Top 10 Best Danganronpa Characters

Danganronpa is packed with some of the most unique, memorable, and larger-than-life characters in gaming. Whether you're here to root for your favorite Ultimate or ready to spark a heated debate with fellow fans, this list is all about celebrating the characters that have stuck with us through the intense trials, shocking betrayals, and emotional highs and lows of the series.

From the manipulative masterminds who leave you questioning everyone's motives to the underdogs who inspire hope, there's no shortage of personalities to love, hate, or just be completely baffled by.
The Top Ten
1 Kokichi Ouma

Lots of people hate him, but I think he's a good guy. He may not be the best good in the Danganronpa series, but if his actions are put in context, it's hard to define what a good person truly is.

If a lonely person separates himself from others just to help them, one can sacrifice himself to end it all. Childish, intelligent, lonely, and wearing lies and masks. He hates to kill, despises life, and controls sadness and pain. He understands all but hides, continuing to deceive to give others hope. If that's a bad person, then I seem out of place from society.

2 Gundham Tanaka

I think he's a very relatable character. I'm pretty sure he's neurodivergent, having an interest in animals and magic and possessing a great imagination. He may or may not know he's annoying others, but that doesn't stop him from letting his hyperfixations make him happy, and that's all that matters. I'm very satisfied with his execution too.

He obviously takes very good care of his 4 Dark Devas of Destruction, and he even made a protection spell, meaning he truly believed he could perform magic. It's sad that his head was broken at the very last second, but I'm happy he was surrounded by those who loved him. He deserves happiness.

3 Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu (九頭龍 冬彦 Kuzuryū Fuyuhiko), is a student of Hope's Peak Academy's Class 77-B, and a participant of the Killing School Trip featured in Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair. His title is Ultimate Yakuza.

Fuyuhiko is one of the best-developed characters in Danganronpa. I like how he evolves from being a complete mystery to becoming a redeemed and helpful character. Despite the fact that he changed, I like how he still retained his baby gangster personality. I was happy that he survived the entire way through.

Haha, I actually hated him in the beginning, but the character development was great. I love it when characters change and grow in stories, and he's a prime example of that.

Super cool dude. I love his character development and relationship with Peko. I also like how he is one of the more chill dudes and is actually level-headed.

4 Nagito Komaeda Nagito Komaeda (狛枝 凪斗 Komaeda Nagito), is a student of Hope's Peak Academy's Class 77-B, and a participant of the Killing School Trip featured in Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair. His title is Ultimate Lucky Student.

So many people fall into the trap of only choosing the cool characters they'd hang out with in real life. It should really be about the characters who add the most to the games. Out of all the other characters, Nagito accomplishes this the best.

He provides so much more intrigue to the story of Danganronpa 2. He was mysterious, reliable, and smart throughout the entire game. The concept of being naturally lucky was especially interesting to me. The creative ways he used his luck to his advantage and the amount of confidence he placed in that luck was oddly satisfying. Amazing performance from the English voice actor as well.

I haven't played DR3, but Komaeda is so far the best character in the franchise, and I don't think it's close.

5 Kyoko Kirigiri

Kirigiri is my favorite character! I've only started watching the series, and I love her attitude and how she's so calm and serious. She is an elite and always considers different points of view when investigating. I also really want to cosplay her, and I hope she doesn't die early in the series!

If you say she's boring or a Mary Sue, you need to look into her character more. It's a common theme in this fandom for people to slander all the female characters for things that they like about the male characters.

6 Ibuki Mioda

"Now grab a partner, and slow dance to: 'I squeezed out the baby but have no idea who the father is.'" Man, Ibuki is such an amazing character! Her design is amazing, and her hair is the best. She is definitely a character that died too soon. I really loved her personality and her humor.

I might be biased due to some personal reasons, but Ibuki is definitely my all-time favorite character from pretty much any game. Her personality really just clicked for me, and the way she motivated the player during her free time events really cheered me up!

7 Chihiro Fujisaki

My fav from Danganronpa 1! He deserved so much better, but at least Mondo regretted his actions.

At least he did live through Alter Ego, and Chihiro is best boi!

In my opinion, he is the best character. Even after death, he did so much to help the others escape and find out the mysteries of the killing game. Also, it's really sad that he got murdered because, come on! He's such a great character and could have contributed so much more!

To be honest, I love this character. Chihiro is the best boy, number 1. I don't think he had to be bullied in such a harsh way in his past, leading him to decide to act as a girl for the rest of his life. And he really shouldn't have died. He should have lived and survived!

8 Junko Enoshima Junko Enoshima (江ノ島 盾子 Enoshima Junko), is a student in Hope's Peak Academy's Class 78th, and a participant of the Killing School Life featured in Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc. Her title is Ultimate Fashionista/True Ultimate Despair

Junko is such a badass and is actually the most relatable character! She's basically the girl with no friends who wants to make other people know how she feels. How does she do that? By torturing them and making their lives a living hell, of course!

Seriously though, being at the "friendship is everything" state that the other characters of Danganronpa are in is both sickening and mentally and physically impossible for anyone to do.

