Characters / Danganronpa: Despair Time

Warning! All spoilers below are unmarked.

It's virtually impossible to list tropes for these characters without spoiling everything or creating Self-Fulfilling Spoilers because of many surprising reveals and murderer/victim exclusive tropes this game contains.

Female Participants

Teruko Tawaki

Teruko Tawaki

Ultimate Lucky Student

Voiced by: Luucarii

^{Click here to see her Chapter 2+ outfit}

"I will survive this, no matter what!"

The protagonist. Despite having the Ultimate title of “Lucky Student,” it seems like the only luck Teruko has is bad luck. Accidents and misfortunes constantly plague Teruko and those around her. Despite this, she remains courageous and confident in her own abilities. Teruko has a natural inclination to be a bit distrustful of her peers.

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• Alliterative Name: Teruko Tawaki.
• Ambiguously Brown: She has a light tan skin color. One of her conversations with Xander suggests this is actually due to UV damage thanks to her bad luck.
• Anti-Hero: In contrast to most fangan protagonists,:she demonstrates a very different and colder outlook than them, especially what happens to her post-Chapter 1.
  YouTube Commenter: If Teruko wasn't the main character in this series, I bet that she would be the Byakuya/Nagito/Kokichi of this series.
• Badass Boast: After being stabbed by Xander and close to the brink of death, Teruko gives one where she states her identity as the Ultimate Lucky Student and how she can't be killed.
• Born Lucky: Has a weird combination of both this and being born unlucky, as despite her repeated injuries, she manages to survive every single one of them, most notably recovering quickly after Xander stabbed her in the stomach. Arturo even comments that she must have been very lucky to not have any fatal parts cut. Teruko possibly explains this later on by stating she is bound by fate, no matter what, which meant Min was always going to save her, and she would have certainly survived.
• Born Unlucky: Despite her title, Teruko claims that her bad luck has brought her and the people closest to her nothing but trouble.
• Broken Pedestal: Downplayed on the "pedestal" part. Teruko and Xander have been at each other's side since the killing game and have formed a wholesome bond, however since Xander tried to murder her, albeit regretfully, Teruko feels no sadness or remorse towards him being dead as pointed out by Min and is just angry about him breaking his trust.
• Breaking Old Trends: Compared to canon protagonists, Teruko decides to separate herself from the rest of the group deciding that she would work alone than deal with who she considers hypocritical jerks who were willing to throw her to the dogs. She also has no interest in hope speeches or friendship, and actively tells the group they're all doomed to die being stuck with someone like her.
• Brutal Honesty: Teruko does not mince words with people.
• Conveniently an Orphan: In Episode 4, Teruko reveals that she grew up in an orphanage for most of her life. She did have a brother but he was adopted into another family and was never seen again.
• Cosmic Plaything: The Ultimate Lucky Student, whose repeated cycle of "luck" is bad luck than good luck, something of which has brought her great trouble.
• Costume Evolution: At the beginning of Chapter 2 her Sailor Fuku gets replaced by a green blazer and black tank top with a few green ribbons
• Covered in Scars:
  • Thanks to her bad luck, Teruko's covered in injuries. Just among her base design, her arm was burned in a laundromat fire, her knee from falling down a flight of stairs and the seemingly Pointless Bandaid on her nose is actually from when she was trying to open a can of peas, and the flew off and cut her face. After Xander stabs her, she gets another one on her chest.
  • Later on in Chapter 2, it’s revealed she has a massive scar on her back from an as of now unknown source
• The Cynic: Teruko is more open to the idea that it's possible for her classmates to become killers and encourages the others to accept this truth rather than hide from it. She also believes that with *100% confidence* that the other classmates will all die in the killing game.
• Deadpan Snarker: Teruko will NOT forbid herself from brutally mocking and snarking the stupidity of her other classmates to the point of lashing out at them and will throw out words of Brutal Honesty every chance she gets, not hard to blame her since they almost got her and by extension, the whole cast killed if she didn't steer it into the right direction.
• Disappointed by the Motive: When Min claims she tried to save Teruko from Xander in Chapter 1, Teruko doesn't believe her and argues back that she was only looking out for herself, which is why she framed Teruko in the first place.
• Et Tu, Brute?: She was heavily affected by the betrayal of Xander and Ming who took advantage of her. As a result, she gives up in trusting her classmates.
• Everyone Has Standards:
  • Even after being much more cynical and uncaring toward the others as a whole, even Teruko was appalled by how Arei treated Eden outright calling Arei a bully.
  • Teruko calls Nico by they/them pronouns after their reveal, despite having trust issues with the whole cast, which includes Nico as well.
• Failed a Spot Check: It comes to light in Chapter 2 that Teruko has a hard time distinguishing faces, with the main differences she points out between herself and Veronika being their hair color, eye color, clothes and skin tone. Veronika suggests she might have prosopagnosia.
• Frame-Up: She becomes the prime suspect for Xander's murder as the two were found together in the computer room yet Teruko managed to make it out alive.
• Freudian Excuse: While Teruko's attitude during the trial is certainly cruel, especially towards Xander and Min, considering the fact that she was not only betrayed and killed by the two of them, despite them claiming to be her friend, on top of nearly the entire cast believing Teruko to be the killer and barely even hearing her out when she tries to prove her innocence, it is understandable why she became this way. If anything, her attitude is more of a mask to hide her pain, as she does feel genuinely conflicted and remorseful for a brief moment as Min continues to hug her and beg for forgiveness. However, even if the cast's betrayal of Teruko does not completely excuse her actions, it is hinted at that she possibly has a dark past that furthers explains her actions. During one conversation with Charles, she mentions that she has seen a dead body before. This combined with the fact that she is born unlucky can easily give off the impression she has been betrayed and/or hurt more times in the past.
• Freudian Slip: As Min continues to hug her for forgiveness, Teruko eventually stops her harsh attitude briefly, even worrying that she'll get attached again. Right before Min gets executed, Teruko was about to tell her something, but it got interrupted by said execution. This can infer the fact that Teruko is simply putting on a mask of harshness as a way to avoid feeling guilty and getting attached to others, and she doesn't want to deal with the pain of betrayal and death of those close to her.
• Heart Is an Awesome Power: During the trials, Teruko can use her luck in a minigame called Random Guess that provides her with a clue to guide the discussion.
• I Choose to Stay: Unlike her classmates, she doesn't express any desire to leave for the outside world, preferring the hotel-quality amenities of the building everyone is locked instead of worrying about having enough money to survive.
• Idiot Hair: She has a thin ahoge on her head.
• I Work Alone: Due to her trust issues, she attempts to do this during the 2nd Investigation but factors prevent her from doing so such as people bringing evidence, being more qualified to verify it or time constraints.
• Jerkass Has a Point:
  • She lashes out and berates everyone after the first trial. But her reasons for doing so stem from their eagerness to blame her as the culprit despite her asking for a chance to defend herself mixed with Xander and Min, two supposed friends of her, turning out to be killers and betraying her. While she does go too far in certain points, it's not totally unfathomable why she got so upset in the first place.
  • She also shuts down Eden's sentiment that there are people waiting for them on the outside. Teruko is an orphan whose only relative left her years ago, and after a lifetime of hard knocks, it's not surprising she feels that way.
  • Many people have also criticized Teruko for her lack of trust and unwillingness to work with others. While it gets pushed into unreasonable levels many times, to the point of pulling a knife on anyone she thinks could threaten her, she has a history of people betraying her, up to and including Xander. It's also very clear someone in the game itself does have it out for her and wants her dead.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: She makes a point of keeping it extremely hidden, but her internal narration makes it clear that Teruko isn't truly a bad person, just someone who doesn't want to be hurt again. She is cruel to Min because she wants the girl to hate her instead of continuing to apologize, and she doesn't want to be friends with Eden because she doesn't want to get attached to someone as nice as her in a scenario with a high chance of her betraying the group or being killed. She also calls out Arei and Ace for their hostile behaviors and in her distorted way seems to try to be nice to her classmates at times, even though she doesn't want to trust them.
• Kick the Dog:
  • She flat out admits that she doesn't care if Xander was forced to try to kill her and he still deserved his fate. While she had a right to be angry at him, to suggest he somehow objectively deserved his death openly even if he was forced to do it at possibly the risk of his own life just comes across as selfish and petty.
  • Teruko crosses it even further when she tells Min that she has no sympathy for her whatsoever, and even suggests she deserves her fate for daring to frame her, despite Min's reasons for doing so being somewhat justified and not personal against her. This is especially noticeable as Teruko says this to Min as the latter cries and hugs her for forgiveness right before she gets executed. Although it is implied that this is a defense mechanism, as her voice audibly breaks in some of the moments and she states that the reason she doesn't want to be friends with Eden is because the girl is the sweetest person in the group, so being betrayed by her would hurt more.
  • And just when you thought Teruko couldn't get any more heartless, she laughs at the cast for mourning Min and being disgusted at her death, even though she suffered an undeserved fate, as she says they shouldn't be surprised, as they all voted for her death anyways.
• Lack of Empathy: Has a rather severe case of this to those she feels have wronged her. She has No Sympathy for Xander or even Min for betraying her, or the cast who dares to mourn Min even though they were perfectly willing to vote for Teruko.
• Leaning on the Fourth Wall: In Chapter 2, when the group discusses escape, Teruko tells them it's hopeless. They're "characters" in a story where someone like her is the "protagonist," and because of that, they're doomed to die without ever escaping. She says this not because she hates them, but because, with her luck, that's simply how these things play out.
• Laughing Mad: During the first trial, she has a twisted laughing fit when everyone is dead set on convicting her as Xander's killer despite being attacked by him. She snidely remarks that she was a fool for trusting them and realizes that she can count on no one to save her.
• Made of Iron: She shrugs off Xander stabbing her in the chest within a few hours.
• Never Be Hurt Again: Teruko states this as her reason to not trust the group ever again. There's also hints that this is her real reason for being so cruel about Xander and Min's deaths.
• Nominal Hero: Despite being the protagonist, after Chapter 1, Teruko barely cares at all about her classmates, and places her own survival far over the feelings and lives of the others. While she's against the killing game and especially doesn't wish to kill anyone, Teruko is usually only looking for herself at the end of the day.
• No Sympathy:
  • She maintains a cold and serious attitude after learning of Xander's death. When Hu Jing calls her out on this behavior towards the fallen rebel, Teruko retorts that he tried to kill her and is a hypocrite for doing so despite vowing not to kill anyone.
  • She laughs at Min Jeung's execution, believing that she got what was coming to her after she almost framed Teruko for Xander's death.
  • That being said, Teruko's own internal monologue doesn't reflect these views. She thinks to herself that being cruel to Min would be enough for her to hate her and that it would be over, only for Min to hug her even tighter. She admits doesn't want to get attached to someone again, that there's nothing she can do to save her, and that Min is going to die because of her.
• Only Sane Woman: Downplayed, as she clearly has a lot of issues herself, and is prone to being abrasive and laughing fits during distressing situations. However, compared to most other members of the cast, she's far more intelligent and less eccentric. This especially applies during the Class Trials, where she's one of the few people to not jump to conclusions and actually lead the cast towards the right direction.
• Orphan's Ordeal: On top of all her many issues and her Dark and Troubled Past, Teruko has no family and it's easy to say how this has had a major effect on her.
• Perpetual Poverty: She has obviously not been too fortunate regarding her money and supplies, which is quite an issue for her as she's unable to pay her hospital bills when having to commission herself due to constantly being injured and needing to heal herself all the time.
• Pet the Dog: Teruko eventually acknowldges Eden's kindness towards her, even though she feels they can't be friends regardless.
• Plot Armor: The "good" part of her luck cycle functions as her plot armor, protecting her from ever really dying in spite of being Born Unlucky. This seems similar to Makoto Naegi in the first Danganronpa game, whose "Lucky Student" title actually does function as plot armor, except without Teruko's trait of needing to suffer a horrible fate before receiving that good luck in question.
• Pragmatic Hero: Even among a cast of pragmatics, Teruko still stands out the most. She is perfectly willing to do anything, no matter how amoral it is, if it's for her survival. This includes waiting for another murder to occur, as she does it in Chapter 2 as part of her plan to allegedly end the killing game. Said murder happens, but unfortunately, Arei Nageishi is the victim.
• Red Oni, Blue Oni: She's the calm and down-to-earth Blue to Xander's bombastic and aggressive Red.
• Sailor Fuku: Her (1st) uniform is white and jade green. It then gets Lampshaded by Mono-TV that in the current circumstances that there’s no reason she has to wear it.
• School Uniforms are the New Black: Justified. Teruko's bad luck prevents her from getting new clothes, so she's had to wear the same school uniform even outside of school, and she wears that same school uniform during the killing game... while not learning anything, despite being in an academy. Even her upgraded uniform is technically a formal school uniform, only with a style improvement, and as a replacement of the one she consistently wore since high school. The part that makes her wearing formal uniforms an oddity in her case is that everyone else in the cast wears some form of misfit clothing, while she prefers the formal uniforms.
• Silly Rabbit, Idealism Is for Kids!: Chapter 2 has several moments where Teruko tells everyone that it's pointless to work together, that getting close to others will only lead to them getting hurt when their friends inevitably die and that any optimism in their situation will just get crushed. Eden shuts her down so hard that it leaves Teruko genuinely speechless and moved for a moment.
• Sour Outside, Sad Inside: Cold, abrasive, and untrustworthy on the outside, Teruko is clearly hiding a lot of guilt, self-loathing and fear about her future.
• The Illegible: Chapter 2 reveals her handwriting to be terrible.
• Took a Level in Jerkass: She becomes more cold-hearted and abrasive around the start of the first class trial. Her Kick the Dog moments only make this more clear.
• Un-Confession: Just before Min's execution, Teruko says there's something she never got the chance to tell her, only to be cut off by MonoTV. She doesn't follow up on it afterward, with no indication as to what she wanted to say.
• Unkempt Beauty: Despite being Covered in Scars and being an unapologetic jerk, Teruko is a rather beautiful girl... but that doesn't make her any better personality wise.
• Ungrateful Bastard:
  • Claims to not care one bit that Min allegedly tried to save her life, as Teruko believes she was bound by fate no matter what, and has no sympathy for Min, even when she dies.
  • As Min ultimately did try to let Teruko take the fall anyways, and Teruko is allegedly born lucky, her ungratefulness is a least a little understandable. No such case applies for Eden, who was willing to believe in Teruko despite everyone else thinking she's the killer, yet Teruko refuses to acknowledge this afterwards and acts like the entire cast was willing to let her die, when this wasn't the case. Subverted later on, as Teruko does acknowledge Eden's kindness, but specifically rejects her friendship in particular as she doesn't want to be attached because of it.
• Walking Disaster Area: According to Teruko, her bad luck affects her and everyone and everything around her- any car she gets into crashes, any construction she's near collapses, things that can combust will when she uses them, and she has a bad tendency of running into people.
• Walking the Earth: Teruko has nothing to her name- ID, family, home- so she's been moving around her whole life, mostly spending it on the run. She can't attend school and so has to sneak into large ones that don't care about how many students there are, stealing a uniform and keeping a low profile so she can actually get an education, but often has to do this multiple times per year. Then there's the many medical bills her accidents have caused her to rack up.
• What the Hell, Hero?: Oh boy, does she ever. When the other students fall for the culprit's Frame-Up and think Teruko is Xander's murderer, she points out to them all with no hesitation that voting her would kill all of them since she isn't the culprit. After that, she turns bitter and unempathetic towards everyone else, as to make it clear she no longer trusts them. Or, so one believes.

