Fanfic / Danganronpa: The Immersive Learning Program

"Kaede Akamatsu wakes up on an island with 15 other students from Hope's Peak Academy, learning that she's been sent there for an Immersive Learning Program. But the off-putting headmaster, Monokuma, changes course and steers the 16 captive students into a Killing Game. Can Kaede trust these strangers to help solve the mysteries of Jabberwock Island and escape with their lives?"

Danganronpa: The Immersive Learning Program is a Danganronpa fanfiction by That1guyeveryonehates. Primarily in the point-of-view of Kaede Akamatsu, it gathers from the class of the three main games and places them on Jabberwock Island, where the only way to escape from Monokuma is to kill a classmate and avoid being caught. It came to a conclusion on July 7, 2020 on a cliffhanger.

From Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc: Makoto Naegi, Sayaka Maizono, Mondo Oowada, Celeste Lunenburg, Byakuya Togami, Toko Fukawa, Yasuhiro Hagakure, and Mukuro Ikusaba.

From Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair: Mahiru Koizumi, Nekomaru Nidai, Teruteru Hanamura, Sonia Nevermind, Kazuichi Souda.

From Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony: Kaede Akamatsu, Korekiyo Shinguji, and Kaito Mamota.

Its first sequel, Danganronpa: Academy of Discontent, has been uploaded. Primarily in the point-of-view of Shuichi Saihara, another group of the classes from the three main games are gathered and places them in the Academy for Gifted Juveniles.

From Trigger Happy Havoc: Leon Kuwata, Aoi Asahina, Sakura Ogami, Hifumi Yamada, and Junko Enoshima.

From Goodbye Despair: Chiaki Nanami, Hajime Hinata, Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu, Peko Pekoyama, and Gundham Tanaka.

From Killing Harmony: Shuichi Saihara, Gonta Gokuhara, Kokichi Oma, Angie Yonaga, Tenko Chabashira, and Miu Iruma.

Its second sequel, Danganronpa: Semester in Hell, has been uploaded. Swapping through point-of-views of the characters regularly, the last group of classes from the first three main games are gathered and placed in Hopes Peak Academy.

From Trigger Happy Havoc: Kiyotaka Ishimaru, Chihiro Fujisaki, and Kyoko Kirigiri.

From Goodbye Despair: Ultimate Imposter (as Ryota Mitarai), Ibuki Mioda, Akane Oowari, Mikan Tsumiki, Hiyoko Saionji, and Nagito Komaeda.

From Killing Harmony: Rantaro Amami, Ryoma Hoshi, Kirumi Tojo, Tsumugi Shirogane, Maki Harukawa, K1-B0, and Himiko Yumeno.

There will be spoilers from the original games, so be careful.

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These stories contain examples of:

