#drv3 chapter 4

[jujuondatbeataccident]

if trial 4 is ur favorite trial go listen to 'ode to billy joe' by bobbie gentry. to me it captures the same uneasy vibe of the trial, esp if you start putting characters in the places of the people mentioned in the song.

[curiousreadmore]

I think it’s really interesting how, at the beginning of Chapter 4, the game deliberately highlights that, despite everything they’ve been through, Kaito and Kokichi still manage to stay enthusiastic—only to then, by the end of the chapter, show how unstable they actually are (though they still avoid talking about it).

[curiousreadmore]

Danganronpa V3 Daily Log (Chapter 4)

A chronological recap, including all key events, motives, and discoveries.

> Masterlist

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Day 14 - Damnation

The next morning, the students gathered in the dining hall, though the mood was pretty heavy due to the events of the previous day. Regardless, Kaito and Kokichi still seemed enthusiastic, while Himiko appeared surprisingly energetic as well. She was determined to change herself—to complain less and move forward—but, not being used to it, her burst of energy quickly fizzled out.

Gonta arrived late and informed the group that more letters had appeared on the mysterious stone in the courtyard. He also mentioned that he'd reopened the manhole, giving them access to the Death Road of Despair once again.

After a while, Monokuma and the Monokubs appeared, presenting the students with new items for surviving another class trial—a Levistone and an Octobrush. They also introduced the new motive—a keycard.

Before anyone could react, Kokichi snatched the card and refused to hand it over. He dashed out of the dining hall, with Kaito chasing after him.

Monokuma then informed the group that another Flashback Light had been hidden before disappearing, shortly followed by the Monokubs.

Afterward, the students began exploring the new areas, which included the Ultimate Robot’s Research Lab, located right next to Miu’s lab in the outdoor area, and the fifth floor of the main building, which contained the Ultimate Detective’s Research Lab, the Ultimate Cosplayer’s Research Lab, and another lab they couldn’t enter belonging to the deceased Rantaro.

(Note: depending on regional terminology, what’s considered the “first floor” here may also be referred to as the “ground floor,” the “second floor” as the “first floor,” etc.)

While Shuichi and Maki were investigating the former's lab, Kaito showed up, telling them that he hadn’t managed to catch Kokichi but that he ended up finding the Flashback Light. Soon after, they gathered everyone in the dining hall, with Kokichi still nowhere to be found. Just as they were about to use it, he appeared, joining the others just in time. 

Before activating it, they questioned him about his whereabouts. In truth, Kokichi had used the keycard and caught a glimpse of the—supposed—outside world. However, he lied, claiming he hadn’t known where to use it.

The memories revealed by the Flashback Light contained a lot of information. They saw visions of meteors crashing into Earth, cult organizations preaching the end of the world, and a mysterious initiative called the Gofer Project, created to prevent the disaster, which had ultimately failed.

These revelations also drove Miu into hysterics.

Afterward, Shuichi had an extended period of free time until night fell. During their training session, Kaito, Maki, and Shuichi were doing sit-ups—though Kaito had barely done any. 

At the same time, Gonta found himself thinking. Haunted by the deaths of his friends and the feeling that he hadn’t been able to protect them—to have been useless—he was determined to come up with something to help the remaining ones.

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Day 15 - Tension

At the start of the day, Gonta announced his plan to fight Monokuma—believing it was the only way to make himself useful. However, everyone objected, believing it to be too dangerous.

Afterward, Kokichi stirred unease and provoked them to take the killing game more seriously. He even hinted that he'd be willing to become the blackened himself if it meant “winning the game.” The tension escalated until Kaito, angered by Kokichi’s words, struck him in an attempt to bring him back to his senses. 

After the confrontation, Miu announced that she had a plan to save everyone and bring them to a place better than the academy. She was referring to the Killing Game Simulator, within which she intended to kill someone—Kokichi—to escape. 

