Dangan Ronpa: Things That Never Happened

Cover art for Dangan Ronpa: Things That Never Happened, created by kisikil.

> *Attending Hope’s Peak Academy is a dream come true for so many students. However, this isn’t the case for one Asuka Ishikawa, who wants absolutely nothing to do with the school. Things take a turn for the unexpected when she wakes up in a mysterious location, with fifteen strangers and the threat of death hanging overhead. Who will survive?*
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> *...It might not be as simple as you think.*
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**Dangan Ronpa: Things That Never Happened** is a Fanganronpa created by ikuzonos.

## Participants

### Students

* Asuka Ishikawa - Super High School Level Tattoo Artist
* Kousuke Kotara - Super High School Level Emergency Planner
* Saki Yamura - Super High School Level Confidant
* Arata Takishida - Super High School Level Screenwriter
* Masuyo Okawa - Super High School Level Volleyball Player
* Kenta Hasekura - Super High School Level Tree Climber
* Hikari Matsumoto - Super High School Level Gardener
* Natsumi Uchiyama - Super High School Level Liar
* Minoru Fujita - Super High School Level Finder
* Itsuki Yamasaki - Super High School Level Hiker
* Yumiko Tsutaya - Super High School Level Carpenter
* Kazue Kanagaki - Super High School Level Sharpshooter
* Ayano Chiba - Super High School Level Surfer
* Hachirou Ikeda - Super High School Level Linguist
* Hiroki Ayugai - Super High School Level Sprinter
* Shun Asari - Super High School Level Lip Reader

## Rules

* Rule 1: Leaving the hotel grounds without graduation is prohibited. All students must remain at the grounds at all times.
* Rule 2: "Nighttime" is from 10pm to 7am. Some areas, like the kitchen and restaurant, are off limits during this period.
* Rule 3: You are free to explore the grounds at your discretion.
* Rule 4: Violence against headmaster Monokuma is strictly prohibited, and will be gravely punished.
* Rule 5: Destruction of any property, intentional or not, is prohibited.
* Rule 6: Anyone who kills a fellow student and becomes "blackened" will graduate, unless they are discovered.
* Rule 7: Additional regulations may be added if necessary.

After the Monokuma file was handed out for the first case, more rules regarding class trials were revealed.

* Rule 7: When three or more spotless students discover a corpse for the first time, the Body Discovery Announcement will play.
* Rule 8: Once a corpse is discovered, as indicated by the aforementioned announcement, a class trial will begin shortly after. All surviving students must attend.
* Rule 9: If the blackened culprit is exposed during the trial, only they will be executed.
* Rule 10: If the blackened culprit is not exposed during the trial, all remaining students will be executed, and the culprit will graduate.
* Rule 11: Monokuma will never personally interfere with a murder.
* Rule 12: Additional regulations may be added if necessary.

## Branching Timelines

Similar to a feature from the DISTRUST prototype of Danganronpa, Things That Never Happened allows the reader to choose between two options at pivotal points in the plot, branching the plot into a different sequence of events, including different murders. The branching timelines begin on the night after the second trial, when presented with the option to reject or trust Natsumi Uchiyama.

During the final trial, it was revealed that the mutual killing game was being run in a virtual reality simulator. The branching timelines had each occurred at some point in the course of the system's 33,259 resets. This was part of the reason for using a simulation program in the first place, as the fifty-fourth season of Danganronpa- dubbed "The Butterfly Project"- was intended to explore the theme of choice, even allowing the audience to vote on these actions to change the course of the story.

### Red Timeline

Sequence:

Ch 19→Ch 21→Ch 23→Ch 25→Ch 27

In the Red timeline, Asuka chooses to **Reject Nastusmi**.

Shortly after Natsumi leaves, there is another knock on Asuka's door, this time from Yumiko Tsutaya.

At the end of Chapter 27, Asuka is presented with two more options again, to stay awake or go back to sleep, splitting the timeline further.

#### Orange Timeline

Sequence:

Ch 30→Ch 34→Ch 36→Ch 39→Ch 42→Ch 45→Ch 48→Ch 51→Ch 53→Ch 55→Ch 57

In the Orange timeline, Asuka chooses to **Stay Awake**.

Finally, in Chapter 57, partway through Chapter 4's daily life, Asuka is presented with another pair of options, to follow the footsteps or go back to sleep.

