Kaede Akamatsu
| Character | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Kanji: 赤松 楓 Katakana: アカマツ カエデ Hiragana: あかまつかえで Romaji: Akamatsu Kaede Latin Alphabet: Kaede Akamatsu |
| Occupation: | High School Student |
| Relationships: | Shuichi Saihara (partner; alive) Miu Iruma (ally; deceased) |
| Fandom: | Dangan Ronpa |
| Other: | Talent: 超高校級の「ピアニスト」lit. Super High School Level Pianist Official English Translation: The Ultimate Pianist JPN Voice Actor: Sayaka Kanda |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Kaede Akamatsu is a student from Dangan Ronpa. She was a prominent character within the series and popular with fans. Akamatsu debuted in Dangan Ronpa V3: Killing Harmony, though did not survive The Mastermind's Killing Game. She was considered to be Dangan Ronpa's fourth protagonist, after Makoto Naegi, Hajime Hinata and Komaru Naegi.
Canon Overview
Pre-Game Personality
Akamatsu was an average teenage girl and a fan of Dangan Ronpa, the in-game fictional reality TV show. She auditioned for the show's 53rd season, (stylized as V3,) and got on it. In fanworks, this is considered to be her Pre-Game Personality. Like with every other Killing Harmony student, all of this info is filtered by Tsumugi Shirogane, and fans may not believe this part of her character is true.
Dangan Ronpa Personality
As a child, she loved playing piano, so much so that her friends often teased her about it. Her skills in playing earned her many awards and recognition. Eventually, she was one day scouted to enroll in the Ultimate Academy for Gifted Juveniles. In Japanese, she is a Super High School Level Pianist. In English, she is the Ultimate Pianist.
She is an outgoing and positive person who's skilled in "orchestrating," or rather, bringing others together under one common goal. In Killing Harmony, she dedicates herself to ending the Killing Game, but isn't successful.
During Chapter 1, Akamatsu was framed by Tsumugi Shirogane for the murder of Rantaro Amami, leading to her execution by Monokuma. After Chapter 1, her status as protagonist was replaced by Shuichi Saihara.
Akamatsu's birthday is March 26th. This is Beethoven's Day in Japan, which falls on the anniversary of his death, something which may be referenced in fanworks. On Twitter and Pixiv, art tagged with #赤松楓生誕祭[year value] are commonly released on her birthday. More birthday tag listings can be found on Dangan Ronpa Birthday and Anniversary Tag List.
Popular Tropes & Fanon
In order of how common they are:
- Pre-Game Akamatsu Kaede
- Supportive Akamatsu Kaede
- Lesbian!Akamatsu Kaede
- Akamatsu Kaede Lives
- Bisexual!Akamatsu Kaede
- Protagonist!Akamatsu Kaede
- Akamatsu Kaede-centric
- Top!Akamatsu Kaede
- Trans!Akamatsu Kaede
- Autistic!Akamatsu Kaede
- Dead!Akamatsu Kaede
- Princess!Akamatsu Kaede
- Pianist!Akamatsu Kaede
- Mastermind!Akamatsu Kaede
All of the above are wrangled tags on Archive of Our Own. On Pixiv, there are also some tags specific to Akamatsu:
- Akamatsu Mistreatment, 「赤松は不憫」, referring to fans' reactions to the mismanagement of Akamatsu not being Killing Harmony's proper protagonist by Spike Chunsoft and other fans. Discussion of this may bring up how advertising her as the proper protagonist, only to not deliver, is an example Misogyny in Fandom, or at least tone-deaf to it.
- "I'll turn this lie, into the truth!", 「この嘘を真実に!」, referring to her catchphrase during class trials. This one is unique to Akamatsu.
Other places where fandom lives may portray Akamatsu with one or all of these attributes.
Akamatsu also popular for self-shipping works.
Subjects of Fannish Interest & Meta
This article or section needs expansion. |
Queercoding
Some fans believe she is queercoded.
[Name of Subject #]
TBA
Relationships
- Akamatsu's most popular pairing is with Shuichi Saihara, which is F/M, aka NL. In Japanese, this is called [x], meaning Saihara attacks and Akamatsu receives in the coupling. It is the most popular F/M relationship in all of Killing Harmony fandom.
- See Akamatsu x Saihara for more.
- Akamatsu is also shipped with Miu Iruma, which is F/F, aka Girls' Love. In Japanese, this is most often called [x].
- See Akamatsu x Iruma for more.
Less Popular Relationships
This is purposefully an incomplete list, as Akamatsu is shipped with much of Dangan Ronpa's cast. In Kanji, Akamatsu is usually represented in a pairing names with 赤 (aka) or 楓 (kae). For Katakana, it's usually [x] ([x]). In Hiragana, あか (kae) is common.
