The Reserve Course Department

The Reserve Course Department (予備学科 Yobi Gakka) is an institution founded by Hope's Peak Academy. It was built for talentless students who could earn an education at the school by paying a huge fee. So far, only three students who paid to get into the school are known by name.

The building is located at the west quarter of Hope's Peak Academy.

Description
The Reserve Course was rolled out the same year Class 77-B enrolled. Known Reserve Course students included Hajime Hinata, Natsumi Kuzuryu, and Sato. The three of them all had ties to members of Class 77-B. Hajime became friends with Chiaki Nanami, Natsumi was the little sister of Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu, and Sato was friends with Mahiru Koizumi.

Unlike the Ultimates, who could choose to attend class, the Reserve Course attendance was mandatory, and treated like normal school for them. Reserve Course students likely enrolled so they could have the prestige of having attended Hope's Peak. Hajime Hinata joined because he admired the academy, Sato likely joined so she could stay with Mahiru Koizumi, and Natsumi Kuzuryu convinced her father to pay, so she could be close to her brother, Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu.

Background
Natsumi joined later in the year and reignited her feud with Sato. Hajime unsuccessfully attempted to defuse the situation, and Sato ended up murdering Natsumi, fearing she would hurt Mahiru. Fuyuhiko later took his revenge and murdered Sato.

Hajime tried to get answers by talking to Mahiru, but Juzo Sakakura would end up stopping him. Fueled by Juzo's insults, and his desire to be someone he could be proud of around Chiaki, Hajime dropped out of the Reserve Course so he could participate in the Izuru Kamukura Project, which surgically transformed him into an "heir of talent" infused with every kind of talent. He ostensibly became the Ultimate Hope, embodying the ideals of the academy and its founder, and he also adopted the name of the founder and the project which had created him.

The Reserve Course moved on, despite the two murders. Chisa Yukizome became a teacher there for half a year after leaving her old class, Class 77-B.

The Parade
Junko Enoshima sent a mass e-mail to all of the Reserve Course, explaining how the entire Student Council had been murdered by Izuru Kamukura. The e-mail also stated that the staff were covering it up, and that all of the Reserve Course students were accomplices to murder, because their tuition money had secretly gone towards creating Izuru.

This resulted in the students rioting outside of Hope's Peak, in what the faculty would refer to as the "Parade". Several students tried to climb the barricades, and were stopped by Juzo Sakakura and security.

At the same time, Junko was also using Ryota Mitarai's Despair Video to brainwash students in the Reserve Course. Some of the Reserve Course students even tried to attack Class 77-B, but were defeated by Nekomaru Nidai and Gundham Tanaka.

Reserve Course's Mass Suicide
Eventually, Junko brainwashed the entire Reserve Course and had them attack Hope's Peak, where they viciously murdered other students and destroyed various parts of the building.

After Junko felt they had served their purpose, she sent them the Suicide Video, another anime that brainwashed them into committing suicide. The mass suicide was witnessed by Kazuo Tengan and Koichi Kizakura, and would be the catalyst that led to the The Tragedy and the rise of the organization known as Ultimate Despair.

Trivia

 * In Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair, Monokuma mentions that 2,357 Reserve Course students committed suicide. Knowing that Hajime Hinata was the only Reserve Course student who survived, and that Natsumi Kuzuryu and Sato died prior to the mass suicide, this means there were at least 2,360 Reserve Course students in total.

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