The Danganronpa franchise emerged in 2010 with, Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc, and it’s not hard to see why it garnered such popularity over the years. The characters, most of whom are high schoolers, are all colorful, quirky, and fun, easy to get attached to, only for them to either meet an untimely end by being brutally murdered by one of their peers or being executed upon being found out and unanimously voted as their classmate’s killer.
Danganronpa is a hybrid franchise, meaning it started as a videogame/visual novel, and branched out to include anime series as well as novels, short stories, and a spin-off manga. The best way to experience the story is by playing the games – or watching playthroughs if that’s more your style – and combining them with the anime series and OVA in the right order.
Here’s the best order to experience the world of Danganronpa, suggested by someone who has followed it with no regrets but perhaps a few tears along the way.
The best way to experience the Danganronpa franchise
To kick things off, you’ll want to play the original Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc and/or watch the 13-episode-long adaptation Danganronpa: The Animation. This adaptation is rather decent, so you may decide to watch it and save yourself the couple extra hours that it would take to finish the visual novel, however, by doing so you will be missing out on getting to know the characters better and acquiring some extra context that further fleshes out the story.
Suppose you’re a completionist and want to absorb everything the franchise has to offer, after playing the first game or watching the anime. In that case, you may want to read the following novels and short stories: Danganronpa IF, Danganronpa Kirigiri, Danganronpa Zero, Makoto Naegi’s Worst Day Ever.
We move on to the second game, Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair. Its plot follows a similar gimmick to the first game only with a different class of Hope’s Peak Academy students, thrown in a different setting, and it builds upon where the previous game left off. This one is arguably a wilder ride than its predecessor. If you’re interested in getting immersed in the novels as well, you can read Danganronpa Togami after playing Danganronpa 2.
Next, before we jump back into the animation portion of the franchise, there is yet another game, whose gameplay is more action-driven and less visual novel-like than the previous two. Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls follows a female protagonist for the first time in the franchise and its story does not revolve around murders and class trials. After playing the game, you may want to read the novel Ultra Despair Hagakure – although it is not necessary to understand the events that come after.
We pivot back to the anime series with Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope’s Peak Academy, which is not a game adaptation but adds exciting new material and lets viewers know what happened after the events of Daganronpa 1 and 2. Bear in mind that there is a special order to watching Danganronpa 3, as it is divided into two seemingly separate storylines, the Future Arc and the Despair Arc. The right order to watch them would be by intercalating an episode of each, starting with Future Arc: Future 1, Despair 1, Future 2, Despair 2, Future 3, Despair 3, Future 4, Despair 4, Future 5, Despair 5, Future 6, Despair 6, Future 7, Despair 7, Future 8, Despair 8, Future 9, Despair 9, Future 10, Despair 10, Future 11, Despair 11, Future 12, and finally, the one Hope Arc episode which brings it all together.
There is an OVA, which was released the year after The End of Hope’s Peak Academy, titled Danganronpa 2.5: Nagito Komaeda and the Destroyer of the World. Although the title says “2.5,” and the episode chronologically takes place before Danganronpa 3, you can and probably should watch it in the release order.
Although it chronologically takes place between Ultra Despair Girls and Danganronpa 2, the manga spin-off Danganronpa Gaiden: Killer Killer is only appropriate to be read after Danganronpa 3 due to spoilers.
Finally, the franchise’s final entry is Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony. Beware, do not mistake “Danganronpa 3” with “Danganronpa V3.” For an optimal experience, Danganronpa V3 must be played after all the aforementioned entries.
Although I’ve said “finally,” there is actually one more game you can play when all else is said and done. However, it is not a continuation nor does it hinge on any serious linear narrative. Released to celebrate the franchise’s tenth anniversary, Danganronpa S: Ultimate Summer Camp is more like the ultimate fanfiction that is official instead of fanmade, meant for those who are not yet ready to part ways with the beloved characters from all four main games.
In a nutshell, the watch/play order goes as follows:
- Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc (game/anime)
- Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair (game only)
- Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls (game only)
- Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope’s Peak Academy (anime only)
- Danganronpa 2.5 (OVA) (can be watched before Danganronpa 3)
- Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony (game only)
- Danganronpa S: Ultimate Summer Camp (game only) (does not contribute to the overarching storyline)