Danganronpa: The Immersive Learning Program

• Accidental Innuendo: In-Universe; when Nekomaru offers to give Kaede IT ^note  really a thorough massage she thinks its something sexual because of the vagueness.
• Accidental Murder: Kazuichi defends Sonia from Kiyo, when he believes that she was his intended target of his death trap, only to end up accidentally killing him in the process and becoming the Blackened himself.
• Adaptational Heroism: Zigzagged with Korekiyo. Monokuma reveals that Korekiyo was initially driven to despair after the death of his older sister, even developing a split personality based on her like in canon. However, he received treatment from Hope Peak's Academy when scouted, and there was no mention of his serial killing like the game's canon. However, seeing his dead sister in the motive video began to undo the work, causing him to try and kill Celeste in order to escape and find out the truth.
• Adaptational Villainy: Byakuya murders Sonia in Chapter 3, going further than he ever did in canon.
• Adaptation Relationship Overhaul:
  • In the first game, Makoto and Sayaka had a brief friendship with Ship Tease during the Killing Game before Sayaka is killed in her attempt to kill Leon. Here, their relationship is closer, and Kaede's flashback from her time in Hope's Peak revealed that the two were dating.
  • In the second game, Kazuichi had an obsessive crush on Sonia, who viewed him as an Abhorrent Admirer. In the Immersive Learning Program, Kaito's mentoring helped Kazuichi develop a positive relationship with Sonia, enough that she frames Korekiyo's death as a suicide after Kazuichi unintentionally kills him when he thought he was going to kill Sonia with his death trap. Kazuichi's Motive Video later reveals that during his time at Hope's Peak, his crush on Sonia settled down enough that he views her as his best friend rather than a potential love interest.
• Advertised Extra: Makoto is listed as one of the four main character tags^note The others being Mukuro, Kaede, and Kaito, but is killed off as the first victim.
• Amnesiac Lover:
  • When Monokuma gives everyone their Motive Videos, Kaede's says that she has a boyfriend, Shuichi, but she has no memory of him or him being her boyfriend.
  • A flashback in the fourth chapter shows that Sayaka and Makoto were dating and were a very well known couple. But neither had any memory of this when they woke up with the other students, and Makoto is the first to die, preventing them from starting over.
• Ascended Extra: Mukuro only appeared in the first game disguised as Junko, and she died in the first chapter long before her real identity was revealed. Here, the cast knows Mukuro at her true identity.
• Asshole Victim:
  • Downplayed with Kiyo in the second case. While he did set up a trap to kill Celeste to find out the truth about his sister, he had no intention of allowing Sonia to be killed.
  • Played straight with Byakuya in the third case, where he drugged the gumbo Teruteru made with laxatives to keep the other remnants busy while he strangled Sonia to death.
• Beneath the Mask: Celeste's mask of an elegant noblewoman begins to break, allowing a few like Kaede and Teruteru to see her true self.
• Big Brother Mentor:
  • Kaito takes on this roll towards Kazuichi. It makes it hard for him to accept that Kazuichi was the Blackended in the second trial.
  • Nekomaru takes on this role to Hiro... despite the latter being a few years older than him.
• Birds of a Feather: Sonia and Kiyo are quick to start a friendship over their interests in the occult and other cultures.
• Bittersweet Ending: The story ends on a Cliffhanger with the Immersive Learning Program crashing, and the fate of the surviving students unknown. However, a single Hope Spot precedes this with Kaede reaching for Shuichi's hand.
• Breaking the Fellowship: When Monokuma reveals the identities of the Remnants of Despair and restores their memories of them, the group splits between Ex-Remnants and Non-Remnants out of paranoia and fear. They only reunite following the third trial.
• Break the Cutie:
  • Following Makoto's death, Sayaka breaks down before falling into depression. And after seeing the Motive Video of her idol group, she proclaims her want of vengeance against Monokuma.
  • Sonia firsts dwells into despair with both Kiyo's and Kazuichi's death. She becomes unable to speak after recovering her memories as an Ultimate Despair, which leads to her and the other Remnants being alienated. She is unable to recover once she is killed.
• Broken Pedestal: Celeste was at first delighted to befriend the European princess Sonia, until she finds out that instead of favoring elegant behavior, Sonia is more interested in acting like a normal high-schooler such as trying oats and reading about murder cases.
• Comically Missing the Point: During the third trial, Hiro boasts that he is as sure that a certain spot of blood came from Sonia as he is sure that his father is never coming back. Once Kaede points out that the victim didn't have any openings for blood, he wonders if his father will come back.
• Death by Adaptation: As of Chapter 4, Makoto, Toko, Souda, Sonia, and Byakuya have all been killed here whereas they survived their respective Killing Games in canon. Meanwhile, Korekiyo and Nekomaru are both killed a chapter earlier than they would have been in canon.
• Defiant to the End: After Nekomaru is found guilty in the third trial, he does not give into despair and lunges straight at Monokuma, and chases the bear out of the trial room intending to throttle him. This actually prevents Monokuma from saying his usual catchphrase and he keeps chasing Monokuma until he is led to his own execution.
• Dies Differently in Adaptation:
  • Instead of being executed by being boiled alive, Korekiyo is accidentally killed by a wrench to the neck by Kazuichi when the latter thought the former was about to kill Sonia.
  • Instead of having his mechanical body being shut down and disabled, Nekomaru becomes a Blackened when he kills Byakuya out of retribution for Sonia's death.
• Entertainingly Wrong: Kazuichi and Sonia both thought that Korekiyo was planning to kill Sonia, given that she accidentally sprung his trap and he was running towards her, leading to Kazuichi throwing a wrench at him to try and knock him out. It's later deduced during the trial that Kiyo was rushing over to protect his friend, and that the trap was meant for Celeste.
• Face Death with Dignity:
  • After being outed as the murder, Kazuichi, while afraid, accepts his punishment.
  • Once the first murderer of the Third Case is revealed, the second killer Nekomaru isn't afraid to face death, even goading Hiro to stand up and directly accuse him of his crime, then charge at Monokuma for a final fight after being voted.
