Class Trials

"A life-or-death trial... A life-or-death deception... A life-or-death betrayal... Life-or-death mysteries... Life-or-death lies... Life-or-death truths... A life-or-death...class trial..."

- Kaede Akamatsu, Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony

Class Trials (学級裁判 Gakkyū saiban) are the final act of each chapter of the main Danganronpa games. The students debate amongst themselves, using evidence collected during the investigation phase, to determine the culprit in each chapter. The debate takes place in a courtroom setting, and consists of several debate phases and minigames. The trial ends when the culprit - known as the "Blackened" - is uncovered, and ultimately executed, or if the culprit isn't identified, the jury is executed, ultimately ending the killing game and allowing the culprit to graduate.

This page serves as a general overview of the Class Trial mechanic. For a more in-depth explanation and overview of Class Trials in each game, please see the subpages for Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc, Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair, and Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony respectively.

About
The goal of Class Trials is for the students to uncover the "Blackened", the student who has, either voluntarily or involuntarily, murdered another student as part of the mutual Killing Game. During the Class Trial, they oppose all the other students, who are known as the "Spotless". The students determine who they believe is guilty by participating in a vote at the end of the trial. If the Blackened is found guilty, they will be executed by Monokuma and the Killing Game will continue, but if the students find the wrong student guilty then every student except the Blackened will be executed and the Blackened will be allowed to leave. Participating in Class Trials is mandatory for all students. Students who have been murdered or executed prior to the trial are represented in the courtroom in portraits displayed on stands at the student's former podium.

Courtroom layouts are as followed, starting from the person in front (and slightly to the right) of Monokuma and going around clockwise:

Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
Junko, Yasuhiro, Chihiro, Byakuya, Celeste, Leon, Toko, Hifumi, Makoto, Sayaka, Kiyotaka, Mukuro, Sakura, Kyoko, Mondo, Aoi

Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair
Byakuya, Chiaki, Nekomaru, Sonia, Teruteru, Peko, Kazuichi, Mahiru, Hajime, Hiyoko, Gundham, Akane, Fuyuhiko, Ibuki, Nagito, Mikan

Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony
Rantaro, Gonta, Kaede, Himiko, Kokichi, Tenko, Keebo, Miu, Shuichi, Kaito, Kirumi, Ryoma, Maki, Angie, Korekiyo, Tsumugi

Influence and Concentration
Influence and Concentration are two gauges which appear on the Class Trial HUD, represented by pink hearts (Influence) and blue stars (Concentration).

Influence is essentially the protagonist's "health bar" during class trials, and it becomes depleted if they select wrong answers or make mistakes during minigames, but is restored by selecting the correct answer during the multiple choice phases of the trial. If the protagonist's Influence Gauge runs out, the protagonist fails the trial and the game is over.

Concentration is a special ability which can be used during Class Trials to make minigames easier to complete, typically by slowing them down and reducing the crosshair drift to make it easier to aim correctly. Concentration depletes each time it is used, but slowly restores itself when not in use. Concentration has a special effect during Bullet Time Battle/Panic Talk Action, triggering "Fever Time" which allows the player to ignore the tempo markers until the Concentration gauge depletes.

Nonstop Debate and Truth Bullets
Over the course of the trial, the protagonist must participate in several Nonstop Debate phases. Within these debates, the students will argue amongst themselves in a series of statements. Certain phrases will be highlighted in orange; these phrases are called weak points. Truth Bullets are used during Class Trials to fire evidence at the weak points in students' arguments. If the correct Truth Bullet is selected and fired at a weak point using the crosshair, it either shows the contradiction in their statement or proves its truthfulness (note that weak spots that the player has the option to agree with will appear blue rather than orange). In later stages, additional Truth Bullets can be "absorbed" from students' arguments and used at a different point within the same debate.

Text called "White Noise" will also appear on the screen during Nonstop Debates, moving around the screen and making it harder to hit weak points. White Noise can be removed from the screen by shooting it. Successfully shooting white noise will add seconds onto the time limit, but accidentally hitting White Noise with Truth Bullets while aiming at a Weak Point will decrease the time limit. From Danganronpa 2 onwards, White Noise takes multiple shots to destroy as the game progresses.

Skills
Skills are special abilities which can make Class Trial minigames easier. They are earned through the main game by completing various tasks, such as bonding with other students during Free Time Events. Skills are available for all minigames, causing effects such as slowing down time, increasing the time limit, increasing the recovery of Influence or Concentration, or slowing down or speeding up the crosshair. However, some skills cannot be used together due to them either contradicting each other, or making things too easy for the player (i.e. Chiaki Nanami's Cheat Code and Gundham Tanaka's Infinity Unlimited Flame).

Closing Argument
Each Class Trial ends with the Closing Argument minigame, in which the events of the murder are pieced together in a -style comic. The comic is built up by selecting frames from a pool below the comic, some of which are incorrect. When the whole comic is completed, an version of the comic is played, narrated by the protagonist and culminating in the reveal of the culprit.

Execution
After the students have voted for who they believe is the Blackened, the Blackened is then Executed by Monokuma, also known as "Punishment Time". The style of execution typically relate to the character's Ultimate ability, their major interests, or their personality in general, for example Leon Kuwata, the Ultimate Baseball Star, is executed by being pummeled by baseballs fired from a pitching machine.