The order seen should be what's most popular unless marked with "possibly." ENG portmanteaus are also subject to change. Relationships listed fall into GL, NL, BL, Poly, Combi or Cargo.
| With... | Full Label | Type | Portmanteau / Phrase | Kanji | Hiragana or Katakana | Information |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rantaro Amami | Akamatsu x Amami | NL | Amamatsu | 蘭楓 (Rankae), 天赤 (Tenaka) | らんかえ (Rankae), てんあか (Tenaka) | n/a |
| Maki Harukawa | Akamatsu x Harukawa | GL | Harumatsu, aka Nursery Rhymes | 赤春 (Akaharu) | あかはる (Akaharu) | n/a |
| Kiibo | Akamatsu x Kiibo | NL | Kiiede | キボ赤 (Kiiboaka) | きぼあか (Kiiboaka) | n/a |
| Kaito Momota | Akamatsu x Momota | NL | Akamota | 百赤 (Momoaka) | ももあか (Momoaka) | n/a |
| Kokichi Ouma; Rantaro Amami | Akamatsu & Amami & Ouma | Combi | Mastermind Busters | 首謀者バスターズ (Mastermind Busters) | しゅぼうしゃばすたーず (Mastermind Busters) | Romantic poly is also common between these three in English-speaking DR fandom. |
| Tsumugi Shirogane | Akamatsu x Shirogane | GL | Kaemugi | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Kokichi Ouma | Akamatsu x Ouma | NL | Oumatsu | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Kirumi Tojo | Akamatsu x Tojo | GL | Kirukaede | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Tenko Chabashira | Akamatsu x Chabashira | GL | Tenkaede | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Mondo Oowada | Akamatsu x Oowada | NL | Owatsu | n/a | n/a | Rarepair spurred by their friendship in Danganronpa S: Ultimate Summer Camp. |
| Chiaki Nanami; Kyoko Kirigiri | Dangan Ronpa Heroines | Combi | Kirinamimatsu | n/a | n/a | These three are considered to be Dangan Ronpa's heroines. Some fanworks with this premise may add Sayaka Maizono into the mix. |
| Ibuki Mioda; Sayaka Maizono | Musical Trio | Combi | Kaeibuzono | n/a | n/a | All three have music-related talents, though with different asperations and styles regarding the music industry. They are frequently drawn together in fanart. While polyshipping isn't unheard of, it's rare for these three. |
| Angie Yonaga | Akamatsu x Yonaga | GL | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Ryoma Hoshi | Akamatsu x Yonaga | NL | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Himiko Yumeno | Akamatsu x Yumeno | GL | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
Example/Notable Fanac
| Examples Wanted: Editors are encouraged to add more examples or a wider variety of examples. |
Fan Events/Fan Communities
- Amamatsu Week 2023 on Tumblr, a fanweek for Akamatsu x Amami. It ran from April 2nd to the 8th.
- Kaemaki Week on Tumblr, a fanweek for Akamatsu x Harukawa. It first ran from August 12th to the 19th, then from July 8th to the 14th. It has been held by two mods, independent of each other, from 2018 to 2023.
- Akamota Week on Tumblr, a fanweek for Akamatsu x Momota. It ran from September 18th to the 24th.
- Kaemugi Week 2019 on Tumblr, a fanweek for Akamatsu x Shirogane. It ran from June 17th to the 23rd.
- Kaemugi Week 2023 on Tumblr, a fanweek for Akamatsu x Shirogane. It ran from August 9th to the 15th.
- Oumatsu Week 2023 on Instagram [Dead link], a fanweek for Akamatsu x Ouma. It ran from March 20th to the 26th. The prompt list for this week appears to be lost.
- Tenkaede Week 2018 on Tumblr, a fanweek for Akamatsu x Chabashira. It ran from September 1st to the 7th.
- Tenkaede Week 2021 on Tumblr, a fanweek for Akamatsu x Chabashira. It ran from September 1st to the 7th. It's unknown if this is a coincidence or not with the other Tenkaede week.
Blogs
- kaemaki-s, a sort of Fuckyeah blog for Akamatsu x Harukawa.
- lyingharmony, an askblog for Akamatsu x Ouma.
- oumaede, a sort of Fuckyeah blog for Akamatsu x Ouma.
- tenkaede0001, a sort of Fuckyeah blog for Akamatsu x Chabashira
Zines
- Unfinished Symphony: A Kaede Akamatsu Fanzine, a zine celebrating Akamatsu. It is still in the works as of 2023, and release is planned for 2024.