History FridgeBrilliance / DanganronpaV3KillingHarmony

* Also, the first victims and culprits were the most com petent cast members. Rantaro is a survivor of previous killing games, Kaede for reasons outlined above, Ryoma (should he regain his will to live) is a dangerous badass, and Kirumi can pretty much complete any task. It's as if the mastermind is weeding out those who can easily defeat her.

* The death portraits.

*** Why do two Monokubz get killed here instead of one? Because two people (well, two versions of the same person) are executed: the flesh-and-blood Gonta and the AI Gonta.

* Also, the first victims and culprits were the most competent cast members. Rantaro is a survivor of previous killing games, Kaede for reasons outlined above, Ryoma (should he regain his will to live) is a dangerous badass, and Kirumi can pretty much complete any task. It's as if the mastermind is weeding out those who can easily defeat her.

While Tsumugi, Keebo and the three survivors didn't have death portraits for obvious reasons, official merch has released death portrait designs for them too.

* Kokichi can be found near the places related to the previous murder cases during the following chapter's Daily Life (visiting the pool plus Ryoma and Kirumi's labs in Chapter 3, hanging near the three rooms, the place where Tenko died, in Chapter 4). This is most likely how he got all the items that are in his room.

* During the prologue, when characters are introducing themselves with the introductory splash screens, Shuichi introduces himself before Kaede. Since the protagonist tends to introduce themselves first, this may be foreshadowing who the actual protagonist is

** Her podium opposes Ryoma, another chronically depressed short student. But while Himiko manages to snap out of it and survive, Ryoma is not so lucky.

** Rantaro's seat is right in front of Monokuma, the same place as Ultimate Imposter's. He faces the same fate as fake Byakuya, becoming the first victim and never seeing the courtroom. Additionally, Imposter initially seems to be a survivor of the previous killing game returning as a participant in another killing game, which is exactly what happened to Rantaro.

** Kirumi is seated where Gundham was. Like with Gundham and Nekomaru, Kirumi's victim gave his life willingly as a HeroicSacrifice. Plus, Gundham's personal philosophy was to never give up on life - which Kirumi certainly followed, being DefiantToTheEnd during her trial and even trying to escape being executed.

* The characters that have designs or symbols on their UI make sense on their roles in the game.

** Similarly, most of the cast of ''Anime/Danganronpa3TheEndOfHopesPeakHighSchool'' (with the exception of Ryota Mitarai and the Class 76 trio) would have long graduated and therefore wouldn't be attending Hope's Peak Academy at the same time as the aforementioned students and instead take mentor roles in the Future Course. But while the Class 76 trio are implied to have still been expelled even in this timeline, Mitarai's absence as a student remains unexplained. Even the Ultimate Imposter retains Byakuya's likeness instead of switching to Mitarai's like in the anime

*** Additionally he wanted to reunite with his sister as a ghost, so he could be with the person he loved while continuing to watch over his "friends". Monokuma [[HopeSpot makes it look like this might actually happen]], only to exorcise his spirit while the ghost of his sister shows how she really feels and helps banish him so he can't do either.

*** Kokichi was crushed by a hydraulic press programmed to not kill humans. While in-game reason for that is due to the press' sensor being disabled by the Electrobomb, it also may symbolise Kokichi being so far gone that he no longer has any humanity left.

** Maki's trial seat is the same as Sakura's and Fuyuhiko's. Like Sakura, she is an ActionGirl with some kind of unpleasant secret of hers revealed midway through the game by a villain. Like Fuyuhiko, she starts out antagonistic, but after Chapter 2's events (including a big reveal about her character), gradually starts warming up towards everyone. And like Fuyuhiko, her ImpliedLoveInterest eventually commits murder to save her from becoming the blackened, with a lot of tears and an AnguishedDeclarationOfLove following.

** The cross on Ryoma's portrait is drawn similarly to the design on his hat, being made up of straight, thick lines. Plus it's quite fitting that [[NonStandardCharacterDesign a cartoony-looking character]] would be branded with a cartoony-looking cross. On a more serious note, the big cross almost covers Ryoma's entire face, as if to say that he doesn't matter even in death.
** Kirumi's cross is the opposite of Ryoma's cross, being made of thin, elegant lines. This parallels both characters' motivations in Chapter 2, with Kirumi, who has a whole country to live for, murdering the willing Ryoma, who has no one to live for. The cross's thin lines also make it seem more elegant, fitting with Kirumi's ladylike character.

** Kokichi was killed by Kaito. It is very fitting how the person Maki was the most antagonistic to was killed by the person Maki was the most friendly towards..

** Maki's trial seat is the same as Sakura's and Fuyuhiko's. Like Sakura, she is an ActionGirl with some kind of unpleasant secret of hers revealed midway through the game by an antagonist. Like Fuyuhiko, she starts out antagonistic, but after Chapter 2's events (including a big reveal about her character), gradually starts warming up towards everyone. And like Fuyuhiko, her ImpliedLoveInterest eventually commits murder to save her from becoming the blackened, with a lot of tears and an AnguishedDeclarationOfLove following.

** Ryoma's courtroom position is the same as Mukuro's (with whom he shares an athletic talent, [[SerialKiller a massive body count and WeHardlyKnewYe status]]) and Akane's (another athletic Ultimate who was originally intended to be the Ultimate Criminal while Ryoma considers himself to be the Ultimate Prisoner).

* Rantaro is the only person who switches sides while being dead, opposing Shuichi in Trial 1, but siding with Shuichi from Chapter 2 on. Since the Kaede wanted to expose herself as his murderer (with Tsumugi being the actual culprit behind his death), he certainly wouldn't want Kaede [[TheScapegoat to die for something he fully knows she didn't do.]]

* Ryoma always opposes the protagonist, paralleling his pessimistic tendencies.
* Angie, like Kaito, is always on the side of the majority, paralleling both her deep-seated desire to have friends and her attempt to convert everyone into her cult in Chapter 3.
* Tenko is always on the side side as Himiko, whom she is [[BigSisterInstinct very affectionate towards.]]