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| “ | When Maki said she was going to sacrifice herself just now, I thought...Why? So many of our friends have sacrificed their lives. Why Maki? Why now? Why do we have to go through it again? The sorrow of losing Kaede...and Kaito... Why do we have to feel that sadness over and over and over again?! ...Why do we have to bear that burden...? Well, I don't care how much the audience wants it, I'm not gonna feel that way anymore! I DON'T WANT ANYONE TO FEEL THAT WAY MORE! Even if this is fiction, even if we're all fictional... The pain in my heart is real! The sadness I feel when I lose the people I love is real! I won't forgive this game that treats us like toys. And if this is what the world wants...then I reject that world! I'll fight the world that inflicts suffering for entertainment! | „ |
| ~ Shuichi swearing vengeance against Tsumugi, Monokuma, and all of humanity as revenge for the torment Danganronpa has put him through |
| “ | Yeah...but I feel like...there's not too much meaning in truth and lies... I mean that...even if something is a lie, even if it's fiction... If it has the power to change the world, then it must contain some kind of truth. Aren't we proof of that? In this fictional world, we overcame all these fictional struggles... But those things changed us. And we were able to change the world. So it doesn't really matter where the truth ends and where the lies begin. If lies can change the world just as well as the truth can... Then lies...are just another way of telling the truth. Some lies can lead the world to hope... Some truths can lead the world to despair... So I don't think anyone can really say which is more right in the end. | „ |
| ~ Shuichi talking about the true meanings of truth and lies during the epilogue. |
Shuichi Saihara is the main protagonist of Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony. He was initially shown to be the deuteragonist of the game's first chapter, but takes as the role of the protagonist and the true main perspective of the game following the death of the initial protagonist, Kaede Akamatsu.
He is a student in Ultimate Academy for Gifted Juveniles and a participant in the Killing School Semester. Shuichi has the title of the Ultimate Detective (Super High School Level Detective), though he himself claims he doesn't deserve it, as he is only a "detective-in-training".
He is voiced by Megumi Hayashibara in the Japanese version of the game, and by Grant George in the English version of the game.
History[]
After he was accepted to participate in the 53rd Killing Game, Shuichi's memories were fabricated by Team Danganronpa as follows: his father is a famous actor and his mother a screenwriter, who went overseas for business, which is why Shuichi began to live with his uncle and his wife (who was also Shuichi's aunt).
While Shuichi claims there isn't any sad story behind it all, his parents are neglectful towards him, and he smiles bitterly whenever he talks about them. To show his gratitude to his uncle, Shuichi helped him by working as his assistant in his detective agency. While he was only helping out and had no desire to be a detective himself, he learned to be a detective this way.
Shuichi's first detective case was unofficial but a tough one, as his classmate asked him to find her miniature pet alligator, and he had to do a lot of research, prepare tools and eventually climb around mountains and swim up rivers. As thanks for finding her pet, Shuichi's classmate later gave him chocolate for Valentine's Day, though he assumed it was done just as friends. Shuichi was mostly happy to be useful and memorized her words "thank you". His first official case was an infidelity case, which was nothing compared to the alligator one.
Most of the cases that happened to come to his uncle were small things like investigating infidelity, but on the one rare occasion Shuichi managed to solve a murder case faster than the police and became publicly known as the junior detective, gaining him his Ultimate title. However, Shuichi does not believe he deserves the title, claiming that he only happened to solve this one case by chance.
In reality, the situation was more complicated. When the culprit was captured thanks to Shuichi, his eyes were full of hatred and malice as he looked at Shuichi, and the boy never forgot that gaze. Shuichi heard later that the culprit had killed the victim to avenge his family and the victim was a horrible person who had tricked the culprit's family and driven them to suicide. Shuichi felt guilty for "siding with" the victim and felt everything was his fault because he exposed the truth. He gained a fear of exposing the truth, considering himself a pathetic detective, and he began to wear a hat because he couldn't look at other people's eyes.
Shuichi survives the entire game and escapes Ultimate Academy for Gifted Juveniles with the other two survivors, Maki Harukawa and Himiko Yumeno.
