Fanfic / An Encore From My Crying Heart

An Encore From my Crying Heart (credit: u/creepercraftguy on reddit)

"Different choices are made, new dynamics form, and only two survivors can emerge from the world stained red with reality, and pink with delusion."

An Encore From My Crying Heart by kirastrations is a Danganronpa Alternate Universe Fic where Kaede Akamatsu keeps the role of main lead by default, after Shuichi Saihara, the canon protagonist of Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony, takes the First Blood Perk when Monokuma offers it up before Chapter 1's investigation.

Compare I'd Trade My Life For Yours, where instead of leaving alive, Shuichi is voted for and subsequently executed during the chapter 1 trial and Three-Point Shot, where the mastermind is outed during the first trial.

This fanfiction is planned to have six major chapters like the canon games alongside a chapter 0, an epilogue, and five special chapters, resulting a rough estimate of around 55 chapters according to the author. However, the number of chapters for the story may change later on, as the story continues to be updated.

• Chapter I: My Class Trial, His Resolution (1) - Completed 12/08/2018
• Chapter II: Overture of Heaven and Hell (2-11) - Completed 20/12/2018
• Chapter III: Egoistic, Easygoing Elegy of Emprise (13-22) - Completed 07/06/2020
• Chapter IV: The Inmates' Ensemble (24-33) - Completed 12/19/2021
• Chapter V: Reprisal and Reprise (35-44)
• Chapter 0: An Encore from My Crying Heart (46-47)
• Chapter VI: Final Resolution (48-54)
• Special Chapters (12, 23, 34, 45, 55)

Expect unmarked spoilers for Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony, as well as other installments in the Danganronpa series.

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This Fan Fic contains examples of:

• Accidental Murder:
  • Kaede, just as she does in the canonical game, 'kills' Rantaro Amami with a shotput ball, thinking he's the mastermind.
  • Tenko accidentally poisons Gonta instead of Korekiyo.
• Ambiguous Situation: It is uncertain of Shuichi's fate as he's sent out of the Killing Game with a shotgun wound, but is implied by Monokuma to still be alive when questioned in chapter 8.
• Adaptational Protagonist: An Encore from my Crying Heart is a fanfic based on Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony that averts the First-Episode Twist of Decoy Protagonist Kaede Akamatsu being killed as the first culprit. This is due to Shuichi Saihara, the canonical true protagonist, taking advantage of the First Blood rule which allows the first culprit to leave without consequences. He claims to have killed Rantaro, wanting to save Kaede from being executed. This action causes Shuichi to leave the Deadly Game alive while allowing Kaede to remain as the protagonist for the entire story.
• And Now for Someone Completely Different: The main factor of this fanfiction is that Kaede remains the protagonist for the Killing Game, with Shuichi being removed from the game as a result of taking the First Blood Perk. However, there are short scenes or extra stories that are viewed in the lens of a different character.
• Argument of Contradictions: Himiko and Kokichi have the following one in chapter 3:
  Kokichi (to Monokuma): "Aw man, why'd you have to ruin our fun?"
  Himiko: "Our fun? You're the one that wanted to go in!"
  Kokichi: Yeah, but you're the one who gave me the idea in the first place! So technically speaking, it's all your fault!"
  Himiko: "Is not!"
  Kokichi: "Is too!"
  Himiko: "Is not!"
  Kokichi: "Is too!"
  Monokuma: "SILENCE!"
• Attending Your Own Funeral: Like the canon game, Kaede and the remaining cast watch their own funeral in chapter 13 via the Flashback Light.
• Aw, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other:
  • Kaede and Maki have a lot of issues between them, but they do occasionally have moments like this. Example in chapter 17, when Maki attempted to apologize for how she'd treated Kaede previously.
  • Same as above but with Kokichi and Kaito. Example in chapter 12, when Kaito noticed that Kokichi was scared of bugs.
