danganronpa: trigger happy havoc ( ダンガンロンパ 希望の学園と絶望の高校生 ) is the first game in the danganronpa series.
it released in japan on november 25th 2010, and was not released outside of japan until 2014.
danganronpa's composer, masafumi takada ( 高田雅史 ) is best known for his work on killer7, no more heros, and the earth defense force series.
HOPE'S PEAK ACADEMY
where do all the above and beyond talented highschoolers wind up? hope's peak academy of course!
funded by the government, hope's peak aims to find those with ultimate talents, and to help shape their skills to continue to bring the world hope.
among these ultimate students, an ultimate lucky student is chosen via raffle, in order to test whether or not luck really exists.
PROLOGUE
after entering hope's peak academy, a strange sensation overcomes naegi makoto. although he was excited to finally set foot in an academy known for bringing hope to generations of people, it turns out that this hope would become his ultimate despair.
trigger happy havoc takes place within hope's peak academy, which has been sealed off from the outside world. the doors are baracaded with steel, the windows have also been fixed over with metal sheets; none of the 15 students trapped within the school can escape.
the self-proclaimed new headmaster, monokuma, explains that the goal of the academy- under his instruction- is to have the students attempt to kill each other to escape.
the only way to escape the school, and return to the outside world, is to kill one of your fellow students: then get away with the murder in a deadly class trial!
Killing School Life ( コロシアイ学園生活 ) begins! the students must follow a set of rules, if these rules are broken the student may be punished. in what way? who knows! but death is never off the table during the killing school life.
RULES
RULE 1: Students may reside only within the school. Leaving campus is an unacceptable use of time.
RULE 2: "Nighttime" is from 10 pm to 7 am. Some areas are off-limits at night, so please exercise caution.
RULE 3: Sleeping anywhere other than the dormitory will be seen as sleeping in class and punished accordingly.
RULE 4: With minimal restrictions, you are free to explore Hope's Peak Academy at your discretion.
RULE 5: Violence against headmaster Monokuma is strictly prohibited, as is destruction of surveillance cameras.
RULE 6: Anyone who kills a fellow student and becomes "blackened" will graduate, unless they are discovered.
RULE 7: Additional school regulations may be added if necessary.
Class Trials
after the murder of a student, the rest of the students must begin an investigation phase. they must seek evidence, testimonies and anything else that may help them navigate what comes next... the deadly class trial!
if the students are not able to properly identify the blackened student, and vote to execute an innocent student instead: the entire student body will be exeucted, and only the blackened killer will walk free of hope's peak academy.
the stakes are high! the evidence is mounting! make your case, or you will die alongside your fellow students.
Executions / Punishments
for a list of the victims, killers and executions of trigger happy havoc, please heed the following spoiler warnings!
if you have any interest in danganronpa and have not played the game(s), please look into playing the game before proceeding to these spoilers.
the anticipation of the murders, who kills who and why, and the executions are some of best aspects to the series. i'll say it one more time ... go play the game before looking at this list!
