Danganronpa 1 Character Ranking

Danganronpa 1: Trigger Happy Havoc Character Ranking

So, the Danganronpa series is a game/anime I very much enjoy. I haven't played it myself, but I've watched it on Youtube, and was automatically hooked to it (Especially the class trials).

I also like ranking videos/blogs. Seeing what characters are ranked from worst to best, seeing how book sequels or movie series are ranked against each other, is very interesting to me. Unfortunately, it's hard to find ranking videos/blogs around the internet, at least for me, and some of them don't give good reasoning for how they ranked the characters, shows, etc (If they give any at all).

So, to add to the list, I'm gonna making my own ranking posts, starting with Danganronpa 1: Trigger Happy Havoc characters. This ranking is gonna be as objective as possible, ranking the characters based on their personality, development, depth, likability, and importance. A bit of my own opinion will probably enter in their, but I'm gonna minimize that as much as possible.

Also, spoiler warning. This does have spoilers, so if you haven't watched nor played the game yourself, and you want to, stop reading and go do so. If you already have, or don't care about spoilers, then enjoy.

Note: While the ranking is worst to best, I don't think any of these characters are downright bad, and I do enjoy most of them. I just think some are better than others. 

Another Note: The ranking will be based on how the characters were like during Danganronpa 1, and what was revealed about them in that game, not in any of the other sequels or spin-offs.

16. Yasuhiro Hagakure, The Ultimate Clairvoyant

Anyone who played/watched the game would have at least suspected that this guy would be around the bottom of this list. Outside of the comedy relief he brings, he have little to no redeeming traits about him.

He's stupid, greedy, selfish, cowardly, and lazy. He was of very little help throughout the entire game, both in school life and deadly life. In the beginning of the fifth trial, he kept delaying the trial, saying that Kyoko was dead and that she was a ghost. If that isn't stupidity, I don't know what is. His free time events does little to improve his characters. Just reinforce that he has those bad traits, especially his final event. That one really shows the height of his greed, selfishness, and stupidity.

So, yeah, you can tell that I don't think highly of the clairvoyant. Though I do admit, he has a few redeeming qualities, as well as few points where he's helpful. He's a friendly and laid-back person to be around. He was also helpful during the fifth chapter, having showed his capabilities with technology, dismantling Monokuma and rewiring an antennae to pick up television signals.

But those few good traits and moments don't really make up for all the bad ones. So yeah, he's at the bottom of the list.

15. Hifumi Yamada, The Ultimate Fanfic Creator

Hifumi is somewhat better than Yasuhiro, though not by much. His looks, for one, easily detracts from his character, I'm going to easily admit.

His personality don't really help all that much either. He take the several tropes of a geek, and amplifies it by a ton; acts like a creepy pervert a lot of times, despite his self-proclaimed devotion to 2d; has a nasally voice that can grate on your nerve; and can be easily manipulated by people.

What makes him better than Yasuhiro is the fact that he has a better moral compass. What drove him into killing Taka was that he believed the fellow student abused Celeste. He didn't kill out of greed or desperation, but righteous anger. While it doesn't help the fact that he was easily manipulated, it still paints him as a better person.

He also have some depths towards him. A few of his free time events, as well as his fascination for Alter Ego, conveys how lonely he really was, and how much he desired companionship. This isn't much, but it's enough to keep him from the 16th spot, and into the 15th one.

14. Mukuro Ikusaba, The Ultimate Soldier

While Mukuro's much better than Hifumi or Hiro, it's not because she's a more likable character (At least not until Another Episode).

Other than her involvement in the killing game and the Tragedy itself, there's nothing to really hate about her character. At the same time, there's nothing to really to like about her either. 

Her background is interesting, having join a mercenary corp as a child, possibly living on the streets with Junko for a time, and again, her involvement with the Tragedy. But she was killed way before we could get to truly know her, even before we got most of her background. So sadly, I have to place her at number 14.

13. Leon Kuwata, The Ultimate Baseball Star

Now here where we get to the more likable characters. From 13 to 1, most, if not all, of these characters have something to like about them.

Leon didn't get much of a chance to shine here. Despite that, he shown to be a generally friendly person, someone you could hang around with. He shown himself to be arrogant, passionate, bit of a playboy, and lazy, but none of those traits got to the point where they're grating.

If he lasted longer, or showed some depth to him during Chapter 1 (Other than realizing he really do like baseball), then he could've gotten on a higher spot. But he didn't, so the baseball star will have to settle for 13th place.

12. Toko Fukawa/Genocide Jack, The Ultimate Writing Prodigy/Murderous Fiend

Where should I start with Toko? Well, for one, she got an inferiority complex that goes to the extreme. She's crazy paranoid, constantly look down on herself, and is just overall depressing to be around.

She's also rude, spiteful, and probably a bigger pervert than Hifumi. Her past isn't the prettiest one, I know, but that doesn't excuse much of her personality and actions. Like Hiro, she wasn't all that helpful in either the trials or the school life. She probably would've been lower on the list if it hadn't been for her other personality.

Genocide Jack. She helped keep Toko from getting lower on the list. She's pretty much the opposite of Toko, cheerful, confident, out-going, and brings out a lot of humor. She still has several moments moments of perversion, but it's not to the point of creepiness like Toko. If she wasn't so proud about it, you could probably forget that she's a wanted serial killer.

So, while Toko is depressing to be around, Jill brings out some much needed life in the character, thus placing the two in 12th place.

11. Sayaka Maizono, The Ultimate Pop Sensation

Unlike Leon and Mukuro, we got a lot of screen time with her during the first chapter. And she's much more pleasant than Hiro, Hifumi, and Toko, in both looks and personality.

Immediately, she showed herself as kind, cheerful, intuitive and a tad mischievous. She quickly got along well with Makoto, having met him in middle school (Kinda), and there was plenty of chemistry between the two. In any other game or anime, she would probably be the main girl.

But unfortunately, this was a killing game, one that took you by surprise by making the seemingly main girl the first victim. What placed her this far in the ranking, however, is the fact that she was the assailant. Desperate to get out of the school, to maintain the career she worked so hard to get, she attempted to kill Leon. 

Her desperation to keep her career, as well as being the catalyst for the killing game, give her some depth and importance to the game. However, because she was the first victim, we unfortunately couldn't get to see more of her and her development, so she has to be at 11th place.

10. Kiyotaka Ishimaru, The Ultimate Moral Compass

If you could think of one word for the Ultimate Moral Compass, passionate is one of them. There's also stiff, but passionate seems more appropriate for him.

When you first meet him, Taka clearly showed himself as a rule abider and hard-worker. He's fervent on doing the right thing and expect others to the same thing. He also tries his best to lead others, especially during the killing game.

His free time events and his friendship with Mondo also gave him some character depth to him. His first event reveals that he never had any friends, thus explaining his close friendship with Mondo. Two of his other events give us a look into his pasts, which helped explain why he became the way he is.

When Mondo got killed, that broke Taka and left him despondent for half of chapter three. However, he manage to recover thanks to Makoto and Alter Ego, even taking in some of Mondo's personality. That could've led to some interesting development, but unfortunately, he was killed off right after he manage to recover some. So, he's a good and likeable character, with some dimension to him, but his unexpected end kept him from growing further, therefore he's placed at number 10.

9. Mondo Oowada, The Ultimate Biker Gang Leader

What place Mondo higher than his buddy, Taka, is the deeper layers that were shown. At first, we see him as a tough biker with a trigger-hair temper. Someone with little patience, who's very lax about the rules, and let his anger get the better of him most of the time.

However, we see bits of his friendly and reliable side in chapter one. We see more of it during chapter two, with his friendship with Taka and Chihiro. His fte also help a little as well into making a more deeper character.

