Makoto Naegi

“Well, if I’m forced to give one redeeming trait, I guess I’d say I’m a little more optimistic than most people.”

—Dangan Ronpa

Makato Naegi
Danganronpa
Character Type:	Playable
Initial Level:	24
Class:	(Un)Luck, Trigger Havoc
Affiliation:	Lawful Good
Appearance:	Chapter 9 (Tales)/ Prologue: On the Edge of Despair (Frontier Story)
Initial Appearance:	Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc (2010)

Makoto Naegi is the main character of several of the Danganronpa games. Like Kyuu, he is a skilled detective and investigator. He is also a strong beacon of inspiration for his friends and can make pals with almost anyone. He also becomes one of the main protagonists in Rakenzarn: Frontier Story.

History

Makoto Naegi was an ordinary high school student with no special talent. He lived with his mother, father, and little sister. He had a rather normal life to the point of being entirely unremarkable. He was selected to attend Hope's Peak Academy after winning a random lottery (which is elaborated further in the short story, Makoto Naegi's Worst Day Ever). The previous selected student was disqualified through a chain of events that Makoto was unintentionally at the heart of, and he ended up being the student drawn in her place. Hope's Peak Academy granted him the title of “Ultimate Lucky Student”, a title given to one randomly-chosen student once a year.

Makoto lived in the Academy happily, spending his happy times together for around a year until The Tragedy occurred. During The Tragedy, Jin Kirigiri, the Headmaster of the Academy, planned to seal the school building and let the students live forever inside the Academy in order to protect them from the destruction of the Tragedy. His plan was agreed to by Makoto and the rest of their class, and they sealed the building together and lived peacefully inside it for a year without knowing that the Ultimate Despair members were already in their midst.

Days had passed. Makoto had just returned to Hope's Peak Academy after a short walk. When he entered the school, his vision suddenly became warped and he blacked out. He woke up in a classroom with bolted windows with little explanation beyond a crayon-written letter titled "Orientation Info". Unfortunately, he was suffering from memory loss and couldn't remember what had happened before.

He soon discovered that he was not alone in what he assumed was the Academy; a group of other students was locked in with him, each telling a story with one thing in common: they all woke up in a classroom after losing consciousness when stepping inside the school grounds. Without many other options, Makoto joined the present students as they made their way to the assembly hall where they're introduced to Monokuma. Monokuma gave the students a harsh choice: either live in the academy forever, or kill one of the other students without being found out to “graduate.”

After Makoto woke up from getting knocked out during a scuffle in the assembly, Monukuma announced to all the students that he had prepared a "gift" for them. The "gift" ended up being a DVD containing an incentive personalized to each viewer: Makoto's DVD was of his younger sister and parents at home smiling at the camera, then suddenly cutting to the room destroyed and his family is shown missing. Sayaka reacted the worst out of all the students and fled the room in a panic. Makoto followed her, and was able to calm her down by promising to keep her safe.

Unfortunately, a murder soon broke out with one of the students dead. Monokuma announced a 'class trial' in which the remaining students must determine amongst themselves who the killer is. If they failed to identify the killer, then the killer would be 'graduated' to leave the academy while the rest of the students would be 'executed.' If they succeed, then they would be safe but the killer would have to be 'executed.'

Without much choice, Makoto was thrust into the game of mutual killing.

Role in Rakenzarn Tales

Makoto was originally conceived as a party member. In Version 4 and onward, Makoto Naegi is no longer a playable character but as an NPC, due to his role being the main character in Rakenzarn: Frontier Story.

Role in Rakenzarn: Frontier Story

A different incarnation of Makoto Naegi is featured in Rakenzarn: Frontier Story as the main protagonist. He hails from a Danganronpa world codenamed 'A-20.'

In this universe, the Tragedy does not occured at all. Makoto's title as the Ultimate Lucky student has also run out, as he has terrible luck and likened to a black cat. After a year at Hope's Peak, he finds himself targeted by unknown enemy, but is accidentally transported to a Castlevania world where he meets Lion Ushiromiya and the Realmwalkers. They take Makoto to the Chamber of Rakenzarn and learns more about the multiverse of its different worlds or versions. Makoto also learns about Beholders, whose death by outside force will result in the destruction of their universe... and the fact that Makoto himself is a Beholder.

After a series of life-or-death situations, Makoto surprisingly decides to become a Realmwalker and goes out with his own team to uncover the source of the mysterious attacks on various Beholders.

He is portrayed closely to his original series. However, at Chapter 4, it is revealed that underneath his optimism is a very conflicted individual suffering from an existential crisis, something that separates him from his prime counterpart and even the rest of his other counterparts. While he does come up as cynical, he also does his best to cope with this situation and stays optimistic.

Skills

Makoto is very middle of the road in terms of stats. All his stats grow at an average rate except his luck, which is triple the usual growth. As a result, classes that focus on buffs, debuffs and status aliment cures are recommended. His default Rune Class is Adept, which is relatively balanced with a few buffs and attacks but lacks any means of dealing bigger damages.

Players can unlock two other classes: Mediator (a support type class focused on buffing the party and weakening the enemies) and Gunslinger (a more offensive class that utilizes firearms).

Another thing that makes him different than the rest (including his former 'Tales' Verions 2 counterpart), it's his ability to contain powerful entities into his body and summon them to aid them. The Summons have varied SP cost and their own abilities. It's possible that some Summons can have more than one attack, as shown with one of the two starter Summons having one multi-attack and the other being single target but reduces the target's status. Naegi can gain more Summons as the story progresses or through sidequests.

Trivia

• This counterpart of Makoto Naegi is said to be the strongest out of all the other Naegis, more so than his Prime counterpart.
  • This has become even more evident when he becomes a Realmwalker, having to undergo their training session and learning to utilize his Summons' powers.
• Makoto Naegi had a very different role in Version 2 of Rakenzarn Tales, making his debut at the start of the Madness Syndrome arc, Chapter 9. The party runs into him and his friend Sayaka while they were fleeing an attack by the insane Kandur residents. Makoto is stricken by poison during the attack and the party must find a special herb to save him.
  After healing him, Makoto offers to help the party by showing them a special route into Kandur, enabling the Suiseki route. He also temporarily joins the party during that time. After helping the party in the attack on the Furude Shrine at the chapter's end regardless of the chosen path, he would have officially become a party member at the start of Chapter 10.
  • Naegi is described as both a Gradual Grinder type and a Buffer. His fighting style has been described as and inspired by Phoenix Wright in Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 while taking a few cues from Danganronpa 1, Danganronpa 2 and Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls. His primary weapon is a Megaphone Gun.
    Naegi had two modes. His normal mode utilized more defensive moves. He had very few attacks, but made up with a few decent buffs. He also had area attacks while possessing Water and Light spells. Unfortunately, his weaknesses were his low defense and stat reduction.
    His stand-out skill was his "Trigger Havoc" mode. While in this mode, Naegi had a completely different set of skills and status (even his battle picture changes too). He had more attacks and some of them coul either weaken or drain enemies' health away. His physical defense didn't change much, but it's his elemental defenses that increased dramatically. He was also immune to status reduction.