As these are WMG, all spoilers will be unmarked ahead. You Have Been Warned!
- Jossed.
On the poster unveiled for the anime, Yasuhiro is noticeably absent, with the only hint to his existence being his broken crystal ball. Many have taken this as a hint as him dying, but that seems unusual, as it'd be unlike the writers to blatantly telegraph a character death like that, least of all for a well-liked and long standing character like Yasuhiro.
As a result, I propose that Yasuhiro will actually sell Makoto out to the Future Foundation by revealing the cover-up for the events of SDR2, likely to pay off his three million yen debt. The image shown could indeed represent Yasuhiro's betrayal of the one he called his friend.
- Given the context of the broken crystal ball, namely that he dropped it (due to a missile strike) after attempting to read Makoto's future, it seems to be more of a doomy prediction of Makoto's fate as opposed to anything regarding Yasuhiro.
- Nothing's given and honestly it seems like it's going to the the opposite of what you think will happen meaning Makoto or Kyoko may bite the dust.
- Jossed with Yasuhiro since he's not even participating in it, though that doesn't leave out him dying from other means.
At the end of the first PV, a message is shown:
"Well then, Naegi-kun, the mutual killing that decides the fate of humanity begins now. This fight… will surely be the final conclusion of you and I!!"
This message is vague, but one thing distinct about is the wording. The speaker uses "-kun" as a honorific, "boku" as a first person pronoun and "kimi" as a second person pronoun. Starting off, the only other characters in DR who use boku, excluding the novel characters, are Makoto (who the speaker is talking to), Kiyotaka (dead), Chihiro (dead), Teruteru (...not an option) and Nagisa (doesn't use kimi or honorifics). One might say Monokuma, but Monokuma uses お前 and the speaker uses キミ, a trait...used by Nagito. Furthermore, the speaker uses 完結編, which is exactly the sort of phrasing Nagito uses.
Going more into the theoretical path, an important point to consider is that, as Servant, Nagito has an important in that he is the one who saves Monaka's life at the end of the game. DRAE was written to lead into DR3, so it would make sense if Nagito's inclusion in the game was to set-up for his role here. One could also say that the speaker is a new character, but that falls flat given how, with the way the dialogue is presented, it would seem illogical for it to be anything but a character the fans are familiar with. And that person just so happens to be the series Breakout Character. Nagito Komaeda.
- Its intriguing but also very flawed. Nagito is currently in a coma and still stuck in the VR. Even if he does get out, I doubt the other DR2 survivors would let him leave the islands to do as he pleases after what he did. Finally why would Nagito oppose Makoto who's very title is Super High School Level Hope? Nagito's goal is to prove no matter how despairing a situation is, hope will prevail. Makoto's already proven to Nagito that he can do this in DR1, so why would he test him again? In conclusion I'm pretty sure you're overthinking things here and its Monokuma talking.
- 1. Word of God specifically said the SDR2 characters weren't Killed Off for Real because they wanted to do more with them, so Nagito's condition at the end of the game means rather little. 2. Nagito explicitly saved Monaka because he wanted to create another incident. His actions in SDR2 only work under the fact that it was pre-despair and the writers wouldn't have set up his actions in DRAE if there was no follow-up to him saving Monaka. 3. I already shot Monokuma down. Monokuma uses お前, which translates to "you bastard" and never once uses "kimi". I highly doubt they would forget an important trait like that and those pronouns are written in katakana, which is something only Nagito does. 4. Did one forget that Monokuma is Junko? Who is, for reference, dead, deleted and said she wouldn't be Monokuma again? How is she any more likely than Nagito?
- Jossed. The speaker was revealed to be Monokuma.
- Not necessarily. We still don't know who is behind Monokuma this time. It could very well be Nagito controlling him this time.
- This would not shock me after seeing the end of Future arc episode 7. He could be the mastermind, or even the attacker. This also would reveal that Hajime was the first to wake up and second was Nagito.
- Ruruka's death suggests that somebody with influence is aware of what happened in SDR2, because the method of death is almost exactly like Nagito's. After what happend to Izayoi, perhaps Nagito combined his off-kilter sense of justice with his twisted sense of humor in order to punish them: the other victims were clean, quick kills who were probably murdered as they slept, but Ruruka, like Nagito, was tortured and Dies Wide Open (suggesting that unlike the other victims, they were aware and suffering at their time of death). He may have been disgusted by their despair or, if his moral compass has adjusted slightly, feels responsible for it... so he gives them the same death he gave himself. If it isn't Nagito or one of those were were in the simulation, it's one heck of a coincidence.
