History YMMV / DanganronpaV3KillingHarmony

** Kaito's [[KickTheDog kick the dog]] moment to Shuichi at the end of chapter 1 is also a realistic portrayal of abuse; almost as if it was an abusive dad doing this to their own child as a result of [[BlindedByRage impulsive offensiveness]], Heckling someone for wallowing in a HeroicBSOD instead of saying death threats to Monokuma IS one hell of a [[KickTheDog kick the dog]] moment. [[WhatTheHellHero Tenko does]] [[EveryoneHasStandards Kaito him out on his and he [[HeartfeltApology apologized to Shuichi for it though]].

** Kokichi/Himiko was popular pre-release because those two were the youngest-looking characters in the game. Post-release, it has largely since been dropped in favor of the likes of Shuichi/Kokichi and Himiko/Tenko, both of which are at the least heavily implied to have one-sided romantic feelings involved. For an added punch, Himiko actively dislikes Kokichi for his actions, though Kokichi does teasingly joke about having a crush on her on a few occasions and it still has a fanbase.

** Gonta's trial and execution can come across as this. Not just because of him being TooGoodForThisSinfulEarth, but because of the fact that he has '''zero memory''' of committing the murder in the first place. If any trial were to teach you that [[AwfulTruth the truth is not entirely a good thing]], it would be this trial.

** Shuichi Saihara became far less popular when it was confirmed that he took over protagonist duties for the deceased Kaede from Chapter 2 onward. While few people outright hate him, on the whole, it's hard to find someone who would have honestly preferred him over a full game where Kaede was the main playable protagonist. Even in-universe, the ''Danganronpa'' audience wishes he had died instead of Kaede.

* {{Anvilicious}}: When a system is forcing you to choose the lesser of two evils, the moral thing to do is to destroy the system.

* {{Anvilicious}}: When a system is forcing you to choose for the lesser of two evils, the moral thing to do is to destroy the system.

* HarsherInHindsight: Kaede's body at the end of Chapter 1's execution is left hanging from a noose -- a common method of [[DrivenToSuicide suicide]]. In December 2021, her Japanese voice actress, Creator/SayakaKanda, killed herself.

* HarsherInHindsight: Kaede's body at the end of Chapter 1's execution is left hanging from a noose -- a common way of [[DrivenToSuicide suicide]]. In December 2021, her Japanese voice actress, Sayaka Kanda, killed herself.

* MemeticLoser: Shuichi Saihara thanks to him being a bit wishy-washy in the class trials and [[WhatMeasureIsANonBadass not being as "badass" as Kyoko (aka his predecessor in his title)]]. Turns out to even be an In-Universe example. See WhatMeasureIsANonBadass below.

* WhatMeasureIsANonBadass:
** A common compliant towards Tsumugi is that she isn't as "badass" as past masterminds like [[AwesomenessByAnalysis Junko]] and [[TheAce Izuru]], as she lacks their analytical skills and is a puppet to the true main villains of the game. Tsumugi fans argue that she more than makes up for it by being [[ConsummateLiar a lot less honest]] than her predecessors.
** Shuichi has received this treatment, especially when being compared to Kyoko from [[VisualNovel/DanganronpaTriggerHappyHavoc the first game]]. While Shuichi is far more hesitant to do stuff for investigations such as revealing the truth of a culprit, sticking his hand into a toilet, and going into the opposite-sex' bathroom, Kyoko would have been far less hesitant to do these things thus Shuichi has earned a slight MemeticLoser reputation. Turns out to be both [[InvokedTrope invoked]] and [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] in the final trial, as Shuichi's "character" was made to be the "weakest Ultimate Detective ever" to itself invoke CharacterDevelopment. Tsumugi even [[BreakThemByTalking berates]] Shuichi during his DespairEventHorizon by saying he's gone back to being "weak", and several In-Universe fans of Danganronpa saying he "[[YouShouldHaveDiedInstead should have died instead of Kaede]]".

