#nagito asks

Ah, there’s no need for someone to waste their talent on helping useless scum like me! There’s people out there who need more help than I do. Who am I to take away that opportunity from them?

I've recently been searching for and listening to Super Dangan Radio, the internet radio show Spike Chunsoft aired from July to December 2012 to promote DR2. In the 8th episode, I found an interesting comment that Megumi Ogata made about Komaeda, so I wanted to share it with you.

At the beginning of each episode, there’s a segment where Ogata reads messages from listeners. One listener, who had completed Super Danganronpa 2 and was on a second playthrough, wrote: “Komaeda-kun's actions, which seemed mysterious and unpredictable at first, clearly conveyed his unwavering beliefs on my second playthrough. (ミステリアスで先が読めない行動ばかりに思えた狛枝くんの振る舞いも2周目だと一貫した彼の信念がビシバシ伝わってきました)” Ogata responded, “Thank you for understanding. He’s not just any yandere, you see. Haha. (おわかりいただいてありがとうございます。ただのヤンデレじゃありません。はい。あはは。)"

This comment surprised me because neither the listener nor anyone else mentioned the term yandere, yet Ogata brought it up herself to say that Komaeda isn’t one. I wondered if she had seen people referring to Komaeda as a yandere elsewhere, like on Twitter, and felt this was a misunderstanding. Hearing her say this helped me connect the dots. In the Ultra Despair Girls art book, Ogata remarked about Servant, “I was especially careful at the beginning of the recording because he is often misunderstood, and I myself establish his character on the edge of a delicate line. (勘違いされがちであり、私自身も微妙なギリギリのライン上で成立させているキャラクターなので、収録の冒頭、とくに丁寧に臨みました。)” I initially wondered what she meant by “misunderstanding,” but her radio comment clarified that it’s probably the assumption that Komaeda is a yandere that she sees as mistaken.

When I realized this, I thought I should tell you about it because I remembered you mentioning that you didn't think Nagito was a yandere, so I thought Ogata's comment about it was significant.

If you or anyone else would like to hear her comment, you can find the listener’s message around 02:21 in the following video, and Ogata’s response at about 02:48: https://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm25784808

Some episodes of Dangan Radio are available as CDs, but this one isn’t, so it can only be heard on recordings still available online 😢. She speaks pretty fast, so it might be hard to catch all her words, but I thought it might be helpful to hear how she expressed it, so I’m sharing it just in case.

I myself don’t see Nagito as a yandere, and while this might not be anything new, I thought you’d find it interesting that Ogata commented on it this way. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this little find—let me know what you think! Have a great day!

Thank you so much! I really appreciate you Asaka and I adore you sharing with me a find that I could never find myself due to the language barrier. From what I’ve seen Megumi Ogata has a very clear interpretation of who Nagito Komaeda is that feels very accurate and she’s passionate about it which adds to her voice acting for me. I’m glad to see that I’ve expressed something that is similar to her as I view her as someone who deeply understands the character.

The listener’s statement reminds me of one I’ve made myself that I usually return to when describing Komaeda, “Komaeda is like a language, at first you struggle to read it, but once you learn it’s all that you can see and you can never go back.” I think it perfectly encapsulates how on a first playthrough he may seem confusing, but on a second playthrough when you understand him you can see his words and understand what he means and feels better than anyone who was playing for the first time.

this took me two full weeks sigh.

Oh wow! Thats so adorable and a remarkable example of talent!

(pretend it's anonymous and i didn't spam your comments)

This is amazing! I love how you drew the outfit!! Honestly, if my peers wouldn’t probably shame me, I’d try it on, heheh.

It’s you!

Wow! That is such an amazing display of craftsmanship! You make me look better than I am, hahah!

Wow! I never knew that! Thank you so much for the interesting fact.

It almost reminds me of myself among the other Ultimates. I’m simply a common moth who snuck in amongst all these butterflies, all shining brightly with their gorgeous colorful talents, flying towards their imminent hopes. It’s no wonder people would be so drawn to them. They’re truly amazing and one of a kind.

What kind of question is this..-? I guess if I had to answer-… Ah, I really don’t know- Would Chiaki strangling me make her hope shine brighter? Perhaps demonstrate attack moves she learned from her video games-? If it makes me a stepping stone for her, than I’d allow it.

Then again, she is dead.