Shuichi Saihara
| Character | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Kanji:最原 終一 Katakana: サイハ シュウイチ Hiragana: さいはらしゅういち Romaji: Saihara Shūichi Latin Alphabet: Shuichi Saihara |
| Occupation: | High School Student |
| Relationships: | Kokichi Ouma (rival; deceased) Kaede Akamatsu (partner; deceased) Maki Harukawa and Kaito Momota (friends; only Momota is deceased) |
| Fandom: | Dangan Ronpa |
| Other: | Talent: 超高校級の「探偵」lit. Super High School Level Detective Official English Translation: The Ultimate Detective |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
This article is a stub. Please help us out by adding more content. |
Shuichi Saihara is a student from Dangan Ronpa. He is a prominent character within the series and popular with fans. Saihara debuted in the third game of the main-line series, Dangan Ronpa V3: Killing Harmony, and survived the killing game. He replaced Kaede Akamatsu as Killing Harmony's protagonist after her execution by Monokuma during Chapter 1.
Canon Overview
Pre-Game Personality
Saihara was an average teenage boy and a fan of Dangan Ronpa, the in-game fictional reality TV show. He auditioned for the show's 53rd season, (stylized as V3,) and got on it. In fanworks, this is considered to be his 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 his character is true.
Dangan Ronpa Personality
Saihara is first introduced as Akamatsu's partner. After becoming protagonist, his character arc focuses on the process of him getting stronger and coming to terms with what he must do as a detective, as well as his continued grief for Akamatsu and the other classmates he is forced to condemn. Ultimately, he is successful in defying The Mastermind and ending the killing game, escaping the academy as one of Killing Harmony's three survivors.
Popular Tropes & Fanon
- Bisexual!Saihara Shuichi
TBA
Subjects of Fannish Interest & Meta
This article or section needs expansion. |
Fan Opinion
Fan opinions on Saihara as the game's protagonist, and specifically his replacement of Akamatsu in this role, are mixed. Some fans feel that Saihara is a complex, relatable character whose growth is a breath of fresh air compared to more common tropes of optimistic, happy go lucky main characters. Others preferred Akamatsu and were looking forward to a female protagonist or simply enjoyed her personality more. Further, the fact that the protagonist swap is intended as a surprise twist left some feeling resentful, and hate toward Shuichi as a result can occur. Despite this, he's popular among most fans overall, ranking 2nd within V3 and 7th in the series overall in one 2021 Japanese poll.[1]
Pre-Game Personality Headcanons
His possible personality before the game is often explored in fanworks, with one common interpretation being of pre-game Shuichi as an obsessed fan of Dangan Ronpa, (and especially Kyoko Kirigiri,) who may have yandere tendencies. This fanon interpretation is itself controversial, with some enjoying the idea of him with such a different personality from canon, and others criticizing it as toxic.
Relationships
- Saihara's most popular pairing is with Kokichi Ouma, which is M/M, aka Boys' Love. In Japanese, this is most often called 最王, meaning Saihara attacks and Ouma receives in the coupling. This is the second-most popular pairing in the entirety of Dangan Ronpa fandom. The ship is similar to the other popular Dangan Ronpa protagonist/rival pairings: Naegi x Togami from Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc and Hinata x Komaeda from Dangan Ronpa 2: Goodbye Despair.
- See Ouma x Saihara for more.
- Saihara is also shipped with Kaede Akamatsu, 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. The ship is similar to the other popular Dangan Ronpa protagonist/partner pairings: Kirigiri x Naegi from Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc and Hinata x Nanami from Dangan Ronpa 2: Goodbye Despair.
- See Akamatsu x Saihara for more.
- The Training Trio, a gen (combi in Japanese) relationship between him, Maki Harukawa, and Kaito Momota, is also popular. In Japanese, this trio is called [x].
- Saihara's biggest polyship is Momota x Ouma x Saihara, which makes sense given how all possible combinations of these three are popular in their own right in terms of shipping. This ship is labelled various things by both Japanese-speaking and English-speaking DR fandom.
Less Popular Relationships
This is purposefully an incomplete list, as Saihara is shipped with much of Dangan Ronpa's cast.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| n/a | n/a | n/a | 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. |
[fanworks of all kinds, ask blogs, online communities, archives]
TBA
References/Further Reading
- ^ Dengeki have released the results of their Danganronpa 10th Anniversary character popularity poll. After 5,000 votes..., Archived version. Twitter thread by @danganropnawiki posted 20 November 2021. Accessed 23 September 2022.