Gundham Tanaka

Gundham Tanaka (田中 眼蛇夢 Tanaka Gandamu) is one of the characters featured in Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair. He has the title Ultimate Breeder (超高校級の「飼育委員」chō kōkō kyū no “shiiku iin”; lit. Super High School Level Breeding Club Member''). He also owns four hamsters, referring to them as the “Four Dark Devas of Destruction” (破壊神暗黒四天王 hakai-shin ankoku shiten-ō; lit. Four Heavenly Kings of Darkness and Gods of Destruction).

In Chapter 4, he and Nekomaru Nidai duelled to the death to save the others from starvation. Gundham came out as the winner, which also made him the culprit of the fourth murder case.

Appearance
Gundham wears a long, black jacket that is always left open and, according to his reference sheet, is his school uniform. The left sleeve is pulled up to the elbow and held by silver pins and he wears a long purple scarf that often covers his mouth. The back of his jacket, as well as both ends of his scarf have a strange, vertical symbol printed on them. His entire left arm, at least up to the elbow, is completely covered in bandages, presumably due to injuries that he received while taking care of or calming down his hamsters. The famous 'Hell Hound Earring' (Devil Dog Earring in the Japanese release) hangs from his right ear, and he wears two silver rings on his right hand (pointer and middle). Under his jacket, Gundham wears a white button-up shirt that is also left open, and another shirt under it which is slightly darker and has a greyish-purple cross design across its front. He seems to be wearing normal black pants held up with a black belt and silver buckle, and black boots with numerous straps across them.

He is also constantly next to or surrounded by his four hamsters, the Four Dark Devas of Destruction, Sun-D (orange and white), Jum-P (grey and white), Maga-Z (chipped ear), and Cham-P (big and orange). They apparently often camp out inside the scarf that Gundham always keeps wrapped around his neck, occasionally coming out every now and then.

Interestingly, Gundham's left eye is grey, while his right eye is red, though the red is revealed to be a colored contact. He also usually appears to have no eyebrows, although in two of his sprites, he magically does (although in those cases, they may have just been added as to portray the correct emotion on his face easier). He has a greyish scar that runs down the left side of his face and through his left eye. His skin tone is noticeably pale and greyish compared to the other characters, which could suggest that he doesn't get out much. His head appears to be shaved from the neck up to his temple, where the rest of his hair seems to be slicked back with the exception of a poof of hair in the middle that sticks up and is fairly curly. His hair colour is black with pale grey streaks through it. This may either be due to bleaching his hair or a melanin deficiency known as poliosis, giving him several 'Mallen streaks'.

Personality
Gundham has an eccentric and somewhat dark personality. He often claims that he has been blessed with the evil powers of the underworld, and refers to everyone else as 'pathetic human beings'. Gundham is often lost in his own little world, usually paying more attention to himself or his hamsters than the things that are going on around him, such as in Chapter 1 when he failed to investigate after the murder and putting his lost Hell Hound Earring at a higher priority. He may also have an interest or knowledge of alchemy. Despite first impressions, he is generally rather comical in what he says to Danganronpa spectators (not so much for characters actually talking to him), and somewhat contradicting or counterproductive: such as in his introduction, when he tells Hajime Hinata to step forward and introduce himself, for Gundham will destroy him once he does. He also constantly tells others not to come near him or to touch him, claiming that poison runs in his veins.

However, despite his 'I am the Dark Lord' ramblings, he is shown that he seriously cares about animals, and understands them much better than he understands people. In one of his Free-Time Events, he tells Hajime that he runs an informational website about breeding which he maintains carefully. It is also implied that though he puts on the face of a loner who wouldn't dream of hanging out with pathetic mortals, Gundham actually may be very lonely as he once boasted that he was searching for solitude before wandering away slowly and silently.

It is possible that Gundham's delusions of self-grandeur stem from an inferiority complex and pseudo syndrome known as chuunibyou (1, 2, 3), which would explain his strong belief in his apparent origins and his eccentric behaviour. If this is truly the case, then Gundham overcompensates for his underlying, probably gentle spirit by creating an entirely new, exciting personality.

In another one of Gundham's Free-Time Events, he states that he pities livestock for being raised for the sole purpose of human consumption. This could mean that Gundham is possibly a vegetarian or vegan, though it is not for sure.

History
[Warning: Several spoilers follow this section!]

Prior to the Tragedy
Free Time Events interactions with Gundham show that as a child, he lived with his mother; whether he had a father or not is unknown. By an (un?)lucky guess by Hajime, it is revealed that though Gundham and his mother seemed to be in good relations, his mother was extremely terrible at cooking food which later became the basis for Gundham's self-belief that his body was filled with poison. He was apparently never one for crowds or large events, saying that as a child, he would often skip out on Sports Days and camp out in the school infirmary instead as so that he could avoid touching or being touched by other people. He has many other animals at home, and apparently has some very few, select people that he chooses as assistants in taking care of the animals he breeds. He also has a website about the dark arts, though he claims those that lack the proper abilities can only perceive a blog about animal breeding. Hajime comments that underneath his eccentricity, Gundham is a boy who genuinely loves animals.

Prologue - Welcome to Dangan Island! Panic at the Heart-Throbbing School Trip!?
Gundham can first be found in the Airport, along with Kazuichi Soda, and is quick to alarm Hajime with his extraordinary personality. In the beginning, he seemed to keep his distance from all the other students on the Island, not participating in the Beach Party and not doing anything particularly noticeable.

Chapter 1 - Destination Despair
Gundham play an important part in the Class Trial of Chapter 1, due to him losing his precious Hell Hound Earring at Byakuya Togami's party. At some point in the party, Gundham had dropped his Hell Hound Earring that he claims he got from a fearsome Hell Hound, which was a Pomeranian, which he later discovered to have fallen between the floorboards under the Old Lodge. With Chiaki Nanami's help, he had gone around the building to look for a place to get in under to no avail, and later found a secret door in the Storage of the lodge that allowed him to get under the floorboards and retrieve his earring; all information which helped to prove Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu innocent and pin Teruteru Hanamura as the culprit.



Chapter 2 - Sea and Punishment, Sin and Coconuts
Gundham is seen at the restaurant with everyone else grieving over the death of their two friends. He is later seen joining in on commenting about Hiyoko Saionji's smell, saying that it was as if a demonic eclipse was going to happen. Gundham is also seen mocking Monokuma about losing one of his Monobeasts, until Mahiru Koizumi tells him to stop. He later agrees with the others to find a way to escape.

Chapter 3 - Trapped by the Ocean Scent
After the events of Chapter 2 and Hiyoko's construction of a sinister memorial for Mahiru, Gundham came in late to the Restaurant after everybody else right after they had managed to stop Hiyoko's crying. Even he was shocked to see the memorial and claimed it stunk of evil intentions and spirits, unintentionally making Hiyoko cry again. Later, When he discovered that Hajime and Kazuichi came to join the girls-only party, he said that he needs to be alone, which according to Hajime's mind that he actually want to join the party too.

In Chapter 3, he was one of the students along with Sonia Nevermind, Kazuichi, Hiyoko, and Chiaki who moved to the Motel after the outbreak of Despair Disease. Hajime met him on his way to the hotel after the discovery of Ibuki Mioda's body in the Livehouse, giving Gundham an alibi as to where he was when Hiyoko's body was discovered in the same place later. Around Chapter 3, he began to become friends with Sonia, much to Kazuichi's unhappiness and leading to an argument in the Third Trial where they both threatened to kill each other.

Chapter 4 - Do Ultimate Robots Dream of Electric Clocks?
In Chapter 4, he helped explore the Strawberry and Muscat Houses and their respective Towers with Sonia. Gundham was one of the boys who stayed in the Strawberry House, and was given one of the two Luxury Rooms to stay in, Nagito Komaeda taking the other. Initially, he did not seem particularly alarmed at the fourth motivation as announced by Monokuma, which was starvation until a murder took place, and he found that the seeds of the flowers planted around the Strawberry House were sufficient food for his hamsters. However, refusing to have everybody just idle around until they all dropped from starvation, he planned and carried out the murder of Nekomaru on the third day of starvation by using the secret of the Prank House to drop Nekomaru from a height of four floors, very successfully killing him.

In the Class Trial, as the evidence pointing to him began piling up, Gundham became noticeably panicked and surprisingly angry, even slightly losing his usual manner of speech. After Hajime gave out the decisive evidence that proved Gundham as the concrete culprit of Nekomaru's death, he began to exhibit behaviour that slightly implied borderline loss of mentality, urging on all the students to send the unsavory vote against him and send him to his execution. However, it may have all been an act, as he calming down to explain the true events of what happened between Nekomaru and him. Gundham reveals that before Nekomaru died, the two of them had a duel to win the rights to keep living, with Gundham emerging as victor. Before he leaves for his execution, he gives a small rant how it was despicable how all the students planned to just let their short, single life go. He tells them of the importance of life and how it is necessary to keep fighting for however many days they have left on Earth and keep clinging on to it.

All the students keep his speech on remembering the importance of living after his death, promising each other that they would stick together and never let another life go to waste. Akane Owari forgives Gundham for his murder of Nekomaru, going off to eat some proper food for the first time in days because "that's what living's about".

Execution

 * Main Article: Gundham Tanaka Stampede

Alternate Execution
Running Gundham - Gundham is in a giant hamster’s wheel, being chased by a giant Monokuma ball. He finally trips and the Four Dark Devas of Destruction fall out. He rushes to protect them from being crushed by the Monokuma ball and he dies with a satisfied smile. This execution is only shown in the Official Fanbook.

