This adorable little murderer is a mystery wrapped in an enigma wrapped in an unforgettable character design. A series of robots remote controlled by a human killer? A talking bear with a series of mechanical doubles? A sentient AI with an endless supply of self-destructing bear avatars?
Three games later, we still don’t know. The third game serves only to deepen the mystery. Whoever or whatever Monokuma is, they are a killer. Of high school students, no less! Yet it’s easy to forget (or, at least, deprioritise) this while playing Danganronpa. There’s a playful yet malicious bounce to their voice, and that laugh – puhuhuhu! – is never far away.
