... I've been thinking what Sakura would say at a time like this... “Real strength only reveals itself when one is faced with great turmoil! Therefore, I shall always tread a thorny path!!
Aoi enrolled in Hope's Peak Academy's Class 78th as the Ultimate Swimming Pro (超高校級の「スイマー」chō kōkō kyū no “suimā.” lit. Super High School Level Swimmer) She was a young sportswoman who was active in five different sports clubs. Due to her ability, Aoi was chosen as a representative at the Olympics.
When Sakura Ogami committed suicide in Chapter 4, she attempted to make everyone vote for her as the culprit after being tricked into thinking that Sakura killed herself out of despair.
Aoi survives the final trial and escapes Hope's Peak Academy with the other survivors.
Aoi reappears in Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak High School as a member of Future Foundation's 13th Division. She wasn't originally going to attend, but had to stand in for her division head. The reason she's the only one in a different division is because she's a sporty type her senior could rely on. Because her senior couldn't make it, it was decided that Aoi would go in their place.[4]
Aoi is around 19 years old in the first game, though she believed herself to be 17 because of the memory loss. By the end of Danganronpa 3, she is a few years older and in her early twenties, around 21 at least.[5]
She has tanned skin, blue eyes, and a rather curvaceous body that is usually the subject of Toko Fukawa/Genocide Jack's harassment. She wears her brown hair in a ponytail, which becomes spikier when she gets upset and droops when she's sad.
During the daily life, Aoi wears athletic shorts and a red track suit jacket over a white shirt. In one of her official artworks, she wears a blue bathing suit with a white box logo on the front with some Japanese characters that spell her last name and a single white stripe on the right side of her bust.
As a member of the Future Foundation, Aoi wears a modified version of the standard female business suit, featuring a different tie and shorts instead of a skirt. Under her suit jacket and dress shirt, she wears a white tank top similar to the one she wore back in Hope's Peak Academy. Her ponytail is set further down on her head and seems slightly longer than before.
Aoi is a friendly girl to the other classmates during the Killing School Life, being the first person to offer to introduce themselves to Makoto Naegi. She quickly forms a good friendship with Sakura, and tries to get Toko and Chihiro Fujisaki involved in their activities, even if they don't want to be involved.
She can be quite air-headed, such as trying to write down Makoto's name on her hand despite lacking a pen. Although not unintelligent by any means, she has a tendency to jump to conclusions and take things at face value, which leaves her vulnerable to misdirection in Class Trials. For instance, Aoi easily fell for Celestia Ludenberg's trap, tricking her into believing Yasuhiro Hagakure killed Kiyotaka Ishimaru and Hifumi Yamada.
Prone to getting emotional, Aoi has a strong sense of belief in her friends, giving her a powerful desire to protect them. This is especially seen especially regarding the issue of death; she cried over the death of Hifumi while holding his head in her chest, and had difficulty accepting Kyoko Kirigiri's supposed death in Danganronpa 3. She can be quite temperamental at times, such as being disgusted when Celeste revealed her motive for killing Kiyotaka and Hifumi. In Chapter 4, she tried to have everyone killed, including herself, after the death of Sakura, after being tricked by the Mastermind into believing she killed herself in a fit of despair; due to the note she read, she believed everyone, including herself, to be responsible for the Ultimate Martial Artist's death.
Despite being an athlete, she also really enjoys sweet foods, such as obsessing over donuts and monopolizing the sweet jar in Chapter 4. She is often hungry and at one time threatened to hit Makoto when hungry in one of her Free Time events. However, she is worried about her weight and about getting fat.
She often quotes famous sports people and their inspirational quotes before Free Time Events. Her final Free Time sequence reveals Aoi's insecurity about not being feminine enough due to her being an athlete. She is also secretly a fan of Jason Statham.
In Danganronpa 3, Aoi is the mood-maker. She has grown into a reliable young woman, though she still gets a little wrapped up in her wrong impressions.[4] While still a bit air-headed, she has also retained her positive outlook. She is seen very willing to take action to help her friends, like carrying Makoto and trying to fight threats. She is also very affectionate towards her friends, as she is seen hugging Kyoko.
Talent and Abilities
Ultimate Swimming Pro
Aoi sees herself as to having to keep moving in order to survive, showing her impatience with inactivity. This goes to the extent of joining six sports teams, with her primary and favorite sport being swimming. She is quite competitive, preferring competition to winning in sports, and is aiming for the Gold Medal in the Olympics. Her younger brother Yuta, a very powerful athlete himself, admits that Aoi is a better swimmer than him.
In other languages
Aoi's talent as it appears in official translations of Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc.
