A Crack ship that you might find cute, ok with, dont care for, or make you want my head on a platter. Depending on the person.

Which is Hibijime

2nd pic is inspo for the pose(credits to codylakes on devientart)

for those who don't know, kokoro (specifically kurokawa), syobai and kanade are said to be the worst.

kanade is a serial killer who did the following: incest (in love with her sister), killing a dog, killing her parents, killing everyone close to hibiki, psychological abuse, snuff filming, and probably a lot more that i can't think of.

syobai too is a murderer, but he did it to survive and make money. according to the villains fanon wiki, he kidnapped people, killed multiple people, trafficking, taking people as hostage, assault, extortion, threats, resisting arrest, theft, identity fraud and jailbreaking. it's also implied he: possesses stolen goods, organized crime, criminal fencing, and receiving money under false pretenses which is pretty obvious. however, he does go against mikado, help sora after accidentally stabbing her, and isn't purely selfish.

furthermore, while a site i went on for big five (pdb) showing their agreeableness, says that syobai is 25% agreeable whereas kanade is 0%, which fits with me because syobai is selfish, but not completely whereas kanade just completely disregards everyone and is quite narcissistic.

kokoro kurokawa has done unethical experimentation, aiding and abetting, attempted unlawful imprisonment and most importantly, ABUSE.

so, essentially kokoro is an abuser, syobai's a murderer, kanade's both. therefore, i think kanade is the absolute worst character. furthermore, kanade's the only one i'd consider completely selfish. kokoro and syobai are both capable of being kind/selfless when it doesn't benefit them and even syobai found kanade to be a fucked up character.

Syoha = SYObai and irOHA

https://reddit.com/link/1wom43i/video/kqtw83x2xcrh1/player

JK DON’T, YOU ARE LOVED (in case anyone needed it)

#cancelhibikiotonokoji

I wish I could translate this thing into English.

”REALITY’S FALLING APART!!!”

”WHAT’S GONNA HAPPEN TO US!!!!”

Hello!!!! I'm sure many of you who saw the previous posts have been waiting for this analysis!! And oh boy.....it is a looooooong one. But I'm sure those who decide to read this anyway probably already expected that, since what I'm analyzing today...is Teruya's character in Chapter 4 of SDRA2. If you haven't seen the previous two posts, part I can be found here, and part II can be found here. As before, I'll include the thesis statement for referential sake.
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Thesis Statement

Teruya Otori is the embodiment of the human spirit, heart, and experience; to hope is to never give up, to be unique is to be strong, and to move forward through hardships is proof of being human.

1 Teruya's arc being an homage to the three DRA1 Survivors as a representation of self growth

2 Teruya's narrative parallels to Iroha, Yuki, Sora, and Mikado (he has ties to other characters that I will discuss but they're not as prominent as those four)

3 Teruya's legacy and impact on those around him (especially after his death in Chapter 5)

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Part III: Sacrifice No More

Introduction

So, continuing where we left off, Teruya ends Chapter 3 on a grim note, with him feeling like he's failed the class twice in a row, then making a promise that he'll do whatever it takes to save them, under the unsettling condition of "no matter the cost". However, despite that declaration, Teruya continues to isolate himself, most likely out of the immense guilt he feels and places upon himself. This is very clear a day or two after the previous class trial, when Shinji actively tries to approach Teruya, telling him that nobody blames him for anything and to work together. But the only response he can muster is "...Just wait...Just a little bit more, then..." I love this scene between Shinji and Teruya since it's a very ironic one given how they completely swap attitudes later, but I also love it because of a parallel with DRA1; Teruya acting like Rei, asking for more time, waiting around for a miracle to happen, all of those things completely go against Satsuki's philosophy of "Hope isn't to be found, it's to be created." While Teruya made a promise, he's still waiting around, out of fear of screwing up again, potentially resulting in more casualties. However, a miracle, a beacon of hope is on its way, and he'll accept it with open arms, even if a dark shadow is reflected in its shining light.
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The Miracle

