This Game Has Me In A Chokehold - Blog Posts

lowkey ghosted tumblr for a min.. first post of 2025 and its a mouthwashing edit this seems appropriate (˘･з･˘)

He is such husband material :3

That aside, this is so cute tho 🥹🥹

So I was playing Slay The Princess and

Did anyone else notice this in the cage?

The game usually refers to her as "The Princess"

But here it calls her "your Princess"

I'm gonna cry

The Ethics of Murder in Danganronpa: A Breakdown of the Killing Game's Morality

Ethicality is the adherence to moral principles in decision-making and actions, evaluating whether something is right or wrong.

However, ethics in the form of Danganronpa is where the lines start to blur. It's not as simple as right and wrong. When your life is on the line, you can justify killing someone as self-defense, right? But it's not that simple once you add in the psychological and emotional factors—the stakes change.

What's the value of a life, especially one that's a stranger? What happens when that stranger becomes someone you actually care about? The price of their life may change, and suddenly, it's a whole new ballgame. So the questions become: how much would it take for you to kill someone, and is murder ever justified?

That’s what Danganronpa forces us to confront death isn’t just a consequence it’s the game and with every death comes new motives emotions and decisions behind it.

Some characters may seem like their killing to survive others do it for greed and their own personal gain and then you have the people who act out of pure fear and panic.

The physiological pressure the manipulation the backstabbing these aren’t just trivial things and there’s a thing in here somewhere about how being in a killing game environment isolated from the rest of the world with a bunch a strangers who can kill you at anytime would change you as a person effect your morals and such (but this sadly isn’t about that and maybe I’ll touch on that later, ) this is about how the killing game makes us and the characters question whether murder is even okay? Where do we draw the line? and why do we forgive some and ostracize others?

Of course, your first thought would be absolutely not murder is not okay, never under any circumstance. But then the other thoughts start to roll in, you think about your family you think about your life outside the game you think about the value of your own life then you start making friends with with the strangers that you’re trapped with, and you start to think about the value of their life then it becomes a twisted mess and the answer isn’t just a simple no anymore it becomes a no except… a maybe a yes only… your perception becomes skewed as other factors are weighed in.

Should we feel sorry for the murders or should we see them as monsters and what’s the cuff off point where do draw the line for sympathetic killer and heartless murderers

So, with all that in mind, how do we even begin to break down the ethics of murder in Danganronpa? It’s not a simple black-and-white answer. But here’s a framework to think about it:

Murder in Danganronpa: Breaking It Down with MBBCO Motive Brutality Bias Context and Obligation

*For specifically Dr based on the blackened trials and reactions of other students probably not good for use in real world situations*

M. Motive

Why did they do it? The motive is essential because it gives us a reason behind the action. Is it for the sake of others, like Kaede killing to end the killing game, or for personal gain, like Celestia? Some motives may seem more honorable, but it all comes down to perspective. Did they kill out of desperation, or was it a calculated act for personal gain? Understanding the motive helps weigh the ethicality of the act.

B. Brutality

How did it go down? Was the murder violent and grotesque, or was it quick, swift, and painless? Brutality plays a significant role in how we perceive the act. Junko's actions were very gruesome and treated like a spectacle, while Kiyo killing Angie was painless, not very gruesome, and simple. Even though both had reasons, how the murder went down makes a huge difference. Was it cold or heartless, or were there moments of hesitation? Brutality not only shapes the act but also the way we see the killer.

B. Bias

Who is the victim, and who is the killer? Bias can cloud judgment, and while it shouldn't determine ethics, sometimes it still can. Take Kaito vs Kokichi, for example. The majority of the cast is quick to defend and stand by Kaito but ostracize Kokichi. This extends to everything, including murder. These biases sometimes get in the way, skewing the perception of ethicality.

C. Context

Context: What was the situation? This is vital because the surrounding circumstances heavily influence the actions. If a character kills in self-defense, it changes things compared to a murder driven by power. Take Mondo as an example: Mondo killed Chihiro not just because of personal animosity but because of Mondo's fragile sense of pride and guilt. In his case, the context wasn't just survival or revenge; it was deeply tied to his own internal battle of self-worth. Context can either justify or complicate the ethical decision to kill.

O. Obligation

Obligation: Was it a choice? In a killing game, the definition of choice can be murky. Was the character forced into a situation where they had to kill for survival, or was it something they actively chose for personal reasons? In some cases, like Hifumi's, it's clear he was manipulated, while many other characters acted on their own volition. The sense of obligation varies depending on the killer's mindset and circumstances.

Murder is always murder, regardless. But this doesn't mean we should ignore the complexities that determine the ethics and morals of each murder in the killing games. It's not always clear-cut, but that doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Some characters make decisions we might understand, even if we don’t agree with them. Others make choices that are downright horrifying, and no amount of explanation can justify that. But that’s the beauty (and horror) of Danganronpa: it forces us to question the morality of our actions, and whether any of us would really be able to survive in such a twisted situation without crossing a line.