Description
The first two Danganronpa games had a screenshot of all the surviving characters that would change with every episode. At the end of each chapter, it would pop up and grey out the characters that died. So, I've decided to do the same with the new Danganronpa anime. This will be updated regularly as the episodes progress and characters die. I will also give my thoughts on the episode once it's done.
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Survivors (From top left down to top right up):
Daisaku Bandai *Deceased*
Koichi Kizakura *Deceased*
Seiko Kimura *Deceased*
Ryota Mitarai
Miaya Gekkogahara *Deceased (Human), Destroyed (Robot)*
Yasuhiro Hagakure *Not in the game*
Kyoko Kirigiri *Deceased*
Makoto Naegi
Aoi Asahina
Kazuo Tengan *Deceased*
Kiyosuke Munakata
Ruruka Ando *Deceased*
Sonosuke Izayoi *Deceased*
Chisa Yukizome *Deceased*
Juzo Sakakura *Deceased*
Great Gozu *Deceased*
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Episode 1-Third Time's the Charm
This episode was pretty straightforward: Introduce characters, plot, setting, conflict, etc. I think it did this rather well. We got to see every character (Except Koichi for some reason) interact with each other and say a few things. It was also pretty awesome to see Makoto, Kyoko, Hina, and Hiro again after so long, though I’m still a bit upset that Byakuya isn’t in the show, but maybe we’ll get an explanation later. Like…maybe he’s dead? I hope not. Regardless, the story here revolves around the leaders of the other branches of the Future Foundation being included in Makoto’s trial, where he’s being tried as a traitor for protecting the Remnants of Despair. Kyoko, head of the 14th Branch and Makoto’s boss, and Hina, a member of the 13th Branch, act as proxies while Hiro…stays outside the building. Why, exactly? Eh, who knows? So the trial is put on hold when Kuzo injures Makoto, but the tower they’re in (Which is on a secret island, because of course) is bombed, which closes off all the exits in the building. Not to mention, someone killed all the guards. Because that makes sense. These well-trained guards are killed off by someone without any troubles apparently. Though that’s typical for guards in anything, it seems. And then, a bomb of tear gas enters the room, knocking everyone out. Once they awaken, they find wristbands on them which appear to have some sort of timer. Not only that, but Monokuma makes his grand entrance via a video transmission, stating that the final killing game has been enacted. And who’s the first victim? Chisa Yukizome. Uh…wow…a character many thought would live for a while dying first? That’s…pretty interesting. And thus, the final chapter begins…
This episode was pretty cool for a first episode. It had good pacing (At least I thought so anyway), good visuals, and some pretty awesome character moments here and there. Speaking of the characters, they’re all pretty cool so far. Even characters like Daisaku and Juzo were pretty ok. I think my favorite amongst the new cast so far has got to be Gozu. He’s such a massive guy, yet he has a calming presence. He has some good lines with some surprising depth, and his voice is pretty cool. He sounds powerful, yet soft at the same time. I just love it. Kyosuke is also pretty cool. It’s shown that he’s got a head on his shoulders, but isn’t a total hardass. He actually shows some decency towards Makoto, even though he’s supposedly in favor of executing the ahoged hero. He does have a good scene with Chisa that shows his more compassionate side. He tells her to take a break from cleaning and asks her politely to check on Makoto. Even though he could’ve easily been another Byakuya, he actually has something to him that differentiates the two of them. The only character I don’t like so far is…well, Miaya. And that’s mainly because she does absolutely nothing. Like, at all. Sure, Koichi doesn’t do anything either, but he still seems more interesting. Miaya just exists. She’s easily the most suspicious of the bunch, which just makes the idea of her really being the mastermind annoyingly predictable. Maybe we’ll get some development from her later on, but as of right now, I really don’t like her. Now, onto the character that got axed.
Victim: Chisa Yukizome
I have to be honest, I was genuinely shocked that Chisa was the first to get killed off. I thought for sure she would’ve lasted until at least the end, but the opposite was right, it seems. I can understand why they killed her here, which is probably so Kyosuke can go on some kind of arc or something. Though there is something of note that’s pretty interesting to learn, and that’s that Chisa was actually a teacher of the 77th class. So she knew first hand who they were, which makes her sympathize with Makoto, which was pretty cool to see. I figured she’d antagonize him simply because he went against Kyosuke’s wishes, but she actually supports Makoto. She also states that she wants Makoto and Kyosuke to work together so they could create a new hope, which I can see happening. Regardless, I’m still not ruling her out as the traitor. She could Junko her way back into the story for all we know. I kinda don’t want that to happen, because that would be pretty obvious too.
Overall, this was a good first episode, and it definitely has me excited for the next episode.