  • Despite her coldness towards Tenko, Himiko shows she really does care about her when she tries to stop Tenko from being executed, only to be dragged up into the execution chamber with her.
• Back from the Dead: Rantaro was literally brought back from the dead via the Necronomicon in chapter 15!
• Badass Boast: Kaito, of all people in chapter 5 when going up against Ryoma.
  Kaito: *hurling Ryoma's tennis ball back at him* "You'll have to get through me first, Ryoma Hoshi!"
  Ryoma: "Just this once, Momota.
• Bad "Bad Acting": Miu in chapter 5, trying to maintain her composure while talking to Kirumi.
• Beauty, Brains, and Brawn: Several.
  • The main three girls focused on in the fic.
    • Beauty - Miu, the 'Gorgeous Girl Genius' (bordering on brains as she's an brilliantly smart inventor).
    • Brains - Kaede, the 'leader' of the group.
    • Brawn - Maki, the tough, cold-shouldered assassin.
  • Also the main three guys that are spotlighted in the fic.
    • Beauty - Rantaro, seemingly the fic's resident Mr. Fanservice (also bordering on brains as he has intel and previous experience).
    • Brains - Kokichi, who is smarter than he lets on.
    • Brawn - Kaito, who tends to resort to brute force to get his point across.
• Black-and-Gray Morality: Korekiyo; he admits to being a serial killer in chapter 14, but despite initially considering some of the girls as 'candidates' for his sister, he ultimately decides against it, saying he'll have plenty of chances to continue his murder spree when they're on the outside and will help everyone escape in the meantime.
• Blood from the Mouth:
  • When Gonta's body is discovered in chapter 6, blood is present on his face, and in chapter 9 it's confirmed that he was poisoned.
  • Like the canon game, Kaito begins coughing up blood due to his mysterious respiratory disease.
  • In chapter 11, Tenko gets inpaled in the throat, and it's implied that the blood from her mouth splattered onto Himiko's face.
• Blood-Splattered Innocents:
  • Kaede in chapter 1 when Shuichi jumps in front of the Exisal and takes the bullet for her.
  • Himiko in chapter 11 - see above trope.
• Body Horror:
  • In chapter 6, when Gonta's body is found.
  • In chapter 7, when Kaede has a nightmare and sees Rantaro, Gonta, and Shuichi in their deceased and injured forms.
  • In chapter 11, when Tenko is executed.
  • In chapter 16, when Korekiyo removes his bandages.
  • In chapter 17, when Kiibo's body is found.
  • In chapter 18, when they find Kirumi's body.
  • In chapter 22 when Angie is executed, although this one is significantly less graphic, and more 'wild', as stated by the author herself.
• Breaking Old Trends: Because this fanfiction is an alternative universe where Kaede lives and Shuichi gets kicked out of the Killing Game, some common Danganronpa threads gets defied like the choices made, the dynamics formed, and the people who turn out as victims, and the ones that end up bloodying their hands.
• Call-Back: A number of call backs appear in the fanfic that reference the original game, as well as the previous Danganronpa installments before that:
  • The very first scene in chapter 1 is a near word-by-word transcript of the moments of the game leading up to Monokuma offering up the First Blood Perk. It's after he offers the Perk up that the story begins to diverge.
  • In chapter 3, Tsumugi references Celestia Ludenberg while outside the casino.
  Tsumugi: "I've always wanted to be the red eyed, black haired gambler from that one video game! I've tried to cosplay her in the past, but her Gothic-Lolita attire is plainly just too intricate to get perfect for a cosplayer like me... but I'll get there eventually!"
  • Scenes from the actual first chapter; namely Kaede's nail painting scene with Tsumugi and Rantaro, and the hand-holding scene just before Shuichi's receiver initially goes off in the classroom by the stairs are transcribed in chapter 4 as Kaede plays the piano and reminisces about Rantaro and Shuichi.
  • In chapter 5, Kaede pulls one of the vending machine prizes, Makoto Naegi's student ID card from the vending machine, and the following conversation ensues with Tsumugi:
  Kaede: "Makoto Naegi? Who's that?"
  Tsumugi: "I don't believe it! It's a replica of his Student ID Card! To think there was something like this in there…"
  Kaede: "Huh? You know this guy?"
  Tsumugi: "W-well, no, he's a character from a... uh... this one thing... I kind of like... ahahaha… Sorry for getting so worked up."
  Kaede: "It's all right, if it's something that makes you happy, I don't see any reason to be embarrassed. You're the one who pulled the machine, so it's all yours!"
  Tsumugi: "A-are you sure?"
  Kaede: "Mhmm!"
  Tsumugi: "Thank you, Kaede! I'm so happy!"
  • In chapter 5, the Insect Meet 'n Greet goes ahead, and the full scene is shown in chapter 12.
  • In chapter 6, Kaito calls Maki 'Maki Roll' for the first time.
  Kaito: "We'll think about it. Right, Maki Roll?"
  Maki & Himiko: "Maki Roll?"
  Kaito: "Yeah! It suits you, don'tcha think? You agree with me, right Himiko?"
  Himiko: *tapping her lip* "Hmmm... Well, Maki Rolls can be sour sometimes, can't they?"
  Maki: "What was that?"
  Himiko: "N-nothing! Anyway, I'll be off…!"
  • In chapter 8, Tsumugi references Nagito Komaeda's death from the second game when the group are discussing the various ways in which Gonta could have been poisoned.
  Tsumugi: "Ooh! What if someone converted the liquid into gas but hid it in a fire grenade so no one would find it and then threw it at Gonta when he was unaware which in turn caused him to inhale the gas and—"
  Maki: "Shut up."
  • In chapter 10, the leadup to the reveal that Tenko killed Gonta mirrors the canon game's first trial, where Kaede forces Shuichi to reveal to everyone that she killed Rantaro, only instead of Shuichi, it's Himiko that delivers the final blow.
  • In chapter 11, Tenko's execution mirrors the second game's second execution, where Himiko reaches out to Tenko in the execution, much like Fuyuhiko does in Peko's.
  • Additionally, Tenko's death mirrors her canon death being impaled in the neck.
  • Also in chapter 11, instead of Maki being outed as an assassin, it turns out to be Korekiyo who is outed as femidical serial killer, keeping with the Danganronpa tradition of some form of murderer being revealed at the end of the second chapter.
  • In chapter 13, Tsumugi again references the second game installment, this time calling back to Nekomaru Nidai's death when talking to Kiibo.
  Angie: "Hey, hey, Kiibo. You’re pretty invincible, aren’t you?"
  Kiibo: "Not really. I also have many weaknesses, despite being a robot."
  Tsumugi: "Ah, so if you were dropped from a great height, you’d probably break in half? Those kinds of weaknesses?”
  • In chapter 17 when Kiibo's body is found, it's surrounded by the mannequins from Kirumi's lab, much like the canonical way in which Angie's body is found surrounded by wax effigies.
  • In chapter 18, Angie says that she wants to pray for Kiibo, as she feels like he'd have done the same for her. In the canon Chapter III, he did indeed pray for her when her body was found.
  • Also in chapter 18, when they discover Kirumi's body, it's lying in the center of the art room, again just like Angie's corpse was.
  • For Chapter IV, along with the virtual world and Flashback Light motive, we also got the return of the NG Codes from Danganronpa 3.
• Catapult Nightmare: Kaede does this at the start of chapter 2, and again in chapter 7.
• The Confidant: In Chapter 2's arc, Kaede end up becoming this for Miu. Later on, Miu also became this for Kaede.
• Conflicting Loyalty:
  • Kirumi in chapter 17, as she tries to tell Kaede about being the Prime Minister.
  • Angie in chapter 22, when she confesses that killing Kiibo wasn't entirely Atua's decision.
