The leader of Team Danganronpa sighed and shook his head. Although the ending of V3 had not gone according to plan, this was hardly the first time their team had ever experienced a technical difficulty. They'd been at this for 53 seasons after all. This was just a minor setback in a major operation. Already, he was hard at working trying to solve all of their current problems.
First and foremost, Shirogane was dead. Oh well. Good riddance. She hadn't been a very good writer or director anyway. Second off, the Academy was totally destroyed. Well, it wasn't like they couldn't just build a new one. Lastly, a handful of the survivors managed to escape. Well, the leader had considered trying to hunt them down, but then it occurred to him that perhaps it would be wiser to let them go…
"Sir! Sir! The survivors are escaping!" a terrified underling burst into his office.
"Let them," the leader replied coldly.
"Wh-what?"
"You heard me."
"But why?"
"Because this may actually turn out in our favor."
"… What?"
For the next few minutes, the leader explained. Even though it seemed like a bad idea to let the survivors escape with no repercussions, a little bit more thought showed that perhaps it was a good idea.
"Saihara thinks he's put an end to Danganronpa just because he rejected Hope and Despair, both, but the truth is, even if he personally rejected it and refused to keep playing the game, the game itself still ended with Hope. After all, the audience got to see the protagonist defeat the mastermind, survive and escape. Whether he meant to or not, he gave the audience the ending it wanted, and that is Hope, which is how all DR games end.
"Yes, it's a different Hope than what we're used to, but we can use that to our advantage. That spices up the story, and we have been seeing a decrease in ratings for the past few seasons. We'd hoped Shirogane would fix that, since she had the power to transform into Junko, but perhaps we should've been more careful in asking Junko to mastermind another Killing Game, given that she lost the two she orchestrated. But even if V3 ended the way all Killing Games under Junko end, that means we still got a Hope ending despite Saihara's best efforts.
"And to be fair, even if he didn't want to play anymore, there will always be more young Hopefuls."
"W-wait, but, but sir! We lost all of our-"
"For now!" the leader scoffed. "But do you really think our fanbase will stay gone forever? There will always be new fans, late arrivals. And we can win back old ones with things like nostalgia and clever marketing tactics. There's merch, limited editions, special events, anniversary celebrations, the list is endless! We can win back fans using old material, too! After all, that's why we're still telling the same story 53 seasons later.
"One small setback won't destroy us. Furthermore, even if we fade away for now, that doesn't mean we'll be gone forever. Like I said, new fans. And nostalgia. I think it's safe to assume we've shaped at least a few childhoods given how long we've been around."
"I- I- I suppose…"
"Oh, come on! Do you really think a show that's been going on for over half a century will crumble after one bad season?! As Nagito would've said, our Despair only gives us the opportunity to come back with Hope that shines even brighter. A Hope to end all Despair! Is that not what we are all about? Telling that same story over and over again? The people love it!
"As Saihara correctly deducted, what keeps fans coming back is the desire to see Hope conquer Despair. That will never change. And it's a principle universal enough that we can use it on a meta level to our advantage. That's why I said letting Saihara and his friends go might actually be the right call, because it means that once again, Hope defeated Despair.
"And already, the cycle continues! Even though it appears as though Hope has won, by weaponizing Saihara's Hope against him to keep the Killing Game alive, that already brings back an element of Despair! By giving us a new kind of Hope, he might wind up drawing in new audiences! Isn't that just Despair-inducing? And even though he technically ended in Hope, it felt unique enough to give the illusion of originality. I mean, rejecting both Hope and Despair only to still technically have a Hope ending? If only Shirogane had been that clever!"
And as the leader would continue to tell his underling, this would hardly be the first show to tank after getting a lot of seasons. The reason this was reassuring was because it meant that what was happening here was not unique, solutions could be found. And sometimes, those tanked shows could rise from the ashes again. That was his Hope for Team DR.
"And we still have an Ultimate Weapon, of sorts…" he said. "The fans!"
"… Ok… But how will they be able to help us?" the underling refrained from reminding his boss that they didn't have any fans right now.
"Well, for one, everyone likes to think they enjoyed something before it was cool," the leader replied. "We'll use that to our advantage. After we sink in the ratings, we'll become obscure, and it will be a matter of pride to enjoy our show. Avid, indie fans will be quick to rise to the challenge."
"You mean like Shirogane?" the underling asked. Although the leader looked irritated at the mention of her, he nodded.
"Hopefully, they will be better than her, but yes, the core principle remains the same," he grunted. "I must confess, the one thing Shirogane got right, and then subsequently, horribly wrong, was the power of fiction. As perhaps… unimpressive, cliché and underwhelming as her little mastermind speech was, she was still correct. The power of fiction is immense and can indeed shape the real world. If only she'd held onto that belief and not let Saihara weaponize it against her…" The leader looked angry, but with Tsumugi dead, there really was no way to punish her.
"I-I- I'm sorry, sir, I still don't under-"
"The power of fiction will save Danganronpa," the leader interrupted, finally reaching the climax of his dramatic spiel. "The power of fiction will compel fans, new and old, to stay with us. From fangames to fanart to fanfics, it doesn't matter! The Killing Game will never die! Every time a new fangan is created, every time a new OC is created, every time anything related to DR is created, our legacy lives on that much longer. That is the power of fiction! The power to change reality! The power to drive people to keep the Killing Games alive even if we cannot."
"Wait! So you're still saying this is the end for us?" the underling whimpered. He didn't want Danganronpa to end either!
"Perhaps for a time," the leader nodded. "But as I have said, our future is already safely assured. So long as people know what we are, there is a chance fans will come to us, and so long as they continue consuming our content and creating their own, we will live on, forever!
"Truly, it's just as Shirogane said. Danganronpa can never be ended! You can try, and you might succeed for a while, but Hope always needs Despair, so Despair will always come back. Saihara may have thrown a wrench in V3, but what about all the many fan creations where he loses? Or they could bring Shirogane back if they wish, and write a story where she wins. Technically, the stories are endless, because the combinations are endless. The fans don't even need to create OC Killing Games to keep Danganronpa alive! Like I said, they can just create AUs!"
"But what about in our reality? We can't bring her back here, can we?" the underling asked.
"Well, we did write a Necronomicon into chapter three…" the leader scratched his chin. "Besides, already, I can tell that the fanfictions will pour out. That is how we will stay alive. That fiction will become reality, our reality, and in that, there is a universe where anything is possible, including saving Team DR! Just as Shirogane said, we will live on forever! The fans will be how we survive, and Danganronpa will never end!"
And by the end of his speech, his underling looked comforted. It was just as his boss had said. Danganronpa was safe. It wasn't over. Not by a long shot. Saihara was only a minor setback in a major operation. Danganronpa would live on long after he died. And soon, relieved, ecstatic laughter echoed from the office.
"Puhpuhpuhpuh!"
No, Danganronpa would never die.
AN: Embrace the meta as this fanfic, in some universe, ensures the survival of Team DR, and thusly, DR as a whole.
But don't just blame me, blame anyone who's ever helped keep DR alive by creating fan content.
We are the ones who keep this fandom alive even when the creators cannot anymore.