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Pre-Release
Dangan Ronpa: Another Episode will explain into detail about the "biggest, most awful, most tragic event in human history".
It seems like in a few screenshots we see planet of the Monokumas. According to That Other Wiki that seems to be what is going on in the world.- Confirmed.
The Game
This game will set up plot points for Danganronpa 3.
Just like how Danganronpa Zero helped to set up plot points for the second game in the series, this game will be used to foreshadow events that will happen in the third game. Komaru isn't Makoto's sister.
Memory shenanigans are a staple of this series, and have featured in each game. Since the Despair group has been demonstrated to have the ability to erase memories, it isn't outside the realm of possibility for them to implant fake memories. Perhaps Komaru isn't actually the real Komaru Naegi, but her memories have been altered to make her think she is. What nefarious purpose the Despair group might have for doing this is hard to say right now. Maybe they're trying to insert a Manchurian Agent into the Future Foundation?- Jossed, at least for now; no memory shenanigans show up in this game, and there isn't anything to indicate that Komaru isn't Makoto's sister.
- Especially considering that Makoto recognizes Komaru right away; difficult to see how they could've altered his memories, too.
Toko will be seriously injured.
Just because she's got Plot Armor doesn't mean she's completely off the hook. After Komaru (and the player) grows used to having her around for support, circumstances will dictate that they're separated before the final showdown so that Komaru will have to face it alone.- Jossed. Toko emerged completely unharmed.
The Towa Group isn't totally benevolent.
They took advantage of the Most Despairing Incident to set themselves up as a greater power, including naming a city after themselves and setting that up as a bastion against the forces of Despair. They also tracked down Komaru and other family members of Ultimate Talents, and were keeping them safe for inheritedly selfish reasons: mainly, to blackmail Ultimate Talents with the safety of their loved ones.That's also why the Warriors of Hope — children from the Elementary Branch of Hope's Peak — are there. The Towa Group figured they could raise them to be completely loyal and grateful to their saviors and protectors, strengthening their hold on the world. However, that's backfired on them. The kids discovered what was going on and have revolted, wanting to create their own paradise — without lying adults around.
- Sort of. The Towa Group really aren't as benevolent as they seem, but not because of the reasons above. The Incident was actually what equated to a business deal to them; they might have made air purifiers to clean the air of toxins, but they were the ones who made the toxins in the first place.
One of the characters you meet is secretly The Impostor.
Since we've seen from the previews that Nagito is in the game, it may well be that Ultimate Despair is lurking behind the scenes. Furthermore, since they died before their true talent was revealed in the second game, we didn't really get to see much of the Ultimate Impostor.Based off of that, it's probable that one of the characters you meet will secretly be the Impostor, trying to manipulate you into helping the Despair Group fulfill their goals. Given that the Impostor's appearance in the second game was based off their appearance two years ago, chances are they won't be fat this time.
- This may be confirmed seeing how Kyoko's Grandfather died a long time ago according to her third spinoff novel. If "Fuhito" isn't who he claims to be who else could he be?
Shirokuma is housing Usami's AI
She's an idol to the Towa Group because she's working on becoming a symbol of hope. At this point in the timeline, though, she's more clumsy than anything. Shirokuma/Usami's body was re-purposed from a downed Monobear unit, hence why she's all bandaged up.- Jossed. Not only are she and Kurokuma one and the same, but they actually host the Junko AI.
Kurokuma is housing the AI Junko
Part of the Monokuma Kids' mission is to escort Kurokuma to Izuru Kamakura so that he can extract the AI Junko and set up the conflict of the second game.- This is almost correct! Both Kurokuma and Shirokuma host the AI Junko, and Izuru Kamakura comes at the very end of the game to extract them.
Komaru must directly confront/battle some or all of Ultimate Despair
It's likely that at least a few of them will be skulking about, making it likely that Komaru will encounter some of them. The more physically-fit members will be one-on-one fights, with the rest being Puzzle Bosses.- Jossed. Aside from Nagito and Izuru, none of the members of Ultimate Despair appear in this game.