Eden Tobisa

Eden Tobisa

Ultimate Clockmaker

Voiced by: Zel

"I hope we all become good friends!"

Peppy, diligent, and always punctual, Eden Tobisa is the cheerful Clockmaker. She has a bit of a tendency to overwork herself as she gets absorbed into her work sometimes. Nonetheless she is always lively and ready to make friends.

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• All-Loving Hero: She has a golden heart and is willing to make friends with everyone. She even shows compassion and concern for the killer and anyone deemed suspicious.
• Does Not Like Spam: She doesn't like vegetables.
• Exotic Eye Designs: She has clock gears for pupils.
• Friend to All Living Things: She admits that she loves animals.
• Forced Out of the Closet: Very unfortunately happens to her during the 2nd motive where she is revealed to be attracted to women.
• Genki Girl: An energetic girl who wants to make friends with everyone.
• Good Is Not Dumb: Eden knows their situation is dangerous and overwhelming, and she's fully aware of how cruel life can be; she just chooses to be kind to others regardless. She's also willing to sneak around and use tactics like blackmail to get Teruko out of her self-imposed isolation.
• It's All My Fault: She believes herself to be responsible for the deaths of Min and Arei, as she thinks it's her attempts at bringing the group together that led to Min killing Xander and the yet-to-be-seen culprit killing Arei.
• Nice Girl: Easily the kindest out of all the females, with her even willing to believe in Teruko, despite everyone else believing she did it.
• Only Friend: Can be seen as this to Teruko, as both Xander and Min were seemingly fake friends only trying to manipulate her. Meanwhile, Eden is the only one who openly believes in Teruko, even as the others are hastily willing to vote for her. However, considering the fact that she calls out Teruko for not caring about Xander and especially Min's fates, as well as mocking the cast for being disgusted and saddened by her death, this could possibly be subverted.
  • In Chapter 2, Teruko herself admits Eden is the one she wants to be friends with the least, specifically because she's been the nicest one to her and the only one who's always been on her side, and it'll hurt too much to lose that.
  • Ends up being Arei’s first friend after Arei saves her from Arturo
• Sweet Tooth: Eden loves sweets based on her love of baking.
• Silly Rabbit, Cynicism Is for Losers!: In Chapter 2, when Teruko tells her that it's naive to be optimistic about their situation and it'll inevitably leave her crushed beyond repair, Eden tells her that she's not kind and optimistic because she's naive, but because she chooses to be so. That being kind and supportive to others is the only way they're going to survive their situation, and that she genuinely wants to be Teruko's friend. An act that leaves Teruko genuinely stunned silent and moved.
• Significant Birth Date: Her birthday is December 31st, which is New Year's Eve. An appropriate holiday for someone who specializes in clocks.
• Tears of Fear: Lets out some pretty justified tears when Arturo holds her at scalpel-point for having his secret and threatening her to not reveal it.
• What the Hell, Hero?: One of the main people along with Hu to call Teruko out for her insensitive attitude towards Xander and Min, despite them just recently dying, with the latter being more notable, as not only was she executed, but she was actually trying to save Teruko according to Min's words.
  • Does it again (but nicer) later in Chapter 2 by calling out how self-destructive Teruko’s no trust policy is.
• The Workaholic: Eden can work hours on end when it comes to making a new clock.

Hu Jing

Hu Jing

Ultimate Zither Player

Voiced by: Fishyfried

^{Click here to see her Chapter 2+ outfit}

"Can you please try and act with a little more maturity?"

Hu Jing is an incredibly talented musician who specializes as the Ultimate Zither Player. It’s said that even a listening to a few minutes of one of her performances will bring tears to even the hardest of hearts. Hu possesses a very motherly personality, and does her best to maintain order in the group. At times, her nagging nature shows.

