#drowsie rambles

THE DEATH PORTRAITS

To start with, let's take a look at Gonta's placement in the courtroom - he's right in between Rantaro and Kaede.

There's nothing too special about this on its own. But given that both of these students die in Chapter 1, the death portraits for these two surround Gonta and isolate him from the others from Chapter 2 onwards.

I would like to propose that this is a hint to Gonta's initially planned nature - a vicious killer standing next to the victims whose deaths he had a direct hand in.

Truly chilling.

But couldn't this just be a coincidence? Isn't it possible that Gonta was just randomly assigned to be in between the Chapter 1 casualties?

As in, the writers of V3 had no real intention in mind when putting him there?

There's a way we can calculate the chance of this specific trial placement happening naturally. Running the numbers, the probability of the two deceased students being placed next to Gonta naturally, without any intent from the V3 writers...

...is 1/105.

That looks like an extremely low chance to me!

With that, it seems likely that Gonta was placed here deliberately by the V3 writers.

Perhaps it's a cruel jab at the person who severely internalises their failures to protect their friends. Or perhaps that deeply kind person was at one point written as the mastermind who killed them... and he's placed there for a wicked Chapter 6 reveal.

"You don't believe Gonta is the mastermind? Gonta and the friends he killed have been staring you in the face this whole time" ...something like that.

Additionally... if we map everyone's positions to the casts of the previous games, Gonta is in the same place as Chiaki, SDR2's traitor.

And also, uh, Yasuhiro, but don't worry about that.

THE SCRUM DEBATES

We all know how these start. Everyone in the courtroom is stuck on a difficult topic, unable to decide how to move forwards. They're split right down the middle. Tensions are high - the right thing to do would be to calm down and discuss the disagreement...

...but then Monokuma butts in, prompted by someone saying a half-relevant phrase, and starts the mechanism that raises the students to the Scrum Debate stage.

I want to call attention to how Monokuma is prompted into starting each Scrum Debate... or rather, who prompts him.

In Chapter 1, it's...

In Chapter 2, it's...

In Chapter 3, it's...

...ahhh shit. Well, there's still a bit of a pattern here, no?

Monokuma needs a phrase to riff off, in order to interrupt the conversation and move the trial forwards. The phrase has to be something Monokuma can use to "seamlessly" transition to the Scrum Debate.

Perhaps Gonta here is feeding those phrases to Monokuma because that's part of his job as the mastermind. And when he's done it enough times to be noticeable, Kiibo (as the audience surrogate) picks up his slack the next time round.

In case you're curious about Chapter 4, in that trial Kaito is interrupted by Shuichi who is then interrupted by Monokuma. Still, if I had a nickel for every time Gonta of all characters was interrupted to start the Scrum Debate, I'd have two nickels. Which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice!

THE BUG SAMPLES

Gonta's talent research lab is no doubt one of the prettiest labs in the Ultimate Academy, evoking nature with grass, trees, and dappled sunlight. One of the standout features of this lab, however, is the wall-to-wall display of bug samples. Gonta with the cutest expression known to man has this to say about them:

Now this right here presents V3's greatest unanswered mystery: who made these lovingly crafted samples? We certainly don't hear about anyone other than Gonta adoring insects, especially not to the point their love seeps out and becomes apparent to anyone who interacts with them or their creations.

But that's the answer to the question, isn't it? There is no one on this green earth that loves bugs more than Gonta. Ergo, Gonta is the one who crafted his own bug samples and decorated his lab, as part of the construction of the Ultimate Academy he oversaw as the mastermind.

THE SHOT PUT BALL

Concerning the canonical Chapter 1 murder... I'm sorry but I just have to say it. There's no fucking way Tsumugi swung a shot put ball into the back of someone's head with enough force to kill them.

Here are some reasons why I think this:

'Cosplayer' is not an athleticallly inclined profession (there's also nothing else in Tsumugi's backstory that would make her athletically inclined)

Rantaro is taller than her, meaning she'd have to put more effort into lifting the shot put ball in order to reach the back of his head

A shot put ball can weigh 4 kilograms / 8.8 pounds (if used in womens' sports) or 7.26 kilograms / 16 pounds (if used in mens'). But even if we assume it's the lighter variation, that's still rather heavy for swinging with enough force to cave someone's skull in?

Tbh I think the heaviest thing Tsumugi could swing is a fully loaded ita bag (sorry Tsmoogs I'm no better)

I rest my case. Now if only there was someone else in the V3 cast who is canonically jacked and has incredible feats of strength to their name, such as casually lifting up a manhole cover (weighing anywhere between 90 to 150 pounds) with two fingers.

THE UNCLE WHO WORKS AT SPIKE CHUNSOFT

I have an anonymous contact who broke into Kodaka's office, cracked open the secret Gonta Lore vault and brought these notes back to me:

Oh, and the fact that the Nanokumas - tools used by the mastermind to oversee the killing game - are specifically insect-like is suspicious too, I guess.

THE SUBTLE INSULTS

Canonically, one of Gonta's core traits is how he is typically kind and well-intentioned. But there's a few moments that stick out to me in contrast... moments where what he says doesn't quite match up to what we think his intent is.

There's another moment where he stops piggybacking off Kokichi's insults and delivers his own zinger:

A hardened criminal destroying the confidence of a vulnerable woman, 2017, colorized.

I would like to suggest that these sort-of-jabs are not the mark of a gentleman-in-progress, who still has things to learn about social nuances... but remnants of a script where you're meant to replay the game and think "huh, he was kind of a jerk at times, it makes sense he's the mastermind".

