Komaru Naegi

Komaru Naegi (苗木 こまる), is one of the protagonists and a participant of Demon Hunting featured in Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls due to her being the closest person to her older brother Makoto Naegi. Because she is considered a "Demon" by the Warriors of Hope, she is given the name Slowpokemaru (ドンコマル).

Appearance
Komaru is a teenager around high school age, who is described in the Danganronpa 1.2 Reload Artbook to be a year younger than her brother Makoto. However, when scanned by Monokuma during Ultra Despair Girls, it states her to be fifteen to seventeen.

She has short, dark brown hair with a tint of green, and de-saturated green eyes. She also sports an ahoge, similar to that of her brother's, which developed as she grew. Overall, she is described as very plain-looking and "normal", which seems to be the same way people describe her brother.

When she was in the motivational video with her parents in the first game and its corresponding anime adaption, her hair appeared neater in a classic bob cut, and she did not possess an ahoge. The uniform she wears in this video consists of a white button-up shirt, a brown blazer, a brown skirt, and a red ribbon.

In Danganronpa Another Episode, she is revealed to be wearing the St. Koa Girls Academy uniform, which is a sailor fuku with a white blouse, a red necktie, and a turquoise collar, line trim, and skirt. There's a school crest on the bottom right of the back of the collar, necktie, shirt pocket and the outer sides of socks. She continues to wear this outfit in Danganronpa 3 along with brown fingerless gloves and a belt with a small pouch.

Personality
Prior to the Tragedy, Komaru had a cheerful and optimistic personality, somewhat similar to her brother. She loved Makoto, telling her brother to do his best while enrolled at Hope's Peak Academy.

As of Danganronpa Another Episode, Komaru began as a somewhat hypersensitive and quite cowardly character. She wavers between hope and despair as a result of her forced imprisonment. She doesn't want to have strong hope, because she believes it will be lost eventually, leading to worse despair. She has low self-esteem, considering herself boring, ordinary and weak. After being encouraged by Toko Fukawa, she gained a desire to at least try to escape again. While she finds escaping hard and fighting even harder, she is willing to fight off hordes of Monokuma Unit robots as she tries to survive the world's current catastrophe and find her missing family.

Komaru shows some childish traits, such as being naive, reliant, and easily excitable. She also has an 'unusual' kind of pride, as she gets really worked up from the puzzles of the Monokuma Kids and brags towards the kids when she solves them. She is also very gullible, which is revealed when Toko says certain things that are obviously false, and Komaru easily believes them to be true. She is rather innocent as well and doesn't seem to have much interest in romance nor sexual thingsーas a great contrast to Toko, she never seems to get flustered by handsome guys and just treats them like any other people. Though, she once tried to claim she has lots of experience with dating and sex because she was afraid Toko might make fun of her. It's been stated that in the past some creepy guys have taken interest in her, supposedly because of her gullibility, and it's been shown that she isn't very good at noticing their intentions.

While a kind person, Komaru sometimes has a hard time relating to certain people and subjects, because she herself has lived a very ordinary life. For example, at first she has a very poor understanding of Toko's disorder and assumes it has something to do with two people's souls switching in a car accident, supposedly because she has only heard about the subject from highly unrealistic manga. However, she herself has a few very unusual traits as well, including her strange favorite foods and her apparent ability to sense ghosts. However, she doesn't seem to think these traits are anything unusual.

Despite sometimes giving up too easily, there are other times which Komaru shows how stubborn and determined she can be. However, she has a weakness in complicated subjects such as basic computer science, but she does have moments where she is intuitive.

In Future Arc Komaru is shown to be more confident in herself and is now quite skilled at fighting off Monokumas. Although still a bit childish at times, she can also be serious when needed.

Prior to the Tragedy
Komaru lived a normal life with her parents and brother, though she states she could see ghosts ever since she was a kid. They also had a dog during her childhood. She sometimes didn't get along with her brother, but the two watched TV together, as well as shared thoughts on manga they both read.

In a typical day with Komaru and her family, her mother would always watch the same talk show at lunchtime, and her dad wouldn't shave his beard on Saturday when he didn't have to work.

She had many friends in school, including a girl called Chieko.

During the Tragedy
Komaru was one of the countless people who learned of the mutual killings committed by the high school students in Hope's Peak Academy when it was too late to stop it. She, like everyone else, had witnessed the Tragedy that plummeted the entire world into despair.

During that event, she lost seven of her classmates during one of the many accidents resulting from the Tragedy and her friend Chieko disappeared. She kept telling herself that everything would be alright, but realized how hopeless it was when a group of unknown men attacked her house, separated her from her parents, and confined her in an apartment complex in Towa City when she was still a middle schooler.

Because she had no communication or connections to the outside world (besides the food given to her everyday by her kidnappers), she had no idea about the mutual killing that her brother was involved in and the existence of Monokuma.

She describes her life as being completely confined in the room. Her morning routine consisted of banging on the door and 'defying' her captors.

The kidnappers, Ultimate Despair, planned to make her and the other captives to kill each other. This would then be shown to the students of 78th Class and act as a motive to convince the students to kill each other. However, this did not happen because Junko Enoshima was executed and the Mutual Killing Game ended before the motive could be established. As a result, Komaru and the other captives remained imprisoned in Towa City for one and a half years.

Chapter 1 - To Survive
During the Mutual Killing incident of 78th Class, Monokuma gave Makoto a "motivational video" showing the Naegi family offering encouragement to him - Komaru was seen cheering her brother on. After that, the video glitched out before showing the destroyed living room and no sign of Makoto's family. The videos were made to motivate the students into killing each other.

Prologue - The Warriors of Hope
One and a half years after Komaru's imprisonment, the Warriors of Hope invaded Towa City with their army of Monokuma Units and Monokuma Kids.

Komaru heard a banging on the door during her breakfast. She rushed up to the door and begged for help, only to be attacked by a Monokuma Unit. She hurried away, only to realize that the building was aflame. Komaru soon ran toward the elevators while being chased by the Monokuma. She thudded heavily on the door of an elevator, and the elevator subsequently opened to reveal Byakuya Togami and some Future Foundation agents. Byakuya, using his Megaphone Hacking Gun, destroyed the Monokuma that was chasing her. Byakuya explained that they were assigned to rescue Captives. However, before the agents are able to escort Komaru, several Monokuma units suddenly appeared, eliminating all of the agents except for Byakuya, who then lends Komaru his spare Hacking Gun and commands her to flee and fight against the Monokumas using it. As she fled into the elevator, Byakuya held off the Monokumas. The elevator then closed, leaving Byakuya's fate unknown at that point.

After escaping from the apartment, Komaru arrived in the streets, where she witnessed Monokuma Units slaughtering innocent people. She then fled to the family restaurant across from the apartment, which Byakuya suggested her to go to because an agent of the Future Foundation was standing by there. Komaru was initially dumbfounded when the scene inside the restaurant appeared oddly normal considering the current circumstances. She anxiously directed the clerk to call the police, but it was too late as Monokuma Units soon broke into the building, almost instantly killing all of the people inside, including the clerk. Then an evacuation order broadcast appeared on the restaurant's TVs, albeit much too late to save the restaurant's patrons and staff.

Komaru attempted to hide in the restaurant, but she soon became aware that if she hid, it wouldn't be long before she was found and killed by Monokumas. Plucking up her courage, she begun to fight Monokumas using the Hacking Gun she received from Byakuya. Although she was still confused about the usage of the weapon, she still managed to get rid of all Monokumas inside the restaurant.