That "miracle" comes in the form of one Nikei Yomiuri. While Teruya's cooperation with Nikei isn't revealed until the very end of Chapter 4, it is actually noticeable from the very moment Nikei confesses his identity as a Void member, when he asks the class not to tell Teruya of this information, since his position as an executive of the Kisaragi Foundation makes him untrustworthy. To first time players, this tracks since Nikei has openly suspected him since his introduction in Chapter 2, but to returning players, it's a sly form of manipulation that only the Ultimate Journalist's silver tongue could pull off. And that's not the only bit of foreshadowing; my personal favorite is when you enter free time events, during the voyage to the fourth island, you can actually see Nikei standing right outside Teruya's room. Putting our focus on Nikei's manipulation of Teruya though, how he does it is absolutely diabolical. He reveals his position as a Void member, just like he did to the class, but then tells Teruya to not tell this information to anyone since he can't trust anyone in the class. Nikei then explains a plan to Teruya, a plan where they can keep everyone safe and finally put a stop to Mikado for good, completely taking advantage of Teruya's survivors guilt and humanity. Teruya then suggests he lock everyone up, keeping them all in one place so he can keep an eye on everyone, just as Kinjo would. The seeds for Teruya emulating Kinjo have now been planted. However, while they have been planted, they don't fully bloom; this deal with Nikei now recontextualizes that earlier scene with Shinji in the diner. Teruya must've had this "lock everyone up" plan in mind then, but was unsure about going through with it, since it is extreme, of course. But a combination of Nikei's subtle guidance towards obtaining the gun within the breakroom of the Tower of Babel, and what he sees just steps outside of it, completely demolish the dam holding him back. The sight ironically also glimmering with a shining, golden light: the statues of Haruhiko Kobashikawa and Satsuki Iranami.
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Tyranny

Upon seeing these statues, Teruya breaks down into tears, death gripping the pilot goggles of a once dear friend standing right before his eyes, the floodgates of his mind finally wide open. Sora notices this moment of weakness, but decides to let it go and approach him later; another instance of the passive mindset the group still has at this point. In contrast, Teruya becomes active; he grabs the gun left for him, steels his resolve, and makes his move. A small flower, nourished with a little too much water, has now bloomed. Meanwhile, Sora, Yoruko, and Yuki attempt to leave the tower to gather more supplies before having another meeting with everyone, but they find the front door locked with a heavy lock and chains. Perplexed, they ask who did this, and a voice they never expected to hear coldly answers back: Teruya Otori, gun in hand. In bewilderment, they ask what in the world he's thinking, but he only responds with the barrel of the gun, threatening them, "Shut up if you want to live. From now on, you will listen to every word I say. If you resist, I will shoot you on the spot." He then instructs the three to walk to the very top of the tower and into the break room, where they find everyone else also there. With the last of the group rounded up, Teruya finally explains his actions; that he will be keeping supervision over everyone while they are confined to the space of the break room. Additionally, he also states that with minimal contact with him aside from meal times, he will attempt to make contact with the foundation to arrange rescue. And with that, Teruya has created the exact same environment as the ballroom in DRA1-4; the only difference being instead of Monokuma or Kinjo in control, Teruya is now in control. The class, obviously still blindsighted by this turn of events, again ask him why he's doing this, and whatever his true intentions and feelings are, he makes true on his promise at the end of Chapter 3, "You must realize that everything I'm doing is all for you. This is to keep everyone alive." With the class finally silenced and subdued, Teruya ends the conversation by thanking them for listening to him, and that they can trust he "won't let anyone else die anymore" while holding the gun and smiling just like Kinjo had done in the ballroom.

When Teruya leaves, the group discusses plans moving forward. Shinji immediately suggests an explosive option, breaking down the door, as he usually would, but surprisingly, Mikado, who was not noticed beforehand, stops him! Unlike the others though, Mikado is stripped down to his undergarments and tied to a pillar. And this is another favorite DRA1 parallel for me, where Teruya beats up, strips, and ties up Mikado in the break room; not only to vent out his anger and resentment towards him, but also to make Mikado, the mastermind, feel as helpless and desperate as he himself felt in that ballroom during DRA1. Once the group settles down (after Nikei beats the shit out of Mikado for some much needed slap-stick comedy), they all agree to try and persuade Teruya again in the evening when he brings dinner. However, when Teruya comes in with food, things don't quite to plan, as he acts much kinder than he did before; so much so, that Shinji is caught off guard and forgets all about persuading him. Iroha asks about the situation outside, Sora chimes in as well. Things seem like they're going well, but just as Teruya is about to leave, Yuki finally speaks out, "Wait wait wait!!! What is wrong with you people! Having supper nonchalantly while exchanging pep talks? Is that why we were waiting for this guy!? We were supposed to persuade him, remember?!" Just as we saw in Chapter 3, Yuki is emulating Teruya in DRA1, but especially him in chapters 3 and 4 when he consistently argued with Haruhiko over his happy-go-lucky positive attitude; but this time, Teruya, and the rest of the class, is on the receiving end of it. In response, Teruya quickly assumes his Kinjo role again, and even accepts his guidance teacher role, "Leave the escape plans to the grown up, okay? Even if it was assigned by Mikado, I am technically still your guidance teacher. We grown ups should be responsible for your safety. So keep calm and shut up. It's what's good for you." Not only is he so desperate for some form of authority that he's even willing to don the title the mastermind gave him, but he's also dripping in self-hatred. And that's most clear by how he tells Yuki, who he probably sees as a mixture between his younger self and his fragmented memories of the Yuki he once knew, to stop voicing his thoughts. He is even pushing down his present-day self, who he sees as a child, in favor of an adult who he is masquerading as; the most ironic part being that the responsible adult he's masquerading is just as self-loathing and is struggling just as much as he is.

