I...think I was vague enough with the spoilers to not warrant a link.
Player Name: Dal Personal Journal:dalicious E-mail: daletchica@yahoo.com AIM/MSN: AIM: AsylumBred Timezone: EDT (GMT -4:00) Current Characters in Route: N/A
Character Name: Kiyotaka Ishimaru Series: Dangan Ronpa Timeline: Chapter 2, the night after "motives" have been released Canon Resource Links: ...hahaha oh my god. Um.
Dangan Ronpa is unlicensed in the US; it hasn't been localized, nor has it been professionally translated. However, there is a very extensive Let's Play of the game, consisting of a full translation, located here. It's on the SomethingAwful forums, and sometimes a paywall is up, meaning that an account is needed to view it when that happens. A Dangan Ronpa wiki exists, but it is pathetically underdeveloped and prone to vandalism; the actual Wikipedia entry on the game itself is here, explaining the plot in a bit more detail, and there's a TVTropes page here that is pretty well-done.
However, I understand if you don't want to wade through the LP and the other links are either pretty sparse or...well, TVTropes, and so! Here is a basic overview of the canon in general, as well as Ishimaru's part in it up to his current canon point, should you prefer that (or if you just want to read it, I guess). Link obviously contains spoilers, though I tried to keep them vague!
Personality:
Kiyotaka Ishimaru is a model student.
Admittedly, it may be difficult to tell that at first glance; despite the fact that he was selected to attend Hope's Peak Academy (an elite school accepting only the most exceptional in their particular field or talent) after being noted for his proficiency as a "Super High-School Level Hall Monitor," it's very obvious that Ishimaru is a bit...special...in ways that have nothing to do with his title. He seems to have no concept of an indoor voice, and even when he's having private conversations with people his preferred manner of speaking is best described as "emphatic screaming"; on the rare occasions that he's speaking with something approaching a normal volume level, conversations with Ishimaru tend to be rather odd in general, as he comes across as blunt, forceful and demanding. He doesn't make requests so much as he tells people that they will do things, he uses honorifics with his peers that imply that he sees them as subordinates rather than equals, and despite the fact that he has such a commanding presence overall he can come across as strangely distant - he doesn't engage in idle conversations with others, he doesn't seem particularly close to anyone on a friendly level, and when it comes to following the rules, dislodging whatever stick's up his rear is going to require nothing short of an act of God. He's also prone to ridiculously insensitive comments from time to time (if anything, he blunders into upsetting or annoying people more often than he doesn't) and while he doesn't seem to act out in fits of anger, he just generally tends to come across as crazy as hell.
However, Ishimaru is one of the most genuinely decent students that's been thrown into the utter hell that Hope's Peak has become. Despite his brash and abrasive behavior, his first priority always rests with the other students and their well-being; once the nature of Monobear's "game" becomes clear and the school immediately becomes the most ironically-named place on the planet, Ishimaru is quick to take on a leadership role among the students. He organizes investigations of the school and collects verbal reports from the other students describing what they've found; he checks in with everyone every morning to make sure they're awake, all right and will at least get breakfast in them before setting about with daily activities; he runs meetings in the morning, and in the evenings after major developments, so that everyone can better keep up with each other and so he can keep track of what's going on...he basically keeps busy in keeping everyone else busy. It's something that not all of the other students appreciate or take seriously; however, Ishimaru persists in his duties, regardless of how much snark he gets for it sometimes.
It's this sort of behavior, as well as his attitude toward his situation, that make it plain why he's the Super High-School Level Hall Monitor to begin with - he's very dedicated to rules and order, but not at the expense of others. After all, Monobear has set forth "rules" that need to be followed in order for students to leave the school, but Ishimaru isn't willing to follow them, instead taking an active role in organizing the others and helping them find another way out; his sense of justice and what constitutes "right" and "wrong" are very strong, and he spends the entirety of his run in Dangan Ronpa insisting that there's no good reason to murder anyone, that there's always another option, and he refuses to throw anyone else under a bus in order to save himself. He's very idealistic and seems to want to think the best of everyone and that they'll hold themselves to the same standards - at the outset of the game, he's absolutely convinced that none of his fellow students will kill anyone, and he's hindered during trials and investigations regarding the murders that do happen because he's reluctant to suspect anyone in particular. He does join the other students in expressing suspicion toward Naegi, the protagonist, before the first trial, when most of the evidence points toward him; however, before they enter the courtroom he backpedals and apologizes, saying that he doesn't really believe Naegi to have killed anyone, no matter how suspicious it looks. (While that's admittedly a really backhanded apology and it's left up to interpretation whether this is entirely true or not, it's worth mentioning that this is the first thing he says to Naegi after accusing him earlier, he wasn't pushed or prompted to apologize at all by Naegi or anyone else, and he seems rather distressed and uncomfortable with the situation. So it's fairly safe to assume that he's at least conflicted about the issue.)