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• Animal Motifs: She has a thing for butterflies, which Mono-TV lampshades. Along with the butterfly pin on her head, the insect is a symbol of beauty and a pinnacle of maturity. Hu is a lovely girl who is mature for her age.
• Big Beautiful Woman: Downplayed. Her body type is noticeably thicker than the other girls and is seen as quite beautiful.
• Culture Equals Costume: She's of Chinese ethnicity and wears a qipao and later on a hanfu
• Costume Evolution: Partway through Chapter 2 her qipao is switched for a hanfu permanently.
• Elegant Classical Musician: She's a professional musician who rose to fame thanks to her talent of playing the stringed ghuzeng/zither.
• Et Tu, Brute?: When David revealed that he was lying about wanting to prevent the killing game, he incures ire at him from Hu.
• Exotic Eye Designs: She has butterfly shapes in her eyes.
• Only Sane Woman: Comes off as one of the most level-headed members of the group.
• Team Mom: She has motherly qualities and is more rational and stern compared to the other students.
• Trademark Favorite Food: She likes daikon radishes.
• What the Hell, Hero?: Calls Teruko out for not caring about Xander and Min's deaths, despite the fact that they used to be her friends.
  • She then does this to Ace when she calls him out for blackmailing and bullying Nico because he has Nico’s secret.
  • And then at David when she is outraged at his pernicious manipulation.

Julia "J" Moreno

Julia "J" Moreno / Rosales

Ultimate Effects Artist

Voiced by: bblackroses

"Tch, you're so goddamn annoying."

Julia “J” Rosales specializes in theatrical special effects, and has worked on many famous plays and musicals throughout her life. She hates actors, believing that all actors are egotistical spotlight-hogs. While she tries to act tough, in truth she’s quite vulnerable on the inside.

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• Ambiguously Brown: Despite her pale skin, her last name suggests that she's of Spanish origin.
• Berserk Button: She has a huge dislike for people who are loud or constantly crave attention, especially actors.
• Butt-Monkey: During Chapter 2, she has to put up with Arturo's constant obsession and fawning over her being related to a famous actress that she doesn't want anything to do with. It gets to the point where she has to use whatever method she can to get him away from her personal space.
• Exotic Eye Designs: She has a triangle in her right eye and a square in her left eye instead of the traditional circle.
• Female Misogynist: Implied to be a Type 1. She refuses to participate in Eden's baking activity stating that she didn't want to be involved in "girly shit" like that. In her Free Time Event, she would outright declare that girls in general are just lame and vain.
• Hidden Depths: Thanks to her profession as a special effects artist, she's very familiar with electrical safety and how the human body can be impacted by electricity.
• In the Hood: Wears a blue hoodie.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: She is certainly abrasive and short-tempered, but she shows a less harsh side around those she tolerates, such as Teruko. She is also disgusted by Xander's death and Min's execution, despite the former annoying her and the latter being willing to get J executed along with everyone else in order to escape.
• Lady Looks Like a Dude: She could pull off looking like a boy for her appearance. Arei uses this to fluster her during their Free Time Event.
• My Beloved Smother: Her internalized misogyny can be traced to her mom who would force her to dress and act girly when she was little.
• Only Sane Woman: J and Hu can switch between this role, as J has street smarts as a result of her experience with the harsher part of society, allowing her to make more sensible decisions.
• Revenge Before Reason: In Chapter 2's trial, she's quick to persecute Arturo as Arei's killer, which most likely resulted from his constant fawning over her moments before Arei died.
• Self-Applied Nickname: She prefers to go by J, which is short for Julia.
• Tom Boy: One look at her appearance would tell you that she isn't very conventionally "feminine".
• Tsundere: She tends to come off as this, especially when interacting with the girls.

Veronika Grebenshchikova

Veronika Grebenshchikova

Ultimate Horror Fanatic

Voiced by: SomniaVA

"A killing game? Hmm, how interesting..."

Veronika Grebenshchikova is in constant pursuit of the thrill of being scared, leading to an interest in horror fiction. Her intense consumption and studies of the horror genre have earned her the title of Ultimate Horror Fanatic. She is embarrassed about her tendency to get carried away when talking about horror.

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• Attention Deficit... Ooh, Shiny!: Implied. She says she gets bored very easily, and she hates having to face the truth of reality after getting invested in something related to horror since fiction is inconsequential. This is also part of the reason for her Blue-and-Orange Morality as she seems to find the chaos within the killing game as a means of entertainment.
• Blue-and-Orange Morality: Outright admits that she doesn't care who lives or dies in the game or how awful someone can be, as long as it keeps Veronika from being bored she goes with whatever keeps her the most entertained. She actually enjoys the trials, prodding her classmates with questions concerning the traumatic stuff they witnessed or going through and "loves" the appearance bigot Arturo just because his awful actions generate that much fascination for her. That said, her limit might actually be seeing her friends die, since she was affected over losing Min and even blamed herself for Xander's death since she was nearby.
• Fangirl: She loves everything related to horror.
• Genre Savvy: She considers the killing game to be a live action horror story and is in awe over the psychological drama between her classmates as they deal with the murders and class trials.
• Innocently Insensitive: Her open enthusiasm about the macabre along with the killing game atmosphere can make most of the Ultimates uncomfortable.
• Implied Death Threat: Towards Ace. Lampshaded by Nico:
  Veronika: Ehhh? You've changed so much from when we first met. Did that murder really shock you so hard? Rather than just being that pathetic coward with no backbone, you've become a vertible bully. The fear of death really changes people!
  Ace: Excuse me?
  Veronika: You're not really fighting with Nico because you care about what [they] says. After all, it's not like you ever valued [their] opinion in the first place. After everything that happened, after watching two people die in front of your eyes, you're tooootally afraid you're going to be next,right~?
  Ace: You know what? I totally get why Levi's so keen on trying to kill me. Being around others is starting to make me want to bash their brains out. Maybe I'll start with you two.
  Veronika: Oh, Acey, that's a dangerous move~ Any would-be murderer in here will probably avoid killing the people they liked, given the choice. You know what that means for hostile, rude people like you right?
• Laughing Mad: When she realizes when the the first Blackened tried to save Teruko from being murdered by Xander,She laughs hard at the drama of it.
• Motor Mouth: She can talk for hours on end about any given horror story. Apparently she's aware of how this can be a problem for others.
• Nice Girl: For all her strange attributes regarding death and horror in general, as a result of being a fanatic of such things, she isn't a bad person and in fact prefers to avoid conflict. That doesn't stop her from being unpredictable, anyway.
• Nightmare Fetishist: She couldn't have gotten the title of Ultimate Horror Fanatic without having an appreciation for the disturbing. Despite that, even she was horrified at Min's execution in Episode 12.
  • Later on she seems to become infatuated with Arturo’s…issues and his threatening of Eden and promises to help him out of some “love”.
• Nightmare Fuel Station Attendant: Several times throughout the story, freaking the others out a lot.
• Teen Genius: She's a scholar when it comes to the cultural influences behind the horror genre and has studied emotion-themed psychology, particularly in regards to fear.
  • Uses this to terrifying effect in Chapter 2 where she repeatedly and ruthlessly psychoanalyzes several characters (notably Ace) into submission.
  • Flat out guesses Ace’s secret due to background knowledge on horse jockeys in Chapter 2.

Min Jeung

Min Jeung

Ultimate Student

Voiced by: natepeach

"Sorry, but could you please not disturb me? I'm trying to study right now."

Min Jeung is one of the top school performers in the nation, and as thus has rightfully earned the title of Ultimate Student. Her talents lie in her diligence at studying and her excellent memory. She is almost always seen quietly studying, never wasting a single opportunity to prep for school, and gets annoyed if she is distracted from this task.

She is the first blackened, manipulating Xander into electrocuting himself with a broken light switch after seeing his attempt on Teruko's life. After being found guilty, she is thrown to the dogs.