But what really cements his 9th spot is the 2nd trial. More specifically, the post-trial. We see how insecure he really was, see his temper actually having a lasting consequence, see that while he's physically strong, he was mentally weaker. 

The reveal that his brother sacrificed himself to save him, that he kept it secret from his entire gang, and seeing him get consume with jealously, anxiety, and his own anger cements him as a high tier character. The only thing keeping him is going higher on the list is mainly that the other characters are better, so he's place in an acceptable 9th place.

8. Celestia Ludenberg, The Ultimate Gambler

Celestia Ludenberg is a very complex character. Even after her own trial, she remains very complex.

Throughout the game, she shown herself to be manipulative, vain, controlling, and apathetic. However, there are hints that says that some/most of those traits are merely a mask, more specifically her fte and class trial.

Her ranking of people, the tidbits of her past that she revealed (The more believable parts), her attempt to get everyone to adapt to the school, and her final words reveals much about her. That she isn't as vain or as apathetic as she presented herself as.

I won't say too much about her, as that would make a full on analysis on the gambler. But what I am going to say is that while she may seem like a terrible human being, she's just a normal girl desiring a more exciting life. One that was scared of death, and at the end, didn't have any hope of getting out without killing anybody. So because of how interesting her character is, I'm placing her at 8th place.

7. Aoi Asahina, The Ultimate Swimmer

Hina is a very likable character. She's kind, friendly, out-going, cheerful, and just an overall good person, not to mention very attractive. She can an airhead at times, as well as very emotional, but that doesn't detract from her character at all. 

Her fte are fun to watch, and she gets along well with many of the characters. She is especially close with Sakura, with the two becoming fast friends at the start.

But that doesn't make her perfect. Like I said before, she's very emotional, and that can get the better of her. We start seeing that more during chapter 3, and even more so in four. Sakura's death especially left her devastated, to the point where she attempted to kill everyone in the school, including herself.

And again, her flaw doesn't detract from her character at all, but rather increases it. So for being a cheerful, yet emotional girl, that cares deeply for her friends, she gets the number 7 spot.

6. Byakuya Togami, The Ultimate Affluent Progeny

From the moment he was introduce, it was clear that the Togami heir was going to be an arrogant jerk. That didn't change through most of the game, with chapter two and four highlighting his cruelty.

If he was just a rich jerk, he would've been at the bottom. But he's not. He grew and developed further into game, especially near the end of chapter four. He shown himself to be intelligent and even helpful during the deadly life, being one of the big three of the class trials. And his attitude and outlook didn't come from nowhere.

He was raise in a strict life, becoming the heir of the biggest corporation, as well as having to compete with his half-siblings. Because of his background, he grew up thinking that everyone always looks out for themselves in the end, that life without competition, challenge, and victory is worthless. The arrogance also came with the childhood. It doesn't excuse his actions and attitude, but it does make them understandable.

But some of that outlook and arrogance went away with the fourth trial, as well as post trial. He couldn't figure out that Sakura killed herself, unable to think that anyone is capable of sacrificing themselves for their friends or loved ones. And when Kyoko and Makoto figured it out, and Monokuma read Sakura's will, he finally see that not everyone will act for solely themselves. Thus, he decided to fully ally himself with the survivors.

The guy may be far from pleasant, but that doesn't make him a bad character. His harsh childhood developed his personality, the killing game had him grow, and he showed his worth in the trials, thus placing him 6th in ranking.

5. Junko Enoshima, The Ultimate Fashionista (And Despair)

Junko Enoshima. The mastermind of both the killing game and the entire Tragedy. A mega fashion diva and a terrifying beauty.

Much of her personality was shown through Monokuma. The bear acted cheery and easygoing, as well as childish and lively. But that was just a mask, and whenever that mask comes off, you get to see the menace hiding within it. Cruel, bloodthirsty, sinister, and flat out evil is some of the words to describe the sadistic machine. There's also unpredictable, easily bored, manipulative, and temperamental.

