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shockersalvage · 2 months

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What not having a bullying kouhai does to a mfer

Salvage Showcase - Eichiro Saiyama

...And so I missed the Killer Killer anniversary like, well, a lot! My bad, but trying to find who to do next was pretty difficult. I didn't want to do a salty or disappointed Showcase like the last two, so was trying to focus on who I could write about that I liked.

So on that end I decided to do a Showcase on one of Killer Killer's better serial killers of the week (having a backstory will do that to you) - its Eichiro Saiyama!!!

Eichiro was a lonely and rather unpopular kid in his youth. The only happy moment he could gather was when one girl complimented his art and said he should be a mangaka.

And so he did!! That moment inspired him to be a manga artist that worked under Comic Ponpon...except the issue of people praising him persisted. While he's surviving the Tragedy enough to continue his work, it should be noted that his work was considered just...okay. Editors or readers, no one really cared for it.

Cue one day, Takumi Hijirihara shows up in a box, going over his work and about one he liked was Eichiro's documentary manga about the Tragedy. It had gotten popular with Takumi for its hyperrealistic graphic displays of death, but there was just one issue.

See, they were a bit too realistic.

Yeah, Eichiro is a serial killer that murders his victims to use as references in his manga. To be specific, he's a copycat killer that murders his victims in relation to past cases, such as stringing up people to look like Chihiro's corpse.

Takumi deduces his motives were in a vain attempt to gain some praise, and criticizes him for using murder to seek out approval from others, believing attempts like that won't ever sell well. Takumi ranks Eichiro's murder as being 20 points for his misdeeds, and notes that Eiichiro's manga, while he does like it, won't ever be a bestseller since it's just too ordinary (to the point he marks Eichiro's manga as just being 55 points, even though Takumi likes it)

Upon hearing this, Eichiro (who had been progressively losing his mind) snaps and attacks Takumi, trying to kill him with his Wolverine-eqsue pens. But, Takumi get's the leg up and kill Eichiro similarly to how Mukuro Ikusaba died.

Eichiro is a man that seeks out praise above all else since he sorely lacked that in life. Self-describing himself as dull, he believes his only redeeming quality is his artistic skills since it net him one praise he got in life. He is very sensitive to people dismissing him and his hard work.

Eventually, his need for approval escalated until he became a serial killer, killing others to use as reference for his work out of some desire to gain what he wanted the most.

Rundown

In Killer Killer's theme of Passion vs Shallowness, Eichiro represents Shallowness in the form of attention and represents the dangers of being obsessed with validation from others. He wants people to notice him, and gives him the praise he feels he deserves. It's what fuels him to become a mangaka and drives him to the point that became a copycat killer to try to get what he wanted.

But its all at a detriment to himself. He focused so hard on his artistic skills he neglected his personal life, be it making friends or enjoying life that he made his own self-esteem issues worse. And because what he chased after was something so brief, and in a career so demanding, it had become a cycle of toxic disappointment and desperation. It's basically a self-fulfilling downward spiral in a way.

Another aspect of Eichiro that's telling to his own 'dullness' is the form of manga he made, a documentary, and even his own killing: copycat murders. He's essentially recapping events that most people in the world at the time would be privy about, and committing the cardinal sin for those in the artistic world - plagiarism. No one really cares for his work because he's essentially just regurgitating common knowledge for the public. If he had made something more original, he'd probably would get better success, but given how much he shut himself away to 'hone his talent' he probably doesn't have the life skills or proper imagination for it (and never will thanks to Takumi).

Finally, he's killed in similar way to Mukuro's Spears of Gungnir, though instead of spears its his own pens that kill him. in Danganronpa, ironic murders are all the rage, so you can think of it as symbolizing his own talent - his own crutch and downfall in life - being the one to lead him astray and betray him.

Personal Thoughts

I really like Eichiro, because he's one of the few characters in Killer Killer to be fully fleshed out. In backstory, in motivations, in personality - he's brimming with it in one chapter, when most of the main cast lack it in all 14. (Probably since the writer for KK is speaking from their own feelings in the industry, but that's just me). He's one of the few gems that I can say are good about Killer Killer and wish the other killers replicated. Especially Ted, who debuted in chapter 3.

I also like Eichiro in how he fleshed out an established lore item in DR2, that being the Tragedy manga found in endgame. He's heavily implied to be the author of that, and I always appreciate it when the DR series tries to build upon past continuity. Same reason why I like Koichi or Another Episode! Or later on concepts like the Mukuro Cult. It's building upon and even expanding the world of DR in a pretty good way. And in a 'flash, but little substance' story that Killer Killer seems to tred, stuff like that needs to be treasured.

Also, even as a killer, I just like he's the sort that should have been promoted more - he feels like a realistic DR villain. He's not drinking blood due to thinking it'll make him younger, he doesn't have parasite monsters that break the world - no, he's just a copycat killer trying to use his murders to increase his fame and get him praise. That's it, and God is it refreshing.

In short: Eiichiro is a breath of fresh air in the Killer Killer entry.

With that, another Killer Killer entry done! Hope it's a good read, with the next up being, again, the miscellaneous section of the DR novel side.

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shockersalvage · 2 months

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Salvage Showcase - Eichiro Saiyama

So on that end I decided to do a Showcase on one of Killer Killer's better serial killers of the week (having a backstory will do that to you) - its Eichiro Saiyama!!!

Eichiro was a lonely and rather unpopular kid in his youth. The only happy moment he could gather was when one girl complimented his art and said he should be a mangaka.

See, they were a bit too realistic.

Eventually, his need for approval escalated until he became a serial killer, killing others to use as reference for his work out of some desire to gain what he wanted the most.

Rundown

Personal Thoughts

In short: Eiichiro is a breath of fresh air in the Killer Killer entry.

With that, another Killer Killer entry done! Hope it's a good read, with the next up being, again, the miscellaneous section of the DR novel side.

#danganronpa #danganronpa killer killer #takumi hijirihara #eichiro saiyama #drkk #killer killer #danganronpa 2 #dr2 #chihiro fujisaki #mukuro ikusaba

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shockersalvage · 2 months

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Wait wait wait wait. Is the background of the cover meant to be Borges? Blue Ink’s eye? Since that was blue and gold, wasn’t it?