Afterwards, Komaru heard the sound of a girl laughing coming from the television, drawing her attention. She was surprised when she looked up at the TV, as she found the newscaster's corpse was being toyed with by a group of children. The children introduce themselves as the Warriors of Hope, who have but one goal: turning Towa City into the children's paradise, one without adults. This startled Komaru, who had to take quite a while to take it all in.

After the deranged broadcast is finished, Komaru decided to look for the Future Foundation man that Byakuya told her about, shortly finding the man to be injured on the backdoor of the restaurant. The agent mentioned Komaru as the Captive, advising her to escape from the backdoor straight ahead to the park, where the Future Foundation helicopter waited for them. Worried about the wounded agent, Komaru asked him to join her, but the agent refused when some Monokumas catch sight of them. Feeling intense guilt, she left the man to fight single-handedly with Monokumas.

Soon afterwards, she arrived at the park, meeting with four members of the Future Foundation next to their helicopter. After Komaru introduced herself, the agents confirmed her as the Captive. Komaru, still worried about the agent in the family restaurant, requested one of the agents to look after him. The rest of the agents then explained to Komaru the Future Foundation, the Tragedy, Towa City, and the Towa Group. After being told to leave immediately, Komaru became afraid, as all she wanted was to be reunited with her family.

One of the agents wanted to answer Komaru's question about her family's condition, but they were interrupted when they heard a singing child's voice. Komaru was astonished to find the singing voice came from a Monokuma kid, a child wearing a Monokuma mask, who brought the corpse of one of the agents. Komaru became the only person to safely arrive inside the helicopter. However, a Monokuma had already sabotaged the helicopter, causing it to subsequently crash.

Somehow, Komaru survived the crash and was taken by the Servant to the Warriors of Hope's base. The Servant then returned Komaru's Hacking Gun after he analyzed and weakened it for the sake of "game balance." After that, the Servant warned her not to mention the gun to the other Warriors of Hope and left her. Komaru completed a test and reached the main hall where the Warriors of Hope waited.

Each of the Warriors of Hope introduced themselves. Komaru asked them to stop their manslaughter since she discovered the fact that they, with the mage Monaca's power, control the Monokumas. But Nagisa Shingetsu replied that they won't stop until their paradise, the children's paradise, is completed.

The Warriors of Hope then tell Komaru that they'll commence a game including Komaru, known as "Demon Hunting", where the Warriors of Hope release a Demon (an adult) into Towa City as a Target. Then the Warriors of Hope would compete to see who could hunt it down first. Suddenly from Komaru's back, the Servant appeared and snapped a Monokuma Bracelet on her wrist, and again reminded her to keep the fact that he gave her back the Hacking Gun a secret. Not long after this, the Warriors of Hope opened a trap door, plummeting Komaru through it by parachute back down into Towa City.

Chapter 1 - Crying for Love in Hell
After falling out of the Warriors of Hope's airship, Komaru landed on the rooftop of a building, which is shortly revealed to be a hospital. She saw Monokumas coming after her and cowered, hoping someone would help her. Suddenly, the murderous fiend known as Genocide Jack appeared and swiftly disposed of the Monokumas. Jack then asked Komaru whether the person she just saved is "Komaru Naegi" or not.

After Komaru confirmed this, a Monokuma Unit appeared from every side of the building. Jack then decided to bring Komaru to a safe place and asked her if she met Byakuya, as she could smell his scent from Komaru's Hacking Gun. When Jack begun to count down the time before she hurts Komaru for failing to answer, she suddenly sneezed and switched to Toko.

Toko, who can now manage Jack, said that she is an ally and will help Komaru to escape from the Monokuma units. After they get rid of the Monokumas on the rooftop, Toko properly introduced herself to Komaru, explaining to her that she has two split personalities. Komaru learned that Byakuya has been captured by the Warriors of Hope and that Toko decided to remain in Towa City to rescue him.

After they managed to escape from the hospital, Komaru asked Toko some questions which she reluctantly answers. Komaru explained to Toko that her only plan is to escape from the city because if she stays, she will relentlessly be attacked by the Monokuma Units. However, she changes her plan to sticking together with Toko to search for and save Byakuya. Komaru, who was very thankful that Toko allowed her to be with her, hugged her, surprising Toko.

Komaru spotted a bridge that they could use to escape from the city, so the girls decided to head for Towa Bridge, where they then met Yuta Asahina, Aoi Asahina's younger brother. He introduced himself, and Toko recognized his last name. He also wrote Komaru's name on his palm 3 times, saying he believes it to be the best way to remember someone's name.

They hoped to cross the bridge in order to escape, but soon found that half of the bridge had been destroyed. The remaining half of the bridge was then suddenly demolished by the Monokuma Kids using dynamite planted on the bridge. The three were able to escape in time. Yuta then attempted to swim out of the city, but was interrupted by Komaru, who asked him if it was really far to the other shore, and Toko added that maybe there were some strange creatures living in the sea due to the pollution. Yuta, however, answered confidently that the only thing that he needed was to be careful, even though it would be troublesome. Toko tried to stop him, but Yuta had already made up his mind.

While swimming, his bracelet was activated (as a result of being too far from Towa City) and exploded, killing Yuta instantly. Devastated by what had happened to Yuta, Komaru burst into tears, saying it's impossible to escape. But Toko encouraged the despairing Komaru to at least die trying to find a way out instead of waiting to die (she added quietly that those were words quoted from Makoto). The pair then tried to use the underground subway station to escape by returning to the place where they left the hotel first.

Upon their arriving at the underground subway station, the gate was reinforced by a shutter. Komaru started to panic, so Toko said that the shutter was locked by someone and that there must be a clue left somewhere. After searching, they found a key from the corpse of a station worker who was killed by the Monokuma Kids.

When Komaru took the key, a Monokuma Kid suddenly hit her and stole it. Komaru and Toko then chased the Monokuma Kid until they arrived at a construction site. Inside, the Monokuma Kid climbed the building because he knew that Komaru and Toko couldn't climb. Komaru suggested they go around the building entrances and trap the Monokuma Kid in a dead end. Arriving at the dead end, they found a challenge letter from the Monokuma Kid to come to the hospital, the place where Komaru and Toko's journey began. After they manage to beat the Monokuma Kid, who ran away crying, they take the key from the safe and return from the hospital to the underground subway station.

Komaru and Toko realized that they had been trapped in the center of a colosseum full of a cheerful audience of Monokuma Kids and the leader of the Warriors of Hope, the 'Hero' Masaru Daimon appeared. He boastfully claimed that he will be the one to banish all of the "demons" from Towa City to make a paradise for the children. After saying this, he opened a trapdoor beneath him, revealing the corpses of countless adults. Masaru stated that those are all the remains of the adults that he has killed.

As the Monokuma Kids continued their applause, Masaru began to feel fear and tried to calm himself by beating his left hands. Komaru who see this tried to tell him to stop, but Masaru didn't listen to her and begin to fight her after he was satisfied.

Following a fierce battle, the girls overcame Masaru and his robot, which resulted in the Monokuma Kids executing him as his punishment for losing. Komaru was horrified at what they did to him, but Toko replied that his execution was too simple (since she has already witnessed even more horrific executions during the killing school life). The two left, only to find that another subway station had opened. The two then decided to enter, aiming to find an egress from the town. Someone, however, had already been watching them without their knowing.

