#archsimp asks

Firstly, I don't believe Izuru's identity could have been something Nagito found out during his time in the Neo World Program. The reason I say this is because Izuru's whereabouts were unknown even to Makoto, Kyoko, and Byakuya as per their reactions in Chapter 6:

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Basically! None of the characters we see who would have been involved in the Neo World Program knew that Hajime was Izuru Kamukura. I'm gonna make an assumption here that it's likely the Future Foundation stuff that Monokuma gave to Nagito was based on actual files they had and so had information that they would have known, of which Izuru's identity was not one of them. Well, we know that certain people knew Izuru's identity from the anime like Kazuo Tengan, but it's very likely this information did not disseminate and that for Makoto, Kyoko and Byakuya to be surprised, then the long-haired guy they picked up most likely did not give out his name as Izuru Kamukura. I'd personally surmise Izuru called himself Hajime Hinata and was accepted as such into the simulation.

Though, who knows? Maybe the files Nagito received were fun fun Junko-exclusive info, so Makoto didn't get to read them. I find it hard to believe, though, because if Nagito knew that Hajime was actually Izuru Kamukura, then it's likely that he would have had more to say than:

It could have been a lie, but then in Chapter 5, when Nagito says he'll wait for the traitor to come forward and if Hajime goes back to the restaurant to see him, Nagito will tell him the following:

This seems to indicate that Nagito, through finding out Hajime was a Reserve Course student, deemed him too unimpressive to be the traitor from the Future Foundation sent here, so he dismisses the idea of Hajime coming forward entirely. If he knew that he was actually Izuru Kamukura, the guy who got all possible talents, would Nagito really say these words? I can't truly 100% give a yes or no in factual terms, but my personal opinion would be a no. With all of this in mind, I'd take the conclusion that Izuru's identity is something that Nagito wouldn't have known from Chapter 4.

So, where did Izuru come from? That's a great question. I can't tell you the answer for sure! But, a theory that pops to mind for me is that after Chapter 6, everyone gets to recover their memory because they don't get the avatars from the simulation implanted into their brains. In other words, everything that Nagito would remember from before could theoretically be accessible to him. Nagito ends up sort of kind of knowing things about what's up in Hope's Peak Academy in the anime, for... Literally no discernible reason, after his naked shower in the oasis (literally before he returns to the academy the last scene before was that naked oasis shower scene but for real):

Uh-huh okay Komaeda

So true Junko what kinda water was in that oasis that had Nagito Komaeda know this from an absolutely butt naked shower--

You see Junko while I was taking the most naked shower in an oasis ever produced a bunch of papers flew past me and landed perfectly on the shore as if inviting me to look through them. They contained information about Hope's Peak Academy from the Parade to human experimentation to even one Junko Enoshima I know right what a coincidence--

Shut up Komaeda 🎵🎵And tell us how you know about the plot 🎵🎵

This is about all we know about Nagito and his escapade into somehow knowing Junko Enoshima. Yes, the fact that the gun was from overseas. So, the thing is, when Izuru pops up in this scene he has no clue who he is:

But he very suggestively reaches out to Izuru after getting gunned down by him:

(??? str8nagitokomaeda in shambles if he sees this)

And just passes out here, so I don't know... Who knows? Maybe this plus Chapter 0 made him connect some dots after he recovered all of his memory in the OVA. Izuru erased Nagito's memory of this encounter in the anime, so this theory also hinges on this memory returning to Nagito by the OVA, too... But at this point, what else can we do, truly? Your ghost theory is also compelling here.

So, what about the Neo World Program? This gets trickier to discern, in my opinion. Nagito refers to his location as "the island" still after Chapter 4, and never talks directly about how this is a simulation. However, Nagito erases the code Makoto left everybody in Nezumi Castle:

Or at least it would be assumed that it was him, because if it was someone like Monokuma it wouldn't need to be by physical force like in here, and Nagito has some interesting dialogue about the Ruins. I say it's interesting because, Nagito found this code, and likely would have understood that it was a code for these ruins, but he's questioned about that location later on by Sonia, who believes Nagito hid the bombs there:

But Nagito is actually confused:

Very interesting words, but I also want to flash forward a bit to Chiaki pressing x for doubt on Nagito stating he had moved the bombs elsewhere:

Because Nagito chooses silence here:

Before moving on to another topic. It's interesting because the Ruins are where Chapter 6 takes place, but considering Monokuma teleports everybody all sorts of places, it's not certain what exactly they would have looked like without his interference. The first thing Hajime does see are these class trial-looking grounds:

So maybe this is what it would look like, but there's just as good a chance that maybe Monokuma just set that one up beforehand, and the Ruins could have had another interior. It's not completely for certain, but Nagito says there was only familiar scenery inside those Ruins. The thing is, did Nagito even enter them? From the way he spoke, it's ambiguous as to whether he did, because he doesn't linger on the matter, and... There's also a chance that if he did enter the code to enter the Ruins, that he would have triggered the graduation program, something that it seemed like Nagito didn't want to do. I say this considering what he says in his final message:

By which he means he's announcing the password, but here he says a lot of intriguing things. First, the fact that by his final message, Nagito refers to the truth of "this world", phrasing that extends past the island as just a location. Then, Nagito describes the process of entering the Ruins in an interesting way, saying that multiple steps would originally be required... But how does he know? For Nagito to have read information about how to enter the Ruins from the Octagon would mean that the Ruins have significance to the Future Foundation, but this is a location only in the Neo World Program, meaning that for Nagito to have an idea of how to enter the Ruins, he had to have read it from files which would have been talking about the Hope Restauration Program (in other words Island Mode probably), for which there's no evidence that information would exist in a readable format, or know from experience by having entered the Ruins. This is in a way supported by how he talks about the message in the Nezumi Castle: it's translated in English as an easter egg, but I'd say "cheat code" is more accurate and conveys the meaning. Nagito says that the message is the cheat code that allows everybody to skip the steps necessary to enter the Ruins, but there's only a door, so it would mean that in some way or another, Nagito knew about some details on the logistics of the original plans for the Neo World Program and could understand that the code was there to bypass this.