After breakfast, the bonus event “Himiko’s Training” with Himiko and Gonta takes place, depending on whether you have the Dark Belt in your inventory and talked to Himiko beforehand.

Afterward, Shuichi had an extended period of free time.

That night, Kaito suggested that instead of training, they should rather sit and talk. After an awkward start, Maki began sharing parts of her past, and between the more serious talks, they also had some lighter conversation.

Meanwhile, Kokichi had summoned Monokuma for a private discussion, proposing that he reuse the previous motive to make the game more interesting—having already caught wind of Miu’s plan.

Monokuma agreed to his suggestion and, within the next few hours, placed a Flashback Light inside the Killing Game Simulator, containing the secret of the outside world. 

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Day 16 - The Virtual World

In the morning, when the students gathered in the dining hall, everyone was present except for Kokichi and Miu, who were busy preparing their trip to the virtual world. While Miu handled the program, Kokichi handled the seats. 

Afterward, if you own the Pure-White Practice Sword, the optional bonus event “Maki and the Katana” with Kaito and Maki takes place, depending on if you'd talked to Kaito beforehand, followed by an extended period of free time.

That night, Miu summoned everyone to the computer room. Once they'd all assembled, she suggested entering the virtual world, assuring them it would be safer and free from the killing game.

The others were skeptical at first and showed little to no interest, but upon learning that Monokuma had hidden a secret there, their curiosity grew, and they eventually agreed.

Thus began their excursion into the virtual world.

They entered around 11 PM and remained there into the following morning.

Miu was the last to log in, using the moment to place a bottle of poison at Kokichi's seat—a red herring meant to make it look as though Kokichi had been killed in the real world.

What went unnoticed, however, was that Gonta had accidentally swapped the memory and the consciousness cords, which would later result in him losing all his memories of what had happened in the virtual world once they returned to the real world.

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Log-In Register:

//23:02 Himiko, Tsumugi, Kaito, K1-B0, Shuichi

//23:03 Maki

//23:04 Kokichi, Gonta

//23:06 Miu

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Day 17 - Live and Let The Languid World Live

When they entered the virtual world, they started off in the mansion, where Miu began to explain some rules and showed them two maps—one of the mansion and one of the world as a whole. The latter, however, had been tampered with to mislead them, concealing the fact that the world actually looped in on itself.

Afterward, Kokichi declared he'd go off to search for the secret on his own, which was met with immediate disapproval. Eventually, Gonta volunteered to accompany him, reassuring them that he'd learned his lesson from the Insect Meet and Greet, and though the others were skeptical, they let them be and headed off to the roof.

While the others explored, Kokichi—who already knew where the secret was—led Gonta to it, who immediately wanted to inform the others about it but, before he could, was convinced by Kokichi to take a look at it in advance. Through the memory, Gonta learned the secret of the outside world—everything was in ruins, no salvation in sight.

Then, Kokichi proposed the idea that the only way to save everyone would be through a mercy kill. Someone had to commit a murder and win the class trial in order for everyone to get executed and get spared from the unbearable truth. He also briefed Gonta about Miu’s plans of meeting and killing him. If Gonta were to hide on the roof, they could turn her plan against her. Kokichi couldn't do it alone because Miu had altered his character settings, making it impossible for him to touch her, and thus the Killing Game Busters were born.

After their discussion, they rejoined the others, who were in the process of crossing the river. Once across, they entered the chapel, and Miu halfheartedly started assigning people to specific locations. After she'd assigned Kaito to the roof and Kokichi to the lobby, she let the rest sort themselves, uncaring for the results.

For their side, Kaito suggested Shuichi, and Kokichi proposed Gonta. Tsumugi, wanting to make sure Kokichi didn't mess with him, decided to join them as well, making their group complete.

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Mansion Group:

Gonta, Kaito, Kokichi, Shuichi, Tsumugi

Chapel Group:

Himiko, K1-B0, Maki, Miu

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As the mansion group crossed the river, Miu threw the signboard—the only way across—into the stream. This was meant to reinforce her alibi, making it seem impossible for her to have traveled to the lobby to log out and kill Kokichi.

