Hiyoko Saionji

**Hiyoko Saionji** (西園寺 日寄子 *Saionji Hiyoko*) is one of the characters featured in *Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair*and a participant in the Killing School Trip.

Hiyoko has the title of **Ultimate Traditional Dancer** (超高校級の「日本舞踊家」*chō kōkō kyū no “nihon buyōka” lit.* Super High School Level Classical Dancer).

Hiyoko returns in *Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak High School* as a student of Class 77-B enrolled in Hope's Peak Academy with the other Remnants of Despair. Hiyoko succumbed to despair along with her classmates after being brainwashed by Junko Enoshima and became a part of Ultimate Despair.

In *Danganronpa 2*, Hiyoko was murdered by Mikan Tsumiki along with Ibuki Mioda in Chapter 3 after ending up in the wrong place at the wrong time.

At the end of *Danganronpa 3*, Hiyoko and the other members of Ultimate Despair were cured by Hajime Hinata and awake from the Neo World Program. Hiyoko and her classmates decided to atone for their sins as the former Ultimate Despair.

The illusory Hiyoko appeared in the 30-minutes long OVA titled *Super Danganronpa 2.5: Nagito Komaeda and the Destroyer of the World* as part of Nagito Komaeda's imagination world.

## Appearance

Hiyoko is a young woman in her early twenties, around 22 at youngest. Her virtual avatar in the Neo World Program appeared as her 17-year-old self.[3]

She is a very petite, slender girl with long, blonde hair that is generally seen tied into curved twin tails. At first sight, Hajime remarks that her voice and her appearance don't give off the air of a high schooler at all. In the game, she has orange eyes and keeps her hair up with two hair-ties, both of which consist of a green ribbon with a cat face in the middle.

Hiyoko is dressed in an orange, traditional furisode kimono with a white floral print pattern, and a green obi sash which is tied around her waist and secured with a bow at the back. In her official artwork, she is instead dressed in a pink kimono with a red sash, her hair put up in one ponytail instead of two, tied up with a Kanzashi with pink flowers and holds a fan.

Hiyoko goes through a significant growth spurt during her time at Hope's Peak, which she completes before the beginning of her second year. When older, Hiyoko is shown to be much taller and bustier. She has only one ponytail tied back with a black scrunchie. Hiyoko also wears a yellow kimono with a pink rose-outline pattern and a purple obi sash. She also wears zori (Japanese sandals). Her outfit reflects the fact she is the Ultimate Traditional Dancer.

As the Ultimate Despair, she keeps her hair free.

## Personality

Hiyoko's cute appearance, voice, and (initially) her way of talking give off the impression she is innocent and childlike. However, in her introduction alone, it is quickly revealed that she is very direct and cruel with a malicious side in how she squishes ants while telling Hajime that they make a satisfying popping noise if done correctly, and even invites him to join her. Later at the beach, she goes around trying to step on and trample the crabs, laughing as if it were just child's play, showing an alarming fascination with it. She is also described to stomp on and tear out flowers for her own amusement, even though she mentions that she likes pretty things like flowers.

While not violent towards people, Hiyoko often shows similar mean behavior towards them as well. When Hajime refuses to squish ants with her, she immediately mocks him by grinning maliciously and calling him a wuss. She constantly judges others and patronizes them with rude insults, with Mikan and Kazuichi Soda being the most common, as well as the easiest victims. She often takes a jab at Akane Owari as well, though she, unlike Mikan or Kazuichi, doesn't cry or get frustrated but rather actually takes her pranks into consideration due to being very gullible. One time, when Hiyoko was stomping flowers, she was annoyed by Akane's questioning and claimed that "stomping and kicking your food before eating it gives you a lot of more protein". Then, Akane actually started eating the flowers, though she stated they didn't taste that good. Due to Akane's gullibleness, Hiyoko notes that she isn't that fun to bully. Out of everyone, she appears to dislike Mikan the most, and she has mentioned that it's because she suspects Mikan is only acting to get attention, which is partially true.

Hiyoko appears to feel a sense of superiority, claiming that other people exist to serve her and she doesn't need friends. Because of this, Hiyoko tends to manipulate others to do her bidding easily, like telling Akane to investigate the motel on the third island under her request. During her Free Time Events, she also orders Hajime around and wants him to be her slave. If she doesn't get what she wants or if other people actually talk back to her, she tends to cry crocodile tears loudly like a child, though her tears are sometimes genuine. It seems that she is somewhat spoiled due to being an heiress of her Clan, and as a result, she cannot do some things by herself, like tying her own kimono. In *Danganronpa 3*Hope Arc, when her class fights against the Super High School Level Elite Task Force, Hiyoko appears to be the only one panicking and unable to defend herself, instead, shouting for help.

Due to coming from a traditionalist family, Hiyoko loves Japanese traditions and culture very much and tends to act condescending or even openly insulting towards other cultures. She considers many Japanese things "delicate, refined and high quality". She is especially fond of Japanese cuisine and candies, claiming that many foreign ones are too sugary and gross and the people eating them are gross as well. She has described some other countries as worthless and compared their people to stupid animals, thinking that Japan doesn't need to import from them. As a rarer good trait, however, Hiyoko is stated to be willing to protect old traditions in danger of disappearing and she thinks people should take good care of the things close to them. She has also stated that she knows her thinking is old-fashioned, but she doesn't intend to disagree with new directions, just to protect old ones that need to be protected.

Notably, Hiyoko is shown to act very different towards Mahiru Koizumi after becoming attached to her when she helped her take a shower and showed her how to tie her obi. Afterwards, she refers to Mahiru as "big sis" and acts very affectionate towards her, often happily wanting to hold her hand or hug her and even give her a kiss. Though reluctant and a bit embarrassed at first, Mahiru went along with it and became close to Hiyoko, and the two are seen almost always together. Hiyoko has stated that she likes Mahiru because she is normal and not weird like the other students. In Island Mode and her Free Time Events, she also grows fond and protective of Hajime as a big brother figure, because he reminds her of her father who is very dear to her.

Hiyoko has been through a lot in her childhood due to her status as an heiress, explaining some of her mean personality. With her overbearing grandmother, and jealous people playing lots of cruel and even potentially life-threatening tricks and threats on her, she became very distrustful of other people and seemingly developed her mean personality to defend herself. The only person she trusted and felt safe with was her father, who was different due to being related to the family only through marriage. Due to her past, Hiyoko absolutely hated being deceived, as shown in Chapter 2 when she felt annoyed and flustered by Monokuma's invitation that was actually made by Nagito Komaeda. In Chapter 3, she told directly to Hajime that she hated being deceived by others.

After the events of Chapter 2 and with Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu's apology and subsequent re-opening of his wounds, Hiyoko attempts to change herself for the better, trying her best to become less hostile and insulting, and understanding and accepting Fuyuhiko's apology for Mahiru's and Peko's death.

In *Danganronpa 3*, it's shown that her personality became slightly better during her school years, with her being occasionally nicer towards Mikan and even seeming secretly protective of her. This is most likely because she now had many friends she can trust, which is something she didn't have before.

## Talents and Abilities

### Ultimate Traditional Dancer

Hiyoko enrolled in Hope's Peak Academy as the Ultimate Traditional Dancer. She is the heiress of the Saionji Clan who is famous for its traditional Japanese dancing. As a promising young member of the world of traditional Japanese dance, she performs often, even abroad despite being so young. She is popular among young and men audiences, which is rare in Japanese dance industry. Crowds of audience members are drawn to her un-high school student-like appearance and cute voice. However, she stated that most people who aren't used to watching traditional dance performances often fall asleep easily.

## Free Time

### Presents

Obtained from the MonoMono Machine.

* Cloth Wrap Backpack
* Biggest Fantom
* Paper "10th Act Verse"
* Century Potpourri
* Rose In Vitro

### Choices

During Free Time conversations, the player will occasionally be given a choice on how to respond to something that is said. These are the 'right' choices.

* Confeito
* To protect his daughter
* Sonia

### Skills

These will aid you, usually during Class Trials.

* Pivot Turn - Erases all dummy panels. Effective during Closing Argument.

## Island Mode Choices

These are the right choices for Island Mode if the player wants to respond to this character correctly.

#### Jabberwock Park

* Let's destroy that statue.
* Let's look for ants.
* Let's sit down for now.

#### Beach

* Let's make a sand castle!
* Let's look for crabs.
* Let's dance for now.

#### Library

* I guess we should read some technical books.
* All right, let's play hide and seek.
* These books might burn well.

#### Movie Theater

* Maybe caramel for a change...
* Maybe we should watch some horror movies.
* Never mind, let's go back.

#### Amusement Park

* Let's climb that castle.
* This place looks like fun.
* Let's go inside the haunted house.

#### Military Base

* Let's look for fuel.
* Never mind. Let's go somewhere else.
* Sorry.

## Quotes

*Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair* (English)

**Prologue:**

* "I'm Hiyoko Saionji."

