To prepare for his acceptance to Hope Peak Private Academy, Makoto goes online (onto 2ch) to read a thread on the school. Hope's Peak is a school that only accepts students who are the absolute top of their respective fields, leaping far beyond the average. They are then titled as a "Super High School Level" student. Some examples of these students are Super High School Level Idol (the leader of a nationally adored idol group), Super High School Level Baseball Player (ace of Japan's champion high school baseball team), and Super High School Gang Leader (head of Japan's largest motorcycle gang).
REGAINED ON: 09.02 TRIGGER: Free memory regain without a trigger - Five comments in the September Retrospec post
Kyouko's introduction. Taken from update #4 of Oren's LP.
KYOUKO: ...... MAKOTO: ...... KYOUKO: ............ MAKOTO: Um, can you tell me your name? KYOUKO: ...... KYOUKO: My name is... Kyouko Kirigiri. KYOUKO: ...... MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: She sure is a quiet girl. MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: And then there’s her name. MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: Kyouko Kirigiri. I don't recall seeing that name in the Hope's Peak Academy thread. MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: That's right -- excluding me, among Hope's Peak Academy's new students there was one more whose talents were unclear. MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: Is it... this girl? MAKOTO: Um, hey, so why did you come to this school? KYOUKO: What do you mean by "why"? MAKOTO: It's just that you must be some kind of "Super High-school Level" something or other to be chosen to attend here, right? MAKOTO: So what super-talent do you have? KYOUKO: ...... KYOUKO: And why... do I have to tell you that? MAKOTO: Eh? MAKOTO: You don't have to tell me... KYOUKO: If I don't have to, I think I won't. MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: Because her name didn't come up on the net, I thought she might be here due to simple luck, like myself, but... KYOUKO: ...... MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: ...it's like she's wearing an iron mask. If she won't tell me there's no way to know.
In an unknown room, Makoto and Kyouko sit on the floor. She reaches over with an ungloved hand and places it on top of Makoto's hand. They look at each other as she tells him that the power of his words become her hope.
In the underground garbage disposal room. Taken from update #123 of Oren's LP.
MAKOTO: I feel better now... MAKOTO: I think I'm all set to get going again...! KYOUKO: So, you never gave up, did you... MAKOTO: Of course I didn't... MAKOTO: My one and only saving grace is being an optimist, after all... KYOUKO: That's a fantastic saving grace, you know...
In the sauna locker room, Makoto tells Kyouko to ensure that coming back alive is her top priority and if that it's too dangerous, she should turn around. She nods in agreement and he sticks up his pinky finger and she entwines it with her own, sealing the promise.
During Night Time. Taken from update #76 of Oren's LP.
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: The story Kirigiri-san told me... MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: Was truly a peculiar one. MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: Even though I just said I trusted her, it wasn't an easy story to believe... MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: That's why I waited patiently until evening to check it out with my own eyes. MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: And then, when it became Night Time... MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: I started moving.
MAKOTO: ............
(FLASHBACK) KYOUKO: The boy's restroom on the second floor. There is no security camera on the monitor inside... (FLASHBACK) KYOUKO: There's a utility closet over there. (FLASHBACK) KYOUKO: And inside it...
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: The utility closet in the second-floor boy's restroom... MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: Is there really something there, like Kirigiri-san said?
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: It looks like a perfectly normal utility closet. MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: Is there really a secret here, like Kirigiri-san said?
MAKOTO: ...Kirigiri-san said it was in here, didn't she? MAKOTO: But I can't see anything sp--
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: It happened when I put my hand on the back wall. MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: Suddenly, as if something was being sucked out of the room...
"Creaaaaaak!!"
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: ...a loud sound could be heard, and my body passed through the wall... MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: Then, before I could tell...
"Crash!!"
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: I fell into the room behind the utility closet.
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: I woke up on top of a hard desk. MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: My entire body was awfully weary. MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: I fell asleep in the middle of a boring class before, of course, but... MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: ...But, why am I sleeping on top of this desk right now? MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: Even stranger, this is a classroom I've never seen before.
Maizono's death. Taken from update #15 of Oren's LP.
MAKOTO: I... I'm... MAKOTO: Going to check on her...!
MAKOTO THOUGHTS: As soon as I finished saying the words, I ran out of the cafeteria into the corridor. MAKOTO THOUGHTS: Where I was headed... MAKOTO THOUGHTS: ...was my own room. The one I exchanged with Maizono-san for one night... MAKOTO THOUGHTS: The room she was supposed to sleep in... MAKOTO THOUGHTS: But what I found there...
MAKOTO THOUGHTS: In just one night, it was completely turned upside down......
MAKOTO: What the hell is going on here...!?
MAKOTO THOUGHTS: Even the bed is all messed up...
MAKOTO THOUGHTS: There is a key lying on the floor... It's the one with my name written on it. MAKOTO THOUGHTS: I gave it to Maizono-san when we exchanged our rooms yesterday...
MAKOTO THOUGHTS: This is... the golden practice sword I took for self defense... MAKOTO THOUGHTS: It's out of its sheath... A naked blade... MAKOTO THOUGHTS: ...But more importantly, where is Maizono-san!?
MAKOTO THOUGHTS: On the walls and floor... there are scratch marks from some sharp object...!? MAKOTO THOUGHTS: ...But more importantly, Maizono-san!!?
MAKOTO THOUGHTS: I took a look inside the shower room.
MAKOTO THOUGHTS: I... MAKOTO THOUGHTS: Took a... look....... inside....... MAKOTO THOUGHTS: the sh.....ow........er r..................... MAKOTO THOUGHTS: .............................................. MAKOTO THOUGHTS: ..............................................
MAKOTO THOUGHTS: It took a little while for me to realize I was screaming. MAKOTO THOUGHTS: The scene before me was burned firmly into my retinas... MAKOTO THOUGHTS: And then...
MAKOTO THOUGHTS: And then... MAKOTO THOUGHTS: ...................... MAKOTO THOUGHTS: .............................
MAKOTO THOUGHTS: ...I blacked out.
REGAINED ON: 10.30 TRIGGER: Free memory regain without a trigger - Threading out October's nightmare wrapping event
Junko(?)'s death. Taken from update #16 of Oren's LP.
MONOKUMA: Gyuuu...! JUNKO: There, are you satisfied now? MONOKUMA: I should ask you the same thing. JUNKO: Huh? MONOKUMA: Violence against the headmaster is forbidden. It’s against the school rules... MONOKUMA: I have no choice but invoking my summoning magic! Save me! Gungnir the Spear!!
Strapped to a school desk and chair, Makoto is placed on a conveyor belt backwards, unable to see where he's being led to. In front of him is Monokuma in a pair of glasses and a tie, mock-teaching a lesson. Behind Makoto is a large contraption with a screen of Monokuma's head and a large block that slams down onto the belt every few seconds. As Makoto's desk approaches, the screen changes at the last moment to show Alter Ego's face and the entire machine comes to a halt while the belt continues to move. Makoto moves past the contraption and a door in the floor opens. He falls backwards through the door while Monokuma remains above.
In Makoto's first year at junior high school, there was a large crane that got lost and stuck in the school's pool. None of the teachers knew what to do so Makoto, being a part of animal rearing club, was tasked with taking care of the crane. He was able to pick it up from the pool and took it to the forest behind the school, setting it free (but not after being pecked by the bird).
Image of Makoto carrying the crane from Dangan Ronpa: The Animation manga.
Makoto's introduction speech from the drama CD. The audio can be found here.
(clears throat)
Nice to meet you! I’m Makoto Naegi. Um, I’m the new... uh, I-I’m nothing special, really. Um, anyway... it looks like I’m enrolled as the Super High School Level Good Luck. Um, from now on, I’ll be... I’ll be in your...
(wind blows)
Ah, no, no! I can’t just introduce myself by saying I’m new!
(breathes deeply)
It’s really happening, isn’t it? Tomorrow, I’ll become a student at Hope's Peak High School. Man, I still can’t believe it, but... This isn’t a dream, right? ...No, I kind of want it to be. I’m the only normal one there! That place is a school full of Super High School Level elites from all over the country. And what on earth is a Super High School Level Good Luck student, anyway?
(sigh)
Everyone’s so great. No one ever thought that someone plain and inconspicuous like me could have been chosen by Hope's Peak. Even I don’t think so.
(gasp)
Maybe... I can still defer?
(desk slamming)
Aah, what am I thinking?! I should keep it positive! What am I saying before classes even start? If they laugh when I mess up, that’s okay! Besides, running away is way lamer. Yep, I’m fine with being made fun of. I’ll be as positive as I can, like always. Alright! Let’s practice that introduction again!
(clears throat, coughs, clears throat again)
Nice to meet you! I’m Makoto Naegi. Um, I was chosen as the Super High School Level Good Luck and will be attending Hope's Peak from now on! I’ll be in your care!
But since I introduced myself as the Super High School Level Good Luck, what am I gonna do if someone asks me to demonstrate my luck?
......
M-maybe I should practice playing rock-paper-scissors...
(ding! idea!)
Ah, that’s right! Mom and the rest of the family can help. Besides... once I go to school, I won’t be seeing them for a while… Let’s do this!
(gets up and goes downstairs)
Hey, Mom! I need your help! Um... w-will you play rock-paper-scissors with me? ...Why are you making that face? No, I know what you’re thinking! I know what you’re thinking but — anyway, just...
(voice fades out)
REGAINED ON: 11.27 TRIGGER: Free memory regain without a trigger - Five comments in the November Retrospec post with new CR
In the underground courtroom. Taken from update #25 of Oren's LP.
KYOUKO: You’re a person... who can get over things. KYOUKO: A person who can get over the death of his friends and continue walking forward. KYOUKO: If you aren’t, you will not be able to break out of the extreme situation we found ourselves in... MAKOTO: I can... get over my friends’ deaths? MAKOTO: I think you’re overestimating me... MAKOTO: That kind of thing is... impossible.
KYOUKO: ............ MAKOTO: That’s why... MAKOTO: I will always keep them with me. MAKOTO: I can’t get over any of it... Maizono-san’s or Kuwata-kun’s deaths... MAKOTO: I will always keep them with me. MAKOTO: I will keep going forward holding everyone’s memories forever!! KYOUKO: ......... KYOUKO: You’re choosing a road that is much more difficult than simply overcoming.
KYOUKO: But I’m looking forward to it..... MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: Saying that, she smiled a little smile.
A single snap-shot memory of class 78th enjoying themselves in the snow before the tragedy (The Worst, Most Despair inducing Incident in the History of Mankind).
SAYAKA: By the way, May I ask you a question, Naegi-kun? MAKOTO: You’re suddenly so formal again... What’s up?
SAYAKA: I know it’s a little rude to ask, but... SAYAKA: Do you have a girlfriend, Naegi-kun? MAKOTO: Eh... Eh!? MAKOTO: Why do you ask all of a sudden...!? SAYAKA: Why are you panicking? Does that mean you have one...? MAKOTO: N...no... I don’t! I don’t have a girlfriend yet!
SAYAKA: ...is there anyone you like? MAKOTO: W...wait a second! MAKOTO: What’s with you all of a sudden? Why are you asking me this?
SAYAKA: I was just curious, so I thought I’d ask. Was that wrong? MAKOTO: I don’t think “wrong” is the right word...
SAYAKA: But it’s just natural I’d be curious. I mean, you and I...
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: M...me and her...!?
SAYAKA: ...we’re classmates stuck in the same situations, aren’t we?
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: Classmates...
SAYAKA: But... you’re really more than that, Naegi-kun... SAYAKA: We’ve surpassed being just classmates...
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: ...surpassed being classmates!?
SAYAKA: We’re friends. Ever since junior high.
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: Is that... so... MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: Yeah, we’re friends. Of course, that’s how it is...
SAYAKA: .......... SAYAKA: ...aren’t you going to ask me, Naegi-kun? MAKOTO: Eh? Ask you what? SAYAKA: Isn’t it clear? SAYAKA: Whether I have a boyfriend or not?
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: Honestly, I do want to ask. But there’s a part of me that doesn’t...
MAKOTO: I’m sure you’re very popular with all sorts of men. It wouldn’t be strange if you had one...
SAYAKA: Wrong answer! I don’t have a boyfriend! SAYAKA: ...I mean, I’m too busy to have one. It’s not just an excuse, it’s true. MAKOTO: So... MAKOTO: Is there... someone you like...?
SAYAKA: ...tee hee, I wonder...? SAYAKA: There is someone who... interests me...
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: Maizono-san looked straight into my eyes. It seemed to me her cheeks turned just a little red... MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: ...Eh? She’s looking straight at me?
SAYAKA: But I should put those feelings aside for the time being. Our priorities should be on finding a way out of here. MAKOTO: Y...yeah. You’re right... SAYAKA: ...Naegi-kun, let’s leave this place together. SAYAKA: You won’t betray me, right? MAKOTO: O...of course I won’t...! There’s no way I’m going to betray you!
SAYAKA: Naegi-kun, I’m going to say something from the heart. I’m not faking it, it’s what I truly feel...
SAYAKA: I’m... really glad you’re here with me, Naegi-kun...
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: As I looked at that smile, my entire body was overflown with energy. MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: It was like her smile... metamorphosed into strength. MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: I probably became much braver just by having her here with me... MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: The bond between us makes me strong. MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: It makes me feel like I must give it all I have! MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: ...for Maizono-san’s sake!
SAYAKA: I’m happy. You’re going to do your best for me! MAKOTO: Eh!? How did you..!?
SAYAKA: I can read minds.
SAYAKA: I’m just joking. I just have good intuitions... But... SAYAKA: ...did you really think that? MAKOTO: Um... I... MAKOTO: Anyway! Let’s cooperate and get out of this place together! MAKOTO: I will not let you down!! SAYAKA: Yeah, you’re right. Let’s leave together. SAYAKA: Hee hee hee!
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: “Give it all I have”. Never in my life had these words sank deeper into my heart than now.
KIYOTAKA: When you see someone in the nude, it becomes plainly obvious whether they are worthy of your trust... KIYOTAKA: That's why it's important to show each other our naked bodies!
BYAKUYA: ............ BYAKUYA: ...I have one question I want to ask you. MAKOTO: Eh? You have a question for me, Togami-kun...?
BYAKUYA: It's been troubling me for some time now. I just want this mystery settled...
BYAKUYA: You're known as a "Super High-school Level Good Luck"... What does that mean? MAKOTO: U...Um... MAKOTO: I'm not really sure myself... MAKOTO: It's just that I've been chosen in a lottery among every regular high school student in the country. BYAKUYA: So it really was just simple luck...
BYAKUYA: ... I see. In that case, the mystery is solved. MAKOTO: Mystery...? BYAKUYA: The reason why a person with absolutely no talent such as yourself is enrolled in this school...
BYAKUYA: No, strictly speaking, I should've said "a boring person with no hope of ever acquiring a talent".
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: A boring person... With no hope of ever acquiring a talent...
MAKOTO: T...that's a little severe... BYAKUYA: But it's the truth. MAKOTO: ...I guess, when compared to a "Super High-school Level Heir" such as yourself... MAKOTO: But... even I...!
BYAKUYA: Don't sum me up as just being a "Super High-school Level Heir". BYAKUYA: It's not just about my bloodline. My mind, figure and physique are all Super High-school Level...
BYAKUYA: I might as well be called "Super High-school Level Perfection"... That's what you should refer to me as from now on.
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: H...he's really going that far...
BYAKUYA: A person like yourself, who has nothing, and a person like me, who has everything. Truly, humans are not created equal. BYAKUYA: Naegi, you have my sympathy. Life sure can be cruel. ............
BYAKUYA: Even I am able of some compassion. I'll do you a favor and tell you more about my magnificent deeds some other time. BYAKUYA: You should be honored that someone as plain as yourself gets to hear them directly from the man himself.
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: Togami-kun left those words of pity, and walked out of the room...
MAKOTO: I think I understood one thing about Togami-kun... MAKOTO: Talking to him... is like taking a blow to the ego.
REGAINED ON: 01.31 TRIGGER: Free memory regain without a trigger - Ten consecutive comments in the January Retrospec post
In a dark and heavily destroyed room, Makoto is flat down on the ground with Kyosuke standing in front of him. Kyosuke declares that he will get rid of all the despair in the world, even if that means he'll have to get rid of the memories of those who fell into despair. Makoto forces himself up and shouts that Kyosuke shouldn't say that he should get rid of those memories and to not forget about Chisa. Enraged, Kyosuke grabs onto Makoto's collar and pushes him up against a wall, punching him repeatedly in the face while asking what Makoto knows. Kyosuke stops when Makoto shouts that he does know. He says that if Kyouko had turned into despair and betrayed everyone, even if he had to kill her in order to stop her, he still would have been glad to have met her and that he would never forget about her.
MAKOTO: The reason you were imprisoned there... It's because of us. MAKOTO: If we weren't chosen by the mastermind, you wouldn't have ended up like this. KOMARU: Huh? What do you mean? MAKOTO: You aren't the only prisoner in Towa. With you is everyone who was relevant to our classmates. MAKOTO: In order to make us commit murder... MAKOTO: The mastermind abducted people relevant to us and tried to use them as a motive. MAKOTO: We managed to stop it before it got that far, but the theme was Killing Among Loved Ones... MAKOTO: The mastermind was going to force us to watch you kill each other to make us really lose all hope. MAKOTO: The video of you, our family, being abducted was used for motive as well. MAKOTO: But that was just the beginning. The mastermind was planning something far more cruel. MAKOTO: In the end, the mastermind was swallowed by the despair, and that motive was left unused.
In the underground courtroom. Taken from update #42 of Oren's LP.
SAKURA: What killed Fujisaki was... SAKURA: A wound to the head, wasn't it. KIYOTAKA: According to the Monobear file... KIYOTAKA: It was done by a dull object. But what was it!? YASUHIRO: It was surely an iron pipe, 'right? KIYOTAKA: I see! KIYOTAKA: That certainly sounds like a weapon! AOI: Poor Fujisaki-chan...
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: No... The weapon that killed Fujisaki-san was something that was in that changing room...!
MAKOTO: You've got that wrong!
MAKOTO: I think the weapon that gave the killing blow was the dumbbell found in the scene of the crime. MAKOTO: That dumbbell had some blood stuck to it, and there was nothing else that could serve as a weapon in the room. KYOUKO: In addition, the wound on the victim's head fits perfectly to the shape of the dumbbell. KYOUKO: There is no margin for doubt... This is the right answer.
REGAINED ON: 03.22 TRIGGER: Free memory regain without a trigger - Ten consecutive comments in the March Retrospec post
During the Free Time event. Taken from update #11 from Oren's LP.
SAYAKA: Do you remember our first year at school? There was a big bird that got lost and got stuck in our pool.
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: Now that she says it, I think I remember that incident...
SAYAKA: It was that bird that always shows up in Japanese fairy tales. You know what I mean, the one in that saying about turtles and thousands of years...
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: The big bird that got stuck in the pool during our first year... MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: It was...
MAKOTO: It was a crane. It got lost and came to our school’s pool.
SAYAKA: It was really cool. I mean, it was a crane. SAYAKA: It was so big, even the teachers didn’t know what to do...
SAYAKA: But you managed to set it free, didn’t you, Naegi-kun? You managed to take it all the way to the forest behind the school...
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: It was only because I was in the animal-rearing club... And I don’t think I did a very good job. I was probably being too forceful.
SAYAKA: Can I... thank you for that time? MAKOTO: Thank me?
SAYAKA: I am that crane. I came to repay the favor. Will you let me weave you some fabric?
SAYAKA: Heh heh. I’m just joking. MAKOTO: Yeah... I got that.
In the undergrown garbage disposal room. Taken from update #125 of Oren's LP.
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: Beyond the door was a long tunnel stretching up, like a chimney. MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: On the wall, a steel ladder... MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: We started climbing the ladder, hoping to reach the ground.
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: It was a long ladder. When I looked up, I couldn't even see the ceiling. MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: And then, after a short while... MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: I couldn't see the floor anymore, either.
MAKOTO: That garbage disposal room... It sure is buried deep in the ground... KYOUKO: Be careful where you step. If you fall down, I won't be able to save you. MAKOTO: S...Sure. I'll be careful...
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: Nevertheless, her warning probably had the opposite effect...
MAKOTO: ............
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: I should find something to talk about... MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: It's probably a good idea to have something to distract me right now.
KIYOTAKA: Who is that Ishimaru you’re talking to!? MAKOTO: Eh... your eyes are... KIYOTAKA: You don’t have to fucking worry any more! Sorry for giving you all that trouble! MAKOTO: And the way you talk... KIYOTAKA: I became... a new me...
KIYOTAKA: Hey, you bastard! My fighting spirit is finally bursting out!! MAKOTO: W...wait, Ishimaru-kun... calm down...!
KIYOTAKA: I am calm!! And don’t call me Ishimaru! KIYOTAKA: I am... no longer Ishimaru...
KIYOTAKA: I’m just me!! KIYOTAKA: MEEEEEEEEE!!
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: Letting out a strange yell, Ishimaru-kun leaped out of the locker room.
BYAKUYA: When all is said and done, calling me a "Super High-school Level Heir" describes but one of my numerous skills. BYAKUYA: The word "heir" may give you the wrong idea. I am not just relying on the patronage of the Togami family.
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: Huh...? Did he just start speaking about himself without being prompted...?
BYAKUYA: It would be best to call me the Savior of the Togami family. BYAKUYA: The Togami conglomerate is already one of the world's largest, but under my leadership it will take a huge leap forward... BYAKUYA: I really am such a person of exceptional talent. I'm superior to anyone in the family.
BYAKUYA: That is, even in a distinguished family such as mine, I am the most distinguished. MAKOTO: Y...you have amazing self-confidence... don't you...
BYAKUYA: It's self-confidence that's based on fact. I have real achievements that support it. MAKOTO: ...Achievements?
BYAKUYA: My personal assets already exceed 40,000,000,000 yen. I earned it all without relying on the Togami power. MAKOTO: T...that much?! How did you do it!?
BYAKUYA: Stocks. BYAKUYA: In a span of one day, one acquires stocks and sells them. Trading during such a short period of time secures margins from the fluctuation in stock prices...
BYAKUYA: Even a simpleton such as yourself must have heard of the practice...?
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: A method of trading stocks within a single day... I've heard about it...
MAKOTO: It's called "day trade", isn't it? MAKOTO: So, you made 400,000,000,000 yen by day trading?
BYAKUYA: I started doing it just to kill time, but before I knew it I earned that much. BYAKUYA: ...It's not a big deal.
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: No, it really is... And also...
MAKOTO: Can high school students even participate in the stock market?
BYAKUYA: My name is Byakuya Togami.
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: Was that... an answer to the question?
BYAKUYA: That amount of money doesn't mean much to the Togami conglomerate, but it is helpful as a personal fund. BYAKUYA: Do you understand now how much more I am than a simple heir...? MAKOTO: So you want to say... MAKOTO: That you should have been called a "Super High-school Level Day Trader" instead...
BYAKUYA: I have already quit trading... It was a boring game. Too easy.
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: He keeps saying such outrageous things...
BYAKUYA: Whatever I do, it's always the same. BYAKUYA: The world itself is too easy for me. BYAKUYA: For me, the world is that thing that moves according to my wishes.
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: So that's what Togami-kun bases his self-confidence on... MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: Our worlds are so different... MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: They really are.
REGAINED ON: 04.30 TRIGGER: Free memory regain without a trigger - Five consecutive comments working towards Pesgare's goal in the April event log
BYAKUYA: Oy, Naegi. There is something I want to ask you.
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: Something he wants to ask me...? MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: I have a bad feeling about this...
MAKOTO: Um, what is it...? BYAKUYA: There are only a few chosen people in this world who can achieve any success.
BYAKUYA: The rest of the masses warp themselves in dreams they can't hope to achieve... No, they don't even bother with dreams. BYAKUYA: They work to earn some small change, then use that small change to prolong their miserable lives...
BYAKUYA: ...I don't get it. Is there any worth to such a life? MAKOTO: Why... are you asking me?
BYAKUYA: Beacuse you're a prime example of that kind of person. Don't ask unnecessary questions.
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: I should've seen it coming...
BYAKUYA: I did not have people like you around me until now. That's why I'm interested in you. BYAKUYA: Will you tell me what it feels like to live a life lacking any possibilities? MAKOTO: Hey, wait a second...! MAKOTO: I don't think my life is lacking possibilities! MAKOTO: It would probably be impossible for me to become someone like you, of course, but... MAKOTO: But, there is happiness to be found just by living life itself!
BYAKUYA: You sound like a third rate pop song, repeating well worn mantra... BYAKUYA: Those are nothing but the words of the miserable masses, trying to comfort themselves as they live on... MAKOTO: T...That's too much...!
BYAKUYA: But it's the truth. BYAKUYA: It doesn't matter how much you struggle, you people cannot change the world. BYAKUYA: If you just disappear someday, the world will not notice. In other words, the world has no need for you. MAKOTO: I...It has nothing to do with whether we can change the world or not... MAKOTO: There's worth in normal life, too. Living and working together... MAKOTO: As long as I get to live a satisfying life, I can be happy. MAKOTO: That's why... I don't need to compare myself to others... MAKOTO: I don't care how I compare with people like you, who were born into guaranteed success.
BYAKUYA: ...Wait! BYAKUYA: "Born into"...? BYAKUYA: You... have no idea...
BYAKUYA: You don't understand anything...! MAKOTO: ...Eh?
BYAKUYA: People who have been chosen just by being born don't even deserve to be called "chosen", in the truest sense. BYAKUYA: You fight and you win. Only then do you get to be called "chosen". MAKOTO: ...W...What do you mean?
BYAKUYA: You are naive, Naegi. You're just escaping reality into a world where self satisfaction is enough. BYAKUYA: Escaping the struggles, the wars, the competition. BYAKUYA: And that's why you'll never be able to remove yourself from the worthless masses. BYAKUYA: Honestly, I don't even won't to be involved with someone as clueless as you.
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: Togami-kun left the room, leaving behind words full with intensity.
MAKOTO: Togami-kun... Sure was acting strangely...
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: ...But he only started acting strangely in the middle of our conversation. MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: Right after I said the words "born into".
MAKOTO: What does it mean...?
REGAINED ON: 04.30 TRIGGER: Free memory regain without a trigger - Five consecutive comments working towards Bosuma's goal in the April event log
BYAKUYA: A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. MAKOTO: ...Huh?
BYAKUYA: It's a proverb. It means if you can only obtain something inferior, that's still better than longing for something better.
MAKOTO: Yeah, I know what it means. But... so what?
BYAKUYA: Put another way, if all you have nearby is a loser, that's better than a proper assistant far away.
BYAKUYA: Makoto. BYAKUYA: Be my secretary.
MAKOTO: What...?
BYAKUYA: A useless commoner like you could never hope to earn more than, say, 100,000 dollars a year. BYAKUYA: But as my secretary, you would be guaranteed an ample salary and job security for the rest of your life. And in honor of it being my birthday today...
BYAKUYA: ...how about I multiply your already impossible expectations by, oh, 5.5?
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: 100,000 dollars times 5.5? You mean...?
MAKOTO: 550,000 dollars!? That's like, board member money!
BYAKUYA: Of course, as my secretary you wouldn't be a mere servant. BYAKUYA: At some point, I would want you to become an actual assistant, taking the lead on important projects. BYAKUYA: Assuming you produce acceptable results, you could even become a core part of the Togami Corporation.
BYAKUYA: You have no reason to refuse.
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: This is all so sudden... I don't get why... But he seems serious about it... Still, I...
MAKOTO: I'm sorry, but I'm gonna have to say no.
BYAKUYA: ... BYAKUYA: I'm trying to give you a chance to enter the battlefield of life and claim victory. BYAKUYA: Most commoners will never get that chance. This is literally a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. BYAKUYA: Do you understand? BYAKUYA: This is your chance. This is your one and only chance to rise above the 99%.
BYAKUYA: Are you really so scared of having to fight, to compete, in order to win? MAKOTO: It's not that I'm scared... MAKOTO: It's that I want to succeed based on my own effort. I want to find my own battlefield... MAKOTO: I don't want it handed to me. I want to earn it. I want to find something I'm willing to fight and die for. MAKOTO: That's the only way I'll be satisfied.
BYAKUYA: ... BYAKUYA: Then you meant what you said earlier... BYAKUYA: That if you can live a life that you're satisfied with, that's all that matters...
BYAKUYA: Hmm... I'm glad to see you passed my test. MAKOTO: Huh? Your test?
BYAKUYA: That's right. The mere thought of someone like you as my secretary makes me physically ill. MAKOTO: Wait, so then...
BYAKUYA: The salary offer still stands, of course. It's yours if you want it. BYAKUYA: I don't need you spreading rumors that Byakuya Togami doesn't honor his word.
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: So he'd basically be paying me... to do nothing? MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: In a way... I almost regret my decision.
BYAKUYA: But I must say, I just don't understand you. BYAKUYA: You don't want to fight, and yet you don't flee from the battle, either. MAKOTO: It's like I said... MAKOTO: For me, happiness comes from living the life I want to live. BYAKUYA: Hmph. Easy enough to say.
BYAKUYA: Now you have to enforce your will until the very end.
BYAKUYA: If you can do that, if you can make it to the end, I'm afraid I'll be forced to acknowledge you... MAKOTO: Then that's exactly what I'll do. MAKOTO: Someday, absolutely...
BYAKUYA: I don't expect much from you, but I'll be waiting.
REGAINED ON: 04.30 TRIGGER: Free memory regain without a trigger - Five consecutive comments working towards Magatus' goal in the April event log
BYAKUYA: ... BYAKUYA: How do you still not understand?
MAKOTO: ...Understand what? BYAKUYA: I've been sacrificing all this valuable time of mine for *your* sake. BYAKUYA: But it's all amounted to nothing. We simply have nothing to talk about.
BYAKUYA: We could talk forever and a day, and I would gain nothing from it. MAKOTO: B-But, the more we come to understand each other—
BYAKUYA: You and I will *never* understand each other. We live in different worlds. BYAKUYA: Our ways of life, our ways of thinking are totally incompatible. BYAKUYA: You're a loser. BYAKUYA: So go ahead and live your loser life, make a bunch of loser friends. Then together, you can lick each other's loser wounds. MAKOTO: You don't have to keep saying loser... BYAKUYA: Whether your self-indulgence is a lie or not, it doesn't matter. BYAKUYA: Whatever happens, I'm going to keep on fighting, and I'm going to keep on winning.
BYAKUYA: That's one thing that will never change. MAKOTO: But having to win all the time... MAKOTO: Doesn't that make your life kinda hard?
BYAKUYA: Such is the fate of the chosen.
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: The chosen... MAKOTO: Listen, I've been meaning to ask you... MAKOTO: You keep talking about "the chosen"... What does that mean, exactly? MAKOTO: The way you say it, it seems a lot heavier than how I'd normally think of it... BYAKUYA: ...
BYAKUYA: Fine. If I'm going to waste my time with you anyway, I may as well explain this one last thing. BYAKUYA: I'll tell you how I became known as the Super High School Level Heir.
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: There's a story behind that...?
BYAKUYA: It has to do with the secret to the Togami family's prosperity. BYAKUYA: Our success comes from our family's rather... peculiar inheritance system. MAKOTO: Peculiar inheritance—what do you mean?
BYAKUYA: You see, our family head never takes a wife. BYAKUYA: Rather, he couples with exceptional women the world over, in order to bear as many children as possible.
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: All over the world...?
BYAKUYA: They then make the children compete, and only one can come out on top. BYAKUYA: And whoever it is... earns the right to become the next head of the family. MAKOTO: You mean... you have to fight your own brothers and sisters!?
BYAKUYA: For my battle, there were fifteen of us in total. When all was said and done, only one was still standing—the youngest brother. BYAKUYA: Me.
BYAKUYA: In the entire history of the Togami family, the youngest male had never won.
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: Jeez, that sounds brutal. I can't even imagine something like that...
BYAKUYA: So, now do you understand? BYAKUYA: I won my title in open combat. BYAKUYA: *That* is how l became the Ultimate Affluent Progeny. I was not born into greatness. I had to earn it.
BYAKUYA: I put my life on the line, and I *earned* the right to be called the chosen. MAKOTO: You put your life on the line...? MAKOTO: Then... what about your siblings?
BYAKUYA: Dead.
MAKOTO: D-Dead!?
BYAKUYA: I don't mean that literally, of course. BYAKUYA: They become dead to the family, unfit for the name of Togami.
BYAKUYA: Of course, for them it really is like death. They're forced to become one of the 99%. BYAKUYA: One of *you*. MAKOTO: But it must've been really hard, right?
BYAKUYA: You can't even imagine. Which is why the survivor is recognized as the chosen. BYAKUYA: When you take over as the head of the family, all the weight of that family comes to rest on your shoulders.
BYAKUYA: That is how dedicated I am. I am forever dedicated to keep on winning. BYAKUYA: And so I shall.
BYAKUYA: Otherwise, I would feel only pity for those I'd already defeated.
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: Byakuya pretty much said he carries the weight of always having to win... MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: Winning comes natural to him...
BYAKUYA: All I'll say at this point, is that I'm going to win *this* game, too. BYAKUYA: It's been a long time since I've had so much fun. BYAKUYA: I need to get as much enjoyment out of it as possible.
BYAKUYA: And in the end, I will stand victorious. I won't lose to the mastermind or you or anyone else. BYAKUYA: Even as the rest of you fall one by one, I will live and I will win. BYAKUYA: As long as my name is Byakuya Togami.
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: The finality of his statement left no room for doubt or question. MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: Nobody but Byakuya could talk that way and sound so convincing. MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: But because it's him, it seems possible that maybe that *is* his fate... MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: Honestly, the more I talk to him, the more I see how far apart we are. MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: At the same time, I feel like I understand him that much more... MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: At least...I *think* I do...
BYAKUYA: Now let me be crystal clear—we no longer have anything to talk about. BYAKUYA: Do not come to me like this again. BYAKUYA: Goodbye, loser.
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: I can't imagine any way Byakuya and I could ever become friends in this lifetime...
REGAINED ON: 04.30 TRIGGER: Free memory regain without a trigger - Five consecutive comments working towards Recolle's goal of delivering mail in the April event log
Makoto, dressed in a sweater vest and tie, sits in a classroom and looks out the window. The door opens to reveal Kyouko, wearing a suit and informing him that "everyone is waiting" for him, the headmaster. He stands up and with a smile, he replies that he's coming.
REGAINED ON: 06.29 TRIGGER: Free memory regain without a trigger - Ten consecutive comments in the March Retrospec post
As the holder of this title, it's not surprising that Makoto possesses greater amounts of good luck than other people. Some of the more notable examples of his extraordinary good luck in canon include winning a lottery that led to his acceptance to an extremely prestigious school with free tuition and a guarantee to succeed in life, being the only one in both DR1 and DR2 to ever escape an execution, being the only survivor of the effects of the brainwashing suicide video in DR3's Final Killing Game, and being able to escape from numerous dangerous situations by sheer chance. The less notable examples include slipping on a sheet of paper just in time to miss a wrench being thrown at his head and a fire extinguisher suddenly going off and hitting his assailant.
Unfortunately, Makoto's good luck often comes at the cost of some really unfortunate strings of bad luck. For example, for him to have gotten accepted into Hope's Peak, he had to have an entire day of misfortune that eventually led to the destruction of the original Super High School Level Good Luck student's acceptance letter so a redraw had to be done, resulting in his selection. Furthermore, as seen in this example, Makoto's bad luck can be so terrible that it could even affect the people around him and benefit him. It's also unpredictable enough that Junko, the Super High School Level Analyst (among other talents), can't anticipate what's going to happen with him and this is one of the main reasons why her entire plans come apart. It's difficult to know what really sets off his luck but it is clear that his talent ends up becoming a strange balancing act in that while he or someone else may suffer great amounts of bad luck, it normally translating into good luck for him. An extreme example of this would that he might have been forced to go through the Mutual Killing Game of DR1 but because he was involved, he was able to defeat Junko and help his remaining classmates escape. A lesser example of this would be the broken washroom door in his dorm room: while it was an inconvenience to have, it ultimately proved Makoto's innocence in the first trial.
While it is not as extreme as his predecessor's, Makoto's good luck normally comes at the cost of either his misfortune or the misfortune of the people around him. His good luck and bad luck are pretty interchangeable and they will always accompany one another.
Makoto's eyes will change from a shade of brown to green. However, until the colour green returns to physical appearances, Makoto will currently have grey eyes. As of December 2017, the colour green has been fully restored so Naegi now has his original canon eye colour.
MEMORIES
→ MEMORY 001 [HOPE'S PEAK]
To prepare for his acceptance to Hope Peak Private Academy, Makoto goes online (onto 2ch) to read a thread on the school. Hope's Peak is a school that only accepts students who are the absolute top of their respective fields, leaping far beyond the average. They are then titled as a "Super High School Level" student. Some examples of these students are Super High School Level Idol (the leader of a nationally adored idol group), Super High School Level Baseball Player (ace of Japan's champion high school baseball team), and Super High School Gang Leader (head of Japan's largest motorcycle gang).
REGAINED ON: 09.02
TRIGGER: Free memory regain without a trigger - Five comments in the September Retrospec post
→ MEMORY 002 [KYOUKO'S INTRODUCTION]
Kyouko's introduction. Taken from update #4 of Oren's LP.

KYOUKO: ......
MAKOTO: ......
KYOUKO: ............
MAKOTO: Um, can you tell me your name?
KYOUKO: ......
KYOUKO: My name is... Kyouko Kirigiri.
KYOUKO: ......
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: She sure is a quiet girl.
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: And then there’s her name.
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: Kyouko Kirigiri. I don't recall seeing that name in the Hope's Peak Academy thread.
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: That's right -- excluding me, among Hope's Peak Academy's new students there was one more whose talents were unclear.
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: Is it... this girl?
MAKOTO: Um, hey, so why did you come to this school?
KYOUKO: What do you mean by "why"?
MAKOTO: It's just that you must be some kind of "Super High-school Level" something or other to be chosen to attend here, right?
MAKOTO: So what super-talent do you have?
KYOUKO: ......
KYOUKO: And why... do I have to tell you that?
MAKOTO: Eh?
MAKOTO: You don't have to tell me...
KYOUKO: If I don't have to, I think I won't.
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: Because her name didn't come up on the net, I thought she might be here due to simple luck, like myself, but...
KYOUKO: ......
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: ...it's like she's wearing an iron mask. If she won't tell me there's no way to know.
REGAINED ON: 09.02
TRIGGER: Friends don't experiment on others (except Kyouko Kirigiri does)
→ MEMORY 003 [KYOUKO'S HOPE]
In an unknown room, Makoto and Kyouko sit on the floor. She reaches over with an ungloved hand and places it on top of Makoto's hand. They look at each other as she tells him that the power of his words become her hope.
REGAINED ON: 09.13
TRIGGER: Daisuke's a traitor
→ MEMORY 004 [CHERRY VANILLA COLA]
Examining a vending machine, Makoto despairingly thinks:
"Hmm... They don't have the cherry vanilla Cola Cola I love so much!"
While his friends are dead. Priorities, what are they?
REGAINED ON: 09.13
TRIGGER: Only in this AU...
→ MEMORY 005 [SAVING GRACE]
In the underground garbage disposal room. Taken from update #123 of Oren's LP.


