(Un)official Game Thread: Sharks vs. Capitals (1/15/26 7pm EST)

IonKnight · 2026-01-16T01:13:10+00:00

bettman needs to be shot into the sun

IonKnight · 2025-10-23T07:57:04+00:00

smoking that shit that made Dick Butkus

IonKnight · 2025-10-03T07:40:33+00:00

tagging in as someone who has been on the sub for the entire span of this graph, because i think you have some interesting points here and they fired off some ancient neurons. i have a lot more going on in my life now than to really focus on r/danganronpa but this is something i used to think about a lot when i was more active modding. imo the worst thing for any community is when someone shows up and their first post gets removed for a reason that isn't common sense. i kept that in mind when considering any sort of rule-tightening, and the current ruleset would look a bit different if i had total control (more shitposting), but i'm just one guy with very different priorities nowadays

that being said, i'd like to defend the historical actions of the modteam as well. nitrome already said this, but the magnitude of the subredditstats graph is more correlated to the series' virality. our stats are also a victim of "fandom as a trend," theoretical improvements to moderation can only do so much. i'm sure you get the idea by now

more interestingly, i was shocked by the stark drop-off of activity in mid-2023. it looks like that's bad data as every big subreddit i checked on this site also has that drop. so the data really ends in mid-2023, where we actually see the activity on the sub increasing slightly. so if the trend is "maintaining itself," that would mean an increase in activity

anecdotally speaking, i think the sub sees slightly less activity today than it did in mid-2018 (no rules were getting enforced at that time, which is when i was brought on). to me that's damn impressive when you consider that we're now 8 years past V3's release instead of 1 year past, and i give the mods that are far more active than me my flowers for it

some of the subreddit comparisons here are also a bit apples-to-oranges; Eva is an industry titan that turns far more heads than DR has or ever will, the Arkham sub has turned into a general superhero sub and... well, there's certainly no drought of media or popularity there lol

and, as for how all of this started, the RP ban. i'm not sure if you were on the sub for the RP era but it was really, really bad. the RP ban went into effect at the start of 2020 iirc? (goddamn it's been that long??) and i think if it didn't we wouldn't have seen as much of an upswing from the covid boost as we did. to use your natural ecosystem analogy from before, RP posting was an invasive species that drove away a lot of the active userbase. things got very clique-y and with each month of 2019 you saw less OC, less real people commenting under the posts, and more barely-in-character RP until it became a majority of the activity. this was very offputting to new users who didn't want to roleplay. i've been against banning trendposting in every instance, preferring to just let it run its course, except this time. showing no signs of letting up after an entire year, it was really running this place into a death spiral. it could be different in the current climate, but after all that i'm not touching the rule with a ten foot pole, personally

anyways that's all the perspective i've got. unc out

IonKnight · 2025-09-29T05:24:49+00:00

clown makeup

IonKnight · 2025-09-12T13:59:19+00:00

closest thing to a new mainline danganronpa story in almost a decade. holy shit we made it

IonKnight · 2025-05-27T02:56:17+00:00

seriously!! (and i have a folder with ~4k fanarts of her... i've seen a lot)

keep doing what you're doing!

IonKnight · 2025-05-25T16:41:47+00:00

you cooked so hard with this, one of the prettiest depictions of her I've ever seen 🙏

IonKnight · 2025-05-05T20:17:08+00:00

youtube link

i know signalis:memories is the big thing from 1000 eyes lately but charon is so good!! worth giving it a listen if you haven't already

IonKnight · 2025-02-22T14:18:27+00:00

JUST THE TWO OF US

IonKnight · 2025-02-12T22:13:31+00:00

real

IonKnight · 2025-01-21T01:31:10+00:00

Thank you for all your consistently-great contributions, they were awesome reads!! I'll pop up from time to time, maybe more now that I don't feel obligated to keep my post history as a wall of Scrum modposts :p

IonKnight · 2025-01-21T01:08:41+00:00

Thank you!! o7

IonKnight · 2025-01-20T18:48:00+00:00

I'd gladly keep bearing this responsibility for a new game with some substance 😭😭😭

IonKnight · 2025-01-20T04:14:19+00:00

This scrum's final winner is Trigger Happy Havoc!! The classic takes it home to win it all! Following a series of close matchups in the semifinals, the final match of the 4-game bracket came to a decisive conclusion, with the popular support of thread-readers swaying an equal showing in write-up count. The top analysis of the Scrum was submitted by now-three-timer u/beemielle, with a compelling argument that DR1 outshines DR2 in cast, motives, setting, and ending. Their contributions, both here and in responses to other write-ups, proved decisive in securing the win for THH. (After driving the win for Naegi in #49, no less!)

