Despair High School

**Spoiler warning: *Plot and/or ending details follow. Read at user's own risk!***

## Despair High School

### Novel

*Danganronpa: Togami* Volume 1

**Despair High School** (絶望ハイスクール) is an organization founded by renegade Hope's Peak Academy students that serve as the main antagonists for Danganronpa: Togami. Comprised of students from both the 77th and 78th class batches, who would later be known as Ultimate Despair, they instigated the events that would lead into the World Domination Proclamation. Destructive and obsessed with bringing the world further into despair, they ruthlessly try to further their goals no matter how many lives are taken.

## The Group

Formed from a group of insane students from the 77th and 78th classes who were dedicated to spreading despair across the world, and lead by Junko Enoshima, Despair High School needed several objectives fulfilled prior to the start of their world destruction plans. These objectives were:

1. Destroy the Council of Global Controllers. They have decided only their group should be the only ones to operate in the shadows, thus necessitating the council's destruction.

2. Get rid of the Kudan, who was the secret to the Togami Family's Prosperity. Their power of prophecy was deemed too threatening towards their group's endeavors. Thus, they need to be eliminated.

3. Get rid of Byakuya Togami. Byakuya and his skills were deemed troublesome towards their future goals. Thus, they needed Byakuya to be out of the way as much as possible prior to their machinations start.

In order to accomplish these objectives, Despair High sought to create an incident where are three goals can be accomplished: the World Domination Proclamation. Upon learning of Hope's Peak Academy's Bible Plan project, specifically in terms of its K2K System, Despair High used the knowledge of it in order to create and spread the Despair Novel throughout the world.

As a result, people under the influence of the Despair Disease, went crazy and riots apparently broke out all over the world. In order to combat this, the Council of Global Controllers agreed to meet up in the Church of Bones to discuss what to do. However, given that Sonia Nevermind (a member of Despair High School) was also a member of the council, she leaked their location and had Despair High's personnel attack the meeting site while she wasn't there. Almost all of the council were wiped out, except for Byakuya (though he was knocked out and stripped of his clothing besides his glasses) who was taken to safety by Blue Ink.

Thus, the second phase of their plan came into action. With the use of the Ultimate Imposter to masquerade as Byakuya, they convinced the world that they were the real affluent progeny, and officially set in to motion the World Domination Proclamation. Under threat of 'Byakuya' taking over the world, the Imposter called either for Byakuya's demise or the 'pitiful cattle' to be found, giving the world a 24-hour time limit to complete their demands.

During this time, Despair High would be actively hunting for Byakuya as well (hiding behind their cover as Hope's Peak students to avoid suspicion), in addition to boosting the credibility of the fake Byakuya. Sonia Nevermind would use her status as princess to fund their operations or actively go against Byakuya. Kazuichi Soda would modify or create deadly machines, such as the Boss Dekotora. Both Gundham Tanaka and Ibuki Mioda were present in joining the Imposter in disguising as some of Byakuya's allies in order to get closer to him. Mukuro Ikusaba (who was also present for the council meeting as a bodyguard) was also there to provide support to ensure the plan stayed on track (though, up until the Prague Castle confrontation, spent the incident in the woods due to losing her script). In addition, they were also in collaboration with the Myst'ry Research Society, who were using this incident to further their own Operation: Global Locked Room Transformation.

Ultimately, while the Myst'ry Research Society was wiped out, Despair High School succeeded in capturing Byakuya and the Kudan, using experimental drugs to limit the talent of the former, whilst erasing the memories and identity of the Kudan (as well as knowledge of who the Kudan was for Byakuya). Byakuya was able to determine the Despair novel, however, was nothing but a fake empty book, and the riots were nothing more than people causing a scene and getting caught up in mass hysteria. In addition, WHO official, Orvin Elevator, was framed for starting the event, thus allowing Despair High to return to school without suspicion.

## The Location

Despair High's headquarters was a school located on Dětský Island, with members of the organization wearing uniforms designed by Sonia's personal clothing designer. To go along with the theme of a despair-filled academy, the student members of Despair High referred to themselves as being 'Despair High School Level', a corruption of Hope's Peak 'Super High School Level' talents. However, when Blue Ink and Byakuya were saved by Aloysius Pennyworth and a portion of the Needle Force, their helicopters destroyed the school in a barrage of missile fire.

The school itself was concealed inside of another school, which when an artificial earthquake likely caused by one of Kazuichi's devices activated, shook the outer layer of bricks, revealing a half white half black building, with lights resembling a Monokuma face. On its roof was a giant machine that acted like a fishing rod that could pull people from off the ground, alongside some large speakers to play the schools anthem.  The school has multiple floors but is easily traversed in under 5 minutes. The headmasters office contains a desk, a sofa, a trophy case, curtains and normal items. The only thing that stands out is that every former principal portrait is of Monokuma.

## K2K System

Due to the K2K System's ability to create obfuscations within Blue Ink, its unknown just exactly how much of the above can taken as actual fact.

## Members

### Leaders

**Junko Enoshima**

**Ultimate Imposter**

## See Also

* Myst'ry Research Society (DRT), an affiliated group.
* Ultimate Despair, the group Despair High School became/splintered from.

## References

1. ↑ The anthem is a parody of the Radio Calisthenics Song
*Danganronpa: Togami* (Japanese):
A brand new night has graced us once again, a night full of despair!
Now we open up our hearts to joyfulness, with despair close overhead!
Hear despair's voice in your ears, as you open your healthy heart,
To this wind that is blowing through, fragrant and sweet,
That's despair, despair, despair!
This brand new night has something underneath—a glittering despair!
Stretch your arms and your legs out and get on your feet, stamp the earth refreshingly!
Feel despair there by your side, as you stretch out your healthy limbs,
Reaching out across all of this expansive earth,
That's despair, despair, despair!