Ryoko Otonashi

"I can't remember anything from before I lost like memory, so it's not like I have anything to compare it too. That's why I don't see my forgetfulness as a disadvantage... it's just a part of who I am."

- Danganronpa/Zero

Ryōko Otonashi (音無 涼子 Otonashi Ryōko) is the protagonist of the Danganronpa/Zero novel series.

She is a fake identity of Junko Enoshima, an amnesiac version of Junko. While she has a rather eccentric way of thinking, she has no hunger for despair. She is in love with Yasuke Matsuda, her doctor, and the only person she can remember more clearly.

Despite being amnesiac, she still has the talent of the Super High School Level Analytical Prowess (超高校級の「分析力」chō kōkō kyū no “bunsekiryoku”).

Ryōko stopped existing by the end of Danganronpa/Zero, as she regained her memories and returned back to her original persona.

Ryōko appears as a cameo in the 30-minutes long OVA, Super Danganronpa 2.5: Nagito Komaeda and the Destroyer of the World as a part of Nagito Komaeda's imagination world.

Appearance
Ryōko is a teenage girl who is around 17 years old. undefined

She has dark red eyes, matching the color of her long, disheveled hair. She wears the standard school uniform of Hope's Peak Academy: a white blouse with a red ribbon, an unbuttoned dark grey cardigan with the logo of Hope's Peak Academy emblazoned on it, a short dark grey skirt, white knee-high socks with part of the Hope's Peak logo near the top edge, and brown loafers.

Personality
Ryōko is presented as a girl with a psychological disorder which causes her to lose her short and long term memories. Because of this, she writes everything down in a notebook, the 'Ryōko Otonashi Memory Notebook'. While she has lost her ability to form new memories, she still has her ability to remember or learn 'procedural memory' tasks such as writing and reading.

Ryōko is generally carefree, with "natural cheerfulness". She has a rather eccentric way of thinking, which is not caused by her disorder, and she has a strange laugh. Because of her forgetfulness, she has trouble concentrating and may come across a bit dumb in other people's eyes. She may often appear uninterested and lacks a proper response.

Due to her quick memory loss, she feels that she is "uninvolved with the world" - at times she barely cares about anything that doesn't concern her or Yasuke, believing that things have nothing to do with her because she can't remember them. She uses this as a defense mechanism when in stressful situations. Yasuke is the only person she remembers more clearly, though it's only about her feelings towards him instead of any events, and because of this she thinks about him almost constantly. While he is rude towards her, she is grateful because he doesn't treat her with fake sympathy. She isn't worried about her condition either, because she doesn't have anything to compare to due to her memory loss and she sees her forgetfulness as a part of who she is instead of a disadvantage. A sudden cure would be a bigger worry for her, because it would mean separation from Yasuke.

Ryōko can't actually remember her Super High School Level Talent, but in times of peril she shows near supernatural analytical skills. At the times, she also appears to revert back to her Junko Enoshima persona, though only for short amount of time. Sometimes, Ryōko can hear Junko's voice and remember things about her, but she doesn't understand the connection between the two of them.

Despite being an amnesiac version of Junko, Ryōko has no hunger for despair and she is disturbed by killing and violence.

Super High School Level Analytical Prowess
Ryōko has an incredibly precise analysis ability, which essentially allows her to predict what a person is going to do before they do it, and overall makes her great at planning. This is the talent of her original persona, but she cannot use it most of the time due to her condition. She doesn't remember her talent, but it seems she can use it if she is reminded of it or if she is having one of her clearer moments.

The talent isn't instantaneous, as she needs to observe something for a while in order to analyze possible outcomes, but it is still extremely detailed and fast thinking for a human. This is demonstrated in her encounter with Isshiki Madarai; after analyzing his fight with "Junko Enoshima," Ryōko is able to not only evade him, but make additional notes in her Memory Notebook as she is running away. She also quickly plans a detailed trap for him.

Ability to sense Talent, Hope and Despair
Similar to Nagito Komaeda, Junko seems to have a strange ability to sense hope and despair in other people, which doesn't seem to be related to her analytical skill. Ryōko also possesses this ability, as she can sense the incredible strength hidden inside Makoto, though she cannot fully utilize this ability nor analyze the information due to her condition.

History
Ryōko is an amnesiac fake identity of Junko Enoshima. She was created after The Tragedy of Hope's Peak Academy, when Yasuke was asked to interrogate Junko about the incident. Instead, he reluctantly assisted Junko by testing procedures for memory-erasing in preparation for the Killing School Life of 78th Class.

Having succeeded in erasing her own memories with Yasuke's memory-erasing technology, Junko assumed the fake identity of Ryōko Otonashi and hid from suspicion. As she no longer remembered who she was, she had to constantly use a notebook, where she wrote information about her surroundings, other people and events that had happened. In an attempt to protect her from herself and to protect other people from her, Yasuke attempted to foil Junko's plans by preventing her from regaining her memories. He gave her "treatment" regularly, though in reality he was making sure that her condition stayed the same.