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Episode 2-Hang the Witch
Well, this episode was intense. Two people died, and plenty of conflict is set up. Kyosuke instantly believes that Makoto is the traitor, so he tells Makoto to kill himself if he truly believes in hope. We also learn about some of the rules of the new Killing Game thanks to Monokuma. The bracelets everyone has been forced to wear will inject a sleeping serum into everyone after a time limit is reached, and the attacker will eventually wake up and kill someone. There are also NG codes, which are specific to each person. When these codes are activated, a lethal dose of poison will be injected into the person and kill them. This is demonstrated with Daisaku, as he becomes poisoned after witnessing Juzo assault Ryota. Juzo also attempts to kill Makoto after an impromptu majority vote occurs, which shows that most people blame Makoto as the traitor. Juzo is stopped by Gozu, but Kyosuke is also tries to murder Makoto. Thanks to the help of Hina, Gozu, and Kyoko, Makoto escapes, but not before Gozu and Kyosuke fight. We also earlier get to see that Miaya has control over Usami, who tries to stop Monokuma, but we get a dose of deja vu when Monokuma attacks Usami and turns her into Monomi. Eventually, Makoto, Hina, Gozu, and Miaya (Who tagged along with the three after they escape Kyosuke) find their way to a room and block the entrance so no one can get inside. Hina says she's scared, but Makoto assures her to believe in his good luck to keep them safe. (Way to jinx yourself, Makoto.) Then everyone falls asleep, and when Makoto wakes up, he finds Hina's blood on his hands, and then her corpse, with a dagger in her chest.
An enjoyable episode, this was. We got to see a little bit more from everyone, even Koichi, who has a pretty funny line when he accuses Miaya of being the traitor. Juzo continues to be an ass to everyone, and since he's indirectly responsible for Daisaku's death, it just makes him look like a bigger ass. Kyosuke remains the same, stoic and emotionless, but also has a very bloodthirsty side shown when he wants Makoto dead. Gozu is still a pretty great character, as he fights to keep Makoto alive, which is very respectable. Miaya has a little more to do this time around, but of course doesn't speak. It was also pretty great to see Usami again, even if she didn't do too much. I still have to wonder why the Future Foundation made her look so...pink. It's weird. You think Kyosuke was like, "You know, this AI idea is great. But you know what it needs? Pink. Make it pink." And then it was so? I dunno, that would be kinda funny. We see more from Ryota and Kenzan, so that's good. Same can be said for Sonosuke and Ruruka, who actually have kind of a sweet moment. Though I'm still not sure if it's a loving relationship, or if one is just using the other. Now, onwards to the TWO victims.
Victim #1: Daisaku Bandai
I can't really say this was a surprise. I never really expected Daisaku to live long, so this death wasn’t really impactful nor upsetting in my opinion. I know some people may like him, but I thought he was just meh. He did die in a very gruesome way though. Also, have you noticed that there’s a parallel here between the first game and this anime? The first death was a female who got stabbed, and the second death was someone who died as a way of expressing what would happen if rules were broken. Interesting, isn’t it? Anyway, not a death I can really feel upset about. However…
Victim #2: Aoi Asahina
Damn it, damn it, damn it. I KNEW she was going to die. I just knew it. Why else would they bring her back when she had nothing to do prior? This entire episode was just a big red flag for her. She helped Makoto escape, talked about how sacred she was, thanking Makoto for making her feel safe before they passed out. I mean jeez, it was so painfully obvious that she was dying next, but it didn’t make the death hurt any less. Also, her pose when she died is similar to her death pose in the intro. So it was foreshadowing the entire time. Damn. This is most certainly a death that I will not get over, at least not for a while. Though I think Pyrrha’s death was slightly harder to swallow. Either way, this is the first death of the show that I feel like will really upset fans. No one’s safe, and Hina unfortunately had to be sacrificed to prove that. At least she can reunite with Sakura though. I know a lot of people are suspecting Gozu, but I still think Miaya is suspicious. Just a little bit. Remember, Monaca faked her disability, who’s to say Miaya can’t do the same?
Another good episode with another (somewhat) surprise ending death. It’ll be interesting to see how the rest of this season will go, especially without our precious Donuts to keep up happy.