Minigames
Class Trials are split into phases, with each phase containing a minigame.

Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc

 * For a full overview, see: Class Trials/Danganronpa 1

Aside from Nonstop Debate and Closing Argument, Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc has 2 major minigames: Hangman's Gambit and Bullet Time Battle:
 * Hangman's Gambit: The player travels into Makoto's mind and tries to complete a game of hangman by shooting at letters that float on the screen in order to form the correct word.
 * Bullet Time Battle: A rhythm-based minigame in which Makoto has to negate a student's assertions. Like Non Stop Debates, there are weak points which must be destroyed using bullets which are gained by staying on rhythm, until the student's influence gauge is depleted, at which point the correct Truth Bullet must be selected and fired.

Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair

 * For a full overview, see: Class Trials/Danganronpa 2

Aside from Nonstop Debate and Closing Argument, Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair has 4 major minigames: Improved Hangman's Gambit, Panic Talk Action, Rebuttal Showdown and Logic Dive:
 * Improved Hangman's Gambit: The player travels into Hajime's mind in a minigame similar to the Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc equivalent, however the letters now move on a set path and must be shot in order. If two different letters collide, it causes damage to Hajime's Influence gauge. If Hajime shoots the wrong letter, it causes damage to the influence gauge.
 * Panic Talk Action: The Danganronpa 2 equivalent of the Bullet Time Battle minigame. Although the rhythm mechanic is the same, instead of an influence gauge Hajime now damages shields which float around the opponent. Once the shields are destroyed, 4 words or word segments will appear on screen which, if selected in the correct order, form a rebuttal to the opponent's argument.
 * Rebuttal Showdown: Similar to Nonstop Debate, but instead is a one-on-one debate against an opponent. Statements must be destroyed using a blade, until the correct weak point is identified and destroyed with a final "Truth Blade". There are multiple stages, in which the player has to destroy all of their opponent's statements to move on to the next stage. If the player is not able to destroy all the statements, they will suffer a "retreat", and return to the previous stage.
 * Logic Dive: The player travels into Hajime's mind and rides a snowboard through a virtual obstacle course. At certain points along the course, multiple choice questions are posed which are answered by traveling along the correct route. Choosing the incorrect answer causes Hajime to fall off the course and waste time. Hajime must reach the end of the course before the time limit ends.

Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony

 * For a full overview, see: Class Trials/Danganronpa V3

Aside from Nonstop Debate, Rebuttal Showdown, and Closing Argument, Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony has 7 major minigames: Hangman's Gambit Ver 3.0, Lying/Perjury, Argument Armament, Debate Scrum, Mind Mine, Psyche Taxi, and Panic Debate.
 * Lying/Perjury: During a Nonstop Debate, if you hold down the button to fire a Truth Bullet, you can change it into a Lie Bullet instead. By shooting a Lie Bullet at a weak point, you can perform a Perjury to tell a lie to refute statements that aren't actually inconsistent.
 * Hangman's Gambit Ver. 3.0: Select the correct letters among those floating across the screen to spell out the answer to a particular question. If you focus your energy you can illuminate the center of the screen, which will make it easier to identify the floating letters. However, some of the letters are obscured by shadows. You will need to rely on a light that occasionally appears to reveal them.
 * Argument Armament: An Argument Armament is a one-on-one debate against an enraged opponent who is wearing armor made of their own arguments and theories, and who refuses to listen to your reasoning. To win an Argument Armament, you must shoot down your opponent's statements while keeping the rhythm of the debate. Only then will you pierce their armor and reach a conclusion.
 * Debate Scrum: A Debate Scrum occurs when the participants in a Class Trial are split between two opinions and cannot reach a consensus. Characters on both sides will each make remarks that address a particular subject, but these remarks alone will not result in a consensus being reached. For each remark made by the opposing side, you must identify the key subject of that remark and match it to a similar remark made by your side. The goal of a Debate Scrum is to match all the remarks in a single round of debate. Once all the remarks are matched, the player will enter a stage where they'll have to repeatedly press a key or button to push the argument to their side (note that the keys will change).
 * During a Debate Scrum, the key subject that appears in both sides' remarks will be displayed at the bottom of the screen. This key subject will always be visible when your side makes their remarks, but it will be hidden for the opposing side. It's best to read each opponent's remarks first, then try to identify the key subject of each remark.
 * Mind Mine: At times, questions will arise that can only be answered by clearing away all unnecessary clutter so that the truth may be revealed. In Mind Mine, colored blocks will cover images that represent the correct answer to a particular question. By selecting two or more blocks of the same color you can erase them in one fell swoop. As you erase blocks, adjacent blocks will also change color. Use the shifting colors to your advantage to clear away the blocks and reveal the answer. If only one block remains, you can mine it multiple times to force it to vanish, but you will incur a penalty for doing so.
 * Psyche Taxi: Drive down a lonely stretch of road, picking up words and phrases, to spell out the questions posed by a particular case. After successfully completing a question, you must then select the correct answer to progress further. Pick up the woman holding the correct answer to make her a passenger and continue driving.
 * Mass Panic Debate: In a Mass Panic Debate, you must find the inconsistencies in the students' statements as they all shout over each other. Though similar to the Nonstop Debate, because so many characters are speaking at once, the screen becomes cluttered with words and voices, making it very chaotic, and more difficult to find inconsistencies.