Danganronpa Series

The **Danganronpa Series** (ダンガンロンパシリーズ, *Danganronpa Shirīzu*) is a series of mystery video games created by Kazutaka Kodaka and developed by Spike Chunsoft. It began in 2010 and concluded in 2017, with a total of three main games, one spin-off game and an original TV anime series.

## Synopsis

The series follows a group of "Ultimate" students, students of Hope's Peak Academy and teenagers possessing special talents far above the level of ordinary kids, as they are trapped in a secluded location by a robot bear known as Monokuma, who forces them to participate in a killing game; the only way to escape captivity is to murder a fellow classmate without being caught. If the rest of the students don't figure out the true identity of the killer, everyone else will be killed. Thus, the protagonist must solve the ensuing murders as the group tries to ascertain the truth behind the situation they're in.

## History

Kazutaka Kodaka originally proposed the idea of **DISTRUST**, a battle royale death game between high-schoolers, to Spike Chunsoft. While the concept was scrapped because it was too brutal, it eventually evolved into the first *Danganronpa* game, first released in 2010. While there were initially no plans for a sequel, after a successful launch, Kodaka began working simultaneously on the novel series *Danganronpa/Zero* and the second main-line game, *Super Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair*. In 2013, an anime adaptation of the first game began airing. A spin-off third-person shooter game titled *Danganronpa Another Episode* was released in 2014, followed by an original anime series titled *Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak Academy*, concluding the storyline of all previous media in the series. *New Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony*, the third main-line game, was released in 2017, taking place in a separate continuity from previous works.

## Main Characters

See also: Danganronpa Series/Characters (Contains Spoilers)

* **Monokuma** (モノクマ, *Monokuma*)**:** The mascot of the series. A psychotic robot bear calling himself the "headmaster of Hope's Peak Academy" who traps the Ultimate students and forces the killing game upon them.
* **Makoto Naegi** (苗木(なえぎ) 誠(まこと), *Naegi Makoto*)**:** The protagonist of the first game. The Ultimate Lucky Student, selected to attend Hope's Peak through a lottery. He doesn't believe he has any talent, considering himself to be the epitome of ordinary, and is intimidated by all the other Ultimate students. His most defining characterstic is that he is more gung-ho than most other people.
* **Hajime Hinata** (日向(ひなた) 創(はじめ), *Hinata Hajime*)**:** The protagonist of the second game. He has amnesia, and cannot remember his Ultimate talent. He is a fairly serious person, often disturbed by the eccentricity of the other Ultimate students around him. He is also slightly sarcastic and pessimistic.
* **Kaede Akamatsu** (赤松(あかまつ) 楓(かえで), *Akamatsu Kaede*)**:** The protagonist of the third game. The Ultimate Pianist. She is a kind, out-going, optimistic and determined girl, and is a good leader for her classmates.

## Genre & Style

The Danganronpa Series' entries fall within the Shinhonkaku Detective Fiction genre, making use of some meta-textual elements and a universe removed from reality, following its own vaguely absurdist rules. While having a darkly comedic tone most of the time, portraying disturbing events with a twisted sense of humor, mostly conveyed through its mascot, Monokuma, it sometimes shifts into a more serious tone as it explores the emotional pain experienced by the characters. The main theme of the entire series is one of "hope vs. despair", although subsequent games also have their specific themes to explore. The games have a "psycho pop" aesthetic, inspired in part by the band X Japan, the most noticeable aspect being the bright pink blood.