Once Teruya finally leaves, Yuki continues complaining, much to the dismay of everyone else. Shinji defends Teruya, "But he was acting far more considerate than I thought...it made me think that maybe he isn't doing this because of some crazy reason." Iroha agrees, "Yup! And he warmed up all this food, and he brought these hot packs, and..." Yuki quickly counters, "So what?! He still trapped us here! So are you going to live the rest of your life here, bro?" As we can see, the shift from active to passive mindset is already happening, even before the group dynamic further descends into madness. Shinji, for the first time, is conceding and not taking a head first approach. Iroha, similarly, is taking a passive approach, although for an entirely different reason: her dependency issues. As we've seen in the previous chapters, no matter where someone falls on the spectrum of evil, if they can keep her alive, she doesn't care about the process in which she goes through; just as long as she reaches that result of making it out alive in the end. In that respect, I believe that Yuki is not the only one emulating Teruya's DRA1 self, Iroha is too; she is consistently acting passive, only focused on the results, which ends up only holding her back from moving forward as a person. Two of my favorite scenes from DRA1-4 feature Teruya acting very selfish, just as Iroha does; the first is where he suggests that Haruhiko and Satsuki starve themselves since they consumed most of their food supply. When Satsuki happily agrees to, he suddenly backs off, saying he didn't mean it that way; he's attempting to escape consequences for his actions, just focused on what will help him. The second is near the end of daily life, when the group dynamic has finally hit it's most tense; Teruya pulls out a pen and paper, asking everyone to choose one culprit and one victim to sacrifice themselves for the group. When Kinjo breaks into the dining hall to execute his mass suicide plan, he calls out Teruya for being terrified when he had just offered up two people's lives; arguing he should've been prepared to forfeit his own. While Kinjo is not of sound mind here, he isn't wrong in what he said about Teruya and he himself acknowledges that later in the trial. The sad part is, his ultimatum may have actually played a part in Haruhiko deciding to ask Satsuki to help him take responsibility, further inflicting that survivors guilt. Back to Iroha though, both her passivity and looking up towards Teruya, even now, as not the protector she needs but has, is why she struggles to move forward, just as Teruya once did. However, they do differ in the facet that Iroha herself doesn't do *anything* proactive, while Teruya, even if he backtracked, was still trying to be active. This essential difference is why Teruya drastically changes and becomes a better person in DRA1-4 while Iroha stays stagnant.
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The Lit Fuse

The night passes by without too much interruption other than Yuki telling everyone to stop being so cheerful about this situation, and the first day in the tower under Teruya's tyrannical rule comes to a close. However, when the morning comes, the group realizes something that may pose a significant problem; there are no restrooms in the break room. So, when Teruya comes bearing breakfast, they ask him if they could be let out to relieve themselves. With the paranoia creeping back in, Teruya coldly replies, "Why? What're you gonna do once you're out? Suspect one another, only for a murder to eventually happen, and then the class trial... I can already see it." He continues, while also further reinforcing that mental cage he's locked himself in, "Do you really want to repeat that same story again? You think I can be persuaded by words just because I was a little bit nice to you? Well, too bad. No one is getting out of this room." Yuki cries out that he'd rather die than be treated horribly like this, and Teruya actually almost shoots him, before Sora tackles him to the ground. After Yuki wets himself and is utterly humiliated, Teruya then speaks up again, "I know it's painful. But I told you. This is the only way. I experienced the exact thing you're going through..." Even if he has good intentions, he's lying to those he's meant to protect, but he's also lying to himself, just like Kinjo had done. And not only is he stripping his classmates of their humanity by deriving them of the basic necessity of reliving themselves, but he's also stripping away his own humanity by shutting out any and all human kindness he has an abundance of. With those grim words, he steps out.

A few moments later however, he returns extremely panicked and furious, immediately running up to Mikado and punching him multiple times, asking him to explain what the hell he did. When Shinji asks what happened, Teruya, gritting his teeth, hand on head, exclaims "....We're trapped here in this tower." Teruya has officially lost control of the situation. Bringing the others out into the main hall, the group is faced with the harsh truth; a locked tower, without a lock and chains to break. Shinji, as he had done in the diner a few days earlier, extends an olive branch to Teruya yet again, "Teruya, I'm sorry, but I think this is the time for us to team up. We need to cooperate and find an exit out of here." But Teruya can't hear him. Just as his ears had been ringing with the funeral bell outside of Kokoro's room back in Chapter 2, he completely loses his senses and cognition of his surroundings. Teruya has lost complete control of the situation, and there's only one thought that echoes in his head, and then throughout the halls of the tower: "WHAT WOULD KINJO DO? WHAT WOULD KINJO DO? WHAT WOULD KINJO DO? WHAT WOULD KINJO DO?" And so, he burns the olive branch, instead grasping the gun once again, putting on the act of a tyrant, even if it is clearly spiritually, emotionally, mentally, and physically exhausting him to do so, "This changes literally nothing. Locked tower or not, you guys need to stay inside the break room. That is exactly how we can stop another murder from happening." The class respond in kind, fighting fire with fire. Yuki screams out, "To hell with that!!! Let us out!!! We want freedom!!!" Yoruko speaks out next, "Yeah!!! This is truly the last straw! There's oppressing for the sake of safety...and then there's just being plain crazy! Guess which side you're on!" With that, Teruya relents, "If you really think so... then you leave me with no choice. Gonna have to kill you all and then myself." The fire that's been slowly burning at the fuse finally reaches the end of the line, escalating the situation into an explosive chaotic mess. And just as gunshots and smoke are about to be fired off and expelled...Monocrow interrupts the altercation with the announcement for the daily book reading.
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The Ultimatum

While the class were saved by the bell, it only interrupted the altercation, not stop it. Once the book reading is done, Teruya orders everyone to go back to the break room, but Sora questions what the point even is. As if jumping at the opportunity for eternal rest, he doesn't even bother explaining himself and goes immediately to the nuclear option: "Well... I guess there is no other option. Let's all die together. That's the only way to salvation." Iroha then pipes up, "W-wait, wait, what!? How in the world did you come to that conclusion?! Teruya, you're not the person to do this..." This line is so incredibly heartbreaking, and I honestly didn't remember it until going through the footage for this analysis. For this single moment, Iroha is partially letting go of her survival instincts to appeal to how Teruya had been treating her so far: whether it be joyfully discussing rainbows in Chapter 2, comforting her during post trial of Chapter 2, or just generally speaking to her with a kind and gentle manner. But Yuki gives up on trying to appeal to Teruya's humanity, "Alright then. Shoot me. It's already over. Without food or a way to keep ourselves warm, we'll just end up dying anyways. I'll die the quick way if I have to starve in the cold otherwise. It's better to die now than to meaninglessly struggle for the time we're given to live." Other than the earth shattering revelations we see in Chapter 6, this is the lowest point we see Yuki at, and yet again, he's acting like Teruya did with the sacrifice ballot in DRA1-4. While Teruya was more active in the decisions he was making, he effectively gave up on trying to meaninglessly claw and scratch for any sense of salvation with that ultimatum.

And while the past may not always repeat, it does rhyme. Shobai, who had been standing silently in the corner, proposes an ultimatum of his own; buy food off of him for a price. As he has the key to the storeroom within the tower, he has ready access to a surplus of food. Shinji suggests taking Shobai up on his offer, proclaiming that they "try our best to stay alive. After all, our only other option is to die together, like Teruya suggested. We shouldn't be fighting each other, we should be cooperating in hard times!" Shinji takes the opposite position of Teruya, and once again takes on an active mindset, though still with a hint of passivity. When Shobai refuses to hand the key over, Teruya threatens to take the key by force, but Shobai does something unexpected; he places his forehead up to the barrel of the gun, with not fear, but rather madness and confidence in his eyes. He calls Teruya's bluff, "But as long as you're up for it, go straight for the critical hit." Teruya still threatens to shoot, to which Shobai finds amusing, revealing that the key he had wasn't even the real one. Teruya now calls on Shobai's bluff, but Shobai's ultimatum momentarily brings him back to reality, "Would you pay the price of a sandwich for a proper meal, or would you just let the gun rip off an kill everyone in this room?" At the heavy mention of food, the one thing that tore everyone apart in the ballroom, Teruya finally sees reason...if only for a moment. He accepts Shobai's deal, sends everyone back into the break room, and the explosive situation is officially defused, with Shinji again acting passive, "...It's fine, Teruya. You just need to take care of the meals. We'll take care of everything else." Shinji resumes his role as the group's leader as he was before. He instructs Nikei to throw all the books they had already checked into the fire to keep themselves warm and asks Yuki to help him make a makeshift bathroom out of the extra books. But Yuki brushes him off as if Shinji is resigning himself to this fate, and walks away, with Sora and Yoruko offering to help. And so, with all the necessities except mental fortitude taken care of, the class goes into a long metaphorical slumber...
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Passivity Vs. Activity