While she is not as strong as more experienced fighters, Aoi is perfectly capable of holding her own in a fight. This was shown when she and Juzo Sakakura engaged in a fight with weapons; she managed to dodge most of his attacks, and even pinned his weapon to the ground.
Though it is worth noting that Juzo's fighting abilities were limited due to his NG code and he didn't possess much skill in weapon combat.
Physical Ability
Due to her athletic background, Aoi is much stronger than her petite frame suggests. She has been shown to run at top speed for extended periods of time while carrying Makoto around on her back, and she easily moved a large piece of furniture that Makoto and Ryota Mitarai couldn't even budge when working together.
Aoi is seen briefly in the episode, picking out some tools with Kyoko as the rest of the students of Class 78th continue barricading the old school building.
During the Tragedy
During the Tragedy, Jin Kirigiri, the Headmaster of the Academy, planned to seal the school building and let the students live forever inside the Academy in order to protect them from the destruction outside. His plan was agreed upon by the class, and they sealed the building together and lived peacefully inside it for a year without knowing that the Ultimate Despair members were already in their midst.
The true Ultimate Despair took away the 78th Class' school memories so they could participate in the school life of mutual killing.
When they reunited at the school entrance, none of the students recognized each other and they reintroduced themselves. Aoi quickly adapted to the others and started to befriend Sakura.
Prologue - Welcome to Despair
When Makoto goes to meet Aoi, she immediately forgets his name. After Makoto states it, she writes it three times on her hand but asks what characters are used to spell Makoto's last name. She then states she forgot how "Naegi" is spelt and promises to look it up later.
Chapter 1 - To Survive
Aoi is scared after she watched the DVD that Monokuma gives to the students, so she asks Sakura to stay at her room at one night. Aoi and Sakura played the key role of witness in the first trial, as they had seen Sayaka Maizono, the victim of the murder case, enter the kitchen while they were hanging out in the cafeteria. They helped Makoto deduce that Sayaka herself was the one who took the knife from the kitchen, not her killer.
Chapter 2 - Boy's Life of Despair
After Monokuma opened the shelters to the third floor, Aoi seemed pretty excited when she found out about the swimming pool. However, nobody wanted to accompany her to go swimming.
On the night after the conclusion of the second trial, a depressed Aoi wandered out of her room in search of donuts in the Cafeteria. However, she heard weird sounds coming from the changing room near the bath. When she approached one of the lockers in the room, she saw someone who looked similar to the recently deceased Chihiro. In fear, she screamed and returned to her room.
The next morning, Aoi was temporarily absent from the usual meeting under the excuse of not feeling well. When she went to the Cafeteria to eat donuts, the others just happened to return from their investigation. Concerned, they asked why she was absent during the morning meeting. To their surprise, Aoi said that she had seen Chihiro's 'spirit' wandering in the changing room. When they went to the aforementioned place to confirm Aoi's claim, they discovered that the ghost whom Aoi saw was Alter Ego, the Artificial Intelligence that was made by Chihiro.
After searching for some time, Aoi and the others finally found Taka and Hifumi's bodies in the art room. Devastated by the sudden death of her two friends, Aoi put Hifumi's head on her lap and cried for him. Surprisingly, Hifumi regained his consciousness with enough time to speak the last name (Yasuhiro) of the culprit. However, he died due to his severe wounds.
Chapter 4 - All●Star●Apologies
Following the conclusion of the third trial, Monokuma revealed Sakura's identity as the mole in their group. Shocked by the sudden turn of events, Aoi immediately came to Sakura's side to protect her from Byakuya Togami, Toko, and Yasuhiro's accusation. However, this would only serve to widen the gap between them.
As time went by, Aoi gradually became more emotional, even getting into a fight with Byakuya and Toko. When Sakura found out about this, she decided to make a plan to meet up with Byakuya, Toko, and Yasuhiro in the game room to clear things up. Aoi was against the plan, but Sakura insisted on it. Sakura also sent a letter to Aoi, which explained that she would commit suicide in order to cease the dispute between the students. Unfortunately for Sakura, Monokuma swapped the letter with a fake, intending to sow further chaos among the students by claiming that Sakura had taken her life out of despair.
Finding herself worried about Sakura's well-being, Aoi immediately went to the game room, only to find that Sakura was badly wounded on her head due to Yasuhiro's and Toko's assault. Even though she was not in a condition to speak, Sakura shrugged off Aoi's worry and requested Aoi to get protein powder from the laboratory to treat her wound. Unknown to Aoi, Sakura was planning to commit suicide that time.
