Junko’s Great And All But For Me Hopes Peak Academy Is The Main Antagonist Of Danganronpa.

i find the dehumanization of makoto to be so fascinating especially when compared to the dehumanization of junko

bc they both get reduced to the ideal they represent (hope and despair) only that for junko it happens after her death, which is what happens to martyrs. she becomes this symbol of despair for which people like monaca and the remnants strive for, specifically after she dies. her death is what cements her as this symbol

but for makoto, it happens whilst he's alive. he has to deal with the weight of being a symbol of hope, the weight of a world that desperately needs healing from the tragedy. he has to do that! he isn't given junko's luxury of being dead. he's alive and has to deal with the pain it inflicts on his deteriorating mental state

honkee star rail

You know the more I play and replay Danganronpa, the more incredibly out-of-pocket it seems that the series ended on Naegi becoming the Principal of Hopes’ Peak Academy????  We’re ignoring V3 right now.  I’m just talking mainline continuity.

Like, even ignoring all the crimes against humanity that the academy perpetrated or that their ever-growing pursuit of talent helped Junko bring about the end of the world, reopening Hope’s Peak goes against the core message of the games???

Makoto may be the “Ultimate Hope” and the “Ultimate Lucky Student,” but in his heart and in reality, he’s just an average kid who won a lottery.  The fact he ISN’T special and yet becomes the savior of the world as his Super High School Level Classmates fall into despair around him is what makes him a great protagonist for the franchise!  To attend Hope’s Peak you have to be scouted, but no one in the before-times was ever going to recognize an extraordinary ability to remain positive!  The point of Makoto’s character is that people have talents that aren’t going to be recognized as useful or explementary, but they’re just as important to the survival of humanity as those who make ground-breaking discoveries or legendary artistic pieces.  

It’s not a coincidence that every main character in the franchise (up to V3) was a “regular” person: Makoto, Hinata, Komaru.  They may not be “special,” but they still do great things, because every human has the ability to make a difference in their world!

And it’s not just the main characters, because Ishimaru even states he hates being labeled as special, because he believes that “ordinary” people who work hard are the true Ultimates in society.  And in Ultra Despair Girls, Toko takes offense at Komaru saying she doesn’t understand weakness, because by being “special” it makes her strong.  Taking literally one thing a person excels at and making it their entire identity ignores the actual strengths and weaknesses that all humans have.  Additionally, it discourages people from finding those strengths within themselves as Komaru was always so quick to try and give up and use her status as “normal” as an excuse to run away and not try.  

On the other side of things, characters like Byakuya used their status as an excuse to hurt those that were “beneath” them.  He manipulated crime scenes and was a just a general douche to literally everyone, because he thought he was better than them.  By creating a society of stratification based on talent or wealth or whatever else, you are creating a society that is ripe to justify inequality and unfair treatment.  

And going back to those crimes against humanity, it is the drive to become “great” when you’re not that spearheaded all those human experiments and mistreatments and treating humans like a game character to level up instead of a person to be treated with respect no matter their ability.  

The fact that all of this was just ignored and that the series sort of turned its back on its very ethos in the last leg of the franchise is just baffling to me.  

(not) moving on

based on a post-game idea: how strange would it be for the survivors of V3 to live in a world where their friends' entire in-game lives had been perfectly captured and preserved forever, always avaliable for endless rewatching? and more importantly, would the guilt of having to type 'danganronpa V3 best moments' into the google search bar be worth getting to hear their friends' voices again? on bad nights, the answer would probably be yes

Oh I’m a sucker for content about Makoto perpetuating the cycle that caused the apocalypse in the first place because it’s whats been expected of him and taught to him, like at the end of dr3 anime how he becomes the principal of the same establishment that did HORRIFIC human experimentation and perpetuated a system that crushed anyone deemed ordinary under its weight. The school ends up taking no blame for its very real and intensely horrific acts because they simply blame despair for it, so of course now that the Ultimate Hope is running it that means all the despair is gone and now Hope will happily shine again. Neatly sweeping under the rug the covered up murders and torture done in the name of that hope before. It wasn’t the system, it was a few wildcards, trust the system Makoto, it’s all you’ve been told works isn’t it? Society has to have Hope’s Peak Makoto, the two are one in the same isn’t it?

