Explained: Sonia Love

*An in-depth analysis of my favorite Danganronpa character.*

The main reason why I adore her is because of how much I relate to her. Yes, it seems strange that I can relate to a princess, but she is much more than a title.

While she's a princess from the Novoselic kingdom, a fictional European nation, she has to present a level of class unlike the other Ultimates, besides maybe Fuyuhiko who is a Yakuza, to present her kingdom in a positive light. This proves to be difficult, especially in a killing game, where she must adapt her responsibilities between her kingdom and the well-being of other Ultimates. She prides her nation, particularly in Chapter 2, but is dignified enough to realize how small and unknown her country is. In order to survive, however, she learns to be proactive and has no problem putting her life on the line.

In Chapter 4, she casually checks the Final Dead Room for investigative purposes. While she has no problem investigating, she has a hard time coping with the deaths of her classmates. Who can blame her? As the princess of her kingdom, she's never had to deal with the death of one of her subjects, at least not watched them die before her. Since she naturally takes care of the Ultimates and looks out for their survival, each of their deaths troubles her. As someone who is also naive, we tend to look for the best in people and try to excuse their faults. This explains why she compliments Gundham on his Four Dark Devas of Destruction moments before he is realized as the killer. Part of this naivete is that she comes from a foreign place, making her appear as a fish out of water. She does not understand the customs of the land, besides what is presented in the handbook, giving her a youthful energy that carries into her interactions with the cast.

As a foreigner, she's constantly learning, making her inquisitive and questioning her environment since everything seems new. She's incredibly eager to share memories of her kingdom, admitting that she is fluent in thirty languages (queen), took required modern warfare classes, and is used to being on-time to events, as she would be severely punished if she is not 13 minutes early.

She doesn't fully understand the norms of Jabberwock Island, but that's part of her charm, and leads to some great comedic moments. Sonia is sheltered but has also done things she is not proud of. When Gundham says he needs the blood of a virgin for a spell, Sonia says “I'm afraid my blood will not satisfy the requirements”, and when it's revealed at the end that everything was taped to Future Foundation, she says hurriedly that she did some unsavory things on those cameras, which Byakuya corroborates with a lot of disgust. She also has cute moments where she does not understand slang terms. For me, this once again proves to be hilarious as we'd never hear someone say "Goddamn it all to hell", "my femininity is hella boss", or "this is nothing to LOL about!". I thought it made her incredibly relatable since I have a hard time mastering slang as well, but she does it with such an adorableness that I can't help but smile. She doesn't MEAN to use them incorrectly, she's just staying inquisitive and trying to learn the culture's verbatim.

While her language can make her look like a bit of an outsider, even though she fits in quite well with the cast, it's also her unorthodox tastes that set her apart. Sonia loves the occult. She studies serial killers (foreshadowing Sparkling Justice...her fangirl moments are too cute), horror films and freemasonry. There's no real explanation for this obsession, but maybe she used it to balance out her royal struggles. Talking to a foreign officer means that she could spend more time researching Sparkling Justice. I just loved seeing her get lost in thought in Chapter 2 as she rambles on to Hajime.

Continuing with her feelings as an outsider, she admits that she never got close to people her age because of her duties as an Ultimate Princess. I can really sympathize with that, as someone who tends to detach themselves from relationships, or the other way around, without realizing it. People tend to come and go but having royal responsibilities that prevent her from making friends, which is out of her control, is troubling. Part of me believes that her time on Jabberwock Island makes up for her lost friendships, but I can't imagine that you can make up for a lost childhood in one vacation no matter its duration. Although, continuing with the ending of the game, maybe she can finally find time to relinquish her duties and maintain friendships that always eluded her.

Sadly, because she has never had the opportunity to form close bonds with others, she has learned to mask her true feelings. She can be written off as the weird girl (Hajime) or the prim and proper princess (Soda) instead of being recognized for who she truly is. When she has the rare chance to express her true self, like in Chapter 5 when she sneaks off from the group to investigate the barracks, her intentions are misunderstood. The game implies that she has hidden motives while investigating, as she mentions that she will meet up with the cast thirty minutes after the designated meeting time. She's learned to work independently but the cast does not fully appreciate this ability.

I feel like Gundham understands this ability more than others as he also sneaks off to investigate on his own. He understands her on a deeper level, or at least spends more time trying to get to know her in Chapter 4. Both have unorthodox tastes, which the Ultimates write off as weird (again, mostly Hajime). While Sonia might be more socially accepted, only a part of Sonia's personality is showcased (her princess side) so she is used to hiding her true feelings and emotions, something we see with Gundham as well. While Sonia is innocent and naive, Gundham instead masks his personality with his overzealous evilness that makes others shy away. Sonia does not. Instead, she is drawn to him and can catch him completely off-guard, clearly understanding what makes him tick. Both push people away, but they manage to pull each other close.

The part of her personality that she shows to her fellow Ultimates is very emotional. Again, she gets incredibly upset by each of their deaths because she believes in all of them. This should not be portrayed as weakness, however, since it shows that she cares for everyone and wants them to succeed.

Regarding trials, many of her contributions are very logical and thought out. If you pay attention throughout the game, she has the most consent moments since she approaches trials with a critical but open mind. In the moments where she is wrong, it is due to her upbringing since she is not attuned to the environment. She still has a strong drive to succeed and encourages the same for her peers. It's incredibly respectable. As the princess of the Novoselic kingdom, she puts others before herself, hoping for a successful whole to conquer each of the cases. Everything is a team effort in her eyes, and when she sees a character killed or be confirmed as a murderer, she cannot bear it.

It saddens me that people think of her as bland or unfeeling, because she's not. She genuinely cares for her people, or in this instance the Ultimates...and Hajime, which is why she gets so upset about their deaths. She deeply believes that they should get along in harmony, which reminds me of Monomi in the beginning of DR2, so that they do not sacrifice the friendships they have made on the island. She's also brave and takes positions that would frighten others. While I expected her to take the leadership role from the beginning, Twogami ended up taking the position (briefly) since she was not as forceful as she could've been. Even still, when the whole crew is on the cusp of despair, and she doesn't speak over them, but confides with them on their own level, saying something to the effect of “I do not intend to kill anyone...and I do not intend to be killed easily either!” She's compassionate, charismatic, devoted, intelligent, and practical. Yet, sadly, the fact that others cannot see this side of her personality means she's become an expert at closing herself off and sacrifices parts of her identity.

Have I rambled enough? Nevermind.