Late-Arrival Spoiler warning. This story assumes that the reader is familiar with the canonical plot of Danganronpa V3, there will be various spoilers relating to certain characters and their original roles/actions.

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Female Students

Kaede Akamatsu

The Ultimate Pianist and Decoy Protagonist of Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony, Kaede keeps her life at the expense of Shuichi's death. Heartbroken by his sacrifice, she vows to end the Killing Game while struggling with guilt and paranoia.

Anti-Hero: Becomes like this more and more as the game goes on, to the point that, in the final trial, she is actively trying to take the course of action that will get the mastermind killed.
The Atoner: Kaede is plagued by remorse for what happened in the first trial. This gets in the way of the second trial as Kaede can't bring herself to vote for the culprit.
Cassandra Truth: Because of Shuichi's lie, only half of the class believe that Kaede is the culprit despite her claims, leading them to vote for him over her by a margin of one vote.
Celibate Hero: Kaede doesn't have romantic interests with any of the students after the death of Shuichi. And she strongly voices her disapproval of Miu wanting to spy on the boys like a pervert.
Chekhov's Skill: Kaede's excellent hearing allows her to pick up on contradictions made by others during trials.
Consummate Liar: Being a heroic example of the trope, Kaede convincingly lies her way through difficult parts of the class trial to keep anyone from making the wrong conclusions, even relying on Tenko and sometimes Kokichi to back her up.
The Determinator: Kaede lives up to this trope by soldiering on as the de facto leader of the group after Shuichi's death. Even after being shot in the arm and receiving scorn from half of the remaining students, she refuses to give up out of sheer stubbornness.
Exact Eavesdropping: Kaede finds herself doing this at times while exploring the school facilities. It helps that she has excellent hearing due to her talent as the Ultimate Pianist.
Heroic Self-Deprecation: Kaede is prone to doing this at her lowest.
Hypocrisy Nod: While she and her antagonist Maki share this trait, at least Kaede is mature enough to acknowledge it.
Necessary Drawback: Kaede doesn't suffer as much from confidence issues like Shuichi and gains early access to crucial information regarding the mastermind. The drawback is that she has to contend with constant detractors like Maki and Kokichi while growing more paranoid as the group's numbers decrease.
Passive-Aggressive Kombat: In her more light-hearted moments, this is how Kaede interacts with Maki or Kokichi following her respective confrontations with them.
Pragmatic Hero: During the 6th trial, Kaede admits that she purposely hid the truth about Tsumugi from the others in fear that someone would kill her which would result in their deaths followed by the game continuing on. She kept this secret to ensure that they could convict her during the trial without anymore casualties.
Revenge Before Reason:
- She wishes to hold a class trial against Maki when she admits to killing Kokichi in Case 5. Even though everyone is aware that this will only result in them going along with Monukuma's plan, Kaede admits that she doesn't care and simply wishes to see her hated adversary executed to avenge Kokichi.
- This also extends to Tsumugi once she's outed as the mastermind. She fully intends to have her executed for trapping them in the killing game and psychologically tormenting them for too long. Tenko is taken back by how serious Kaede is in her desire to punish the mastermind.
Secret-Keeper:
- Kaede is this with Miu after the two discover the Mastermind's secret room along with Motherkuma during the second chapter. Afterwards, Miu reveals to Kaede the weapons she made for Kokichi and asks for her opinion on whether she should give them to him or not.
- In Chapter 37, she is forced to keep the mastermind's identity a secret in order to uncover the truth about the Killing Game.
Spared by the Adaptation: She lives past the Chapter 1 equivalent, whereas Shiuchi dies.
Swapped Roles: She and Shuichi, as he dies in Chapter 1 while she takes on the mantle of the main protagonist.
Took a Level in Cynic: Kaede gradually becomes less idealistic and more discerning of others as the story progresses. By the end of the third trial, she's more willing to lie and keep secrets if it means keeping the group whole while finding the mastermind. On the plus side, being cynical means that she's unlikely to fall for any of the motives thrown the group's way, including the one revealing the supposed end of the world.

Miu Iruma

The Ultimate Inventor, with a brash and vulgar attitude but with a fragile ego, Miu is capable of creating a variety of inventions that prove to be quite useful in the Killing Game. She becomes one of Kaede's trusted allies early on, though the fear of being killed by the mastermind compels her to commit murder to escape.

She becomes Keebo's unwitting murderer in Chapter 4 and desperately fights for her life by hijacking an exisal before her execution.