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• Accidental Murder: She claims that she didn't set out to kill Xander, just that she happened to be passing by the computer lab and saw him standing over a bloody Teruko. When he turned to her, she was afraid he might kill her too and, in a panic, splashed him with the bucket of water she was carrying and used her pen knife to break the light switch. This unintentionally lead to him electrocuting himself on the exposed wires.
• Alas, Poor Villain: Depends on how one views Min, but she can be seen as a villain in the fact that she not only killed Xander, but framed Teruko for it, which the latter harshly condemns Min for. However, this doesn't make her execution any less cruel and tragic.
• An Arm and a Leg: Her execution involves her left hand being cut off while her other arm and legs are broken.
• Asian and Nerdy: She's of Korean descent and is a perfect student.
• Asshole Victim: Seen as such by Teruko, with her claiming she paid the price for killing Xander and framing her in the first place. However, everyone else is saddened and horrified by Min's execution, stating that even she didn't deserve it.
• Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Teruko thinks her to be such, at the very least. In spite being the one willing to investigate with Teruko and hear her out, despite everyone else distrusting her, it turns out she was the killer all along and was possibly only trying to watch over Teruko and make sure she doesn't see anything that could point to her. Not to mention, she framed Teruko in the first place.
• Blatant Lies: In the first Class Trial, Min lies about leaving the pen, as in her murder weapon in her room instead of the pen being on her person and she also lies about the pen being unable to slice the lightswicth not accounting the hidden blade in the pen.
• Child Hater: She considers children to be her disliked thing in her bio card.
• Dirty Coward: Claims to be this by Teruko, as not only did she hastily kill Xander as an attempt to save her own life (although Min claims she was mainly trying to save Teruko's as well and the murder was an accident), but she was even willing to let Teruko take the fall, being willing to let everyone get executed so she could escape freely.
• Eaten Alive: In the final part of her execution she was mauled by ravenous wolves for failing her test.
• Eyes Out of Sight: Her long bangs cover up her eyes. The first and only time they're visible is after the first trial and during her execution.
• False Friend: Teruko accuses her of being this claiming that Min helping her during the investigation was just her way of misleading the lucky student from discovering the truth of the case. She even adds that Min was willing to let her take the fall during the first half of the trial as the Ultimate Student did nothing to defend her from everyone's accusations, even fighting against her in the Scrum Debate.
• Gaslighting: Briefly tries to make Teruko not believe that she didn't saw the flash of light that would be weapon she uses to shock Xander to his death.:
  Min: In addition, Ace is correct in asserting that a pen cannot be used to break open a light switch. I simply do not know where you got that absurd idea.
  Teruko: I got the idea only because you were with me during the entirety of my investigation. I saw it in your pocket once or twice. Because it was made of metal and caught the light, it drew my attention. Something made of solid metal like that probably could have been used to break open the light switch, right?
  Levi: Even if the pen was made out of solid metal, I don't think it could have easily been used for that purpose.
  Min: That was what I was going to say. Teruko, I think you're going a bit too far with this theory of this. Besides I didn't have that pen with me. I've left it in my room the whole time.
  Teruko: Really? But I saw it in your pocket earlier.
  Min: Are you sure you aren't making it up, or misremembering thing? Perhaps you're so focused on this strange theory of yours that your mind is concocting false memories to support your case.
• Go-Getter Girl: Min won't settle for anything less than a perfect A+ grade and hates the idea of getting a B+ or less. This may be deconstructed, in her bonus episode there was a test that could make someone the Ultimate Student and she and her family was visted by XF-Pure Tech who offered to sponsor them should Min pass the test in 12 years and become her Ultimate Student, the constent was designed to make kids obsessed to be that talent and Min was obsessed with it too.
• The Grovel: At the end of her trial, Min runs to Teruko in tears and claiming to be sorry for all the trouble she caused her throughout the trial. The lucky student refuses to forgive her and tells her to let go.
• Hair Flip: One of her sprites has her doing this pose.
• I Didn't Mean to Kill Him: Her motive explanation in the first class trial's aftermath amounts to this, claiming the light switch was meant to knock Xander unconscious rather than kill him.
• Idiot Hair: She has a tiny ahoge.
• Incomprehensible Entrance Exam: "The History of Hope's Peak" reveals that she earned her title by taking one held by the school, which was announced twelve years beforehand.
• Incredibly Lame Fun: She admits that she likes to read random Wikipedia articles for fun.
• Irony: Despite being a perfect student, she admits that she's a procrastinator.
• Killing in Self-Defense: Min claims this to be the reason she killed Xander, as once he looked at her, Min thought he was going to kill her too to hide the crime.
• My God, What Have I Done?: Whether or not Min intended to kill Xander and save Teruko, by her immense apologizing and hugging of Teruko, it's clear she regrets what she did to some extent.
• The Perfectionist: Min strives to gain perfect grades and won't settle for anything less. She even considers a B+ to be her most disliked thing.
• Photographic Memory: She likes reading various textbooks and committing the content of each book to memory.
• Self-Deprecation: Min has quite the huge Imposter Syndrome, she doesn't believe that she a real 'Ultimate' when instead of being scouted out by Hope's Peak for their Ultimate Talent, she had only became the Ultimate Student because she spent all of her life studying for her test.
• Shaped Like Itself: A school student with the title of Ultimate Student. Her title is basically what she is.
• The Smart Girl: Being the Ultimate Student with prominent knowledge on several subjects makes her one of the most intelligent participants. Not to mention, she came up with a decently clever murder plan, despite it being done in the heat of the moment.
• Sympathetic Murderer: Assuming her words are true, Min never intended to kill Xander, and only poured water on him and broke the light switch as a hasty attempt to knock him out, in order to prevent him from killing her or Teruko. Min only framed Teruko once she realized Xander was dead and she would die if she didn't get away with it.
• Teen Genius: Obviously since she is the Ultimate Student, A huge Go-Getter Girl Perfectionist to strives to get perfect As in her grades and had wasted her entire life being obsessed with becoming the Ultimate Student.
• Tragic Mistake: Because Min decided to procrastinate and transport cleaning supplies from the laundry to the kitchen to clean up a mess that Teruko made from dropping a cake at the same time as when Xander made an attempt at Teruko she ended up becoming Xander's murderer.
• Ultimate Final Exam: Her execution involves her taking a standardized test. The questions vary but getting a question wrong or failing to answer results in her limbs being beaten or cut off. Her failing to complete the test results in her being dropped into a pit filled with ravenous wolves.
• Unreliable Narrator: While Min claims the murder was done to save both her and Teruko, the fact that she expected the light switch to only knock Xander out, not kill him, despite her normally immense knowledge in a lot of different subjects as the Ultimate Student does put that into question, as basic electricity safety does seem like something she would know, even if was a heat of the moment decision. It's possible that once she saw Xander, Min used this opportunity to kill him and frame Teruko, using his glare as an excuse to state it was done in self-defense.
• What the Hell, Hero?: She calls out Teruko in Chapter 1 for her cold reaction to Xander's death claiming that the two were close friends. She takes back her reaction when Teruko reveals what happened before his death.

Arei Nageishi

Arei Nageishi

Ultimate Bowler

Voiced by: Mokaui

"If I tell you a secret, will you promise to keep it?"

Arei Nageishi made her debut in the bowling world as a teenager by winning multiple bowling championships. She has a habit of acting cutesy, but don’t let that fool you—she can be very cruel. Ultimately, she just wants to ingratiate herself with others, although the methods she takes to accomplish that goal are… questionable.

She is the second victim of the killing game, as her body was discovered hanging at the top of the double swing on the playground.

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• Alpha Bitch: Was a former Queen Bee who ruled her school with an iron fist.
• Attention Whore: She craves attention and doesn't like it when others ignore her.
• Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Arei can play the role of a cute and ditzy girl, but she has a cruel side to her.
• Berserk Button: Ropes. She'd received them on her birthday from people telling her to hang herself.
• Big Damn Heroes: Arrives just in time to save Eden from being threatened by Arturo.
• The Bully: She openly tells J that she enjoys bullying others. She even has them categorized based on what level of bullying they deserve.
• Bully Magnet: Constantly draws in other bullies due to her vulnerabilities, even during class when constantly given dares to commit suicide from her classmates on her every birthday, which included her own relatives. Of course, she ended up turning into one herself as a result of not knowing what a good life really is.
• Bully Turned Buddy: She had treated Eden with nothing but vicious cruelty to the point she uses Min's accidental murder to reduce to tears, her reason for bullying Eden is because of her jelously towards her since Arei was tortured by her big sisters and everyone around her and wants to teach Eden that it's a Dog eat dog world, after David attempting to "help" her, Arei saves Eden from Arturo and promises to ber friend. Well, at least she tried anyway....
• Broken Tears: Her confession in Chapter 2 goes from her smugly talking about how she got back at her sisters to breaking down over her long, long history of being abused.
• Conditioned to Accept Horror: Or much rather "to accept threats". Her life of bullying has apparently desensitized her to any threats someone could give her, which includes those from Teruko.
• Crocodile Tears: One of her preferred methods of manipulating others.
• Cruel to Be Kind: She believes being cruel to Eden for being friendly, especially in a Killing Game, will convince her to knock it off and thus save her from being taken advantage of by others.
• Everyone Has Standards: As much as she takes pleasure in tormenting and bullying others (though she also admits later in Chapter 2 that she really doesn't), she was horrified at Min's execution.
• Girly Girl: Tells J she should be more feminine like her, and should embrace it as a female.
• Freudian Excuse: In Chapter 2, Arei reveals why she's such a bully: her two older sisters constantly bullied, tortured and harassed her, making her entire childhood hell just for their own amusement. They hurt her constantly, took her stuff, destroyed her reputation, and even got other kids in on it (hence the rope gifts). All of this left her with the impression that being kind will only lead to people hurting you and that the only way to survive is to be cruel.
• The Friend Nobody Likes: A cruel bully that loves picking on or manipulating people weaker than her, its no surprise the cast tends to not get along with her.
• Green-Eyed Monster: She has a strong disdain for cute girls like Eden and believes she should be the cutest of them all.
  • As it turns out, her real motivation isn't so much cuteness, but wishing she had a life like Eden's, where she could be kind and easily make friends. She even tells this straight to Eden, and Eden response is to hug her for saving her from Arturo earlier.
• Hanging Around: Her cause of death. What makes this worse is that she was suicide dared by her classmates even to point of being given a rope.
• Heel–Face Door-Slam: Just when Arei was starting to drop her terrible attitude and work to become a kind individual who can make friend, she becomes the second victim.
• The Hypocrite: Insults at least a few participants during the trial for being "stupid", despite her jumping to conclusions way more than most others. Most notably, she insults J for not realizing Xander was electrocuted, despite Arei also finding the idea unbelievable, which J understandably calls her out on.
• I Just Want to Have Friends: Underneath her cruelty, Arei genuinely wants to have friends in her life who'll be kind to her.
• It Amused Me: Arei takes pleasure in tormenting others just to see them break down or overreact.
  • It turns out, not only does she not like making other people upset, she was subject to this herself thanks to her sisters.
• Jerkass: Insults and manipulates basically everyone she comes across for her own amusement. Subverted later on where it's revealed that Arei doesn't actually enjoy being an asshole to others, but feels she has to survive.
• Jerkass Has a Point: After the secrets are handed out to the wrong people in Chapter 2, she brings up the fact that, while some of them might seem minor, like J's, they can't discount the fact that there might be some really dark secrets among their group. And given how she acts after reading the one she got, she has a good reason to be worried.
• Jerk Jock: A smug girl who belittles others for petty reasons.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Arei becomes this after a Heel Realization about how cruel her behavior is, even if it's not actually done out of malice, but instead to survive. After David convinces her that she can change, she vows to be nicer and yells at Arturo to back off when she threatens Eden. Too bad it doesn't last.
• Laser-Guided Karma: After years of enduring their bullying, Arei successfully framed her sisters for various actions and got them both sent away to reform school. Considering that they bullied her badly enough that she was hospitalized more than once, it wasn't undeserved.
• Manipulative Bitch: Cries and insults herself with self-deprecation in order to get sympathy from others whenever people call her out for anything she does.
• Mood-Swinger: She can change her emotional state as a way of manipulating others.
• Oo C Is Serious Business: When MonoTV hands out the secrets in Chapter 2, Arei is noticeably shaken by whatever it is she sees and stops making jokes or complaints.
  • When discussing serious matters, she becomes a lot more withdrawn, such as the secret or her history with hateful pranks.
• Percussive Pickpocket: She's surprisingly swift as a pickpocket as she manages to steal Min's pen during the class trial without her or anyone noticing.
• Pet the Dog: A minor one, given how much she likes teasing J. However, when J's full name and identity as the daughter of a famous celebrity is revealed, which greatly upsets her, Arei drops the jokes and still refers to her as "J."
• Self-Deprecation: Does this to manipulate others, as she actually thinks quite highly of herself.
  • In Chapter 2, she reveals that she doesn't; in fact, she hates being like she is and worries everyone else must hate her for how she's acted. David assures her that she can change.
• Sir Swears Alot: She tends to swear a lot, either at people or at given subjects.
• Sour Outside, Sad Inside: On the outside, she's a cruel, manipulative jerk; on the inside, she desperately wants to be kind and have friends, but believes cruelty is the only way to survive in the real world.
• Suicide Dare: By her classmates, they even give her a rope and accuses MonoTv of this trope
• Took a Level in Kindness: After her massive emotional breakdown, she shows a much gentler side to David and even hugs him for wanting to help her. He encourages her to be better from now on, which she thanks him for, telling him he's a nice person. Tragically, Arei doesn't get the chance to be better upon becoming the second victim.
• Traumatic Haircut: A flashback in chapter 2 shows her sisters forcefully cutting her hair while she cries.
• Virtue Is Weakness: Deconstructed. Arei's horrible childhood, where her sisters did everything in their power to make her life miserable, lead to her believing that kindness will never be rewarded and that the only way to survive in life is to tear others down before they can tear you down. Except she doesn't want to believe this; she wants to be a kind person, to have kind friends, and wishes she had a life where she could be happy.
• You Are What You Hate: Arei is a bully for her own satisfaction, but hates bullies herself because they've made her life a living hell. She's aware of this fact.