Not quite. The blue background of volume 2 is just the sky. As for Borges, you're only partially correct. It's gold, as shown in the volume 3 cover of DRT. But it is not blue and gold.

#danganronpa togami #drt #shinobu togami #blue ink

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shockersalvage · 2 months

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Also, on a side note to my recent Showcase, anyone wanna bet the 'P' in Polaris P. Polanski stands for 'Perfection'? Because Byakuya would be the dorky type to sneak that in to his own alter ego's name when he could!

#polaris p polanski #danganronpa #danganronpa togami #byakuya togami #drt #dr1 #dr togami

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shockersalvage · 2 months

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Salvage Showcase- Polaris P. Polanski

Assuming I get this out in time, this Showcase is dedicated to the most popular character in Danganronpa Togami has to offer in the fandom and on the day of Volume 3's release! If its not Shinobu Togami you heard about, you probably hear this girl's name dropped every now and again and for pretty understandable reasons given who she is!

Time to take a dive into the great Polaris P. Polanski!!!!

(...Who doesn't have official art so I'm just using the Vol 2 cover of DRT in its stead)

Summary

Now, Polaris is a character that plays a role in the events of the Legacy Crown Championship in the 2nd volume of Danganronpa Togami. She is Suisei Nanamura's assistant, at best 13 years old at the time, and travels to the LCC to Castle Toajo after Mitsuzo Togami hires Suisei to solve the case of mysterious killings in the competition.

Now, compared to her eccentric boss, she is very silent and has taken to pretty much following Suisei around. Suisei entrusts her to go through evidence or handle them, regardless if the contents are embarrassing or even gorey. Best shown off when, on the ninth day, Suisei announces that he has figured out the culprit - which was Kazuya Togami. During this meeting to discuss such a claim, she hands over Saburo's camera (that has been recording himself in the buff dancing) and was tasked with holding the bag that contains the severed head of Yoru. The latter piece of evidence is the nail in the coffin that had Kazuya initially tossed into the dungeon...

Only for it to 'be revealed' that Mitsuzo was the culprit in a confession note left behind as Mitsuzo appeared to have killed himself. With their client dead, Suisei leaves the LCC on a helicopter and one assumes that Polaris would have done the same.

Except! No, she doesn't! She secretly stays behind and begins working on trying to figure out the 'reliance' that will crown the winner of the LCC and heir of the Togami Conglomertate. In the end? When the chaos of the killings of the LCC had the castle burn down, Polaris would be one of the survivors: having not only figured out what the reliance was, but also finding Shinobu Togami to escort her to safety. As Shinobu wakes up, Polaris has whispered what the reliance was into a tape recorder: and was deemed correct. Thus, making her the official heir to the company!!

Or rather...he. In actuality, Polaris was just Byakuya Togami in crossdress, disguising himself as a girl to infiltrate the LCC (he figured he'd get close to it eventually while working as Suisei's assistant since the detective only takes high profile cases). Byakuya was apart of the hundreds of other Togami kids who were disqualified from even participating in the event due to their Mother's social standing and had been working to sneak himself for a long while. First by acting asa day trader and then as the aformentioned assistant to Suisei.

With his victory secured, Byakuya offers Shinobu to come with him to be his secretary with the other participants dead or missing (like her brothers) and since Shinobu lacked either Hope or Despair - aspects that'd he find use in someone that can write an untainted view of his autobiography. She accepts, though does request one thing: that he calls her big sis! Which gets him taken aback as much as your average teen boy does.

Considering Polaris is Byakuya, her personality is pretty similar to him. She's intelligent, cold, serious, and has no issues in doing unnerving tasks if it means she can get ahead or do her job. While in the LCC she maintains a quiet demeanor, very rarely speaking, when her job is done, she's free to express her usual stern, and critical nature towards others below her.

In particular, Polaris shows disdain towards how the LCC is operated by the Togami Conglomerate, primarily in regard to who is chosen based off their pedigree and acting as if someone from an unknown background can't be the heir (which might implicate Byakuya being from an unknown background himself?)

Yet, in regard to the event featuring Polaris, it should be noted that the flashback itself was a shared unreality memory for both Kazuya and Blue Ink. When we consider Byakuya's account in-game, where he says he was one of the participants, it makes rather unlikely for him to done the alter ego of Polaris or even be Suisei's assistant.

Rundown

In DRT's theming, Reality vs Unreality, and how it affects Byakuya as a character, Polaris represents a major aspect of our Ultimate Heir in using an aspect of Unreality, deceit, as a positive (if only for himself).

From tossing out his glasses that had a tracker on it, in order to fool their enemies and get them off their backs, to faking his death to even Blue Ink during a confrontation with Hasegawa Research Institute, to taking credit for the WDP in order to use it for his own domination conquest, to becoming Polaris even become the heir to the Togami Conglomerate to, most importantly, wiping away Kudan into Blue Ink: Byakuya is no stranger to deceiving both ally and enemy in the WDP in order to get ahead for himself. And this isn't a unique DRT trilogy trait either, remember Byakuya in DR1's infamous moment? Where he tampered with Chihiro's body just to reveal Genocide Jack amongst their group and know who to watch out for when/if he decided to become a blackened? Deceit, even if it makes others thinks less of him or intefers with his allies, is a valued tool of Byakuya when push comes to shove, which does make him legitimately tricky to deal with on top of his high intellect.

Which actually contrasts the other protagonists of DRT (or POV trio) remarkably well in their outings with Unreality. For both Kazuya and Blue Ink, the story makes it clear that they are pretty much being strung along by the whims of their Borges' Story AI, unable to see the truth until late into the WDP (and how they handle that is very different). As for Moleman, despite what he thinks is his past, his entire being as an alter is just a falsehood used by the main personality of Suzuhiko Otsuki to make his killings easier. Basically, all three POV Togami's are depicted as being unknowingly under and/or, even if aware, suffering from the effects of essentially living life under a lie. They are not in control of the narrative woven by others for them, at least, up until Shinobu goes through her development in Volume 3.

But Byakuya? He differs in that he's usually depicted as being the controller or just a user of Unreality. He's not generally caught up in it, but is the one crafting/going along with a false narrative that has enemies pretty much still struggling to keep up and trap him (well, that and having assistance from his few allies), despite essentially having the upperhand or dead to rights. Polaris is pretty much the epitome of this dynamic, even if probably not real, with her being able to come onto the island and take the crown without alerting anyone to her true identity, whilst almost everyone else pretty much killed each other in the mysteries of what was essentially a self-started killing game.