The Warriors of Hope are connected to the Ultimate Hope Project
That's why all five have various symbols around their eyes. That's a sign that they had talents artificially planted in their minds. This was probably done as further experimentation — after their success with Izuru, the researchers were seeing if it was possible to only insert one or two talents, minimizing the amount of memory erasure involved.They were selected for this because of their youth. The researchers thought that would help the kids adapt easier to their newly implanted talents, which were selected to fit nicely with the skills they already showed. They also probably got parental permission — for instance, Nagisa's parents wanted to ensure he lived up to everyone's lofty expectations.
That's why the kids think that all adults are inheritedly untrustworthy — demons that must be slain to secure their utopia. After all, if even their own parents betrayed them, why should they trust ANYONE?
- Expanding on that Exotic Eye Designs: Masaru is Hot-Blooded (flames), Nagisa is The Ace (diamonds), Kotoko is expansive (speech bubbles), Jataro is dedicated to his art (scalpels), and Monaca is "esoteric", being a "mage" and insane (manji symbols).
The Warriors of Hope are survivors of another mutual killing game
It would make for an interesting parallel with the first game's survivors. Perhaps there were originally more Hope's Peak elementary students around, who were also sealed away to protect against the Despairing Incident. Unfortunately, one (or more) of them fell to Despair, and masterminded a mutual killing game where the five we see were the only survivors.Perhaps, unlike the crew from the first game, they escaped without discovering the truth behind Ultimate Despair, and they came to blame Hope's Peak itself (and all adults) for their ordeal, playing right into the hands of Despair. Maybe one of them is secretly their game's mastermind, who evaded detection and is manipulating the others.
By the end of the game, nearly every new character will be dead.
Would you really be shocked, given that this is Danganronpa? The Warriors of Hope will each die after their specific arcs/boss battles are complete. The members of the Resistance will either turn out to be enemies you have to kill or get themselves killed through some kind of mission. And there will be some sort of dark twist involving Komaru (such as the above WMG) that will take her out of the picture. The only characters that are guaranteed to survive are those with Plot Armor, such as Toko and the other survivors from the first game, and whoever will be in Danganronpa 2 such as Nagito.- Surprisingly, jossed! With the reveal that Monaca was saved by Nagito, and that the other Warriors of Hope survived their supposed deaths — this is the Dangan Ronpa game with the least character deaths; only two named characters end up kicking the bucket.
Monaca's full name is Monaca Enoshima
There's got to be a reason why she's the only one of the Warriors of Hope whose last name is not given. If she's actually the younger sister of Junko and Mukuro, and responsible for corrupting the rest of the Warriors, then her role might be bigger than originally indicated.- There's also the possibility that Monaca is not actually human. Maybe she is some sort of cyborg that Junko used as a proxy, just like Monokuma. Her name is one of the things that compels this troper to guess this, since it's the only name among the Warriors of Hope that is written in Katakana, which is rather unusual since her name isn't foreign. This means it was most likely a made up name. What other character's name is made up and is written in Katakana? Monokuma's.
- Jossed. Monaca's full name is Monaca Towa.
Alternatively, Monaca's full name is Monaca Towa
If the leader of the resistance against the Warriors of Hope is her own dad, it would add an extra layer of irony to the whole situation.- You're halfway right! Monaca and Haiji are actually siblings.
We can expect many Tear Jerkers
Given that we see relatives of both Chihiro and Kiyotaka, who both died in the first game, this is inevitable. Jataro isn't related to his father.
He could be the result of an affair, or something worse. This is the root of his parents' issues with him, and why he hides his face — something about his facial features reminded them of what happened and set them off. Jataro doesn't understand why, believing that it really was his fault.- Pretty much jossed. Jataro's father's journal entry found during Chapter 5 explicitly mentions "giving birth"; an unusual way of putting it for a father, sure, but it very much implies a biological relationship.
The reason why Monaca was the worst of the Warriors of Hope.
This is more theorizing and basic breakdown of the characters than wild guessing, but this troper came to wonder why Monaca ended up the worst of the Warriors of Hope when the rest had just as much of a right to be as Sociopathic as her. Not to trivilize her abuse at the hands of her awful family, but compared to abuse that the other children faced — Monaca had it a little easier considering her family's status and how they just turned a blind eye on her. However, going by the journal entries of the children, it becomes apparent why Monaca turned out the way she is and how she became so attached to Junko, even more so than the others did.The other four WoH had strong attachments to their parents, despite the abuse that they suffered. Even if they did kill them in order to "level up" and realize their goal, their journal entries make it clear that deep down they still loved their parent(s) like any normal child would.
- Masaru put up with and even supported his father's smoking and alcoholism because he loved his father and wanted him to "keep being his dad."
- Jataro forced himself to associate hatred with peace and happiness so that way he could continue being happy by his mother's side, as she did nothing but tell him how much she hated his personality and his face.
- Kotoko, rightfully, hated her father and admitted that she would kill him over and over if she could. Her mother, on the other hand, is who Kotoko dedicates her last journal entry to and the only reason she put up with the prostitution was because her mother (who saw the sexual abuse as "making her daughter shine brighter" and thus a good thing) would be sad. The pain of the men being "gentle" with her is nothing compared to the pain she feels when she sees her mother crying.
- Nagisa claims that he has no regrets over killing his parents as they are the reason he's so broken (and he's right), but his journals say otherwise. In them he writes how deep down he's can't help but feel grateful that they gave birth to him and raised him, and he's still desperate to meet his father's expectations because he wanted to be the ideal son that his father wanted.
Now take all of their issues and compare them to Monaca, and then you realize that she's the only child who didn't have any attachment to her family.
- Her mother abandoned her with her father. Her father wanted to throw her into an orphanage at first, and only listened to her when it was a business opportunity. Haiji denied his blood relation to her and called her a mistake, not his sister. Everyone else in the Towa family didn't know how to treat her, because she was the result of an affair. No one was willing to love her and only did when she became pitiful (the wheelchair), so Monaca grew up not knowing what genuine love felt like. She continued manipulating those around her with a fake smile and her pitifulness because to her it was the only way she can get any sort of attention, but the Towa family could never come to truly love her and she knew it.
So Junko was the first "adult" to shower her with love and acknowledgement, even if Monaca knew it was all fake and for the sake of using her. She didn't seem to care as for once someone needed her and made her feel something that wasn't cold hatred. Monaca was willing to do anything she can to create a Despairing world in the name of the first and only person who made her feel like she was actually loved.
If the Warriors of Hope reappear, one of them will develop a Precocious Crush on either Komaru or Toko.
My money's on Nagisa, but it could be any of them. Masaru and Jataro were confined and Forced to Watch rather than killed.
If Monaca really wanted them dead, it would be unlikely for them to survive against the army of Monokuma Kids no matter how hard they fight back, especially if Monokuma units decided to back them up. Considering her devotion to despair, she may have decided to drag out their suffering by forcing them to watch the upcoming war (and exploding Monokuma Kids), sending them into despair when they realize they were Unwitting Pawns to such a horrific scheme. Komaru has spirit medium powers, but she hasn't realized it yet.
It's why she was able to see and talk to the ghost in chapter 5 while Toko couldn't. (On a side note, the exorcism chant was something she had picked up from Hiro.) Genocider's sense of smell is a subconscious defense mechanism from Fukawa
It seemed a little weird that she was able to sniff Komaru's cell in chapter 3 and notice she'd just left recently. So maybe in truth, that's actually Fukawa's willpower trying to make sure her serial killer side catches a whiff of something irritating (like pepper) as a way of trying to turn back over by sneezing and regaining control as soon as possible. Eventually Gonecider started using it to hunt down prey while avoiding irritating smells.Monaca's ultimate scheme was doomed from the start, especially if you take the first opportunity to break the controller.
It would certainly result in bad things for the Towa group, but they'd quickly figure out that the adults had no idea the Monokuma Kids were Brainwashed and Crazy and Komaru didn't know that breaking the controller would trigger the self-destruct. So all the blame would fall on Monaca and simply result in a more massive manhunt with no noticeable long-term difference between the bad and good endings.
As for the whole Successor thing, it would work... for the five or so minutes it would take for Komaru to hurl herself off the edge of the Warriors headquarters. She, unlike the Ultimate Despairs, does not have that weird despair fetish or hatred of the world that would allow her to revel in their despair, so all she would have is mind-destroying guilt.
Although in all fairness, she would revel in one person's despair — specifically, Monaca's, as she drags the little demon with her.
- This is made doubly likely by the fact that all the characters are Japanese. You know, the culture that came up with seppuku. Unlike most Western cultures, Japan does not see suicide as a coward's way out — quite the opposite, actually — and encourages those disgraced beyond belief to seek redemption in self-slaughter. Taking the one who caused that disgrace with you would just be icing on the honor-restoration cake.
Jataro's father and bullies were Heteronormative Crusaders
In the backstory, Jataro's father constantly wanted him to die due to how disgusted he was at his face. Except when he's defeated in his boss battle and seemingly killed, he's revealed to be the cutest-looking out of all the boys, and the reason for his mother telling him he was so ugly and caused him to have body dysmorphism is because she was that much of a vain bitch. Then what about his father and the kids that bullied him? Well my theory is that they still believed he was ugly because a face like that is only okay if it's a woman's (a belief that is sadly common around the anime community in real life...especially in America) and that the dad had strong fears that both that and his more artistic aspirations (as opposed to a more manly talent, I guess) that he would grow up to be gay. Meanwhile, the bullies that bullied him were probably made mostly made up of boys, and it's not too uncommon to hear "gay" as an insult around that age, and they tend to like bullying any boys that have any slightly unmanly traits (not helped by the fact that he'll likely steal any potential love interests).- The bullies Jataro dealt with likely bullied him because he was small, weaker-looking, and his mom made him wear a mask; coupled with the gossip that probably spread and "nerdy" interests instead of "normal" hobbies like sports, this is more than enough to make Jataro a target. As for his father, it's the same as his mother, having to put money and effort into raising Jataro that they could spend on themselves; both seem to think a plain or ugly child would let them ignore the kid because no-one would notice him but a good-looking kid draws attention, people would be more likely to notice if he were neglected, ect, forcing them to put at least some resources into Jataro. The father's distaste for Jataro in general could also have been a sense that Jataro's artistic abilities weren't as useful as something more obviously profitable and therefore Jotaro couldn't "repay" his parents by earning money.
AI Junko always intended for Monaca's plan to fail.
Quite simply, there's no reason for Monaca's insane, complicated plan. None at all. The Despair Brainwashing Video has been shown to be more than effective at making the average person just like Junko. The only person it didn't quite work correctly on was Nagito, and that's just because of his existing hope-based insanity. If AI Junko desired the plan to succeed, all she needed to do was to make a new Despair video. It's not like she didn't have the materials. Video of children committing genocide could easily be used to turn any adult into a new Ultimate Despair. The only person she wouldn't be able to use this ploy on is the one already closest to being just like her, Monaca. Alternatively... AI Junko always intended for Monaca to become her successor.
As established in the above WMG, Monaca's plan is unnecessary when you're aware AI Junko is in the picture. She's superior to the original Junko, and the original Junko was one of the smartest people to ever live. Between Junko's original ability to copy the brainwashing techniques of the Ultimate Animator and her AI mind, she could easily make a new Despair video. However, there's one person she could never do this with: Monaca. There's no material to use, other than perhaps her own death. Monaca is just like Junko, and Junko was obviously aware of it even in life. Why not single her out for being Junko TNG? There's no reason to have only one plan for continuing your goals once you're dead, especially when you're as smart as her. She always intended for Monica's plan to fail because it was the last thing she needed to turn Monaca into a true successor to her. Monica's only hope was to create a new Junko. This was the only line between Monaca and Junko. By crushing that hope, she becomes a new Junko. Exactly as planned. How an Ultra Despair Girls 2 could work (spoilers for Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony)
Himiko and Maki will team up to defeat Team Danganronpa. Himiko's magic will be used to defeat robotic Monokumas and Maki will have an ability like Genocider had in Ultra Despair Girls with invincibly. The boss battles will be against each Team Danganronpa executive. Junko did care for the Warriors of Hope
After all, what could be more despair inducing then taking in some abused kids, caring for them, then turning them EVIL and making them become murderers?