Day 20: Favorite Kuma/Kub
I don't care who you are. No matter your opinion on Danganronpa, there's one big thing we can all agree on. Haiji Towa sucks, but also that the mascot characters absolutely steal the show sometimes.
From a Monokuma solo act in THH, to the dynamics of the Monokubs in v3, they are definitely a highlight of the game they're in. Your favorite character just died? Monokuma theater. In need of something extremely out of pocket? Rise and shine, ursine!
I don't think I hate any of these mascot characters t all. I think they're all delightful in their own ways. While the Monokubs have their moments that make me uncomfortable, and I definitely had beef with Shirokuma towards the end of UDG, I still like them all.
But alas, I can only pick one today, and for that, here's Mod Tsumugi's official ranking!
9. Monokid. Kinda annoying, left too soon for me to warm up to him.
8. Monosuke. Kinda boring to me, left too soon to see more of him.
7. Monophanie. The entire plotline with Monotaro grossed me out.
6. Shirokuma. YOU. You know what you did. Traitorous little-
5. Kurokuma. The silly of all time, bro didn't even do anything <3
4. Monotaro. While his plotline with Monophanie was disgusting, he had moments outside of it that made him endearing. Also this picture.
3. Monodam. Anything Jason Wishnov does for Danganronpa is immediately gold. I also really like his entire plot with wanting to take over the Academy, dethroning Monokuma, and getting rid of his siblings when they don't get along.
2. Monokuma. THE MAIN MAN, THIS LIL BUDDY SITS ON MY DRESSER DRAWER, I HAVE A CRAPPY ONESIE OF HIM! He's silly, he's sadistic, his voice is a good kind of grating, and while he has his weird moments, Monokuma could have his own appreciation post all to himself.
But my absolute favorite of these characters, is by far...
Is this a hot take? Or is this the most lukewarm, room temperature, maybe even a bit cold take? I don't know. What I do know, is that Monomi/Usami is a sweetie pie.
For those of you who don't know her information, here's a quick recap. I mean it this time, she's really only in SDR2.
Usami was created using research from Chihiro Fujisaki, in order to serve as an observer in the Neo World Program. Back when the NWP was intended for therapy, she would be in charge of watching over everyone inside the simulation, providing a sense of comfort to those trying to heal. She would be typically accompanied by another observer AI that would assume the form of someone the patient knows outside of the NWP. In SDR2, this is Chiaki.
In the beginning of SDR2, Usami walks around and encourages the students to try and form bonds together, and gather "Hope Fragments". Getting all of these hope fragments means that they are fully healed, and are able to leave the simulation. She tries her best to entertain and provide for everyone in the simulation. Personally, Hajime was being the Ultimate Hater in a few of these scenes, though I also would freak out if a talking stuffed rabbit somehow turned a chicken into a cow in front of my very eyes.
After a fun day exploring Jabberwock Island, the virus that Izuru put inside the NWP begins to kick-in, and Monokuma appears. Usami tries to get rid of him, but he managed to get the upper hand on her, breaking her magic stick and remaking her in his image. He renames her as "Monomi", and promptly executes her using the Monobeasts.
She comes back, and Monokuma begins to refer to her as his "little sister", and makes the class believe that she's actually an evil traitor, and working for an organization called "World Destroyer". We know that this organization is actually just the Future Foundation.
As the Killing School Trip begins, she is ostracized from the students. She isn't allowed inside Imposter (Touya's) party, instead having to keep watch outside with Chiaki. When Nagito was tied up in the old building, she let Hajime through to feed him. As the game goes on, she tries to adapt to continue serving her proper purpose, and becomes more panicked.
After each trial, she goes to the entrances of each island and battles the Monobeasts to open new areas for everyone. This goes largely underappreciated, with Akane considering eating her, Hiyoko calling her useless, and the rest of the class largely ignoring her.
She attempts to maintain peace throughout the entirety of the game, and even tries to help Nagito through the Final Dead Room in chapter 4. She stops that pretty quickly though, once he completes the room and she says she's scared of him.
In trial 5, Chiaki is revealed as the traitor, and Monomi tries to protect her from being executed. Their programming doesn't allow them to betray the Future Foundation, but Monomi still attempts to rescue Chiaki by denying involvement with her. It doesn't work, yet Monomi still resolves to try and get rid of Monokuma by self-destructing with him. She is outnumbered, and is executed alongside Chiaki.
This was not the end of her, however. Usami reappears for AI Junko's execution after the NWP was shutdown. She is also seen as the avatar for Miaya Gekkogohara in the anime, though she is also forced to become Monomi and go through the game like that until the computer holding her is destroyed.
I don't like that the SDR2 cast mistreats her the whole game. I get why they do that, it's a logical conclusion to make. If you're being forced to kill each other because of a stuffed bear, the stuffed rabbit is definitely worthy of suspicion. But she's such a sweetheart.
Monomi definitely is the only mascot character that's actively working in the interest of the students since the beginning. The only other ones I can think of who does this, is Monotaro after Miu's death, and Monokuma during chapter 5 of v3.
She is so precious, trying her best to fix the whole situation for her students. She has a genuine care of all of them, even Nagito. She definitely fills the role of a good teacher in their lives, and maybe even foreshadows Chisa in the anime.
I've mentioned on this blog before, that I have never really been involved in fandom culture before, and that Danganronpa really opened my eyes to a lot of what people talk about in fan spaces. One of these things is comfort characters. People always talk about characters that just make them feel safe. I can safely say that Monomi is my comfort character.
She has so many good moments that just made me feel all comfortable with her. Maybe it was because she provided a respite between the more tense parts of the game, maybe it was because her and Monokuma's dynamic was very funny. Maybe it was because of something deeper.
Nevertheless, I definitely cried my eyes out at her last few lines. In chapter 5, she has a little monologue that serves as her last lines of the game.
Original Uploader: Sparkle1130 on YouTube
She's essentially telling them, telling us, to love ourselves for who we are. If you can love yourself, that will support you for the rest of your life. Monomi really only wants what's best for everyone, and she works hard so everyone can achieve that.
But in the end, she's just as powerless as the rest of the cast. Monokuma holds all the cards, but that doesn't stop her from standing up to him multiple times. She gets beaten down and tormented constantly, but she still manages to find the strength to be there when they needed it. She tried her best to be kind and supportive, and that makes her stand out from the rest of these mascot characters.
While the others are, at the end of the day, a bit crazy and evil and sadistic (adorably so) she stands out as being the only one who is trying her best to make you feel better. She's a true ally, and one that we shouldn't overlook <3
She hits me with that, "Bye Bye! Please don't forget about your teacher!" and my eyes get WET. It's not fair, how come this game has such a grip on me? Catch me crying like a baby on rewatches.
Here's some Monomi/Usami appreciation pictures while I cry.
She also whoops Monokuma's ass in Island Mode, and gets to mess with him in School Mode of THH. She's the girlboss we all need in our lives.
Who's your favorite Kuma or Kub in the series?