Draft:Byakuya Togami

Byakuya Togami (十神 白夜) is the name of several fictional characters in Spike Chunsoft's Danganronpa media franchise. The first Byakuya was introduced in the 2010 video game Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc as a high school student and Ultimate Affluent Progeny (超高校級の「御曹司」) of Hope's Peak Academy, who upon awakening in the sealed school building with 14 others before a robotic seemingly-omnipotent teddy bear named Monokuma, is informed that a student present must become "the blackened" and kill another without being found out by the other students if they wish to leave. Subsequently partaking in a series of class trials to find the identity of the killers lest everyone but them be executed should each blackened successfully get away with their crime, Byakuya serves as the morally ambiguous rival to protagonist Makoto Naegi during the investigation and trial portions of the game, assisted by his self-declared servants and would-be love interests, serial killers Toko Fukawa and Genocide Jill.

Byakuya returns in the 2012 sequel Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair and in multiple adaptations featuring him in new story arcs, most notably the 2014 spin-off Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls as a damsel-in-distress, the 2013 anime adaptation of Trigger Happy Havoc, Danganronpa: The Animation, and the "Future" and "Hope" arcs of Lerche's Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak High School, as a member of the Future Foundation. Byakuya also headlines the 2015–2017 light novel prequel trilogy Danganronpa Togami, primarily set during the Tragedy, the second novel of which explores his past as female kid assistant-detective Polaris P. Polanski (ポラリス・ポランスキー).

The second Byakuya is introduced Goodbye Despair; initially presented as the original Byakuya Togami, having become overweight since the events of the first game before having his memories wiped once again and put into another killing game, he is posthumously revealed to be the Ultimate Imposter (超高校級の「詐欺師」), a leading member of the Ultimate Despair organization and master impersonator, who took control of the Togami Conglomerate during the Tragedy by impersonating the real Byakuya, with the real Byakuya entering the killing game alongside Makoto and Kyoko Kirigiri by the end of the game. The Imposter in the "Future" and "Hope" arcs of Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak High School, impersonating Ryota Mitarai (御手洗 亮太) and Kyosuke Munakata (宗方 京助), as well as the light novel prequel trilogy Danganronpa Togami, of which he serves as the main antagonist, framing Byakuya for attempting world domination, and briefly impersonating Hifumi Yamada (山田 一二三) in addition to Byakuya.

The third Byakuya is introduced in Hope's Peak Academy vs. Ultimate Despair, the 2016 second novel of Danganronpa Togami, in the form of Byakuya's adoptive half-brother Kazuya Togami (十神 数や). In flashback segments of the second novel, Kazuya partakes in the Competition for the position of Togami Family heir, derided by his half-siblings and known as the Imposter (「詐欺師」) for his lack of blood relation; upon learning from the Kudan that the victor of the Competition will be "Byakuya Togami", Kazuya takes the name for himself and actively partakes in killing several of his half-siblings via decapitation, before ultimately being burned alive along with his adoptive sister Shinobu Togami and falling into the ocean, leaving the healthy Polanski to become "Byakuya Togami" and heir. While Kazuya is initially revealed to be the true identity of the Ultimate Imposter by Byakuya and Blue Ink in the present day storyline of the novel, a twist ending sees Byakuya, the Imposter, and their allies all suddenly arrested by a militarised branch of the World Health Organization (WHO), led by a still-alive Kazuya, now going by Orvin Elevator (オーバイン エレベーター). By the conclusion of the 2017 third and final novel, I'd Stake the Togami Name On It, after Orvin is revealed to be a cyborg with implanted memories similar to that of the unreliable narrator Blue Ink, it is left ambiguous and open to interpretation as to whether Orvin or the Imposter was the real Kazuya, or whether Kazuya died on the island, Orvin was impersonating him, and Shinobu was the true decapitator, with the Imposter himself ultimately stating his identity not to matter. Initially creating the first Byakuya as a potential protagonist of Trigger Happy Havoc, with characterisation from Kazutaka Kodaka and a design from Rui Komatsuzaki, the duo redeveloped the character from the role of a potential protagonist to one of a morally ambiguous supporting character and potential antagonist throughout the narrative of the first game. Akira Ishida voices all incarnations of Byakuya in the original Japanese media while Jason Wishnov provides their voices for the English dubs. The characters have received a positive critical reception.

Concept and creation
Originally conceived as a bishounen potential protagonist of Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc, Byakuya was reimagined by Rui Komatsuzaki as a cold-hearted anti-hero character and rival to the protagonist Makoto Naegi, leading to him "add[ing] my personal brand of high fashion, but still design[ed] in a way he would be easily recognizable as an affluent heir" after reading through the first game's scenario as written by Kazutaka Kodaka. Early concept art for the character depicts him with no glasses, brown and spiky hair, and a black suit and tie, elements of which were also adopted for the character's appearance in Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair and Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls. As a rival, Byakuya's personality was originally intended to be sexy, cold and stylish, ultimately being seen by the game's creative team as embodying the butt-monkey comedy trope, coming up with a backstory outline later elaborated upon in the light novel Danganronpa Togami. The character's unused execution as originally intended for Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc consists of: "'Human★Disqualification: Togami would have been dropped in a garbage can which would fall into a place that looks like Hell. Monokuma, dressed like an elementary student, would appear and throw stones at him for looking like a dirty hobo. Togami would try to escape, but he would come out into a cold and snowy place. He would eventually die from his wounds and hypothermia.' — Dai Nakajima" His given name refers both to a white knight and midnight sun (in reference to the Keigo Higashino mystery novel Journey Under the Midnight Sun) with its use of Byakuya (白夜), while his surname, Tōgami (十神) references the "ten gods" of the Four Pillars of Destiny. In Danganronpa Togami, the given name of their female alias Polaris (ポラリス) means "brightest star", while their surnname Polanski (ポランスキー) is an ethnonym referring to a descendant of the western or eastern Polanie, one of the original Polish tribes.

Byakuya Togami
At the time of Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc, Byakuya initially presents himself as more than willing to participate in Monokuma's killing game, revealing to Makoto Naegi that he had previously survived a different killing game known as "the Competition" between fifteen of his 107 siblings and himself for the position of heir to the Togami name and fortune several years prior (an event explored in Hope's Peak Academy vs. Ultimate Despair, the second novel in the Danganronpa Togami trilogy), ultimately discovering that in the time since he had attended Hope's Peak Academy, the Togami family and corporation collapsed (explored in the first and third novels in the Danganronpa Togami trilogy: Multiple Counts of Attempted World Domination and I'd Stake the Togami Name On It).

Ultimate Imposter
In Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair, Byakuya is initially presented to have since become overweight and more caring in personality despaite having had his memories wiped once again and inserted into another killing game; this Byakuya is subsequently revealed to be the terrorist known as "the Ultimate Imposter", with the real Byakuya having since become a member of the Future Foundation (later depicted in Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls) and arranged for the participants of the current killing game (former Ultimate Despair masterminds rendered amnesiac) to have been imprisoned on the island. 

Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc (2010)
In the first game, Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc, Byakuya Togami, known as the "Ultimate Affluent Progeny", initially indicates that he is willing to participate in Monokuma's killing game and will eventually become "the blackened" and kill one of the other students in order to escape, interfering with the state of Chihiro Fujisaki's body after witnessing Mondo Owada leaving the crime scene both in order to make the subsequent class trial more "interesting" and to reveal Toko Fukawa's identity as the serial killer Genocide Jack/Jill after she falls in love with him and becomes his stalker. However, following the revelation of Sakura Ogami having committed suicide rather than having been killed by Aoi "Hina" Asahina as Byakuya had deduced, contradicting his views on human nature, Byakuya retracts his willingness to participate in the game and aids Makoto Naegi in exposing the true identity of the mastermind, pledging to restore his family's status upon leaving the academy upon discovering both his family and conglomerate had collapsed in the two years he had been at the academy. In an alternate ending to Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc in which Kyoko Kirigiri is executed, Byakuya spends the rest of his life living within the walls of Hope's Peak Academy, establishing a polyamorous relationship with Makoto, Yasuhiro "Hiro" Hagakure and Hina, the latter of whom Byakuya has a child with.

Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair (2012)
In Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair, Byakuya is initially presented as having become overweight and inserted into another killing game on Jabberwock Island after having his memories wiped again, of which he is the first victim, accidentally killed by Teruteru Hanamura while he was trying to kill Nagito Komaeda. This Byakuya is subsequently revealed to have been "the Ultimate Imposter", with the real Byakuya having recovered his memories and become a member of the Future Foundation since the events of the first game, he and the other survivors of the first killing game having imprisoned the participants of the current killing game (former masterminds themselves rendered amnesiac) in a computer program in an attempt to redeem them via memory manipulation, entering the program himself after a new mastermind brings a digital copy of the first mastermind into the program with them in order to start the second killing game (per the other masterminds' agreement). After succeeding in stopping their plans, Byakuya is reminded by Makoto and Kyoko that Toko is waiting for him outside the program, to which he visibly shudders.

Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls (2014)
In Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls (and its manga adaptation ), set between the first and second games, Byakuya initially saves Makoto's sister Komaru Naegi from her imprisonment in Towa City, before being captured by the Servant of the Warriors of Hope and imprisoned. Throughout the game, Toko imagines herself together in several fantasy daydreams, secretly acting in the service of the Servant in exchange for Byakuya's return. Upon retrieving Byakuya however, he asks her to remain in the city with Komaru, while he himself brings a message from Komaru to Makoto.

Danganronpa: V3: Killing Harmony (2017)
Byakuya appears in a cameo appearance in the third main series installment, Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony, in the bonus minigame "Ultimate Talent Development Plan", with the Monokub dubbed "Monodam" imitating his speech patterns, and the Dangaonronpa V3 showrunner and mastermind briefly dressing like him and imitating his personality (and that of the Imposter's) during the final chapter of the main storyline.

Danganronpa: Togami trilogy
In Multiple Counts of Attempted World Domination, the first novel in the Danganronpa: Togami trilogy, set before the events of Trigger Happy Havoc, while Byakuya is in the Czech Republic capital city of Prague to attend a meeting of the Council of Global Controllers over the recent news leak of Izuru Kamukura's existence, a superhuman being whose creation they had commissioned from Hope's Peak Academy (which Byakuya himself attends in addition to running the Togami Conglomerate), the council (including Byakuya's father Kijou) are massacred by an unknown individual (later revealed to be Sonia Nevermind, a member of the council and the new Queen of Novoselic), and Byakuya himself is stranded naked but for his glasses in an alleyway with his biographer and secretary Blue Ink. While collecting his bearings, the worldwide announcement chime rings, and a "World Domination Proclamation" from an individual purporting to be Byakuya (the Ultimate Imposter) airs, who, feigning suicidal ideation, announces that lest he (the real Byakuya) be assassinated within the following 24 hours, he will end the world in the name of Ultimate Despair, additionally offering total control over the Togami Conglomerate and $4 billion to the individual to kill him as a bounty. After avoiding Nevermind's private army of Novoselic soldiers as they massacre hundreds of Czechs in pursuit of the pair, Byakuya and Blue Ink take refuge with Hiroyuki and Yuika Ketouin, a pair of twin siblings purportedly from the criminal group known as the Ketouin Conglomerate, who, recognizing the announcement as having been made by an imposter, offer to provide the safe passage out of the country in their black Mercedes-Benz and a bottle of Pilsner Urquell, in exchange for "the secret to the prosperity of the Togami family name". While refusing the siblings' offer, the car is stopped by Sakura Ogami, seeking to merely capture Byakuya to stop him from ending the world instead of claiming the bounty for herself. After scolding Sakura for getting in his way and for her lack of ambition, Byakuya orders Hiroyuki to turn on the car's jet engine, leaving Sakura to take on Nevermind's forces. Driving away until they find themselves briefly stopped by a protest of the World Domination Proclamation in front of the embassy, Hiroyuki offers Byakuya a satellite phone and a tuxedo to wear, while Blue Ink recognizes former Hope's Peak Academy student Kazuichi Soda among the protesters outside the car window. the car begins moving again, chased by the protesters After Hiroyuki's "cattle slayer" accidentally draws attention to the car, the protesters begin chasing it, while Kazuichi launches a series of machine gun-equipped drones shaped like (an implied to be made from) babies after the car, shooting at it and the protesters. Upon learning the jet engine can only be used once while questioning Hiroyuki over why it hasn't been used again, Byakuya realizes his glasses have a tracking device inside of them after Nevermind shows up in an armored vehicle and kills the rest of the protesters, before disposing of them and having Blue Ink use her apparent A.I. "Borges" to calculate a safe route through the streets of Prague. Blue Ink briefly reflects on Byakuya's and her own participation in "the Worst Incident in Togami Family History". After arriving at Hiroyuki's hideout in the Škoda Auto factory in Mladá Boleslav, Byakuya orders Blue Ink to use the satellite phone to call his classmates at Hope's Peak Academy while he changes into the tuxedo, ultimately reaching Junko Enoshima and Toko Fukawa (who mentions further riots at the academy and a planned lockdown), both of whom reference having previous romantic relationships with Byakuya, which Byakuya denies in the case of Toko before addressing Junko alone. After questioning the absence of Junko's sister Mukuro Ikusaba, Byakuya asks her to inform the academy's staff of his innocence and to investigate the other students in the school to find associates of Nevermind and Kazuichi, noting her as the only individual within the school who he trusts, proclaiming that he will claim victory over his impostor himself, return to Japan, and attend classes as normal before the weekend is over. Byakuya and Blue Ink proceed to the Church of Bones, the intended meeting point for the Council of Global Controllers, where they find their remains and retrieve gold and resources from a hidden vault in order to leave the country. Upon doing so, however, an extension of the imposter's "World Domination Proclamation" informs the world of their location, and a crowd condenses on the building. Byakuya promptly calls his half-brother and the Ultimate Hitman Suzuhiko Ootsuki in order to protect the pair, who claims to be out of the country. After escaping Nevermind's forces by bribing the crowd with the gold, drawing them into a frenzy, while Nevermind herself is left occupied with fighting a masked Sakura in a mech suit, Byakuya is captured by balloons and taken up into the Hasegawa Research Institute (HRI) airship, while Blue Ink follows him from the ground. After reaching Byakuya and learning he had been interrogated with truth serum to reveal "the secret to the prosperity of the Togami family name" as "the Kudan" (which he had taken from the island of "the Competition" where "the Worst Incident in Togami Family History" took place) and apparently killed, Blue Ink uses Borges to massacre the group and escape with Byakuya, meeting up with Suzuhiko (who recognizes her as his and Byakuya's sister Shinobu), who Byakuya then awakes to greet, having faked his death. Recognizing his reputation worldwide to be ruined beyond disrepair and in possession of a "Despair Novel" stolen from the HRI by Blue Ink equipped with a "despair virus" spread via the written word, Byakuya decides to take advantage of the ongoing global "Tragedy" and actually take over the world as the Imposter claimed he had planned, drawing together the forces of the Togami Conglomerate to wage war against Nevermind, Novoslevic, and all who stand against him. Sometime later, Blue Ink is awoken by the Imposter before an unconscious Byakuya and Nevermind, who introduces the group as "Ultimate Despair".

Danganronpa: The Animation (2013)
Byakuya appears in the 2013 anime series Danganronpa: The Animation, an abridged adaptation of the 2010 video game Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc, adapting his role from the game.

Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak High School (2016)
In the "Future Arc" of Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak High School, set several months after the events of the second game, Byakuya is surprised to learn of the "Monokuma Hunter" killing game – dubbed the "Final Killing Game" – after Makoto manages to contact him with the help of "Ultimate Therapist", Miaya Gekkogahara (in actuality Monaca Towa controlling a robotic duplicate), before dispatching peacekeepers to rescue them from the Future Foundation headquarters in which the game is taking place, sending a second squad to Jabberwock Island to retrieve the awakened Izuru Kamukura and apparently redeemed Remnants of Ultimate Despair. In the "Hope Arc" of Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak High School, after dispatching Toko and Komaru to check whether or not Monaca is responsible for the new game in Towa City, Byakuya arrives at the Future Foundation's headquarters just in time to save Hiro from being shot by a helicopter being flown by Future Foundation agents loyal to Masterminds of Hope Kazuo Tengan and Chisa Yukizome. Upon landing and using explosives to enter the building, Byakuya and his men managed to rescue Makoto and Aoi, applying a tourniquet to her leg before restraining a group of soldiers that had been brainwashed by the final Mastermind of Hope, Ryota Mitarai. Later, Byakuya thanks Makoto for convincing him to allow him the chance to use the Neo World Program to redeem Kam9kura and his followers, just as they massacre the remainder of Mitarai's forces, recruit him to join their organization, and send out a new "World Domination Proclamation" announcing their intent to continue spreading despair to inspire hope worldwide. Months later, Byakuya assists Makoto and Kyoko in reopening Hope's Peak Academy.

Other appearances
Byakuya Togami appears throughout the Japanese manga adaptation of the Danganronpa series, written and illustrated by Touya Hajime and published by Enterbrain, as well as the spin-off Killer Killer. The series was published in the United States by Enterbrain USA. An additional manga series, published by Ichijinsha, was released solely in Japan. Byakuya is also mentioned in the light novel series Danganronpa Zero and Danganronpa: Kirigiri. A Japanese musical and series of stage plays based on the series, sponsored by Kellogg's Cornflakes, cast actor Ryōta Ozawa and Yuichi Nakamura as Byakuya Togami and the Ultimate Imposter, both actors portraying both of the two characters in separate productions. Byakuya is included as a playable character in a 2014 crossover event of the Sega horror game, Chain Chronicle, alongside fellow Danganronpa characters Komaru Naegi and Toko Fukawa, where the three seek to return to their universe.

Merchandise
In November 2013, Japanese papercraft company COSPA released a series of Danganronpa-themed papercrafts for its GRAPHIG line to tie in with the then-recently released anime miniseries Danganronpa: The Animation, based on Byakuya Togami, Makoto Naegi, and Chihiro Fujisaki. In December 2020, Japanese fashion brand Estryllia Enhillia announced a clothing line featuring a range of dresses, accessories, and unisex clothing pieces themed around Danganronpa characters to tie in with the 10th anniversary of Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc, including Byakuya, Makoto, Toko Fukawa, Kyoko Kirigiri, Junko Enoshima and Monokuma, with acrylic figures of the characters entering circulation by November 2022.

Reception
Since the release of Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc in November 2010, Byakuya has become one of its most popular characters; from January to October 2020, Byakuya English voice actor Jason Wishnov recreated several memes in-character (and cosplaying) as Byakuya for the benefit of fans of Danganronpa during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, many of which went viral on TikTok.

Game Rant praised Togami's depiction as "a foil of the main character [but] not a villain", and as a character who "keeps things interesting" as the game progresses, in addition to ranking the character as the fourth-most "loved" character in the overall franchise, and deeming "Naegi and Byakuya['s rivalry as] one of the great rivalries in both video games and anime", with Comic Book Resources describing Byakuya as an "insufferable genius [and] billionaire snob" with an "unmatched ego" who "was born into a life of competition, forcing him to see everything as something that he can win [leading to a] type of mentality [which] forced him into seeing everyone around him as foes or objects rather than people [and] allow[ing] him to think without emotion, viewing everything from a purely analytical sense making him one of the smartest characters in the whole franchise, but one who was held back by his inability to understand emotions and the impact they have on actions." Kotaku similarly praised Akira Ishida's Japanese language casting as Byakuya as "an anime fan's dream."

In a 2016 comprehensive analysis by Vocativ of political fan fiction and gay erotica featuring then-U.S. President Donald Trump, Byakuya Togami was found to be one of the fourteen most popular romantic pairings with whom stories were written about with Trump, alongside Bernie Sanders, Vladimir Putin, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Gordon Ramsay, Pepe the Frog, and John Cena.