Warning: The following list contains spoilers for Danganronpa's main trilogy.
It's been a while since the students of Hope's Peak Academy were locked inside their school and instructed by an unhinged robo-bear to kill each other for the chance at escape. Four years, to be exact since the third installment of the series was released for American audiences.
Trigger Happy Havoc, Goodbye Despair, and Killing Harmony are the three main games in the Danganronpa storyline. Some players would love to see an expansion of this trilogy, and some feel as if enough pink blood has been spilled for one lifetime at Hope's Peak Academy. Whether fans are for or against the continuation of this series, the question still remains: Is Danganronpa 4 going to happen or isn't it?
There Has Been No Official Announcement
Despite the clickbait articles and fan speculations, Spike Chunsoft -- the company that currently owns the Danganronpa franchise -- has yet to release an official statement about whether or not players should be on the lookout for a fourth installment. That being said, the company also hasn't stated that the idea is entirely out of the question either, leaving players in a Schrodinger's Cat conundrum: The game is both likely and unlikely to happen until Spike Chunsoft seals its fate.
Merchandise And Platform Expansions Are On The Rise
Spike Chunsoft is continuing to engage with the Danganronpa fandom by providing new merchandise and platform announcements. On May 26th, the Spike Chunsoft official Twitter account posted a sneak peek of the Danganronpa Pop Up Parade figurines. The characters featured were fan-favorites such as Junko Endoshima, Kyoko Kirigiri, Chiaki Nanami, and Nagito Komaeda. Players can also now download the anniversary editions of Danganronpa 1 and 2 to their mobile devices. What could these announcements and updates possibly mean for a potential Danganronpa 4 release? Perhaps nothing. But the different ways Spike Chunsoft continues to keep Danganronpa fans engaged in the Hope's Peak Academy universe almost seems like they're asking old and new fans alike to stick around for something more?
The Anniversary Edition of Danganronpa v3 Is Experiencing Delays
Although there are already mobile versions of Danganronpa 1 and 2 for their anniversary editions, Danganronpa v3: Killing Harmony's Anniversary Edition has been delayed until further notice. The game was supposed to release on its new mobile platform on May 26th. However, on May 24th, the Spike Chunsoft official Twitter account posted an apology to its Danganronpa fans.
Apparently, there was an issue found within the mobile rendering of Killing Harmony, meaning they'd have to push back the release date to a later time. Since then, there have been no updates about when Killing Harmony will be ready for its new mobile release. Players probably won't hear anything about a hypothetical fourth installment from the company until after the anniversary edition of the third installment has been fixed.
A Similar Game Was Released Last Month
Kazutoka Kodaka (lead creator of the Danganronpa series) teamed up with Kotaro Uchikoshi (lead creator of the Zero Escape series) to create a new game that released in Japan last September, and in the US this May. World's End Club locks players in an underwater theme park and orders them to compete in "A Game of Fate." The game has been receiving an all-around positive response from players -- but whether or not Kodaka decides to focus more on this new storyline rather than expand the Danganronpa series further is yet to be determined.
Spike Chunsoft May Be Focusing More On A New RPG Releasing in 2022
Spike Chunsoft has started to promote their game under development, Made in the Abyss: Binary Star Falling Into Darkness. This new 3D RPG is predicted to drop sometime in 2022 and will release on PS4, Steam, and Nintendo Switch. As explained on the Spike Chunsoft website, this new RPG is based on Akihito Tsukushi's dark fantasy manga and anime, Made in Abyss. If the game proves successful, and World's End Club continues to gain players' intrigue, perhaps the focus will begin to shift more on promoting these storylines rather than keeping focus on the Danganronpa series.
The Ending of Danganronpa v3 Felt Like A Mic-Drop
Kodaka wrote the ending of Danganonpa v3 with the intention of it being the finale of the series. At the conclusion of Danganronpa v3, players learned the game they'd just played wasn't actually the third installment of the Killing Games -- rather, it was the 53rd installment. (Hence, the "v" in from of the "3" in the title, representing the roman numeral, 50).
Not only that, but the game further blew players' minds by breaking the fourth wall; the Hope's Peak survivors beg the actual player to choose "Hope" and make the decision to destroy the academy once and for all so that the Killing Game cycle can finally come to an end. It would be difficult for Kodaka to build upon this "mic-drop" conclusion with a fourth (or rather 54th) installment.
Spin-Off Games Could Still Be A Solid Option For The Franchise
Even if the Danganronpa creators decide v3 is a satisfying way to wrap up the main storyline, it doesn't mean Kodaka and his team won't create spin-offs like they've done in the past. Aside from the main trilogy, Danganronpa also has an action-adventure installment, Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls, which takes place between the first and second game. Any characters from the main storyline could have spin-off series of their own (much like Toko Fukawa gets in the Ultra Despair Girls installment), that could illustrate their lives before and/or after Hope's Peak. Plus, Danganronpa has separate anime plotlines too (such as Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak -- Future Arc, Despair Arc, and Hope Arc) that creators could develop a video game series around it if desired.
The Danganronpa Plotline Could Grow Stale
Much like a television series with too many seasons, Danganronpa runs the potential of overstaying its welcome with too many installments. A video game like Danganronpa relies heavily on the mysterious storyline to move the visual novel along. Though the writers and developers work to balance the right amount of suspense and intrigue for each game, players already know the main gist of the script: The students lose their memories, the world outside Hope's Peak is a dystopian nightmare, and there's a mastermind behind it all (who's most likely being puppet-ed by the late Junko Endoshima). Killing Harmony was still able to create a jaw-dropping twist to satisfy fans, but how many fourth wall-breaking twists can players stomach before the trick gets old?
There Is Still A Demand For Danganronpa's Hypothetical Fourth Installment
Despite the possibility of this series growing hackneyed, Danganronpa fans are still yearning for more. Danganronpa video game cosplayers can be spotted all over social media platforms, while popular Let's Players -- such as the Game Grumps -- are picking up the series for the first time and creating a whole new layer of the Danganronpa fanbase. This trilogy is one of Spike Chunsoft's most popular franchises, and it'd be understandable for them to want to develop future Killing Games, simply to keep the series fresh during its new wave of popularity.
Junko Enoshima Needs To Be Stopped Once And For All
Junko Enoshima, Ultimate Despair, and creator of the Killing Games has already died several times over. She was killed by the hand of her own punishment in game one. Her programmed self was destroyed in game two. And her cosplaying double was crushed in game three. Perhaps it's time to stop giving Junko the despair she craves and allow the few survivors of Hope's Peak Academy to live out the remainder of their lives, rebuilding what her Remnants of Despair army destroyed.