Sayaka Maizono

Ultimate Pop Sensation Gender Female Height 165 cm Weight 108 lbs Birth Date ♋ July 7 Chest Size 33 in Family Unnamed father Unnamed mother † Appearance: Sayaka is a slim girl of average height with a pale complexion. She has long, dark blue hair flowing past her waist, the hair framing her face cut shorter at elbow-length, with bangs swept to the right. Two thin hairclips can be found pinned on her bangs to her right, another pinned on the left side of her face. Her eyes are round and dark blue, likely enhanced by makeup. Sayaka is considered very attractive, Makoto mentioning that she has a near doll-like beauty. She wears a white seifuku school uniform with a blue sailor collar and sleeve cuffs, both striped with two white lines. With this, she wears a light pink ribbon tied in a large bow at her collar and a short, pleated, blue-green plaid skirt. Her legwear consists of navy thigh-high socks, the edges striped with a white line, and dark brown Mary Janes with silver buckles. Her school crest can be found printed in gold on her collar flap and her left sleeve. Personality: Sayaka has a cheerful, sweet, lighthearted, and supporting personality, expressing a kind demeanor and pleasant disposition, although it is unknown if this is only because of her status as an idol. Sayaka develops a bond with Makoto Naegi, whom she considers her friend, assisting him on every occasion in Chapter 1. However, she tends to hide her feelings when she is under great pressure by putting on her public persona. She cares greatly for her band members, and would not hesitate to do something if anything were to happen to one of them, including things that could hurt others. When pushed to her limit, Sayaka will do anything to achieve the goals she sets out, however risky her actions may be. After she watched Killing Among Loved Ones, she only thinks of how she could escape from the academy, even planning to betray Makoto. Sayaka mentions that she often finds herself focused on a particular person, but pushes these thoughts out of her mind to commit herself further to her idol career. She has an amazing intuition, as she can easily tell what people are thinking. She often joked about being psychic, only to admit that she was kidding later on. She enjoys cooking, reading and playing Othello. Sayaka was raised solely by her father who worked long hours, leaving her to spend much of her time alone at home. The only thing that kept her from feeling lonely was the idol live show she watched on television. The idol girls' smiles were a source of strength for her, and she became determined to become an idol herself so that she could give that same strength to others. However, it is noted that she was so determined to achieve her dream that she made multiple sacrifices and did bad things to follow through and do so. Sayaka and Makoto Naegi both went to Blackroot Junior High, though were unaware of each other's character because they weren't in the same classes and social groups. On one occasion, Sayaka saw Makoto nurse an injured crane back to health after it got lost and stuck in the school pool. This action touched Sayaka, and, after that incident, she wanted to get to know Makoto more. Unfortunately, they ended up graduating middle school without interacting with each other, and then went to different high schools. Sayaka was later scouted for Hope's Peak Academy's Class 78th, where she met Makoto once again. It is shown that Sayaka posed for an idol photobook on at least one occasion, which was revealed when a copy was traded to Teruteru Hanamura by Nagito Komaeda. It appears to contain photos of her in revealing outfits, and is likely to be one of the "bad things" that Sayaka did to achieve her dream. During the Tragedy, Jin Kirigiri, the Headmaster of Hope's Peak Academy, planned to seal the school building and let the students live forever inside the Academy in order to protect them from the destruction. The class agreed to his plan, and they sealed the building together. Sayaka is seen talking with Makoto as the rest of the students begin to seal the school. After Makoto trips over a piece of paper, she tells him to be careful, as it would be extremely hard to help him should he get injured. Makoto assures her that the Tragedy would be over soon, to which she agrees. The students lived peacefully inside the school building for a year without knowing that the Ultimate Despair members were already in their midst. Sayaka was among those who were chosen to attend Hope's Peak Academy as part of Class 78th. Her, along with her fellow classmates, ended up being trapped inside the school, completely unaware that at the time that they had already been memory-wiped of their two years of school life together. After losing their memories, Sayaka and Makoto were the only two students who still remembered each other since they attended the same middle school. Due to their previous familiarity they became close, and Sayaka assigned herself as an assistant to Makoto. The students soon became forced into the mutual killing incident, in which the only way to escape was to kill a fellow student. As an incentive to murder, the students