Kaede Akamatsu

Kaede Akamatsu is a student from Dangan Ronpa. She was a prominent character within the series and popular with fans. Akamatsu debuted in Dangan Ronpa V3: Killing Harmony, though did not survive The Mastermind's Killing Game. She was considered to be Dangan Ronpa's fourth protagonist, after Makoto Naegi, Hajime Hinata and Komaru Naegi.
==Canon Overview==
=== Pre-Game Personality ===
Akamatsu was an average teenage girl and a fan of Dangan Ronpa, the in-game fictional reality TV show. She auditioned for the show's 53rd season, (stylized as V3,) and got on it. In fanworks, this is considered to be her Pre-Game Personality. Like with every other Killing Harmony student, all of this info is filtered by Tsumugi Shirogane, and fans may not believe this part of her character is true. 
=== Dangan Ronpa Personality ===
As a child, she loved playing piano, so much so that her friends often teased her about it. Her skills in playing earned her many awards and recognition. Eventually, she was one day scouted to enroll in the Ultimate Academy for Gifted Juveniles. In Japanese, she is a Super High School Level Pianist. In English, she is the Ultimate Pianist.
She is an outgoing and positive person who's skilled in "orchestrating," or rather, bringing others together under one common goal. In Killing Harmony, she dedicates herself to ending the Killing Game, but isn't successful.
During Chapter 1, Akamatsu was framed by Tsumugi Shirogane for the murder of Rantaro Amami, leading to her execution by Monokuma. After Chapter 1, her status as protagonist was replaced by Shuichi Saihara.
Akamatsu's birthday is March 26th. This is Beethoven's Day in Japan, which falls on the anniversary of his death, something which may be referenced in fanworks. On Twitter and Pixiv, art tagged with #赤松楓生誕祭[year value] are commonly released on her birthday. More birthday tag listings can be found on Dangan Ronpa Birthday and Anniversary Tag List.
== Popular Tropes & Fanon ==
In order of how common they are:
All of the above are wrangled tags on Archive of Our Own. On Pixiv, there are also some tags specific to Akamatsu:
*Akamatsu Mistreatment, 「赤松は不憫」, referring to fans' reactions to the mismanagement of Akamatsu not being Killing Harmony's proper protagonist by Spike Chunsoft and other fans. Discussion of this may bring up how advertising her as the proper protagonist, only to not deliver, is an example Misogyny in Fandom, or at least tone-deaf to it.
*"I'll turn this lie, into the truth!", 「この嘘を真実に!」, referring to her catchphrase during class trials. This one is unique to Akamatsu.
Other places where fandom lives may portray Akamatsu with one or all of these attributes. 
Akamatsu also popular for self-shipping works.
== Subjects of Fannish Interest & Meta ==
=== Queercoding ===
Some fans believe she is queercoded.
==Relationships==
This is purposefully an incomplete list, as Akamatsu is shipped with much of Dangan Ronpa's cast. Please add any notable relationships in fanworks if they are missing.
In Kanji, Akamatsu is usually represented in a pairing names with 赤 (aka) or 楓 (kae). In Hiragana, あか (kae) is common.
The order seen should be what's most popular unless marked with "possibly." ENG portmanteaus are also subject to change. Relationships listed fall into GL, NL, BL, Poly, Combi or Cargo.
With... 	Full Label 	Type 	Portmanteau / Phrase 	Kanji or Katakana 	Information
Shuichi Saihara 	Kaede Akamatsu/Shuichi Saihara 	NL 	Saimatsu 	最赤 (Saiaka) 	It is the most popular F/M relationship in all of Killing Harmony fandom.
Miu Iruma 	Kaede Akamatsu/Miu Iruma 	GL 	Irumatsu 	赤入 (Akairu) 	It is the most popular F/F pairing for Akamatsu.
