Danganronpa’s fans were “accomplices” in the creation of the controversial V3, says series creator 

Having launched on January 12 back in 2017, Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony recently celebrated its 8^th anniversary. In response to the occasion, the Danganronpa franchise’s creator Kazutaka Kodaka shared some interesting comments about the game on his personal X account. 

It’s already been eight years! I think I’ll go remind myself of [V3’s] wild review section on Amazon from back then.

V3, the Danganronpa franchise’s third numbered entry, brought an infamously divisive finale to the series, causing some to celebrate it as a masterpiece and others to feel utterly betrayed by its shocking meta-narrative twist. Kodaka’s comment about V3’s “wild” review section is a tongue-in-cheek acknowledgment of the extreme response the game caused among fans when it first dropped. 

However, in response to Kodaka’s remark, a fan replied that “V3 came out as good as it did because you trusted your fans and went all the way with it.” Kodaka agreed with this view, commenting, “That’s right. We were able to make that game because we trusted our fans. That makes the fans our accomplices.” 

The exchange rekindled discussion about Killing Harmony and its ending, with people reminiscing how hard it was to pick up the game amidst all the negative reviews about it. Danganronpa fans also expressed agreement with Kodaka’s use of the word “accomplice,” commenting, “these are the kinds of things that make V3 so good.” Killing Harmony has been both criticized and praised for its commentary of the “viewer” (or player), which is probably what’s giving Kodaka’s words some extra weight.