#rain code analysis

[elina-sakura]

💜🎉Happy Birthday, Makoto Kagutsuchi🎉💜

To celebrate his Birthday, I’m gonna write out why Makoto is one of my favorite characters in Rain Code.

Spoilers for the entire game by the way.

To start, Makoto Kagutsuchi is what is known as an anti-villain character, falling under the morally grey spectrum, which I love. I love characters that are morally grey, because they are super interesting with their complex backstories and motivations, and a chance for them to have a redemption arc. And for Makoto, his backstory and motivation is one of tragedy and circumstances. He was made as an immortal clone copy of his Detective original to be used as a super-soldier, and went out of his way to save a city of Homunculi from their creators’ mistakes, making sure they live in blissful peace and never suffer the same way he did. But it comes at many prices such as keeping them wrapped in mysteries, committing crimes to sustain the Homunculi’s lives like feeding them human meat buns, and keeping them isolated in the rain so they don’t go berserk and die. Only for the pressure to keep it all a secret to get to him and finally crumble under the weight, only being saved by his double that he had a hand in making as well when you think about it. Part of the reason his double makes the pact and erase his memories is in response to the Great Global Mystery Makoto created, and realizing he needs others’ help (something he is very much against in his own beliefs) and allowing him to see the benefits of social relationships. So in a way, both of the twins helped to heal and improve themselves respectively (I am so exploring this concept in one of my fics).

Another reason why I love Makoto is after a few rewatches of the game, you really start to appreciate Makoto’s actions and dialogues more with the full context of the story. Like when he’s asked by Yuma if he knows about any Homunculus, but Yuma refers to Homunculus as immortal monsters, which Makoto denies there are any. Because in his mind, the Homunculus are not monsters (well maybe one or two) and shows how clever his dialogues were and show his character more like Makoto’s empathy towards Kanai Ward’s citizens.

Plus, he’s a silly bean, even when he has no reasons to be :3

In the fanon side of Makoto, I love the interpretation of seeing him and Yuma together as twins/brothers because I love sibling dynamics. But I also love the two’s relationship because out of everyone, they can understand each other the most because of their shared memories and experiences. Even when they are different people now from the last three years. Another is I love exploring his character and relationships in writing, depending on the various situations I put him in or AUs especially (he might be suffering more in my AUs, but then again what writer doesn’t make their favorite characters suffer😅).

I hope we get more Makoto contents like in hopefully a sequel or a spin-off of sorts. I just want to see more Makoto contents from the game-universe. So for now Happy Birthday Makoto Kagutsuchi, and for more Happy Birthdays to come now.

[sakura-code]

So I realized something that I’ve decided to use to Yomify Kanai Ward in my Dual Swords AU. And an edit to go with the analysis I made.

From what we can see in the first picture above, the major color of the lights radiating off of Amaterasu HQ, especially the sign, is purple-pink, which matches the color of one of Makoto’s main color scheme. Which symbolizes Makoto in charge of Amaterasu.

So with Yomi now as CEO of Amaterasu, he would no doubt change the lights into red to fit his color scheme and show how he is the one in power of Amaterasu, and bathe all of Kanai Ward in his light.

[chanzilla123]

I hope you don’t mind my addition, but something interesting about Yuma’s birthday (May 22nd) is that it actually takes place on the International Day for Biological Diversity.

Considering how his original identity’s goal was to bring happiness to everyone and how Chapter 5/the epilogue plays out, this date is really fitting for Yuma’s birthday.

Yuma and Yakou are also both Gemini. I think it’s also an extremely fitting astrological sign for Yuma for two reasons. The first reason is that it fits with his dual personality (his past self vs. his current self). The other reason is that Gemini is represented by Castor and Pollux/Polydeuces, twin half-brothers in classical mythology. While Castor was the son of Tyndareus and mortal, Pollux was the son of Zeus and immortal. Doesn’t the mortal and immortal aspect sound vaguely familiar to Yuma’s connection with a certain someone?

To keep with the theme I've got rolling since my latest post, I'll share a silly little fun fact!

Yakou's birthday is on May 21st! It's a national day for a lot of pretty sweet n cute things!

Wait a minute... did I read that right? Let's enhance!

After some light research, it turns out that on May 21st, 2011, it was predicted to be the end of the world. While it isn't as widely remembered as the other prediction of Doomsday on December 21st, 2012 (where my Miracle Musical enjoyers at?), this date still listed as the national day for the world's end. And as we're all aware, this is an overarching theme for chapter 4. As stated in the opening of the chapter:

"Eventually, after a restful slumber... The end of the world arrives. The end of the world I believed in."

Yuma's birthday is immediately after Yakou's, May 22nd. The end of one world and the beginning of another, perhaps? I have zero idea if this choice of a birthday of all things was intentional, but it makes for some good trivia!

[kelocitta]

In honor of the @rw-ship-showdown I wanted to write about Artihunter as someone who jokingly slapped them together pre-downpour and still thinks they are actually very compelling. Just not in the super soft love wins kinda way (Although I get why people like that more) And the only way I know how to do that is talking too much so heres a far too long slug essay-

Obviously the slugcats don't offer a ton of characterization but theres not nothing to work with. Their stories, whether by their roles in it or the overarching themes do provide a backbone to work with. Even gameplay itself can provide a bit. (for some more than others) Hunter, to me, is ultimately a story about selflessness. The goal is to revive Moon, which is very much an act of kindness from both Hunter and NSH. But the weight of that action is much more significant for Hunter- Hunter is deeply sick. They're on the clock, and for all their skill in combat none of that will ultimately help them to survive longer than their body can hold out. Moon is a close friend of NSH but that means little Hunter- Hunter really gets next to nothing out of helping them, and ultimately pays quiet a bit spending their limited time alive fighting to deliver that neuron so that someone else can live.

To spend ones limited days on helping another, in a game that very much stresses the unwavering cruelty of the world and nature- is pretty notable. (And you could even say that Hunter being the Hardmode of Rain World adds another layer to this)

And then we have Artificer. A storyline that very much stands out to people as more… villainous (so to speak) than the other slugcats. Artificer's story covers a lot of things. Trauma, violence, revenge, etc. Revenge is a bit of a selfish desire- That need to see someone hurt as they have hurt you. A punishment that ultimately does not fix whatever harm was done- but feels good to see because you were hurt and now those responsible share that pain.