- Now officially jossed.
In the trailer this line is said: "Well then, Naegi-kun, the mutual killing that decides the fate of humanity begins now. This fight… will surely be the final conclusion of you and I!!"
This is clearly Monokuma talking here as firstly "Naegi-kun" is how Monokuma calls his name, secondly 'the final conclusion of you and I' would literally translate to: 'this is the final battle between your hope and my despair!' Finally why the heck not? This is the Grand Finale of the Hope's Peak saga and how could this saga possibly finish without Junko being the Final Boss?
- To refute a certain point...this is the original Japanese: この戦いこそが……キミとボクとの完結編なんだからね！！Nowhere in that sentence is hope and despair mentioned. That kinda destroys your second point.
- Confirmed, but only for Side:Despair.
In SDR2 Chapter 6, it was stated that there was a higher chance of recovery for the students who retain their memories of despair. The only students who even learnt about it besides the survivors and Nagito was Mikan, who even got her memories back. Since the comatose students will most definitely be addressed, it would make sense to bring someone back, and Mikan would allow for a perspective on Junko as well.
- Jossed. Kodaka tweeted no SDR2 would wake even before the first PV was released.
- Do you mind providing the tweet? If this is what I think it is, it was a mistranslation which would make this God Never Said That.
- They all wake up, so confirmed.
- Jossed
- My personal theory is she also will be the one controlling Monokuma behind the scenes and be the mastermind.
- Episode 4 of Side:Future confirms that Monaca is definitely involved in the killing game.
- Jossed, Monaca controlling Miaya had nothing to do with the killing game.
.- Jossed
What if that isn't the case though?
Here's a few important facts:1. The students were spared because more could be done with them. Note that Nagito was never mentioned as dead there.2. Nagito has an important role in DRAE that heavily implies he'll be present in later events.3. Most tellingly, the only character who would logically speak the closing message of the first DR3 PV is Nagito.
I think we can be sure Nagito is alive. But, if so, why was he absent?
Here's the thing, Chapter 21 of his manga depicts Nagito (suffering from Despair Disease at this point) meeting with "Makoto Naegi", heavily implied to be Junko in an avatar. With this in mind, we know that Junko was talking to him for some purpose. It was also most probably to manipulate him, since, otherwise, why wouldn't she just use Monokuma and why would she reveal the details of The Tragedy to him?
Here's my idea; Junko at one point, under the guise of Makoto, struck a deal with Nagito so he would act as a "second" mole. Once he began his murder scheme in Chapter 5, it would be a win for Junko, while Nagito would be none the wiser on who he was working for. And, from there, he'd become the false Makoto in Trial 6. After all they act pretty much identical, down to referring to the Future Foundation as "the worlds hope" and know thing about what Ultimate Despair did after their leader died. And from there, he can wake up and leave the island with his memories back, seeking to create a despair hope can battle once again in DR3. Indeed, perhaps he might have the Junko virus strain inside of him.
Admitting, parts of this theory might seems like a stretch. But if it is true, then...it changes quite a bit, and would be an appropriately shocking plot twist that would allow Nagito to return.
- Jossed
- Jossed
- Yes, we know there'll be a "season" of them all as the Remnants of Despair, but we kind of barely know their backstory besides in text format.
- Jossed
- Jossed. She is a candy confeccionist two years older than Sayaka.
- A former Ultimate student who peaked at Hope's Peak, and wasn't as successful after graduating, as a deconstruction of the notion that attending Hope's Peak Academy is a guarantee of success. For instance, an Ultimate athlete whose career was cut short by an injury.
- A Future Foundation member who isn't a Hope's Peak graduate, but instead was a dropout, reserve course student, or never attended the academy at all. This member will either:
- Have had a more successful post-school career than many of the actual graduates, since their talent bloomed late.
- Never got over being overlooked by Hope's Peak, which drives them to betray the Foundation and/or kill someone.
- Andou, Kimura and Izayoi were expelled. Does that count?
- A double agent who's secretly a member of Ultimate Despair who infiltrated the Future Foundation. This person will either be an accomplice to the Mastermind, or the Mastermind themselves.
- Confirmed. The goal of the game is to figure who this traitor is.
- Somewhat confirmed. Chisa is actually an ultimate despair infiltrator. Whether she is the mastermind behind the Final Killing Game is a different story.
- A self-serving person who joined the Future Foundation for personal power or gain, rather than altruistically trying to rebuild the world post-Incident.
- Confirmed. Ruruka Ando had been recruiting junior members into her circle, and is planning to splinter off into her own organization.
- Alternately, Gekkogahara's secret seiyuu is Kana Hanazawa and she a robotic physical vessel for Chiaki.
- Or was the one who input the voice samples for Chiaki, as she is one of the three co-producers of the Hope Rehabilitation Program (along with Yasuke and Chihiro).
- On other note, her character profile says she doesn't talk due to crippling shyness, so she might stay the whole anime without uttering a single word.
- The major patterns we've seen repeated in the main Danganronpa storyline are multiple students thrust into a killing game, with one acting as a traitor (Sakura/Chiaki) and one revealed to not be who we think they are (Chihiro/the Ultimate Impostor). Whether she's Monaca or not, a robot or not, Gekkogahara may be the one who has something to hide.
- Most likely jossed as of episode 2, when we learn that Monomi's role in the story is a computer interface speaking on Gekkogahara's behalf. At the time of the PV, they were still both listed ambiguously as cast members, so they probably kept her not having a seiyuu secret in order not to spoil the surprise.
- Confirmed. But there was a real Miaya, she was just killed before the game began.
- In this picture, we see Gekkogahara in something similar to a wheelchair.
The other Future Foundation leaders were knocked out and cryogenically frozen so they and Monaka would appear to be the same age. In the meantime, deprived of its leaders, the Future Foundation has all but collapsed and Despair has retaken the world. Once the mastermind is exposed, it's likely they're keeping this revelation in their back pocket as a final twist of the knife to hope's surviving champions. Bonus points if it turns out that the leaders of the Future Foundation getting killed and killing each other has been broadcast to discredit them, and extra bonus points if someone points out that Monaka is pretty much ripping off Junko's original plan from the first game.
Possible corollary: Monaka turns out to be lying about the collapse of the Future Foundation. Because Byakuya Togami stayed behind, he managed to take over and keep the Foundation alive, and has the forces of despair on the ropes. The killing game the other leaders were in was a desperation move to try to discredit the Future Foundation and prevent the final destruction of Ultimate Despair.
- Jossed, while Gekkogahara is Monaca, she's a robot remotely controlled by Monaca rather than being an Aged Up version.
- Monaca murdered the real Miaya and created an android based off of her to emulate. It looks as if the similarities in appearance were all just coincidental. Also completely jossed that there was a time skip.
- They were both together at the same class and Mitarai's profile states he "wants to please the world with hope". It's possible Mitarai got this line from hanging out with Nagito before he went too crazy.
- Jossed. Mitarai's reason for admiring hope is something else entirely.
So what if the Side:Future ends with the survivors of the Future Foundation sending someone back in time to try to prevent the Despairing Incident, and one of the characters in the Side:Despair is actually an Ultimate Time Traveler who is aware of the impending apocalypse and trying to stop it?
If the Incident is successfully averted, then the altered timeline can serve as a jumping-off point for New Dangan Ronpa V3. The writers have mentioned they wanted to do something similar to Back to the Future, so time travel might become a thing.
- Jossed.
As a surprise twist and Mind Screw, they'll have Chiaki show up as a student in the Side:Despair, even though she's not supposed to be there. Her presence would be explained in four possible ways.
- There actually was a real Chiaki Nanami at Hope's Peak at some point, but she didn't survive the Despairing Incident. The AI Chiaki we see in SDR2 was based off of this student.
- Adding to this, it might have been foreshadowed in the final trial of SDR2 when Hajime saw a vision of Chiaki and wondered who she was since AI Chiaki already died. It wasn't AI Chiaki but it really was Hajime's subconscious memory of the real Chiaki, and Chiaki even alludes to his past. But since Hajime's memory of Chiaki was overwritten by his memory of AI Chiaki, his vision of her acted accordingly. In this case, we might even see a lot of Call-Forwards the more Chiaki interacts with Hajime in the anime. It might also be Hajime's way of coming to terms with the deaths of both the real Chiaki and AI Chiaki. (Though it is kind of a stretch since AI Chiaki's last words to Hajime are vague enough to be interpreted either way.)