This also makes his actions in the final book of DRT hit that much harder. When he chose not to take over the world, it also meant he was now choosing to submit to being under Unreality, choosing to believe a lie that Ultimate Despair would have crafted that obfuscates the truth of the WDP, hinder his talent and cut his relationship with Blue Ink. All of that, just to save Blue Ink's life. For a character defined by his self-centeredness, even in the trilogy itself, him going for a major sacrifice like that is very telling of his true heart underneath his ego and what he eventually gets back post-DR1 (after some development during that killing game as well).

Personal Thoughts

Polaris is a funny case to me! As said before, she is pretty much just Byakuya and, even then, its very possible that her existence beyond Unreality is, well, non-existant. It doesn't help matters, she only appear in just a long flashback and barely has much of a role in events too until the end.

But that said, she's pretty much the most popular character to come from the DRT trilogy and its not hard to see why (...well aside from the fact she is a mainline character) ! For one, the idea of Polaris gives a layer and interest to Byakuya in a few ways. The most obvious being his interest in crossdress, even if only for a means to an end, is something that gets people's head's turning over Byakuya's sexuality in question and is just a fun concept to explore with such a serious character (and him going on to dress as a nun and state he doesn't mind wearing women's clothes is just so much fuel to use).

Another layer him being Polaris brings is his potential connection with Suisei. Byakuya crossdressing is one thing, but him being an assistant to an eccentric, yet corrupt detective? Someone's whose own arrogance and high intellect towards life reflects onto Byakuya? How much of Suisei rubbed off on Byakuya? They seemed like a stable pair working together, so is it possible Suisei knew about Byakuya's true identity all along? That's not even getting into the parallels between him and Kyoko, being stronger given her connection with Suisei in the DRK series. It's brief, but its a dynamic that has quite a bit of potential to gleam through, if you see assume that even outside of Unreality, there was a possibility that Byakuya diid become Suisei's assistant for a time.

Finally, there's the possibility of Polaris herself not coming from a well off home given her talk with Blue Ink at the end of the LCC, after she won (and her bitterness over people outside the ranking system not being able to compete). Now we know in-game Byakuya was a participant in the LCC for real, so him sneaking into the competition is just false. That said, it could still be possible he had to very much work his ass off from nothing just to be accepted into the real LCC (which is very likely given just how much of the true event is left pretty vague). It gives a real credence to his arrogance and his actual appreciation for hard work, since it means he was legitimately working himself in not just the LCC, but throughout his entire life, into become the powerful Ultimate Heir we know of him as today and gets you wondering if the reason why he's such a condescending jerk is because he's projecting his struggles and victories onto everyone else.

Though, as you all know by now, DRT is not one for making things concrete and Polaris (and what she brings to the table) is possibly just straight unreality produced by the K2K System. That said, DRT not being so concrete means its not a hard denial either of their existence in some other fashion. While Byakuya being Polaris to compete in the LCC is false, whose to say he didn't spend some time in his years posing as her before or after the fact? The details being fuzzy means those who do love Polaris are free to accept her in some fashion, while those who dislike her or think of everything in unreality is being all fake, are also not wrong in dismissing her. It's a situation where, even with unreality being in play, people on both sides can pretty much win.

For me, I like Polaris for the aformentioned layers above and think she just makes for a fun addtion to Byakuya's history. While I doubt he'd have needed or even was crossdressing in the real LCC, him just being so comfortable with himself he can wear practically anything, no matter the gender, is a confidence from Byakuya that you can't help but like and I can't help but basically accept as like a pseudo-canon trait of his.

And that ends DRT's entry! I missed the anniversary of DRT Volume 3, which sucks, but at the very least am glad to get this out a bit quicker than usual! Was inspired to make this after seeing posts of DRT floating about on that day, so managed to make this Showcase quicker than usual.

Next up is back to Killer Killer!

#salvage showcase #byakuya togami #polaris p polanski #suisei nanamura #danganronpa togami #danganronpa #dr togami #blue ink #shinobu togami

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shockersalvage · 3 months

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Salvage Showcase - Tadashi Asakura

Now in the past I've been talking about the detective side of things concerning Danganronpa Kirigiri, so thought it'd be good for a change of pace to talk about the culprit side of matters!

For this iteration, I'm discussing the very first culprit of Danganronpa Kirigiri: Tadashi Asakura.

Summary

Tadashi is one of the main characters and point of view focus for the 1st volume of Danganronpa Kirigiri. He lost his family and legs in a fire started by, allegedly, an astrologist who seemingly killed himself. Turning to medication to reduce the pain in his legs and his life effectively being ruined, he was down on his luck at the hospital when he met a scout of the Victims Catharsis Committee: Tokichiro Endo.

Endo promised him this, the same offer given to all Victims that the VCC seeks out: in exchange for risking his life in a Duel Noir to kill their Target, Tadashi will learn the truth of who actually committed the crime that cost him his family and legs. Tadashi agrees and sets up the Sirius Astronomical Observatory Duel Noir.

His Duel Noir involves him inviting Kyoko Kirigiri, Yui Samidare, Shiita Enbi, Eigo Amino and Kou Inuzaka to the observatory. From there, he would kill and dismember one of the guys to impersonate them and, after knocking out the detectives with drugged cans of coffee - he would enact the rest of his murder trick. He would take them to their rooms and would go on to kill & dismember the other guys with a pair of sheers before switching their body parts around (a practical way of trying to avoid exposing that one of them was killed earlier). After that, he planned on having Yui, the Detective for his Duel Noir, find Kyoko with the murder weapons and trick her into thinking Kyoko was the culprit.

However, both girls would come to work together and it was Kyoko that would force Tadashi to give up as she deduced that he was hiding in an armchair, using his fear of fire to make him reveal himself. With his defeat, he admits that he took up a Duel Noir to kill Kou Inuzaka - the true arsonist and culprit that ruined Tadashi's life. Shita was killed so that Tadashi could impersonate him and Eigo was murdered just to complete the trick. With his defeat, Tadashi requests for the girls to stop the VCC and the Duel Noir ,revealing that they always choose the detectives from the Detective Library. He gets apprehended seemingly by the police, but they are actually agents of the VCC. As a penalty for losing the Duel Noir, and to reclaim the funds he wasted, Tadashi is executed by means of being forced into a car that is driven off a cliff.

