Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak High School: Despair Arc

Episode 10

As yet another new echo in the fifty billion echoes that have tied the Future and Despair arcs together so far (I seriously hope nobody makes the mistake of trying to watch these two series separately in the future), Despair Arc took a break from all the mystery and intrigue this week to indulge in pure emotional payoff. However, while the Future Arc's tenth episode concluded in catharsis, the Despair Arc finally descended into its deepest dungeon of despair. (Like literally, via elevator.)

But before I dive into the centerpiece of this episode, which several fans saw coming ever since we learned that Chiaki was a real member of 77-B's original class, I have to touch on the one reveal seemingly no one saw coming. After being discovered by head of security Sakakura, Junko had to find a way to shut him up and keep outside forces from interfering in the final stages of her plan. Using the Ultimate Boxer's unrequited feelings of love against him wasn't really a surprise, but it wasn't Chisa the big bully had been pining for all this time: it was Munakata!

The show isn't remotely coy about revealing Sakakura's gayness either, as it captures his longing in an almost literal recreation of this old Wolverine meme, and Junko adorns his pining face with Lisa Frank flourishes as he cringes in embarrassment. In retrospect, this isn't too unusual for Danganronpa. I definitely wouldn't call it a progressive series (ignorant yet empathetic might be the best way to sum up its takes on LGBT characters), but the franchise has only gotten more and more homoerotic over time since its inception. From the playful-but-mild subtext of its first game's second case to near-constant queer subtext played for both humor and drama throughout the two games to follow (and the heaping helpings of irreverence and camp packed into its aesthetic), it's no secret that queer anime fandom has always been strangely drawn to Danganronpa. Still, there's a big difference between putting cheeky double entendres into half the cast's mouths and directly stating that a character as stereotypically masculine as Sakakura is gay, framing it as a plea for sympathy for the guy instead of mockery by putting us firmly in his perspective as he faces the painful scorn around him. The show did such a good job of deflecting the truth by keeping scenes between the two sparse and emphasizing Sakakura's jealousy toward Chisa in their frequent scenes instead that even my gay eyes never saw it coming. Of course, this makes his final moments in Future Arc all the more painful; Sakakura wasn't about to confess some role in the evil conspiracy to Munakata, he was about to confess his love because he thought he might never get another chance. Now I really do hope he's one of the secret survivors of the Final Killing Game! Give poor Sakakura's love a chance!

It's a killer reveal to kick off the episode, but even that is quickly forgotten in the far more brutal betrayal to follow. Danganronpa 3 is still keeping its cards close to its chest over the true nature of Chisa's brainwashing for obvious reasons, but she's at least far gone enough to cooperate with Junko's plan for the few minutes we see her onscreen. Either way, we definitely get confirmation that her brainwashing came in a different flavor from the other Remnants of Despair when we see the final video that Class 77-B is doomed to experience. Chiaki herself must become the sacrificial lamb to brainwash her own friends, and her demise is so protracted and grueling that I found it genuinely hard to watch. Even though the Despair Arc has been more emotionally intense than the Future Arc from the beginning, this episode topped them all with its raw heartbreaking impact.

Don't get me wrong, handwaving the entire class's fall to despair with a brainwashing video is still a bad move. It would absolutely have been preferable to turn each student's foibles against them one-by-one to better illustrate the damning faults in Hope's Peak's system. But despite this, if we had to go down the "brainwash everyone at once" road, at least the show committed the necessary amount of time to the journey. Chiaki's refusal to give up hope as she's beaten and bloodied by progressively more deadly traps is both inspiring and depressing, as her class gets fired up to rescue her by seeing her in danger but finds themselves frozen in place by the video's subliminal signals. (They don't even need to have their eyes pried open, proving that this technology is a cut above whatever was used on Chisa.) Nagito observes that this contrast between vehemence and helplessness will ultimately melt down their brains by the video's completion. Their inability to save Chiaki will drive them insane, and all the energy they channel into resistance will fuel their murderous rage as Remnants of Despair. It's still a copout, but the episode marinates so completely in its atmosphere of grief and horror that it all comes out pretty convincing.

Chiaki finally succumbs to yet another Utena reference, (I wonder if it's Kodaka or someone else on staff who's such a big fan of Utena?) when she gets impaled on swords against a stark red "Game Over" screen, signaling the end for both her and all her classmates. Strangely enough, it seems like the Last Hope for these doomed remnants might lie with the lingering fragments of Hajime's soul, as he watches Chiaki die and forces Izuru's eyes to well up with tears. It's all very melodramatic, but in a way that works, as Danganronpa 3 devotes itself completely to honoring the emotion of the moment within this small group of characters, never distracting from its weight with any lingering plot threads in the world outside. (Even Sakakura's defeat is couched in audience attachment and sympathy rather than the plot-based consequences of him giving in to Junko.) It's most interesting to me that the final scenes for both these characters focus on them lying in a pool of their own blood, reaching out futilely to a loved one who gave up on hope. I hadn't made any mental connections between Munakata and Hajime until this point, but I'll definitely keep the comparison in mind for the approaching finale, where these two bullheaded pragmatists just might cross paths.

Rating: A

Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak High School: Despair Arc is currently streaming on Funimation.

Jake has been an anime fan since childhood, and likes to chat about cartoons, pop culture, and visual novel dev on Twitter.