Rose Lacroix

Rose Lacroix

Ultimate Art Forger

Voiced by: arakachi

"...What are we talking about? I wasn't paying attention."

As the Ultimate Art Forger, Rose Lacroix paints copies of famous masterpieces that are so realistic that they’re often mistaken for the real thing. She owes her forgery talent to her photographic memory. Despite this, Rose is very absent-minded and rarely pays attention to things. She’ll often zone out in the middle of a conversation, or worse, fall asleep.

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• Ambiguously Brown: She has a dark skin complexion and a frizzled hairstyle.
• Awesome by Analysis: She's able to calculate how much time has gone by just by analyzing her personal appearance.
• Brilliant, but Lazy: Her analytical skills are remarkable but she has a tendency to zone out when talking to other people.
• Eccentric Artist: Inverted. She's a professional artist but her personality is calm, scatterbrained and slothful, the exact opposite of common "eccentric" examples.
• Et Tu, Brute?: Rose feels betrayed and used by Nico because they lied to her to steal turpertine from her only to make Ace fall unconscious and make an attempt at his life.
• Exotic Eye Designs: If you look close enough, you'll see that her pupils look like digital color wheels.
• Hidden Depths: She confesses to Nico that the one thing she's scared of is herself. Particularly her Photographic Memory and how the information she knows can haunt her for as long as she lives.
• My Greatest Failure: She got her family into a lifetime of debt and became an indentured art servant to a billionaire due to her art forging getting caught
• Idiot Hair: She as a single curly strand on top of her head.
• Photographic Memory: She claims to have this which she uses to analyze how much time has passed.
• Reformed Criminal: She admits that she used to replicate famous art pieces to sell them for profit. After getting caught, she decided to use her talents for more beneficial purposes.
• Sleepy Head: Rose has a habit of falling asleep in a moment's notice. She even cites sleeping as her favorite interest.
• The Smart Girl: Along with Min, she's one of the most intelligent female students, due to her preceptive nature and wide knowledge of various things related to her talent like chromatography.

Male Participants

Alexander "Xander" Matthews

Xander Matthews

Ultimate Rebel

Voiced by: Lucaricross

"Screw the rules!"

Loud in both voice and personality, Alexander “Xander” Matthews earned the title of Ultimate Rebel through his consistent tendency to go against the status quo and break the rules. Xander has a strong sense of morals, and is constantly trying to right the world’s wrongs. Don’t accuse him of being just a rule-breaking problem child, though. He gets worked up very easily.

He is the first victim of the story, as his attempt to kill Teruko results in his death at the hands of Min Jeung.

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• Ambiguous Situation: As of the end of Chapter 1, it is still unclear why Xander decided to betray and murder Teruko despite his alleged attachment to her. However, due to him stating that someone asked him to kill Teruko, as well as the out of order note seemingly commanding him to do so, it is speculated during the trial that he was forced into doing this, possibly as a result of blackmail or coercion.
• Apologetic Attacker: Apologizes to Teruko before stabbing her, and does it even more after he has done the deed.
• Asshole Victim: Claimed to be this by Teruko due to her willing to betray and kill him, despite Xander asking her to trust him and claiming to be her friend. On a less personal sense, he was also willing to take advantage of Charles phobia and trauma, making him see Teruko’s stabbed body in order to frame the crime on him, as well as possibly kill Min to further cover up the murder.
  • It’s interesting to note on that most of the cast seems upset at Xander’s death, even those annoyed by him like J and Min. While many are shocked upon revealing Xander tried to kill Teruko and frame Charles for it, some still think he didn’t deserve it such as Eden and Hu, calling out Teruko for her insensitivity.
• Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Seen as such by Teruko, as he's willing to betray and murder her despite claiming to be her friend. Xander also frames Charles and allegedly tries to murder Min before she in turn kills him before he can.
• Eye Colour Change: His can change from yellow to grey depending on his energy and usually they are 50% grey, 50% yellow, the more energy he has the more yellow his eyes are, the less energy he has the greyer his eyes are.
• Eye Scream: His right eye is badly mutilated under that eyepatch, something he doesn't remember happening before the Killing Game.
• False Friend: Teruko sees him as such, as despite his initial bond with her and begging her to trust him, he is willing to betray and murder her when given the opportunity.
• Fan Boy: To David Chiem for his motivational speeches.
• Fiery Redhead: He has red hair and is full of passion.
• Hot-Blooded: He gets agitated and is ready to throw hands at anyone who deserves it. The prologue shows him getting into arguments with more than half of the students.
• The Hypocrite: Despite being against the killing game and asking Teruko to trust her, Xander is willing to betray and kill her himself. Teruko specifically calls him out on this.
  • By his own admission, he also hates murderers and the smell of blood.
• Idiot Hair: He has a small one on his head.
• The McCoy: Beffiting of the Ultimate Rebel, Xander is always emotional about whatever he feels about.
• Large Ham: Xander doesn't get a lot of screentime due to obvious reasons and scenes his is in, he delivers with great enthusiasm.
• My God, What Have I Done?: Immediately regrets what he does after stabbing Teruko, repeatedly apologizing to her. However, according to Min, this doesn't stop him from trying to kill her right after to cover up the crime.
• Quintessential British Gentleman: Downplayed. He's from across the pond and has a respectful nature despite his rebellious image. That is until the end of Episode 5...
• Red Is Heroic: He has bright red hair and a red bandanna and is set up as a close ally to Teruko. Subverted when he tries to kill her and frame Charles for her death.
• Red Oni, Blue Oni: The boisterous and compulsive Red to Teruko's calm and sensible Blue.
• Self-Applied Nickname: He prefers to go by Xander.
• Sole Survivor: His bonus episode and hidden quote all hint toward him struggling with Survivor's Guilt. This is later confirmed in Episode 8 of Chapter 2, where his secret is that his parents and siblings are all dead and he blames himself for it.
• Super-Strength: During the arm-wrestling contest in Episode 2, he manages to break the table that he and Ace were arm-wrestling on.
• Wolf in Sheep's Clothing: He's a boisterous guy with a good heart and wanted to protect his friends. Underneath the surface, however, lies a twisted hypocrite who lured out Teruko in the hopes of killing her.

David Chiem

David Chiem

Ultimate Motivational Speaker

Voiced by: Sword of Swords

"You can definitely achieve your dreams, I believe in you!"

David Chiem is a renowned Inspirational Speaker who has motivated many people through his uplifting speeches. As one would expect, David is a constantly optimistic personality who encourages those around him to keep on moving.His true personality may be more pessimistic and lazy than he lets on, according to some (unreliable) sources.