• Frame-Up:
  • In the first trial, Byakuya places evidence to incriminate both Teruteru and Sayaka to divert attention from the real Blackened.
  • In the second trial, after apparently helping to save her life from Kiyo, Sonia helps the Blackened by making Kiyo's death look like a suicide.
• Freudian Excuse: Mondo's distaste towards Hiro comes from frustration when a psychic came to a house and claimed to hear his dead older brother.
• Given Name Reveal: In their possible final moments, Celeste asks Teruteru to call her by her real name, Taeko.
• Gotta Catch Them All: During the first day on the island, Monokuma told Sayaka that he hid five limited-edition plushies of himself on each island, and if she found all of them she would receive a special prize. By the time the group first arrive in the Fun House, she found all fifteen from the first three islands and two outside on the Fourth Island.^note Those familiar with this side quest in Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair know that only prize Hajime got was a series of Monokuma poses.
• Hallucinations: In the midst of their starvation in the funhouse, Sayaka mistakes Mukuro for an apparition of Makoto.
• I Have Your Wife: The second motive is the Motive Videos from the first and third games. However, while to some of the students, they show loved ones they are familiar with (Hiro with his mom, Sonia with her country, Kiyo with his sister) for others they show individuals they don't remember meeting (Kaede with Shuichi, Kaito with Maki, Nekomaru with Akane).
• I Never Said It Was Poison: In the Third Chapter, Nekomaru said in their alibi that they recognized the taste of laxative in Teruteru's gumbo, despite the fact that it wasn't found out until the investigation. It was because Nekomaru took laxatives as part of his medication, and was able to fight off the drugged gumbo's effects in time to see the culprit strangle Sonia.
• Hidden Depths: Hiro's has experience with meditation and breathing techniques, which he teaches to the others while in the Fun House to fight off the starvation.
• The Leader: Kaito takes on this role towards the rest of the cast.
• Leader Wannabe: In the fourth chapter, Hiro tries to become the new leader of the group, trying to be brave and assert himself more. But he still has enough Butt-Monkey left in him that he either fails in his attempts and ends up following someone else's lead, or nobody takes him serious anyway.
• Meta Twist: All three main Danganronpa games and various fanfic adaptations have five murder cases and one final case that reveals the truth. This entry ends at the fourth chapter, not with a trial but the virtual world it was set in shutting down.
• Mythology Gag:
  • Sayaka searching for the Monoplush, just as Hajime did in Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair.
  • Celeste describes an A-Rank Teruteru to be taller, skinnier and has his eyes open, which mirrors Teruteru's Beta Design.
• The Nicknamer: Kaito does this to many of his classmates, though he calls Mukuro by her rank of Corporal.
• Nominal Hero: Byakuya initially had no interest of joining the other students in fighting Monokuma. But once Sonia reminds him of his responsibility towards the Togami clan, he joins them to reclaim his company.
• Not His Sled: The story ends during Chapter 4 instead of Chapter 6 like the games normally do.
• Pet the Dog: Byakuyua brings out the piano from the Music Store in the Third Island to the beach on the First Island for Kaede to play.
• Platonic Life-Partners: Kazuichi's motive video reveals that he's this with Sonia, referring to her as his best friend. Because he still has feelings for her, he suspects that the videos refer to events after they joined Hope's Peak.
• Real After All: When the students receive video motives from Monokuma, some of them think they received motives for fake people because they have no memory of the people the motive claims they are close to, including Shuichi, Maki, Akane, Gundham, and Kiyotaka. After the third trial though, they receive a yearbook from Monokuma showing all three of the full classes, showing that those people are indeed real.
• Redemption Equals Death: After being outed as Byakuya's murderer in the third trial, Nekomaru indicates that he feels his upcoming execution is atonement for his crimes committed as a Remnant of Despair, even if he can't remember those crimes.
• Ship Tease:
  • Both Kaede and Sayaka have their moments with Makoto. Unfortunately, Makoto ends up becoming the first victim.
  • Between Mondo and Mahiru following the first trial.
  • Celeste and Teruteru have been growing closer throughout the story. In the end, she asks him to call her by her real name, Takeo.
  • Between Kaito and Mukuro.
• Spared by the Adaptation: By the fourth and final chapter, Sayaka, Mukuro, Mondo, Celeste, Teruteru, Mahiru, and Kaede have survived further than in their canon games.
• Split Personality: Toko's Genocider Syo half is revealed early on in the first case by Byakuya. Her other personality is the one that kills Makoto, but because they share the same body, she is punished by association.
• Stepford Smiler: As an idol Sayaka had to maintain a persona of perfection alongside her friends. She's afraid of being rejected if she isn't, especially from Makoto.
• Title Drop: The Immersive Learning Project is a program created by the Ultimate Neurologist, the Ultimate Therapist, and the Ultimate Programmer to create a virtual environment that is streamlined for its students to increase their learning capacity and retention. The students we've been following were in this program the entire time.
• Took a Level in Badass: After the third trial, Hiro takes Nekomaru's words to heart and begins to stand up for himself, even being the first to defy Monokuma when he enters the cafe. He still has some Butt-Monkey moments later, but it is still a level of growth.
• Treachery Cover Up: In the second trial, Sonia tries to cover up the recently killed Kiyo's murder attempt by making it seem he killed himself out of despair.
• What the Hell, Hero?: Kaito calls the Non-Remnant students out for quickly turning on the Remnants of Despairs after they were revealed by Monokuma.
• Wham Episode:
  • Chapter 3, Daily Life 3. In reaction to the students' rebellion, Monokuma reveals the identity of the Remnant of Despairs: Kazuichi, Sonia, Nekomaru, Mahiru, Teruteru, and Mukuro.
  • Chapter 4, Deadly Life. The reveal that the entire setting was part of a simulation called The Immersive Learning Program, which is in the midst of crashing down. The only Hope Spot is Kaede seeing the image of Shuichi reaching out to her.