Artificer's actions are founded in that need for revenge, their pups killed for overstepping boundaries they didn't know existed. Is it not fair for them to be angry at that, to punish the scavengers for their violence with their own? Why should the scavengers ever be forgiven when they and their pups were not? And that's how you get that loop- Harm for harm over and over.

The original action has been lost in a spiral of violence for violence. And here stands Artificer- their very spirit scarred. Not just because they sought revenge, but because they never ceased trying to scratch that itch for violence as an answer. Artificer only has two paths for their story- killing the scavenger king (Someone who, really, has little to do with the original 'crime' of the scavengers, but represents an important individual to them- as did the slugpups to Artificer), locking themselves as karma one for good and spending the rest of their life chasing creatures that no longer even fight back in a warped sense of closure- or to dissolve themselves in the acids of the void sea because they're too far gone to find any real peace.

They can't meaningfully recover from that state, not alone, twisting in on themselves. Even if they halt their actions, they've been using violence as a feeble defense against their own pain- violence that no longer has any real direction or basis. Artificer gets no real closure from killing the scavenger king. All they can do is continue the cycle, or try to scrub it away. No real peace in a prison of their own making. So you have a creature, who even with a strict timer on their life- a body that will crumble to disease, spends its last bit of time on saving another. And another who was so caught up in the pain of loss that were eaten alive by their own anger, poisoned their own soul on such a deep level even self-proclaimed gods have no solution for them. What peace can they offer each other? For Hunter, its only a fleeting moment of happiness- of selfish love, before their own body fails them. A bit of indulgence in something for themself. For Artificer, its a single, comforting thread to ground them again, something tangible to protect and care about again. But thats a thread that will ultimately be snapped under the cruel indifference of the world. Hunters timer will tick down regardless of if it takes another with it. Its a tragedy- its doomed to end badly. Whatever good it offers to either of them to find each other will only provide the fleeting comfort of a band-aid that will be ripped away too early. But all that can be worth indulging in anyway, if only for the moment. It doesn't change the ending, but the ending was never going to be happy. Its can so yuri

[austajunk]

Okay, on a second playthrough of Rain Code and I really got a better look at Martina's mindset in general.

I honestly forgot how genuinely power hungry and downright diabolical she is. It's honestly mesmerizing how into her power trip she is during Chapter Two's case. She's so confident, she even licks an open jar of poison just to make a point that it's expired.

Now the reason why I don't recall her power trip and destructive, cruel nature was because it was all wiped away as soon as Yomi ordered her executed for making him look bad. In a second, Martina's terrified and pathetic and in the same way as Seth Burroughs, her fate left unknown to the viewer until Chapter Four.

It makes me think about how police forces are pretty much conditioned and told to go buck wild, to show no mercy, to enact cruelty and subjugation on civilians until they get their way. They get off on it. It's a power trip. Anyone who tries to show restraint on the force is routinely harassed until they quit or find themselves in trouble.

And this is what I really like about Martina as a character. There just isn't any excuse for her. She wanted power and control. She enjoyed it. Being an Amaterasu Peacekeeper gave her a way to enact power over others. Kissing up to Yomi, who I'm pretty sure her "love" and "adoration" for was quite shallow, gave her power and control. And it's addicting. It feels good.

Until she realizes that it's an illusion and someone like Yomi is just using her till he's done with her. She thought she endeared herself to him so much that she wasn't disposable like everyone else in Kanai Ward. But it isn't true and Yomi can just quite literally smash her up into a cube without a problem.

The next time we see Martina, she has undergone a lot of change. A near-death painful execution scare definitely pry your eyes open with a wrench and make you take a look at just how cruel you have been as well as the system you propped up.

She's self-reflective enough to the point that she tells Makoto she will resign from the Peacekeepers even though he says she doesn't have to (which is great in itself because it's powerful that Makoto stepping aside to let her make that choice *herself*). Martina orders the arrest on Yomi, but it's more than just sweet payback. She puts forward the example that criminals are human beings and meant to be treated with equality, fairness and respect. And it makes Yomi scream and lose his goddamn mind.

But more than that, Martina knows she isn't done with atoning, quits the Peacekeepers, and is aiding in rebuilding Kanai Ward. She gains autonomy and lets power go to become a better person.

And I loved every second of this arc. My only wish is that there were more moments of it... like maybe we could have seen her when Makoto stopped her execution because that would have been at her lowest. But as it stands, I knew there was always a reason why I adored and LOVED Martina Electro as a character. I've always been attracted to stories of attack dog type characters growing past what they were and becoming something new.

Martina is wonderful because she was an honest-to-god shitty cop who got an earth-shattering awakening that reshaped her entire morality until she became someone who renounced her need for power and actually aided the society around her. Love to see it.

Not strictly important: I would also let her fucking kill me.

[daystud]

Ive noticed an evolution from THH characters' designs to V3 to newer Kodaka games'

THH's cast looks warm and toned down and soft while the school setting is flashy and creepy

SDR2's cast is colorful, has thick lines and has a more cartoonish feel

V3 has eye catching designs but the cold light coloring and angular features make the vibe more unsettling and depressing (ive seen various fangames replicate this style)

Tribe Nine, Rain Code and Hundred Line definitely follow V3's artstyle prolly for Komatsuzaki's evolution through the years. His older artworks although already iconic and recognizable: dynamic lines, strong character presence, weird anatomy, clothes that look they havent been ironed since the 1800s and semirealistic coloring (Im not a digital artist but basically he sketches in b&w first), they looked like they had a constant sepiatone filter, maybe its the scans' quality. Nowadays he uses a clear blueish tint which makes the characters look like theyre in a constant sci fi setting and it shows in the upcoming game as well.

Not to mention Kodaka's characters are starting to get more and more twinkish through the years but i'm not complaining.

