The mixed attendance of Danganronpa alumni present in Blackened Skies offers plenty of compelling contrasts:
Kaede
- Kaede and Kaito are both incredibly determined to unite everyone against Monokuma this time around. But that determination also works against them, as they aren't entirely mindful of how others feel about their efforts — and the harder they push, the more resistance they meet.
- Of the pair, Kaede is more of a Guile Heroine willing to compromise and bargain in order to reach her goals. Kaito, by contrast, is more Hot-Blooded and less flexible. Both are naturally reluctant to acknowledge when their methods aren't working, but he seems to have a tougher time recognizing when his preferred approach of tackling matters straight on and powering through isn't as effective.
- Kaito survived their original killing game for much longer; she was one of the first to die, while he nearly made it to the end. Both were also felled by their plans to stop the game ending in murder; ironically, both plans hinged on sowing doubt about who the culprit was, with Kaede being framed while Kokichi and Kaito worked together to conceal the circumstances of their case.
- Mondo has a three-way contrast with Kaede and Kaito: all three are former leaders whose efforts ultimately ended tragically, and have been left struggling with their guilt. Unlike the two of them, however, he doesn't treat this newest killing game as another chance to step back up and take charge again. Compared to them, he has much less faith in his ability to lead, or to do much more than act as Dumb Muscle. He also generally takes a more cynical, pessimistic view that tends to clash with their positivity.
- Both Mondo and Kaede blame themselves for accidentally causing another's death, holding themselves fully responsible for what happened despite how neither actually intended for the other to die.
- Chiaki comes off as much less driven and vivicious than Kaede, with a much more relaxed and sleepier demeanor. She also has a tendency to undercut her words by appending statements like "I think" or "...probably". Yet her power as a motivional speaker rivals Kaede's, and her subtler hand should not be underestimated.
- Celestia swiftly challenges Kaede's efforts, taking a much more cynical and openly suspicious view of everyone as she openly reminds them that each of them killed at least once before they got here. After realizing that Kaede is surprisingly skilled at manipulation, her interest in her only grows — along with her interest in dragging her hypocrisy out into the open and getting everyone to see that they're not so different. Mondo directly compares the two when admitting to having some difficulty trusting Kaede.
- Celestia has a reputation as the 'Queen of Liars', and shows no shame or remorse when caught in a falsehood. Kaede's own reputation takes a beating after her peers learn just how far she's willing to go to achieve her goals.
- Kaede and Kirumi serve as pillars of support for the rest of their peers, though focused in different areas: Kaede on uniting everyone together as a Magnetic Heroine while Kirumi is more of The Caretaker. Both also have a tendency to downplay the amount of support they require themselves in the process.
- Kaede suffers from Crippling Overspecialization due to how she focused so much on her piano practice. Kirumi, meanwhile, has picked up several surprising skills while serving various employers, such as learning a considerable amount about soccer while working for a man who owned a professional team.
- Gonta, like Kaede, struggles heavily with his guilt over murdering another, and decides to atone by dedicating himself to protecting everyone. His moments of unintentional insensitivity stem from his lack of experience with such matters; though Kaede wasn't Raised by Wolves, she also has times where she struggles to connect with her peers for similar reasons.
- Tsumugi is quieter and less extroverted than Kaede, and tends to follow the flow and go with the group rather than speak up for herself. She frequently makes references to various anime, manga, and video games; since Kaede focused so much upon her music, she has much more limited experience with such things.
Celestia
- Celes serves as the most immediately outspoken of Kaede's rivals, haughtily questioning how firmly devoted to the morals she champions she truly is. This contrasts nicely with how Byakuya conducted himself in the original game; both look down upon their peers and scoff at their idealism, while also identifying the protagonist as a potential threat.
- While Korekiyo also establishes himself as another rival figure early on, joining her in calling Kaede's character into question, he goes for a more subtle approach while Celes is very direct. He is also willing to let opportunities to challenge her slip through his fingers so he can continue to quietly observe, whereas Celes is much more keen to seize every advantage.
- Like Gundam and Hifumi, Celes possesses a rich imagination and has crafted an elaborate fantasy around herself which is central to her worldview. However, she despises both of them, even suggesting that the latter's presence is proof that they are in Hell.
- She and Gundam share a dark aesthetic, fanciful vocabulary, and general flair for the dramatic. The Chuunibyou tends to be more overt about chewing the scenery, while Celes is more prone to slipping into Sophisticated as Hell. He's also more likely to show subtle affection towards his peers, even while maintaining his 'Dark Overlord' airs. Celes' respect is significantly harder to earn.
Korekiyo
- Where Celes parallels Byakuya, Korekiyo's preferred methodology makes him quite similar to Nagito. Both present themselves as a friendly, smiling face while simultaneously taking steps to undermine the protagonist. Korekiyo purports himself as more of a neutral observer, however... and is so devoted to that stance that he opts not to take direct action even when he set the vote of no-confidence against Kaede into motion in the first place.
Gundam
- Kaito's Hot-Bloodedness and equally bombastic nature gives both a rather dominating presence. Gundam's attitude towards the new game is completely opposed to Kaito's, taking a much more cynical and cautious stance. He also doesn't try to force anyone into heeding his words of warning; Kaito, by contrast, often pursues the point, trying to badger his opponents into compliance.
- Gundam serves as yet another challenger to Kaede and Kaito's position as leaders of the group. However, as noted above, he's much less confrontational. Speaking his mind as he sees fit, but rarely going on the offensive, and far more willing to back down even while standing his ground. Conceding that he cannot change the minds of others for them, whereas Kaito in particular is far more stubborn.
Peko
- Sakura serves as a powerful foil for Peko. While the swordswoman is a slender, well-honed weapon who stands out primarily due to her bright red eyes and silver-white hair, Sakura towers over her peers. Both have honed their bodies to their fullest, with Sakura's strength on full display while Peko is meant to be a secretive bodyguard, serving as a concealable weapon in human form. Peko herself observes that Sakura is exactly whom she presents herself as, courageous and honorable, while Sakura notes that Peko clearly holds herself back, knowing precisely how much damage she could inflict and how to rein herself in enough to prevent doing so unintentionally.
- Both grapple with feelings of failure. Sakura is tormented by the knowledge that she blackened her hands in her previous killing game, but cannot recall how — or even who her victim was. Peko, meanwhile, takes her duties so seriously that any mistake or failure, even during something as simple and low-stakes as a soccer match, weighs heavily upon her.
