"In the end, it was meaningless. Does that fill you with despair? Like getting booted from a game server? You know those murder mysteries were the culprit is really the detective who's investigating the murder? Well, I'm so over predictable crap like that. Just what did you expect at this stage of the game?"
Not active because of college.
you can call me 🏥💉 Nurse Violet 🪻💜. I'm 18 and a nursing student that writes fanfiction, paints, and does graffiti in her free time.
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There's something very interesting about Junko. Because, yes, she is awful... but what I don't see people saying is that she is capable of love.
However, love doesn't keep her entertained long. It doesn't help with her boredom, which is where despair comes in.
She insults Mukuro because doing that gives her despair, saying such awful things to her sister. She loves Mukuro, which is why being so awful to her gives her that despair. If she didn't love Mukuro, there would be no depair to get.
Junko also just... confirms this in the game.
That's why she killed Mukuro.
And based on this, Junko isn't a sadist like I see many say. No. She's a masochist. Yes, she is hurting others but that is not where her enjoyement comes from. It comes from the despair she is feeling in that moment.
She hurts others because that hurts her. It might seem a small difference, but it just changes so much. Because it's why she made the killing game- because it would give her the despair she was looking for.
Not only would it show her classmates killing each other, but it would make sure that the entire world would plunge into despair, something that is absolutely awful. And because it's awful is why Junko is doing it, so she can feel despair.
Now, there is one point in the trial where she claims that she doesn't love her classmates... but she also contradicts herself at another point.
I believe she's claiming not to love them because then that's what they'll think... which will give her more despair.
She does love her classmates, I don't think that was an act. But she acts like she doesn't so they'll hate her even worse. She even taunts them with the 'truth'! So, eho's to say that is the actual truth?
Really though, Junko is an interesting character, something which seems to get toned down later in canon, which results in the fandom doing the same at times.
But, what she really is? A girl who feels boredom, who only gets excited when she feels despair, with no other emotion doing the same to her. She is capable of love, but uses that love against herself. She hurts the ones she loves, like Mukuro, because she hates that. It makes her feel despair.
But curiously enough, she does seem to dislike Makoto, even hate him. Because he is so stubborn, so clinging to hope. She can't make him feel despair, not in the way she wants. That means she can't feel despair from him, so she doesn't like him.
We see her get annoyed by him. She genuinely doesn't like him, unlike with the rest of their classmates.
That's it for this though hehe. Just a little character analysis. She really is just more interesting than just 'a despair obsessed girl'. So, that!
Personally, I believe she is the most interesting mastermind, simply because, compared to Junko Enoshima and Izuru Kamukura, she feels.. real. Dangerously real. Uncomfortably real.
Junko was a genius analyst who wanted out of boredom and Izuru was a genius analyst who wanted out of boredom. Tumugi however, is...a fangirl turned producer. She clings to fiction because it provides her an escape from the boring world she lives in. She is a consequence of letting fiction consume you.
Her mastermind reveal made me wonder if her in-game personality really was a persona. And of course, it very much was, since she was trying to hide the fact she was the mastermind. But I more so mean...how much of that was an act? Because when I look at Tsumugi, I see a girl who is very empty. A girl with no real personality that made her stand out, which is why she was able to keep up that "I'm so plain" role the whole game. What I mean is, any character she wanted to play would have fit her like a glove because she, as harsh as this sounds, doesn't seem to have a tangible personality. Whether it is the plain unremarkable weeb or the unhinged mastermind, she plays those roles perfectly because she wants to run away from herself. She wants excitement, and she believes she can only find it by playing a role and living amongst fictional characters she herself wrote.
And there's something tragic about that way of thinking. Obviously, the world as it is portrayed in Danganronpa V3 has bred some interesting personalities. If we believe that the students volunteered to play the game, then someone like Tsumugi existing is not that surprising. But if we apply that mindset to our real world...it gets more and more uncomfortable the more we think about it. There are people like Tsumugi out there. Bored people with empty lives who wish for the world to match their impossible standards of fantasy. She's the embodiment of a fan who went too far.
But where it gets tricky is that...her love for Danganronpa is very hollow. She's never explicitly said why she loves it so much. What does she like about it? What is so exciting about it that she died for it? Is it the executions? The character arcs? The motives? The premise? The world will never know. And I think that's the point. She stands out as an anomaly amongst all of these colorful, emotionally rich characters because she is a hollow person. Even her motivation for participating in the game is murky. She said herself before her execution that she has no interest in a world without Danganronpa...but why? What's so great about it?