Despite being amnesiac, Ryōko is still in love with Yasuke. He is the only person she can remember more clearly, though it's only about her feelings for him. Once, after Yasuke's mother died from an illness that caused memory issues, Junko swore she won't forget him even if she forgets everything else.

Chapter 3
Ryōko is a student in Hope's Peak Academy. Due to her illness, she often visits Yasuke for check ups. Her grades are so terrible that she should have been kicked out of school, however Yasuke talked to the higher ups and convinced them to let her stay under the claim that he would like to study her unique neurological disorder.

A month after the Tragedy of Hope's Peak Academy, Ryōko once again goes to see Yasuke for her treatment. Yasuke throws a scalpel towards Ryōko and repeatedly insults her by calling her ugly. He then asks her who she is, claiming that he doesn’t know because he keeps looking at his manga. Ryōko answers the questions and Yasuke is surprised to find out that she remembers what just happened and what they talked, meaning that her condition might be better or maybe worse.

Yasuke gives Ryōko her treatment. Ryōko is shocked when she is reminded that she was almost suspended from school due to her bad grades, especially because it would mean she would be apart from Yasuke. Yasuke tells her he defended her, because she is too valuable research subject to lose. They talk more about Ryōko's condition. Ryōko claims she isn’t worried about it, and that she’s more worried about being cured, because she wouldn’t get to see Yasuke anymore. Darkly, Yasuke tells her he won’t let her treatment end.

As they hear noise outside, Yasuke explains to Ryōko about the reserve course students. He leaves to see the Steering Committee, while Ryōko sleeps in the lab.

Chapter 5
After Yasuke returns to the lab, he wakes Ryōko up roughly. He throws her out and tells her to come back in three days.

Disappointed, Ryōko returns to her room with the help of her notebook. She decides to kill some time and tries to redraw her sketches of Yasuke. She soon grows tired and continues to miss him, until she suddenly gets a threatening letter. The writer calls her Ms. Super High School Level Pitiful Forgetful Girl and claims to have stolen all the past memories she’s written and hidden under her bed, and tells her to come alone to the fountain in the central plaza at night 1AM. Though angered about the supposed prank, Ryōko decides to go.

At night, Ryōko goes to the central plaza. She finds one of the Steering Committee's members dead and hanging from a tree with a rope around his neck. She finds a notebook in a small puddle of blood under the man.

Chapter 6
Shocked and crying, Ryōko runs away and tries to go see Yasuke.

She bangs the door, but doesn't get an answer. Instead, Yūto Kamishiro opens his door, which is next to Yasuke's. Ryōko doesn't notice him at first and confuses his age. Yūto introduces himself and asks her what's wrong while admiring her looks. Ryōko introduces herself and tells him she needs to see Yasuke, but Yūto answers that he isn't home. Yūto offers his help, but Ryōko has trouble remembering what happened. She reads her notebook and is shocked after resurrecting the memory concerning the body. She remembers the notebook inside the pool and worries she'll be blamed because of it. Quickly, she runs back to the scene, but the body has disappeared. Instead, she only finds the notebook.

Suddenly, Ryōko meets Mukuro Ikusaba disguised as Junko. She mostly talks nonsense, even confusing Ryōko, and threatens to rip off Ryōko's tongue. "Junko" then stops, just laughs and introduces herself. She claims to be the one who kidnapped and took Ryōko's memories hostage and takes the bloody notebook. "Junko" then explains that the body she killed has disappeared and that she wants to get Ryōko involved. Confused, Ryōko decided to run, but "Junko" gets on her way extremely fast (due to Mukuro's Ultimate Soldier skill). "Junko" tells her the identity of the body and mentions the Tragedy of Hope's Peak Academy.

Suddenly, "Junko" notices Isshiki Madarai hiding and looking at them. He shows himself and soon threatens the girls, as Junko Enoshima is his target and he assumes that Ryōko is involved with her. "Junko" duels with Isshiki, standing her ground (once again, due to Mukuro's Ultimate Soldier talent) and orders Ryōko to write everything into her notebook. After the fight, "Junko" tells Ryōko that it's impossible for someone like her to be taken down by someone on his level, and tells her to never take her eyes off the prey. Ryōko is confused, but suddenly "Junko" disappears and leaves her alone with Isshiki.

Ryōko looks at her notebook for help, and seeing the school's Tragedy mentioned, she tells Isshiki she doesn't know anything about it. This, however, makes her much more suspicious in Isshiki's eyes. Believing that she'll die soon, Ryōko begins to think about Yasuke and how she wants to meet him, soon forgetting her fear. Noticing the change in her, Isshiki puts some distance between them. At the moment and with new composure, Ryōko is capable of using her Super High School Level Analytical Prowess talent, which is written on the first page of her notebook. She believes that "power of love" granted her the talent and she tells Isshiki she is going to see Yasuke. Isshiki is confused about who she talks about, but agrees that love is a great power capable of creating both unimaginable actions and madness, though he believes Ryōko might just be feeling desperation.

Using her talent, Ryōko manages to run away from Isshiki. He chases after her, thinking that she truly is a strange woman.

Chapters 7-8
Ryōko manages to avoid Isshiki's attacks by running and analyzing his behavior patterns written in her notebook. She avoids him once again and he falls on the ground, but soon gets back up. Amazed, he assumes she has precognition.

Chapters 9-11
Isshiki comes to the conclusion that there's some sort of secret in Ryōko's notebook.

He chases Ryōko down into a dark shed, where Ryōko gets the upper hand and tricks him. He is flattened by fallen shelves and loses consciousness, but tells Ryōko he still has "ace up his sleeve". Indeed, the second brother Nisshiki appears, attempting to knock Ryōko unconscious and break her arms and legs, but his own right arm gets broken by the real Junko Enoshima, who suddenly takes over Ryōko's consciousness. Ryōko has a hallucination where she regains memories of Junko, as she describes Junko's face as familiar, and also hears Junko describe herself as the Ultimate Despair and laugh her signature Monokuma laugh. Junko tells her she will come to remember her soon enough. Junko then kills Madarai by breaking his neck. As Ryōko loses consciousness, she hears Junko saying that when they meet again, she'll kill her properly.

Chapter 12
On the dawn, Yasuke learns that Ryōko has went missing. He looks all over for her, only to find her sleeping on his lab's bed. He ties her to the bed, to make sure she won't wander off again and she can reflect on what she did. When Ryōko refers to herself as his lover, Yasuke tells her he wouldn't have such a vermin as a girlfriend.

Angry, Yasuke lies under the bed, but he then turns silent. He sighs and says that Ryōko has always been that way and she knows the perfect ways to irritate him, referring to Junko. He tells her how in their childhood she destroyed her own sand-castle, and after hearing the frustrating story, Ryōko agrees she should be tied up. She is angry that she can't write the story on her notebook, though, but finds out it's next to her pillow. As she struggles to open it, she reads the sentence "It seems Junko Enoshima killed him —" and mention of a dead body at the central plaza. Ryōko panics about the dead body, but Yasuke doesn't seem to care about it and instead asks her if she knows who Junko Enoshima is, which confuses her. Ryōko tries to ask him if Junko is his friend, but Yasuke avoids the question and tells her that there is no body.

Ryōko can no longer reach the notebook and Yasuke tells her that Junko has nothing to do with them and she should forget about it, and that all of it was probably just stories she made up. Ryōko says she would never do that, because it would confuse her true memories, but Yasuke claims she must be very lonely due to her memory loss and she creates delusional stories for that reason. Frustrated about how badly she is misunderstood, Ryōko screams loudly that she is never lonely as long as she has Yasuke. She asks how he can forget that if she can remember it despite her forgetfulness. Yasuke wants to end the conversation and assures her that the notebook lies and she can believe in him instead.

Ryōko is conflicted, as the notebook and Yasuke are two the most important things to her. She decides to believe in Yasuke instead of in herself, and tells him that she will give away her memories if he always stays by her side. Yasuke stays quiet for a while and answers it's impossible right now, because he has other things to do. Ryōko says that his research is most important to him and he will never choose her. Yasuke says it's not it, but turns silent again. Ryōko begins to cry and asks him to at least cure her or make her forget him along with everything else, so she wouldn't feel so painful. Yasuke stands up quietly and wipes her face gently with a tissue while looking at her with lonely eyes. For some reason, Ryōko feels fear.

Silently, Yasuke turns to leave and tells her he has an appointment with another student, and that they can continue talking after he returns. Soon, she is untied by Yūto, who suddenly appeared. She is startled, but then reads the notebook to remind herself who he is. Yūto explains he's been in the room all along, but he wasn't noticed due to his talent.

Yūto tells Ryōko he can help her with the incident she has gotten involved in, as he can easily gather information. After some hesitation, Ryōko explains everything to him and he is surprised to hear Junko Enoshima's name. Yūto explains he's currently investigating a different incident, the Tragedy of Hope's Peak Academy, and he heard the name while while investigating. He says he doesn't know exact details, but he has heard rumors. Yūto then says that, as a remuneration for his help, he wants to have sex with Ryōko. Ryōko is a bit shocked and confused, as she previously considered Yūto as pure and innocent as his appearance. Assuming that they're in agreement, Yūto leaves quickly before Ryōko can say anything. In her usual way, Ryōko decides it has nothing to do with her and it's best just to ignore it.

Ryōko sits back on the bed, but soon Yasuke returns. Ryōko hugs him happily as she doesn't remember their previous conversation anymore. Nevertheless, Yasuke bashfully tells her that he's sorry and unusually lets her hug him. Then, he asks how she's untied, but she can't remember anymore. As she continues to cling on Yasuke, he whispers that the reserve course students' Parade is growing louder outside. Reluctantly, Ryōko leaves back to her room and dreams of Yasuke, believing that nothing else has anything to do with her anymore.

Chapter 16
Ryōko wakes up from her strange dream when someone knocks loudly on her door. Once again, it's "Junko". Ryōko panics after reading the notebook and reminding herself of her identity, and tells her to go away. Ryōko tries to explain she has nothing to do with her, but "Junko" claims that would mean letting her beloved Yasuke die.

Suddenly, "Junko" hugs Ryōko and says Ryōko should hate her more, to make the story's ending even more despair-inducing and perfect. Ryōko doesn't understand, but "Junko" tells her to let her true self reveal itself and give birth to the "new you". Ryōko fights free and once again tries to explain she has nothing to do with anything, but "Junko" claims she has everything to do with it, and simply doesn't remember. Her actions and their consequences still exist, even if her memories do not. "Junko" explains that even a single person's actions can throw the world into a chaos, and strangely Ryōko agrees somewhere deep inside her heart.

"Junko" tells Ryōko that she is involved with the Tragedy of Hope's Peak Academy, though she refuses to reveal the details, because it would make things boring. She says she'll give Ryōko a hint and then leave. She explains the two goals of Junko Enoshima and Ryōko writes them down - thoroughly crush down the school's symbol of hope, Izuru Kamukura, and kill Yasuke. Then, "Junko" turns completely silent and leaves, leaving Ryōko alone and in shock. Controlled by sudden emotions, she decides to run to see Yasuke, yelling and swearing to protect him and their world.

Chapter 3
Ryōko soon forgets where she is going and she is distracted by her drawing of Yasuke when she tries to look from the notebook. She flips the pages and soon remembers that Junko threatened to kill her beloved Yasuke. Full speed, she continues to run towards his lab. She opens the door screaming and startles Makoto Naegi in the middle of the room. She realizes he's not Yasuke and asks where he is. Makoto answers he's probably out and Ryōko begins to rant in frustration. Makoto tries to comfort and calm her down, but Ryōko is surprised by his kindness and finds him suspicious. Both of them are confused and he seems to find Ryōko a bit familiar. He introduces himself and explains that he came to give Yasuke the student handbook he dropped. Though still a bit suspicious, Ryōko decides to believe him for now. Hesitantly, Makoto tells her that there's a rumor about a student who has become forgetful. Ryōko continues to ask persistently if he used to know her, until he finally admits he did. Ryōko thinks about everything, and begins to feel that Junko has only lied to her. She begins to remember something.

Suddenly, the third Madarai brother Misshiki appears and grabs Makoto's shoulders. He claims to be immortal and a survivor of the student council, looking for revenge for the student council as well as his own pride, willing to do anything. Ryōko tries to tell him she's just a bystander, but he doesn't believe her. She tells him to look at her notebook, which is her proof, but Midarai shouts furiously that it doesn't prove anything. He assumes she might be the culprit's apprentice.

Madarai then turns expressionless, as he remembers Makoto. He asks his name and seems to threaten him, and the other boy is very terrified. Madarai tells Ryōko that Makoto's head will be crushed in an "unfortunate accident" if she doesn't obey him. Madarai looks at her with intimidating eyes while Makoto pleads to her silently. Ryōko then calms down as she begins to mumble her usual mantra, that it has nothing to do with her. Both boys are confused by her words, and she simply answers that Makoto is unlucky, like he himself mentioned before. To prove his point, Madarai is about to kill Makoto, but suddenly Mukuro appears and saves him by defeating Madarai. Very relieved, Makoto thanks the girl, and she answers that she was simply helping her classmate and happened to pass by. Makoto think he's lucky because Mukuro happened to pass by. After an awkward silence between the three, Ryōko once again begins to think about Yasuke.

Soon, Mukuro notices someone's hiding close by, and it turns out to be Yūto. Ryōko has forgotten him, and he reintroduces himself and asks her to remember him this time. Makoto says they should do something about Madarai on the floor, and Mukuro says she'll do it. Yūto agrees they shouldn't tell the security department about it, as he and Ryōko are busy with their case. In a hurry, he takes Ryōko's hand and asks her to go with him. As the two leave, Ryōko feels uneasy as she can feel a certain aura and incredible strength in Makoto after looking into his eyes. Though she doesn't realize it, it's his Ultimate level of hope. In a matter of minutes, however, she completely forgets his existence.