Upon arriving at the laboratory and seeing spilled poison on the floor, Aoi finally realized what Sakura was attempting to do and immediately returned to the game room to check up on Sakura's condition. However, the door could not be opened because a chair prevented the door handle from moving. From the outside, Aoi could see Sakura sitting on the chair, lifeless.
After Kyoko and Makoto confirmed Sakura's death, Aoi was at a loss. Internally, she blamed the others, since she had found a letter from Sakura which claimed that she had committed suicide due to the hostility among the students. Filled with despair and fury borne of grief, Aoi immediately resolved to deliberately misdirect the investigation, hoping to get all of them executed by identifying the wrong person as the culprit.
In the trial, Aoi became very aggressive and quick to blame others as Sakura's murderer, alerting everyone that she knew something they didn't. When the truth about Sakura's suicide finally came out, she insisted that she was the one who killed Sakura. However, Makoto managed to solve the mysteries surrounding Sakura’s death and foiled Aoi's plan.
When the trial was over, Monokuma revealed that he had switched the suicide letter with the fake one. He then went on to read the contents of the true letter. Most of the students, especially Aoi, were surprised to find out that Sakura sacrificed herself for their sake. She briefly feared that the others would turn on her for nearly getting them all killed, but the students decided to reconcile and unite their strength in order to take down the Mastermind.
Chapter 5 - 100 Mile Dash; Pain of a Junk Food Junkie
As the true perpetrator was revealed to be Junko Enoshima, Aoi was one of the students who was shocked that the 'Junko Enoshima' they met was actually Junko's twin sister, Mukuro Ikusaba, and remained stunned over the state of the world. In particular, Aoi was crippled by the knowledge that her fellow students were longtime friends before having their memories removed; coupled with the knowledge that they were essentially killing each other over nothing, she was teetering on the verge of despair.
Aoi was motivated by Makoto's words that hope is still alive, causing her to recall Sakura's quote as if she was still alive: “Strength is only obtained through unshaken bravery”. Realizing that Sakura would want her to move on in memory of the fallen, she decided to believe in Makoto.
Along with the rest of her friends, Aoi witnessed Makoto - the newly-minted "Ultimate Hope" - managing to defeat Junko, leading to her executing herself in a special punishment. With Junko dead, the School Killing Life was finally over, and the survivors found an escape switch that would allow them to leave the academy.
Considering their torments are finally over, Aoi would begin to wonder if a donut shop would appear when she returned to the real world before she bade farewell to her fellow friends. She became one of the six survivors to escape the school.
Joining the Future Foundation
Aoi and the others survived together in the apocalyptic world until they were found by the Future Foundation. They decided to join Future Foundation to fight against despair and Future Foundation helped them to recover their school memories. Aoi became a member of the 13th Branch.
Aoi was seen in the explanation of the Tragedy, along with the survivors of the Killing School Life as one of the people integral in stopping the Tragedy's mastermind, Junko Enoshima.
Aoi appears in the anime sequel, Danganronpa 3- Future Arc, along with Makoto, Kyoko and Yasuhiro.
Aoi is allowed to attend Makoto's trial as a proxy for the 13th Branch Leader, and thus gets herself roped into the "Final Killing Game" with the other Branch Leaders.
Aoi, along with Kyoko and Yasuhiro greeted Makoto as he arrived at the off-shore facility. After the group arrived at the boardroom, Aoi protested Kyosuke Munakata who immediately ordered Juzo Sakakura to handcuff Makoto without any discussion first. She attempts to defend Makoto from the physical abuse but is silenced when a kunai is thrown in her direction by Sohnosuke Izayoi. Ruruka threatens her, saying that next time she would order him not to miss.
In the meeting's recess, Aoi and Kyoko go to the bathroom just down the hall from the meeting place. She was upset that she and Kyoko weren't permitted to visit Makoto, and questions why. Kyoko explained that it was because that was how much they suspected the two of them, excluding Aoi from the problem. Aoi protested, saying that just because she was in a different Division doesn't mean that she wasn't going to continue to stick with Kyoko and Makoto.
During the attack on the facility, the building began quaking and Aoi grabbed the bathroom stall handle to try and balance herself. She opens the door and is horrified to discover the bodies of three dead security guards crammed inside. Aoi rushes into the boardroom to tell the other leaders about the dead bodies, and is overcome by sleeping gas soon after.
After Monokuma told them the rules of the new killing game, Aoi jumped to Makoto's defense countless of times when the others accused him of being the traitor. Shortly after Daisaku Bandai's demise: Kyoko created a diversion and Aoi, Great Gozu and Miaya Gekkogahara helped Makoto escape harm from Juzo and Kyosuke.
As Aoi ran in front of Makoto, repeatedly telling him to hurry up, he reveals to her that his NG code states that he cannot run in the hallway. Seeing no other option, Aoi carries him on her back and runs to safety. When they hit a dead end and Great Gozu comes smashing through the wall thanks to Kyosuke, Aoi throws a broken extinguisher at Kyosuke so Great Gozu can cut off his defense, giving time for Great Gozu to body slam into the ground for him, Makoto, Aoi and Miaya to escape the ruthless Kyosuke.
As Great Gozu barricades the door so no one can get in, Aoi and Makoto share a heart warming moment just as they're about to fall asleep, as they do Aoi thanks Makoto for being there for her.
As Makoto wakes up, he finds blood on his hands, causing him to look over to see Aoi, apparently dead with a knife lodged in her chest.
Makoto and Miaya (via Usami) panic over seeing Aoi's "dead" body, but as the sleeping gas wore off, Aoi woke up with a yawn, surprised to see herself covered in "blood". As it turned out the knife was a toy and the blood was tomato sauce. As Aoi looked up, she saw Great Gozu's body, looking very shocked.
After Great Gozu's body is taken down, Aoi commented on the fact that the attacker somehow got into the room, and is saddened that Great Gozu was killed. She took off her jacket and covers Great Gozu's body with it as a sign of respect. Aoi is determined that the group will survive and find the killer and stated that they will find the killer by using Makoto.
When Makoto said that he would like to talk to everyone, Miaya suggested him to use the building's intercom system. Aoi questioned what the building is and Miaya explained that this was going to be an overseas version of Hope's Peak Academy, but when the Tragedy struck Kyosuke made it his base.
After finding the intercom system, Aoi walked with Makoto and Miaya when Makoto asks if Miaya can't turn right. After Makoto showed Miaya his NG Code, Aoi showed the group hers, apologized that she was sorry for not protecting him during the vote. After Makoto forgives her and tells her not to do anything risky, Aoi agreed with Miaya calling them "Soul Mates".
When Makoto is about to speak, Aoi silenced him saying she heard someone. She told Makoto she will draw them away, telling him to head to the Monitoring room. Aoi quickly ran off, with Miaya following behind her, drawing Seiko Kimura, who was wandering the hallways to follow them. After Seiko followed the two of them, Aoi and Miaya hide behind some rubble and listen to Makoto's speech.
Aoi and Miaya escaped from their hiding place after they heared an explosion. On the way, they met with Kazuo Tengan's group and Aoi gladly reunited with Kyoko. She also thanked Ryota Mitarai for saving her life before from being hit by Juzo. Proceeding with a new plan, Aoi and Miaya escorted Kazuo to negotiate with Kyosuke.
Arriving at the scene, Kazuo tried to distract Kyosuke while Aoi came down to untie Makoto and brought him back and escaped from Kyosuke to hide in a safe place. Aoi believed that the three of them had ran far enough from Kyosuke and decided to take a breath. Miaya noticed that someone have been following them and offered to stop them. Aoi didn't want her to go alone but eventually agreed to stay by Makoto's side, promising her to eat donuts together after everything came to an end.
After Juzo knocked down Miaya, Aoi and Makoto encounter him. Makoto insists for her to escape, but not taking Makoto's advice, she instead grabs a metal pipe to fight Juzo. She mocks the former Ultimate Boxer for using a weapon to fight her instead of his bare fists.
Aoi was in the middle of her fight with Juzo when Seiko and the reactivated Miaya came and interrupted it. Seeing that as a chance to escape, Aoi brought Makoto on her back and fled from the scene.
Aoi was worried about Makoto who was having nightmare after the third time limit hit. Aoi and Makoto using Miaya's computer search for the third victim and found that Chairman Kazuo died at Kyosuke's hands. Aoi comforted Makoto to share his burden with her when they discovered Kazuo's dying letter. She stated that if it's not for her NG Code, she could find a way to put an end to the "game."
Aoi overhears Makoto's last segment of conversation with Komaru Naegi on the Miaya Monitoring screen, in which they took about Monaca's recent explanation that someone from 'Big-Sis Junko's Killing Game' will die because of Makoto.
After the connection is cut short, Aoi expressed that Makoto is a good brother to Komaru, which reminded her of her deceased brother. As Miaya entered auto-remote activity mode, Aoi lead him out a whole in the wall to safety, reminding him that he can run as it's not a specific hallway. But upon their escape, they run into Kyosuke who seeks to eradicate both of them, considering them despair. Miaya immediately comes to their aid, battling Kyosuke and keeping him occupied as Aoi questions Makoto on what they should do to which he answers that they should escape while they can. Aoi boosts Makoto up onto her shoulders, running in the opposite direction to Kyosuke. Makoto tells Aoi that they need to find Kyoko before Byakuya came to rescue them.