Miu seems to be the main focus of these comments, and outside of those you do see Gonta occasionally having to reel her in during trials. One of her core traits is how she correctly guesses the culprit the second she steps into the courtroom.

And for someone - say, a mastermind wanting a good old-fashioned trial - that might be kind of troublesome actually! At least give everyone time to get through the mystery solving and the character drama!

Now doesn't that sound like "oh shit, don't spoil the case right away, everyone else has lines they need to say"? Isn't that little stutter he does interesting?

Do you think after each trial he cracks open a cold one?

THE OCCAM'S RAZOR

One of the core components of the Chapter 1 murder is the secret tunnel in the girls' bathroom, that leads to the hidden room behind the library. Let's have a think about what this tunnel is actually like in a 3D space. Starting from the hidden room - the entrance faces one direction, it goes up one floor, and turns around on itself so the exit also faces the same direction.

Now something like that wouldn't be too difficult to build, assuming there are competent builders working on it. Who's responsible for the construction of the Ultimate Academy, anyway?

...hm.

Would you trust the Monokubs to build something more complicated than a straight line?

Obviously, the canonical twisting construction of the tunnel was a retcon that accidentally brought the Monokubs above room-temperature IQ.

Let's say the tunnel was originally something simpler. What could it have looked like? Where could it have lead to?

Now someone, not naming names, could theoretically lock themself into the A/V room. Perhaps they'd scare people off from the A/V room through the threat promise of scary bug documentaries blown up onto a large screen. And then, when the coast is clear, they'd use the secret tunnel to enter the library and commit murder.

They say the simplest explanation is usually the most accurate.

Alternatively, if we want to bring this whole 'Gonta could have killed Rantaro' thing back to actual canon... remember Kirumi's accusation of Gonta in Chapter 1, where she says he could have opened the library door using the projector screen and then thrown the shot put ball at Rantaro? That seems like a somewhat convoluted method of murder, right? But Danganronpa's murders are all about making the convoluted sound plausible. Perhaps this murder method could have been a 'first draft' for what really happened in Chapter 1, eventually being revealed during Chapter 6.

............and that's all, folks. I'll await my trial for Gonta slander. Not for the Monokubs though they can gtfo.

Two sides of the same coin

I suppose the main thing that sticks out to me about Gokumami, is how Gonta and Rantaro are simultaneously very similar and very different - in a way that I think complements the other near-perfectly.

Their similarities could allow them greater understanding of each other as they are:

Rantaro's search for his long-lost sisters, and his own experiences in the wilderness, would give him a deeper understanding of Gonta's disappearance as a child than most other people (and perhaps some criticism towards the adults that failed to keep Gonta safe)

Gonta's love for family, and his way of making things happen by direct action, would spur him on to help Rantaro to the best of his ability, energising the tough and grueling search for his sisters

They both share a sort of "only I can do this" attitude towards resolving bad situations... something like 'extreme self-reliance'. I'll dive into this a bit more later on, but as I'll explain it's not really the healthiest for either of them. Neither Gonta or Rantaro would think it's a problem for themselves due to their own hangups. But I also don't think they'd want the other person to carry everything on their own either. Maybe they could help each other see through this hypocrisy?

And their differences could allow them to make up for the other's "weaknesses", and guide each other to where they want to be:

While Gonta is overall incredibly energetic and proactive towards anything he sets his mind to, he also understands the importance of slowing down, resting and appreciating what's around him. And while Rantaro does already know the value of taking breaks, when he's intensely looking for his sisters he might need that sort of 'let's try our very best, but also pace ourselves' energy at the most fraught of times to help him not burn out

Rantaro appreciates his family, but he's not someone who tolerates bad behaviour. Even though Gonta deeply loves his human family, if you read between the lines of what he says about them, the don't sound like they treat him very well. Rantaro would likely pick up on that Perhaps he would encourage Gonta to spend more time with his forest family, and even help him out with travel arrangements. (...And then worry if Gonta doesn't come back for a while. I have a fic idea about this. I'd love to write it some day)

I love ships where they’re both each other’s comfort and motivators. Ones where they're both supportive and in need of supporting, always putting their best foot forwards and uplifting the other, helping each other with unhealthy mentalities on the way. I hope I can express how and why Gokumami is this for me throughout this post.

What brings them together?

Just for clarity's sake, I should mention that I'm thinking about all this in a UTDP-like, non-killing game AU. And if we look at Rantaro's situation in UTDP - he's rarely present at Hope’s Peak due to always travelling, only popping up occasionally and whenever there's a school event. I think he and Gonta would naturally get to talking whenever Rantaro's around, with polite comments like "I saw a bunch of green wasps while I was abroad, by the way" turning into longer conversations about the places Rantaro's traveled to and, of course, lots of insect infodumping about migration patterns and their interactions with other creatures.

And, well... Gonta is a sucker for anyone who listens to him and shows kindness. He'd easily miss Rantaro when he's away, even without any deeper relationship or feelings between the two. And he'd keep a list in his Gentleman Journal of things to get Rantaro up to date on when he comes back. Perhaps he'd get sad sometimes when Rantaro leaves... but then he considers how a wild dragonfly would want to be free, instead of kept in a cage. He won't know Rantaro's reasons for travel right away, but he always tries to wave him off with a smile.

And Rantaro may not think about Gonta as regularly when he's out and about... until he remembers a survival tip Gonta told him (if you're in the wild and you don't hear any insects, that means something dangerous is close) and therefore decides to make camp where the bugs are loudest. Gonta's very endearing with his open kindness and willingness to help others, but there's a hidden toughness in him that would strike a chord with Rantaro. Whenever he thinks about Gonta, he mulls over him for hours (he's done well socially and intelligence-wise for someone who was in the forest for ten years. his sense of morality seems normal enough until someone doesn't like bugs, what's up with that? what on earth is a reptite? etc. etc). There's a lot about Gonta to unpack and I think Rantaro's curiosity would be piqued enough to try it.