I think that this can suggest Nagito knew about the Neo World Program, and that details on this were maybe in the parts of the video that Hajime never got to see. This would explain Nagito knowing this by the OVA, if only because if it wasn't from Chapter 4, then I'd have zero clue where else Nagito would know other than the ghost theory. I think it can be plausible to believe that Nagito knew this was a simulation, but didn't want to say so or allude to it while Chapter 5 was ongoing because he wanted to settle things inside the simulation.

Though, as you can see, all of these answers are basically conjecture. It's pretty much all the juice I was able to squeeze while investigating this matter, finding it weird myself from watching the OVA. This means that maybe there could be another just as plausible answer that I didn't notice, and it would be great if fellow scholars could step forward and contribute, but yeah the best I can muster is that Nagito probably knew about the Neo World Program from Chapter 4, and that maybe he figured out the Izuru thing from reverse engineering past memories post-Danganronpa 2. Maybe.

A curious thing about the OVA is that when Nagito wakes up and Hajime tells him that he's both Izuru and Hajime, Nagito talks about how he knew that everybody would reach... I'd say the truth, the translation I saw of the OVA translated it as "lowest stratum"? 真相 (shinsou) vs 深層 (shinsou) but like in a battle between truth and deepest stratum in the context of the OVA I'd personally consider truth to be the most likely candidate? Like, am I tripping? Is the OVA's script out there somewhere that it turns out to be deepest stratum? Because then that would imply Nagito knew that Hajime would resurrect him, which is strange... But the part where everybody would figure out the full truth like including the Izuru Kamukura thing etc sounds more in-line and could open up another interesting discussion about Nagito's plans for Chapter 5, both in him including everyone in them and how his final message is directed to also people who aren't the traitor. However, as that isn't the topic for this ask in particular, I'll leave that think thonk at that...

For the resolution of this conundrum we first have to establish the very basic premise of Izuru Kamukura's emotional range. Does he feel feelings? Do the feelings he feels extend to romance? The former has an answer that can be derived from canon material, seeing as Izuru shows different emotions not only in Chapter 0 but in the anime. Chapter 0 to me is particularly interesting because Izuru of his own volition starts talking about the woes of society led by the talentless and how the oppression of the talented results in the stagnation of progress. I think the general impression we tend to have of Izuru is of someone who is isolated from society, but since a lot of time passed since he was locked in an empty room and then Chapter 0, Izuru has most certainly spent time outside touching despair grass which means that he would have been able to observe the people in the world and seems to hold negative feelings towards the state of the world, which I won't imminently call frustration but seems to be a kind of despondent bitter feeling. Which to me would beg the question: if he is maybe invested in this topic, why does Izuru not fix the world himself? This can lend to many answers since there is none in canon but the first guess I'd make would be that this outcome would be entirely boring and predictable (and that human nature would still be human nature), and Izuru is most concerned about this issue relating to the world being boring.

Boredom and Izuru Kamukura also need to be explored to reach results here, as this is at the core of Izuru's character. Izuru Kamukura is meant to embody the concept of having all talents: that omnipotence ain't all that cool because, stripped of the element of struggle in life, there's nothing to look forward to since you can just do whatever you want effortlessly. Izuru demonstrates in Chapter 0 the process of getting excited over something he can't predict through the waves in the sea, only to immediately figure that will bore him soon, implying that he has experience with routinely getting bored of things he picks up, seeing through them instantly and because of this having this preemptive resignation to his own omnipotence where even before he's bored, he figures he will be, and this feeds into that feeling. Unpredictability is enough of a pursuit that he listens to Junko when she gets to him, and helps her out in expectation of a more unpredictable outcome through despair, but ends up in the anime wondering whether it is despair or hope that can truly be more unpredictable after the execution of human Chiaki. There, he is watching Chiaki writhe before death before picking up her hair pin, and Izuru sheds tears with this general implication that it's a lingering feeling from that guy Hajime Hinata, but we can take advantage of said guy because it should theoretically mean thus that Izuru Kamukura has the ability to feel for someone, but that it's likely stunted as the result of trying to make him unfeeling. Now, attachment or empathy doesn't necessarily lead to the ability for romantic or sexual attraction as we ought to know however as we're trying for romance we'll have to do a bit of platforming to jump to this conclusion and say that theoretically, Izuru Kamukura might be able to get attached to and feel for someone romantically maybe, but that it's probably difficult because Izuru has a read on everybody he comes across and can't be easily intrigued or drawn to someone else. However, as both Junko and Chiaki could at different points sway his opinion, it should be possible for Izuru to be influenced by people and situations if they can align to things which he is personally trying to pursue, of which unpredictability seems to be the one thing. Hope and despair seem to be integrated into an overarching framing of potential predictable and unpredictable outcomes, which is also interesting to think about.

On the other hand we have Nagito Komaeda, who is specifically drawn to the extraordinary and would have wanted to be special to someone. What I've been thinking about is that to Nagito, hope always predictably follows after despair and vice versa, because hope will always have the last laugh and his experience is defined by a similar good fortune after misfortune. Does that mean he can predict the exact kind of fortune and misfortune that will happen? No, and this instability itself contributes to a general anxiety about the events and surroundings, but there's enough of a principle that Nagito seems to still have a sort of rule of thumb about what he can put his faith in, and understand that there would be meaning to misfortune. Wouldn't that make you curious how Nagito would answer the question, "Which one is more unpredictable?" Relative to the despair that is defeated by hope, hope will surely be the most unpredictable as it will find a way to win, however... It is also known that hope will always come. Just as the Sun will always rise, that kind of thing, and that despair can only stand as an obstacle to make that moment more special. Then maybe the thought process could be that Which one is more unpredictable? That would of course be hope! With just a bit of thought, and one look at your surroundings... That much should become obvious. After all, when the invincible hero is up against the villain in the series finale, people read knowing evil will lose and justice will prevail, right? They know despair will lose to hope in the end, but their hearts still flutter with excitement for the story's conclusion. They're looking forward to see how hope will shine more than anything else! The fact that hope always wins is a given, but its radiance always holds the potential for a new dawn in this world! So, no matter what despair releases upon this world, that will always be surpassed by hope in the end. In other words, hope will always bring a more thrilling outcome!

So, at least as far as current headcanon is concerned, Nagito would position himself opposite of Junko in his stance, while at the same time being on the side of despair, causing it so that hope can shine brighter. I want to combine this also with other factors. Nagito in the anime has an um interesting reaction to being dispatched by Izuru, and it does beg the question as to why that is. Nagito was intrigued by Izuru's talent on the onset in Chapter 0, while aware that Izuru was probably also with despair since both were getting boated to Jabberwock Island, and in this instance of the anime, I think that it's possible that complete defeat, where Izuru overcame luck with his own and shot him without any counter could have maybe triggered a more heightened version of the type of excitement that is seen depicted in Danganronpa 2 whenever the hope stonks appear to be in his sight. Now, this could bring up what apparently for reasons I don't understand is a can of worms surrounding "hopesexual" Komaeda but I think if we're going to assume that Nagito is utterly climaxing at being dispatched by Izuru, we can assume that the competence and finesse with which he does it would be a cause for this sexual reaction which itself would tie to talent and so in other words Izuru's fine face would potentially be a percentage factoring in this scene relative to what was done and the implications retrieved from the action. Does that not sound like an attraction to a set of qualities in which talent would be included? I would say that accepting this wouldn't bring us that much farther from hopesexual Komaeda, but my real point is just that for the purposes of shipping convenience I'm of course on the side of Nagito Komaeda utter climax at the idea of big boy talent. But adding to this would then be the idea that talent would be longed for and valued, and that it would potentially bring him feelings relating to a longing for hope that he has, but I'd want to wonder whether that would or would not be circumvented by that target being actually on the side of despair.

Personally, I think that it would change the dynamic, but that this might not really make things hopeless between Nagito and Izuru badum-tss. The key reason is because Izuru might technically have been used by Junko, he himself is between hope and despair, and we could take advantage of that for Nagito to then see Izuru as someone who if tipped to the side of hope could produce massive hope stonks. I feel like if it was that Izuru was completely on the side of despair, it would bring about some level of disappointment unless if spun the other way around, where that omnipotent talent working against the world would make the world retaliate with a talent even stronger and so for the sake of drawing out that hope, Izuru should continue to spread despair and that would likely make Izuru despicable to Nagito to the point he could probably love him in a way similar to Junko, meaning it would still be feasible just from a different angle. The other thing is the truth behind Izuru's existence, the fact that his talent is not innate but created artificially. Everything I've said so far is subject to differing opinions which could be just as valid considering this is all speculation, but this conundrum to me is more so because while I would personally find the concept of artificial hope to be something that to Nagito if just shown in theory he probably would be cynical about since it's hope attained without that individual's struggle, but at the same time I think that seeing that in theory and then also in practice could be different things. Would Nagito knowing Izuru was injected with omnipotence make him find Izuru disappointing? Or would that just be the beginning, because if that existence were able to struggle, a truly powerful hope would come from it? Would none of that matter in face of the fact that this individual can indeed wield that talent and that it holds potential as a result? Would Nagito keep the Nagito in his pants about it?

I think that Nagito could still worship the ground Izuru walks upon, but I would say that I personally like to consider a balance where Nagito could have an assessment that pertains to flaws and quirks Izuru would have as how in Chapter 0 Nagito was as impressed as he was remarking on whenever Izuru was being weird and absent-minded, and since Nagito would be seeing Izuru while also as the Servant with good odds, it would be more likely that this premise of talent would not be the exact same as Danganronpa 2 and if anything mean that Izuru's massive hard talent is not the end all be all to the hope he's looking for, making a standing where the Servant would see Izuru in a more grounded light likely. I've seen the Kodaka answer where Nagito would be a subordinate but in my view that subordinate would be as slimy as Izuru's vibe checked him and I'd find that idea amusing where Izuru would know he is slimy, expecting him to potentially act against Izuru if it was for the interests of the hope he'd want to see, but that Izuru would have accepted this knowing he would be able to keep that in check, too. In other words, maybe my brain is geared towards the not master-slave relationship of things.