Chapter 2 - Legend of the Revolution
Komaru and Toko entered the opened subway station only to find an unmoving train. Feeling down for a moment, Komaru finally decided to walk along the railway. As Komaru and Toko advanced, an earthquake struck, causing the ceiling to collapse. Toko, falling unconscious after a rock hit her, switched to Genocide Jack who quickly dashed back to the entrance followed by Komaru. At the very last second Komaru and Jack managed to escape the destroyed tunnel.

After Jack sneezed and switched to Toko again, Komaru suddenly got depressed and wondered if she could really escape from Towa City. Just before Toko could rally Komaru again as she had after Yuta's death, two Monokuma Kids approached them with a TV connected to the Warriors of Hope's headquarters and the 'priest' Jataro Kemuri appeared on the screen.

Jataro introduced himself to the girls before he explained that Komaru, the one with the wristband, can't leave the city because she is one of the Warriors of Hope's targets. He also explained that there's a limit within the game. Jataro also explained that the wristband is made to explode when the wearer goes outside the town without permission.

Before Jataro left, in hoping it would make them hate him, he presented his masterpiece which turned out as a very frightening diorama that he created. As the television shut off, Komaru cried. Toko once again rallied Komaru to not lost her hope to survive, saying that she was with Komaru to fight beside her and for her to rely on.

Komaru and Toko later decided to go the way they came first. On the surface, they were surprised to see hundreds of Monokumas and Monokuma Kids dancing. For their safety, they retreated back down to the subway. Toko, forgetting that she is afraid of the dark, suggested to go back to the underground, to which Komaru agreed, thinking that Toko was showing her how to go forward despite being scared. Annoyed, Toko eventually had no choice and the two of them traveled back to the underground.

Exploring the district deeper, Komaru and Toko then saw someone underneath a white sheet being kicked by Monokumas, crying and begging them to stop. After Komaru destroyed the Monokumas, she went to uncover the white sheet to check if that "someone" was okay. Komaru was surprised after discovering that the someone was a white Monokuma.

Just when Komaru and Toko speculated what and who he was, he then started to speak, surprising the two girls. Even though the bear confessed that he's not a suspicious bear, Toko ordered Komaru to shoot him. He was shocked and told them that he's different than the other Monokumas because he has an AI inside him, introducing himself as Shirokuma. Toko told Komaru to not be fooled by his cuteness, but was eventually fooled herself when he said that he wanted be friends with many pretty ladies. Shirokuma also confessed that he can tell the date and time of someone's first kiss, making Toko further fooled by him.

Once Toko calmed down from her "heated" imagination to uncover those "fraudulent career women's virginity", Shirokuma asked them why Komaru and Toko were in the city. Komaru answered that they had no place to go, so Shirokuma offered them a safe place to hide. Toko didn't trust Shirokuma, thinking he wanted to kidnap them. Shirokuma said that that the safe place is a secret base underground where adults are living in hiding. Komaru thought it a good idea to go there. Toko once again left with no other options, the girls follow Shirokuma to the adults' secret base.

After traveling for a while in the underground subway station, the group decided to take a short break. Komaru asked Shirokuma why he wanted to save them, and he answered that he "just wants to save people." Komaru was amazed by Shirokuma's dedication and decided to keep relying on him as an ally, but Toko stayed suspicious. Shirokuma then led them down a hole with a ladder to the Towa City Sewers, where the secret base was.

Exploring the sewer, the group eventually found the ladder to the secret base. Shirokuma told the girls to follow him up the ladder, with Toko forcing Komaru to go first because she might die if Komaru saw her panties.

Komaru and Toko were surprised to see many adults in the secret base, which was an old warehouse used to store water tanks that the kids didn't know existed. Komaru questioned why there were so many trailers inside the base and Shirokuma answered that he brought them there to make it a little easier for everyone to live. He then let them meet with some of the other adults around the base before speaking with them further.

Komaru and Toko chatted with several adults until finally they met with a woman a bit different from the others. Komaru was surprised after the woman showed them her Monokuma wristband. The woman was glad to finally meet an "ally" and explained that there are plenty of 'Hit List' Targets hiding throughout the city. If possible, she wanted to save them and bring them to the secret base. She explained that nobody but Shirokuma was allowed to go outside unless they could sneak out, commenting that she has adults sneak outside to bring her cigarettes. She introduced herself as Hiroko Hagakure. Toko, who knew that the women was related to one of her classmates, wondered if she was his older sister or maybe the mother. Hiroko quickly nicknamed the two girls "Koko" and "Fufu."

Shirokuma invited Komaru and Toko to the conference room. Inside, he saw no signs of the leader of the Resistance. Shirokuma wanted introduce him to Komaru and Toko. While they waited, Komaru and Toko read several notebooks inside the room's lockers. Then suddenly the door opened and Haiji Towa, the leader of the Resistance, showed up. Komaru stepped in before Toko could ask him nonsense questions and instead asked Haiji if he was related to the Towa Group.

Komaru became depressed when she suddenly remembered her missing parents and asked Haiji if he knew how to escape the city. He told her that all of the roads to outside the city are completely blocked and Komaru's wristband would explode if she tried to escape. Komaru desperately asked if she could somehow get rid of the Monokuma wristband, but neither Haiji nor Shirokuma knew how. Haiji advised that staying put and keeping quiet is the best move. Toko questioned why the Resistance doesn't try to fight the kids, but Haiji insisted that it would be suicide if they tried. Toko called him a coward, but he claimed that he's only waiting for the opportunity to strike back. When Komaru felt that Toko's harshness had gone too far, Toko confessed that she was also speaking to Komaru and criticized her for only making excuses rather than fighting back.

When Toko revealed herself to be a member of Future Foundation, Haiji angrily ordered Komaru and Toko to get out of the secret base and refused to cooperate with them.

Toko and Komaru decided to leave the secret base, but as they did they saw adults screaming while they watched a monitor. Shirokuma diverted their attention, saying it would be best if they didn't watch, and offered them to stay the night as it wouldn't be safe for the girls to go out at dark. He then led them to a makeshift room, which was actually a prison cell.

Shirokuma asked Komaru and Toko if Future Foundation would really come and save the adults, to which they replied that it's impossible to reach them. Shirokuma then gave the girls a wireless laptop developed by Togami Group that can send audio and video, noting that it wasn't available to the public aside from groups like the police and Future Foundation, and the girls could use it if they got around the jamming radio waves emitted from Towa Hills be climbing to the top of a building called Towa Tower. Toko asked why Shirokuma didn't send other adults for the job if he already knew all this, but he explained they're the only ones he trusts can fight the Monokumas and safely reach Towa Tower. Komaru insisted on going, as she wanted to keep trying to survive and move forward. Toko reluctantly agreed and the two decided to get some rest for the night before heading out the next day. Komaru, who could finally see a ray of hope thanks to Shirokuma, hugged and surprised the white bear.

The next morning, feeling refreshed after a night's sleep, the two were seen off by Shirokuma. Now above ground, Komaru and Toko made their way along the riverside shopping district and finally arrived in front of Towa Tower. As they tried going inside, Jataro appeared and ordered a large group of Monokumas to attack them from every direction. Once they defeated them, Toko cautioned Komaru that they should be wary of a second ambush by Jataro and that the whole situation could be a setup by Shirokuma.

Once inside, the two tried using the elevator, but it wouldn't open without a key card. On the fourth floor they met a man with glasses who confessed that while hiding from the kids he was trying to program a way on his laptop to remove his wristband. Upon Komaru showing she wore the same wristband, the man regrettably informed her that until they are removed neither of them can leave the city; Komaru denied this, saying they would contact Future Foundation from atop Towa Tower using their laptop's wireless communication. The man understood and offered to try programming around the elevator's card key function. Even though he didn't expect them to want his help as they can't trust someone they just met, the girls gladly accepted.

At the elevator, the man had barely begun hacking around the security system when Junk Monokumas appeared, forcing Komaru and Toko to cover him. Once finished, he thanked Komaru and Toko, saying that because of them he finally started to see a ray of hope and that given a good connection Future Foundation would surely save them. Unfortunately, when the elevator opened, a Beast Monokuma emerged and attacked the man. After the girls defeated the Beast Monokumas, the man apologized for not accompanying them further but assured them that they would be fine. On his dying breath, he told Komaru and Toko that he has a child around their age and his only regret was not being able to see her one last time. Komaru then found the man's handbook nearby, and inside discovered a picture of him and his child; she hoped that the child was all right, while Toko was silent due to knowing the child's fate and recommended they move forward.

The two then entered the elevator, but just before Toko wanted to talk with Komaru about Future Foundation, the elevator suddenly stopped. The girls forced the elevator's door open to find themselves in a dungeon where Jataro and the audience of Monokuma Kids waited for them. Toko asked Jataro why he wore his mask and told him to take it off, but Jataro refused, telling them that "if they look at his face, their eyeballs are gonna rot off" and asked aloud why else his mother forced him to wear the mask everyday unless he was ugly. Komaru replied angrily that the kids' doing is unforgivable, no matter their reasons. The Monokuma Kids then boo at Jataro, making him more ecstatic due to being hated by even them. He summoned his robot, saying the only one who liked him was "Big Sis Junko." Komaru and Toko defeat Jataro's Priest robot, which destroys itself with a misfired final homing bomb shot, causing the Momokuma Kids to pull off Jataro's mask and 'punish' him.

Feeling no remorse for Jataro, Komaru told Toko to go with her. Toko tried to warn Komaru about Future Foundation one final time but she forgot what she was going to say, instead proceeding to enter the code on the laptop so Komaru can speak with Future Foundation. It seemed unable to connect, but just as Toko said they should give up, Makoto Naegi from Future Foundation 14th Division appeared on the screen.

Chapter 3 - Cute Girl's Battlefield
Relieved to see her brother safe, Komaru asked about their parents, but Makoto didn't know their whereabouts either. He calmed the depressed Komaru, asking where she was, and this in turn reminded her to ask why Makoto answered the communication. Makoto explained that he joined the Future Foundation and also reveals that Toko went to rescue Byakuya without orders from Future Foundation. Komaru realized that Makoto and Toko already knew each other and wondered why Toko didn't tell her, to which Makoto responded "that's Toko for you." Toko then told Makoto that Byakuya had been captured by the kids, which led Makoto to explain that he, Toko, and Byakuya survived after being trapped inside Hope's Peak Academy with their classmates and were forced to kill each other. The mastermind broadcast the Killing Game so she could show the world the students of Hope's Peak Academy, the symbols of hope, falling to despair and death, thus furthering The Tragedy. The survivors resolved to join Future Foundation and fight against the Remnants of Despair, who were trying to spread despair to the entire world.

Toko suddenly cried after remembering the suffering of The Tragedy, while Komaru commented that she had no idea any of that happened due to her imprisonment. Makoto and Komaru told the other that they have changed, which they both denied, but ultimately Makoto apologized for Komaru's imprisonment, explaining that she and other people close to the Hope's Peak Academy students were abducted and used as motivation to incite the Killing Game. Fortunately the mastermind was defeated before that motive was seen through, although Komaru was still imprisoned long after that, most likely due to the the Remnants of Despair trying to succeed the mastermind's will. Future Foundation was in the dark about where the captives were being held, but a few days prior, they received an anonymous tip that captives from the Killing Game were being held in a certain apartment in Towa City. This was the reason Byakuya and the others agents saved Komaru, but the plan was ultimately scrapped leading to Byakuya's capture; Toko said that someone must have set up Future Foundation using both the tip and the captives being hunted by the Warriors of Hope as a trap.

Komaru begged for Makoto to remove her wristband and save her, but Toko interjected, saying that she would refuse to let this happen as it would put Master Byakuya in danger. She went as far as threatening to kill Komaru, but by this point, the wireless connection had cut off. Having found the girls, the Monokuma Kids shuttered the windows and plunged the top floor into pure darkness. Luckily a Monokuma Kid dropped a glow stick and tracked paint across the floor, leading Komaru and Toko to an emergency staircase. This was a trap, however, as the door exploded and briefly knocked the girls unconscious. Once they both awakened, Komaru shot a Bomber Monokuma, destroying a cracked window allowing them to escape to Towa Tower's second floor via ladder. They then cleared a handful more of Monokuma Kid challenges before finally exiting Towa Tower. Once outside, Komaru asked Toko whether she was serious about killing her, to which Toko responded that she was certainly willing to kill a friend if it meant Byakuya's safety. This led to a short-term rift in the twos' friendship but they ultimately returned to the adults' secret base together, with Toko tailing Komaru for her own "reason."

Upon their arrival at the secret base, the girls were greeted by adults giving them the cold shoulder. Shirokuma then appeared and brought them to the conference room to speak with Haiji, who brought up a plan to reason with the kids, which was immediately refused by the other adults. Komaru tried to support his idea but Toko reminded them that the children had no mercy whatsoever. In response, Haiji further insisted to lie in wait for a better opportunity to strike. Toko once again accused Haiji of being a weak leader, but Komaru sided with him, arguing that Toko did not understand the feelings of the weak.

Before the situation escalated further, an adult broke in the conference room and announced that Monokumas had found their base and were already massacring adults. In response to Shirokuma's plea, Komaru and Toko successfully expelled the large group of Monokumas from the base. Despite their efforts, however, Haiji had the two girls imprisoned as he believed they led the Monokumas back to the base to begin with.

While held in a prison cell, Komaru cried tears of regret for causing the deaths of so many adults. Without warning, the 'Fighter' Kotoko Utsugi broke into the prison cell, telling Komaru that she originally wanted to hunt her but changed her mind and would let her go because Komaru was "adorbs." This was a trick, however, as when Komaru turned her back Kotoko shot her with her Denture Launcher, leaving her temporarily paralyzed.

Komaru then woke up to find herself fastened to a 'torture' device; Kotoko attempted to use the device's many tentacle hands to grope Komaru and steal her 'virginity' so she could endure the consequences of being a "cute girl." This plan was cut short, however, when Genocide Jack appeared and defeated Kotoko, and Komaru was rescued. The train then crashed into Kotoko's dungeon. While speaking to Kotoko, Toko used the Fighter's trigger word "gentle," causing her to lose her composure and call on her robot to fight the two girls. Upon the robot's defeat, the Monokuma Kids attempted to 'punish' Kotoko for losing, but Genocide Jack was instead able to save her for interrogation purposes.

Suddenly Nagisa appeared and requested that Komaru and Toko leave the city. Already prepared to persuade Monaca, Nagisa insisted upon letting them escape in order for the Warriors of Hope's Demon Hunting game to progress smoothly without further interruptions.

Chapter 4 - The Way We Live
Nagisa resorted to begging Komaru and Toko, and removed Komaru's wristband to show his sincerity. He also offered to personally guide them to a secret passageway out of the city. Despite originally wanting to escape, Komaru remained silent and yet went along with Nagisa's request for the time being.

On the road leading to the secret passageway, Nagisa, Komaru and Toko were ambushed by Monokumas and Monokuma Kids, shocking Nagisa as the Monokumas were not supposed to attack him. Toko guessed that the Warriors of Hope already discovered his "betrayal." As they made their way to the shrine entrance, the three encountered a pile of bodies at the corner of the road, prompting Nagisa to explain that the Warriors of Hope attacked the adults out of fear for them. He went on to tell Komaru and Toko that his father used him as a guinea pig in an experiment to see how far a child could be pushed before they reach breaking point, resulting in Nagisa's trauma. This led him to join the other Warriors of Hope in attempting suicide, but they were stopped by Junko Enoshima who instead abducted and encouraged them to fight back against the adults. They agreed, rebelling and murdering their parents first, then moved on to start "Operation Children's Paradise". Despite their unstoppable advance, Junko died during the events of the first game. Monaca, however, didn't despair and supported her friends to keep moving forward.

Komaru, Toko, and Nagisa finally arrived at a shrine. Nagisa revealed the secret passageway and ordered Komaru to left. But the Servant came in before Komaru could left. His reason to came was to persuade Komaru to stay at the city. He told Nagisa that he is a traitor due to his behavior choosing to build paradise over the Demon's Hunting game, making Nagisa ran away.

The Servant rather disappointed with Toko because she broke her deal with him to escorted Komaru to the Warriors of Hope's main base and traded her with Byakuya. The Servant explained that their first encounter on the hospital rooftop was not a coincidence meeting. Toko was told by the Servant that Komaru was going to landing on the hospital rooftop.

The Servant was the one who set up all of Komaru and Toko's journey from the very beginning and the reason why he did so was because of Makoto's doing. He defeated Junko, the person that the Servant truly hated and he wasn't there to witness Junko's death.

Komaru became so flustered and started to crying when Toko admitted that she was deceiving Komaru. She blamed on Komaru for trusting her. Toko didn't have much choice but to take Komaru with brute force as she switched to Jack and attacked Komaru until she lost consciousness. However, Komaru could saw that Toko was only acting so she could left the city and left Toko behind. Toko admitted it and forced Komaru to leave.

The Servant approached them, telling if Komaru escaped the city, the hostage's safety couldn't be guaranteed. He sprayed powder to Toko so she could sneezed and switched to Jack in order to kill Komaru. But the Servant didn't expect what happen next, he didn't know that both Toko and Jack not only share knowledge but also emotions. Jack's insisting told her to killed the Servant so she cut his thigh. Just before Jack could kill the Servant, Komaru stopped her, vowing to help Toko and remained stay at the city.

The Servant later told them that he had a partner who planned to escort Komaru to the Warriors of Hope's main base, but that he didn't really know his main objective.

In order to release Byakuya, they have to stop the Warriors of Hope's rioting. Komaru suggested that they should have Shirokuma and Haiji to supported them. After the Servant directed them to the fastest way to reach the Resistance secret base, Komaru and Toko started their journey again.

Upon arriving at the subway station, Komaru and Toko destructing and collapsing an area, using the railway as ladder to go down to the sewer. The two girls kept up their pace as they could heard adults screaming from the secret base.

Komaru and Toko witnessed the adults massacred by Monokumas that ambushed the secret base. Shirokuma approached them and begged them to defeated the Monokumas.

Like they did previous times, Komaru and Toko managed to get rid of the initial wave of Monokumas, but then Shirokuma told them the Monokumas were actually coming from a hole from the back of the base and he needed Komaru and Toko to block it. It turned out Shirokuma's body was packed with high explosives, but his self-destruct button was damaged during the battle so he couldn't self-destruct on his own. Shirokuma begged Komaru to shoot him so he could explode and block the hole.

As the three reached the hole, Shirokuma forced Komaru to shot him even he braved himself to attack Komaru so she could stop him by shooting him. Shirokuma thanking Komaru with teary eyes before he exploded.

Komaru and Toko woke up after they lost consciousness due to the explosion. Two adults approaching them, telling that the hole was already blocked thanks to Shirokuma's sacrifice. Haiji stepped in, willing to acknowledge that Komaru and Toko's efforts proved that they were not spies. The adults reported to Haiji that they were on verge of death from the Monokuma attack. Komaru, who gained courage and confidence after witnessing Shirokuma's sacrifice, stepped up to the top of the radio truck and surprised herself by delivering a rallying speech that worked up the adults.

Some of the adults later professed that they were inspired by Komaru's speech. One of them brought Shirokuma's remaining head, surprisingly congratulating Komaru and Toko. He said that his AI chip is on the head so he would still continue to live. Haiji who already prepared everything told Komaru and Toko to go to a certain place where his "trump card" was hidden, by motorbike.

One the trio arrived at that "certain place", they rode an hidden elevator down to the hidden place, which is Towa Group's secret factory that is restricted to top executives only. Haiji admitted hesitating about going to the secret hideout initially because they were actually using Monokumas to guard the secret factory. The control office could not be contacted since the Tragedy broke out, and Haiji thought that since the Monokumas inside had had their control functions broken, they could attack Haiji (which also indirectly meant he would rather Toko and Komaru take the heat for him).

After fighting through numerous traps and laser-trip alarms by working around the Monokumas and the dead Towa Group personnel, the trio made it to the bottom level where the trump card was hidden.

As it turned out, this trump card was actually a giant robot named Big Bang Monokuma, the secret weapon built by Towa Group to defend the city. Toko freaked out, asking why Towa Group were producing Monokumas in their secret factory. Haiji explained that the Monokumas they made were initially introduced as helper robots, with plans on other functionalities to be installed on them. This explained the large variety of Monokumas the girls have encountered.

During their conversation, Nagisa's robot abruptly broke in in an attempt to destroy the Big Bang Monokuma. Eventually, Komaru and Toko were able to damage Nagisa's robot heavily, making its parts bending one by one until the left arm fell and apparently crushed Nagisa to death.

With Nagisa out of the way, Haiji finally activated Big Bang Monokuma, hell-bent on painting the town red with it.

Chapter 5 - Absolute Despair Girl
After successfully activating the Big Bang Monokuma, Komaru and Toko were faced with a brand-new situation: the stress of the continuing chaos had driven the adults into a murderous fervor, inflamed further by Haiji and the presence of the humongous Monokuma, which was able to, for once, beat back the Monokumas that had been incessantly harassing the adults. The unabated hatred of the children among the adults caused both girls to become scared; Komaru in particular became frightened at the chaos she had indirectly caused through her speech in the underground bunker. It was then that Shirokuma, who had insisted that Hiroko bring his still-functioning head to Komaru, suggested to Komaru and Toko to invade Towa Hills while the Big Bang Monokuma continued causing chaos; he reasoned that the Big Bang Monokuma would keep the regular Monokumas busy enough such that Towa Hills would be vulnerable.

Agreeing to the plan, the girls fought their way to Towa Hills, becoming the first members of the Resistance to enter the building. While making their way through the building, they discovered several areas were blocked off by replicas of the mecha used by the Warriors of Hope. While searching for a way past the mechas, it quickly became clear to the girls that parts of Towa Hills had been converted into rooms for the Warriors of Hope, several of which revealed information about the brainwashed nature of the Monokuma Kids, causing considerable concern in both girls.

Soon after, the girls were faced with the prospect of becoming stuck in their mission because the only lift available to them for access required some form of identification. Haiji then showed up behind them, accidentally spooking them before he revealed that the only way to access the top of Towa Hills was retinal access granted by Tokuichi Towa's eyes. The girls learned from him that, rather than missing as he had previously stated, he was actually murdered by the Monokumas controlled by the Monokuma kids. However, since his head remained, his retinas remained intact and so retinal access would still be possible just by using his severed head. When the two girls arrived later at his office, they were scared stiff, but Komaru willed herself to carry his severed head in a tote bag, despite her fears.

Shortly after the lift access was granted, it became clear that Komaru had become too mentally affected by the severed head, eventually succumbing for a short while to hallucinations - which she thought was the spirit of Tokuichi possessing her body. Only with Toko's interference with a made-up chant was Komaru able to get rid of her hallucinations.

Komaru and Toko once again encountered Kotoko after they saved her from the Beast Monokumas who surrounded her. Kotoko confessed that she felt betrayed by Monaca who said that she didn't care about the paradise they were building from the very beginning. To proved that she was not accomplice to Monaca anymore, Kotoko gave Komaru and Toko information regarding the room where Byakuya was held, as well as the Monokuma controller room. Kotoko advised them to confront Monaca and get the key to the hostage's room while she left to get the controller.

Komaru and Toko finally arrived at the torture room. Haiji who also searching for this room explained that the torture room was a room where the kids set about torturing the relatives of all the hiding adults in the secret base and throwing their bodies on the room next door. Toko wondered how the kids could have known. They soon left Haiji alone inside the torture room.

As they gained further access into the various rooms across Towa Hills, the truth behind the riots in Towa City began to slowly see the light of day as the girls collected disparate pieces of evidence that strongly demonstrated various aspects of the Warriors of Hope's reasoning. They also found Monaca's room atop a high ledge only accessible by a ladder - Toko was greatly disturbed by the pictures of Junko Enoshima covering the walls and ceiling, but Komaru found herself wondering about something she couldn't quite place.

Finally, Komaru, Toko, and Haiji reached the Warriors of Hope's airship atop Towa Hills. Kurokuma told them that Monaca was sleeping in one of three rooms on the wall; to confront her, the Resistance had to choose the correct door. After a moment's thought, Komaru finally realized what had previously bothered her about Monaca's room; it was in a place that should have been impossible for the wheelchair-bound girl to reach. As such, she chose to open the door at the top of a ladder, prompting Monaca to emerge and reveal that she had full use of her legs after all.

After a short confrontation between Haiji and Monaca, the latter called on Kurokuma to summon their battle robot, which appeared to be a combination of the robots used by the other Warriors of Hope. Komaru and Toko were able to defeat them, leading to Kurokuma having his head sent flying off his body, through the window, and falling down to the ground. Seemingly defeated, Monaca gave Komaru her Monokuma controller, explaining that destroying the controller would shut the entire army down.

However, Komaru was hesitant to break the controller, realizing that something wasn't right. Her distress increased as Haiji began pressuring her to destroy the controller, reminding Komaru that it was her words that had inspired the adult Resistance to fight back against the Warriors of Hope. To make matters worse, Kotoko suddenly appeared, warning Komaru not to break the controller - if she did, it would kill the Monokuma Kids by detonating their helmets. As Haiji, Kotoko, and Monaca argued, Komaru was left paralyzed by indecision, especially when she realized that the adults had no compunctions about letting the brainwashed Monokuma Kids die to end the war. When Monaca showed a video of Komaru's parents dead in a torture room, Komaru fell into complete despair, deciding to break the controller and be done with the madness. Monaca gleefully revealed that her true goal was to turn Komaru into "Junko Enoshima II", driving her to despair by forcing her to choose between the tormented-but-bloodthirsty adults and the brainwashed children.

Suddenly, Toko took the controller from Komaru to prevent her from breaking it. Monaca questioned why she did that, saying it's her duty to Byakuya and the Future Foundation to eliminate all despair (referring to the Monokumas). Toko agreed, but added that she also doesn't want to let despair spread to Komaru, the Monokuma Kids, or anywhere else. Haiji then got angry at her for refusing to destroy the controller to save the adults, even if it means killing all the kids (since they were the ones trying to kill them). It was then that Kotoko attacked Haiji in order to help Toko, but suddenly Big Bang Monokuma began attacking the ship. Monaca announced that it is being controlled by someone (being Shirokuma) to try and kill them all,. In panic, Haiji, Kotoko, and Toko (who dragged the despaired Komaru with her) escaped the crumbling room. Monaca, however, remained at the room and smiled insanely as the Big Bang Monokuma attacked her.

Later on, Toko slapped the despairing Komaru out of her stupor, and asked her whom she wanted to save, the adults or the children. In a burst of tears and a sudden clarity of mind, Komaru answered that she wanted to save both. Then, the Big Bang Monokuma approached them. Komaru then wiped her tears and with Toko, confidently battled the giant robot, eventually taking it down after a protracted, lengthy battle. Upon defeating it, the Big Bang Monokuma's head blasted off and ended up landing back on the body upside down. Shirokuma's head was then seen being ejected out of Big Bang Monokuma's evil red eye before the giant robot collapsed.

Epilogue - The Changing World We Made
During the Epilogue, Komaru told Toko that she decided to stay at the city. Toko became furious, complaining why she's staying despite wanting to leave so much before. Komaru first said that she finally gained confidence in herself after she made her first decision by herself on protecting both the adults and the children. Komaru then said that she's staying because if she left with Byakuya and Toko, the Future Foundation will find out about the dark secret revolving around the Towa Corporation, which will lead to the Remnants of Despair gathering at Towa City, and ending in yet another war.

So Komaru decided to stay as a hostage so Byakuya and Toko can convince the Future Foundation to not attempt anything on the city. Toko then said that she decided to stay as well because she was her friend and the two of them barely cover as a hostage for Byakuya. Komaru asked about Toko's desire to be with Byakuya. Toko then replied that no matter how far they are, their feelings for each other will remain the same. Byakuya, who was locked in a nearby room, called them and said that Toko was right, since he will remain to have no feelings for Toko, much to Toko's shock.

Later on, Byakuya showed a video of Komaru to Makoto through the computer. The video showed Komaru explaining to her brother her reasons for not leaving the city. She said she will be fine as long as she has Byakuya's hacking gun and Toko. She said that she and Toko will wait for them until Makoto and Byakuya finish off the Remnants of Despair. She then added that when she went to the torture room where Monaca's video showed her dead parents were, she found that there was no sign of her parents. She claimed that its possible that their parents were still alive somewhere, and she would cling to that belief.

After the credits, Komaru is chasing after Toko on a bright, sunny day in Towa City.

Episode 06 - No Man is an island
Komaru is trying to force Toko to take a bath when they get a call from Byakuya, who presumably told them about Monaca's Miaya Gekkogahara in the Final Killing Game that involved Makoto and the other Future Foundation heads. Komaru got her Megaphone Hacking Gun ready as Toko grabbed her taser.

Episode 07 - Ultra Despair Girls
Komaru and Toko went to the road filled with Monokumas after Byakuya tasked them to head out and search for Monaca's hideout. She contacted Nagisa, former leader of the Warriors of Hope now surviving Towa City with the other three members of Warriors of Hope previously thought dead. Nagisa told her the location of Monaca's hideout, and requested that Komaru and Toko not be too hard on Monaca, since she had been a friend.

Komaru and Toko were able to fight through the hordes leading up to the hideout. However, once they entered the building and stepped into a large room, they were almost immediately trapped by an impossibly huge amount of robots and Monokuma units, far more than they had previously encountered. Just when the situation began to seem hopeless, Monaca quite willingly threw in the towel; she declared that she was done with despair, and self-destructed all the robots threatening the two girls to prove her point.

Later, Komaru and Toko found Monaca inside a van with Monokuma livery, and asked if she was the mastermind of the Final Killing Game. Monaca only told both of them that while she did not know who the real mastermind was, she knew that a survivor from the Killing School Life will die because of Makoto.

As Monaca launched to space after she decided to abandon her position as Junko Enoshima II, Komaru and Jack hold on to the van's door. Komaru convinced Jack that it was useless to force Monaca to answer the truth and eventually fell from the van. Komaru shot some of Monokuma units with LINK bullet and managed to land safely. She was glad that the two of them were okay. Deep down, Komaru believed that Monaca is a smart girl and will return to the earth someday.

Komaru later took control of Miaya and through her computer screen, contacted her brother and told him of what she learned from Monaca.

Episode 08 - Who Killed Cock Robin
Makoto and Komaru continue to discuss Monaca's revelations. Makoto pointed out how Komaru had grown more mature although she wanted to change the subject, requesting he come and get her when the mess he's in is over. The transmission ended abruptly before Komaru and Makoto can say anymore.

Episode 12 - It is Always Darkest
Komaru and Toko are seen watching Ryota Mitarai's hope brainwashing video on their laptop back at their hotel room. However, as this scene was accompanied by a prior discussion of possible consequences, it is possible this scene is merely hypothetical.

Side: Hope - The Academy of Hope and Students of Despair
Several months after the Final Killing Game, Makoto became the principal of a newly built Hope's Peak Academy and is working alongside Kyoko. Aoi and Toko both helped move boxes of materials while Komaru went around offering each of them a drink.

Relationships

 * Family:

Makoto Naegi
Komaru is very close to her older brother, Makoto, and is shown to love him very much. In Killing Among Loved Ones, it showed Komaru and her parents cheering her brother on when he succeeds to enroll in Hope's Peak Academy, showing how supportive she is of him. They also have a similarity as siblings as they both have the same ahoge. According to Komaru herself, the two watch TV together, as well as share thoughts on manga they share with each other. She's also mentioned that they did argue quite a bit which is rather common in siblings.

Komaru was separated from Makoto when the Tragedy began. When imprisoned, Komaru thought of her brother many times, especially when things got bad. After seeing him after such a long time, Komaru was relieved to see him alive and well. She thinks now that her brother has grown and become more reliable. Komaru decided to wait for Makoto to pick her up in Towa City after his battle has ended.

However, Komaru worries about him many times while fighting in Towa City, and refuses to let anyone or anything hurt Makoto, which is shown when she goes after Monaca upon hearing that she may be after her brother. When she contacts Makoto to warn him that someone would die because of him, Komaru encourages her brother, telling him that she would still be waiting for him, so he must survive.

After the battle ended, Makoto supposedly reunites with his sister (although this is not shown on screen), who assists him and his fellow survivors in rebuilding Hope's Peak Academy.

Her Parents
Before the Tragedy, Komaru lived with her parents, before and after Makoto went to Hope's Peak Academy. Komaru was separated from her parents shortly after the Tragedy began. She thinks of them when things get rough. It is currently unknown whether her parents survived the Tragedy or not.


 * Partners:

Toko Fukawa
Toko appears and helps Komaru through the Demon Hunting game. She constantly calls her "Omaru" instead of her real name. During an interview with the crew behind Danganronpa Another Episode, Kodaka states that the game is about "the deepening friendship between Komaru and Toko."

Komaru respects Toko and admires her as a strong, skilled and amazing person, and doesn't even seem to mind her serial killer split personality as she considers her "just a bit strange, that's all", though Toko strongly disagrees and says that she is nothing like that. At first, Toko finds Komaru and her occasional slow-wittedness and gullible nature irritating, along with her tendency to call herself "normal girl" and breaking down crying when things get bad. However, she also gives Komaru support and encourages her to improve during such tough situations. When Toko "officially" agrees to assist Komaru, she hugs Toko in happiness, which makes Toko uncomfortable due to her not being used to physical contact. Toko is also noted to make most of the decisions, due to Komaru being too unsure to do that. She also remains rather silent about many topics, even if she is actually familiar with them. She is also strongly annoyed by Komaru's love for manga, because she hates them.

In Chapter 2, Toko is shown to be suspicious of Shirokuma and appears slightly protective of Komaru due to her gullible nature. After they enter the Resistance's secret base, Toko and Komaru sleep the night in the same bed, though Toko feels cold because Komaru stole her blanket while sleeping. Komaru agrees to assist Shirokuma and the Resistance with newfound confidence, surprising Toko and making her uncomfortable, because she does not want to contact the Future Foundation.

Later, when the two manage to contact Makoto in Chapter 3, Toko even threatens Komaru's life in order to protect Byakuya who is currently the enemy's hostage. After getting out of the building and the danger, the two have a big argument over this, as Toko claims she is serious about her threat if needed. Komaru is shocked that Toko would kill her friends, but Toko just seems to assume that Komaru is only trying to manipulate her with nice words such as "friends". Saddened, Komaru tries to tell Toko that she truly does trust her, and Toko appears to feel slightly bad but stays silent. When Toko accuses Komaru of doing nothing on her own, but Komaru thinks that is way too mean to say, because she has done some things too. Toko asks if Komaru is expecting her to thank her or something and claims she has never done that to anyone. In the heat of the moment, Komaru shouts that is the reason why Toko doesn't have any friends. Toko is shocked and hurt by this, and then tries to claim that she wants to be alone and would rather die alone than be with a coward like Komaru. However, she still continues to follow Komaru to the Resistance's base, claiming that she has to. However, the two remain mostly silent during the whole way back.

When Toko accuses Haiji of cowardice back in the Resistance, Komaru surprisingly speaks back to her, sympathizing with the Resistance's weak people. This seems to shock Toko a bit, as she assumed Komaru would be on her side. Komaru accuses Toko of not understanding the weak and blaming them for it, but Toko says that she simply blames them for using their weakness as an excuse. Toko is angered and offended when Komaru says that she doesn't understand weak people, stating that she is obviously very weak too, but has stopped using it as an excuse and tries to survive. A bit later, after Genocide Jack saves Komaru from Kotoko, Komaru breaks down crying and apologizes for saying horrible things like that Toko doesn't have any friends. The two then make up and work together again.

In Chapter 4, after Nagisa decides to help the two escape, Toko hesitantly seems to be willing to let Komaru go and leave the city. However, the Servant appears and it's revealed that Toko was forced to assist Komaru and bring her to the children's base, so that she can be exchanged with Byakuya. Komaru is shocked to hear that Toko has lied to her the whole time, with Toko obviously feeling very guilty. However, she then continues to speak mean words and even attacks Komaru with the aid of Genocide Jack, but Komaru realizes she isn't being serious and wants to give Komaru a chance to escape and make her own decision. Genocide Jack and Toko then decide to turn against the Servant, claiming that they wish to protect Komaru and Byakuya. In turn, Komaru decides not to hold the supposed betrayal against Toko, as she was forced to do it, and decides to stay with Toko because they are friends. Toko is immensely happy by this and blushes shyly, because she has never had a real friend before. Afterwards, she thanks Komaru very genuinely for the first time and begins to call her Komaru instead of the somewhat insulting nickname Omaru. After this, the two become real friends, with Komaru trying to teach Toko about friendship, with the two still a bit comically bickering at times. Toko begins to be more nice towards Komaru and genuinely considers her an extremely important person to her, rivaling her love for Byakuya. In Chapter 5, Toko has also shyly claimed while blushing that Komaru has made her happy and it's indicated that Komaru has helped Toko's mental state greatly.

