History Literature / DanganronpaZero

A two-volume {{Light Novel}} for the ''Franchise/{{Danganronpa}}'' franchise [[{{Prequel}} set before]] the events of ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaTriggerHappyHavoc'' and ''VisualNovel/Danganronpa2GoodbyeDespair''. Released in 2011, ''Danganronpa Zero'' was written by franchise creator Kazutaka Kodaka and illustrated by franchise illustrator Rui Komatsuzaki.

Ryōko Otonashi is a student attending Hope's Peak Academy -- an elite private school in Japan that only accepts "Super High-School Level" students: the best of the best ''of the best'', regardless of niche. Unfortunately, she suffers from [[AmnesiacHero anterograde amnesia]] and forgets things mere minutes after they occur. To function in day-to-day life, she carries around a [[NoteToSelf memory notebook]] filled with information written by herself about events and people in her past.

Thanks to her disorder, Ryōko has only managed to retain one memory: that of her doctor and (implied) childhood friend, the "Super High-School Level Neurologist" Yasuke Matsuda, who is studying her amnesia in the hope of helping her recover.

* BackupTwin: As it turns out, Mukuro isn't the only one running around. The Super High-School Level Bodyguard doubles as the Super High-School Level ''Octuplets''.

* BrandNamesAreBetter: To fund their talent research and pay for the scholarships of "Super High-School Level" students, Hope's Peak opens up an expensive second campus specifically for non-Super High-School Level students who wish to exploit the academy's reputation. This idea is particularly common in Japan, where the name of the university you graduate from is said to carry more weight than the qualification gained.

* CallForward: Yasuke references the various uses of controlling, compiling, or [[LaserGuidedAmnesia completely erasing people's memories]], which is a major plot point in ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaTriggerHappyHavoc'' and ''VisualNovel/Danganronpa2GoodbyeDespair''. There's hints he may already be capable of doing this when the Hope's Peak staff try to blackmail him into tampering with the memory of any student who knows about [[NoodleIncident the Tragedy of Hope's Peak Academy]]... and ''then'' it transpires that he erased Junko's memories.

** Teruteru Hanamura. The Super High-School Level Cook who worked at the academy's café, it's said he made food so good that someone would swear it was [[BrickJoke drugged]].

* CreateYourOwnVillain: The conditions at Hope's Peak help foster the creation of Super High-School Level Despair, giving them plenty of disaffected students to work with.

* FantasticCasteSystem: The student body of Hope's Peak Academy is divided into two levels. You have the Super High-School Level Talents, who were handpicked so their special skills can be studied and amplified by getting the best schooling possible... and the Reserve Course, made up of {{Ordinary High School Student}}s who are paying for the privilege of attending. ''Their'' campus functions as a completely ordinary school, without any access to the perks Super High-School Level Talents enjoy. The students are largely segregated from each other, with little interaction between levels.
* ForegoneConclusion: As a prequel to ''Trigger Happy Havoc'' and ''Goodbye Despair'', those familiar will know which of the cameo characters are DoomedByCanon and who has PlotArmor.

* GoneHorriblyRight[=/=][[GoneHorriblyWrong Wrong]]: The Super High-School Level Hope Project. Right in the sense that Izuru is quite an ace… but wrong in how he fell into despair.

* MemoryGambit: Played with. Yasuke Matsuda erased Junko's memories when Hope's Peak Academy asked him to interrogate her via mind scan about orchestrating the deaths of the academy's student council. However, Yasuke keeps Junko amnesiac to protect her and keep her from spreading more despair. Even so, it turns out Junko ''knew'' he would do this since she has [[AwesomenessByAnalysis Super High-School Level Analytical Prowess]] and let it happen so she could experience the despair of murdering her boyfriend.

* KillEmAll: Pretty much everyone who didn't appear in the first two games is doomed to die.

Ryōko Otonashi is a student attending Hope's Peak Academy—an elite private school in Japan that only accepts "Super High-School Level" students: the best of the best ''of the best'', regardless of niche. Unfortunately, she suffers from [[AmnesiacHero anterograde amnesia]] and forgets things mere minutes after they occur. To function in day-to-day life, she carries around a [[NoteToSelf memory notebook]] filled with information written by herself about events and people in her past.