##### Silver Timeline

Ch 58→Ch 61→Ch 64→Ch 67→Ch 70→Ch 73→Ch 75→Ch 77→Ch 79→Ch 81→Ch 83→Ch 85
In the Silver timeline, Asuka chooses to **Go Back to Sleep**.

This timeline concludes with the students finding the mastermind's den. Kazue Kanagaki approaches the console and angrily slams a button, restarting the program.

##### Grey Timeline

Ch 59→Ch 62→Ch 65→Ch 68→Ch 71→Ch 74→Ch 76→Ch 78→Ch 80→Ch 82→Ch 84→Ch 86

In the Grey timeline, Asuka chooses to **Follow the Footsteps**.

The Grey timeline concludes at Chapter 86, with Kazue Kanagaki found dead. Though four students remain, the timeline is marked as a bad ending, and the game does not proceed further, for reasons that would become known elsewhere in the story.

#### Brown Timeline

Sequence:

Ch 32→Ch 35→Ch 37→Ch 40→Ch 43→Ch 46→Ch 49 (ending)

In the Brown timeline, Asuka chooses to **Go to Sleep**.

This timeline results in a bad ending. The night after the trial, Asuka goes for a walk to clear her head, and comes across the body of Kazue Kanagaki in the art room, shortly followed by Kenta Hasekura, who mutters to himself that "this wasn't supposed to happen". Intending to get help, Asuka leaves out the back entrance, and is killed by a bucket of nails falling onto her head.

### Blue Timeline

Sequence:

Ch 20→Ch 22→Ch 24→Ch 26→Ch 28

In the Blue timeline, Asuka chooses to **Trust Nastusmi**.

At the end of Chapter 28, Ayano Chiba offers Asuka a salad with walnuts in it, which Asuka is allergic to. Asuka is given the choice to accept or reject the salad, splitting the timeline further.

#### Cyan Timeline

Sequence:

Ch 29

In the Cyan timeline, Asuka chooses to **Reject Ayano**. This is the shortest branching path, as the next chapter immediately results in a bad ending.

After leaving Ayano, Asuka is approached by Itsuki Yamasaki, who asks to speak with her in the art room at 10:30. Asuka agrees, and in the meantime speaks with Kazue Kanagaki, discussing the motive, the new information that the mastermind has an ally, and Ayano ignoring Asuka's allergy.

As the nighttime announcement plays, Asuka leaves for the third island to meet with Itsuki. However, Itsuki is quickly cut off by a spear being thrust through his chest. Asuka attempts to flee, but falls and is stabbed herself. In her final moments, she looks up and sees Ayano Chiba holding a bloody spear, whispering "Good night".

#### Magenta Timeline

Sequence:

Ch 31→Ch 33→Ch 38→Ch 41→Ch 44→Ch 47→Ch 50→Ch 52→Ch 54→Ch 56→Ch 60→Ch 63→Ch 66→Ch 69→Ch 72→Ch 87→Ch 88

In the Magenta timeline, Asuka chooses to **Eat the salad**.

Finally, in Chapter 88, Asuka is presented with another choice, to confront Natsumi or wait it out.

##### Yellow Timeline

Sequence:

Ch 90→Ch 92→Ch 93

In the Yellow timeline, Asuka chooses to **Wait it Out**.

This timeline results in a bad ending, as the class trial concludes in a mistrial, allowing Asuka to graduate. Her classmates are executed, and she has a final conversation with Monokuma before the killing game is rebooted again.

##### Green Timeline

Sequence:

Ch 89→Ch 91→Ch 94→Ch 95→Ch 96→Ch 97→Ch 98→Ch 99

In the Green timeline, Asuka chooses to **Confront Natsumi**.

This timeline results in the mastermind trial, and as such, it branches off into far more choices than past options. Asuka is given the choice to accuse any living classmate of being the mastermind, with each accusation being its own separate chapter. However, these chapters tend to be very short, with new timelines only appears if Asuka accuses Minoru Fujita or Kazue Kanagaki.

###### Splatter Timeline

Sequence:

Ch 104→Ch 109

In this timeline, Asuka accuses **Minoru Fujita** of being the mastermind.

Partway through the trial, the students all begin to bleed profusely, with no clear cause, before dying from blood loss. In the wake of the carnage, the mastermind and their aide have one final argument, before the whole world fades to nothing.

