| “ | If you're gonna be down, you should go as far as you'd like. The more down you are, the easier it is to stand up a little.
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Hiroko Hagakure (葉隠 浩子 Hagakure Hiroko), is a participant of Demon Hunting featured in Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls due to her being the closest person to her child Yasuhiro Hagakure. Because she is considered a "Demon" by the Warriors of Hope, she is given the name Hironosaurus (ヒロノザウルス).
Appearance
Hiroko is a fair-skinned woman with light pink hair that reaches her waist. She has brown eyes, much like Hiro, and a beauty mark beneath her lips. She wears a white bead necklace, a white tank top, and a blue stadium jacket with an unknown symbol on the right side. She also wears black ripped jeans held up by a salmon colored belt and sky blue sneakers.
Hiroko is often depicted as having a cigarette in the corner of her mouth that she sometimes uses to puff smoke.
Hiroko is older than she looks like and keeps her age a secret. Though she has a young looking appearance of a college student, she might be up in her late 30s' or early 40s'.
Personality
Hiroko is a street smart, relaxed and open-minded lady with a 'you do your thing, and I'll do mine- live and let live' personality.
Hiroko values human lives a lot. Cruelty and killing, especially senseless killing, makes her absolutely furious. She convinces men to act as her envoys and venture out to rescue survivors on her orders through her "woman's special charm".
Hiroko also appears to be rather childish at times, referring to her close friends in playful banter. In the English version, she calls Komaru Naegi "Koko" and Toko Fukawa "Fufu".
Hiroko is a former delinquent, and when she is angry, that former attitude comes out, with her using a speech pattern similar to her son's.
Hiroko is very protective of her son and loves him more than anyone else in the world. She is very proud of him and seems to ignore the damage of his flaws, for the most part.
History
Prior to the Tragedy
Hiroko was a delinquent when she was younger.
Hiroko mentions that she once did something she shouldn't have and let it go on too long because she wanted to be with her husband no matter what. However, she was found out and they broke up. In the end, she was relieved, because she was finally free from her "sin".
Hiroko is now divorced and a skilled nurse. She lives with her only child, Hiro, who she loves more than anyone in the world.
At some point, she was captured by the Ultimate Despair and became a Captive for Monokuma's first motive in the Mutual Killing incident of Class 78. She was apparently enclosed in an apartment just like the other Captives.
Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls
At an unknown time, Hiroko was apparently freed, only to become one of the people targeted by the Warriors of Hope, who refer to her using the "Demon name" of 'Hironosaurus'. Fortunately, they do not know where she is hiding.
Chapter 2 - Legend of the Revolution
Hiroko first appeared in Chapter 2 inside The Resistance's secret base.
She is part of The Resistance and is one of the few members who actively works to make things better. Even though the Resistance members aren't allowed to leave the base, she convinces men to act as her envoys and venture out to rescue survivors on her orders through her "woman's special charm".
While progressing through Towa City, Komaru and Toko would come across entries from the Warriors of Hope's "Hit List" - a list of adults whom they target specifically, labeling them as Demons. Upon bringing these collectible entries to Hiroko, she would fill them in about her knowledge of whichever person they show her and send people to help the Targets if their location is known.
Chapter 5 - Absolute Despair Girl
Hiroko appeared in the adults' meeting point in the city, having brought Shirokuma's still-functioning head to Komaru, suggesting to Komaru and Toko to invade Towa Hills while the Big Bang Monokuma continued causing chaos; she reasoned that the Big Bang Monokuma would keep the regular Monokumas busy enough such that Towa Hills would be vulnerable.
Epilogue - The Changing World We Made
During the end of the game, it's mentioned that many of the Targets were rescued thanks to Hiroko.
Relationships
- Family:
Yasuhiro Hagakure
Hiroko loves her son more than anyone else and is very protective of him. She mentions that she is very proud of him and calls him successful, sharp, handsome, tall and kind. She calls him perfect, but "teeny, eentsy bit clumsy with money", a thing which bugs her a little bit. She also admits that he's had big problems with school and women, but she finds his flaws rather cute in a way.