Tadashi is a bitter man that felt extremely lost after the arson, but when told he could take vengeance for the life he lost - he readily agreed to take up a Duel Noir. He's easily annoyed and was very skeptical of Endo's intentions, but his need to avenge and gain closure for his past, in addition to having nothing to lose, drove him to eventually take the VCC up on their offer. That said, he is very self-aware that the VCC, while it could have given him a better life and closure, was also using his vulnerable state and others. As such, he hates the VCC and their sponsors, desiring them stopped, and passes on his wishes to Yui & Kyoko.

As the Victim of Duel Noir, he holds hatred against Kou for his crimes and is glad to have murdered him. Though, given his murders of Shit and Eigo, it shows that he is not above killing innocent people if it works out for him pragmatically, and he even admits he'd kill Kyoko if she had made things difficult. He's a good actor, being able to pose as a Detective Library member without alerting suspicion, and is only really found out because of his intense trauma from his past. He considers himself the world's unluckiest underdog.

Rundown

In terms of DRK 1 the main theme going on throughout the novel is that of Status. Primarily, its refers to the rank of the detectives in the Detective Library and where they stand on the social pole. Its also the drive of the small cast we are introduced to, at least a good chunk of them. Kou committed atrocities just to raise his rank in the Library, Eigo is a kiss ass to those higher than him and look down on those lower. Kyoko's main goal is to reach into the Zero rank of the Detective Library, if only for her own goals.

But Status isn't restricted to just rank, it can also refer to those 'ranked' metaphorically in society. In Tadashi's case, his Status was pretty much at the bottom: no legs, family, and nothing really going for him aside from spending his existence on government help until he dies. He has nothing to lose, and its used to show why he'd take even a personal risk to himself by playing in the Duel Noir. It's depressing, but the story makes it clear by him, and by extension any other Victims, that their lives must truly be pretty miserable if they resort to a killing game to try to improve their odds.

It's also worth noting that, despite Tadashi's hated of Kou, he essentially went down the same path as that arsonist detective. Kou did his crimes to increase his standing at the cost of his victims livelihoods and lives. Tadashi went about his revenge, which cost the lives of two other innocent people and even framing someone (like Kou did to the astrologer). While Tadashi also wanted revenge, the shot at a better life -a better Status also fueled his motivation to go about the Duel Noir. Effectively turning himself into someone no better than Kou.

In the grand scheme of DRK and its other theme, Justice and Corruption/Catharsis, Tadashi also has his part to play in them. Tadashi, and by extension the other Victims, represents Corruption born of warped Justice. Like with other Victims in the DRK series, he seeks out Catharsis, which to him is just straight up Payback against Kou by killing him (while the other Victims are also motivated by vengeance, its also a means to an end for other, stronger, desire). And it makes sense, since he feels that he had nothing else to strive for in life.

Personal Thoughts

Despite being the starter villain of the week, Tadashi plays an important role for the DRK narrative that I feel is underappreciated (well, part of that is likely due to DRK being so obscure, but the point still stands).

Tadashi is characterized extremely well as someone firmly in the sympathetic grey. What he's done in the Duel Noir, killing and trying to frame Kyoko, is awful, but we know from the beginning why he does acts like that and its from his POV, you can't but kind of want to root for him a bit. To win and gain some semblance of a normal life back. It's what makes him and nearly all the DRK Victim villains hard to ever truly hate. He's sets the tone well for what the girls will have to go up against and serves to make the VCC pretty damn despicable given how they're manipulating people while they are down on their luck and don't think twice about killing the culprit to get their money back.

Also I thought that the whole deal with him the POV for a bit, and the killer made for an interesting dynamic. We know from the get-go that a sixth party entered Sirius and is the culprit, but don't know (when the POV switches back to Yui) where he is hiding or that he even did a switcheraroo with someone else. Kitayama did wonderful in that regards and it really served to show as a preview for just how wild the Duel Noir can become!

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That ends this Showcase and next up is back to the chaotic world of Danganronpa Togami!! Shall I do one of the main Togami Trio, or tackle the many many many siblings of Byakuya that Kijo brought in the world? Or someone else? Think, at the very least, who ever next might be on the lighter side.

#tadashi asakura #danganronpa #danganronpa kirigiri #drk #salvage showcase #yui samidare #kyoko kirigiri #dr kirigiri

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shockersalvage · 3 months

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Homunculus Research (the kinda scientific edition)

Time for me to do the thing that I do where I think way too much about barely explained fictional science and try my best to apply actual science to it. For fun.

So, here is my biological summary for the homunculi of Rain Code, which will be mostly non-canon speculation.

What is a homunculus? A homunculus is an artificially created, cloned individual using the genetic information of a human for the purpose of developing immortality and regeneration applicable to military use.

What is a homunculus made of and how? A homunculus is created from gram-negative bacteria and human cells through complete recombinant DNA cloning. This technique is achieved through taking the genes of the human donor and incorporating the information into a bacterial chromosomal DNA and plasmid(the secondary circular DNA molecule of bacteria used for gene replication and transfer). Additionally, the incorporation of the enzyme telomerase and protein p53 is applied.

What contributes to a homunculus's regenerative properties and immortality? Homunculi exhibit accelerated initial growth and healing thanks to the bacterial hybridization of their cells. Bacteria have one of the fastest replication rates, and can replicate at a rate of about every 10 minutes compared to the average human cell's replication rate of every 24 hours. Gram-negative bacteria also have a complex layering of membrane that allow them to be more resistant to antibiotics and a more sturdy structure. Bacteria have the ability to go through inactivation, where they go into a state of metabolic dormancy that protect them and allow them to be able to wait out periods of extreme conditions and nutrient scarcity. Telomerase, the 'immortality enzyme', is utilized for its function in restoring the length of telomeres. Telomeres are a protective chromosomal cap that normally erode with each cell division, and it's this shortening that causes DNA damage and aging in humans. Telomerase repairs this erosion and allows cells to divide indefinitely. However, because of telomerase's link to increased rates of cancer, additional copies of the gene responsible for the production of p53 protein is also incorporated. P53 is a tumor suppressor that allows damaged cells to repair themselves before dividing, which prevents the spread of cancerous cells.

