#1 sakurasou fan and danganronpa 3 defender
19yo fan of danganronpa, ace attorney, jojo, sonic, puyo puyo, persona, and other stuff
i also make pixel art sometimes, go to my website if you want to find my other socials
Website
Hi! I'm Pengu, this is just a new pinned post for my Tumblr account, nothing special.
I do a lot of writing and analysis stuff, primarily on Bluesky (go follow me), but I figured it would be a good idea to start posting my longer analysis threads here since Tumblr doesn't have a character limit and is more built for this stuff (as seen with my epic Danganronpa brainwashing post). So expect a lot of really long Danganronpa and Ace Attorney posts.
I also barely use this site, so apologies if I miss something or if I don't respond right away.
I've made it very clear that I really like Danganronpa 3 and that I think a lot of the criticisms are unfair or misguided. One common criticism however stuck with me for the longest time. In Hope Arc, after Hajime and his friends helped put an end to the Future Foundation killing game, they proceeded to seemingly "cover it up."
On the surface, this seems strange. The series constantly criticized Hope's Peak for covering up incidents, so why is this any different? After some time thinking, I think I managed to put together why.
At first, the video starts with the Remnants of Despair seemingly taking credit for the Future Foundation killing game. While technically, yes, Kazuo Tengan was a Remnant of Despair, he was completely disconnected from the rest of the people in the video and had no affiliation with them. However, it's the next part where this gets interesting.
Now despite what you might think, there is a LOT to dissect in these four lines.
"If the world were to be saved and reach a happy ending... Doesn't that strike you as boring?"
Obviously to anybody who has watched Hope Arc, this line is kinda ironic considering it generally has a pretty happy and sweet ending. However, what's important to note is that to the general public, there wasn't a happy ending. A majority of Future Foundation's leaders were just wiped out and the Remnants of Despair are still presumably on the run. So why would Hajime say this? Well I feel like the next bit of text should fill you in.
"That is why we will once again dye the world in despair. The world needs despair."
This line is REALLY interesting to me as it directly ties into one of the major themes in Danganronpa 3. Throughout Future Arc, Kyosuke believes that the only way to achieve true hope is to eliminate all despair. However, Makoto (and Tengan) believe that despair needs to exist alongside hope in order for hope to be meaningful, otherwise it's meaningless. True hope isn't blind happiness, it's keeping a positive mindset while overcoming despair.
This sheds a completely different light on what Hajime is saying. He isn't just taking the fall so Makoto and his friends can move on without trouble, he and his friends are taking on the burden of despair as a way of atoning for their actions as remnants. This way, everyone can unite against them. They're making a sacrifice so that way hope can continue to manifest and have meaning.
This is shown again later in Makoto's final conversation with Kyosuke. When asked if he is able to carry the burden of hope, he mentions that the others are carrying the burden of despair.
Now things are starting to make sense. Hajime and his friends decide to hold onto the burden of being despairs as a way to atone for their crimes and give the world something to unite against, choosing to sacrifice their image in order to help make the world better.
The difference with Class 77's sacrifice here and Hope's Peak behavior is that Hope's Peak covered up incidents that were their fault so they could protect their image. Their motivations were entirely selfish and only to benefit themselves. Meanwhile, Hajime and his friends sacrificed their own reputation in order to help give the world hope in a strange, roundabout way along with taking accountability for their own sins. They aren't pretending to be innocent, they're acknowledging their own guilt and using it to benefit the world.
I also think that Makoto and his friend's reaction to the video is pretty interesting. They don't seem very excited, but more confused and shocked. It's almost like they're still trying to why they did this in the first place.
After a moment, they move on from that subject entirely. Byakuya tells Makoto that he did well and his hope helped in the end despite his refusal.
Despite that, despair unfortunately did take a toll on them. Even still, it can't be denied that hope did win in the end because of despair, further showing that the two need to coexist. Things may look bad now, but just like, always they'll get better.