[biggie-chcese]

Why I think Yomi Hellsmile should've died in Chapter 4

(this essay isnt what you think it is. spoilers for the whole game btw)

Alright so let me preface this by saying that this is not a Yomi Hellsmile hate essay. I like Yomi. He's my favorite peacekeeper. He's funny, he's entertaining, and he makes for a very effective antagonist. So why have him die? Well, for the same reason I wouldn't have Yakou live: I think it makes for a better story.

So here's the true title of my essay: A Critique of how Rain Code's Narrative Handles the Peacekeepers (and by Extension, Yomi) and their Downfall

Let's start with Yomi's downfall in canon. Yuma and Vivia find out his role in Huesca's murder and, ultimately, Yakou's death, and are angry beyond belief. But they're also helpless to do anything as they escape the labyrinth with vengeance on their minds. Of course, this gets shut down immediately, and then Makoto ex machina comes in with Martina in tow to arrest Yomi for his money laundering and bribery. And right then and there, in one fell swoop, the peacekeepers are completely eliminated as a threat in the story to be replaced by Makoto.

But okay... isn't that super underwhelming? The peacekeepers and Amaterasu corp have been the main driving force of the game's primary conflict, and yet somehow they are completely eliminated as a threat because Makoto grabbed a few files off screen. And also, this brings me to my first major issue I have with this ending:

Part 1: Why the fuck do they care?

No I'm serious. Why do the peacekeepers care? So what if Yomi bribed his way to the top? You mean to tell me that the cops who spent the entire game assaulting and antagonizing civilians give a shit? They're never shown to have any sort of problem with their corruption. They send people to be executed on whims and knowingly, regularly falsify evidence on murder cases. At best the peacekeepers are indifferent to the suffering they cause, and at worst they are gleefully complicit in it. So, again, why do they care about Yomi's money schemes? In fact, they only benefit from Yomi's rule because he gives them the power to freely instill fear in Kanai Ward's citizens. The game never, at any point, has an "are we the baddies?" moment from them nor does it ever even try to have at least one peacekeeper question Yomi's authority, even when he's throwing them under the bus. Throughout the whole game, they stand as a completely one-note, cartoonishly evil representation of police corruption.

So why the sudden heel turn? The resolution of chapter 4 feels so jarring to me because the game has zero buildup to it. This also applies to Martina's return. Actually let's also talk about her.

Part 2: So... Martina's return lowkey is kinda lame

Don't get me wrong, I was pretty hype when she came back. But also, the magic wore off pretty quickly for me because I didn't understand why she was suddenly a whole different character. I suppose her brush with death gave her some time to contemplate her actions, or perhaps she felt indebted to Makoto and asked him what she should do, or maybe Makoto held her life over her head and told her to change her act or he's letting her get cubed. Who knows? We get nothing expanding on this so it could be anything.

I feel like people kinda forget that Martina was just as corrupt as Yomi? Like, she is not his helpless victim. I'd even argue that their relationship isn't abusive. Martina is in it with her own interests in mind in addition to just being a massive sadomasochist. I cannot stress this enough: whatever tf she and Yomi had going on, she was completely into it. Even at the end of chapter 2, she was drooling over him and the idea of punishment... until Yomi crossed a line.

Y'see, Martina thought she was special. She thought that whatever punishment Yomi had for her Aetheria Academy blunder, she'd come out of it alive, because she's his beloved right hand. Yomi then showed her that she's just as disposable as the rest of his underlings by ordering her to be brutally executed. That is when she becomes a victim.

Anyway, I'm saying all this to make a point that Martina hasn't shown any interest in being an honest cop until chapter 4. It's completely out of nowhere, just like with the other peacekeepers.

"But Biggie," you may be thinking, "why would Yomi dying fix these issues?" Well I'm so glad you hypothetically asked!

Part 3: We love missed potential, baby!

Kodaka sometimes does this thing where he introduces an interesting concept that plays with the rules of the game... and then doesn't commit to it. Think like the double murder clause in Danganronpa V3 chapter 3, where they mention that if two separate murderers act in the same day then only one of those murders counts. Then they do nothing with this, and instead create a very weak chapter.

This is a similar problem I have with the tail end of chapter 4's mystery labyrinth, which is a really amazing labyrinth that introduces a really amazing concept: taking down a secret mastermind. After reaping the culprit's soul, they have this cool, brand new secret area that... does nothing. No, I'm serious. Nothing happens. All it does is piss Yuma and Vivia off and waste everyone's time. They find out Yomi's involvement in the case, but they still don't do anything with that. Sure it brings a whole new feeling of hopelessness, but doesn't that make Yomi's downfall literally five minutes later through the mundane actions of someone else off screen seem all the more underwhelming? From a gameplay and storytelling standpoint, I think this is just... a cop-out. I think it'd be cool if he was involved enough in Huesca's murder to count as an accomplice, then with Vivia and Shinigami at his side, Yuma reaps Yomi's soul. It's a decent payoff for the NDA and the player while supporting the game's message about the importance of finding the truth. And god does the game need support in that regard, because the Mystery Labyrinth almost never helps and Yuma instead gets saved by someone else (which would've been nice to expand on if we go this route bc there's something interesting about Yuma calling for the labyrinth to kill people for ultimately no reason, but they don't do anything with that and that is a WHOLE other essay lol).

But this is not my main reason that Yomi should've died here. I wouldn't feel so strongly if that was the case. No, my problem lies with a character that isn't Yomi, and what is part of the entire reason Rain Code's plot exists.

Part 4: Is Makoto fucking stupid?

"/lh" by the way. Makoto is my second favorite character in this game behind Yuma, and I adore him. His story, his motivations, his undying will to be a protector of a people that no one else will protect, by any means necessary... he is such an incredible character and antagonist and I genuinely adore him. But I have one eensy weensy, teeny weeny little issue with him:

Why did he need the detectives to oust Yomi?

Makoto claims in the ch 5 labyrinth that the reason the detectives were brought over was to oust Yomi, which leads me to believe the command for the detectives to come to Kanai Ward was his work, not Number One's, then Number One simply caught onto this and took advantage of the situation to sneak in. Though, that's just a guess on my part, mind you. So I suppose he was just desperately hoping at least one of them would take care of Yomi, but isn't that weird?