They eventually find Kyoko who is explaining to Ryota about how Makoto is her savior, Aoi and Makoto show up behind her and Aoi giggles at the awkward situation. Aoi, Makoto, Kyoko and Ryota eat and drink in an unknown room, before Kyoko gives her comforting words to Makoto showing her support, Aoi smiles at this. Eventually they decide to barricade the doors to the room before the time limit is up, Makoto and Ryota both struggle to push a large object in the way of the door so Aoi helps them and has no trouble. After they fall unconscious from sleeping gas they wake up to find Kyoko dead, Aoi breaks down in tears and becomes even more shocked at Munakata's message over the intercom explaining that Kyoko's NG code proves how useless Makoto's platitudes are.
Aoi continued to cry over Kyoko's death. Seeing that, Makoto asked Ryota to stay with Aoi explaining that he will go and speak with Kyosuke. Ryota protested as to why Makoto is recovering from the trauma so quickly, after only just finding out about Kyoko's death. Aoi stopped crying as Makoto explained that Kyoko entrusted her hope to him and since this is the case he has to stop Kyosuke. Aoi rested her hand on Makoto's shoulder, stating that she 'believes in him' to which Makoto replies that he'll 'be back soon'.
Aoi leans against the doorway before heading back to where Kyoko is lying, as she looked over her once more she noticed the notebook Kyoko has left for them, hiding underneath her body.
Aoi and Ryota are able to find Makoto and Kyosuke in another room and Aoi rushed over to Makoto asking if he is alright, before staring at Kyosuke angrily, she proclaimed that the killing stops now, expressing that she knows who the attacker is, Aoi held up Kyoko's notebook.
A flashback is shown, revealing the point in time when the Future Foundation are observing the end to the Killing School Life. The vault door of Hope's Peak Academy is opened, Aoi and the remainder of the 78th class survey the despair laying around them, she has an expression of shock.
Back to present time, Makoto requested Kyosuke listen to Aoi, to which he agreed. She began to show Makoto the pages of Kyoko's notebook.
After discovering the participants commit suicide when they look at the monitor, Makoto requested Kyosuke tie him up facing one. Aoi became worried for Makoto after his request is followed out, she is afraid he may die and that he is doing something rash because of what happened to Kyoko. Makoto explaining to her that he won't die because Kyoko didn't give up on hope so he can't either and that he promised Komaru he'd come and get her after this was all over, Aoi became slightly reassured by this.
Aoi waited for the time limit in a nearby room free of monitors with Ryota and Kyosuke. Clasping her hands, the timer goes off with Aoi still thinking of Makoto before falling unconscious from the sleeping gas.
After everyone is awake, Makoto proceeds to the nearby room accommodating Aoi, Kyosuke, and Ryota. He confirmed with Aoi and the rest of the participants that the monitors broadcast a video of despair; shattering the monitor, Aoi discovered a knife hidden inside. She is surprised to hear from Kyosuke that other than himself, Kazuo has authority to install equipment through the building, leading her to believe that Kazuo may be the mastermind behind the Final Killing Game.
Juzo made his way to the power room, turning all switches off to free Aoi and the rest of the surviving participants from the game and cut the power to the monitors, Aoi acknowledged this. When Ryota revealed that Junko was using his anime technique, Aoi shocked by this wants him to explain further but is interrupted when Ryota receives a message from the deceased Tengan on his mobile phone.
Aoi and Makoto noticed Ryota has received a video message from the deceased Kazuo. Upon watching, they discovered Kazuo may have been a Remnant of Despair as he admitted to setting up the Final Killing Game. Ryota collapsed to the floor, in anguish over being betrayed but Aoi tried to be optimistic, saying the wristbands are removed so they are free of the game, now they can look to the future. Ryota expressed that he couldn't run away, not as he did back when Junko used him for his techniques to create the Despair Video. This time, he had to fight by showing everyone the opposite video of Despair Video, the Hope Video. As he began to walk away, Aoi rushed in front of him, convincing him to reconsider his choices, as Makoto and her felt that a hope video would only force people to believe in hope rather than changing their attitude by themselves.
Ryota reached for his phone and showed Aoi his Hope Video, brainwashing her to follow his command, he told her to restrain Makoto and willingly ordered his command, and to Makoto's anger, Ryota is able to get away. The Future Foundation's rescue squad have also been put into a brainwashed state under Ryota's control and immediately find Aoi and Makoto. They are set ready to fire at them both, Makoto telling Aoi to run although she continues to restrain him. Kyosuke then comes to their rescue, knocking the soldiers to the ground.
