In a narrative-driven game series like Danganronpa, characters play an integral role in ensuring you are absorbed in the story. So let’s go over each of the Danganronpa characters from the first game, Trigger Happy Havoc, to give you a little insight into their history, characteristics, and how they earned their ‘ultimate’ titles. From the erratic mastermind Monokuma, to the level-headed, sweet-natured Makoto Naegi, you’ll be familiar with all your classmates in no time.
If you’re looking for more mysteries to untangle, check out our recommendations for the best mystery games on Switch and mobile. Or, if it’s the format that’s got you hooked, head over to our list of the best visual novel games.
So, without further ado, let’s dive into all the Danganronpa characters from the first game in the series, Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc. Be warned, some spoilers follow!
Danganronpa Monokuma
Monokuma is a sentient, robotic teddy bear and the self-proclaimed headmaster of Hope’s Peak Academy. He’s also the instigator of Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc’s Killing School Life game. Monokuma appears to be very cheerful and easygoing at first, but as you get to know him, he reveals his sinister motives and evil nature. He finds joy in chaos and violence, and his catchphrase is ‘thrills, chills, and kills!’
His black and white design represents his duality, like the two sides of Yin and Yang. His white side has a cute, happy face that appears closer to a traditional teddy bear, whereas his black side has a wicked grin and a red eye that looks a lot like the Hope’s Peak Academy logo.
Danganronpa Junko Enoshima
Junko Enoshima is Hope’s Peak Academy’s Ultimate Fashionista and the most iconic student on the roster – even if you’ve never played Danganronpa, you’ve likely seen this gal at some point. She initially comes across as a bit hot-tempered and air-headed, and her carefree, talkative nature often gets her into trouble.
SPOILERS: However, as the game progresses, we get to see her darker side, revealing her to be extremely apathetic and obsessed with despair. She often switches between manic ‘moods’, from sickening sweetness to severe depression, making her extremely unpredictable and hard to read.
Danganronpa Makoto Naegi
Makoto Neagi is a student in Class 78th of Hope’s Peak Academy. Known as the ‘Ultimate Lucky Student’ or the ‘Ultimate Hope’, he has a unique sense of optimism and is a kind, supportive, and sweet-natured person, but can sometimes be quite naive.
He’s a pacifist who generally tries to avoid violence at all costs, and is far more friendly and approachable than the other students in his class. He dislikes Junko and blames both her and Monokuma for the unnecessary deaths of his friends during the killing game.
Danganronpa Aoi Asahina
Aoi Asahina, nicknamed Hina, is a student in Class 78th of Hope’s Peak Academy. An extremely active person, Aoi excels at all sorts of sports, with her favorite being competitive swimming. She broke records and won medals in every swimming contest she’s entered since elementary school, and was chosen to become an Olympic cadet. It’s her talent in swimming that led to her being scouted by Hope’s Peak Academy, also earning her the title of ‘Ultimate Swimming Pro’.
Danganronpa Byakuya Togami
Heir to a worldwide financial conglomerate, Byakuya Togami is a wealthy student in Hope’s Peak Academy’s Class 78th. Due to the Togami family’s peculiar inheritance system, Byakuya was forced to battle against his 15 half-siblings in a bid to become the next head of the family.
Despite being the youngest contender, he won and expressed his goal to have his family’s corporation reach even greater heights. Amassing an impressive level of personal wealth in addition to his family’s fortune, Byakuya was scouted by Hope’s Peak Academy as the ‘Ultimate Affluent Progeny’.
Danganronpa Celestia Ludenberg
Celestia Ludenberg, nicknamed Celeste, is a student in Hope’s Peak Academy’s Class 78th, known for her penchant for fabrications. In fact, she tells so many tall tales that she is referred to as the ‘Queen of Liars’ by her peers, and no one really knows the truth about her life prior to the killing game. Skilled in the world of gambling, she defeated many opponents over the four years before Hope’s Peak Academy scouted her as the ‘Ultimate Gambler’.
Danganronpa Chihiro Fujisaki
Chihiro Fujisaki is a wiz with technology, and Hope’s Peak Academy’s Ultimate Programmer from Class 78th. Bullied for being ‘so weak despite being a boy’ in his youth, Chihiro developed a weakness complex and began dressing as a girl and hiding behind a computer to avoid the societal expectations of masculinity placed upon him. Later proving to be a teen genius, Chihiro garnered fame for creating cutting-edge programs.
Danganronpa Hifumi Yamada
Hope’s Peak Academy’s Ultimate Fanfic Creator of Class 78th, Hifumi Yamada, describes his younger self as a friendless, mild-mannered boy who liked to draw. After a character called Princess Piggles from an anime appeared to him in his dreams, he became obsessed, with purchasing merchandise, creating fan art, and writing fanfiction about her.
Danganronpa Kiyotaka Ishimaru
With the title of Ultimate Moral Compass, Kiyotaka Ishimaru is a student in Hope’s Peak Academy’s Class 78th who is dedicated to restoring honor to his family name. His grandfather was once Prime Minister of Japan but brought disgrace to his kin due to a disastrous scandal.