I don’t think Ken would like how this episode ends, though XD
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Episode 3-Cruel Violence and Hollow Words
Welp, what a twist this episode starts out with. We see Makoto react to seeing Hina’s body after being stabbed, but as he and Monomi mourn her death, she wakes up like nothing happened. Apparently, the blood was just tomato sauce, and the knife was a fake one that retracts. So…that shocking and gut-wrenching scene at the end of the last episode is rendered moot. Ok then. So then, who did die if Hina’s still alive? Well, it just HAD to have been one of the few people who was on Makoto’s side. None other than the Great Gozu himself, who’s seen bloodied and hanging from the ceiling. Somehow Makoto and Hina manage to get his corpse from the ceiling, and Hina puts her jacket on his body, and also takes off her dress shirt and tie, leaving her in a tank top and shorts. She and Makoto get help from Miaya, who tells them (Through Monomi of course) that since the building they’re in was originally supposed to be an extension of Hope’s Peak Academy, there are intercoms throughout the whole building. She points one out in the monitoring room and the three decided to head to the room. We also learn what Hina and Miaya’s NGs are here, with Hina’s being “can’t be punched or kicked” and Miaya’s is “can’t make right turns” Can’t help but feel the foreshadowing meters going off here. Either way, Hina hears someone else in halls, so she and Miaya go to distract them so Makoto can get to the monitoring room. Turns out the person they heard was Seiko, who ends up following them. We also see a little bit more from Sonosuke and Ruruka, and Sonosuke again refuses her candy. They do share a sweet moment where Sonosuke promises to never betray Ruruka, and she acts all cute and stuff. However, the two end up crossing paths with Seiko, and she and Rurka bicker a bit, revealing that their conflict was caused by something drug-related. It’s revealed that Seiko has braces when she removes her mask, and she downs a bottle of drugs, turning her into a drastically different looking version of herself. Sonosuke throws a dagger at her and runs off with Ruruka, but Seiko catches the dagger with her mouth and breaks it, giving chase to the two. Koichi, who watches the events unfold, comments on how they’re still arguing about the even that happened. We also see Kyoko, Kazou, and Ryota talk more, and Kyoko notices that Kazou didn’t seem too distraught when he woke up. Ryota laments on how everyone needs to work together in order to survive, but Kyoko pretty much tells him to man up. Eventually, Makoto gets to the monitoring room, and gives a speech about how he came across the Remnants of Despair and what he did with them, believing that hope would save them. He also reveals his NG to everyone who listens. Kyosuke and Juzo also hear the speech, and while Juzo isn’t impressed, Kyosuke says that the speech was fantastic, but hollow. He goes to find and kill Makoto, while Juzo goes to take care of his friends. This leads to him trying to hit Kyoko with a chair, only for her to avoid the attack. Kyosuke eventually finds Makoto and threatens him, claiming that he doesn’t know what true despair is, so he can’t comment on hope. It ends with Kyosuke attacking Makoto, but it fades to black before we know what happens.
This was a fairly enjoyable episode, though not as much as the last two. It did have some annoying moments, like when Ryota went on about wanting everyone to work together, which just continues to create Chihiro parallels. Something tells me Ryota won’t live for long. Also, I can’t help but get bad vibes from Hina’s NG, and since we know that Juzo is going after Makoto’s friends, I get the feeling he might be responsible for her death later on down the line. I know it might be weird to kill her right after her death fake-out, but who’s to say it won’t happen? Maybe the fake-out is thinking the fake-out means she’s safe. Also, the fake-out stuff really confuses me. Why would the killer go through the trouble of making it look like Hina died even though she wasn’t the target? Just to give Makoto a scare? That’s kinda dumb. As happy as I am that Donuts is still alive, it’s just feels like a cop-out since we really thought she was dead, only to bring her back. It’s odd. Regardless, if she does end up surviving, it probably means Kyoko won’t live till the end. That or Hiro ends up dying, but she’s literally outside the game. I don’t even know why he’s on this page, honestly XP But someone did bring up a good point that, even though Hiro isn’t part of the killing game, it still says 13 people are still alive, even though there should be 12 survivors. Guess we have another 16th student case going on here. Wonder where we’ll go with that. There’s not much else to discuss in this episode, so with that being said, onto the REAL victim.
Real 3rd Victim: Great Gozu
As glad as I am that Hina’s alive, it’s a shame that Gozu died instead. It does give off the vibe that Makoto’s friends are the bigger targets and aren’t safe, so it makes sense. Even so, Gozu was a surprisingly likeable character. He was enjoyable when he was in his quieter moments, and his more intense moments were pretty badass. It’s a sucky loss, no doubt, but one that makes sense in a way. Let’s just hope the next victim is someone on the opposing side of the spectrum.
Again, this was an enjoyable episode, though I do like the first two better than this one.
