''Danganronpa: Togami'' is a Japanese

light novel A is a type of Genre fiction, popular literature novel from Japan usually classified as young adult fiction, generally targeting Adolescence, teens to Young adult, twenties or older. The definition is very vague, and wide-ranging. The abbr ...

trilogy A trilogy is a set of three distinct works that are connected and can be seen either as a single work or as three individual works. They are commonly found in literature, film, and video games. Three-part works that are considered components of ...

written by Yuya Sato and illustrated by

Yun Kōga , better known by her pen name is a Japanese manga artist. She is married to fellow manga artist Tatsuneko, from whom he took the name of . She is a graduate of Mita Senior High School, Tokyo. She currently lives in Setagaya, Tokyo with her husb ...

and Shima Drill. It was published by Seikaisha from November 27, 2015 to February 15, 2017, and collected in three ''

tankōbon A is a standard publishing format for books in Japan, alongside other formats such as ''shinsho'' (17x11 cm paperback books) and ''bunkobon''. Used as a loanword in English, the term specifically refers to a printed collection of a manga that w ...

'' volumes. A

prequel A prequel is a literary, dramatic or cinematic work whose story precedes that of a previous work, by focusing on events that occur before the original narrative. A prequel is a work that forms part of a backstory to the preceding work. The term ...

to the

Spike Chunsoft is a Japanese video game development and video game localization, localization company specializing in role-playing video games, visual novels and adventure games. The company was founded in 1984 as Chunsoft Co., Ltd. and merged with Spike (compa ...

video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...

s '' Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc'' and '' Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair'', the first and third volumes of the series focus on

Byakuya Togami The following is a list of characters from the Spike Chunsoft video game series ''Danganronpa''. The series follows the students of Hope's Peak Academy who are forced into a life of mutual killing by a sadistic teddy bear named Monokuma. The seri ...

during "The Tragedy" as he is stranded in

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

with his biographer

Blue Ink The following is a list of characters from the Spike Chunsoft video game series ''Danganronpa''. The series follows the students of Hope's Peak Academy who are forced into a life of mutual killing by a sadistic teddy bear named Monokuma. The seri ...

, evading assassins after the "

Ultimate Imposter The following is a list of characters from the Spike Chunsoft video game series ''Danganronpa''. The series follows the students of Hope's Peak Academy who are forced into a life of mutual killing by a sadistic teddy bear named Monokuma. The seri ...

" assumes Byakuya's identity and announces worldwide that lest "he" (the real Byakuya) be assassinated within the following 24 hours, the group will "end the world." In a parallel storyline set years earlier, in the second volume, 15 of the 108 Togami siblings partake in "The Competition", created by their father to choose the next heir of the Togami Corporation.

Overview

The living heir to the Togami Conglomerate,

billionaire A billionaire is a person with a net worth of at least 1,000,000,000, one billion units of a given currency, usually of a major currency such as the United States dollar, euro, or pound sterling. It is a sub-category of the concept of the ultr ...

is suddenly attacked in the midst of the Tragedy while in

with his biographer, apparently a fellow Hope's Peak Academy

student A student is a person enrolled in a school or other educational institution, or more generally, a person who takes a special interest in a subject. In the United Kingdom and most The Commonwealth, commonwealth countries, a "student" attends ...

referred to only as "

". After having his identity (and clothes) stolen from him, Byakuya listens as his imposter announces on live broadcast that, should the world not kill "him" within 24 hours, he will take over the world. As the world descends into chaos with the propagation of the mysterious "Despair Book", it's up to Byakuya and Blue Ink to escape

assassin Assassination is the willful killing, by a sudden, secret, or planned attack, of a personespecially if prominent or important. It may be prompted by political, ideological, religious, financial, or military motives. Assassinations are orde ...

s and uncover the truth. Meanwhile, four years earlier, on the Togami family

private island A private island is a disconnected body of land wholly owned by a private citizen or corporation. Although this exclusivity gives the owner substantial control over the property, private islands remain under the jurisdiction of national and som ...

with fourteen of his siblings, Kazuya Togami partakes in "The Competition", created by their father to choose the next heir of the Togami Corporation. As a mysterious

lightsaber A lightsaber is a fictional energy sword featured throughout ''Star Wars''. A typical lightsaber is shown as a luminous laser sword about in length emitted from a metal hilt around in length. First introduced in the original ''Star Wars'' ...

-wielding Decapitator begins killing off the participants,

detective A detective is an investigator, usually a member of a law enforcement agency. They often collect information to solve crimes by talking to witnesses and informants, collecting physical evidence, or searching records in databases. This leads the ...

Suisei Nanamura and his assistant

Polaris P. Polanski The following is a list of characters from the Spike Chunsoft video game series ''Danganronpa''. The series follows the students of Hope's Peak Academy who are forced into a life of mutual killing by a sadistic teddy bear named Monokuma. The seri ...

are hired to investigate.

