Main installments: Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc | Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair | Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak High School | Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony
Spin-offs: Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls
Adaptations: Danganronpa: The Animation
- Leon's execution in the game was already sad enough, but, in the anime, it is so much worse. Here, before his execution starts, Leon actually breaks down in tears and tries to desperately escape to the door, pleading for his life. And then Monokuma sends him to his death anyway.
- Not to mention, the horrified and often tearful reactions of several students. Especially Makoto (Visible Silence first, starts screaming at Monokuma after he gloats), Chihiro (goes into a Twisted-Knee Collapse and sobs in a corner, murmuring "I can't take this... I can't take this!") and Toko (grabbing her head and shivering all over, saying "What's this, what the heck is this...?").
- What's more, the sobbing breakdown happens just after he's asked why he did it, and he screams that he had to and it could've been any of them in his place. The anime leaves out the part where Celeste points out he didn't have to kill once his would-be killer had retreated, so there's more of a focus on his misfortune in being chosen as a victim in the first place.
- The fourth episode has Makoto's sorrowful Shower of Angst and especially the rendition of the moment when Chihiro's lifeless body is found. The close-up to the poor kid's face is heartbreaking.
◊ - For all of the huge flaws in the first part of episode 5 (the one concerning the second trial and execution), the scene in the second half that shows Kiyotaka's massive Heroic BSoD upon Mondo being pronounced guilty and then executed for it is even more heartbreaking than in the game. So much that his desperate screams as well as him being in the Pose of Supplication after Mondo's death, instead of plowing the scene into Narm, actually enhance it.Kiyotaka: "I won't believe it."Mondo: "I'm sorry."Kiyotaka: "Why would you apologize? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?! Why did you do that?!"
- After the execution, as it cuts to a shot of Kiyotaka sobbing onto the floor, sharp-eyed viewers will notice the puddle underneath him.
- Earlier, Makoto is also seen struggling to hold back tears, followed by a shot of the victim's portrait—and even the portrait is made sadder, as instead of a black and white copy of the default sprite, it's Chihiro staring wide-eyed at the camera.
- There's also Mondo's speech, in which he, not Monokuma, gives the exposition on how his insecurity led him to cause his brother's death and kill Chihiro. By the end of it, he's sobbing as he acknowledges how weak he was..
- In spite of being incredibly rushed to accommodate for a lot of ground during Chapter 3, episode 6 has quite a few, including Kiyotaka tearfully speaking to Alter Ego about Mondo, and Hifumi's final words, sadly choked out before his death. For anyone knowing the truth about Hifumi's killer and their motivation for it, it makes the scene even more gut-wrenching than it was in the game, pacing-issues aside.
- The end of episode six added Hifumi, with tears in his eyes as he dies.
- It's also rushed, but episode 7 had a different case of Tear Jerker in case of Celeste. In the game, Aoi called her out after being revealed as a culprit where Celeste gleefully made a point that she had a case of Lack of Empathy. That thing was omitted from the anime, making it like Aoi still considered Celeste a friend and is worried about and couldn't do a thing about it. Although Makoto's monologue about her fake smile in the game was omitted, Celeste's comment with Kyoko when handing Alter Ego's key can have the implications that she's not like them, she couldn't treat Alter Ego like a Hope Bringer like the rest, which led her to do all those of pursuing her dream.
- Everything involving episode 9.
- In-game, the sprites in the courtroom tend to retain the last expression from when the character had dialogue, which can lead to some odd moments when they're in view as another character speaks, but the anime has the extra touch of Yasuhiro lowering his head in shame as Aoi accuses everyone of driving Sakura to her death.
- Hina's flashback to Sakura's death:
Hina: (pounding at the door) Don't do this! Open the door! They're jerks, all of them! Don't leave me! (sinks to the floor) Take me with you, Sakura...I'd rather be dead than alone... - Makoto's panic when he realizes everyone's voted for him as Mukuro's killer. Bryce Papenbrook really sells it in the dub—you can tell Makoto's both angry at the unfairness of the trial and terrified of dying.Makoto: DAMMIT IT WASN'T ME!