Makoto and Byakuya both realized what the point of the video was. In a way, the video was more like them taking accountability for everything they've done as opposed to just the covering Future Foundation killing game.
The former remnants finally head off to Jabberwock Island to continue their atonement, making one last sacrifice and carrying the burden of despair.
I hope what I wrote can help you see Class 77's actions in Hope Arc in a new light. Like I said, a lot of people have criticized them, but in my opinion I think it's a very fitting and satisfying way to end their arc. (Now's the part where I make a "Goodbye Despair" joke.)
The problem they criticized with this scene is that it's logically unnecessary. In my opinion, understanding the message "Hope and despair are interdependent and need each other" doesn't require a speech to the world. Especially considering the fact that the Killing Game taking place at the Future Foundation wasn't broadcast at all.
Like- Why the hell would the DR2 cast have to create AND upload a broadcast to cover up the evidence of the Future Foundation Killing Game, when the Killing Game was NOT broadcast at all? Byakuya said there was no broadcast of the Killing Game, even though Monokuma said otherwise.
Yes, I know it's an epic moment, but logically, even if you have a memory like a sparrow, you realize this can't be done!
Remember why Makoto brought the Remnants of Despair to the Neo World Program? To free them from Junko's brainwashing control, guide them back to hope, and give them a chance at forgiveness. However, because these high school kids did something... quite foolish, like broadcasting a "Remnants of Despair speech with emo, bloody-red eyes" video, the entire world (which happened to be in a post-apocalyptic era) finally realized the real situation at the Future Foundation. As a result, the entire world blamed and hated the DR2 cast even more, and that became the reason they chose to isolate themselves on Jabberwock Island.
While you're right, Kazuo Tengan was not only the Remnant of Despair, also was a mastermind, even if Chisa was, with all the buildup she had. However, the world considers them on the Future Foundation's side, their last hope. The problem is that most of the Future Foundation Division Heads are quite rude, but pretend to be hopeful in front of the world, as I explained in this post. Even Chisa was disappointed when she overheard their conversation while wiping the walls in episode 1.
For the world to understand that hope and despair are burdens that must be carried together in order to unite, they must know that no matter which party they support, they are all the same, there is an avoidable and uncontrollable conflict from within. There is no such thing as "true hope" or "true despair" from any side.
Now things are starting to make sense. Hajime and his friends decide to hold onto the burden of being despairs as a way to atone for their crimes and give the world something to unite against, choosing to sacrifice their image in order to help make the world better.
The difference with Class 77's sacrifice here and Hope's Peak behavior is that Hope's Peak covered up incidents that were their fault so they could protect their image. Their motivations were entirely selfish and only to benefit themselves. Meanwhile, Hajime and his friends sacrificed their own reputation in order to help give the world hope in a strange, roundabout way along with taking accountability for their own sins. They aren't pretending to be innocent, they're acknowledging their own guilt and using it to benefit the world.
I think the point you've made here is valid. It's a good message; sometimes overly promoting one's own image and reputation isn't good, as it can be detrimental to others and the environment. Whether the DR2 cast believed the brainwashing or not, this is their fault too, and I'm proud of them for not expecting forgiveness.
But is this the future AI Chiaki can accept from her friends? Living on Jabberwock Island for the rest of their lives, without any consideration for justice from the world, receiving support from them, or socializing with them?
Of course not. At least the world should know that they are just like them, fellow victims. But if that's what her friends want, for the good of the world to unite, she can't do anything about it, even if it's a completely messed up for them.
And wait, did Hajime, who knew the Future Foundation was in danger and even knew where Chisa's body was, ever know that this wasn't broadcast? If he knew, would he still need to protect the Future Foundation's corruption to expose their sins? And is that the only way for the world to unite?
After all, their actions and Hope's Peak Academy's actions in covering up the evidence are different, yet similar. It ruined them when it had ALREADY ruined the Future Foundation first. They should be able to atone for their sins by repairing the damage that occurred and rebuilding the world, because them being happy in isolation while the world hates them is never okay.