Appearance[]
Most of the time, Shuichi wears a black cap with three white stripes lining the back of it, and a silver star pinned near the front. Underneath the cap, he has short black hair with a small ahoge. He has very pale skin and a slim figure. His eyes are gambogeish grey, with thick, feminine eyelashes that are completely natural.
Shuichi's high school uniform is double-breasted and pinstripe, thin, grey stripes over a black uniform. His pants match his uniforms design, black with a pinstripe design to accentuate his long legs. His former schools emblem is on the breast pocket of his uniform, the pocket accentuated with a dull golden color to stand out from his generally dark, monotone uniform. His shoes are dark blue loafers that are both fashionable and easy to walk in, making it easy for him to investigate comfortably.
In the prologue, he wears the uniform of his original high school. He wears a blazer-style casual uniform with jacket, pants and a striped blue necktie. The collar on the shirt is large, making him look more gorgeous. He never lets go of the cap that blocks his sight, regardless of whether or not it goes well with his uniform.
Personality[]
Shuichi appears to be a quiet, serious, and polite boy. However, he is also stated to have a weak personality, and he is abnormally timid when it comes to speaking. He often has negative remarks, frequently blushes and suffers from a cold sweat. With his unsure demeanor, he has a tendency to assume that other people can do things better than him, and he comes across as quite unreliable at first glance. Among the sixteen students, he is a boy who stands out for his submissiveness but also for his level-headedness.
However, Shuichi can also have a stronger attitude at times when the situation calls for it. He is the first to immediately suggest going after the mastermind during chapter 1, and goes to great lengths to trap them, showing an affinity towards proactivity. His hat is an especially sore subject for him and he dislikes to look at other people's eyes, which is why he wears the hat. The events of chapter 6 have caused him to become cynical as well as being vengeful as result of of the torment Danganronpa has put him through.
Quotes[]
| “ | Ah, well...some dangers are hidden where you can't see. | „ |
| ~ Shuichi in the game's prologue. |
| “ | ...I'm not a real detective, Kaede. What kind of stupid detective is afraid of finding the truth? | „ |
| ~ Shuichi's expressing his insecurities over his talent to Kaede. |
| “ | Kaede wants me to reveal the truth. She trusts me with her wish... So...I can't back down. I need to fulfill her wish! I need to fight for the truth! | „ |
| ~ Shuichi's dedication to fulfilling Kaede's wish. |
| “ | Kaede...why? Why are you smiling like that...? Why are you still trying to get me to be brave? Why, Kaede!? Why are you thinking about everyone except yourself!? If you had just been less selfless, you wouldn't have had to murder... Why...? Why do you do that? | „ |
| ~ Shuichi confused at Kaede remaining optimistic even after being found guilty of Rantaro's murder. |
| “ | Yeah...I'll try. I don't know if I can do it, but... No...I'll do it! I have to believe in myself... I won't be afraid anymore. I will face the truth...for everyone. I promise. | „ |
| ~ Shuichi make the decision to believe in himself for the sake of the other students and fulfilling Kaede's final wish. |
| “ | It sounds like everyone has taken Kaede's final wish to heart. Even if Kaede is no longer with us... Kaede's wish will never vanish! | „ |
| ~ Shuichi expressing his dedication towards fulfilling Kaede's wish. |
| “ | Listen... I can't even begin to imagine what your life has been like... And I know that this is going to sound cliche, but... You shouldn't give up on life. If you keep living...I'm sure good things will happen. | „ |
| ~ Shuichi sympathizing with Ryoma. |
| “ | He's right... I just have to do it. I have to believe in myself. I have to *believe* that I can do it. I'm going to survive. We're going to survive, together. Maybe I don't really understand it, maybe I don't have a reason— No! I want to live! I want to live a long life! I don't want to die! I can't die in a place like this! Never! | „ |
| ~ Shuichi taking Kaito's words to heart. |
| “ | It seems like our opinions are split on this matter...but if we focus on the evidence, the facts will become clear. All I have to do is show them and make them accept it. If I can't get them to see the truth now, my lie would have been for nothing... ...I won't fail. | „ |