The detectives don't ever find the evidence of Yomi's money laundering and bribery. Makoto does. The detectives don't ever bring Yomi's corruption to light. Yomi... already does that without their help. Actually, why didn't he secretly team up with the Resistance for that? Too busy ignoring Dohya District's glaring issues, Makoto? Too busy turning a blind eye to your people's suffering?

Uh. Anyway, the only detective that actually does something beneficial for Makoto and kills Huesca is Yakou, who was already in Kanai Ward. And don't tell me that Makoto accounted for Fubuki and Desuhiko's fortes here because that part of the plan was all Yakou's idea. If Makoto could've predicted this, he would've just called the detectives necessary to this plan instead of luring in a bunch of them at once to get slaughtered.

Tons of detectives died coming to Kanai Ward to do... what? Distract Yomi? Could the World's Greatest Mind truly never come up with a better distraction for a guy who didn't even realize his Martina Cube�� order never came in? Yomi isn't shown to be some sort of hypervigilant supergenius nor is he nearly on Makoto's level. Could he truly not have outsmarted Yomi and led him astray long enough to grab a little binder of paper?

So, once again, you may be wondering how Yomi's death would fix this. Well, Yuma, a detective, is the one who kills Yomi.

Makoto is well aware of Yuma using the Book of Death at this point. So what better way to get rid of Yomi than to carefully manipulate the detective who has the Perfect Criminal Murder Tool™? Makoto can't just assassinate Yomi himself- that would make him the main suspect and he'd have to do a lot of PR maintenance to get the rest of Amaterasu Corp off his back. But Yomi mysteriously dying of a heart attack while Makoto isn't anywhere around... well, that's different.

"But wait," you may be thinking, "doesn't Makoto want to keep Yomi alive because he's a Kanai Ward citizen, and he loves Kanai Ward?"

Good point! But doesn't that also apply to Yakou, whom he also had a hand in manipulating into that crazy sui-homocide of Dr. Huesca? Or, what about Fink? Remember him? Makoto killed him for "knowing too much." I know that information is missable, but it's there. And don't tell me it's just because he's a hitman and has killed other Kanai Ward residents, because Yomi has sent many residents to their deaths without trial... not a huge difference. So a body count isn't really on Makoto's "should I kill them" conditions, it seems.

If Fink gets killed for "knowing too much," then Yomi shouldn't be exempt from this, especially when he was leaking homunculus information to the outside world. That goes far beyond "knowing too much." It just doesn't make sense.

But you know what does? Makoto actually using the detectives to wipe his hands clean of Yomi's mess. Yakou is used to take care of Huesca, Yuma is used to take care of Yomi, and Makoto gets to sit back, relax, and watch everything play out just as planned.

And later, in the next chapter, when Yuma learns about Makoto using him like this, he realizes that he's truly been had.

Part 5: How I think it should play out

I'm not being a hater. In fact, I deeply love this game and have a lot of respect for Kodaka and the writing team, so please don't take my little rant as some sort of effort to bash on my favorite video game because that's not what this is. I'm not gonna prop myself up as a better writer than anyone on the team because I'm not, but I'll still try my hand at rewriting this scene to fit my personal taste. So I would like for you to imagine with me, the end of chapter 4...

Yuma and Vivia find the secret area of the labyrinth and find out that Yomi has been masterminding Huesca's murder. Shinigami points out that, hey, that's why the labyrinth is falling so slowly: we haven't finished it off! Vivia stands by Yuma's side, and all of them, driven by their rage and desire to see justice be done, reap the soul of the true mastermind through one final strike of the solution blade. Labyrinth collapses, snap back to reality, oop there goes gravity, oop there goes Yomi, who collapses on the ground.

The peacekeepers are surprised and approach the body. They find that Yomi is dead. They're shocked, and as this is happening, Yuma isn't sure what to feel. Is he glad that he managed to avenge Yakou? Not quite, because Yakou is still gone, the hitman is still out there, and everything still hurts. But a part of him feels... vindicated. Vivia seems to have equally complicated feelings about this. For once, it was... kind of worth it to find the truth, even if a bit messy.

Well now the peacekeepers confirmed Yomi is dead, but now they're accusing the detectives of this. And they're honestly kinda right. Yuma and Vivia realize that they're in kind of deep shit, but the sound of Martina's voice comes from off screen asking what on earth is going on here, making everyone freeze.

Enter her, Makoto, and Seth (I'll say why he's here too in a moment). They're surprised at the sight before them, but Makoto only pretends to be. Then you see it... Martina and Seth go from visibly suprised... to relieved. And there's something oddly triumphant, yet a bit chilling about Makoto and the two people we've witnessed Yomi throw under the bus standing over his corpse. It feels thematic now, as if righteous judgement has come. And... it also solves the "what happened to Seth" question, lol.

Makoto shakes his head and sighs, stepping over the corpse and approaching Yuma and Vivia as he comes up with an excuse: "I always told him that those temper tantrums weren't good for his blood pressure. I guess his heart couldn't take it anymore."

He then nods to the others. Seth instructs the peacekeepers to clean up the body, as they rot quickly in this city. There's this foreboding feeling in the peacekeepers' obedience and efficiency, and Yuma begins to wonder if he did a good thing. Did his actions change the peacekeepers for the better, he asks himself, or did he simply shift the power over to someone worse? Shinigami tells him she doesn't know.

Makoto approaches them with good news: they found and arrested the hitman! Yuma, frightened, does not address that and instead asks him why the other high ranking peacekeepers are here. Makoto says that they... owe him a favor. Martina expresses her gratefulness for him stopping her execution order and asks if they can do anything else, to which Makoto replies telling her no, they're doing an excellent job. After some more conversation, Seth, Martina, and the peacekeepers then leave with Yomi's body to let Makoto talk privately to Yuma and Vivia. Makoto apologizes for their loss of Yakou and offers some faux sympathy. They're both... still conflicted about this conclusion, but Makoto tells them they're free to go, so they'll think about it later. Oh, but before they leave, he gives Yuma a little gift: a suspicious black box. Of course, Yuma can't open it just yet- it's a surprise!

Then the rest could play out pretty much normally (though an encounter with zombie Yomi chapter 5 seems inevitable and also awesome).