So he's idealistic. Optimistic. And pretty much a genuinely decent guy. Leaving us with just one question, really - that being "Okay yeahno, what the hell happened to cause the massive level of social idiocy described earlier?"
Not much is known about Ishimaru's personal life before his arrival at Hope's Peak - we're never shown what his first "motive" was (involving the people he considers closest to him), nor does he seem willing to talk about it. But while not many details are given regarding either his life or his family, there is one vital exception - in an optional social-link-type event in which he's spending time with Naegi, he confides that his grandfather was a genius, elected to the office of Prime Minister some time before the events of the game; however, his decision-making skills while in office were shown to be...vastly subpar, bringing disgrace upon his family. Ishimaru has taken it upon himself to restore honor to his family's name; however, while smart, he isn't intellectually gifted in any particular direction. As such, he intends to prove to society - and to some extent, to himself - that hard work, dedication and personal discipline can be just as valuable as any "genius"-level talents, and that he has the willpower to make a success of himself despite most of the odds being stacked against him.
And for the most part, he's been very successful so far. Before being selected to attend Hope's Peak, he attended a prestigious high school where he was known for being a model student through and through - he was both top of his class in academics and the leader of the school's disciplinary committee. However, due to his dedication to studying and adhering to proper conduct coming before almost everything else, he's had very little by way of a normal personal life. He expresses confusion about why anyone would people would watch TV or play video games when there's studying that can be done to pass the time; he has a very difficult time understanding things that most people are surrounded by daily (Naegi literally tells him that a hooded sweatshirt doubles as a safety helmet and Ishimaru believes him), and he doesn't really have much of a concept of having fun simply for fun's sake. He admits that he doesn't engage in normal conversations because he has no idea what to talk to his peers about, and he confides to Naegi (and, according to the manga, to Mondo Oowada as well) that he's never been able to make friends. And it's not for a lack of trying, because he mentions having tried for years with no success; rather, he can't make friends because he literally doesn't know how, a fact that distresses him greatly and tends to make him cry.
Basically, Ishimaru is a good person and rather book-smart but very poorly socialized; however, he's learned to make up for at least some of his social shortcomings by using his Hall Monitor obligations as a means to interact with others. After all, keeping everyone in line and making sure that they follow the rules also ensures that they're safe; managing everyone's time gives him an excuse to check on them, allowing him to express concern without feeling vulnerable or personally overinvested. This is probably best illustrated in the canon AU side-story Dangan Ronpa IF - at one point, Naegi feels ill and faints, only to wake up in the school infirmary the next day. It's explained that Ishimaru was very distressed upon hearing this and immediately set up a rotating 24-hour watch to make sure that Naegi's condition didn't worsen, so it can be assumed that he was told exactly what happened by one of the students that was present; however, upon Naegi's return to the group, Ishimaru immediately demands an explanation for where he was, wanting to know why he's late to join the others. Everyone else linefaces rather hard at this because the question has a completely obvious answer, but it's soon made clear that Ishimaru isn't trying to be annoying, he's concerned - he was simply checking the information he'd received against the information Naegi himself gave him. When everything matches up he seems relieved, telling Naegi to just focus on getting well, and then wanders off to set about appointing some sort of Health Committee in case something like that happens again.
At the same time, while he seems to find it easier to use his duties to socialize, that doesn't mean that he's cold or unfeeling; to the contrary, he's very passionate about...well, just about everything. He's incredibly hotblooded and has more shounen spirit than one can shake a stick at; he translates the passion into forcefulness and sheer screaming volume most of the time, and he honestly couldn't hide his emotions even if he wanted to. Ishimaru is incredibly sensitive and extremely expressive, wearing his heart on his sleeve and feeling no shame whatsoever at open displays of emotion - in particular, he cries very easily, even when he's not upset (Anger? Tears. Fear? Tears. Excitement? Tears. Happiness? Oh, look, he's laughing and - ...wow, yep, there are the tears) and he doesn't seem embarrassed or bothered by it at all.
And given how bad his current situation is, he's certainly given plenty of reasons to cry. While most of the students seem bothered by their situation and are shocked and scared by the executions, Ishimaru is shown openly grieving the deaths of the other students; following the death of someone he's close to, he starts screaming and seems unable to stop himself for quite some time. Even when he isn't close to the students in question, however, it's obvious that death hits him hard; after one of his fellow classmates is shown to be a murderer and executed as punishment for what he's done, Ishimaru is shown openly crying and grieving over the culprit's death, even though he didn't know the individual well at all. He cares deeply for the other students and wants to protect them, but he clearly doesn't think any of the culprits deserve death, either, regardless of what they've done.
However, Ishimaru is a teenager, not a saint, and he does have some rather volatile sides to his personality that will surface now and then. If he gets angry enough, he's not opposed to letting a few choice words fly at whomever is agitating him; he also isn't above insults and petty behavior toward people he feels legitimately need to better themselves, either intellectually or in terms of following the rules. This is most evident in his initial treatment of Mondo Oowada; while they aren't even all that civil to one another at first, they at least seem content to take a few verbal shots and then just deal with the fact that they won't get along and keep their distance from one another...until the beginning of Chapter Two, at which point they finally get into a direct confrontation. Mondo misunderstands one of the references that Ishimaru makes and Ishimaru is quick to call him an idiot; pleased that he finally has some way to get an upper hand over Mondo (and as a result is finally higher in the social hierarchy than someone), he spends the rest of that evening picking on Mondo for his intelligence, and claiming that Mondo has less willpower between the two of them because at least Ishimaru doesn't need to "resort to violence so easily." However, even though he doesn't like Mondo at the time and is being a tremendous brat in his direction, Ishimaru is still openly worried about him when their argument culminates in Mondo doing something reckless and incredibly dangerous, and they more than make up after the fact - they seem to bond over their passionate natures (and mutual rash stupidity, if we're going to be honest) and they quickly become inseparable. So while Ishimaru definitely isn't above stupid petty behavior, it's incredibly rare that it lasts in any way, and it doesn't directly conflict with his sense of responsibility toward the others; his personal feelings, strong though they may be, ultimately aren't allowed to conflict with his sense of justice and doing the right thing by others.
And in the end, that's what defines him as a person; despite his flaws and whatever his personal thoughts may be about someone, he wants to do what's right by others. He never treats others as though dealing with them is an inconvenience or an unpleasant obligation, and while it's definitely in his own, admittedly bizarre sort of way, he does what he can to ensure that everyone gets out of the school in one piece.
Kiyotaka Ishimaru | Dangan Ronpa | Reserved
Player
Name: Dal
Personal Journal:
E-mail: daletchica@yahoo.com
AIM/MSN: AIM: AsylumBred
Timezone: EDT (GMT -4:00)
Current Characters in Route: N/A
Character
Name: Kiyotaka Ishimaru
Series: Dangan Ronpa
Timeline: Chapter 2, the night after "motives" have been released
Canon Resource Links: ...hahaha oh my god. Um.
Dangan Ronpa is unlicensed in the US; it hasn't been localized, nor has it been professionally translated. However, there is a very extensive Let's Play of the game, consisting of a full translation, located here. It's on the SomethingAwful forums, and sometimes a paywall is up, meaning that an account is needed to view it when that happens. A Dangan Ronpa wiki exists, but it is pathetically underdeveloped and prone to vandalism; the actual Wikipedia entry on the game itself is here, explaining the plot in a bit more detail, and there's a TVTropes page here that is pretty well-done.
However, I understand if you don't want to wade through the LP and the other links are either pretty sparse or...well, TVTropes, and so! Here is a basic overview of the canon in general, as well as Ishimaru's part in it up to his current canon point, should you prefer that (or if you just want to read it, I guess). Link obviously contains spoilers, though I tried to keep them vague!
Personality:
Kiyotaka Ishimaru is a model student.
Admittedly, it may be difficult to tell that at first glance; despite the fact that he was selected to attend Hope's Peak Academy (an elite school accepting only the most exceptional in their particular field or talent) after being noted for his proficiency as a "Super High-School Level Hall Monitor," it's very obvious that Ishimaru is a bit...special...in ways that have nothing to do with his title. He seems to have no concept of an indoor voice, and even when he's having private conversations with people his preferred manner of speaking is best described as "emphatic screaming"; on the rare occasions that he's speaking with something approaching a normal volume level, conversations with Ishimaru tend to be rather odd in general, as he comes across as blunt, forceful and demanding. He doesn't make requests so much as he tells people that they will do things, he uses honorifics with his peers that imply that he sees them as subordinates rather than equals, and despite the fact that he has such a commanding presence overall he can come across as strangely distant - he doesn't engage in idle conversations with others, he doesn't seem particularly close to anyone on a friendly level, and when it comes to following the rules, dislodging whatever stick's up his rear is going to require nothing short of an act of God. He's also prone to ridiculously insensitive comments from time to time (if anything, he blunders into upsetting or annoying people more often than he doesn't) and while he doesn't seem to act out in fits of anger, he just generally tends to come across as crazy as hell.
However, Ishimaru is one of the most genuinely decent students that's been thrown into the utter hell that Hope's Peak has become. Despite his brash and abrasive behavior, his first priority always rests with the other students and their well-being; once the nature of Monobear's "game" becomes clear and the school immediately becomes the most ironically-named place on the planet, Ishimaru is quick to take on a leadership role among the students. He organizes investigations of the school and collects verbal reports from the other students describing what they've found; he checks in with everyone every morning to make sure they're awake, all right and will at least get breakfast in them before setting about with daily activities; he runs meetings in the morning, and in the evenings after major developments, so that everyone can better keep up with each other and so he can keep track of what's going on...he basically keeps busy in keeping everyone else busy. It's something that not all of the other students appreciate or take seriously; however, Ishimaru persists in his duties, regardless of how much snark he gets for it sometimes.
It's this sort of behavior, as well as his attitude toward his situation, that make it plain why he's the Super High-School Level Hall Monitor to begin with - he's very dedicated to rules and order, but not at the expense of others. After all, Monobear has set forth "rules" that need to be followed in order for students to leave the school, but Ishimaru isn't willing to follow them, instead taking an active role in organizing the others and helping them find another way out; his sense of justice and what constitutes "right" and "wrong" are very strong, and he spends the entirety of his run in Dangan Ronpa insisting that there's no good reason to murder anyone, that there's always another option, and he refuses to throw anyone else under a bus in order to save himself. He's very idealistic and seems to want to think the best of everyone and that they'll hold themselves to the same standards - at the outset of the game, he's absolutely convinced that none of his fellow students will kill anyone, and he's hindered during trials and investigations regarding the murders that do happen because he's reluctant to suspect anyone in particular. He does join the other students in expressing suspicion toward Naegi, the protagonist, before the first trial, when most of the evidence points toward him; however, before they enter the courtroom he backpedals and apologizes, saying that he doesn't really believe Naegi to have killed anyone, no matter how suspicious it looks. (While that's admittedly a really backhanded apology and it's left up to interpretation whether this is entirely true or not, it's worth mentioning that this is the first thing he says to Naegi after accusing him earlier, he wasn't pushed or prompted to apologize at all by Naegi or anyone else, and he seems rather distressed and uncomfortable with the situation. So it's fairly safe to assume that he's at least conflicted about the issue.)
So he's idealistic. Optimistic. And pretty much a genuinely decent guy. Leaving us with just one question, really - that being "Okay yeahno, what the hell happened to cause the massive level of social idiocy described earlier?"
Not much is known about Ishimaru's personal life before his arrival at Hope's Peak - we're never shown what his first "motive" was (involving the people he considers closest to him), nor does he seem willing to talk about it. But while not many details are given regarding either his life or his family, there is one vital exception - in an optional social-link-type event in which he's spending time with Naegi, he confides that his grandfather was a genius, elected to the office of Prime Minister some time before the events of the game; however, his decision-making skills while in office were shown to be...vastly subpar, bringing disgrace upon his family. Ishimaru has taken it upon himself to restore honor to his family's name; however, while smart, he isn't intellectually gifted in any particular direction. As such, he intends to prove to society - and to some extent, to himself - that hard work, dedication and personal discipline can be just as valuable as any "genius"-level talents, and that he has the willpower to make a success of himself despite most of the odds being stacked against him.
And for the most part, he's been very successful so far. Before being selected to attend Hope's Peak, he attended a prestigious high school where he was known for being a model student through and through - he was both top of his class in academics and the leader of the school's disciplinary committee. However, due to his dedication to studying and adhering to proper conduct coming before almost everything else, he's had very little by way of a normal personal life. He expresses confusion about why anyone would people would watch TV or play video games when there's studying that can be done to pass the time; he has a very difficult time understanding things that most people are surrounded by daily (Naegi literally tells him that a hooded sweatshirt doubles as a safety helmet and Ishimaru believes him), and he doesn't really have much of a concept of having fun simply for fun's sake. He admits that he doesn't engage in normal conversations because he has no idea what to talk to his peers about, and he confides to Naegi (and, according to the manga, to Mondo Oowada as well) that he's never been able to make friends. And it's not for a lack of trying, because he mentions having tried for years with no success; rather, he can't make friends because he literally doesn't know how, a fact that distresses him greatly and tends to make him cry.
