A few moments can shine throughout this story:
- As a starting point, anytime the students actually manage to get one over on Monokuma and/or the Mastermind.
- Kirumi (with some help from Ryoma) successfully resuscitating Mikan in Chapter 8.
- Makoto saving Mukuro from Monokuma's spike trap. It's enough that even Tenko ends up respecting him a little for it.
- Tenko saving Shuichi from the disease (even giving mouth-to-mouth CPR despite her obvious discomfort) in Chapter 77, at the cost of her own life.
- Celestia managing to deduce where Shinguji hid the five people he kidnapped so that they don't have to spare him any longer and can send him to his death. And while they are too late to save Sonia and Sayaka, they managed to save the other three.
- Miu also gets one when she drives Shinguji into a Villainous Breakdown by revealing Chihiro's secret.
- In Chapter 79, Mondo has his moment of awesome before his eventual execution by telling Tsumugi that wherever he's going to go after his death, he'll be saving a seat for her and he won't be waiting long. It's the most intimidation that Tsumugi's ever felt.
- In Chapter 81, Fuyuhiko pulls a Batman Gambit on Tsumugi by luring her to admit the truth about how she tricked everyone and recording her without her knowing. He shows it off in Chapter 85, where he exposes Tsumugi's confession in front of everyone. The other students eventually see through her plan to frame Celestia as the mole and vote Tsumugi to be executed, bringing Mondo's previously mentioned promise to fruition.
- Kokichi has a moment during Tsumugi's trial as well, where he reveals that he saw Tsumugi brainwashing Rantaro to kill Mahiru, and exposed her even more.
- Considering the context in canon, one could say that it's Kaede giving karma towards Tsumugi for what she did. Tsumugi was responsible for framing Kaede for the trap that killed Rantaro, which led to her death. Here, Kaede gives the final speech that fully motivates everyone to sacrifice her.
- Kaito (and Mikan's) grandfather tells Ruruka that she and Ultimate Despair will one day get what's coming to them. Ruruka's boss kills her at the end of the chapter.
- In general, the Escaped Hostages managing to stay alive (and even fight back against/kill some of the Despairs) throughout the Towa City arc.
- How is Alter Ego supposed to be killed at first? Shot by Exisals. Why doesn't that work? He hacks them and makes them shoot each other, destroying them.
- Then, much like canon, Ego pops up to save Makoto from an execution, then tells off the Mastermind for cheating.
- Usami escaping her execution, though this is only confirmed later.
- In chapter 109, Junko reveals she's returned to the rest of the group ... and promptly gets a tray smacked upside her head by Fuyuhiko, who no longer has to hold back on a amnesiac.
- In chapter 110, just as Monokuma is about to start the Forbidden Action motive, Junko Enoshima hits the wrong button, revealing herself to still be Ryoko! Following this, she and the others goad Monokuma/the Mastermind into skipping to the final investigation/trial.
- How well built up the twist in Chapter 111 was. Even with more obvious hints some readers were still caught off-guard by it.
- In chapter 112, First, Kaede manages to lead the others in refusing to vote on killing anyone else in the trial (confirming that she counts as an Ultimate Hope in the process), then Hajime and Makoto (whom Kyoko declares their New Hope) get in on that as well, THEN when it seems like they will get killed in Hope's Peak's destruction...
- ... Kokichi (awake from his coma) and Usami (missing an ear) arrive in the elevator, allowing everyone to escape alive.
- Small moment, but Chiaki, who one could argue was Class 77-B's actual Hope representative, doesn't need a inspiring speech from anyone to be ready to not vote, and even helps give encouragement to Mikan.
- Koichi Kizakura’s Big Damn Heroes moment, saving the survivors and successfully overthrowing Munakata at the beginning of the Epilogue.
From the sequels:
Final Horizon
- Galexialyn successfully axing off Ringo, saving Shiori's life in the process, then goes on to Rules Lawyer her way out of dying thanks to not technically having killed him herself.
- Nico not hesitating in the past to call out Jibo Momota for his Mad Scientist actions, and that he'll meet his downfall eventually.
- Jun putting down his abusive mother-figure, Hiyoko, by letting her get sucked out the airlock.
Sea of Tranquility
- A villainous example in the third trial: Dylan successfully hiding his madness and successfully playing everyone to get away with murder.
- A villainous example in the fifth trial: Yukiko reveals just how thoroughly she'd manipulated the game and everyone in it to her favor, to the point of her and her henchman Dylan being the sole reason anyone actually died in the game.
- A heroic example at the very end of the fifth trial: Shiori gives a hope speech to rally everyone against Yukiko, while Alice (who's luck streak against death has remained unbroken) manages to get the roulette wheel to land on the 5% mark they wanted: Yukiko herself.
- The final chapter has a couple: Tae Min managing to destroy the radio tower (stopping the Despair virus from being broadcast to Earth) without dying in the process, and the Future Foundation cast manages to rescue them before they starve.
Kuma-Kuma Land
- Tiana saving Annabelle from the roller coaster.
- Annabelle proves her investigative skills during the first case.
- Chloe's Big Damn Heroes moment of showing up in time to save Annabelle from Despair!Nagito, throwing him through a funhouse mirror in the process.
- Tomoko successfully leading the rest of the class through a sudden chess death game, not loosing a single person in the process (even after most of them had voted for her as the culprit), with Laris delivering the final blow against Yushikuma.
- Laris pulling a Taking You with Me against Shirokuma and Kurokuma in her execution.
- Her reason for becoming The Mole? To see Sonia revived and survive. By the end of House of Horrors? That worked.
- The dead-participants-turned-kumas jump the mastermind at the end, helping the others escape.
- The final battle between Chloe & Seikatsu and Monaca, ending in Chloe taking off Monaca's head.
- Miu, Chihiro, Kazuichi, and Tae Min show up at the end to stop the island crashes into the ocean, saving everyone.
House of Horrors
- Jizoku appearing out of nowhere and rescuing Hikyou and Kiyomi from the (knockoff) Slender Man.
- Shiro does the same later on against an insane ex-participant who had become a scarecrow monster.
- The whole surviving cast, students and staff both (sans Syd), spends several hours fighting off a zombie horde. Sakura and Mallory's ghosts pop up to help briefly.
- A villainous example: Saino escapes the island and releases her monster serum on the world (well, London), getting exactly what she wanted (if not to the scale she wanted).
- Daisuke putting down Syd in a knife fight.
- Another villainous example: Akeno a.k.a. Junko Enoshima's big reveal in the final chapter.
Railway of Despair
- Tonbe fought and killed a Wendigo, then came up with a plan that freed Yumei from the train, and put the remaining students in a position to win the game.
- The grand return/reveal of Junko and Makoto still being alive, alongside their despairfully corrupted son.
Mists of Penjar