- Chiaki is the Time Traveler(as theorized in the previous WMG) sent back by the Future Foundation to prevent the Despairing Incident from occurring.
- The Side:Despair does not actually take place in the past, but is another simulation that Hajime set up to try to save his comatose classmates without having them fall into despair again.
- "Chiaki" is actually the Ultimate Impostor, not Mitarai. Mitarai actually is the real deal, and we're being misled into thinking he's the Impostor.
- Pretty much jossed since the Ultimate Impostor still keeps his fat even under his disguise. Disguising as Chiaki would have been easy to pull off, but it's probably not so easy for him to do so. Completely jossed as of Episode 5.
- While Chiaki being a real student is confirmed, the rest have yet to be seen.
- Her death before of the Tragedy is confirmed as of Despair Episode 10. In fact, her death is what caused the Class 77th fall into despair and led to The Tragedy.
If there's an ex-despair in the group, my candidates for their identity would be either Mitarai(since he's supposed to be from the same class as the remnants), or Gekkogahara(since we don't know which year she attended).
As for who the true mastermind is? They're either a second member of Despair who infiltrated the Future Foundation, or a rogue FF member setting up a False Flag Operation in a bid to eliminate the other Future Foundation leaders and take over.
- Jossed. The only member of Ultimate Despair who was in the FF was a full on member.
Bonus points if the real Therapist was one of the students that Junko subverted, and she wanted to become part of the reserve course so that she could help Junko implement the part of the Despairing Incident involving the reserve course.
Extra bonus points if it turns out that Gekkogahara's original name was "Chiaki Nanami" (and her secret VA is the same as Chiaki's from SDR2), since she helped design the VR program used in the second game.
- Not looking likely, as Chiaki was a real person, but was killed by Junko to brainwash class 77-B, and the Reserve Course committed suicide due to an anime Junko made.
Instead of vanishing during the shutdown sequence, it's possible Chiaki is in a state of dormancy within the Neo World Program. With the former remnants of despair choosing to stay on Jabberwock Island and wait for their comatose friends to awaken, they could use that time to build her a mechanical body for her to transfer into. Considering Monomi is making a reappearance, it seems at least possible.
- Not confirmed yet, but a real Chiaki will make an appearance.
- Confirmed, she cameos at the end of Despair Arc Episode 11, and appears as a manifestiation of Hajime/Izuru's memories or something at the end of Episode: Hope.
It might be reading too much into things, though, like with Nagito from the second game.
- Wouldn't work, Danganronpa Kirigiri makes it clear Kyouko was born after Jin left his family and, had she had an older sibling, Fuhito wouldn't have had to drag Jin back when she was born.
- That said, supposedly her maternal grandfather Touhachirou Uzuchi was a master martial artist, which included kendo. Putting Munakata's ability to match Peko in sword combat along with her silver hair presumably coming from her mother's side, this theory might hold some weight.
- It's never stated or hinted at, so it's probably Jossed.
- Adding some weak evidence for this because I am hopeful. Gekkogahara is a reference to the water Pokemon Greninja from the games Pokemon X and Y. (Hence the red scarf and blue hair). A video game reference would be a neat move for the SHSL/Ultimate Gamer.
- Also, it answers the question of how they chose Chiaki's likeness as an AI in Danganronpa 2. Knowing her and understanding her personality would be a little difficult for the Future Foundation if they had not had a reference. Since Gekkogahara developed (or helped develop) the Neo World Program, it makes sense she would use someone she knew for her A.I.s. Maybe herself?
- Might be jossed now that we know Chiaki is a class rep. But maybe instead of being killed by Izuru in the first killing game, she just gets really hurt and ends up in a wheelchair? There were other survivors of the first killing game, even if they did get killed shortly afterward.
- But Chiaki was not a participant in the First Killing Game, so this could be possible, though if this is true she gets killed by Monaca anyways.
- Jossed, it's Monaca.
- Some people speculate that there might be a real Miaya in addition to Mecha-Miaya. There's some hope still.
- You were right, however the real Miaya was found dead.
