Template:Tab Template:Quotes V2 Template:CharacterShirokuma (シロクマ Shirokuma) is a character featured in Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls.
Shirokuma is a pure white version of Monokuma. He is considered the idol of the the Resistance, because he has saved all the members of the group. He is also the one who created their secret base.
It is revealed at the very end of the game, that Shirokuma, as well as Kurokuma are actually AI Junko Enoshima. As part of the AI, he seems to represent her cutesy and friendly personalities, as well as her manipulative side. Because of the two's relation, they consider each other "kind of" brothers.
In the epilogue of Danganronpa Another Episode, the two halves of the AI were brought together. They stopped the acting and returned to their one, true personality as Junko Enoshima. Izuru Kamukura also destroyed their physical bodies, ending both Shirokuma and Kurokuma for good.
Appearance
Shirokuma originally resembled the regular Monokuma Units, but he has heavily modified himself to appear less threatening. He painted the left side of his body white and wrapped bandages around his left leg, left forearm, and the left side of his head - the latter serves to mostly conceal the jagged red left eye common to all Monokuma Units. His body is somewhat worn and covered in scratches, due to his work with the Adult Resistance.
Shirokuma has two small eyelashes on his right eye and a noticeable blush (covered by two small bandages) on his right cheek. Coupled with his very feminine vocal timbre, he's sometimes mistaken for a female. He often carries a pink flower.
If forced into combat, Shirokuma removes the bandages on his head to expose his left eye. He also displays the ability to extend claws from his hands, similar to the standard Monokuma Unit.
Personality
Shirokuma is a pacifist and he thinks that adults and kids should live together in harmony. He is very considerate and has a friendly aura surrounding him. He wants to have power to protect others, but he feels he isn't strong enough. He is a bit shy and all kind of fighting and mean words make him distressed. However, he can be surprisingly forceful at times.
He claims to have a good eye for judging character, as well as the ability to tell the date and time of someone's first kiss just by looking at them, among other things. He also considers the abilities and limitations of his allies, taking breaks despite technically not needing to (being a machine) in order to give Komaru time to rest and regain herself.
Though he appears very pure, Shirokuma really likes pretty girls and he is implied to be a bit perverted, just like the other Monokumas. He is also revealed to be a coward at times, as he really doesn't like fighting and finds the other Monokumas very scary, but he can be very brave for the sake of others.
Despite his peaceful demeanor, Toko Fukawa found Shirokuma very suspicious. In the end, her suspicions are proven when Shirokuma is revealed to be one half of AI Junko plotting to spread despair and drag Towa City into an endless spiral of war and revenge. Shirokuma's friendly personality, in fact his whole personality, is just Junko's acting. Still, it's heavily implied that he has only some of Junko's personality and needs Kurokuma to be whole.
History
Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls
According to Shirokuma, he "woke up" at the same day when the Monokuma robots began their attack. He had a strong desire to help people, which he claimed was due to his sophisticated AI allowing him to make his own decisions. Deciding that doing good deeds made him feel good, he painted one side of himself white and covered his left eye with a bandage to avoid frightening any humans he came across.
As chaos engulfed Towa City, Shirokuma began rescuing adults who were being attacked by the forces of the Warriors of Hope. He made a secret base underground, where he brought all the adults he could find, eventually forming the Resistance. Because of his work in saving the adults, Shirokuma became very well-liked by the members of the Resistance, with many considering him an "idol". He is also the only one allowed to leave the secret base.
Chapter 1 - Crying for Love in Hell
Shirokuma's first appearance was at the last second of chapter 1, foreshadowed as the person who had been following Komaru and Toko's journey from the hospital to the underground station.
Chapter 2 - Legend of the Revolution
Shirokuma was first seen being attacked by Monokuma Units, only to be unwittingly saved by Komaru Naegi. Komaru immediately panics after seeing him, but Shirokuma convinced her that he meant no harm (though Toko Fukawa still found him suspicious). After Komaru and Toko escorted him through the sewers to the Resistance base, Shirokuma introduced the girls to the leader, Haiji Towa, before giving them instructions on what they should do next.
Chapter 4 - The Way We Live
Shirokuma is seen again during the raid, sacrificing himself to close an opening in the Resistance defense walls. He explodes with only his head remaining, but since he is a robot, he survives.
Chapter 5 - Absolute Despair Girl
In the 5th chapter, it is hinted that Shirokuma was collaborating with Kurokuma in order to force the adults into battle. He later takes control of the Big Bang Monokuma to cause further havoc, attacking Komaru, Toko, Monaca, and Haiji in Towa Tower in an attempt to decapitate the leadership of both sides at once. However, Komaru and Toko manage to destroy Big Bang Monokuma, ejecting Shirokuma's head from the mecha in the resulting explosion.
Epilogue - The Changing World We Made
In the epilogue, Shirokuma's head was seen in a wheelbarrow alongside Kurokuma's similarly-damaged head. As the robots argued over the result of the war, they were both revealed to be parts of an AI patterned on Junko Enoshima, pitting adults and children against each other in their agenda to spread despair. Both robots were then destroyed by Izuru as he salvaged the AI from their hard drives.
Relationships
Komaru Naegi
Komaru first finds Shirokuma after saving him from other Monokuma Units. Shirokuma seems to like Komaru and even sacrifices himself in order to help Komaru get into the Warriors of Hope's Secret Base. This is all implied to be part of the plan to create a "successor" to Junko Enoshima - when Komaru appears to have rejected her "destiny", Shirokuma takes control of the Big Bang Monokuma to attack her.
Kurokuma
Despite having no in-game interactions, at the end it appears that both him and Kurokuma were partners, both manipulating and concluding that adults and children are both equally stupid.
Together, Shirokuma and Kurokuma form AI Junko Enoshima and in reality they're both just a result of her acting.
Due to the way they're related, Kurokuma mentions that they're kind of like brothers, and he calls Shirokuma his "li'l bro".
Quotes
- “I'm a nice bear! The kind of bear who would give my opponent the corner in Othello...”
- “Ehehe... I'm a white bear, so I'd like to be called "Shirokuma."”
- “...No matter how scared you are, there are times that you *have* to fight. There are times you *need* to stand up. Times you *can't* be afraid of death.” (to Komaru Naegi)
- “Aren't we both black-hearted? I mean, we're both...” (In response to Kurokuma's comment about him acting cute)
Trivia
- The word "Shirokuma" (シロクマ or 白熊), aside from literally meaning "white bear", is also the Japanese word for "polar bear".
- Shirokuma will assist Komaru in certain sections of the game, bumping into Monokuma Units to stall them temporarily.
- Shirokuma liked world peace and flower meadows, and he disliked fighting and verbal abuse.
- In both the English and Japanese dubs, Shirokuma and Kurokuma are voiced by Junko Enoshima's voice actors, which hints at their true identity as AI Junko.
- Amusingly, when you use the Megaphone Hacking Gun's "Dance" Truth Bullet on Shirokuma, he performs a dance that Monokuma uses in the anime adaptation's opening.