Part 2: Please Allow Me to Introduce Myself

Come one, come all, and witness the latest in killing game entertainment: Danganronpa V3!



I am Solitair, and I'll be your host this evening.



Without further ado, let's kill Fifth Harmony.







MUSIC: Rise of the Ultimates



...

I stumbled out of the locker in a daze. But as soon as I did... ...I fell on the floor.

Ahh!?

I couldn't even brace for impact as blinding pain suddenly rushed through my head.



But thanks to that pain, I went from dazed to annoyed real quick.

...Huh? Wait, where am I? What is this place?

l rubbed my throbbing forehead. Yep, this is definitely going to leave a bump... I looked around.

MUSIC: Nightmare in the Locker

AUDIO: Invitation to Despair



Yeah, this is a classroom alright. But...l don't recognize it.

Where am I...? What am I doing here...?



So I pinched my cheek...

...but all that did was make my head hurt in two places instead of one.

Ummm... Okay, hold on a sec. Let's just stay calm and think this through.

Confused as I was, I tried to remember how I ended up here. But no matter how hard I tried, in the end I just couldn't—



Whoa!!!

Suddenly, the locker next to mine started swaying and shaking, making all kinds of noise.





Hnnng...

A normal boy dressed in a school uniform... In fact, he might be a high school student, too.







Ah, sorry...

I'm sorry too, okay? I just have no idea what's going on...

But...all the more reason why we need to stay calm. Oh! "Gymnopédie No. 1" by Erik Satie.

Try to imagine that sorrowful melody filling your head and soothing your heart—

MUSIC: Rise and Shine, Ursine!







Trivia time! All of the Monokubs are voiced in Japanese by Koichi Yamadera, who's been in a shitload of stuff, a good chunk of which is dubs of Western-made cartoons. He dubbed Donkey from Shrek, and also Stitch, Beast, Sebastian, Donald Duck and Mushu from Kingdom Hearts and its various spinoff movies. Meanwhile in Japanese properties, he voiced Beerus and Tien from the Dragon Ball franchise, Togusa from Ghost in the Shell: Stand-Alone Complex, Kaji from Neon Genesis Evangelion, and Inspector Zenigata from several incarnations of Lupin III.


Aaaaaahhh!!!

A teddy bear...?

N-No, it's a monster! You can freak out about this!







Although, if we are monsters, at least we're pretty monsters.

I agree. I'm glad I was born with these looks. I definitely won the genetic lottery.

Wh-What are they? Why are they talking? Aren't they just...stuffed animals?

We're not Monokubs! We're the stuffed animals!



No stuffed animals, us! The Monokubs, them!

Oh geez, it's even worse now...

...Huh? Monokubs?

Oh! You've heard of us!?

N-No, of course not! I've never seen walking, talking stuffed animals!

As soon as I said that, these Monokub things started looking at each other and...







H—Hey, worried about what? I don't understand what's going on.

Alright now, let's tackle each issue one at a time!

You're so damn reliable, Monotaro!

He's like a sixth-grader helpin' out a fifth-grader!

Which means we should keep our expectations reasonable.

Well? What's your question?

I have loads of questions, but for starters... Where are we? This...looks like a school...



Ultimate Academy for Gifted Juveniles?

Ultimate Academy? I've never heard of a school like that...

Of course you haven't. This school was made for you sixteen cretins.

Sixteen...?



...Huh? Ultimates!?

You know what Ultimates are, right? The government scouts 'em through this program called the Ultimate Initiative.

"Ultimate" basically means you're particularly prodigious in a particular talent.

Basically, the Ultimate Initiative exists to cultivate talent throughout the country... Promising students are eligible to receive all kinds of special handouts!

Like free school tuition, voting privileges, eligibility to run for elected office... They even get grant money too, right?

Students chosen by the Ultimate Initiative are known as Ultimates.

Hell yeah! Students would do anything for the honor of bein' a chosen Ultimate!



That means you gotta remember this time. So don't forget anymore.

Yeah! Forgetting about your Ultimate talent is such a waste.

Huh? What do you mean, "forgetting"?

Shut up! Quit your yappin' and get started already!

Get started...with what?

Why, exploring this academy, of course.

Also...you should introduce yourselves to the other Ultimates.



Awesome! I've got a rager right now! Well then...

One of Monokid's sound bites is him saying "Got a rock hard rager!"

NO MUSIC





And they're gone.

MUSIC: Rise of the Ultimates





This...isn't a dream, right?

No, but I wish it was...



But...they said there are sixteen Ultimate students here... Does that mean...he's one, too?

NEW MUSIC: Beautiful Lie

Time to investigate again. We can smack stuff and look at other stuff, but we'll just get the same thoughts Kaede had last time.



With one major difference.



Y-Yeah... Well, then...