All Women Are Lustful: She instantly volunteers to spy on Kaito after he forms an anti-cult group dedicated to 'manly bonding'. She already knew what would happen after Kaito and the boys engaged in whatever vigorous workout Kaito had in store for them and was dead set on seeing them bare their skin to each other.
Because You Were Nice to Me: She develops romantic feelings for Keebo because of how he openly shows respect for her abilities while having saint like patience regarding her abrasive behavior.
Better to Die than Be Killed: After the end of the Chapter 4 trial, Miu desperately begs Kaede or anyone to Mercy Kill her rather than let her go through one of Monokuma's executions.
Defiant to the End: Rather than be executed, Miu decides to die fighting by hijacking an Exisal to attack Monokuma. This only results in Kaede and Ryoma getting injured from the attack.
Dude, Where's My Respect?: She vents to Kaede how she finds it unfair that the other students constantly request her to make inventions for them yet they continue to insult and demean her without a care. Though Kaede considers this somewhat justified because of her own insulting behavior towards the group.
I Just Want to Be Loved: Despite her abrasive attitude, she earnest claims that she would like to be liked by the others or at the very least appreciated for her work.
Not Helping Your Case: Miu doesn't make it any better for herself when the others interrogate her role in Keebo's murder during their trip in the virtual world.
Off with Her Head!: How Miu dies in her execution.
The Paranoiac: After Himiko is murdered directly by the mastermind, she has a total breakdown and becomes convinced she's going to get offed next.
Properly Paranoid: This trait is treated with more care here than in canon. She is visibly disturbed by the idea that the mastermind can kill her after Kaede deduces that Himiko was murdered by them in the mastermind's lair. This places the inventor on edge since she and Kaede were the only other people to go inside the lair mixed with how the mastermind is always watching them.
Secret-Keeper: On the receiving end of this as she tells Kaede to keep the location of the mastermind's lair to themselves.
Spanner in the Works: Chapter 38 reveals that she installed Kiibo's AI directly into the Mother Monukuma which resulted in Kiibo being able to take over the system.
Yank the Dog's Chain: Miu's attempts to resist punishment after her trial go nowhere as she literally gets yanked off to her execution just before anymore damage can be done to the Exisals.

Tsumugi Shirogane

The Ultimate Cosplayer, an ordinary high school girl who can cosplay any and all fictional characters. Despite the intense atmosphere along with the drama of her fellow classmates, Tsumugi does her best to endure it all with a confident smile on her face.

In truth, she's really the mastermind of the Killing Game and is content to observe the drama around her while making stealth moves to ensure that the game is running smoothly.

Adaptational Karma: A rare case where this is done by sparing the villain. In canon, she dies, but on her own terms after orchestrating the 53rd Mutual Killing Game. Here, Kaede saves her life, preventing her from killing herself, and thus forcing her to live in her worst nightmare: a world without Damganronpa. For Tsumugi, this is the worst punishment imaginable and a Fate Worse than Death.
Adaptational Villainy: She had her share of crimes in canon, but in this story, she personally killed two people so far as opposed to the one person to cover for Kaede's failed trap. On top of that, she was actively taking advantage of the "first come first served" rule that was mostly just a quick cover up in canon to get away with killing Himiko by forcing the others to concentrate their efforts on Gonta's murder without any real opportunity to go over Himiko's.
Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Acts cordial and polite in front of the cast, but can be rather vicious as exemplified by her murdering Himiko in cold blood.
But for Me, It Was Tuesday: Has this reaction when Kaede angrily mouths at her for the things she did as the mastermind.
Can't Kill You, Still Need You:
- It's hinted that Tsumugi is keeping Kaede alive to make the Killing Game more exciting. Plus, the fact that Kaede is unable to link the mastermind's lair to anyone makes her a low priority for disposal compared to Himiko and Kokichi. Even after exposing herself to Kaede in Chapter 37, she has no intention of directly killing her now that the game is near its climax.
- She invokes this trope on herself during the final trial, claiming that the survivors still need her to provide answers regarding their existence and the real state of the outside world. The survivors begrudgingly oblige.
A Day in the Limelight: Chapters 31 and 32 start out from her POV along with providing vague details about her real interest in the killing game. This also extends to the investigation held in chapter 32 after Kaede decides to skip this part with Tsumugi investigating the hangar and finding clues that will be crucial for Kokichi's trial.
Death Seeker: A variant. When she reveals herself as the mastermind to Kaede, she constantly stresses how much Kaede would enjoy killing her once they finish the killing game. She's accepted her upcoming fate and is looking forward to it of it.
Dissonant Serenity: Has one while nonchalantly explaining her reasons for masterminding the Killing Game to a stunned Kaede in Chapter 37.
Graceful Loser: After Kaede officially announces that Danganronpa will be canceled thanks to her and Keebo hijacking her killing game, Tsumugi happily accepts her loss. Mainly because she finally experienced the amount of despair that her role model experienced herself and is content with how her own killing game turned out. Then Kaede saves her from dying instead and she subverts this, going into an extreme, and utterly pathetic, Villainous Breakdown facing the reality of having to live in a world without Danganronpa.
Heel: She goes all out as the designated mastermind during the final trial.
Hijacked by Ganon: Just like in canon, Tsumugi takes on the form of Junko Enoshima during the 6th trial and tries to convince everyone that she organized the killing game. Unfortunately, none of the survivors care about it and frequently tell the cosplayer to knock it off.
Manipulative Bitch: While maintaining her image as a friendly but ordinary girl, she's able to push people's buttons by bringing up unnerving facts about the other students in the hopes of pushing them to either kill or turn on each other. All part of the job of keeping the show going.
Passive-Aggressive Kombat: She grows fairly frustrated with Kaede refusing to play along while searching for clues in chapter 38. Thus resulting in Tsumugi making exasperated comments while keeping up with her 'plain' persona.
Save the Villain: The survivors decide to force Tsumugi to survive and find a new purpose without Danganronpa rather than give her the glorious death she desires.
Saying Too Much: While Tsumugi's identity as the mastermind is still secure, her enthusiasm towards continuing the class trial while prodding the other students for information seems to tip off Kaede. She eventually drops the mask to her come Chapter 37.
The Smurfette Principle: She's the only female member to join Kaito's anti-cult group which consisted mainly of boys.
Spared by the Adaptation: She lives past the last trial, though she isn't happy about it.
Villainous Breakdown: She loses it when Kaede and the others point out the holes in her statement over fiction and reality which accumulates in the cosplayer making a desperate attempt to back up her claims through her Argument Armament battle. Then when Kaede decides to let her live instead of giving her the grand execution she desires, she really breaks down and tries to kill herself. Finally, Kaede saves her from her attempt, and she's last seen pathetically sobbing and whining to Kaede that she has no life without Danganronpa.
Villain Protagonist: During the 5th trial, Tsumugi becomes the POV protagonist as she guides the discussion in order to milk as much drama from her classmates as possible and ensure the Killing Game keeps going.

