The ending of Danganronpa V3

Danganronpa V3 is one of the few stories in years that has left me absolutely dumbfounded. When the credits rolled, I was left staring and just awestruck by the audacity and sheer insanity that had just unfolded. But in a good way, y’know?

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So, to recap in case you were unclear on anything: this game is revealed to take place in a universe that is not the same as the original games. Rather, Danganronpa as a franchise also exists in this world, and became incredibly popular, with fans all over the world. Thus, the series kept going and going on and on, as audiences couldn’t get enough of the killing games. People would volunteer to take part in the game, with their memories changed to make them into ultimate students for the show. This is exactly what happened for this game, the 53rd season so far. Rejecting being told that they’re not real, the survivors reject choosing hope or despair (which would keep people engaged and the show going) and destroy the entire false world they’re in, ending the show and choosing to face the outside world.

Whew

So this was… quite a revelation, to be sure. If you told me this is how it would all shake out before going in, I would have said you were crazy, but I guess Kazutaka Kodaka is crazier than I gave him credit for. In fact, many people think this game was him going way too far, saying that the series should end, that he hates the players, blames everyone, and tried to burn it all to the ground.

And I’m sorry, but if that’s what you got from the game, you’re wrong.

But, to back up, let’s examine this argument in a little more depth. Essentially, this argument takes the view that Kodaka (as the requisite figurehead writer) wrote this ending as a sort of “screw you” to the fans, as it casts the mastermind (of sorts) as all the people who keep demanding more Danganronpa in-universe. It then follows that the end of the game is him trying to put an end to the franchise, with it being metaphorically and literally destroyed. Nothing matters, we’re all awful for enjoying it, the end…

But wait. That’s not really what it’s about.

Let’s take this one step at a time. First, is the point of this a screw you to the fans, and does Kodaka really hate us all? No. The point of the game is the dangers of being consumed by media like this. People get really, really into the killing game in this universe, and they lose sight of everything but the killing, the blood, the raw engagement. People simply demand more Danganronpa for the sake of it, not because they get something deep out of it. Everyone’s just focusing on “who will die first”, “who’s going to survive”, “who’s my waifu”. The point is that this is all shallow, the point is that this is all vain by itself, and to make that point, he warped the killing game into a gross and off putting concept. Genuine fan passion is not being shamed, in fact, the loss of that passion is what is being shamed.

Fan passion is in fact something the game shows as a good thing. It shows us a kid who is genuinely inspired and has his life enriched by this show, even. One of the central points of the final trial is ultimately that, while fiction is a lie, it has the ability to heavily impact us and change our lives. That doesn’t seem like something you’d write in a story hating fans, does it? The character asset that they matter, despite the fact that they’re all lies. It’s told that, no, you’re not dumb for caring, and yes, your opinions and feelings and how the games affect you matter.

The people who care, the people who make all the fanart, the people who dissect the stories, they are not shown as the villain. The people who just obsess over hope or despair winning, those who focus on the blood, and the people that care more about the game continuing than the story, those are the villains. During the final “battle” of sorts, you never fight the cosplayers, you never fight the fanfic writers, you never fight the forum creators. You fight the people demanding more. Those people who think they deserve more. Those people who just want you to pick a side so they can have more.

Obviously, we’re all at least a little like that. Hell, I’d like Danganronpa to keep going. However, the point of the game isn’t to point at everyone and say “you’re bad”. It’s a critique of killing game obsession, and the dangers of giving the fans exactly what they want. It’s telling that when the game is talking about the fake Junko reveal, it basically says “What? She’s the most popular villain in the series. Isn’t this what the fans would want?”. Only, that would make for a much worse story. The killing game in this universe became exactly what people wanted; and eventually it became a true reality show, because that’s what people wanted. More. That more twisted it into something vile. And that part of everyone that just wants more is the true enemy of Danganronpa V3.