Sonia Nevermind
He became very close to Sonia, due to their complimenting interests (such as her interest in the occult with his odd behaviour, or her liking of his 'cute hamsters'). She constantly sides with Gundham, even going off with him to explore the Prank House before Kazuichi noticed. She is also the only one that Gundham does not refer to as kisama (a way of saying 'you' that suggests contempt, or alternatively an archaic polite form of 'you') or by their last name, instead calling her 'She-Cat' at one point. She is also the only one to have made him blush. When Gundham is deemed the culprit of Chapter 4, Sonia refuses to believe it, urging him to object against Hajime's accusations. But finally let Gundham go after she convinced by Gundham himself.

Kazuichi Soda
The two end up locked in a form of rivalry with each other over Sonia, due to Sonia preferring to be around Gundham, while Kazuichi has a strong liking for Sonia. Although the feeling of rivalry was mostly one sided (from Kazuichi) at first, they end up arguing in Chapter 3's Class Trial, both throwing around childish insults and threatening to kill each other. Otherwise, in Gundham's eyes, Kazuichi is at the Pathetic Mortal level and he does not pay him much attention.

Hajime Hinata
At one point, Gundham is implied to have tried to follow Hajime and the rest of the students, though when discovered, he denied it and went away. Hajime and Gundham become rather good friends through Free-Time Events, and in his final FTE (which takes place in the Strawberry House), Gundham makes Hajime sign a contract via handshake and declares that with the contract, Hajime will not be permitted to die without exclusive permission from Gundham Tanaka himself. Hajime thinks to himself that he would like to return that promise back to Gundham, though he figured that Gundham might get angry instead. Comically, their handshake ends in a mutual hand-squeezing to the death.

Quotes

 * “Stop right there. If you value your life, don't come any closer.”
 * “You may call me...Gundham Tanaka! Remember it well, for it is the name that will one day rule this!”
 * “Once, in a distant land, there lived a beast so savage that it could not be tamed. They called him... "The Hell Hound"... The Hell Hound wandered from one battlefield to the next, his fangs forever slimy with hot blood... His fur, stained red, drying in the wind... He wandered the earth alone for eternity... And on the day I finally domesticated the Hell Hound, I was given an earring as a keepsake... That is the legend of the Hell Hound Earring!”
 * “Now, my Four Heavenly Kings... it is snack time!”
 * “Monokuma. I will listen to your jests later, as I smoke a cigar standing over your corpse.”
 * “DON'T UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF THE EVIL EYE!”
 * “You're saying they're cute? ...Thanks...” (to Sonia Nevermind, about Four Dark Devas of Destruction)
 * “INFINITY UNLIMITED FLAME!”
 * “My beloved, deadly foes! Let the voting time begin!”
 * “If one would call murder so that one may live 'evil', then what must one call surrendering on life itself?! If the world shall name it just, then I shall fight that world with all my strength, for to renounce life and choose death is a blasphemy to life itself! It is the perversion of nature, the conceit of mankind!”
 * “'What am I doing?', you say? Ha! Now that is truly a foolish question!”

Panic Talk Action Remarks

 * “I won't let you!”
 * “For the Tanaka Empire!”
 * “This pressure...!”
 * “Amen!”
 * “Wither...”
 * “Show me the cadaver!”
 * “Crushed as David prophesized!”
 * “You weakling!”
 * “It's Nekomaru's back! Do you really think I can get behind him so easily!?” (Final Argument)

Trivia

 * The kanji in Tanaka means "rice field" and "center". Together this may mean "central rice field". The kanji for Gundham use irregular readings, though can roughly mean "snake eye dreams".
 * The names of his four hamsters are: San-D, Jum-P, Maga-Z and Cham-P. All of the names are references to shōnen manga magazines (Sunday, Jump, Magazine and Champion).
 * His name is a reference to the popular Japanese mecha anime, Mobile Suit Gundam 0079, which later spawned an entire long-running series. His execution refers to a particular scene from the original anime as well.
 * Gundham's title in the original Japanese release, "Ultimate Breeding Club Member", is a bit more specific than his English title. The Breeding Club (whose Japanese name could also be interpreted as "Animal Care Club") is a common afterschool club in many Japanese schools dedicated to taking care of the animals (usually small birds, reptiles and rodents) kept within the school grounds. As made clear by his many achievements as a Breeder, Gundham has transcended the regular Breeding Club member's expertise by leaps and bounds - which may be the basis for his claims about his existence being superior to that of humans'.
 * Gundham's e-Handbook states that he likes his hamsters, the Four Dark Devas of Destruction, and hates the earthly existence itself.
 * According to his Free-Time Events, one difficulty he faced during childhood was his mother's horrible cooking.
 * Finishing Gundham's Free-Time Events yields the item 'Gundham's Underwear', which are invisible to those who have too low of an "astral level."
 * His Blood type is B.