Tenko Chabashira

The Ultimate Aikido Master. She is an excitable girl with full of energy but tends to have a preference for the company of girls over boys. Following Shuichi's death, she grows closer to Kaede and becomes one of her closest companions throughout the story.

Berserk Button: While Tenko's hatred for males isn't as prevalent here, it's now overshadowed by her new pet peeve of people keeping secrets from one another. She doesn't make an issue out of it with Kaede due to the latter's emotional confession, but feels outright betrayed when Ryoma reveals his own secrets during the fourth trial.
The Confidant: She becomes Kaede's closest ally throughout the story and does her best to support her even if she doesn't agree with most of her choices.
Does Not Like Men: It gets toned down as the story progresses.
Forgets to Eat: From Chapter 4 onwards, Tenko has a tendency to skip meals as she focuses more on her training or helping her friends with their injuries. It most likely comes from her depression of losing Himiko during the third case and how they found her body in the cafeteria.
Freak Out: During the 6th trial, she becomes a panicking mess when it's revealed that there have been 53 killing games held and ponders the grim implications of the series.
Heroic BSoD: She suffers from one right after Himiko's murder. It doesn't help that Monokuma abruptly ends the trial after the blackened is found, preventing everyone from figuring out her killer's identity.
The Medic: Fills out this role when her friends start to gain serious injuries. She tends to Kaito's foot injury which seems to be getting worse as the story progresses and she single-handedly oversaw Kaede and Ryoma's injuries after Miu's last stand/execution.
Secret-Keeper: Tenko becomes this for Kaede after the latter shares the truth regarding Rantaro's murder.
Spared by the Adaptation: She lives past the Chapter 3 equivalent in this fic. She is one of the four survivors in the ending.
Thou Shalt Not Kill: Another trait that is emphasized in this fic is Tenko's value of life. She detests all forms of killing and thinks that people's lives shouldn't be harmed, even if they're awful boys. She's particularly shocked by Kaede's straightforward desire to execute Tsumugi for her crimes against them. It escalates to the point that she decides to stand against Kaede in the final voting time.
Took a Level in Kindness: Tenko's man-hating qualities are toned down here while emphasizing more on her kinder traits.
Trauma Button: After Himiko's death, Tenko immediately loses her composure if she remembers too much about the mage's death. She also has a hard time going into the cafeteria since that was where they found her corpse.

Kirumi Tojo

The Ultimate Maid who takes her duties seriously while trapped in the killing game. She takes on every task from cooking to washing to cleaning to personal requests all with a smile on her face.

She became the second victim by participating in a Duel to the Death with Korekiyo Shinguji and losing.