MAKOTO: I feel better now...
MAKOTO: I think I'm all set to get going again...!
KYOUKO: So, you never gave up, did you...
MAKOTO: Of course I didn't...
MAKOTO: My one and only saving grace is being an optimist, after all...
KYOUKO: That's a fantastic saving grace, you know...
REGAINED ON: 09.13
TRIGGER: More optimistic than most people
→ MEMORY 006 [RESCUED]
In Makoto's bedroom in Hope's Peak. Taken from update #109 of Oren's LP.



MAKOTO: ..!!
MAKOTO: Uu...
MAKOTO: ...UWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!
* SWOOSH *
MAKOTO: ............
* CRASH *
MAKOTO: ............
MAKOTO: ............
MAKOTO: * Gasp... Gasp...*
MAKOTO: * Gasp... Gasp... *
MAKOTO: * Gasp... Gasp... Gasp... *
MAKOTO: Eh...?
MAKOTO: Kirigiri...san...?
KYOUKO: ............
KYOUKO: ............
MAKOTO: Did you...
MAKOTO: Did you... say something...?
KYOUKO: ............
KYOUKO: ............
MAKOTO: Say... something...
MAKOTO: ...........................................
REGAINED ON: 09.26
TRIGGER: How is Makoto Naegi still alive
→ MEMORY 007 [PINKY PROMISE]
In the sauna locker room, Makoto tells Kyouko to ensure that coming back alive is her top priority and if that it's too dangerous, she should turn around. She nods in agreement and he sticks up his pinky finger and she entwines it with her own, sealing the promise.
REGAINED ON: 09.25
TRIGGER: Piny promises about not eating brains
→ MEMORY 008 [YOU'VE GOT THAT WRONG]
In the underground courtroom. Taken from update #21 of Oren's LP.

OOWADA: So the culprit used a pocket knife, right? The fucker...
OOWADA: Killing someone in such a lowly fashion...!
MAKOTO: You've got that wrong!
REGAINED ON: 10.04
TRIGGER: The catchphrase
→ MEMORY 009 [UTILITY CLOSET]
During Night Time. Taken from update #76 of Oren's LP.









MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: The story Kirigiri-san told me...
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: Was truly a peculiar one.
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: Even though I just said I trusted her, it wasn't an easy story to believe...
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: That's why I waited patiently until evening to check it out with my own eyes.
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: And then, when it became Night Time...
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: I started moving.
MAKOTO: ............
(FLASHBACK) KYOUKO: The boy's restroom on the second floor. There is no security camera on the monitor inside...
(FLASHBACK) KYOUKO: There's a utility closet over there.
(FLASHBACK) KYOUKO: And inside it...
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: The utility closet in the second-floor boy's restroom...
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: Is there really something there, like Kirigiri-san said?
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: It looks like a perfectly normal utility closet.
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: Is there really a secret here, like Kirigiri-san said?
MAKOTO: ...Kirigiri-san said it was in here, didn't she?
MAKOTO: But I can't see anything sp--
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: It happened when I put my hand on the back wall.
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: Suddenly, as if something was being sucked out of the room...
"Creaaaaaak!!"
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: ...a loud sound could be heard, and my body passed through the wall...
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: Then, before I could tell...
"Crash!!"
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: I fell into the room behind the utility closet.
REGAINED ON: 10.04
TRIGGER: Sneaking around school
→ MEMORY 010 [NEVER AGAIN]
In the boardroom at the Future Foundation's off-shore facility. Taken from episode one of DR3: Mirai-hen.

MONOKUMA: You'll kill each other and treat it like a game like you millennials always do.
RURUKA: Kill each other?
MONOKUMA: Upupup...
MONOKUMA: If it happened twice, it'll happen three times.
MONOKUMA: Stuck in a rut?
MONOKUMA: Nope, it's a classic!
MAKOTO: Heck no!
MAKOTO: We won't play your game!
MAKOTO: We're allies, and we won't kill each other.
MAKOTO: Never again...
REGAINED ON: 10.04
TRIGGER: We'll never kill each other!
→ MEMORY 011 [THE BEGINNING]
In a random classroom. Taken from update #2 of Oren's LP.




MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: ...
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: ......
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: .........
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: ...huh?
MAKOTO: Where... am I?
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: I woke up on top of a hard desk.
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: My entire body was awfully weary.
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: I fell asleep in the middle of a boring class before, of course, but...
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: ...But, why am I sleeping on top of this desk right now?
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: Even stranger, this is a classroom I've never seen before.
MAKOTO: What's... going on?
REGAINED ON: 10.06
TRIGGER: Not his first rodeo
→ MEMORY 012 [MAIZONO'S DEATH]
Maizono's death. Taken from update #15 of Oren's LP.












MAKOTO: I... I'm...
MAKOTO: Going to check on her...!
MAKOTO THOUGHTS: As soon as I finished saying the words, I ran out of the cafeteria into the corridor.
MAKOTO THOUGHTS: Where I was headed...
MAKOTO THOUGHTS: ...was my own room. The one I exchanged with Maizono-san for one night...
MAKOTO THOUGHTS: The room she was supposed to sleep in...
MAKOTO THOUGHTS: But what I found there...
MAKOTO THOUGHTS: In just one night, it was completely turned upside down......
MAKOTO: What the hell is going on here...!?
MAKOTO THOUGHTS: Even the bed is all messed up...
MAKOTO THOUGHTS: There is a key lying on the floor... It's the one with my name written on it.
MAKOTO THOUGHTS: I gave it to Maizono-san when we exchanged our rooms yesterday...
MAKOTO THOUGHTS: This is... the golden practice sword I took for self defense...
MAKOTO THOUGHTS: It's out of its sheath... A naked blade...
MAKOTO THOUGHTS: ...But more importantly, where is Maizono-san!?
MAKOTO THOUGHTS: On the walls and floor... there are scratch marks from some sharp object...!?
MAKOTO THOUGHTS: ...But more importantly, Maizono-san!!?
MAKOTO THOUGHTS: I took a look inside the shower room.
MAKOTO THOUGHTS: I...
MAKOTO THOUGHTS: Took a... look....... inside.......
MAKOTO THOUGHTS: the sh.....ow........er r.....................
MAKOTO THOUGHTS: ..............................................
MAKOTO THOUGHTS: ..............................................
MAKOTO THOUGHTS: It took a little while for me to realize I was screaming.
MAKOTO THOUGHTS: The scene before me was burned firmly into my retinas...
MAKOTO THOUGHTS: And then...
MAKOTO THOUGHTS: And then...
MAKOTO THOUGHTS: ......................
MAKOTO THOUGHTS: .............................
MAKOTO THOUGHTS: ...I blacked out.
REGAINED ON: 10.30
TRIGGER: Free memory regain without a trigger - Threading out October's nightmare wrapping event
→ MEMORY 013 [JUNKO(?)'S DEATH]
Junko(?)'s death. Taken from update #16 of Oren's LP.







MONOKUMA: Gyuuu...!
JUNKO: There, are you satisfied now?
MONOKUMA: I should ask you the same thing.
JUNKO: Huh?
MONOKUMA: Violence against the headmaster is forbidden. It’s against the school rules...
MONOKUMA: I have no choice but invoking my summoning magic! Save me! Gungnir the Spear!!
JUNKO: ..........
JUNKO: Huh.............?
JUNKO: What............?
JUNKO: Isn’t.... that....... strange.....?
JUNKO: Why...... was.... I........?
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: Enoshima-san opened her eyes wide one last time...
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: And then... didn’t move anymore.
REGAINED ON: 11.08
TRIGGER: Game Over
→ MEMORY 014 [AFTER SCHOOL LESSON]
Makoto Naegi's execution.
Strapped to a school desk and chair, Makoto is placed on a conveyor belt backwards, unable to see where he's being led to. In front of him is Monokuma in a pair of glasses and a tie, mock-teaching a lesson. Behind Makoto is a large contraption with a screen of Monokuma's head and a large block that slams down onto the belt every few seconds. As Makoto's desk approaches, the screen changes at the last moment to show Alter Ego's face and the entire machine comes to a halt while the belt continues to move. Makoto moves past the contraption and a door in the floor opens. He falls backwards through the door while Monokuma remains above.
Video of the cutscene is here.
REGAINED ON: 11.08
TRIGGER: This is a James Bond villian's death trap
→ MEMORY 015 [THE CRANE]
In Makoto's first year at junior high school, there was a large crane that got lost and stuck in the school's pool. None of the teachers knew what to do so Makoto, being a part of animal rearing club, was tasked with taking care of the crane. He was able to pick it up from the pool and took it to the forest behind the school, setting it free (but not after being pecked by the bird).
Image of Makoto carrying the crane from Dangan Ronpa: The Animation manga.
REGAINED ON: 11.26
TRIGGER: Attack of the Killer Turkey
→ MEMORY 016 [INTRODUCTION SPEECH]
Makoto's introduction speech from the drama CD. The audio can be found here.
(clears throat)
Nice to meet you! I’m Makoto Naegi. Um, I’m the new... uh, I-I’m nothing special, really. Um, anyway... it looks like I’m enrolled as the Super High School Level Good Luck. Um, from now on, I’ll be... I’ll be in your...
(wind blows)
Ah, no, no! I can’t just introduce myself by saying I’m new!
(breathes deeply)
It’s really happening, isn’t it? Tomorrow, I’ll become a student at Hope's Peak High School. Man, I still can’t believe it, but... This isn’t a dream, right? ...No, I kind of want it to be. I’m the only normal one there! That place is a school full of Super High School Level elites from all over the country. And what on earth is a Super High School Level Good Luck student, anyway?
(sigh)
Everyone’s so great. No one ever thought that someone plain and inconspicuous like me could have been chosen by Hope's Peak. Even I don’t think so.
(gasp)
Maybe... I can still defer?
(desk slamming)
Aah, what am I thinking?! I should keep it positive! What am I saying before classes even start? If they laugh when I mess up, that’s okay! Besides, running away is way lamer. Yep, I’m fine with being made fun of. I’ll be as positive as I can, like always. Alright! Let’s practice that introduction again!
(clears throat, coughs, clears throat again)
Nice to meet you! I’m Makoto Naegi. Um, I was chosen as the Super High School Level Good Luck and will be attending Hope's Peak from now on! I’ll be in your care!
But since I introduced myself as the Super High School Level Good Luck, what am I gonna do if someone asks me to demonstrate my luck?
......
M-maybe I should practice playing rock-paper-scissors...
(ding! idea!)
Ah, that’s right! Mom and the rest of the family can help. Besides... once I go to school, I won’t be seeing them for a while… Let’s do this!
(gets up and goes downstairs)
Hey, Mom! I need your help! Um... w-will you play rock-paper-scissors with me? ...Why are you making that face? No, I know what you’re thinking! I know what you’re thinking but — anyway, just...
(voice fades out)
REGAINED ON: 11.27
TRIGGER: Free memory regain without a trigger - Five comments in the November Retrospec post with new CR
→ MEMORY 017 [HOLDING ON]
In the underground courtroom. Taken from update #25 of Oren's LP.



KYOUKO: You’re a person... who can get over things.
KYOUKO: A person who can get over the death of his friends and continue walking forward.
KYOUKO: If you aren’t, you will not be able to break out of the extreme situation we found ourselves in...
MAKOTO: I can... get over my friends’ deaths?
MAKOTO: I think you’re overestimating me...
MAKOTO: That kind of thing is... impossible.
KYOUKO: ............
MAKOTO: That’s why...
MAKOTO: I will always keep them with me.
MAKOTO: I can’t get over any of it... Maizono-san’s or Kuwata-kun’s deaths...
MAKOTO: I will always keep them with me.
MAKOTO: I will keep going forward holding everyone’s memories forever!!
KYOUKO: .........
KYOUKO: You’re choosing a road that is much more difficult than simply overcoming.
KYOUKO: But I’m looking forward to it.....
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: Saying that, she smiled a little smile.
REGAINED ON: 11.27
TRIGGER: Remembering
→ MEMORY 018 [IN THE SNOW]
A single snap-shot memory of class 78th enjoying themselves in the snow before the tragedy (The Worst, Most Despair inducing Incident in the History of Mankind).
REGAINED ON: 12.31
TRIGGER: Building snowmen
→ MEMORY 019 [WASTING TIME]
In the underground courtroom.