Chapter 5
Ryōko and Yūto go talk at the East District's cafeteria. Yūto asks if someone came to Ryōko's room during the morning, and she checks her notebook and answers that Junko Enoshima did. Yūto reveals that he put a wiretap inside Ryōko's room, claiming it was for crime prevention. He also says that he has done the same to the rooms of hundred other people, though they all seem to be girls.

Ryōko tells Yūto about Junko's goals, and she feels great anger and fear when she reminds herself about her second goal - killing Yasuke. Yūto tells her to calm down and says it must be a bluff, because there is no sense in telling other people about a murder you have yet to commit. He is more worried about the first goal, Izuru Kamukura, who is believed to be the culprit of The Tragedy of Hope's Peak Academy. Yūto says he overheard a conversation between faculty's female members, and he has now realized that Junko Enoshima must be the one who discovered the school's incident. She was interrogated by the school very throughout, meaning that Yasuke must have had a part in it, being the Ultimate Neurologist. Ryōko is shocked and doesn't know what to think. Yūto ends the rather one-sided conversation, reminds Ryōko about his "reward" and leaves, saying he has definitely solved the case the next time they meet.

Ryōko feels anxious and confused, but she's sure she'll forget about all of it soon. Suddenly, as she stands up, she feels lightheaded and her mind goes blank. Once again, she hallucinates the familiar figure and signature laugh of Junko Enoshima, who says she's surprised that Ryōko remembered her after the last time. Junko says that she unfortunately can't kill her this time as well, and that she will kill her after she has tasted more despair. Ryōko doesn't understand the connection between the two of them and she soon loses consciousness.

Chapter 7
Ryōko wakes up in a strange room and can't find the exit. She begins to panic, but she's then suddenly greeted by a female maid wearing a Monokuma mask. The maid says she has prepared her tea, but it's too cold and Ryōko finds it disgusting. The maid turns to leave and reveals a hidden, rotating door on the wall.

Ryōko leaves the room and arrives to another, larger room made of concrete. There, several people with Monokuma masks are sitting on school desks, looking at monitors. The maid explains they are a secret society of the reserve course students, and she claims they are "mutants", who silently created their society in the basement beneath an abandoned club room in the West District. The maid explains that their reason for it is the Parade, the reserve course students' revolution. The maid is increasingly angered and begins to shout about Hope's Peak Academy's views and how the school used them.

Ryōko doesn't understand how anything relates to her and decides to escape, asking for bathroom. She starts to run towards the end of the hall, but she is then too curious to see what all the sitting people are looking at. Turns out the monitors are completely black, as "phase one" had just ended. "Phase two" begins and the screens show lots of flashing words, and then disturbing video footage from the Tragedy of Hope's Peak Academy. One of the Monokuma Heads speaks to Ryōko, sounding uninterested and immersed in despair. When Ryōko asks how long they have watched the video, the boy answers 5818 times.

Disturbed, Ryōko tries to escape the place. She runs down passageways, but she only sees concrete walls. Eventually, she finds a dark room similar to two jail cells. Inside one cell is an old man, but he turns out to be dead, hunched over on a chair. Instead, an old man inside the other cell speaks to Ryōko in a defeated voice. Turns out both of the men, the last Steering Committee members, were tortured for information and had their eyes hideously sewn together. The man realizes Ryōko isn't part of the society, and asks her to help him in exchange of information. He explains that the reserve course wants to find out Izuru Kamukura's location and overthrow the school with his power. He says Ryōko needs to stop the reserve course and reveals that Izuru has been hidden inside the old school building. As Ryōko tries to continue listening, she suddenly feels dizziness. The man finishes speaking and asks her to free him now, but Ryōko is once again taken over by Junko. She laughs her signature laugh, angering and confusing the man. Ryōko loses consciousness and it's implied that the society's members came inside the room and killed the man.

Chapter 8
Ryōko wakes up in a bright, white room, feeling refreshed as if she has been reborn. Unlike before, she manages to recall memories - the reserve course, their secret basement and Monokuma. As she looks at her notebook, she realizes she is inside Yasuke's lab. She doesn't see him and this makes her remember that she hasn't had her treatment for a while. She hears a sound under her bed, which makes her remember the conversation she had with Yasuke and assume he is under the bed again.

However, the person under the bed turns out to be Kyoko Kirigiri, the Ultimate Detective. She gets up and mentions that the rumors seem to be true. Ryōko doesn't understand what she means and Kyoko clarifies that Ryōko must be the amnesiac who has been having treatments. Ryōko continues to feel itching sensation in her mind and she begins to feel that Kyoko is familiar. Kyoko introduces herself, but since her name isn't written in the notebook, Ryōko assumes they haven't met before. When Kyoko mentions Yasuke, Ryōko asks her where he is, but she doesn't know.

Kyoko says she is looking for Yasuke as well, as she needs some information. Since Ryōko assumed Kyoko was Yasuke at first, the detective asks if he has a habit of being under the bed. Ryōko answers honestly that Yasuke told her it helps him concentrate when he is frustrated, but Kyoko believes that is certainly a lie. She shows Ryōko that the bed is actually hiding a secret room, pitch-black clothing and shoes stained with blood inside. She tells Ryōko that she believes Yasuke is involved in the murder of the Steering Committee members. Ryōko tells her he would never kill anyone, but Kyoko answers she said he was involved, not that he has murdered. She then mentions the murder of Soshun Muramase, which was disguised as a suicide. Kyoko says that most likely Yasuke murdered Soshun. Hearing this makes Ryōko feel intense anxiety and she doesn't understand anything anymore.

Ryōko starts to scream that it has nothing to do with her. She tries to reassure herself that she'll eventually forget everything anyway and everything will go back to normal. Suddenly, Yosshiki Madarai breaks through the door.

Chapter 10
The fourth brother Yosshiki confronts Ryōko and Kyoko Kirigiri in Yasuke's lab. Ryōko is confused about how many times she's seen Madarai get beaten up, and Yosshiki claims once again that he, "Isshiki", is immortal. However, Kyoko calls out that Isshiki Madarai's "immortality" is apparently just a ruse, much to Yosshiki's surprise. The brothers then choose to reveal their secret when the fifth brother Sasshiki appears. Kyoko speaks of how the Madarai brothers really look just like one, and the sixth brother Rosshiki soon appears to outnumber and beat up Ryōko and Kyoko.

Ryōko is pushed out of the lab into the hallway, where the seventh and eighth brothers Shisshiki and Yasshiki appear. Ryōko flees the scene by jumping out the window into the building's garden, and she is pursued by four of the brothers, with Rosshiki remaining behind in a fight with Kyoko.

Mukuro appears again, telling the brothers not to go after Ryōko. The brothers refuse to give up, stating that they swore to avenge the student council. As Mukuro mumbles about not wanting any more victims, the brothers then ask whether she knows what happened to their three missing brothers. As the four brothers lunge at the girl in unison, Mukuro easily knocks all four of them out. Mukuro then tells Ryōko about Junko, explaining her status as the Ultimate Despair. Afterwards, Mukuro tries to persuade Ryōko to kill the Madarai brothers by telling her they will probably kill Yasuke once they learn of the death of Soshun. She also tells Ryōko that she will give her Yasuke's whereabouts as exchange. Ryōko is shocked and says she can't do it after imagining the killing in her mind, but Mukuro then tells her that she will tell her anyway and explains that Yasuke is at the old school building. Filled with hope, Ryōko runs towards the old building, thinking of the peaceful days she used to have with Yasuke.

Chapters 11-12
It begins raining, but Ryōko continues to run full speed. As she arrives at the old school building, Ryōko once again notices that she can remember things more clearly. She is surrounded by security guards, but they soon split up and leave, leaving only one of them behind. The guard shows her a medal with Monokuma engraved upon it. With his hand, he shows Ryōko where to go, and then walks away.

Ryōko begins to feel afraid, as she realizes how everyone is just conveniently acting like ordered. She convinces herself that everything will be all right once she meets Yasuke. She believes in him and throws all her uneasiness away. Like the guard showed her, Ryōko crawls under the small opening in a fence and reaches the back side of the old building. She proceed down the entrance hall while calling Yasuke, but no one answers. She notices the place seems unnaturally dark and she then hears strange sounds in the darkness - the lights get turned on.

As she continues searching, she is suddenly startled by Yūto, who is behind her. Ryōko has once again forgotten him, but seems to remember him soon after he reintroduces himself. Yūto wonders how did Ryōko get past the guards, and she awkwardly answers that it kind of just happened. Yūto assumes she has just forgotten and doesn't ask more. He begins to boast how he managed to once again eavesdrop and learned that the old building and the current incidents are connected. Yūto is also the one who turned on all the lights. He mentions that Yasuke should be coming soon and he is annoyed because Ryōko keeps thinking about him.

The two keep talking as they walk down the stairs. Yūto explains about Izuru Kamukura and the Tragedy of Hope's Peak Academy. He mentions that the school hid the incident, but haven't yet dealt with Junko Enoshima. As the two reach the first floor, Yūto keeps talking about her and how she is probably responsible for the kidnapping of the Steering Committee. Hearing the words, Ryōko remembers the old men in the jail cells. She begins to space out, but Yūto calls her. There only seems to be walls, but Yūto then reveals that he investigated and found a suspicious spot. Using some sort of key he stole from the security guards, he uses it on a small opening in the wall. A door slides open and the two go inside a long passageway which leads to Izuru Kamukura's hiding place. When Ryōko asks about it, Yūto says that Yasuke will definitely show up. They find a simple elevator and go inside. Yūto assumes it was specifically made to hide Izuru's location.

As the elevator begins moving, Yūto appears very excited. Ryōko asks isn't he afraid at all and, despite the smile on his face, he admits he is actually terrified. He hasn't been so afraid before, but he claims it's fun, because he will develop even further as a spy and thus he can't run away. Ryōko asks why he is so persistent about his talent, and Yūto answers it's only natural to be fixated on it as it is the only thing he has. Because of his talent, he can't choose his lifestyle. He believes he has to continue struggling, because running away would be like rejecting his very existence. Yūto controls his fear by talking about how he will become a legendary spy if he solves the case, finally blowing away his lack of presence.

As the two reach their destination, Yūto mentions the Masterminds and accomplices. Ryōko assumes he means Mukuro, but he explains that he actually means Yasuke. Instantly, Ryōko is hit with strong shock, but Yūto does not notice this. He continues to talk about how Izuru isn't the real culprit and Yasuke is Junko Enoshima's assistant. Ryōko has trouble understanding anything, but then begins to have a chain reaction in her mind, as her mind links different things together. The two finally reach Izuru's hiding place, but it is empty. Suddenly, when Ryōko turns around, she finds Yūto with his neck broken and his head completely turned 180 degrees.

Then, Yasuke appears next to the elevator. He appears to feel bad for Yūto, saying that maybe he would've been spared from such a fate if he didn't meddle with Junko Enoshima's affairs. Ryōko doesn't recognize him and asks who he is. Yasuke is surprised and looks completely exhausted. Coldly, he asks why doesn't she remember him. Ryōko tries to explain that she easily forgets things, but she suddenly feels pain in her mind, as her original persona slowly begins to merge. Yasuke claims to be Izuru to test her memory and looks at her with sad eyes. Ryōko feels a bit afraid of him.

Yasuke says he has decided to talk a bit before he makes his decision. He explains that The Tragedy of Hope's Peak Academy didn't mean much for Junko, as her true goal was to brainwash the reserve course students. He says that Junko used him and the student council as sacrifices solely for that purpose. Yasuke says he didn't want to believe that she was so obsessed with despair, that he was only controlled for that purpose, and that he is involved with the incident. Yasuke then stares at Ryōko with deadly hatred, assuming that she has remembered that he wasn't a particularly important person to her, which made her forget him. Ryōko finally realizes that he isn't Izuru and angrily he tells her that he is Yasuke.

Chapters 13-17
Yasuke tells Ryōko that Izuru has been taken away a long time ago. Ryōko is surprised that he is Yasuke, because she doesn't feel her usual feelings for him, but she confirms it with her notebook and the way he speaks. Yasuke says that she has stopped thinking about him, because she has begun to remember other things. He says that his existence was never special to her and she only assumed that because she had forgotten that fact. Ryōko is confused, but then she begins to remember why she wanted to see Yasuke and how she used to act towards him. Unable to believe in anything, she begins stepping back and the wall blocks her way. Yasuke moves towards her and she feels afraid.

Ryōko tries to tell him that they should go back to how things were, but he says it's already too late and they can't go back. With a sad face, Yasuke explains that the school's tragedy made him realize that his life was just a fake scenario set up to control him. He was completely fooled by Junko, but he thought he could save her and stop her. In order to protect her, he concealed her existence itself. Regardless, she had the Steering Committee murdered, and Yasuke hid the corpses and dealt with the evidence for her sake. He confesses that he even murdered for her sake. Ryōko asks if she's that important to him and he answers that she is. Yasuke explains that the reason for that is the fact that she prevented him from being all alone after he lost his mother. She became the most important to him, even though he says she's not a lover, family nor even a friend.

When she hears how Yasuke feels about Junko, Ryōko believes she has no chance of competing with her. She lets out a deep breath and Ryōko's persona appears to begin to fade away. Suddenly, Mukuro disguised as Junko appears, saying that she just came to provide the supplementary explanation. Ryōko remembers Mukuro's face and Mukuro explains she has just been following Junko's orders. Yasuke understands that Junko anticipated his actions and he angrily says that she is now spectating his actions in amusement. Ryōko is confused by their words and is already incapable of understanding Yasuke's feelings. However, she understands that he both loves and hates Junko. Ryōko realizes that she can only give up and let her and Yasuke's world end.

Yasuke lets out a huge sigh and then, eyes brimming with determination, says that he must end this. He says that his desire to protect Junko was likely true despair and his despair won't end unless he ends this. He says he desperately tried to hide her and not have her involved with others, thinking he could protect her. However, it was pointless, as his actions meant nothing to Junko. In the end, she could only inflict despair on anyone involved with her. He says it's despair that he finally understands this.