Aoi is able to break free of her brainwashed state upon Kyosuke's return and they all then hatched a plan to stop Ryota before it is too late. Kyosuke draws away the rescue squad's attention as Aoi and Makoto continuing to run the halls in search of Ryota. However, Aoi was shot in the leg, forcing both of Aoi and Makoto to take shelter in a nearby room where they cannot be seen.
After Makoto bandaged up Aoi's leg, she explained to Makoto that he needed to stop Ryota and that she will be fine, although she is still grimacing in pain. Makoto reluctantly leaves her and heads off to stop Ryota, saying he will return for her. Before too long, Makoto is cornered by the rescue squad and Aoi is discovered by them, unconscious.
Yasuhiro and Byakuya are able to find Aoi and come to her aid. Yasuhiro began tying fresh bandages around Aoi's leg before expressing that Togami got buried in rubble laughingly to Aoi's shock, although Byakuya explained to her that they were saved by the Class 77-B. She then asked after Makoto, Byakuya reassuring her that he is being escorted by half of his operatives.
Makoto later met up with Aoi, Yasuhiro and Byakuya underneath a tent, they all greet him warmly, relieved he is unharmed. Noticing a video on Byakuya's laptop, Aoi and the rest of the group surrounded the screen, Byakuya explained that the Class 77-B broadcasted a message of 'despair', proclaiming they set up the Final Killing Game in order for the Future Foundation to still look favorable.
The Class 77-B set off for Jabberwock island by boat, Aoi and Yasuhiro both wave them off warmly.
Several months after the Final Killing Game was over, 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, Komaru offering them each a drink, to which they offer their thanks.
Execution
Water Illusion Show - Aoi is put in a water tank. From above, Monokuma, dressed as a magician, appears and waves his staff. A curtain falls, raising again with a drum roll. Many sharks can be seen in the tank, surrounding Aoi. Once again, Monokuma waves his staff and the curtain falls. As the drum rolls and the curtain rises, Aoi isn't in the tank anymore, because she had been eaten by the sharks. This execution is described in the Danganronpa Visual Fanbook.
Yuta is Aoi's little brother, and the person closest to her. This is confirmed when Yuta become Aoi's Captive when Monkuma attempts to motivate her to kill. The two are both exceptional swimmers, although Yuta claims Aoi was always better. Aoi is aware that her brother was killed in Towa City, and shows great sadness over his death. Makoto and Komaru's relationship reminded her of Yuta, and she seemed somewhat upset as the two talked.
Sakura was Aoi's best friend during her time at Hope's Peak Academy. The two shared very similar interests, such as drinking protein beverages, and first bonded over their love for sports. They were rarely ever seen apart since their high school days. Sakura was always the first person Aoi would turn to, especially during the Killing School Life, and she affectionately addressed her friend as Sakura-chan. On the other hand, Sakura was extremely protective of Aoi, and usually tried to keep her from trouble.
During the Killing School Life, when Sakura was revealed to be the mole, Aoi had the most trouble believing this and still believed in Sakura even after she confirmed this in which she still respects her. When the some of the other students refused to accept her friend, Aoi was the only one who acted angrily when she defended Sakura by going too far as slapping Byakuya for badmouthing her and physically fight Toko/Genocide Jack. However, her actions only made Sakura more worried for Aoi's safety.
When Sakura committed suicide, Aoi was left devastated, and wailed and shed tears over her death. Upon reading Monokuma's falsified suicide note, she was left to believe that Sakura had committed suicide in despair and that she and the other students were to blame. As a result, she attempted to get herself and the remaining students executed, however her plans were ultimately thwarted by Makoto and Kyoko.
Upon discovering the truth about Sakura's reason for killing herself, Aoi broke down into tears and demanded that Monokuma give her Sakura's actual letter, however, this request is obviously denied. Although depressed about Sakura's demise, Aoi decided to continue to move forward and remembers Sakura throughout the rest of the killing game. When Aoi nearly fell into despair, her memories of Sakura, along with encouragement from Makoto, were what gave her hope when she decided to break out of Hope's Peak Academy and avenge her friend's death.
Although not sharing any kind of close relationship with Aoi when they first met, Makoto becomes close friends with her during their time together at Hope's Peak. During one of her Free Time events, Aoi requests that Makoto act as her fake boyfriend so she can practice when she gets a real one. Their closeness is also shown when Aoi is shown feeling guilty over having executed Makoto and she seems happy when he forgives her.