The problem they criticized with this scene is that it's logically unnecessary. In my opinion, understanding the message "Hope and despair are interdependent and need each other" doesn't require a speech to the world. Especially considering the fact that the Killing Game taking place at the Future Foundation wasn't broadcast at all.
It doesn't matter if the Future Foundation killing was broadcasted or not, more than half of its members are gone. Even if people didn't see the killing game, it's obvious that something happened and that something needs to be explained to the public. The faces of the Future Foundation vanished, that needs to be explained. I don't know why you keep harping on the fact that the killing game wasn't broadcasted when it's completely irrelevant.
Furthermore, while the Future Foundation weren't aware of the specifics that occurred on Jabberwock Island, they still knew something happened. So similarly to the situation in Danganronpa 3, Makoto decided to also cover that up because what happened wasn't something that needed to be known. Clearly the characters aren't against this.
As a result, the entire world blamed and hated the DR2 cast even more, and that became the reason they chose to isolate themselves on Jabberwock Island.
I have no idea why you take issue with this considering this is something that is never stated at all. All that is said is that they chose to carry the burden of despair, not because the world hates them, but because they want to atone. Them isolating themself is just a popular interpretation, but it's just that, an interpretation. What happens to them after Hope Arc is entirely up to you to decide.
According to Kodaka on Bluesky, the remnants would travel the world and use their talents to save people. While Kodaka's Bluesky posts aren't canon, this does show that what happens after isn't set in stone and the thing you're taking issue with is something that's never even stated.
Remember why Makoto brought the Remnants of Despair to the Neo World Program? To free them from Junko's brainwashing control, guide them back to hope, and give them a chance at forgiveness.
This is also never stated. Makoto never tried to redeem them so they could be forgiven by the world, he tried to redeem them so they could be better people. The characters do not expect or want to be forgiven, they want to atone, and if you ask me that means they became better people like Makoto wanted.
After all, their actions and Hope's Peak Academy's actions in covering up the evidence are different, yet similar. It ruined them when it had ALREADY ruined the Future Foundation first. They should be able to atone for their sins by repairing the damage that occurred and rebuilding the world, because them being happy in isolation while the world hates them is never okay.
And once again, this is never stated. This is never implied. What we are told is that they chose to atone and carry the burden of despair.
It seems to me that the problems you have with this are entirely made up. The remnants' actions here make sense, there is a clear reason for why they would want to do this. It makes sensw that this would be part of their atonement, and what they do after is up to your imagination.
I'm back from the grave but this time I'm talking about Ace Attorney. With the new update for the Phoenix Wright Trilogy adding the animation studio (now called scene creator for some reason), I figured I could compare its visuals to the flashback case in the Apollo Justice Trilogy's remaster. This doesn't mean anything to anyone besides me.
The sprites on the left are from the Phoenix Wright Trilogy and the sprites on the right are from the Apollo Justice Trilogy. Starting with the obvious, Phoenix Wright and the defense table? Desk?
(Oh and also kinda unrelated, but the new update went in and replaced all of Ben Judd's voice lines with Sam Riegel's similarly to the AJAA remaster for obvious reasons. Just felt like putting that out there.)
Here's Dick Gumshoe and the witness stand. I also wanted to put him in the Wright & Co. Law Offices, but the Apollo Justice Trilogy wouldn't let me. So to keep the comparison fair, he's stuck here.
Here is the judge who is easily the most different across both games.
And lastly, Mike Meekins with the lobby and the Wright & Co. Law offices that I wanted to add earlier.
Dr. Hotti/Hickfield who I initially forgot because nobody likes him along with the clinic.
And now for some additional context along with my personal thoughts below!!!
The most obvious difference is that the AJT sprites are less zoomed in. That's because these sprites were redrawn based on the DS version when making the AJAA mobile port and they were reused in the AJT, meanwhile the sprites in the PWT were redrawn just for that release based on the GBA version which has a smaller resolution. The exception to this is Meekins, who was not in the original GBA version, so when they redrew him for the PWT they also cropped his sprites to make him match with the other characters for some reason.
