Hajime Hinata as the Ultimate Debater
When Hajime Hinata was first introduced, I was very interested in his character. He seemed like a normal, everyday student, if not a bit cynical. Therefore, when the reveal of his talent-the twist being that he had none- I was unsurprised, and actually disappointed. The reveal got me thinking: If Hajime had a talent, what would it be? Hajime Hinata’s theoretical Ultimate Talent would be the Ultimate Debater because Hajime has many traits of a professional debater in Class Trials, and the talent would fit the series’ themes.
Hajime is an interesting person, to say the least. During the Class Trials, his personality truly shines. He is forceful with his accusations and arguments, which is something unparalleled by any other protagonist in this series. Comparing him to the first game’s protagonist, Makoto Naegi, proves my point. When playing as Makoto, you might notice how other characters lead him along, such as Togami and Kyoko, both usually already knowing the answer to the trial in the beginning or before the trial even starts (this trait is more noticeable in earlier, simpler trials, however.) Naegi is less forceful, and tends to be the one to ask more questions. When one compares him to Hajime, they will find that Hajime is a lot more forceful with his words. Take these quotes from each of the first Class Trials, in which both of the protagonists are supposed to be brand new to debate.
“ No. I do think it was a knife--but not just any knife. I'm almost positive it was a kitchen knife.” -Makoto Naegi
“Just a second, Chihiro. Try to remember how my room looked...
With the way things had been damaged, I think we can definitely assume there was a struggle.” -Makoto Naegi
Notice how Naegi uses terms such as, “I think” and “I’m ALMOST positive.” In debate, vocabulary is essential to winning. Using terms such as these prove to your opponent (and the judge in some cases) that you aren’t comfortable in your opinion. Speaking as a debater, if my opponent were to use words like “I think,” I would attack that during the argument portion of the debate and attempt to use that to prove my point later on. While having information is vital to a debate, it is also essential to be able to know how to use vocabulary and acting to defeat the opposing party. Naegi’s vocabulary is very weak in these examples. Now, let's look at Hajime in the first trial:
“No, Togami could see what was going on.” -Hajime
“…And why was he the only one who could see?”-Peko
“There was a set of night-vision goggles under the table. If Togami used them, he would be able to see during the blackout.”-Hajime
Hajime gives his argument, and quickly follows up with his reasoning in a confident manner. None of this is to say that Naegi is bad at debating, because that is not true. However, I have found that Hajime exhibited better debating skills than Naegi. Both of them are protagonists, and if you look at their sprite gallery you can see most of Hajime’s seem confident, with good posture and eye contact. Naegi has those too, but there are far less, and they seem less confident to me.In my opinion, Hajime is more confident with his arguments, and Makoto seems more timid. This is probably due to the fact that Makoto’s personality is kinder, while Hajime is more argumentative even in daily life. According to Medium.com, a good debater is able to respond to arguments well. Hajime says “You’ve got that wrong!” after Nonstop debates while Naegi says, “No, that’s wrong.” Hajime is saying the opponent is incorrect in their understanding of the evidence, while Naegi is saying they are wrong in a more broad, less persuasive tone. However, this may be a translation difference, therefore it is not concrete evidence and I do not consider it to be such.
Hajime having the Ultimate talent of Debater makes sense not only in his character, but in the game’s themes. Danganronpa is a game where the main selling point is the trials. Trials are just big debates. In Danganronpa, it's your job to argue against your classmates and prove your points. That’s your job in a debate as well. It makes sense for an Ultimate Debater to be included in the roster of ultimates, and who better to fill that in than Hajime Hinata, who is, in my opinion, the best candidate?
Overall, not only does it make sense with Hajime’s actions in the class trials, but the themes of the first two games also help prove that if Hajime had a talent, it would be the Ultimate Debater. In my personal headcanon, Hajime Hinata is the Ultimate Debater.