**Chapter 1:**

* "There's nowhere \*to\* run anyway. What a weirdo."
* "Kyahaha! Even though you look all flashy, you're actually a big coward! Are you gonna be okaaaay? People like you are usually the first victim, you know?"
* "It's obvious from your flashy clothes that you just wanna stand out because you're actually a loser. Hehe... It must be hard to make your living in the Lame-Ass Loser Industry."
* "Together? That's not gonna happen 'cause you're so \*disgusting\*. Do yourself a favor and stay away from mirrors. You'll be grossed out by what you see."
* "Seriously? Did you even listen to what I said? It doesn't matter if you can "abide" by this or not... We gotta do this to survive, right? Then we have no choice but to do it."
* "If you wanna ask, why don't you show it with your attitude...?"
* "It's a good thing your ears are awesome because your face, style, figure, and personality totally suck."

**Chapter 2:**

* "Huuuh? Is it alright to defend a killer? Are you trying to justify murder? Then you gotta hate him more than ever. You gotta hate him from the bottom of your heart. He's a stupid piece of trash, bastard who committed the lowest crime possible. He deserved to get killed. In fact, I'm rather relieved he was executed. If I could have, I would have totally spat on him too."
* "I wanna play games about riddle-solving professors or collecting cute monsters."
* "When I'm with you guys...I feel like I'm gonna become a weirdo too."
* "Just because it's candy doesn't mean you should make fun of it."
* "Ha! A nasty, trashy, pigshit like you doesn't have any privacy rights!"
* "Short and foulmouthed...? That's like the complete opposite of me!"
* "No one would kill a nice person like Mahiru besides a piece of shit, menace to society like Fuyuhiko! Girl E and Mahiru were killed by that guy!"
* "What are you even saying, you nasty, toilet-clogging bitch!?"
* "What are you even saying, you four-eyed troll!?"
* "I don't have such ugly footprints! They're probably Mikan's based on how ugly they are!"
* "People who call other people liars...are usually liars themselves. If yousay I'm lying, prove it! Can you even prove that I'm lying!? Kyahahahahaha! There's no way a bunch of worthless idiots like you guys would be able to do that!"
* "Saying I met up with her when I never even saw her... Is this a panel of idiots?"
* "There's no way I'd wear such a childish mask! Is your brain fried or something!?"
* "Y-You're a midget too, you know! You're the one who worries about never getting taller!"
* "Ugh... Dammit... Who would set a trap like this...? I'll get my revenge! I'm gonna bop you on the head with all my might!"
* "See...I already told you... There's no way I'd kill Mahiru... Cause...Mahiru taught me how to wear a kimono...and she was very, very kind... There's no way I would kill a nice person like her! Why wouldn't you believe me earlier!? You guys are stupid! Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!"

**As Girl B:**

* "Heeey, don't go taking photos without permission! People might mistake us for good friends!" (to Girl D)
* "Kehe...you should be super careful, Girl A. A chubby weakling like you makes the perfect prey..."

**Chapter 3:**

* "I don't know who did it but they must've spent so much time and effort doing their best to make it. Kyahahaha! Mahiru's gonna be happy, too! I don't know who did this but we should be grateful to them! Riiiiiiight?"
* "M-Mahiru...was really..really nice... She politely...taught me...how to tie my kimono... Mahiru's...probably lonely by herself... So I wanted to tell her...that she's not alone...even if she's in heaven... I-I did...wanna...make it look better...but... But...unless I'm dancing...I'm so clumsy at whatever I do... Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! I'm sorrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrryyyyyy!"
* "You're probably too vulgar to get this, but there's a saying: "Praise a fool, and you may make him useful." Akane was checking out the inside. After I gave her a little praise, she got really excited about it. A dumbass like her is pretty rare, so we gotta make sure she's treated well."
* "Kyahaha! I don't dislike anyone who knows their place!"
* "Huh? SO what if we're all here? You better not say we're "friends" or something. There's no way a killer like him will ever be our friend!"
* "Hey, don't mess with me! Do you really think we're gonna forgive you if you just drop to your knees and cry!? Do you really think a half-assed apology will make us forget what you've done!?"
* "Yeah, that's right. That's why we're never going to believe in you. Get it? Thsi doesn't mean we've made up or anything. I'm only cooperating with you until we get off this island. Just remember...if anything happens, you're the first one who's gonna get cut off."
* "Hey, can you stop yelling? Screaming won't help, you know!" This isn't cause! This is what happens when we let our guard down! All this talk about everyone getting along... We were just fooling ourselves. We were...just pretending we understood the situation we're in... Teamwork, friendship, cooperation... Nothing matters... The stupid ones will just be killed one after another... It won't be a mystery when you're eventually betrayed... That's...the "reality" here."
* "If it really did have meaning, Nekomaru wouldn't have ended up like that! He ended up like that...because of his weird feelings of friendship... ...Hey, you understand too, right? When the stupid ones try to act on their own, it makes trouble for everyone else. So can you please do not involve me? I don't wanna die in a meaningless death."
* "Hey... It's definitely best if we keep Nagito tied up. No, not just tied up... I won't be satisfied until I peel the skin off his face and expose the meat so we can't identify him anymore..."
* "I don't know... I...I hate being lied to... I won't satisfied untill all hisjoints are bent at awkward angles!"
* "I...I hate being lied to... It's definitely best if we keep him tied up... Or instead of tying him up, why don't we bury him from his neck down in the middle of the ranch? A guy like him...should get stepped on by Mr. Cow until he dies..."
* "Did they go crazy or something? It wouldn't be strange to go crazy in a situation like this."
* "Hey, is this stupid conversation going to last much longer? Shouldn't we be seriously thinking about what we need to do from now on and stuff?"
* "That disease sure looks dangerous. Nagito, Akane, and Ibuki aren't acting normal... if it spreads to anyone else, a killing is bound to happen. But those guys aren't being considerate. I want them to at least have the decency to consider committing suicide before they start bothering us. I know...it can't be that easy... So it's important to make sure we don't end up catching the disease. If you can't cure it, the only option is to stop it from spreading... Even a preschooler knows that. Hey, if everyone catches the Despair Disease, we won't be able to do anything about it anymore, you know?"
* "Soooo I'll leave the rest to you. Contact me if something happens."
* "Bye-byeeeeee! Do your best and try to stay alive!"
* "B-Because...Mahiru taught me. That's why...I can do it on my own."