were each given a DVD featuring a video from Monokuma which implied that their loved ones were in danger. Sayaka's DVD showed the other members of her band apparently either dead or unconscious. The DVD deeply traumatized Sayaka, and she began devising a plan to murder Leon Kuwata and make it appear that Makoto was responsible for his death. She had Makoto promise he would do anything it took to help her escape, and he took an ornamental golden sword from outside the gym and kept it in his room for defense. In the evening, Sayaka knocked on Makoto's door, appearing frightened, claiming that someone had tried to get into her room. Because she felt unsafe in her own room, Makoto agreed to switch rooms with her, and the pair traded room keys. Sayaka appeared as an illusion in Nagito Komaeda's imaginary world following his death in the Neo World Program. Her illusion's personality appears to be based on a generic shoujo manga protagonist. Much like Sayaka's real-life counterpart, she is cheerful, sweet, and has a supporting personality. Sayaka was worried of being late to school and began running hurriedly down the path while simultaneously holding a piece of toast in her mouth. She accidentally bumped into Nagito, pushing him into a moving truck and sending him flying into the nearby shrub where he experienced a number of unlucky circumstances. As a result of Nagito's bad luck, Sayaka received good luck, and was helped to stand back up by Makoto Naegi. Makoto represented himself in a far more confident and cool way and Sayaka was impressed by this, and they share a romantic moment. Later, Sayaka held Makoto by the arm as they walked together happily, showing Nagito how happiness can still be created without talent. "Maizono is placed on a stage, with the form of a giant beartrap along its edge. She is required to sing in order to fill the a score meter until it's full. However, just as the meter is about to reach the highest score, Monokuma destroys it, triggering the 'Failure' condition. This causes the giant beartrap to slam shut, killing Maizono instantly." The Danganronpa 3 box set included a feature detailing an alternate ending of Danganronpa called Danganronpa Another End which ultimately never made it out of the development phase. In this ending, all of the students escape, at the cost of giving up their talent forever. In Sayaka's ending, she tells Makoto that she will talk to her bandmates and decide what to do next, but that even if she can't perform with them anymore, they'll always be her precious friends. She tells Makoto that as long as she's fighting beside him, there's nothing they can't do. Danganronpa IF, is a what-if scenario light novel in which Sayaka doesn't die. Sayaka's scheme to frame Makoto was interrupted by Makoto fainting, and was therefore never carried out. Very concerned and worried, Sayaka took him to the infirmary, intending to watch over him until she was interrupted by Mukuro Ikusaba. Later, she nearly succumbs to despair when one of the Monokumas reminds her of how close she had come to killing one of her friends, and when Leon destroys that Monokuma she vows to admit to Leon and the others what she had planned to do when they escape. Sayaka ultimately escapes Hope's Peak alive with the rest of her classmates before the Mutual Killing Game properly begins. In the demo version of the main game, Yasuhiro Hagakure was the murder victim in place of Sayaka, thus she is able to participate in the ensuing Class Trial along with Mukuro Ikusaba (disguised as Junko), who was also killed before the first trial began. Talent and Abilities: Ultimate Pop Sensation: As the Ultimate Pop Sensation, Sayaka is said to have a mesmerizing voice, exceptional performance and amazing dancing skills. Because of this, she has gained over 100 million fans and admirers all over the world who call themselves Sayakers. This is actually what led Hope's Peak Academy to approach her. Four of Sayaka's songs have been released: Negaigoto Ensemble, Monochrome Answer, I'm Not Typical!, and Sky Blue Canvas. She was also backup singer for Aidoru Datte Abiriti. Extraordinary Intuition: Sayaka has amazing intuition, and often knows what people are thinking, even when it isn't obvious. She claimed this was due to psychic powers she joked about having. During Sayaka's School Mode ending, Makoto has flashes of events from the main story involving him and Sayaka, who also seems to remember said events. This seems to imply that Sayaka really does have a limited amount of psychic ability. Relationships: Her Father Her father is the only family Sayaka has left, however, Sayaka states that her father was never really around the house much, due to him staying late at work. Because of this, Sayaka was often lonely, and didn't know her father very well. Her Idol Group Sayaka is very close to the girls in her idol group, as they are the ones who helped her achieve her dreams. They are the people she cares about most which are confirmed by the fact that they became her Captives. When seeing the motive video, Sayaka tried to devise a plan to frame Makoto for murdering Leon Kuwata because she assumed they were dead. Satomi Aoba and