Application - Empatheias

[luckyhood]

⌈ PLAYER SECTION ⌉
Player: Yamadori
Contact: Yamadori
Age: 23
Current Characters: N/A


⌈ CHARACTER SECTION ⌉
Character: Makoto Naegi
Age: Not stated in canon. Due to memory loss, he thinks he's 15-16 but is actually 17-18
Canon: Dangan Ronpa
Canon Point: Epilogue, specifically when the door is opened

Background: Here!

Personality: Naegi Makoto, in spite of his luck that can get him into bizarre situations, considers himself a very average person. He has a very normal family life with his parents and little sister, Komaru, and doesn’t have any extraordinary hobbies outside of watching TV or playing video games. Because Naegi views himself as “ordinary”, it sometimes makes him intimidated or feel inferior when surrounded by his extremely talented classmates of Hope’s Peak Academy. Despite this insecurity and feeling like he is unable to do anything compared to the others, Naegi is able to continue having a bright outlook about these feelings. His positivity that is prevalent in most situations he is in allows Naegi to be content in his normalness. This strength in his character lends Naegi the ability to not be dragged down by any depressed thoughts over being “too average”. In spite of it bothering him, as he tells Fujisaki, Naegi is able to accept that part of himself and live with who he is.

While it’s true that Naegi is unfailingly optimistic in nearly everything he does, he doesn’t have a good self-image of himself at all. He has always viewed himself as being “too normal”, but this becomes exacerbated upon his acceptance into Hope’s Peak. Even when others praise or compliment him, Naegi modestly refutes the good things they have to say about him either vocally or in his own thoughts. For instance, Maizono is excited when talking about the kind deed Naegi had done in the past, but Naegi himself internally makes it out to not be a big deal and that he had probably been too forceful in any case. Whether he is voicing things out or mentally contemplating them, Naegi has a tendency to put himself down. Even though he and his friends are trapped in the mutual killing game, a very despair-filled situation, Naegi still continues to view his optimism as his “one and only saving grace”; never once does he consider that staying positive in such a situation is a difficult feat to manage.

A kind and polite boy, Naegi is always courteous to everyone he meets. While he doesn’t usually use strictly formal language, he has a tendency to not use rude versions of Japanese words. It’s a given due to his status as the protagonist of the story, but his genuineness and sweet disposition is likely the reason that Naegi is able to form bonds with all of his classmates at Hope’s Peak. The caring nature seen here is best exemplified in the story that Maizono Sayaka talks about from their shared middle school days; in their junior high Maizono witnessed Naegi doing everything he could to free a crane that had been drawn to the school’s pool. The gentleness she had seen back then was what drew Maizono to him in the future. It is due to this nice and considerate nature that Naegi almost always tries to help out his classmates to the best of his abilities. However, between his compassion and naivety, he is often taken advantage of by the other members of the 78th class. This can vary from being made to carry out investigations on his own to being placed into compromising or even dangerous situations that his classmates don’t want to handle. In spite of this treatment, Naegi does not let this affect his friendship with the other students; he values his relationship with his friends too much to think ill of them, even though it often makes him vulnerable to being used by them time and time again.

Probably the biggest contribution to Naegi being the scapegoat of his classmates is the fact that he can be extremely naïve and gullible. It’s not always a bad thing, as it leads to him placing a great deal of trust in the people around him, but it can just as easily hurt him. He is keen enough to not usually be lead astray during Class Trials, but not enough so that he isn’t easily tricked and flustered by Kirigiri Kyouko. Although she never means him any harm by it, he is still quick to believe whatever she might say – and subsequently become embarrassed by her prompt teasing. In a more serious note, Naegi always believes the best about his classmates, never being able to immediately assume the worst about them. He will believe in them and work together with them, but it is difficult for him to handle that they are capable of hurting one another. One example of this is in the second Class Trial, when Naegi doesn’t want to believe that Oowada is capable of having been the one who killed Fujisaki. Although Kirigiri and Togami decipher the case fairly quickly, Naegi takes longer to come around because his trust in Oowada clouds his judgment of who the killer is up until the end. He doesn’t want to admit who could’ve killed Fujisaki, but knows that he has the evidence to prove it. Naegi denies what he knows to be true for the sake of believing in Oowada, hoping that he will be proved wrong until Oowada himself confesses to having been the killer. The blind trust he displays here later on puts his life in danger, when Kirigiri is framed for the murder of Ikusaba Mukuro. There is a point that Naegi knows for sure that Kirigiri is lying about having access to certain rooms, but in spite of it putting him in danger, Naegi conceals and glosses over her lie, trusting implicitly in Kirigiri. Because of how much he cares for them, Naegi always wants to believe in his friends against all odds being stacked against them.

Despite the softness that allows his fellow classmates to use him for their own ends, Naegi will stand up for himself or others if something goes against his sense of justice. Naegi has a clearly defined sense of right and wrong, and is not afraid to voice his opposition to something if he thinks it goes against this moral code. It can even drive him to anger, which is exemplified best when Monokuma taunts Naegi during the class trial for Maizono’s death. This is the one of the the only times that Naegi is driven to violent action, and doesn’t carry through with it due to Kirigiri stopping him. While it does drive him into a rage at first, the more positive aspect to the conclusion of that trial is how Naegi decides to carry the memories of Kuwata and Maizono with him, even though it will be the more painful path. Kirigiri warns him that he is making the more difficult choice, but it is that sense of justice won’t let him simply forget about the friends who have been killed. It is also seen time and again during class trials and investigations; even if Naegi himself doesn’t have the heart for doing what must be done, he will still persevere and do what’s necessary to reveal the truth. Naegi’s inner strength lends him the ability to fight to do the right thing, and makes up a key part of who he is.

But the overarching aspect of Naegi’s personality is, of course, his hope. Even Naegi himself will admit that his greatest redeeming quality is his unshakable optimism. He does not truly become Ultimate Hope (or “Super High School Level Hope”, in the Japanese translation) until the end of the story, but even quite early on it is easy to see how this is his defining characteristic. Though there are bouts of sadness or depression that burden him as his classmates are killed one by one, Naegi continues to bounce back and keep his head up in every situation. He doesn’t see any value in dwelling on negative things, thinking of it as losing precious time, and if necessary Naegi will give himself small pep talks to pull himself out of a saddened state. Even as Monokuma is merciless in his taunts, particularly after class trials, Naegi faces it all head-on with determination to defeat the mastermind and leave Hope’s Peak with his friends. His hope shines the brightest towards the end of the final Class Trial – when Enoshima Junko attempts to make the others fall into despair, Naegi is there to fill them with hope. As his classmates are on the verge of giving up, Naegi encourages each of them to not give up and instills in them the strength to endure Enoshima and the desire to leave the school they’ve been trapped in. Ultimately, it is Naegi’s hope that allows the others to break free of Enoshima’s despairing words and resolve to leave no matter what state the outside world might be in.


Abilities: Naegi is a boy that is considered ordinary and average in nearly every way - except for his unusual luck, which can either be very good or very bad. Aside from this, during his time at Hope's Peak Academy, he has developed quite a knack for investigation and problem solving.

Alignment: Peromei. While Naegi is initially scouted for his talent of Luck, by the end of the mutual killing game it is apparent that his true skill is Hope. Even in the face of despairing situations, Naegi keeps himself and his friends moving forward. Because of the strength of his hope, even when faced with situations that are scary or depressing, Naegi stays optimistic and never gives up.

Other:


⌈ SAMPLE SECTION ⌉
Sample: Link to Test Drive

Questions: