I have my problems with the OVA, like what happens after he leaves the pod. It’s very meaningful to me that Komaeda took Hinata’s hand as that’s a first step towards a hopeful future for the both of them, but I’m also a bit iffy on Hinata calling himself both Izuru Kamukura and Hajime Hinata. I understand why he had introduced himself like that as technically “Izuru Kamukura” (the state) is still himself and that’s not going to suddenly go away. It’s said in the ending of sdr2 that he’d choose to live on as Hinata, which is an ambiguous statement on how he currently is mentally, but still somewhat hopeful.

It really would’ve been better if there was no dr3 anime as the point of the ending is that you don’t know if things will truly change for the main cast, but there was still and effort to see it through. Anyway, my main problem with him introducing himself with “Izuru Kamukura” (the identity) is that the point of rejecting it in the first place was the fact this identity is not his own. This identity is the representation of ideals gone bad, HPA’s worst problems bundled up into one person, and Hinata’s own insecurities killing him.

This is why you’re thrown into a trial grounds to shoot down the thoughts and insecurities of a “Izuru Kamukura” who’s just Hinata’s with long hair and red eyes. This had always been himself, but he doesn’t have to be like this. So when he rejected this identity, he had not been rejecting what he had become outside of the simulation (that’s counterproductive), he’s rejecting a future where he still had thoughts like that. He is reclaiming who he was on his own accord. So it’s a little nitpicky of me to say anything since it’s not that big of an issue, but hmm.

Besides the very obvious complaint of the fact that everything is going too fast to actually see proper development, I have two issues with post-simulation Komaeda. The first one is just a problem I have with how they wrote Komaeda in the anime in general. He’s too… open? It’s hard to explain. This isn’t about his honesty. I do love that they made sure to keep Komaeda’s smiling, soft faced character. The dissonance between that and his actions is the point and very important. However, there’s still a problem when he’s a little too expressive with certain emotions.

They get his archetype wrong. I won’t get too into it here because it’s not that important to the OVA, but the point is that you’re always supposed to feel that distance in Komaeda’s emotions and actions. His views are divorced from reality because the material world is not livable for him. He’s stuck in his head and always scared that he’ll just hurt someone when he genuinely starts caring about them. So Komaeda would not at all hug Fuyuhiko and Kazuichi!! It’s honestly questionable why he even did that.

It doesn’t matter that, for whatever reason, he was friends with them in the fake world. Even if he still felt like he had a connection with them (don’t really understand why though, this entire choice was odd because neither of them like him and his emotional attachment to literally any of them is nonexistent compared to how he feels about Hinata), he would never do such a thing so easily. It takes him rationalizing that everything in Island Mode was bad luck just so he could convince himself to ask to be Hinata’s friend.

Even UTDP and DR S gets it more correct with how his relationships with Hinata was formed, but still a bit distant with everyone else. Like he’s more present with class activities, but Kazuichi still comments on how Komaeda talks to them like they aren’t people, but instead just some other version that doesn’t exist. That’s just how Komaeda is. He doesn’t hate his classmates, but he’s always hung up on his ideals first. The whole reason he can make a proper bond with Hinata is because he’s not talented.

This brings me to my second point, and I’ve brought this up before when talking about post-game Komahina. Komaeda would NOT at all act the same as he did in the simulation. Where’s his lost feelings on his ideals slowly crumbling from the inside after seeing the Ultimate Despair still trying their best for their future? Where’s his even harsher emotional distance to everyone else? Komaeda would never praise them for their talents, having used them for despair.

Like maybe Servant would, the car crash version of Komaeda. Komaeda in despair is a total mess, visibly confusing himself in his conversation with Izuru Kamukura. That guy would totally say that symbols of hope using their abilities to cause despair will only lead to the brightest hope of all. He’s probably so funny when he interacts with other Ultimate Despair, I wish we got to see more of him. Insulting them and praising them in the same breath.

But usually when people depict post-game content, the simulation events get put to forefront first in how they act instead of completely resembling who they were pre-game. A reading that Komaeda is acting the same he usually would because he refuses to pick apart his world view is fine because that is how Komaeda can be. He wouldn’t just let go of them entirely, it’s his lifeline. He can only accommodate it.

But, here’s my problem with the OVA. If he’s getting on that boat, then it must mean that he’s accepting a path similar to Hinata. To want and expect a future for himself is a huge jump for Komaeda’s development. Again, this is a bit nitpicky, but Komaeda should be showing more resistance. This keeps coming back to my problems with who’s writing this story and the time limit on what they could do with this story. I should stop talking about this minimal stuff.

Onto actual content from the fake world hahah. I don’t have much to criticize with this because it’s just a rendition of what Komaeda thinks would be an ideal world. One where everyone is happy while he still gets punished by bad luck for just being Komaeda. His self hatred runs deep as someone who considers himself a source of despair just by existing. Other people make a good point about how his luck in the fake world doesn’t affect other people, but it makes you wonder if Komaeda unconsciously still thinks his parents are dead in this world.

Komaeda’s “ideal world”… how ideal is it? He’s friends with his classmates, but he still thinks of himself as a background character. Again, it goes back to Komaeda’s psychology and his worldview being on the bigger picture rather than the individual. Komaeda is still Komaeda after all, even when he shows a side of himself that hates talent. It’s an unconscious thought he thinks is nothing like himself, but deep down under Komaeda false ideal that even he believes in, I’m sure that he has resentments against what he believes in being absolute truth.

Out of everything the anime has done with Komaeda, this is the most correct one and plausible path to explore when it comes to Komaeda’s psyche that he shoves deep down. I think of it as a play on Hinata’s question about what he would do if he lived in a world with no despair and hope in FTE. Komaeda’s reaction to it fascinates me so much?? I don’t think he’s ever entertain the idea because he can’t imagine a world where his luck doesn’t exist and doesn’t have to experience total extremes at all times.

His reaction is so…. neutral. There’s nothing positive or negative he expresses against this question. Like he’s responding to a hypothetical that has nothing to do with him. But, I’m sure somewhere inside of him, this question would tear him apart. Is he jealous of normal people? Is he jealous their supposed ignorance and false confidence that they can be someone? Does he hate them because of envy, deep down? Or like this OVA is saying, does Komaeda hate talent as a source of a horrible issue that makes it so the individual can never be happy no matter which one they are?

Of course, his unconscious feelings in talent have to do with his feelings on his own talent causing him as much distress as it does others. I don’t think Komaeda genuinely hates normal people or ever has. The way he talks about them has to do with viewing their collective worthlessness to society as fact. It is interesting though to pick at some of those thoughts Komaeda might be having if he hadn’t brainwashed himself so thoroughly. Him reacting horribly to the flashing thoughts of the game was so scrumptious.

The only other part to comment on is World Ender, the coolest concept ever that existed for so little time. I’m exaggerating, but analysis-wise he’s sooo good. A break in Komaeda’s ideal world thats destroying his illusion being a Hajime similar to how he looked when he chose a future Komaeda never did, just to get him to come with him on their path? kyaaa!!! So cool!!

Like I do think the way World Ender does it is a bit too abrupt and I still think his character could be perfected to be even more with how he destroys the illusion for Komaeda (it could even be called too cruel), but then I might as well just rewrite the OVA hahah. For what he’s worth as is, the abruptness is just like how Hinata feels to Komaeda. Imagine meeting a guy that cuts through everything you believe in, makes using your ideal system on him hard, and even after finding out the worst news in the world, you’re confused as to why you still care for him…

have a bonus meme

The song “Let Us Sing of a Hollow Victory”, also translated as “Sing the Empty Happiness”, plays three times during the second game. The first time had been in the warehouse where Komaeda’s corpse was found, presumably as a way to cover the sounds being made from the inside. A haunting choir of voices come together to sing to a tune befitting the day of judgment. His body is splayed out onto the floor and his mouth is taped over. Odin’s spear, Gungnir, fell into his chest prompted by his left hand. The right hand was stabbed by the support of Monokuma’s plush toy after cutting up his limbs.

The right hand is righteous and holds authority. The left hand is lesser in power and holds judgment. It’s why Lady Justice is usually depicted with a sword in her right and scales in her left. However, the left hand has associations with sinister means and, at times, luck due to its rarity of being someone’s dominant hand. By stabbing his right hand and tying his limbs, he’s forsaken his own human authority to his belief in fate guiding his path. On the other hand, Gungnir had been used in the previous game to punish the rule breaker, Mukuro Ikusaba, who had been in disguise as her sister, Junko Enoshima.

Komaeda’s use of it, regardless if it was to heighten the mystery of his death or a narrative reference to Ikusaba’s death, emphasizes the core of his purpose by dying. To punish both himself and the others for their grievous, irredeemable sins. Nagito Komaeda’s perception of ultimate hope is similar to his perception of the students of Hope’s Peak Academy. They are symbols without their humanity in consideration, made to bring about an idea before a person. In other words, something closer to death than death itself as no person can truly be such a thing with an intact ego.

The state his dead body is left in is reminiscent of crucifixion. The spear could be said to be an allusion to the Spear of Longinus, piercing the body of Jesus to confirm his death. Unfortunately, this is a false allusion as it is Odin’s spear piercing him. Jesus Christ, as a christian symbol born from sacrifice, is generally depicted as an advocate of salvation through redemption rather than condemnation. It is not punishment handed to those who have done wrong, it is forgiveness. And on the contrary, stabbing the good to get rid of the dirt with the support of Monokuma’s plush parallels the irony to Komaeda’s methods of achieving hope through the killing game.

Thank you for the positive response to my post… I appreciate it! There’s more about the lose of humanity and becoming a tool to an ideal in the Hajime section (what it truly means to lose your humanity and ego, no longer being able to accord yourself to bias in passivity) and briefly touched upon with Peko (the act of assimilating the bias of your ego into your “objective belief” as a tool to your beliefs, as it’s the only way to truly die for them).

Man, wait till what I have to say about Chiaki (actual tool) and Makoto (narrative idealistic tool)

This has been practically common knowledge by now to know that it was an aborted love confession, meaning there isn’t much to be said on its own. With all that’s been spread about this, a common misunderstanding is with the use of “Aishiteru” (愛してる) being “more romantic” than any other form of “I like/love you” (Suki/Daisuki), which is not true. It’s much more intense than the other two because of it directly using “Ai” (愛) and in turn used less compared to them because of its intensity. In same line of thinking, usually it’s reserved for serious occasions like marriage, a loved one on their death bed, a final goodbye for someone you care for deeply, etc. but none of it makes it anymore romantic because all three can be used platonically. It’s solely dependent on the context it’s used for.

It’s just like how we use “I love you” in English and how many things it could mean at once, albeit we don’t have three separate ways to express it. Well there’s actually more ways to express love, but you only really need to know these three. I know a lot of sources tend to say “Aishiteru” (愛してる) is romantic, but that’s most likely because you’re looking at sources that are talking about it in a romantic context. It’s not platonic in the sense that you’d go up to your friend and say it, that sends a lot of mixed messages and real odd to attempt, but platonic in that someone you truly have a deep connection with, family member or otherwise.

On the contrary, it’s much more common to use Suki/Daisuki (好き / 大好き) in a love confession and everyday life. Usually you wouldn’t even use “Aishiteru” (愛してる) in your entire life, that isn’t uncommon. So typically the most you’ll see or hear “Aishiteru” (愛してる) used is in fictional japanese media or songs. Using it in a confession like Komaeda almost did is like… imagine going up to someone and telling them that you want to spend your entire life together, meet their parents, fully commit to each other, raise children (if that’s what you want), and die together before you’re even in the relationship or even had your first kiss yet. Like obviously you’re not saying all of that, you might not even mean that, but it’s implied with the intensity of it. It’s that extreme and would definitely confuse someone if you tried. It’s not exactly for someone you just started dating either.

Why does “Ai” (愛) make it so intense though? Compared to other ways of saying love like “Koi” (恋) for example (not gonna explain that one), it’s the purest, most heightened form of expressing love verbally in japanese culture because of the giving and profound nature of it. It’s loving in a way that encases a warm feeling all around you, so painfully genuine yet committed. Its something that’s formed over time with much care, and doesn’t ask for anything back. It’s that big to use, but siamotainously it’s awkward and a little embarrassing to use because it’s practically unsaid irl. There is a lot to personal reservations and such, but as a culture, japan is more reserved with their verbal expressions. This doesn’t speak for the entire country, but just in general actions speak louder than something as literal like “Aishiteru” (愛してる).

I had to go over that before I talked about Komaeda because I don’t want there to be a misunderstanding with what I’m about to say. Sorry to break the news to anymore who was star-eyed after learning what “Ai” (愛) meant in context, but the reason I went over that first with extensive context is because Komaeda is not at all liberated when he uses it. Not only does he use it here in the infamous error of all errors in sdr2, he uses it when he talks about hope, talent, and Junko. Shocking I know, but that’s why I had to go over that “Ai” (愛) is not just romantic love so this will be less awkward for all of us.

