Mondo was my early favourite, but Makoto ended up being my overall favourite character in the first Danganronpa game, which was a bit of a surprise for me. In a cast full of colourful characters, Makoto was specifically designed to lack individuality; you could fairly describe him as a little bland.

And yet he's so endearing! So earnest and good-hearted! He's so determined to believe in people, and he never, never, never gives up. He always tries to understand the people around him, even after they've committed murder; he doesn't have it in himself to wish ill on anyone. He's naïve and too reluctant to assert himself, but he's an extremely good kid. I love him.

The protagonist is, in fact, my favourite character in all three main-series Danganronpa games. It's possible the fact that we spend a lot of time inside the protagonist's head naturally makes me develop an attachment.

Danganronpa protagonists generally follow a specific formula, and Makoto perfectly encapsulates that formula. The protagonists tend to have fairly muted personalities, compared to the bizarre characters they're surrounded by, and generally get along with others. Although it means the protagonist can struggle to stand out, it's a useful character type for a few reasons.

Firstly: weird, exaggerated characters - and the Danganronpa series has a lot of them! - tend to work best when they have a more normal character to bounce off. Makoto grounds the cast by being normal, which helps to highlight how strange some of his classmates are. If Toko were the protagonist, meanwhile, she'd just derail every conversation with her paranoia before any other characters really got the chance to demonstrate their own traits.

Secondly: because of the Free Time mechanic, the protagonist needs to be willing to have a conversation with any other character. It's hard to picture Byakuya willingly hanging out with Mondo or Hifumi, but Makoto will try to connect with anyone.

(And I do mean anyone. One of my favourite exchanges in the game:

Makoto: So... why do you...?
Genocide Jack: Yes?
Makoto: Why do you... kill people? You should really stop.)

Thirdly: in the Danganronpa series, the story of each individual case tends to be about the victim and killer, rather than being about the protagonist. What this means is that you need a protagonist who can fade into the background when required for other characters to take the spotlight, which can be tricky if the protagonist has an intense or hostile personality.

Some fan Danganronpa protagonists have broken away from this formula, which is fun to see! In particular, the protagonists of Danganronpa: Despair Time and Project: Eden's Garden are a lot less friendly and cooperative than the protagonists of the official games. But I can see why these traits keep recurring in the main series.

Makoto's excellent Japanese voice acting by Megumi Ogata may also have played a role in making me love him so much. You can hear, during some of the later trial segments, that he's on the verge of hyperventilating. And yet he never gives up, bless him. What a good kid.

While you're here, do you want to pay a visit to Makoto's shower room? Or would you rather go back to the dorm corridor?