Shuichi Saihara

Shuichi Saihara (最原 終一 Saihara Shūichi) is a student in Ultimate Academy for Gifted Juveniles and a participant in the Killing School Semester featured in Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony.

Shuichi has the title of the Ultimate Detective (超高校級の「探偵」 chō kōkō kyū no “tantei” lit. Super High School Level Detective). Though he himself claims he doesn't deserve it, as he is only a "detective-in-training".

Early Life

 * Before Joining Danganronpa

Shuichi Saihara is a fan of a reality show featuring killing games known as Danganronpa, created by Team Danganronpa. In his audience tape, it was revealed that he was eager to participate in the show as the Ultimate Detective because he adores a lot of characters with the titles in the past seasons. He is willing to do his best to use the talent to commit an unsolvable murder that will amaze the series' viewers, to the point where he can think of his own execution as the Ultimate Detective.

During his high school days, Shuichi attended Spring Field Academy (春原学院). However, it is unknown if this was part of his memory's fabrication or not.

Shuichi, along with the other talentless 53rd Killing Game participants, underwent the fabrication process, where all of his past memories and personality were permanently fabricated. He also received the talent and title that he so desired, the Ultimate Detective. All of this was done for the sake of satisfying Danganronpa's audience from all around the world. After the fabrication process was completed, Shuichi entered the Ultimate Academy for Gifted Juveniles as a completely different person with the other participants, officially commencing the 53rd killing game season known as the Killing School Semester.


 * Fabricated Past

After he was accepted to participate in the 53rd Killing Game, Shuichi's memories were fabricated by Team Danganronpa.

Shuichi's parents are a famous actor and a screenwriter, who went overseas for business, which is why Shuichi began to live with his uncle and his wife. While Shuichi claims there isn't any sad story behind it all, his parents are neglectful towards him, and he smiles bitterly whenever he talks about them. To show his gratitude to his uncle, Shuichi helped him by working as his assistant in his detective agency. While he was only helping out and had no desire to be a detective himself, he learned to be a detective this way. Shuichi's first detective case was unofficial but a tough one, as his classmate asked him to find her miniature pet alligator, and he had to do a lot of research, prepare tools and eventually climb around mountains and swim up rivers. As thanks for finding her pet, Shuichi's classmate later gave him chocolate for Valentine's Day, though he assumed it was done just as friends. Shuichi was mostly happy to be useful and memorized her words "thank you". His first official case was an infidelity case, which was nothing compared to the alligator one.

Most of the cases that happened to come to his uncle were small things like investigating infidelity, but on the one rare occasion Shuichi managed to solve a murder case faster than the police and became publicly known as the junior detective, gaining him his Ultimate title. However, Shuichi does not believe he deserves the title, claiming that he only happened to solve this one case by chance.

In reality, the situation was more complicated. When the culprit was captured thanks to Shuichi, his eyes were full of hatred and malice as he looked at Shuichi, and the boy never forgot that gaze. Shuichi heard later that the culprit had killed the victim to avenge his family and the victim was a horrible person who had tricked the culprit's family and driven them to suicide. Shuichi felt guilty for "siding with" the victim and felt everything was his fault because he exposed the truth. He gained a fear of exposing the truth, considering himself a pathetic detective, and he began to wear a hat because he couldn't look at other people's eyes anymore.

The Gofer Project
Part of the fake backstory created for Shuichi and the other fifteen students was The Gofer Project, which supposedly happened before the killing game started. It was initiated by the government after countless meteorites crashed into Earth. To try and preserve the last vestiges of mankind before the Earth’s destruction, the government decided to select a number of excellent human beings, put them in a spaceship, and have them escape.

Shuichi and fifteen other high school students were chosen to participate. However, not wanting to abandon their loved ones, they attempted to escape from the plan.

Around that time, an extremist cult came into power. They believed that the meteor crashes were a punishment humanity brought upon itself, and having heard of The Gofer Project, they tried to stop it. As a result, the “Ultimate Hunt” started and spread throughout the world, and the sixteen students were hunted down.

The government then decided to counter the situation by faking the students’ deaths, calming down the “Ultimate Hunt” while providing protection to the students. The Gofer Project was then put into action while the Earth was being destroyed. Shuichi and the others went to space in a massive spaceship colony, the true form of Ultimate Academy of Gifted Juveniles.

Kokichi Oma who declared himself as a member of Junko Enoshima's Remnants of Despair said that he is the mastermind behind the Killing School Semester who let Monokuma enter the spaceship, effectively forcing Shuichi and the others to participate in the Killing Game.

Shuichi was able to receive the complete memory about The Gofer Project in Chapter 5 via the Flashback Light.

Shuichi's Plan
During Shuichi's and Kaede's investigation of the library, they discovered a hidden door behind one of the bookshelves. Shuichi speculated that The Mastermind might come to open the door at anytime. Hoping to catch the mastermind, they asked Miu Iruma to make them cameras that they would later set up in the library. They retrieved parts for Miu to make the cameras with from the warehouse. While there Kaede, unbeknownst to Shuichi, obtained a shot put that she secretly put in her backpack. Pushed by the first motive presented by Monokuma, Kaede planned to murder the mastermind and save everyone from the killing game without telling Shuichi.

While Kaede was setting up and preparing her trap in the library, Shuichi continued to be oblivious to her plan as he set up the cameras. Later on, while they were staking out the classroom on the first floor, Rantaro entered the library and discovers the hidden door thanks to his survival perk mono-pad. As soon as he moves the shelf, he triggers the sensor on top of it as well as the hidden camera that Kaede set up, alerting both her and Shuichi. Shuichi rushed out of the classroom, but Kaede threw her shot put into the air duct that led into the library before quickly following him.

Once the duo reaches the basement, they are joined by Kaito Momota and Tenko Chabashira. They notice the bookshelf closing again as they enter the library and come upon Rantaro's corpse, who seemed to have been bludgeoned in the back of the head with a shot put. Shuichi, along with everyone else, is mystified as to why Rantaro was killed while Kaede is shocked and horrified, thinking that she accidentally killed a dear friend but kept the secret to herself for the time being.

Shuichi's Deduction
During the Class Trial, Kaede hopes to reveal the mastermind and bring everyone together. Shuichi however, quickly discovers the supposed "truth" that Kaede murdered Rantaro, but refuses to speak about that fact as to not condemn his friend. Unfortunately for him, this act of silence, as well as forgetting to mention the camera intervals to Kaede before-hand, catches the suspicion of nearly everyone else in the trial and he is quickly denounced as the culprit. As a result, Kaede is left with no other choice but to protect him, mentally apologizing to everyone for being unable to reveal the mastermind and save them. Shuichi realizes this, and vows to no longer be afraid of the truth and reveals her as the "culprit" to everyone else in the trial.

Everyone is shocked and in utter disbelief that Kaede, who wanted to end the killing game and save everyone, could be the culprit. Despite this, Shuichi is goaded along by her as to make him reveal the whole truth about her plan, much to everyone's dismay.

After everyone cast their vote, Kaede comes clean fully and admitted that she planned to kill the mastermind in order to save everyone and end the killing game. Shuichi was quick to blame himself for coming to the deduction that the mastermind would be in the library and giving Kaede that idea, but she corrects him and says that she brought this upon herself. Monokuma and the Monokuma Kubs are quick to execute her, but Kaito, Tenko, and Gonta Gokuhara immediately jump to her defense despite facing an Exisal. Kaede urges them to stop, saying that she's ready to die. Shuichi criticized her for giving up, but she reassured him that she isn't. She told him that she believed in him and as such, should believe in himself before being dragged to her execution, to which everyone watched in horror.

Shuichi is rendered stunned and silenced, but is quickly brought to his senses by Kaito, who slugged him and angrily criticized him for not doing anything after Kaede put all her thoughts on him and believed in him. After the trial, Shuichi with Kaito's recommendation visited the Ultimate Pianist Research Lab. He looked around and plays Debussy's Clare De Lune via the audio player and began to reminisce about Kaede. He made a vow to not look away from the truth anymore and believe in himself, essentially saying goodbye to her.

Shattered Relationships
During the fourth class trial, Shuichi ends up taking Kokichi's side and denounces Gonta as Miu's murderer. However, nearly everyone else refuses to believe this truth, even Kaito, who despite constantly praising and encouraging Shuichi after Kaede's death, accuses him of betraying his trust and stubbornly states that Kokichi is trying to ruin their friendship. Gonta meanwhile tearfully begs Shuichi to reconsider and continues to state that he could not be the culprit, but this is simply due to him having no recollection of killing Miu. Despite all the pleas and protests however, Shuichi's allegation does not change, and with the help of Kokichi and K1-B0, he is able to pin all the evidence on Gonta. Eventually Gonta and Kaito back down, and the former willingly accepts whatever truth they arrive at, claiming that he himself is too stupid to understand. Despite being completely for the truth, Shuichi is still very saddened to have to condemn someone as kindhearted as Gonta, as well as his and Kaito's friendship seemingly taking a heavy blow.

Following the trial and Gonta's Bugs Panic, Shuichi becomes agitated with Kokichi, but grows concerned when Kaito coughs up blood, hinting at his illness.

Clearing the Death Road of Despair
Shuichi, along with the other survivors, used Miu's inventions to cross the Death Road of Despair. They came across a large metal hatch at the end which they open up and discover the apparent state of the outside world. Shortly after, Kokichi Oma appears and proclaims himself as the ringleader behind the killing game and controls the Exisal's to take Kaito Momota hostage in the Exisal hanger.

Confusion and Conclusion
Shuichi would later join his fellow classmates in storming the Exisal hanger, only to find a body crushed beyond recognition underneath the press machine, the only clue as to who the victim could be being Kaito's sleeve hanging out from the press machine, whereas Kokichi is still missing. Shuichi is horrified at the thought of having lost another one of his dear friends as the investigation begins.

During the Class Trial, Shuichi is quick to question whether or not the victim is actually Kaito, much to Maki Harukawa's annoyance. When the missing person arrives riding inside of an Exisal, he pretends to be Kaito before supposedly revealing himself to be Kokichi and showing everyone else a recording of what appears to be Kaito being crushed by the press machine, much to Shuichi's shock.

Later on in the trial, when the person inside of the Exisal pretends to be Kaito again, Shuichi refuses to believe it and confidently declares that there's no way Kaito could be alive, a deduction that Maki agrees with. Upon hearing this, the person inside of the Exisal begins acting like Kokichi once more. However, this deduction is eventually revealed to be incorrect. With thanks to Maki's additional testimony about what happened inside of the hanger, as well as the security system not working when she attempted to break the control panel, Shuichi realizes that no one other than Kaito and Kokichi could have been inside the hanger to pull off the victim identity trick. Upon realizing this however, Shuichi notices that he overlooked a critical piece of information and that the one inside of the Exisal had to be Kaito pretending to be Kokichi.

Eventually, thanks to Shuichi's deduction and lie, Kaito is forced to reveal himself from the Exisal and tells Shuichi that he really is amazing for having worked out Kokichi's whole plan. Shuichi could do nothing but be sad at the idea that he was going to lose not just any other friend, but the person who helped him to stand up and encouraged him after Kaede died. Kaito apologizes to Shuichi, claiming that he was jealous of his talent as a detective and that it was his skills that helped them survive this long. Shuichi responds by saying that it was only with his help that he was able to do that, but Kaito could do nothing but cough up blood in response due to his illness, much to Shuichi's horror.

As Kaito was about to be executed, he told Shuichi and everyone else that he wouldn't accept their tears and that they should send him off in style. Shuichi tells him that he won't cry anymore and that he will make the impossible possible. Shuichi and the other students watch as Kaito's execution fails and he dies in the middle of it due to his illness, much to Monokuma's annoyance.

Later, after the trial concluded, Shuichi would go to the courtyard where he and Kaito would train. He was joined by Maki, and the two shared a short, but emotional conversation. They both agreed that the best thing that you could give to someone who had died is not sadness, but gratitude and that they are both thankful to Kaito for everything he had done for them and vowed to carry on his will and end the killing game. They were eventually joined by Himiko Yumeno and Tsumugi Shirogane, who also wanted to keep their promise to Kaito and began training with them, but their moment is cut short by K1-B0, who had lost his "connector" to the outside world and thus; was determined to destroy Ultimate Academy for Gifted Juveniles and end the killing game himself.

Pursuit of Truth
During the final investigation, Shuichi along with Himiko went inside Rantaro's Research Lab. At first, the room was ambiguous and was hard to judge what his talent is based on the room's appearance. Later, Shuichi and Himiko managed to find a disc and discovered Rantaro's talent as the Ultimate Survivor via a recording made by Rantaro himself.

Shuichi, along with fellow survivors Himiko, Maki, Tsumugi, and K1-B0 decided to re-open Rantaro's case after discovering new truths related to his murder. Upon revealing Rantaro's talent as the Ultimate Survivor to everyone, and proving that Kaede did in fact not murder him and was executed unjustly much to his anger, Shuichi realized that the mastermind has to be one of them and, by double-checking everyone's alibis during Rantaro's murder, honed in on Tsumugi as the true culprit and mastermind of the Killing School Semester.

Tsumugi denied the claim vehemently whereas the other survivors are confused and shocked that the Ultimate Cosplayer could have gone through with such a plan. Shuichi however, made it very clear that Tsumugi was the only person who could have murdered Rantaro by using the hidden passageway in the girls bathroom, which also led into the hidden room that connected to the library.

Tsumugi also did not give the same order to Motherkuma as the other survivors did (Aside from K1-B0 who was rampaging at the time and thus not present), saying "make" instead of "birth", which would have triggered its voice recognition software and created another Monokuma, proving that she would be the mastermind. Tsumugi continued to deny it, to which Shuichi said that she should refute. He deeply wanted to be wrong and not have to condemn another fellow friend or believe that any one of them could be the mastermind. Unfortunately, Shuichi's words are for nothing as he and the other survivors watch Tsumugi break and reveal herself as "Junko Enoshima the 53rd".