Ayaka Haneyama are two of the girls in Sayaka's idol group and very good friends of hers. So far, out of the four girls in Sayaka's idol group, only their names have been revealed. Makoto Naegi Before the events of the first game, Sayaka and Makoto went to the same middle school but never talked to each other due to being in different social circles. However, she became interested in Makoto after seeing him nurse an injured crane when it got lost and stuck in the pool at their school. She wanted to get to know him more, but unfortunately, both of them ended up graduating without ever contacting each other. In the game, Sayaka eventually had a chance to talk with Makoto and befriended him. Mutual attraction formed between the two and several parts in the game hinted that she actually has feelings for him, even going so far as to act as his "assistant." However, after she received her "Motivational DVD" from Monokuma, she fell into despair. Makoto tried to comfort Sayaka and switched rooms with her when she was scared. This move was later revealed to be part of Sayaka's attempt to frame Makoto for the murder of Leon. Monokuma had not yet told the students that if a student "graduates" the other students are all executed, so Sayaka could not have known that framing Makoto would result in his death. Whether she would have stuck with her plan after learning this is unknown, since her plan backfired, and she was killed by Leon. Before dying, Sayaka wrote Leon's name (read as 11037) as a hint for the culprit. This was what helped prove Makoto's innocence, and led him to identify the real killer. Kyoko told Makoto that Sayaka must have been thinking about him when she wrote the message, in order to save him. But Makoto wondered whether she had simply written it to get revenge on the person who killed her. Whatever the reason, there was no way to find out, as Sayaka was now dead. But ultimately, Makoto chose to believe that Sayaka was looking out for him in the end. The manga adaptation explicitly demonstrates that Sayaka wrote Leon's name in a deliberate attempt to save Makoto from suspicion. In Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair, Makoto explains to Hajime that he set 11037 as the code to save the remaining students because it was a number left by someone who saved him when he was in trouble. Sayaka's Japanese voice actress, Makiko Ōmoto, said in an interview (in Danganronpa THE ANIMATION Official Complete Book) that Sayaka's character song, 'Monochrome Answer', might hint at her relationship with Makoto before the Killing School Life. Ōmoto also mentioned that when Sayaka's "ghost" appeared to Makoto in Danganronpa 3, she was told not to speak in a scary voice, as she was supposed to represent "a guy thinking of his first love right before his death". Makoto's crush on Sayaka is also confirmed in the first anime's relationship chart. The chart does not mention her liking him back and it has not been explicitly stated that she returned his romantic feelings, however, it is heavily implied in one of Sayaka's Free Time Events. She tells Makoto that she is interested in someone, while the latter notes that she was looking intently at him while lightly blushing, but follows up by stating she is unable to act on her feelings due to wanting to escape the school first. In the Danganronpa V3 bonus mode Ultimate Talent Development Plan, Sayaka cooks a dish for Makoto, which he enjoys. They then talk about the old days and want to spend more time together. Leon Kuwata Though the two are not seen interacting much during the killing game, as a womanizer, Leon quickly developed a strong interest in Sayaka and apparently planned to approach her at some point. In his second Free Time Event, he asks Makoto if he knows "what type of guy Sayaka's into." In relationship charts featured in the art book, Leon admires how cute she is and considers her a "pure-hearted girl", which is a type he is into. Sayaka takes a note of that she is his type with a slight smile and blush. When put under the pressure of the Motivational Video, Sayaka chose Leon as her murder victim and planned to frame Makoto, possibly because she was aware of his attraction towards her. In the end, her plan backfired as Leon was able to defend himself, which led her to flee to the bathroom. Though he claimed it was only self-defense, Leon made a conscious decision to counter attack and murdered the girl. In the non-canonical manga adaptation, Sayaka and Leon's relationship is quite different. Leon decided he wanted to be friends with her because of his ambition to change his talent from Ultimate Baseball Star to Ultimate Musician. Leon found Sayaka had the same passion he did, so he wanted to get closer to her. In turn, Sayaka was secretly angered with how lightly Leon was treating the music industry. In this version, Sayaka chose Leon as her victim because he respects Sayaka the most, so she could kill him easily. After Sayaka had run away from Leon upon his counter attack Leon decided to follow Sayaka to the bathroom so he could calm her down. In the end, Leon ended up murdering Sayaka by accident. Quotes: "Hi, I'm Sayaka Maizono. I look forward