So where am I going with this? Basically, we can probably get them together in some way, and there are multiple branching paths here, some easier than others. The easiest one in my mind would be the one where Nagito gets a hold of Izuru before Junko, where even if Izuru could find him predictable, Nagito's ideology could still itself be persuasive at the level of Izuru considering it and we would have a funny and twisted hopemaxxing Izuru Kamukura of Nagito's dreams maybe. At the same time, though, I feel like most kamukoma tends to center around Nagito as the Servant. The Servant is technically only a thing applicable to Ultra Despair Girls, so Nagito would no longer be the Servant once he takes Monaca under his wing and also has never been before Ultra Despair Girls, so it may just be and I know it's going to be shocking that Nagito Komaeda would not act like a servant outside of the context in which he was the kids' servant wowzers (also he didn't even much act like a servant as the kids' servant I'm so sorry friends...) but you know what I mean, Nagito is normally depicted as being Despair!Nagito and I'd want to match that if I had to think about the two of them together for the extra challenge factor. If Nagito has to appear as the Servant before Izuru, we would have to set a story inside Ultra Despair Girls, further amping the challenge factor. In this respect, a first draft of this ask had me improvise a story that forced Izuru into the fray at the start of Ultra Despair Girls by Junko aiding the mastermind of said improvised story through self-destructing both Kurokuma and Shirokuma, splitting the AI into parts and Izuru wanting to retrieve them because he needs them for Danganronpa 2. One of the later ideas would be the Servant realizing those parts would be for the AI of Junko Enoshima, making him want to pursue this AI for use supposedly in having an enemy that can be destroyed by hope that he can set up in an ideal form, but is ultimately because he is still obsessed with Junko, and so he would try to stand in the way of Izuru and get completely blasted as fate truly would dictate and I was thinking that in that sense the anime had to be replicated and the Servant would be intrigued by the extent of Izuru's talent as well as what Izuru is planning so I guess it could end up being with Izuru deciding to take advantage of this guy to help with the retrieval of the parts since they would turn up faster with the accumulation of good fortune and the Servant understanding that it's to set a stage for something that Junko could win or lose for, but Monaca would also connect the dots and want Big Sis Junko back so then there would be a whole intertwining plot but in the middle of the logistics of setting it up in the first place I kinda strayed from the very idea of resolving the Nagito Komaeda hella boring conundrum, woops?

I think that this could maybe (since I'm not sure how convincingly I could write it) happen based off of the way that through interacting with Nagito, Izuru would be reminded of Chiaki's death and find something to consider in the dichotomy between hope and despair as well as himself through it, but this also makes me think of how Izuru seemed prepared not to be much involved in worldly affairs through his plan in Danganronpa 2, which could make Nagito feel like Izuru is planning on wasting away the chance he could have to make tangible action on the world, but it would be boring if I interfered directly so it wouldn't fulfill Izuru. So maybe Nagito could be as if acting under Izuru for some kind of complex purpose above my archsimp paygrade (it would take forever to come up with I do swear) after having encountered and potentially been defeated by him where Nagito is gunning for Izuru to consider hope to be most persuasive to him, while Izuru would see through the fact that this is to fulfill some kind of inner desire and also that it's being tainted by a thought process that actually makes him seek despair which Nagito would at least recognize being Ultimate Despair but that he regardless wishes for a world full of hope. Though, Do you really think a world full of hope would satisfy you? You have nothing you want to protect... And nothing to look forward to. The hope you seek has nothing to do with the hope I know. It's twisted to its very core... and Nagito would be shooketh but probably also intrigued How harsh... Normally, people don't say that kind of stuff out loud even if they think it, but... Haha, you really don't hold back! But, it also makes me curious. For someone like you to be so drawn to it... What hope did you see, exactly? I mean, it's what made you want to know which is more unpredictable, right? If it's that amazing... Needless to say I'd like to know about it. which is some peak irony but Izuru wouldn't remember Nagito was there for it anyway and Izuru would just say Even if I told you, you wouldn't understand. and bugger off and maybe by cooperating with Izuru, Nagito would get to see him do a variety of things and see Izuru living without much care for anything while he's tip typing away at some super computer and Nagito would wonder You asked me if I had something to protect... But, that doesn't apply to you either, does it? You yourself haven't reached that hope in your mind. If so... Isn't that why you're wavering? Could it be... You think you can't reach that level? and Izuru would stop in place I don't know he could stop for a second, turn around

There is nothing in this world that can be of value to me. Besides, even if there was such a thing... I would effortlessly keep it safe. That kind of outcome would be devoid of hope. It would only be boring... and Nagito could be like You yourself don't meet the criteria for that hope, so you're trying to have others show it to you... Hm hm hm, I almost can't believe it. I know it would be impudent of me to say it, but if you really feel that way right now, we might actually be able to relate to each other for this one instance and personally I think Nagito would be internally thinking it would be because Izuru seems to be going off this strange specific path that isn't necessarily where the hope stonks are but not saying that out loud for now, but Izuru would say If that were necessary, I'm sure I could find multiple common threads between you and I. However, that would still not outweigh the significant differences between us. In the end, the hope you preach, and the curiosity you have towards my experiences... These combined make me able to deduce the outcome of your actions and Nagito could challenge him to guess and Izuru would say You will die for the sake of despair, and accomplish nothing of importance. and that could set a sort of scene in and of itself, and Izuru doesn't really care enough for how Nagito's character will develop so he could just have Chiaki's hairpin somewhere near him and Nagito could take notice of it and be shooketh because he knows that very vividly and could end up wanting to make some trip back to Hope's Peak Academy to investigate but I think it would be fun if he was intercepted beforehand by Izuru like So you've noticed. The gaps in your memory... And how that may connect you to me. which Izuru himself noticed also some time ago from other clues and Nagito would just straight up ask if he used to know Chiaki Nanami which would prompt him to say that he only saw her last moments. She was uselessly resisting her fate, confusing me with another person until the end... But, I was compelled to listen to her words. 'Anything is possible' was what she said then, but she drew her last breath in front of me. However, I know... That Chiaki Nanami did not end with that moment. Though, even if that may be true, whether that will bring about a new result to this state of affairs is yet to be seen