The same thing applies to the backgrounds, the ones in the PWT are based on the GBA versions while the ones in the AJT are based on the DS versions. The GBA's original aspect resolution was 240x160 and the aspect ratio was 3:2 while the DS's was 256x192 and 4:3, which is slightly bigger. The DS version extended the backgrounds to accomodate for the larger screen size.
When redrawing the backgrounds for the PWT, they extended the original GBA backgrounds slightly on the edges to be in 16:9, though it's still smaller than the DS version. For the AJT, they simply just cropped the backgrounds from the DS version into 16:9. Ultimately though, they both end up looking pretty similarly zoomed in compared to the DS release. It is worth noting that when moving the cursor in the AJT during investigations, you can see the top and bottom parts of the backgrounds that are usually cut off, so the full DS backgrounds are still visible during gameplay and you can see more than you can in the PWT.
As for the redrawn visuals themselves, ultimately it's just a matter of preference. I think the ones in the AJT look a lot better, especially with the colors and the shading. I also just appreciate the uncropped character sprites.
Feel free to share your own thoughts, or don't. I just felt like yapping.
Hey pengu, during danganronpa 3 Nagito asks to cancel the exams due to Natsumi's death, because he believes that the final students would perform better not in mourning, wouldn't that be contradictory to Danganronpa 2 where he believes that hope shines in the face of despair? Shouldn't I want the ultimate students to overcome the despair of mourning and shine on exams?
The very very short and simple answer to this is: Yes, it is contradictory. However, I think there's obviously more to it than that, and it's far from being out of character or a result of poor writing. Rather, its moreso a result of Nagito in DR2 and Nagito in DR3 being influenced by two very different set of circumstances.
First we need to establish something: Nagito's behavior in Danganronpa 2 is not his "default behavior." Nagito was just as affected by the killing game as everyone else.
At this point, Nagito didn't know these people. He didn't have any connections to these people. As a result of that, he's still operating under his unsympathetic logic of Ultimates not being "people." With how dire the killing game is, this idea is only hightened.
Nagito had practically no opportunities to grow closer to anyone or form bonds with any of his classmates. Aside from his short time on the beach and the one party he attended (where he was off in his own corner), Nagito was alone, and him being effectively exiled from the group didn't help this either. Sure he was on the roller coaster and was there, but it was never anything more than that. To him, he was beneath them and it stayed that way. He never had any opportunity to grow past that mindset.
But this was different in Danganronpa 3. This wasn't Nagito's first day of school anymore, now Nagito knew his classmates and was a part of their group. Even though he still hung onto ideas similar to those he had in Danganronpa 2 (more on that in a sec) and his classmates still thought he was a weirdo and might have not liked him back, he still saw himself as their friend and began to actually care about them beyond just their talents.
This is further reinforced by Danganronpa 2.5, which takes place in Nagito's mind. It's not reality, but rather the reality Nagito wanted, one built off of his true thoughts and desires that had developed during his years at Hope's Peak. In this world, not only does Nagito reject talent, revealing his inner disdain for it, he also has friends. Like, actual genuine friends that he hangs out with, ones that he has actual bonds with, ones that confide in him.
This is the truth behind Nagito's mind, and it reveals a disconnect between his true thoughts and actions. Nagito doesn't want to believe in what he says about talent, or hope, those were things that he was conditioned to believe even if he rejects them deep down inside. And during his life at Hope's Peak, he was able to get a taste of the reality he wanted and form connections.
And all of this leads to a Nagito who's more sympathetic. Yes, he still holds onto some of the ideals he was contitioned to have, but he's grown from the mindset he had on his first day and is able to recognize the humanity in other Ultimates, even if he would tell you otherwise and hide that fact like he does at the end of Danganronpa 2.5.
So yes, his actions here are contradictory, but that's only because his experiences are contradictory. In Danganronpa 2, he was put in a situation that only reinforced his beliefs and had no opportunity to grow. Meanwhile in Danganronpa 3, he was in a situation that made him doubt what he was taught and gave him room to improve, even if just a little. Yes, he still sees himself as lower than them, but he also now values them as people because now he knows what hope is. Despite growing up thinking that hope was talent, now he's been taught that hope is much more than that. Despite his conflicting ideals, his subconscious thoughts and desires still influence him.
Thanks for replying to my post!!! What is canon compliant?
Hi, don't mention it!
Canon compliant means that something complies with the rules of canon, even if it itself does not take place in canon. This means that things like characterization and lore would be accurate, even if the events of the entry didn't literally happen.
A really good example of this is Danganronpa IF. Obviously, we know that it's just a "what if" scenario that didn't really occur, but what it tells about the characters and world is still accurate.
I think the new storyline in 2×2 won't be canon, because it looks like the ambiguous replies in that interview (like the "I can't wait to see how the new game turns out!" type answer) hint at new content. My interpretation is that whenever something is new, the answers are feigned ignorance so that nothing gets spoiled. But I might be wrong of course
There's no way to know for sure since they're intentionally being vague and dancing around it, but judging by how it was answered in that Famitsu article, it seems like it will connect to the main canon somehow.
Question: So, does that mean it won't lead to the anime Danganronpa 3: Future Arc or something like that...?
The question is self explanatory, and due to the way it's phrased, it seems the expected answer is "Yes, it will not lead to Danganronpa 3: Future Arc." However, that's not the answer we got.
Sakakibara: Regarding this, I'd like to ask everyone to please look forward to the outcome in Danganronpa 2x2.
They do not confirm that it will lead to a different outcome, and again they dance around it. This makes me think that it does lead back into the main canon somehow, they just don't want to spoil it and I'm guessing how it leads back into the main canon will be part of the twist. And I feel like if it wasn't somehow connected to the main canon, then they wouldn't bother hiding it considering the game is already marketed as an alternate take on Danganronpa 2.
Plus in that same article, they admit that the whole reason they chose to remake Danganronpa 2 specifically was because it would impact the lore the least, which wouldn't matter at all if it was completely non-canon.
Regardless of that though, whether or not it leads to Danganronpa 3 and is a part of the main canon or creates a completely separate timeline, it will still be canon compliant due to Kodaka's involvement and supervision.
If you want more of my thoughts on this in depth, then check out my post about my theories on the game.
This is a quick followup to my Schrodinger's Danganronpa 2 theory where I discuss Danganronpa 2x2's potential place in the timeline and why they might have chosen to remake Danganronpa 2 instead of Danganronpa 1.
If you haven't read it, the TL;DR is that Danganronpa 2 is essentially a schrodinger's box in the sense that the exact events that took place aren't relevant, so you can easily switch them up without impacting the overarching story of the series, unlike the first game. And it would seem that my theory was actually correct! ...Kind of.
Recently, there was an article from Famitsu that seeked to clarify a few things, including some things I mentioned in my original theory, so I wanted to go over that, specifically the two quotes in particular that relate to my original idea.
Question: This announcement came at the time of the 15th anniversary of Danganronpa, but what was your intention in making a new work and remake based on 2 rather than the original?
Sakakibara: At first, we considered a remake/reboot of the first. We began planning on the premise of changing the story without changing the worldview or characters, but we realized that the story of the first forms the foundation of the series, and changing it would have too great an impact. After much consideration, we decided that Danganronpa 2 would be a more effective way to provide users with a new Danganronpa without destroying the series' worldview, and so we decided on this project.
This basically confirms my initial assumption that the reason they picked Danganronpa 2 was because it was the most flexible. I mentioned that Danganronpa 1 was the foundation of the series and that changing it would drastically alter the series. So I'm glad I was right about one thing.
There's still one more part of my theory though, and that was how it would tie into Danganronpa 3: Future Arc.
Question: So does this mean that the stories from the original Danganronpa, Danganronpa Zero, and Danganronpa: Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls, which happen before Danganronpa 2, will be followed exactly?