Hiro, in turn, loves his mother just as much as she loves him, which leads to her becoming a Captive.
She is mentioned by Yasuhiro in Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony's bonus mode Ultimate Talent Development Plan, when Tenko Chabashira tells him to appreciate all the women in his life.
Despite Hiroko being a part of the Resistance, she seems to hate how they do nothing, but hide. She holds this hatred down and states that there is nothing else they can do.
Shirokuma
Although they don't talk to each other that much, both of them are members of the Resistance and work together to save people from Towa City. In Chapter 5, Hiroko is seen carrying Shirokuma's head.
Komaru Naegi
Hiroko and Komaru appear to be friends to some extent, Hiroko calling Komaru "Koko" ("Komarucchi" in the Japanese version). Hiroko calls Komaru by her first name, meaning she is very playful with her.
Toko Fukawa
Hiroko and Toko appear to be friends to some extent, Hiroko calling Toko "Fufu" ("Fukawacchi" in the Japanese version). Unlike with Komaru, Hiroko uses her last name, showing some ounce of respect for Toko.
- Enemies:
Warriors of Hope
Hiroko is a Target for the Warriors of Hope. They see her as a Demon target and will do anything to kill her. They describe her as using her status as a nurse to eat hospitalized patients.
Quotes
- "The name's Hiroko Hagakure. I'm once-divorced and currently single. My age is a secret."
- "Okay, noted. You're Koko and Fufu." (Nicknaming Komaru and Toko)
- "Little older than you two. Proud of him, a very successful boy. He's a sharp boy. Handsome, tall, kind... If he didn't come out of me, I wouldn't believe he was my own kid! But even if my son *is* perfect, something has been bugging me... It's just a small thing, but... He's just a teeny, eentsy bit clumsy with money. He's in debt. Oh, and he also repeated middle and high school about 4 times. Oh yeah, and he's also just terrible with women... Well, those flaws are kinda cute too, in a way." (on her son, Yasuhiro.)
- "Who cares? Worrying over little details is bad for the skin, hun."
- "Yo, Koko and Fufu. Heard you went outside. Well, I figured you would. How should I put it...? There's something different about you two, compared to these people. How can I say it...? The air around you, it's different. You two are always facing forward. But in here, the air is getting heavier and heavier. Everyone's stressed. Stuck in a dark and moldy place like this, how could you not be...?" (to Komaru and Toko)
- "...Dude, that's just...unforgiveable! An innocent kid losing his life to some crazy-ass kids... No matter what you think, it shouldn't be allowed! They might be kids, but they're gonna get their just deserts! It will cost them at least a finger! Ooops... My past self came through a little bit there..." (on the Warriors of Hope)
- "Hey, it's fine. If you're gonna be down, you should go as far as you'd like. The more down you are, the easier it is to stand up a little."
- "High school boys are like that. They can live a whole month on nothing more than porn, fried chicken, and manga."
- "I was one of those criminals. The cops couldn't count on two hands how many windows I broke in the day."
- "Didn't I tell you? I might not look like it, but I used to work day and night in that uniform. I had a reputation in the hospital that my blood-drawing skills never missed a vein." (on being a nurse)
- "God DAMMIT! Those little shits have no right! No, not just the kids... No one has any God damn right to kill anyone! I gotta rake those brats over the friggin' coals!" (on the Warriors of Hope)
- "The world is a kinder place than you think."
Trivia
- "Hiroko" (浩子) can be translated as "abundant child" or "vigorous child", while her last name "Hagakure" (葉隠) translates as “concealed among the leaves/blades/spears” (based on which meaning of 葉 ha is chosen).
- Hiroko has the habit of nicknaming people she is on friendly terms with, typically by doubling up a syllable of their name, such as Koko (Komaru) and Fufu (Toko). In the Japanese version of the game, Hiroko nicknames people using the "-cchi" suffix.
- Despite the fact that she says in-game her age is a secret, a page in the artbook showing Hiroko's beta designs states that she is "approximately 36" years old. Considering her son's age, that means he was born to Hiroko when she was only around 14 years old.