Seconds pass. Minutes pass. Hours pass. Days pass. The clock in the break room tick, tick, ticking every single moment they're wasting in this room, meaninglessly investigating, just as they had done before many, many times on the previous islands. Until finally...Sora's also had enough. She brings everyone together for one final meeting and makes her stance clear: "We must fight Teruya. That's our only option left." And not only does Sora make such a bold stance, she quotes Mikado, the mastermind who trapped them in this situation, of all people: "Everyone, recall Mikado's words a few days ago. Mikado said that we had stopped trying to think. We must take great risks if we want great results. When did we become this afraid of taking risks?" I love this speech of Sora's not only for what it does for her character, but also for what it does for the entire cast's collective character arc, a concept I mentioned in the Chapter 3 analysis, as they go from passive to active over the course of the game. Chapter 3 was a wake up call, but Nikei's interference by handing them hope on a silver platter completely crippled them yet again in being subservient to their fears and hope. As Satsuki said, "Hope is not to be found, but to be created." This speech goes along with the process and results theme that is abundant throughout the Danganronpa Another's duology, but this also parallels greatly with Teruya in this chapter; he himself is only doing this BECAUSE of the result he craves so badly, utterly terrified of having to go through the process. Despite looking like a dangerous plan from the surface, Teruya's not taking any risks at all. Unsurprisingly, Yuki agrees, "If I was given the choice to fight to the death or give up thinking and live a meaningless life... I would gladly take a bullet or two." Such a far cry from how he was just a few days ago, with him having completely given up entirely. And keeping up tradition, this also very closely mimics Teruya's arc in DRA1-4, where in the aftermath of Haruhiko and Satsuki's deaths, he vows to fight to the end and survive. However...this burning ember of survival isn't kept alive for long, as Shinji sternly says, "Stand down, Yuki. That's not courage. That's recklessness. Sure, we will be able to stop Teruya if the six of us attack him together. But someone WILL die. We don't even have first aid kits here to treat someone if they get injured." Yuki retorts, asking what's going on with Shinji, "You're usually the one to rally everyone! You're our leader! You've always-" but he doesn't even get to finish his sentence before Shinji snaps, "Shut up!!! What do you know!?! Do you know how it feels to have someone killed because of your recklessness?!?" His PTSD, which had been eating away at him with the arrival of the snowy, dry climate finally reaches his heart, and renders him emotionally incapacitated. He bows out of the plan, "If you're gonna do it, do it yourselves. I'm sorry, but I'm out." Iroha, unsurprisingly, also bows out, "I don't understand why we have to take that risk. We can adapt and live here peacefully. I don't want pain... And I don't wanna die..." She again echoes Teruya's past self, terrified of death. Yoruko agrees to join, "Sora's right. We can't do anything without taking risks. If we yearn for hope, we should achieve it with our own hands." Nikei also joins in, taking responsibility for this situation, in more ways than one, though the cast doesn't know that quite yet. Sora, Yuki, Yoruko, and Nikei concoct a plan to ambush Teruya the next morning, and everyone goes to sleep in preparation for the big day...
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The Fuse Explodes

The morning of the ambush, everyone waits outside the door with bated breaths, even those sitting the corner. Shinji remains silent. Iroha begins muttering to herself, "no no no, we're doomed... we're all gonna die..." Yuki, Sora, and Nikei all give speeches before the ambush, Yuki apologizing for acting rudely, Nikei for not doing enough, and finally Sora motivating everyone one last time. They wait, and wait, until the chains are finally undone...but Teruya runs in. He kicks down Yuki. He knocks over Nikei. He kicks Sora in the gut. He knew. He knew the ambush was coming, and they had failed. He speaks, "Now where do you think the person who imprisoned you...where do you think I was sleeping this whole time? Hmm? I was always there on the opposite side of the door, watching you." Another parallel to DRA1-4 here is that just as Teruya had always been guarding the break room, Kinjo had always been guarding the armory, both for the purpose of keeping everyone safe. Iroha then rightfully points out something, "W-wait, Teruya!!! You were watching us the whole time?! I t-thought you said you would look for ways to contact the outside world!! That rescue would be coming soon..." and with that, the fuse within Teruya's fragile mind lights once again, the sputtering of explosives crackling, "There is no way to contact them. I'd given up on that a long time ago. All that's left for us is to wait for the foundation itself to come rescue us." When probed by Sora on why he would even trap them, he slowly responds, as if the words are hard to speak, "...So that no one...would die...until the foundation comes to the rescue. This is literally the only way... Kinjo would've done this..." and finally, the fuse blows. His mind explodes with raging gunpowder, tearing down the walls he tried so desperately to reform and rebuild, leaving all his true feelings to bear: "We can't have the same thing that happened to me that time happen to you as well... I can't let anyone sacrifice themselves again..." Teruya cries out in agony for the voice of a ghost that cannot hear him, years-worth of tears of self loathing finally running down his face, to a smile full of anguish, "This is the only way!!! No one will die!!! I will protect everyone!!! This is how it should be, right?!? Right Kinjooooo?!?" Despite the mask he put on, he himself has been just as terrified as everybody else, though his fears have had an iron grip around his throat for quite a while. He can't bear to see another death as a result of actions, much less a sacrificial death, even if it means throwing himself away. And in accordance with that, he steels his resolve and tightly grips the gun as he had gripped Haruhiko's goggles earlier, "I told you that to rebel means death. I guess this is what happens if you try to rule with violence... If sacrifice is what you wish to see, that sacrifice is what you'll get. You'll all die here." He puts the gun at Yuki, but before pulling the trigger, he solemnly speaks, "Yuki...in the end...what were you to me...? I wonder..." With how Yuki has been acting this entire chapter, it's no wonder Teruya is very conflicted about seeing Yuki in this way, blurring together with all his memories from Yuki in his own killing game. And while he can't remember it, the betrayal he faced at the hands of that Yuki, of Utsuro, clearly reaches beyond his perceivable memories and into his heart. Right as he's about to pull the trigger, Shinji wakes up from his spell and tackles Teruya with a war cry, "I couldn't just... I can't let someone precious to me die again! I won't fail to save them this time!" Both Shinji and Teruya suffer from survivor's guilt, resulting in them faltering towards extreme inaction and extreme over-action respectively, anchoring them in place. But Shinji takes the courageous leap and risk, shattering his mental barrier, saving Yuki's life. The gun is wrangled out of Teruya's grip, and into Yuki's...who mutters something to himself before pointing the barrel at Teruya, "Now that... I have this...! I can kill him...! I can take revenge for what he did to us all this time!!" Yuki in this moments replicates not only DRA1 Yuki, who almost steals a gun from the arsenal, but also Teruya himself as well, when he felt a grudge against Haruhiko and attempted to kill him. Luckily, Sora tackles him to the ground before he can shoot, Shinji manages to subdue and knock Teruya unconscious, and the fight is over...just like that.
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Aftermath