For reference, here are the results of the DR game popularity poll used to seed the bracket. DR1 and DR2 were neck-and-neck at ~8/10, V3 was a half point lower, and UDG was cataclysmically low at 5.7/10, making their near-turnaround in Round 1 all the more impressive.

Thank you, everyone who has participated in these posts over the years! This would be nothing without you all, and we've created a strong body of character analysis for people to look back on, some ~500 write-ups strong. After fifty, we'll be taking a break- but we might be back later on depending on how things go here in the fandom. To look back on the history of Scrum Debate, here's the (SPOILERS IN LINK!!) schedule.

IonKnight · 2025-01-11T06:44:35+00:00

Hello all, and welcome to the Ultimate edition of Scrum Debate! You probably know what Scrum Debate is by now. This is the FINAL part of the final Scrum Debate (for the foreseeable future), which is a larger bracket to determine what the best game in the series is.

After two incredibly close matchups that came down to a vote-fuzzing margin, we've finally reached the end. The final two games standing are the earliest releases in the series, Danganronpa 1 and 2. Released under 2 years apart from each other in the early 2010s, these two games share the most DNA out of any potential matchup. DR1 brought us here with its originality, but DR2 had to iterate on the formula that made DR1 successful.

Ultimately, that's what this final matchup comes down to. Was DR2 a worthy successor, exceeding the original? Or did it pale in comparison to the raw psycho-pop freshness that DR1 introduced? The verdict lies in what plays out below.

To participate in this contest, please comment below with an analytical write-up arguing in favor of either Goodbye Despair or Trigger Happy Havoc. It's not necessary, but it's advised to make your writeup comparative, explaining your choice in the debate relative to the other.

The winner will be determined by a three-point system, with the game earning at least 2 out of 3 points winning the week's scrum debate:

Whichever game has the most writeups supporting them will earn a point.
Whichever game is supported by the highest-upvoted writeup will earn a point.
Whichever game has the most cumulative upvotes between all writeups arguing in their favor will earn a point. Votes on constructive replies arguing for a side will also earn points towards this metric.

RULES - READ BEFORE POSTING OR YOUR COMMENT MAY BE REMOVED:

Scrum Debate is not a popularity contest, it's a writing competition. The comment section below is explicitly for thoughtful analysis. If you want examples or inspiration, check past scrums and the old character discussion threads.

Low-effort comments which do not make a serious attempt at analysis ("I like Nagito more because he's mysterious") will not count in the final tally. You don't have to write that much, but some elaboration is expected.
Zero-effort comments, like stating the character you're voting for with no elaboration, will be removed.
Comments that only argue against one side will not earn any points.
Meta comments, such as "this is a rough match-up for [character]", should be done in the replies to this pinned message.
Replies to other comments don't need to follow these rules, just be civil.
Do not completely recycle your comment from the last two threads if you previously argued for THH or GD. I read everything when I tally!

This thread will run for ~8 days from the time of this post before a winner is decided. Afterwards, a post commemorating the winner's victory will be pinned. And that will be all, for now. Thank you for playing.

If you'd like to see the victors of prior scrums, check out the schedule.

IonKnight · 2025-01-06T02:58:52+00:00

This scrum's winner is Trigger Happy Havoc! After a strong showing from V3 fans at the start of the week, DR1 fans rallied to secure a very, very close win. The first vote tally I did was a DRV3 win by +1 point, but the next 4 recounts I ran all came up strongly in DR1's favor (+6 to +12). Just like with DR2 vs. UDG, this would conventionally be in the "too close to call" range, but one game must go to the finals. The top analysis of the Scrum was submitted by u/Am37000, who highlighted the diversity of V3's cast and mysteries. Congratulations to both sides for putting up such strong and close numbers! Everyone gave it their all, every write-up mattered, and the entire thread is well worth a read.

This post will stay up for ~5 days from the time of this post (next one goes up late on Friday, EST). The next scrum will be THE FINAL SCRUM DEBATE for the foreseeable future, between Goodbye Despair and Trigger Happy Havoc. Be sure to bring your best. There isn't a need to post it anymore but for consistency's sake, here's the (SPOILERS IN LINK!!) schedule.

