History TearJerker / ThePredespairKids

* Overlapping with SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments, for her practical exam, Mage made a gingerbread replica of Hope's Peak, complete with edible figures of all the students, including angel-like figures of Hiyoko, Yasuke, and even [[TheDarkChick Celeste]].

* The Incident of Hope's Peak Academy initially started as one. Rogue finally decides to turn against Junko, who then promptly decides to kill her. Mukuro arrives to protect her, but Junko pulls out a silenced pistol and threatens to kill them and everyone else on the school roof. While Mukuro is ready to fight back, Junko tries to crush her resolve by bringing up Fenrir and insisting they're NotSoDifferent, which sends Mukuro into a HeroicBSOD of her own. Then Mikan appears, revealing herself as the first of Junko's Remnants of Despair, and prepares to kill both Mukuro and Rogue. Of course, all of this turns into one massive SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome for [[BigDamnHeroes several of the students]], especially [[FakeDefector Mikan]].

* "A final attempt" is Kyoji's, well, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin final attempt]] at dissuading Junpei from going through with his despair plan. He asks if he can really go through with it, to which Junpei replies that he's come to far to give up now. Kyoji replies that [[NotSoDifferent he had the exact same mindset back when he was experimenting on people under order of the Steering Committee.]] He elaborates (in gruesome detail) about what he considers [[MyGreatestFailure the worst thing he's ever done]]: lobotomizing a crying boy while dissecting him, just so he could get some peace of mind. And he was just one of countless other victims of human experimentation. And then he goes on to say that Junpei is the only one in control of his destiny, that he can stop and should stop if he isn't prepared to live with the consequences of his actions. But he ultimately fails to convince Junpei not to go through with it and walks away, stating that it's his decision and Kyoji silently hopes everything works out for him.

** Sayaka: admits to having done some terrible things in order to make it big as an idol, a position where she has to maintain a cutesy facade toward an audience that's often fetishistic toward her and where she can't even express her [[BiTheWay true sexuality]]. But she refuses to go back, on the grounds that everything she's done would've been AllForNothing.

* The Incident of Hope's Peak Academy initially started as one. Rogue finally decides to turn against Junko, who then promptly decides to kill her. Mukuro arrives to protect her, but Junko pulls out a silenced pistol and threatens to kill them and everyone else on the school roof. While Mukuro is ready to fight back, Junko tries to crush her resolve by bringing up Fenrir and insisting they're NotSoDifferent, which sends Mukuro into a HeroicBSOD of her own. Then Mikan appears, revealing herself as the first of Junko's Remnants of Despair, and prepares to kill both Mukuro and Rogue. Of course, all of this turns into one massive CrowningMomentOfAwesome for [[BigDamnHeroes several of the students]], especially [[FakeDefector Mikan]].

* Overlapping with HeartwarmingMoments, for her practical exam, Mage made a gingerbread replica of Hope's Peak, complete with edible figures of all the students, including angel-like figures of Hiyoko, Yasuke, and even [[TheDarkChick Celeste]].

** And it turns out Nakashima is the traitor, and partly responsible for his death. Miaya and Malcom don't want to believe it, but boy they do not take it well, [[DespairEventHorizon especially the latter.]]

* In the midst of [[spoiler: Yuuko's DeadlyGame]], Sly learns that [[spoiler: Mahiru]] has apparently not only been a despair the whole time, but [[spoiler: ''she'' was the one responsible for Hiyoko's murder. Thankfully, it turns out her NG code forces her to lie.]]
** [[spoiler: Of course, the reveal of the true isn't much better. It's Ryouko.]]

* While one would be very hard pressed to actually feel sympathy for Maverick, [[http://askthedespairkids.tumblr.com/post/157410974124/its-not-me-its-not-you-its-her It's Not Me, It's Not You, It's Her]] does a pretty good job trying to get you to do so. A summary? [[spoiler: Maverick visits his ex-girlfriend, and reveals that he found out they had a child together in the worst possible way- through Junko Enoshima sending him pictures of said child's corpse, after she'd brutally beaten them to death.]]

* Sonia personally blames herself for what happened to Kazuichi, even saying she should've died instead of him. And without Novoselic, she feels completely useless.

* When Kyoji goes to tell Mikan his plan for contacting Byakuya, Toko, and the captives, she's on the roof crying to herself and wondering why no one was kidnapped for her. Considering how many of the group had friends and family members who were taken, even ''Toko'', whose only close friend is a stinkbug, it makes you realize just how lonely and unloving Mikan's life has been.

** As a side note, Karma's creator has stated they've based a lot of Karma's [[AbusiveParents back]][[DarkAndTroubledPast story]] and [[StepfordSmiler personality]] on [[WriteWhatYouKnow her own life experiences.]]

* When we finally get to meet the Towa City captives, we see they aren't exactly holding up well, apart from [[{{Keet}} Yuta.]] Taichi is utterly baffled as to how or why Chihiro became a despair.

** What makes it even worse? Hirotada proposed to her just a few days after the Tragedy began, with a ring he made out of clay. And she lost it in the chaos.

* [[http://askthedespairkids.tumblr.com/post/154554082449/1-year-anniversary-otonashis-book Sly reading through]] [[TragicKeepsake Ryouko's notebook.]]

** As a side note, it's been heavily implied many times that Karma's creator has based a lot of Karma's [[AbusiveParents back]][[DarkAndTroubledPast story]] and [[StepfordSmiler personality]] on [[WriteWhatYouKnow her own life experiences.]]

--> '''Hajime:''' Oh no, it could be a joke right?! Just a joke! No! It’s not a damn joke!

* [[http://askthedespairkids.tumblr.com/post/153316116769/miaya-are-you-sad-about-what-happened-to-ryouko Miaya didn't take Ryouko's death well.]]

--> '''Mukuro:''' My sister just caused the apocalypse so people don’t exactly want anything to do with me. Let’s be honest, I got placed in the second branch, not because I’m a soldier, but because Tengan-san can report directly to Chairman Munakata if I act out of line.

!! The Despair Kids

* The Fall of Hope's Peak is equally hard on Ethos. Not only does he find out his best friend and girlfriend are members of Ultimate Despair, but he ends up losing his arm because of said best friend, and later Yuuko sends him a video of Hope's Peak being demolished, killing 2,379 people still trapped inside. She tells him it was all thanks to the information she gave him. [[ItsAllMyFault He can't help but feel responsible.]]

* "Goodbye, Academy of Despair" has the remaining students flee the school on-board the Future Foundation's rescue helicopter. They're all horrified by what's happened and left wondering where their friends could be, but ultimately they have no choice but to leave.