I think this alone would solve every issue I addressed before. The peacekeepers do not change out of nowhere. They simply reallocate power and there's still this feeling of them being a threat as they're now directly connected to the game's true antagonist. There's now a theme to Martina's return with Seth's presence as well. There's now a narrative purpose to that final section of the mystery labyrinth with proper payoff. And, most importantly, Makoto's motivations to use the detectives make more sense.

By the way, if any Yomi lovers think that he should stay alive for a potential return in the sequel... isn't it such a blessing that Yakou's DLC introduced this pretty neat little pill that could still make that possible? Just saying.

So yeah. Yuma, for the sake of narrative payoff and character writing consistency, please kill this clown. Thanks for reading <3

[rainbow-journalist]

The way you drew Number One with long hair reminds me a bit of Kyoko Kirigiri from the Future arc. Especially the tied hair 🤔

Wait, really? Let me check.

Tw: spoilers alert ⚠️

Ohhh, they really do look alike here, I didn't mean to make him look like her, I just wanted to make his hair different. This looks interesting, Kyoko's look here is really pretty. Maybe I'd make content for both of them? I've never drawn the characters from Danganronpa 1 and 2, I've always been more focused on v3.

My interpretation of him may be a little different than yours, sorry for anything. Maybe he could act like Kyoko did in the beginning? I still think he would be friendly and kind of silly at times when he wasn't solving a case, although he was always busy, so it would be hard to see that silly side of him. Was the younger version of him more open than the older one?

He deserves to have more content, and it would be interesting to see more of him in a sequel, like, because not knowing his real name is a factor, post-game Yuma could be well explored, be it in a spin off, DLC or even an anime, I know it would be very dreamy of me to want to see him, Makoto and the old cast again, but it doesn't matter, right? Even in animes with episodes about the characters' pasts, novels, and official mangas, I really hope he has a good cameo in the next games, if Master Detective becomes a trilogy + an anime. And also, new products and collaborations, right? We will welcome new content from Master Detective Archives with open arms.

I wanted to make more content about this "Yuma", he solves mysteries, but he is a mystery to us, why is that? Not knowing his name or his past is the case to be solved, whether it is Kurumi as the protagonist or a new character connected to WDO.

[asaka-lucy-dr-rc]

Analysis of Yuma's Design ①

I don't know if this has already been discussed, but I think Yuma's hairstyle is similar to the earliest design ideas for Hajime (the protagonist of SDR2) and Shuichi (the protagonist of NDRV3).

Hajime had a bob cut in the earliest design. According to Rui Komatsuzaki's comment in the official art book (ダンガンロンパ1・2 Reload 超高校���の設定資料集 -再装填-), he suggested this because he wanted to create a bobbed protagonist. He also commented in the book, "I hope to realise a character design that is cool even with a bob cut (おかっぱでもかっこいい、というキャラクターデザインは、いつか実現したいと思っています)", so I think that Yuma's bob hairstyle is based on Komatsuzaki's hope.

Shuichi's ahoge was thick and curly in the earliest design. This is very similar to Yuma's ahoge design. It seems that it was decided from the beginning that Shuichi would wear a hat when he first appeared, and several hat design ideas were included, one of which is very similar to Yuma's hat. (That's what I drew in my illustration.)

In fact, Komatsuzaki often diverts design ideas he had for different characters. For example, the hood design of Chiaki's cardigan (the character from SDR2) was diverted from the hood originally designed as Nagito's coat (personally, I don't think they're that similar, but Komatsuzaki himself said so in the art book). So I think these are not coincidences, but the result of him hoping to realise the ideas he could not realise in the past.

What I'm trying to say is that even though Danganronpa and RAIN CODE are completely different worlds, what the developers had in mind when making the Danganronpa series seems to be reflected in RAIN CODE, and the characters seem to be somewhat related in that way :)

[shiut]

The comparison that can be drawn between Izuru and Makoto Kagutsuchi is so obvious.

But it's also so interesting because of the fact that Makoto is like a reverse Izuru in a way.

They're both monstrous science experiments who were made from the body of the protagonists of their respective games. However, whereas Izuru had lost his personality and humanity in the process, Makoto had actually become more human in the process of becoming a monster.

Hajime sold his soul to become something else. Izuru, without a sense of self, did not care about anything but perfectionism. Due to this however, he could not understand that the humanity behind imperfections is essential to the joy of creation and the purpose to living.

Makoto's human progenitor, Number One, is the detached perfectionist who lacked the emotion to understand that part of being human includes some subjectivity and imperfect solutions. The non-human homunculus, Makoto, grew so desperate for a sense of belonging that he acted on emotion and performed necessary evils just to maintain it.

Makoto lied, he killed, he participated in desperate meaningless prayer, and he carried too much emotion and grief for his soul to bear all for the love of the place he felt he belonged. As far as the impression we were given, Number One cared about nothing but achieving his impossible goal by reaching a perfect solution through a pragmatic singular truth, and ended up selling his soul for it.

And ironically, Yuma had also gained a sense of self and emotion upon Number One selling his soul. He had become imperfect, and therefore more human. And yet, what distinguishes Yuma from either Number One or Makoto is his lack of a grand purpose. All he had was a sense of justice and an instinct to help people around him, and pondering his purpose was also a part of his own subjective human experience.

I love the way they all explore the philosophy behind the relationship between ego, purpose, perfectionism, subjectivity, and humanity.

[elina-sakura]

Spoilers for Yakou DLC

And the other DLCs as well

So something I realized when I was rewatching the DLCs, Desuhiko’s, Halara’s, and Vivia’s DLCs all had a focus in exploring the more personal relationships with Yakou one-on-one, which makes the flashbacks in the beginning of Yakou’s DLC. Yet we never got that in Fubuki’s DLC; her flashback was from Chapter 4, which wasn’t bad, but the same is said for the other detectives as well that were in the same state as her. Now I kind of wish there was a one-on-one moment between Fubuki and Yakou like the other detectives.