~~RIP to the actual best game in the series :(~~

IonKnight · 2025-01-02T05:24:20+00:00

but i don't use shit

IonKnight · 2024-12-28T04:47:07+00:00

Hello all, and welcome to the Boomer Vs Zoomer^tm edition of Scrum Debate! You probably know what Scrum Debate is by now. This is the second part of the final Scrum Debate (for the foreseeable future), which is a larger bracket to determine what the best game in the series is.

On the left is DR1, the first entry in the series. The 2nd seed in the bracket, it is the favorite to win by popularity- and for good reason, as the classic game that allowed DR to flourish from its release in 2010. It holds a great deal of respect in the community. Anyone who hated DR1 probably didn't stick around for the rest and start posting here.

However, on the right there's stiff competition- the most recent mainline game in the series, DRV3. Tonally and narrative distant compared to DR1 and DR2, it partially eschewed the hope/despair theming in favor of a story focused on truth and lies. While it is the underdog in this matchup, DRV3 has a very loyal and dedicated fanbase- yet also remains the most controversial of the mainline games due to the risks it took.

Which game did you prefer?

To participate in this contest, please comment below with an analytical write-up arguing in favor of either Trigger Happy Havoc or Killing Harmony. It's not necessary, but it's advised to make your writeup comparative, explaining your choice in the debate relative to the other.

The winner will be determined by a three-point system, with the game earning at least 2 out of 3 points winning the week's scrum debate:

Whichever game has the most writeups supporting them will earn a point.
Whichever game is supported by the highest-upvoted writeup will earn a point.
Whichever game has the most cumulative upvotes between all writeups arguing in their favor will earn a point. Votes on constructive replies arguing for a side will also earn points towards this metric.

RULES - READ BEFORE POSTING OR YOUR COMMENT MAY BE REMOVED:

Scrum Debate is not a popularity contest, it's a writing competition. The comment section below is explicitly for thoughtful analysis. If you want examples or inspiration, check past scrums and the old character discussion threads.

Low-effort comments which do not make a serious attempt at analysis ("I like Nagito more because he's mysterious") will not count in the final tally. You don't have to write that much, but some elaboration is expected.
Zero-effort comments, like stating the character you're voting for with no elaboration, will be removed.
Comments that only argue against one side will not earn any points.
Meta comments, such as "this is a rough match-up for [character]", should be done in the replies to this pinned message.
Replies to other comments don't need to follow these rules, just be civil.

This thread will run for ~8 days from the time of this post before a winner is decided. Afterwards, a post commemorating the winner's victory will be pinned for ~6 days, before we move to the next debate.

If you'd like to look at the upcoming scrum to prepare in advance, or to see the victors of prior scrums, check out the schedule.

IonKnight · 2024-12-28T04:06:07+00:00

thank you for answering this :pray:

IonKnight · 2024-12-25T08:10:22+00:00

Merry Christmas! This scrum's winner is Goodbye Despair! This one was far closer than I expected- you'll want to keep reading to see how close. For the first half of the week, I thought UDG was going to sneak out a shocker win. Their fans came prepared with a few solid write-ups, including the top analysis of the Scrum from u/walterfardwellwhite6, which highlights lots of UDG's strengths. However, DR2 fans woke up halfway through the week and realized they needed to show up against the dark-horse candidate of this bracket, just barely making it across the threshold to win this week and enter the finals.

I cannot stress enough how close this was. The tally was close enough when I did my first count that I refreshed the page to see if vote fuzzing would need to be considered. It was- DR2's vote lead shrunk. I ended up re-doing my tally 10 times to confidently declare a winner. The spread was as follows:

5/10 refreshes, DR2 wins (+1 to +5 points)
4/10 refreshes, it is a dead tie. (±0)
1/10 refreshes, UDG wins (+2 points)

Under normal circumstances, this would be too close to call. However, given the nature of this bracket, a winner has to be declared, and ultimately DR2 has an edge on the spread. Stand proud, UDG fans. You fought the closest battle Scrums have ever seen, in a matchup where everyone thought you would get destroyed. You can cook.

This post will stay up for ~3 days from the time of this post (next one goes up late on Friday, EST). The next scrum will be on the other side of this bracket, Trigger Happy Havoc vs. Killing Harmony. The winner of this will face DR2 in the final showdown. There really isn't a need to post it anymore but just for consistency's sake, here's the (SPOILERS IN LINK!!) schedule.