Characters

Protagonists

* – The main

protagonist A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a ...

and Byakuya's biographer, who views him as a

god In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...

, titling her

biography A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or curri ...

of his life ''Journey Under the Midnight Sun''. Initially presented as being Byakuya's older half-sister , whom Togami spared from "The Competition" and whose lost left-arm and right-eye he replaced with robotic duplicates (with the eye she names Borges), Blue Ink is ultimately revealed to be , "the secret to the prosperity of the Togami family name" who Byakuya passed off as Shinobu using Borges'

Story Story or stories may refer to: Common uses * Narrative, an account of imaginary or real people and events ** Short story, a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting ** News story, an event or topic reported by a news orga ...

A.I. to hide her identity from those who seek her precognitive abilities, building a

facsimile A facsimile (from Latin ''fac simile'', "to make alike") is a copy or reproduction of an old book, manuscript, map, art print, or other item of historical value that is as true to the original source as possible. It differs from other forms of r ...

of the real Shinobu's

personality Personality is any person's collection of interrelated behavioral, cognitive, and emotional patterns that comprise a person’s unique adjustment to life. These interrelated patterns are relatively stable, but can change over long time per ...

around her after she (the real Shinobu) 'died' during "The Competition". As an

unreliable narrator In literature, film, and other such arts, an unreliable narrator is a narrator who cannot be trusted, one whose credibility is compromised. They can be found in a wide range from children to mature characters. While unreliable narrators are al ...

due to the

censorship Censorship is the suppression of speech, public communication, or other information. This may be done on the basis that such material is considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, or "inconvenient". Censorship can be conducted by governmen ...

of her

memories Memory is the faculty of the mind by which data or information is Encoding (memory), encoded, stored, and retrieved when needed. It is the retention of information over time for the purpose of influencing future Action (philosophy), action. I ...

by Borges, it is left

ambiguous Ambiguity is the type of meaning in which a phrase, statement, or resolution is not explicitly defined, making for several interpretations; others describe it as a concept or statement that has no real reference. A common aspect of ambiguit ...

as to how much of ''Danganronpa: Togami'' takes place as described by Blue Ink. * – The "Ultimate Affluent Progeny", heir to the Togami Conglomerate and

board member A board of directors is a governing body that supervises the activities of a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government agency. The powers, duties, and responsibilities of a board of directors are determined by government regulations ...

of the Council of Global Controllers, who is sent on the run after his identity is stolen by the Ultimate Imposter. In the second volume, Byakuya is presented as having participated in "The Competition" with 15 of his 107 half-siblings as a child for the right to use the Togami name and be the sole heir to the Togami Conglomerate after it is turned into a killing game by the Imposter, using the female persona of to hide his identity. In the ending of the third volume, it is left

as to whether or not "The Competition" unfolded precisely as Blue Ink remembered (due to the

of her

by Borges' K2K System

A.I.).

Antagonists

* – A member of Ultimate Despair who steals Byakuya's identity and control over the Togami Conglomerate, sending out a worldwide "World Domination Proclamation" while placing a 24-hour bounty on Byakuya's head (as him) in exchange for control of the Togami Conglomerate, after which point, if Byakuya is not dead, the world will end at his hand. In the second volume, the Imposter is implied by Blue Ink to be , Byakuya's and Blue Ink's adoptive half-brother and Togami heir; however, after Orvin Elevator also purports to be Kazuya Togami in the third volume, it is left

as to whether or not the Imposter is Kazuya or a truly unknown third party, refusing to disclose as such to Byakuya or Orvin, stating his true identity not to matter in the slightest to the situation at hand. During the second volume, the Imposter additionally impersonates , a classmate of Byakuya's from Hope's Peak Academy, using his identity to infiltrate Byakuya's convent hideout, alongside Gundham Tanaka and Ibuki Mioda. * and – A pair of twin siblings purportedly from the

criminal organization In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definitions of", in Can ...

known as the Ketouin Conglomerate, who offer to provide Byakuya and Blue Ink safe passage out of the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

in their black

Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-Benz (), commonly referred to simply as Mercedes and occasionally as Benz, is a German automotive brand that was founded in 1926. Mercedes-Benz AG (a subsidiary of the Mercedes-Benz Group, established in 2019) is based in Stuttgart, ...

in exchange for "the secret to the prosperity of the Togami family name". In the second volume, it is revealed that these aren't their true identities and it only appeared as such due to Borges' influence on Blue Ink's perspective of them. Their true identities and allegiances are never explicitly revealed, although 'Hiroyuki' is heavily implied to have known Shinobu prior to the events in Prague. * – The "Ultimate Hitman" known as and Byakuya's older half-brother, who claims he seeks the bounty on his younger brother's head. His true identity without the influence of the Story A.I. is . * – The Princess of Novoselic, the "Ultimate Princess" and member of Ultimate Despair who uses her knowledge as a

of the Council of Global Controllers to have the other councilmen killed and knock out Byakuya to get their plan to frame him underway. She is a reoccurring antagonist with her frequent attempts to capture Byakuya while equipped with a private militia, a limo, and a mech suit designed by Kazuichi Soda. She is also responsible for arranging the

orbital bombardment Space weapons are weapons used in space warfare. They include weapons that can attack space systems in orbit (for example, anti-satellite weapons), attack targets on the earth from space or disable missiles travelling through space. In the cour ...