Danganronpa: Academy of Discontent

• Accidental Murder: When trying to protect Peko from Hifumi, a gunshot from Hifumi startles Gonta and causes him to knock a bookshelf down on Hifumi.
• Actor Allusion: Leon boasts that he can do a perfect imitation of Shuichi's voice, which references how they both share the same voice actor in the English dub.
• Adaptational Superpower Change: Subverted with Leon. He introduced himself as being the Ultimate Punk Rocker, but his lab reveals that he is actually the Ultimate Baseball Player like in canon.
• Adaptation Relationship Overhaul: In the first game, Leon and Aoi never interact outside of greetings and the class trial before he is executed in the first chapter. Here, the two students get closer before starting a romantic relationship with each other.
• Ain't Too Proud to Beg: Despite her heavy aggression to Miu, Junko isn't above apologizing for her treatment to find out what Miu learned about Yasuke from the Flashback Light.
• Amnesiac Lover: Shuichi learns that he has a girlfriend, Kaede, from his Motive Video, but has no memory of her or their time together. In a similar situation, Junko's motive video showed her Yasuke Matsuda and said he was her boyfriend. Despite having no memory of them, Junko wonders if this is an indicator that she and Shuichi are not meant to be together.
• Analogy Backfire:
  • When Junko helps Shuichi investigate after Hifumi's death, she says that every handsome detective needs a sexy female sidekick, comparing Shuichi to James Bond. But, Shuichi points out James Bond wasn't a detective, he was a spy.
  • Gundam proclaims that the Necronomicon is as legitimate as the souls of the damn. Miu takes this to mean that it is a fake.
• Arch-Enemy: Kokichi declares that he and Shuichi are arch-enemies, since he is the Ultimate Supreme Leader and Shuichi is the Ultimate Detective.
• Back from the Dead: Two chapters after her death, Sakura is brought back by the Necronomicon ceremony.
• Berserk Button: Any mentions of threat towards Fuyuhiko is this to Peko.
• Big Brother Instinct: Kaito is quick to ask Miu for details when she said that Kazuichi was involved in building the Immersive Learning Program, and gets mad when she calls him a dweeb.
• Big Guy Fatality Syndrome: Sakura is one of the first two murders of the story. One chapter later, the story's other big guy, Gonta, is killed as well. After being brought back to life in the third chapter, Sakura once again is one of the victims.
• Black-and-Gray Morality: Most of the students see killing as Black-and-White Morality, killing is bad and if you kill that means you're bad. But after the First Blood Perk Gonta is the only one to forgive Peko for the murder she committed, saying that although he knows that killing is wrong and Peko did a bad thing, she is still his friend and has done good things too, so one bad thing shouldn't automatically make her a bad person.
• Blessed with Suck: Leon sees this for his talent in baseball, due to the expectation everyone has in his ability. This ends up leading to conflict with Hajime (who wants to find out what his talent is) and with Aoi (who thinks his dislike towards his talent extends to other athletes like herself).
• Bullying a Dragon:
  • Although everyone knows that Peko is capable of murder, that doesn't stop some of them from antagonizing her. Special mention goes to Miu and Hifumi for trying to start confrontations with her. Miu also takes it a step further by insulting Gonta for being willing to associate with Peko, despite Gonta being the strongest boy in the academy and could easily strangle her if he weren't a gentleman.
  • This action leads to Kokichi's and Hajime's death because Kokichi mocked Aoi for bringing Sakura back from the dead, even though Sakura was present and was greatly protective of her friend.
• Call-Back: Like in ILP, Monokuma's second motive is Motive Videos featuring the characters' loved ones on them, with some of the students not recognizing the loved ones featured on them.
• Came Back Wrong: Following her resurrection, Sakura's body had paled and showed signs of decay following her death, and her eyes appear gray and between life and death. The first thing she does is attack and try to kill her murderer Peko, and sends Leon flying into a wall when he tries to intervene. Aoi manages to calm her down to keep from fighting the other students. Sakura's speech and movements are much more limited and rigid compared to life, feeling aches every time she moves.
• The Cameo: Ryota Mitarai and Kyosuke Munukata both appear in Fuyuhiko's chapter.
• Casanova Wannabe: Leon acts like a ladies man, trying to flirt with several girls, but usually ends up embarrassing himself or pissing them off in some way. This later becomes subverted in chapter 2 onwards, when several girls start to take an interest in him. This includes Aoi, who he shares his first kiss with, and Angie and Miu, who continuously tease him.
• Cerebus Retcon: The Hope Spot at the end of ILP where Shuichi is reaching out to Kaede as the Immersive Learning Program is crashing around them? It turns out neither one of them was able to get out in time, resulting in it becoming a Cruel Twist Ending instead.
