Part 82: Episode 22 - Despair Side, Episode 11: Goodbye, Hope's Peak High School

So, welcome to the final episode of the Despair Side. Now, those of you that have been counting along might see something wrong with that, but don't worry about it, I'll pick this up again at the end, it'll be clearer there.

We begin with Kyosuke on the phone, being told that his plans for the overseas branch of Hope's Peak have been shitcanned by the board and there's no negotiating about that. And, well, given the amount of shit Hope's Peak is in, I can't help but feel that an overseas branch is the least of their worries right now.



Juzo shows up and reports that Junko is innocent based on an alibi. Kyosuke says that he doesn't really have another suspect beyond Junko, since all the evidence fits her, but he trusts Juzo.



Then, in a bathroom, Juzo repeatedly punches a wall and curses Junko, swearing that when this is all over, she's a dead woman.



Meanwhile, Chisa and Kyosuke have a joyful reunion. Kyosuke also asks Chisa if she thinks Junko is innocent, and Chisa also says that everything she found points towards Junko being innocent.



We are then given a warning by Chisa that if we're looking for a happy ending, we should look elsewhere. Just because hope is the main character doesn't mean it'll make it to the final act. Sister, you should've told us that before Chiaki got horribly slaughtered.



Junko and Izuru meet up in an empty class room of the Reserve Course. Junko declares that today will be the day Hope's Peak dies. Izuru does his usual boring thing of just kinda stating the obvious, saying that Junko seems pleased since her plan is coming to fruition.



Also, he's still got Chiaki's hairpin.



Junko then says that there's a wind blowing that's ready to knock it all down with despairful despair. Yep.



And then the wall blows up. It doesn't make sense, but it's a nice shot, again underscored with the triumphant music from the scene where Junko flipped over the jigsaw puzzle.



And the title card once again underlines what we're in for.



Meanwhile, with the class, Chisa is talking to them about how proud she is of them. She gets a bit sentimental and says that she's written a letter for them, since this will be goodbye for them.



Outside, Junko is watching and waiting, talking about how great things will be once that class gets out there and starts working their despair and how it will spread like a virus.



Mukuro interrupts Junko's villain monologue and gets a slap on the ass and stepped on for it. Mukuro seems to be somewhat into it.



Meanwhile, the Reserve Course has broken out into outright rioting, taking shovels and pickaxes to the place.



We then get a short talk between Junko and Izuru about the memetic waves that despair will spread in, and how everything spreads like a virus, from fashion trends to social media hashtags.



We also get a line from Izuru: "Ideas, philosophy, art, culture - they live and die by the meme.". That didn't get memed into the ground at all, no siree.



The Reserve Course has now taken to attacking the Main Course.



As they make their way into the building, destroying it and slaughtering the Main Course students they come across, Chisa reads her letter to the class. It's your usual end-of-school encouragement stuff about how great their future will be, even though there will be hardships they will have to see through, that kind of stuff.



When Chisa finishes her letter, she bows and the class claps. And when she raises her head again...



...we've arrived at despair mode.



The class has shifted as well, as we get them talking about all the good deeds they're going to do out in the world. Like, actual good deeds, like Mikan saying she's going to develop drugs that will cure all illnesses, Fuyuhiko says he'll make the gang go legit together with Peko, that kind of stuff. Just that they're saying it with crazy eyes while Kill Command / Ekoroshia / the amped up investigation theme from DR2 plays.



And Nagito is still being Nagito, talking about turning to despair just being part of the process that leads to hope.



So, with the Reserve Course drawing closer, Chisa tells the class that officially, they'll have died here and they'll be stricken from the Hope's Peak record.



And with the Reserve Course continuing to riot...



...Chisa pulls out a trigger and tells the class goodbye.



Ker-bewm.



Meanwhile, Junko asks Izuru why he made her erase the class's memories of Izuru. Izuru says it's because he'll meet them again soon, and them having memories of him would make things predictable and therefore boring. He'll also be deleting his memories of them. Izuru then gives his spiel about how he's going to be pitting hope against despair to see which of the two is truly the most unpredictable, yadda yadda DR2 setup. Izuru then heads out.



Back inside, Kazuo, Jin and Koichi have barricaded themselves in. Apparently, at this point, everybody but the DR1 class from the Main Course has been wiped out.



Outside of Hope's Peak, things aren't looking much better either. Jin wonders if somebody orchestrated all this, though Koichi doesn't buy it. Jin then says he was trying to use his detective skills like Kyoko, saying that she would've figured this out and that he should've let her help. Kazuo then changes the topic to an escape, with Jin saying that the other two should leave while he turns Hope's Peak into a safehouse with the DR1 class to give the new world that comes out of this a new hope.



