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shslprince · 2 years

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My big "Momota was sick pregame" theory post

This is very fast and loose but a theory I've been holding onto for quite some time, and wanted to organize it out in writing. Obvious V3 spoiler warnings.

Before I go any deeper I do wanna point out this is still only a theory and how I interpret Momota's character. Team danganronpa infecting a guy with a deadly disease for the sake of ratings and drama is totally within the lines of the post modernist critique V3 portrays, but I also believe there's enough evidence pointing otherwise as well. There's mainly 3 key points:

1: Momota's final moments

During the post trial of chapter 5, Momota goes over his actions throughout the game, motives for joining ouma's plan, and also that he's simply out of time with his illness. And as explains there's this particular line he says above: he doesn't remember how he got sick in the first place. If Momota was always meant to be dying from this illness, then surely there would've been some sort of foreshadowing to this with his ingame memories, right? Even a little push that maybe something was off during training. But even in his final moments when hes baring his soul, this one key factor is still unclear. The fact the "my memories" part is highlighted in particular strengthens this, along with the sheer confusion in his face.

Now of course, Monokuma tries to explain this in that the deadly virus was simply dormant during his astronaut training, not flaring up until much later. And while that's possible, that only supports my next point:

2: The rushed chapter 5 flashback light

The ingame explanation for the illness is in the flashback light of chapter 5, going over how the cast of v3 is connected to the hope's peak saga, and also tries to cover where that illness came from. All the flashback lights in V3 are a tool for Tsumugi to manipulate the game in her favor, providing motives and course correcting when needed. But chapter 5's flashback light is a bit special: its the most rushed, slapdashed one with tons of inconsistencies.

Tsumugi even admits to this in chapter 6. It was mainly damage control after Ouma took the game away from her. The virus explanation is also an extension of that, only showing up when Momota's illness was fully exposed after chapter 4. Now it is true that she was building up a Sci Fi plot over time, and meteorites containing deadly viruses would've fitted perfectly. But if his illness was always supposed to be part of the script, why not include that detail earlier in chapter 4's flashback light, where said meteors were introduced in the first place? Why only go over it in chapter 5, the one flashback light that Momota -the guy with the illness she's trying to explain in the first place- doesn't see? Its a bandaid, a way for Tsumugi to wrangle back control of the game, and that includes weaving Momota's illness into her Sci fi plot.

If there's one thing moogs is good at, it's improvising her way out of sticky situations and using them to her favor.

The final point is the most speculative and hinges on a certain interpretation of pregame Momota, but it's an important one nonetheless:

3: The Audition tapes

Now the audition tapes are already murky waters regarding characterization, there's room for doubt if they were edited in a way to make them look as bad as possible, or even be flat out fake. Personally I do believe they are legit, if a bit exaggerated. But regardless, there's a specific point in Momota's audition that always sticks out: that once he's got fame and fortune, he doesn't have to worry about what's impossible.

PG!Momota being a bloodthirsty attention stealing asshole is one thing, with his lines being a nice contrast to in game Momotas motto, but what's this "impossible thing" he doesn't have to worry about once he got rich? What could he have possibly worried about to the point joining a death game to win it big?

With these three points, this is where I drew my conclusion: that Momota was sick pregame. He had an illness that got in the way of his dreams, turning them into an impossibility and himself jaded as a result, and that he had nowhere to go except join a death game in the chances of striking it big and win, using said fame and fortune to get a cushy life, maybe even afford to get treatment. And if he doesn't win, then at least he gets to die in a blaze of glory, televised worldwide and reaping that post-mortem fame.

It also explains as to how quickly his health deteriorated. If he was already sick long before the game, and unaware that he was ill in the first place thanks to his implanted memories, then it would make sense how he already starts to cough up blood in chapter 3.

Again, this is still a theory based on a specific interpretation of Momota. It's still possible team DR infected him for the sake of the show, and the entertainment industry destroying their cast/crew for the sake of their craft is not uncommon. But I think the interpretation of a guy with a terminal illness going into a death game for fame and fortune, and the company running said death game using that illness for their advantage and trying to claim it as their own is also just as interesting and fits right into the themes of V3.

#ndrv3 #kaito momota #tsumugi shirogane #yuli meta #yuli speaks #this is more for me organizing my thoughts out loud than a serious meta haha #but one i think about a lot!#ndrv3 spoilers

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