Why is homunculus blood pink? Gram-negative bacteria is identifiable for its bright pink color by using the gram staining method. This is because the characteristic cell wall structure of gram-negative bacteria which makes them so resilient also causes the bacteria to display the color of the safranin. Homunculus researchers may apply a gram staining process to the circulatory system of homunculi for the purpose of identification and observation.

Relevance of gram-negative bacteria in gene cloning and military research. The most commonly used strain of bacteria used in gene cloning research is the gram-negative bacteria such as e. coli for its ready availability, ease of growth and manipulation, and simplicity. Gram-negative bacteria such as e. coli has a history in military research, in cases such as a probiotic when an army surgeon isolated a strain found in a soldier who, unlike his comrades, did not develop an illness from an infectious outbreak.

What is the zombified state of imperfect homunculi? It is the result of cell inactivation that, while it is a protective measure for the cells, the slowed or halted metabolic state causes the low-functioning mental and physical faculties that present zombie-like symptoms, and is currently difficult to impossible to reverse in imperfect homunculi due to their varying degrees of cellular instability.

Why do imperfect homunculi require compounds found in human flesh for nutrients? Plasmid stability in DNA cloned cells is often influenced by the original donor's genotype. Imperfect homunculi cells may include defects in the cell division process where the stability of the human DNA contained in the cell plasmid results in incomplete DNA replication, whereas each division causes informational gaps in the gene and interrupt protein synthesis. These gaps can be filled and repaired by taking and incorporating the required information from a healthy human cell through the process of horizontal gene transfer. Human matter must be consumed and broken down in order for the homunculus cells to initiate this process. The lack of these nutrients can cause the homunculus cells to go into a state of inactivation.

Why are imperfect homunculi vulnerable to sunlight? UV has been known to exhibit antimicrobial effects. Many bacteria, especially gram-negative bacteria, are averse to sunlight. Exposure to the UV radiation in sunlight results in the damage or solar induced inactivation of unstable homunculus cells.

Written, hopefully, as simplified and concise as possible for readability. I feel like I'm forgetting more things I wanted to address, but maybe I'll just leave it here and just make more parts if I think of it :P

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shockersalvage · 3 months

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Excellent read through! Seeing actual quasi-canon Desapir!Taka was fun to see and these Monorangers being, likely, inspiration for the Monokubs is a nice find!

THE MOMENT WE'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR!!!!

Here it is, guys!

The Kiyotaka Ishimaru Mastermind comic from 4コマ KINGS Vol. 4!

SPECIFICALLY CITING THIS SO THAT OTHERS KNOW WHERE TO FIND THIS COMIC!!!

Huge, HUUUUGE thanks to @panicuriprince!!! They helped me with clearing the text, rewording panels and putting everything together! Pages 4, 5, and 6 are her doing! PLEEEASE go send her some love, they REALLY helped me get this done and I literally couldn't have done this without her :D

There's a document below the break with more literal translations for the comic, as well as translation notes, a link to a Google Drive folder with ALL of the pages, and other interesting tidbits! Please give it a read!

The Japanese pages will also be below the break! (As well as a little spiel of mine. It's quite long, so be careful!)

(also please forgive how many tags there are here-)

Remember to read right to left <3

As promised, here are the Japanese panels:

AND HERE'S THE DOCUMENT!

✨ WOW ✨

I can't begin to describe to you all how AMAZING this feels!

I've spent the past 2 years on what felt like a wild goose chase, desperately searching for this one comic that I wasn't even sure existed.

This all started with me finding a photo on Tumblr of this comic and spiraling into this deep dive. First I didn't know if this was even real, then I found out that this comic series had ceased printing, then I couldn't be sure which book it was actually in.

There is literally almost no information out there about the fourth volume of this anthology series. I've said this before and I'll say it again, volumes 1 and 2 both have full translations that you can download off of other websites, and while 3 doesn't seem to have that, there are a lot of separately translated comics floating around out there, namely on Pinterest.

The 4th volume had NOTHING! No matter how hard I searched or how many links I clicked, no one has really said ANYTHING about this book, which was why this specific comic was so hard for me to find.

But I have all of the books now, so I definitely want to do this again for all of them so that people have easy access to these translations. I'll start with book 4 though haha.

Also, I'm not sure who it was, but HUUUUGE thanks to the kind stranger on Ebay who was willing to sent me the whole series!! I literally don't know where I would be right now if these books weren't with me, so thank you <3

Also, thank you to all of my Japanese teachers that I've had throughout the years. If it weren't for them, I wouldn't have been able to understand the comic, haha! One even helped me out in the early stages of this process, so extra thanks to him <3

I feel really passionate about accessible media. I think that everyone should be able to read and find whatever they want. That's part of the reason that I've endeavored on this project. I want everyone to be able to seek out and find these comics if they really want to. And, of course, I want everyone to be able to understand them, too.

So please enjoy this comic! If you'd like to repost it, I'd appreciate being credited just so that others know where they can go to find the full comic.

This one-man project isn't so one-man anymore, and I seriously can't thank everyone who's helped me enough!!! I'm honestly so glad I didn't have to go through this alone <33

ALSO

If you see anything, LITERALLY ANYTHING, that you think I could change/improve (like formatting or different interpretations of the Japanese text), PLEASE shoot me a message!! I want to make sure this comic is as good as it can be, and I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Even if you don't have a suggestion and would just like to reach out to ask a question or something, PLEASE don't be afraid to do that! I know I get really cold feet when sending people asks, so I'm going to reassure everyone who needs to hear it now: You're never going to be a bother to me! I love getting asks! Whenever anyone sends me something, I get really excited <3

So ask questions! Tell me I did a horrible job and got none of the text right! Ask why Ishimaru literally cannot be evil! I don't know the answer, either!

Thank you all so much for the support and the kind words you've been giving me ever since I first announced I was translating this comic! Your support has been extremely motivating to me! Also, you guys are hilarious with your tags!