Tsumugi, now cosplaying as Junko, went on to reveal that everyone's memories of being students at Hope's Peak Academy, the The Gofer Project, and shouldering their friends and families burdens as mankind's last hope, was all a false memory planted into their brains by the Flashback Light. In reality, everything they remember about attending Hope's Peak Academy and the outside world being destroyed was a lie. What they remember about Kokichi Oma being part of the Remnants of Despair was a lie as well, much to everyone's shock.

In reality, the circumstances behind their killing game are far more cruel. After proving her talent fully as the Ultimate Cosplayer by cosplaying as some characters from Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc and Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair, Tsumugi revealed that everything has been broadcasted to a very peaceful world that have been enjoying watching the students of Ultimate Academy for Gifted Juveniles kill each other, essentially revealing everything that they've been through as a reality-TV show and "Extreme Real Fiction". She also revealed that everything that took place in the Hope's Peak Academy Saga were nothing more than fictional events from a very popular anime and game franchise known as Danganronpa.

While the other survivors were quick to oppose Tsumugi and Monokuma, they both reveal that the participants of the Killing School Semester are also "fictional characters", whose memory, personality, feelings, and talent were all fabricated in order to provide an exciting setting for the killing game. Shuichi denies this immediately, but Tsumugi reveals herself as working for Team Danganronpa and went a step further and shows Shuichi's, Kaede's, and Kaito's, audition videos for the killing game, showing what sort of people they were prior to participating. Shuichi is considerably shocked upon realizing that his former self willingly participated in a killing game, and that everything he had fought for up until now, all the relationships he had made, were all fabricated. Tsumugi chastises him for still being the same, weak detective he was at the beginning of the story as he falls into despair.

K1-B0 however, after hearing what "his inner voice" has to say, reassured everyone to not lose hope. Tsumugi corrected him and says that the voice K1-B0 hears is the voice of the people watching this killing game and that he is nothing more than an interactive communication device and camera for the viewers to interact and participate in the game themselves. Despite this however, K1-B0 refused to give up on hope and that the people in the outside world don't want despair. Tsumugi meanwhile refused to give up on despair and stated that a world that enjoys killings could not possibly desire hope. In true Danganronpa fashion, they decide to settle this with one final, special vote where K1-B0 represents hope and Tsumugi represents despair.

Shuichi however, saw through the charade and cuts in, saying that neither choice is correct and that choosing hope would do nothing but cause the killing game to continue. Because of this, he decided to stop playing along and abandons his vote, hoping to end Danganronpa once and for all, much to Tsumugi's and Monokuma's chagrin. Eventually, Shuichi convinces everyone else to abandon their vote as well but K1-B0, in a last ditch effort to keep Danganronpa going, is hacked by the audience. Tsumugi is proud to show that the audience does not wish for Danganronpa to end and explained that they supposedly deleted K1-B0's personality that kept getting in the way. Despite Tsumugi telling them that what they're doing is pointless, Shuichi refused to give up, still exclaiming that he will end Danganronpa and that their lives are not just show-things for their amusement.

Confident that his voice reached the outside world through K1-B0, Shuichi and everyone else abandoned their vote. Tsumugi however, bends the rules one last time and abandons her vote as well, which she revealed after everyone else did. Everyone is immediately confused and worried as to why she abandoned her vote as well. Tsumugi stated that if they're going to risk their lives to end Danganronpa, then she will risk her life to make it continue. Tsumugi is confident that Danganronpa will continue after abandoning her vote, meaning only K1-B0's vote will have any power as he is still being hacked.

When Monokuma displayed the results of the final voting, Shuichi smiles at seeing that no one had voted, proving that the audience does not want Danganronpa to continue. Tsumugi panicked and tried to make everyone reconsider, but it is no use as the monitors all turn off, the audience no longer showing any interest. Shuichi tells her that her words are not being heard and that nobody wants a fiction that she created anymore. Tsumugi, upon realizing that Danganronpa was indeed over and done with, promptly loses all of her hope in living as she denied a world without Danganronpa, but had not prepared a proper execution before hand and as such, leaves it to K1-B0.

K1-B0 does not hesitate and proceeds to execute everything, killing Tsumugi and destroying Monokuma in the process. Shuichi along with his fellow survivors take cover under some rubble during the chaos. K1-B0 eventually self-destructs, creating an opening in the glass dome for his fellow survivors to escape.

Shuichi's Fate
Shuichi survived the final execution along with fellow survivors Himiko and Maki by hiding under some rubble. Himiko was in a bit of a bind, but Shuichi helped her up before taking in their surroundings. Gifted Inmates Academy had been completely obliterated by K1-B0. The remaining survivors wondered what would become of the fictional world now, but none of them had an idea of what to do now that everything was over. Maki questioned at first why they were still alive, but Himiko and Shuichi both stated that it must have been the outside world's will that let them survive.

To Maki and Himiko's surprise however, Shuichi states that what Tsumugi said to them about the outside world may have been a lie, and that Hope's Peak Academy and the Remnants of Despair might actually exist, though he has no proof to back up this claim. He also does not think that he would willingly participate in a killing game no matter how mad of a world he was living in, but once again it is mere speculation, though Himiko states that Kaito's insight might be rubbing off on him.

Despite not really knowing what is truth and what is lie however, Shuichi along with the two remaining survivors resolve themselves to go out into the outside world and see the truth for themselves, and that if a lie had changed the world, then the story would not end.

Name
His first name kanji, (終一) shūichi, means "last one" while his last name kanji, 最原 Saihara, could mean "prime field" or "conspicuous wilderness".

Shuichi's first name foreshadows his role in the story, as it means "end one" and he was the one who ended the Danganronpa series. His full name, Saihara Shūichi, can also be shortened to Saishū, the Japanese name of the Ultimate Academy for Gifted Juveniles.

Alternate Fates
In Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony (Demo Version), Shuichi was first seen at the end of the hallway and shyly introduced himself as the Ultimate Detective to Kaede Akamatsu. He admitted that he doesn't deserve that title. After the murder of Yasuhiro Hagakure occurred, he was seen inside the cafeteria, investigating where the murder weapon originated.

Appearance
Most of the time, Shuichi wears a black cap with three white stripes lining the back of it, and a silver star pinned near the front. Underneath the cap, he has short black hair with a small ahoge. He has very pale skin and a slim figure. His eyes are gambogeish grey, with thick, feminine eyelashes that are completely natural.

Shuichi's high school uniform is double-breasted and pinstripe, thin, grey stripes over a black uniform. His pants match his uniforms design, black with a pinstripe design to accentuate his long legs. His former schools emblem is on the breast pocket of his uniform, the pocket accentuated with a dull golden color to stand out from his generally dark, monotone uniform. His shoes are dark blue loafers that are both fashionable and easy to walk in, making it easy for him to investigate comfortably.

In the prologue, he wears the uniform of his original high school. He wears a blazer-style casual uniform with jacket, pants and a striped blue necktie. The collar on the shirt is large, making him look more gorgeous. He never lets go of the cap that blocks his sight, regardless of whether or not it goes well with his uniform.

Personality
Shuichi appears to have quite a serious and polite personality. However, he is also stated to have a weak personality, and he is abnormally timid when it comes to speaking. He often has negative remarks, frequently blushes and suffers from a cold sweat. With his unsure demeanor, he has a tendency to assume that other people can do things better than him, and he comes across as quite unreliable at first glance. Among the sixteen students, he is a boy who stands out for his submissiveness but also for his level-headedness.

However, Shuichi can also have a stronger attitude at times when the situation calls for it. He is the first to immediately suggest going after the mastermind during chapter 1, and goes to great lengths to trap them, showing an affinity towards proactivity. His hat is an especially sore subject for him and he dislikes to look at other people's eyes, which is why he wears the hat. When meeting Miu Iruma, she accused him of being a pervert with no reason, causing him to angrily yell at her to leave him alone. She had said that boys wear hats to hide their staring, which is obviously very poor reasoning, and Shuichi angrily told her he doesn't need an excuse to wear a hat.

Even though he is a very skilled detective with superior ability and insight, Shuichi lacks self-confidence, as he claims he hasn't accomplished enough to be called a famous detective. He also feels he doesn't deserve his Ultimate title because he only happened to solve a murder case by chance, frequently referring to himself as "kind of a detective", although Kaede Akamatsu says she doesn't believe something like this is possible. In the bonus mode, he also feels inferior to fellow Ultimate Detective, Kyoko Kirigiri, who possesses far more experience as a detective than him. However, he later reveals to Kaede that his biggest issue with detective work comes from the first murder case he solved, which gave him a fear of uncovering the truth, which is something a real detective would never have in his opinion. He fears the guilt, consequences and the hatred he might receive and the pain he might cause if he reveals the truth.

Whenever Shuichi feels depressed, he tends to stay in his room and doesn't eat nor shower and at times he can even feel suicidal, but he can get moving with his friends' support. With Kaede assuring him that she believes in him and he should be more confident in himself, Shuichi promises he will try although he's not sure if he can. After Kaede decides to put all her thoughts on him and believe in him prior to her execution, and with Kaito's assistance, Shuichi's timid veil breaks considerably and he even stops wearing his hat, feeling that it was "getting in the way". He begins to show a more profound confidence in his abilities as a detective and when interacting with other people. He always takes a very large role in every single Class Trial after the first one, choosing not to look away from the truth anymore and keep his promise to Kaede. He also becomes noticeably more vocal than before, displaying immense outrage during the final Class Trial after revealing to his fellow survivors that Kaede was executed unjustly.

Shuichi is also shown to take romantic relationships very seriously. During his Free Time Events, when Kaede asks him if he feels uncomfortable about women and romance due to seeing so many tough adultery cases in his detective work, he fiercely denies this and says he would never be unfaithful. During his Love Suite Event with K1-B0, it's shown that he only feels a bit uncomfortable about the idea of dating the robot because of the fact that he assumes he is asking for a pretense relationship. He tells K1-B0 he doesn't want a relationship based on lies, but gladly agrees to have a romantic relationship with him after he confesses that he truly is in love with Shuichi. In general, Shuichi is shown to be a bit shy about romance, but also very supportive and willing to make the other happy even if it's just dream-like situations like the Love Suite Events. Since he is a bit submissive, some other characters tease him by calling him a masochist in Chapter 4, as he often looks so pleased to obey orders (mostly from Kaito). Miu uses this as an excuse to boss him around and Shuichi looks a bit saddened that everyone thinks of him like that. During one of the conversations beginning Miu's Free Time Events, he even obeys Miu's non-serious suggestion and plays tricks for her like a dog. Miu even calls him Kaede's "beta little boy toy" during the first trial.

It's later revealed that Team Danganronpa created Shuichi's character of the "weakest Ultimate Detective ever", with lots of room for character development. His original personality was shown to be a somewhat nervous and disturbed person, who was a big fan of Danganronpa and its detective characters. He stated that he was willing to do anything to be a part of the show and was shown to excitedly plan ideas for gruesome murders and his own detective-themed execution. Though, it should be noted that it is left unclear whether or not this is true and it could have been a lie made by the mastermind, as pointed out by Shuichi.

However, against Team Danganronpa's expectations, it turns out that while Kaede was the perfect protagonist for Team Danganronpa's plans, Shuichi is actually the type of protagonist needed in order to truly end the Killing Game and the series for good. In the end, he decided to give up both hope and despair, abandoning the game by refusing to vote, and ultimately ending it. While he lacks Kaede's optimism, strength and charisma, he is also notably smarter than her.

Ultimate Detective
Shuichi's talent as the Ultimate Detective is a fabrication made by Team Danganronpa. As shown in the final trial, Shuichi was a normal high school student who has no amazing talent such as Ultimate Detective whatsoever. Shuichi is a very skilled detective, capable of solving a murder case faster than the police, although he claims he only managed to solve the case by chance. However, Kokichi Oma's secret society is so mysterious that even Shuichi does not seem to know any organization matching up with it.

As a detective, Shuichi has a keen intellect and is a sharp thinker. While he is timid when talking to others, he is seen to be calmer and firmer when analyzing and doing reasoning. He suggests that there might be a "mastermind" among the students simply by Monokuma's claims. By the first trial, he is able to reach the truth faster than anyone else, but is hesitant to say it because of his "fear of revealing the truth".

In other languages
Shuichi's talent as it appears in official translations of Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony.

Relationships

 * Family:

Uncle
Shuichi is very grateful for his uncle for taking him in and taking care of him after his parents moved overseas. To show his gratitude, he worked as his uncle's assistant and learned to be a detective by watching his uncle's example. However, he had no interest in being a detective himself and was simply helping out. While Shuichi feels anxious over being a detective, he does not seem to hold it against his uncle, and they appear quite close.

Parents
Shuichi has a negative relationship with his parents, though he tries to hide it by claiming that he doesn't have any sad story concerning them. His parents are a famous actor and a screenwriter, and considered celebrities by most people, though Shuichi does not view them like that. After they went to live overseas for business, they left Shuichi to live with his uncle, and he appears bitter whenever talking about them though he forces a smile. Shuichi's parents are neglectful and prefer to not be involved with him, and Shuichi has stated that their way of being parents is "hands-off parenting".


 * Love Interest:

Kaede Akamatsu
Shuichi seems to strongly believe in Kaede, reassuring her and telling her that "if it's her, she can do it". His presence appears to put Kaede at ease, due to his status as a detective, although she admits that he seems unreliable. She even attempts to help raise Shuichi's confidence by giving him pep talks.

Shuichi admitted to not having a reason to trust Kaede when murders occur, which disappoints her, although she does learn to accept this since she believes he can solve cases easily if he puts his mind to it. However, this changed when the two began to investigate the school together, as Shuichi came to admire her for her tenacity and determination, putting complete faith in her. He even bowed down to Miu when the two requested her service as an inventor, following suit after Kaede bowed first, which surprises and impresses the pianist.

Because the two spent so much time together, many other students pointed this out, and some more or less jokingly assumed they were dating, with Miu even crudely assuming that they're having a sexual relationship. Kokichi also cheekily asked Kaede about how far she's gone with Shuichi, but then claims that he simply meant how far they've gone investigating the building when she demands what he meant by that.

Relying on each other when the time limit was announced, the two worked together to set up cameras in the library to catch the mastermind by taking photos of whoever shows up. Cooperating together like this strengthens the bond between Shuichi and Kaede, especially after they finish setting them up and keep watch in the classroom. There, Shuichi confesses to Kaede why he's so insecure about his talent and rank as a detective, explaining the murder case he happened to solve, and why the culprit killed the victim. She encourages him, telling him that even if he feels bad, he still brought light to a terrible crime, and he should be more proud of that. Placing her hand on his, she tells him to be more confident and keep his chin up, to which he responds that he'll try his best.

Shuichi was devastated to find out that Kaede had murdered Rantaro, and desperately demanded to know why Kaede cared for others too much, to the point she committed a murder to save everyone. But his anger faded quickly as he was reminded that Kaede would be executed. He was shown to have attempted to save her, however, this failed as she was already out of his reach, and Shuichi was forced to watch helplessly as Kaede was executed.

Although hurt by Kaede's supposed betrayal, Shuichi still cried over her demise. He imagined her playing the piano after the trial, and was suddenly motivated to keep moving and break out of the school for her. He still thinks of her from time to time, such as in Chapter 3, when Korekiyo asks Shuichi if he wants to try speaking to the dead. Shuichi is interested in the idea for a second, thinking that there is only "one girl" that he wants to talk to once again. It's very likely that he was referring to Kaede; however, he quickly disregards the idea because he thinks speaking to the dead is impossible, and he only would've wanted to talk to Kaede after escaping the school anyway, to tell her that they finally did it.

When Maki started to realize her feelings for Kaito and struggled to ask advice from Shuichi, she asked him if he had liked Kaede. Shuichi then thought about Kaede reassuring him and holding his hand, indicating that he believes he did like her. However, Maki then pointed out that it would be weird to develop feelings for someone after you met them just a while ago, which offended Shuichi a bit, especially since Maki then refused to reveal her personal things and what she wanted to talk about.

In chapter 6, when the real case of Rantaro's murder is brought to light, Shuichi is enraged at the injustice Kaede faced, being falsely accused for a crime she didn't commit, and therefore was falsely executed. He was later shocked when Tsumugi claimed that Kaede only encouraged him because the mastermind made her like that and that real Kaede would have never said that.

During the Love Suite fantasy event, Shuichi had the role of Kaede's boyfriend and they celebrated their first anniversary. Kaede seemed upset because he didn't call her "sweetheart", but by her name, instead. In the original Japanese, Shuichi was asked to call her with her first name instead of the way he usually refer her as "Akamatsu-san." However, after Shuichi tried to call her 'sweetheart' for the first time, they both find it hard to regain their composure. After that, Kaede confessed to Shuichi, which caused the latter to become too shocked to say anything. Out of blue, Kaede hugged Shuichi and they fell down on the bed. Shuichi began to panic, but Kaede asked him to hug her even tighter. Kaede admits that she likes hearing Shuichi's heartbeat and that if Shuichi encourages her, she can do anything. Finally, Kaede asks if Shuichi will "do it with her" and he pulls her closer to him. It's heavily implied that Kaede and Shuichi had sex afterwards. Since Kaede specifically mentions really liking Shuichi's "passive side" during the scene, it is implied that she really is attracted to him.


 * Ultimate Academy for Gifted Juveniles:

Kaito Momota
Kaito quickly becomes Shuichi's closest companion following Kaede's demise, and they come to share a close bond. After Kaede was executed in the first trial, Kaito states how Shuichi pisses him off the most and immediately punched him in the face, saying that he's angry Shuichi didn't do anything to stand up to Monokuma, and that it was disrespectful to Kaede's memory to sit there and do nothing. Kaito backs down when the others criticize him for punching Shuichi, though, and when everyone leaves the trial room, he suggests Shuichi visit Kaede's talent lab. He says that although Monokuma made it, it was filled with things Kaede loved. Taking his leave, Shuichi follows his advice and visits Kaede's lab.

The morning after, he visits Shuichi's dorm to apologize for yelling and punching at him, and tells him that he's there to take Shuichi to breakfast. It was shown that Kaito visits Shuichi often and invites him to hang out with him, and makes him his "sidekick". They investigate together and help one another, Kaito saying that if Shuichi needs support, he'll always be around to help him. When Shuichi's stuck with clues in the Class Trial or feeling unconfident in his abilities, Kaito helps Shuichi by motivating him and staying on his side. In the original Japanese version, Kaito started to call Shuichi by his first name, while calling him "bro" in the English version, proving that the two shared a close bond.

They become distant after Chapter 4, because Shuichi had chosen to doubt Gonta as Miu's killer, which is actually led by Kokichi. Kaito, unwilling to accept the fact that Shuichi had a different opinion as a detective, becomes shocked and starts to distant himself. However, the two manage to mend their friendship during Chapter 5 and Kaito once again tells Shuichi to believe in himself and Kaito, just before the murder happened.

Shuichi was greatly saddened to discover that Kaito was the one who kill Kokichi in Chapter 5. Kaito told Shuichi that he was, actually, jealous of Shuichi for his deduction abilities. Because of his reasoning, they were able to stay alive, passing many Class Trials. Kaito made him promise not to cry, however, Shuichi had immense difficulty following through on this. When asked by Maki if he was lonely with Kaito gone, Shuichi confirmed this and admits that Kaito is the only reason why he is still alive. He was once again motivated by the death of another friend and was determined to keep moving forward. Many of Shuichi's happy memories during the killing game were shown to involve Kaito, showing that he still remembered him as a close friend and companion.

In Chapter 6, Shuichi felt upset when he figured out that his and Kaito's friendship is part of the fabrication along with Kaito's personality. However, Shuichi felt motivated by K1-B0 and believed that their friendship is true.

In general, Shuichi greatly admires Kaito for his honesty and helpfulness, though he does recognize his sillier moments. According to Shuichi, he has never been around someone like Kaito, and he says that his own insecurities and anxiety fade away in his company. He thinks it might be what he has been missing all this time and that "only someone like Kaito could tell him what he needs to hear". During Kaito's Free Time Events, Shuichi even gets a bit flustered by his own thoughts and feelings towards Kaito, considering that he's a boy. During the Love Suite Event, he also gets flustered when Kaito corners him against the wall, and thinks it's hard to stay calm with Kaito so close to him in such a place. In Chapter 4, when the other students agree that Shuichi is a masochist, Maki points out seriously that Shuichi always looks so pleased whenever Kaito gives him orders and appears happy as the sidekick, and that he might just be into that sort of thing.

Maki Harukawa
The two got along well after the events of Chapter 2 after Kaito brought Maki to their training regime. This resulted in the three doing exercises together, although Maki outmatched the two boys at everything they did. Shuichi seemed impressed with Maki's skills, and the three began to meet up nightly to do these exercises. Maki threatens Shuichi into hurting him or killing him sometimes since she has trouble trusting him. She also frequently told Shuichi to get a grip, since he's a detective.