In Chapter 5, Toko snaps Komaru out of it in the time of despair, and swears to help Komaru whenever she can't do something on her own just like Komaru would do for her. Toko gives Komaru a very warm, genuine smile and hugs her, which is extremely notable coming from Toko who normally hates hugs and being touched. After defeating Monaca and rescuing Byakuya, the two stay in Towa City to help its people and wait for Makoto. They also keep sleeping in the same bed, though Toko claims that she does that only because of her fear of ghosts.

Komaru and Toko are seen still together in Towa City in Danganronpa 3, with Komaru somewhat unsuccessfully trying to get Toko used to bathing which she fears. They have a mission to defeat Monaca, but it ends in Monaca's surrender and Komaru saving the two of them from falling. Many months later, they are seen building the new Hope's Peak Academy building along with everyone, and Toko gives a very genuine happy smile when Komaru offers her a drink after the hard work.

Komaru is mentioned by Toko in Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony's bonus mode Ultimate Talent Development Plan, when she has to pick her "best friend" for scavenger hunt during Summer's sport festival, and she laments that she can't pick someone who's not there. She then decides to pick Makoto, because their "surnames match", indicating that Komaru is her best friend in this alternative universe as well and that they just obviously don't go to the same school. However, this is translated incorrectly in the official English version, with Toko inaccurately stating she has no best friend and with no mention of the matching surnames.


 * Towa City Residents:

Shirokuma
Komaru first finds Shirokuma after saving him from other Monokuma Units. Shirokuma seems to like Komaru and even sacrifices himself in order to help Komaru get into the Warriors of Hope's Secret Base.

Komaru seems to like Shirokuma because of his kindness and how he wants to help her and Toko. She also tries to protect Shirokuma from the Monokuma Units when ever he is in danger.

This is all implied to be part of the plan to create a "successor" to Junko Enoshima - when Komaru appears to have rejected her "destiny", Shirokuma takes control of the Big Bang Monokuma to attack her.

Hiroko Hagakure
Hiroko and Komaru appear to be friends to some extent, as Hiroko calls Komaru "Koko" ("Komaruchi" in the Japanese version). Hiroko calls Komaru by her first name meaning she is very playful with her.

Haiji Towa
Komaru has some trust in Haiji, because they have the same goal of defeating the rioting children. She respectfully refers to him as "mister Haiji".

In general, Haiji likes Komaru much more than Toko, because she is slightly younger and nicer in personality. However, he states that he isn't into her "particularly", probably because she is getting a bit too old for his taste. Due to her naivety, Komaru doesn't seem that bothered and thinks it's nice that Haiji is honest about himself, which makes Toko very paranoid of her safety in his company.

After Komaru's grand speech and help with finding the Big Bang Monokuma, Haiji believes she is the adults' hope, causing him to put lots of pressure on her. He turns increasingly more aggressive towards her when she refuses to kill the brainwashed children, at the end even appearing willing to force her.

Yuta Asahina
Yuta and Komaru first meet on the Towa City Bridge. She appeared happy that Yuta survived, after the bridge is destroyed, and took great joy in watching Yuta swim, cheering him on. She was shocked when Yuta exploded and is shown to be traumatized slightly by this event.


 * Warriors of Hope:

Throughout her whole journey, Komaru comes across the Warriors of Hope. Komaru appears to distrust them, even fear them. Monaca calls her "Big Sis" though Komaru appears to be afraid of her the most. Komaru eventually sees them as her enemies.

Still, after each execution Komaru shows complete shock and is horrified by how the Warriors were treated and how they are executed. Also, Komaru seems to have a very slight friendship with Kotoko after she is saved. By the end of the game, Monaca is the only Warrior of Hope that Komaru definitely seems to view as her enemy.

Some time after these events, Komaru has become friends with all the former members of Warriors of Hope, and all team up together to defeat Monaca. Although Komaru dislikes Monaca, it seems she still has a soft spot for her and believes she was just a misguided girl.


 * Hope's Peak Academy Staff:

Aoi Asahina
Komaru likes Aoi, seeming to have become friends with her while rebuilding Hope's Peak Academy. She is seen handing Aoi a water bottle, smiling, at one point as well. It's very likely that Komaru knew of Aoi's relation to Yuta, although it's unknown if Komaru informed Aoi of her friendship with her brother.

Quotes

 * -|DRAE=


 * -|DR3=

Trivia

 * Komaru is often called "Omaru" by Toko and "Dekomaru" by Genocide Jack. In the official English version, Hiroko nicknamed her "Koko".
 * Her first name (as 困る) is Japanese for "to be troubled or worried".
 * Komaru's name is written in hiragana, but can also be written in kanji as 小丸, meaning "little and perfect". The character 丸 is also the second kanji in the word 弾丸 dangan, which means "bullet". Thus, it could be that Komaru's name is meant to imply at her relation to Makoto, who is the first character in the series to utilize "Truth Bullets".
 * Her last name (苗木) means “seedlings.”
 * Komaru's dream is to become a manga artist.
 * One of her favorite manga is The Bomb Inside Her.
 * Komaru's favorite idol is Sayaka Maizono. She calls herself a 'Sayaker' which she explains is a term used by and for Sayaka's fans. Komaru states that she tends to buy CDs and merchandise with her monthly allowance.
 * Komaru seems to be unafraid of the dark, though she says that she doesn't like it.
 * Although Komaru is almost completely normal to what Toko explains as being "at a frightening degree", she does have some unusual traits.
 * She appears to have an ability to sense and talk with ghosts.
 * She has strange tastes in food; her favorite foods are sparrow's nests, tuna eyeballs, and kangaroos.
 * She admits that she enjoys talking into electrical fans and that she is sorta bad at math, while her Hit List entry is examined.
 * In Chapter 1, Komaru accidentally stated that she can't ride a bicycle.
 * In Chapter 4, she somehow rode a motorcycle carrying Toko Fukawa and Haiji Towa, despite not being able to ride a bicycle.
 * Komaru's "reprimanding" sprite from Danganronpa Another Episode is very similar to that of Mahiru Koizumi from Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair.
 * Komaru and her brother Makoto (voiced by Aya Uchida and Megumi Ogata) perform the ending theme of Danganronpa Another Episode, Progressive -Zan Shin-, together.
 * Komaru appears as a guest character in Chain Chronicle: Brave New Continent. Her Max ATK is 8650 while her Max HP is 5670. Her weapon is the Megaphone Hacking Gun and its ability is doubled attack power. Her deathblow is "PARALYZE", which slows down and damages enemies on the range.
 * A pun on Chibi Maruko-chan is made in Danganronpa 3 - Future Arc, in one of Toko's fantasies about Byakuya, with Komaru appearing designed just like the show's protagonist and even called: "Chibi Komaru-chan".
 * Komaru appears in Mystery Chronicle: One Way Heroics as the Ultimate Student class, being one of three designs available for it alongside Makoto and Monokuma.
 * The profile for the Ultimate Students states, You are the Ult. student. You may be the best, but you're just a student...You're not very good at close range combat. Master the various Truth Bullet (TB) skills and survive in this harsh world.

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