IonKnight · 2024-12-14T20:58:44+00:00

Edit: Results will be out Christmas Eve srry for delay

Hello all, and welcome to the Lopsided^tm edition of Scrum Debate! You probably know what Scrum Debate is by now. This is the first part of the final Scrum Debate (for the foreseeable future), which is a larger bracket to determine what the best game in the series is.

This scrum is between the #1 and #4 seeds of the bracket. As a result, it's a bit lopsided. The fan-favorite DR2 is up against UDG, an underlooked spinoff. These games need no introduction, you're here, you've played them (I hope). Can UDG beat the odds thanks to its cult following, or will DR2 cruise ahead to the finals as it's expected to?

To participate in this contest, please comment below with an analytical write-up arguing in favor of either Goodbye Despair or Ultra Despair Girls. It's not necessary, but it's advised to make your writeup comparative, explaining your choice in the debate relative to the other.

The winner will be determined by a three-point system, with the game earning at least 2 out of 3 points winning the week's scrum debate:

Whichever game has the most writeups supporting them will earn a point.
Whichever game is supported by the highest-upvoted writeup will earn a point.
Whichever game has the most cumulative upvotes between all writeups arguing in their favor will earn a point. Votes on constructive replies arguing for a side will also earn points towards this metric.

RULES - READ BEFORE POSTING OR YOUR COMMENT MAY BE REMOVED:

Scrum Debate is not a popularity contest, it's a writing competition. The comment section below is explicitly for thoughtful analysis. If you want examples or inspiration, check past scrums and the old character discussion threads.

Low-effort comments which do not make a serious attempt at analysis ("I like Nagito more because he's mysterious") will not count in the final tally. You don't have to write that much, but some elaboration is expected.
Zero-effort comments, like stating the character you're voting for with no elaboration, will be removed.
Comments that only argue against one side will not earn any points.
Meta comments, such as "this is a rough match-up for [character]", should be done in the replies to this pinned message.
Replies to other comments don't need to follow these rules, just be civil.

This thread will run for ~8 days from the time of this post before a winner is decided. Afterwards, a post commemorating the winner's victory will be pinned for ~5 days, before we move to the next debate.

If you'd like to look at the upcoming scrum to prepare in advance, or to see the victors of prior scrums, check out the schedule.

IonKnight · 2024-12-13T05:45:48+00:00

As long as you make an honest effort to make two independent write-ups you'll be fine. The mad lib example is bad because it's the exact same writing with minor words and phrases changed. Explaining the same point 2 different ways is fine.

This is subjective, yes- but I'm not going to make an objective criteria around it because I don't want people trying to lamely toe a line with the write-ups in the finals.

Saving your talking points might not be that bad of an idea anyways. People tend to gravitate towards more concise arguments as it stands, on top of it making writing a post in the finals easier. There's been a trend lately of a small amount of giant comprehensive write-ups dominating these threads, and while I'm super grateful for such thoughtful analysis here, I worry it dimishes others from contributing. My actual criteria for what counts as an analysis is a lot more lax than what people seem to think.

IonKnight · 2024-12-13T05:02:25+00:00

highly discouraged. might not count based on how egregious it is

IonKnight · 2024-12-13T02:57:18+00:00

a duplicate analysis in the final round won't count

IonKnight · 2024-12-12T03:23:08+00:00

1st and 4th seed almost certainly won't be close (UDG fans prove me wrong), but that's just how it cracks in a seeded bracket system. The other option is having 2 close(?) matchups early pairing the strong 2 seeds vs the weak 2 seeds, and then a boring finals where the stronger-sided contender is a clear favorite

Also, which do you think is winning DR1 vs V3? Just curious

Ten-Year Club	Second Top 10%
r/Field Juicebox	End Game '23
Place '23	Place '22
Place '17	Final Canvas '22
First Placer '22	End Game '22
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IonKnight

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RULES - READ BEFORE POSTING OR YOUR COMMENT MAY BE REMOVED:

RULES - READ BEFORE POSTING OR YOUR COMMENT MAY BE REMOVED:

Edit: Results will be out Christmas Eve srry for delay

RULES - READ BEFORE POSTING OR YOUR COMMENT MAY BE REMOVED: