Santa Shikiba

**Santa Shikiba** (色葉 田田田) is a minor character mentioned in *Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc* and *Alter Ego (App)*, and later appears as a proper character in the sound novel *Kirigiriso*. He is the **Ultimate Botanist** (超高校級の「植物学者」lit. *Super High School Level Botanist*).

## Appearance

Santa wears a white coat over a plain white shirt, long light-brown pants and white boots. The collar of his coat is adorned with a flower-shaped pin. The lower half of his dark brown hair is trimmed while the upper half is shaped like two horns on both sides of his scalp - giving his hair the shape of the letter "U". He also has a widow's peak and a round nose.

Santa's official art shows him holding two blooming branches.

## Personality

In the Earth Defense Force Route, Santa Shikiba can be described as an intelligent man with an intense love of botany, as he used his knowledge of botany to create carnivorous plants and research to help destroy the Rhinogradentia from invading the Earth. He also comes across as kind-hearted and noble as throughout his route he cares for the well-being of his three friends, often throwing himself in harm's way and even attempts to sacrifice his life in order to make sure they stay safe, though he can also come across as dramatic given how often he tries to go out in a 'heroic' last ditch effort, only to keep surviving and it's implied some of his mannerisms, such as re-using a line right before another 'death', are inspired by watching one too many action movies. However, the Plant Girl route reveals that Santa is willing to do shady experimentation and go through illegal means if it allows him to accomplish his goal, showcasing he values his own work above even the law if it meant results could be gained.

## History

### Prior Life

During his teenage years, Santa was accepted into Hope's Peak Academy's 77th batch of students as the Ultimate Botanist. During his time attending the school, Santa had created a flower in the Old School Building that would eventually be known as the Monokuma Flower. In addition, Santa also owns a large mansion out in the forest, which is where he conducts his botanical experiments.

### Kirigiriso

#### Plant Girl Route/True End

Before and likely during during his time at Hope's Peak Academy, Santa engaged in human and plant experimentation at his mansion, with such activities being documented in a report or his creation's diary. This experimentation was based off a report from a few years ago where an unknown lifeform was discovered in the water, and such lifeform had both plant and animal characteristics. Using such a report as a base, he began his research into combing such a thing with human DNA, alongside a close friend. He went about this by acquiring DNA from talented people, which seemed to work better than the average person, which ranged from getting it from scraps of food, to buying it off of police evidence. The latter was the case where he got the DNA of Kyoko Kirigiri. With these experiments, he was able to create Kyōka, a plant/human hybrid clone of Kyoko. During this time, he documented her growth, and took care of her needs (such as getting her more fitting clothes since her body grew at a faster rate than humans). However, due to her condition, Kyōka was unable to go outside and it was noted the other hybrids were unable to take a human form without proper nutrition.

Santa never physically appears during this route and its left unknown if he was ever aware of Kyōka's murderous spree to feed her siblings. Regardless, his hybrids, research and mansion were all destroyed in a fire created by Kyōka as she believed she could not be redeemed for her actions.

#### Extraterrestrials vs Earth Plants Against Invaders Defense Force Route

In this non-canon alternative route, Santa has discovered the existence of aliens known as the Rhinograndentia, rat, and plant like creatures that have been the cause of a missing person incident Kyoko was working on. Because of this he creates the Earth Defense force, with the only other member being Kyōka, and uses the mansion as a headquarters for his research and creating plants to repel the aliens. When Kyoko and Kōhei Matsudaira enter the mansion, Santa explains what he has to know and the duo joins them in an attempt to destroy the invaders. However, the mansion is soon swarmed by the Rhinogradentia and they are forced to retreat into the greenhouse with Santa blowing up a group of them and supposedly dying only for him to come back to the group since the explosion wasn't strong enough to kill him or even do much harm.

The plan they come up with is Operation: ABC (Absolute Bomb Cone) gathering Santa's bio-genetic pine cones and gathering as much of the Rhinogradentia in one place as possible before lighting the cones on fire and causing them to explode, lighting the mansion of fire. The plan succeeds and the mansion begins to burn down. However, Santa chooses to stay behind and allow the others to escape, supposedly, dying in the fire.

After Santa's sacrifice, Kyoko grills into Kyōka after she notices she hasn't actually been using her gun all that while. From this Kyōka reveals (that in this route) she has been working with the Rhinogradentia, as the Super Galaxy Level Invader, all the while to destroy the humans as they are the reason why nature is dying. Because both Kōhei and Kyoko knows, Kyōka decides to kill them by using the mothership laser. At this point, Santa re-emerges from the ashes of the house and try to talk Kyōka down in an attempt to reason with her, reminding her of the times they had together. Kyōka has a change of heart, but it's too late to stop the laser which is heading towards Kyōka's sakura tree. Santa takes the laser meant for the tree and is fried, yet, like his other near deaths survives and asks whether or not Kyōka is returning to the planet for the flower growing season in which she tearfully hugs the botanist and cries out for him, whilst Kōhei and Kyoko leave the scene.

#### Extra Scenario Route

In this joke route, Santa Shikiba is revealed to have been performing mouth to mouth on Kōhei in order to revive him. Much to the Kōhei's chagrin since he was dreaming about kissing Kyoko. He mentions also in this route that the mansion is indeed his.

#### Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc

It's mentioned that prior to the Tragedy, he engineered the Monokuma Flower located in the garden on the fifth floor of the Academy by afterward was confirmed to have died as soon as the Tragedy goes underway. Though how he dies is never shown, it can be assumed he either was killed when the Reserve Course students broke in the main course building or during the escalating riots that rampaged Japan and the world soon after.

## Trivia

* His given name is written as 田田田, which is the character *ta*, meaning "rice field", repeated three (*san* in Japanese) times. Literally, this nonexistent writing for "Santa" would mean "three fields."
* "Shikiba" (色葉) means "colored leaves".
* In the *Danganronpa Decade* artbook, his name is also given in katakana as: シキバ サンタ .
* He enjoys Sakura tea and it's implied he enjoys action movies.