• Chick Magnet: Shuichi ends up attracting a lot of girls to him, especially Junko and Chiaki. Then the second motive reveals to him that he already has a girlfriend, Kaede, but has no memory of her.
• The Cuckoolander Was Right: Gundam is the only one that correctly guesses Monokuma has the Necronomicon in his hands in the third chapter.
• Death by Adaptation:
  • Sakura and Tenko are killed in the first chapter, three and two chapters earlier than their original games respectively.
  • Hifumi is killed in the second chapter, a chapter earlier than his original game.
  • Gonta is executed two chapters earlier than normal.
  • The resurrected Sakura (dies in chapter four of her game), Kokici (killed in chapter five), and Hajime (one of the survivors) are all killed in chapter three.
  • Aoi, a survivor of her original game, is executed in the third chapter for killing Sakura in an assisted suicide.
  • Chapter 4 Daily Life ends with Shuichi, the protagonist of both his canon game and most of this story, dying when trying to free his classmates from the Immersive Learning Program. It's implied that Hiro, another survivor, also died in the process and confirmed in the following chapter.
• A Day in the Limelight: Following the second chapter, we see Fuyuhiko after he "graduated" with the First Blood Perk, where he arrives in the despair controlled world and is captured by the Future Foundation.
• Dies Differently in Adaptation:
  • In their canon games, Sakura ends her own life to keep the students from driving themselves apart after being outed as the traitor by Monokuma and Tenko is killed by a sickle to her neck. Here, they are killed by being stabbed by Peko and strangled by Fuyuhiko respectively as part of a ploy to use the First Blood Perk to escape.
  • In the game, Miu is killed by strangulation from Gonta while in the Neo World Program. In this story, she is marked as the Blackened in Chapter 4 and is executed by being crushed by giant gears.
• Dramatic Irony: Angie believes that Leon would never kill a harmless girl like her just for sneaking up on him. In canon, Leon killed Sayaka for sneaking up on him and trying to kill him, even though she was injured and harmless to him by that point.
• Dying Declaration of Love: Leon and Aoi's last words to each other before the latter's execution is telling each other that they love each other.
• Easily Forgiven: Averted for Peko following the first chapter. After her role in the death of Sakura and Tenko, many of the students (especially Aoi) want her away from them. Only Gonta is willing to give her a real chance.
• Eaten Alive: Aoi's execution in Chapter 3 has her thrown in a water tank and eaten by sharks. Though thankfully the actual act of her being eaten isn't shown to the others, just the aftermath with No Body Left Behind.
• Face Death with Dignity: After coming to the conclusion that he did kill Hifumi, Gonta chooses to take responsibility for his crime, and asks Peko to take another chance at life.
• First Kiss:
  • Leon and Aoi share their first kiss together in the second chapter, and their second almost immediately after. Aoi also admits it was her first kiss ever.
  • Shuichi and Junko share their first kiss together in the third chapter while discussing their feelings for each other. Junko can tell it was his first kiss ever.
• Forceful Kiss: Following Aoi's death, Angie tries to start a relationship with Leon, and leaps at him, pulling him towards her and mashing their lips together in a kiss. But because Leon is still mourning, he pushes Angie off him, ending the kiss.
• Frame-Up:
  • Following the motive video, Peko takes one of Leon's baseball bats to keep suspicion off of her following the death of her intended target. After the second murder, Peko tries to mask the crime scene to make herself the culprit to protect Gonta.
  • After finding that Aoi killed Sakura, Leon used some of Sakura's blood to write "11037" on the nearby wall to incriminate himself and protect Aoi.
  • It's implied at the end of Chapter 4 that Miu was framed as the Blackened for Shuichi, Kaede, and Hiro's "death" for the purpose of continuing the killing game.
• Freudian Slip: Monokuma lampshades this when after saying the "lovebirds"^note he was talking Kaito and Mukuro can join the trial discussion, Celeste quickly states that she and Teruteru aren't as close as Mondo and Mahiru, despite no one saying anything about the former two.
• Good Cannot Comprehend Evil: Gonta is both horrified and confused on why his friends Peko and Fuyuhiko killed two of their classmates.
• Gone Horribly Right: The First Blood Perk is taken by Fuyuhiko and Peko when they killed Tenko and Sakura respectively. But because only the first murder is viable, Fuyuhiko is allowed to graduate while Peko is forced to stay, splitting the two apart.
• Guilt by Association: Hajime's alliance with Kokichi to stop the mastermind leads Sakura to kill Hajime following Kokichi, since he was allies with the boy that insulted her and Aoi earlier.
• Harmless Electrocution: Downplayed in the trial for Chapter 3. Monokuma zaps Leon and Miu when they annoy him during the trial. This doesn't kill them but it does knock them both out for parts of the trial, but once they wake up they show no signs of any permanent damage.