Koichi says he will stay outside with Kazuo, but then reaffirms his promise to Jin that if it comes down to it, he'll protect Kyoko with his life.



Back outside, Junko believes that the Reserve Course has done enough, so she sends them a message thanking them for their help.



And alongside that message...



...she's sent a little something special.



And thus, they all stop what they're doing...





...and it starts raining Reserve Course members.



Koichi and Kazuo see the carnage on their way out, but Koichi just suggests not to try to reason this out.



Finally, the rest of the Reserve Course just gleefully runs into the flames.



While Junko wistfully looks at all the death, Mukuro asks why they couldn't just have the Reserve Course people join them, to which Junko's reply is basically "because they're dumb like you, you stupid bitch". Junko insulting Mukuro has been remarkably constant. Anyway, Junko then gets up and says that they need to leave because it's almost time for class.



Class of course being the DR1 gang locking themselves into Hope's Peak and fortifying the place.



Junko and Mukuro are also at work. Mukuro says that Junko's plan is going smoothly, but Junko says there's still some wrinkles in it, namely...



...this guy.



So Junko takes matters into her own hands and chucks her wrench at him...





But Makoto being Makoto, he just slips and falls instead, inadvertently dodging it.



Junko then talks with Mukuro about how Makoto could be a real problem in her plan, since his luck is a lot more sporadic and random than Nagito's, making it harder to get a lock on. Mukuro asks if she'll kill Makoto, but Junko says she won't - the thought of a loser like Makoto ruining her plan would give her exactly the despair she wants.



We then get a shot of the now-Remnants, with Nagito basically just saying "uh, happy graduation, I guess?".



Meanwhile, Kyosuke finds Chisa in the burning classroom, with Chisa faking being sad, with her class having died in the explosion and all that.



As they turn to leave, Chisa drops something. She goes to pick it up, but second-guesses herself and continues leaving. Kyosuke asks if she doesn't need it...



...and Chisa just says it's nothing she can't get by without.



We then get some more voiceover from Chisa, talking about how she's sure Izuru would just say that all this is boring...



...that they're now living in the world of Junko's twisted mind...



...that her students are now out there, causing disorder...



...and that with their talents, it's no surprise the world is now stained with despair.



And what is Chisa doing in all of this?



Well, she's keeping house.



Juzo's not dealing too well with the fact that he's basically responsible for all this.



Chisa says that if anyone can stop this destruction, it's Kyosuke. She believes in him.



Believes in his bottomless capacity for despair.



And thus, Chisa tells us in another voiceover, we've arrived at the ending. She did tell us it wouldn't be a happy one. But in the end, for Junko and her followers, it kind of is. Maybe that's the secret - it's all a matter of perspective.



But as one story ends, another begins. And to end the episode...





...we find Junko practicing her lines for the next part of her plan.



However, that's not quite the end, as we still have a post-credits stinger.



On an island paradise...



...we find some familiar characters meeting each other.



And in the end, we get a voiceover from Izuru saying that he has to know which he cannot predict - hope or despair. Which one is freedom.



And this is the final card of Despair Side. See, here's the thing - what would normally be Despair Side, episode 12 is actually Hope Side. We'll also get to see this card at the end of the next Future Side episode - Hope Side is essentially an episode made to wrap up both Despair Side and Hope Side in one, kinda. I mean, Despair Side is essentially over now as far as plot is concerned, since DR1 and DR2 take over from here, but it's the big climax, anyway. But before that, we need to do one more episode. Next time, on the Future Side, the true plan of the mastermind is revealed.

What the fuck just happened?: Juzo and Chisa both tell Kyosuke Junko is innocent. The Reserve Course is now fully rioting, breaking shit and killing people. Chisa and her class have their "graduation ceremony", as it were, ready to go out into the world and cause despair. The Reserve Course commits mass suicide after Chisa sets off the explosion that's supposed to allow the DR2 class to fake their deaths. Izuru talks about some shit that basically sets up his DR2 plan of pitting hope against despair to find out which is the most unpredictable. Jin goes forward with the plan to lock the DR1 class up in Hope's Peak, with the entire rest of the Main Course being dead (or believed dead, in the case of the DR2 class), with Junko and Mukuro coming along for the ride. The DR2 class is now out and about, causing despair, while Chisa stays with Kyosuke. The events of DR1 are set into motion.