* BreakHerHeartToSaveHer: Near the end of the novel, Headmaster Jin Kirigiri does this by threatening Kyoko—informing her that if she continues investigating the Tragedy of Hope's Peak Academy, breaks any rules, or steps the least bit out of line, she'll be expelled.

** In a strange example, the novel makes it out like Yasuke doesn't know who Izuru is. Later supplementary material implies that Yasuke was employed by the academy as ''Izuru's creator''.

!!This LightNovel contains examples of:

* ShoutOut:
** It's brought up early on that Ryoko and Yasuke saw ''Film/HomeAlone'' together. [[ChekhovsGun This actually helps Ryoko at one point]].
** After Kyoko leaves at one point, Junko namedrops both ''Manga/TheKindaichiCaseFiles'' and ''Manga/CaseClosed''.

* {{Foreshadowing}}:
** For starters, take a look at the cover shown on this page. Now notice which side of Monokuma's face Yasuke is on...
** Pay close attention during the first scene between Ryoko and Yasuke. The latter visibly hesitates before stating that the Parade might be orchestrated by a single person. Yasuke doesn't give his reasons as to why he believes that... mostly because he has perfectly good knowledge of what is going on.
** When the Steering Committee confronts Yasuke, it's vague at first as to what they're talking about. With the ending in mind, it becomes clear they're talking about his ability to erase people's memories.
** When Ryoko sees Junko for the first time, she gives a fairly cohesive description of her, but as for her face, she only describes her BlackEyesOfEvil. This is a major clue to TheReveal that "Junko Enoshima" is Mukuro in disguise.
** As Junko gives a [[BreakThemByTalking breaking speech]] to Ryoko detailing her desire ToCreateAPlaygroundForEvil, she mostly refers to herself in the third person. It's another hint that Mukuro's impersonating Junko.
** When Ryoko's talking about ThePowerOfLove in regards to Yasuke, Isshiki responds that love can cause people to do crazy and evil things. Now what is Yasuke driven by?
** After Ryoko knocks Isshiki out, he suddenly reappears unharmed. It turns out there's more than one Madarai running around.
** At one point, Ryoko is tied to Yasuke's bed while he is under it—something that's played for comedy. Kyoko's investigation of Yasuke's lab reveals that his bed conceals a passage into the storeroom used to help hide the corpses of the Steering Committee's members.
** On a more overall note, notice that '''nobody''' calls Ryoko by her name. People either avoid using her name (Yasuke) or refer to her by a nickname (Yuto). This eventually leads into the revelation that "Ryoko Otonashi" is the ''real'' Junko Enoshima.

! This page contains unmarked spoilers. Administrivia/YouHaveBeenWarned!

** After Kyoko leaves at one point, Junko namedrops both ''Manga/TheKindaichiCaseFiles'' and ''Manga/DetectiveConan''.

** When Ryoko sees Junko for the first time, she gives a fairly cohesive description of her, but as for her face, she only describes her BlackEyesOfEvil. This is a major clue to TheReveal that "Junko Enoshima" is actually Mukuro in disguise.

** On a more overall note, notice that '''nobody''' calls Ryoko by her name. People either avoid using her name (Yasuke) or refer to her by a nickname (Yuto). This eventually leads into the revelation that "Ryoko Otonashi" is a false identity whose creation was orchestrated by the ''real'' Junko Enoshima.

* BreakHerHeartToSaveHer: Near the end of the novel, Headmaster Jin Kirigiri engages in this by threatening Kyoko—informing her that if she continues investigating the incident, breaks any rules, or steps the least bit out of line, she'll be expelled from Hope's Peak.
* CallForward: Yasuke references the various uses of controlling, compiling or [[LaserGuidedAmnesia completely erasing people's memories]], which is a major plot point in ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaTriggerHappyHavoc'' and ''VisualNovel/Danganronpa2GoodbyeDespair''. There's hints he may already be capable of doing this, when the Hope's Peak staff try to blackmail him into tampering with the memory of any student who knows about [[NoodleIncident the Tragedy of Hope's Peak Academy]].

** Teruteru Hanamura. The Super High-School Level Cook who worked at the academy's café, it's said that he made food so good that someone would swear it was [[BrickJoke drugged]].
** Makoto Naegi, Kyoko Kirigiri, and Mukuro Ikusaba are present as well. However, not only are they important to the novel's plot for a while, but their names are also given, so they might not count.

* KillEmAll: Pretty much everyone who didn't appear in ''Trigger Happy Havoc'' or ''Goodbye Despair'' perishes.

* ShellShockedVeteran: Sōshun Murasame, the only student council member to survive the Tragedy of Hope's Peak Academy, to the point where he's practically insane.

** After Kyoko leaves at one point, Junko directly namedrops both ''Manga/TheKindaichiCaseFiles'' and ''Manga/DetectiveConan''.

** In a strange example, the book makes it out like Yasuke doesn't know who Izuru is. Later supplementary material implies that Yasuke was employed by the academy as ''Izuru's creator''.

* BigBad: Once again, Junko Enoshima is the mastermind behind everything that goes wrong. In actuality, this applies to Ryoko, who is the amnesiac version of Junko.

* FanDisservice: When Ryoko goes to a MaidCafe... only to find out it's a ''Monokuma'' maid café. Yeah...

* ForegoneConclusion: As a {{prequel}} to the first two games, those familiar will know which of the cameo characters are DoomedByCanon and who has PlotArmor.

** The scene where the Steering Committee confronts Yasuke. It's vague at first as to what they're talking about, but with the ending in mind, it becomes clear they're talking about Yasuke's ability to block out people's memories.
** When Ryoko meets Junko for the first time, she gives a fairly cohesive description of Junko's appearance, but as for her face, she only describes her eyes. This is a big clue to TheReveal that "Junko Enoshima" is actually Mukuro in disguise.

** At one point, Ryoko is tied to Yasuke's bed while Yasuke is under it—something that's played for comedy. Kyoko's investigation of Yasuke's lab reveals that his bed conceals a passage into the storeroom used to help hide the corpses of members of the Steering Committee.

* TheHeroDies: Granted, [[VillainProtagonist neither are precisely heroes]], but Yasuke is dead by the end of the novel, as is Ryoko in a way.

* KillEmAll: Pretty much everyone who didn't appear in ''Trigger Happy Havoc'' is dead by the novel's end.
* MindScrewdriver: A lot of {{Backstory}} to the games is revealed here. Readers finally learn how the students' memories were erased, as well as some of what led up to the Biggest, Most Awful, Most Tragic Event in Human History.

* TomatoSurprise: The fact that Ryoko is a false identity of Junko Enoshima and Junko's status as Yasuke's girlfriend are no secret to Yasuke himself, with about half of the novel taking place from his perspective.

** Deliberately played with Ryoko, mostly due to her memory problems. It's actually much stronger than that, with the chapters from Yasuke and "Junko's" perspectives reeking of the narrator outright lying to the reader.

* TheWatson: Ryoko functions as this. Not only does Yasuke explain to her things she should have known already, but she catches a lot of exposition from other characters.

Ryōko Otonashi is a student attending Hope's Peak Academy—an elite private school in Japan that only accepts "Super High-School Level" students: the best of the best ''of the best'', regardless of niche. Unfortunately, she suffers from [[AmnesiacHero anterograde amnesia]] and forgets things mere minutes after they occur. To function in day-to-day life, she carries around [[NoteToSelf memory notebooks]] filled with information written by herself about events and people in her past.

* NoteToSelf: The purpose of Ryoko's memory notebooks.

** In a strange example, the book makes it out like Yasuke doesn't know who Izuru is. Later supplementary material would go onto imply that Yasuke was employed by the academy as Izuru's creator.

* VillainProtagonist: Both Ryoko and Yasuke are technically this, with Ryoko as the amnesiac [[BigBad Junko]] and Yasuke as her (partially unwitting) conspirator and boyfriend.

** Chihiro Fujisaki. Yuto mentioned having help from an underclassman who was also a programmer.
** Teruteru Hanamura. The Super High-School Level Cook who worked at the academy's caf&eacute, he made food so good you'd swear it was [[BrickJoke drugged]].

A two-volume {{Light Novel}} for the ''Franchise/{{Danganronpa}}'' franchise [[{{Prequel}} set before]] the events of ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaTriggerHappyHavoc''. Released in 2011, ''Danganronpa Zero'' was written by franchise creator Kazutaka Kodaka and illustrated by franchise illustrator Rui Komatsuzaki.

Ryōko Otonashi is a student attending Hope's Peak Academy—an elite private school in Japan that only accepts "Super High-School Level" students: the best of the best ''of the best'', regardless of niche. Unfortunately, she suffers from [[AmnesiacHero anterograde amnesia]] and forgets things mere minutes after they occur. To function in day-to-day life, she carries around "[[NoteToSelf memory notebooks]]" filled with information written by herself about the events and people in her past.

Unfortunately, a sinister plot is taking shape in the shadows of Hope's Peak Academy. Junko Enoshima is laying the groundwork for her plan to plunge the world into despair, which is intrinsically linked to "The Tragedy of Hope's Peak Academy." As a select few students attempt to uncover the truth, they face not only the culprits behind that event, but also a cover-up orchestrated by the highest officials of Hope's Peak Academy—the Steering Committee. In the middle of all this is Ryōko, who is dragged into the conspirators' plans by forces beyond her understanding or control.

A [[http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3522115 translation]] is being provided in the LetsPlay at the Website/SomethingAwful forums, in tandem with the ''Danganronpa 2'' translation effort. A mirror of the thread can be found [[http://danganronpa2mirror.tumblr.com/masterlist here.]]

Another, complete full translation of both volumes can be viewed [[https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6rsd95Drd1meUtLbjlXZi1KVms/view Here.]]

In 2018, a fan game of the novel began production. The demo can be viewed [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZooBZnQzu7Q here.]]

* TheCameo: A few characters from the games appear here, namely:
** Chihiro: Yuto mentioned having help from an underclassman who was also a programmer.
** Teruteru: The Super High-School Level Cook who worked at the Café and made food so good you'd swear it was [[BrickJoke drugged]].
** Makoto, Kyoko, and Mukuro also appear but are all important (for a while at least) and named so they might not count.

* DarkerAndEdgier: While the first volume is fairly moderate in tone, the second descends headfirst into this trope as the Ryoko gets closer to the truth. There's much more graphic violence, much more suffering, and an ''absolutely'' brutal DownerEnding.
* DecoyDamsel: Junko pulled this off.

* DownerEnding: ''Nothing'' ends well here. It all goes according to Junko's plan... and she gets plenty of despair out of it.

* FanDisservice: When Ryoko goes to the MaidCafe. The ''Monokuma'' Maid Cafe.
* FantasticCasteSystem: Hope's Peak student body is divided into two levels. You have the Super High-School Level Talents, who were hand-picked so their special skills can be studied and amplified by getting the best schooling possible... and the Reserve Course, made up of {{Ordinary High School Student}}s who are paying for the privilege of attending. ''Their'' campus functions as a completely ordinary school, without any access to the perks Super High-School Level Talents enjoy. The students are largely segregated from each other, with little interaction between levels.

* TheHeroDies: Granted, [[VillainProtagonist neither are precisely heroes]], but Yasuke is dead by the end of the novel, as is (in a way) Ryoko.

** Soshun is killed due to this, as is Yuto.
* KillEmAll: Pretty much everyone who didn't appear in ''Trigger Happy Havoc'' is dead by the end.

* MemoryGambit: Played with. Yasuke Matsuda erased Junko's memories when Hope's Peak Academy asked him to interrogate her via mind scan about the deaths of the Student Council members she caused. However, Yasuke keeps Junko amnesiac to protect her and keep her from spreading more despair. Even so, it turns out Junko ''knew'' he would do this thanks to her AwesomenessByAnalysis, and let it happen so she could experience the despair of murdering her boyfriend.