Seriously, thank you so much! Words literally can't express how I feel right now, but I guess the best way I could describe it is cathartic. I'm REALLY happy that I finally get to share 2 years worth of work with you guys! You've all been a massive help to me in more ways than one <333

KEEP BEING AWESOME <3

#kiyotaka ishimaru #danganronpa #dr1 #monokubs #mondo owada #danganronpa manga

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shockersalvage · 3 months

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XD Honestly, she'd rocked Power's style and moveset pretty well!

Danganronpa Kirigiri - List of Detective Library members & their monster reps

In Danganronpa Kirigiri, the Triple Zero detectives of the Detective Library were based upon/referenced four types of monsters in fiction: ghost, werewolf, vampire and doppleganger. I always thought that was a pretty cool choice for Kitayama to go down and go to thinking what other types of monsters the other detectives would represent.

Which is basically what below is - a list of every named Detective Library member and monster would best fit them, in book order. As well as who represents the four monsters I mentioned above.

Main Duo:

Kyoko Kirigiri - Angel of Death (Now for Kyoko's monster I wanted something that best represents Kyoko's relation with Death and, ultimately her benevolent nature behind her stonefaced mask. So I chose her as the metaphorical Angel of Death - someone who brings about the end of those who have Fallen by uncovering the truth behind their misdeeds. Yet, in doing so, is also saving lives of those that were in danger because of the Fallen's actions. She also attends a religious school so it ties back well with those origins.

Yui Samidare - Powers (A type of angel in Christian theology and apart of the Middle Order of angels. Her whole thing is being a detective to protect others from evil and Powers are types of angels that hold the power to dispel or defeat evil. Also calls back to Yui being from a religious school. If I had to choose something else, I'd make Yui a guardian angel to match Kyoko being an angel of death. But, for reasons below, decided to forego it to complete another set )

DRK1:

Kou Inuzuka - Hellhound (Kou surname 'Inuzaka' contains the word for dog in Japanese, and Kou himself is an arsonist. Of the reps, I think this is one of the most fitting I've come up with)

Eigo Amino - Robot (Eigo is said to have zero presence or stands out, and he's a detective that poses as a businessman AKA a cog in a machine of office life. So I figured a robot was the best thing to compare him to)

Shiita Enbi - Zombie (Based upon the whole deal with him being dead all along, and also Tadashi's deal with having no legs, so kind of shambling about, reminds me of those types of zombies in horror games or shows)

Johnny Arp - Werewolf (From DRK Vol 6 - referred to heavily with wolfish traits or personality)

Gekka Ryuzoji - Vampire (From his design & titles; he's heavily based upon Count Dracula from the titular novel)

Rei Mikagami - Ghost (Comes from his epithet of 'Ghost in the Mirror' and his own ghostly ability to seemingly disappear from the scene with ease. Honorary mention goes to 'unicorn' given that's what his alias, Licorne, means in French).

DRK2:

Taehime Uozumi - Mermaid (Made her mermaid given her surname, Uozumi, is literally 'sleeping with the fishes'...and, okay, the pun with her fake profession was too tempting to pass up)

Suisei Nanamura - Father Time (Suisei is obsessed with time and managing it, so making him Father Time seemed pretty natural

Mikado Shinsen - Doppleganger (From his epithet, the Variationist, and skills as a master of disguise. Honorary mention goes to him being referred to as a Shinigami/Reaper by Chage and the connection he does have with the dead)

DRK 3

Hajiki Yaki - Devil (His DSC card is 666 which is considered a devilish number in Abrahamic religon, and his own thing is being a detective that goes against gambling - a type of deal with the devil?)

Salvador Yadorigi Fukuro - Gorgon (Okay, now, admittedly, this one is one of my weakest, but was inspired to call him a gorgon due to his own whole thing with his special eyes, and how he stunned Keisuke from DRK4 with the look of them. Stunning? Turning people to stone? A stretch? Kind of, but I still think it also kind of works so...)

Sachi Mizuiyama - Elf (Okay, beyond her getting an elf because she's short, was also inspried to give it to her based upon elves appearing young when they're actually older - something that's been pointed out about Sachi - and how elves/fairy-ish folk tend to have skewed moralities. Something that skewed me towards Sachi and her whole deal)

Korisu Kakitsubata - Succubus (Also one of my weakest, yet this one just feels so fitting. She dresses provocatively and acts seemingly benevolent, but that's hiding a malicious front to get away with claiming a soul. Plus, another case of her being related to fire and Succubi being from Hell - it just kind makes itself work out)

Suntetsu Shirasu - Underworld Gatekeeper (Chose this after a lot of internal debating, but decided this might be the most fitting? Like Gozu & Mezu or Cerberus, Suntetsu's actions decided who remains in the living and who has to remain in the afterlife. If there was a more fitting word for this type of monster, I'll gladly hear it out)

DRK4:

Tsukiyo Nada & Nazuna Toakitsu - Dominion & Virtue (Types of Angels in Christian theology and apart of the Middle Order set of angels with the Powers. Tsukiyo is Dominion given they govern celestial bodies & Tsukiyo's name refers to the night sky itself - ok that and her domineering personality. Naz is Virtue since one of its job is to bolster faith, and Naz is the most supportive of the duo in terms of helping out Yui to Salvador to Tsukiyo as well. Plus, they round out Yui being Power and also coming from a religious school)

DRK5:

Tatsutora Oboro - Bakaneko (Ok, the weakest one out of the lot, but also didn't really want to spend too much time on a minor guy like Oboro. As such, with part of his name, 'Tora', meaning tiger the idea that came to mind was a simple monster cat!)

DRK 6:

Motosuke Suzuyari - Yeti (He's in the icy mountains, described as being kind of wild looking. It writes itself)

Ayako Saiko - Witch (@drmedicsgamesurgery holds credit for the intiial placeholder as being a 'Mad Scientist'. However, mad scientists aren't technically monsters, I decided to swap it with the mad scientist of monster: a witch)

DRK 7:

Shiroko Yukimura - Yuki-onna (I got this based upon her part of her name 'Shiro' meaning white and the fact she appeared in a snowy setting)

Senshi Kadomi - Giant (Big guy with a knack for violence to get what he wants? Yeah, Senshi was pretty much hardlocked into being a giant from early on)

Kanji Yuhain - The 1st Horseman/Conquest/Pestilence/White Rider (I went with the 1st Horseman of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, after being inspired from Yuhain riding to Sirius on top of a white horse which symbolizes conquest or pestilence in the modern age. Both fit Yuhain as a guy who seeks to conquer the detective world as the King of Detectives and given his corrupt nature, he can very much be considered a pestilence.)