And maybe Nagito would be thinking because he wouldn't understand Izuru's thought process, how Chiaki's end would have been a hope great enough that it would endure when she in fact served as a stepping stone and has been completely crushed. If it had been someone else maybe he would have been dismissive but because it's Izuru he could be led to think and maybe conclude to take action based on the idea of crushing the last remains of the hope Izuru sees but this is based on Junko's influence where the thought process would be that with even that gone, Izuru could derive a stronger hope to chase but Izuru would see through this and find himself fed up with this brainwashing since it gets in his way and just apprehends Nagito, knocks him unconscious, and Nagito would wake up like wondering what happened and Izuru could very casually talk about how he messed with his brain through hipnosis but Nagito doesn't remember but that because of this he has distanced him from Junko Enoshima and he would be like no way and Izuru would say you know Since I'm loved by talent, something like this is easy to accomplish and he could briefly explain already being familiar with Junko's brainwashing method but Nagito could wonder how that would still take more effort so then Why didn't you kill me? You've tolerated me this far, but you don't actually need anyone else, right? You could have gotten rid of me at any moment and Izuru could just say It makes no difference to me whether you are dead or alive. I was also sure you would ask me this question. However... I wanted to confirm that outcome. As expected, you are as boring as ever and Nagito would be somewhat in awe at the reasoning because in a way would that mean that he had a stake in whatever Nagito would be feeling? More importantly, he went out of his way to save him?

And while Izuru is tip typing at his keyboard Nagito could go like Hey... Once you're done, you'll be setting out to see the hope that will come from your plan, right? and Izuru would answer That is, if the result will be in hope's favour to begin with and Nagito would say But, it's what what you want, too, right? You've seen the world in despair and it didn't move you at all. However, because you saw Chiaki and her hope, you wanted to give that hope a chance. Isn't it because that hopeless conclusion is something you don't wish for? When you say you want to confirm that outcome... Isn't that what you mean? And I think currently my brain is contemplating the fact that in a way, Izuru being in a state of perpetual despair at himself, albeit if anything because he has a lot of talent, and putting a stake into an outcome that could make him feel something is similar in nature to Nagito who is in despair at himself and puts a stake into an outcome that would make him feel something so maybe Izuru was himself kind of the loser he called Nagito and I'm absolutely spitballing here but maybe that similarity, the sense of familiarity that came from someone who was there for him the entire time and the way he also wanted to reach something that would move him had a sort of feeling of empathy in some way or another where Izuru himself is boring, and in a way, that boredom can be projected onto Nagito, who also wants an unpredictable outcome that fulfills him indefinitely, and wanted someone to be able to show him the way when the world was itself done for. Maybe? I don't know? We can pull the Hajime Hinata here is I guess what I'm saying we can actually maybe pull the two sides of the same coin vibe here too in the end despite Izuru initially denying it, where then that boredom is sort of an anchor because Izuru I'm gonna pull a sort of headcanon here where I think he observed the world but didn't properly interact with people much and also likely didn't have great reactions from them, but Nagito is also technically out of the ordinary and so I don't know it's Hajime Hinata time I guess I'm sorry--

And I'm not sure how aware of his own feelings Izuru Kamukura is, on that topic. He didn't notice when he was crying in the anime, and also seemed to be able to be deep in thought about other things that distracted him from matters at hand, but I think that while Izuru might have a baseline of understanding for what he is thinking and feeling, that he might not really bother to analyse that because he would surely come up with the conclusion so is it worth it to do so, even? So, if there were slight changes, he could maybe have some lag in noticing relative to someone who would be focusing down on seeing Izuru, which Nagito would be one such person as he would probably feel like if it was Izuru before, he would have just killed him because Izuru was pretty much about as willing at the start, so then him going out of his way for Nagito is strange, Izuru likely the entire time had never done anything for him other than talk to him. Izuru could maybe say, Whether I will still want to see that hope, even if I could have predicted it... That will depend on whether I will awaken to begin with. and oh no Izuru is preparing for Danganronpa 2 but Nagito is connecting dots that Izuru might be banking on the idea of maybe not coming out alive from it (or rather as Hajime Hinata) which is funny since Nagito was the same way too but Izuru shouldn't have to go through with that !! And I think it could be funky in terms of the drama if Izuru would plan to have Nagito not remember him anymore again and admit him somewhere abroad for a long term until it would likely be safe for him to come out again and witness whatever comes from Danganronpa 2 because he knows Nagito loves him but he also knows that he can't reciprocate ideally since the fact that he is loved by talent makes him find him boring, and he would be better off with someone who was truthfully drawn to his existence and felt feelings properly, and to Izuru that would be practical and logical and a way to make even for the time Nagito helped him but Nagito would be lucky and so luck out of omnipotence which in a way could be lucky for Izuru where he would remember and would make it in time (we have by the way speedran multiple moments of development) and Izuru would

