YMMV / Three-Point Shot

• Arc Fatigue: The author admitted that the Fair-Play Whodunnit in the 4th case had gone on longer than it needed to for the narrative.
• Broken Base:
  • The circumstances behind the second murder are somewhat divisive. To sum it up, Korekiyo meets up with Tenko to exchange their "motive" videos. During the encounter, he, with very little provocation, reveals his "Sister" persona and then tries to kill Tenko, only to end up getting his arm broken when Tenko fights back. After the injured and almost helpless Kiyo threatens to kill Himiko next, Tenko kills him in a fit of rage. While Kiyo, the would-be killer is a killer in canon, some readers took issue with how incompetent they would have to be in order to attempt such a poorly thought-out murder, compared to their elaborate canonical murder plan, which mainly fell apart because Kiyo also killed Tenko. On the other hand, some readers don't necessarily see this as a point against the fic, and may agree with the author's assertion that Korekiyo really was that careless in the game.
    • An Author's Saving Throw pops up later when Team Danganronpa mentions having increased Kiyo's aggression, leading to his sudden attack.
  • Also from the second trial, there's the killer's identity. While a fair number of people found it quite tragic that Tenko was the killer and ended up being executed, others believed it didn't make sense for her to keep quiet about her guilt for so long (until Himiko called her out on it), since if the blackened had gotten away, everyone else, including Himiko, would have gotten executed, something Tenko wouldn't allow under any circumstances.
  • The end of the fifth trial. While some Kokichi fans enjoyed it, since even though Kokichi gets executed, he ultimately outwits Monokuma, others found it disappointing that Kokichi would more or less give up and accept his execution after all his hard work and scheming, but still others believe Kokichi's death was part of his plan.
• Catharsis Factor: Quite a few readers were happy to see the real culprit of Chapter 1 pay for her crimes in this fic.
• Funny Moments:
  • In Chapter 4, Tsumugi tries in vain to deflect suspicion.
    Tsumugi: This is insane! Akamatsu leaves a trail of evidence two miles wide, and just because her little boyfriend does a half-rate science-fair project we're gonna believe she's innocent?!
    Kaede and Shuichi: Boyfriend?!
    Kokichi: Excellent work trying to change the topic.
    Tsumugi: You shut up, you little brat!
  • In chapter 49 while discussing the found photo of Rantaro participating in a killing game, Himiko points out that he's doing the finger point thing that Kaede and Shuichi do. When Kaede tries to argue that they don't do it as much, all the other students rise up on cue, do the finger point and declare "YOU'VE GOT THAT WRONG!".
• Harsher in Hindsight: During the second trial, it turns out Tenko killed Korekiyo because she found out about his "Sister" personality. In the second case of another V3 AU fic, An Encore From My Crying Heart, the killer and motive are exactly the same, except instead of killing Kiyo directly like she does here, Tenko does what Kaede did in the first case and sets up a trap for him which ends up killing Gonta instead.
• Hilarious in Hindsight:
  • More hilarious in foresight. Although unplanned, Kokichi's plan going into action during the 53rd chapter plays into the title of the source game.
  • An observant reader pointed out a Famitsu scan which contains all of the story's survivors (provided you count Ki-bo). It's certainly the most appropriate artwork related to this story.
  • Both this fic and the similar story I'd Trade My Life For Yours were started in Spring 2017 and updated at a similar pace, with Three Point Shot ending when I'd Trade My Life For Yours was beginning the fifth trial. Both fics have some very interesting parallels.
    • The two stories contain instances of Keebo being knocked out by one of the students attempting to commit a murder.
    • Though his role varies between the two stories, Korekiyo is one of the characters who die in the second case.
    • Both Gonta and Angie are the third case's victim and culprit respectively.
    • The fourth trial reveals some rather disturbing revelations to the group while exposing Miu as the blackened.
    • The fifth trial involves Maki becoming a prime suspect, and Kokichi revealed as the actual culprit.
    • Both fics have two of the survivors be Kaede Akamatsu and Ryoma Hoshi.
    • The second murder still involves a pool of water.
    • Angie still starts a cult in Case 3.
    • All the remaining students still enter a virtual reality simulator in Case 4.
    • Kokichi still starts taking matters into his own hands to steer the killing game in the direction he wants in Case 5.
    • Though in terms of tone (particularly near the end), the fics are completely different (Three Point Shot keeps the group united from the end of the fourth trial, while I'd Trade My Life For Yours has the group severely fragmented, starting with the end of the fourth trial).
• Like You Would Really Do It: At the end of chapter 61, a majority of fans were afraid that Kaede exposed herself to the Flashback Light left for her in her lab, giving them the impression that she'd be susceptible to Team Danganronpa's manipulations. Or worse, that she'd be tricked into becoming the new mastermind for the killing game. Thankfully, this is avoided as Kaede is aware of what could happen if she exposed herself to the light and decides against using it.
• Moment of Awesome:
  • The ending of the fifth trial. Unlike in canon, Kokichi manages to completely stump Monokuma by creating a truly unsolvable murder for him. He even manages to back up K1-B0 into the Motherkuma and pull this off with only one actual fatality - himself!
    Kokichi: I just want you to remember my face. In your darkest moments, I want you to remember the face of the man who beat you.
  • In chapter 65, after receiving a 'pep talk' from her pregame self, Kaede comes out of her Heroic BSoD with the full intention of fighting back against Team Danganronpa. She points out how even with the chance of getting their old personalities back, they'll still remember their experience in the killing game and use it to fight against the show in the real world. With her words of encouragement, each of her friends expresses their own Heroic Second Wind speech and become just as motivated to fight alongside her. It all leads up to a Final Scrum Debate between them against Kaori and the Monokucubs with them successfully winning.
    Kaede: You've got that wrong! It's not meaningless! I have faith in my friends. Faith in myself. I believe we'll fight to end all the suffering together. I know that that version of me is real. I believe in that truth. AND THE TRUTH WILL SET US FREE!!!
    Kaede and her friends: THIS IS OUR ANSWER!!!!!!
• Rescued from the Scrappy Heap: Several readers mentioned having a more positive opinion of Angie in this fic. While she still starts up a student council/cult in Chapter 3 and her attempt to poison Kokichi results in Gonta's death, some readers think she comes off better than in canon due to being allowed to explain her motivations and actually taking responsibility for her own decisions, rather than claiming that it's the will of God.
• They Wasted a Perfectly Good Character: Gonta. His role in this fic is significantly reduced compared to canon and he ultimately dies a chapter earlier than in canon, as an accidental result of a murder plan intended for someone else, thus causing him to seem underutilized.