There’s one more thing that I think most people overlook when they say Ouma is “canonically a clown”, and it’s this:
Nowhere is it even stated that that’s the case.
All you have is Monokuma’s commentary about the ‘mayhem’ that DICE cause being ‘petty crimes’. Thus, the damage the group caused was minimal, and that was part of their code, the other part being well, Don’t Kill Anyone.
...Which is an odd motto for a group hypothetically centred around laughable crimes to have, because it’d be in the job description anyway. Saying ‘don’t kill’ to a professional prankster is like telling a botanist not to cut the stem of the plant or it’ll split, like no shit, Sherlock. I hardly think Ouma’s top team are stupid.
Then if you please, there are some extremely suspicious items in Ouma’s lab, at least one of which Shuichi has noted to actually be unsettling.
Gas masks, handcuffs, canisters...
...Some secure looking briefcases or something of the sort...
...a car, and a screen that’s left turned on for some reason. All of this is in an underground bunker, along with that research book on Hope’s Peak.
The main thing Shuichi is saying is that the lab isn’t suitable for a Supreme Leader. But... is it really suitable for a clown, either?