Deciding to end everything, Yasuke attempts to strangle Ryōko to death, saying that it's for his and not Junko's sake. Once again, Ryōko hallucinates, seeing and hearing Junko's image. As she imagines Junko's face, she finally remembers that it is her own face. At that very moment, "Ryōko Otonashi" stops existing, replaced by her original persona. Junko laughs, saying that Ryōko never existed in the first place. In a fit of despair, she kills Yasuke and continues preparations for the first mutual killing.

Super Danganronpa 2.5: Nagito Komaeda and the Destroyer of the World
Ryōko appears as a cameo in Nagito's imaginary world, with Yasuke and Isshiki. Since the illusionary world is supposed to be a place with no hope nor despair, it seems that Junko was replaced with Ryōko, who lacks Junko's hunger for despair.

Yasuke Matsuda
Ryōko is deeply in love with Yasuke. He is the only person she can remember more clearly, though it is only about her feelings for him, not things like his appearance or what they've done together.

Yūto Kamishiro
At first, Ryōko assumes Yūto is as innocent and pure as he looks, and she has a hard time understanding that he is actually very perverted. Ryōko is also a bit annoyed with Yūto's somewhat arrogant and careless attitude, while Yūto is annoyed by her forgetfulness and seemingly a bit dumb demeanor.

Yūto helps Ryōko to solve the incident she has gotten involved in, expecting to have sex with her as a reward.

The two are noted by Yūto to have bad chemistry, because Ryōko is forgetful while Yūto is easily forgettable. Yūto says that he prayed to God that they'd be a good combination.

Junko Enoshima
Ryōko is terrified of Junko, not understanding the connection between the two of them. She is furthermore confused by Mukuro, who disguises herself as Junko and pretends to be her. She assumes that Junko might be interested in Yasuke and thus be her rival in love.

Makoto Naegi
Ryōko dislikes Makoto a bit and finds him suspicious due to his very kind personality, assuming that he's actually a pervert behind his nice demeanor. She can also tell he's very ordinary when compared to other Super High School Levels, to the point that it's abnormal. She was ready to let him die at the hands of Isshiki Midarai, as she always believes that other people have nothing to do with her, claiming that it was due to Makoto's bad luck that he ended up that way.

Later, however, she is impressed and feels burning uneasiness about Makoto, because she can sense an incredible strength deep inside underneath his "unreliable and weak" demeanor. Though she doesn't realize it, it's his Ultimate Hope, and it's implied this is Junko's genuine feeling about Makoto. However, due to Ryōko's short term memory loss, she quickly forgets his existence completely.

Quotes

 * “Um, it seems my name is Otonashi Ryōko… maybe?”
 * “D-Don’t lie! I’m not ugly! I’m cuter than most people in this world!” (to Yasuke Matsuda)
 * “This has nothing to do with me!”

Trivia

 * Her first name, "Ryōko" (涼子), means “Refreshing child” while her last name, "Otonashi" (音無), means “no sound”.
 * Her last name, Otonashi, is very possibly a reference to the main character of Angel Beats!, Yuzuru Otonashi (音無 結弦 Otonashi Yudzuru), who has no memory of who he is at the beginning of the series.
 * Yuzuru Otonashi also has the exact same hair color as Ryoko.
 * Her first name, Ryōko, is probably a reference to the character Ryoko Asakura (朝倉 涼子 Asakura Ryōko) from the Haruhi Suzumiya series. This comparison is strengthened by the end of Danganronpa/Zero and Ryoko's "death"; both characters' demises involve very similar events, yet in different sequences.
 * Ryoko Asakura tries to kill Kyon - a main character and the narrator of the Haruhi Suzumiya series - using a knife so as to trigger a reaction from Haruhi Suzumiya (of whom Kyon is a speculated love interest) herself, only to fail and be killed (though not in the conventional sense) in the process.
 * Conversely, after Yasuke successfully triggers the sealed-off part of Ryōko Otonashi's psyche by imitating Izuru, the latter enters a fit of despair and kills the former (who was her own love interest) with a knife. At this point, the memory alteration placed upon Ryōko is removed and her original identity is restored, effectively causing the "death" of the individual who was known as Ryōko Otonashi.
 * Ryōko's notebook is an obtainable item from the Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair MonoMono Machine. The notebook has a ragged appearance and states "Ryo… ashi… emory Notebook" on the cover. Although the contents of the notebook have become illegible, it most likely contained a recollection of the events that transpired during Danganronpa/Zero.
 * During the final trial of Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair, some of the "white noise" dialogue lines during Non-Stop Debate say "RyoBC Oto6Dshi didn't exist from the s+art" and "Wh*re's Yasuk=?" (In the Japanese version: "最＋から＆無６ＤＢＣ子なんて" and "松＝くんは＊こなのっ？")
 * It has been stated that Ryōko strongly resembles Yasuke's late mother, both appearance-wise and the way they both had memory issues.

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