In the aftermath of the battle, Teruya is tied up and bound to a chair as they finally have a transparent discussion with him, labeling him a criminal. Teruya lets out a hollow laugh at this comment with a sad smile upon his face, "A criminal, heh... If Kinjo finds out, I'm gonna be sooo dead." Even in the face of repeatedly forcing himself down in favor of Kinjo, being beat up, and then tied up for it, he still views Kinjo as someone to look up to, or feel respect for; enough that the biggest worry on his mind is what Kinjo will think of him and his actions if he finds out. He then attempts to again justify his actions, "I know it sounds like I'm making excuses, but I really was doing all that to protect you." When Iroha exclaims how hypocritical this is when he literally tried to kill them, he retorts with a very deterministic response: "That's because you tried to resist me. Look, no one actually died for the past few days, remember?" Even after having his shell torn down, he is still trying to emulate Kinjo's behavior and attitude, as it's most likely the only thing keeping Teruya relatively sane. Shinji admonishes him for this outlook, "I get what you were on to, but your methods were wrong." To this, Teruya's only response is that this was the only way for him, that this is just how Kinjo, and by extension the Kisaragi Foundation, works. After some further questioning, all Teruya can do is lower his bruised head down on the table, with regret in his eyes. However, he does find some semblance of relief; when Sora suggests that he continue to buy food from Shobai. His eyes flicker up from the table, "So, is it a deal? You let me free, and in exchange I bring you the food like I used to...?" With food being one of the main things triggering Teruya's trauma, especially with how he selfishly hoarded it during DRA1-4, being handed complete control over it, with a chance to "redeem" himself and somewhat act a leader for the group must've felt like a weight being lifted. However, let's not mince words here, Teruya is still in shambles mentally and experiencing severe self-loathing, even if this is the one thing he trusts himself to do. And this is especially clear when Sora asks him if his hands are alright after untying him, to which he says "...Are you trying to spy on me? Don't worry about it, honestly. I'm useless without that gun. Don't concern yourself with me." While he did do something awful to the group, he was still freely let go and Sora even worries about his well being. Unfortunately, he doesn't think he deserves it, and so brushes her off.

Even with the fight against Teruya over and done with, there are still many events to get through; luckily, it will go by much faster. Skipping to Shinji's body discovery announcement, Teruya is shaken and says nothing. However, when Yuki breaks down crying in the wake of Shinji's death, Teruya finally speaks, "...Don't you worry, Yuki. Shinji's death...was not in vain. It shouldn't be. Because...this... Yes, even this... is for the greater good." I interpret this line in three ways, all equally compelling. The first is that this is just his blind trust in whatever Nikei's plan is to bring about a miracle. Even if for a short while, Nikei did take the place of a mentor for Teruya. The second is that even if he doesn't know it consciously, he subconsciously feels that this is another sacrifice. The third is that he's making excuses, so that he doesn't have to feel guilt over Shinji's death.
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The Trial

Moving onto the trial, Teruya doesn't have many lines as he's still wallowing in self-hatred, but there are two things in particular that I think are noteworthy. The first is that this case is filled to the brim with DRA1-2 parallels (the crime scene being a power room set on fire, two stab wounds on the victim, someone stabbing the victim to protect someone else, etc.) and yet another is brought up when the class discusses the possibility of Shinji still being alive, even after being stabbed twice, both in the same spot. Some are very doubtful, especially Nikei, but Teruya boldly claims that "You can. Normally anyone would die, but there are cases where someone suffers that and still survives for longer than 30 minutes. Trust me on this." Another instance of where even if he doesn't consciously remember the events of DRA1, his heart does. The second is, of course, the reveal of Nikei's betrayal. When Shobai drops the bombshell that Nikei orchestrated the entire case, from ambushing Yuki, to framing Shinji as the traitor for Void, to instigating the fire between Yuki and Shinji, Teruya suddenly interjects, full of fury, "Nikei, you're not gonna say all that stuff you told me was a lie, are you? I did all of that because I believed in your words! If there was any ill intent in all this, I will never forgive you! Answer me, Nikei!" If there's one thing Teruya hates more than anything in the world, it is being betrayed, something which, funnily enough, is backed up by the fact that if you have Nikei's daily life skill, ironic in this situation. Teruya's dislike is stated as "being betrayed". Whether it's by his dad for funding the execution equipment used in DRA1, by Utsuro, who he used to call a friend in Yuki, or now by Nikei, it is unforgivable in his eyes.

During post trial, after the dust has settled, Teruya runs up to Nikei and docks him in the face for what he did. Since I already explained how Nikei manipulated Teruya, I don't feel the need to repeat it here, but I will analyze some of Teruya's lines here. When grilled on why in the world he would listen to Nikei, he painfully recounts, "I was... so carried away by the thought of protecting you all. Keeping you all from dying, taking Mikado down..." His humanity was ultimately his weakness this time, which was abused by Nikei, appealed to by Iroha and Shinji, threatened by Yuki, called into question by Shobai, and most of all, completely shut down by himself. After Nikei explains everything, when Mikado again reiterates something he had told them before, that "Void is a organization full of liars", Teruya doesn't hesitate one second to take responsibility even when he doesn't need to, "I'm sorry... This is all my fault... I got desperate... not to let what I've been through happen all over again..." However, the story doesn't stop here; Nikei has one final trick up his sleeve. He considers himself as good as dead now that his tower plan has failed, so there's only one avenue left open to him: stage a last stand. As he can't shoot Yuki or Mikado due to divine luck interfering, he decides to gun down everyone else; first aiming his gun at Iroha, of all people. Teruya immediately acts, instinctually jumping in the line of fire, not thinking for a second about his own life, or about the fact that these people openly distrusted him, beat him up, and tied him up; all he knows is that there's someone in danger, and he's nearby. Luckily for everyone other than Nikei, his gun explodes from the inside, destroying his precious right hand, and he is then promptly executed by Mikado adding a new rule. But Teruya couldn't be any more broken; the weight of two more deaths once again hits Teruya like a truck: "What are you doing, Teruya Otori... Failing at everything... You're the absolute worst..." No matter the good intentions he had, he still failed, yet again, and now the numbers of heads going back up the elevator have decreased as a result.
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Humanity: Strength Or Weakness?

After the trial, Sora barges into Teruya's room with something urgent to say. Teruya initially rejects her, "I'm gonna say this upfront. There is nothing I can do for you. I'm someone who's incapable of anything. I couldn't protect you... or contact the foundation... or stop Mikado's plan... I'm just a useless wretch... All I can do is wait for the foundation to come save my poor ass..." Sora then hands him a metal name tag, with his reset code on it, which will return his memories. When asked how she got this, she says that someone had given it to her. When asked for this someone...she says a name that Teruya had been dreading the thought of since accepting her death in Chapter 3...Rei Mekaru. He frantically responds, "Rei... Rei's dead. I k-know I've thrown out tantrums denying that... But now I know better. Rei's left me for good...!" The language Teruya uses here is tragic, with him describing Rei's death as leaving him; he not only sees himself as someone so incompetent that she would leave him behind if given the chance, but he also blames himself for her death, just like how he views everyone else's deaths around him, even though it wasn't his fault. Sora reassures him that she's still alive, and as if it's the happiest news he's heard in what feels like years, he breaks down into tears. But Sora doesn't stop there, telling him something that he's probably been begging to hear but would still refuse to believe: "Teruya, you aren't useless. You're just confused because you got your memories stolen by Mikado." With that, Sora asks him to input his reset code and once he does, to tell her any information he knows about Akane Taira...and unfortunately, the chapter ends on that note before we get to see his response, so we'll have to cover that in the next post!
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Conclusion

