There are plenty of video games that mash together a number of eclectic sensibilities to form something unexpectedly special, but the Danganropa series is one of the best examples of how to make this level of chaos work. The quirky series that’s found a home on the PlayStation 4 riffs on slice of life and high school genres, only to flip the idea of success and competition into a bizarre murder mystery that involves giant teddy bears and so much more.
Danganropa has slowly become a mainstream hit and it even has its own anime. There’s a lot to love in Danganropa, but there’s even more from the games that flies completely over the audience’s heads.
10 It Features Pink Blood To Avoid Censorship
Censorship has always been a tricky and oppressive territory for video games with extreme violence being a major sticking point sometimes when it comes to a game’s rating. Danganropa wanted to avoid any censorship or controversy before it could even get started so the development team changed the color of the blood from red to a bright pink.
Not only did this decision work in the game’s favor in terms of censorship, but it’s also just a more memorable and defining style for the series that’s in line with the other strange decisions that it makes.
9 It’s Inspired By A Cult Classic Dreamcast Game
Sega’s Dreamcast was truly ahead of its time and while it unfortunately didn’t gain the proper appreciation upon its release, the impressive console has gained a greater following in more recent years. Illbleed is one of the more creative titles for the Dreamcast as it embraces B-horror films and features an expendable cast of characters who are trapped in an amusement park.
Kazutaka Kodaka, Danganropa’s writer, has revealed that this Dreamcast horror game and the crazy places that it was willing to go was a major influence on finding the game’s style and tone.
8 It Began As A Much Darker Game Called DISTRUST
Danganropa is already a very dark video game that revolves around innocent teens caught up in a grisly murder mystery. However, the original concept for the game pushed these sensibilities even further. This version of the game was called “DISTRUST” and while it still revolved around students trapped in a school where murders are taking place, the deaths were much more gratuitous and a bleaker tone was present.
There was also a Trust System in place where players could effectively determine who dies and alter the story based on their actions, making them more culpable in the murders.
7 The Games Feature Subtle Tributes To Other Video Games
The video game industry is so collaborative that it’s always exciting to see different series cross over into one another, whether it’s in an extreme sense with characters like in Super Smash Bros., or when developers can get together and pay respect to some of their inspirations and favorite titles.
The first two Danganropa games allow players to give items to other characters as presents. Many of these presents find creative ways to acknowledge other popular video game series like Metal Gear Solid, which make for fun Easter Eggs for more seasoned gamers.
6 The Name Danganropa Is A Reference To The Gameplay
Some video games can offer such a deep experience that there’s enough to worry about in the game itself, and an unusual title can go overlooked or not be a priority. The title Danganropa is definitely cryptic, but it’s actually the perfect name that tells the audience exactly what the series is about.
Danganropa is a portmanteau of the words for both “bullet” (dangan) and “refutation” (ropa), which corresponds to both the title’s Truth Bullet mechanic and the crime investigation aspect. Since Danganropa is such a weird mix of sensibilities, it’s surprising that the title’s meaning can be so straightforward.
5 It Started As A Visual Novel
The visual novel genre of video games has always been very polarizing with audiences and it’s a format that’s found much greater success in Japan than in America. That being said, certain titles have still been able to break through. However, during Danganropa’s development, support for the visual novel genre was diminishing even further.
Being a visual novel was the original plan for the series, but they smartly decided to slightly pivot and take their visual novel aspects and add more of an adventure structure to it as well as use the PSP to capitalize on the game’s niche angle.
4 A Modern Horror Classic Helped In Its Development
Danganropa went through a number of important changes during the development process that helped the game find its voice and become an impressive final product. One of Danganropa’s most defining features is its bright art style that’s in contrast to the mature subject matter.
At one point the game had a monochromatic art style and took more of its cues from nihilistic horror films like Saw and Cube. The courtroom for the school trials also took place in an eerie warehouse to amplify the twisted killer dynamic from Saw.
3 It’s Expanded Into Manga, Novels, And Live Stage Plays
Video games are a fantastic form of media that can be engaged in a way that’s more immersive than a lot of other kinds of material. However, the Danganropa series has found such a following through its games that the series has been able to expand in seriously surprising ways.
Danganropa’s transition over to manga and anime isn’t that unusual for a video game, but the series has also led to many spin-off novels and even a stage production called Danganropa The Stage. The public’s fascination with Danganropa is at an all time high.
2 The Series Has Spawned The Most Popular Video Game Cosplay Of All Time
It’s always interesting to see the way in which a video game series can leave its mark on society and how it will be remembered. The Danganropa series is far from over, but it’s already been able to expand in some truly impressive ways.
The Danganropa games feature many unforgettable characters, some of which are easier to bring to life in a cosplay setting than others, which makes it particularly surprising that Danganropa‘s Junko Enoshima entered the Gamers Edition of Guinness World Records in 2018 for the most popular video game character that’s done in cosplay.
1 Monokuma Is A Big Fan Of Shonen Jump Series
Anime have had a heavy influence on video games and there’s a very symbiotic relationship where anime and video games often work together and are able to expand on the content of the other. Danganropa is no different and it’s received an anime, but the character Monokuma also has a particular passion for Shonen Jump material specifically.
Many of Monokuma’s attacks on Monomi are techniques straight out of other series, or at the least make explicit reference to other material. Monokuma uses signatures abilities from Rurouni Kenshin and Saint Seiya and makes repeated nods to JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure.
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