*** In general Kirumi is nowhere near as popular chapter 2 culprit-wise as her two predecessors. This is because Mondo and Peko were far more sympathetic. Mondo genuinely didn't mean to kill Chihiro and when he did he was horrified. He protected Chihiro's secret and when exposed he accepts his death out of his remorse for Chihiro, he barely even fights back in the trial after he's accused. Similarly, Peko only murdered Mahiru out of her tool mindset rather than genuine malice and in the same vein as Mondo is absolutely ridden with guilt and sorrow over her actions, after her plan to save Fuyuhiko fails she tearfully apologizes and begs the class to not let anyone die so senselessly again. In contrast, Kirumi comes across as downright cruel in how she drowned Ryoma(especially when you compare it to Peko intentionally ensuring Mahiru a quick death) and emotionally manipulated the class, she also never apologizes for her actions making her far more disliked as a result.

** While he's still mostly unpopular, Hifumi Yamada also gained a bit more favor from the fans in Ultimate Talent Development Plan, especially with focus being placed on his [[DoingItForTheArt strong passion for his work]] and his {{Odd Friendship}}s with Chihiro, Gundham and Tsumugi.

** Angie Yonaga might be very manipulative but she was still a very intelligent and adorable young woman who tried her best to undermine Monokuma and put a stop to the killing game, her method of destroying the flashback lights was downright correct in hindsight. H

* SugarWiki/BetterThanCanon:
** The fake spoilers regarding Rantaro's survival and Kaede's ThanatosGambit and how they together [[OutGambitted out-gambit]] the mastermind and get the other 4 survivors out of the killing game was considered one of the few if not the sole plot twists that made fans forgive [[TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter Kaede's death]] and considered a great use of the lying theme.
** The other fake spoilers regarding an AlternateTimeline where Mukuro was the original Ultimate Despair were also well received, especially since fan favorites like Chihiro and Chiaki were said to be alive in it, although others saw it as pandering.
** The Ultimate Talent Development Plan, which depicts the cast in an AU where the Tragedy never happened, they all exist in the same universe, and they all attend HPA together, has been received with more enthusiasm than the main plot by some. It's so loved among the fanbase that Creator/SpikeChunsoft [[VisualNovel/DanganronpaSUltimateSummerCamp expanded it into a completely separate game]].

** The Monokuma Kubs for Usami/Monomi as the second-fiddle mascots to Monokuma (as described in their entry at the franchise's [[TheScrappy/{{Danganronpa}} page]] for TheScrappy).

** Kirumi is considered this to Peko. Both girls are badass stoic girls, and essentially fill the same roles in their respective games -- they're both the Chapter 2 killer in their games, and they both obsessively see themselves as needing to serve others. Unlike Peko, Kirumi has none of the HiddenDepths that made the former so loved by the fans, such as her love for Fuyuhiko and her troubles attempting to befriend small animals. Kirumi simply has a heavily political background that barely gets touched upon. But on the other hand, those who saw the relationship between Pekoyama and Kuzuryuu as a RomanticPlotTumor or disliked the "stoic girl with a secret soft side" trope see Kirumi's levelheadedness and pure devotion to her talent as what makes her likable and cool. As such, Kirumi ended up as a BaseBreakingCharacter due to how often she was compared to Peko.
** Some people view Maki as one towards Kyoko. While both Maki and Kyoko are {{Stoic}} female [[{{Deuteragonist}} Deuteragonists]] of their proper games, Maki's {{Jerkass}} tendecies and being blamed for indirectly causing Kaito, Kokichi, and Ryoma to die made some people compare her unfavorably to Kyoko. It doesn't help that Kyoko was the true Deuteragonist from the get-go, whereas Maki only ascended to the role once its previous holder, Kaito, was taken out of the story.

* BetterThanCanon:

* BaseBreakingCharacter: A majority of the cast can qualify as this. Half of the fandom believes they’re too cartoony and wacky, even for Danganronpa, and barely feel human. Others like the touch of nonsensicality or even believe that the V3 cast is just as deep as characters from the first 2 installments.
** Kokichi Oma: Kokichi has a huge fan base, for many enjoy his jokester personality, pathological lying, and his friendships with Gonta and Shuichi. Many find him complex because of his {{WellIntentionedExtremist|trope}} actions in pursuit of ending the killing game, and some genuinely sympathize with him, assuming he was abused by his parents. However, he has a lot of haters. Some deem him a childish, annoying brat who’s a terrible liar. Many others find him to be one-dimensional because his actions contract his motives and having no backstory to explain his behavior.
** Miu Iruma: A handful of hands despise Miu for constantly either making sex jokes, being a sex joke, or being a jerk towards the others. This turns up to 11 when she sexually harasses Keebo and Shuichi. However, many fans find her funny and regard her as one of the most useful members of the killing game participants. A couple of them would’ve even liked to see the scenario where Miu kills Kokichi.
** Angie Yonaga: Angie is often interpreted as a crazy cult leader who never shuts up about her religion and brainwashed characters into doing her bidding “for Atua”. However, many enjoy Angie’s manipulative, passive-aggressive behavior and find her “brainwashing” to be a rather entertaining subplot, even theorizing she just wants to have control over others and hides behind Atua. A good chunk of Angie fans merely see her as a sweet girl who genuinely wanted the best for everyone.
** Korekiyo Shinguji: Korekiyo is deemed as a creepy incestuous guy who killed two characters for one of the worst motives in the show. The other half of the fan base, however, sympathizes with Korekiyo because of some heavy implications that he was groomed by his older sister.
** Himiko Yumeno: Is she a sweet, cutesy, tired girl who gains significant development after Tenko and Angie die, or an obnoxious girl who looks too young for her age, doesn’t give up on the idea that she’s not magical, and is a wasted survivor slot over characters such as Gonta, Kaito, or Kaede?
** Tenko Chabashira: Tenko receives a lot of flak for being sexist towards all the boys, sans Keebo, referring to them as “degenerate males”, and even praying to God that they all die. Her actions towards Himiko add to this, though it’s a majority opinion that she harrasses Himiko. However, after learning that her master was a boy and understanding what she was taught, many fans can grow to sympathize with Tenko. Her growth in chapter 3 also counts for this because of how she trusts Shuichi and show a softer side. Many fans also enjoy Tenko’s character because of how hammy she can be.

* AbandonShipping: In general, with fans being relatively unsure about the relationships between characters pre-release causing fans to GottaShipEmAll, a lot of ships significantly decreased in popularity in favor for ships with more chemistry, especially pairings with heavy ShipTease (Kaede/Shuichi and Kaito/Maki) alongside Miu/Keebo, Himiko/Tenko, and Kokichi/Shuichi. Honorable mentions go to:

** Likewise, Kokichi/Keebo was extremely popular after the demo, but dropped massively after the release of the actual game when it turned out their relationship was considerably more unpleasant and antagonistic than many first thought. Keebo having stronger chemistry and ShipTease with [[LovableSexManiac Miu]] and Kokichi being a massive BaseBreakingCharacter with heavy hints at feelings for Shuichi also contributed to this, though Kokichi/Keebo [[SlapSlapKiss still has its fans]].

** Rantaro was heavily featured in promotional materials and there were a few ships between him and other characters (such as him/Kaede and him/Kokichi). However, given how hugely OutOfFocus he was in the game before his death and how he doesn't get many interactions with the other characters, combined with his noticeable lack of romantic inclinations in general, many of his ships lost traction.

** Some had criticisms for the deaths of Kiyotaka and Hiyoko in the first and second games respectively, as they unceremoniously happen literally the chapter after the deaths of the characters they form a bond with, negating any chances of further CharacterDevelopment. Here, Tenko posthumously convinces Himiko to be more expressive with her emotions. Unlike Taka and Hiyoko, Himiko not only survives the following chapter after Tenko's death, but also survives the entire game.

* CompleteMonster: [[BitchInSheepsClothing Tsumugi Shirogane]] is revealed to be the true mastermind of the Killing Game, who in actuality works for the corporation [[EvilInc Team Danganronpa]] and acts as their mole in the 53rd entry of Danganronpa. Acting as a CosplayOtakuGirl in the killing game who was usually [[ObfuscatingStupidity not the smartest]], it gets revealed that Tsumugi was the true culprit of the first trial, where she killed Rantaro Amami because Kaede Akamatsu's plan failed and wanted to ensure that the Killing Game continued, bending the rules of the game and [[AcquittedTooLate letting Kaede get executed because of it]]. Later in the last trial, Tsumugi tells the rest of the survivors about the true conditions of the world, in which the Killing Game is actually a [[SadisticGameShow game show]] called Danganronpa to entertain the uneventful and peaceful real world. Tsumugi would reveal that her company brainwashed every survivor with FalseMemories and rewrote their personalities so that they would truly act scared and helpless. Tsumugi is so obsessed with the Danganronpa franchise that when the audience watching the show were convinced by Shuichi Saihara to not want it anymore, Tsumugi would [[DrivenToSuicide let herself be killed]] alongside the studio so that she wouldn't exist in a world that doesn't want Danganronpa.