### Main Series

* 1. **Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc** (ダンガンロンパ 希望(きぼう)の学園(がくえん)と絶望(ぜつぼう)の高校生(こうこうせい), *Danganronpa Kibō no Gakuen to Zetsubō no Kōkōsei, lit. "Danganronpa: The Academy of Hope and the High School Life of Despair"*)
* 2. **Super Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair** (スーパーダンガンロンパ２ さよなら絶望学園(ぜつぼうがくえん), *Sūpā Danganronpa 2: Sayonara Zetsubō Gakuen, lit. "Super Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair Academy"*)
* 3. **Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak Academy** (ダンガンロンパ３ ーThe End of 希望ヶ峰学園(きぼうがみねがくえん)ー, *Danganronpa 3: The End of Kibōgamine Gakuen*) Original Anime
	+ **Future Arc** (未来編(みらいへん), *Mirai-hen*)
	+ **Despair Arc** (絶望編(ぜつぼうへん), *Zetsubō-hen*)
	+ **Hope Arc** (希望編(きぼうへん), *Kibō-hen*)
* 4. **New Danganronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing** (ニューダンガンロンパＶ３ みんなのコロシアイ新学期(しんがっき), *Nyū Danganronpa V3: Minna no Koroshiai Shingakki*)

### Spin-offs

#### Games

* **Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls** (絶対絶望少女(ぜったいぜつぼうしょうじょ) ダンガンロンパ Another Episode, *Zettai Zetsubō Shōjo Danganronpa Another Episode*)

#### Novels

* **Danganronpa/Zero** (ダンガンロンパ／ゼロ, *Danganronpa/Zero*)
	+ **Danganronpa/Zero (Part One)** (ダンガンロンパ/ゼロ（上(じょう)）, *Danganronpa/Zero (Jō)*)
	+ **Danganronpa/Zero (Part Two)** (ダンガンロンパ/ゼロ（下(げ)）, *Danganronpa/Zero (Ge)*)
* **Danganronpa Kirigiri** (ダンガンロンパ霧切(きりぎり), *Danganronpa Kirigiri*) Takekuni Kitayama
	+ **Danganronpa Kirigiri Vol. 1** (ダンガンロンパ霧切(きりぎり)１, *Danganronpa Kirigiri 1*)
	+ **Danganronpa Kirigiri Vol. 2** (ダンガンロンパ霧切(きりぎり)２, *Danganronpa Kirigiri 2*)
	+ **Danganronpa Kirigiri Vol. 3** (ダンガンロンパ霧切(きりぎり)３, *Danganronpa Kirigiri 3*)
	+ **Danganronpa Kirigiri Vol. 4** (ダンガンロンパ霧切(きりぎり)４, *Danganronpa Kirigiri 4*)
	+ **Danganronpa Kirigiri Vol. 5** (ダンガンロンパ霧切(きりぎり)５, *Danganronpa Kirigiri 5*)
	+ **Danganronpa Kirigiri Vol. 6** (ダンガンロンパ霧切(きりぎり)６, *Danganronpa Kirigiri 6*)
	+ **Danganronpa Kirigiri Vol. 7** (ダンガンロンパ霧切(きりぎり)７, *Danganronpa Kirigiri 7*)
* **Danganronpa Togami** (ダンガンロンパ十神(とがみ), *Danganronpa Togami*) Yuuya Satou
	+ **Danganronpa Togami (Part One): Attempted World Domination Addict** (ダンガンロンパ十神(とがみ)（上(じょう)）世界征服未遂常習犯(せかいせいふくみすいじょうじゅうはん), *Danganronpa Togami (Jō): Sekai Seifuku Misui Jōjūhan*)
	+ **Danganronpa Togami (Part Two): Hope's Peak Academy vs. Despair High School** (ダンガンロンパ十神(とがみ)（中(ちゅう)）希望ヶ峰学園(きぼうがみねがくえん)VS.絶望(ぜつぼう)ハイスクール, *Danganronpa Togami (Chū): Kibōgamine Gakuen VS. Zetsubō Hai Sukūru*)
	+ **Danganronpa Togami (Part Three): In The Name of the Togami Family** (ダンガンロンパ十神(とがみ)（下(げ)）十神(とがみ)の名(な)にかけて, *Danganronpa Togami (Ge): Togami no Na ni Kakete*)