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shockersalvage · 3 months

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Danganronpa Kirigiri - List of Detective Library members & their monster reps

Which is basically what below is - a list of every named Detective Library member and monster would best fit them, in book order. As well as who represents the four monsters I mentioned above.

Main Duo:

DRK1:

Kou Inuzuka - Hellhound (Kou surname 'Inuzaka' contains the word for dog in Japanese, and Kou himself is an arsonist. Of the reps, I think this is one of the most fitting I've come up with)

Johnny Arp - Werewolf (From DRK Vol 6 - referred to heavily with wolfish traits or personality)

Gekka Ryuzoji - Vampire (From his design & titles; he's heavily based upon Count Dracula from the titular novel)

DRK2:

Taehime Uozumi - Mermaid (Made her mermaid given her surname, Uozumi, is literally 'sleeping with the fishes'...and, okay, the pun with her fake profession was too tempting to pass up)

Suisei Nanamura - Father Time (Suisei is obsessed with time and managing it, so making him Father Time seemed pretty natural

DRK 3

DRK4:

DRK5:

DRK 6:

Motosuke Suzuyari - Yeti (He's in the icy mountains, described as being kind of wild looking. It writes itself)

DRK 7:

Shiroko Yukimura - Yuki-onna (I got this based upon her part of her name 'Shiro' meaning white and the fact she appeared in a snowy setting)

Senshi Kadomi - Giant (Big guy with a knack for violence to get what he wants? Yeah, Senshi was pretty much hardlocked into being a giant from early on)

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shockersalvage · 3 months

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Shikiba technically created doppelgängers of all Class 78, but since Kyoka was made first, and had more proper nourishment, the others are smaller, more rat-like and plant-like then her, and can't speak very well/much. Since he was gone, she named them herself, using whichever name appeared in books, or the casts from movies he loved.

We have Takomo (Naegi), Asa (Togami), Kyoka herself, Futaba (Toko), Kureiji (Yasuhiro), Hinami (Aoi), Battler (Leon), Sayoko (Sayaka), Chikage (Chihiro), Momotaro (Mondo), Cassiel (Celeste), Kiriyah (Taka), Hiro (Hifumi), Yukako (Sakura), Kuromi (Mukuro) and Juriko (Junko).

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shockersalvage · 3 months

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Limit x Despair Update!

Basically Kodaka has been working long and hard on one of his most insane games to date. He has just officially announced the announcement date of the release date will be coming soon.

@hopeymchope @shiut @shockersalvage

for thsoe who don't remmebr, this project was first announced during the initial tookyo games lineup.

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shockersalvage · 4 months

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Yuto Kamishiro - Salvage Showcase

Oh boy! First Showcase of the year! Whose gonna be the first one of DR0 to be up?

Oh.

Summary

Yuto Kamishio is the Ultimate Spy and a member of the 77th batch of Hope's Peak Academy. He is also a major character in Danganronpa Zero, being an ally and source of information for Ryoko Otonashi as she goes throughout novel's bloody events.

Ryoko first meets Yuto following a horrific discovery of one of the Steering Committee members dead, with her notebook at the scene of the crime. In a panic, Ryoko rushed over to the student dorm's to get to Yasuke, but he wasn't there. Instead, his neighbor Yuto hears her and goes out to see what's wrong. He meeets Ryoko and informs her that Yasuke is out and offers to help her, but she runs off after reading about the dead body she forgot, and asks for Yuto relay the message that she's looking for Yasuke.

He makes his second appearance in Yasuke's lab, using his talent to get by and watch the proceedings without anyone being aware of his presence. From it, he was able to hear all about the conversation both had concerning the dead body she found to the topic of Junko Enoshima. Yuto revealed himself after Yasuke left and after explaining his talent (and desire to be a spy that saves the world), offers his services to Ryoko. He explains the rumor regarding the tragedy of Hope's Peak Academy (how 15 students disappeared from the school, fourteen being student council members, and 13 ended up dead). and how it was Junko Enoshima that not only spread the rumor to the Reserve Course, but was being investigated for it prior to her disappearance.

It's then that Yuto 'makes a deal' (a one-sided one that is). In exchange for solving the incident, he wants to screw Ryoko and kinda just leaves in spite of her clearly thinking otherwise.

He makes another appearance after Mukuro defeats Mishiki Madarai, revealing he's been in the room with Makoto and Ryoko for a while. Letting Mukuro deal with Madarai, and giving an order to not mention what really happened to the security dept of Hope's Peak, Yuto takes Ryoko with him to the cafeteria in the school's East District.

At the cafeteria, its Yuto sharing his findings with Ryoko. From his many (illegal) wiretaps on hundreds of women, he ended up wiretapping a conversation with Ryoko and Junko, which is then used to learn from Ryoko's notebook that Junko claims she's gonna kill Yasuke and crush the culprit of Hope's Peak Tragedy - the missing, Izuru Kamukura. It's during this conversation that Yuto brings up the likelihood of Yasuke definitely being involved in the interrogation of Junko. After warning Ryoko of Junko and Yasuke's possible connection, Yuto leaves.

He makes his final appearance in the old school building. Thanks to his talent, he's easily able to sneak in and finds Ryoko (who was let in due to her own 'special cirumstances' that she would be unaware of at the time). Yuto is there because he learnt the old school was connected to the incidents.

By now, he's aware of Junko being involved in kidnapping of the Steering Committee members and even the fact that Izuru wasn't the true culprit of the Student Council murders. Junko masterminded the incident and Yasuke was one of her accomplices. Yuto and Ryoko travel via the secret elevator to Izuru's chamber. Yuto's goal is to rescue Izuru, and uncover the true culprits to become the savior of Hope's Peak Academy...

However, he would never get fulfill his dream. Yasuke was nearby and, while Ryoko wasn't looking, killed Yuto by snapping his neck and twisting his head 180 degrees. All to prevent Yuto from uncovering the truth.