In the end his title of Hope and the expectations forces him into the same blindfold of “for hope” that allowed Izuru to exist. All he knows and really is allowed to know thanks to future foundation is that he is Hope and has to make more Hope and that as such Hope’s Peak must exist as a symbol of that Hope. Which is why when I write post danganronpa 3 content and acknowledge the canon of “he principal now” I have characters who actively oppose and fight against the re-installment of such a system because it’s just such a bad idea but the propaganda and hope worship is so intense Makoto doesn’t even consider how it might not be a good idea.

Hope and Despair are just so entwined you cannot be an ultimate hope without understanding and being able to use ultimate despair. The two concepts are so twisted together that Junko can cause massive hope if she chooses (ie warriors of hope) and Makoto can create great despair (accidentally letting a second killing game happen thanks to his illegal terrorist rehabilitation program) not to mention hope to one is despair to another, and there really is no way of predicting which way the pendulum will point to until after the act of potential hope OR despair is taken. Ultimate Hope? Ultimate Despair? The talents are one in the same at the end of the day. Anyone deemed to be an Ultimate Hope is one thought of “greater good” away from the next Tragedy. Makoto is no different, and the system will inevitably push his morals to that point if no one intervenes.

The maestro without his hat. They could never make me hate you, Balan.

Wanted to draw the RPG look for them from Jataros artworks and decided to add Servant too for fun

My Makoto Naegi angst analisis thing (Hc)

(PLEASE KEEP IN NOTE): That this is just my general idea of him, kinda scared to share this cause qjdnnejf I know everyone has different opinions on Makoto so I'm just posting this in my own prespective of him. (It's a little messy cause I am unstable and disorganized when I write this so beware ooo)

Here's the art I made for this

So like, I believe Makoto has issues I think we all established that, and the moment when komaru mentioned of how he changes a lot in UDG (but still hold some same aspects of traits and habits that just makes him.... him) after managed to contact him the first time. It strucks me so bad that it gaves me a migrane /vpos

Like, Makoto earned his new title of the ultimate Hope (with the capital H and everything) just by defeating Junko the ultimate despair? By that point he was seen by the world as the savior and as the first and only hope they have thought lost for YEARS

Makoto's ability to move everyone by just words to which he probably didn't even realised the power he held over it. He's just incredibly passionate and its because his whole body speaks GENUINE emotions, his stubborn willpower and determination undeterred by despair and everything Junko herself has set up for.

It is something not everyone has the luxury to have. His optimism. But that's the thing.

Makoto was the ultimate Hope, only because he was just optimistic in nature. It was the flock of the moment during the last trial, his contagious optimism is what everyone, his friends, the world, preceives as Hope. The enlighting feeling of inspiration by just words of support and motivations for the first time since years after the tragedy started.

But again. Thats the thing. The "Hope" they admire, they clung onto, they worshipped, and they DIE for, was his mere optimistic nature. Just like he said himself "Optimism is all I'm best at".

Its cause well, it's true. (Kinda)

All he was ever good at in his view was just being that. When I rewatched future arc I sense how unBEARABLY useless he is without that title and usual positive nature, and his words don't reach the leaders of future foundation from attempting to kill one another (aside from certain ones, and at the very end ofc, but even then it was too late to prevent the deaths). His words doesnt even managed to reach Ryota from preventing him in using the Hope brainwash video.

It just further shows how.... normal he is

Despite the title, it just shows that he is nothing but a normal guy. He's not some god everyone preceives him to be, he's just some dude that was placed in a wrong time and place.

It's like all the good he is being- well, normal. Like typical "good kid". Somehow it kinda hurts to think about it, like you're obligated to see all positive in lives for it as everyone depends on you for such.

And now the whole world was in the palm of his hands.

I feel like he's scared, despite his strong stand and brave, determined face, he is a normal, ordinary guy that scared to lose what he was ever good and seen by everyone as. Being optimistic and hopeful.

Its like he's not allowed to even be sad for a moment to cry his hearts out. Because the world depends on him, his friends depends on him, he rely on them too much, he cant lose hope cause if he does, the world will fall apart AGAIN, and people will die AGAIN (just like his classmates, just like the people who died for him) he doesnt think he can handle that the second time.

Since that one thing Makoto despises the most is violence. Death to be exact.

He was probably exhausted but he cant yet, he has to keep moving forward, for the world's sake, his friends' sake, his only remaining family; his sister's sake, and for the sake of those who had died so he can carry out their hope that was left behind.

Theres also this quote that remind me of him:

"I'm scared that the moment I look like I'm suffering. Noone will believe me anymore"

Because like. He really cant do things as much without his friends. All he has was his hope; his positivity, determination, and optimistic nature. So he stood tall, facing despair, putting up a strong look just so people of the world, and his friends know, that they all can trust him. To have faith in him.

Because being optimistic is all he's best at.

That hope he has held dearly was destroying him internally. Scary thing is it? Despair isnt what was breaking him. It was the very thing that he was good at. And the very thing everyone thought of when they see him.

Just like junko when you think about it. She- ultimate despair, destroyed herself by the very thing she is (basically executed herself in the last trial) and now makoto was doing the same thing.

"The world's hope", "the strongest who never falters at the face of despair", "the savior", "their guiding light"

How much longer should he keep that up? Before everyone realised that he's nothing but just an ordinary, plain, boring guy?

How much longer should he fall before allowing himself to hit the ground?

A sprout who never truly managed to grow old, it's choose to shelter other by it's leaves, holding still, unmoving.

Yet its roots slowly rotten by parasites and disease, trying to keep the earth together. They can't die now, they're the protector, the hope of it all. <-(quote by one of my friend Ele, which I think is neat in itself, considering Naegi's name means sappling or seedling in general ajdhwjdj)

He may have survived the first killing game that birth his title as the Ultimate Hope,

He may have survived the second killing game in the Neo world program that shows us how devastated it must be for Makoto that Nagito would go that far for the sake of hope, how Makoto's words and hope does not reach the remaining survivor,

He may survived the third killing game in the Future Foundation where it must be devastating that he's unable to understand the victims fully from preventing them to try and kill eachother off ("don't try pretending you understand them, you don't understand them at all" kinda feel), where he watched as Kyoko died for his hope, not telling him THAT she will die, letting him live because not only that he was the closest friend she ever has, but knowing her; she thinks that the world still need the ultimate hope, and because of that, she was ready to accept her fate for it, because she was assured that Makoto is strong enough to move forward even when it's hard, because she has faith in him. Because she believes that Makoto will never give up Hope.

Eventhough he had survive countless scenarios where he could die anytime of those. I feel like eventhough he had survived multiple times.. he had died, multiple times as well, to become who he is now (multiple rebirth symbolism). To the point where he is unrecognizable in his own eyes, the feeling of the old him far out of reach, who is he now?

Things are so simple to him back then, why does things don't make sense to him about himself now?

He may never feel lonely outside, because he believes that his friends will always have his back, he believes that there will always be someone that could give him a hand.

But here, in his own mind, in his own exhaustion, in his own struggle, in his own confusion, he is completely all alone. This one is his alone to go through, his friends has too much on their plate already to handle this, he relied on them too much already.. (in a way, perhaps, he try to rely on others less).

Theres soooo many I wanna say about him but this is the general idea of my view on him, or er, version ig? His accidental savior complex that is.

And don't make me start of his self-sacrificial tendency. /lh

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game theory: is junko enoshima secretly george bush