I think they'd naturally seek each other out whenever Rantaro returns. But something about many of Rantaro's relationships, is that he tends to place himself as the 'big brother' or protector. Gonta, though, is also a protector, and he'd want to do everything he can to support Rantaro the way he supports Gonta. They're equals in a lot of ways, sharing very similar struggles with family and self-worth, and I think that would allow them to truly understand each other and make a deep connection.

To be more specific about what each one likes about the other...

I can see Gonta admiring Rantaro’s self-assured nature, his natural kindness and ability to suss people out. He’d be curious about his jewellry, thinking that Rantaro knows how to make himself look good while not being overly formal. (I headcanon Gonta as primarily wearing formal clothes because he doesn’t think he’d look good otherwise). And, Rantaro is willing to meet him on his level, and not talk down to him or assume he doesn’t know things because he’s dumb. Though Gonta wouldn’t necessarily be able to put that into words (due to his lack of belief in himself), he’d definitely feel it, and be drawn to Rantaro as a result.

And Rantaro would think Gonta's surprisingly tenacious - for his survival in the wild, for managing to catch up with his peers since then, for his never-give-up attitude, and for his tendency towards direct action. He'd find Gonta's energy and drive for self-improvement inspiring. He’d also notice the disconnect between Gonta’s perceived stupidity and his actual level of intelligence and capacity for learning, and that would make him super curious. I think he’d enjoy asking Gonta about his worldview, and asking him philosophical questions (somehow getting to extreme scenarios like “if and when is mercy killing acceptable?”), as the answers he gets might be quite surprising coming from someone like Gonta. He’d like untangling the puzzle that is Gonta and his many contradictions. Also, Gonta is someone who can both be protected, and do the protecting back.

Adventuring together (and Rantaro’s goals)

Okay, so Rantaro likes exploring... a lot. Those feelings are sort of put to the side because of his worry for his sisters, but his love for adventuring is still there deep down. There’s no doubt he would spend his time travelling, even after his sisters are found - and I think Gonta would be more than happy to travel with him.

Danganronpa S even has Gonta saying he'd be happy to travel around the world! So, I don't know how canon DRS is, and I think there's a slight shift in a lot of the characters' voices and motivations I am still mortally wounded by the writers forgetting about Toko's 'friendsect' in that scene with her and Gonta. But I do really really like some of, if not most of the writing choices they made for Gonta. It just makes sense to me that he'd want to go around the world to meet new bugs!

While his aim here is to find bugs, I like to think that Gonta would also put his all into helping Rantaro find his sisters. The idea of a family being split up would be very sad to him, and he's always extremely proactive in trying to 'make things right'.

Rantaro's been told he should give up on that goal before, but having someone so firmly on his side with so much enthusiasm would help a lot! Gonta's someone with a lot of positivity and drive. While Rantaro absolutely wouldn't slack, and he'd feel guilty for taking breaks (even if he's about to drop...), Gonta's energy would uplift him, and be very much appreciated. Finally, someone with the same kind of tenacity as he has. Someone who can keep going just like he can, who truly understands the value of a reunited family.

Although... looking for sisters without a break isn't the healthiest. There should be moments for rest and enjoyment too, and I think Gonta can really shine for Rantaro in this aspect. They probably wouldn't go out of their way to visit tourist spots - especially if Rantaro feels he's close to finding his sisters elsewhere - but I think Gonta would still find a lot of wonder in the little things they pass by. The way a mountain looks from a distance, how pretty a group of flowers are, the smell of food stalls, bugs, and so on. I think when there's time, Rantaro would quite like introducing Gonta to things that once amazed him. Perhaps he'd rediscover his love for these things through Gonta's genuine enthusiasm and awe...

Rantaro's adventuring has a bit of a darker side though, with some close calls (e.g almost being 'taken out' due to being mistaken for an informant). He goes to dangerous places. He tends to place himself into a lot of troublesome situations. And while Gonta's physique could act as a deterrent to some of this, or if it doesn't he'd try to do everything he can to get Rantaro out of there... he'd be absolutely horrified at the kind of situations Rantaro goes through. And if Rantaro got injured anyway, he'd be angry and horrified at himself, the attackers... and maybe even Rantaro himself.

Man, I wish I had the headspace to write fanfiction consistently and well. "Does Rantaro want to die?! You know sisters would be devastated if you did, right?!". One or both of them reaching a breaking point, then reconciling. That kind of thing.

...It might sound kind of odd for Gonta to get mad at someone directly like that. But he does have a very hidden streak of anger to him, which can be seen when others aren't taking a grave situation seriously. E.g "You call yourself Ultimate Detective? Use your head!" during his Rebuttal Showdown in Chapter 4. This would be absolutely perfect in catching Rantaro off guard. As I mention occasionally here, he's one of the few that would likely take Gonta seriously. He also wouldn't ignore the implications of an extremely people-pleasing guy losing his temper.

Concerning the main reason why they're travelling - to find Rantaro's family - perhaps Gonta could use his excellent observational skills to help find whichever sister they're after, or at the very least some clues. He does discover a lot of things during the killing game, after all (the manhole, the Nanokubs, the night sky being different, the crosspieces under the floors in Chapter 3, probably more I'm not remembering).

Also, his eyesight! 20/0.625 eyesight, if I understand correctly, means he can see things at a large distance with the same visual clarity of things that are up close. Good for spotting people in a crowd, perhaps.