* NoteToSelf: The purpose of Ryoko's Memory Journal.
* TheResenter: As it turns out, the Monokuma Maid Cafes are being used to foster resentment among the Reserve Course students.
* ShellShockedVeteran: Sōshun Murasame, the only Student Council members to survive the Tragedy of Hope's Peak Academy, to the point where he's practically insane.

* TomatoSurprise: The fact that Ryoko is a false identity of Junko Enoshima and Junko's status as Yasuke's girlfriend are no secret to Yasuke himself, who has about half of the story taking place from his perspective.
* TwinSwitch: Mukuro acts as a BodyDouble for her sister.

* UnreliableNarrator: Deliberately played with Ryoko, mostly due to her memory problems. In reality, it's actually much stronger than that, with the chapters from Yasuke and "Junko's" perspective reeking of the narrator outright lying to the reader.

* UnusualEuphemism: The Steering Committee insists on referring to the Reserve Course protest as "The Parade."

** Pay close attention during the first scene between Ryoko and Yasuke. The latter visibly hesitates before stating that the Parade might be orchestrated by a single person. Yasuka doesn't give his reasons as to why he believes that... mostly because he has perfectly good knowledge of what is going on.

** On a more overall note, notice that '''''no one''' calls Ryoko by her name''. People either avoid using her name (Yasuke) or refer to her by a nickname (Yuto). This eventually leads into the revelation that "Ryoko Otonashi" is a false identity whose creation was orchestrated by the ''real'' Junko Enoshima.

** On a more overall note, notice that '''''no one''' calls Ryoko by her name''. Everyone either just avoids using her name (Yasuke) or refers to her by a nickname (Yuto). This eventually leads into the revelation that "Ryoko Otonashi" is a false identity whose creation was orchestrated by the ''real'' Junko Enoshima.

->''I can't remember anything from before I lost like memory, so it's not like I have anything to compare it too. That's why I don't see my forgetfulness as a disadvantage... it's just a part of who I am.''

A two-volume {{Light Novel}} for the ''Franchise/{{Danganronpa}}'' franchise [[{{Prequel}} set before]] the events of ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaTriggerHappyHavoc'' and ''VisualNovel/Danganronpa2GoodbyeDespair''. Released in 2011, it was written and illustrated by franchise creator Kazutaka Kodaka and franchise illustrator Rui Komatsuzaki respectively.

Ryōko Otonashi is a student attending Hope's Peak Academy—an elite private school that only accepts "Super High-School Level" students: the best of the best ''of the best'', regardless of niche. Unfortunately, she suffers from [[AmnesiacHero anterograde amnesia]] and forgets things mere minutes after they occur. To function in day-to-day life, she carries around "[[NoteToSelf memory notebooks]]" filled with information written by herself about the events and people in her past.

Unfortunately, a sinister plot is taking shape in the shadows of Hope's Peak Academy. Junko Enoshima is laying the groundwork for her plan to plunge the world into a despair, which is intrinsically linked to "The Tragedy of Hope's Peak Academy." As a select few students attempt to uncover the truth, they face not only the culprits behind that event, but also a cover-up orchestrated by the highest officials of Hope's Peak Academy—the Steering Committee. In the middle of all this is Ryōko, who is dragged into the conspirators' plans by forces beyond her understanding or control.

** For starters, take a look at the cover shown on this page. Now notice which side of the Monokuma face Yasuke is on...
** Pay close attention during the first scene between Ryoko and Yasuke and note when Yasuke visibly hesitates. Also, he states that the demonstration the Reserve Course is preforming might be orchestrated by a single person but doesn't give his reasons as to why, mostly because he has perfectly good knowledge of what is going on.
** The scene where the Steering Committee confronts Yasuke. It's vague at first as to what they're talking about, but, with the ending in mind, it becomes clear they're talking about Yasuke's ability to block out people's memories.
** When Ryoko meets Junko for the first time she gives a fairly cohesive description of Junko's appearance, bar her ''face''. This is a big clue to the reveal that "Junko Enoshima" is actually Mukuro in disguise.
** When Ryoko's talking about ThePowerOfLove in regards to Yasuke, Isshiki responds that love is the element that causes people to do crazy and evil things. Now, what is Yasuke driven by?
** After Ryoko knocks Isshiki out, he suddenly reappears, unharmed. Turns out there's more than one Madarai running around.
** At one point, Ryoko is tied to Yasuke's bed while Yasuke is under it—something that's played for comedy. Kyoko's investigation of Yasuke's lab reveals his bed actually conceals a passage into the storeroom used to help hide the Committee members' corpses.
** On a more overall note, notice that ''no one actually calls Ryoko by name''. Everyone either just avoids using her name (Yasuke) or refers to her by a nickname (Yuto). This leads into the revelation that "Ryoko Otonashi" is a false identity.

* HardWorkHardlyWorks: While it's technically possible that a student from the Reserve Course could excel at their studies and earn their way into the "true" Hope's Peak, Yasuke scorns the idea—describing it as just a way to keep stringing them along.
* HeelFaceDoorSlam: Yasuke's realization that his girlfriend was using him as an UnwittingPawn happens shortly before she brutally stabs him to death.

Because of her disorder, Ryoko has only managed to retain one memory: that of her doctor and (implied) childhood friend, the "Super High-School Level Neurologist" Yasuke Matsuda, who is studying her amnesia in the hope of helping her recover.

Unfortunately, a sinister plot is taking shape in the shadows of Hope's Peak Academy. Junko Enoshima is laying the groundwork for her plan to plunge the world into a despair, which is intrinsically linked to "The Tragedy of Hope's Peak Academy." As a select few students attempt to uncover the truth, they face not only the true culprits behind that event, but also a cover-up orchestrated by the highest officials of Hope's Peak Academy—the Steering Committee. In the middle of all this is Ryoko, who is dragged into the conspirators' plans by forces beyond her understanding or control.

* BreakHerHeartToSaveHer: Near the ending, Headmaster Jin Kirigiri engages in this by threatening Kyoko, informing her that if she continues investigating the incident, breaks any rules or steps the least bit out of line, she'll be expelled from Hope's Peak.
* CallForward: Yasuke references the various uses of controlling, compiling or [[LaserGuidedAmnesia completely erasing people's memories]], which is a major plot point in both ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaTriggerHappyHavoc'' and ''VisualNovel/Danganronpa2GoodbyeDespair''. There's hints he may already be capable of doing this, when the Hope's Peak staff try to blackmail him into tampering with the memory of any student who knows about the [[NoodleIncident Tragedy of Hope's Peak Academy]].

** Makoto, Kyoko and Mukuro also appear but are all important (for a while at least) and named so they might not count.

* AsYouKnow: Played with: as Yasuke keeps reminding Ryoko, she ''should'' already know about how things work at Hope's Peak, and he doesn't appreciate having to explain to her constantly.
* BackupTwin: As it turns out, Mukuro isn't the only one running around. The Super High-School Level Bodyguard doubles as Super High-School Level ''Octuplets''.
* BigBad: As before, this applies to Junko Enoshima. In actuality, this applies to Ryoko, who is the amnesic version of Junko Enoshima.

** Teruteru: The Super High-School Level Cook who worked at the Café and made food so good you'd swear it was [[BrickJoke drugged.]]

* DarkerAndEdgier: While the first volume is fairly moderate in tone, the second descends headfirst into this trope as the Ryoko gets closer to the truth. There's much more graphic violence, much more suffering and an absolutely brutal DownerEnding.

* DownerEnding: ''Nothing'' ends well here. It all goes according to Junko's plan... and even she gets despair out of it.

* {{Foreshadowing}}

** At one point, Ryoko is tied to Yasuke's bed while Yasuke is under it, something played for comedy. Kyoko's investigation of Yasuke's lab reveals his bed actually conceals a passage into the storeroom used to help hide the Committee members corpses.
** On a more overall note, notice that ''no one actually calls Ryoko by name''. Everyone either just avoids using her name (Yasuke) or refers to her by a nickname (Yuto). This is the lead into the revelation that "Ryoko Otonashi" is a false identity.
* TheHeroDies: Granted, [[VillainProtagonist neither are precisely 'heroes']], but Yasuke is dead by the end of the book, as is (in a way) Ryoko.