As such, Kiyotaka feels it’s his duty to gain success through hard work rather than talent, so he sacrifices hobbies and social interactions in favor of studying, leading him to become a model student, but preventing him from making many friends.
Danganronpa Kyoko Kirigiri
Stoic and intelligent, Kyoko is a mysterious young woman who tends to hide her emotions and remain distant from her peers. This led her to earn the title of the Ultimate ??? in Hope’s Peak Academy’s Class 78th. She keeps a level head and views things objectively without leaping to conclusions, making her a valuable ally to Makoto during the class trials.
Danganronpa Leon Kuwata
Leon Kuwata is the begrudging Ultimate Baseball Star of Hope’s Peak Academy’s Class 78th, who would much rather his title be Ultimate Musician. Due to his natural talent for baseball, others have pushed him to keep playing since childhood. Longing to forge his own, new identity, after falling for a girl he met at a salon, he decided to pursue a more musical path, changing his style completely in an attempt to impress her.
Danganronpa Mondo Owada
Mondo Owada is a student in Hope’s Peak Academy’s Class 78th, who boasts the title of Ultimate Biker Gang Leader. Having developed a great passion for biking when he was young, his brother inspired him to take up the helm and continue expanding the reach and reputation of The Crazy Diamonds, which later came to be known as Japan’s largest and fiercest biker gang. Despite his penchant for delinquency and fighting, he was scouted by Hope’s Peak Academy after the death of his brother, accepting the position with the intention of looking for other aspirations.
Danganronpa Mukuro Ikusaba
SPOILERS: Hope’s Peak Academy’s Ultimate Soldier of Class 78th, Mukuro Ikusaba is Junko’s older fraternal twin sister. Since their youth, Junko has manipulated Mukuro into helping her ‘paint the world in despair’, leading Junko to adopt the moniker ‘the Despair Sisters’ for both of them.
While still a child, Mukoro disappeared during a holiday with her family in Europe, at which point she joined the Fenrir Mercenary group in the Middle East. During her time with the mercenary group, she engaged in direct combat, but never received a single injury on the battlefield.
Danganronpa Sakura Ogami
As the Ultimate Martial Artist of Hope’s Peak Academy’s Class 78th, Sakura Ogami is a talented fighter. Her family maintained their dojo for over three centuries, maintaining an old-fashioned lifestyle. As a child, Sakura trained extremely hard, with the aim of becoming stronger than her male family members in order to prove her worth – and she achieved this goal, surpassing her father at the young age of 14. She’s an ambitious young woman, whose intimidating appearance and dedication to training have resulted in a life of solitude. She hopes to one day become the strongest human alive.
Danganronpa Sayaka Maizono
Sayaka Maizono is the Ultimate Pop Sensation of Hope’s Peak Academy’s Class 78th. Raised by her widowed father, Sayaka spent most of her time alone while he worked, finding comfort and strength in the idols she saw on TV. As a result, she became determined to become an idol herself, in order to offer that same support to others – but, through her determination, she often made bad decisions and sacrifices to achieve her dream.
Danganronpa Toko Fukara
An intelligent yet gloomy outcast, Toko Fukara is the Ultimate Writing Prodigy of Hope’s Peak Academy’s Class 78th. Due to the intense bullying she went through as a child, she grew to be suspicious of others, often paranoid that they were talking behind her back. She has no filter, often coming across as cruel through her brutal honesty, and is very self-conscious, displaying a tendency to self-victimize and reject any compliments sent her way. She suffered much abuse in her youth, leading her to develop DID (dissociative identity disorder) and a crippling fear of the dark.
Her talent for writing was discovered by a teacher who read a love letter she wrote for an unrequited crush in eighth grade, leading her to write a series of books. Her romance novel ‘So Lingers the Ocean’ became a huge hit, she won multiple awards for her writing, and often found herself on the top-selling list.
Danganronpa Yasuhiro Hagakure
Yasuhiro Hagakure, also known as Hiro, is a student in Class 78th at Hope’s Peak Academy. He’s a bit of an oddball and not particularly well-liked due to his tendency to be cowardly, lazy, and a bit selfish. However, he’s one of the most cheery and laid-back students in his class.
Yasuhiro has problems with women and managing his money, often impulsively spending, but he managed to save up a small fortune by offering his services as a fortune teller – though he often scammed his clients. After extorting the wrong customer, he ended up accumulating a heap of debts, going into hiding before taking shelter at Hope’s Peak Academy, and becoming the Ultimate Clairvoyant.
And that’s all the Danganronpa characters from Trigger Happy Havoc – good luck surviving Hope’s Peak Academy’s Killing School Life Game with this gang of misfits! If you’re inspired to seek out some awesome Danganronpa cosplays, check out our TikTok download guide. You’ll find plenty of Junkos out there!