As members of the Future Foundation, the two have grown considerably closer. Makoto makes sure Aoi doesn't overdo things while Aoi frequently tells him that everything is okay. When Makoto is arrested for betraying the Future Foundation, Aoi (along with Kyoko) help defend him, and she also helps him escape from Kyosuke when the latter tries to kill him. Makoto gives Aoi hope after she despairs at the fact that they must start a new round of killing.
Aoi remains with Makoto throughout most of the Final Killing Game, and she helps him escape from Kyosuke and Juzo numerous times. Makoto constantly relies on her, and is thankful for the help she has given him. Despite this, Makoto worries for her safety, particularly when she attempts to fight Juzo despite being at a disadvantage due to her NG code. However, Aoi has been shown to be perfectly willing to risk her life if it guaranteed her friend's safety.
Aoi and Makoto have been shown to understand one another when deaths or murders occur, even since the Killing School Life. Makoto's understanding of Aoi's emotional side is ultimately what allowed him to thwart her plans to have them executed in Chapter 4. During the Final Killing Game, when Kyoko supposedly dies, Aoi fears that Makoto would become reckless and hurt himself, despite Makoto assuring her that he wouldn't let their friend's sacrifice go to waste.
The two also comfort each other when these events occur. When Kazuo is murdered by Kyosuke, Aoi gives Makoto support and gives him hope just as he did her. After his conversation with Komaru, Makoto realizes that they may have reminded Aoi of Yuta. He appeared to want to comfort his friend, however he was unable to do so as they were interuppted by Miaya revealing her robotic nature.
During the Final Killing Game, some of Aoi's expressions indicate that she knows Makoto and Kyoko like each other, and she appears silently very happy for them.
After the events of The Tragedy have been resolved, Makoto, Aoi, and their fellow survivors decide to rebuild Hope's Peak Academy together.
Aoi becomes close friends to Kyoko after joining the Future Foundation with her and the other survivors. Aoi helps Kyoko protect Makoto, despite her protests and warning that she may be treated as a co-conspirator by doing so.
In Danganronpa 3, Aoi adresses Kyoko as Kyoko-chan, showing how strong their friendship has gotten. They also hug each other when they find out the other is alright during the Final Killing Game. Some of Aoi's expressions indicate that she knows Kyoko and Makoto like each other, and she appears silently very happy for them. Aoi sheds tears and wails loudly over Kyoko's supposed death.
When Kyoko is revealed to actually have survived, the two help run Hope's Peak Academy together with their fellow survivors.
Aoi disliked Byakuya at the very start of Killing School Life because of his claims that he will get all the students killed for his survival. Their relationship only worsened when Sakura was revealed to be Monokuma's mole and Byakuya started insulting her. Aoi immediately stepped up to defend her best friend, and Aoi even slapped Byakuya and threatened to kill him in fury. Byakuya thought of Aoi as an annoyance and the two had many arguments until they escaped the school together.
As members of the Future Foundation, the two become friends instead and put their life of Killing School Life behind them.
Aoi was disliked by both Toko and Jack. Despite this Aoi was the only one who actually tried to talk with Toko. Toko is often jealous of Aoi's physical attributes, attributes she herself did not possess and proceeds to call her names throughout which meant Aoi could never truly develop a friendship with Toko as positive feelings from her were always one sided. Toko was very furious when Aoi slapped Byakuya and began to argue with her the next day about Sakura. Jack injured Aoi's shoulder causing a further rift between the two and it was at this point where Aoi started to develop feelings of hatred for Toko despite before reaching out to her in friendship.
In Danganronpa Another Episode, she was envied by Toko because she became a formal member of the Future Foundation. However, the two later managed to put their past behind them and appear to become friends.
A fellow survivor of the Killing School Life and member of the Future Foundation. Aoi is weirded out the most by Yasuhiro's eccentric behavior out of all her classmates and often times finds his remarks tiresome. Aoi is never hesitant to point out Yasuhiro's lack of understanding in certain matters and is often contradictory to his point of view, not necessarily caring about how he will react. However upon joining the Future Foundation after their Killing School Life both seem to have developed a friendship, waving the Class 77-B off together as they left for Jabberwock Island once more.
Aoi does not interact with Hifumi often and can become uncomfortable around him due to his obsessive behavior over his various desires, Aoi and Hifumi never strike a considerable friendship. However when Hifumi is found near death in a storage room, Aoi holds his head in her lap and sheds tears over his passing. Showing such a sheer amount of emotion over Hifumi's death in comparison to all other victims perhaps shows that nevertheless finding her classmates odd or strange, they are still companions to her and she still cares very much about their well being.
Miaya and Aoi weren't on good terms when Aoi first arrived, the two barely interacting. After Aoi escaped with Makoto, Miaya helped the two escape, but when Aoi tried to pat Miaya on the head, she flinched away. However, Aoi stated that she was worried about Miaya before she flinched away.
After being barricaded in the room by Great Gozu, Miaya and Aoi grow closer as Miaya (through Usami) freaks out over Aoi's faked death. When Makoto, Aoi and Miaya leave the room, Aoi agreed with Miaya when she called them "Soul Mates" and both her and Miaya run ahead so Makoto could easily reach the Monitoring Room. The two later hide together from Seiko.
However, it is eventually revealed that the real Miaya was murdered a certain time before the events of the Final Killing Game. The Miaya accompanying Aoi and Makoto was nothing more than a robotic puppet controlled by Monaca, and sent to infiltrate the Future Foundation as a lurker. As such, there is no real personal relationship between Miaya and Aoi.
Aoi likes Makoto's younger sister, referring to her as Komaru-chan. They appear to have become friends, although it's unknown whether Aoi was informed of Komaru's connection to her little brother.
During free time conversations, the player will occasionally be given a choice on how to respond to something that is said. These are the 'right' choices.
Towel treatment
Swimming
Donuts
Skills
These will aid you, usually during Class Trials.
Extraordinary Focus - Increases the Focus Gauge by 2. Effective during the Class Trial. Costs 2 SP.
Ambidextrousness
Presents
Obtained from the MonoMono Machine.
Donut Floaty Ring (#12)
Kitty Hairpin (#16)
G-Sick (#26)
Water Lover (#36)
Radio-kun Doll (#38)
Choices
During free time conversations, the player will occasionally be given a choice on how to respond to something that is said. These are the 'right' choices.
Towel treatment
Swimming
Donuts
Skills
These will aid you, usually during Class Trials.
Extraordinary Focus - Increases the Focus Gauge by 2. Effective during the Class Trial. Costs 2 SP.
Ambidextrousness
Quotes
“What, you've never seen this before? They say when you want to remember someone’s name, you should write it on the palm of your hand three times!”
“Getting sick is for the weak! If you're really dedicated, winter means even lighter clothes! It's all part of your training!”
“What I really love about sports isn't winning, ya know? It's having to fight and struggle and give it all you got to reach the top. It's that excitement, that fear that you might suffer a heartbreaking loss.”
“When you finally reach that goal, it's just... lonely. It's lonely at the top, ya know?”
“I want to push myself as hard as possible when it comes to swimming. I want to aim for the very highest mountaintop!”
“If I want to get that gold medal, I have to make every effort I can. I want to become a "genius of effort"!”
“So, I... Yeah. I decided!! First thing I'm gonna do is hit up a donut shop. I'll think about my life after that.”
“People talk behind my back sometimes-say all my energy goes to my legs and none of it to my head.”
“Who would ever fall for that... four-eyed lemon?!” (Talking about Byakuya Togami)
“I don't have to worry by myself anymore, do I?”
“It's not fair. Even at time like this, you're so cool.” (to Makoto Naegi)
Machine Talk Battle/Bullet Talk Battle Statements
“You're a liar!”
“What are you saying!?”
“Wrong... You're wrong!”
“I'm telling you, I did it!”
“Just let it end already!”
“Stop talking!”
“I don't wanna hear it!”
“I hate you!”
“Do you have any kind of proof Sakura took the poison!?” (Final Argument)
Trivia
Her first name has the kanji for “hollyhock”, a type of flower, while Asahina is a combination of “morning”, “sun”, and “pseudocydonia”. Her name is also a homonym for aoi (青い), "blue".
Aoi is referred to as “Hina” by characters in the localised version of Danganronpa.
In the English dub of Side: Hope, Komaru also addresses Aoi as "Hina."
According to her school profile in Danganronpa 3, Aoi dislikes calculating, implying that she dislikes math just like her brother.
Along with swimming, Aoi plays baseball, basketball, volleyball, tennis, and track and field.
Aoi wears shorts during all seasons, including winter.
Aoi believes that donuts are the lifeblood of all humanity.
In School Mode, Aoi mentions that she has been watching a new sports anime.
Along with Makoto, Kyoko and Hajime Hinata/Izuru Kamukura, Aoi is one of four people to have survived multiple killing games, surviving the Killing School Life and the Final Killing Game.
↑Her classmates', Leon Kuwata and Toko Fukawa's, ages heavily imply this. The flashback at the beginning of Future Arc #08 confirms that the mutual killings took place 'years ago', thus it can be assumed that she is in her early twenties by the end of Danganronpa 3.
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