Sakakibara: Yes, that's right.
Question: So, does that mean it won't lead to the anime Danganronpa 3: Future Arc or something like that...?
Sakakibara: Regarding this, I'd like to ask everyone to please look forward to the outcome in Danganronpa 2x2.
First of all, I'm so glad to see official acknowledgement of Danganronpa 3 and its canonicity. It gets ignored a lot, so them mentioning it in a way that relates to its place in canon is pretty neat. But that aside, this does mean that whether or not Danganronpa 2x2 will lead into Future Arc is up in the air, so that part of my theory could very well be wrong.
However, I feel like the more important thing about this quote is how they confirm that this isn't a continuation of Danganronpa IF or V3 like some have theorized, it is simply just an alternate take on Danganronpa 2 and a followup to the events that take place before.
There's some other interesting stuff here, so go give the article a read yourself. I just wanted to go over the parts that interested me and related to my theory. If you want to hear some of my predictions and theories for the upcoming game, go give them a read here :D
Hi oomfster, I figured this would be a good opportunity to just talk about what I expect from this game so thanks for asking.
To start, I think Danganronpa constantly raising the stakes with each entry has kinda led to players expecting each entry to do crazier things than the last, but then those crazy things become predictable if that makes sense.
That's kinda my issue with a lot of the Danganronpa 2x2 theories floating around, a lot of them feel like they're expecting the next crazy big thing after V3 and the sheer amount of them and how similar the ideas are just make them seem kinda fanfic-y and obvious.
"What if Hajime dies and a different character becomes the protag?"
"What if X dies and Y lives instead?"
"What if this is connected to V3?"
What made the twists before so good is that nobody could predict them, meanwhile a lot of these ideas feel really simple and obvious, I guess. Killing off a major character early on isn't shocking anymore. Team Danganronpa and V3 = 53 isn't shocking anymore just like how all of DR1's twists weren't shocking anymore in DR2. I can assure you, if they're gonna do something big, it won't be anything like that.
All of this is to say that I hope Danganronpa 2x2 tones things down a bit, I don't need some huge reveal like "well you see DR2x2 is actually DR4 and (insert Team Danganronpa shenanigans)" because I can see that from a mile away. All I want is an alternate take on Danganronpa 2.
An oomf on Twitter made this thread on Twitter about a theory of theirs that I liked. I won't go over it, so go read it if you want, but I liked the direction they went in even if I don't think it's exactly how things will go.
I think whatever the inciting incident of the new scenario will be will lead to a situation where instead of being rivals, Hajime and Nagito will be allies. I feel like that's why they've chose to use the one piece of art of them for pretty much all of the promo stuff regarding the new scenario. (Obviously ignoring how they're also the two biggest characters lmao)
That thread I mentioned before made a good point about how a lot of the enjoyment of an alternate story is seeing new dynamics. Danganronpa IF, for example, gives us new dynamics with Mukuro that we wouldn't have seen otherwise. Obviously Hajime and Nagito have interacted, but seeing them as allies instead of enemies and growing closer over the game would be really interesting.
Furthermore, I feel like the new scenario is going to be built with the expectation that you've already played the original similarly to how Danganronpa 2's story was built with the expectation that you played Danganronpa 1. Similarly to how stuff like missing memories and the tragedy aren't treated like the big twist in Danganronpa 2, I don't think them being in a simulation or being Ultimate Despairs will be the big twist of the new scenario. Whatever it is, it'll be something completely new (I just pray it isn't some meta V3 stuff lol).
Obviously you're going to see other characters live too, and as such you're going to see new relationships and dynamics come from that as well. I'm pretty certain that every motive and murder will be wholey unique as well seeing as Kitayama is behind the new "tricks," he's the one who made the absurd murder methods in V3 so you can expect more of that.
As for who'll live and die, these are my predictions. These are based purely on vibes and nothing else and they're in no particular order. I guarantee I will be wrong, but if I do somehow happen to be right about even a few of these then I expect a dollar from every single one of you reading this.
