#i just like how we got a zero escape reference to lay the groundwork. and nidai being a robot has further relevance i'll get into

[catboyebooks]

so here's an angle i wanna take this from: let's talk about asimov's 3 laws of robotics and their relevance to the events of this chapter. i may have already repeatedly mentioned that chapter 4 is basically a whole-chapter zero escape reference, and that zero escape characters have a habit of delivering infodumps on seemingly random and esoteric topics, like the symbolism of four-leafed clovers or morphic resonance theory or the very sexy mummy that was aboard the titanic when it sank. of course, as you continue playing it becomes clear that this is all relevant information for understanding the game's themes and story. sonia's little infodump about the 3 laws of robotics midway through this chapter deserves to be examined more closely, i think, given this context.

to explain the 3 laws really quick in case anyone isn't familiar, they're 1) a robot cannot injure a human or through inaction allow a human to be harmed, 2) a robot must obey an order from a human unless it conflicts with the 1st law, 3) a robot must protect itself unless this conflicts with laws 1 or 2. there's also a less-often-cited "0th law" which takes precedence over the other three and states that a robot must not harm humanity nor allow humanity to come to harm through inaction. i don't recall sonia mentioning the 0th law specifically (i regret not taking screenshots of this part!) but i think that's worth considering here as well.

now uh... nidai's obviously not the first robot/AI character in danganronpa and there's never been a hint prior that robots and artificial intelligences in this universe are 3 laws compliant. i'm not saying that i think nidai is literally bound by these laws, because i don't think it matters whether or not he is — these are the principles you'd kind of expect nidai to be abiding by anyway. this is the guy who only got turned into a robot in the first place because he used himself as a human shield between monokuma and owari, and as soon as he returned to the group in robot form he fucking did it again. nidai has already made it clear he would rather put himself in harm's way than let someone else in the group die. i don't recall specifically if gundam overheard sonia talking about the 3 laws (i think he did, but i'm not certain), but either way nidai's kind of the only person he could have picked for his plan. not only did his robotic attributes like the built-in clock and the sleep mode button allow for gundam to trap him in a way he couldn't have done with another person, nidai's personal principles &/or the 3 laws ensured that he would have agreed to enter into a suicide pact here for the good of the group. his fate was sealed the moment he encountered gundam at the tower. to make this clear let's consider the alternate ways this might have played out:

if nidai prioritized his own survival here, he could have overpowered gundam easily. however, killing gundam would have resulted in a very difficult murder case to solve, and if nidai got away with it the rest of the group would die, which is obviously something nidai does not want (also not 3 laws compliant). if nidai killed gundam and then simply confessed, it would have had the same end result (both of them dying, the rest living) as agreeing to go along with the suicide pact. an actual physical fight between the two of them wouldn't have been a fair fight and i don't think nidai would see any honor in winning a fight like that.

alternately, if nidai simply left (or incapacitated gundam without killing him, though this would not have been compliant with the 1st law) and then warned the others, there wouldn't have been enough time for someone else to plan and commit a murder. remember everyone but nidai was on the verge of total collapse from starvation at this point, and nidai himself would have run out of power eventually. this was really their one chance at ensuring everyone else could survive. neither letting the others starve nor letting himself succumb to power failure would have been 3 laws compliant, and it wouldn't jive with nidai's principles either.

when nidai awoke to find himself suspended in midair, he could have simply had a panic reaction and struggled causing the wire to slip free of the door handle. he instead exerted so much force that he tore the handle free, leaving crucial evidence for the others that allowed the case to be solved. it would have been very difficult to prove how the trap worked if the wire loop had simply slipped off of the door handle. of course, either way nidai would have died, but there was an action he took here (and we know it was a purposeful action because of the sheer amount of force it would have taken to get those handles to budge) in order to try and ensure the case was solvable and the others could live. this is again 3 laws compliant. protecting himself (3rd law) was out of the question, but he could still protect the group (1st/0th law).

i should be clear that at no point is it directly, explicitly confirmed that this was a suicide pact. that's something that has to be inferred here based upon what played out. the 3 laws being invoked is part of what makes this clear. the other main factor that makes this obvious is that this is a parallel with 1-4, where sakura killed herself to save the rest of the group — this is the same chapter where komaeda points out that the killing game they're in is mirroring a previous killing game, and there's a statue of sakura in the funhouse, so it's obviously something we're meant to be thinking about.

#not that i really have to prove what happened in this case was a suicide pact. it's quite clear despite being technically left ambiguous #i just like how we got a zero escape reference to lay the groundwork. and nidai being a robot has further relevance i'll get into #next post. #kes plays sdr2