to getting to know you!" "I'm psychic. Kidding! I just have really good intuition." "Like I said, I'm psychic. Come on, I'm just kidding! Seriously, I just have amazing intuition." "And to thank you for helping me out, I'm going to become your Ultimate Assistant! Yup! I'm your assistant now! I'm going to help you out as much as I can, so let's get out of here together!" "I may not be the best assistant in the world, but I'll give it everything I've got." "Well, better to have than have not! At least we don't have to worry about surviving like wild animals." "Yeah! It sounds like you two are so close now you're fighting like sisters!" "Everyone just calm down, please! We need to stop and think about what to do from here." "So I just...want to be able to protect myself no matter what happens." "Like I said, I'm psychic. Come on, I'm just kidding! Seriously, I just have amazing intuition." "If I've got you on my side, I guess I don't need a weapon after all!" "I've never really done it before. I don't have a lot of time to just...do nothing." "I... My dream is... I've always wanted to be a star, as long as I can remember. I grew up without a mother, you know... And my dad worked really late every night. I was always home alone... I was just a kid, ya know? So I was really lonely. But that all changed when I saw a pop star on TV for the first time. She was so pretty, like a princess. And she could sing, and dance... But more than anything else, there was her smile. Looking at her smile, I could feel my loneliness melting away. I decided that's what I wanted to be someday. I wanted to give that kind of encouragement to others. Eventually, that became my dream. I did whatever it took to reach that dream. I mean it. Even some things that...weren't so pleasant. I honestly believed that as long as you kept chasing your dreams, someday they had to come true. But to that, you can't take off your eyes off of your dream, not even for a second. Even if sometimes it's a bad dream... Whether you're awake, whether you're asleep... To make your dream a reality, you have to keep your gaze fixed on it no matter what. In that world, if you lose focus for even a split second, you get left behind. You have to keep on swimming against the current, without even taking time to breathe. That's the kind of world my dream lives in." "Oh no, don't get the wrong idea. It's super fun! But...that's exactly what scares me. I enjoy every single day I wake up and get to do what I do." "Everyone in our group is amazing. We're rivals in a way, but they all mean so much to me. We've been performing together since we were young, so they're all like family to me. Without them, I would have given up on my dream a long time ago. To work together, and fulfill our dreams together, has brought me so much happiness... But that's the thing that scares me the most. If the world gets tired of us, then what happens? What happens to us? Then the dream dies, those wonderful days come to an end, and everyone goes their separate ways... So that's the reason I decided to come to Hope's Peak. Well...they say that if you graduate from here, success is basically guaranteed. Which means I could keep on performing with my best friends, for ever and ever. At least, that's what I thought. I really did believe that, but... ...now we're trapped here, with no way out. They're probably waiting for me... While I'm in here, the world out there is forgetting about me. Minute by minute, we're all disappearing. But still... I can't afford to be stuck in here!" "...If Makoto's going, I'm going with him. It's not safe to walk around this place alone." "Yeah...I'm fine. Actually, no...how could I possibly be fine? What did we do to end up like this...? Why are they doing such terrible things to us...? I want out! Let me out of here right now!" "Why...? Why is this happening to me? To kill, or be killed... I just can't take this anymore...!" "Can I...can I believe what you said? That you'll help me get out? No matter what it takes...? Makoto... You're the only one I can trust. So please... No matter what happens, please always be there for me. I need you on my side..." "Thank you, Makoto. Hearing you say that, I feel like I can keep going. I can get through this...as long as you're here with me. Like you said, I'm your assistant." "Like I said, I'm psychic. ... What if I wasn't just kidding...?" "Oh, and about what I said before... When I said I was psychic, it really was a joke. Honestly, I'm just very perceptive." "Having you by my side really makes me feel a lot better. If you weren't here with me, I just don't know what I'd do. I'd be lost... I hate that we had to meet again under such awful conditions, but... I'm relieved you're with me." "I'm that crane, you see. I've come to return the favor. Here, let me make you a cloak..." "Maybe, but still... I'm sure you'll help me find my way out, just like that crane. You'll save me. It's just intuition, I know, but I still believe it. I believe in you. Besides, my intuition always turns out to be right. Cuz I'm psychic. Ehehe. Kidding, kidding!" "You and I are more than just classmates... We're friends. We've been friends since middle