[wackpedion]

Headcanon/Observation: Seth is Religious

Heyy so I saw someone being confused about this so Im gonna make a tumblr post about it now, basically based off things you see in the game, mostly the imagery shared by Seth and the church, you can make the interpretation that Seth is religious

For one, the church follows the Metal Fox religion (as stated in a loading screen), and you can see the church uses the fox not only in name but as a symbol as they have fox statues in their front yard. This is interesting because Seth shares this symbol, having a fox on the back of his poncho.

And while this sure is something, theres even more ties to be made between Seth and the church and its religion.

Seth has alooot of eye imagery between his regular and mystery phantom forms. He has an eye on the top of his hood, and in his phantom form its both on his front and back AND a necklace of the eye symbol

I found this perplexing for the longest time because there is eye imagery in the game but in every case I could think of its used in relation to the detectives, with the exception being Shinigami and her book of death but she is a mystery centred death god and has ties to detectives through our protagonist, as opposed to Seth who sure is an investigator but still not a detective and was very much on the enemy side and doesn't have a personal tie to detectives either

However you look at the church more closely and what do you see? Eye imagery, specifically in the windows and iron gates

This makes Seths ties to eye imagery make infinitely more sense if you are to assume hes religious, plus the fact his phantom form is wearing a necklace of it is reminiscent of Christians who might wear crosses

Now, for some additional notable mentions which I feel are less solid but have some basis and help strengthen my argument:

This dialogue could be interpreted that Seth has some sort of faith, an agnostic or athiestic person probably wouldn't defend someone on the basis of their religious status. However this could also be interpreted as some last ditch or desperate effort to defend the priest, as per his motives and also his role as a mystery phantom.

Another thing would be the fact all members of the church have tattoos/markings, usually tied to their eyes. Seth also happens to have one himself

however this could be a stretch as many characters in the game have face markings/tattoos, and Seths is green as opposed to the red sported by the church's members.

Also, Seth's profile mentions he likes 'Wind instruments',

I am not familiar with church or religious music so I can't say much, but from what I gather they play some part in church music? And the one most associated with churches, the organ, is a wind instrument.

And now, the biggest leap of all: He wears a monocle, which btw is completely unique to him in the game. This draws attention to his one visible eye, and as established earlier eyes are associated with the church

Anyway thats the end!! I hope you liked my post and normal level of digging for a character with like no screentime and now understand the idea that he is religious :3

[moldsporr]

Yomi is someone who overly relies on others. Yomi doesn't do much of anything in the game- he threatens, he intimidates, but other than the chapter 2 scene with Martina? He's always passing along responsibility to others. Even when he has a weapon aimed at the people he wants dead, he never pulls the trigger himself. He has no qualms about using others, but being on his own? Having to personally take care of things? He's terrified. He's a coward in that regard.

Meanwhile, Makoto is someone who refuses to rely on others. He takes everything on himself. He'll use others, but it's always… indirectly. He sets traps. He doesn't rely on the people he uses- he can and does set up backup plans. He'll take care of everything himself, but the idea of opening himself up to others? Cooperating? He's terrified. He's a coward in that regard.

The two of them are cowardly, powerful men, unchanged for years.

It's interesting. Yomi, despite how intimidating and downright evil he is, has done more for Kanai Ward. Good things? Debatable. But he's there. He's always doing things. He's always involving himself, even if he doesn't take any action himself. Makoto stays in his home. He creates automated systems that will run even without him, and he never comes down from his room to do anything for Kanai Ward.

And then there's Yuma, who's like. A happy medium. He relies on others, but not overly so- he still does things on his own. He helps Kanai Ward more than either Yomi and Makoto do.

They're so. Yummy

[highoncatfood]

Rainstuck 4th and final part of the classpect reasonings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

putting these 4 together bcuz i feel like kurumis and desuhikos analysis dont even deserve their own post bcuz of how unsure i am abt them, halaras too kinda. i also dont have any additional drawings for them so! theres that i guess. more notes in read more if u care...

pt.1 pt.2 pt.3

im kinda bummed that i couldnt rlly incorporate their fortes into the classpects in form of powers bcuz that would make this like 3 times more awesome. buuut it would be so hard to try and make it all work in a way that both their personalities And the powers would make sense for them as characters AND the classpects. so i had to choose and i think matching their personalities was more important. idk

im most happy with vivia. i feel like i could find sth better for halara but honestly i kinda dontttt care for halara that much in general so i probably just dont understand them enough to properly analyze them. desuhiko being heart-bound is nearly perfect if u ask me. maybe i could find a better class for him. kurumi as a heir of space is like... fine. i think i made it work and its enough but again theres probs another classpect that fits her better that i just cant figure out! oh well.

i mentioned grimdark vivia but after refreshing my memory on the horrorterrors i realized that they only communicate with derse dreamers. i could go around it somehow and say that maybe bcuz of his connection to ghosts and shit he could access the outer gods DESPITE not dreaming on derse???? idk, its a bit of a stretch. maybe he could have 2 dream selves! a wink towards his forte? this is homestuck we're talking abt. why should i look for logic here.

another idea for his dream self is that i think it would be fun if he could wake up on prospit pre-session despite not being a space player (tho im not 100% sure thats even canonically a space player thing). "hes just special like that" right. lol but yeah this guy would enjoy prospit i think.. snoozing a lot just like jade and escaping into the perfect peaceful moon world... kurumis there too like "how did he GET here" i dunno im just thinking out loud at this point ermmm

[apolunatic]

Something that I really hope the (potential) next Master Detective Archives game delves into more are the paranormal dispositions and Forensic Fortes.

When they’re talking about Fortes at the start of Chapter One, Halara states that fortes are the result of people’s natural “paranormal dispositions” being honed into Forensic Fortes over at least two years of training.

When I first read this, I was convinced that at least one of the villains would have some sort of special ability— especially Yomi.

(Putting a readmore due to post length and images. May contain spoilers.)

I still wonder if Yomi has something unnatural going on, considering he has a few moments where his eyes literally go black, but this could also very well just be an artistic choice/dramatic effect?

Something else that’s interesting is how Halara’s Postcognition is really the only ability that can strictly be used for investigation.

Fubuki’s Time Leap and Vivia’s Spectral Projection can be used in all sorts of situations— even Desuhiko’s Disguice and Melami’s Spiritism have multiple applications.