When Junko was revealed, she showed all that and much more. Intelligent enough to bring the world down its knee, an unnatural obsession with despair, and the ability to switch personalities at the drop of a hat, she quickly cement herself as an intimidating yet fun character to witness. 

And her obsession goes far, willing to even kill her own sister just get a taste of that despair, as well as put her classmates through the entire killing game. Even when she lost, she didn't cry out in anger or anguish. No, she happily embraced that despair, with a crazed smile on her face.

Some might argue that she should be lower, since her background is barely explained, and that she's only doing this out of boredom. I say, a character like Junko don't have to have a proper reason for doing what she does, nor does her background need much explaining. As said in the Dark Knight, some people, "just want to watch the world burn".

So, for being an enjoyable, scary, and crazy villian that could even be compared to the likes of the Joker, Junko is ranked in 5th place.

4. Chihiro Fujisaki, The Ultimate Programmer

Here's a character that can lit up even the darkest hearts. Chihiro is another three dimensional character, with a great personality and great development, despite only being in two chapters.

Timid, polite, intelligent, and overly kind (If there's such a thing), Chihiro is someone that's too good for the world. His kindness is shown towards not only his classmates, but even towards a mosquito that was biting him; was smart enough to build his own AI himself; and was shown to be quite timid throughout his time at Hope's Peak.

His backstory is emotional and sorrowful. Being frail and having been called weak by several of his peers, Chihiro couldn't take it anymore and disguise himself as a girl. However, that merely increase his inferiority complex, thus causing him to view himself as weak.

Despite his own view of himself, however, he had quite the inner strength. That strength revealed itself when he momentarily confronted Byakuya, as well as when he use the threat of his secret being revealed to motivate himself to become strong.

And even when he died in chapter two, it wasn't the end for the character. He lived through Alter Ego, who gave the remaining survivors some much needed hope, even saving Makoto at the end. So, for having an amazing background, personality, and growth, as well as his technological legacy making a big enough impact, Chihiro is 4th in the list.

3. Sakura Oogami, The Ultimate Martial Artist

The first thing to come to mind with the martial artist is strong. Both physically and mentally, Sakura has immense strength. She also hardworking, level-headed, loyal, and a gentle person.

What cements her place in this ranking is her loyalty and willpower. Throughout the game, she shown herself loyal to all of her classmates, especially Hina. She viewed them all as friends, and when she saw the rising tension between them, she decided to sacrifice herself so that they can unite together. That takes not only incredible loyalty towards her classmates, but also a large amount of strength and will as well.

And even then, she haven't given up on fighting the mastermind, as she had declared after being revealed as the traitor. Before killing herself, she destroyed the lock to the principal office, giving the remaining survivors a chance to look inside and find out more. One last middle finger to Monokuma before giving up her life.

Not only does those actions place her here, but also her own flaws. Before her sacrifice, she had to decide whether or not to kill to keep her dojo and loved ones safe. That decision wasn't easy for her, and she took some time to make the decision, too much time. It shows that while she is incredibly strong, she does have weaknesses like everyone else, and that weakness was used against her.

She also has a girly side to her, despite having muscles that would put pro-wrestlers to shame. That is shown in her fte events, where she reveals that she's in love with her rival, Kenshiro, and feeling quite embarrassed as she reveals it. I like that little detail, having her be a incredibly strong martial artist, yet still having her be girly.

So, her loyalty to her friends, the willpower to sacrifice herself for them, and the humanizing flaws places her in 3rd place.

2. Kyoko Kirigiri, The Ultimate Detective

No one should be surprised that Kyoko made it this far. The detective is an incredible girl, being intelligent, confident, compose, and very attractive. But while she is incredible, she's also incredibly flawed.

