The Sun That Never Truly Sets: Kaito Kaede And Tenko's Legacy In The Survivors

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Sakura shows a little parlor trick, based on that one DRS interaction.

Happy I finished some animation already, trying to really keep to it :]

Hope vs Despair and How Danganronpa Shows the Fine Line Between Them

In Danganronpa, Hope vs. Despair aren't just opposing forces—they’re intertwined like yin and yang.

You can’t have one without the other. Each moment of hope carries the potential for despair, and each moment of despair can give birth to a new form of hope.

The series doesn’t just explore this dynamic; it forces the characters to confront it, shaping their growth and evolution throughout the story.

Take Makoto Naegi, for example. As the Ultimate Hope, he stands in direct contrast to Junko Enoshima, the Ultimate Despair. But Makoto’s hope isn't simple optimism—it’s been tested and shaped by the despair surrounding him. His journey shows how hope can survive even in the darkest circumstances. On the flip side, Junko manipulates despair, using it as a tool to corrupt and reshape hope into something sinister. She twists the idea of hope, showing that it too can be warped when exposed to extreme despair.

Despair is often depicted as the absence of hope, like the color black, while hope is like white—full of aspirations, dreams, and ambitions. But, just as there are varying shades of black and white, hope and despair are not as clear-cut as they might seem. There are nuances, shades of gray that blur the lines, making it harder to see where one ends and the other begins.

In SDR2, the pattern continues, but with more complexity. It’s still hope vs. despair, but with the added layer of past vs. future. The characters' pasts represent despair to them, but through confronting their dark pasts, they create new hope. Their stories show that hope isn’t just about looking forward—it’s about confronting the past and using that pain to forge something better.

Then there’s Nagito Komaeda, who’s obsessed with hope. His view of hope is twisted because he believes hope can only arise from despair. For him, creating despair is the means to achieve his ideal hope, showing just how tangled these forces can become. Nagito represents the extreme, where hope and despair bleed into each other in the most disturbing way.

In V3, the lines between hope and despair are even more blurred. Monokuma’s Death Road of Despair is a perfect example of this cycle. The characters are given hope—a potential escape that’s always within reach—but as they fail repeatedly, their hope turns into despair. They begin to believe that escape was never possible, that they were wasting their time from the start.

The constant cycle of hope and despair leaves them trapped in their own feelings, forcing them to reevaluate what hope even means.

Then, we have characters like Kaede, Kaito, and Tenko, who embody hope for those around them. When they die, the survivors are filled with despair, but instead of succumbing to grief, they use their deaths as a source of strength. Their deaths become a new form of hope for the survivors, pushing them to continue the fight. The cycle isn’t over; it’s reborn from loss and pain, showing that hope can arise even from the darkest moments.

Ultimately, Danganronpa isn’t about choosing hope over despair or vice versa—it’s about understanding the complex relationship between them. Both hope and despair are essential to the human experience.

One cannot exist without the other, and each gives rise to the other in ways we may not fully understand. The characters are constantly forced to confront this reality, evolving in response to the ever-present pull of these two forces.

By rejecting the notion that hope and despair are opposites, Danganronpa teaches us that life isn’t about simple binaries. It’s about the messy, complicated truth that both hope and despair are necessary for growth, and in the end, it’s the balance between them that gives life meaning.

The double standard: Why Kaito’s flaws are forgiven and Tenko’s aren't

Sexism in DRV3 is crazy-like which loud, hot headed, oddly dressed, self sacrificical, hero complex having supportive character do you like more? But ones a girl.

It's not about disliking any of them honestly-I used to hate Kaito for no reason-if you asked me I wouldn't be able to give you a straight answer.

Now I appreciate his character and actually like him and he is my second or third favorite male character (the spot for second place fluctuates with Kokichi.)

That said its worth recognizing the double standards, you can ignore and forgive every questionable thing Kaito says but don't start hating on Tenko for her male hating when it isn't even that bad.

You don’t have to love Tenko just like you don't have to love Kaito. But it's worth asking: "are we holding the girls to a different standard than the boys?"

If Kaito’s flaws don't ruin his character for you the same ones that Tenko has shouldn’t ruin her character either.

It's okay to have preferences but at least be honest with why you hold them. Saying "hey I'm biased I just like Kaito more than Tenko" or "I don't like Tenko for this super specific reason" is totally valid. But sometimes the reasons people hate Tenko don't hold up when you compare her to Kaito, and that's worth thinking about.

No hate if you like either and not the other- this is specifically for the people who say "I don't like Tenko for her personality and sexism" but then defend Kaito from any criticism about his personality or sexism/ toxic masculinity. I think it's worth questioning whether the issues might be more about how we treat certain flaws than the characters themselves.

I don't get the 'if Tenko was a man everyone would hate him because he would hate women' argument.

To preface I am a Tenko fan but even if I wasn't I still wouldn't get it, because you would only come to that conclusion if you changed Tenko’s entire backstory and I don't understand why you would because it's not really gendered.

Tenko’s master could have taught a boy that he shouldn't hurt women because that's bad and only what 'degenerates' do without the specific extra warnings about men that a woman may get because they are more susceptible to being assaulted by a man, then could still take Tenko out into the streets to protect woman, and beat up predators.

Tenko would then act pretty much the exact same as in the game, protecting women and hating men who hurt women, he might just be a little less overbearing on his hatred towards men (unless his master still told him about how bad and horrible men are without making a separation between bad men and good men and he grew up with some self hatred.) It might be a bit unnerving for a guy to be like "men are always trying to prey on vulnerable women" but he wouldn't be a misogynist.

And I don't think Tenko would be an alpha male or nice guy stereotype because there would be nothing to influence that. People aren't born with ideals or beliefs and there is nothing in Tenko's backstory that would have caused that.

Do people think that just because Tenko dislikes men as a women she'll dislike women as a man?

Tenko's animosity wouldn't change based on gender it would just transfer over.

I know Tenko's master had an anti romance stance, and might tell him that interactions with women would weaken his neo aikido energy so that he wouldn't date them, but then on the other hand if there's so many sexual predators out that they can just go out and find them multiple nights he would have to teach Tenko something about bad men and how some women get taken advantage of especially since Tenko in this situation is a man himself. Then he would still want to give Tenko a moral compass so they would still go out and protect woman.

Tenko's reason for hating men is mostly experiences anyway, the master's words are just the straw that broke the camels back.

There would be a lot of mixed messages, and the two would probably just cancel each other out and make Tenko more awkward around women. For example Tenko would protect Kaede or someone and then she would give him a hug and he would be like "no Kaede you can't do that you're going to make Tenko weaken his neo aikido energy."

Then Tenko would be afraid of having romantic or sexual thoughts about woman because A he doesn't want to fall back on his training and B he doesn't want to turn into the men he fought on the streets.

But that's just my characterization.

The gag is like Tenko as a man spews traditional gender norm like oh woman should be in the kitchen make me a sandwich but she doesn't say men are the earners of the household you shouldn't cry because you're a man etc so that doesn't make any sense.

Also male Tenko is basically just Kaito and plenty of people love him.

Second also if Tenko was a man he would transition to be a woman.

Someone please explain it to me because I don't get it.

Talents: The Ultimate Blessing or Curse? A Speculation on the Ethical, Societal, and Moral Issues of Ultimates

Being an ultimate is a blessing untill it isn't.

Do you think people who aren't Ultimates would hate Maki because she hates her talent like yeah she was forced into it at a young age and doesn't like taking people's lives but would people sympathize with her I'm sure some would but others just because she's in a prestigious academy in a place where talents are supposed to be hailed and practiced would see her as 'ungrateful.'

Then if people found put how many people Ryoma and Kiyo killed would it ruin hopes Peak reputation or are they desensitized to having murders be Ultimates.

I also feel like it would be awkward for Shuichi and Kyoko both being detectives it would be like: "we're looking for these people." "yeah... those are my classmates." It's definitely a moral dilemma because they know for most of their friends/ classmates at least that they were forced into it or there was more context behind it but to everyone else it just seems like they're protecting 'dangerous criminals.'

On that same note are people concerned about the ultimate assassin and yakuza honing their skills and being released into the world.

I'm sure someone is praying on hopes peaks downfall pointing out every weird questionable or controversial thing an ultimate does just to be like: "see they don't deserve to be there."

I bet people are complaining all the time about which Ultimates get accepted. "Cosplayer come on man are we even trying anymore."

That line between adoration and resentment has to be so so thin.

At the end of the day being an ultimate is a double edged sword fame and fortune for the rest of your life but still held to the same regard as celebrities in which there will always be people who hate you and scrutinize you for everything you do.

If Rantarou survived first chap+

I bestow the the transgender flag onto my two favorite DRV3 characters

Why Tenko Chabashira is a Great Character pt. 2: Chapter 3, Relationships and Conclusion

Chapter 3

In chapter three Tenko’s loud hyperactive layers are pulled back to reveal her caring serious intelligent nature which was there the whole time just focused more on, in chapter three.

In the chapter she died no less, I will never stop talking about how Tenko was so close to getting her character development reaching her full potential and becoming a beloved character in some people's eyes but no she just had to be killed off.

Since Tenko has a lot of moments in chapter three I will just go over the main ones and the ones I think are most important in showing her development and the other side of personality.

Student council

Angie creates the student council and has Himiko Tsumugi Kiibo Tenko and Gonta join. Tenko is not under Angie’s brainwashing as she calls it.

She joined only to try to get on the inside and protect Himiko believing that Angie’s way of trying to help Himiko was unhealthy.

Tenko decides she needs help so she recruits ⅔ of the training trio and survivors Maki and Shuichi to help her (one of my favorite scenes in v3) after not only becoming distrusting of Maki after Kokichi revealed her as an assassin and wanting to perform a sneak attack on her and not really liking Shuichi because he's a guy.

When Tenko asks them to help, Maki asks if Tenko wants her to kill Angie and Tenko says that murder strongly goes against her morals so as much as she thought about it she would never go through it Tenko along with Maki and Shuichi go to Himiko’s dorm.

Tenko tries to convince Himiko that’s she being brainwashed and they have an argument in which Tenko insults Himiko’s status as a mage proving that at this point Tenko cares more about helping Himiko than her crush on Himiko itself.

Angie finds out that Tenko isn’t a part of the council but doesn’t kick her out Tenko tells Shuichi and Maki thank you for their help but that she’s going back to her room and that she’ll apologize to Himiko in the morning because she believes she was too harsh and is sorry for yelling at her.

This shows Tenko's logical side, her caring nature, loyalty, and intense morals.

Research Lab

In Kaede’s second FTEs with Kaede, Tenko has Kaede look for a dojo which they are unsuccessful in finding, and in chapter three she finally gets her research lab.

Tenko flips Himiko and Shuichi is able to read them like an open book and invites them to try Neo aikido as a way to improve themselves.

The last important thing that Tenko says in her time at the dojo is:

“Aikido is not about competing for fun to see each other’s strengths and weaknesses. By working together and using techniques that make full use of your mind, body, and breath… you can measure your physical and mental growth. That is the true purpose of Aikido. You do not compete for superiority in Aikido. In fact, in Aikido you do not compete at all. Aikido is not a martial art for inflicting harm, but a way to improve yourself!”

This shows Tenko's profound thoughts on self-improvement, her intelligence, and her caring nature. It shows Tenko’s true love for Aikido, how she views it and her trying to improve her friends' mindsets and well-being.

Her Death/ Sacrifice

Tenko’s death itself shows how much of a sweetheart she is because she’s just that great. I think the only other person’s death that does that is Kokichi's (which is ironic because both their deaths include elements of self-sacrifice).

Now some people especially Tenmiko shippers like to think that Tenko knew she was going to die when she volunteered as cute as this would be I’d say from a logical standpoint she was oblivious now, I’d like you to remember that before this Tenko had a massive argument with Himiko.

Would you volunteer for something not knowing the consequences for someone you argued with?

Tenko is a protector by nature she was raised that way from a young age and it’s in her personality so I believe that Tenko just volunteered to take Himiko’s place without even thinking just like she jumped to protect Kaede before her execution it’s not about her knowing she would die or not it’s about putting herself in a vulnerable situation where she could very well be hurt or worse for someone who has expressed no interest in her all game.

Tenko’s last words are also important, especially since they are repeated about three times during the trial.

Tenko tells Himiko to:

“Keep your chin up and live life facing forward, survive with me and everyone else” as well as “Expressing your feelings is perfectly natural. You shouldn’t feel ashamed at all. So… if you feel like crying your eyes out when you’re talking to Angie go ahead and cry your eyes out you’ll feel better when you do. Well, I mean… laughing makes you feel better too... And venting your anger onto something can cheer you up! Train your heart by laughing, crying and venting your anger, Himiko.”

Tenko’s final words to Himiko bring back up a point expressed in the dojo Himiko’s emotional suppression now I will get to Tenko’s and Himiko’s relationship and what it does for Himiko’s character development later but all you need to know is that it shows how much Tenko cares about Himiko both of these instances do they show that their relationship (in some aspects) isn’t superficial and has some genuine meaning behind it Tenko wants to help Himiko overcome her emotional suppression and improve her self.

Which shows how great Tenko is as a character not just some ‘I hate men’ gag but a character with real depth compassion intelligence and morals.

Relationships

Shuichi

Shuichi becomes one of the only men Tenko likes she invites him to practice Neo Aikido with her and treats him as one of the good men as she does with her master.

Proving that Tenko actually had character development.

Himiko

A lot of people compare Himiko and Tenko`s relationship to Souda and Sonia and Byakuya and Toko from the previous games which were also an unrequited relationship but I would like to give reasons for why this is not true.

Of course at the beginning of the game Tenko`s advances on Himiko are creepy especially since Himiko is shown to not feel the same but as the game progresses it`s shown that Tenko cares about Himiko and is trying to help her she continually puts herself in danger for Himiko and is shown to be the only one who is concerned about her or believes in her interests.