school, in a way." "Let's just say... there's someone I'm interested in. But I need to put those feelings aside for now. Getting out of here is all that matters." "Let's get out of here together, Makoto. No matter what... Please don't turn your back on me, okay? I want you to know something, Makoto. And I want you to know that I mean it- I can't fake my feelings... I'm... really glad you're here." "Yeah, you're right. We need to work together and do our best... Hehehe!" "Even if we don't get it right the first time... ...with enough practice, I'm sure we'll get the hang of it and figure everything out!" "I'm gonna give it everything I've got today, so we can all get out of here together!" "I don't think it's good to worry about the time too much. What I mean is, if you're always worried about what time it is, doesn't it make you impatient?" "Not that I hate hamburgers! It's just...junk food is a powerful enemy..." "If we don't take time to study, we'll be behind when we get out of here. And that'll be a big problem!" "Whenever I read a good book, I feel like I'm looking in on a whole other world. I always end up thinking about what I would do if I were in that world. Reading can bring people so much pleasure!" "Even if you don't know the rules, or you're just tired of playing... I think if you put your mind to it, you can find your own way to have all kinds of fun...!" "Music really is wonderful, isn't it? It has the power to move people's hearts. The melodies and words join together to touch their souls... If my voice can play even a small part in that, that's enough to make me happy." "I guess the perfect environment for plants might be the perfect environment for people too, huh?" "I felt like your iron will would force the future into the shape you wanted. But I couldn't see that shape myself..." "In this here and now, we had to defy all the odds, pray for so many miracles, to reach this point... That's how it plays out in my head. But I also feel what happened to me. I..." "You worked to create a future for yourself. It was meant to be. And then it came to pass, because of you... But for me, it's different. This future I'm facing now...it's a miracle." "I knew everything... I knew you would never give up until it was all over. That's why I was able to go through this, why it didn't hurt... Cuz I'm psychic, ya know?" "Working together to fulfill our dreams has made me so happy..." "I'm sure from your perspective, idols are just young amateurs dancing on stage. Even so, it's a wonderful job that brings smiles to many people's faces. That's what I think." "I feel very reassured with you on my team, Sakura. But, I can't let you do all the work. Let's do our best to support each other!" "Being a pop star is my dream come true... I enjoy working this hard." "I always get nervous at times like these, so I look at my friends on the stage with me. I feel like I can do anything as long as I have my friends. I don't feel so anxious after that." "Yeah, I may be a pop star, but I'm also your classmate, Sayaka Maizono. Even after we graduate, it'll continue. I won't ever be too far from you. So, as long as you keep watching me, I'll be happy." "There's no guarantee that everything will stay the same as it is now... Even if some things do change, I'm sure those changes will be wonderful." "...Even if I didn't have this talent, I would still be doing this. It's because I love this. I work so hard because I admire that life so much." "Idol is truly a dream job, but...now and then, people look down on it as vapid. I'm just an idol...but I want to put some real substance into my performance." "I'm always trying to refine my vision of the ideal idol...but my ideal isn't necessarily everyone's." "Someone to share memories with and cherish... I wouldn't stand a chance against someone like that. An idol may glitter and shine, but she has to share her smile with everyone around her. Even if I were the top idol in the world, I could never take that person's spot in your mind." "I can't be any one person's number one, which is why I can smile for people I don't even know... But that's the kind of idol I admire, and that's why I'm fine being that way." "It's just that...you can't just do what you love and nothing else. Does that make sense?" "As long as you can smile, you've made the best choice." "No worries. I can tell she admires me... and the support of my fans is priceless to me." "You're right that this isn't an industry where you can survive on nothing but dreams and ideals. But that doesn't invalidate the beauty of the dreams idols showed me as a child. I want to be a part of that world forever." "After I graduate from Hope's Peak Academy, I fully intend to work hard with my group. But nothing lasts forever. I understand that. I'm sure the day will come when we eventually decide to walk our own paths." "Our talents take a distinct, tangible form, so we're quick to wield them as our weapons. We have the tendency to do so, at least. But you're different, Makoto." "Making others want to smile and cheer... That's what truly creates my own smile." "You don't need to resolve everything yourself. Stay safe and let others help too."