After surviving the killing school life, Makoto Naegi and the other survivors venture into the despair-filled world and do their best to survive. It's a struggle, but it works until a complete stranger shows up and kidnaps Naegi.
Turns out that the broadcast was watched very closely by Nagito Komaeda, who, upon realizing just how dangerous the world is to the new Hope, decided to take Naegi in, keep him safe, and help him become the very best Hope he can be! What follows is very painful psychological horror as Naegi tries to stay sane and escape the grip of Ultimate Despair.
Arcawolf's The Lion's Den can be read here.
or here. The completed sequel, From the Ashes, can be found here
Warning: The Lion's Den draws material from Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc, Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair, Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls, and Danganronpa 3, and all spoilers for those will be unmarked.
The Lion's Den contains examples of:
- Abhorrent Admirer: While Naegi doesn't notice Komaeda may have more than platonic feelings for him, but the rest of Ultimate Despair do and they disapprove. Surprisingly, Naegi himself becomes a romantic one to Komaeda after the latter's heel realization.
- Adaptational Backstory Change: Because The Lion's Den was published before the release of Danganronpa 3, the backstory of Kamukura and Ultimate Despair is completely different than canon.
- Affably Evil: Komaeda. Ultimate Despair as a whole could count, but only toward Naegi.
- All for Nothing: Naegi's escape arc seems to be this as he ends up back in Ultimate Despair's custody, only this time his allies are dead. However, it turns out that Naegi's escape allowed Kirigiri to obtain the information she needed to rescue him.
- After the End: The story takes place after the Tragedy when Ultimate Despair is ruling the world.
- Alone with the Psycho: Naegi spends the first part of the story locked in Komaeda's room. Eventually the rest of Ultimate Despair discover him but given they're all mass murderers, the situation isn't much better.
- And Now for Someone Completely Different: Chapters 100 through 104 cover Kamukura's perspective, starting with his birth.
- Berserk Button:
- Naegi triggers Komaeda's rather early on, although how and why it's a Berserk Button isn't revealed until much later.
- Kamukura's backstory revealed that a well-intentioned Komaeda burned his mementos of Nanami. He's still bitter about it by the time The Lion's Den starts.
- Bittersweet Ending: Naegi is saved, Ultimate Despair as a organization is completely destroyed with most of their soldiers surrendering. The 77th class is captured and taken to Jabberwock Island by Class 78 and Kamukura to cure them of despair and Komaeda has taken the first step to redemption. But Naegi is still broken by what he went through, and Yukizome and Monoka are still at large.
- Blood-Splattered Innocents: Naegi is splattered by blood when Kuma is shot.
- Body Horror: As in canon, several characters cut themselves up and sew Enoshima's body parts to themselves.
- Break Them by Talking: Kamukura eviscerates Komaeda so badly that Komaeda leaves the story for a bit.
- Brick Joke: Komaeda's snare trap.
- Chekhov's Boomerang: Kamukura shows Naegi an anti-brainwashing video that a few chapters later, protects him from the brainwashing Despair Video. Much later in the story, it also protects him from Mitarai's Hope Video.
- The Absurdly Sharp Blade of the Monokuma claws. Naegi is given a paw very early on and hides it under his bed. Naegi later uses the paw to cut through his door in his first escape attempt. He loses the paw, but never forgets and twice uses Monokumas to break people out of Ultimate Despair's prison.
- Chekhov's Gun: Several.
- The laptop Komaeda uses to let Naegi talk with Komaru is later used by Naegi to send Komaru's address to the Future Foundation.
- Tsumiki's public medical show is used by Naegi to broadcast himself to the world.
- Komaeda forces Naegi to read out Hope Eulogies every night, which causes him to forcefully develop the charisma to give convincing speeches on things he doesn't believe. This skill is used to devastating effect at Enoshima's funeral.
- Both Alter Ego's ability to mimic his classmates' voices and Naegi's Kuzuryuu mask are essential to his successful escape.
- Darkest Hour: Occurs when Naegi fall into despair.
- Deprogram: Naegi tries to do this to Ultimate Despair and succeeds for some. Kirigiri plans to do this to Naegi once he gets free.
- Despair Event Horizon:
- Members of Ultimate Despair have passed this.
- Naegi straddles the line before crossing it in chapter 98.
- Despair Speech: Naegi has an internal one before he falls into despair.
- Deconstructed Character Archetype:
- The Chessmaster and I Work Alone. Kamukura's insistence on working alone and manipulating events from the shadows means that Naegi misinterprets his goal and grows to distrust him, something that help pushes him into despair. It also means he tends to be blindsided when people act on "illogical" hope or despair, as seen in the events leading up to Nanami's death.
- Hope Bringer and Living MacGuffin: Naegi's status as the Ultimate Hope means that aside from his classmates, his sister and Iwata, everyone sees him as a tool instead of a person: the Future Foundation and common people see him as a symbol of hope, the Remnants see him as Junko's son and heir, Kamukura sees him as the way to cure despair, and Komaeda sees as a metaphorical punching bag. Even Naegi himself falls into this trap, as he slowly loses his individuality to the point where he believe he is Hope itself.
- Dressing as the Enemy:
- Alter Ego appears after hijacking a Monokuma robot.
- Naegi pulls off his fourth escape attempt successfully by disguising himself as Kuzuryuu.
- Dumb Struck: Naegi has a Heroic BSoD from watching Kuzuryu and Pekoyama torture some Future Foundation agents to death. The fact that Komaeda has a special name for this state also implies he has experienced this in the past.
- Et Tu, Brute?: Naegi has this reaction when Kamukura sabotage his third escape.
- Evil Minions: While the Monokumas around the base are capable of fighting, they are never seen doing so and instead do things like deliver snacks and spin game wheels.
- Faceless Goons: The soldiers working for Ultimate Despair all wear Monokuma helmets. Justified as the helmet itself is a brainwashing device keeping them under control.
- Foregone Conclusion: Nanami doesn't survive Kamukura's backstory. Neither does Kamukura and Komaeda's friendship.
- Gilded Cage: Ultimate Despair grows to genuinely like Naegi and go out of their way to hang out with him. But he's not allowed to leave. Ever.
- Gut Punch: Apart from the chapter where they first find Naegi, Ultimate Despair at first comes across as eccentric and Affably Evil. Then Kuzuryu gets his hands on a few Future Foundation agents...
- Heart Is an Awesome Power: Naegi in a nutshell.
- Heroic BSoD: Happens to Naegi a few times.
- Hidden in Plain Sight: Alter Ego, after infiltrating Ultimate Despair's base, manages to avoid detection by... doing nothing. He's taken over the body of a Monokuma, so nobody looks twice at him.
- I Choose to Stay: A negative version of this; eventually, after several escape attempts, Naegi decides to stay with Ultimate Despair not because he wants to help stop them, but because he himself has fallen into despair.
- If I Can't Have You…: A variation of this happens in chapter 23.
- Interface Spoiler: Newer readers will likely guess that Naegi's story doesn't stop at Chapter 99 due to the amount of chapters left.
- Insistent Terminology: According to Kuzuryuu, Ultimate Despair didn't kidnap Naegi. They took him into protective custody.
- The Kindnapper: Komaeda. Or so it seems.
- Lima Syndrome: Ultimate Despair grow to genuinely adore Naegi and they do their best to pamper him... But they have no intention to let him escape their clutches.
- A Match Made in Stockholm: Naegi develops strong friendships with Ultimate Despair over the course of the story. However, despite this he never stops trying to escape.
- Not Me This Time: Ultimate Despair has a tendency to blame Komaeda when things go wrong, leading to confusion when Komaeda isn't behind it.
- Nothing Is the Same Anymore: As the effects captivity has had on Naegi become more prominent, it becomes clearer that he's not going to leave without a few scars.
- Early on, after Ultimate Despair as a whole decides to take Naegi in.
- Later on, when Ultimate Despair is willing to let Shirokuma die rather than hand Naegi over.
- When Tsumiki reveals she's been cured of despair.
- After The Reveal.
- Only Sane Man: Naegi and to an extent, Kamukura appear to be this at the beginning. Naegi is definitely not this by the end.
- The Reveal:
- Chapter 80. Komaeda didn't kidnap Naegi because he wants to help Naegi be a better Hope. He did it because, after a lifetime of losing everyone he cares about and after seeing how easily Naegi forgave in the killing game, he believed that Naegi would be the one person able to love him without being hurt by the cycle of good and bad luck that's defined his life. Furthermore, because he spent years seeing Naegi relatively unharmed by his luck while he struggled and believes that all his suffering has lead to this one person that will stay with him, he feels justified in taking out all of his pain on Naegi and making Naegi as dependent on him as he is on Naegi. What makes this so surprising is that it actually works, not because Naegi's good luck protects him, but because his bad luck is so terrible that it cancels out Komaeda's luck just so that he'll believe it worked and continue torturing Naegi. Nobody saw it coming.
- Kamukura is actually the Big Good and has been secretly helping Naegi the entire time.
- Prisoner Exchange: Komaru attempts to force Ultimate Despair to return her brother by holding Enoshima's AI hostage. Ultimate Despair chooses to sacrifice Enoshima for Naegi.
- The Rival: Kuzuryuu begins to see Naegi as this as Naegi's hope and optimism starts to impact Ultimate Despair.
- Sanity Slippage: The Lion's Den is one big slide into insanity for Naegi.
- Sacrificial Lion: Kuma and Iwata.
- Stop, or I Shoot Myself!: Naegi. He forces Komaeda to stop sleeping in a closet by refusing to eat. In a more serious example, Naegi threatens to cut his own throat to escape the Ultimate Despair goons chasing him.
- Stress Vomit: Naegi throws up during Kuzuryu's torture of the Future Foundation agents.
- Tragic Dream: Naegi's hope of escape gradually becomes this.
- Too Unhappy to Be Hungry: Naegi's lack of appetite and weight loss is a recurring element. Eventually, Tsumiki and Hanamura get concerned enough to place him on a meal plan to stop him from losing more.
- 2 + Torture = 5: Komaeda slowly accomplishes this as Naegi starts to accept his world view.
- Unwanted Rescue:
- The start of the story, when Komaeda "saves" Naegi from the outside world.
- Naegi's first escape attempt fails when Ultimate Despair finds him and "rescues" him again.
- Villainous Breakdown: Komaeda has a massive one after Kamukura gives him a verbal beatdown.
- Why Did You Make Me Hit You?: Ultimate Despair, especially Komaeda and Kuzuryu, sometimes blame Naegi for the awful things they do to him.
- You Wake Up in a Room: Chapter 2 starts with Naegi waking up in Komaeda's room, having been kidnapped off-screen.
The sequel From The Ashes contains examples of:
- The Atoner: Komaeda is very remorseful for what he's done to Naegi.
- Borrowed Catchphrase: Komaeda uses Naegi's once. Naegi is very offended by it.
- Break the Haughty: Kamukura is crushed when his Morality Chain Naegi denounces him as a friend and eventually lapses into Despair.
- But Now I Must Go: Although he succeeds in curing every Despair except one, both Class 78 and 77 recognize Naegi will never recover from his trauma while he lives alongside Class 77 and he needs to leave.
- Bystander Syndrome: A recurring theme. Class 77 is taken to task several times over their general disregard for their classmates and Naegi's problems.
- Naegi explicitly calls them out for ignoring his clearly declining mental health throughout The Lion's Den
- Cathartic Crying: Naegi has a massive breakdown in Chapter 80 as he finally grasps that it wasn't just Komaeda and Kamukura who psychologically tortured him in The Lion's Den, but all of Class 77.
- Central Theme: Standing by as bad things happen can be just as evil as participating yourself.
- You can badly hurt people even if you didn't mean to hurt them; lack of intent is not an excuse.
- Conditioned to Accept Horror: Naegi shows signs of this. Alter Ego, for example, has to explain to him why they can't cook human meat.
- Epic Fail: Naegi's attempt to break his sister and turn her into another 'Hope' fails because he never considered that Komaru would leave partway through his big speech.
- Forgiven, but Not Forgotten: Naegi's relationship with a good chunk of Ultimate Despair ends up this way.
- Gone Horribly Right: Komaeda wanted to impose his values and worldview on Naegi in The Lion's Den. He got what he wanted.
- Go Through Me: Pekoyama defends Class 78 against her classmates when they break out on the ship.
- I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: A platonic example occurs when several members of Class 77 urge Naegi to leave Jabberwock and by extension, them, behind.
- Living Emotional Crutch: Naegi to Kamukura.
- Manipulative Bastard: Kamukura and Naegi.
- My God, What Have I Done?: Many members of Class 77 go through this as they are forced to confront the reality of their actions as Ultimate Despair. Even if they ignore the harm they deliberately caused, Naegi makes sure they can't ignore the harm they indirectly did to him.
- Odd Friendship: Komaeda and Ren/The Imposter become friends.
- Genocider gets along really well with Ultimate Despair.
- Official Couple: Pekoyama and Kuzuryuu.
- Rage Breaking Point: Chapter 80 for Naegi.
- Relationship Upgrade: Kuzuryuu and Pekoyama officially become a couple.
- Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: Given that the only thing binding the two classes together is Naegi and over half the characters are murderers, it's very tense.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Multiple. Naegi in particular gets to deliver several of these.
- Villainous Breakdown: Despair!Naegi has a massive one when Class 77 turns against him.
- You Are Better Than You Think You Are: In their last conversation, Kamukura assures Naegi he is a good person at heart and his previous fall into despair hasn't changed that.