  • Kiibo in chapter 23, when visiting Miu's hotel room despite still being on the Student Council.
• Contemplative Boss: Tsumugi at the end of chapter 1.
• Cross-Referenced Titles: The first two Chapters of the fic reference the canon game's Chapter titles:
  • Chapter I's title is 'My Class Trial, His Resolution', a reference to the divergence of the canon's Chapter I: 'My Class Trial, Our Class Trial'.
  • Chapter II's title is 'Overture of Heaven and Hell', as opposed to canon Chapter II's: 'A thin line divides heaven and hell'.
• Cruel and Unusual Death: It wouldn't be Danganronpa without them.
  • Chapter II's Victim: Gonta suffocated to death as a result of drinking tea that had been laced with a dangerous chemical.
  • Chapter II's Murderer: Tenko is beaten up by wooden mannequins before being impaled in the neck.
  • Chapter III's Victim: Kiibo suffered a fatal internal malfunction and was decapitated. Kirumi got stabbed in the neck before being finished off by a stab in heart.
  • Chapter III's Murderer: Angie was crucified, burnt alive with hot wax, smashed into pieces, all before being sent down into the firey pits of hell.
• Cult: The Student Council, only this time it consists of Angie, Himiko, Kiibo, Tsumugi, Kokichi and Kirumi. It's interesting to note that like the canon game, first four members are identical the same as the canon. The fifth member, Kokichi, was recruited onto the council, but was revealed to have been only pretending to be a member the whole time, much like Tenko in the canon, and the sixth member, Kirumi was recruited by Angie in the gym the day they received the necronomicon, much like Gonta. It's implied by the author in the chapter 15 preview that Rantaro was the seventh council member due to Angie reviving him, but it isn't explicitly confirmed.
• A Day In The Lime Light: While Kaede is the protagonist for the majority of the story, other members of the cast get their own spotlight during the 'Encore Epilogues' that separate the various arcs of the story. Additionally, during the instances of exploring the academy with the mysterious objects, if Kaede isn't with the group, the point-of-view changes to someone else, for instance Kaito, when he was exploring the third floor with Ryoma and Maki in chapter 3.
• Death Seeker: Himiko refused meals and neglected the wounds she'd received following Tenko's execution in Chapter 2
• Déjà Vu: Happens multiple times, implying that the fic is either a Time Loop, or Inside a Computer System.
  • In chapter 7, Kaede gets a flashback to her execution and Miu is also implied to have some vague memory of her death via strangulation. This happens to Kaede again in chapter 11.
  • Also in chapter 11, Monodam tells his siblings that killing Monosuke during the second chapter's execution was something that felt 'like it needed to be done'.
  • In chapter 13, Angie walks into the center of her research lab and gets a 'strange feeling.'
  • Also in chapter 23, while talking to Korekiyo, Angie mentions 'Atua' showing her a vision of the pair of them in a dark room, lit only by the light of a candle. She goes on to say the vision ended with a "BANG", much like the circumstances surrounding Angie's canonical murder by Korekiyo's hands.
• Duel to the Death: In Chapter IV, Korekiyo and Ryoma had one because the former was going to die no matter what due to his NG Code and the latter was planning a murder with Rantaro.
• Dramatic Irony:
  • In chapter 4, Kaito says to Kaede that he'd never go as far as to kill Kokichi while looking at the red exisal. In the canon fifth chapter, Kaito not only kills Kokichi, but hides inside the red exisal for the majority of the class trial.
  • In chapter 23, Korekiyo briefly tries to 'send' Angie to his Sister. Angie says that she knows Korekiyo would never do that to her, despite that literally being the case in the canon timeline. Her insistence and unwavering smile unnerves Korekiyo to the point that he stops choking her.
  • Also in chapter 23, when Ryoma warns Kirumi to never use her skills for murder, she insists that she'd never do such a thing. It's even more ironic when you consider that Ryoma, her victim, is the one warning her.