Also, his bugs! He could recruit some bug friends to help in the search, like so...

Maybe, whenever they find a sister and are on the way home, Gonta offers to assign a group of small insects to keep an eye on them and report back if they’re in trouble. He'd probably be declined but it's the thought that counts!

Nurturing a love for insects (and Gonta's goals)

I've talked a lot about Gonta ships in my previous posts. But one factor that influences my feelings towards these ships is... does the other person like bugs? Or rather - are they willing to understand and even celebrate Gonta's love and knowledge of insects, without making big character-changing compromises on their end? Very few characters fit this criteria for me quite like Rantaro.

To start with... Rantaro explicitly praises Gonta's talent, something which very few of the others do. (Also, IRL, who do you know that actually celebrates bugs and entomology? Probably not many people?)

He's open-minded towards the study of bugs to the point of enthusiasm. Now, I don't have Rantaro's lore fully locked down in my head. If there's some UTDP scene where he turns to the camera and says "I hate insects", please don't tell me lmao I will remain blissfully ignorant. But, given what I do know about him, I think he'd quite happily sit through any of Gonta's insect lecture sessions.

He might even be happy to handle them! He's had to sleep and travel rough sometimes, during his travels, and I think he'd be desensitised to insects as a result. But Gonta's enthusiasm and knowledge could raise that kind of neutral feeling to something like appreciation or admiration. While he's travelling to find his sisters, Rantaro doesn't often stop to appreciate the little things - but the little things are rather interesting!

Perhaps when out travelling on his own, he'd spot a rare insect and then text Gonta something like "Hey, I saw this little guy here. I know you wanted to see one of these up close. I took some videos, but if you want I could try and bring him back with me?". And Gonta would go "Wow!! Rantaro met a new friend!!", and then "Sorry but no! Bringing home potential invasive species would be bad! But maybe we go to meet them together sometime?". New date idea unlocked lol.

That sort of potential engagement and enthusiasm towards bugs, really makes a Gonta ship shine for me if it's present. And Rantaro's one of the characters I can see that the most with.

As anyone who’s ever played the first hour of V3 knows, “becoming true gentleman Gonta’s goal”.

And is Rantaro not already something like a gentleman? He's kind, earnest, refined, polite… I’m sure there’s even a Salmon Mode scene where he enjoys a good cup of tea!

…okay no, seriously. Rantaro is someone who, at least on the surface, appears confident in himself in a way that doesn’t escalate to arrogance. He’s competent at a lot of things - travelling, cooking, fashion, thoughtfulness towards others, to name a few. He also has a sense of style that looks almost effortless, and comfortable while still being trendy.

There's a lot here that Gonta might want to try emulating, in his journey towards becoming a gentleman. The confidence/competence/kindness is self-explanatory as to why he might want to work on those traits. But Rantaro's sense of style... I have a headcanon that Gonta primarily wears formal clothes because he doesn't think he looks good in anything more casual. Maybe Rantaro could help with that.

Self-development and "becoming someone better" is the core idea driving Gonta's desire to become a gentleman, I feel. Even if it's more like "becoming someone I actually like". And I think one way of furthering self-development is questioning your beliefs... perhaps initiated by someone else asking questions and gently poking at your life philosophies.

I mentioned before how Rantaro's curiosity would be piqued by Gonta's oddities... and perhaps that's where he starts questioning some of Gonta's life philosophies, seeing what nuances there are. What is a gentleman? Can you be a good person and not like bugs? And so on.

Deep kindness

Kindness is a key attribute for both Gonta and Rantaro, I feel. They’re both incredibly protective of those that are close to them, and they intrinsically enjoy cheering others up.

Gonta has his heart open to literally anyone who acknowledges him. Rantaro is… he's the opposite when it comes to his deeper feelings, emotionally closing himself off from being truly known. But when things are more surface-level he still offers a lot of genuine kindness. He keeps his own vulnerabilities guarded, and he’s good at sussing out bad intentions, but he'll also notice when someone needs cheering up and the best way to do so (e.g, Chapter 1’s nail painting scene). He’s not a people pleaser, and he calls out people when he needs to, but it's all with the best of intentions.

I think Gonta could come to admire that sort of attitude. His own open kindness and naivety can be used against him easily. E.g, caving in to ideas that are justifiable in his head but iffy in reality, and anything bad he does as a result - e.g the Insect Meet and Greet, Miu's murder - causes him immense guilt (understatement of the year).

Gonta’s always learning, and working on covering up his previous blind spots (e.g not trusting Kokichi in Chapter 4 until the Flashback Light throws him into despair, there’s also one Salmon Mode scene that demonstrates him 'learning from previous missteps' that’s a bit much to explain here). And he'd admire Rantaro's smarts and his ability to navigate tricky social situations, taking inspiration from him.

I also think that Rantaro may be one of the very few characters who doesn’t look down on Gonta even a little bit, for either his love for bugs or for his lack of experience in human society. He's also not someone who would think Gonta is an idiot, who needs to be spoken to like a child. Gonta is more than capable of learning, and he’s also just… a guy. A human being just like the others.

I think in-universe, there’s a sense of… “oh bless, Gonta does [controversial thing] but he's well-meaning and doesn’t know any better, better not stir the pot by addressing it”. And I think this sort of thing would prevent Gonta from reaching the full gentlemanly heights he’s more than capable of. Even though IMO he’s already a great way there!

I can see Rantaro respecting Gonta’s humanity, his handicaps and strengths, and his capacity to learn, and seriously acknowledging Gonta's goal of self-improvement. I think Gonta's desire to work on himself would impress Rantaro quite a lot, actually - he knows most people would rather others improve than themselves. He’d be happy to offer support to Gonta like he would for anyone else, without looking down on him for "being too dumb to understand basic things" (also known as, being outside of society for 10 years).

