The thing that makes Danganronpa so memorable is its quirky characters. This alone carried the franchise, ensuring that no case is boring, no mystery is so shallow, and no theatrics is too over-the-top.
Who will this list include?
This list will contain main characters from the mainline Danganronpa games and Danganronpa 3 (the anime), so spoilers ahoy. It will not include Alter Ego, Monokuma, and other inanimate characters created or controlled by existing characters on the roster.
It will also not include Reserve Course students like Natsumi Kuzuryu or Hope’s Peak Academy staff who aren’t Ultimates like Jin Kirigiri. It will also not include characters who only make a brief appearance, such as Great Gozu and Daisaku Bandai (if the names don’t ring any bells, you’re only proving the point).
But even if we remove those, we still have a gigantic cast to go through!
The best characters in Danganronpa
It’s important to note that every character is interesting in their own manner—it’s just that some of them are more creative about their solutions, more complex about their motives, and just generally more well-written and better-executed based on the traits they were given.
We’ve ranked the best of the best below based on that.
1. Byakuya Togami
Byakuya is always a treat to see in action, especially when paired with other characters. He explains none of his actions and yet gets things done most efficiently and favorably.
2. Junko Enoshima
Junko is one of few antagonists that’s a villain for the sake of being one. She needs no motive to do anything, and that makes her dangerous and all the more interesting.
3. Juzo Sakakura
Juzo is an extremely well-written character with a well-thought-out story. His character arc was just so consistent, from how his relationships progressed in the start to how those inspired his last major act.
4. Nagito Komaeda
Nagito is clever in a way that’s a little close to Byakuya and has a single motive that fuels his actions like Juzo, making his character amazingly unpredictable.
5. Kaede Akamatsu
Kaede is the poster “I believe in you!” character that has inspired many people throughout V3. However, she’s also surprisingly cunning—and that gives her a lot of depth.
6. Mondo Owada
The “manly softhearted biker with a scary face” is, admittedly, a common trope, but it’s one that Mondo has embraced with passion. His personality is so well-executed that he’s probably what inspired similar characters to exist.
7. Makoto Naegi
Makoto is not a character you will appreciate until after you’ve finished DR1 and DR3, but he’s a character with a lot of depth. If you replay DR1 and rewatch DR3, knowing what his “official” title was, you’ll say the same.
8. Kokichi Oma
Kokichi loves the attention, but he also thrives in his mystery. These two contradicting traits have helped shape his character into something that’s difficult not to like.
9. Ultimate Impostor
Despite his innate copycat talent, His class interactions in DR3 proved that there is something consistent about him—an identity you’ll never be able to piece fully—which makes him very intriguing.
10. Gundham Tanaka
Gundham is so over-the-top with the emo theatrics that it’s hilarious to see him interact with characters in DR2. However, this is balanced out with his soft spot for animals (and Sonia), proving that he has depth.
Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc characters ranked
Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair characters ranked
Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony characters ranked
Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope’s Peak High School characters ranked
For more Danganronpa lists and guides, Pro Game Guides has you covered.
Byakuya Togami
Junko Enoshima
Mondo Owada
Makoto Naegi
Chihiro Fujisaki
Celestia Ludenberg
Kiyotaka Ishimaru
Toko Fukawa
Sakura Ogami
Kyoko Kirigiri
Mukuro Ikusaba
Genocider Jack / Sho
Aoi Asahina
Sayaka Maizono
Hifumi Yamada
Leon Kuwata
Yasuhiro Hagakure
Nagito Komaeda
Ultimate Imposter
Gundham Tanaka
Sonia Nevermind
Mikan Tsumiki
Peko Pekoyama
Chiaki Nanami
Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu
Nekomaru Nidai
Hajime Hinata
Mahiru Koizumi
Ibuki Mioda
Hiyoko Saionji
Akane Owari
Kazuichi Soda
Teruteru Hanamura
1 Kaede Akamatsu
Kokichi Oma
Kaito Momota
Tsumugi Shirogane
Shuichi Saihara
Maki Harukawa
Miu Iruma
Rantaro Amami
K1-B0
Kirumi Tojo
Gonta Gokuhara
Korekiyo Shinguji
Tenko Chabashira
Himiko Yumeno
Ryoma Hoshi
Angie Yonaga
Juzo Sakakura
Koichi Kizakura
Kyosuke Munakata
Chisa Yukizome
Seiko Kimura
Ruruka Ando
Sonosuke Izayoi
Ryota Mitarai