of the wider Czech Republic by Togami Conglomerate

satellite A satellite or an artificial satellite is an object, typically a spacecraft, placed into orbit around a celestial body. They have a variety of uses, including communication relay, weather forecasting, navigation ( GPS), broadcasting, scient ...

s, publicly using said attacks as an excuse to come after Byakuya personally. * – The "Ultimate Mechanic" and servant of Sonia Nevermind and Ultimate Despair who sends a series of hand-made

drone Drone or The Drones may refer to: Science and technology Vehicle * Drone, a type of uncrewed vehicle, a class of robot ** Unmanned aerial vehicle or aerial drone *** Unmanned combat aerial vehicle ** Unmanned ground vehicle or ground drone ** Unma ...

s and

automaton An automaton (; : automata or automatons) is a relatively self-operating machine, or control mechanism designed to automatically follow a sequence of operations, or respond to predetermined instructions. Some automata, such as bellstrikers i ...

statue A statue is a free-standing sculpture in which the realistic, full-length figures of persons or animals are carved or Casting (metalworking), cast in a durable material such as wood, metal or stone. Typical statues are life-sized or close to ...

s (operated by a rudimentary A.I. based on his own

) after Byakuya in order to attack him. * – The Captain of the

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a list of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations which coordinates responses to international public health issues and emergencies. It is headquartered in Gen ...

Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Unit, who purports to be the true , Byakuya's and Blue Ink's adoptive half-brother and Togami heir, who has a

grafted to prosthetic arm and romantic attraction towards his sister Shinobu, who also seeks to conquer the world as "Byakuya Togami". In the third volume, Orvin is revealed to have had a Story A.I. grafted onto his body by the Ultimate Imposter to convince him he was Kazuya.

Supporting characters

* – The "Ultimate Martial Artist" and classmate of Byakuya's. * – The "Ultimate Soldier" and Council of Global Controllers

bodyguard A bodyguard (or close protection officer/operative) is a type of security guard, government law enforcement officer, or servicemember who protects an very important person, important person or group of people, such as high-ranking public offic ...

, who serves the will of her sister, the original Ultimate Despair. * – The "Ultimate Fashionista" and a classmate of Byakuya's he trusts. * – A classmate of Byakuya's from Hope’s Peak Academy who is obsessed with him, whose ''alter'', , acts as Byakuya's

in the third volume. * – An elite detective of ambiguous morals known by the media as , who is hired by members of the Togami family to investigate the Decapitator, assisted by

. Nanamura was created by Takekuni Kitayama for ''Danganronpa Kirigiri'' Vol. 2 (2013). * – An alumnus of Hope’s Peak Academy who participated in the development of the Bible Plan and later the "Story A.I." behind Borges with the Togami family.

Volumes

Expanding on character concepts from the video games '' Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc'' and '' Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair'', the novel trilogy consists of 18 chapters, which have been collected into three ''

'' volumes, the first of which was published in November 2015.

In other media

The ''Future Arc'' of the 2016 anime series '' Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak High School'' features a return of Kazuya's "lightsaber" from the second and third ''Danganronpa: Togami'' novels as a mechanical flaming

katana A is a Japanese sword characterized by a curved, single-edged blade with a circular or squared guard and long grip to accommodate two hands. Developed later than the ''tachi'', it was used by samurai in feudal Japan and worn with the edge fa ...

now possessed by Future Foundation Vice-Chairman

Kyosuke Munakata The following is a list of characters from the Spike Chunsoft video game series ''Danganronpa''. The series follows the students of Hope's Peak Academy who are forced into a life of mutual killing by a sadistic teddy bear named Monokuma. The seri ...

, which he uses to stab Juuzo Sakakura in "You Are My Reason to Die". In "Goodbye, Hope's Peak High School", the final episode of the anime's ''Despair Arc'',

Sonia Nevermind The following is a list of characters from the Spike Chunsoft video game series ''Danganronpa''. The series follows the students of Hope's Peak Academy who are forced into a life of mutual killing by a sadistic teddy bear named Monokuma. The seri ...

's orbital bombardment of

from the first ''Danganronpa: Togami'' novel is adapted during the closing montage, with the city depicted in flames as Sonia overlooks its destruction form her base, prior to invading the city personally.

Notes

References

{{Danganronpa 2015 Japanese novels 2016 Japanese novels 2017 Japanese novels Danganronpa Light novels Novels based on video games Novels set in Prague Novels set in the Czech Republic