Late-Arrival Spoiler warning. This story assumes that the reader is familiar with the canonical plot of Danganronpa V3, so spoilers for that will be unmarked.
Ultimate Pianist (Ultimate Love)
The protagonist of Harmonic Souls. A girl who started playing piano at a young age, and eventually began winning so many recitals that she was crowned the Ultimate Pianist. She's cheerful, outgoing, and motivated, and directs these traits toward escaping Monokuma and his murderous game.She is labeled as the culprit of Chapter 1, having modified Shuichi Saihara's trap to catch the mastermind by adding a death trap to it. However, thanks to Shuichi noticing a flaw with the crime scene and Maki finding new evidence, she is able to prove that her death trap was actually a failure and that in reality she was framed by Tsumugi Shirogane as Rantaro's murderer, due to Monokuma's Time Limit motive failing to produce a murder victim, and she survives the first trial. From that point on, she becomes a full team leader to the students, and a primary emotional pillar for Shuichi. She also forms a bond of friendship with him, Maki, and Kaito, the former of which eventually turns into a romance. Near the end of the fic, it’s revealed that she is the reincarnation of a Persona user by the name of Kotone Shiomi, who sacrificed her life to save the world. She survives the final trial and escapes to the outside world with the rest of the remaining students.
- Hope Bringer: Kaede is this for many of her classmates, Shuichi most of all.
- Spared by the Adaptation: She lives through the first trial, unlike in canon. And she lives through the whole killing game.
Ultimate Maid
A girl with a sharp mind and an athletic body. Her day job is as a maid, but she is effective in a variety of roles, such as personal security. She was even apparently approached for a job that would "destroy a nation". Her personal motto is "duty before self", something that she continues to adhere to even in the prison school. She takes care of housekeeping and cooking for the other students.It's revealed that her position as Ultimate Maid had the government scout her out and that she had been performing the duties of the Japanese Prime Minister before being forced into the killing game, or at least that's what she was led to believe. In reality, she was the current Prime Minister’s daughter. She survives the final trial and escapes to the outside world with the rest of the remaining students.
- Spared by the Adaptation: Lasts past the chapter 2-equivalent. She ultimately lives to see the end of the killing game.
Ultimate Magician
The Ultimate Magician, but she would prefer to call herself the Ultimate Mage. She claims to be the youngest person to win Magician of the Year, a prestigious award given out by the magician society Magician's Castle. However, since her tricks are actual magic (according to her, at least), she alleges that she has been prevented from claiming the award because of a conspiracy to hide the existence of magic. She also claims to be flooded with booking requests from all over the world. Despite being at the top of her field, she is lazy to a fault.While emotionally reserved, after Tenko's death, Himiko vows to honor Tenko's wish for her to be more open emotionally. She is the victim of Case 4, pushed from a high area within Virtual Reality by Gonta Gokuhara, who was (unintentionally) manipulated by Kokichi into thinking he was performing a mercy kill.
- Death by Adaptation: She is the victim of Case 4 instead of Miu, making her the only canon survivor to not survive in this fanfic.
Ultimate Child Caregiver (Ultimate Assassin)
A girl who grew up in an orphanage. She was made to help out while living there, and despite not being particularly good at the work and hating children, apparently the children liked her so much that she earned the title Ultimate Child Caregiver. She has an uncooperative attitude and speaks from the heart.After the first trial, she starts training Kaede in staff fighting, forming a trust pact with her. In reality, she is the Ultimate Assassin. She keeps her true talent hidden until the end of Case 2 when Kokichi Oma reveals it to everyone. After this Kaito encourages her and Kaede to spend more time with him and Shuichi, turning the group into a team of four. As a result, she ends up becoming the primary tritagonist of the fanfic and helps Kaede and Shuichi infrequently with investigating.
She survives the final trial and escapes to the outside world with the rest of the remaining students.
Ultimate Aikido Master
A user of "Neo Aikido", a school of martial arts developed by her and her master. She has a cheery, energetic demeanor, and tends to make kiai yells in normal conversation. She enjoys the company of other women, but despises men—not only will she reject compliments from men, she'll even reflexively throw any man who touches her.She forms a friendship with Himiko and Angie early on in the fanfic, the former of which blossoms into romance during the Divine Souls Celebration. She is the victim of Case 3, knocked unconscious and stabbed in the neck by Korekiyo Shinguji after walking in on him setting up a death trap.