Easily Forgiven: Keebo holds no hard feelings for her even after she sabotaged his circuitry in order to create a diversion for her murder scheme.
I Just Want to Be Special: Kirumi is implied to be this based on her audition video where she asks to be someone important even for a little while. Which of course results in the reveal of her being a Prime Minister.
Pet the Dog: She didn't blame Kaede for what went on in the first trial and even tried to make her feel better about herself.
Think Nothing of It: Kaede and Kaito both commend Kirumi for being able to take on so many requests from the group while continuing her duties of cooking and washing. She brings up this trope as taking on endless tasks is part of her duty as the Ultimate Maid.

Maki Harukawa

The Ultimate Assassin. A serious and cold-hearted girl who prefers to keep her distance from everyone. She becomes Kaede's rival as the two girls often clash over their different beliefs regarding morals and actions in the killing game setting.

In Chapter 5, she collaborated with Kokichi by becoming his victim in order to create an unsolvable murder in order to discredit the legitimacy of the mastermind's killing game. Then in Chapter 6 she turns out to be alive and orchestrates a full on assault against Monokuma to further ruin the game which results in her attaining deathly injuries.

Action Girl:
- She shows off her physical talents as the Ultimate Assassin when she breaks into the exisal hangar to kill Kaede while successfully evading the exisals controlled by Kokichi.
- She does this again in chapter 37 where she operates one of the purple exisals and shoots Monokuma full of lead.
Adaptational Jerkass: While Maki wasn't all that friendly to begin with in the source material, she's far more hostile and condescending here.
Anger Born of Worry: This is Maki's response when Kaito strains himself too much in the later chapters. It culminates in her being protective of him when he gets incriminated as a potential suspect for Keebo's murder.
Commander Contrarian: Maki assumes this role by rebuffing Kaede's efforts to have her cooperate with the group during their investigations and debates. Their tense relationship worsens when the latter outs her as the Ultimate Assassin. While the animosity between them slightly abates in later chapters, they still remain on bad terms and do not hold back verbally.
Crush Blush: Gets one when Kaede calls her out for being a Clingy Jealous Girl.
Death by Adaptation: She dies because of her wounds caused by Monokuma's missile strike, whereas she survived in the original Danganronpa V 3 Killing Harmony.
Died in Your Arms Tonight: She dies in Kaito's arms after the other leave.
Expy: Her role as an Emotionless Girl who is antagonistic to everyone but secretly cares about them in her own way while launching a militaristic assault against the main antagonist in the penultimate part of the story leaving her in a critical condition makes her similar to Homura Akemi.
Failure Is the Only Option: Despite successfully carrying out her broadcast by showing the audience that she's still alive and the killing game is rigged, Monokuma still attacks her with a missile strike which leaves her critically wounded and on the verge of death.
Faking the Dead: Chapter 37 shows that Maki had faked her own suicide to further ruin the killing game.
Freudian Excuse: In her Dead Man Writing letter to Kaito in chapter 37, she states that she was forced at a young age to become a weapon made to kill people and the mastermind of the killing game continued to treat her the same way.
Hidden Depths: Chapter 36 reveals that Maki secretly enjoys solving milk puzzles and is good at completing them.
Hypocrite: Is adamant about not letting people inside her lab, but gets indignant when she and Kokichi are kicked out of Kaito's lab when he reaches his breaking point.
I Am What I Am: She openly acknowledges her identity as an assassin and makes it clear that when she takes on a task related to her skills, nothing will stop.
I Did What I Had to Do: In Chapter 5, she justifies herself in killing Kokichi even though her main target was Kaede. She believed that Kaede was the true mastermind and is willing to do whatever it took to end the killing game, even if it meant killing anyone [Kokichi] who stands in her way. This is revealed to be a lie since she never killed Kokichi and it was the Supreme Leader in the exisal in the first place. But the trope still applies when Kokichi reveals that she killed herself as part of her scheme.
Jerkass Has a Point: As harsh as Maki is to Kaede, she makes a good point when the latter's refusal to condemn the blackened only makes things worse for the whole group. She also brings up how refusing to accept that one of their fellow classmates may be the mastermind will result in more casualties.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Despite her cold attitude and her constant antagonism, Kaito claims Maki is this because of how she wants to end the killing game as soon as possible along with wanting to get Kaito medical help for his illness.
Lady of War: She shows off her knowledge of weapons and stealth when she wages war against Monokuma in chapter 38.
Not So Stoic: After Kaito decides to stay with her when she ends up trapped in a pile of rubble, Maki loses her composure and breaks down in front of him. Visibly upset that he's going to die alongside her despite her wanting him to survive the killing game.
Pragmatic Hero: Despite her consistent antagonism towards Kaede and the others, her heart is still in the right place when she initiates an all out assault against Monokuma in order to end, and ruin, the killing game.
The Rival: She serves as Kaede's worst antagonist after the mastermind.
Thanatos Gambit: The ending of the fifth trial reveals that Maki orchestrated an unsolvable murder alongside Kokichi in order to expose how flawed the killing game is and how Monokuma is a lousy game master. In order to make it work, she allowed herself to be killed in the hydraulic press. (Though it remains unclear as to whether she was killed by the press or by a knife she brought with her, making it a suicide). Averted in Chapter 37 when she turns up alive in one of the Exisals..
Unwitting Pawn: In the penultimate case, Maki believes that Kaede is a Remnant of Despair thanks to the Flashback Light. This leads her to attack her and Kokichi to end the time limit. This is later subverted when it is revealed she never fell for the Mastermind's taunts at all, leading to her Thanatos Gambit.
You Are Not Alone: Even on the verge of death, Kaito reminds this to Maki by deciding to stay with her during their final moments of life.