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Episode 4-Who is a Liar
Hoo-boy, this was an intense episode. With a lot of fighting as well. We pick up with Kyoko, Kazou, and Ryota being confronted by Juzo, who's planning on eliminating Makoto's friends, believing that they're helping him kill people. Kazou attempts to get Juzo to back down, but Juzo says that Kyosuke is his boss, not Kazou. He then proceeds to kick Kazou out of the way and attempts to attack Kyoko again, but Ryota once again stops him. He gets injured and ends up falling on Kyoko's legs, injuring her as well. Jeez, Ryota must have a firm buttocks if he's able to injure Kyoko just by falling on her. Right before Juzo can go in for the kill, something fires towards him. Turns out, it's Kazou, who is apparently a badass. No joke, he manages to take down Juzo in only a few seconds. Old people are scary sometimes. They tie Juzo up so he can't escape. Hina and Miaya end up running into the group, and Hina hugs Kyoko, who actually sort of returns it. (I ship it XP) They then hear a message on the intercom, given by Kyosuke. He tells whoever is listening that he's captured Makoto and he'll execute him. Kyoko immediately states it's a trap, so she offers to go and negotiate. Kazou stops her and says he'll go instead, and that Kyoko should relax because of her injuries, telling Ryota to escort her. Ryota at first says he's sorry to Kyoko for hurting her, and then rants about only causing misery when he only wants to help people and wishes that he could be more like Makoto. I certainly hope this self-loathing thing isn't going to be a common thing here, because it's kinda annoying. Kyoko reassures him that he's fine the way he is, and Hina even says that he saved her that one time from Juzo. After a little more talk, they split, with Hina and Miaya leaving with Kazou. Going to Makoto, we see him slowly coming to, and he chats a bit with Kyosuke. Kyosuke says that Makoto can't be the killer, so he's instead using Makoto as bait to lure out the real killer, since he thinks they're in cahoots. After rambling on about how his idea of hope is different from Makoto's, Kazou shows up with Hina and Miaya, and manages fend Kyosuke off, using his chuusen, and Hina and Miaya run off with Makoto. All while this is going down, Seiko is still trying to kill Ruruka and Sonosuke, with Ruruka mentioning to Seiko that they used to be friends to get her to stop attacking, though this doesn't work. Apparently, all three were expelled from Hope's Peak, and they blame it on each other. Kyoko and Ryota head into the meeting room (Where Daisaku and Chisa's bodies are still laying. Not morbid at all.) and find Koichi there, just hanging I guess. Kyoko and Ryota exchange words while they examine Chisa's body. Next, we see that Juzo has managed to escape and sees Hina and Miaya running off with Makoto. He pursues them, but gets destracted when he sees Kyosuke and Kazou fighting, and Kyosuke denies Juzo's help, telling him to get Makoto. Kazou pushes Kyosuke's Chisa button and they engage in more fighting. It ends with Kazou having his hand sliced in half and pulling Kyosuke off a bridge with him. We later see them at the bottom, Kazou having been impaled on some wiring and somehow still alive. Kyosuke, who's also injured a bit, says he didn't think Kazou had anything left in him, but since he does, he wants to know what the old man's thinking. I'm honestly surprised Kazou could still talk. Hina, Miaya, and Makoto eventually stop and catch their breath (With Hina sweating heavily, which is odd considering she's an athlete of sorts.) before Miaya states they're being followed. She goes to stop Juzo, and we learn that she has rockets in her wheelchair. This doesn't kill Juzo, but Miaya attempts to attack him more, but no before kicking her to the ground. As he runs off, we find out something shocking. Miaya......was Monaca. Dun. Dun. DUUUUU-we kinda already figured that.
This is easily my favorite episode yet. Intense, action packed, and we got to see some characters do a little more than just talk. Kazou is now one of my favorite characters simply because of how badass he was in this episode, though he's probably not going to live till episode six, which sucks. The stuff with Seiko, Ruruka, and Sonosuke is still very interesting, as well as suspenseful. Koichi is being rather suspicious, and putting the pieces together makes me wonder if he's got something to do with Monaca, since he mentioned in the previous episode that he needs to talk to "her" So...yeah, it's starting to make sense. And it's only episode four, so I hope there are SOME twists left, otherwise I can kinda piece together what's going on. The fight with Kazou and Kyosuke was awesome, and seeing Hina and Makoto interacting more is cute. I almost ship it...but Naegiri is still in the port, so we need to wait for that to sail off...and probably sink immediately. And the little bit with Hina hugging Kyoko was adorable and heartwarming. Nice to see that Kyoko is valuing Hina's life as much as Makoto's and her own. Also, at the beginning of the episode, we see Monokuma going over the events that have transpired, and states that there are 12 people left, even though the counter in the opening still says 13. Weird. Plus, during the recap, there's a brief moment where a shot of Hiro outside of the building shows with the text basically saying that he's not in the game because no one likes him, which was pretty funny. It's sad...but kinda the truth. Sorry dude Also, the revelation that Miaya was Monaca was very expected, but it was still kinda cool. Turns out though that Miaya is just a machine, and Monaca is controlling her from somewhere.
Overall, I loved this episode. It was great fun through the whole thing.