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• Ambiguously Brown: His last name gives the impression that he's Vietnamese.
• 0% Approval Rating: By time he reveals his true personality, everyone more or less hate him.... Except for Veronika, who is Veronika.
• Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: It's slowly revealed over the course of the series that David's polite and encouraging presence is at least partially an act. From rumors of David being less nice than he comes across, to his secret snide comments to Xander when he left, to his lashing out at Teruko at the Chapter 1 investigation, to his pressuring of everyone to reveal their secrets despite not willing to talk about his actual secret once it's revealed his one of his family history having depression isn't listed by MonoTV, to especially his Sanity Slippage during the Chapter 2 trial. It all comes full circle in Episode 11 where David is revealed to be an extremely manipulative, arrogant, insane sociopath who takes great pleasure in belittling others and mocking those that have died.
• Card-Carrying Jerkass: His very first line after his reveal is him reveling in how much of a manipulative jerk he really is.
  "I'm a lying, manipulative, scumbaggy piece of shit. Is that what you all wanted to hear?"
• Deadpan Snarker: Once his true personality is revealed, he barrages his classmates with vicious, dickish sarcasm and joyfully mocks them every chance he gets.
• Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: David doesn’t seem to understand why others would care for Arei at all, as she served nothing of significant value to anyone in his eyes, missing the fact that people are sad she died due to basic empathy for her, especially since Arei wanted to change and was killed before she could.
• Evil Feels Good: When he reveals his true colors, he admits it feels cathartic to finally tell everyone how much he despises them. He even tells Ace that he gets why he's such an asshole to everybody.
• Exotic Eye Designs: He has yellow stars for pupils.
• Foil:
  • Ironically, to Arei Nageishi, the one he pretended to assure after she opened up about her Dark and Troubled Past. Both are manipulative bullies who hide behind a false charm, but while Arei is tragic and genuinely wants to have friends but is unable to bring herself to be honest about it, David is outright sociopathic and genuinely hates humanity for being what he considers weak.
  • Also to Whit Young: Both have talents that revolve around helping and motivating others to reach their full potential in life but are very different people. Whit seems like just a trollish prankster who loves to throw puns but has a more mature, empathetic, and compassionate side to him, David is a hateful, manipulative, selfish Jerkass playing the motivational Nice Guy. Whit sees the good in others even in the more hostile people like Charles and Teruko while David fervently believes that Humans Are Bastards. Whit genuinely uses his talent and intuition for good like trying to comfort Charles after he suffers from his hemophobia, David selfishly uses his talent to create a successful career and in Chapter 2 to continue the killing game and is just lying in general. This can even be extended to their motifs stars and hearts, whereas hearts symbolise love and kindness and are vital for the human body, stars showcase positivity and hope but are known to be fatal and dangerous.
• Foreshadowing:
  • Despite being an alleged motivational speaker, David's speech is full of condescension and moral superiority, which hints at his inner hatred for how vain humans are that is revealed later on in Chapter 2's trial.
  • When encouraging that the other students reveal their secrets to allegedly stop the motive from having any effect in Chapter 2, he pressures them by asking what's stopping them from doing so, because he wants them to reveal them in order to incite chaos and cause a murder.
• Humans Are Bastards: Under his status as a motivational speaker, he despises people, believing that they never really change who they are.
• The Hypocrite: Despite pressuring everyone to reveal their secrets even when they don’t want to, it’s revealed that David’s alleged secret wasn’t even the real one and when Teruko tries to get him to confess to his real secret, he tells her to shut up. This extends to the trial where people notice the fact that David’s confessed secret isn’t on there, but when everyone attempts to get his actual secret out of him, he asks if it’s really necessary, despite him being the one who thought everyone revealing their secrets would be necessary to stop any murders in the first place!
• Jerkass: YES! This man openly mocks the others, speaks ill of the dead constantly, and shows no concern for the well being of others. David is so hated, even Ace is convinced he is the killer over Nico whom he kept accusing earlier.
• Lack of Empathy: Has no problem insulting the recently deceased, especially Arei.
• Kick the Dog: As soon as his true personality is revealed, he starts insulting Min and especially Arei despite their very recent deaths. He specifically says Arei contributed nothing of worth so people shouldn’t care about her death.
• Know When to Fold Them: When all the accusations against him stack up, he admits he doesn't want to drag things out more than necessary. As such, he comes clean and admits the truth about himself.
• The Leader: Due to his talent for motivating people, he becomes one of a sort for the cast. He especially takes on this role in Chapter 2 where he tries to encourage everyone to reveal their secrets as a way to stop any murders from happening.
• Manipulative Bastard: It was revealed later during the second Class Trial that David had the manipulative secret. Sure enough, he revealed his true colors stating that he indeed pushed the idea for everyone to reveal their motives for the sole reason to start up the killing game again!
• Nice Character, Mean Actor: Behind his optimistic and influential front, David is shown to be pretty nasty and would prefer to be by himself. Comes in full circle in Chapter 2.
• Politically Incorrect Villain: Very subtly implied to possibly be one. Despite Nico's uncomfortability with coming out, David pressures them to reveal their secret about being non-binary. While David seemed to have good intentions as he wanted everyone to reveal their secrets to prevent murders from happening, and even reassures Nico that no one has an issue with their identity and it's good to let it off their chest so no one misgenders them, it's later revealed that he deliberately pressured everyone into revealing their secrets so a murder would happen. While its currently unknown if David really holds transphobic views despite saying otherwise, he seemed perfectly willing to let someone kill Nico because of their secret, making him an accomplice to a potential hate crime.
• Rousing Speech: His talent involves inspiring masses with his motivational words of encouragement.
• Sanity Slippage: It's slowly starting to show throughout the trials but comes full circle during the second Class Trial where David has a very unique sprite whenever he is discussing how the likes of Arei and Xander seemed like they were going to help out, but ended up dead not too long later. It's very clear that if David has a façade he is trying to maintain, it is quickly starting to break especially with him being the most suspicious of the ground in the trial. He even says that he is looking forward to whoever killed Arei's painful execution!
• Sir Swears-a-Lot: Once after revealing his true colors, David starts to swear up a storm that even rivals Ace.
• Speak Ill of the Dead: He demeans both Min and Arei's memories during The Reveal, calling them both stupid and worthless trash.
• Suspiciously Similar Substitute: His hairstyle and light skin bring to mind Shuichi Saihara.
  • However, after his reveal, his dickery, insanity, and constant need to manipulate others makes him more like a combination of Nagito Komaeda and Kokichi Oma.
• Trademark Favorite Food: He loves instant oatmeal.

Arturo Giles

Arturo Giles

Ultimate Plastic Surgeon

Voiced by: Logan

"I only talk to attractive people, so you can get out of my sight."

Arturo Giles is a Plastic Surgeon who specializes in cosmetic surgery. He worships those who possess beauty, and shuns those who are “ugly,” an adjective that he applies to just about everyone. Arturo is rude, condescending, and has little value for human lives…unless you happen to be a gorgeous celebrity, in which case he’ll kiss up to you.

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• Abhorrent Admirer: Due to learning that J is the daughter of Mariabella Rosales, Arturo becomes obsessed with J much to her chargin, however as of Arei's trial, J, in a act of retribution reveals his secret which is about his younger sister who committed suicide much to Arturo horror, as J continues to reprimand Arturo, he lashes out in anger against her meaning this trope is quickly becoming null.
• Beauty Equals Goodness: Arturo personally believes that a person's physical beauty means that they are deserving of praise and respect.
• Berserk Button: Whatever you do, do NOT talk about or even mention his younger sister in front of him. When Eden revealed his secret that he was responsible for his younger sister's suicide, Arturo has a freak out and threatens Eden's life by placing a scalpel near her neck telling her not to mention it to anyone else.
• Cool Mask: He wears a surgical mask.
• Dr. Jerk: Arturo is a plastic surgeon and is one of the more unpleasant characters in the cast.
• Everyone Has Standards: Despite being a judgmental Jerkass most of the time, even he pities Min’s brutal execution.
• The Friend Nobody Likes: Outside of his use of treating people's injuries/autopsies as the sole doctor of the group, the cast (with Veronika being an exception) tends to prefer not being around Arturo due to his 'ugly' view on them, with the feeling being mutual. In chapter 2, his obsession with J's status and fawning her family has not helped boost such reception either.
• Hot-Blooded: Like with Ace, it does not take much to set off Arturo. If you mention his younger sister being dead because of him, he'll directly threaten your life.
• Hypocrite: After learning that J is the daughter of Mariabella Rosales, he refuses to let her throw away her birthname and connections to her family, and he keeps hounding her about it despite how much it clearly upsets her. As bad as that is on its own, he becomes this when Eden reveals she knows about his younger sister, who seemingly committed suicide because of him. Arturo flips out and threatens her to keep quiet, even saying she doesn't know anything about his family.
• Idiot Hair: He has a curvy strand on the right side of his hair.
• Insane Troll Logic: His views towards ugly and beautiful people is seen as this by others.
• Lack of Empathy: Despite Teruko being stabbed by Xander, he still seems bitter about having to treat her and expects her to pay it in full price afterwards.
• Laser-Guided Karma: Arturo in the first episode of Chapter 2 is quick to reveal J's secret. Come the second Class Trial and J's reveals in revealing Arturo's.
• The Medic: Invoked. Due to having the most medical experience, Arturo is often pressured by the group to treat the injuries of any given student. He makes it clear that he hates the job and he intends to charge the people he saved once they escape.
  Arturo: I'm not your doctor!
• Proud Beauty: An attractive but vain boy who looks down at other people for being too ugly for his standards. Although, see Self-Deprecation below.
• Red Herring: After it was revealed that Arturo directly threatened Eden's life for telling him his secret and even more after being attacked by Arei who then proceeds to blackmail him with his own secret should he try to harm Eden again, Arturo appeared to be the prime suspect of her death giving him a powerful motive to want her dead. However, it was later revealed that he can't be the killer due to having an air-tight alibi as he was constantly following J all over the place (with J even reluctantly confirming this).
• Rich Bastard: Can be seen as this, due to how he favors rich celebrities and calls those beneath him “plebeians”.
• Self-Deprecation: He considers himself to be plain and average compared to the celebrities and idols of the world.
• Skewed Priorities: Is more concerned about getting paid than Teruko’s well-being once he has to treat her after she got stabbed.
• Sophisticated as Hell: His vocabulary is quite advanced.

Levi Fontana

Levi Fontana

Ultimate Personal Stylist

Voiced by: c_squint

"I will try to do my utmost best to make sure that you are all safe."

His appearance may be intimidating, but Levi Fontana has the innocuous talent of Personal Stylist. He has a serious nature and rarely displays strong emotions, but he deeply cares about his classmates and will do whatever he can to help them. Levi seems to have a dangerous past that he’s unwilling to talk about.

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• Awesome by Analysis: He can tell a lot about a person based on the clothes they wear.
• Badass Pacifist: He dislikes violence but has no issues with stepping in to resolve any given conflicts.
• Beware the Nice Ones: As peaceful as he is, even he has his limits when tested. During the first trial, his demeanor turned dark as he threatened to strangle Ace if he didn't shut up.
• The Big Guy: The largest student of the group.
• Dark and Troubled Past: He hints towards having one.
• Dumb Muscle: Is muscular on top of being somewhat gullible and clueless.
• The Fashionista: A gender-flipped example. Levi specializes in analyzing a person's tastes and creating outfits that suit them.
• Gentle Giant: A Big Hearted Muscle guy who genuinely cares about his classmates and offers his help to those in need.
• In Touch with His Feminine Side: He's a big boy with a fashion themed talent and a flamboyant ensemble of his own.
• Macho Camp: Downplayed. While he is far from openly flamboyant, his clothes and nails are quite extravagant and he has a fashion based talent, despite his muscular build.
• Nice Guy: Is kind towards everyone and does his best to levitate any sort of conflicts. However, he does have his limits, as Ace found out.
• No Social Skills: Admits socializing is not his strong point.
• Parental Abandonment: As he reveals to Eden in Chapter 2, his father, mother and brothers disowned him a while back. He believes it as for the best, given that, according to him, they were all toxic influences on each other.
• Super Gullible: Easily falls for Arei’s obvious manipulation.
• Sweet Tooth: On tumblr, the creator stated that Levi likes anything with lots of sugar.

