Kyoko Kirigiri

Kyoko Kirigiri (霧切 響子 Kirigiri Kyōko) is one of the characters featured in Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc. An enigmatic girl whose talent was unknown from the beginning, she often helps Makoto Naegi to make a breakthrough during the investigations and trials. Later, it was revealed that she was actually an amnesiac and titled as '''Ultimate ??? '''at first. Her true identity was the daughter of Jin Kirigiri, the previous Headmaster of Hope's Peak Academy. Her actual title is Ultimate Detective (超高校級の「探偵」chō kōkō kyū no “tantei”). She survived the final trial and escaped with the other survivors at the end of the game.

She is also one of the few returning characters in Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair. Kyoko joined the Future Foundation after the events of the first game.

A light novel series based on her past has been published, titled Danganronpa Kirigiri.

Appearance
Kyoko is a relatively tall, pretty girl with purple eyes and a pale complexion. She wears her lavender hair down and with a braid on the side, tied with a black ribbon. Her outfit consists of a dark purple collared jacket over a white blouse and brown tie, along with a short skirt and heeled knee-high boots. She always wears her custom-made black gloves to conceal scars on her hands that she received back when she was an amateur.

Personality
Kyoko is a stoic and mysterious girl with amnesia. She has a calm demeanor and tends to be completely unfazed by most of the events that occur, even when a body is found. Kyoko is also one of very few students that see things objectively and don't jump to conclusions in the trial, making her a valuable ally to Makoto. Kyoko is very sensitive regarding the subject about the Hope Peak’s Academy Headmaster (who later is revealed to be her own father), going as far as to even lose her cool when Alter Ego mentioned the possibility of him being the mastermind. She also doesn't like it when people keep secrets from her, as Makoto finds out.

Ever since the first murder, she becomes closer to Makoto, evident from her later interactions with him hinting some sort of mutual attraction. When Makoto allows himself to be found guilty in Chapter 5 (though he's saved at the last minute by Alter Ego), Kyoko realizes that she's been putting her own desires ahead of his safety. When she discovers that Makoto ends up at the garbage disposal room, she risks her life to save him.

She can also be seen as able to find the good in people's motives: for example, after the first trial (Sayaka Maizono's death), she goes to Makoto's room to tell him that she thinks that in the end, Sayaka actually wanted to make sure he didn't get the blame for her death, which is why she wrote "11037" on the wall. Another example is in the second school trial, where she points out that the broken ID card is actually Chihiro Fujisaki's. Kyoko says that Mondo Owada broke it to protect Chihiro's secret.

Behind her stone cold personality, Kyoko seems to easily get emotionally upset, which is masked by her strong will. Even under calm situations, she sometimes lets her emotions get the best of her as shown when Alter Ego mentions her father, the former headmaster, as the person who might be the real culprit (mastermind) behind the sadistic game and when Makoto refuses to tell her about Sakura Ogami's odd rivalry with Monokuma (assumed that Makoto suspected Sakura's betrayal).

History
[Warning: Several spoilers follow this section!]

Prior to the Tragedy
Kyoko comes from a family of famous detectives. Even though her family kept their talent out of the spotlight, Kirigiri publicly touted her abilities so that the Hope's Peak recruiters would notice her. While attending Hope's Peak she did investigations for her father and the Hope's Peak Academy Steering Committee.

Her past is written in Danganronpa Kirigiri's light novel.

High School Life of Mutual Killing
During the beginning of the game, Kyoko often keeps her distance from the other students while investigating. Prior to the investigation to find the way out with no casualties, Kyoko doesn't seem to cooperate with the other students and does most of the investigating by herself. She plays major roles in solving mysteries of the culprits in class trials. Later on in the game she begins to trust Makoto and starts calling him a friend.

The First Trial
During life in the academy, Kyoko is the only student who believes that Makoto is not responsible of Sayaka's murder while trying to give the others cause for reasonable doubt, as well direct then to the true perpetrator, Leon Kuwata.

