14 DAY TRIAL // Although the protagonist of Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc is Makoto Naegi, an average student at an elite school, the most popular and recognizable character of the game is by far Monokuma, the evil principal.
During an interview with Siliconera, Producer Yoshinori Terasawa has offered some insight into how the character was created.
"Monokuma was created by the scenario writer Mr. Kodaka and the character designer Mr. Komatsuzaki. He was created with an image of contradictions in mind, like good and evil, hope and despair.
"These contradicting elements create a sort of highlighting effect. Although it ended up being much darker than expected . But I think that’s just an expression of Mr. Kodaka's nature, as well," Terasawa explained.
Monokuma's unique design has made him very recognizable, and has led to the principal of Hope's Peak Academy's inclusion in other games such as Terraria and Conception II.
The producer further explained that the conflicting nature of Monokuma is at the heart of Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc's story, stating that he "thought it would be good to emphasize the importance of having hope and just moving forward," in today's society where hopelessness seems to be the norm.