| ~ Shuichi refusing to give up on trying to solve Ryoma's murder. |
| “ | In the end...I'm just like them. I'm scared of revealing the truth. Because it means that someone has to be sacrificed. But Kaede was scared, too... She didn't let that stop her. She thoughts thing through to the end. I faced the truth, and doubted it, and kept thinking, and kept going... This is where it led me. And I won't turn away from it. | „ |
| ~ Shuichi's fear of revealing the truth. |
| “ | My goal is the same as Kaede's. Get out of here, with everyone. And that means...I need to do something. | „ |
| ~ Shuichi realizing how he has to act quickly in order to help the other students escape the Killing Game. |
| “ | Live life facing forward." She said that to you, right? If you give up on living...you'd be betraying her memory. We're...all trying to keep our promises to the dead. This trial...it's not just for our lives, it's for everyone who's died as well. That's why we can't give up! This is our responsibility! We live on! | „ |
| ~ Shuichi confronting Himiko about what Tenko told her before her death. |
| “ | The tears we shed... I can't even describe it. We were crying about what we had been through, and what was to come... Sadness, hatred, frustration, discord, anger, love... Tears filled with emotion. But at the very least...they weren't tears of submission. They were tears to push us forward. | „ |
| ~ Shuichi as he and the others cry with Himiko after the trial. |
| “ | I'm just happy... It's, ah, really nice that you're working with us like this. | „ |
| ~ Shuichi after Maki becomes more cooperative with the other students. |
| “ | I'm going to look back at the whole case one more time, okay? When you're convinced, you just let me know, alright? Let's end this thing together. | „ |
| ~ Shuichi explaing to Gonta how they'll solve the trial together. |
| “ | I thought... I thought I could help... I wanted us all to survive... And I wanted it so damn bad, I kept fighting for it, fighting for the truth... By trying to survive, we're just playing the stupid game... ...Just like Kokichi. | „ |
| ~ Shuichi coming to the realization that he and the others are enabling the Killing Game in their efforts to survive. |
| “ | I believe in my own logic... And...I believe in Kaito... From this point on, it's not about logic! It's about how far I'm willing to go! I believe in you, Kaito. Not as a detective...but as Shuichi Saihara. | „ |
| ~ Shuichi choosing to follow what he believes from then on. |
| “ | That's...enough! Enough of your bullshit, Monokuma! I made a promise to Kaito! I will end this killing game! And to give Kaito's death meaning, I swear I *will* keep my promise! | „ |
| ~ Shuichi screaming at Monokuma that he won't let Kaito die in vain. |
| “ | Someone we all trusted, and Someone none of us trusted... We lost the both. | „ |
| ~ Shuichi after the deaths of Kaito and Kokichi. |
| “ | Kaito said it best... I'm not alone. That's right. I have friends. Not just my friends here, but also friends who have died... They all gave us their hope too. That's why...I'm going to live. I want to live for everyone who died. Despair cannot defeat me. I will hold on, and survive no matter what. Thank you...Kaito. | „ |
| ~ Shuichi thanking Kaito after the latter's death. |
| “ | ...Just as I said before. We need to find the truth in order to end this killing game. To truly end this killing game, we must find this mastermind of despair... and also find hope. But if we look for it, we just might find it. If we don't try...we'll never find anything. So we have to try. | „ |
| ~ Shuichi announcing that in order to stop the Killing Game, he and the survivors must find the mastermind of despair and regain their hope. |
| “ | Although we were forced into these class trials by the mastermind, that's how we survived! It was the only way... It was the only way we could survive! | „ |
| ~ Shuichi stating that the class trials where what enabled him and the remaining students to survive. |
| “ | Everything's a lie... Everything's meaningless... Everything we've done, everything we've faced together... ...All of our feelings... | „ |
| ~ Shuichi falling into despair upon learning that he and everything and everyone he ever knew and cared about were all pure fiction. |
| “ | We got this far...and you're telling us to sacrifice more of our friends? | „ |
| ~ Shuichi snapping at Tsumugi. |
| “ | The people watching probably feel the same way... They want hope, too. Even if it's fiction, everyone wants to feel hope... It gives them...courage. And this killing game continues because we keep giving them the hope they want. While they ignore all the tragedies that we had to suffer to get there! | „ |