However, there’s a clear bias towards people with special powers in this world:

Anyone with a innate ability can become a Master Detective, even if they’re not exactly great at their job (yet will still be greatly respected for their power), while powerless people have to work a lot harder:

But, as Halara says, it’d be great to have both.

It’s really interesting, and shows how there’s a lot more to being a detective than just having a special power.

The MDA universe has a lot of world building potential, and I really hope that this series is continued. Rain Code set a great foundation.

[biggie-chcese]

Ways I Would Change Rain Code Chapter 3, Everyone's Favorite Chapter

(let's join hands and frolic in the fields of missed potential together yayyy yippeee 🐬🌈🫧 <3 spoilers btw. this is another long ass rant/critique so warning for that too)

chapter 3 is pretty infamous for being rain code's weakest chapter but i love this game and want it to be better, so here's some changes i'd make to it. these overhauls are gonna be pretty big in some places but hey! if that's what it takes!

Part 1: The Beginning

gonna start off with saying that makoto's introduction is perfect. i would change nothing about it. he's intriguing, his exchanges with yuma are fantastic, and he lays down some nice lore and foreshadowing. no notes

AS FOR WHEN YUMA LEAVES THAT PENTHOUSE... HOO BOY

i take so much issue with the introduction of the resistance. as hilarious as it is that they kidnap yuma by simply picking him up like a piece of furniture, it just kinda ruins every subsequent interaction he has with them. he has no reason to believe a single word shachi is saying. that man can preach about non-violence all day but that doesn't change the fact that he and his crew kidnapped yuma. and if i were yuma, that would be on my mind the entire time. just from a narrative standpoint, it feels strange for him to put more stock into what the resistance says than makoto, who literally saved his life. meanwhile the resistance kidnaps him, threatens to kill him like three times, and foists a menial task on him. why is he giving them the time of day at all? just lie about taking their request and go look for your friends.

so how would i change this? it's simple: have the resistance give yuma a good first impression

picture this: after leaving makoto's place, yuma returns to where the submarine used to be. he's devastated to not see any trace of his allies and breaks down. this is where he can have his sulking session like he has on that couch after being kidnapped in canon. shinigami teases him while he's down but eventually lifts his spirits when she talks about the detective who left an impression on her. yknow. "i want to eradicate all unsolved mysteries and bring happiness to everyone!" yeah, that guy. you know him. determined to keep going, yuma gets up and decides to search around for his friends. the player has control now and can talk to several NPCs asking about them. the final NPC says to yuma, "All the gunk and trash of Kanai Ward's rivers flow down into Dohya DIstrict. If you're looking for a body, that place is your best bet." that NPC gives yuma directions to dohya district, and the area is unlocked on the map! the player can take yuma there next

when yuma steps into dohya district, he has his initial shocked reaction to the place being completely flooded. it's horrible here, but he presses on, looking around and asking a couple more people if they've seen any bodies. as he's asking around, he sorta forgets that he is a small, frail, vulnerable outsider that looks really easy to rob, and so a couple of thugs come along to remind him of that. they corner him with knives, egging him on to fork up any money he's got (which would be none. yuma's broke ass lmao) and with no other options, yuma cries out for help.

in comes the resistance! i think this is where shachi saves yuma by breaking up the conflict peacefully- quite literally practicing what he preaches (SHOW, DON'T TELL!!!). the thugs leave, and shachi asks yuma if he's okay, inviting him to their hideout in the process. this is where we can have shachi drop the lore about dohya district as they walk there together. the resistance gets introduced, and i would change very little about their introduction! however, i would leave out the parts where they threaten to kill yuma, because yuma needs a reason to trust them. and let's be honest: those scenes do nothing but unnecessarily raise stakes before fizzling out immediately. yuma can still refuse their offer for him to join them because, well, they just met. and it's still a reasonable decision for him to make without the death threats and kidnapping. maybe instead of death threats, the resistance leaders get all riled up and loud, then shachi quiets them down and tells yuma he wants to talk about the issue in private on the roof. yuma can still witness shachi get his gun through the crack in the door.

everything is the same after that, including fubuki's scene because that part is perfect. everything about her in this chapter is perfect. i think she could've had a little bit of her labyrinth development outside of it but oh well. she kinda gets that in ch 4? moving on.

Part 2: Lamp Oil? Rope? Bombs?!

i actually love the bomb threats as a concept- they add a lot of stakes to the game. however, the pacing completely ruins that. yuma wastes too much time in between them in a way that makes the bombs lose all of their urgency. so let's just cut that all out and make them yuma's first priority. let's say yuma has 15-20 minutes reach and disarm each bomb. this gives him no time for lollygagging, and he goes running around the city immediately, trying to dodge all of the peacekeepers. he can even be intercepted by guillaume and dominic at these times and narrowly escape via QTEs and detours. this still gives our culprit at least 45 minutes to enact his plan, which is plenty of time. after disarming the bombs, then yuma can return to the hideout to confront the resistance. there, he finds nobody is there except shachi's corpse, slumped against the couch, with his revolver nestled in his right hand.

shachi's clothes are wet, implying he just came in from outside before shooting himself. the safe that held the gun is wide open. nothing else seems to have been moved around. since there's no evidence of a struggle, perhaps it... truly is a suicide?