• Good Scars, Evil Scars: Korekiyo is revealed to have inflicted himself with cuts on his body as a means of counting how many girls he had killed to send to his deceased sister as friends.
• Fire-Forged Friends:
  • Miu and Kaede, after watching Kirumi's motive video together at the end of chapter 4.
  • Ryoma and Korekiyo, after Korekiyo's Serial Killer identity is revealed at the end of chapter 11, and Ryoma is forced to supervise him.
  • Maki and Kaede, after discovering the mastermind's lair at the end of chapter 22.
• Foreshadowing:
  • Himiko playing with Miu's 'magic potions' in chapter 5 foreshadows Tenko killing Gonta with them. Additonally, Tenko took the potion off of Himiko, and the narration never showed her putting the tub down.
  • In chapter 12 during the Insect Meet 'n Greet, the Chapter III blackened's execution title is woven into the future killer's dialogue. Angie comments on flying off of Gonta's back like a 'Fallen Angel'.
  • In chapter 15, Kaito unintentionally predicts Rantaro's revival.
  Angie: "If Kaito wants to spend more time with Kokichi, all he has to do is join the Student Council, y’know? Angie thinks Atua and Kaito would get along splendidly."
  Kaito: *snorting sarcastically* "Yeah, and Rantaro will rise from the dead tomorrow morning."
  • A conversation between Angie and Kiibo in chapter 13 foreshadows the former eventually killing the latter.
• Heroic BSoD: Kaede has one of these after the events of chapter 1, and just as it starts to dissipate, Tenko's death pulls her back down into another. Happens again after Rantaro returns in chapter 15.
• Heroic Sacrifice:
  • In chapter 1, Shuichi 'owns up' to 'killing' Rantaro, despite Kaede being the 'murderer' in order to prevent the execution from happening.
  • Later on in the same chapter, Shuichi jumps in front of an Exisal about to shoot Kaede, taking a literal bullet for her.
  • In chapter 11, Kaede offers to be executed in Tenko's steed, as she believes wholeheartedly that she's also a blackened student.
  • In chapter 22, Angie admits purposefully elongating the trial in an attempt to find Kirumi's killer, but, upon failing, accepts her death with open arms.
  • In chapter 33, we learn that Korekiyo took Rantaro's place as the potential victim for Ryoma because the former knew he was going to die no matter what due to his NG Code.
• Hollywood Healing: Averted several times.
  • After Kaede sprains her ankle in chapter 5, various characters including Kaede herself bring up the injury until around the middle of Chapter III. After chapter 5, Kaede gradually manages to walk unaided again.
  • The injuries Himiko sustained after Tenko's execution in chapter 11 are still present in chapters 15 and 16.
• Humiliation Conga: Kaito throughout the course of Chapter III. He gets pranked multiple times by Kokichi sneaking up on him, gets spooked by Angie's talk of bring back the dead, seems to be the one of the only people genuinely scared by Rantaro rising from the dead, is mistaken for being riddled with the despair disease, and by the end of the Daily Life section, is found passed out in the girl's bathroom due to his Incurable Coughof Death.
• Idiosyncratic Episode Naming: Every Chapter of the fic, including the title contains a Musical Reference:
  • An Encore from my Crying Heart
  • My Class Trial, His Resolution
  • Overture of Heaven and Hell
  • Egoistic, Easy-going Elegy of Emprise
  • Reprisal and Reprise
  • Final Resolution
• It's All My Fault: This is how Kaede feels about Rantaro's death and Shuichi's tight situation. And with every death and murder that follows, Kaede constantly blames herself for her lack of abilities as a proper leader.
• Late-Arrival Spoiler: Seriously, it is highly recommended that you play the original game, or watch a Let's Play, before reading this fanfiction.
• Mood Whiplash: The fic cuts from chapters where a character is brutally executed, to quickly to lighter, more humorous chapters (usually bonus scenes during the Encore Epilogues) and then back to the main story and the start of the next arc without any real time for the readers to transition.
• Must Not Die a Virgin: Kiibo with Miu in chapter 23, although it's only implied.
• My God, What Have I Done?:
  • Kaede often thinks about Rantaro and Shuichi, and what she could have done to prevent the outcome that happened in chapter 1. She also wonders whether or not Shuichi inadvertently helping her escape her execution was the right thing to do. This feeling only worsens after Tenko's death in chapter 11, which sorely reminds Kaede of her own failed murder plan, to the point where she tries to take Tenko's place before the execution.
  • Ryoma was so guilt-ridden about reverting back to Killer Tennis by harming his classmates in order to get his Kubs Pad back that he locked himself up in a prison cell in chapter 6.
  • Tenko was horrified when she found out that her murder trap, which was meant for Korekiyo, ended up killing Gonta by complete accident in chapter 9.
• Never Give the Captain a Straight Answer:
  • In chapter 6, when Kaede tells Ryoma about her being Rantaro's true killer through handing him her Kubs Kard. Conversely, the following day Ryoma leaves Kaede a note telling her to meet him in the Boiler Room to discuss her 'secret'.
  • Kokichi, on multiple occasions during class trials.
  • Kiibo and Maki in chapter 16, when Kaede's inquiring why Kiibo's taking her temperature. They insist that Kaede comes to Kirumi's lab to see for herself.
• "Not So Different" Remark:
  • In chapter 11, Kaede sees herself in Tenko, when Tenko tries to murder one person, but ends up accidentlly killing another.
  • In chapter 14, Kaede, Ryoma, Korekiyo, and Maki have a conversation in the Ultimate Prisoner's lab. Ryoma mentions how similar he and Korekiyo are, as they both became serial killers for the women they loved.
  • Chapter 23 highlights how similar Korekiyo and Angie actually are. Both obey the voices in their heads, and consider said voice to be above them in terms of importance.
• Odd Friendship: Gonta and Ryoma, in this fic's case. Also Korekiyo and Angie, to an extent.
• Precision F-Strike:
  • In chapter 5, when Kaito alerts Kaede and Kiibo to Gonta's pursuit of them.
  Kaito: "KAEDE, WATCH OUT! GONTA'S COMING FOR YOU!"
  Kaede: *eyes widening* "Oh... shit."
  • And again in chapter 15 when Kaede gets into a shouting match with Angie.
  Kaede: "Don’t give me that— that bullshit!"
• Right for the Wrong Reasons:
  • In chapter 2, Miu accuses Tsumugi of being the mastermind, based solely on the fact that she wears glasses. This is quickly shut down when Kokichi points out that Gonta also wears glasses.
  Miu: "Tch, I dunno about a traitor. But I'm pretty fuckin' sure the mastermind's Tsumugi!"
  Tsumugi: "W-what!? Why am I suddenly being accused of being the mastermind?"
  Miu: "It's pretty fuckin' obvious when you think about it. All the big bosses on TV and shit wear glasses! Which makes you, four-eyes, automatically suspicious!"
  Kiibo: "Please wait, Miu, your logic does not make any sense whatsoever!"
  Kokichi: "Kii-boy's right for once! If that was the case, wouldn't Gonta be as equally suspicious?"
  Gonta: *jumping out of his chair* "Wh-what!? Gonta can assure you that he not mastermind! Gentlemen NEVER make killing games!"
  • In chapter 8, Miu was also right about Gonta's murderer being Tenko. Her mistake was that she thought Tenko intentionally killed Gonta with her Aikido skills because the latter was a guy, when in reality, Tenko killed Gonta by accident with her trap that was meant for Korekiyo.
• Robot Maid: In chapter 3, Kiibo thinks it's a good idea to try being a maid as a means of learning how to be more human. This ends in him wearing Kirumi's spare maid uniform in chapter 5.
