Part 6: Only a Pawn in Their Game

MUSIC: Beautiful Lie



It's a straight shot to the gym door from our last introduction.

MUSIC: Nightmare in the Locker





Hmm, it's pretty spectacular seeing all 16 of us Ultimates gathered together.

Kehehe... You may not be able to be so easygoing for much longer...

In this situation, it's no use thinking about things. So eventually, Tsumugi stopped thinking.

Nyeeeh... What's gonna happen to us? I bet it'll be a big pain...

Hmmmmmm...

What? What are you looking at?

Um... Himiko, you can use amazing powers, right!? Cuz you're a psychic and stuff, right?

I'm not a psychic...I'm a mage.



Hey, what sorta training did you undergo to gain your awesome powers!?

Talking about it is too tiring...

You're pretty lazy.

Pardon me, but...we need to be on our guard. We do not know if and when danger will strike.



There is no need to worry. Atua will protect us.



Is your brain full of weeds or somethin'? I'll whack 'em outta that skull of yours!

Don't worry about it! Just leave it to me!



NO MUSIC

...Huh? What that?

Hm? What's wrong?

An ominous mechanical hum starts up.

Listen... Hear that?

Ah, I think I hear it. It sounds like an engine from a robot anime—



MUSIC: New Classmates of the Dead

AUDIO: Hello Despair Robot!



Yoo-hoo! Rise and shine, ursine!



Everyone, behind Gonta!

Wh-What the heck are these...monsters!?

Whoooooaaaa!!! So coooool!!!

They're Exisals—highly mobile, bipedal weapons platforms! They got lotsa hometown pride, too!

...I can't keep track of these backstories.

Wh-Whatever they are, they better kill off the uggos and save me for last!

Run, Himiko!

Why are you concerned about me all of a sudden?



Wh-What the hell!? Nobody told me about these!



If they wanted to kill us, they'd have done it by now.

With that, Rantaro casually walked up to the Exisals.

So...what do you want from us? You clearly want *something*, that's what the guns are for, right? Let me guess. You're gonna force us to do something, and if we don't, we get hurt.

Well, you have our attention. So what do you want?

Huh. Well aren't you a wiseguy?



... Hahhhhh! My heart's goin' 100 miles per hour! I'm gonna say it! You ready!? Hell yeah! lt's a—

NO MUSIC



Hey, Monodam can actually talk. He's played by Jason Wishnov, who dabbles in voice acting when he's not working as CEO of Iridium Studios. Byakuya Togami from Danganronpa is almost certainly his most well-known role, aside from Byakuya Togami in Danganronpa 2.

...What?

M-M-Monodam! How DARE you upstage me!

W—Wait a second. What did you say?

I-If I heard him correctly—

NEW MUSIC: Wonderful Story



Oh! He said it again!

Grrrrrrr! God damn it, Monodam! I'm gonna crush you with this here Exisal!

C'mon, we don't have time to fight amongst ourselves.

Yeah! If you don't stop fighting, I'm gonna crush you with this here Exisal!

You too, Monotaro? If this is what it's come to, then I will crush the four of you with this here Exisal!

Hey! Why are you including me!? Oh well! It's more appropriate for us to be hostile to each other!

NEW MUSIC: Mr. Monokuma After Class V3

AUDIO: Super Exisal Battle



MONOKID: Who you callin' jabroni, jabroni!?

MONOSUKE: What'd you say, jabroni!?

MONOPHANIE: I'll throw down any time, jabroni! Check yourself before you wreck yourself!

MIU: S-Seriously!? Are they gonna get it on right in front of us!?

ANGIE: Don't worry. Atua is watching over us.

TSUMUGI: In a situation like this, is he just going to watch!?

KEEBO: Either way, it's too dangerous! We need to get out of here or else—

NO MUSIC



KAEDE: What?

???: My cute little cubs... You gotta knock off this awful fighting...

MONOPHANIE: Oh! That voice!

MUSIC: Rise of the Ultimates





Papa Kuma! Papa Kumaaaaa!

Daddy!? Where are you, Daddy!?

D-Daddy?

NO MUSIC



VIDEO: Monokuma Arrives









AUDIO: Ultimate Introduction: Monokuma



...and the headmaster of the Ultimate Academy!



Monokuma—and Monosuke, for that matter—are voiced by Brian Beacock in English, who reprises his role as Monokuma from the first two games. You might also recognize him as Sakon, Ukon and Zetsu from Naruto, Walker Yumasaki from Durarara, Shigechi from JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond Is Unbreakable, and Krillin from Dragon Ball Super. In Japanese, Monokuma is voiced by Tarako "TARAKO" Isono, reprising her role from Danganronpa 3. You might remember her as Melody from Hunter X Hunter, Kilala from Inuyasha, and especially Zero III Jr. from Virtue's Last Reward. She took over the role from Nobuyo Ooyama after the latter's dementia diagnosis.

NEW MUSIC: Mr. Monokuma's Lesson V3

Yayyyyy! Father's here!

Hell yeah! Another epic entrance from Papa Kuma!

Daddy is soooo cool.





Monokuma is vibrating pretty hard here.

The only reason I can tolerate your tiresome antics is cuz you're all so cute. Even when the prologue is going way too long, I'll allow it because you guys are cute. In fact, the very first prologue ever was only short cuz you cutie-patooties weren't there.

Pops...are you mad at us?



Gahhhh! He is mad!

But...Daddy is still cool even when he's angry.

Pops is from a planet of handsome bears that get cooler as they get angrier.



AUDIO: Punish the Monokuma God



Ahhhhh! Father just transformed into a Super Monokuma God Super Monokuma!

That's only possible when six Monokumas of pure heart are gathered together!

It's the power you bust out when you really wanna fuck the world's shit up!

A power ya only see when the gods themselves do battle!



You kids really stand out from the rest of the second-generation failures in the world.

Isn't that a little harsh? I'm sure there are some second-generation success stories...

I can't think of any, though—

AUDIO: Punish the Red Bear



But Father remembers! Cuz he knows everything!

Holy shit! That's right, Papa Kuma! You know all kinds of useless crap!

Cuz Daddy gets all his alternate facts from the most trusted names in fake news!



Usually, ratings will plummet when mascots appear in sequels too much...

But in this case, ratings are through the roof! All thanks to the cute Monokubs!

Wh-What is this? What's going on?

Another teddy bear appeared...

Yes, but that is no ordinary teddy bear. I can see it...the despair and madness swirling around that cursed thing...

Whoa... First of all, I'm no teddy bear. I'm Monokuma.



...Headmaster?

It appears to be some sort of autonomous robot with a built-in A.l., like me...

Dong dong dong! The Exisals are different, though! They're brainless buckets of bolts!

They're mindless pretty killing machines that can only be controlled by us, the Monokubs.

Autonomous robots piloting weapons platforms... This is certainly turning into quite the story.

Well that may be, but what I'm worried about is this "killing game" you mentioned. What exactly does that mean?

NO MUSIC



What is so amusing?

It's just...when I said it before, I kinda just phoned it in and now I feel awkward...

MUSIC: Mr. Monokuma After Class V3



...

K-Killing game? Us?

Please stop joking! Why would we agree to participate in a killing game!?

Huh? You guys don't wanna do it?

'C-Course not! Gentlemen not hurt people!

But if you've looked around the academy, then you already know, don't you? The academy is surrounded by a huge wall. You can't escape to the outside world... And as long as we have the Exisals, you can't defy us.



So do what you say if we don't want to die.

Y-You gotta be kidding me! Why would friends kill each other!?

...Who said you guys were friends?

You guys aren't friends at all...



E-Enemies...?





All this talkin' is buggin' the shit outta me! I gotta beat up Monodam to relieve the stress!

...

But...I don't like that. I'm not good with violence or gore or sad situations. Um, Daddy... Instead of a killing game, could we do a rock-paper-scissors tournament?

Who'd wanna play a game where no one dies!?



Why, it's cute enough to eat! Cute enough that I wanna eat it!

...Eh?

Hey, Monophanie. You might wanna dial back the cute schtick a bit.

...



How are we supposed to kill each other? Are you going to give us weapons?

What the hell, man!? What are you asking?

We need to get info from them first. We can't do anything if we don't know anything.

Weapons? Huh? What kinda barbaric display are you envisioning? You couldn't be more wrong. Why, at the Ultimate Academy for Gifted Juveniles...