She doesn't fit in with the survivors because she's like if a Danganronpa fan inserted themselves into the story but couldn't choose what role to give themselves. So they picked everything--victim, mastermind, survivor, culprit.
That's also why her Junko Enoshima cosplay sucked. It seemed as though she had only read Junko's wiki page before trying to act as her. It was a shallow, amateur attempt at trying to be her. And that's the point. It was to show that she was a cheap copy. Junko acted in a very stereotypical manner without truly being herself because she is the 53rd rendition. She has been milked for 53 seasons and her whole Despair Queen shitck has become...tacky. Overplayed.
Tsumugi is not a person. She is a patchwork of a bunch of different points of view--the hungry audience, Team Danganronpa, Junko Enoshima, Tsumugi Shirogane and the survivors. She needs to be all these different people because that's what it means to be the Ultimate Cosplayer.
She's the face of Team Danganronpa. That greedy production team that produces angst fanservice with predictable endings for an ever-demanding audience.
So who was Tsumugi Shirogane? An obsessed fan who went too far? The face of a greedy company? A plain-Jane weeb? No one knows. Just like the story she created, it's all up to interpretation.
you ever think about how makoto naegi can understand anyone but no one understands makoto naegi. and that this is the one fundamental thing he shares with junko enoshima.
i think makoto is specifically haunted by junkos death but not in the terrible hellfire ghost nightmares way but rather i think he sometimes just eats lunch with the others in the future foundation and his thoughts turn to how his dead classmates would always be so rowdy and in particular he can't truly let go of the fondness he had for junko as his friend even though she was the person who turned the world into a hellscape and he'll wonder just how much agony was hidden in plain sight with every smile she showed him and how now as the ultimate hope he can't be anything but the future of humanity the world sees him as and in that moment he feels a terrible kinship to her in how ultimate despair also deified the girl whose last words to him were about how much pain the experience of living brought her and despite that he was quite possibly the only person who saw past the dichotomies of hope and despair and saw just another person before him that he ultimately didn't want to see die despite everything she'd done. unrelated images of makotos true thoughts about despair as an ideology that consumes the people around him btw
still thinking about this but like how fascinatingly selfish of makoto it is to have not wanted junko to die.
like it's an entirely blink and you'll miss it interaction when it actually happens in the endgame but the future foundation and the general populace want junko dead for what she's done, ultimate despair would relish in the despair of her death, the survivors of class 78 also want her to die for what she personally did to them and even junko herself is ready to die with her absolute high of despair after destroying everything around herself because living is agony
but even then
like it would be easy to see this and just go "oh he's a good person he doesn't want to see even his worst enemy die" but like not only does that ignore a substantial majority of DR1 where makoto does not shut up about how much he fucking hates the mastermind but going forward it's a pattern too: he was fully willing to burn bridges with the future foundation just to save the remnants of despair and cooperated with izuru behind the scenes about it
makoto said he was going to carry the deaths of everyone on his back and to that end makes sure to prevent as many deaths as he can even those that should be his enemies. the choice he made to survive and not lose to despair has done nothing but fuck him over pretty much every step of the way going forward, and it's like junko herself said
junko really did burden him with one last despairful gift in her own death. it was hope for the world but now makoto has to carry even her death with him and he doesn't have it in himself to not continue striving and going forward
Nobody Understands Mukuro Ikusaba (aka Mukuro Character Analysis)
...except for the people that do (lol).
But first I want to clarify what I mean by this title and why I even wrote this thread in the first place. Mukuro is my second favorite Danganronpa character, only beaten out by Kyoko. There's a lot of reasons why I really like Mukuro, but one of them is her writing.
I think she's one of the best written characters in the series. But unfortunately, she also happens to be one of the most misunderstood characters as well. Not even by the people who don't like her, but also by her own fans.
"Mukuro has incestuous feelings for Junko"
"Danganronpa 3 retconned her character"
"Mukuro was just a plot device"
These are all claims that baffle me because simply just consuming the media will say otherwise.
To many, Mukuro is either a one note incest freak or a pure innocent cinnamon roll who did nothing wrong and both of those interpretations are wildly incorrect. I've been meaning to write this post for a while, but we're finally here.
Nobody understands Mukuro Ikusaba (a ""🧵"")
(Spoiler warning for the entire series)
Story Overview
We don't actually know too much about Mukuro's backstory aside from the fact that at a young age, she was separated from her younger twin sister Junko. Before being taken away, she claims that she was homeless and after she was taken she was forced to become a member of the military group Fenrir.
So clearly Mukuro never really had the chance to have a normal life, and more importantly: never had a chance to feel the care of another person.
Her sister, who Mukuro had not seen in years, suddenly got in contact with her and called Mukuro over to participate in her plan to overthrow Hope's Peak Academy (and the world). Mukuro, who already felt bad for losing her sister and was desperate for any kind of affection, accepted and began working for Junko.
Junko took advantage of Mukuro's desperation and had her basically work as a servant to her plans. She started by having Mukuro wipe out the entirety of a middle school in order to prove Mukuro's skills and how far Mukuro would go for her.
With that out of her way, Junko made Mukuro obey like her servant in order to overthrow Hope's Peak and cause the tragedy. Mukuro did so without batting an eye and disregarding any second thoughts she might have had, all while facing Junko's abuse.
During her time attending Hope's Peak, Mukuro met Makoto Naegi. Unlike most of her classmates, Makoto was friendly to her and showed her compassion. This confused her as we already established that Mukuro wasn't used to affection. Because of this and her tendency to latch onto anyone who shows her even an ounce of care, she began to develop feelings for Makoto (that even Junko acknowledged).
"In the past two years, Ikusaba had gained an interest in the world beyond her sister. And in that world, Makoto Naegi--the first person who smiled at her and bridged the gap between her and the world--had become like a sapling of sincerity taking root in her heart."
-Danganronpa IF confirming Mukuro's feelings for Makoto
"Upupupu… I wonder what kind of fun you were having in the infirmary? Did you take care of your rival in love, or did you wish them a happy marriage? Either way, don't you think our nice guy Naegi standing side-by-side with Kirigiri makes for a wonderful picture? If this were a thriller, they'd be the last surviving couple!"
"Upupupupu… Or how about just killing all of the others? If everyone but you and Naegi die, then the two of you can spend the rest of your student lives together! After all, we can't even hold a trial if there's only two people left. Maybe it'll be best if you just hole up here, safe in the building forever!"
"And what're you going to do once he goes back to his old self? It's not as if you were dating Naegi, right? You were just watching him from afar all this time! Now this is a shock. You can shoot right through people's heads and hearts without even blinking, but you can't even steal away some skinny little boy's heart! You want me to tell you who Naegi had a crush on before his memories were erased? Upupupupu…"
-Junko teasing Mukuro about her feelings as she aids Makoto in Danganronpa IF
Once the tragedy occured, Mukuro was locked inside of Hope's Peak with Junko and the rest of their classmates and she helped orchestrate the killing game. She disguised herself as Junko, under the impression that Junko would fake her death and they could spend the rest of the game together.
This is when the seeds of doubt began to sprout inside of Mukuro. I wouldn't say that she necessarily began to go against her sister, but she definitely was starting to get a little more hesitant.
"It was only recently that she began to question her mindset. Hearing about this plan from Junko and watching the world burn at the hands of people in Monobear
masks did nothing to sway her, but when she heard that Junko was intending to plunge Naegi and the others into a game of murder, something within her began to move.
The seed of doubt soon took root, sprouting into a thorny vine that twisted around her feet. And the moment she met her friends for the first time under the identity of Junko Enoshima and realized their memories were truly gone, the vines quickly tightened around her ankles."
-Danganronpa IF describing Mukuro's feelings when the killing game began
To Makoto and the player who are under the impression that this is Junko, they assume that she's referring to not wanting to be a model anymore. But given her backstory of never being able to live a normal life and always having to fend for herself or follow the orders of others, we can infer what she actually means. She expresses disappointment in the fact that she never really had a chance to do what she wanted.
This all culminates in the moment where Junko was supposed to fake the death of Mukuro, but that isn't what happened. Instead, Junko killed Mukuro and betrayed her. To say that Junko felt no remorse from this action would be a lie, however. Junko only did this because she knew it would hurt both of them.
...but what if that wasn't what happened? What if Mukuro wasn't killed? What would happen then? That brings us to:
Danganronpa IF
Danganronpa IF answers the hypothetical question of what if Mukuro survived Junko's attack. Of course this means it isn't canon, but due to Kodaka being involved with its creation and its existence as an event that hypothetically could have happened, it is canon compliant. This means that while the events didn't happen in canon, they could have and things like characterization are all accurate. Think of it like an extended free time event. While the events themselves aren't canon, the things they say and imply are. I'll also be referencing Danganronpa IF a lot because since it's told from Mukuro's perspective, it gives a lot of insight on her thought process.
After regaining his memories, Makoto recognizes and rescues Mukuro seconds before her would-be death and he gets impaled by one of the spears. Mukuro rushes to save him, abandoning her disguise and goal.
During this time, Mukuro does a lot of thinking. Why did Junko try to kill her? For all the time they've been working together, Mukuro always assumed that her job was to prop Junko up and help her achieve despair.
It turns out that Junko didn't want Mukuro to obey Junko's every order, Junko wanted Mukuro to retaliate. She didn't want Mukuro to submit to her, but instead to fight back.
With this Mukuro changes her mind, choosing to fight Junko instead of assisting her. Not because she's on the side of hope, she never cared about hope or despair, but because she only wants what's best for the only person in her life who cared for her.
"'That's why… I'll take responsibility. I'll make you happy, Junko . I'll make youdespair. I'll save Naegi-kun… I'll make sure none of our friends die. I'll get them all out of here. And I'll kill every last one of the ones on the outside. You planned this for years and killed so many people to make this work… so I'll destroy every last trace of it.'
She was not driven by resentment at the sister who abandoned her. Ikusaba would do all this for her sister's sake."
-Mukuro changing her approach to making Junko happy in Danganronpa IF
Who is Mukuro Ikusaba?
Now this is the part where I finally exit the synopsis phase and finally get into the character analysis, explaining why Mukuro acts the way she does in all entries.
Now, I want to begin with a common critique of Mukuro's character, specifically one that's attributed to Danganronpa 3. The one that says that Mukuro's behavior is not only out of character, but also claims that she has romantic feelings for her sister.
First point out of the way, Mukuro's blushy and flustered attitude is nothing new when it comes to her character. It's been an aspect of her since the very beginning of her characterization.
"'I don’t know if… she attracts despair, or despair attracts her, but… she’s lived her whole life with despair by her side. She lived while immersed in despair. That’s why she began looking for despair in others; she began to enjoy pushing people into despair. But you know… that’s normal. It’s no different than someone cursed by misfortune falling into hatred for those who are better off than them. But what’s special about her was that… she learned to enjoy inflicting despair upon herself. That’s how the link to despair began: as she chased down despair, she pushed it onto others along the way. Doing so caused her to crave falling into despair even more… and because of that chain to despair, the Ultimate Despair was born.'
While she spoke, it was like she fell into a fever; the expressions on her face slowly turned into ecstasy. It was so completely absurd that it would have been difficult for anybody to think of it as anything but a joke, but I could tell that this was real. It might have been the hazy memories of Junko Enoshima inside me that led to that conclusion.
'You don’t get it right? That’s fair, I don’t think anybody could… But you know, only I can understand it…'
Consumed by ecstasy, even Ikusaba’s breathing had begun to turn ragged."
-Mukuro describing Junko in Danganronpa Zero
The second (and more important) point to address is the one that Mukuro holds some kind of romantic feelings for her sister. Now, in all honestly, I can't hold this against anyone for thinking this even if I think it's a wild misinterpretation of her behavior. Danganronpa has a track record of using incest for comedic effect (to always poor results). However, Mukuro's relationship with Junko is not used to comedic effect and it's portrayed in a negative light. Not only that, we know that Mukuro does not enjoy behaving that way.
"'She hoped that, perhaps her sister on the screen would say something like 'Not! You seriously thought I'd say something that sappy? Jeez, you're annoying! Can't you just disappear forever or something?'. She hoped that Junko might criticizeher and call her useless. Ikusaba was no masochist, but she would have preferred to hear scornful laughter and be shot at rather than continue to endure this pain."
-Danganronpa IF explaining Mukuro's "masochism"
Mukuro doesn't behave the way she does because she has feelings for Junko, she does so because she believes that's how Junko wants her to behave. Danganronpa Zero and IF makes it clear that Mukuro was wrong about how Junko wanted her to behave.
“'You don’t get it right? That’s fair, I don’t think anybody could… But you know, only I can understand it…'
Consumed by ecstasy, even Ikusaba’s breathing had begun to turn ragged.
'Only I’m able to understand her… That’s why she needs me. She still hasn’t realized it, but… maybe she’s only pretending not to. Ufu… It’s because she’s so shy. Ufufufu…'”
-Mukuro explaining that Junko needs her in Danganronpa Zero
"Ikusaba knew that not even she herself was her own ally. After all, despite the fact that Junko had betrayed her and very nearly killed her, Ikusaba still believed that she was the only one who could understand her little sister. And that was why she felt that she had to protect her.
That's right… you were just being you, Junko. You just wanted despair, right?
It's because you love me. You wanted to kill me and fall into despair. That must have been it"
-Mukuro in denial in Danganronpa IF
"Ikusaba believed that she alone could understand the despair known as Junko Enoshima.
It was a ludicrous notion.
The moment Junko said, 'I love you', Ikusaba realized--to her agony--that she never truly understood her sister. Only now had she come to realize Junko's feelings."
-Mukuro realizing that she didn't understand Junko in Danganronpa IF
Because of Mukuro's incorrect interpretation of understanding Junko, Mukuro believes that Junko expects her to respond to her abuse with acceptance and masochism. Even if she was uncomfortable to, as long as it made Junko happy, that's what mattered. Of course, we learn that Junko wanted Mukuro to respond her abuse with retaliation, and as soon as Mukuro realizes that her behavior immediately shifts. Mukuro holds a great deal of admiration for Junko, so much so that she only wants to do what would please Junko the most.
She does not have romantic feelings for her sister and to say so misses the point entirely. She isn't behaving that way because she's a masochist, she behaves that way because she believes it's how she's expected to, even if she's visibly uncomfortable. Once she learns this isn't what's expected, she immediately changes course.
Danganronpa 3 also has official relationship charts that depict the relationship between characters. In this chart, crushes or explicitly shown romantic feelings are labeled with a heart (as seen with Kazuichi's attraction to Sonia or Toko's attraction to Byakuya). Mukuro's relationship does NOT feature this heart. You would think that if Mukuro's very obvious admiration towards Junko was romantic it would have a heart, but it doesn't because it isn't. If what I said before didn't convince you, I think this itself is proof enough.
Mukuro's admiration doesn't extend to just Junko though. Due to her unfortunate upbringing, Mukuro has a tendency to get attached to anyone who shows her the affection she's desperate for. So much so that her behavior changes completely around the people she cares about.
"The mass of monochrome spun round and round, making it look as though they were projecting a hypnotic image from three directions, but Ikusaba remained expressionless. In fact, the bizarre sight unfolding before her compelled the Super High School Level Soldier to regain her focus. She was an entirely different person
from the girl who had panicked at Naegi's injury in the gymnasium."
-Mukuro while fighting in Danganronpa IF, behaving completely differently from when she panicked over Makoto's injury
"Not only that, if anyone who knew her as the Super High School Level Soldier and mercenary were to see her now, the difference in her attitude might even make her look like another person altogether. And Monobear continued to drive the girl into a corner."
-Mukuro panicking over Makoto's injury in Danganronpa IF
"The mask of ice she wore around others was entirely unlike the face she showed her sister, making it almost seem as though she had multiple personalities."
-Danganronpa IF explaining that Mukuro's behavior around Junko is different from her typical icey expression
This is why around most people, Mukuro has a pretty blank expression. However when she's around Makoto or Junko, the two people who she cares about, she displays a much more soft and emotional side.
That being said, an often overlooked aspect of Mukuro is that she actually has a slight ego and is proud of her skill. This is especially obvious in her fight with Peko in Danganronpa 3. Of course, if I spent years in the military without getting a single scratch, I'd probably have an ego too.
Mukuro is also capable of turning off her feelings and going into a "killing machine mode" whenever the situation demands it, mostly when she's carrying out some mission. It's not because she doesn't feel bad for what she's doing or isn't having any second thoughts, it's that she pushes any doubts to the side to focus on getting the job done.
"In battlefields, where she made her home, her main mission was to kill and survive. And in that setting Ikusaba was invincible. She could put her own emotions on a leash in order to become a killing machine."
-Danganronpa IF explaining how Mukuro is capable of ignoring her own feelings
"With a single whisper that was drowned out by the sound of gunfire, Ikusaba went completely silent. Thanks to her status as a member of Super High School Level Despair, her heart was filling with joy. And as if to offset the sudden surge of emotions, the sparkle in her eyes disappeared."
-Mukuro turning her emotions off while fighting in Danganronpa IF
So Basically...
Due to her upbringing Mukuro is someone who gets attached to people easily, particularly those who give her attention. Junko took advantage of this to make Mukuro essentially act as her servant. Believing that Junko expected her to return the abuse she faced with enjoyment, she forced herself to do just that. Even if it made her uncomfortable, making her sister happy at her own expense is better than being alone. She's capable of turning off and ignoring her emotions to following orders when necessary and is generally a proud and skilled soldier, though she has a softer side that she only shows to people who she cares for.
That is who Mukuro Ikusaba is.
Conclusion
There's a lot of reasons I really like Mukuro. I think she's silly and cute and I like her singing voice. But I also think her characterization is really good in all of her appearances. I think a lot of the critiques made towards her (especially towards her appearance in Danganronpa 3) are misguided or just a result of her being misunderstood.
She's not a plot device or a character exclusively there to act as an extension of Junko. She's filled to the brim with character depth and interesting writing and has plenty of characterization on her own. I'll admit that her presence in Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc is a bit limited, however she doesn't just become an important character in four other entries without getting some kind of development.
Many think her characterization is inconsistent or different across entries, but I honestly think it couldn't be any MORE consistent. The only times where I'd say she acts out of character is in the comic anthologies, but those are non-canon media that's kinda known for flanderizing characters for the sake of comedy.
Basically, I like Mukuro. I hope I managed to change some minds or shed a new light on her to anyone who didn't before. And if you already liked her, I hope maybe I could make you appreciate her a bit more or just help you explain her in some way.
anyways follow me on twitter cough cough
Also special thanks to Twitter user @LKSixtyfour for their tweets about Mukuro's characterization, many helped me organize my thoughts to form the thread that you just read.
Edit: didn't make any changes to the post, just fixed some typos
if we want to believe that tsumugi shirogane is a person that became a character and not a character that was written from an existing person with an entirely different name and identity then we have to trust the word of the person v3 introduces to us as “tsumugi”. i think tsumugi being the only “person”works in favour of her plainness because what is more plain than a regular person changing only a few aspects of their appearance to be a character in danganronpa. the real tsumugi doesn’t have blue hair but actually black however in danganronpa anything can happen so she changes her hair colour to be plain in universe yet extraordinary in reality. in the same way if we believe tsumugi’s name really is tsumugi we can assume that’s true for the rest of the cast too although that detail could and could not weigh in on how much reality tv is really reality.
if outfits are costumes then names are just roles and so my belief is that tsumugi designed kaede after the real her, to be the idealistic version, the kind people would want as a protagonist. someone who is dependable and friendly and who stands out both in design and memorability. kaede is tsumugi in an alternate universe and tsumugi is the reality, funnily enough. i say this as tsumugi’s framing of kaede is not only to keep herself as mastermind but as a symbolic sever of “fake fiction” as opposed to tsumugi’s continuation of real fiction. it also has its own narrative connection with tsumugi painting kaede’s nails and rantaro painting over them. if kaede is tsumugi then rantaro is shuichi, and shuichi is reality to rantaro’s in universe counterpart. it’s displayed in the ways their ultimate talents have shaped the worlds we understand them to be within the realm of v3. rantaro is an adventurer with 12 sisters and is incredibly mysterious and aloof already he has such a strong presence that even though he is the first to die, the circumstances around his talent and the previous killing game he was in are points which come up even in the final trial, shuichi however seems to see his talent as more of a burden, the success of being an ultimate detective (as opposed to being the ultimate detective) has brought him more social ostracism than it has any kind of perk. where shuichi bends to accommodate, rantaro is grounded and secure and to keep shuichi and kill rantaro directly coincides with the idea that fake fiction cannot be empathised with, if a character has “peaked” they can only die. outgoing, friendly and warm people either have to be broken down to suit the reality of the world or they die another example which is a pretty cynical way to run a killing game. it makes things like gonta’s mercy killing of miu more difficult to wrestle with or kaito’s involvement in kokichi’s murder-suicide plan and if tsumugi believes that she and shuichi are one in the same it’s no wonder her ending doesn’t convey the same despair that junko’s did. to die twice symbolically means that kaede’s death was the death of hope and her own death is the death of danganronpa and not despair like she wanted. when shuichi chooses reality he becomes a person, broken out of the confines of mirror or protagonist or hope, and he awaits the adventure to come of that, tsumugi’s pursuit of alternation - to get as far away from personhood as possible - renders her incapable to enjoy her win. how tragic!! anyway that’s why i think those two have similar designs!!!
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