Ace Markey

Ace Markey

Ultimate Jockey

Voiced by: Seth Raffield

"The fuck, do you want to fight?...Wait, shit, don't actually come over here-!"

Ace Markey is an incredible Jockey, having won dozens of awards for his jockeying abilities…and yet he completely detests the sport. Ace is incredibly aggressive and constantly lashing out at others, and yet at the same time is a massive coward. He’s all bark, no bite.

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• Asshole Victim: Despite nearly getting murdered by Nico, Ace is so disliked for his attitude that it's hard for most people to truly care or give Nico that much flak about it beyond just the general desire of not seeing a classmate dead.
• Bad People Abuse Animals: He openly boasts that he'd kick a cat if given the opportunity just to torment Nico.
• Berserk Button: Ace is easily angered, but he seems to get particularly riled up when people react with emotions rather than logic in the class trial, as shown by his argument with Whit. He even gets angry enough to argue with '''Levi''', of all people, who he’s normally terrified of.
• Character Development: The negative version. While a cowardly character growing to stand up for himself is normally a positive thing, this is Ace we're talking about. After Levi threatens to kill Ace, he eventually becomes tired of being everyone's punching bag and vows to stop being cowardly. From then on, he's willing to antagonize everyone, including Levi, with no fear. Even after Nico attempts to murder him, Ace still tries to go back and kill him as retaliation, despite his neck bleeding.
• Dirty Coward: Perfectly willing to talk crap to anyone, but gets terrified if they try to fight him back.
• Does Not Like Spam: A more general example, but he dislikes meat.
• Everyone Has Standards: While Ace is the farthest thing from a nice guy, even he found David's true self to be, in Ace's own words, "a complete scumbag."
  • As petty and unwarranted his bullying of Nico is, he doesn't seem to be willing to resort to bigotry in order to further harass them, as he immediately starts using they/them pronouns after they're revealed as non-binary, despite hating them more than ever due to their recent murder attempt on him.
• Foil: Naturally to Nico: They are both ultimate students who talents revolve around animals and that's where the similarities end. Nico got their talent out of their love and care for animals, Ace only got his talent because he was afraid of horses and isn't above harming pets if they piss him off. Nico is a Shrinking Violet who is very introverted but they have occasional bits of Brutal Honesty and very much has a breaking point while Ace is a aggressive and a Jerkass but is actually a pathetic coward. Ace is an impulsive dumbass who frequently jumps to conclusions and has no common sense, Nico can be logical and make clever observations. Nico is a loner due to the abuse they have suffered for being NB and spending more time with animals than people, Ace decides to distance himself from others due to them not nicely reciprocating his treatment towards the others.
• Grew a Spine: A rare negative version. Ace is a selfish, furious jerkass who is disrespectful for animals and never can go a day without throwing a swear but he is really easy to scare and thus stopping his bullshit but after the first class trial, not only is he even more of a Jerkass and is insisted on bullying Nico more than ever but you can't scare him as easily.
• Hair-Trigger Temper: Ironically given his cowardice, but it doesn’t take much to set Ace off.
• The Friend Nobody Likes: Arguably the biggest one of the cast. Between his rude, hot blooded temper to his downright cowardly paranoia, attitude overall has made it so that most of the cast don't really like him. At best, they usually just try to tolerate his behaviour...up until Ace pushes it too far and they have to reprimand him by either threats or violence. Even Levi, whose pretty much the closest thing Ace has to a friend, can snap at him, usually during trials, when Ace either insults him too much or is being particuarly difficult.
  • It takes even further in chapter 2 where despite being attacked and nearly killed by Nico, no one is truly too concerned for his life beyond just not wanting a human to die nor do they seem to be too upset at Nico for it (with Hu still being a firm defender for the pet therapist). Hell, Teruko even left after the initial incident since she doesn't care and earlier flat out says that Ace is uselss without remorse. During the trial. when the incident is brought up, while J thinks Nico is just as sucky as Ace for their actions, flat out says to the jockey's face that it was his own demeanor that helped push the incident to happen in the first place.
• Irony: During the argument in Chapter 2, when J intervenes and calls everyone out for being noisy while also shouting herself, Ace snarks that she should "lead by example". Immediately after, this is exactly what David does, faking the reveal of his own secret so the other characters can follow along and actually reveal other people's secrets, which would then make a murder case more likely.
• Jerkass: Extremely rude and aggressive to anyone who pisses him off, which is extremely easy to.
• Jerkass to One: Not that Ace isn't a bastard to everyone he meets but most of his vitrol is directed towards Nico.
• Jerk Jock: An athletic boy with a rude personality.
• I Just Want to Be Normal: He actually dislikes being a jockey and didn't want to go to Hope's Peak Academy.
• Motivated by Fear: He manages to win all of his races through the fear of public failure and paranoia.
• Nervous Wreck: His main thought process involves thinking of what thing, no matter how absurd it is, can hurt or potentially kill him. This trope wears off in Ch 2.
• Paper Tiger: He acts aggressive and tough but he'll turn into a huge chicken whenever someone decides to take him on. This trope wears off in Ch 2.
• Plucky Comic Relief: One of the most overly comedic characters, as shown by his ''freaking out'' expression and over-the-top reactions.
• Politically Correct Villain: Perhaps Politially Correct Asshole is a better term, but despite Ace's constant bullying of Nico for little reason, he surpisingly doesn't seem to have a problem with their gender identity and doesn't use it as a way to further harass them, even after they tried to kill him. Despite being confused on what their secret meant, once the truth came out, he never questions Nico for their identity and starts using they/them pronouns. While it's possible he didn't want to face Hu's wrath, that seems unlikely since he had grown a backbone by then.
• Recurring Element: He does the same freaking out expression like Kazuichi Souda and Kaito Momota. He also swears like a sailor like with Mondo Owada, Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu, and Miu Iruma.
• Significant Birth Date: His birthday is October 31st which is Halloween. It's an appropriate holiday to antagonize a coward such as Ace.
• Sir Swears Alot: He tends to curse at people he doesn't like.
• Took a Level in Jerkass: Ace was already a Jerkass to begin with, but from the start of Chapter 2, Ace is even more hostile. While before his cowardliness at least partially kept him from constantly antagonizing others, he seems to have grown a backbone by Chapter 2, and is much more confrontanial towards the others, especially Levi and Nico. His constant bullying of Nico eventually results in them trying to kill him, which only makes Ace even more antagonistic.
• Weight Woe: Revealed to have an eating disorder by Veronica due to being a jockey.
• Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: He’s pretty much scared of everything but most notably horses, despite being a jockey.

Whit Young

Whit Young

Ultimate Matchmaker

Voiced by: Silavent

"Pfft, what's wrong with a little joke every now and then?"

It’s said that if you get the Ultimate Matchmaker to find you a romantic partner, you’re guaranteed to have a happy and stable relationship for life. Unfortunately for Whit Young, he seems to lack all luck when it comes to finding a relationship himself. Whit is seemingly unable to take any situation seriously. He’s always cracking jokes and making light of things.

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• Breaking the Fourth Wall: He tells the viewers that they'll want to pause the video when he pulls out the list of the assigned weapons during the first trial.
• Blunt "No": His response to revealing whose secret he has.
• Deceased Parents Are the Best: Whit has a high opinion of his mom, Elizabeth and admired her to the point of dying his hair blond to match hers, Unfortunately, Whit secret reveals that she is dead.
• Irony: Despite his expertise in matchmaking and romance, Whit has a personal dislike for Valentine's Day.
• Exotic Eye Designs: He has double hearts in his eyes.
  • With the new designs, he now has Cupid's Arrows in his eyes.
• Foil: To David Chiem. Both have talents that revolve around helping and motivating others to reach their full potential in life but are very different people. Whit seems like just a trollish prankster who loves to throw puns but has a more mature, empathetic, and compassionate side to him, David is a hateful, manipulative, selfish Jerkass playing the motivational Nice Guy. Whit sees the good in others even in the more hostile people like Charles and Teruko while David fervently believes that Humans Are Bastards. Whit genuinely uses his talent and intuition for good like trying to comfort Charles after he suffers from his hemophobia, David selfishly uses his talent to create a successful career and in Chapter 2 to continue the killing game and is just lying in general. This can even be extended to their motifs stars and hearts, whereas hearts symbolise love and kindness and are vital for the human body, stars showcase positivity and hope but are known to be fatal and dangerous.
• The Gadfly: He loves to crack jokes as a way of pushing people's buttons.
• Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: Zigzagged. The creator on Tumblr revealed that Whit isn't a natural blonde. But he does have a heart of gold and shows it to those in need.
• Hidden Depths: Underneath his playful and carefree personality, Whit is shown to be quite mature and thoughtful about his classmates. The biggest example is him providing emotional support for the Charles when he becomes paralyzed with trauma after seeing the bloody scene in the first case.
• In Touch with His Feminine Side: His outfit consists of different shades of pink and purple, on top of his nails being painted pink. He also specializes in making ideal relationships.
• The Matchmaker: It's his Ultimate title and makes a living making perfect couples.
• Nice Guy: Despite his teasing of others, Whit is truly kind-hearted and only wishes to make others smile with his jokes.
• The Nicknamer: He likes to give fun nicknames to his classmates.
• The Prankster: Loves joking around and messing with others.
• Pungeon Master: Puns are some of the most common jokes he makes.
• Only Friend: While Charles doesn’t likely see him the same way, Whit is the only one who is willing to be his friend and supports him despite his Jerkass nature.
• Significant Birth Date: His birthday is February 15th which is the day after Valentine's Day.