Not be surprised because it's Izuru Kamukura and he would say If you advance past this point, you will surely die. Is chasing after me worth that risk? and Nagito would say It's true that the time we spent together ultimately meant nothing at all. In the end, I'm still utterly unremarkable, incompetent and vile... Compared to you, I'm less than an insect. And yet I wasted your time contributing to something that was neither hope, or even despair... It's no wonder that was boring to you. But, at the same time, that boredom that existed between us was more comfortable than anything else I experienced in my life. It was thoroughly disappointing, and that's why... I could hold onto it every day, knowing it would be within my grasp. That kind of feeling, like you at least that small reassurance will always be there... I'm sure that's what Chiaki wanted to protect. So, I might not be any match for you, but... Despite that, I still feel like I should face off against you here. like taking a bit of a page from the OVA because I can and Izuru would be staring at that and probably get the two out of there because he's meant to be getting caught by the Future Foundation and maybe say That feeling is hope... And without a doubt, the hope you carry is very similar to that day. That must also be love... because in the anime, Chiaki had justified her struggle based on the fact that she loved her classmates, and also here we could add fuel to the drama by Izuru being faintly smiling Ah, how boring... You really do say such boring things... If you were lucky enough to make your way here, I was sure you would say that to me, so it doesn't sway me in the slightest. However, as the final words I will hear from you... They aren't so bad. as like maybe the first time he evaluated something on these terms and Nagito would be shooketh but there is no way he can beat Izuru Kamukura who would thus leave him for Danganronpa 2 but while probably thinking Though, if you happen to be lucky enough that we meet again... That moment, surely... I will return your feelings. but that this itself would be a boring outcome, as the fact that he would is predictable but maybe the trick to boredom is that it doesn't matter how predictable it is if you're into it so maybe you have to care about things first woahhhhh

But in that sense I kind of took the spice out of Danganronpa 2 in the process and introduced divergence and I'm not too sure how the outcome should pan out because there are multiple paths that can be taken on how Nagito would go about this on the outside, how Danganronpa 2 would go, maybe Nagito could find and meet Makoto beforehand, and there could also be different outcomes for Hajime, where it could certainly add tragic factor if Hajime's avatar were completely there because Island Mode happened so none Izuru, and then it would also depend on how Hajime and Izuru fuse together or for the people who want to make it dissassociative personality disorder or of similar functioning this would pretty much alter the ending but I'd say that Hajime saying that "both are me" for Izuru would mean that the feelings he would have for Nagito as Izuru could carry over while he is Hajime and Nagito would probably like him all the same THE END

Now I know what you might be thinking: "What do you mean? Nagito has great eyesight?"

And indeed, he's portrayed as being observant enough to find clues that other people might have missed. Such as the rope from Chapter 3:

(...)

Or Hiyoko's kimono:

Or even the doorknob from Chapter 4:

And while it might make you think that this means Nagito would have no problems seeing anything, I'd like you to hold that thought. Would our glasses king Byakuya not observe the evidence closely? (don't remind him of chapter 2) Being observant and being able to see are different things, because where you can have trouble seeing, you can still focus on your surroundings to notice something before someone else. And additionally, if you notice, while Nagito said he looked at Hiyoko's kimono closely, we don't have any evidence of the distance he was from Hiyoko's kimono. In other words, he could have been seeing it closely as in focusing on it specifically rather than having gotten up close and personal. Indeed, we can note an element of distance regarding the observations in Nagito.

Which lines up with the central element of our canon theory:

Here we see in full force the eccentricities of Nagito's eyesight, because he's reading the data he got from the Russian Roulette in Chapter 4 from an abnormally far distance. It would be strange if Nagito was positioning the book in a position from where he can't read it. It would mean in fact that Nagito is trying to compensate for not being able to read this book from up close, because the strain of doing so outweighs the challenge run of small letters from afar. And if he's already engaging in this, he must be aware. Of what? That he's in dire need of his glasses!

(and this my friends is the truly obvious and symbolic parallel between Nagito and Makoto, but at the time of my post, I just didn't have the courage to break to you the world-shattering bombshell of Makoto's reading practices...)

1

The Mystery of the Missing Glasses

In his beta design (half of the time), Nagito was wearing glasses. However, in his final design, they're gone. Where did the glasses go? You'd think they just stopped existing, but I dare say they're just missing from the game. In fact, the glasses used to exist. Your blorbo was a glasses guy the entire time, and you just didn't know it. Through my analysis, I'll be proving to the audience that this is not only true, but rather the only possible way of seeing Nagito from here onwards. Otherwise, well... I hate to admit it, but you might be catching a patch of ableism. We have to stan ALL our glasses kings.

The flow is very simple: if Nagito is missing his glasses throughout the series, the question we must ask is, "Why? Who or what robbed Nagito of his rightful glasses?" (and why does he become more emo with them on--)

Thankfully, the second question here has a very simple answer. As we know from Nagito's final free time event, luck took everything from him:

His parents, his dog, his first time experience in a trash bag... And of course, without relatives left, the final target before Nagito himself would have to be his glasses. We can surmise from this that before his diagnosis, Nagito used to have his glasses. Coincidentally, it's also right after his diagnosis that Nagito is chosen to go to Hope's Peak Academy:

And as we can see, Nagito describes his life as a "rollercoaster ride". Since the time he got diagnosed and then chosen to to go Hope's Peak Academy, his lifestyle is chaotic as can be, potentially (by which I mean naturally) to the point he doesn't manage the time to go buy a new pair of glasses. This handicaps Nagito from the start of Danganronpa 2, because the state in which his virtual avatar is copied is based on how he perceives himself all those years back. In other words, his brain would emulate his state of no glasses.

His turbulent history with glasses can be gleaned from hints in the game itself. Out of all gifts you can give to Nagito, one of his dislikes is the Hagakure Crystal Ball:

When you look at this, what do you think? It's circular, made of glass, and most importantly... It's shattered. Just like Nagito's glasses. When Nagito looks at this crystal ball, he can't even recognize its association with the Ultimate Fortune Teller because the first thing he remembers is his glasses' final moments, and what he can never take back now that he's in this deserted island with no glasses prescribed exactly for him.