And on the flip side, he also wouldn't be afraid to call Gonta out on some of his rougher tendencies. For example, he’d flat-out tell Gonta that the Insect Meet-And-Greet, if carried out the same way as in Chapter 2, would make people more scared of insects, not less. And because of Rantaro's kindness, it’d hopefully be clear to rejection-sensitive Gonta that it's not him being told he's an idiot who can never improve - just being told how he can do better.

Going over to Rantaro for a minute... if it was coming from anyone other than Gonta, he'd be sceptical of his brand of bend-over-backwards kindness, and be wondering what the catch is. But as it turns out, Gonta really is that transparent and open with no ulterior motives.

But, while Rantaro might simultaneously admire Gonta’s lack of duplicity, and then shake his head at his emotional openness, he’s not going to make it easy for Gonta to see the real him (the “Ultimate Useless Big Brother”). He’s absolutely going to push Gonta away from deeper conversations about himself. And Gonta, at least for a while, would absolutely fall for it.

But, I wouldn’t underestimate Gonta’s ability to be straightforward and get to the heart of the matter. He’s very direct with his observations - I mentioned the ‘you call yourself Ultimate Detective’ thing earlier, but another thing that comes to mind is how he calls out Kokichi in Chapter 4’s trial for sounding like Monokuma. Or how he repeatedly expresses that he blames the killing game rather than any individuals (blackened, attempted blackened or spotless troublemaker alike).

And, while Rantaro is somewhat cagey about himself, he does let things slip. Likely out of a desire to be understood.

I can imagine, if Rantaro admits he’s an awful older brother because he lost his sisters while on holiday, Gonta would say something back like… “but sisters must have loved Rantaro very much if they all kept following him? There's no way Rantaro is awful older brother”.

Not to mention... I think Gonta could truly understand Rantaro's pain of being torn from relatives, and working so unbelievably hard to bring them back together. That might help Rantaro more than his kindness (though that would still be much appreciated).

Overall, I like the idea that Gonta could learn to become a better gentleman through his own perserverance, but also Rantaro's kind but firm support. I also like the idea that Rantaro could start to open up to Gonta, as the latter catches him off guard (but in a nice way).

Speaking of kindness, there may not be a lot of that with certain family members…

Family matters

Both Rantaro and Gonta come from wealthy families, and I like to think that they sometimes meet at high-society dinner parties and other events. Concerning Gonta's parents and what we hear of them... if they have to bring him along for appearances' sake ("I don’t see your son here, did he run off again?"), I unfortunately don't think they'd want to show Gonta off very much. Perhaps he'd be told to 'go mingle' at the outskirts of the event, or be handed over to some relatives. He’d try his absolute best to be a perfect gentleman, but he’d also likely be incredibly nervous (especially at the first few events he goes to), trying to remember the rules of etiquette, and worrying about leaving a good impression on people or doing his family proud. There’d be moments where he has to convince himself he’s having a good time despite all the worrying.

And Rantaro… he’s not getting into it nearly as much. While I think he’d make an appearance at these events to appease his father, I can’t see him being too serious about it. He’d weave his way through lots of interactions with an easygoing smile… and a desire to not get involved with high society politics. Gonta would likely be a breath of fresh air for him - someone with no hidden agenda or vanity.

And also someone who would be willing to go outside and decompress, if Rantaro phrases it like it’s for his own sake.

And eventually, maybe a smidge of Rantaro’s nonchalance would rub off on Gonta. Not to the extent where Gonta no longer gives a damn, but perhaps to the point where he can accept that trying his best is a success on its own. And maybe even the idea that others’ opinions don’t necessarily reflect his worth as a person. That last bit may take a while, though. Baby steps, small successes first, etc.

Something else about their families… I wonder what Rantaro would think of Gonta’s parents, concerning Gonta’s disappearance and the way they look down on him after his return. If he beats himself up so severely for losing his sisters, I can’t imagine his opinion of them is very high for losing Gonta (and then not helping him much after his return).

If they’re ever rude to Gonta, either explicitly or in a backhanded manner, he'd definitely notice. I don’t think he’d bite back or directly address any rudeness, it’s not his style. But I do think he’d deflect things with complements. Like… “Really? I think he’s come quite far after ten years away from society”. And then he’d swiftly change conversation.

Outside of those interactions, he’d try to subtly indicate to Gonta that the way they treat him isn't necessarily right. “That was kinda rough, huh? Your parents are quite intimidating.” He'd gently lead Gonta to the idea that he deserves better, but wouldn't outright force it on him. He needs to believe it in himself, after all.

On a nicer note… I think Gonta would love meeting Rantaro’s sisters, and he'd try his best to fit into the family dynamics and make everyone happy. There's a Salmon Mode scene where Gonta wants to learn to cook, and another scene where Rantaro says he's pretty decent at it. Gonta would absolutely want to learn from Rantaro - perhaps the two of them would cook large meals for everyone together.

And I wonder how Rantaro would react to Gonta’s forest family. Whether they're wolves, or Reptites, the family bond that caused them to take Gonta in would be quite heartwarming to him. Although, depending on whether his sisters are found or not, it might also be upsetting. It would weigh quite heavily on him if they aren't.

Proactiveness (read: self-reliance)

Gonta and Rantaro are both naturally kind and giving... to the point it turns into a self-important "only I can do this" mentality.

There's a few factors influencing this:

They have had no-one to rely on but themselves, both in achieving their goals and also in terms of 'being out in the wild' survival

Their goals are so important to them, so much is riding on them succeeding, that when they come up short at any time it is seen as a personal flaw and a case of 'not being good enough' (e.g Gonta is an idiot, Rantaro is a useless older brother). This self-flagellation fuels the pressure they put on themselves

That kind of self-important, self-reliant mentality leads to a lot of proactiveness... We see this more with Gonta throughout the killing game (purely because he survives longer), but Rantaro absolutely has this too. And it's not just within the killing game - it's baked into their personalities and backstories.

Take the goal of "reuniting family". This is something that's incredibly important to both Gonta and Rantaro - and they both take the burden of that massive task themselves.

Gonta needs to show both his forest and human families just how much he's grown so they can get along. But this hinges on his human family being more open-minded, which Gonta can only do so much to influence.

Rantaro needs to find all of the sisters scattered all over the world, that he of course was 100% responsible for, no adults involved. But there's no sign he has anyone helping him, or even backing him up on this (in any way other than his father possibly bankrolling his travelling?).

I've just mentioned "reuniting family" here, but both Gonta and Rantaro are proactive and carry many problems on their shoulders. E.g, keeping everyone safe, cheering people up, that sort of thing. And, let's be honest, neither of them truly cares about what happens as a result of overextending themselves (unless it interferes with their goals).

But the kind of self-sacrificial behaviour they exhibit themselves, they might not be accepting of it in the other person.

I can imagine Rantaro toying with the idea of telling Gonta to take a step back from the pressure he puts himself under, to look at all of his successes instead of his so-called deficiencies... and hesitating. Because the pressure Gonta puts himself under, is near-identical to the pressure he puts himself under. That's his cross to bear and if I address it, I will also have to reflect on that behaviour in myself. Best just to support him as best I can.

To clarify, that's not to say he'd feel nothing if Gonta takes on too much on his own! He wouldn't want Gonta to overstretch himself, and he’d attempt to tackle the external causes of that (e.g, gently guiding Gonta towards the idea that he can't control his human family's reactions towards his forest family). But he’d leave the internal mentality of “I need to do everything myself" alone... at least for a while.

Gonta would, of course, do everything he can to assist with all of Rantaro's external problems. But once he realises Rantaro's brand of self-reliance is similiar to his own self-loathing, and that it can hurt Rantaro if it keeps going, he's going to be the one that tries to address it.

"Gonta cares about Rantaro. Rantaro should care about himself too."

A long pause, as the dam breaks.

"Really? Am I hearing this from the guy who regularly calls himself an idiot?"

"...Huh?"

Cue a long, messy, difficult conversation... which ends in many things for them both to think about, a commitment to help each other help themselves... and then comforting each other.

Like I said before, I wish I had the headspace to write fanfic. Ohh, the drama. Ohh, the cuddles after a long, messy, difficult conversation.

...Sorry for the tone shift here. But what if Spike Chunsoft came up with their own Gokumami fanfic?

That one Danganronpa S scene

Between UTDP and DRS... there is one (1) scene with Gonta and Rantaro together.

I can't post screenshots here as I'm reaching this post's 30-image limit, but let me summarise some of the key points:

Rantaro discusses his adventures with Gonta, to the point he's using an encyclopedia to show him plants from the countries he visited

The conversation touches on a nuance in Gonta's love for nature - that most living beings have to eat/kill each other in order to live. And would Gonta defend one over the other?

At the end, Rantaro says this: I sincerely want you to be a gentleman... and I'm sure you won't make the same mistakes as me.

Just... oughh... the potential these two have for fluff and angst and and everything in between. We see the tiniest, most microscopic crumbs of it here!

Perhaps I'm reading way too deeply into a throwaway scene in a funny spinoff game (yeah no shit). But you could say this whole post is me reading way too deeply into a pair you don't even see hanging out during V3.

…unless...

Misc. stuff I couldn't really categorise or fit anywhere else

I keep seeing people saying weird things about V3, coming up with things that never happened. For example, Rantaro dies in Chapter 1?? Where did you guys get that from? Were you all playing bugged versions or something? Here’s a screenshot from my game:

...Okay I don’t actually know what this image is lol. My best guess is a pre-release trailer. I know there’s some real “look at that chemistry, they’re standing right next to each other!!” vibes to me posting this, and, uh… unfortunately this is probably the only instance of them actually ““hanging out”” ingame (aside from Danganronpa S). I gotta take what Gokumami scraps I can…

Actually hold on there's something about this image and the way Gonta looks here that I can’t put into words. It's making me think about Gokumami dynamics. Have this:

Also we really missed out on not having Rantaro live longer. I bet he’d notice the contrast between the way Gonta gets put down as an idiot by some of the others, and the amount of good intel and contributions Gonta makes (mainly outside of trials but also some in trials). In Chapter 4 when Himiko says Gonta would be too dumb to come up with a murder plan, you can bet Rantaro would respect Gonta's competence enough to vocally disagree. (And in a ‘you should give him more credit than that’ sort of way, rather than ‘let’s keep all possibilities in mind’).

Did you know that both Gonta and Rantaro have helped cure diseases? They mention it in their FTEs.

What if… whenever they’re travelling through different places, at each one they’re able to fix a problem or improve people’s lives… I love the idea of these two being a force for good wherever they go...

I wanna show off this one Gokumami anthology doujinshi I have soooo bad, but I'm in between houses at the moment and it's in a box somewhere 😭 It's a compilation of comics, including some by big Gonta artists on JP Twitter, some of my alltime favourite artists! And there's some really cute stories and showcases of Gonta and Rantaro's dynamic here! Camping, going clothes shopping, having a nap together... I can't read Japanese but I sure can read Gokumami haha

I also have this really cute chibi Gokumami keychain actually. Maybe I should do a merch post at some point once I can get my hands on it all again.

Hiyoko’s POV be like

Post-finding-sisters, they'd both still enjoy travelling and going off somewhere when they can.

I like the idea of Rantaro taking Gonta around the world via boat... Gonta getting to meet halobates and excitedly showing them off to Rantaro...

They'd go camping together a lot too, enjoying all the nature and wildlife, keeping it as rustic and simple as possible with minimal luggage (though perhaps Rantaro may bring along a portable cooker anyway haha). But if/when they do go camping, they are absolutely wandering off track and ending up in no-mans' land.

It's a good thing that Rantaro has a compass, and Gonta can navigate using the stars! I think Rantaro would be impressed each time at Gonta's display of survival knowledge.

Perhaps, after they return from whatever adventure they’ve been on, they’d unwind by watching a travel/bug documentary and cuddling… and then the documentary would give them new ideas for places to go and they’re off again the next day lol.

I like to think Gonta assigns an insect to his dearest one, and uses it like a pet name. Rantaro’s would be the pantala flavascens.

That's it for now…! I've taken a long time with this, and covered a lot... but I can still think of more Gokumami things to talk about 😭

How would Rantaro react to Gonta's Chapter 4 actions, the interesting reactions to gifts/Salmon Mode scenes they have... oh my god I barely even talked about how protective they both are! These two have no canon content together!! How come I can write an essay on them!!

Regardless of how much I've written or could write, it’s been fun putting this post together! I like a lot of different Gonta ships, but Gokumami is one of my favourites, even if (imo) it is massively massively underrated.

Btw, I wish everyone who’s made Gokumami fanart/fanfic a truly restful night’s sleep and a comfy hot drink of choice <3

If you’ve gotten this far - thank you! For anyone reading this who hadn’t considered Gonta and Rantaro together before, I hope I’ve sparked a little bit of Gokumami appreciation! And if not, then thank you anyway for trawling through this essay!

And lastly, for the anon that sent the ask - sorry this is so incredibly late!! This post massively ballooned, and I haven’t been able to work on it consistently. I'm working on trying to make Gokumami art I’m truly happy with, but until then I’m using this post to get all my love for the ship out!

Kaede

I like this ship a lot! I get 'power couple' vibes from these two - absolutely unstoppable once they set their minds on something. And they both love to make others smile. Kaede gets the urge to play some piano to help cheer someone up? Gonta's sprinting off to fetch her keyboard. Gonta wants to hold an event to show people how cool bugs are? Kaede's rallying the others to help out/show up, and also guiding Gonta on how to show off the bugs without freaking anyone out.

Overall, Kaede and Gonta are quite similar - their kindness, their strength in explicitly throwing away their moral codes for the sake of the others, perhaps even their stubborness - but the way they express their similarities is rather different! For example, Kaede's kind but she's also not afraid to call people out when they get pushy - i.e most interactions with Miu lol. Gonta on the other hand, is "will rip out his own heart for you" kind, without a hint of pushback (99.999% of the time... "Miu gets things wrong a lot... a whole lot..."). They might have things to teach each other about balancing empathy with not tolerating bullshit.

If anyone's going to try and challenge Gonta's "people who don't like bugs are bad" belief... it's Kaede. But I'm not convinced it'd actually be a difficult discussion. Gonta would definitely look like he's enraged by the mere suggestion, but I think a bit of bravery and a 'common-sense' explanation would get through to him.

Also, these two have some very fun synergy during the first trial. That's actually the basis of a WIP I have, not totally convinced I'll complete it though as I have another Gonta-Kaede art idea. I won't go into too much detail here just in case, but I'll leave a sketch for part 1 of it here:

If Kaede gets too deep into playing the piano that she forgets to eat, Gonta's there with some food to gently coax her into taking a break. If Gonta gets too deep into studying insects that he forgets to eat, Kaede's there also with some food and gentle coaxing into a break. But she may add a comment that the bugs will still be there after he comes back, so let's go out for a bit!

What if... casual duet piano playing with Gonta using his dominant left hand to play the lower notes and maybe holding Kaede's paw hand with the other...

Kirumi

A cute ship! A gentleman-in-training and a naturally-refined lady. Setting aside the idea that Kirumi would have a lot to teach Gonta about etiquette, I think she'd also see a lot of potential in him. Considering he went missing from society for ten whole years, he's doing a really good job of catching up with his peers, and his enthusiasm for self-improvement is near-limitless. Gonta being someone she could support while he has an inherent, internal drive to improve would catch her eye (as in, he wouldn't end up relying on her and regressing if she ever stopped). But what might endear her more is that Gonta would want to treat her equally as well as she does him. He'd want to make sure she's getting the rest she needs. And his intentions are very transparent, so it'd all be obviously out of genuine concern - not because he's looking down on her or starting to think she's any less competent or amazing. As for Gonta, Kirumi is a refined, incredibly competent and lovely woman who enjoys helping others out and also likes spiders. What's not to love?

I think Gonta could and would learn more about how to do domestic work like cooking and cleaning - he's proactive, dedicated to self-improvement and clearly has the desire to help others. There's even a Salmon Mode scene where he's excited about learning how to cook! Now whether Kirumi would want him to do any work when she could do it instead... probably not for a while. She might think his enthusiasm exceeds his current level of skill. But I don't think it'd be because she thinks he's dumb or doomed to be incompetent. Any domestic work he does may be supervised at first, but with his enthusiasm and desire to learn, she'd believe in his ability to succeed on his own with enough patience and time.

Kirumi introducing Gonta to different types of tea... Gonta adding honey from his own beehives and making the tea even nicer...