Upon reaching the mansion, the group decided to split: Gonta was supposed to search outside, Kaito on the roof, Kokichi in the lobby, Shuichi in the kitchen, and Tsumugi in the dining room.

After some time—at 5:17 AM—Miu manually logged Kaito out to make it appear as if he'd been the one to kill Kokichi. 

Unsure if he could log back in, Kaito decided to go to bed and rest.

Meanwhile, still inside the virtual world, Miu made her way to the roof, intending to finish her scheme; however, upon arrival, she was met with the realization that Kokichi had already seen through her plan. Before she could react, she was ambushed from behind and strangled to death with toilet paper (time of death: 6:30 AM). 

After the murder, Gonta used a lattice to slide Miu’s body through the invisible wall, causing her body to crash against the chapel. The impact startled the group, causing them to discover Miu’s body.

At the same time, Shuichi and Tsumugi, having heard the sound from the mansion, stepped outside to investigate—only to run into Gonta. He'd climbed from the roof using the toilet paper and, unable to put it back, discarded it nearby, leaving it as evidence behind.

Eventually, they regrouped with the others, who still had no way to cross the river. Since Miu wasn’t moving, they decided to log out and check on her real body.

After Shuichi retrieved the signboard, the others were finally able to cross the river and log out.

In the real world, they found Miu’s lifeless body—causing the Body Discovery Announcement to play out once again. 

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Log-Out Register:

//05:17 Kaito

//06:55 K1-B0, Himiko, Maki

//06:56 Gonta, Tsumugi

//06:58 Shuichi

//07:00 Kokichi

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Shortly afterward, Kaito turned up, kickstarting the investigation.

During the investigation, Kokichi tried to separate Kaito and Shuichi from one another, offering himself up as the latter's new partner. 

The other students also gradually began to show more trust in Shuichi and his abilities.

Gonta, however, had lost all memories of what had happened inside the virtual world—including his crime—due to his avatar error, caused by the swapped cords. He believed that they'd simply fallen asleep, and at that point, everyone else still dismissed it as a misunderstanding on his part. 

In the following class trial, as Shuichi tried to uncover the truth, Kokichi seemed to guide him in a particular direction—until Shuichi attempted to deceive him, prompting him to reveal the truth himself.

Throughout the trial, Kokichi also frequently prodded at Kaito. Their debates ranged from tamer quarrels to more personal arguments, steadily increasing the tension in the room.

Kaito, meanwhile, also started to feel a sense of insecurity. When Shuichi saw him struggling to face the truth, he tried to reassure him, which ultimately worsened his feelings of inferiority. He then started to argue against Shuichi, insisting Gonta couldn’t have done it, even though he should've known better.

Once the truth had been fully revealed, the trial reached its end. Monokuma then brought Alter Ego Gonta along, and together with Kokichi, explained the plan and motive. Soon after, Gonta's execution was supposed to follow.

At that moment, Kokichi seemed to have second thoughts, but there was nothing he could do.

His death left everyone traumatized.

Afterward, Kokichi refused to reveal the truth about the outside world, instead launching into a villainous monologue, mocking Gonta and portraying himself as something akin to pure evil. When he said that Gonta’s and Miu's deaths had been meaningless, something in Kaito snapped. He attempted to punch him, which ultimately backfired. Kokichi had dodged the attack and struck him instead, knocking him to the ground and triggering his illness.

As everyone rushed to help Kaito, Kokichi continued to belittle him, causing Shuichi to lash out at him. Afterward Kokichi left the room. 

Kaito, meanwhile, struggling to stand up, refused to accept any help. As a result of overexerting himself, he started coughing up blood, revealing his illness in front of everyone. He tried to play it down, telling them he'll head back to his room, maybe drink a glass of water, but then Shuichi proposed to go with him; Kaito turned him down. 