* GoneHorriblyRight[=/=][[GoneHorriblyWrong Wrong]]: The Super High-School Level Hope Project. Right in the sense that Izuru is the ultimate Ace, wrong in how he fell into despair.

* HardWorkHardlyWorks: While it's technically possible that a student from the Reserve Course could excel at their studies and earn their way into the 'true' Hope's Peak, Yasuke scorns the idea, describing it as just a way to keep stringing them along.

** Ryoko is accused of this, despite her memory problems.

* KillEmAll: Pretty much everyone who didn't appear in the original game is dead by the end.

* MemoryGambit: Played with. Yasuke Matsuda erased Junko's memories when Hope's Peak Academy asked him to interrogate her via mind scan about the deaths of the Student Council members she caused. However, Yasuke keeps Junko amnesiac to protect her and keep her from spreading more despair. But it turns out Junko knew he would do this thanks to her AwesomenessByAnalysis, and let it happen so she could experience the despair of murdering her boyfriend.

* TheResenter: As it turns out, the Monokuma Maid Cafes are being used to foster resentment among the Reserve Coursers.

* TomatoSurprise: The fact that Ryoko is a false identity of Junko Enoshima and Junko's status as Yasuke's lover are no secret to Yasuke himself, who has about half of the story taking place from his perspective.

* TwoAliasesOneCharacter: Ryoko Otonashi is [[BigBad Junko Enoshima]] after getting amnesia.

* UnusualEuphemism: The Steering Committee insists on referring to the Reserve Course protest as "The Parade".

* VillainProtagonist: Both Ryoko and Yasuke are technically this, with Ryoko as the amnesic version of [[BigBad Junko Enoshima]] and Yasuke as her (partially unwitting) conspirator and lover.

A pair of {{Light Novel}}s for the ''Franchise/{{Danganronpa}}'' franchise [[{{Prequel}} set before]] the events of ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaTriggerHappyHavoc'' and ''VisualNovel/Danganronpa2GoodbyeDespair''. They were written and illustrated by the series creator Kazutaka Kodaka and the series illustrator Rui Komatsuzaki respectively, and released in 2011.

Ryoko Otonashi is a student attending Hope's Peak Academy, an elite private school that only accepts "Super High-School Level" students: the best of the best ''of the best'', regardless of niche. Unfortunately, she suffers from [[AmnesiacHero anterograde amnesia]] and forgets things mere minutes after they occur. To function in day-to-day life, Ryoko carries around "[[NoteToSelf memory notebooks]]" filled with information written by herself about the events and people in her past.

Unfortunately, a sinister plot is taking shape in the shadows of Hope's Peak Academy. Someone or something is laying the final groundwork on a plan destined to plunge the world into an endless despair, a plan intrinsically linked to "The Tragedy of Hope's Peak Academy". As a select few students attempt to uncover the truth, they face not only the organisation behind the Tragedy but a cover-up by the highest officials of Hope's Peak Academy, the Steering Committee. In the middle of this is Ryoko, who is dragged into the conspiracy by forces beyond her understanding or control.

* {{Deuteragonist}}: Both Ryoko and Yusuke are this to each other, with the story more or less focusing on the two equally.

* DrJerk: Yusuke.
* ElaborateUniversityHigh: Hope's Peak Academy. Yusuke explains more about how it operates to Ryoko.

A pair of {{Light Novel}}s for the ''Franchise/{{Danganronpa}}'' franchise [[{{Prequel}} set before]] the events of ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaTriggerHappyHavoc'' and ''VisualNovel/Danganronpa2GoodbyeDespair''. They were released in 2011.

* EndingTropes:
** DownerEnding: ''Nothing'' ends well here. It all goes according to Junko's plan... and even she gets despair out of it.
** TheEndingChangesEverything: Rereading both volumes with the TomatoSurprise in mind makes much of it come off ''very'' differently...