It’s murder mystery gone feral.
Anime set in a high school was all about clumsy romance and clubs that were secretly magic until Danganronpa came along.
Starting life as a visual novel series created by Kazutaka Kodaka in 2010, the franchise then went on to conquer the world of video games before being picked up for an anime adaptation.
Danganronpa follows a group of 16 high school students who are locked inside Hope’s Peak Academy.
Outside, an anthropomorphic bear, who is also known as Monokuma, is holding them hostage. The bear gives the students one route of escape — murder another student and be found not guilty in the trial that follows.
Unsuprsingly, such a unique storyline has inspired different versions of the Danganronpa anime. The original series can be watched with or without video game knowledge, acting as a way for the story to start afresh on screen.
Here’s everything you need to know to watch Danganronpa in order.
How to watch Danganronpa in chronological order
For viewers that haven’t played the video games, the anime version of Danganronpa can still be understood.
Existing separately from the games as well as being able to accompany them, no prior knowledge of the franchise is needed in order to enjoy the story. To make things even easier, the show’s chronological and release date orders are exactly the same.
Here’s the running order to watch the full Danganronpa anime:
- Danganronpa (2013)
- Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope’s Peak High School – Future Arc (2016)
- Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope’s Peak High School – Despair Arc (2016)
- Super Danganronpa 2.5: Kimaeda Nagito to Sekai no Hakaimono (2017)
- Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope’s Peak High School – Hope Arc (2016)
How to watch Danganronpa in release order
At the same time, the video games can slip into the anime running order to flesh out the story even further.
The franchise’s initial game, Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc, offers up a similar storyline to the original Danganronpa anime series – meaning just one of these needs to be chosen in order to follow the full story.
Putting both together looks something like this:
- Danganronpa (2013) / Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc (2010)
- Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair (2012)
- Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls (2014)
- Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope’s Peak High School – Future Arc (2016)
- Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope’s Peak High School – Despair Arc (2016)
- Super Danganronpa 2.5: Kimaeda Nagito to Sekai no Hakaimono (2017)
- Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope’s Peak High School – Hope Arc (2016)
- Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony (2017)
Why was Danganronpa cancelled?
Given its violent storyline, it’s not surprising to learn that the first version of the Danganronpa franchise was cancelled.
Before Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc was made, the game’s initial version was deemed to be too gruesome to be able to sell. Originally titled Danganronpa DISTRUST, the series was initially marketed as a survival war title before it got axed.
Thankfully, the Danganronpa fans know and love took its place not long after, with the original prototype informing the entire Zero Escape series.
How to watch Danganronpa in the UK
For UK fans, episodes of Danganronpa can be found on Crunchyroll, Funimation and Prime Video.
You can catch Danganronpa on Crunchyroll. Sign up to Crunchyroll from $7.99 per month with a 14-day free trial.
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