Also... Kirumi and Gonta slow dancing together... my heart...

Miu

I adore this ship... but I do have to explain it a bit. For me this ship is more of a headcanon "they've both grown up and matured emotionally a little before they get together" sort of deal. Essentially, the way I like to think of their personalities together is based more in fanon than in canon. With Miu, I tend to love her character in fanfic but not like her much in V3 itself. She's still lewd/crude/rude/what have you, but she has more of a purpose for it. Whereas in canon, to me it seems like she just says "[the most offensive thing that anyone could say in the current situation]" and that's it, that's the punchline, no extra depth to be found here. And with Gonta, canonically a lot of what Miu says would fly over his head, I think. Not because he's 'dumb' but because he doesn't have the life experience/exposure to human society to match the slangy, obscene stuff Miu says to his own frame of knowledge. Though being a biologist he'd have a better grasp on sexual references than others would think. I bet he'd have some interesting insect facts to share with Miu.

It would take some time for them to both 'click' together initially, but once they both catch feelings they are ride or die for each other, defending each other against the world. Gonta smooths over Miu's brash attitude towards others with apologies and maybe a topic diversion to something bug related. Miu calls out anyone who tries to pull one over Gonta, and keeps telling him that the gorgeous girl genius wouldn't just settle for anyone, so he should stop beating himself up and start treating himself like he's worthy of her.

Touching on Miu's behaviour towards others - it might be easy to think that the well-behaved Gonta would be easily embarrassed by Miu's outbursts, especially in public. But I do think Gonta's worries about public perception is more tied up in his own lack of self-worth, rather than being legit standards he holds everyone else to. He'd absolutely put up with some embarrassment for the people he cares about!

I think Miu and Gonta both share a kind of loneliness from human society. They're both a bit too quirky and authentic to themselves to be palatable to more "normal" people. Their hyperfixations make them truly incredible, but they also alienate them from others in such a way that people aren't really interested in getting to know them. Perhaps they could bond over that...

The most obvious thing to mention about Goshi is how Ryoma has lost his passion for life, while Gonta is overflowing with it. Gonta's tends to appreciate the little things in life - and not just bugs. He has Salmon Mode scenes where he enjoys going on walks, taking naps and being bored (he says directly this allows him to reflect on his own happiness). I'm not trying to say any of that's a silver bullet for depression. But from personal experience, I'm finding a lot more peace in slowing down and appreciating the little things. And, I think proximity to Gonta and his love for life would help Ryoma find value in it again, regardless of whether they're friends or partners.

But... personally, I'm not really a fan of the 'one person in a ship is made solely responsible for the mental wellbeing of another' trope. I feel it flattens both characters, and turns one of them into a tool for the other. And Gonta is the kind of guy who would absolutely overextend himself to help someone else - his lack of self-love is also quite severe. Fortunately though, Ryoma's mature enough to see that. I think he'd be like "well, if this guy appreciates me so much, maybe I should try to appreciate myself more too. Wouldn't want his kindness to go to waste". And maybe he'd also tell Gonta "you need to appreciate yourself as much as you do me or anyone else".

Essentially, it's less that 'one of them needs to save the other', and more 'both of them have flaws in the way they perceive things, but their differences in perception helps them see things clearer'. They're not solely responsible for each other's mental problems but they'll do what they can to help!

Ougoku

Aesthetically these two look great together. Their designs are such polar opposites in a way that's really appealing. It doesn't look like it from the lack of Kokichi & Gonta art I post, but they're fun to draw together. Also, there's a lot of amazing Ougoku artists on here and Twitter! I am in genuine awe a lot of times and I half-wonder if drawing Kokichi more would help myself level up art-wise 😂

As for the character dynamics, I'm unfortunately not the best person to talk about this. The way that Kokichi talks to and about Gonta, even pre-Chapter 4 and even outside of the killing game... I'm not a fan orz. Personally I can understand Ougoku as a toxic ship, or as a ship that requires a lot of work on both sides to become healthy, but I just can't see it as anything more straightforward.

Sorry for the slight downer here anon! Also, to anyone else reading this, please don’t write negatively or start discourse about this ship in the comments or in my asks.

Tsumugon

Okay this one I can vibe with more! In a non-killing game AU I think they could be sweet together. Tsumugi in canon does have a few 'cheerleader' moments where she encourages and praises Gonta (although she's a bit quick to take back her praise sometimes lol). I could imagine the two becoming defensive of each other whenever someone looks down on them (especially Tsumugi "Damn normies! Go backflip onto a land mine and explode!" Shirogane. It doesn't normally seem like it but she has some fire in her haha)

It may take Tsumugi some time to get used to insects... but I think Gonta would try to show her "fashionable", more visually appealing ones like the Chrysochroa fulgidissima. Additionally, they're both the type to ramble about their special interests - so they always try to make sure the other feels heard!

Tsumugi would love having someone so muscular to make cosplays for. She's made a Jonathan Joestar cosplay for Gonta before, amongst other things (Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask couple cosplay?). On Gonta's part he'd happily dress up for her as it makes her smile, but he'd be very hesitant about wearing anything too revealing in public.

Tsumugi's version of Atua has black hair and red eyes... so it's probably safe to say she has a preference for those attributes. It couls be assumed that she was thinking about some fictional character (e.g Izuru)... but she could have been thinking about Gonta. "But Gonta doesn't have black hair? It's some kind of green-brown colour that's difficult to define but definitely isn't black?" I hear you say. And to that I present to you this image from the official V3 artbook:

To be more specific, the text in the top right (with the line pointing to the top of Gonta's head). With credit to this post - they've also translated lots of other parts of the artbook! - this text translates to: