My “Danganronpa 2×2” Predictions

As unbelievable as it is to say, we’re getting a direct sequel / alternate scenario game to “Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair”. Even as I’m typing it now it doesn’t feel real.

I’m going to predict the new victims and culprits (or “Blackeneds”) of each chapter for a bit of fun. I was tempted to try and predict other aspects of the story, like locations and murder plots, but it’s impossible to tell at this stage.

Oh, and be warned – there are some major SPOILERS ahead for the original game. But if you’re not a fan of the original, why did you click on this post?

Before we begin, you can check out some of my related blog posts below:

Danganronpa Motives Ranked

Top 10 Danganronpa Twists

Danganronpa Games & Chapters – Overrated / Underrated

Danganronpa – Every Trial Minigame Ranked

Chapter 1

In the teaser I saw for “Danganronpa 2×2”, the first chapter’s crime seems to take place in a boathouse on the island. I didn’t let that influence my prediction – it could still be anyone from the cast who bites the dust, and almost anyone who could have done it.

Victim: Hajime Hinata

When reading other people’s predictions, we all seem to agree on one major point – the original surviving / long-lasting cast (i.e. from Chapter 5 onwards) don’t need to survive as long this time around. They’ve seen plenty of character development and it’s time for other characters to get the spotlight.

One thing I noticed, however, was that everyone assumes Hajime will survive once more. Why should he? He (and Izuru) have already had their full stories told, so how cool and shocking would it be if the previous protagonist is killed off straight away?

SPOILERS FOR V3, but it would be just like how Kaede was the first Blackened. Nobody suspected her for a second, and I think a similar scenario could happen to Hajime.

Blackened: Nagito Komaeda

There’s no way Nagito will survive long in “2×2” – at least, not as an antagonist again. Maybe his personality will change for some reason and he’ll become a nicer guy (like a Chiaki-esque helper figure), but I imagine he’ll be the same hope-loving psychopath. He’ll definitely be written out early.

The reason I chose Nagito as the Blackened for Hajime is that it would be a direct callback to the original Chapter 1. Nagito’s initial plan was to kill Hajime until The Ultimate Imposter intervened, so this time he’ll actually follow through with his plan.

Chapter 2

Victim: Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu

Like Hajime, I think Fuyuhiko is another previous survivor with no more story left to tell. I imagine he’ll antagonize everyone yet again and this time it’ll get him killed.

The interesting thing about this turn of events is that Fuyuhiko’s death will really rattle Peko. She’ll be super pissed, and she’ll do everything in her power to catch the Blackened. I’ll talk a bit more about this new dynamic later …

Victim: Teruteru Hanamura

That’s right – I think they’ll break from tradition and have the double-kill case be a chapter early. Danganronpa has always been very formulated with its Chapter 3’s, so this would be the perfect way to shock everyone.

So who will the secondary victim be? I’m happy to throw Teruteru under the bus. We pretty much got his whole backstory the first time around. I also never liked him anyway, so I hope “2×2” doesn’t try to redeem him somehow.

Blackened: Ibuki Mioda

Ibuki, like the other victim and the Blackened in the original Chapter 3, got done a little dirty. We never really got to spend time with her, and I can’t remember if her backstory and personal motivations were ever explained.

This would be the perfect time to shine a light on the rockstar. Maybe the motive will have something to do with protecting her music and she’ll be forced to act. Either way, it’ll finally give us a glimpse into what makes her tick.

Just imagine how awesome her rock concert execution will be.

Chapter 3

Victim: Chiaki Nanami

I’ve kept Chiaki alive for long enough.

She was a fan favourite from the first game, and she’ll likely die early to be a huge shock … but I didn’t have the guts to kill her off in the first two chapters. In an ideal world she’ll be one of the survivors, but I doubt that’s gonna happen.

She’ll almost definitely be the victim, because I can’t see a universe where she’s the Blackened. Well, a universe other than Nagito manipulating his luck to sus out the traitor. You know what I mean.

Blackened: Nekomaru Nidai

Like Chiaki, I can’t see Nekomaru ever being a Blackened. He’s an intense guy but his heart is in the right place.

I think Chapter 3 will be the most tragic in the game. Chiaki will asked to be killed for some reason (maybe something to do with her role as a traitor?), and Nekomaru will have no choice but to comply in order to save everyone. It would no doubt put Akane in a foul / untrusting mood for the rest of her screentime.

Chapter 4

Victim: Mikan Tsumiki

Chapter 4’s are always the weirdest and most subversive murder scenarios, so I have no idea how Mikan’s murder would play out. All I know is that she would’ve probably run her course by this point in the story.

She was done dirty by the writing in the original Chapter 3, and I don’t think that’s going to change here. Kodaka must really hate her for some reason.

Blackened: Kazuichi Soda

When I first played the original Chapter 4, I was sure Kazuichi Soda played a part in the Funhouse crime. He tinkered with the elevator, which I thought was sus at the time, and I was convinced his skills as a mechanic were going to be what got him caught.

Well, this new Chapter 4 will be his chance to finally flex his villainous mechanic muscles. I’m envisioning some crazy killing contraption that only Kazuichi could have possibly constructed.

Chapter 5

Victim: Akane Owari

Where Chapter 4’s are always weird, Chapter 5’s are always bonkers. They always throw some mind-bending twists our way that we could have never seen coming. As awesome as that is to experience, that does make any sort of prediction quite tricky.

To be honest, my victim and Blackened for the new Chapter 5 were more of a means to an end. I needed Akane to go as she was a survivor in the previous killing game.

In fairness, there’s a good chance she’ll be killed off earlier … But, then again, we didn’t get much of her backstory last time so maybe we’ll spend even more time with her in “2×2”.

Blackened: Sonia Nevermind

I had to get rid of Akane, and that left Sonia as the only existing original survivor. My initial plan was to have Sonia be the victim and Akane be the Blackened, but how crazy would the alternative be?

Some crazy shit would have to happen for Sonia to kill someone. Maybe it’s an accident or maybe Sonia finds out the truth about the Remnants of Despair. One thing’s for sure – nobody would see it coming (unless they’d read my predictions).

Survivors

“Byakuya Togami” (The Ultimate Imposter)

Is it just me that thought – and thinks – “Byakuya Togami” (also known as The Ultimate Imposter in disguise) had / has so much potential as a character in a killing game?

Since Hajime is out of the picture, “2×2” needs a new protagonist. I think Ultimate Imposter will step into Byakuya Togami’s shoes and pretend to get control of the situation, much like what he was doing in the original Chapter 1, and in the process he’ll learn what it takes to be a great leader. It’s a new protagonist arc that we haven’t really seen yet in the series.

Alternatively, I could be completely wrong and Ultimate Imposter will use his amazing impersonation skills to become a Blackened. That would be cool too.

Peko Pekoyama

In my current plan I have Fuyuhiko dying in Chapter 2, a plot development which will no doubt enrage Peko. She’ll vow to catch the culprit, whatever it takes … maybe even pairing up with the protagonist to do it?

I think Peko will become the new deuteragonist / helper character (like Kyoko / Chiaki / Maki before her). She can certainly hold her own, no doubt about that, and I think he shrewdness and intelligence will be invaluable in class trials.

Above all else, this would finally give her more of an arc. She can step out of Fuyuhiko’s shadow (i.e. she no longer has to be someone’s bodyguard) and instead forge a path of her own.

Gundham Tanaka

This one is more of a meta pick. I know that Gundham is a fan-favourite character, and a lot of people playing the original game (myself included) wanted him to survive to the end.

“2×2” is the chance for Kodaka to rectify his past mistakes. Gundham can get closer to the protagonist, perhaps even becoming an unlikely friend, and he’ll reveal that he does indeed have a sensitive side behind all of his “evilness”.

Hiyoko Saionji

On the other hand, Hiyoko is a character I initially despised – and I don’t think many other Danganronpa fans like her either. She’s an annoying brat who gets no development in the original game, and she’s killed in arguably the worst, least cohesive chapter in the whole series.

“2×2” will be the chance to redeem her character. She can get way more development this time around, possibly even becoming a likeable character (it’s a stretch but it might happen …), and her arc will be all about growing up / being more mature.

Mahiru Koizumi

My final survivor is a character who I didn’t find particularly interesting in the original game, and I’m not surprised they were killed off. But when matched with this specific group of survivors, I think Mahiru could finally flourish.

She’s a kind-hearted soul anyway so I can’t imagine she’ll be the Blackened (and it would be cruel to kill her off again), so she kinda has to survive by process of elimination. This would be a fortunate turn of events for Hiyoko – the two of them could finally become good friends!

Aaaand that’s my list! If you liked this post and want to support me, please consider giving me a one-time donation. Even a few pence (or whatever currency you use) is fantastic! I’ve never monetized this blog before, but it would be great if I could do this comfortably and not have to worry about the yearly website domain costs. Thank you so much!