I don't really even ship Tenmiko anymore I lean way more to Tenmaki and Tenkaede nowadays but I can still see that from chapter two onwards Tenko’s goals and reasons to be around Himiko change from a pure obsession to a genuine intrest in helping her grow and develop.

Tenko made it a mission of hers to help Himiko with her emotional suppression because it was unhealthy for her Himiko was scared and stressed out about the killing game and Angie`s god wasn`t helping the problem just giving Himiko a temporary coping mechanism.

Suppressing our feelings can lead to exacerbated depression, anxiety, panic attacks and other mental health issues.

So Tenko and Himiko`s best interests were in mind but Himiko wanted the easy way out Tenko was too loud and hyperactive and using Angie's god was easier than expressing her emotions which created their conflict, but Tenko caring about Himiko`s well-being and trying to help her improve herself mentally makes their relationship so much better than just a stalker-stalkee relationship.

Himiko completely shuts down during the trial but after being reminded of Tenko’s final words she decides to keep going to avenge both Tenko and Angie’s deaths after the trial she finally breaks down releasing all the emotions she had locked up and after the third trial she decides she’s no longer going to suppress her emotions and live life to the fullest for both her friends.

Angie

Tenko and Angie are rivals in the game both representing the themes of logic and emotion with Tenko representing emotion and Angie representing logic they also fight over the correct way to help Himiko with her stress and fear about the killing game with Angie trying to get Himiko to believe in her god joining the student council etc and Tenko trying to get Himiko to express her emotions.

Tenko thinks Angie is weird because she is constantly happy, and is also jealous that Himiko has taken a liken to Angie and her ‘handsome god.’

In chapter three Tenko reveals to Maki and Shuichi that she is afraid that Himiko has been brainwashed by Angie and that she has thought about killing Angie but has strong morals against killing.

When Angie is found dead Tenko feels bad and guilty about it despite their rivalry even volunteers for the seance to become the medium for Angie’s spirit.

Tenko also had much more animosity which Angie than any of the guys sooo.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Tenko Chabashira is a great character and one of the best characters in NDRV3 for her personality, character design, development, and crucial role in the game which is imperative to the narrative.

She is an influential part of Himiko’s development and subsequent survival, as well as a portrayal of one of the main themes in the game, (logic vs emotion.)

She supports and befriends men and women alike, provides profound thoughts at beneficial times, and genuinely cares for her friends' safety and development.

Tenko Chabashira deserves more appreciation and hopefully over time more people will recognize the depth of her character beyond surface level jokes and criticisms.

I love this supportive sweetheart who is just like a big kid and I hope that this essay helped you to understand why and maybe cause you to start loving her too.

Thank you so much for reading my ridiculous rant

Double Standards, Misogyny, and Bad Writing: A Deep Dive into Character Criticism

So, it's a common saying that no one's perfect. We all make mistakes. Some of which we remember at 3 a.m. when we're trying to sleep and think, "God, why did I do that?"

But since we, as a species, don’t consider ourselves perfect (well, most of us who keep our feet on the ground don’t think that), why shouldn't we hold our characters to the same standards?

Now, writing flawed characters? It’s good writing. It doesn’t even have to be a major flaw. Make them a procrastinator, make them unable to cook, etc. But we should give our characters flaws. We don’t want our characters to be two-dimensional. We want them to be complex, we want them to be interesting.

But some people, when female characters have flaws, they hate it. They’ll magnify these flaws and perpetually criticize them. But when a male character has flaws, suddenly, they're a complex, well-written character.

Like I said before with Kaito and Tenko very similar characters pretty similar flaws to some Tenko's flaws are magnified or talked about to large degree while Kaito's are pretty much ignored.

Not saying there's no valid reason to like or hate either of them.

Think of it like cutting out cookies. People put men in a bigger mold, so they have more room for mistakes, but they put women in a tight, rigid mold. Their expectations are too narrow. And this is just normalizing Mary Sue characters, which in my opinion, is bad writing. Perfect women with no flaws who just sit there, looking pretty, are counterpieces to the male characters. I don’t want to live in a world where writing Mary Sue characters is the norm because people hate flawed characters.

Writing flawed characters is good writing. Flaws make them interesting, relatable, and real. In fact, most people kin characters because of their flaws. But when female characters are constantly held to impossible standards, it’s not just unfair—it reflects a much bigger problem with how society views women.

It’s the same pattern we see when people complain that women in video games aren’t sexualized enough. Is that seriously all you’re playing for? If you can’t handle women with flaws, maybe the problem isn’t them. Maybe it’s you.

my body type hcs for kaede, kaito, and maki! (also i made this during rainy season and i yearned for the beach)

bonus shuichi (bringing their stuff):

someone please tell me what their 4 person poly ship name is because this is driving me up the wall