More Casualties and Distrust are Among Us
In the Second Chapter after the first trial, Monokuma allowed the groups to explore the second floor after he removed the shelters. Kyoko and the others discovered a letter regarding what happening before the High School Life of Mutual Killing began. She also discovered a broken laptop, which was later repaired by Chihiro.

Upon the trial, she was the second person who discovered that Fujisaki is actually a male. Knewing this, Kyoko attempted to lure the killer to misspeak. Kyoko's plan succeeded, and finally the groups were able to deduce the killer.

The Queen of Liar's Manipulations for Greed
On the next day after explored the third floor, Aoi Asahina confessed that she discovered a Chihiro's ghost- who later revealed as Alter Ego. Kyoko was the person who told the students to kept Alter Ego's presence as a secret, since Alter Ego was left by his master, Chihiro in the bathroom which has no surveillance camera in it. She also forbid anyone to use Alter Ego for their personal gain.

The next morning after Monokuma revealed his third incentive to give a 10 billion yen cash to whoever manages to graduate, there was only Sakura, Hina, Makoto and Kyoko herself who attend the usual breakfast in the cafetaria. Feel strange due to Celeste and Hiro's absence, they decided to split up to search the others to avoid something bad that might be happened. During their search, Kyoko suddenly disappeared when the groups manage to found all the students, including Kiyotaka Ishimaru and Hifumi Yamada's corpse. Later, Kyoko revealed herself that during her search, she found Hiro in "Justice Robo" suit inside a locker in the pool, a costume that the groups believe as the culprit behind Taka and Hifumi's murder.

Much later after the third trial, she is the person who trusted by the killer to kept the Alter Ego locker key. After the trial ended and the culprit execution, Makoto ask her where she disappeared during the search of the missing students. And it's revealed that Kyoko found a secret room in the mens rooms in the second floor which aren't have any surveillance camera inside it.

Sakura Ogami's Noble Sacrifice and Payback
In chapter 4, Kyoko, along with Makoto and Hina didn't receive any letter from Sakura to met with her. Later after Hina screamed and reported that she saw Sakura sitting in silent inside the locked rec room at the third floor. With Makoto help, they three were able to break inside the rec room. But it was too late, Kyoko confirmed that Sakura has already lost her life.

During the trial, she and Makoto can deduce that Sakura has committed her suicide to avoid the fight that clashed between Hina and the others. Kyoko then used Sakura's payback (Breaking the Headmaster room which is prohibited by Monokuma) and sneak inside the Headmaster room to stole Monokuma's key that can unlock every room in Hope's Peak Academy. From there, she was the first person of the survivor who knew about Mukuro Ikusaba, the sixteenth student of the groups.

Miracle Return and Tensed Rivalry with Real Junko Enoshima
Prior to Makoto's miraculous survival and return, Kyoko would begin her retaliation by demanding that Monokuma to reopen the trial, to which the talking bear reluctantly agreed. She is then reunited with the other students (who still think that Makoto was responsible for killing Mukuro) while explaining on his behalf that the trial was restarted due to some circumstances (basically thanks to Kyoko's sharp retaliation over Monokuma's taunts). Throughout the course of the investigation, Kyoko learned that her father is no longer alive in the academy: his remains were put in a gift box by Monokuma in the secret room of the principal's bedroom. Even though she looked unaffected by this revelation, she was clearly shocked by the fact that her father, in fact, never forgot about her and that she was really dear to him, to the point that the password to access the secret room was Kyoko's name and that in that room there was a photo of a smiling Kyoko as a child with her father. Even though she is still upset with her father, she was shocked to the point where she asked Makoto to leave the room, since she needed to be alone for a while to 'collect' her feelings.

As the true perpetrator was revealed as the real Junko Enoshima, Kyoko is shocked by her father's primary reason to cut his ties with her big family and his true motive to build the academy which made her remain silent for the first time. As she is motivated by Makoto's words that hope is still alive, Kyoko would rethink about the case which seemingly involved her late father's meaning, indicating that even though their hearts disconnected, she added that if she knew her father well, he would never allow her to survive if it meant sacrificing Makoto. With her support to Makoto, Byakuya witnessed him force Junko onto her knees and executed herself in a special punishment (The Ultimate Punishment) in the progress; which finally resulted in her 'death' and the survivors are finally free from the strings of the sadistic game.

Considered their torments have finally over, Kyoko would wonder if Makoto's faith about hope would maintain pure after the gruesome journey while anticipating to. Before she bid her friends farewell, Kyoko would wonder if leaving the school would be for better or worst, which she wouldn't be miss. With that, Kyoko is among the 6 survivors who survived the incident and joined the Future Foundation.

Island Life of Mutual Killing
She returned in the last trial of Second Game with Makoto and Byakuya Togami, as the member of the Future Foundation, an organization who held the Neo World Program. Her main objective to came to the Island was to activated the Forced Shutdown.

Execution

 * Main Article: After School Lesson 

Makoto Naegi
Both are on good terms with each other, Kyoko trusts Makoto (although just for her plans against Monokuma) but Makoto puts his trust in her completely as he hopes that she would trust him as much as he trust her. Regardless, Kyoko seems to care a little for Makoto as time goes on. Evidence was shown when she entered his room and told Makoto to beware of Mukuro. She also saved him from Mukuro who was about to kill him when he was asleep, which actually turned out to be Junko who was trying to kill the latter. During the last Class Trial, Makoto was the one who told the remaining students (including her) to not give in to despair. Kyoko told Makoto that even though she didn't know her dad, he would never tell her to stay in the school if it meant deserting him, thus showing their bonds and trust to each other.

Furthermore, Kyoko also helps Makoto solve each Class Trial whenever he was out of clues. When Monokuma "executed" Makoto during the case of Mukuro, she risked her own life to save him out of the garbage room. Also at their "Graduation," she told Makoto she was actually kind of looking forward to face whatever is out there if it's with someone like him. This hints out that she might have feelings for him.

Jin Kirigiri
Little is known about their relationship, she only stated that they were just family and nothing more. Jin left her when she was a little girl. Kirigiri stated that he only used her mother's death as an excuse so that he could leave the house and that she didn't really knew him as a father because they never really spoke to each other much during their days together.

When she found out that her father died in the school and found his skeleton, she didn't show any feelings towards his death. But Makoto, who was looking at the remainings of her father instead, noticed that she didn't even look in the box. Makoto thinking, that somewhere in her heart she must have thought she was wrong about her father's death.

Yui Samidare
Kyoko and Yui get along together throughtout the events of Danganronpa Kirigiri. Even Kyoko call Yui as "Yui Onee-sama" because Yui insists on Kyoko calling her "onee-chan".

Presents
Obtained from the MonoMono Machine.
 * Luwak Coffee
 * Blueberry Perfume
 * In-Vitro Rose
 * Cherry Blossom Bouquet
 * Bojobo Dolls

Choices
During free time conversations, the player will occationally be given a choice on how to respond to something that is said. These are the 'right' choices.
 * Swimming
 * Gloves

Skills
These will aid you, usually during Class Trials.
 * Observing Eye
 * Neural Liberation - Slows Concentration Gauge depletion.

Quotes

 * “ ... My name is... Kyoko Kirigiri. ”
 * “ If I don't have to, I think I won't. ”
 * “ They're just underpants. It's not like I put my hands inside his socks... ”
 * “ For the time being, let's go over what we know once more. ”
 * “ That's suspicious... someone is probably lying... ”
 * “ You won't find anything just by staring at it. ”
 * “ ...You're hopeless. ”
 * “ I... have come in contact with dead bodies for quite some time now... ”
 * “ When you see something strange, don't you think It's a good idea to check it in detail? ”
 * “ A hint is one thing, but simply sharing the answer it leads to is dangerous. ”
 * “ I don’t want to push too many preconceptions into your head before the school trial begins. You should come up with satisfying answers by yourself… ”
 * “ I do trust you, to a certain extent. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t even tell you this much. ”
 * “ Nothing will change if we stay here. Let’s go… ”
 * “ As long as we don't hear his explanation for it, this is not yet over. ”
 * “ He already confessed. I can’t imagine why he'd lie now. ”
 * “ Your conclusion is not wrong, in all likelihood. ”
 * “ I didn't know my father, therefore I do not know of his arrival. ”
 * “ To solve a mystery, you sometimes need to take risks. Isn't that right? ”
 * “Could any of you really kill me? I don't think I'll die that easily. ”
 * “I suppose a change of pace is necessary sometimes... Fine then, why don't we take a little break? ”
 * “You could certainly make the argument that forming friendships may help prevent killings. ”
 * “Well, I *am* human. I *do* have emotions. I simply keep it to myself. I don't show it in my face or in my voice. ”
 * “Protect against deception, and never allow others to read your emotions. And whoever stands before you, don't let them push you around. ”
 * “If you get too involved with someone, you're apt to lose any sense of good judgement. I learned that lesson myself all too well. Personal experience is a ruthless teacher. ”
 * “Simply put, there was a time when I grew attached to someone, and I made a bad decision. I was forcd to learn a very powerful lesson, and these gloves are a daily reminder of that. So on these gloves, I swore to never make the same mistake again. ”
 * “Fear is proof that your imagination is functioning. Frankly, I feel bad for anyone who can't feel fear. Without imagination, you can never deduce which action to take next. ”
 * “I'm scared too, of course... I simply hide my emotions. There's no advantage to be gained from letting others see how you feel. What I mean is, I'm not as foolishly open as you are” (to Makoto Naegi)
 * “Also, the "fear" i experience is a little different from yours, I imagine. You're afraid of what you might lose, right? But i'm afraid of what I've already lost. ”
 * “ ... Anyway, don't get to depressed over all thiss. The reason I'm not willing to talk about it sin't because I don't trust you. In fact, I *do* have faith in you. Which is why I decided to tell you what I have. I want you to understand *why* I can't tell you. I can't show you myself, just like I can't show you what's beneath these gloves. I can't imagine a point where I would show them over again. Only someone I could call family would be worthy.  Would you like to sign up? ”  (to Makoto Naegi)
 * “ Such a foolishly open person as you could never lie. Everyone would know right away. ”  (to Makoto Naegi)
 * “ Well, you should consider trying. Your naive honesty makes you an easy target. ”  (to Makoto Naegi)
 * “ I don't believe this...! To use word "cute" to deceive someone...! That's just too cruel! ”  (to Makoto Naegi)
 * “ You would never just came out and call someone cute like that. Completely out of character. You thought I wouldn't pick up on such an obvious play?) ” (to Makoto Naegi)
 * “ Watch yourself, Makoto. You're honest to a fault. ”  (to Makoto Naegi)
 * “ Didn't I tell you? If you make light of other people's emotions, it will surely come back to bite you. ” (to Byakuya Togami)
 * (In reply to Hiro)  “ ... That's just gross. ”
 * “I know I always tell you to be careful and protect yourself, but... to be honest, I hope you don't change. I prefer you this way. This is... you.” (to Makoto Naegi)

Danganronpa Kirigiri
Kyoko is the main character, along with Yui Samidare, of the Danganronpa Kirigiri Light Novel. In the novel, a 13 year old Kyoko and Samidare solve a case called "The Sirius Astronomical Observatory Murder Case".

Her DSC number is 919.

Trivia

 * The name "Kyoko" (響子) is composed of 響 - "echo" or "ringing" and 子 - meaning "child". Her name fits her composed, quiet speech and how, during the trials, she more than once guides Makoto to conclusions she has already reached herself and lets him be the one to voice them.
 * "Kirigiri" in kanji (霧切) means "fog cutter", referring to her detective background.
 * In the beta version of Danganronpa, Kyoko is the first victim.
 * The very first trailer for Zettai Zetsubou Shoujo - Danganronpa Another Episode, which begins teasingly by saying that the upcoming installment of the Danganronpa series is a sports game, shows Kyoko playing basketball. The reason Kyoko was assigned this particular sport is probably because her Japanese voice actress, Youko Hikasa, is known for her role in the basketball-themed series Ro-Kyu-Bu! as Saki Nagatsuka. Hikasa is also part of a five-girl pop group of the same name along with four of her fellow voice actress who also portray part of the series' main cast.