** Unrelated, after chapter 3 a lot of fans assume that as a serial killer part of Kiyo's MO is to kill the girls he wants to make his sister's "friends" with a stab to the back of the neck. This comes up because while he had no given reason to indicate the two girls had the same killer he still went out of his way to kill Angie in a way that would mimic his plans for the would-be séance victim.
** Fans have commonly assumed that Miu is a virgin who [[HaveIMentionedIAmSexuallyActiveToday tries to conceal it by acting like a massive slut]]. This is heavily implied in the game, even though it is not stated outright.
** Shuichi having an anxiety disorder is a common one. Probably helped by his SociallyAwkwardHero status early in the game and the fact that the reason he wore his hat was because he was so shy he couldn't even make eye contact with people.

** Kaito is by far the biggest one, scoring a measly 11th place in Japan among the students, he skyrocketed to fourth place in the west due to his AwesomeEgo and playing as the team's [[TheHeart emotional center]]. This may be partially due to how the localization also removed some of the more politically incorrect comments that he made in the Japanese version.
** Ryoma isn't very popular with the Japanese fandom, scoring 15th place, losing even to [[SerialKiller Korekiyo]] and [[PreacherMan Angie]]. In the West, he got a better reception for being a character with a NonStandardCharacterDesign that is not a pervert unlike [[TheScrappy Teruteru and Hifumi]] and not entirely written OutOfFocus in comparison to [[Anime/Danganronpa3 Daisaku Bandai]]. Fans also like him for tear-jerking story arc and his surprising badassery.

** To an extent Angie's actions in chapter 3, there's no excuse for acting like a dictator sure but Angie wasn't wrong for destroying the flashback lights and motives considering what Kaede and Kirumi did, in fact chapter 6 outright vindicates this and had Angie not ran into Korekiyo its likely chapter 4 would have never happened in the first place.

** The outfits that the characters wore at the start of the game and their possible appearances before the killing game has received a bunch of fanart from fans.

** Maki, Kaito, and Shuichi seems to be going in this direction. They always seem to be hanging out together performing push-ups. Both Kaito and Shuichi tend to be HeterosexualLifePartners and there was numerous ShipTease between Kaito and Maki to the point where Maki was begging Kaito to stop right before he could get executed in Chapter Five.
** Alternatively, some people switched Maki out of that threesome, and put Kokichi in instead thanks to Kaito, Kokichi, and Shuichi representing a huge FreudianTrio in the game.

** The game will randomly decide to just not accept mouse and keyboard input for a few seconds. Most of the time it's just a nuisance, but if it decides to happen, say, during the final Argument Armament on Mean difficulty, it might cause you to fling your keyboard out the window in rage. Worse still is that the problem tends to hit in waves, i.e. your controls stop working for a few seconds, then start working again long enough for you to get one or two button presses/mouse clicks in, then stop working again, and so on until the game decides it's done trolling you. Some people have reported fixes for this, but they don't work for everyone, and the only guaranteed way to avoid this problem is to use a controller instead of a keyboard.

** Shuichi Saihara became far less popular when it was confirmed that he took over protagonist duties for the deceased Kaede from Chapter 2 onward. While few people outright hate him, on the whole it's hard to find someone who would have honestly preferred him over a full game where Kaede was the main playable protagonist. Even in-universe, the ''Danganronpa'' audience wishes he had died instead of Kaede.

** While Miu is [[BaseBreakingCharacter more divisive than outright hated]], some of her detractors enjoy the part in which Kaede hits Miu for groping her breasts if you choose "My boobs are pretty big, too" in Miu's first Free Time event. Many also enjoy Kokichi for spending three rivals roasting Miu.

** The achievement to get S rank on Treasure Hunter! Monolith, one of the Casino minigames, on the hardest mode (which has four colors, like late-game Mind Mine sequences). The game itself is Mind Mine, but without the ability to destroy one block by itself. It sounds simple at first, but you will get frustrated very quickly since not only are the blocks randomized each time, but the Monokubs and the fossils are also placed at different places each time. There is almost no room for error, since even a bad play can make one of the Monokubs or a fossil be blocked by a lone block. In Mind Mine, this isn't a serious problem, since certain skills can make removing single blocks easier, but here, if that happens to one of the Monokubs or a fossil you need to get, you can do ''nothing'' about it, and so will have to start all over again. Oh, and you have ten minutes to go through each game, so you have a limited amount of time to think about each move carefully. There are some strategies to beating it, but most of it comes down to being lucky that you've gotten a good board. It is by far the most frustrating Casino achievement to get.

** Miu Iruma, a loudmouthed, perverted girl with a surprising amount of HiddenDepths, a very useful Ultimate talent that helps out the party numerous times and generally fairly hilarious dialogue throughout the game.

* UnpopularPopularCharacter: Both Miu Iruma and Kokichi Oma are TheFriendNobodyLikes in the story. However, they are still popular among the fan base due to their colorful nature, unique designs, and that both characters do have some redeeming traits among their flawed personalities. [[https://www.reddit.com/r/danganronpa/comments/5xw14h/ndrv3_popularity_japanese_poll/ The official character poll for the game]] has Kokichi and Miu being ranked #2 and #4 respectively out of all 16 students.

* InformedWrongness: After Chapter Four, the narrative seems to push as if Shuichi had as much fault as Kaito for their feud. However, during that chapter, Shuichi was just fulfilling his duties as a detective and they would have all died if Shuichi just sided with Kaito and ignored the truth. Maki seems to believe that both Shuichi and Kaito should stop being stubborn, even if she doesn't dispute Shuichi insisting that they had to convict Gonta(while she did take Kaito's side in the Scrum debate, she only asks a single question).

** While Miu is [[BaseBreakingCharacter more divisive than outright hated]], some of her detractors enjoy the part in which Kaede hits Miu for groping her breasts if you choose "My boobs are pretty big, too" in Miu's first Free Time event.

* CompleteMonster: [[BitchInSheepsClothing Tsumugi Shirogane]] is revealed to be the the true mastermind of the Killing Game, who in actuality works for the corporation [[EvilInc Team Danganronpa]] and acts as their mole in the 53rd entry of Danganronpa. Acting as a CosplayOtakuGirl in the killing game who was usually [[ObfuscatingStupidity not the smartest]], it gets revealed that Tsumugi was the true culprit of the first trial, where she killed Rantaro Amami because Kaede Akamatsu's plan failed and wanted to ensure that the Killing Game continued, bending the rules of the game and [[AcquittedTooLate letting Kaede get executed because of it]]. Later in the last trial, Tsumugi tells the rest of the survivors about the true conditions of the world, in which the Killing Game is actually a [[SadisticGameShow game show]] called Danganronpa to entertain the uneventful and peaceful real world. Tsumugi would reveal that her company brainwashed every survivor with FalseMemories and rewrote their personalities so that they would truly act scared and helpless. Tsumugi is so obsessed with the Danganronpa franchise that when the audience watching the show were convinced by Shuichi Saihara to not want it anymore, Tsumugi would [[DrivenToSuicide let herself be killed]] alongside the studio so that she wouldn't exist in a world that doesn't want Danganronpa.

* CompleteMonster: [[spoiler:[[BitchInSheepsClothing Tsumugi Shirogane]] is revealed to be the the true mastermind of the Killing Game, who in actuality works for the corporation [[EvilInc Team Danganronpa]] and acts as their mole in the 53rd entry of Danganronpa. Acting as a CosplayOtakuGirl in the killing game who was usually [[ObfuscatingStupidity not the smartest]], it gets revealed that Tsumugi was the true culprit of the first trial, where she killed Rantaro Amami because Kaede Akamatsu's plan failed and wanted to ensure that the Killing Game continued, bending the rules of the game and [[AcquittedTooLate letting Kaede get executed because of it]]. Later in the last trial, Tsumugi tells the rest of the survivors about the true conditions of the world, in which the Killing Game is actually a [[SadisticGameShow game show]] called Danganronpa to entertain the uneventful and peaceful real world. Tsumugi would reveal that her company brainwashed every survivor with FalseMemories and rewrote their personalities so that they would truly act scared and helpless. Tsumugi is so obsessed with the Danganronpa franchise that when the audience watching the show were convinced by Shuichi Saihara to not want it anymore, Tsumugi would [[DrivenToSuicide let herself be killed]] alongside the studio so that she wouldn't exist in a world that doesn't want Danganronpa.]]

* TransAudienceInterpretation: Shuichi being a transgender man is a popular headcanon. To a slightly lesser degree, Rantaro and Kokichi also get this interpretation. For Shuichi, ''VideoGame/DanganronpaSUltimateSummerCamp'' only added to this by depicting him wearing a hoodie over his swimsuit in a way that noticeably covers up his chest.

'''''Spin-offs:''''' ''YMMV/DanganronpaAnotherEpisodeUltraDespairGirls'' | ''YMMV/DanganronpaSUltimateSummerCamp'' | ''YMMV/DanganronpaKirigiri'' | ''YMMV/DanganronpaTogami'' | ''YMMV/KillerKiller''-]]]]]

** Fans have commonly assumed that Miu is a virgin who tries to conceal it by acting like a massive slut. This is heavily implied in the game, even though it is not stated outright.

** Himiko stated she hated Kokichi only for Kokichi to respond back by stating he "loves" her in which Himiko ended up blushing afterward.

* DiagnosedByTheAudience:
** While his reasoning for disliking to look people in the eyes is stated as being a result of his backstory, that combined with his issues and awkwardness with social interaction, initial possessiveness over his hat (he gets uncharacteristically angry at Miu for making weird comments about it), misunderstanding certain jokes some of the characters make, and etc could hint at Shuichi possibly being autistic.
** Ryoma's implied to be suffering from depression. Some symptoms include his loss of interest in tennis and general apathy towards most things, purposefully distancing himself from the other students, and many suicidal thoughts, specifically claiming he doesn't have a reason to live and offering to become the first victim after Monokuma announces a time limit, overall showing very little regard for his own life. In Chapter 2, he puts up no resistance and lets Kirumi kill him, even when he had every opportunity to avoid it.
** Even before TheReveal, Korekiyo comes off as a very intelligent and observant young man, but extremely aloof with [[BlueAndOrangeMorality an odd moral code]] who thinks the situation he's put in is an interesting form of 'fieldwork' to observe humanity. When he's distressed, his panic attacks are so severe that he's barely coherent and almost knocks himself out with hyperventilating. His split personality is less like Toko's disassociative identity disorder, and more like a personal delusion being used as a coping mechanism for stressful situations. He feels little discomfort at being seen as strange and even less remorse about his murders, maintaining that his actions are motivated by love for his sister, and seems to see no contradictions between his actions and his claims that he does see all of his classmates as his "friends". He also mentions experiencing sensory overload in the Salmon Team bonus game. Korekiyo also seems to be an [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lust_murder erotophonophiliac]] as he feels aroused by the behaviour of the blackened, and is unfazed by the four corpses, and two executions he watches, simply showing no emotion or showing explicit arousal.
** Kokichi shows several signs of being a ''compulsive'' liar; most notably in how he never stops even when his lies backfire.
** Himiko displays a few symptoms of autism. She has difficulty communicating her feelings to others, she's completely obsessed with one thing - her magic - and generally acts very spaced out, not really emoting to any of the events that occur around the start of the game. She also acts like a little kid when she's supposed to be a high schooler, is incompetent at day-to-day duties (she states that she can't even tell rice from termites), and she seems to have a lot of difficulties connecting with someone using something not connected to magic in some way. However, unlike most Autistic people, Himiko seems to have some kind of learning disability and Maki even outright states that Himiko is kind of slow. Given how "tired" she often is, easily exhausted or emotionally drained by even minor activities, and her startling tendency to just give up and tell the class to just formally accuse her of murders she ''knows'' she had no hand in committing it can also come across as if she's clinically depressed, but the issue never directly comes up. Even her attempts to "change herself" as per Tenko's advice can't really help her get past all of her issues on this front.