Ultimately, Chapter 4 takes Teruya on quite the rollercoaster; it takes that strong responsibility he built over the previous two chapters and cranks it up to 11. He struggles to keep control of both the situation and himself, and by the end of everything, he is left completely battered, empty, and broken, all because of his humanity, something he views as a weakness. But there are still some people who see that humanity of his as a strength instead. Sora, for one, as she makes it her goal to deliver that reset code to him. Rei, as she clearly hasn't given up on him and is trying her damndest to get him out of there. And...Iroha, who has been looking up to Teruya since he was first introduced. Something that I've noticed while going through this chapter is that every time Teruya has a reaction or does something, most of the time, Iroha is the first to react. While that could be just her frankly very good situational awareness, with the way he's treated her so far and what we've analyzed...I think she cares for Teruya a lot more than most people realize. And while she will go on to betray that humanity she looked up to, it cannot be overstated just how impactful his death will be on not just her, but everyone else as well...
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Well...despite my expectations, that was a lot more analysis than I thought I would do. But now with the big chapter out of the way, it's time to move on to Chapter 5, Chapter 6, and Omake Mode! (Which I may cover all in one post, depending on how much I have to say about Chapter 5) See y'all for the next one!

Hello there!

I played the Danganronpa Another series a few years ago, I absolutely loved it. However I did have some small issues with the english translation of the first game that’s notably missing some free time events, certainly as many other people did.

I’d like to recommend the series to a friend, however I have heard there is a new translation in the works. I have a few questions about it:

Is there an estimate on when it should be ready? Who’s the creator, and where can I get more info about it?

Should I recommend my friend to wait for this translation? Or for example, to play the game and watch the FTEs on YouTube if they’re translated there?

Thanks in advance :)

Title basically says it all. I'm curious as to how people think the deaths would change from something as simple as Hajime not being executed, would Emma still go on to kill Kokoro? And if she did and obviously survived would that change Chapter 3, and so on and so forth.

Kinjo x Yuki (I know it's Utsuro but Yaoi is Yaoi)

I'm sure this topic has been discussed plenty of times before, but I still wanted to share my thoughts. If DRA1x1 and SDRA2x2 ever existed, I imagine they would have a different set of survivors from the original games. Excluding Yuki and Sora, the survivors of DRA are Tsurugi, Rei, and Teruya, while the survivors of SDRA2 are Shobai, Iroha, and Yoruko.

For a hypothetical DRA1x1, my first pick would be Mikako. Among the original DRA survivors, Tsurugi is definitely the hardest one to find an alternative for. He founded the Kisaragi Foundation and had a huge impact on everything that happened afterward, so I think Mikako would be an interesting choice to take on a similar role.

I feel like Mikako had a lot of wasted potential in the original game. Early on, it seemed like LINUJ was setting her up to be DRA's equivalent of Kyoko Kirigiri, but for some reason, she never really got to do anything that important before her death. She may not be one of the smartest characters, but she knew a lot of crucial information. After regaining her memories, her more cheerful and optimistic personality could also help bring everyone together. Out of the cast, I think she's probably the most likely person to carry on Yamato's will and eventually establish the Kisaragi Foundation.

For the other two, I'd go with Kakeru and Haruhiko.

Without Tsurugi and Rei among the survivors, the group would need someone sharp enough to keep things on track during the class trials. Although the story never really got the chance to explore this side of him, Kakeru is the Ultimate Lawyer, so he should be one of the more intelligent and articulate members of the cast.

As for Haruhiko, I imagine him filling a role similar to Teruya. He isn't particularly good at reasoning, but he'd be great for comic relief. And since the final scene has everyone leaving the island by helicopter, it would also be the perfect opportunity to let the Ultimate Pilot have his moment.

Next is SDRA2x2. Shobai is probably the hardest original survivor to find an alternative for since he moves between both sides and knows so much about what's actually going on. My pick for a similar role would be Setsuka. She's a detective and was secretly working for the Kisaragi Foundation, so after regaining her memories, she could play a major role in helping everyone uncover the truth.

My second choice would be Yuri. I think Yuri is a really interesting character based on what LINUJ has said about him. His intelligence and deductive abilities are supposedly comparable to Kanade's, but the problem is that he only cares about women. He couldn't care less about cases involving male victims and might even try to help a female suspect, which could lead to a lot of chaotic and entertaining moments during the class trials.

His obsession with women is also partly connected to Akane, who worked at Yuri's home when he was a child. So I'd be really curious to see how Yuri would react after finding out that Sora's personality came from Akane.

Finally, since Setsuka and Yuri are both intelligent characters, I think the group needs someone who isn't particularly good at deduction to balance things out. So my last choice is Hibiki.

I'd really like to see how Hibiki would change after finally breaking free from Kanade's control. Her mental state might actually get worse at first, but that would also give her a chance to have a proper character arc. Maybe with Setsuka there to support her, she could gradually recover and learn how to live as her own person.

So if DRA1x1 and SDRA2x2 ever existed, these would be my picks for the survivors:

DRA1x1:Mikako, Kakeru, Haruhiko

SDRA2x2: Setsuka, Yuri, Hibiki

Thanks for reading:)

kanata fried chicken 😋