I feel like Nagito's going to be a killer instead of a victim and it's going to be some big moment where you find out your ally killed someone because Danganronpa loves doing those. Mikan, Chiaki, and Hiyoko's roles haven't changed but that's for two reasons
I think having all previous killers and victims being off limits for their specific role thingy makes it a little more obvious.
Obviously it wouldn't be a repeat of chapter 3, I doubt Mikan is going to kill Hiyoko again
I feel like Chiaki kinda has to die for the story to work lol
I do also hope that they maintain the original's theme among the survivors where they live off for the sake of someone they lost, which is why I chose some of the people I did. Ibuki would be like Kazuichi where she just doesn't fit this theme but she's funny so she got to stay (or they could make a new original dynamic for her).
Even though I think the Impostor will be a killer, I hope it's later in the game because one of my biggest critiques with the original is how they basically didn't do anything with the impostor reveal (until Danganronpa 3 picked up the pieces and did something with it in all of its peakness) so seeing that be actually important would be neat. Maybe he could even use his talent for one of the killings to frame someone, mirroring Byakuya's actions from the first game.
Also since the trailer described the new scenario as a branching path built on the same scenario, I assume that'll mean that the mastermind will still be the same. I would love to see more stuff related to Izuru and his motivations, I feel like you can understand his motivations fine enough but for many it feels like you kinda have to watch Danganronpa 3 in order to understand what his goal is, so a new scenario would be a good opportunity to explore them more.
Along with that, just having more of a presence would be cool. Obviously I know Hajime IS Izuru, but what I mean is that I kinda wanna see more of Izuru as a looming figure. Whether it be Hajime getting some memories of him back or having the alter ego at the end of the game be some alter ego Izuru (like World Destroyer in Danganronpa 2.5), I just want to see the cast interact with him or the idea of him more.
(Also side note PLEASE give him some sprites that don't suck ass 😭)
Also one idea that I had that can explain the new scenario on the timeline aside from my Schrodinger's Danganronpa 2 theory is that maybe this is some hidden prequel to Danganronpa 2 where they make a choice at the end to reset the game, leading to the events of Danganronpa 2, allowing both this and the original scenario to coexist in the timeline. You could also imply that they've been in a cycle, experiencing countless killing games in order to end up with the right outcome, which would lead to them restarting a final time and doing the original story.
THEN at the end of the game, Hajime and Nagito will look back on the loop they've been in, maintaining their memories of all of them before they head off to Future Foundation's headquarters. Don't think I didn't notice that Nagito's hands and Hajime's face are obscured in this CG. (Yes I used it again, it's one of the few images we have)
On a much less important note, I've noticed a lot of people talking about Nagito's shirt changing. You actually see two shirt designs for Nagito in the trailer, one here on the first day, and one later in the trailer when mentioning the new route. My theory about this is that Nagito just... owns different shirts. Hear me out on this.
I feel like this is just a very subtle design thing where they added slight variety to his outfits so it looks like he isn't just wearing the same clothes every day, now he actually has a wardrobe. And I can imagine this will apply to other characters as well, so it'd be really neat to see some slight design variations day to day.
And that kinda concludes all of my predictions and theories. I'll probably come up with more later, but that's kinda it for now. We'll just have to wait and see when the game comes out. Thanks for listening to me yap tho :D
Returning from my bajillion year long slumber to give my thoughts on the new Danganronpa 2 remake. It looks good 🤯🤯🤯
But that's not why you're reading this, you wanna know why they chose to remake Danganronpa 2 instead of the original game and how that relates to the canon. Well it's pretty simple actually.
Danganronpa 2 ends with the outside world never knowing the events that took place. Furthermore, Danganronpa 3 brings everybody back.
This means that the exact events that took place, the death order, all of those things can be altered without impacting the canon. Whether Danganronpa 2 happens or the Danganronpa 2x2 alternate scenario happens, you can still end up at Danganronpa 3 (assuming they don't do anything too crazy of course lol).