- Adding onto this, the real Chiaki died quite brutally. It's safe to say this has been Jossed.
- Some people speculate that there might be a real Miaya in addition to Mecha-Miaya. There's some hope still.
◊, after all. And there has to be a reason why they're hiding Gekkogahara's VA. It's possible that Gekkogahara is Chiaki, as the above WMG suggests.But another explanation is that the two of them are siblings. It would be an interesting parallel to Junko and Mukuro.
Especially if it turns out that Gekkogahara actually is Chiaki, and the two of them swapped identities, after which "Chiaki" got killed.
- Not very likely since Gekkogahara is an android controlled by Monaca.
- In Episode 6, we find out there was a real Miaya, but she is dead now... However, just because two characters look alike does not make them related.
- Not ever hinted at, so probably Jossed.
- Possibly Jossed. She's confirmed to have been part of the Student Council which means she likely died in the first killing game by Izuru.
- She wasn't present at the First Killing Game making this theory much more likely.
- Jossed as of episode 10 of Side:Despair.
- During the PV, she's telling Hajime that it doesn't matter if he has talent or not. She also seems to be hugging him with a light blush on her face.
- Confirmed somewhat. Hajime and Chiaki did befriend each other, and it did seem like Chiaki had feelings for him.
- One of the mutual killing survivors. Killing off one of the familiar characters first would be the biggest gut punch and quickly establish that Anyone Can Die.
- Kyoko: Her abilities as Ultimate Detective might prove to be a Story-Breaker Power if left unchecked, and her death would cause plenty of despair for Makoto. Of course, this might be a bit too predictable.
- Yasuhiro: Probably the most "expendable" of the four survivors involved in the game, plus he's the only one who didn't appear in that first poster(with the broken crystal ball). Then again, no one expected him to survive the first game...
- Aoi: It seems a bit cruel to finally bring Aoi back only to immediately kill her off. But this is a cruel series, so...
- Makoto: The ultimate Ass Pull. No one would expect Makoto Naegi, the series protagonist, to get killed off first. But it seems more in character for the forces of despair to make him suffer than kill him first.
- Tengan: The ex-headmaster of Hope's Peak and the leader of the Future Foundation. Killing him early would be the perfect way to throw the Foundation into chaos, and remove one of the few checks on Munakata(who is sure to be an antagonist or rival to Makoto).
- Yukizome: The Ultimate Housekeeper. She seems dedicated to mending the rift between Makoto and Munakata, and getting them to work together against despair. This seems like a recipe for her to get killed or turn out to be evil, making the rift even wider. Plus, she's received quite a bit of focus in the previews, which also seldom bodes well.
- Confirmed. She is the first to die in episode 1 of the Future arc.
- Munakata: The Ultimate Class President. He seems like he's being played up as the rival/antagonist to Makoto within the Future Foundation, which is usually a safe spot within this series. Killing him off early would be a massive surprise, and serve a similar function that Tengan's death would in causing chaos, since he's implied to be the true power behind the Future Foundation. Plus his death might cause his allies to suspect Makoto even more.
posted on the Dangan Ronpa subreddi showing he does land a few punches to him. Maybe he will get a chance to take it to the extreme when the others are not around. He IS the ULTIMATE Boxer, so he does have expertise.- Jossed, he died before he had the chance.
- Somewhat confirmed. The attacker were forced to relive their fear and guilt before killing themselves off. In the case of Ruruka, who dislike her own actions, it led to her self-torture.
- We were told that Chiaki is designed after Chihiro's mother.
- AI!Chiaki calls Chihiro her father.
- If AI Chiaki remembers her school life, and DR3!Chiaki is a normal girl, why would Chihiro be her father? Won't those be her actual parents?
- If she doesn't, why send her in? Alter Ego hiding as Chihiro could work the same.
- Designing an AI, especially one with Ultimate Talent, is definitely something which will earn someone the title of the Ultimate Programmer.
- More over, the school would love to invite Chiaki, so they will be able to understand how you can create talent artificially and later use it in the Izuru Kamukura project.
- Potentially Jossed. Can robots eat? She's seen eating Teruteru's cooking in Episode 2. She's also effected by the aphrodisiac. Seems too biological.
- Completely Jossed as of Side:Despair Ep. 10. Unless robots can bleed to death...