Despite revealing her complicated relationship with her family (Mainly her father), much of her past is a mystery. What we do know is that her father's abandonment led her to seemingly feel nothing for her father, though there's hints that this isn't true, while the burn scars on her hands, hidden by her gloves, are the reasons why she doesn't trust anyone.

And that mistrust is a crux for her. Her hesitancy to reveal everything she knows and finds out leads her to be mistrusted right back, mainly by Byakuya. It took Makoto pushing through walls to start tentatively trust her classmates. If it wasn't for that, she would've stubbornly held all the cards in her hands until it needed to be revealed.

Also, while she has shown herself to be very mature through most of the game, there were moments of immaturity from her. Those moments were when Makoto refused to tell her what's bothering him during chapter 4, thus angering her. She even went as far as to purposely avoid him, not going to the dining hall until he left.

Despite those flaws, or perhaps because it, she's still a great character. She is very helpful during the trials, being another of the big three trial solvers. She provides a more objective look and keep from jumping into conclusions like most of the students. And again, she's very mature, providing advice and words of wisdom when needed, mainly to Makoto.

She also bonded with the lucky student, with the two working together in investigating in the second half of the game, and teaching each other different things. She warns him about Mukuro, thinking she was the mastermind, saved him from the masked Junko, and even go through the main garbage chute to save Makoto after the fifth trial, even though she initially sacrificed him to save herself.

And so, the intelligent and mature, yet mysterious girl gets 2nd place for this ranking.

1. Makoto Naegi, The Ultimate Lucky Student (And Hope)

And here's the number one character, Makoto Naegi, the Ultimate Lucky Student, and later, the Ultimate Hope. Not original, I know, having the main character be number one. And I know there are some that think that Makoto is too bland to be a good character. I got two things to say to that.

One, the way I see it, if the main character isn't the best, or close to the best, then the story is probably not that good. After all, people have to love the main character to enjoy the story a majority of the time. If the protagonist isn't enjoyable, then neither is the story.

And two, just because he's the normal one out of all the Ultimates, and have a completely normal background, doesn't mean he's a plain or boring character. Now, let me explain why I think Makoto earned the number one spot.

For one, he's a very likable character. He's friendly, kind, optimistic, and trusting. He can be naive, but it's not to the point of stupidity. And with many of his fte, he always offered helpful advice and hope-filled guidance, which subtly cemented him as the Ultimate Hope.

He can be charismatic and determined, which helps him inspire hope to classmates, and convince some of them to trust him. And despite his positivity and niavety, he's very level-headed, which helps him get along with just about anybody, even Byakuya and Toko.

He also have a keen intellect that helps him in the trial, being the last big three of the class trials. With each trail, he shows to be smarter than he looks, noticing things others don't pick up, and figuring out things that others didn't. During the fifth trial, he was able to face against Kyoko, fending off and countering any evidence shown and rebuttals made.

He developed very well in the game, from being unable to convince Sayaka to not kill, to being able to convince the five remaining survivors to not lose hope in a very distressing situation. He learned to not turn away from the truth, and that sometimes you need to take risk in order to succeed. He also kept his optimism and hope throughout the game, not once letting himself give in to despair. Even when trapped in a garbage room, he focused on finding a way out.

Without him, the remaining survivors probably wouldn't get as far as they did. Probably would've been worse off. He provided a normal view of things, as well as an optimistic outlook. He's able to get along well with anyone, even the most antisocial of the group, as well as give hope to others as he developed into the Ultimate Hope. He's the Batman to Junko's Joker, the hopeful boy against the despair crazed girl. Thus, I place him on the number one spot.

Conclusion

Well, that's the entire ranking post for Danganronpa 1. I hope you guys enjoyed it. Like I said, I tried to be as objective as possible. Don't know how much I succeeded, but I hope I did relatively well for my first ranking post.

If you don't agree with some of the choices, feel free to explain why in the comment section. Next post I plan to do will be a Danganronpa 2 character ranking, then Danganronpa V3. Stay tune for those. I'll see you guys later.