REGAINED ON: 12.31
TRIGGER: Free memory regain without a trigger - Five comments with new CR in December's Retrospect post
→ MEMORY 020 [GIVE IT ALL I HAVE]
During the Free Time events.















SAYAKA: By the way, May I ask you a question, Naegi-kun?
MAKOTO: You’re suddenly so formal again... What’s up?
SAYAKA: I know it’s a little rude to ask, but...
SAYAKA: Do you have a girlfriend, Naegi-kun?
MAKOTO: Eh... Eh!?
MAKOTO: Why do you ask all of a sudden...!?
SAYAKA: Why are you panicking? Does that mean you have one...?
MAKOTO: N...no... I don’t! I don’t have a girlfriend yet!
SAYAKA: ...is there anyone you like?
MAKOTO: W...wait a second!
MAKOTO: What’s with you all of a sudden? Why are you asking me this?
SAYAKA: I was just curious, so I thought I’d ask. Was that wrong?
MAKOTO: I don’t think “wrong” is the right word...
SAYAKA: But it’s just natural I’d be curious. I mean, you and I...
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: M...me and her...!?
SAYAKA: ...we’re classmates stuck in the same situations, aren’t we?
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: Classmates...
SAYAKA: But... you’re really more than that, Naegi-kun...
SAYAKA: We’ve surpassed being just classmates...
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: ...surpassed being classmates!?
SAYAKA: We’re friends. Ever since junior high.
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: Is that... so...
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: Yeah, we’re friends. Of course, that’s how it is...
SAYAKA: ..........
SAYAKA: ...aren’t you going to ask me, Naegi-kun?
MAKOTO: Eh? Ask you what?
SAYAKA: Isn’t it clear?
SAYAKA: Whether I have a boyfriend or not?
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: Honestly, I do want to ask. But there’s a part of me that doesn’t...
MAKOTO: I’m sure you’re very popular with all sorts of men. It wouldn’t be strange if you had one...
SAYAKA: Wrong answer! I don’t have a boyfriend!
SAYAKA: ...I mean, I’m too busy to have one. It’s not just an excuse, it’s true.
MAKOTO: So...
MAKOTO: Is there... someone you like...?
SAYAKA: ...tee hee, I wonder...?
SAYAKA: There is someone who... interests me...
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: Maizono-san looked straight into my eyes. It seemed to me her cheeks turned just a little red...
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: ...Eh? She’s looking straight at me?
SAYAKA: But I should put those feelings aside for the time being. Our priorities should be on finding a way out of here.
MAKOTO: Y...yeah. You’re right...
SAYAKA: ...Naegi-kun, let’s leave this place together.
SAYAKA: You won’t betray me, right?
MAKOTO: O...of course I won’t...! There’s no way I’m going to betray you!
SAYAKA: Naegi-kun, I’m going to say something from the heart. I’m not faking it, it’s what I truly feel...
SAYAKA: I’m... really glad you’re here with me, Naegi-kun...
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: As I looked at that smile, my entire body was overflown with energy.
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: It was like her smile... metamorphosed into strength.
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: I probably became much braver just by having her here with me...
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: The bond between us makes me strong.
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: It makes me feel like I must give it all I have!
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: ...for Maizono-san’s sake!
SAYAKA: I’m happy. You’re going to do your best for me!
MAKOTO: Eh!? How did you..!?
SAYAKA: I can read minds.
SAYAKA: I’m just joking. I just have good intuitions... But...
SAYAKA: ...did you really think that?
MAKOTO: Um... I...
MAKOTO: Anyway! Let’s cooperate and get out of this place together!
MAKOTO: I will not let you down!!
SAYAKA: Yeah, you’re right. Let’s leave together.
SAYAKA: Hee hee hee!
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: “Give it all I have”. Never in my life had these words sank deeper into my heart than now.
REGAINED ON: 12.31
TRIGGER: Free memory regain without a trigger - Two threads with five comments each for the IC charity drive
→ MEMORY 021 [NAKED BODIES]
During the Free Time events.


KIYOTAKA: When you see someone in the nude, it becomes plainly obvious whether they are worthy of your trust...
KIYOTAKA: That's why it's important to show each other our naked bodies!
KIYOTAKA: Let's do it! Show me your body!
REGAINED ON: 01.07
TRIGGER: Bearing bodies...
→ MEMORY 022 [A BLOW TO THE EGO]
During the Free Time events.










BYAKUYA: ............
BYAKUYA: ...I have one question I want to ask you.
MAKOTO: Eh? You have a question for me, Togami-kun...?
BYAKUYA: It's been troubling me for some time now. I just want this mystery settled...
BYAKUYA: You're known as a "Super High-school Level Good Luck"... What does that mean?
MAKOTO: U...Um...
MAKOTO: I'm not really sure myself...
MAKOTO: It's just that I've been chosen in a lottery among every regular high school student in the country.
BYAKUYA: So it really was just simple luck...
BYAKUYA: ... I see. In that case, the mystery is solved.
MAKOTO: Mystery...?
BYAKUYA: The reason why a person with absolutely no talent such as yourself is enrolled in this school...
BYAKUYA: No, strictly speaking, I should've said "a boring person with no hope of ever acquiring a talent".
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: A boring person... With no hope of ever acquiring a talent...
MAKOTO: T...that's a little severe...
BYAKUYA: But it's the truth.
MAKOTO: ...I guess, when compared to a "Super High-school Level Heir" such as yourself...
MAKOTO: But... even I...!
BYAKUYA: Don't sum me up as just being a "Super High-school Level Heir".
BYAKUYA: It's not just about my bloodline. My mind, figure and physique are all Super High-school Level...
BYAKUYA: I might as well be called "Super High-school Level Perfection"... That's what you should refer to me as from now on.
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: H...he's really going that far...
BYAKUYA: A person like yourself, who has nothing, and a person like me, who has everything. Truly, humans are not created equal.
BYAKUYA: Naegi, you have my sympathy. Life sure can be cruel.
............
BYAKUYA: Even I am able of some compassion. I'll do you a favor and tell you more about my magnificent deeds some other time.
BYAKUYA: You should be honored that someone as plain as yourself gets to hear them directly from the man himself.
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: Togami-kun left those words of pity, and walked out of the room...
MAKOTO: I think I understood one thing about Togami-kun...
MAKOTO: Talking to him... is like taking a blow to the ego.
REGAINED ON: 01.31
TRIGGER: Free memory regain without a trigger - Ten consecutive comments in the January Retrospec post
→ MEMORY 023 [NEVER FORGET]
Taken from episode ten of DR3: Mirai-hen.
In a dark and heavily destroyed room, Makoto is flat down on the ground with Kyosuke standing in front of him. Kyosuke declares that he will get rid of all the despair in the world, even if that means he'll have to get rid of the memories of those who fell into despair. Makoto forces himself up and shouts that Kyosuke shouldn't say that he should get rid of those memories and to not forget about Chisa. Enraged, Kyosuke grabs onto Makoto's collar and pushes him up against a wall, punching him repeatedly in the face while asking what Makoto knows. Kyosuke stops when Makoto shouts that he does know. He says that if Kyouko had turned into despair and betrayed everyone, even if he had to kill her in order to stop her, he still would have been glad to have met her and that he would never forget about her.
REGAINED ON: 02.04
TRIGGER: Glad to have met them
→ MEMORY 024 [INFORMING KOMARU]
Taken from DR:AE.
MAKOTO: The reason you were imprisoned there... It's because of us.
MAKOTO: If we weren't chosen by the mastermind, you wouldn't have ended up like this.
KOMARU: Huh? What do you mean?
MAKOTO: You aren't the only prisoner in Towa. With you is everyone who was relevant to our classmates.
MAKOTO: In order to make us commit murder...
MAKOTO: The mastermind abducted people relevant to us and tried to use them as a motive.
MAKOTO: We managed to stop it before it got that far, but the theme was Killing Among Loved Ones...
MAKOTO: The mastermind was going to force us to watch you kill each other to make us really lose all hope.
MAKOTO: The video of you, our family, being abducted was used for motive as well.
MAKOTO: But that was just the beginning. The mastermind was planning something far more cruel.
MAKOTO: In the end, the mastermind was swallowed by the despair, and that motive was left unused.
REGAINED ON: 02.04
TRIGGER: Breaking the news
→ MEMORY 025 [LITERALLY NO IDEA]
That's it. That's the whole memory.
REGAINED ON: 03.08
TRIGGER: He's so confused
→ MEMORY 026 [FUJISAKI'S KILLING BLOW]
In the underground courtroom. Taken from update #42 of Oren's LP.

SAKURA: What killed Fujisaki was...
SAKURA: A wound to the head, wasn't it.
KIYOTAKA: According to the Monobear file...
KIYOTAKA: It was done by a dull object. But what was it!?
YASUHIRO: It was surely an iron pipe, 'right?
KIYOTAKA: I see!
KIYOTAKA: That certainly sounds like a weapon!
AOI: Poor Fujisaki-chan...
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: No... The weapon that killed Fujisaki-san was something that was in that changing room...!
MAKOTO: You've got that wrong!
MAKOTO: I think the weapon that gave the killing blow was the dumbbell found in the scene of the crime.
MAKOTO: That dumbbell had some blood stuck to it, and there was nothing else that could serve as a weapon in the room.
KYOUKO: In addition, the wound on the victim's head fits perfectly to the shape of the dumbbell.
KYOUKO: There is no margin for doubt... This is the right answer.
REGAINED ON: 03.22
TRIGGER: Free memory regain without a trigger - Ten consecutive comments in the March Retrospec post
→ MEMORY 027 [SET THE CRANE FREE]
During the Free Time event. Taken from update #11 from Oren's LP.






SAYAKA: Do you remember our first year at school? There was a big bird that got lost and got stuck in our pool.
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: Now that she says it, I think I remember that incident...
SAYAKA: It was that bird that always shows up in Japanese fairy tales. You know what I mean, the one in that saying about turtles and thousands of years...
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: The big bird that got stuck in the pool during our first year...
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: It was...
MAKOTO: It was a crane. It got lost and came to our school’s pool.
SAYAKA: It was really cool. I mean, it was a crane.
SAYAKA: It was so big, even the teachers didn’t know what to do...
SAYAKA: But you managed to set it free, didn’t you, Naegi-kun? You managed to take it all the way to the forest behind the school...
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: It was only because I was in the animal-rearing club... And I don’t think I did a very good job. I was probably being too forceful.
SAYAKA: Can I... thank you for that time?
MAKOTO: Thank me?
SAYAKA: I am that crane. I came to repay the favor. Will you let me weave you some fabric?
SAYAKA: Heh heh. I’m just joking.
MAKOTO: Yeah... I got that.
REGAINED ON: 03.29
TRIGGER: Crane handling
→ MEMORY 028 [UP THE LADDER]
In the undergrown garbage disposal room. Taken from update #125 of Oren's LP.

MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: Beyond the door was a long tunnel stretching up, like a chimney.
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: On the wall, a steel ladder...
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: We started climbing the ladder, hoping to reach the ground.
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: It was a long ladder. When I looked up, I couldn't even see the ceiling.
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: And then, after a short while...
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: I couldn't see the floor anymore, either.
MAKOTO: That garbage disposal room... It sure is buried deep in the ground...
KYOUKO: Be careful where you step. If you fall down, I won't be able to save you.
MAKOTO: S...Sure. I'll be careful...
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: Nevertheless, her warning probably had the opposite effect...
MAKOTO: ............
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: I should find something to talk about...
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: It's probably a good idea to have something to distract me right now.
REGAINED ON: 04.11
TRIGGER: I'm still in a dream... Snake Eaterrrrrr
→ MEMORY 029 [ISHIDA'S FIRST APPEARANCE]
In the public bath locker room. Taken from update #57 of Oren's LP.





KIYOTAKA: UWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!
MAKOTO: Ishimaru...kun!?
KIYOTAKA: Who is that Ishimaru you’re talking to!?
MAKOTO: Eh... your eyes are...
KIYOTAKA: You don’t have to fucking worry any more! Sorry for giving you all that trouble!
MAKOTO: And the way you talk...
KIYOTAKA: I became... a new me...
KIYOTAKA: Hey, you bastard! My fighting spirit is finally bursting out!!
MAKOTO: W...wait, Ishimaru-kun... calm down...!
KIYOTAKA: I am calm!! And don’t call me Ishimaru!
KIYOTAKA: I am... no longer Ishimaru...
KIYOTAKA: I’m just me!!
KIYOTAKA: MEEEEEEEEE!!
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: Letting out a strange yell, Ishimaru-kun leaped out of the locker room.
REGAINED ON: 04.17
TRIGGER: Mario Kart was a Mistake
→ MEMORY 030 [ISHIDA IS A HANDFUL]
During the Free Time events.


KIYOTAKA: Oh...! Is there anything you want with me...?
KIYOTAKA: Too bad!! There's nothing I want from you, you bastard!
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: I... I think it's probably best to leave him alone for now...
REGAINED ON: 04.30
TRIGGER: Free memory regain without a trigger - Five consecutive comments with new CR in the April Retrospec post
→ MEMORY 031 [MY NAME IS BYAKUYA TOGAMI]
During the Free Time events.













BYAKUYA: When all is said and done, calling me a "Super High-school Level Heir" describes but one of my numerous skills.
BYAKUYA: The word "heir" may give you the wrong idea. I am not just relying on the patronage of the Togami family.
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: Huh...? Did he just start speaking about himself without being prompted...?
BYAKUYA: It would be best to call me the Savior of the Togami family.
BYAKUYA: The Togami conglomerate is already one of the world's largest, but under my leadership it will take a huge leap forward...
BYAKUYA: I really am such a person of exceptional talent. I'm superior to anyone in the family.
BYAKUYA: That is, even in a distinguished family such as mine, I am the most distinguished.
MAKOTO: Y...you have amazing self-confidence... don't you...
BYAKUYA: It's self-confidence that's based on fact. I have real achievements that support it.
MAKOTO: ...Achievements?
BYAKUYA: My personal assets already exceed 40,000,000,000 yen. I earned it all without relying on the Togami power.
MAKOTO: T...that much?! How did you do it!?
BYAKUYA: Stocks.
BYAKUYA: In a span of one day, one acquires stocks and sells them. Trading during such a short period of time secures margins from the fluctuation in stock prices...
BYAKUYA: Even a simpleton such as yourself must have heard of the practice...?
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: A method of trading stocks within a single day... I've heard about it...
MAKOTO: It's called "day trade", isn't it?
MAKOTO: So, you made 400,000,000,000 yen by day trading?
BYAKUYA: I started doing it just to kill time, but before I knew it I earned that much.
BYAKUYA: ...It's not a big deal.
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: No, it really is... And also...
MAKOTO: Can high school students even participate in the stock market?
BYAKUYA: My name is Byakuya Togami.
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: Was that... an answer to the question?
BYAKUYA: That amount of money doesn't mean much to the Togami conglomerate, but it is helpful as a personal fund.
BYAKUYA: Do you understand now how much more I am than a simple heir...?
MAKOTO: So you want to say...
MAKOTO: That you should have been called a "Super High-school Level Day Trader" instead...
BYAKUYA: I have already quit trading... It was a boring game. Too easy.
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: He keeps saying such outrageous things...
BYAKUYA: Whatever I do, it's always the same.
BYAKUYA: The world itself is too easy for me.
BYAKUYA: For me, the world is that thing that moves according to my wishes.
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: So that's what Togami-kun bases his self-confidence on...
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: Our worlds are so different...
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: They really are.
REGAINED ON: 04.30
TRIGGER: Free memory regain without a trigger - Five consecutive comments working towards Pesgare's goal in the April event log
→ MEMORY 032 [BORN INTO]
During the Free Time events.












BYAKUYA: Oy, Naegi. There is something I want to ask you.
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: Something he wants to ask me...?
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: I have a bad feeling about this...
MAKOTO: Um, what is it...?
BYAKUYA: There are only a few chosen people in this world who can achieve any success.
BYAKUYA: The rest of the masses warp themselves in dreams they can't hope to achieve... No, they don't even bother with dreams.
BYAKUYA: They work to earn some small change, then use that small change to prolong their miserable lives...
BYAKUYA: ...I don't get it. Is there any worth to such a life?
MAKOTO: Why... are you asking me?
BYAKUYA: Beacuse you're a prime example of that kind of person. Don't ask unnecessary questions.
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: I should've seen it coming...
BYAKUYA: I did not have people like you around me until now. That's why I'm interested in you.
BYAKUYA: Will you tell me what it feels like to live a life lacking any possibilities?
MAKOTO: Hey, wait a second...!
MAKOTO: I don't think my life is lacking possibilities!
MAKOTO: It would probably be impossible for me to become someone like you, of course, but...
MAKOTO: But, there is happiness to be found just by living life itself!
BYAKUYA: You sound like a third rate pop song, repeating well worn mantra...
BYAKUYA: Those are nothing but the words of the miserable masses, trying to comfort themselves as they live on...
MAKOTO: T...That's too much...!
BYAKUYA: But it's the truth.
BYAKUYA: It doesn't matter how much you struggle, you people cannot change the world.
BYAKUYA: If you just disappear someday, the world will not notice. In other words, the world has no need for you.
MAKOTO: I...It has nothing to do with whether we can change the world or not...
MAKOTO: There's worth in normal life, too. Living and working together...
MAKOTO: As long as I get to live a satisfying life, I can be happy.
MAKOTO: That's why... I don't need to compare myself to others...
MAKOTO: I don't care how I compare with people like you, who were born into guaranteed success.
BYAKUYA: ...Wait!
BYAKUYA: "Born into"...?
BYAKUYA: You... have no idea...
BYAKUYA: You don't understand anything...!
MAKOTO: ...Eh?
BYAKUYA: People who have been chosen just by being born don't even deserve to be called "chosen", in the truest sense.
BYAKUYA: You fight and you win. Only then do you get to be called "chosen".
MAKOTO: ...W...What do you mean?
BYAKUYA: You are naive, Naegi. You're just escaping reality into a world where self satisfaction is enough.
BYAKUYA: Escaping the struggles, the wars, the competition.
BYAKUYA: And that's why you'll never be able to remove yourself from the worthless masses.
BYAKUYA: Honestly, I don't even won't to be involved with someone as clueless as you.
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: Togami-kun left the room, leaving behind words full with intensity.
MAKOTO: Togami-kun... Sure was acting strangely...
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: ...But he only started acting strangely in the middle of our conversation.
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: Right after I said the words "born into".
MAKOTO: What does it mean...?
REGAINED ON: 04.30
TRIGGER: Free memory regain without a trigger - Five consecutive comments working towards Bosuma's goal in the April event log
→ MEMORY 033 [HIS SECRETARY]
During the Free Time events.
BYAKUYA: A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
MAKOTO: ...Huh?
BYAKUYA: It's a proverb. It means if you can only obtain something inferior, that's still better than longing for something better.
MAKOTO: Yeah, I know what it means. But... so what?
BYAKUYA: Put another way, if all you have nearby is a loser, that's better than a proper assistant far away.
BYAKUYA: Makoto.
BYAKUYA: Be my secretary.
MAKOTO: What...?
BYAKUYA: A useless commoner like you could never hope to earn more than, say, 100,000 dollars a year.
BYAKUYA: But as my secretary, you would be guaranteed an ample salary and job security for the rest of your life. And in honor of it being my birthday today...
BYAKUYA: ...how about I multiply your already impossible expectations by, oh, 5.5?
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: 100,000 dollars times 5.5? You mean...?
MAKOTO: 550,000 dollars!? That's like, board member money!
BYAKUYA: Of course, as my secretary you wouldn't be a mere servant.
BYAKUYA: At some point, I would want you to become an actual assistant, taking the lead on important projects.
BYAKUYA: Assuming you produce acceptable results, you could even become a core part of the Togami Corporation.
BYAKUYA: You have no reason to refuse.
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: This is all so sudden... I don't get why... But he seems serious about it... Still, I...
MAKOTO: I'm sorry, but I'm gonna have to say no.
BYAKUYA: ...
BYAKUYA: I'm trying to give you a chance to enter the battlefield of life and claim victory.
BYAKUYA: Most commoners will never get that chance. This is literally a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
BYAKUYA: Do you understand?
BYAKUYA: This is your chance. This is your one and only chance to rise above the 99%.
BYAKUYA: Are you really so scared of having to fight, to compete, in order to win?
MAKOTO: It's not that I'm scared...
MAKOTO: It's that I want to succeed based on my own effort. I want to find my own battlefield...
MAKOTO: I don't want it handed to me. I want to earn it. I want to find something I'm willing to fight and die for.
MAKOTO: That's the only way I'll be satisfied.
BYAKUYA: ...
BYAKUYA: Then you meant what you said earlier...
BYAKUYA: That if you can live a life that you're satisfied with, that's all that matters...
BYAKUYA: Hmm... I'm glad to see you passed my test.
MAKOTO: Huh? Your test?
BYAKUYA: That's right. The mere thought of someone like you as my secretary makes me physically ill.
MAKOTO: Wait, so then...
BYAKUYA: The salary offer still stands, of course. It's yours if you want it.
BYAKUYA: I don't need you spreading rumors that Byakuya Togami doesn't honor his word.
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: So he'd basically be paying me... to do nothing?
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: In a way... I almost regret my decision.
BYAKUYA: But I must say, I just don't understand you.
BYAKUYA: You don't want to fight, and yet you don't flee from the battle, either.
MAKOTO: It's like I said...
MAKOTO: For me, happiness comes from living the life I want to live.
BYAKUYA: Hmph. Easy enough to say.
BYAKUYA: Now you have to enforce your will until the very end.
BYAKUYA: If you can do that, if you can make it to the end, I'm afraid I'll be forced to acknowledge you...
MAKOTO: Then that's exactly what I'll do.
MAKOTO: Someday, absolutely...
BYAKUYA: I don't expect much from you, but I'll be waiting.
REGAINED ON: 04.30
TRIGGER: Free memory regain without a trigger - Five consecutive comments working towards Magatus' goal in the April event log
→ MEMORY 034 [GOODBYE, LOSER]
During the Free Time events.
BYAKUYA: ...
BYAKUYA: How do you still not understand?
MAKOTO: ...Understand what?
BYAKUYA: I've been sacrificing all this valuable time of mine for *your* sake.
BYAKUYA: But it's all amounted to nothing. We simply have nothing to talk about.
BYAKUYA: We could talk forever and a day, and I would gain nothing from it.
MAKOTO: B-But, the more we come to understand each other—
BYAKUYA: You and I will *never* understand each other. We live in different worlds.
BYAKUYA: Our ways of life, our ways of thinking are totally incompatible. BYAKUYA: You're a loser.
BYAKUYA: So go ahead and live your loser life, make a bunch of loser friends. Then together, you can lick each other's loser wounds.
MAKOTO: You don't have to keep saying loser...
BYAKUYA: Whether your self-indulgence is a lie or not, it doesn't matter.
BYAKUYA: Whatever happens, I'm going to keep on fighting, and I'm going to keep on winning.
BYAKUYA: That's one thing that will never change.
MAKOTO: But having to win all the time...
MAKOTO: Doesn't that make your life kinda hard?
BYAKUYA: Such is the fate of the chosen.
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: The chosen...
MAKOTO: Listen, I've been meaning to ask you...
MAKOTO: You keep talking about "the chosen"... What does that mean, exactly?
MAKOTO: The way you say it, it seems a lot heavier than how I'd normally think of it...
BYAKUYA: ...
BYAKUYA: Fine. If I'm going to waste my time with you anyway, I may as well explain this one last thing.
BYAKUYA: I'll tell you how I became known as the Super High School Level Heir.
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: There's a story behind that...?
BYAKUYA: It has to do with the secret to the Togami family's prosperity. BYAKUYA: Our success comes from our family's rather... peculiar inheritance system.
MAKOTO: Peculiar inheritance—what do you mean?
BYAKUYA: You see, our family head never takes a wife.
BYAKUYA: Rather, he couples with exceptional women the world over, in order to bear as many children as possible.
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: All over the world...?
BYAKUYA: They then make the children compete, and only one can come out on top.
BYAKUYA: And whoever it is... earns the right to become the next head of the family.
MAKOTO: You mean... you have to fight your own brothers and sisters!?
BYAKUYA: For my battle, there were fifteen of us in total. When all was said and done, only one was still standing—the youngest brother.
BYAKUYA: Me.
BYAKUYA: In the entire history of the Togami family, the youngest male had never won.
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: Jeez, that sounds brutal. I can't even imagine something like that...
BYAKUYA: So, now do you understand?
BYAKUYA: I won my title in open combat.
BYAKUYA: *That* is how l became the Ultimate Affluent Progeny. I was not born into greatness. I had to earn it.
BYAKUYA: I put my life on the line, and I *earned* the right to be called the chosen.
MAKOTO: You put your life on the line...?
MAKOTO: Then... what about your siblings?
BYAKUYA: Dead.
MAKOTO: D-Dead!?
BYAKUYA: I don't mean that literally, of course.
BYAKUYA: They become dead to the family, unfit for the name of Togami.
BYAKUYA: Of course, for them it really is like death. They're forced to become one of the 99%.
BYAKUYA: One of *you*.
MAKOTO: But it must've been really hard, right?
BYAKUYA: You can't even imagine. Which is why the survivor is recognized as the chosen.
BYAKUYA: When you take over as the head of the family, all the weight of that family comes to rest on your shoulders.
BYAKUYA: That is how dedicated I am. I am forever dedicated to keep on winning.
BYAKUYA: And so I shall.
BYAKUYA: Otherwise, I would feel only pity for those I'd already defeated.
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: Byakuya pretty much said he carries the weight of always having to win...
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: Winning comes natural to him...
BYAKUYA: All I'll say at this point, is that I'm going to win *this* game, too.
BYAKUYA: It's been a long time since I've had so much fun.
BYAKUYA: I need to get as much enjoyment out of it as possible.
BYAKUYA: And in the end, I will stand victorious. I won't lose to the mastermind or you or anyone else.
BYAKUYA: Even as the rest of you fall one by one, I will live and I will win.
BYAKUYA: As long as my name is Byakuya Togami.
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: The finality of his statement left no room for doubt or question.
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: Nobody but Byakuya could talk that way and sound so convincing.
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: But because it's him, it seems possible that maybe that *is* his fate...
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: Honestly, the more I talk to him, the more I see how far apart we are.
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: At the same time, I feel like I understand him that much more...
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: At least...I *think* I do...
BYAKUYA: Now let me be crystal clear—we no longer have anything to talk about.
BYAKUYA: Do not come to me like this again.
BYAKUYA: Goodbye, loser.
MAKOTO'S THOUGHTS: I can't imagine any way Byakuya and I could ever become friends in this lifetime...
REGAINED ON: 04.30
TRIGGER: Free memory regain without a trigger - Five consecutive comments working towards Recolle's goal of delivering mail in the April event log
→ MEMORY 035 [HEADMASTER]
From Dangan Ronpa 3: Hope Arc.



Makoto, dressed in a sweater vest and tie, sits in a classroom and looks out the window. The door opens to reveal Kyouko, wearing a suit and informing him that "everyone is waiting" for him, the headmaster. He stands up and with a smile, he replies that he's coming.
REGAINED ON: 06.29
TRIGGER: Free memory regain without a trigger - Ten consecutive comments in the March Retrospec post
ABILITIES
→ ABILITY 001 [SHSL GOOD LUCK]
The talent of Super High School Level Good Luck!
As the holder of this title, it's not surprising that Makoto possesses greater amounts of good luck than other people. Some of the more notable examples of his extraordinary good luck in canon include winning a lottery that led to his acceptance to an extremely prestigious school with free tuition and a guarantee to succeed in life, being the only one in both DR1 and DR2 to ever escape an execution, being the only survivor of the effects of the brainwashing suicide video in DR3's Final Killing Game, and being able to escape from numerous dangerous situations by sheer chance. The less notable examples include slipping on a sheet of paper just in time to miss a wrench being thrown at his head and a fire extinguisher suddenly going off and hitting his assailant.
Unfortunately, Makoto's good luck often comes at the cost of some really unfortunate strings of bad luck. For example, for him to have gotten accepted into Hope's Peak, he had to have an entire day of misfortune that eventually led to the destruction of the original Super High School Level Good Luck student's acceptance letter so a redraw had to be done, resulting in his selection. Furthermore, as seen in this example, Makoto's bad luck can be so terrible that it could even affect the people around him and benefit him. It's also unpredictable enough that Junko, the Super High School Level Analyst (among other talents), can't anticipate what's going to happen with him and this is one of the main reasons why her entire plans come apart. It's difficult to know what really sets off his luck but it is clear that his talent ends up becoming a strange balancing act in that while he or someone else may suffer great amounts of bad luck, it normally translating into good luck for him. An extreme example of this would that he might have been forced to go through the Mutual Killing Game of DR1 but because he was involved, he was able to defeat Junko and help his remaining classmates escape. A lesser example of this would be the broken washroom door in his dorm room: while it was an inconvenience to have, it ultimately proved Makoto's innocence in the first trial.
While it is not as extreme as his predecessor's, Makoto's good luck normally comes at the cost of either his misfortune or the misfortune of the people around him. His good luck and bad luck are pretty interchangeable and they will always accompany one another.
REGAINED ON: 10.01
POINTS: 250
ITEMS
→ ITEM 001 [NAME PLATE]
Makoto's name plate. It has a sprite of himself and his name written in Japanese on it.
REGAINED ON: 12.31
POINTS: Free item regain without points - Christmas Gift
→ ITEM 002 [BLOODY KNIFE]
The kitchen knife that was used to kill Sayaka Maizono. The blade is still covered with her blood.
REGAINED ON: 01.09
POINTS: 20
→ ITEM 003 [CRANE]
A red-crowned crane. It's back to terrorize Naegi once more
REGAINED ON: 03.07
POINTS: 80
→ ITEM 004 [BLOODY DUMBBELL]
The dumbbell that was used to kill Chihiro Fujisaki. One side is still covered with his blood.
REGAINED ON: 03.19
POINTS: 25
APPEARANCE
→ APPEARANCE 001 [GREEN EYES]
Makoto's eyes will change from a shade of brown to green.
However, until the colour green returns to physical appearances, Makoto will currently have grey eyes.As of December 2017, the colour green has been fully restored so Naegi now has his original canon eye colour.A reference of his eyes is here.
REGAINED ON: 10.01
POINTS: 80
→ APPEARANCE 002 [BROWN HAIR]
Makoto's hair colour will change from black to light brown.
A reference of his hair colour is here.
REGAINED ON: 10.01
POINTS: 100
→ APPEARANCE 003 [AHOGE]
Makoto will now have a permanent ahoge that will stand up no matter how much gel he uses. It also stands up in water, wow!
A reference of his ahoge is here.
REGAINED ON: 10.01
POINTS: 50