Girl Monomi - It's a bonus minigame that adds no substance.

Danganronpa: The Animation - I understand that the DR anime adaptation is unpopular, but since it's a brief retelling of the story of Danganronpa 1 with the same characters, I decided not to include it since I'll already be covering them.

The Manga Anthologies - These are short stories written by a variety of different creators that each interpret the characters differently. I cannot judge them as a collective.

Master Detective Archives: Rain Code - Yes, it is another game by Kodaka. Yes, it has similar designs and mechanics to DR. And yes, the characters of the game are featured on the blog. But Rain Code is NOT a Danganronpa game, so I am not accounting for it.

Danganronpa Survivor, or any other Danganronpa Ask Blog that frequently gets mentioned here - This goes without saying. I'm not including the blog itself on the list because 1 - Personal bias to my own work, and 2 - It's not official enough to be classified under the content.

//Also, as one last thing, official content in the Danganronpa series will be marked orange in the title. Fan/Unofficial content will be marked purple.

//That should be everything, so let's take a despair-filled dive into the world of Danganronpa and see which titles rise to the top.

#20 - Danganronpa: Togami

//So going into this, I'm willing to reckon that a lot of you thought that I was going to put Danganronpa 3 right smack dab at the bottom of this list. Especially since I shit-talk it so much, and for good reason.

//But the true crime is that I don't talk about the Danganronpa: Togami light novel series enough, and just how much of a fucking shitshow it is.

//Now, this series isn't widely known to every fan of the series, so let me quickly summarize what this is. Danganronpa: Togami is a series of light novels written by Yuya Sato, that centres on Byakuya and his experiences with the Ultimate Despair in the Czech Republic, during his first year at Hope's Peak Academy, and prior to The Tragedy. It is unclearly canonical because it is not mentioned directly in canonical material. The Yuya Sato series saw the publication of three volumes.

//Given that Byakuya has one of the most interesting backstories in the Danganronpa series in my opinion, you'd think that a light novel that sort of shows that off, and how some of the events prior to DR1 truly played out would be really cool, and worth reading to help suck on that juicy lore.

//Well, it's not. Not even slightly.

//I've only read these novels once, having to read a fan-translation of it online, and believe me, I have no intention of revisiting them. The plot of the novels are convoluted and confusing, and even though Danganronpa CAN get very confusing in it's main storylines, it's still usually coherent enough to enjoy. But this just isn't.

//The fact that Yuji Sato truly has no idea how to write in a sane manner is one of the main problems with his work. Sato is only dimly acquainted with the idea of "making sense" and has no idea what "going overboard" entails.

//Remember how during the Death Battle event we hosted on this blog, I mentioned that Mukuro and Sakura were fast enough to instantly run from Japan to Prague in a couple seconds? This mad fucker came up with that, and Kodaka just let him.

//It also includes a lot of themes and scenes that I find...kind of disturbing? When the books get violent, they get REALLY violent. There's also a LOT of incest (which is unfortunately very common in Danganronpa) and a fair bit of suicide and fatphobia on top of that. And while Danganronpa has done all of these before, for the Togami novel series, it's just insanely gratuitous in the way that it's portrayed.

//Danganronpa isn't afraid to touch on darker themes, and that's fine. It's a series about high-schoolers killing each other. You can't really downplay that too much, so you might as well run with it. However, this novel's shift in tone is TOO dark. Too dark to the point that it feels like it's trying WAY to hard to be edgy.

//And the key difference is that even when the main series gets dark, the humor and eccentricity of the writing kind of balances it out. But we have absolutely none of that here. It's just gore, rape, death, blah!

//Sato, I'm sorry, but this isn't what "Graphic Novel" means.

//But all of this is completely putting aside what I consider to be the absolute worst part of this series of novels: The complete BUTCHERING of Byakuya's character.

//Byakuya is one of the most stand-out characters in the series. He's appeared at least once in basically every mainline iteration of the series, and because of that, he's the character who has seen the most development. He never betrays who he is, and remains a smug asshole to the end, but he still cooperates more with his peers and doesn't put himself on a pedestal above them. Even at the beginning, though he does a lot of conniving bullshit in DR1, he still holds himself to high standards.

//But the novel says balls to all of that.

//In the novel series, there are many times that Byakuya is portrayed as more vulnerable and less composed. If this took place in a time when he was VERY young, then this would make more sense, but this story takes place like A YEAR before the first game. His interactions with other characters can also be more emotional and impulsive, whereas Byakuya has always been famous for being reserved, cold, and strategic.

//Alongside all the other edgy shit that infects this series, the novels try to explore the darker side of Byakuya's character, sometimes pushing him into morally ambiguous or outright negative situations. For example, there's a point in the book where he gaslights a young girl into falling in love with him so that she'll writ his autobiography for him, and several scenes where he engages, or at least complicit in, extreme brutality.

//Not only is this the most OOC thing Byakuya has ever done, but it completely undermines the complex character that the series built him up to be. Despite his cold demeanor, he's not a violent person.

//All in all, if you do get a chance to read this novel, I personally suggest that you let it slip by. It's really not worth the read, and I'm willing to bet that almost any other fanfic writer on the internet could completely redo this.

//But now you see that even with it's stupid writing and many flaws, why DR3 didn't fall this far down, because this is somehow a billion times worse.

//But we're gonna talk about it now, right?

//Well...

#19 - Danganronpa Gaiden: Killer Killer

//Killer Killer fucking sucks.

//There's no sugarcoating it, it's just insanely bad. And it's honestly so disappointing because this could have been something great.

//Danganronpa Gaiden: Killer Killer, more commonly just called Killer Killer, is a bit more well-known than the Togami light novels. And this is mainly because it is actually an important part of the Danganronpa timeline.

//Somehow...

//According to the official chronology, the events of this manga take place before those of Danganronpa 2 and after those of Ultra Despair Girls. The main story revolves around Misaki Asano, a recent hire who works as a special investigator for the Special Investigations Unit of Future Foundation Branch 6; a division tasked with cracking the most unusual and difficult murder cases. One case at a time, she and her partner Takumi Hijirihara work to overcome hopelessness; the most difficult case they have is that of the enigmatic Killer Killer, a strange serial killer who preys on other murderers.

//You get three guesses as to who the Killer Killer actually is.

//Killer Killer ironically suffers from a problem that is both similar to that of the Togami novels, but also the complete opposite problem. It's easily one of the more darker parts of the Danganronpa Timeline, but even at it's darkest, Danganronpa is well-known for balancing these moments with its unique humor and over-the-top situations.

//Unlike the previous entry, Killer Killer does have these moments, but they are balanced HORRIBLY. Most of the manga focuses heavily on gore and psychological horror, which is off-putting on it's own, but even more so when you randomly throw in a stupid fucking gag in there.

//The key one I feel being Takumi Hijirihara's weird quirk where he pulls a Zenitsu and falls in love with every pretty woman he meets. Even when they're the killer.

//Speaking of Hijirihara, HE FUCKING SUCKS.

//A lot of people think the protagonist of this manga is cool because he's different, and I do agree that he's easily the furthest cry of the main protags in the series. He shares absolutely nothing in common with Makoto, or Hajime, or Kaede and Shuichi, or Komaru and Toko.

//Okay, he shares a LITTLE bit with Toko, but Toko of bearable. He isn't.

//While moral ambiguity can make a character, especially a protagonist, a lot more interesting, Hijirihara's isn't handled well. His actions are often portrayed as justified within the narrative, even though most of the time, they're questionable at best and outright unethical at worst.

//And I know how that sounds coming from the guy who wrote Kuripa Kurafto, but I should remind you that even though he is violent and rotten, Kuripa DOES believe that people can be redeemed. It's only those who don't try and relish in their homicide that deserve to be put to bed forever.

//Asano is okay, but her personality and quirks are things that Danganronpa has already done before, AND better. Though I do like that she and Hijirihara have something of a romantic connection.

//Actually, speaking of which, if Kuripa was in this novel, then he'd probably murder all the killers featured in it too. Because that's exactly what they are. Murderous psychopaths and nothing else.

//Danganronpa's two biggest strengths across the whole series are the mystery, and the characters. And the big problem with Killer Killer is that it's severely lacking in both core aspects.

//Almost every chapter of Killer Killer goes the same in that somebody dies, and Asano and Hijirihara are on the scene to investigate. But before any investigating can be done, Hijirihara figures out the culprit immediately, and every time, without fail, the culprit goes all hobo-murder-crazy, tries to kill Hijirihara, only for this guy and his unexplained insane strength and precision to humor them with an instant kill.

//There is absolutely no sense of mystery since Hijirihara solves the cases FOR the audience before any evidence can be given, and there is absolutely no complex character writing either. I don't remember a single character's name from this manga besides Asano and Hijirihara themselves; as well as the characters who are also featured in DR3, like Munakata and Kyoko.

//I even made sprites for A Student Out of Time for the girl who was super into leeches once, and I STILL don't remember her fucking name.

//(I think it's Shimizu or something?)

//Even when the format breaks, there is nothing compelling whatsoever about the plot of this manga. It lacks any sense of intrigue and it lacks and sense of depth, and to make matters worse, the writing and pacing is wholly inconsistent.

//Killer Killer is completely unessential to the Danganronpa series, even though it's portrayed otherwise. Danganronpa 3 still has the merit of at least expanding the lore of the series both before and after the addition of the Future Foundation, but in Killer Killer's case, instead of enriching the existing universe, it feels like a side project that adds no meaningful value or new perspectives to an already established narrative.

#18 - Makoto Naegi Secret File

//Yes, we're STILL not at Danganronpa 3. Crazy right?

//Turns out the anime is better than most of us expected to.

//Okay, so what can I say about this one? Well, this addition to the series is still relatively unknown, so I guess I should start by explaining what it is.

//The Makoto Naegi Secret File; sometimes referred to as "Makoto Naegi's Worst Day Ever" or something similar; is a short 25-page novella penned by Kazutaka Kodaka that describes the events leading up to Makoto Naegi's admission to Hope's Peak Academy. The first DVD/BD volume of Danganronpa: The Animation came packaged with the booklet.

//And it is basically exactly what it says on the tin. It's a story about Makoto randomly getting stuck in a hostage situation after a conga line of bad luck, where he accidently exposes and catches a jewel thief. It's a frankly ridiculous and hilarious story that you can't help but feel bad for the Lucky Student with.

//And in all fairness, the story itself is Danganronpa's cuckoo writing at it's finest. The fact that the story is a mini-precursor to the events of the first game is cool, and the direct relevance to the core narrative makes it appealing.

//So god tell me Mod! Why is it so low!?

//Well, first off, I can't really hold the Secret File in HIGH regard because it's a 25-page bonus booklet that not many people would have read, and even if they had, it hardly makes much of a difference to people's experience with the anime/game. But the major problem, which loosely ties into this, is pretty obvious.

//It's redundant.

//What tends to make the novels and side material like Zero and Kirigiri so great is that it expands on the lore of characters who you really want to know more about. Junko, Mukuro, Kyoko; they're all characters that you want to learn more about. Their backstories. Who they really are. Why they became the way they did. And yeah, Danganronpa: Togami completely failed to do that for Byakuya, but it doesn't change the fact that it's something you'd like to see.

//But...you don't NEED that for Makoto.

//Makoto Naegi is THE Danganronpa Protagonist. He appears at least once in every game, and even when he doesn't, his influence is everywhere! You play as him in the first game, and he's the one who defeated Junko Enoshima. He's a living legend across the entire franchise and a fondly remembered character from the very beginning of the franchise.

//A story like this is completely unnecessary since it doesn't teach you anything about Makoto that you either don't already know, or that is interesting or new information. Makoto's lucky being sucky is nothing new, and all the Secret File does is rehash information that we already know from the games without adding any substantial new insights.

//The story simply doesn't provide enough new or significant information to justify its existence. No major revelations about the original hero, or impactful additions to his character. And as someone who does really like Makoto, that's disappointing to me.

//Also, just like the previous two entries, this story also suffers the problem of an imperfect balance between the angst and the humor. Although in this case, it's more on the other end of the spectrum from Togami and Killer Killer, where it's too goofy and not hectic or scary enough.

//And as one last little qualm, the file focuses way to heavily on specific aspects of Makoto's character, like his talent and his backstory, neglecting other elements that I find a lot more important.

//And therefore, it detracts from my enjoyment a bit.

#17 - Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak Academy

//We're finally here. At what is surprisingly not the worst thing Danganronpa has put out, but easily my least favorite canonical mainline installment of the series.

//Sit down for a bit if you're not already, because I do have a fair bit to say about this one. But my concerns with it are mostly the same as everyone else's.

//Believe it or not, the reason why Danganronpa 3 didn't end up smack dab at the bottom of this list isn't for the easy reason that "I just liked those other one's less." Actually, Danganronpa 3 isn't wholly irredeemable. There are some stuff about it that I like.

//But both parts of this anime, the Despair Arc and the Future Arc, suffer from the same problems. So I've chosen not to separate them, and I'll try and go through all of my major issues with this show one at a time.

//With that being said, first things first...It's plot is pretty terrible.

//Danganronpa 3's storyline is weird, incoherent, and rushed, especially in Future Arc. And this is something you'll notice as we work our way down the list of reasons, but it feels like DR3 suffers way more than it should through the simple fact that it's an anime and not another game like one and two.

//The game's would not have this problem because there'd be more time to divvy out, but for the anime, it feels like they introduced numerous storylines and character arcs, then spent a lot of the series, especially the latter parts, trying to wrap them up. Which of course, leads to a lack of depth and development for any of the characters, and an overall unsatisfying conclusion.

//The duel arcs of Future Arc and Despair Arc are also unnecessarily complex and confusing. Especially since they're two separate storylines, but you're also supposed to watch then alternately?

//One of the biggest offenders, as I'm sure everyone is already well familiar with, is the birth of the Ultimate Despair at the end of Despair Arc, when the 77th Class, AKA. The Class of Danganronpa 2, are turned into Junko's subservient despair minions.

//What we could have gotten was a show seeing this class slowly devolve and drown in despair as their lives progressively get worse and worse.

//What we got was Chiaki dying, and a brainwashing video.

//Lazy.

//There is no other word for it.

//Speaking of which, one of my biggest problems with DR3 and why I hate it so much is because I absolutely despise the main cast.

//Everybody in the Future Foundation is a complete dickwad at first, and most of them remain that way throughout the entire story. As I said before, I grew to really like Seiko Kimura, and I liked Koichi Kizakura and the Great Gozu too. But DR3's new characters in general are either underdeveloped, or they're written in a way that makes me absolutely despise them. I think Juzo Sakakura is the worst offender of this.

//And it's not just the new characters either. The anime also features the casts of Danganronpa 1 AND 2, and SOMEHOW BOTH GROUPS are treated really poorly, with their story and character arcs either being completely ignored, or concluded in unsatisfying ways. Again, the brainwashing at the end of Despair Arc is the worst offender of this.

//The anime also seems to prioritize fanservice of all kinds over actual coherent storytelling. Like a pandering attempt to please the fans, and massively failing, since they aren't delivering anything substantial.

//But the thing that bothers me the most is that despite being marketed as the conclusion to the Hope's Peak saga, and literally EXISTING for the purpose of wrapping up a lot of the plot points from the first 3 games, Danganronpa 3 leaves quite a few plot points unresolved or poorly explained.

//For example, what happened to the Remnants of Despair after they took the fall for the Future Foundation? How did the Remnants account for Nagito after everything he did to them in virtual Jabberwock Island? What happened to the Future Foundation after the Final Killing Game, and how did they fix the mess that Tengan and Yukizome left behind? What's going on with Makoto now that he's randomly the headmaster of Hope's Peak? What happened with Ryota, and is he ever gonna psychologically recover after he tried to brainwash the whole world?

//The blatant lack of closure on a lot of the aspects I've listed above, AND more, is just so damn frustrating. It's not a definitive end to the story; not to mention that the anime introduces changes and elements that don't align with the game; such as Chiaki randomly being a human now even though she was just an AI originally.

//To put it simply, Danganronpa 3 just...fails. It fails to live up to the standards of the games that came before it, and it fails to provide a satisfying conclusion to the storyline.

//So here's the question. Is it really all that bad?

//Actually no. There are some pearls hidden in this pile of dirt.

//When the anime really tries, it can deliver really powerful emotional punches to the gut when it wants to. In my view, the last episode, also known as the Hope Arc, which marked the conclusion of Makoto and Hajime's parallel tales and marked a crossover between the two arcs, was truly outstanding. And that's not even mentioning the emotional rollercoaster that is real Chiaki's execution. It's such a terrifying and morbid scene in the franchise that really just sticks with you.

//Speaking of which, while I do feel that the cast get done dirty a lot in the show, I can't claim the same for the main pairings of each arc. That's Kyoko and Makoto for Future Arc, and Hajime and Chiaki for Despair Arc.

//Anime Chiaki is very different from game Chiaki, but she's an equally fun and entertaining character. I would argue even more than the original, though I know that's an unpopular opinion. A lot of people think that Chiaki is a Mary Sue in the anime, but I think the anime actually shows off the imperfections with Chiaki's character more than DR2 did. She exemplifies genuine kindness and unwavering dedication to her friends, making her a compassionate and likeable character.

//Hajime even more so is handled well I think. His complex emotional journey and growth from a confused, despair-ridden individual into a determined and empathetic person who seeks to redeem his actions is enthralling, and honestly, if it weren't for the little touches that DR3 gave him, I might like him half as much as I do now.

//And Kyoko playing less of an active role in the narrative actually works to her benefit. Especially since whatever scenes she has are usually interesting, and casually reminds you that "Yes, I am the most badass female character in the series." And the compassion and care that she shows for Makoto, despite how cold and distant she is to everyone. Ship fuel aside, it's great.

//If I can give the anime one last plus, it's that I think it has one of the best soundtracks in the series. The songs in the anime aren't as well known because I think a lot of them used to be copyrighted/are copyrighted, but listen to the soundtracks of both DR3 arcs and you'll see what I mean.

//So yeah. Danganronpa 3. Bad? Yes. Completely irredeemable? No way.

#16 - Danganronpa ReBirth/DanganRebirth Voices

//Honestly, I was actually this close to putting ReBirth below DR3. I didn't quite realize how much I didn't care for it until now.

//A lot of you might be surprised to see this one on the lower levels of the list. I've mentioned before that three of my favourite characters in the blog are Akira, Narumi, and Ayumu, all three of whom come from this project. So why is it this far down the list?

//Let me give you a little bit of background on the origins of this Fangan.

//For the sake of pulling an April Fool's Day joke, online content creator and game designer Miwashiba spent 1.5 months creating and developing Danganronpa ReBirth. Miwashiba declared that there would be no intentions to develop this game beyond what had been provided once the joke ended. But after getting so much interest in their novel, they eventually started posting the prologue and first chapter in text format on their blog.

//On April 1, 2017, the official website went live along with "in-game" videos that included character graphics, music, and a fully voiced cast. Because the artwork, graphics, and website design were so similar to the Danganronpa aesthetic, there was a lot of conjecture online about whether the game was real or just a practical joke being pulled by Spike Chunsoft, especially among English-speaking fans who did not have access to the untranslated website.

//But Miwashiba retained their stance on not making a full game out of it. However, that eventually led to the creation of DanganRebirth Voices.

//Now I should clarify that Danganronpa ReBirth and DanganRebirth Voices are two completely different fan projects that use the same characters and plot points. And instead of a game, it was instead an animated web-series featuring a lot of famous Fangan voices actors that are still active in the community today.

//In order to avoid possible legal action that Miwashiba may face if Spike Chunsoft found someone creating unofficial Danganronpa works for financial gain, Miwashiba had initially agreed to allow the team to use their creations' name, characters, and materials on the understanding that it would be entirely non-profit.

//However, later on, The Voices team revealed that they were organizing a stream to generate money for a team member's cat's veterinary expenses, despite their agreement with Miwashiba. The goal of the stream was to entice viewers to give by offering a Q&A session with the team, providing voice acting requests from the ReBirth Voicescharacters, and featuring additional content that included the Danganronpa ReBirth moniker and Miwashiba's original characters.

//Although they had been able to work out a compromise and negotiate their way out of problems with Miwashiba in the past, the team explained in their public statement about the project's cancellation that the stream had been the "last straw" in a list of concerns that Miwashiba had had since the project's inception. As a result, they felt that in order to respect Miwashiba's wishes and avoid legal issues, they had to cancel the project.

//I remember being pretty bummed and annoyed when I first heard about it, but looking back, I don't blame Miwashiba. ReBirth was always meant to exist as a joke, and Chunsoft's legal action team was fierce back in the day. But the fact that this never got a solid conclusion and only two incomplete projects knocks it down by quite a bit for me.

//While I do love the characters I listed above, my interpretation of them is only loosely based on ReBirth Voices original outline for them. They share only a few things in common; for example, the reason why Narumi and Akira are bad guys is because they were confirmed to be a pair of Mastermind's in ReBirth Voices. And I kept Ayumu's gender politics as part of his character, but downplayed them massively.

//However, even outside of that, I have quite a few issues with the ReBirth games. For one, the writing in both versions is pretty subpar, and whatever nuanced storytelling and engaging dialogue they're trying to get across to me, they're failing to do so.

//The second big issue is that a lot of what DanganRebirth does is recycled concepts from previous entries without offering new or innovative elements, taking away any sense of freshness.

//Not only that, but it typically tends to do these concepts worse. In both versions, Ayumu's gender politics plot point is treated with disrespect, in a way that Kodaka would never have done for Chihiro in the original game.

//And as a last fault, the quality of the voice acting in ReBirth Voices is wholly inconsistent.

//On the one hand, bblackroses as Narumi, and HarenaVA as Kazuomi are pretty on point and good for the characters; but in contrast, something like Kel as Ayumu and Bostoboy as Akira don't really do it for me.

//Rebirth is good because it showed what was possible, and what the community were capable of with just a bit of effort. Something that we'll be sure to go over with the rest of the fangames on this list.

#15 - Danganronpa Blowback

//Blowback is unfortunately not one of those.

//In all honesty, a lot of what I said about ReBirth is equally as true for Blowback.

//For one, Blowback never got finished before the team behind it disbanded, and we only managed to get two full chapters out of it before it went goodbye forever.

//Unlike ReBirth though, this one suffers from being an exclusively Korean fangame with translations for it being really hard to come across. I definitely found one and played it, but I cannot find that original link or play it anymore, so most people don't even know this game exists.

//One of the things that I really liked about Blowbakc is how official the sprites look. Genuinely, if you put a character like Akeru, or Mai in front of me, I genuinely would believe that Komatsuzaki made them.

//And there are quite a few characters in the game, namely the likes of Kana Ise and Akeru Yozora who I think are really fun and I really enjoy.

//But beyond that, there are some problems. And they mainly have to do with the same characters and the story. And that's that this game feels less like it's own fangame, and more like a retelling of Danganronpa 1.

//In the original game, Seina Datenashi is a prim and proper pretty girl who's also a bit of a gadfly, just like Sayaka was in the first game. However, she ends up being the killer, so her trial feels like what COULD have happened if Sayaka had successfully killed Leon in the first chapter of the first game.

//Secondly, the second killer, Mikihiko, in the original game, is a boy who wears clothes that make him appear effeminate. Which is exactly like Chihiro, except in a more cynical format, since he was forced to wear those clothes by his sisters. So it's really a killer-victim swap there as well, imagining Chihiro WAS desperate enough to hide the secret.

//Third, the "rival" character in the game is Shozo Asayoru. And in almost every way, he is exactly like Byakuya, from his sprites to his attitude, to his expressions.

//For me, that spells a lack of originality. Even though it does have it's own original plot points and characters that I really like, Blowback relies too heavily on already existing Danganronpa content without introducing any meaningful elements or ideas.

//Unlike ReBirth however, I really would have liked to see this one to the end, even if just to see how far we got with it, and what they could have changed it up to be.

#14 - Hyper! Danganronpa H20: Abandon All Hope

//It was always my intention to introduce Maya Canzanilla and her friends from this game into the blog because I really enjoyed her and her content, but for those who were around when Into the Ocean first released, you may remember that prior to the arc starting, I made a full length post explaining why I was adding these characters, where I've never really done that before for any other Fangan featured here.

//There was a reason for that. Several in fact.

//I don't mean to beat a dead horse, but for the uninitiated, I will have to explain a few key points about this game to give you a better idea as to why my choice to add it was controversial.

//English-language fangame Hyper! Danganronpa H20: Abandon All Hope, also referred to as Hyper! Danganronpa H20 and HDRH20, was made by US developer Milkpunches. This game was the first fully functional English fan game that had ever been published by an developer.

//It's also the most controversial and widely despised Fanganronpa.

//And for reasons that I think are pretty justified, despite how much I've come to care for Maya. What are those reasons?

//First off, the character writing is incredibly shallow. I like the character designs a lot, but unlike most Fangans, you cannot tell what each characters Ultimate Talents are based on their appearance. This Fangan was originally based on a roleplay, but in the execution of the game, somehow, they come across as less developed than Danganronpa 3.

//One one end of the spectrum, you have Maya, Ashe, August, Four, Hunter, Kokona, Oliver, and Victoria. All of whom are varying degrees of douchebag.

//On the other end, you have Chet, Kami, Kouji, Leona, Marie, and Ricardio, all of whom are varying degrees of nice.

//And then meshing about in the middle, you have Tamako who is just weird and creepy, and Cesar who...has NO personality for most of the game.

//And that's about it.

//A lot of the characters don't change, which for me has always been alright because the MAIN one's that I actually give a shit about do. But it's still a qualm that needs to be covered.

//Speaking of qualms, another big issue is that the trials, cases, and gameplay of this fangame suck total ass.

//HDRH20 was made in OHRRPGCE; an extremely dated game design software, that clearly does not cater well to Fanganronpa's AT ALL.

//The "Trials", if they can even be called that, are garbage, you can't view the Truth Bullets (or at least the game never explains how to do so), and the endless debates are similar to Ace Attorney but far less thrilling because you have to go through the text instead of picking a bullet and shooting it.

//Not to add the annoying mess that appears—once—as Hangman's Labyrinth. Throughout the entire game. You only play the minigame once, and it's in the first trial. The creator just forgot about the minigame between chapters.

//Speaking of the creator, Milkpunches, while I won't go into specifics, is, or rather was, a notoriously toxic person back when they were making HDRH20. And this is by far my biggest issue with this game, and what the creator was trying to do with it.

//Now, what I'm about to say could potentially come across as offensive to some parties, but given how relevant it is, it needs to be said. I'm not trying to go out of my way to make anyone feel attacked for their identity or their likes. We don't do that here.

//The reason I bring this up is because I want to make an observation, in that every character in this game falls somewhere on the LGBTQ+ spectrum. And this game was written and created with the intention of basically forcing pride ideas into the player's heads.

//This is what is known as "Tokenism." If LGBTQ+ characters are included just to fulfil a diversity quota without meaningful development or integration into the story, it can come off as superficial or insincere.

//Tokenism can undermine the authenticity or representation and fail to contribute to a compelling narrative. And relying on sterotypes or cliches when portraying characters who are gay, or trans, or lesbian, or bi, etc. can be harmful and reductive. It creates one-dimensional characters that don't reflect the complexity of real individuals and can perpetuate harmful misconceptions.

//Which is exactly what the cast of HDRH20 are.

//Focusing solely on a characters queer identity without exploring other aspects of their personality or role in the story can limit their depth. A well-rounded charater should have a multifaceted identity, where their LGBTQ+ status is just one of many elements.

//Don't take my words out of context: Pride representation itself is not detrimental to storytelling. It just needs to be approached with care to ensure that it adds to the narrative in a meaningful and respectful way, and here it just...doesn't. The ideas are forcefully shoved down your throat in a toxic way.

//And as for Milkpunches themselves, they attack anybody who criticizes them in the way that I've just done, so I'm not touching that with a 10 foot pole.

//But regardless, I still really like Hyper Danganronpa, and here's a few reasons why.

//For one, the character designs and art style are cool even if they're not wholly "Danganronpa-like." And even if the personalities are sorted into two basic sets, unlike a certain other fangan that we'll get to, these characters DO develop and change.

//One of the biggest criticisms people have for this game is that Maya as a protagonist is so unlikeable and annoying. But I think she's only like this for the prologue at least and Chapter 1 at most. Over time, she changes and becomes less stand-offish, and opens up to Hunter and Four.

//And it's not like the characters are completely one-dimensional. They have well-written backstories, and honestly, a lot of the storytelling is only held back by the game engine, not the actual writing.

//As abundant as the pride inclusion is, some of it, especially with Four, is detailed and handled well.

//And I do generally think that once you seperate content from creator, Hyper Danganronpa H20 has it's own charms. The problems are still there and still need to be accounted for, but looking past them, this is something special at its sweet center.

#13 - Super Danganronpa Another 2 ~The Moon of Hope and Sun of Despair~

//I've personally always seen DRA and SDRA2 as so in-line with the original Danganronpa, that I've subconsciously considered them as Danganronpa 5 and 6.

//Or I guess it would be 6 and 7 if we're forming a timeline.

//If you got into the Danganronpa fanbase and started to peruse the fanmade content, there's a pretty high chance that the first major project you came across was this Korean fangame by creator LINUJ; with it's own original theme of Process and Result.

//This is by far the most famous fangame in the entire fanbase, and chances are you've played it if you were able to get your hands on a translation.

//I think SDRA2 is probably the most solid Fanganronpa out there, and it's easily the most recognizable AND recommendable. As time has passed, it's become much easier for Western audiences to get their hands on, though still not easy by any means, and it's a good experience for any fans of the Danganronpa series, new, or old.

//It does the enjoyable thing of realizing what it is and messing with your expectations at every step, all the while remaining satisfying and not catching you off guard.

//Most of the challenges and riddles you solve in each chapter rank among the best of the entire series. Especially compared to the cases of DRV3.

//So the question is why is it so low?

//The first of the reasons is that Utsuroshima is hardly an original concept for a setting.

//Yes, it does different things than Jabberwock Island, such as the snowy island, but it's still a tropical island inside a virtual reality that everyone is trapped in.

//Secondly, the actual story of SDRA2 is poorly paced. Maybe I'm missing a couple of stuff, but you don't actually figure out any of the major plot points until you get to CHAPTER 5, with a few hints to it in Chapter 4.

//Danganronpa has always had an issue with pacing, but fangames are made to fix the mistakes that Kodaka and the team keep making, and the fact that this game doesn't is very annoying.

//The third and main reason is that while this might be a hot take, I actually don't like most of this game's cast.

//At their most basic, I can't stand characters like Nikei, Yuri, Syobai, and a few of the others. And compared to the cast of the previous game LINUJ made, most of them are easily passable for me. In fact, the only three who I know aren't are Sora, Setsuka, and Yoruko.

//Sora, I even admitted, is my favorite Danganronpa/Fanganronpa protagonist, and I still stand by that.

//Mod Bubbles from ASooT explains this better, but LINUJ as a writer is a very cynical person. Throughout SDRA2, there are many segway's in the writing process where it feels like prime opportunity for a character to emotionally develop. To reflect on their mistakes, and to become stronger.

//Kodaka does this a lot in the original games. Characters like Byakuya, Fuyuhiko, Komaru, Shuichi, and many others are completely different by the end of their games than they are at the start, and the progression tends to feel natural.

//But LINUJ's characters never seem to be able to take the first step, and remain the way they are. And for a lot of them who are scummy shitheads, this is to their unyielding detriment.

//While I'm more aware as to why things the way they are with this game, a writer's outlook on life can help or hinder a character's development in several ways. A lot of the characters in SDRA2 especially are overly negative, and prevents them from being well-rounded and enjoyable people with good motives and potential for growth.

//It also makes me wonder how LINUJ can even empathize with his own characters. If you have a character, especially one that's on the good side, that nobody can relate or connect to, then that's a bad thing.

//Since the writer seems to believe that people are inherently flawed or incapable of change, that in turn makes a lot of this game's cast static, and stops them from experiencing meaningful development, or necessary redemption arcs.

//As one last little slight, SDRA2 may be more accessible to people these days, but DRA1 isn't. And in order to get the full experience out of this game, you kind of have to know the plot of game 1 first.

#12 - Ultra Despair Hagakure

//Yasuhiro Hagakure is my least favourite character from the original trilogy of Danganronpa games.

//Had it not been for the likes of Haiji Towa and similarly fuckwad characters existing, he'd be my least favourite in the series.

//His constant laid back demeanor and frequent use of nonsensical or absurd statements. The fact that he's easily the most unhelpful and useless character in the main series. His repeated cowardice. How out of touch he is with everything else that's going on in the game.

//There are so many reasons why I loathe this guy, so when I found out there was a novella centered around him exploring Towa City just as Komaru and Toko did throughout Ultra Despair Girls, suffice to say, I was not happy to hear it.

//So what did I think of it?

//...It was actually alright.

//I'll say right out of the gate that what I think is the absolute coolest part of this little story is how Hiro's journey through it mirrors the journey of Komaru and Toko in UDG. Ultra Despair Girls is a story about a cowardly main character who gets stuck in Towa City, surrounded by danger, and finds an unlikely companion in a perverse and strange, yet powerful ally. The two butt heads occassionally, but their bond remains strong enough to fight through the turmoil so that they may escape and see the sun tomorrow.

//Toko and Komaru's dynamic is almost the exact same as Hiro and Kanon's, and I think that's actually pretty clever.

//However, another thing I'll say right out of the gate is that if you're expecting to get any good character development out of Hiro with this story, then be prepared to be disappointed.

//It really shows the moral difference between the characters when Toko and Hiro go through the same experience, and one of them grows from it and the other doesn't.

//Toko originally aids Komaru because she wants to rescue Byakuya, but her goals change after she spends time with Komaru and becomes a true friend with her, wanting to protect her too.

//Hiro originally aids Kanon because he hopes that her rich father will handsomely compensate him, and he still believes that in the final chapters of the story.

//This just goes back to what I was saying about the cast of SDRA2. Hiro may be a comic relief character, but it annoys the everloving fuck out of me that he just WON'T change, no matter what hell he's put through, he never learns a scrap of humility for his scamming and bargaining.

//Unfortunately, Kanon isn't exactly the right character to teach him it either.

//Kanon is...fine. She's fine. There's nothing outwardly wrong with her besides her creepy weird lust for her dead cousin in the story.

//But as far as I'm aware, love rules in Japan are lenient with cousins, plus Kanon didn't know that Leon was dead, so...

//The reason why Ultra Despair Hagakure is this high is because even though it features two characters that I'm...at best, very on the fence about, the way they interact is a fun time, and the fact that they make just as good a team as Tokomaru makes it even more fun.

//Also, while Hiro, again, doesn't change from the events in the story, this is the best example in the series that shows he CAN step up and be brave if he needs to, which is why he's less of a coward in Survivor as a result.

//This one for me is the middle ground for the novels. It's not as bad or as mundane as Byakuya's and Makoto's, and it's still not wholly necessary, but it's an enjoyable read.

#11 - Danganronpa: Kirigiri

//Kyoko is one of the most outstanding characters in the entire Danganronpa series. Like Makoto and Byakuya, her partners in crime, she's one of the most commonly appearing and influential faces in the series and franchise.

//Like Byakuya, she also had an interesting backstory shrouded in mystery, but unlike Byakuya, her own novel series portrayed it in a really unique fashion.

//Danganronpa: Kirigiri is the benchmark for me, and the definition of what the DR light novels should be. As I said before, Makoto and Hiro, while there was nothing outwardly wrong with their stories, didn't really need to happen since a lot of the information shown in the stories is stuff that was already known. For Byakuya, it was backstory stuff that was interesting and should have elaborated on the mysterious past of the Ultimate Affluent Progeny, but failed to do so in a meaningful and fun way.

//But when you have a character as elusive and mysterious as Kyoko Kirigiri, who remains that way throughout the entire main series, these novels really shine. Bonus material like this SHOULD be giving more lore and information on elusive characters like Kyoko, and while the others I think do it better than hers, she's still the low bar, and that means something.

//Takekuni Kitayama is the author of the light novel series, which centers on Detective Library members Kyoko Kirigiri and her history with colleague investigator Yui Samidare as they investigate the Duel Noir cases. Kitayama joined the series as a co-writer starting with V3, and his novel ran for seven years, in seven volumes.

//Unlike Killer Killer, the stories shown in these novels continue the DR series tradition of making intricate mysteries and thrills. Where Killer Killer failed to build up their crimes and make anything meaningful of the story, Kirigiri is able to maintain the suspense and psychological intrigue that the fans of the series appreciate.

//And it's especially interesting to see a younger, more starry-eyed Kyoko solving the cases. Even as a kid, she's the perfect protagonist for this kind of story.

//Also, surprisingly, Yui, Kyoko's sidekick and the main protagonist for this story, is a pretty well written character in her own right.

//Her existence in the story shows me that Kitayama understood the assignment. Even while younger, Kyoko's aloof and elusive nature makes her hard to connect with for general audiences, so he wrote Yui as the main heroine to fix that issue.

//However, even with the relatability aspect playing a huge part, Yui is a multi-dimensional character with a good blend of strength and vulnerability shown through her actions. Her interactions with the other characters, especially with Kyoko, adds richness to the narrative that really helps it move along.

//Also, the way that these novels casually make the Danganronpa universe bigger, even if some of it isn't all that relevant, is pretty impressive. And unlike the Togami novels, these one's are well-written with a fun narrative style that complements the existing series.

//With all that said, I definitely have my issues with the Kirigiri light novels, and ironically, a lot of them are shared with Killer Killer.

//Like Killer Killer, the only characters in this story who I remember the names of are Kyoko, Yui, Licorne, and Fuhito. Every other character is so irrelevant to me, I just block them out of my mind.

//Furthermore, as interesting and brain-wracking as the novels are, the plotlines can sometimes be too complicated, and the mystery elements can be challenging to follow, especially for readers who aren't as familiar with the Danganronpa style as long-time fans.

//And again, it's hard to find these novels in English.

#10 - Danganronpa Zero

//Like I said in the previous entry, Kyoko was one of the biggest characters, at least in the first game, who really benefitted from having her own light novel series to better explore the intricacies of her character. But she is one of three characters in the first game who are in this boat.

//ANOTHER one was JUNKO.

//As a prequel to Danganronpa 1, and by extension the entire series, Danganronpa Zero provides a deeper understanding of the series lore in a way that ACTUALLY WORKS, particularly the origins of the first Killing Game, the science behind it, and the backstory of one of it's most key characters.

//Junko is the main antagonist of the Danganronpa franchise, and just like her arch-nemesis Makoto, her influence is EVVEERRRYYYWHEEEEREE across this franchise. Even MORE than Makoto's is, easily.

//So it's amazing to me that she's still such an enigmatic character despite this central role in the storyline. As well-known as she is as the Mastermind of the Killing Game and as the Ultimate Despair, her true motivations are shrouded in mystery.

//While not fully, the Zero light novels help to elaborate on some of it. And they do it in a unique and twisty way too that is really fun to experience. And not just for Junko, but for the DR series as a whole.

//I'll be the first to say that Zero introduces a lot of random ass characters that no one, including me, seems to like very much, and for reasons that I think are fair. But I'm also mostly fine with that, because unlike some stories like Killer Killer, I think Ryoko and Yasuke handle the story well enough on their own.

//The mystery of who Ryoko really is, and the reveal near the end of the story's are masterful. And the fact that it remains such a dramatic and well-built-up mystery is awesome. As a character, she is fairly standard, but her actions and decisions are driven by strong, personal motivations. The depth makes her relatable and fun and her choices more impactful within the narrative.

//Matsuda too. The series has it's fair share of stone-faced snarkers before he showed up, but his character is marked by hidden personal struggles and more emotional depth than he lets on. And his decisions are not always black and white, adding some nuance to the tale.

//Couple all that with the fact that Zero has an actually engaging plotline and set of mysteries that don't overwhelm you as much as they would in Kirigiri, it's quite easy to get invested into this story as you put the pieces together.

#9 - Danganronpa ~Another Despair Academy~

//So I understand that this is a very hot take when it comes to taking a look at the Another series, because there aren't many out there who would put the first game above the second, especially not four spots higher. But let me break down just why I like this one so much.

//For starters, the more colorful character designs appeal to me massively. And personality wise, Another 1 has a much more solid cast of characters than the second game does.

//While Yuki is still a fairly standard protagonist for most of the game, borrowing aspects from both Makoto and Hajime, characters like Tsurugi, and Kakeru, and Satsuki, and quite a few others are one's that I'd never really seen the likes of before. And unlike SDRA2, most of them are likeable to me.

//They aren't perfect of course. There's still traces of LINUJ's pessimistic attitude, but there's less here than there was there for me.

//I also like the mysteries and the class trials more. Even though they are more contained, and borrow some things from the main game, (i.e. the first culprit being the sports jock and the fourth case being a trapped house) I still think the mysteries of this game are enough to stand out, even in the fierce competition.

//I can't comment much on the environment because like Utsuroshima, it's just a recreation of the setting of Danganronpa 1.

//But unlike SDRA2, Another 1 has a lot of the things that I look for in a fangan. It's pacing is well-managed, and the investigations, trials, and character interactions run smoothly and keep players engaged throughout.

//But even with that, there's more of a respect for the source material here than in the sequel. I know that on LINUJ's part that was intentional, and he wanted to set SDRA2 apart, but while innovation is key, I do like it when the tone of the original is respected.

//Now if only we can have an actual not-shitty translation for this.

#8 - Project: Eden's Garden

//This is not only the most recent Fangan to be added to the list, but also the most recent Fangan to be created in general on the list.

//Even though we've only gotten one character from Eden's Garden in the blog so far, I still wanted to include this because I've yet to thoroughly talk about this game.

//My general opinion on it is that I don't fit in with the hype surrounding Eden's Garden, and I'm not as excited for it's production as most other people, but I generally still think this is a really solid fangan.

//Well, I say "fangan" but Eden's Garden isn't explicitly a Danganronpa game. Apparently it's just "inspired."

//Which is a load of horseshit. You're trapped in a location with 15 other students, you all have Ultimate Talents, the bad guy, while not Monokuma, is black and white.

//It's a Danganronpa game, no matter who tells you otherwise.

//That being said, Eden's Garden DOES deserve to stand on it's own merits.

//First of all, even though it's currently just a prologue, the story features a beta Class Trial to show it's player base what's in store for the future, which I think is a clever tactic. Most fangans leave their audiences high and dry while they wait for the first trial to release (still been waiting 3 years for Chapter 1 of Coward's Paradise).

//This beta trial also shows off how Eden's Garden's mysteries and system are unique to itself, and while it has a similar spirit, it does take what Danganronpa laid down and runs with it in a way most fan projects don't.

//Right from the get go, the narrative is compelling to me, and the characters are done very creatively. I like that Damon Maitsu, the protagonist, is an asshole to everybody because he genuinely thinks he's so much better than them. It's like playing Trigger Happy Havoc, but Byakuya is the protagonist instead of Makoto.

//The quality of the game is unbelievable too. Not just the characters themselves, but the backgrounds of this game are absolutely gorgeous, even if they are simplistic. But that's always been the case for Danganronpa as well, and Eden's Garden replicates that simple beauty perfectly.

//One of the biggest selling points for Eden's Garden for me though doesn't actually have to do with the game itself, but the people who are making it. There is nothing more satisfying to me in the universe than a developer team that actively engages with their community.

//I do understand why it's important to make sure you keep your closest fans and followers at arms length. You don't want to get too personal to people who you don't know. But in the case of a project like Eden's Garden, it relieves a lot of my worries about the game's future because the dev's listen to their fanbase, and actively accept the criticism to make sure the final cut of this game turns out exactly as the fanbase wants it to, which is more than I can say for most entries on this list, especially number 14.

//That said, I do have a couple of minor issues that bump the current state of Eden's Garden down a bit. It suffers from a lot of standard problems that fangans tend to, like varying quality at different sections. For example, depending on the version, their might be problems with the quality of voice acting or dialogue. This was a big issue for RebirthVoices.

//For this game in particular, I can narrow my issues down to 3 things.

//One: The game is currently just the prologue. As good as the prologue to this game is, it is not anywhere close to a complete game, therefore I cannot judge it as such.

//Two: While many of the characters are appealing right from the get go, be it for their interesting personalities or the mystery surrounding them, there are one or two that I feel are lacking depth. It's hard to say how I feel about this new group when I have so little to work with.

//And three: my own personal experience of this was detracted from with the numerous technical issues I suffered playing it, like bugs, glitches, and performance problems. I'm sure this is just a me thing because I haven't got a strong enough computer, but the problem is still a problem.

//But these are all ultimately minor qualms, and they don't detract my TOTAL enjoyment of this project. This is something special, and I really hope it goes places.

#7 - DanganFanfic V2: New World Order

//For those who are uninitiated in this entry, this is the game that Mona, Mii-Yu, Eden, and a couple other side characters are from originally.

//As well as, personally, one of the most underrated Fanganronpas ever that doesn't nearly get enough attention and that actually bothers the fuck out of me.

//Okay, so let me get my issues with this out of the way first and foremost. I do have some pretty big critiques for this game, starting with it's gameplay.

//This game was made in the Ren'Py Engine, and for those who don't know, that is the same engine that was used to make Doki Doki Literature Club.

//And unfortunately, it does NOT work well for Danganronpa.

//The gameplay of the Class Trials in this are my biggest issue with this game. Like H20, there are many minigames that you only ever play once, and the one's that you DON'T play once tend to be very annoying and tedious with horrible UI's.

//The Daily Life segments are fine, but as soon as you get into the Deadly Life stuff, that's when the games tend to take a HUGE drop in quality.

//Speaking of, the Daily Life, Investigation, and Class Trial are all split up into separate downloadable files, which means it just fills up your PC unless you delete each file after playing them. Which is what I tend to do.

//The game itself is made by like, three people, so I can't exactly complain, but I feel like it could be better.

//My other huge issue with this is not really any fault of the game's or the developers, but something that gets on my nerves regardless.

//This game, as the 2 in it's title implies, is a sequel to a Danganronpa fanfiction that the creators wrote a short while ago. It was a personal story amongst them and was never released to the public. When they started working on the game, they weren't originally planning on making it a publicly downloadable Fangan, until they "succumbed to the pressure" as they put it.

//The annoying thing is that the original fanfic never got released, and yet the game's plotline is based entirely on the events that happened in that. The reasons why Monokuma is randomly called Killmore Bear, the victims of the game that the new characters all associate with, and so many other things can't be answered because the external lore that answers the plot points is not wholly available. Only brief guidelines are.

//So that frustrates me. But that's basically all the issues I have with this game. Everything else is absolutely stellar.

//First off, these are some of the most creative character designs I've ever seen. All the sprites ARE traced from the original series, but I don't give a shit about that. The game itself is basically made on a budget of zero anyway, and if it works, it works.

//And despite how incomplete the full backstory of the game is, the plot and mystery element of it is fucking fantastic. The Class Trials are written superbly well, even though they stick to the same tropes that the original series have done before, and the psychological drama is so original and interesting.

//A lot of the humor is unfortunately inside jokes that only the developers understand, but once you hear it enough times, you start to make sense of the weird phraseology and it doesn't feel wholly out of place.

//And the character writing, while again, a lot of tropes of the original DR cast are still there (such as Zeke and Kokichi being VERY strikingly similar) the characters in this game are really fun, wacky, and oftentimes reach ABNORMAL levels of silliness and confusing. From a British dictator, so a barista who is usually polite but becomes rude and foul-mouthed when he's on coffee withdrawals, to a missionary that missionaries for EVERY religion.

//A lot of these are blatantly unrealistic and stupid, but that's the charm of this.

//If you haven't had a chance to play DanganFanfic V2, PLEASE give it a go. I promise you, you won't regret it. To this day, I still genuinely believe that it is among the best of the best Fanganronpa's out there.

#6 - Ultimate Talent Development Plan/Danganronpa S: Ultimate Summer Camp

//Hoo boy, where do I fucking begin with this one?

//So Danganronpa S is currently the most recent official title in the main series of Danganronpa Video Games, and there are two things I need to clarify first and foremost.

//Firstly, I will be counting the full Danganronpa S game, as well as Ultimate Talent Development Plan from Danganronpa V3, as the same entry. Danganronpa S is an expanded version of the original UTDP game mode, with more features and characters, and on top of that, the game is also part of the same storyline. While Talent Development is a bonus minigame that shows a Non-Despair Alternate Universe of the cast of 1, 2, and V3 being students at Hope's Peak Academy and living out three years there before graduation, Summer Camp is both an expansion and a sequel of the original game mode, taking place at the end of the three years, and showing 50 days of the cast of 1, 2, V3, and now Ultra Despair Girls, living out their lives on Jabberwock Island in the virtual world.

//Secondly, Danganronpa S was released as part of Danganronpa's 10th Anniversary celebrations in 2020, and while it is a spinoff game with a marginally different gameplay focus, it expands on the universe at present by providing additional character integrations, backstories, and scenarios that are officially recognized as part of the series lore.

//Basically, what I'm saying is that even if you disagree, I do count this storyline as an official Danganronpa title, so it gets to be on the list. That said, if you were to include it, and you asked anyone what their favourite game in the series was, chances are high that it would NOT be this one.

//So let's go over all the reasons why this game is widely criticized and outright hated by the Danganronpa audience.

//Exhibit A: The gameplay is notoriously repetitive.

//Sure, being a visual novel series, Danganronpa has never been widely recognized for it's gameplay over it's storytelling, but even so, the gameplay loop of UTDP/DRS is mind-numbingly repetitive, and lacks a clear feel of depth and engagement that all previous titles lacked.

//Speaking personally on the matter, I do not like that it's a basic requirement to make your characters strong enough to fight in the RPG gamemode, using the boardgame mode, where their stats and abilities are mostly delegated to random chance.

//And I know how that sounds coming from someone who plays Hoyoverse games, but even the Hoyoverse games don't REQUIRE you have good artifacts. You only need them if you want to run the endgame dungeons, which I don't.

//For DRS, it is basically a REQUIREMENT, otherwise you can't beat the gamemode.

//Exhibit B: Gacha Mechanics and Microtransactions.

//Okay, so personally speaking, I think this is overblown. Yes, the gacha mechanics are dumb, and the fact that you have to roll for your characters is annoying, but the way the system works means that you're going to get one card at least once with no repeats; at least in DRS.

//But in DRS, the game also features microtransactions where if you're struggling to get a character, you can buy them on the Nintendo EShop.

//Now, this has never bothered me, because one character regardless of rank is less than 45p where I'm from. However, that's not the point.

//Putting gacha elements in any game that isn't a free purchase is frustrating and exploitative. These sorts of mechanics can make progress feel slow and contingent on spending real money, and that detracts a massive amount of enjoyment from an audience.

//Exhibit C: The plot is contrived and ex-machina as fuck.

//Danganronpa S in particular, with it's whole setting on Jabberwock Island in the virtual world, is ridiculous and nonsensical in the way it carries itself, and I feel like it didn't need to happen. The cast could have easily gone to a real island in real life. It would mean that the team didn't have to make ridiculous logical leaps to make the technicalities of it work.

//For example, you can bring souvenirs back from the island because they get 3D printed in the real world after you buy one.

//Why not just buy a real souvenir on a real island!? Because Monokuma needed magic powers to introduce your mcguffin BULLSHIT! This bear has done ridiculous shit in the real world! He doesn't need video game powers to be OP!

//It would have made so much more sense for this to take place on the REAL Jabberwock Island, not just because it avoids these stupid leaps, but because it might give the fans a chance to actually SEE the real world location the Killing Island in DR2 is based on.

//And Exhibit D, which I think is by far the biggest issue: This is not the Danganronpa we wanted.

//Ever since DRS came out, Spike Chunsoft have left Danganronpa as a franchise on the shelf to rot. And for me, this is a MASSIVE missed creative opportunity.

//Danganronpa is one of the biggest fanbases that Spike Chunsoft owns, and there are so many ways the franchise can explore new themes, settings, and gameplay mechanics. But instead, we just get this.

//Expectations for Danganronpa S were high when it first released, mainly due to the popularity and critical acclaim of games like DRV3 before it, but the dramatic shift in gameplay and focus combined with all the factors I've already listed, means this game is just an outright disappointment. And Chunsoft just left it at that.

//By not capitalizing on the potential of this series, regardless of how V3 tried to put it to bed, Spike Chunsoft misses out on the opportunity to expand and evolve Danganronpa in creative ways that could attract both existing fans and new players. Something that I would really like to do with a blog like Survivor.

//With all that being said though, Danganronpa S is up this high for a reason. Personally, even though I acknowledge that the issues are important and need to be addressed...I still like the game a lot.

//Mainly because UTDP/DRS knows exactly what it is and knows exactly what it needs to deliver to be sufficiently enjoying.

//It's a fanservice game.

//It was made to provide fanservice.

//And it gives you, SURPRISINGLY, fanservice!

//Again, I don't like the gameplay loop and the grinding, but that isn't what I'm here for. Even then, as monotonous as the gameplay is, that's okay, because this to me is one of those "fuck off" games where if you literally have nothing better to do in your life, you just sit down and play this for a bit.

//What I'm REALLY here for is the primary appeal of these games. The fact that you can see the main game characters interact with each other in ways that the main series wouldn't allow, while also in an AU where there's nothing bad happening, meaning they can be their truest selves.

//But at the same time, the characters who get development KEEP their development, which is good because I wouldn't like this game half as much if Hajime and Komaru were bitching over everything, and Fuyuhiko was acting all stand-offish.

//This game is the nostalgia punch of the series, and seeing one's favourite characters from a whole franchise interact in new ways is always a plus. As someone who has a strong attachment to this cast, it's a delightful experience seeing them all together.

//Also, these bonus game modes, Summer Camp especially, are designed well and retain the style of the characters throughout, even giving them whole new outfits in Summer Camp. Admittedly some of the swimsuits are better than others, but they all have their own aesthetic charm that I, as a fan, appreciates.

//And as contrived as the virtual Jabberwock Island is, it's still nice to see the island in a not depressing deadly perspective.

//Danganronpa's character driven content has always been the best part of it for me. And these titles deliver it in spades, so I will defend these games despite their flaws.

#5 - Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls

//It was tough deciding which between Ultra Despair Girls and V3 should kick off the top 5, being my two least favorites of the main installments of games, barring Summer Camp. But ultimately, I decided that Ultra Despair Girls fell a little bit shorter.

//Let's explain why.

//First off, unlike every other mainline game in the Danganronpa series, Ultra Despair Girls is not a murder mystery visual novel. It is an action-adventure game with elements of third-person shooter in it.

//This immediately puts it on another plane of existence from the main series because the two genre's are so remarkably different; it doesn't matter that there are similar elements between them like the fact that both focus on using certain types of bullets to defeat certain obstacles. And if there are players out there who played the main series, the discrepancy between it and Ultra Despair Girls is jarring for those who prefer the investigative and narrative-driven style of the main trilogy.

//What do I think of it?

//Well, as I mentioned in previous posts, I really want to see Danganronpa branch out into other genre's, with action-adventure being the main one, and Ultra Despair Girls is by far the most outlandish, while also keeping the character and narrative writing of the previous games intact.

//But...I'd also like those games to be good?

//Personally speaking, Ultra Despair Girls' game mechanics, like the aiming and shooting element, and the puzzle solving stuff, is clunky and repetitive at best, and it's not an enjoyable game to actually PLAY. Not to mention that compared to Rain Code, and now the 100 Line, the animation and 3D models just feel so dated in comparison.

//But the biggest issue is all to do with the narrative.

//There's nothing wrong with Ultra Despair Girls story. It's unique, and that's about all I can say on the matter. But my problems mainly lie in the tone, themes, and character.

//Another Episode is very easily the darkest game in the Danganronpa series; far more graphic than it's predecessors. And if I'm being totally honest, I don't like how the writing brings up ideas like child abuse, pedophilia, and psychological trauma just so casually.

//I'm not opposed to these ideas being in Danganronpa; it adds a touch of darkness to the story to remind you that this franchise is fucked up and it's supposed to be that way. I'd just personally like them to be handled better.

//Especially since Ultra Despair Girls has the weakest cast of the main series by a country mile. Yes, I said that Danganronpa 3 had a weak cast, but the majority of the main cast are characters that have already been shown in the series in DR1 and DR2. Like that, Ultra Despair Girls has characters from the first two games in it (Toko and Nagito being the most prominent examples) but they don't take up the majority of the cast.

//And that majority, all things considered, is pretty weak. Even as the most abused characters in the series, I find it hard to care about most of the Warriors of Hope because their actual personalities are so dry and simple compared to the rest of the main cast of the series. And in general, the characters development is less compelling compared to what was shown possible in DR1 and 2.

//I love Kodaka and his work, don't get me wrong, but his writing has always been pretty hit or miss for me, and the way that a lot of this is handled feels...kind of insensitive? I don't know how best to put it.

//With all that being said, you'd think that Ultra Despair Girls should have fallen a lot lower than it is here, but the truth is that Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls, is an underrated gem as far as Danganronpa is concerned.

//Even though most people regard it as the worst of the main games...

//...which is right...

//that doesn't mean it's bad. It's actually pretty incredible.

//As I said before, my own personal issue with UDG's gameplay is how clunky it is. The actual shift in gameplay is pretty fun honestly, and even though it's not EXACTLY what I want, it's still a step towards it.

//And even though I have some very major qualms with the writing of this game, putting those issues aside, the story itself is pretty great. The way that Komaru and Toko come together to fight this threat, and how they become such tight-knit friends feels so natural.

//Speaking of, while I do generally dislike the underdeveloped cast of this game, Komaru and Toko are not part of that problem.

//For many years, I had my issues with Komaru because I felt her character progression was too slow, and even in the end, I felt it didn't amount to much. But getting to write her in Survivor and Phantom Thieves of Hope, I love this absolute insane gremlin of an MC.

//I understand looking back that what makes Komaru so appealing compared to the other protags is, putting it not so delicately, is that by comparison to Makoto, Hajime, and later Shuichi...She's just so fucking stupid!

//There are times in the story where Komaru shows that she has the same observation skills and eye for detail as her brother, which is cool, but most of the time, when she's not crying her eyes out in the face of absolutely horrible and traumatic imagery, her interactions with Toko range from heartfelt to absolutely goddamn hilarious.

// "Kangaroo Meat and Tuna Eyeballs," and "Respeculate your elders," are a few good examples.

//Speaking of Toko...Holy shit, I fucking love Toko.

//As I mentioned before with Ultra Despair Hagakure, Toko and Hiro are in similar positions in their titles. They are the returnee from DR1 who I didn't like very much, and get a chance to have more character development.

//But while I feel Hiro kind of missed the mark, Toko hit it DEAD ON.

//She has one of the most compelling redemption arcs/character development stories in the whole series, to the point where I made an entire essay for it here on the blog.

//But, as to not repeat myself, I'll break it down by saying that I like mainly how Toko becomes more open and communicative without betraying her prickly and sarcastic nature that was developed in the first game; which is also handled far better here. Her interactions with Komaru help her come out of her shell, and she shows signs of caring and forming a genuine friendship, something she struggled with in her previous appearance.

//She's also the perfect character to bring back for a narrative like this, since she's easily the most thoroughly abused character in the first game, and that helps create a connection between her and the experiences the Warriors of Hope went through. They both were hurt as children, and those experiences led to them hurting and killing a lot of innocent people. And knowing she can't just brush off this connection, Toko begins to confront and deal with her past traumas, and her experiences in Ultra Despair Girls push her to acknowledge and work through her issues rather than just repress them. And it works very very well.

//And of course, while her feelings for Byakuya remain, Toko’s obsession diminishes, and she starts to define herself outside of this one-sided relationship. Her growing bond with Komaru helps her find value in herself beyond her fixation on Byakuya.

//This is why I don't mind the poor character writing of Ultra Despair Girls because all the good character writing went into these protagonists and their relationship, and it's excellent.

//As a few other notes on why I like this game, I really like the setting.

//Towa City is one of the most interesting settings for these games because of how open it is. Yeah, it's not exactly an open world, but having the Demon Hunting Game take place in an apocalyptic city is not only a far cry from DR1 and DR2, but it's a much welcome one.

//This is the kind of expansion of universe the series needed, both physically and narratively, providing more background and depth into the events between the first and second game, filling in the gaps and adding some context, and as someone really interested in series lore, this is a really good addition.

//As one last note, Ultra Despair Girls has quite possibly the best soundtrack in the main series as well. A lot of the music Takada made for this game stands out from the others, even the tracks that are remixed from those games.

//Overall, despite it's very big problems, I love this game. It's character development for it's MC's, it's unique gameplay experience, and how far Kodaka branched out for the story are really appealing and underrated as far as I'm concerned.

//Fortunately, Ultra Despair Girls is really the only game in the series that is this divisive!

//Right?

//...

//...Right...?

#4 - Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony

//UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGHHHHHHHHH-

//Danganronpa V3 suffers from what I like to call the "Marmite Effect."

//What is that, you ask?

//Over the course of my life, I've found that most people who have eaten Marmite go one of two ways. Either they love it and have it as much as possible on every slice of toast, or they won't touch it with a 5 foot pole.

//V3 is that for the Danganronpa series. And it's really not hard to see why.

//V3 went back to the series origins with a good ol' tride and true Killing Game, and as expected, people who played the earlier entries in the franchise took a critical look at it to see if it measured up.

//Opinions on whether it did vary, but my personal stand on the matter is...V3 has the worst mystery element of the main trilogy by far.

//The cases and the mysteries themselves are fine, but it's in execution that a lot of them fail for me. Like the rest of the game, there are 6 cases, and a new killer each case, but of those 6 killers, only the first one in the first case interested me.

//It's incredibly disappointing because V3 had such a high bar to jump. Danganronpa's 1 and 2 set that bar, and V3 just failed to jump it for me. As fresh a take on the Killing Game formula it is, what sets it apart is not the big problems with this game.

//So like I did with Summer Camp and Ultra Despair Girls, I will quickly go over everything I don't like about this game, then go over everything that saves it and allows it to get this high on the list. Because despite how much of a Negative Nancy I'm being, I do like V3 a lot.

//First of all let's talk about the characters, since that's the biggest issue for me.

//In Danganronpa 1, I can confidently say that of it's main cast of 16 students, there are 10 characters who I love, 4 characters who I still like but not a lot, and 2 characters who I didn't enjoy at all.

//In Danganronpa 2, I can confidently say that I liked EVERY character in it, regardless of whether I felt more strongly about others.

//Ultra Despair Girls I've already said had a weak cast, but most of those characters are side characters, with Toko and Komaru being the only main two that you need to worry about.

//And V3?

//I like roughly about half of V3's cast, and the rest of them, I either dislike, or find incredibly boring or annoying.

//To name a couple of examples, I like Kaede and Shuichi, the two protagonists, and I also like Kokichi, the antagonist, a lot. I like Kaito, I like Maki, and a few others like them.

//On the other end, you have characters like Keebo, Kirumi, Tenko, Kiyo, Tsumugi, and the rest who all suffer in my bad books.

//And the main reason is because the character writing of V3 is so monotonous and not-thorough than the other games. Every character has a personality that can be summed up by one or two words of dialogue they speak on the regular, and hardly any of them change or develop.

//In fact, of the class trials in this game, I only gave a shit about ONE killer, and that's the first one, mainly because she was a protagonist and that was a pretty good plot twist. Everything that came after just declined in quality for me.

//With a few main exceptions, most of the cast just feel pointless and unsatisfying, and while I can forgive that in UDG, I can't forgive it here, where everyone is supposed to get a chance to shine on their own merits.

//As the third main game in an already established and beloved series, expectations for V3's main cast were high. Many fans had specific hopes for how the characters would be and and how it would tie back into the previous games. When the game took a different direction than it should have, it led to disappointment and backlash from those people who's expectations were not met.

//And following up on this, there are characters in the game, with Ryoma, Rantaro, and Kirumi in my opinion being the three biggest examples, who were developed in ways that made their deaths feel like they shouldn't have happened. Ryoma was geared up for a really cool arc that ended the very minute it started; Rantaro still has barely any lore to his name even with the bonus content, and Kirumi is NOTHING. Just a complete blank sheet of a character that serves no fucking narrative purpose whatsoever other than to be a mcguffin killer in Case 2.

//A lot of the writing is also frankly ridiculous with it's leaps in logic, and there are many things that I take issue with. Kirumi randomly being the President of Japan, Kiyo being in a weird relationship with his sister, who is also dead, and Tsumugi...Holy goddamn fucking hell Tsumugi is such a shitshow of character.

//Speaking of which, as one final point, let's go over one last point, and what I believe is by far the biggest source of controversy for this game and it's general audience.

//The ending.

//Danganronpa games don't always have completely climactic endings, at least not with the main trilogy. They all suffer from the same issues, like being general plot dumps, full of dramatic anime-esque nonsense, and being ridiculously long and difficult.

//But V3 has all these issues in absolute spades upon spades compared to the first two games. And as I said already, it's perhaps the most significant aspect contributing to it's hate.

//The twist reveals that the game's events are part of a reality show, suggesting that everything is fictional, and calling into question the reality of the previous games as well.

//This meta-narrative approach just completely ruins mine and every other fan's emotional investment meaningless, and even if this is a little bit dramatic, it makes me feel frustrated and betrayed by the writers.

//As time has gone on, it's become widely accepted that V3 takes place in a completely separate canon timeline from Danganronpa 1 and 2, and thankfully, that takes the edge off for me. It allowed me to maintain my enjoyment of the previous games, and enjoy V3 as a standalone one, even with the timeline split.

//However, if it hadn't been for the timeline split, I would not have enjoyed Danganronpa as a series as much as I do now, so I still can't exactly forgive it. It undermines the emotional investment I've put into these stories and characters; like the game is making fun of me for having stuck with it for so long.

//I am impressed by it's audacity, but equally as frustrated by it's attempt to negate the series integrity.

//Okay *wipes brow* now let's talk about what makes this game stand out, and why it DOESN'T suck ass.

//As I said before, the characters that I don't hate, I do love a lot. Kaede is my favorite in the whole series, and she, Kokichi, Shuichi, and Kaito are all in my top 10. While V3 has the series most mundane characters in it, it also supports some of it's absolute best.

//V3 I feel is also the major contributing factor to why Danganronpa has such a wide audience. The game's themes and twists generate extensive discussion and debate within it's fan community, and even if the ending is controversial for all good reasons, it's also very bold and creative. It gets people talking about it, and the active engagement and ability to share theories, interpretations, and the emotional responses from it are the very reason why Danganronpa's fandom is still alive today despite this game coming out 7 years ago as of writing this.

//Also, though I admitted I don't like the killers of V3, the Class Trials are very explorative, and an upgrade of logic from the previous titles. The plot twists and turns are intricately managed, and keep you engaged and constantly guessing, and constantly immersed.

//One of the biggest factors of what makes V3 stand out is that it really feels like it's own standalone game. Danganronpa 1 and 2 shared a lot of aspects between each other, like similar styles with UI and characters, and sharing a soundtrack. But V3 throws all of that out the window.

//V3 is easily the most stylized game, possessing a really unique UI as far as VisNov's go, and barely any of the original soundtrack is reused here.

//Speaking of stuff that isn't reused, the established theme of Hope Vs Despair is also foregone for most of the game. They bring it up during the ending, but sort of as a faux way of poking fun at the fanbase, like the rest of the ending does.

//Instead, V3 focuses on different contrasting themes like the value of Truth and Lies, the importance and impact of fiction and reality, and what's more important between the facts or the beliefs.

//Now, these are equally as divisive. For long time fans, they might feel that these themes are poorly executed or overly convoluted, and as mentioned, the meta-physical stuff can be pretentious or unnecessary.

//I don't agree with that. Not fully at least.

//I like that the game is making it's fans experience a different kind of philosophical question other than "should you give up? Yes or nah." And through the characters, this is executed well, especially with Shuichi and his dynamic with Kokichi.

//So despite the controversial ending for this game, the journey through it is filled with emotional highs and lows that put it a tiny bit above Ultra Despair Girls for me, but lower than the other main series entries. It features intense moments, heartfelt scenes, and some pretty awesomely executed revelations. Which leaves us with a rollercoaster of emotions that have a lasting impression on us.

//And the good news is that for every entry above this one, I have basically nothing bad to say about any of them.

#3 - Danganronpa IF: The Button of Hope and the Tragic Warriors of Despair.

//Gonna be honest, I didn't know that IF had such a long title before I made this.

//I talked about the light novel series and the bonus novels of the Danganronpa series before. And I mentioned that one of my biggest wants for these sorts of bonus materials are insight into a characters true nature, and their background that wasn't explicitly stated in the main game.

//So basically, what I want most is lore expansion.

//This is why I liked Danganronpa Kirigiri, and Danganronpa Zero. They gave that lore expansion to Kyoko and Junko; characters who deserved it because of how mysterious and interesting they were.

//But my fucking god, if there was one character that needed that more than anything, it was MUKURO FUCKING IKUSABA, the Ultimate Soldier from the first game.

//Mukuro, widely recognized as the 16th student in the academy, the one they call the Ultimate Despair, exists in the first game as little more than to serve as a narrative twist. One that I think was done well and handled well, but ultimately came with some sacrifices.

//Mukuro was introduced in the first game, but never got to show off her real character. As part of the Mastermind's plan, she masquerades as her sister, Junko, at the start of the game, while the real Junko is manipulating events from behind the scenes, all to throw the other students off her trail.

//But then Mukuro, disguised as Junko, is killed early in the game by Monokuma, who impales her with multiple spears. At the time, it was done to demonstrate the deadly seriousness of the killing game and Monokuma’s control over it, but it’s later revealed that Mukuro’s death was orchestrated by Junko to further her plan and maintain her disguise, at least until that all gets blown open in Cases 5 and 6.

//This is the reason why a light novel that takes this context and adds a "What-If" scenario to it, where Makoto saves Mukuro in the nick of time, is so important.

//Because it single-handedly turned this McGuffin character into, no joke, one of the best characters in the series.

//Mukuro doesn't have the same depth and character development as other characters in Danganronpa because of her short screen time. Less information about her intentions, past, and personality is available to players outside of her function in Junko's schemes. As a result, she comes out as less of a developed character and more of a story device.

//Establishing a connection between characters and the audience requires meaningful screen time. The protagonist and other characters rarely interact with Mukuro, at least not as she is when she's being herself, and not disguised as Junko, trying to play off as her. Therefore it's difficult for players to develop an emotional connection with her. Compared to other characters who possess greater presence and growth, her detached nature renders her less noteworthy and influential.

//Not even UTDP and Summer Camp fix this, since Mukuro's disguised as Junko there too, and for no real reason other than budget.

//They got Komatsuzaki to make swimsuit sprites for her, but couldn't pay him to take off that fucking wig.

//Speaking of things that certainly don't fix the issues with her character, Danganronpa 3 sure as fuck doesn't.

//Mukuro’s portrayal in the anime is easily her worst, and doesn't even align with her established character traits from the game. For instance, her skills as the Ultimate Soldier are not adequately showcased, and her relationship with Junko is...

//Well...

//"Oversimplified" is as nice as I could put it.

//I'm not saying that Mukuro being Junko's dog doesn't make sense given what type of character Junko is, but it completely betrays this stone cold warrior that Mukuro is supposed to be, and lacks nuance on top of that.

//Mukuro's character there is also another big example of how DR3 fails to do what it's supposed to do that I forewent mentioning in it's segment. The anime had the chance to delve into Mukuro’s psyche, her loyalty to Junko, and her own personal struggles, but it largely ignored these aspects. This oversight diminishes the complexity and potential intrigue surrounding her character.

//Aside from that, Mukuro hasn't had any content of her own until recently when she was added to ShiroPro as her own character. That really puts into perspective just how little a shit the DR writers give about this character.

//And it's because it fixes basically all of these things that I've just discussed that is the reason why Danganronpa IF is my third favorite entry in the franchise, despite being bonus material.

//Unlike the other novels/bonus content that expands on the main series lore, IF instead offers a What If scenario where Mukuro survives her execution, and thereby takes her own central role in the story.

//Since this was a bonus story that was released in the pack that contains the first few games, it lets the true fans explore a different narrative path from the main series, and provides fresh insight and excitement on a formula that they've already experienced.

//But it goes beyond that, for several reasons.

//First off, for those who don't know, IF was written by both Kodaka himself, AND Ryōgo Narita.

//For those who do not know who this guy is, he is the man behind two very famous Japanese crime novels: Baccano and Durarara.

//Baccano, by the way, is one of my favorite anime of all time. Please watch it if you get the chance, and watch it dubbed in English too, because they knock it out of the park with that dub.

//So needless to say, this simple bonus novel is on a whole other level of quality than the others, and I love that Narita is also the original Naekusaba shipper.

//IF really highlights WHY Mukuro is the way she is in those because she feels like Junko is all she's got, and the only one she can be comfortable around. And then proceeds to realize that that isn't the case.

//Before I get into the actual story quirks, I want to mainly talk about Mukuro herself and why she's such a stellar lead in this. Since the novel is about her, it gives her more depth and development than she ever has in any of her other appearances. And trust me, there aren't many.

//First and foremost, this novel provides more insight into Mukuro’s background and her relationship with Junko. It delves into her history as the Ultimate Soldier, her experiences in various war zones, and how those experiences shaped her personality and skills.

//This exploration of her background gives her character more depth and makes her actions more understandable; as well as showing off just exactly HOW she managed to survive in war for so long without a single scratch to show for it, and not in a way that feels ridiculous or convoluted for the series like how Hijirihara was in Killer Killer.

//I also love Mukuro's conflict and internal struggle, since it makes a lot of sense. The story explores Mukuro’s internal struggle between her loyalty to Junko and her own moral compass.

//It shows that she is not just a mindless follower but has her own doubts and desires, and above all else, her own CHARACTER. And not just that, but a complex and sympathetic character at that.

//And putting the ship fuel aside, her relationship with Makoto in this story makes perfect sense two.

//Makoto and Junko are two sides of the same coin. In terms of their characters, they cannot be more polar of opposites, but they are both influential and powerful people who advocate, and represent opposing ideals in a similar way.

//Even though she's spent most of her life with Junko, being part of her path of Despair, it doesn't feel unnatural for Mukuro to then be inspired by Makoto and decided to defy Junko to protect the other students. This shift in her actions from antagonist to protector highlights her capacity for change and redemption in a way that few DR characters have shown to this degree.

//Through her interactions with other characters, especially Makoto, Mukuro shows emotional growth. She starts to care about the well-being of the other students and begins to see a life beyond her sister’s influence. This growth makes her more relatable and multidimensional.

//While Mukuro is the absolute highlight of this story, there are other things about IF that put it this high on my list.

//The novel has a lot of features that will appeal to readers who have been following the show for a long time, like going back to see beloved characters and locations and delving into possible futures that have sparked fan theories.

//Kodaka deserves credit on this story too too. Since he has an active involvement in this, it also means that none of the characters in the story deviate too much from their portrayal in the original series. And for that matter, neither does Mukuro. She still exhibits traits she showed in DR1 and DR3, but not to the degree that makes her a blank-slate obedient servant; just someone who cares about her sister despite the fact that she's an evil lunatic.

//And through it's own existence, by offering many outcomes and developing the emotional arcs of well-loved characters, the story evokes strong emotional reactions in me. It's based on an already existing experience that we all would have gone through it we played the main games of DR1 and 2, but it leaves us with a lasting and profound experience nonetheless.

//Mukuro’s journey in Danganronpa IF is one of redemption. By the end of the story, she takes significant risks to help the other students escape the killing game. Her actions demonstrate her desire to atone for her past and protect those she once helped endanger.

//God dammit I'd love to see the DR3 equivalent of this world.

#2 - Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc

//What can I say about the original Danganronpa that started it all that hasn't been said already.

//While I don't think it's aged spectacularly, Trigger Happy Havoc deserves more credit than anything because without it, literally nothing on this list would exist.

//Now, the thing is, since this is the first game, I could take a lot of compliments I gave to the other titles and just carry them over, so I kind of want to bullet point this one if possible.

//The other games ran with it, but Trigger Happy Havoc was very unique when it first came out, due to how it first showed the combination of visual novel storytelling with investigation and courtroom drama. Take the gameplay elements of Ace Attorney, and the mystery and context elements of Zero Escape, and you basically get Danganronpa, resulting in a distinctive and captivating experience as you gather evidence, work through riddles, and take part in rigorous class trials.

//This was also the introduction to the widely known narrative that isn't only applicable in Fanganronpa's, but mystery games akin to and inspired by it. The story revolves around a group of high school kids who are imprisoned in a school by Monokuma, a vicious bear. To graduate, they are made to play a deadly game in which they have to kill each other and get away with it. The story delves deeply into the dark themes of Hope vs Despair, trust, and betrayal.

//But these are things we've talked about endlessly, so the real question is this: How does the first game stand out from the rest of the series.

//Besides being the very introduction to the core concepts, Danganronpa 1 is the most true to it's function. There's no gimmicks, no outlandish shit involved in it's narrative, not nearly as many wacky cartoonish antics, etc. It is the most tride and true Killing Game story of everything that's come out of it.

//Also, despite being the first, and the namesake of the series, Hope's Peak Academy is above and beyond one of the most unique settings in the series. I said before how much I liked Ultra Despair Girls open environment of Towa City, but even though Danganronpa 1 is the complete reverse of this, it really helps to work with the darker tone of the story.

//An issue I had with the Ultimate Academy is that it felt TOO open and expansive, especially with it's courtyard. It completely lost the feeling of isolation that Danganronpa 1 had with Hope's Peak. The first game REALLY makes you feel like you're trapped with how claustrophobic and intense the atmosphere of the school is right from the very start.

//It is both a literal AND metaphorical prison.

//THH also has the most important case of characters in it.

//Junko is obviously introduced as the series face of evil and main villain, who appears/is mentioned in in literally every iteration at least once. But you could say the same for Makoto, and Kyoko, and Byakuya.

//These characters set the tone for the entire franchise; every single Killing Game cast that comes after are defined by this game's lineup of characters.

//And of course, there's also Monokuma.

//Monokuma is introduced in the game as a recognizable and terrifying adversary to the main cast. Though he eventually becomes a series main character, and it's mascot, his initial appearance in Trigger Happy Havoc stands out in particular.

//Especially since he no longer has anyone around to help, or rather HINDER, him.

//DR1 is the best Monokuma is in the series, and there are issues with him in every other iteration. He's fine in 2 and V3, but the real issue comes from the introduction of the other mascot characters, Monomi, and the Monokubs.

//I'm not saying Monomi is bad, even though I will openly admit to despising most of the Monokubs, but neither does a lot for the bear in their games. With the presence of other stuffed animals, the narrative of those game's focus is divided. Monokuma's character is less central to the story as these guys bring about their own dynamics and conflicts, diluting the impact of his presence and actions.

//And then in UDG and DR3, he's reduced to just a mindless sentry robot.

//In Danganronpa 1, he suffers no such setbacks. Hence why this is the best appearance he's had in the series.

//The first game is also the pioneer of the series' aestehtic and mechanics. It creates the series' unique visual and aural aesthetic, with its vibrant, exaggerated artwork, chic text and menu display, and unique soundtrack, establishing Danganronpa's distinctive and identifiable brand.

//And While later games introduce more complex mechanics and deeper layers to the narrative, DR1 offers a more straightforward experience. This simplicity allows new players to grasp the core mechanics and themes without being overwhelmed.

//And that's basically all I have to say on this game. It's simplicity as the first game in the series, but it's influence on the world at large, as well as it's many sequels and fan projects is so important.

//Danganronpa 1 is crucial to the series as it lays the foundational elements that define the franchise's identity. As the inaugural title, it introduces the innovative blend of visual novel storytelling, murder mystery investigation, and intense courtroom drama that distinguishes the series.

//Its distinctive art style, memorable characters, and unexpected plot twists set a high standard for narrative complexity and engagement, left a lasting impression on the world and paved the way for the series' subsequent success and expansion.

//...Speaking of which...

#1 - Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair

//How could it NOT be this!?

//Even though Trigger Happy Havoc established the core concept of the series, it only took one more year before evrything that Danganronpa is is perfected and presented in the sequel.

//It takes the premise of the original and introduces a new setting: Jabberwock Island, which provides a fresh and vibrant backdrop compared to the claustrophobic Hope’s Peak Academy. While I do generally think Hope's Peak worked better to make you feel trapped and afraid, this new environment enriches the gameplay and narrative opportunities that were already established for the mystery element.

//It's not nearly as isolated, but the only other entry in this list that tried to do the island setting was SDRA2, and it only did it half as successfully.

//The game also refines and expands upon the gameplay mechanics introduced in the first installment. It adds new elements like the Island Mode and improves the trial system, enhancing the overall experience while maintaining the core gameplay.

//You know... "Improved" Hangman's Gambit notwithstanding.

//Fuck that minigame.

//All my homies hate that minigame.

//Goodbye Despair also builds on the themes of hope and despair with a more intricate storyline, adding layers of psychological depth and surprising twists that keep players engaged. The narrative complexity is heightened by the exploration of new themes and connections to the original game.

//But while it introduces new elements, DR2 effectively ties back to the events of the first game, creating a sense of continuity and expanding the lore of the series. This connection enriches the overall narrative and rewards fans with deeper insights into the series’ overarching plot.

//The sequel refines the pacing of investigations and class trials, making the gameplay smoother and more engaging. The visual and auditory presentation is also polished, enhancing the overall immersive experience.

//Basically, take everything I said about Danganronpa 1, and know Danganronpa 2 did ALL of it better.

//As to not repeat myself, let's talk about the reasons DR2 stands on it's own merits, and why compared to every other Killing Game in this, it's the best one.

//I already talked about the change in setting and how that affected it, but the second game also explores themes of hope and despair with new twists and connections to the original game. Its narrative complexity, including a deeper focus on psychological and existential themes, sets it apart by expanding the series’ lore in innovative ways.

//Especially with the final trial, and what Hajime goes through, but we'll get to that.

//The sequel builds on the narrative foundation of the first game but adds layers of complexity, including connections to the broader lore of the Danganronpa universe. This deeper storytelling and thematic exploration contribute to its standout status.

//And then...there's the cast.

//Oh boy, the cast of this game is fucking fantastic.

//As I said already, the casts of Ultra Despair Girls and V3 were lacking in some departments, even if the latter had some of my favorites. And even though THH's group was solid overall, there were still some I didn't take too kindly to.

//I can't say the same for DR2. I love EVERY SINGLE ONE of these characters!

//Sonia, with her blend of regal charm, intellectual depth, funny dialogue, and genuine empathy leaves an engaging persona to watch.

//Kazuichi, with his endearing clumsiness, earnest ambition, and surprisingly sad underlying depth, adding the main source of humor, but also the emotional resonance.

//Fuyuhiko with his stellar character development and evolution from a tough, abrasive brat to a more vulnerable and honorable soldier, with a good head on his short shoulders.

//Peko, with her unwavering loyalty, yet also an unexpected human side to her stoicism.

//Akane, with her fierce determination and carefree attitude, masking some insecurities and a caring personality.

//Nekomaru with his larger-than-life enthusiasm and kindness, and unyielding commitment to his friends, as well as the comic relief he offers.

//Mikan being such a tragic figure, contributing massively to the emotional complexity of the story.

//Ibuki doing basically the exact opposite of that, lol.

//Hiyoko being an abrasive and snotty bully, yet eventually revealing this vulnerability adds a portrayal of personal growth and social dynamics.

//Gundham, easily one of my favourite's in the series overall, with his dramatic personality, and love for his pets; perfectly balancing eccentricity with genuine depth.

//Teruteru, with his passionate and flamboyant personality, yet carrying underlying struggles and honest motivations, becoming a character that is deeply flawed, but empathetic and entertaining.

//The Ultimate Imposter, and the mystery around his true self, yet the honesty of his motivations and conduct.

//Mahiru, my absolute series best girl, with her blend of practicality, strong sense of responsibility, and her genuine care for others that make such a steadfast character.

//And of course...Hajime, Chiaki, and Nagito.

//Though they lack the interaction potential that was shown with Shuichi, Kaito, and Maki, they are easily the best lead characters in the series proper.

//Hajime is a fantastic protagonist, even though I can't confidently claim if he's better than Makoto, Shuichi, or any of the other protags, because his journey from uncertainty to self-discovery is fascinating, well-handled, and compelling on ideas like identity and growth.

//Chiaki stands out for her combination of quiet kindness and hidden strength, being a comforting presence, a crucial source of support, and a universally loved character in the fanbase.

//And then there's Nagito. A character so interesting that I've never seen or played any other video game that has somebody quite like him. His unpredictability, complex motivations, and his philosophical views on the series themes add a profound and unsettling dimension to the narrative at large that never quite went away.

//As iconic and important as the cast of Game 1 are, the sequel features a fresh cast with memorable and distinctive personalities, each contributing to the story in unique ways. Not to mention this new group of characters offers a different dynamic from those in the first game, providing new kinds of interactions and relationships.

//Danganronpa 2 isn't without issues. No DR game is. It features what is widely considered both the best case and worst case in the series. But in general, I think this game has the most compelling mystery element to it.

//As mentioned already, the trials are a lot more fun than in the first game, because even though the Hangman's Gambit gamemode is absolute dogshit, the rest of the new gamemodes like Rebuttal Showdown and Logic Dive are series staples.

//The actual cases themselves and the mystery element is a lot more complex and layered than the first game too, requiring a lot more critical thinking and analysis, and therefore, more satisfying and rewarding when you finally solve them, which is more than I can say for V3.

//But the best part about it is that they're much longer.

//DR1's trials are good, but they're too short to allow ample opportunity for character development and interaction. But by making the trials longer, the personalities of the new cast are explored in greater depth during the trials, making them more compelling by default.

//And as one last note, I also think Danganronpa 2 has by far the most satisfying story and conclusion.

//As I mentioned before, the final trials of these games always end up sharing the issues of being plot dumps, having a lot of anime bullshit in it, and being massive in length and difficulty. This game's final trial suffers especially with the second one.

//But it is actually raw and awesome as fuck, so I can't complain.

//Goodbye Despair's conclusion, like a lot of the final trials, delves into meta-narrative territory, but not in a way that felt insulting like V3, nor a way that felt anticlimactic like THH. The philosophical approach here in contrast to then is less straightforward and more unique, and the final twists, especially with the Remnants of Despair and Izuru Kamukura is quite possibly the most shocking, heart-crushing, and impressive the series has offered.

//The conclusion also ties together the themes and character arcs of not only this game, but the first game too, in a way that is powerful and thematically coherent. The resolution of the story, and with it, the conclusion of Hajime's very well-crafted character arc, provides closure, while also leaving the audience with just enough questions end reflections about the nature of Hope and Despair.

-Mod

#danganronpa survivor #danganronpa #ranking #mod talks

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