Charles Cuevas

Charles Cuevas

Ultimate Chemist

Voiced by: Ryan Pratt

"Heh. It's a waste of time talking to an imbecile like you."

While there’s no doubt that the Ultimate Chemist is very educated and talented in the field of chemistry, Charles Cuevas has no qualms on using those facts to lord his intellectual superiority over others. He looks down upon those he views as less intelligent. On the flipside, Charles is easy to tease and often loses his cool if made fun of.

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• Afraid of Blood: As reveled by Whit during the Class Trial in Chapter 1, Charles completely freezes whenever he sees a large amount of blood. This actually was a key factor to why he couldn't have killed Xander due to being put in a state where he can't act on his own (and is also the primary reason why Xander himself tried to pin his attempted murder of Teruko on him).
• The Aloner: Played straight in Chapter 1 but defied in Chapter 2 as he pointed out, with the Closed Circle nature of the facility and lack of internet, TV and other entertainment being alone is really boring.
• Character Development: After his isolated Jerkass behavior comes back to bite him when Xander frames him for his own attempted murder, Charles realizes that secluding himself without cooperating with others is not the best way of surviving. By Chapter 2, while he's still fairly rude, he's much less antagonsitic and is willing to talk with and work with others.
• Expy: An arrogant Jerkass who wears glasses, thinks little of the others, and even isolates himself from them the best he could? Sounds a lot like Byakuya Togami (though Charles' development happens much sooner than Byakuya's).
• Frame-Up: Xander set up Charles to take the fall for his murder of Teruko by using a fake DVD motive with Charles' name and exploiting his fear of the macabre. It also helped that Charles preferred to be by himself rather than intermingle with his classmates which made it easier to incriminate him.
• Insufferable Genius: His most prominent character trait. Charles is undoubtably intelligent, which he uses to put himself above others.
• Jerkass: An arrogant student who believes himself to be above the other students.
• Labcoat of Science and Medicine: He wears a white labcoat which reflects his profession as a chemist.
• Neat Freak: Charles values cleanliness above all else.
• Not So Stoic: Despite his smug and arrogance, he tends to get flustered when annoyed.
• O.O.C. Is Serious Business: During the first trial, he's rendered quiet and emotionally fragile after having seen Teruko's bloody body.
• Phenotype Stereotype: His name is of Spanish origin and Charles has dark skin.
• Scars Are Forever: He has a scar on his arm, visible when he's mad to take off his coat. The author explained that Charles thinks it's a birthmark. It's actually a dog bite scar.
• Sheltered Aristocrat: He comes from a privileged background as he isn't familiar with basic machinery like washing machines. He even placed his clothes in a washer expecting it to turn on by itself.
• Snark-to-Snark Combat: Appears to be developing this with Teruko as seen in Chapter 2, Charles is the only one to openly insult Teruko right back as soon she does the same to him. Charles even mentions that even with their completely different shifts in their personalities, he and Teruko will continue to make snide comments toward each other.
• The Smart Guy: Unsurprisingly, given his talent.
• Took a Level in Kindness: Downplayed, but Charles is noticeably quiet at the start of Chapter 2, rather than insulting anyone or making fun of them. When the new floor opens up, he also asks Teruko if she wants a partner to explore with.
  • Later on he reasons why this change happened with Teruko and the resulting Hourglass Plot it brought between the two of them.
• Surrounded by Idiots: He doesn't have a high opinion about his classmates or their talents.
• Vitriolic Best Buds: With Teruko, also he discusses why he likes their dynamic when he points out what it is.
• Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: His bio card states that he dislikes dogs.
  • He also has a dislike of gore and bloody scenes as he becomes a fragile mess during the first trial. Whit deduces that Charles witnessed something traumatic in his past which made it difficult for him to stomach gory scenes.

Nico Hakobyan

Nico Hakobyan

Ultimate Pet Therapist

Voiced by: Clover

"A-ah...uhm...I'm sorry...please don't shout at me."

As the Ultimate Pet Therapist, Nico Hakobyan possesses an incredible synergy with animals and works with owners to address behavioral issues in their pets. Yet by spending so much time around animals, Nico may have forgotten how to act around humans. They are incredibly shy and sometimes struggle to speak when there are others around.

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• The Aloner: They prefer to stay by themselves in fear of being antagonized by mean-spirited people.
• Ambiguous Gender Identity: Nico seems to go by he/they pronouns. In chapter 2, they are revealed to be non-binary.
• Animal Motifs: Cats. Just look at them.
• Astonishingly Appropriate Appearance: The top of their hair resemble wolf ears which suits his animal themed talent.
• Beware the Quiet Ones: Despite their shy demeanor, they end up trying to kill Ace after he pushes them too far with his bullying.
• Dark Is Not Evil: They wear a black cloak and shorts but are pretty harmless.
• The Dog Bites Back: After days of constant bullying from Ace to the point of him without any regard for their feelings, almost revealing their secret, Nico decides to outright kill Ace.
• Extreme Doormat: Nico has a hard time standing up for themself as proven by the times Ace bullies them and usually needs someone more brave to defend them. Hell, they even tell the others that they can stop referring to them as their pronouns if it's too much trouble. They most certainly do have a limit, don't get it wrong.
• Friend to All Living Things: They prefer the company of animals to that of people and is a trained pet therapist. Ace is the exception.
• Foil: To Ace. They are both ultimate students who talents revolve around animals and that's where the similarities end. Nico got their talent out of their love and care for animals, Ace only got his talent because he was afraid of horses and isn't above harming pets if they piss him off. Nico is a Shrinking Violet who is very introverted but they have occasional bits of Brutal Honesty and very much has a breaking point while Ace is a aggressive and a Jerkass but is actually a pathetic coward. Ace is an impulsive dumbass who frequently jumps to conclusions and has no common sense, Nico can be logical and make clever observations. Nico is a loner due to the abuse they have suffered for being NB and spending more time with animals than people, Ace decides to distance himself from others due to them not nicely reciprocating his treatment towards the others.
• Forced Out of the Closet: Ends up getting outted as Non-binary through a combination of Ace’s and David’s machinations.
• Ineffectual Death Threat: Almost averted: When Ace consistently heavily bullies Nico and comes close to revealing their secret (their non-binary identity) Nico scarily threatens him and almost tries to kill Ace to is caught in the act when Teruko and Eden enters in.
• Innocently Insensitive: From time to time they can be surprisingly blunt and insensitive. Justified since they do not understand social cues and don't see the differences between certain mixes of wording.
• I'll Kill You!: Says this word for word when they're just about done with Ace's bullshit and they almost follow up on their word.
• Introverted Cat Person: They take care of many cats and have a hard time even attempting to talk to people.
• Kindhearted Cat Lover: They are a usually nice person however they almost kill Ace because he threatened to reveal their secret and generally bullying Nico for days.
• Loners Are Freaks: Nico has a hard time talking to people as they are the resident Nervous Wreck and in Chapter 2 they take advantage of Rose to kill Ace due to the crappy attitude he gives them.
• Nervous Wreck: They’re a jittery young guy who constantly assumes that the people around them will react negatively towards them.
• The Nicknamer: They refer to Teruko as "Teru".
• Nightmare Fetishist: Very subtly implied: For some reason they seem to like the nightmarish painting of Teruko stabbing her stomach reminiscent of the state she was in Ch 1.
• Recurring Element: Regarding physical design, Nico follows a popular DR theme of having red eyes, pale skin and black hair.
• Shrinking Violet: Has a difficult time interacting with people.
• Slasher Smile: They pull of a most distressing smile in Ch 2 Daily Life combined with a I'll Kill You!. This leaves Ace flabbergasted and speechless.
• Sympathetic Murderer: Subverted. While their motivations for killing Ace are sympathetic, they fail at it and the other students' sympathy for them is mostly out of contempt for Ace instead of seeing their actions as justified. At the end of the day they are rightfully angry with Nico because a class trial would mean killing everyone (or virtually commit suicide by MonoTV hands) and not just Ace.
• Wham Line: I'll Kill You!.

The Host

MonoTV

MonoTV

Ultimate TV Show Host

Voiced by: Artimmiss

"IIIIIIIt’s punishment time!"

A strange robot with a television for a head. MonoTV claims to be the Ultimate TV Show Host who is in charge of an unheard of reality TV show called “Danganronpa: Despair Time.” Also, claims to be a dog despite looking nothing like one.

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• Emoticon: Their screen along with their dialogue uses emoticons to express themselves.
• I Am Not Weasel: Despite resembling a robotic cat, they insist that they're a dog.
• Ineffectual Sympathetic Villain: While they are still an AI host created by the Big Bad, MonoTV is incredibly incompetent and borders on Laughably Evil as a result. This is occasionally subverted, such as during executions, however, where their true threat is demonstrated.
• I Meant to Do That: On his first motive, he accidentally mixes up all the secrets of the students. When Teruko and the other students inform him of not getting their secrets, he reacts schocked by this and leaves before returning a few seconds later to claiming that he planned the mix-up the whole time.
• Nightmare Face: Their screen turns blood red when they showcase their dark side to the Ultimates.
• Not So Omniscient After All: MonoTV is only the host of the killing game TV show. The one controlling them is the one actually providing for the participants, and they are only the mastermind's mouthpiece.
• Robotic Psychopath: A sentient robot who is organizing the killing game.
• Self-Deprecation: They flat out call themselves "irresponsible" and "incompetent".
• Suspiciously Similar Substitute: Of the iconic Monokuma. They even cite Despair as their favorite thing and Hope as their least favorite thing.

The Girl

Mai Akasaki

Mai Akasaki

Ultimate ???

Voiced by: none

"There’s a way for you to be happy."

A girl who had a bright future.