NO MUSIC

the killing game is quite the refined, sophisticated experience!

MUSIC: Nightmare in the Locker

Sophisticated experience?



Class...trials...?

Metal...Gear...?



AUDIO: Trial Explanation V3



MONOSUKE: The class trial is where the blackened killer faces off against their spotless classmates.

MONOKID: It's where you punkass bitches argue over who you fuckin' think the blackened is! After that, it's Voting Time! And if the majority of you idiots vote correctly...

MONOPHANIE: Th-Then only the blackened killer will receive pu-pu-punishment... Hrk...! So cruel... Just imagining all the blood and gore...makes me wanna puke...

MONOSUKE: After the blackened is punished, the rest of youse'll just keep right on livin' together.

MONOTARO: But! If you vote for the wrong person during the class trial... The blackened gets off scot-free, and all the spotless students get punished instead!

MONODAM: ...

MONOKID: Hell yeah! Them's the rules of the class trial! Woo-hoo-hoo! Aooowww!



You gotta be more coy! Flirtatious! Seductive! Just like your old man!

Gross...

The point is, it's not enough to kill someone. You also have to survive the class trial.

Kill without being caught, and then survive the trial... Sounds eerily similar to the real world.

You think so? Then the outside world must be masterfully designed—even at its cruelest.

That's very much up for debate.

One can likely imagine...but I shall ask, just in case... What is the "punishment" you mentioned earlier?

NO MUSIC



MUSIC: Wonderful Story

E-Execution!?

AUDIO: Monokuma's Eyes V3, Part 1



But this is a killing game, so the punishment for murder is a bit more...permanent.



Lots of blood and guts and brains, I bet! The kinda stuff that gives me a raging boner!

What!? Monokid, you already have a boner!?

Y-Yeah! I'm so hard right now!

Blood...guts...brain...



Whoa! Monophanie just puked!

I'm so FREAKIN' hard!

Huh? Puke gives you a boner, too?

Ah-hahahahahaha! You kids are just adorable!

Wh-What the hell's cute about that!?



Let's get this heart-pounding killing school semester started already!

AUDIO: Monokuma's Eyes V3, Part 2



Like bludgeoning! Or stabbing! Feelin' cheap? Try strangulation! Feelin' lazy? Try poisoning! Whether you shoot, burn, drown, blow up, crush, electrocute, or laugh your victim to death... You can use any method you like to kill anybody you like, any way you like! At the Ultimate Academy for Gifted Juveniles, you will realize your murderous potential! Sixteen talented teenage prodigies, all competing for first place in a killing game... There's no better setting for an event like this than the Ultimate Academy!



Kehehe...risking our lives for some silly game is absurd.

It doesn't seem like it'll be boring, though.

Hey! How can you degenerates be so calm!?

Th-This has to be a lie...right? It's...a lie, right?



Kaede's vision starts distorting like a mirage.

Like a story on TV... A scenario so removed from reality, we can hardly believe it's happening.

I-I don't want...to be in a killing game... It's wrong, I... I'd never do that.

Puhuhu... Well, if you don't wanna participate in the killing game, that's gonna be a problem... Cuz the killing game is the only reason you're here.

...What?

Now then, unleash your talents and have a happy, homicidal, horrific, hilarious killing game!



...Hm?

No matter what you say... We won't do it! We'll never participate in a killing game!

Whatever you have planned, I'm not gonna let you get away with it!

K-Kaede! You shouldn't just rashly defy that thing—

No, no! I welcome her resistance! That kinda defiant spirit is important to the killing game. It's fun to watch the defiant ones eventually snap, and get their hands dirty...

Wh—What do you mean by that...?



It never gets old! It's so fun and entertaining that I just get un-BEAR-ably pumped up!

Plus, as the headmaster, it's my job to force you to do it.

Ahahahahahahahaha!



...



Tsumugi seems to be taking this especially hard.





16 Ultimate students trapped inside... Mysterious stuffed bears and deadly weapons... And new friends...forced to play some killing game. It all felt like something out of a sadistic work of fiction... A sadistic story, no different from reality itself... And against my will, I was now a character in that story.

VIDEO: Opening




























































And that about covers our orientation. Next time, history class, followed by P.E.