Maki assisted Shuichi during Chapter 3's investigation, helping him creating hypotheses and finding clues. She noticeably becomes more vocal, occasionally asking if he wants to die at his surprise, to which she follows up that she was just joking. When on the discussion of Tenko's last moments, Shuichi and Maki work together to lie about Tenko dying instantly, so she wouldn't be able to kill herself inside the cage, therefore together steering the trial into the right direction again. Shuichi told Maki that she helped him a lot with the investigation, although Maki only said that she found him surprisingly reliable during the investigation.

During the events of the virtual world in Chapter 4, Maki does make a point to remind Shuichi that he's a person before he's a detective, which he's touched by, despite her telling him he's more reliable during a murder case than daily life. Nonetheless, it's apparent the two have grown quite close to each other, with her asking if he's okay, making sure if he and Kaito aren't fighting when Shuichi forcibly logged him out to test something.

During the fifth trial, she repeatedly attempts to steer the crime into her own fault, threatening and insulting Shuichi when he continues trying to solve why Maki couldn't have killed Kaito. Despite the betrayal and attitude towards Shuichi and the others during the trial, Maki doesn't seem to be apologetic for this, or had the time to apologize, since they all had to mourn Kaito for a short time before Keebo began destroying the school.

After Kaito's execution in Chapter 5, Maki and Shuichi went to their normal training spot and had a short, but emotional conversation about the events that had transpired, being joined by Tsumugi and Himiko to train together and mourn Kaito. They resolve to put an end to the killing game, which they end up surviving together.

During the Love Suite Event, Shuichi had the role of a kid from the same orphanage of Maki. Maki says that despite Shuichi and her being together for 10 years, she still didn't understand him. Shuichi is confused and Maki explains that he came to the orphanage a little before he entered elementary school. Shuichi agrees absentmindedly. Maki then again says that she really doesn't know everything about Shuichi. He then asks her what makes her think she doesn't know everything about him. She then blushes and Shuichi is confused at this. Maki says that Shuichi before used to play house with the other kids and it became difficult for her. She then asks Shuichi when he wanted to make a real family with her instead of a pretend one. Maki then goes silent and Shuichi asks whats wrong. Maki then gently held Shuichi's hand and says that she knew something was strange. Maki says that she wants to create a real family with Shuichi and not a fake one. Maki then asks Shuichi to promise her that he'll stay with her. Shuichi then nods his head as his answer.

Kokichi Oma
Shuichi doesn't trust Kokichi due to his lying and unpredictable actions. However, Kokichi appears to be amused by and in some way fond of Shuichi, having stated that the other boy seems "decently not boring", which is a very rare and notable compliment coming from him. It is implied that Kokichi has a crush on Shuichi. He regularly calls him his "beloved Saihara-chan" in the Japanese version, and occasionally calls him "mister detective" or "mister Ultimate Detective". He also once called Shuichi "", as a parody to Kaito's "Maki Roll" nickname for Maki. Kokichi enjoys his company, finding him one of the most interesting person in the group and praising him at times. He has also more than once mentioned that he is "constantly thinking about" Shuichi, and claims that he is his favorite who he loves the most. On his whiteboard, it's shown that Kokichi has a more positive, though slightly unclear impression of Shuichi, considering him "trustworthy?". Considering his hatred of boredom, it seems Kokichi is intrigued by Shuichi's development. During the trials, he often does not reveal Shuichi's lies even though he notices them.

While he enjoys to mess with him, Kokichi appears to feel some care for Shuichi and seems to be unwilling to actually harm him. Throughout his free time events, Kokichi tries to "kill" Shuichi and involves him in many of his selfishness and pranks, though he also seems to make sure Shuichi won't be harmed and seems to just mess with him with words. He also invites him to a tea party and suggests Shuichi could join his organization, so he doesn't have to die. In the last event, Kokichi hurts himself by playing the Knife Game and Shuichi takes care of him in worry. Kokichi is pleased by this and tells Shuichi he won, confusing the detective who answers that he wasn't even playing. Kokichi tells him that games can be won without playing them, foreshadowing the end of the killing game. He then claims he never had an intention to actually kill him. Since he has made Shuichi think about him constantly, he claims he has already "killed" him by "stealing his heart".

In the second class trial's back route, Kokichi notices Shuichi's lie, but decides not to say anything about it, instead he supports Shuichi to present the evidence of Kirumi's crime since she's the only one who can do it. Shuichi thinks of Kokichi's actions as an "unexpected assist".

During Chapter 3, when the students talk about the resurrection ritual, Kokichi claims he'd rather have Kaede over Rantaro to come back to life, because it would make Shuichi happy.

During Chapter 4, when everyone is inside Neo World Program, Kokichi claims he would cry if something happened to Shuichi with worried expression. When they're alone, he tries to offer his support for Shuichi, saying he wants to use him but also be useful to Shuichi as well. He attempts to separate Shuichi and Kaito, telling Shuichi that he should be his friend instead. Kokichi says he can help Shuichi save everyone, but Shuichi doesn't trust him and leaves without saying a word. Kokichi then mutters to himself about being dumbed and rejected by Shuichi, but he says he won't give up that easily. Kokichi then helps Shuichi during the investigation and begins to call himself Shuichi's partner.

In the fourth class trial, Kokichi is surprised to see Shuichi had lied to him. He appears notably angered by this, saying that Shuichi has some balls lying to him, and then decides to ruin his fun as a detective by revealing the truth behind the case. Kokichi in general appears annoyed and angered because the other students hate lies so much, even ones that are harmless and used for good, and mocks them after the truth they love so much turns out to be so painful and hard to believe. After Gonta's execution, Kokichi seems to lose some of his sanity and begins to act exaggeratedly "evil". When he calls Kaito "pathetic", Shuichi speaks back to him by stating that Kaito always has them by his side, but nobody would want to be around Kokichi. He tells Kokichi he is alone and he will always be, which seems to genuinely affect Kokichi, whose face suddenly turns blank and he complains things got boring and he doesn't care anymore. In the end, Shuichi considers Kokichi an "embodiment of lies".

In Kokichi's Love Suite scene, his fantasy involves him being a legendary thief who's been captured by his archenemy, the detective Shuichi Saihara, with the scene including lots of sexual tension. It's revealed that Kokichi let himself to be caught on purpose and actually wishes to get tied up and "interrogated" roughly, but Shuichi does not want to hurt him and is confused by the situation, which seems to disappoint Kokichi a bit. Shuichi continues to act very hesitant and Kokichi says it does not matter how Shuichi feels, though he soon states he was lying about that. Kokichi asks if Shuichi is mad because he feels like Kokichi is playing with his heart and he says his head is always filled with thoughts of Shuichi. He tries to trick Shuichi by claiming that they are surrounded by Kokichi's subordinates, but Shuichi can tell he is lying. Kokichi then confesses he wanted to be caught by Shuichi and wouldn't mind whatever Shuichi would do to him with a deep sensual voice, stating this is the truth while having a blank expression, which is heavily implied to be a sign of honesty in him. Since Shuichi does not make a move, Kokichi says he wants to play with him and do a lot more with, and pushes him on the bed. Shuichi tries to tell Kokichi to wait, slightly panicking and flustered by the situation, which turns Kokichi very silent and serious. He suddenly claims he was just kidding and suddenly runs off, which confuses Shuichi even more and he shouts after Kokichi. He wishes the other boy would stay, but quickly smothers the thought. Right before leaving the room, Kokichi says he wishes to have more fun games with the detective next time they meet.