"But what about the Passionate Glasses?"

How could you say this?

There are already enough things up his ass. Surely he doesn't need another...

2

The Arrival of the Contact Lenses

The Neo World Program didn't afford glasses for Nagito, not even knowing he wore them to begin with, but there was a years-long gap in memory between the Nagito just before the entrance ceremony and the Nagito post-OVA. And as we've all witnessed from the anime, there were no glasses to be scene on Nagito. This doesn't, however, mean that his eyesight recovered like his other illnesses. Naturally, after having found his glasses shattered, Nagito was able to conclude that he had to wear contact lenses, which are less likely to break from the woes of his luck.

We can see this clearly in Ultra Despair Girls, Chapter 4:

Nagito is holding onto a tablet to see Komaru's progress through his and Monaca's game, and the distance from which he's looking through the tablet has stabilized comparatively to the book he was holding in Chapter 4 of Danganronpa 2. Why is that? We stan our kings, so we have to conclude that he's committed to the contact lenses lifestyle.

Evidently so, because he's not wearing glasses in Chapter 0, either:

(not that he'd need them here of course since Izuru Kamukura is at a distance from Nagito)

At the time he's being carried off to Jabberwock Island, Nagito had already abandoned his glasses, and with it all hope. Because of this, while the hand was very noticeable, the contact lenses went unnoticed and Nagito ended up recreating his glass-less state in the context of Danganronpa 2. Thankfully, the contact lenses survived the Neo World Program and were probably ready for use when Nagito was resurrected in the OVA. At least that's one less thing for Hajime to fix!

3

Conclusion

Glasses Komaeda. It's been pre-determined. What can I say? I'd even recreate for you the incident that caused the loss of his glasses because I've communed with the Nagito in my heart to draw it out the same way Nagito handing Teruteru's fortune cookies to Hajime led to marriage, but each time I replay it, I just break down crying grieving for the cruel fate saddled upon our tragic baby boy. So, while I'd love to become the supreme and ultimate authority of your Nagito Komaeda perception, I'll have to sadly leave these details to your imagination...

4

Real Talk

My favourite beta design is probably the one that's basically just dark Makoto because he also has glasses and that sketch of dark glasses Makoto in despair with his glasses off is SUCH, "I beg your pardon?" vibes that it's amazing. Though, in the end, I feel like the final design for Nagito fits well with the script in the game because he looks like he indeed could just be a friendly nerd and so would make it more shocking that he turns out to want to see the Ultimates go through despair for the sake of hope. Something I think is notable in the design philosophy even in the beta designs is the common sentiment of the depiction of Nagito as someone in despair, or in the second beta design, having had a time where he might've not been in such despair. Nagito being someone who is clinging so strongly to hope precisely because he's in despair is something I think about a lot when it comes to Nagito's character, and in a way I can also understand the feeling of wanting to give that emphasis visually.

I considered the philosophical question of, "Would Nagito wear that demon-themed hoodie drip even now?" But this tier of philosophy lends to multiple answers and none of them feel plausible enough for me to make a certain conclusion. So, in that sense, I'd also leave that to the Nagito in your heart. I unfortunately don't have particular headcanons about this state of Nagito because these being visuals applied to Nagito, shifting Nagito's personality based on them would be essentially creating a different Nagito with such a degree of freedom that I'd start to question if it's even Nagito anymore. Because of this, I might not be the best person to extrapolate from this type of information, and I'm very sorry.

Anyway, I at least hope my dumb memes can compensate...

I see. I have to admit that's a compelling argument... I never thought much about the things I have, but now that you mention it, that's impossible to deny. After all, being loved by none other than the Ultimate Mortician is incredible luck. And out of anyone else, I'm the only one with that privilege... There's no doubt it can't be rivaled by anything else! Huh? That's not it? But, that's your talent, right? There's nothing wrong about what I just said. Other people may not understand, but your talent is exactly what made you the wonderful person you are. If anything, you should recognize it already. Your existence is cursed? As if that was true. Left in your care, any soul wandering this Earth would move on in an instant! Since you help the dead rest, there's no better omen than you. That's why I'm sure being with you, the Ultimate Mortician, is definitely an auspicious thing. Even my death is set up for life! Isn't that amazing? It's what I've always thought, after all. Ever since I met you, I loved you for your talent and the hope it could bring. Well, I would have never imagined it would go farther than that... But, it's always been the truth. You think so? To be honest, I've also been thinking the same thing lately. I'm always worried you might get hurt when we go out somewhere, but when I look back on the time we've spent together... That hasn't happened even once. Maybe you're also lucky? Or, maybe... It would be shocking if that was true. Personally, I don't believe my luck can be that convenient, but... It also can't just be coincidence. That's right, it's like fate brought us together. How romantic! If that was really true, I've underestimated my own luck! But, I suppose that only goes to show how short-sighted I am. There are many types of luck, after all. Luck in wealth, luck in studies... Luck in love isn't any different. If I'm lucky, then... Theoretically, that would also part of it. Though, since it's about someone as odious as me, it's admittedly hard to accept...