###### Monochrome Timeline

Sequence:

Ch 105→Ch 110→Ch 111→Ch 112→Ch 113

In this timeline, Asuka accuses **Kazue Kanagaki** of being the mastermind.

### Good Ending

The good ending in Things That Never Happened results from the following sequence:

* Chapter 27- **Trust Natsumi**, moving to the **Blue Timeline**
* Chapter 28- **Eat the salad**, moving to the **Magenta Timeline**
* Chapter 88- **Confront Natsumi**, moving to the **Green Timeline**
* Chapter 99- **Accuse Kazue Kanagaki**, moving to the **Monochrome Timeline**

It should be noted that, while this does lead to the final conclusion of Things that Never Happened, clues about the nature of the killing game are spread throughout various timelines, and readers should explore all paths rather than simply read straight through to the ending. When Things that Never Happened was actively updating, the Magenta Timeline was made dormant at the beginning of Chapter 5, with ikuzonos encouraging readers to read through the Red Timeline's chapters until it was completed.

## Motives

* **Motive 1: Missing Memories**
	+ Monokuma revealed that all students had lost their memories of the past three years of their lives. Any blackened who won the class trial would receive all of their missing memories. Ultimately, this motive did not cause a murder, which was instead caused by division amongst students. Believing her to be a threat to everyone's safety, Kousuke Kotara briefly planned to kill Natsumi Uchiyama. Overhearing his plans, Hikari Matsumoto killed Kousuke in an attempt to defend Natsumi.
* **Motive 2: Embarrassing Memories and Shameful Secrets**
	+ Much like the motive from the original Danganronpa, Monokuma distributed pieces of paper with a student's embarrassing secret, promising to release the secrets to the world if there was no blackened within the time limit. As opposed to the original motive, this motive had a 48-hour time limit, twice the original 24, and the secrets were dispensed via a ticket machine. Additionally, Monokuma promised to keep all secrets hidden if the killer left the murder weapon at the crime scene. This motive sowed discord and disarray amongst the students, with debates about whether or not to share their secrets causing further tension. Hiroki Ayugai had taken a knife and intended to kill Kenta Hasekura, but he ended up killing Saki Yamura when she tried to convince him to share his own secret with others.
* **Motive 3: Monokuma’s Wheel of (Mis)Fortune!**
	+ Monokuma presented the students with a prize wheel. The prizes available included "single-player" perks, such as immunity, weapons, or information, "multiplayer" perks, such as access to more areas, more resources, or improved quality of life, single-player punishments, including being barred from certain areas or even the loss of a limb, and multiplayer punishments, such as a lack of access to food or severe weather changes. In private, Monokuma told Asuka Ishikawa that the wheel was rigged, and would land on spaces relative to how much he liked certain students.
		- In the Belladonna (Red) timeline, the wheel was spun twice, landing on a multiplayer punishment and single-player perk. The multiplayer punishment was that the food in the kitchen would no longer be restocked. In the Magenta Route, Yumiko Tsutaya received a sleeping agent from the wheel, which she used as part of her plot to kill Shun Asari, furious at him for saying that Hiroki didn't deserve such a brutal execution. While hiding the body, Ayano Chiba came across her, and Yumiko killed her as well to make sure there were no witnesses to her crime.
		- In the Archangel (Blue) timeline, the wheel was spun four times. Asuka Ishikawa spun the wheel first, and was informed that the mastermind had an ally.

## Trivia

* Dangan Ronpa: Things That Never Happened and Danganronpa 4: Paradise on the Hopeful Planet both feature a protagonist named Asuka.

### References

* In Chapter 6, Hiroki says that his rival is the Super High School Level Marathon Runner, who wants to be the faster person in the world. This is a reference to Naoki Hase from Dangan Ronpa: Drowning in Bittersweet Despair.
* In Chapter 12, Asuka makes a passing mention of a classmate from middle school "who always smelled like perfume", and who also got into Hope's Peak. This is a reference to Rumi Urogataya, the protagonist from Dangan Ronpa: Dead on Arrival.
* In the Silver route, the surviving students hold a book club, and decide to read a book by Chiyo Kumoshita, the protagonist from Danganronpa: A Stormy Last Hurrah.

#### Spoilers

* In Chapter 111, Emi makes a passing reference to a personal killing game run in Shikoku, another reference to A Stormy Last Hurrah.