- Death by Adaptation: Downplayed. While Tenko is still murdered in Case 3 like in canon, here she is killed in the spot Angie was.
Ultimate Cosplayer (Ultimate Librarian)
A seamstress and cosplayer. She would prefer to use models rather than wear the outfits herself, but she mistrusts most cosplayers, believing they care more about standing out themselves instead of honoring the series the costume came from. Her work is so popular that she enjoys corporate sponsorships. She speaks rather politely most of the time but will get excited when one of her favorite series or cosplays comes up. She has a habit of becoming lost in thought, to the point of completely ignoring any attempts to grab her attention.She is the true culprit of Chapter 1. After Kaede's death trap failed to kill Rantaro Amami, Tsumugi snuck up on Rantaro and bludgeoned him to death, making it look like Kaede's trap was successful. Near the end of the fanfic, it's revealed that her real talent is as the Ultimate Librarian and that she and Rantaro were survivors of a previous killing game. It is also revealed that in reality she was brainwashed by the mastermind - Isas Idabashi - to murder Rantaro, using the Promotional Video as a trigger.
- Adaptational Heroism: Unlike the original game, Tsumugi isn’t the mastermind, nor is she working for the actual mastermind.
- Death by Adaptation: She lasts all of one trial in this fic, where she was one of the final casualties of the original game.
Ultimate Artist
An accomplished artist and a foreigner from an island nation. Angie considers herself a conduit of the god of her island, Atua, believing him to always be by her side. She claims that her art is not created by her, but by her god simply using her body. The particulars of Angie's country are unclear; Angie seems to have a fascination in blood sacrifice, for instance. Despite the creepy details, Angie is rather cheerful and energetic.After the first two trials, she gets the class and the Monokubs to hold a ceremony to honor their fallen classmates. She is an accomplice in Case 5, cooperating with Kokichi Oma and creating a fake murder scene to make it look like one of them was crushed with a hydraulic press, using the plan to mask their escape from the academy. They eventually return to save the others and bring an end to the killing game.
- Adaptational Heroism: She doesn't try to start a cult, she doesn't try persuading her classmates to give up on escaping, and she uses her religion for more altruistic purposes. Even when she destroys the flashback light in Case 3, it's for a more heroic reason. She claims Atua spoke to her, and warned her that the flashback lights are implanting false memories in everyone.
- Spared by the Adaptation: Lasts past the chapter 3-equivalent. Later on, she and Kokichi create a fake murder to buy them time to escape. She is revealed to be alive by the end, and saves the remaining students.
Ultimate Inventor
An inventor on the cutting edge. She has a rather strange set of priorities—for instance, some of her favorite inventions are a series of devices that make it easier to eat or read while sleeping, while she considers her truly groundbreaking "eyedrop contact lenses" boring and sold the patent. She is incredibly brash and vulgar, but despite this, she will suddenly turn into a wimp if her facade is successfully attacked.Wanting to get away from the chaos of the killing game, she modifies the academy's Neo World Program to allow for the cast to instead live in Virtual Reality where the risk of death is minimal, though it is later revealed that she was intending to use the program to kill Kokichi Oma in an unsolvable murder, at least until Himiko convinces her to instead change it to get answers from him. She survives the final trial and escapes to the outside world with the rest of the remaining students.
- Spared by the Adaptation: Lasts past the chapter 4-equivalent. She ultimately lives to see the end of the killing game.
Ultimate Detective
A boy who learned how to investigate crimes by assisting his uncle with his private eye business. While his uncle's office normally only dealt with things like infidelity investigations, there came a day where Shuichi happened to solve a murder before the police could, earning him the title Ultimate Detective. Solving the murder was apparently just luck, however, and Shuichi has trouble considering himself worthy of his Ultimate title.After Chapter 1, he takes the role of the deuteragonist, helping Kaede uncover the truth of the killing game, and forming a close friendship with her, Kaito Momota, and Maki Harukawa in the process. He survives the final trial and escapes to the outside world with the rest of the remaining students.