Himiko Yumeno

The Ultimate Magician. A lazy and monotone girl who boasts the ability to perform magical feats. Despite her lazy attitude, she earnestly would like to be more involved in the lives of her friends and classmates.

She is killed in the third chapter for snooping around in the mastermind's lair. The class figures out that the mastermind killed her but cannot figure out who the mastermind is. Since she is the second victim, her case doesn't count, and the mastermind gets away with it.

Death by Adaptation: She dies in the Chapter 3 equivalent, whereas she was one of the survivors in the original.
Driven to Suicide: If her audition tape is anything to go by, she was willing to become the first victim since surviving would be too tiring for her.
The Load: Himiko was actually afraid of becoming this as she wasn't as involved in solving the trials or knowledgeable about the activities of the other students. It's because of this that she decides to help Kokichi with his blackout scheme to make Gonta's murder solvable and strike back at the mastermind.
The Lost Lenore: Becomes one for Tenko after the third case.
She Knows Too Much: The reason why Himiko gets killed by the mastermind.
Took a Level in Badass: Before her death, Himiko secretly gives Tenko the key to Angie's lab and helps Kokichi catch the mastermind off-guard using one of Miu's bombs to turn off the school's power supply. Her murder not only brings Kaede and Tenko closer, it also confirms Kaede's suspicions of the mastermind being among the class.

Angie Yonaga

The Ultimate Artist. An eccentric girl who credits her artistic talent to 'God' and wishes for the other students to know of his greatness. She gets into conflict with Kaede and a few others when her religious Student Council begins to form and take control over the group dynamic.

She is the killer of Chapter 3. She intended to kill Ryoma, who was one of her biggest detractors, and hide his body to avoid a trial all together. But she ended up killing Gonta when he came instead.

Adaptational Villainy: Angie was a Tautological Templar in V3, but she did legitimately want to stop the killing game. Here, she commits a murder of her own, though she did it to try to end internal friction in the group, rather than to get out. She later admits she wanted to hide the body to avoid a class trial ever taking place, but still puts up an effort to win her escape at the cost of the other's lives when the trial comes anyways.
Berserk Button: While still keeping her smiling expression, it turns slightly darker after Kaito badmouths god.
Face Death with Dignity: Angie keeps her hands in prayer throughout her entire execution, despite the pain of the burning wax.
Frame-Up: An unusual example. She still had the intention to kill Ryoma and organized how his murder would play out. But the mastermind intervened by giving Gonta a note that directed him to Angie's room resulting in the artist killing him to keep her murder a secret. Everyone assumed that Angie had written the note in order to get Gonta to go to her room so she can kill him.
Innocently Insensitive: Attempts to make converts out of the group while investigating Kirumi's death only to be rightly called out on it by Ryoma.
Taken for Granite: Or wax in as part of her execution.

Male Students

Shuichi Saihara

The Ultimate Detective and real protagonist of Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony, he chooses to cover up Kaede's crime for her sake and is executed as the blackened for the first trial. His death haunts Kaede constantly while motivating her to find the mastermind.

Be Careful What You Wish For: He wanted to become the first Ultimate Detective blackened. He did so... by taking the fall for a murder Kaede committed.
Death by Adaptation: He dies in the Chapter 1 equivalent instead of Kaede.
Demoted to Extra: The very premise of the fic. He goes from The Hero of the canon game to dying in the first chapter here.
Dramatic Irony: Assuming that the audition tapes are valid, Shuichi ended up experiencing the execution he always dreamed of.
The Dulcinea Effect: He is willing to throw away not just his own life, but the lives of thirteen of his innocent classmates just to save a woman he knew for two days.
The Lost Lenore: Is this for Kaede. Subverted in the final trial when Kaede confesses that she doesn't really have any romantic feelings for him since they only knew each other for two days.
No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: How Shuichi's execution is carried out. He gets ganged up by several Monokuma bots holding numerous tools to bludgeon or stab him with. Right after being left within an inch of his life, a flaming arrow shot by a cupid Monokuma hits Shuichi in the heart, giving him an agonizing death.
Posthumous Character: Shares this role with Rantaro.
Swapped Roles: In this reality, Shuichi ends up being executed which impacts Kaede's character development while also motivating her to continue the Killing Game in his memory.

Rantaro Amami

The Ultimate ??? and Kaede's supposed victim. While mentioned by the cast at times, he solely appears in the Amami Theater segments making cryptic remarks about the Killing Game and its victims.

All-Loving Hero: Easily forgives Kaede for causing his death and looks forward to welcoming those who've died so far.
Expy: His Greek Chorus role is directly inspired by Nagito Komaeda's role in the Danganronpa 2 fanfic System Restore.
Greek Chorus: His Theater segments are featured at the beginning of each main chapter and provide cryptic messages of welcoming the recently deceased to the afterlife and hoping that they can get along.
Posthumous Character: Shares this role with Shuichi.
Small Role, Big Impact: In Chapters 5 & 6, Rantaro's true identity as the Ultimate Survivor is discovered which leads to the others learning the true nature of the killing game.

Kokichi Ouma

The Ultimate Supreme Leader. A clever boy who lies consistently that it's hard to determine what he's thinking or what he believes in. Although he remains antagonistic towards the other students, he and Kaede trust each other not to be the mastermind despite their animosity with each other.

In Chapter 5, he is revealed to be Maki's killer after trolling everyone throughout the trial via exisal. In Chapter 6, it's revealed that he pulled a Thanatos Gambit with Maki to strike back at the mastermind and ruin their credibility.

Adaptational Heroism: Kokichi is far from heroic in this story but there is a significant difference with his mode of action compared to canon. Thanks to Kaede stubbornly refusing to accept his villain moments and Kaito making a consistent effort to befriend him, Kokichi avoids portraying himself as the mastermind and works more closely with the others on occasion. He even works with Maki, despite the two of them hating each other, in order to create an elaborate murder to stump Monokuma.
Call-Back: His execution in Chapter 5 is a direct homage to Celeste's execution. It's even appropriately titled King of Lies: New Burning of the Versailles Witch.
Chekhov's Skill: Kokichi's talent for pickpocketing allows him to take Miu's remote and the key to his lab from an unsuspecting Kaito.
Conspiracy Theorist: In Chapter 5, Kokichi is shown to have written several theories on how the killing game works and that they're being watched for some reason.
Cruel to Be Kind: Knowing that Kaito would never vote for him as the fifth trial's culprit, Kokichi proceeds to knock him aside and uses Kaito's podium screen to vote on his behalf.
Heroic Sacrifice: The only reason he steps out of the exisal and reveals himself to everyone is because Kaito was offering to have himself face execution to save everyone from Monokuma's wrath.
I Work Alone:
- Kokichi's response to Kaede's offer to team up right after the third trial.
- He brings this up again when Kaede asks him to be nicer to Kaito who's making a genuine effort to befriend him in Chapter 5.
Jerkass Has a Point: Makes a point about everyone being a potential murderer in the fourth trial.
Thanatos Gambit: He teams up with Maki in Chapter 5 in order to create an unsolvable murder to undermine the mastermind's credibility as an effective game master. He operates the exisal during the class trial to mislead everyone and ultimately reveals himself as the culprit to save everyone from Monokuma's threats.
Thou Shall Not Kill: Like in canon, Kokichi has this mentality. It's the main reason he's a lot more hostile with Kaede than Shuichi; he knows she was willing to kill, and got away with it.
Trickster Mentor: Although Kokichi detests Kaede for getting away with murder, he willingly dispenses ambiguous hints to her that later prove valuable in the class trials.

Keebo

The Ultimate Robot. Despite his struggles to fit in with his human classmates, the robot does his best to remain hopeful during times of crisis.

In Chapter 4, Keebo's body becomes fried after the group's visit to the virtual world; although Miu manages to save his AI. While not quite dead, his loss of a vessel counts as a murder, paving the way for the fourth trial. In Chapter 6, he's able to hijack the system operating the killing game which gives his friends a huge advantage against the mastermind.

Benevolent A.I.: He successfully hijacks the technological system of the school allowing him and his fellow survivors to strike back at the mastermind.
Body Backup Drive: Is given this treatment by Miu when his body is damaged beyond repair in the virtual world. Although he's technically alive via AI backup, Monokuma still counts it as a murder.
Expy: Keebo being murdered by a close friend followed by him 'coming back' as an AI in a portable device makes him similar to Alter Ego.
Failure Is the Only Option: After taking over the school, Keebo came to the conclusion that he himself wouldn't be allowed to leave once the killing game is finished. His AI is still trapped in the network and without a proper outlet which none of the survivors can provide, his fate will be at the mercy of the mastermind while his friends will be allowed to leave.
Heroic BSoD: After Miu's death, his AI continues to mourn her while keeping himself isolated from the group.
I Let Gwen Stacy Die: He blames himself for not being able to save Miu when she asked him to save her moments before her death. Later on he realizes that he has secret functions as part of his Body Backup Drive which he believes Miu hinted at and feels guilty that he didn't act on them sooner.
Off with His Head!: An odd example. Keebo's head becomes an object of importance during Chapter 6 where Maki and Kokichi deduce that it also serves as a camera for the viewing audience. They removed his head from his non-functioning body and used it to deliver their message to the audience.
Whodunnit to Me?: This is how Keebo's AI backup reacts upon learning of his own death.

Gonta Gokuhara

The Ultimate Entomologist. With the body of a giant and a heart of gold, Gonta strives to help out his classmates as best as he can while pursuing his dream of becoming a true gentleman. In the story, Gonta's ends up developing a close friendship with Ryoma.

He becomes the third victim when he walks in on Angie's murder scheme leading to the artist killing him to keep it a secret.

Big Guy, Little Guy: The Big to Ryoma's Little.
He Knows Too Much: The reason he becomes targeted by the mastermind in the third chapter is because he and Ryoma discovered the Nanokuma as the source behind their movements being recorded. Not wanting this secret to be discovered so soon, the mastermind sent him a note that led him to his death by Angie's hand.
Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: His fate at the hands of Angie.
The Lost Lenore: Becomes this for Ryoma after his death.
Morality Chain: His friendship with Ryoma keeps the latter motivated and hopeful, which makes things worse when the third murder happens.
Nice Character, Mean Actor: Before becoming a sweet hearted gentleman, Gonta's audition video reveals that he had a violent streak and was not afraid to fight.
Super-Senses: His vision is so advanced that he's able to detect the microscopic Nanokuma flying around the school grounds.

Korekiyo Shinguji

The Ultimate Anthropologist. A cultured boy with a rather sketchy appearance, he prefers to stick in the background and watch social situations, hoping to see the beauty in humanity.

In Chapter 2, he kills Kirumi in their Duel to the Death and calmly accepts his execution when the truth is revealed.

Adaptational Heroism: Kiyo's murder is more sympathetic here than it was in the game, refusing to deny his guilt and even accepting defeat more graciously, and while his last few moments implicated that he was considering the idea of killing Kaede for his sister, their incestuous relationship is seemingly omitted from this continuity, as is possibly being a Serial Killer, if Kiyo wasn't planning on killing her like he claimed to have killed other girls in canon.
Demoted to Extra: In this reality, Korekiyo doesn't murder two unsuspecting girls using elaborate murder schemes as in canon. Instead he only goes after Kirumi who agreed to fight him in a Duel to the Death. His role and impact on the overall story is diminished as he's hardly remembered after his execution.
Face Death with Dignity: Unlike in canon, Kiyo willingly walks to his execution without a fight.

Ryoma Hoshi

The Ultimate Tennis Pro. With a troubled background, Ryoma no longer finds enjoyment in tennis and struggles with his depression. In this story, Ryoma survives past the second trial thanks to his new friendships with Gonta and Kaede.

Because You Were Nice to Me: Ryoma starts to regain his will to live after befriending the kind hearted Gonta in the second Chapter.
Big Guy, Little Guy: The Little to Gonta's Big.
Death Seeker: Ryoma has this up in spades. When voting for the fourth culprit, he deliberately tries to mislead the group into voting for him so they can be spared of the truth he saw thanks to the motive involving the outside world. He eventually gets over it thanks to Kaede and Tenko.
The Fatalist: His acceptance of the world being destroyed leads him to throw the fourth trial in hopes of sparing the others of this horrifying fact. It's subverted when Kaede convinces the group otherwise.
Flash Step: What he calls his Super-Speed in-story.
Heroic Neutral: He chooses not to be involved in the drama of his fellow students after trying to get everyone killed in the fourth trial.
Hidden Depths: He knows a variety of card games from his time in prison and even knows how to count cards.
Not So Stoic:
- Ryoma shows bouts of anger for the death of Gonta who he had become close with.
- He also becomes fiercely protective of Tenko and Kaede when Tsumugi torments them in the final trial.
The One Guy: By the time the 6th trial rolls out, he is the sole survivor who is male.
Self-Deprecation: He has these moments after nearly getting everyone killed in the fourth trial and surviving bullet shots from Miu's last stand.
Spared by the Adaptation: He survives past the Chapter 3 equivalent and is one of the four survivors of the Killing Game.
Super-Speed: This skill is more recognized in this story as he uses this to help Gonta catch the Nanokuma along with catching up to Kokichi who took the keycard in Chapter 4.
This Is Unforgivable!: Gives a benevolent version to Gonta in order to convince him not to join Angie's student council. He brings up the fact that giving up on escaping the school would be a huge disservice to his two families waiting for him; the wolves and his human parents.
Took a Level in Kindness: Shows a more considerate side after befriending Gonta.

Kaito Momota

The Ultimate Astronaut. With a hot blooded personality and a heart of gold, Kaito is always there to support his friends and classmates so they can escape the killing game and achieve their dreams. Kaito remains a pillar of support for Kaede throughout the story and stands by her side as one of her best friends.

From Chapter 3 onwards, Kaito develops a serious, unknown illness that ruins his health with each passing chapter. In Chapter 6, knowing that he doesn't have long to live, he decides to stay besides the critically wounded Maki so that she won't have to die alone.

All-Loving Hero: Kaede compliments Kaito for being able to show kindness and patience towards Maki and Kokichi when she herself considered it futile to befriend them.
The Atoner: Kaito is shaping up to be this by protecting Kokichi from Maki in order to make up for his initial attempt to murder the former.
- This also applies to the fifth trial where he tries to protect Maki even after she admitted to killing Kokichi as feels responsible for the both of them.
Break the Badass: In the beginning, Kaito was a boisterous, optimistic man who could smile through the worst of times. The process started with his Humiliation Conga sequence from below which made him require the constant supervision of his friends. Then he ends up admitting to trying to kill Kokichi in Chapter 4 despite him constantly voicing how no one will be murdered under his watch. Then after everything fell apart in Chapter 5 with Maki admitting to killing Kokichi despite her promising not to and Kaede wanting to execute Maki out of spite, followed by the reveal that Kokichi was the real culprit and willingly goes through his execution Kaito is not the same confident man he used to be.
Chronic Hero Syndrome: Has a case of this in every trial so far, which Kokichi mocks him for.
Driven to Suicide: Kaito discusses with Kaede in chapter 37 how he's become so desperate that he's willing to give up his own life if it means helping someone else. He laments that this was what motivated Maki and Kokichi to act on their own to stop the killing game.
Face Death with Dignity: Isn't bothered at all with the threat of Monokuma killing him for not participating in the 6th trial. He knows his death will matter since he was able to use his final moments to stay by his friend Maki during her final moments.
Heroic BSoD: Kaito goes through this phase after not being able to save Kokichi from being burned alive.
Heroic Sacrifice: He finally accomplishes this by staying by Maki's side when she's trapped in a debris of rubble after Monokuma announces a sixth trial. Anyone who fails to attend will be killed by him which gives him the perfect opportunity to kill Maki. And knowing that he himself doesn't have long to live, he decides to use his final moments to stay by her side as a friend.
Humiliation Conga: While he was no stranger to misfortune in the canon source, the story makes it so that he's practically suffering some type of accident every other chapter. This includes having his foot injured while trying to help the others escape Gonta's Bug Appreciation Party, having said foot accidentally crash into Shuichi's glass portrait during the memorial service, getting hit in the gut by an emotionally distraught Tenko, having to be the object of Kokichi's affection. And to top it all off, his secret illness was revealed to everyone after coughing blood over Kokichi's face at the end of the third trial. Word of God claims that this was unintentional.
Interrupted Suicide: In chapter 35, Kaito offers to let Monokuma execute him to save everyone from his intended wrath. However, Kokichi will have none of it and declares himself as the true culprit of the fifth case.
My Greatest Failure: He considers trying to kill Kokichi in the fourth chapter despite him vowing not to let anyone die or be killed to be this.
Nice Character, Mean Actor: Just like in canon, Kaito's audition video reveals that he was a bloodthirsty jerk who was deadset on killing everyone to win.
Pet the Dog: Even after learning the truth behind Rantaro's murder, Kaito continues to be Kaede's friend and supports her even when the others are wary of her.
Powered Armor: He joins Maki in her fight against Monokuma thanks to her lending him the purple exisal to use.
Raised by Grandparents: Kaito admits that he never knew his real parents and that his grandparents were his primary caregivers.
Team Dad: Kaito ends up being a Deconstruction of this trope. Having to be the only willing mediator for Kokichi and Maki's constant arguing is emotionally exhausting for him. Made even worse by his foot injury and his illness. He often ends up having to put his foot down in anger and yells at them for acting like children.
Took a Level in Badass: Finally gets his chance to shine by operating the exisal to lend Maki a hand in fighting off Monokuma's armed forces in chapter 37. As it results, he gave Monokuma a hell of a fight while using the exisal.
Would Hit a Girl: Gets into a fistfight with Kaede in Chapter 5. She even brings up this trope later on in the story and Kaito answers that she looked like the type who could handle getting into a fight.

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