That was more than just a coincidence. It was also something I decided of my will... Did I never tell you? I did happen to be in that hospital when it collapsed in on itself, but it's not like I had any relatives there, so even if I was a survivor, I wasn't planning on being at the memorial service. The reason I was there... Simply-put, it was because I heard it was going to be personally organized by the Ultimate Mortician, and since I was invited... I figured it would be a waste not to take the chance. It was a good thing I decided to go, too. Out of everyone there, I managed to run into you, after all! That's a moment I'll never forget. When you said you were happy to have met me... I thought I must've misheard! Unfortunately, we didn't end up in the same class, but that's what makes our meetings afterwards stand out. Even though you always tried to hide from other people during breaks, I'd always run into you. There was even a time you were hiding inside the incinerator! I almost thought it'd end up acting up on its own when I found you again. That was really scary... Shyness doesn't even begin to justify doing something that dangerous! I'm glad you're more confident than that by now... Sorry! I made you remember something embarrassing, huh? But it's surprising nothing happened back then, too. If the chance is there, something normally happens... Unless that something is actually meeting you? Well, whether it's through my luck, or something else entirely... As long as this is the result, I'm more than satisfied. Now, if only we could escape this room! What should we do...? I tried to buy time through some small talk, but it looks like nothing has changed outside! This is undoubtedly bad luck, but... Are you sure about your answer? Really, now? I'm happy to know that, but... I have to admit I had a different perspective on it. Wealth, influence, happiness... It's true that whoever gains all of these things in their lifetime is fortunate, but in my opinion... Someone whose luck could change this very world is sure to be among the luckiest alive. Because of that, they have the potential to embody hope, after all. For example... Well, you're right. Anyone would know something like this. And despite that, what concerns you isn't the world, but me... It's a selfish thought, but it's your opinion! I'll naturally accept it with all my heart. Then it's no wonder you're not worried at all, even though you're in this situation. To you, I'm the most fortunate person alive... And as long as we're together, you have nothing to fear. That's amazing. Regardless of how true that is in practice, I'm honored that you think that way... So, we better leave this place quickly. If your viewpoint is correct... We still have a long way ahead of us, after all.

. . .

Author's Notes: The first time I read through the request, I thought of writing a traditional oneshot that could hopefully depict the situation described in a concise way. The reason it didn't come to pass is because, knowing myself, that oneshot would become something way bigger in an attempt to try to justify why the two people involved would fall in love. Which wouldn't be a bad thing necessarily, but I would like to be able to answer to people's requests while also being able to make progress with my own project. While trying to figure out how to best and most efficiently structure the idea, I thought that since I post these types of Komaeda POV blurbs on Tumblr, that it might be forgiven if it's Komaeda talking about it. I would hope that it is...

Luck Nagito experiences doesn't have to necessarily have causality, considering how there's no relation between Nagito's diagnosis and him getting accepted into Hope's Peak Academy, but with that gap in time, I figured that it would be more rewarding if that bad luck truly did cause that good luck, since the Hope's Peak thing comparatively happened "right after" the diagnosis. So, at least for the sake of playing it safe, I thought that if some time had to pass after the accident, that it would be fun if there was causality, but how does one meet an Ultimate due to an accident? The idea of a memorial service popped to mind, and this is where the Ultimate Mortician came in.

I thought it would be a fun set-up in the sense that it happened because Nagito was there which happened because he'd survived the previous accident. Then, it would give a clear direction in terms of the talent of this reader character, which could be the basis for subsequent headcanons and interactions. At this point in the brainstorming phase, I was still considering writing this traditionally, so there were some details I was having in mind for the sake of giving basic characterization to this reader character. Since they're an Ultimate, the idea is that they would be quirky in some way, and since this is a mortician, I wanted to match in the way Danganronpa looks at aesthetics and make something that's more like what people would crudely imagine it in an exaggerated way, rather than a realistic approach.

So, I had concepts in mind like the idea that people who touch corpses are unclean, that they take upon cursed energy, and that in that sense this reader character probably doesn't have a very fun history interacting with people or the idea that people would appreciate their talent. The vibe would be that in comes Nagito who appreciates all talent for its potential to become hope, and who'd think that in all respects reader is deserving of respect. From there, though, I didn't go much further because I didn't want to get too focused on this vibe when I had to follow through the request in its luck aspect, and from there I was already deciding on making it this format for efficiency.

Like I said, my first basis for this prompt is that Nagito gives an example of luck in the form of someone getting into an accident, meeting a lovely nurse and them becoming a couple because of it. If this example actually reflects reality, then we can say that this type of luck could potentially happen to Nagito. Though, Nagito for example ends up with serious illnesses when luck would also technically be luck in health, so one can't guarantee that if he were lucky in love, that this very love could be short-lived. Then again, we also have no guarantee that these diagnoses won't end up manifesting in the luckiest possible way in the future, in such a way that Nagito would end up living long regardless, so if we combine those principles, I personally believe that if luck in love triggered in some way, that very person would probably also run into bad luck in the process, but that it would be lucky by proxy to Nagito if they didn't die, so this is in the realm of possibility. In a way, something I considered for my story and it's truly personal headcanon is that maybe the Ultimate Mortician truly is fortunate, but not by being lucky, but by being blessed by the dead, in a twist that would uproot their own beliefs.

However, in the interest of not hindering the prompt with my own headcanon, the focus was to also see Nagito contemplate the possibility and not stray from it too hard. It made me wonder how Nagito would see it, if he believed that would happen. I think that since Nagito had zero expectations of his social life to begin with, that it would've been outside of his consideration. However, I do believe that if someone regularly around him never got into any bad luck, that he would definitely notice and think about it. However, I wasn't sure if he would bring it up immediately instead of something else, so I thought about a topic that could transition into the idea, in other words what a lucky person even is. The idea would be that the reader character would have answered many factors, of which love was included, seeing as someone lucky would be for example someone who did find their soulmate. This would then make the topic become about that eventuality, while at the same time exploring hypothetical perspectives on degrees and types of luck from Nagito.