Contrasting his childish appearance and personality, Yuto is a huge pervert who frequently makes perverted comments and innuendos to girls, with a very clear desire in trying to screw them (in this case usually just Ryoko). It's to the point that he goes about breaking the law with his wiretaps to spy on hundreds of women in school locker rooms or bathrooms. Yuto also has a major sweet tooth, often carrying around bags of pastries to chew on during conversations.

Yuto is also fame hungry, desiring to stop the incidents in Hope's Peak to boost his own reputation, with his dream being to finally make himself memorable to others. In truth, while he is very arrogant and prideful about his capabilities as a spy, he's also very insecure about his lack of presence. Hence, why he goes about trying to make himself famous. As a spy, Yuto is fairly intelligent and crafty, willing to do even shady means or have other 'agents' of his gather intel in order to get closer to the truth (though he does care about them enough to not given them intel that could get his 'agents' in trouble as well).

Rundown

Theme wise, Yuto fits into DR0's theme of Identity and the lack of identity fairly strongly as one of its more blatant symbols. In Yuto's case, he represents the lack of physical identity. He's bursting with ego (if a bit too much in that aspects), is pretty intelligent (if used for unsavory reasons) and is genuinely good at his job - but he shows what can happen if someone is deemed too 'plain' by society. Even among Ultimates, the most recognized of his youth for their skills, he's not one people notice or remember. In spite of his talents, the Yuto we see in DR0 is desperate to stand out and be noticed, hence him emulating the 'suave' spies seen in movies, and working towards his risky, and ultimately fatal, goal of being the savior of Hope's Peak by trying to expose and take down Junko. A goal that actually would have been detrimental in the long run since it would make his ability to be unnoticed no longer be in effect since everyone would know who he was.

He's essentially left in a bit of a binding state. The same talent that allowed him to get into Hope's Peak and make something of himself is also stopping him from going beyond a certain point or else he will just not have that ability anymore, and risk putting himself in a worse spot. Yet, he (rather blindingly) chooses the latter, because his need for someone to finally acknowledge him is that much greater, even at long term risk to himself...though, the short term risks done him in first.

Yuto is also supposed to represent the 'limitations' of being an Ultimate. Where they are defined by their talent, and trying to ignore said talent is essentially the same as rejecting themselves. He is the Ultimate Spy, because he has to be - its what makes him Yuto Kamishiro, even if he's still obscure because of it.

In terms of character he reflects, the immediate ones are the Madarai clan. Yuto and Madarai are both DR0 originals that try to use their appearances to gain advantage to their situations. Yuto is someone who has a forgettable appearance, but is able to use said appearance to his advantage as a spy. While for the Madarai, they use their status as octuplets in an attempt to pass off as one person to go about how to use their Bodyguard & Multi-Birth Sibling talent. How they differ, and the success they gain from such a thing, is boiled down to the circumstances on why they choose to go about their appearance situation. Yuto's is in response to an involuntary bad situation he was living in and trying to make the best of it. The Madarai, however, are willingly doing their best to pass each other off as just Isshiki. Or, in another way to think about it, the Madarai are handicapping themselves to go about uniformity. Ultimately, someone turning a weakness into an actual strength is going to go farther than those trying to make a cheap trick out of it.

Yuto also marks a reflection to his client, Ryoko. Both are people stuck 'in the moment', by means not in their control. Ryoko due to her mental state and Yuto because of his body. While people can remember Ryoko, she can't for them (unless its Yasuke). While Yuto can remember everyone else, he's often forgotten about. They're essentially opposites that fate ended up together, but also contrast in their attitudes to their situation. Ryoko has essentially become content with her state and outright refuses to try bothering with other relationships past Yasuke or difficult scenarios she's feels its futile. Yuto is still actively trying to fight his condition by inserting himself into dangerous scenarios, down to the moment where he's killed for knowing too much.

In classic Danganronpa fashion, Yuto 's death is rather ironic. Or rather the reason he died. He wanted to be remembered and well known. Yasuke killed him because he Yuto had made it clear he knew the truth. AKA Yuto did something to make him stand out in someone's eyes. However! Since standing out is actually really bad for a spy, it got him killed for his troubles. By trying to defy his talent, Yuto was pretty much punished by fate for it.

Personal Thoughts

So is it no surprise I'm not quite a fan of Yuto either? Pervert characters are very hard to make good-ish and Yuto doesn't come close. Teruteru at least has his family love to make him somewhat sympathetic and show off something better than 'guy who tries to trick a foreign girl into sucking him off'. Yuto doesn't really have that? There is no love for sick Mama - nothing to really water down 'trying to coerce amnesiac girl into sex' or 'hundreds of female private spaces have wiretaps in them because of me'.

Sure, its easy enough to get a read on why he's like that - he's emulating movie spies to be remembered - but it's a motivation that doesn't quite stick the landing as much DR0 wants it to stick. It's a trait that really bogs down his efficiency as a spy and even his serious moments when he's trying to be more than that. Especially in regards to his 'confined by talent' spiel at the end of DR0. It would mean a lot more if it wasn't coming from someone who hasn't pretty much spent his entire screentime being creepy.

To me, it's the point where I consider him under what I call the 'Yuto Effect' - 'when a character, usually perverted and/or crazy, in a story's negative traits and actions are so egregious to its audience, it results in the charater trying to have depth beyond such traits failing to be recieved by said audience.' Suzuhiko from DRT and even the aformented Teruteru can come under this trait and it really hurts since its clear that DR0 wanted to have both a comedic relief and exposition characters, but Yuto just doesn't hit the mark to fill either of those roles, unfortunately.

Honestly, its actually a real shame, since having an Ultimate Spy is really cool and how his talents works makes sense since someone who isn't really noticeable is going to be a great Spy and his design reflects that well. I also think its a good detail to pair a character who isn't memorable with Ryoko the amnesiac - nice contrast and potential for really interesting scenarios to work with. It's really just the execution that dragged him down into being a low point for the book.

First Showcase of the year!! I hope you enjoyed this one and hopefully I can work on another, this being DRK, soon enough for you all who enjoy these sorts of analysis! Until next time!

(...And if you're wondering why I didn't use his official splash art. Well, all I can say is that you should just stay looking at it at a glance.)

#yuto kamishiro #salvage showcase #dr meta #DR0 #Danganronpa #danganronpa zero #dr zero

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