AUDIO: Ultimate Introduction: Shuichi Saihara





Shuichi is played by Grant George in English and Megumi Hayashibara in Japanese. You might recognize George as Sanageyama from Kill la Kill, Gilgamesh from Fate/stay night, Shinjiro and Jin from Persona 3, the original performance of Cid from Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, and Leon Kuwata from Danganronpa. You might also recognize Hayashibara as Faye from Cowboy Bebop, Rei Ayanami from Neon Genesis Evangelion, Jessie from Pokemon, young Genkai from Yu Yu Hakusho, and Shantotto from Dissidia Final Fantasy.


What? You're a detective? That's amazing!

Ah, no...I don't have the credentials to call myself a detective yet. I just...happened to solve a case that I came across and...now people call me that.

Not many people can "just happen" to solve a case. You should be more proud of that.

AUDIO: Ultimate Introduction: Kaede Akamatsu





What is that color scheme, girl? Anyway, Kaede is played by Erika Harlacher in English and Sayaka Kanda in Japanese. You might recognize Harlacher as Yumeko from Kakegurui, Videl from Dragon Ball Super, Kurapika from Hunter x Hunter, Ann Takamaki from Persona 5, and Kyoko Kirigiri from Danganronpa. Kanda is more of a singer than a voice actor; the closest things I can find to noteworthy performances as an actor are Yuna from the Sword Art Online movie and Anna from Frozen, both of whom sing in their respective movies. She did, however, perform as Junko and Mukuro in the stage plays for Danganronpa 1, 2 and 3, and sang the opening and ending themes of Danganronpa 3: Side Future.


Ultimate...Pianist...

Well, no one calls me the Ultimate Pianist. Usually just Piano Freak.

AUDIO: Kaede's Story



"I was born with a full head of hair!"







KAEDE: No. That's all I'm good for, really.



Well, Ultimates are scattered all over the country. They're difficult to find.

Even so, there are sixteen Ultimate students gathered here now. But why is everyone here? Were we kidnapped?

If so, then...is some organization out there trying to kidnap all the Ultimates?

Ah...about that... I...don't remember.

Huh? You don't remember?

I've been trying to remember it, but I can't...no matter how hard I try. I have no idea how I got here... When I woke up, I was in that locker. I...don't know how I got there... It's like...that memory just fell out of my head—



...Huh?

I can't remember anything... Even though I'm trying so hard to remember—

NO MUSIC







MUSIC: Beautiful Lie

Ah, are you okay? What's wrong?

Oh...l'm fine. I just got a headache...that's all.

...It can't be coincidence that we *both* don't remember. What happened to us...?

I—I'm sure it's nothing to worry about. Probably not a big deal.

We're confused. We just need to relax, is all. Oh! Let's imagine Maurice Ravel's "Sonatine"...

Is that...music? I-I...don't really know much about music...

I see... That's unfortunate. When we get outta here, I'll share it with you...

But first, let's look for a way out. And if there are other Ultimate students here, we should talk to them, too. At least one of them has got to know something.

...Yeah, good idea.



These work the same as Hope Fragments from DR2. We'll put them to use later.



You can talk to most students again after their introduction. For instance, Shuichi will say this:

What is going on...? I hope...*someone* here knows...

We'll be fine, so don't look so down. Everything will make sense soon.

Y-Yeah...



Might as well leave now.



And the air here is heavy...

Oppressively heavy, as if forcing you to recall your fears, smothering you in anxiety...

But this is just a school...right? What kind of school makes you feel like this?

Pfffhahahahahaha! Good one, Kaede.



What's the matter?

Ah, I just...felt something in the pocket of my uniform. When I looked...



Oh, maybe I have one too! I knew my backpack felt heavier!



When did this get in my backpack?

My name was displayed when it booted up. Like a student handbook. I...don't know what it could be used for, but I don't think we should throw it away. Let's just...hold on to them for now.

Yeah, I agree.


Press the SQUARE button to open the Monopad. It's got tons of game information in it.
Stuff like the Report Card and Map. Be sure to check it out!
And if you've got a sharp eye, you may have already noticed...
By getting closer to your fellow students, your Report Card will be updated with content.
Since you are now acquaintances with Mr. Saihara, his info has already been added.
And I bet you've also already noticed you can level up by performing actions.
When you level up, your skill slots increase, so you can equip even more skills.
There are a lot of skills, so view them in the Report Card!
If you want skills, make friends! Strengthen your bonds!
Be sure to test out all the skills!
Also...there's one more important thing to tell you.
You can save and load the game from the handbook.
Make sure you save all the important stuff.
Well then! Off you go! Find your classmates!



Here's the menu, complete with Kaede's clashing colors. Let's just check out the map for now.



There's not much on the second floor, just a couple other rooms and this girl over here. We just came out of Classroom B...



...and Classroom C is currently locked.



But what about this one?





Same deal.

Huh... It won't open. But this room does look like it was made for me...

MUSIC: Rise and Shine, Ursine!





Rise and shine, ursine!

We heard you the first time.

Ah! They're here again!

Whaddaya think this place is?

Check out all this fancy-shmancy writing! Seems like a place for eggheads!

Huh? Isn't this an Ultimate Research Lab?

What the hell? Why would you tell them? We were tryin' to make it all dramatic.



Huh? What's an Ultimate Research Lab?



This is the Ultimate Pianist's lab, but we set up labs for the other Ultimates too, of course.

Most of 'em are still hidden, though!

By the way...the reason this research lab is still locked is...

Is...?



Just wipe your asses and wait!

This line is actually voiced. It and all of Monokid's other lines come courtesy of Patrick Seitz. He also voiced a bunch of other big manly men-men, including Dio from JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, Gamagoori from Kill la Kill, Grimmer from Monster, JP from Redline and Nekomaru Nidai from Danganronpa 2.

That's good advice and all, but...don't you mean to say, "hold your horses"?

Puhuhu... Monokid is such a dummy.







MUSIC: Beautiful Lie

It seems like the music room......but I guess it's an Ultimate lab.

Do you think...there really are other rooms like this? For everyone?

I wonder about that too...

Anyway...I thought this was the music room. Aw, I really wanted to play the piano...

Oh well. I can play as much piano as I want when I finally escape this place.



Closer to the stairs, we have this objet d'art.



It looks like...a dragon statue.

But why is there a dragon statue in the school's hallway?

I-I have no idea...

Hmm... Maybe it's part of the school's official art collection or something?

Still, no idea...



Last but not least, a new friend.



Hey, you're an Ultimate student, right? Can we talk—

Ummmm...

Hm? Did she not hear me? Okay, then...

Heeey! Hellooooo!

Ummmmmm...

What? She still can't hear me? Maybe she's a really detailed mannequin?

...No, I don't think that's the case...

You never know. We already saw a moving teddy bear.



...and felt her skin squish beneath my fingertip.

Umm...

Poking her doesn't work either? Then...maybe she is just a doll. But she looks so real! Try it, Shuichi! Poke, poke!

Ah, no thanks...

Just do it! It's so fun!



I never thought I'd be poked from both sides. How truly unexpected.

Ah!

So she wasn't a mannequin. Well, I knew that.

If you knew that, why did you make me poke her?

Because she wasn't responding.

Oh, I didn't mean any harm... I was just deep in thought. So I thought if I ignored you, you'd go somewhere else.

You were ignoring us? Isn't that a bit rude?

Umm, well isn't it rude to force someone to talk when they don't want to? Oh, but it's fine. I feel like talking now.

Now, let's talk. What do you want to start with?



Um, before you talk about that... Can you tell us your name?

AUDIO: Ultimate Introduction: Tsumugi Shirogane





Tsumugi is voiced by Dorothy Elias-Fahn in English and Mikako Komatsu in Japanese. Elias-Fahn played Meryl in Trigun, Kaoru in Rurouni Kenshin, Fujiko Mine in Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro, Maya in Persona 2: Innocent Sin, and Sayaka Maizono and Chihiro Fujisaki in Danganronpa. I don't recognize much of Komatsu's work, except as the short, blonde girl in Pop Team Epic and Linkle in Hyrule Warriors.




Are you...surprised? I get that a lot, since I'm so plain.

I mean, it sorta makes sense. You have this strange, almost sexy aura about you.

I bet it's because you've got people ogling all your curves on a daily basis, huh?

Kaede...you sound like a creepy old man...

Normally, I don't really like people looking at me like that...

I just like making cosplay. I'm fine with others wearing them...





Wow...you're pretty intense.

It makes me happy when I get to show people the outfits I've made. And thanks to my sponsors, I can use materials that are just plain expensive.

Ohhh! Well, of course the Ultimate Cosplayer would have sponsors!

It's not a big deal. People just crowd around like I'm a panda at the zoo.

That's so amazing... You're pretty much a celebrity, you know?

Ah, is it alright if I ask you something too? Earlier...you looked as if you were thinking hard about something. What was it?

Oh, yeah! We needed to ask her that! Nice job, Shuichi!

Ah...that bronze dragon statue over there. I'm just plain curious about it.



It almost seems like it's floating, right? Doesn't it look pretty out of place?

Now that you mention it...you're right. It sorta bothers me, too.

This is a school, right? But everything here is so weird, isn't it? There's trees and grass growing inside, I can't find any exits... And it seems like we're the only people here...

Are we...going to be okay? Are we going to be able to get out?

...

Kaede? What's wrong?

Hehe, that frightened look on her face was sorta sexy.

...This again?

I'm just kidding... Well, it's not a big deal. Our present situation is our main concern. Once it's over, we'll be good and dandy.

You're...pretty optimistic, Kaede.

Well, people do say I'm carefree!

Worrying won't get you anywhere, you know. It's better to just be carefree.

Yeah...I guess so. Being all depressed won't help anything.

Yeah. So, let's try to find a way out.





Yeah, being depressed won't help anything...

It's plain to see the next con is coming up!

*sigh*...That's right. What am I gonna do if I don't finish my outfit in time?

And that's it for now. Next time, we start exploring the first floor.

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