"wait that's a pretty big change" you might be thinking. or not. im not psychic. but please consider: this game has enough locked room mysteries in it, and it can survive with one less.

my idea is that this mystery should have at least one more layer of complexity to it because the entire canon mystery hinges only on icardi's escape method... i guess there's also the "suicide or homicide?" part but anyone who has ever engaged with the mystery genre will instantly figure out that shachi is left handed the very second they bring up the gun's irregular design. so why not have a situation where the body is moved? we haven't done anything like that ever since chapter 0.

my other biggest gripe with this mystery is that icardi didn't need to kill shachi at all. he could've just done his robbery and left kanai ward (or, well, tried to) without any hiccups. why kill shachi? why does the game never touch on that? i guess we could go off of icardi hating shachi's ideals but... going out of his way to kill him during his otherwise perfect heist? idk, it seems like a super lukewarm motive for all that.

so why not have shachi get in his way? shachi directly tries to stop icardi by following him in secret and confronts him at the site where he's about to bomb the hydroelectric plant. and that is where shachi dies. i think shachi's true cause of death should be drowning, since it's the best way for icardi to kill him. and how does icardi do it? well, he threatens to drown servan first. in shachi's attempt to rescue servan, icardi gets the upper hand. icardi then transports his body back to dohya via the waterways to keep anyone off his trail. he then frames it like a suicide by shooting the corpse in the head. there, he plants the gun, cleans up a bit, and leaves.

there are a number of types of evidence for yuma to deduce this later. maybe shinigami notes that the gunshot wound seems way less bloody than it should be. maybe yuma finds something belonging to shachi near the hydroelectric plant, like his necklace (maybe stuck to a grate or buried in rubble from the explosion?) along with evidence of a huge struggle. also, yuma sees multiple safes floating outside a bank near the plant. also there should be a few more red herrings among the solution keys. yuma will still interrogate margulaw to get the lore on the others, of course

i want yuma to know that shachi was trying to save servan, but i honestly dont know how to make that clear through evidence. maybe servan leaves something behind on purpose?

(yuma can meet kurumi during all this the same way too idc. i don't really think her inclusion in this chapter is necessary but w/e i wont take what little screen time she has from her. poor girl)

in the end, yuma and co get cornered by guillaume and dominic at the hydroelectric plant's bomb ruins instead of a random office, so he can get his final batch of clues right beforehand. then just before dominic crushes him into a small purple stain, he panics and goes into the labyrinth as usual.

Part 3: Down the Rabbit Hole We Go!

just a heads up, i'm changing nothing about fubuki in this labyrinth. fubuki and her interactions with shinigami are the best damn part of it, so imagine it's still there under this new format. anyway.

now i get it- this mystery still hinges on icardi's abilities. im not a mystery writer, so just imagine a lot of this stuff is more subtle than it is presented here.

let's frame it like this: the mystery casts a lot of doubt on shachi at first. from the evidence, yuma's initial assumption is that shachi did the hydroelectric bombing to send a message to the rich, then returned to his hideout and ended his own life.

as we go through the labyrinth, we first deduce that the bombs were all a diversion to keep yuma and the peacekeepers away. after that, we learn about shachi being left handed, then we deduce that this had to be a homicide. after that, we try to figure out shachi's actions before he died, eventually coming to the conclusion that he was present at the bombing of the hydroelectric plant, but if it was a homocide, someone else maybe tried to stop him. from here, we look back at how his body was discovered and figure out that his real cause of death was drowning. yuma then points the finger at icardi due to his swimming ability, and we take down his arguments accusing the others as usual.

after this, we find out his motive through actual RDM matches with his phantom instead of just mentioning it at the end of the labyrinth. through his motive, we learn more about how shachi's body was transported through the waterways and shot post-mortem at the hideout. then we can finally go to GOD shinigami mode, where icardi tries to say "this is what shachi wanted! he started the bombings and i tried to stop him. he realized the error in his ways and asked me to kill him!" but yuma counters that with the evidence servan left behind, saying that shachi has shown to be nothing but a man of peace, even til the very end.

when it's over, icardi says he hates this city and wanted to leave, but yuma scolds him on his selfishness, in how many people he endangered and how he killed a man who wanted to do some good for this world, all for money. pissed, he finishes icardi off with a silly little comic book

Part 4: Oh Yeah What About Guillaume and Dominic

imma be real with yall i do not like these two. they're just lame ass antagonists man. and maybe it's the black in me talkin but im not a fan of the dynamic where dominic, one of two characters in the entire game that's darker than a sheet of paper, is a big dumb brute whose likes include "sleeping lazily" and dislikes include "thinking," is completely loyal to this ambiguously pale little girl. i dont think guillaume herself is racist- she treats him exactly the same as her other underlings. actually she strikes me as one of those "im not racist! i hate everyone! ^w^" kinds of people and she actually means it. it's still pretty obnoxious though. sorry guillaume likers.

i'm also not even gonna accuse kodaka and the dev team of racism or colorism (though i could say something about how nearly all of the darker skinned characters in danganronpa such as akane, aoi, and yasuhiro are all portrayed as the Stupid Ones™ or the butt of a joke like daisaku from DR3 who happens to be the ultimate... farmer... ok. ok that's fine. whatever. the sole exception is sakura, an excellent character... whose appearance is still treated like a joke. also i will not complain about servan's afro + donut lips combo. i will not. do you see how all these little things build up to leaving a bad taste in my mouth? anyway im getting sidetracked). so i'll say it could just be chalked up to ignorance. either way, i think one simple fix to this is to let dominic talk... in the mystery labyrinth

a really fun payoff to his dynamic with guillaume is to simply have them swap their roles in the labyrinth. there, dominic does all of the yapping, showing he was actually paying attention to the case the whole time in the real world, and guillaume is on the sidelines occasionally making red text appear by calling yuma a little f- er- maggot. it still retains their running joke, but gives it a more memorable punchline imo. it doesn't really get rid of the weird undertones but i think it adds something to dominic that's sorely needed by showing him as smarter than he comes off as.

Part 5: The Ending

now my biggest change i'd make to this ending is making yuma recognize that he killed icardi for no reason. he... sorta does it in canon? but he's more worried about the fact that he killed icardi at all and not his trend of having a way too eager trigger finger when it comes to the labyrinth. and he hardly even hesitated either. he was so angry with icardi for killing a good man like shachi for his own selfish reasons that he mercilessly killed him for it. and i want yuma to acknowledge that more. i want him to reflect on how his tendency to just use the labyrinth the moment he feels like he's in danger is a terrible thing. please. please i want more reflection on this.

i wont change much else. however, when makoto replaces their submarine, i want there to be some consequence: all of their notes are gone. the inside of the sub is clean. the scent of yakou's cigarettes is gone. the furniture is the same, but it's all brand new. it's unsettling, but the NDA graciously accepts their new gift.

idk how much strain that'd put on the team that modeled the sub's interior, but i think it's worth it. the game needs some concept of change and consequence to it. make chapter 3 matter.

that's really all i have to say. thanks for reading!