Basically, Ishimaru is a good person and rather book-smart but very poorly socialized; however, he's learned to make up for at least some of his social shortcomings by using his Hall Monitor obligations as a means to interact with others. After all, keeping everyone in line and making sure that they follow the rules also ensures that they're safe; managing everyone's time gives him an excuse to check on them, allowing him to express concern without feeling vulnerable or personally overinvested. This is probably best illustrated in the canon AU side-story Dangan Ronpa IF - at one point, Naegi feels ill and faints, only to wake up in the school infirmary the next day. It's explained that Ishimaru was very distressed upon hearing this and immediately set up a rotating 24-hour watch to make sure that Naegi's condition didn't worsen, so it can be assumed that he was told exactly what happened by one of the students that was present; however, upon Naegi's return to the group, Ishimaru immediately demands an explanation for where he was, wanting to know why he's late to join the others. Everyone else linefaces rather hard at this because the question has a completely obvious answer, but it's soon made clear that Ishimaru isn't trying to be annoying, he's concerned - he was simply checking the information he'd received against the information Naegi himself gave him. When everything matches up he seems relieved, telling Naegi to just focus on getting well, and then wanders off to set about appointing some sort of Health Committee in case something like that happens again.
At the same time, while he seems to find it easier to use his duties to socialize, that doesn't mean that he's cold or unfeeling; to the contrary, he's very passionate about...well, just about everything. He's incredibly hotblooded and has more shounen spirit than one can shake a stick at; he translates the passion into forcefulness and sheer screaming volume most of the time, and he honestly couldn't hide his emotions even if he wanted to. Ishimaru is incredibly sensitive and extremely expressive, wearing his heart on his sleeve and feeling no shame whatsoever at open displays of emotion - in particular, he cries very easily, even when he's not upset (Anger? Tears. Fear? Tears. Excitement? Tears. Happiness? Oh, look, he's laughing and - ...wow, yep, there are the tears) and he doesn't seem embarrassed or bothered by it at all.
And given how bad his current situation is, he's certainly given plenty of reasons to cry. While most of the students seem bothered by their situation and are shocked and scared by the executions, Ishimaru is shown openly grieving the deaths of the other students; following the death of someone he's close to, he starts screaming and seems unable to stop himself for quite some time. Even when he isn't close to the students in question, however, it's obvious that death hits him hard; after one of his fellow classmates is shown to be a murderer and executed as punishment for what he's done, Ishimaru is shown openly crying and grieving over the culprit's death, even though he didn't know the individual well at all. He cares deeply for the other students and wants to protect them, but he clearly doesn't think any of the culprits deserve death, either, regardless of what they've done.
However, Ishimaru is a teenager, not a saint, and he does have some rather volatile sides to his personality that will surface now and then. If he gets angry enough, he's not opposed to letting a few choice words fly at whomever is agitating him; he also isn't above insults and petty behavior toward people he feels legitimately need to better themselves, either intellectually or in terms of following the rules. This is most evident in his initial treatment of Mondo Oowada; while they aren't even all that civil to one another at first, they at least seem content to take a few verbal shots and then just deal with the fact that they won't get along and keep their distance from one another...until the beginning of Chapter Two, at which point they finally get into a direct confrontation. Mondo misunderstands one of the references that Ishimaru makes and Ishimaru is quick to call him an idiot; pleased that he finally has some way to get an upper hand over Mondo (and as a result is finally higher in the social hierarchy than someone), he spends the rest of that evening picking on Mondo for his intelligence, and claiming that Mondo has less willpower between the two of them because at least Ishimaru doesn't need to "resort to violence so easily." However, even though he doesn't like Mondo at the time and is being a tremendous brat in his direction, Ishimaru is still openly worried about him when their argument culminates in Mondo doing something reckless and incredibly dangerous, and they more than make up after the fact - they seem to bond over their passionate natures (and mutual rash stupidity, if we're going to be honest) and they quickly become inseparable. So while Ishimaru definitely isn't above stupid petty behavior, it's incredibly rare that it lasts in any way, and it doesn't directly conflict with his sense of responsibility toward the others; his personal feelings, strong though they may be, ultimately aren't allowed to conflict with his sense of justice and doing the right thing by others.
And in the end, that's what defines him as a person; despite his flaws and whatever his personal thoughts may be about someone, he wants to do what's right by others. He never treats others as though dealing with them is an inconvenience or an unpleasant obligation, and while it's definitely in his own, admittedly bizarre sort of way, he does what he can to ensure that everyone gets out of the school in one piece.