• The Hero Dies: Shuichi, the main protagonist of the story, dies at the end of Chapter 4 Daily Life Part 4, after helping rescue the survivors from the Immersive Learning Program. It's also shown that Kaede, the protagonist of the previous story was killed as well having been failed to be rescued by Shuichi.
• I Lied: Junko originally says that her motive video was about her sister, Mukuro, but later admits to Shuichi that that was a lie and it was really about her boyfriend, Yasuke Matsuda.
• Internal Reveal: In Chapter 4 Daily Life 2, Shuichi discovers in the yearbook that Hajime was a Reserve Course Student, meaning he had no talent.
• It's All My Fault: After being outed as the Blackened for Chapter 3, Aoi feels this way for the three deaths, because bringing back Sakura led to the latter killing Kokichi and Hajime, and leading to Aoi killing her best friend.
• I Want My Beloved to Be Happy:In chapter 3, Junko asks Shuichi who he prefers between her, Chiaki, and his supposed girlfriend Kaede, while saying she won't be mad if he doesn't pick her. Shuichi answers this by kissing Junko.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: As abrasive as Leon is over his hatred of his own talent, he does show protectiveness over Shuichi from Junko, and is even willing to do sports in order to cheer Aoi up after the Motive Video.
• Karma Houdini: Zigzagged with the First Blood Perk. Fuyuhiko and Peko murder Tenko and Sakura to escape together, but only Fuyuhiko is allowed to graduate. Although Fuyuhiko leaves and Peko is spared from a punishment, thus both technically getting away with murder, neither is happy by the outcome due to the two of them being separated.
• Leaning on the Fourth Wall: During the trial for Chapter 3, Monokuma mentions several times how it feels like it has taken weeks for them to solve the case and how long he has waited. This is a reference to how it took the author over a month to write and release it.
• Loophole Abuse: Attempted with the First Blood Perk. Fuyuhiko and Peko both kill Tenko and Sakura at the same time in an attempt to both claim the perk, since there was no rule preventing sharing the it. Defied by Monokuma though, who reviews the footage himself and declares that only Fuyuhiko gets the perk.
• Love Triangle:
  • Due to Shuichi being a Chick Magnet, he finds himself in a bit of one between Junko and Chiaki. Junko is constantly flirting with him, to the point where she declares he is in love with her and the two of them are going to be dating, and Chiaki is shown to enjoy his company too, and almost feels upset when she is referred to simply as his "friend". This ends up getting even more complicated when Shichi learns he apparently already has a girlfriend, Kaede Akamatsu, but has no memory of her.
  • Chiaki herself also is in one herself with Shuichi and Hinata, due to having some Ship Tease moments with both of them.
• Manic Pixie Dream Girl: Junko plays this role towards Shuichi, encouraging him to speak up during the class trial.
• My God, What Have I Done?:
  • After being pulled out of the killing game, Fuyuhiko reels in the guilt of killing Tenko in his desperation to escape with Peko.
  • Retroactive example in Chapter 4 with Leon after discovering that the deceased Hajime never had a talent, realizes just how much harsher their argument about having a talent is. He tries to say that if he knew he wouldn't be as harsh, but it's clear to himself and to Chiaki and Shuichi that wouldn't be the case.
• Mythology Gag:
  • Just as in Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony, Kokichi pretends to have been killed in the second chapter.
  • The number 11037 is found by Sakura's corpse in the third chapter.
  • Hina's execution at the end of the third trial is based off of her unused execution from the Danganronpa handbook.
  • Sayaka's inner thoughts during the fourth trial revealed she originally planned to kill Hiro and frame Makoto so she can escape the island; which was never enacted thanks to Makoto's death. She had a similar plan in Trigger Happy Havoc, though she was going to kill Leon instead of Hiro. In a double sense, Hiro was the first victim in the demos for both the first and third game.
• No Sense of Personal Space: Junko's flirting with Shuichi often includes her hugging him, and at one point sitting in his lap during breakfast and kissing him goodbye on the cheek when he asks her to get off him.
• Once More, with Clarity: The final chapter of ILP is re-shown from the POV of Gundham, Leon, and Shuichi as they work to get the remaining survivors of the first story out of the Immersive Learning Program.
• Original Character: Alexander Baker, an American alumni from Hopes Peak known as the Ultimate Campaigner, and the head of the 14th Division of the Future Foundation.
• The Password Is Always "Swordfish": Miu is able to get manual access to the Immersive Learning Program, because the login set up for her pre-amnesiac self used her crass language for the password and security question.
• Screw the Rules, I Make Them!: Before the trial in Chapter 3 begins, Monokuma explains his "first come, first serve" basis, saying that if there are multiple killers, then only the one who successfully killed their victim first will become the Blackened. However, once it is revealed that Sakura was the one who killed Hajime and Kokichi, before she was killed herself, he immediately declares that if the first Blackened is killed then whoever kills them will become the new Blackened. When everyone calls him out on it, he says he is allowed to do so since one of the rules is he can add any rule he wants.
• Ship Tease: Between Hajime and Chiaki, as well as between Aoi and Leon. Also some between Shuichi and Junko
• Shout-Out: Gundham tells Peko if she strikes him down he will become more powerful than she can possibly imagine.
• "Shut Up" Kiss: When Aoi begins rambling over her insecurities about not appearing feminine or having enough interests in common, Leon gives her this. And right after when he tries to explain himself, she gives him one as well.
• Shut Up, Hannibal!: Aoi slaps Kokichi for joking that someone might have killed Tenko.
• Spared by the Adaptation: Leon, Peko, and Angie are among the survivors by the end of the third chapter when in their canon games they died in the first, second, and third chapter respectively.
• Star-Crossed Lovers: Junko begins to consider herself and Shuichi to be this. After all her flirting and seductions toward him, when he finally begins to show some interest in her, she takes a moment to talk with her and confesses that she lied about her motive video being about her sister, and that it revealed she actually has a boyfriend named Yasuke Matsuda. Since Shuichi's motive revealed he had a girlfriend, Kaede Akamatsu, then Junko began to think this must mean that despite how she and Shuichi might feel for each other they aren't meant to be together and it would be easier for them if Shuichi didn't want to be with her. So she asks him who he would prefer to be with between her, Chiaki, and Kaede, while explaining her reasoning to him, expecting it to be the end of their "relationship". Instead, Shuichi answers her question by pulling her into a kiss. However, they cross into this when Shuichi dies trying to save the other students from the Immersive Learning Program.
• Stealth Sequel: Downplayed. Academy of Discontent was introduced as a continuation to The Immersive Learning Program, similar to the Super Danganronpa 2 to Trigger Happy Havoc. Chapter 4 reveals that the physical machine that the Immersive Learning Program takes place is within the Academy, and the surviving students of the first story^note Minus Kaede and Hiro exit the program and join the cast.
• Take Up My Sword: Following Shuichi's and Kaede's death in chapter 4, Monokuma has Chiaki and Junko, deemed as Shuichi's assistants, to be the direct participants. Sayaka meanwhile vows to herself to solve the case just as Kaede had in The Immersive Learning Program.
• Taking the Heat: In chapter 3, Leon, having seen Aoi kill Sakura, uses some of Sakura's blood to write 11037 against the wall of the dojo to incriminate himself.
• The Tease: Junko flirts with Shuichi often, hugging him and calling him various pet names.
• Together in Death: Shuichi and Kaede die having been reunited with each other in the Immersive Learning Program right before it shuts down.
• Wham Episode:
  • Chapter 1 Daily Life Part 4, Fuyuhiko and Peko killed Tenko and Sakura respectively to use the First Blood Perk to escape together. But because Monokuma used the security camera to identify who killed first, Fuyuhiko is forced out as a Graduate while Peko must remain behind.
  • In Chapter 3 Daily Life Part 2, the Necronomicon ceremony had seemingly brought Sakura Oogami Back from the Dead.
  • Chapter 3 Daily Life Part 4, instead of just two, three bodies were discovered: Hajime, Kokichi, and Sakura.
  • Chapter 4 Daily Life Part 1, within Miu lab the students find a machine connected to sixteen caskets, each one with a face and name. Shuichi recognizes one of them as Kaede.
  • Chapter 4 Daily Life Part 4, The students are able to pull their classmates out of the Immersive Learning Program. However, Shuichi had died in the process, and multiple body discovery announcements from Monokuma are playing, implying that Kaede and Hiro didn't make it out either which is confirmed in the following chapter.
  • Chapter 4 Trial, Miu is deemed the Blackened for the deaths of chapter 4, and even in the end she protests that she didn't with only Leon and Chiaki believing her. However, the end of the chapter implies Miu did went through a Frame-Up, as an unknown party within the academy plots to make sure the killing game continues for the goal of creating some sort of paradise.
• What Is This Feeling?: Following Aoi's death, Angie kisses Leon to try and start a relationship, only for Leon to decline due to him still holding onto his love for Aoi. Angie couldn't comprehend what the feeling the rejection was, leaving to find solitude despite Leon calling out in worry.
• What the Hell, Hero?:
  • Hajime to Aoi about how she'd accepted the Necronomicon and used it to resurrect Sakura, knowing the bear has been trying to get the students to kill each other.
  • Junko gives a rather insult-filled one to Miu after breaking the Flashback Light. Of course, since this is Miu, it barely makes a worthwhile impact.
  • She does so again when Leon suggests taking a break when Miu is feeling stressed, believing doing so will disrespect Shuichi.
• You Should Have Died Instead: Junko says this to Leon when he wants to take a break during the investigation in Chapter 4, saying he is disrespecting Shichi.