• Ship Tease: There's plenty of fanservice and shipbaiting throughout the fic:
  • Pretty much the entirety of the second half of chapter 1 with Kaede and Shuichi.
  • Maki and Kaito have plenty of scenes together throughout the fic.
  • As do Tenko and Himiko, and Gonta and Ryoma.
  • Miu and Kaede have loads of scenes together, as do Kaede and Kaito, and Kaede and Tenko.
  • Kaito and Kokichi, and Maki and Kaede appear to be written as the two pairs of rivals during the fics duration, though this looks set to change after chapter 22's ending, as Maki and Kaede discover the mastermind's hidden lair together.
  • Angie and Korekiyo, and Kiibo and Miu are both two pairs seen interacting with one another at various points, often flirtatiously.
  • After chapter 15, Rantaro and Kaede seem to constantly find themselves with one another, despite the irony, and Kaede's clear discomfort considering what happened in the first chapter.
• Shout-Out: In Chapter III, Angie tries to stop a key from working via covering it in paint, so that the layer of paint would change the key’s shape. The author outright states that she got the idea from a puzzle in Your Turn to Die.
• Taking the Bullet: Shuichi does exactly this near the end of the first chapter.
• The Lost Lenore: Because it's Danganronpa!
  • In Chapter I, for Kaede, this is Shuichi when he takes the First Blood Perk and leaves early to save her, only for him to later take a literal bullet for her.
  • In Chapter II, Himiko loses Tenko, and Ryoma loses Gonta
  • In Chapter III, Miu loses Kiibo. To add to the pain, it's revealed in chapter 23 that a few hours/days before the murder, the pair had confessed their true feelings to one another. Also in Chapter III, at the end of chapter 22, Korekiyo leaves the trial room suspiciously quickly with his head down. It's revealed in chapter 23 that he had earlier opened up to Angie about his sister, and that Angie had drawn him a portrait of her in return for him dressing the cuts she'd sustained falling into one of his lab display cases.
• "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Happens multiple times throughout the story:
  • Both Maki and Kokichi berate Kaede heavily in chapter 4 for wearing Shuichi's hat, and as the fic goes on, both get progressively more aggressive towards Kaede, especially Kokichi, when he finds out that Kaede is Rantaro's true killer.
  • Kaito gives Ryoma two seperate ones; the first is in chapter 3, lamenting the throwing away of his (Ryoma's) past, the second is in chapter 6 when Ryoma holes himself away in his shower room after going on a non-murderous rampage.
  • In chapter 15, Kaede finally gives Angie a piece of her mind when Angie smashes the third flashback light into pieces.
• Trauma Button: It is suggested that Kaede and Miu vaguely remember their deaths via strangulation because of they panicked reactions to finding out that Gonta suffocated to death.
• Inside a Computer System: It is heavily, heavily implied that this story is taking place in [[spoiler: a virtual reality.
• What the Hell, Hero?: Maki and Kokichi both have a tendency to call out Kaede whenever the she seems to hesitate or make poor choices due to Kaede's trust in others or fear of hurting them.
• Wham Line: From Kokichi after the fourth class trial.
  Kokichi: Alrighty then! Have a good night, Himiko! Or should I say... traitor.
• Wham Shot:
  • Chapter I: Shuichi taking the First Blood Perk and legitimately graduating but not before getting shot by an exisal.
  • Chapter II: Tenko, who the author sets up to be one of Kaede's sidekicks/closest friends ends up getting killed off after just 11 chapters. Also, Korekiyo's Serial Killer reveal at the very end of chapter 11.
  • Chapter III: Rantaro's Back from the Dead scene at the very end of chapter 15. Also, the reveal that the mastermind murdered Kirumi, and set Angie up to be executed so that the killing game can continue.
  • Chapter IV: At the end of chapter 28, Kaede found out that the NG Code of a dead Korekiyo is that he will die unless he kills someone before leaving the Neo World Program. And at the end of chapter 33, Kokichi calls Himiko the "traitor".