Mod,
I have some questions for you!
The first question is not necessarily related to Kiyo, but to Danganronpa itself. How were you first introduced to the franchise? Was your first experience through YouTube, in which you watched someone else play the games, or was your first experience via playing the game instead?
My second question regards what is most likely one of the biggest points of contention surrounding Kiyo, that being the relationship he had with his sister. When I watched my first playthrough of Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony, the only exposure I had to Kiyo was through the main story as opposed to his free time events or bonus mode events. Unsurprisingly, it meant that when I saw discussions online regarding whether or not he had been groomed by his sister, I was quite confused and initially believed that people were simply trying to, "justify," the inclusion of incest in the game because having a character do something like that willingly was something that his fans were unwilling to accept. However, after watching footage of his free time events, as well as videos analysing him as a character, I believe I am more closely aligned with the opposing viewpoint now, in which Kiyo was indeed groomed. Without going into why I think that, I want to hear what your own thoughts on this matter were/are.
My third question regards your own headcanons surrounding Kiyo being a serial killer. Canonically, we know that before entering the Killing Game (whether you wish believe it was a part of a fictional back-story or was his real history doesn't matter in this case), he had killed ninety seven people. What do you think his first kill would have been like? What was his reasoning? His method? How did he feel before, during, and after the moment? And expanding to his other murders, how do you think those occurred? In Chapter 3 of Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony, Kiyo goes through a lot of effort to prepare a trap to kill one of the students, and a part of me always wondered if that was entirely practical (that meaning everything he did was for the purpose of concealing his crime from the others), or if a part of it was performative (for example, he has an innate desire to make each death, "beautiful," or at least unique to the others).
My fourth and final question regards Kiyo's relationship with one of the other students from Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony, that being Rantaro. Being the first character to die in his respective game, there is little to no chance for Rantaro to interact with Kiyo (on screen, at least), but there is one interaction between Rantaro and Kaede where he asks her who she believes in the most unique student in their class. If Kaede replies with Kiyo, Rantaro notes something along the lines that although Kiyo seems mysterious, he thinks that he is a good person deep down (this is not verbatim and it has been some time since I watched/played that free time event). In bonus modes, however, Rantaro and Kiyo have a number of events together. What do you think Kiyo thinks of Rantaro as of his death in the first chapter? If they had spent more time with one another and learnt details about each other's pasts, do you think this opinion would change? I often wonder how Rantaro, the brother to twelve sisters who he all loves and misses deeply, would react if he had witnessed Kiyo's declarations of incestuous love in the third chapter.
I look forward to seeing your responses! While I am here, may I quickly state my gratitude towards you in having entertained so many of my side blog's asks! (That being the Ghost of Kaede Akamatsu blog.) I can't tell if your anthropological knowledge stems from your own preexisting interest, or if you specifically research them to aid you in your roleplay as Kiyo, but your responses are so often incredibly thoughtful and detailed that I find them very impressive and sometimes even fascinating to read.
Thank you for your time! Have a good rest of your day/night!
- Saber
OOC: WOW WOW WOW!! Was this a pleasant surprise!!! Thank you for asking so many questions!
"How were you first introduced to the franchise?"
I was first introduced through both gameplay videos on Youtube and seeing content of Danganronpa online, especially on Tiktok. It seemed up my alley, and I was right! I'm very thankful to have stumbled across Danganronpa.
2. "What are your thoughts on Kiyo and his sister's relationship?"
Honestly... I'm leaning more toward Korekiyo having been groomed by his sister. I think Miyadera was in a position where she was so isolated that it completely skewed her sense of morals and it caused her to project her feelings onto her brother. While I do think Miyadera started it, Korekiyo is still a willing participant, he comes across to me as someone incredibly mentally unstable who didn't get the help he needed when he could. Something about his execution (+ other information we get when you look into his story, like you said) made Miyadera come across almost... I don't know, cruel to me.
Not to mention how Miyadera's tulpa speaks. I do think the speech is exaggerated, but Korekiyo had to have gotten his ideas *somewhere*.
3. "What do you think Korekiyo's first kill was like?"
I LOVE this question. I think Korekiyo does, in some way, like to make his victim's deaths "beautiful". He is naturally someone who views beauty in people, the good and the bad, and I feel like topics of death would be no different. I like to think he had his first kill when he was in deep grief for his sister, spiralling about how lonely he is (and how lonely SHE must be since she's away from him), only for him to lay his eyes on a kind, unsuspecting acquaintance or friend.
I think he wasn't entirely aware of what he was doing before it was over, and I think it was more violent/desperate than he intended. Afterwards though, he decided this was what was best for his sister and his methods became more meticulous. It's a mix of both practicality and beauty.
4. "What do you think Rantaro and Korekiyo's relationship was like?"
This is also very fascinating to me. I don't exactly remember Rantaro's words either, but I do wonder where he got that impression from. Korekiyo doesn't exactly look friendly at first—maybe it was just Rantaro giving him the benefit of the doubt. (Do forgive me if that seems OOC for him, I have not TOUCHED danganronpa in a while... I need to refresh my memory!)
I'd like to think Korekiyo would have found him to be one of the more intriguing people he's met, even amongst his unique roster of classmates. Rantaro always has this air of mystery around him, and I think Korekiyo would have gotten along with him great. Again, sorry I can't speak on this much—once I rewatch gameplay of Danganronpa, I'll definitely post my opinions and thoughts on this.
As for your thank-you—let me give my own thanks as well! I absolutely ADORE your asks, they're always a great pleasure to see and answer. I would have never come up with a creative idea like that... I almost wish I made the blog myself./silly
My anthropological knowledge is a mix of me reading for the sake of Korekiyo's asks, but my own interest as well. I'd go as far as to say the entire reason I like Korekiyo is because we are similar in the aspect that we adore studying and learning about humans. When he spoke of finding beauty in the ugliness of humans, I instantly felt connected to him, and hearing him talk about all sorts of topics made *me* want to learn about different cultures too! It's generally just so fun being asked different questions, because I get to search up things and learn for myself, too. (One of my favourite things I researched because of this blog was Shamans and Shamanic music, honestly.)
I really hope we get to interact more! Your love for danganronpa and roleplay is absolutely a pleasure to return, have a great day/night as well!
— Mod Kiji