Danganronpa: Semester in Hell

• Adaptational Origin Connection: The Flashback Light allow Keebo to remember that Chihiro Fujisaki is the daughter of Professor Idabashi, his creator. Though based on Chihiro's reaction, this might not be true.
• Advertised Extra: The cover-page for Semester in Hell has Kyoko in the foreground, while she is the first victim in the story.
• Almost Kiss: While discussing about the possible mastermind, Rantaro and Kyoko were about the kiss after Rantaro reassures Kyoko of her humanity. They are interrupted when Taka bursts into the room to warn them that Mikan is holding a knife in the gymnasium. Kyoko later remarks that she wishes should have kissed him so she could better understand the feeling.
• Big Brother Instinct: Rantaro is very much protective of his younger sisters, and worries about escaping and reuniting with his sister Maigo.
• Broken Bird: Mikan, because of her self-doubt, which pushes herself to almost commit suicide.
• Curb Stomp Cushion: After the Flashback Light shows her defeat by the Remnants of Despair, Akane challenges Ryoma to prove her own strength. Though she gets a few leads during the fight, the more disciplined and faster tennis player manages to take her down.
• Death by Adaptation: Kyoko Kirigiri is the first victim of this killing game.
• Death Seeker: Both Ryoma and Nagito offer themselves to be killed to allow escape.
• Five-Second Foreshadowing: The first point of view begins with someone asking who they are, before stating that it doesn't matter and that who they will be is more important, and views the room as its clue. The POV ends with them declaring themselves Ryota Mitarai, or more accurately, the Ultimate Imposter.
• Insistent Terminology: Keebo has to constantly correct Himiko that he is a product of science, not magic.
• Interrupted Suicide: Mikan's insecurities pill up enough for her to try and take her life in the gymnasium. Thankfully, Rantaro calms her down enough for her to let go the knife and hold onto him.
• Not So Above It All: After Taka tries to reprimand Himiko for talking about magic, she threatens to turn him into a one-eyed newt, which he takes very seriously.
• Last-Name Basis: As part of her role as the Ultimate Maid, Kirumi requests to refer to Keebo by his family name, like with the other students, rather than by his nickname, choosing Mr. Idabashi.
• Two Scenes, One Dialogue: Monokuma leaves a Flashback Light in everyone's room as the first motive. When everyone sees the Flashback Light the scene continuously swaps between the POV of the various characters as they observe the device and read the note left by Monokuma.

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