Rantaro Amami 	Kaede Akamatsu/Rantaro Amami 	NL 	Amamatsu 	蘭楓 (Rankae), 天赤 (Tenaka) 	(n/a)
Maki Harukawa 	Kaede Akamatsu/Maki Harukawa 	GL 	Harumatsu, aka Nursery Rhymes	赤春 (Akaharu) 	(n/a)
Kiibo 	Kaede Akamatsu/Kiibo 	NL 	Kiiede 	キボ赤 (Kiiboaka) 	(n/a)
Kaito Momota 	Kaede Akamatsu/Kaito Momota 	NL 	Akamota 	百赤 (Momoaka) 	(n/a)
Kokichi Ouma; Rantaro Amami 	Akamatsu & Amami & Ouma 	Combi	Mastermind Busters 	首謀者バスターズ (Mastermind Busters) 	Poly is also common
Tsumugi Shirogane 	Kaede Akamatsu/Tsumugi Shirogane	GL 	Kaemugi 	(n/a) 	(n/a)
Kokichi Ouma 	Kaede Akamatsu/Kokichi Ouma 	NL 	Oumatsu 	(n/a) 	(n/a)
Kirumi Tojo 	Kaede Akamatsu/Kirumi Tojo 	GL 	Kirukaede 	(n/a) 	(n/a)
Tenko Chabashira 	Kaede Akamatsu/Tenko Chabashira 	GL 	Tenkaede 	(n/a) 	(n/a)
Mondo Oowada 	Kaede Akamatsu/Mondo Oowada 	NL 	Owatsu 	(n/a) 	Friends in Danganronpa S: Ultimate Summer Camp.
Chiaki Nanami; Kyoko Kirigiri	Dangan Ronpa Heroines 	Combi	Kirinamimatsu 	(n/a) 	These three are considered to be Dangan Ronpa's heroines.
Ibuki Mioda; Sayaka Maizono 	Musical Trio 	Combi	Kaeibuzono 	(n/a) 	All three have music-related talents.
Angie Yonaga 	Kaede Akamatsu/Angie Yonaga 	GL 	Yonamatsu 	(n/a) 	(n/a)
Ryoma Hoshi 	Kaede Akamatsu/Ryoma Hoshi 	NL 	Akahoshi 	(n/a) 	(n/a)
Himiko Yumeno 	Kaede Akamatsu/Himiko Yumeno 	GL 	Akameno 	(n/a) 	(n/a)
==Example/Notable Fanac==
===Fan Events/Fan Communities===
*Amamatsu Week 2023 , a fanweek for Akamatsu x Amami. It ran from April 2nd to the 8th.
*Kaemaki Week , a fanweek for Akamatsu x Harukawa. It first ran from August 12th to the 19th, then from July 8th to the 14th. It has been held by two mods, independent of each other, from 2018 to 2023.
*Akamota Week , a fanweek for Akamatsu x Momota. It ran from September 18th to the 24th.
*Kaemugi Week 2019 , a fanweek for Akamatsu x Shirogane. It ran from June 17th to the 23rd.
*Kaemugi Week 2023 , a fanweek for Akamatsu x Shirogane. It ran from August 9th to the 15th.
*Oumatsu Week 2023 , a fanweek for Akamatsu x Ouma. It ran from March 20th to the 26th. The prompt list for this week appears to be lost.
*Tenkaede Week 2018 , a fanweek for Akamatsu x Chabashira. It ran from September 1st to the 7th.
*Tenkaede Week 2021 , a fanweek for Akamatsu x Chabashira. It ran from September 1st to the 7th. It's unknown if this is a coincidence or not with the other Tenkaede week.
===Blogs===
*kaemaki-s, a sort of Fuckyeah blog for Akamatsu x Harukawa.
*lyingharmony, an askblog for Akamatsu x Ouma.
*oumaede, a sort of Fuckyeah blog for Akamatsu x Ouma.
*tenkaede0001, a sort of Fuckyeah blog for Akamatsu x Chabashira
===Zines===
*Unfinished Symphony: A Kaede Akamatsu Fanzine, a zine celebrating Akamatsu.
=== Meta ===
* (2020)
==References/Further Reading==
* on Danganronpa Wiki
* on PixivEncyclopedia
* on Shipping Wiki
Category:Dangan Ronpa Characters