- Adaptational Angst Upgrade: His insecurities and self-esteem issues are more front and center in this killing game. The author dives deeper into his backstory than V3 did, and gives more elaborate diagnoses of Shuichi's conditions. They aren't as easily resolved either, causing him to completely break down multiple times throughout the course of the story. Kaede's love keeps him going more than anything else.
- Mr. Fanservice: From Kaede's POV, when he's training with Kaito at night, or when she gets to see him shirtless in the locker room.
Ultimate Astronaut
A trainee astronaut. The astronaut program requires a college degree, but Kaito bluffed his way in with fake documents and even passed the test. He was eventually found out but was kept on due to his personality and real talent. Kaito still hasn't been to space but wants to go more than anything. He's a classic romantic and often talks about dreams and passion.After Chapter 1, he takes it upon himself to be a second emotional pillar for Shuichi and becomes the game's second tritagonist, forming a close friendship with Shuichi and often giving him emotional support when he needs it. This friendship later extends to Kaede and Maki, creating a team of four. Later, it’s revealed that he has lung cancer, and from the end of Case 4 onwards, he’s given a special medicine to keep it in check. He survives the final trial and escapes to the outside world with the rest of the remaining students.
- Spared by the Adaptation: Lasts past the chapter 5-equivalent. He ultimately lives to see the end of the killing game.
Ultimate Tennis Pro (Ultimate Prisoner)
A world-famous tennis player. During international matches, he would kill Mafiosi by hitting them in the head with a custom-made steel tennis ball, earning him the nickname "Killer Tennis" and the death sentence. He has a jaded, hardboiled demeanor despite being a teenager, and claims that the Ultimate Tennis Pro is already dead due to already being in jail before coming to the Ultimate Academy for Gifted Juveniles.He is the victim and culprit of Case 2, allowing himself to be killed by Kirumi Tojo and drowning himself later when she refused after learning that nobody outside the killing game cared about him, and he had no one outside the academy to live for.
Ultimate ??? (Ultimate Survivor / Ultimate Adventurer)
A mysterious boy with a rather cavalier demeanor. For some reason, he has forgotten his talent but decides to look forward to remembering it instead of worrying about it. Despite his attitude, he can quickly grasp the depth of a situation and gives off the impression that he may know something the others don't.He is the victim of Case 1. Initially thought to having been caught by Kaede Akamatsu's death trap, he was actually murdered by a brainwashed Tsumugi Shirogane in order to kickstart the killing game, as Monokuma's time limit motive was not having an effect on the students. It's revealed shortly after that Rantaro's true title was Ultimate Survivor; a special title given to people who have previously survived a killing game, giving them access to special perks that allow them to win the game easier. Near the end of the fic, it’s revealed that in reality, Rantaro’s actual title was Ultimate Adventurer, and the title Ultimate Survivor was used to clue him in on the mastermind’s identity, and that he and Tsumugi survived their previous killing game and were working together to stop this one.
Ultimate Entomologist
An enormous but gentle boy. As a child, he wandered into the woods to go bug-hunting and went missing for ten years. During that time he stated he was raised by wolves and learned how to communicate with animals but in actuality, he was raised by dinosaur-men called "Reptites". He has vowed to become a true gentleman to repay his "woodland family" and to prove to his human family that he is still a refined person even with his "wild" upbringing. Having grown up outside of society, he lacks social skills and general cultural knowledge to a certain degree. Despite his appearance, he claims to have never killed a bug.He is the culprit of Case 4, working with Kokichi Oma and knocking Himiko Yumeno off a building in Virtual Reality in order to end the killing game with everyone's deaths. However, due to Gonta wearing the Virtual Reality equipment incorrectly, he is unable to remember murdering Himiko upon leaving the Virtual Reality.