This is the only fantasy sequence in which Shuichi has his true role as the detective, and surprised Shuichi emphasizes in his thoughts that they're both themselves unlike in most other fantasy sequences, which might hint that Kokichi is indeed attracted to him.

During the bonus mode, Shuichi realizes that he cannot change Kokichi's lying which is a significant part of him and instead should try to understand him and his lies. In the end, Shuichi blushes while admitting to himself that he is intrigued by Kokichi, being drawn in and always wanting to know more about him. Kokichi thinks this made all the lying worth it and says they should keep their relationship going after they get out of the academy, so that Shuichi can get to know the real him.

During one event in the bonus mode, Kokichi claims that he truly respects police officers, who fight the bad guys yet get blamed by the public. He then says that the same goes for detectives and he gives Shuichi a somewhat back-handed compliment, saying that he's really amazing for taking such boring and unprofitable job. Interestingly, for once, he does not mention anything about it being a truth or a lie during the conversation.

Tsumugi Shirogane
The two were in good terms with each other and actually tried to help with each other with the situation. However, in Chapter 6, Shuichi was furious and horrified when he figured out that Tsumugi was the mastermind behind the whole killing game. Despite this, he still wanted her to argue and prove his deduction as incorrect showing that he doesn't consider her any less of a fellow friend or comrade, nor does he wish to condemn her either.

When she acknowledges his claims that she was the one who killed Rantaro and framed Kaede for Rantaro's death, Shuichi seemed to have broken all former ties with her and resolved himself to stop her and end the killing game. Shuichi became noticeably depressed when Tsumugi told him that his memories, feelings, talent, and personality were all fabricated for the sake of the killing game, but he is brought back to his sense when K1-B0 motivated Shuichi to not give up and lose hope.

During their Free Time Events, the two got along quite well. Shuichi would listen to Tsumugi about what it means to be cosplayer, how much time and work goes into it, and how she became interested in cosplay in the first place. In the end, Tsumugi believes that Shuichi may have developed an interest in cosplay through their interactions and encourages him to try any costume of his choosing, believing he would look good in just about anything. As they listed off ideas, Tsumugi coincidentally listed off White Kanata as a costume he would look good in, which just so happened to be his favorite hero. Tsumugi became ecstatic upon realizing that she and him shared similar interests, as her friend who got her into cosplay in the first place also dressed as White Kanata. She grabbed his hand and flailed it up and down wildly, but became embarrassed when she realized they were holding hands, apologized, and let go, hinting at some sort of mutual attraction. In the end, Shuichi agreed to go to a con with her and try cosplaying out just once, mentally thinking to himself that they had become true friends.

However, given Tsumugi's role as the Mastermind of the Killing School Semester, and her highly deceptive nature, it us unclear just how genuine this friendship is or if it was ever genuine at all.

In the Love Suite scene, Shuichi had a role of being Tsumugi's step brother. Shuichi was surprised when Tsumugi said that she likes him not as a brother. Tsumugi felt uneasy when Shuichi did not called her by her first name. She felt negative and asked Shuichi to encourage her by placing his hand on her cheek and she did to his cheek which he felt embarrassed about. Shuichi realized that they were acting like an actual couple but Tsumugi despite the fact of Shuichi not becoming her lover. In the end, Tsumugi told Shuichi that he loves her and it was implied that they had sex afterwards.

Rantaro Amami
When Rantaro met Kaede and Shuichi, Shuichi seemed confused how Rantaro mentioned about everyone gathering and getting amnesia. He thinks he is some way mysterious and has some clues about his backstory. Rantaro is shown to have strong faith in Shuichi's abilities and considers him a real detective even though Shuichi himself doesn't. Later in Chapter 1, Shuichi became quite hostile towards Rantaro based on his suspicions about him being the mastermind and forgetting his talent.

In the Love Suite event, Rantaro has the role of a private tutor or a teacher of Shuichi. As the situation reflects the relationship between Rantaro and his younger siblings, he treats Shuichi like a child, which makes him a bit uncomfortable. Because of this, Rantaro assumed that Shuichi dislikes him, but Shuichi denies it. Rantaro is relieved that Shuichi doesn't despise him, but he states that he no longer would be his teacher, as he thinks he made Shuichi uneasy and he could be in danger with him. He wishes to protect Shuichi, so he wouldn't lose another person that is very important to him. He mentions the possibility of himself dying and while he claims he was joking, Shuichi doesn't believe him. Shuichi tells Rantaro he would rather hear his story even if it is a risk rather than leave Rantaro to deal with it alone. In the end of the event, Rantaro feels very glad, trusting Shuichi even more and waiting for the time to tell him his story.

During the bonus mode Love Across the Universe, Rantaro slowly warms up to and explains his situation to Shuichi. He is very glad that Shuichi believes in his goal to find his sisters, since nobody else does. Shuichi promises to become Rantaro's traveling companion in the search of his sisters, which could even last a lifetime, and Rantaro is motivated to become a real Ultimate Big Brother with his support.

K1-B0
At first, Shuichi thought K1-B0 was one of Monokuma's relative which he declined however. Shuichi was surprised how K1-B0 was a robot and also their classmate.

During the Bonus Mode, in the Love Suite, K1-B0 wonders about the meaning of love and asks Shuichi to be his lover so he can learn about those emotions. The robot goes overboard with listing typical things lovers do together and Shuichi calms him down by saying that maybe they shouldn't be in a relationship if K1-B0 doesn't truly like him. K1-B0 turns unhappy and assumes he was rejected, but Shuichi tells him it's not like that. K1-B0 then confesses that he might have fallen in love with Shuichi and wishes to exchange warm words and hold hands with him. They both feel nervous, but decide to hold hands, which makes them feel more calm.

Miu Iruma
When Shuichi and Kaede first approached Miu, she assumed that Shuichi was staring at her breasts. Miu then called Shuichi a pervert and that was why he wore a hat. However, Shuichi then stands up for himself and Miu gets startled by this as she thought he was a weakling.

Throughout the game, Miu gave Shuichi a lot of nickname such as Kusaihara, Kuzuhara, Unogahara, Dasaihara, and Hamehara.

During the Love Suite event, Shuichi had the role of Miu's childhood friend. Miu tells Shuichi that she would allow him to sleep with her. Shuichi gets confused and Miu immediately gets annoyed at him. Shuichi asks her what she meant and Miu becomes annoyed and sad and wonders how he could be her childhood friend if he couldn't remember. She explains that when they were younger he always took care of her and still to this day. She says that he is the only one who knows her true self and he helped her become the Ultimate Inventor. Miu then says she wants to have Shuichi's kids and he immediately becomes shocked again. Miu then says how talented their kids would be with both of their talents combined. Shuichi becomes silent and Miu gets upset again as she thinks she's not good enough for him and wants to have his kids so he can't get rid of her. Shuichi begins to stutter as Miu tries to force him into having sex with her. Miu then moves towards Shuichi. It is implied that they slept together afterwards.

Kirumi Tojo
When they first met, Shuichi realized who Kirumi really is and is surprised how she is popular because of her talent. She seems to care for Shuichi and obey him and the rest of their classmates. She even told Kaito to stop hurting Shuichi after the first trial ended.

Kirumi was really disappointed when Shuichi pointed her out as the culprit in the second trial. She still hadn't accepted her fate and tried to vote Shuichi as the culprit. He was depressed and upset when he got to see another friend getting killed. He seems to be also one of those people who tried to tell Kirumi to run away from her execution.

In the bonus Love Suite scene, Shuichi has a role of being Kirumi's master.

Korekiyo Shinguji
Korekiyo considers Shuichi a good guy but doesn't want him nor any other male to become friends with his sister. During the events of Korekiyo's Free Time Events, he would teach Shuichi any kind of knowledge and questions that he is curious about passionately such as differences among anthropology, history, and archaeology. The mysterious upbringing of Korekiyo intrigued Shuichi's curiosity as well, as he observed eagerly whether Korekiyo will take his mask off when he is eating and even asking him a myth that resonates with him. In Korekiyo's last Free Time Event, Shuichi who fully trusted him happily agreed with him to join on a field trip with him after they escaped the Killing Game as his first disciple.

As the Killing Game continues, Shuichi continues to find Korekiyo a bit creepy, but has more trust in him. In Chapter 3, Korekiyo offered his help to let Shuichi communicate with Kaede's spirit, but he politely turned him down as he said that the only thing he wanted to say for the fallen victims is that he and the others finally manage to survive. He was also shown to be very creeped out about the way Korekiyo was talking about the rituals and the dead, and wanted to exit the conversation quickly. After Korekiyo was executed by Monokuma for his wrongdoing for killing Angie and Tenko, Shuichi has conflicted feelings about him. He still trusted him as a friend, yet he doubted Korekiyo would stop killing more victims for his sister even after they survive.

During his Love Suite fantasy event, Korekiyo has accepted to spend a night with Shuichi, though he makes it clear that there would never be love between them. In Korekiyo's fantasy, his partner requested to try BDSM with him, but Shuichi is unaware of this and he feels uncomfortable around Korekiyo, thinking that he is a bit scared of him, but is nevertheless curious about his fantasy. Korekiyo asks if Shuichi is afraid and gives him a permission to run. He claims it will be scary only for the first time and pulls out rope from under the bed, which immediately causes Shuichi to attempt escaping. However, Korekiyo catches his hand and pushes him on the bed, stating that he never said he wouldn't stop Shuichi if he ran. Korekiyo expresses interest in the beauty Shuichi will show, saying he will teach him thoroughly and make him feel the kind of pleasure he has never felt before. Shuichi is afraid of the potentially dangerous situation and can only gulp as he's unable to escape, but then his mind begins to turn blank and he starts to relax, and it's heavily implied that Korekiyo got what he wanted in the end. When Shuichi wakes up in his own bed the next morning, he wonders if it was just a dream, though he still feels quite sore.

During Korekiyo's graduation event in the bonus mode Love Across the Universe, Korekiyo says that he wants to travel with Shuichi and then introduce him to his sister because he is such a good friend, even though he was originally against the idea and doesn't normally allow any males close to her. Shuichi is confused with him talking about his "lover" and "sister", but he now has an unwavering trust in Korekiyo, unaware of the danger the other possesses.

Free Time

 * Main article, including full dialogue: Free Time Events/Shuichi Saihara

Quotes

 * -|DRV3 Demo=

DRV3=


 * -|Extra=

List of Appearances

 * -|Games=
 * Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony (Demo Version)
 * Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony
 * -|Manga=
 * New Danganronpa V3: Minna no Koroshiai Shin Gakki Comic Anthology
 * New Danganronpa V3: Minna no Koroshiai Shin Gakki Comic Anthology Volume 2
 * New Danganronpa V3: Minna no Koroshiai Shin Gakki Comic Anthology Volume 3

Trivia

 * On Shuichi's birthday in 2017, Kazutaka Kodaka tweeted an "in-character" birthday message to celebrate it.
 * The tweet translates into this:
 * Saihara: "Huh? This is… for my birthday? R-really? This many people are congratulating me? Wow, I’m a little bit embarrassed but… thank you! But that’s much more than what I can eat by myself, so I guess I should… invite someone? Yeah, I know who to invite!"


 * Shuichi's backstory references from, who is also the protagonist and a famous high school detective, and whose parents are a mystery writer and a former movie star living overseas and have a "hands-off" approach to parenting.
 * Shuichi's appearance has similarities with the character from Persona 4, Naoto Shirogane. Furthermore, both characters are precocious ‎detectives.
 * Interestingly, Shuichi's clothes somewhat resemble that of Kiyotaka Ishimaru's beta design.
 * Shuichi's English voice actor, Grant George, also voices Leon Kuwata in Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc.
 * The official English website mistook Shuichi's uncle as his grandfather. They later fixed this error.
 * Oddly, in the NIS America localization and Steam version of the game, Shuichi's pixel head icon during the Chapter 1 post-trial verdict is hatless, while it does show his hat in the original Japanese PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita versions.
 * In a poll hosted by MyNavi, fans voted Shuichi the most popular Danganronpa V3 student out of sixteen students in Danganronpa V3.
 * Japanese gaming magazine Dengeki from April 27th, 2017 to May 22nd, 2017 held two popularity polls, one that was voted electronically and the other via post cards. Shuichi was voted the 2nd most popular student in the electronic poll, and 12th through post cards.
 * Shuichi is implied to be attracted to people of the same gender.
 * He is fine with accompanying both female and male characters during the Love Suite Events, with him only appearing uncomfortable with untrustworthy individuals.
 * Even when he's afraid of Korekiyo, he still "doesn't deny he's curious". Despite the fact that he doesn't trust Kokichi, he wishes Kokichi would stay after he suddenly starts to leave (and after Kokichi pushed him against a bed), but he quickly smothers the thought.
 * He agrees to a romantic relationship with K1-B0 during his Love Suite Event.
 * During his Free Time Events with Kaito, he thinks about how great Kaito is and how "only someone like him could tell him what he needs to hear". He then gets a bit flustered at his own thoughts, feeling that he shouldn't talk about another boy like that. He also gets very flustered during Kaito's Love Suite scene, when he realizes how close he is with Kaito in such a place.
 * During the bonus mode Love Across the Universe, the other boys occasionally point out how Shuichi is suggesting something that would be "usually said to a girl". When he suggests to take their clothes off with Kaito, Kaito is surprised and slightly weirded out, and says that he should save that for the girls, and then asks if Shuichi has come out of the closet or something without telling him. Rantaro and Kokichi also assume that Shuichi wants to do something sexual with them.

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