A long time has passed since a new mainline Danganronpa game has been released. Sadly, it doesn’t look like one is happening anytime soon, either. With upcoming, similar titles from creator Kazutaka Kodaka like The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy on the horizon, it appears this series is indefinitely on hold. This is likely due to a number of factors, such as the infamous Danganronpa V3 ending, which shouldn’t stop new Danganronpa games.
I will try my best to avoid spoilers, but it is pretty much inevitable. As such, if you have yet to finish Danganronpa V3, this is your chance to walk away and come back later. Still here? Well, the ending is controversial for a reason. It upends this entire series in more ways than one, but namely because of the many lies.
As we find out, pretty much everything we knew about the series was a blatant lie or at least somewhat fake. The characters existed and participated in these games, but with fake personas. It is an intriguing commentary on the fans and the series, and one I’ve grown to appreciate in the years since. But the ending seemed to put a cap on the series.
After all, what is the point now that we know the truth? But I beg to differ. I feel like this series ended just as it was getting started. V3, and even the second game before it, did a lot to deconstruct and surprise players. Characters you might expect to be evil died while the more innocent “main characters” turned out to be killers. Despite these wonderful twists, such as the Kaede and Chiaki ones, there was still so much room for new turns.
For instance, what if a new game didn’t go the whole multiple survivors route? It would be a shock to have only the protagonist survive or, dare I say it, finish the final case by trying to get away with murder. This would be a fascinating twist on the courtroom sessions.
Alternatively, what about a game with multiple endings? Here, you could make choices that determine what conclusion you get. Maybe befriending a possible killer in one route results in multiple survivors, while alienating that Nagito or Ouma-like person results in them pinning a murder on you and walking away as the winner. Or they could even finish you off as their victim.
These are just a few options for a new Danganronpa. I’m not even bringing up the amazing character options. Think of all the Ultimates we haven’t seen yet. There is almost limitless potential for where the series goes next. In fact, I think it is better to look at the V3 ending this way.
For one, Spike Chunsoft and Kodaka (or a new team) could opt for a fresh reboot. Scratch the entire ending and start over with a new class and no expectations. Or, heck, set it in a new universe and move on to Ultimate university students. Another option would be to fill in the gaps between games.
Spoiler warning once more, but we now know the most recent game is actually the 53rd game in the universe. That means there are about 50 different games we haven’t played yet. That is an unbelievable amount of content to go back and look at. Could we see Rantaro’s game, for example? Or just a fresh case without any strings attached. This would even be the chance for them to go ahead and call a game Danganronpa 4 and show the fourth game.
Finally, there is the big one. What if we just got a direct sequel to Danganronpa V3? I know that sounds ridiculous with the ending, but there is nothing to hide now. The games can continue onward as they were. This time, though, we know the truth about the matter.
This route gives a lot of possibilities for how Spike can play with the characters and story. We can have more deranged students, such as someone who keeps switching between their old personality and their new, fake one. We could get to know the people behind the actual broadcasted game, not the weird Junko despair mess.
If anything, this gives the team a chance to avoid the pitfalls of the original trilogy. Instead of connecting all three games like before, just give us standalone experiences that are one and done death games. This leaves the room open for anything to happen. Whatever the case is, I sincerely Danganronpa V3 isn’t the ending for this series and we do get new Danganronpa games at some point.
Master Detective Archives: Rain Code was a solid distraction in 2023, but it fell just a tad short of what I want to see. And then there is The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy. After how much I hated the unnecessary battles in a story-driven game like 13 Sentinels, I expect this to be a similar situation. These fun diversions are exciting to try out, but I hope Kodaka gives us a new Danganronpa game sooner rather than later.
Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony is available for Android, iOS, Nintendo Switch, PS4, Vita, Xbox One, and PC.
Published: Nov 1, 2024 06:45 pm