Her character and backstory are far more interesting than many of the other characters. Most people would assume that something tragic happened to make her turn evil and crave despair, but the full story is that she just got bored with the monotony of life and craved unpredictable despair. This made her a much more interesting villain than others who followed the "people hurt me and made me into this. I'm not the monster here" type of villain that is often shown.

9 Makoto Naegi Makoto Naei is the protagonist of the 2010/2014 game Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc. He is the Ultimate Lucky Student, a student randomly picked by Hope's Peak Academy to join the school. As a student of Class 78, he is forced to participate in the Killing School Life, a killing game orchestrated... read more

He's my favorite character. He has unwavering determination and optimism, traits that I like about him. He is also very kind to several people. I also think he's cute. In episode 11 of the anime, just look at his eyes when he realizes that Kyoko has saved him from the person who could have killed him! Those eyes!

He's a cool guy who cares for those around him. I hate how unnecessarily cruel everyone was to him. He deserves a lot for what he did.

Dang, at the time of me writing this, he's in the top 10! Totally wasn't expecting that at all. Makoto is my favorite character, and he 100% deserves this spot. Best boy.

10 Maki Harukawa

Maki is badass, and I'm not saying this just to say it. She literally tried to choke Kokichi (definitely not in a sexual way) in front of the others. She is intelligent, beautiful, and deadly all at the same time, which is a perfect combination. As you get to know her, she starts to open up, and you realize that she is very kind on the inside, despite being the "Ultimate Assassin." A very good and badass character.

Maki is my favorite character because she's brilliant in every single way!

Very underrated, in my opinion. She deserves a top five spot.

The Contenders
11 Byakuya Togami Byakuya Togami is a student in Hope's Peak Academy's Class 78th, and a participant of the Killing School Life featured in Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc. His title is Ultimate Affluent Progeny.

Awooga. Alright, probably not a very relatable character, but here's the thing: Byakuya was born into a battle between life and death. He either became the heir of the Togami family (life) or would be exiled into the real world (death). To him and his siblings, the thought of being exiled and having to live among common people was unbearable. It was humiliating. Raised to compete, this is why he appears cold, bored, and emotionless. He's even willing to participate in a killing game, because that's what he was born to do - compete and win. Winning is all he was ever taught, and he is determined not to lose.

He feels guilty for having to exile his siblings. He was never shown kindness or support, and now, he doesn't know how to show kindness or support. Poor Byakuya.

12 Shuichi Saihara

Best character and definitely the best protagonist to overcome the killing game. Much love to Hajime and Makoto for their roles in their respective games, as I love them both to my Danganronpa heart's content. Through my eyes, however, the events that Saihara had to get through were extremely overwhelming for his position.

Aside from having an elevation in character growth, he curved the dreadful ending of how Danganronpa typically ends and beat the person behind the madness. With that said, he not only terminated the mastermind but also broke a fourth wall and vanquished Danganronpa as a whole. This ultimate detective is without a doubt a contender for the Ultimate character of Danganronpa. Gotta love Shuichi for what he did to the game.

13 Celestia Ludenberg Celestia Ludenberg (セレスティア・ルーデンベルク Seresutia Rūdenberuku), also known as Celeste, is a student in Hope's Peak Academy's Class 78th, and a participant of the Killing School Life featured in Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc. Her title is the Ultimate Gambler.

She really made the end of DR1 amazing. I wish she lived. The way she killed Ishimaru and Yamada wasn't great, but she's still a fantastic character. I can see why people hate her, but I love her gothiness and her design. She's one of the best girls of Danganronpa, along with Ibuki, Mikan, and Angie.

Her first kill was smart, and she was the first contestant to kill two people! It made it pretty interesting with the name plot twist and how she was willing to get what she deserved, aka the punishment.

I love her story and her attitude throughout the game. She was really useful in the second class trial. She also had one of the best thought-out murder plots. I wish she had survived until the end.

14 Rantaro Amami

The thing about Rantaro is the mystery that shrouds him. I don't really know anything about this character, but he seems to know a lot. Yet, he died with his story untold.

Rantaro is shrouded in mystery, and we don't learn much about him until after he dies. But nonetheless, he was very interesting (not to mention attractive).

Underrated. He has so much potential and shouldn't have died first. His true character was masked by his mysteriousness.

15 Toko Fukawa

The best girl in the whole series. She completely glows up in Ultra Despair Girls. Her design and serial killer aspect are amazing. I'd say that she should have been the antagonist in Danganronpa 1, since there aren't any minor women antagonists except Junko. However, she and Monaca are more of the villains of the series.

Toko is a great character. I try to understand why Kokichi is the most loved character. He is just plain spoiled by the fandom. Toko, in my opinion, is way more important to the plot. For God's sake, she was in two games! Two games! Like, come on, Toko deserves way more love.

16 Chiaki Nanami Chiaki Nanami (七海 千秋 Nanami Chiaki), is a student of Hope's Peak Academy's Class 77-B, and a participant of the Killing School Trip featured in Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair. Her title is Ultimate Gamer.

Chiaki deserves higher. She's not obsessed with "Hope vs Despair" or anything like that. She's just a nice character, trying to keep everyone on the right path even if it means saving someone dangerous like Nagito.

She's the kindest character in the franchise, saves the whole SDR2 crew multiple times, and is a main character. She should be in the top 10 at least.

Best girl, she deserves to be in the top 10s at least. She is precious and so adorable! I love her character design, and her character traits fit her perfectly. She was also like best friends with Hajime, and in the anime, she almost confessed. Spoiler alert! Wish she didn't have to die.

17 Kaede Akamatsu

I always have love for Kaede Akamatsu. I would have loved if she had stuck around a little longer, but she still proved herself to be an embodiment of strength and hope. Kaede displayed the essence of someone who approaches a killing game headstrong and doesn't hold back until she resolves it. I admire her leadership skills so much.

I constantly think about what it would have been like if she and Shuichi had stuck with each other throughout the game. If they had, they would have been unstoppable together and perhaps called the best duo in Danganronpa. Personally, I already consider them to be, aside from another duo that is a pretty great force to be reckoned with. Kaede Akamatsu: an amazing female protagonist. Love her to bits and no better girl than the best girl.

18 Sakura Ogami

Honestly, out of all the characters, I wished Sakura lived. It would've been interesting to see the ending with her included. I wish everyone made it, but this is my top choice. I never expected to become so attached to her. Once I got a good idea of who she is, I immediately believed that she wouldn't murder anyone, and she didn't. In the end, it was her own life she took. She could've murdered someone, but she chose to sacrifice herself since it was her friends she couldn't kill. She did work for Monokuma, but you can just tell she deeply regrets it and even tried attacking Monokuma. Underrated character for sure. I loved all the characters, but Sakura is top of my list.

19 Sonia Nevermind

I really like Sonia! She isn't as useless as many princesses are usually portrayed. She made relevant comments and helped out a lot. She also isn't a fanservice character, which made me like her even more. She's a queen.

Brave and a true leader. Her personality is also hilarious and quirky, plus she was a lot more smart and close to the truth in the trials than anyone else.

She is such a quirky character, even though princesses are to be portrayed as perfection incarnate.

20 Kiyotaka Ishimaru

He has to be my favorite character out of the whole series. He is somewhat relatable and was just an amazing character. I hate how people only see him as strict and "rude" when he's a lot more than that. He's a hard worker and is very caring and kind. He is a very interesting character and there's just so much about him.

He really shouldn't have died because he was having character development and would have been better for the future arc than Hagakure. But really, he's the best boy and an amazing character. He deserves to be higher up.

21 Hajime Hinata

Personally, he's just one of my favorite protagonists out of all the games. Furthermore, I really liked the fact that he was the only character so far who didn't have a talent (if you set the Izuru thing aside, since his personality wasn't in most of the game), which switched things up a little. I also liked that throughout the game, he just wanted to become more confident in himself and was sent through multiple challenges which tested that.

By far, he is the best protagonist out of them all (at least in my opinion). He's more of a realist, which I can relate to if I were in his situation. He's also a really good character.

22 Miu Iruma

I love Miu. I just find her personality entertaining. But if she were real, I'd probably hate her. But she's not. So, she's the best girl in my opinion.

I love this girl so much. She deserves #1. She is beauty, she is grace, and she will throw a wrench through your face.

I love her. She's my top 2 best girl, but somehow, if I were asked if I would date her, I would say no.

23 Aoi Asahina

She is so sweet, and I love how you could trust her. If I ever had to go through those killing games, I would want to have someone like her with me.

She is one of the most complex characters in the Danganronpa universe.

She feels like a very real, relatable character!

24 Kaito Momota

I really love Kaito. I love how he loves space and is super enthusiastic. He is also very funny and amazing. I don't know why, but when I first saw his design and ultimate, I knew right away he was going to be one of my favorites and that I was going to love him. Of course, that's exactly what happened.

Kaito is amazing, and you can't change my mind. I hate how so many people hate him for killing Kokichi. I feel like no one listened to the 5th trial. Kokichi is super overrated, and he made Gonta kill Miu! Kokichi is also really annoying, but I like and hate him at the same time. Kaito was very supportive! Even though he's kind of dumb, that doesn't mean you have to hate him. He's also really hot and is a huge comfort character for me. He said so many sweet things, showing what a great character he is. I could list a million reasons why Kaito is the best.

25 Leon Kuwata

Best boy, mad underrated, and a lot more complex than people give him credit for. He's very conflicted about whether he even likes his ultimate talent, and he's involved in an interesting trial setup. This is the only murder in the series committed in self-defense, depending on how you see it. I personally would call it self-defense. I know some wouldn't call it self-defense, and I understand why, but I see it as self-defense.

He's very interesting. He doesn't like his ultimate and wants to be a musician. Yes, he said it was for this one salon girl, but he also seems to really just enjoy music and has a passion for it. I love how even though they were trapped in the school he still wanted to get out and chase his dreams and didn't really give up.

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