Ignoring the oddness of it and how dramatic this usage is, it’s incredibly in-character for Komaeda to use it like that considering his sincere and devoted nature when it comes to hope and talent. He says himself that what he feels is selfless, so that’s going to reflect in his speech, but he uses it so casually that it feels like a joke. It’s a quite poetic expression of love, even with all the cultural context, so it’s fitting. He’s pretty no filter with how he talks about it, but with anything else with Komaeda—it’s more complex than that. While being 100% honest with everything he says, his deep connection with hope and talent is borderline obsessive and that brings into question his relationship with love.

I have many thoughts on how his hope/despair stuff works, but let’s stay on topic this one time because a lot is intertwined. With his usage of “Ai” (愛) with reference of Junko, we should all know he doesn’t love her. He doesn’t love the embodiment of despair and despises it in the same breath he even expressed love for it at all. What he feels for Junko is obsession through and through, but what he feels is still genuine connection, it’s just absurdly twisted. It’s why he still uses it, even though at most what he feels for her is contempt. He “loves” it because it’ll be destroyed for what will truly shine in the end. The connection is deep enough for him to take her hand and finally become one with it.

Junko didn’t twist his concept of love completely, it was already a little off, she exploited the potential of it. I’ve mentioned this point before in my twitter thread, but when faced with the motivations in trials 1, 2, and 3 he cannot see past their motivations other than their “hopes”, rather than their actual reasons: various forms of love. My immediate thought while writing was, “was it not really absolute hope that he needed or wanted, but instead the selfless love people like Naegi or Hajime could wield for others?” I can’t tell you how correct that is, but it holds close to when he said what he wanted was somebody’s love before he died.

To really talk about that with more depth, I’d have to do a separate post about his view of people in general. If you’d like to see that, just let me know. I really would like to stay on topic, and you weren’t exactly asking about that.

Now don’t be weird guys, it doesn’t make his confession any less genuine just because his concept of love is kinda fucked due to only being able to feel it through his obsession with hope since all genuine connection is very limited (non-existent) for him, it just puts into more context as to why Hajime was confused. He’s said something similar about his feelings of hope as early as chapter 1.

Does this mean he really did just meant the hope that sleeps inside Hajime? Well obviously not, otherwise I wouldn’t be talking about this. It also doesn’t mean that his love for Hajime is on the same obsessive level as Hope, talent, or freaking Junko for the matter. Junko was a whole other situation when his mental stability was at its worst. Here’s what actually happened: right when he admitted he wanted somebody’s love, he immediately backpedaled that claiming everything he said was just something he lied about because he started to see that Hajime might want to grow closer and forgive him, and then then started rambling about total bullshit about Hajime killing him and the potential hope in him, even though he just said that he didn’t get the same feeling from him as other ultimates.

Very funny Komaeda, though I don’t think he wasn’t being genuine there. Maybe he did think that regardless of the “both miserable bystanders” comment because he also thought he himself could be ultimate hope in chapter 5. I feel like we knew this part well enough, so I’ll talk about the confession finally. I don’t know what compelled him to try and confess like that, but maybe he was trying to be more honest after what he did to derail him and backtracked again? Who knows.

He was starting with an actual confession, but why did he backtrack the way he did? I have two potential answers. First answer was that he didn’t want to weigh Hajime down with the burden of his feelings, and made it sound like his typical Komaeda bullshit instead. Second answer is that Komaeda doesn’t know how to express his love for Hajime and derailed it to Hajime’s hope instead because that’s the only context he’s used “Ai” (愛) in and is used to that. Him using it here doesn’t make it less sincere in his almost-confession, it’s just… complex.

Maybe if this was his only hint of loving Hajime, his feelings for him would be more controversial as “canon”, thankfully it isn’t! Maybe both answers are right in their own right, it would definitely correlate with my own thoughts about his stupidly complicated justification’s for getting closer to Hajime and making excuses for him. If you haven’t read it, I said that while Komaeda was catching feelings for Hajime as an individual, he made excuses for himself that the reason he cared for him was because he was an ultimate (meaning someone who carried potential Hope), but the only reason he let himself be close to a “supposed ultimate” was because we felt that they were similar and that he had “an air unlike the others”. Which was probably why he was so confused as to why he still cared after finding out what he did in chapter 4 because his justification no longer worked.

Although we know that Komaeda absolutely does love Hajime, I am relieved that they used different expressions of love here (both Suki and Dasuki) to make sure we know he does love him. Can it be used platonically? Sure, but the context does not position it like that.