This explains why they chose to remake the second game instead of the first. No matter what, if you change the survivors of Trigger Happy Havoc, you completely alter the course of the series. However, Danganronpa 2's scenario is much more flexible and allows for stuff like this while still allowing it to be canon.
Update!!!
Famitsu has put out an article discussing some of the points I made here and giving official clarification, my response to that article can be read here. Please give it a read, thanks.
Hey, Pengu, do you think that world of the Hope's Peak Saga actually needs Hope's Peak Academy? Because I could have sworn it was an elite, yet secretly corrupt institute that ensures the development of talented students over other untalented students (especially the reserve course students) through any means. Unless that's either fanon interpretation or that they recently became corrupt because of the Steering Committee. It's just that I don't want to assume you as some sort of... Hope's Peak Academy supporter or something, not that there's something wrong with wanting the best for talented students or a hopeful future.
I wrote about a lot of this in my post about Makoto becoming the Headmaster at the end of DR3, so I'll be paraphrasing a lot of what I said there.
No, the world doesn't need Hope's Peak, but to say Hope's Peak has done nothing good isn't really accurate. Because it has done plenty of good, the headmaster going out of his way to protect his remaining students being one of those things, and we know a lot of the students from the school had a great time and either did or could have went on to have successful lives.
This isn't to say Hope's Peak was perfect, of course. While DR1 paints a mostly idealized picture of them, showing off their best aspects, future entries show that the school had a bit of a dark side. This is because the Steering Committee began to get more control of the school, and they began to abuse their and Hope's Peak's power and influence. Their powers began to even exceed the headmaster, and it's clear that a lot of the staff and the Steering Committee didn't see eye to eye or have the same vision for the school.
"They are drawn to a name, and the school took advantage of that to get more money. Thanks to that, the school went through a sudden growth sprout. We suddenly have research buildings that can make any university jealous. No one was prepared for that – in just a year or two Hope‘s Peak Academy became a school of an entirely different scale. The power of the steering committee also grew accordingly."
-Yasuke Matsuda in Danganronpa Zero
But we know Hope's Peak wasn't always this way, there was a time where they nurtured young minds without resorting to abusing their power or practically taking over the world, when no Steering Committee existed and the school wasn't a global superpower, which is why people like Chisa, Kyosuke, and eventually Makoto wanted to fix it.
Chisa's teaching and even the Hope Restoration Program show the benefits and good aspects Hope's Peak had, so it would be incorrect to say it had no worth.
I think saying that Hope's Peak Academy was either just "good" or "evil" is a very simple way of looking at it that ignores the bigger picture. The fact is that it's a school that once aimed to nurture young talents that eventually grew too big in a short amount of time and became corrupt with power and influence, which is exactly why the future hope of the world would want to fix it.
And I think the story of Hope's Peak ends perfectly, with the school collapsing under the weight of its own corruption only to be literally rebuilt from the ground up by someone who represents true hope that wouldn't make the same mistakes. Now go read my Makoto post lol
My favorite part about Danganronpa 3's dub is that due to scheduling conflicts, Izuru's voice actor changes in the middle of it and it's somehow completely unnoticeable unless someone tells you beforehand.
Any good resources for research on the Japanese Idol industry? Need to know to for ideas on Naezono fanfic and the destruction of the Japanese Idol industry, both on a corporate and broader Japanese culture level.
I'm sure you can find stuff online but I am not the best resource for this 💀
Personally, as a Junko hater myself, I’d say that Junko DOES love Mukuro in her own sick twisted way, but because of her metric fuckload of problems she expresses it through abuse, which is, to put it lightly, not fucking cool. On the other hand, Mukuro’s situation is really just like what you said.
So, the answer is yes but actually no.
Junko cares for Mukuro, which is why she killed her. The reason she killed Mukuro in the first place was because it would bring her immense despair, and it only brings her despair because she cared for her. So TL;DR if Junko ever kills you, she probably cares about you :D
I also made a short post about this that you can look at if you want idc