**Chapter 5:**

* "mrmrmraaaaants-o,,o,,o'(~=squish------~;31-o,,o,,o'mi$s[@Ma9hiru8823" (Hiyoko's cottage post-fifth trial)

**Free Time Events:**

* "How can you have perform a traditional Japanese dance if you don't have a heart that cherishes flowers?"
* "I love flowers 'cause they're soooo pretty! I used to play at flower gardens when I was a kid. It was lots of fun stomping them and messing them up!"
* "Friends are what you call a bunch of weaklings who decide to get along and play nice, right? The world is filled with people who exist to serve perfect humans like me. That's why I don't need friends or any close contacts..."
* "There's nothing lamer than being envied by people who have no talent at all!"
* "I'm just saying we should take good care of the things that are close to us. I know I have an old-fashioned way of thinking because I'm involved in a hobby with over 400 years of history. But what's wrong with old-fashioned things? Of course...I don't intend to disagree with the new direction Kabuki Theater is taking these days... But I think it's a good thing to protect things that need to be protected."
* "I seriously love traditional dancing, Japanese candy, and Japanese food. And as much as I love these... I seriously love stomping disgusting things!"

**TMNT X Pokemon:**

* "So disgusting! A worm like that should die by stomping endlessly!"
* "Her? She's not *that* good-looking."
* "Hey April! Could you help me with something?"
* "I don't stand these fucking aliens!"
* "Shut your mouth, you ugly pig-mouth!"

## TMNT X Pokemon

When meeting the Turtles, Hiyoko was extremely rude to them. She didn't like them at all but yet still follow them to their lair. Soon, as she settles down, she begins to warm up though she can go into her tantrums from time to time.

## Trivia

* Saionji (西園寺) translates to “Western garden temple” while Hiyoko (日寄子) means “Child who brings forth day”.
	+ *Hiyoko* (as 雛) is also the Japanese word for "chick" (as in a baby bird). This association connected to Hiyoko's name matches her childish, innocent-looking appearance, as well as her hair color. She also has a chick print on her kimono, located just above its sash.
	+ Coincidentally, there is also a brand of bean jam-filled steamed buns called Hiyoko Sweets. Whether this was intentionally reflecting Hiyoko's sweet tooth or not is unknown.
* In original Japanese, she is known as the Super High School Level 'buyō-ka', or a master of buyō dance, which is a traditional form of Japanese art that combines the act of moving to a rhythm and dancing.
* Hiyoko possibly enjoys playing *Professor Layton*, a mystery-solving game, and *Pokémon*, a game where you collect monsters called "Pokémon", because when Monokuma was introducing the *Twilight Syndrome Murder Case*, Hiyoko states that she wants to play games about "riddle solving professors" (*Professor Layton*), and "collecting cute monsters" (*Pokémon*).
* Hiyoko has a bit of a sweet tooth; she mostly eats gummies. However, she never eats yellow gummies, due to her dislike of sour food.
	+ In her report card, it states she eats flower candies and Japanese sweets.
* Hiyoko's English voice actress, Kira Buckland, also voices Kirumi Tojo in *Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony*.[6]