[Thinking While Gaming] How A Small Teenage Insecurity Led To The Destruction Of The World (DanganRonpa Series)
He played games with her every day at the fountain. And despite her telling him that 'Life is more than just talents.' He was too obsessed. Too ashamed that he can't reach her and so he couldn't hear what she said.
Salam (Peace)
DanganRonpa is a psycho-pop murder mystery horror/not-horror Visual Novel about talented Highschoolers who got trapped in the school and the only way to get out is to kill each other. It's full of twists and the evidence of the mystery are always presented at the last minutes which make it harder to predict.
Heavy Spoilers Below for The Anime: DanganRonpa 3 Future/Despair/Hope Arcs... Also DanganRonpa, DanganRonpa 2 and Ultra Despair Girls.
(Written for people who played the games. Read at your own risk.)
The One Who Was Insignificant
Hope's Peak Academy. A high school that scouts talented high school students. The only way to become student at Hope's Peak is to get invitation from it. But as soon as you become a student you'll be set of life... All graduates from this high school became leaders at their fields. Being a student of this school is a dream comes true.
Hajime Hinata didn't have talent. But he got an opportunity to get into his dream school through Reserve Course, only to realize these "normal" students were discriminated against and that he can't stay long do to absurd tuition fees of the course.
Then he was selected for The Ultimate Hope project, the school will put every talent they researched in him and he'll get a place in the main course.
But his gut feelings told him it wasn't the right thing to do.
While he was indecisive... He met a girl from the main course. She was very thoughtful and understanding... She was very talented and amazing. She was everything he dreamed to be.
He met Chiaki Nanami at that spot for days... Played games and chatted about their life.
"It doesn't make a difference whether you have a talent or not. I mean, that isn't the end goal. You have greater freedom than we do. All I have are games. But you can go anywhere and become anything."
But he was so obsessed he couldn't hear her... The more they talked the more insecure he felt.. That the current him doesn't deserve a friend like her.
Someone she can proudly say "He's my friend."
...Somehow...
One day one of his classmates died... Probably murdered by someone of the main course... But couldn't ask. he was told that the reserve course are replaceable.
He met her one last time, she invited him to play but he had decided... He assured her that she has many good points other than being good at games. Something he wished he can say to himself.
"In the end, I couldn't do anything, though. But because of my emptiness, there are things I can do."
The One Whom The Tears Flow For
As he stood before her... As she was dying in front of him... She called him by a name he didn't recognize. "Hajime Hinata?" Is that the name of his previous self? Everything was boring and predictable for him... Her reaching this place was predictable. Her death was predictable...
"I won't be able to help them."
Why he couldn't predict that she'd say that?
"No... I don't want to die! I... I still have things I want to do. I wanted... ...to stay classmates with everyone! One... One more time... I wanted... ...to play video games... ...with you."
As soon as he heard her last words, he noticed a strange feeling on his face. Tears flowed on his cheek without him realizing where they came from.
He is Kamakura Izuru... The super-human who had all known talents... He isn't the talent-less person who he was before... But what does the talent do for him? He has everything but he can gain nothing more... everything was boring and predictable.
His life was empty since he was "created" until Junko Enoshima (The Ultimate Despair) came and told him there's a way to overcome this emptiness... Despair... When the world becomes full of suffering it will become a world he can't predict... A world he can live in.
Why did the tears came from his eyes?
And why he couldn't predict--
...
How Boring...
Hajime Hinata Character
So this is #ThinkingWhileGaming post, but all I wrote above are scenes from the anime DanganRonpa 3... Still this post is actually about comparing his game and anime selves. I think Hajime Hinata is a very interesting game character... He's that average boy that tries to be cooler, to have that next thing he doesn't. To deserve his (maybe) love interest. And he's tough about it.
Unlike Makoto Naegi of the first game who was soft and full of hope, appears weak but actually strong inside... Hajime is tough boy who would call you out on anything wrong you do. But inside he always questioned himself and felt weaker so he tried to prove he is equal to his 'classmates' through all of DanganRonpa 2.
Through the game he was put into a place with peers, not knowing what his talent was and told that he lost his memories like the others. He regarded himself as one of them "A Student In Hope's Peak Academy." I think starting with this mindset helped him being level headed and only-sane-man in the group.
Contrasting this with his Anime personality... He entered Hope's Peak Academy but without having any talent... He was surrounded by students who entered by paying huge sums of money just to benefit from the school's reputation. He was odd in the school and odd even in the Reserve Course... Every waking moment he was reminded by how inferior he is.
The "Ultimate Hope" Character
The scientists of Hope's Peak artifically made Hajime/Izuru great at everything... But for some reason they thought his memories and feelings could get in the way of being "The Ultimate Hope." so they removed them... That was very bad move. Because by forgetting his reason to become "Hope" and without feelings that tells him right from wrong, he easily became part of the Despair group.
All his appearances before the anime DanganRonpa 3 (Despair Arc) he was shown as antagonist... But most of the information about him was told through other villains. And he was told to actively work against the main villain Junko Enoshima.
His anime appearance confirmed that he didn't actively kill the whole student counsel as he was framed (as told in DanganRonpa Zero and 2.) But wasn't totally innocent either. He was just there "observing" all of the things happening... Constantly asking if Hope is more predictable than despair? after he lost all meaning in life.
Flowers On Her Disk
I believe Hajime loved Chiaki Nanami, both the real and AI Chiaki!!... So much that as Izuru he still felt some attachment to her memory... Crying as he watched her die. Holding her hairpin wherever he goes. He was found standing before her (former-)school disk about 2-3 years after her death!! (Which in my opinion was a very romantic scene.)
Chiaki is probably the reason he stood against Junko in the first place... After everything (and how his two personalities merged) he was shown regretting her death. Being the only person from his classmates(?) that he couldn't save twice.
'The Tragedy' while planned by an evil genius girl. It occurred due to many coincidences... And the humanity isn't so weak as to succumb totally to despair this easily.... probably... I think(?)
What Do You Think?
DanganRonpa series is all about the ugliness of humanity, and the beauty of living through and fighting these ugly parts of us... About the despair we stuck ourselves into, and the wars we started for no good reason. Then it's about overcoming all of that.
Please Tell Me Your Thoughts In Comments.
Here goes!! *posting*
Was going to read but that spoiler warning stopped me.
I known the gist of the story or kind of from the game trailers but have never played any game or watched/read anything about DanganRonpa.
Now there are so many games and literature out I don't know where to start.
I'm conflicted about this... In want people to read this because of the time I spent writing, but after I wrote it I found out that it only concerns small niche. and I don't want to spoil it on other people.
If this made you play DanganRonpa series I think I succeeded. It's a Visual Novel but unlike this game genre... DanganRonpa feels like a REAL GAME and its story is very twisty there are no 20 minutes of gameplay wihtout something that changes how you see its characters.
Most of the spoiler above are revealed late in games....
I feel the same...
By the way don't search about DanganRonpa on google, the ending of the first game isn't considered a spoiler by the fandom any more.