Leaving Shuichi plagued with doubt over whether he'd made the right decision.Finally, Kaito left the room closely followed by Maki, leaving Shuichi plagued with doubt over whether he'd made the right decision. 

Kokichi, meanwhile, declaring to end the killing, finished adding the letters on the stone in the courtyard.

Now it read a message:

This world is mine. Kokichi Ouma.

[curiousreadmore]

Chapter 4 Post-Execution Reactions (+ Commentary)

Gonta’s execution was shocking, saddening, and traumatizing for everyone, who was still alive to witness it. 

Tsumugi appears shocked. It’s possible that she's only acting—after all, she knows the true nature of the game—but since she had often defended him before and came to his aid, it wouldn’t surprise me if even she wasn’t immune to his kind nature.

Maki seems more affected than after the previous executions. Up until now, she had mostly reacted with irritation. Why was this happening to them? But to lose a gentle soul like Gonta in such a brutal way is all the more saddening. 

Himiko’s reaction also comes across as a bit more downcast. After the events of the previous chapter, she’s been trying to show her emotions more openly. She liked Gonta, and even if she might not remember, it was Gonta who carried her to her room after she fell asleep after her breakdown.

K1-B0 seems more frustrated than anything. He couldn’t cry, even if he wanted to, but Gonta’s execution is unacceptable all the same.

I believe this is also the first and only time we see Kaito with this sprite. Kaito looks absolutely traumatized. The next time he speaks, his expression seems more subdued—suppressed—but he’s still tense. After witnessing something like that, how could anyone remain calm?

Kokichi also has his traumatized, dejected sprite. Even though he could see it coming, it’s another matter when it finally happens. He realized too late how much Gonta truly meant to him, and losing him this way was devastating. Regardless, Kokichi doesn’t know how to deal with his grief, so he plays up his villain persona, hoping it will distract him from the truth. He can't let it end like this. 

Unfortunately, we don’t get to see Shuichi’s immediate reaction, but he’s probably feeling the same. Even though he did the right thing to save everyone’s lives, he still feels guilty. He couldn’t save Gonta. 

[sweetnanafushi]

this ask is a free ticket to write an analysis on your favorite character’s execution, if they have one

Ah— huh? Uh huh? Wild West insecticide. I cry A LOT every time I watch it but I’ve never done an analysis. I rewatched it twice to make this and I’ve never made a analysis before so bear with me

trigger warning for blood, fire, burning alive, and death obviously

First I wanna bring up the lyrics in the first bit when monokuma is readying the gun

“Long gone”

“I’m at the bottom of the ocean”

“I’m at the bottom of the sea”

I feel like this is a contrast to danganronpa 2’s “reach for the stars” in teruteru mikan and chiakis executions. RFtS is a metaphor for hope while the bottom of the ocean is the despair Gonta was in. He already fell into despair BEFORE his execution.

it’s also saddening that Gonta died by the one thing he thought loved him— bugs. I’m willing to bet he felt betrayed. Or that he betrayed all his friends, bug and human. That’s the obvious despair right there. He also must’ve felt guilt at how EVERYONE was crying when monokuma was about to drag him away.

The Wild West theme is simple actually. It’s common knowledge Gonta REALLY wanted to be a gentleman, so making him die in a place stereotyped by wild unlawfulness. Keep in mind that Gonta was HEAVILY influenced by fictions that shaped his view of “gentleman” so that’s why Monokuma chose that theme to tease Gonta’s dying thoughts of failing everyone and not being a true gentleman.

Last I want to bring up his hauntingly straight face. He doesn’t make ANY move to escape despite being very much strong enough to, he just sits there and lets everything happen. It’s spooky..

He doesn’t change his face until he’s forced to from the pain

It’s a very haunting cutscene in general. Gonta was disfigured and then burned alive. I am NOT recovering soon chat.

Overall, imagine not remembering you killed someone and then trust in your friends that YOU did it, they’re right and suddenly you’re going through absolute hell. Gonta just wanted to help everyone, y’all. -Aether

[textsfromultimateacademy]