| ~ Shuichi realizing that hope will only cause the killing games to continue. |
| “ | Even if this is fiction, even if we're all fictional... The pain in my heart is real! The sadness I feel when I lose the people I love is real! I won't forgive this game that treats us like toys. And if this is what the world wants...then I reject that world! I'll fight the world that inflicts suffering for entertainment! | „ |
| ~ Shuichi declaring that he'll take a stand against the outside world for what they did to him and the students who died in the Killing Game. |
| “ | I reject both hope and despair! | „ |
| ~ Shuichi refusing to vote for either Keebo or Tsumugi, rejecting both hope and despair. |
| “ | Even if it is fiction! It's because of everyone's sacrifices that we've come this far! Their deaths have to be more than just fiction... There must be something we can do! We're going to use this fiction to change reality! We're going to end Danganronpa! | „ |
| ~ A determined Shuichi declaring how he and the survivors will put an end to Danganronpa. |
| “ | It's not that I want to die! We fought so hard to survive... Of course we don't want to die. But it's not just about us. Everyone who died in the killing games felt the same way. They were all desperate to live. They wanted to survive. For themselves...and for someone else. That desire...isn't fictional to us! That pain isn't fictional to us! To us, the killing game is real tragedy! That's why we have to stop it! We won't let this happen ever again! | „ |
| ~ Shuichi announcing that he will stop the Killing Games even if it costs his life. |
| “ | Even if we die, it's not the end! Our friends who died...gave us their love. And we changed because of that. If we can inspire change in others, then that love will live on. That love will tear down the wall between fiction and reality, and it will live on...forever. That's why...I'm going to change the world. As long as I have their love, I will change it! Even if this whole story is a lie... I will use that lie to change the world! | „ |
| ~ Shuichi explaining that even if they don't survive, the impact they make on the world will live on forever. |
| “ | You never appreciated us... And it looks like you didn't appreciate the power of fiction! No one wants you anymore! No one wants to hear your sick, twisted stories anymore! | „ |
| ~ Shuichi clarrifying to Tsumugi that the outside world doesn't want to keep Danganronpa going. |
| “ | Come one, everyone! We should be proud! We were able to change the world in the end. If this is all just fiction, then everything we've achieved up till now might be a lie. But those lies... They changed the world. Even if we are just fictional characters someone made up. We were able to change the world. | „ |
| ~ Shuichi encouraging the survivors to put an end to Danganronpa once and for all. |
| “ | Yeah. Let's go. We'll see what this world gained, and what it lost, and all the rest. Let's find out, together. To other side of this world... To the other side of fiction... Let's find out, together. It's what we could accomplish. | „ |
| ~ Shuichi before leaving for the outside world with the two remaining survivors, Maki and Himiko. |
| “ | The story lives on. I'm sure, even now... Even on the other side... It lives on there, as well. And thus, the story lives on. Was this lie able to change something? Was this lie able to change someone? Was this lie...able to change the world? If it was able to change even the smallest thing... ...Then the story isn't over. | „ |
| ~ Shuichi's final words during the epilogue, and the game itself. |
Gallery[]
Images[]
_(1).png "Danganronpa V3 Shuichi Saihara Halfbody Sprite (Hat) (1).png (385 KB)"){kind=icon}
_(13).png "Danganronpa V3 Shuichi Saihara Fullbody Sprite (No Hat) (13).png (570 KB)"){kind=icon}
.png "Danganronpa V3 CG - Kaede Akamatsu cheering up Shuichi Saihara (1).png (1.18 MB)")
Trivia[]
- Shuichi's Japanese voice actress, Megumi Hayashibara, also voiced Rei Ayanami in Neon Genesis Evangelion and Ai Haibara in Detective Conan. In both these roles, she played the deuteragonist and love interest for the protagonists Shinji Ikari and Conan Edogawa, who were respectively voiced by Megumi Ogata and Minami Takayama, who voiced the protagonists Makoto Naegi and Hajime Hinata in the Danganronpa series. This is possibly a deliberate casting choice, as Shuichi follows Makoto and Hajime's character archetype.