Ultimate Supreme Leader (Ultimate Phantom Thief)
A boy who claims to lead a secret society of over 10,000 agents. He's also an admitted liar, and Ultimate Detective Shuichi Saihara seems to have heard rumors of this supposed evil cabal, so no one is sure what to think. True to his stature as an evil mastermind, Kokichi says exactly what will most rile up the other students, smiling the whole time.He is the unintentional mastermind of Case 4's murder, accidentally using Gonta as a means to kill Himiko, before orchestrating a fake murder in Case 5 as part of a plan of his to defeat the mastermind. With Angie Yonaga following Kokichi's orders, they make it look like someone was crushed under a hydraulic press, using the plan to mask their escape from the academy. During the trial for the fake murder, it’s revealed that he lied about his title, and that he really was the Ultimate Phantom Thief, and he actually leads a ragtag team of about 10 other thieves who steal the hearts of selfish individuals and change their ways. In truth, he infiltrated the killing game to do the same to the mastermind, escaping when it was time to do the heist. While he doesn’t finish it, he eventually returns to save the others and brings an end to the killing game.
- Expy: Is one of Persona 5’s protagonist, Joker.
- Non-Human Sidekick: Kokichi is given one with his hamster, Morgan, who acts as an extra set of eyes to him, detailing him on certain plans, and helping him carry out plans of his own.
- Spared by the Adaptation: Instead of letting himself get killed in Case 5, he and Angie instead create a fake murder to buy them time to escape. He is revealed to be alive by the end, and saves the remaining students.
Ultimate Anthropologist
A person who's been all over the world studying folklore. Seeing the adversities found in poor areas of the world has led him to believe that hardship can bring out the true beauty of mankind, so he eagerly observes the events of the killing game.At the end of Chapter 3, it's revealed that Korekiyo had an incestuous relationship with and eventually developed a female Tulpa based on his late sister, Miyadera, though it is heavily implied that his sister was abusive and manipulative to him when she was alive. He is also the culprit of Case 3, killing Tenko Chabashira after she catches him setting up a death trap that he would then use and fail to stab Kaede Akamatsu in the back.
Ultimate Robot
A robot equipped with an advanced learning AI. Invented by a robotics genius named Professor Idabashi, Ki-bo was born as a blank slate and matured the way a human child would and even went to school normally, which is why he can be titled the "Ultimate Robot" at the high school level. He is polite and rather serious and has trouble with human social interaction. Robot rights are also a sore point for him.It is later revealed that he was an Unwitting Pawn working for the mastermind, Professor Idabashi himself, as the student camera in the Killing Game to observe the students during the game. His actions and inner monologue throughout the fic was instructions given to him by the mastermind. In the final trial his personality is overridden by the mastermind when he tries to fight back to keep his experiment from succeeding, forcing Alter Ego Gonta to override it. He is successful, resulting in Ki-bo sacrificing himself by destroying the barrier preventing entrance and exit from the academy, saving the remaining students in the process.
The Headmaster of The Ultimate Academy of Gifted Juveniles
The self-proclaimed headmaster of the Ultimate Academy for Gifted Juveniles. He's very eager to see society's biggest hopefuls start killing each other, so he heaps psychological torture on the students at every turn.Ultimate Neuroscientist
The creator of Keebo, and the mastermind of the killing game. During the events of the Tragedy, he loses his sister to the start of it, causing him to go insane. He spent the time formulating an experiment based on Junko Enoshima’s killing games to find out just how Junko came to be who she was.- Ascended Extra: In the original game, he is only mentioned a few times by Keebo in his introduction and his Free Time Events. Here, not only is he a major character, but he is the mastermind of the killing game.
- Big Bad
- Named by the Adaptation
- Ascended Extra: All five of them to some extent, but special mention goes to Monophanie and Monodam. The former becomes best friends with Angie, helping her with her Divine Souls Celebration.
- Spared by the Adaptation: Unlike in canon, they aren’t destroyed during the executions, nor are they killed by Monokuma during the final trial.
- Expy: Like how Kokichi is an expy of Persona 5’s protagonist, Joker, D.I.C.E. is one to said game’s Phantom Thieves of Hearts.
- No Name Given: Unlike any other characters who were unnamed in the original game, none of the members, save for Kokichi and Morgan, are referred to by their given names, instead being addressed with their D.I.C.E. codenames. Justified here, as the one known as “Datamine” explains that they are confidential.
- Named by the Adaptation: In the original game, neither "she" or Korekiyo ever actually mentions her name, since he prefers just addressing her as "Sister" with a capital S. Here, she is given the name “Miyadera”, and both refer to her as such.
