Dangonropa is a video game series so popular it birthed a franchise that includes manga, anime, and novels (not to mention tons of merch). In fact, the Dangonropa series of horror video games alone had sold 5 million copies worldwide by 2021. To see a ranking of the best video games in the series, check out the blog ‘The Best Dangonropa Games (ranked worst to best)‘ by Gamers Decide.
The plot: High school students are imprisoned with an evil robotic teddy bear name Monokuma to play a killing game. To escape, the 16 Japanese students at the elite high school of Hope’s Peak Academy must satiate Monokuma’s sadism, which includes mercilessly murdering each other.
Is Dangonropa horror?…we think so.
Some fans don’t consider Dangonropa to be a horror video game, though the game defines itself as such. The most common rationale is that the game lacks jump scares. But we agree with bloggers who don’t define video game horror so narrowly. “It conscientiously creeps under the player’s skin, as opposed to sloppily slapping them with a jump scare,” says Goomba Stomp in a blog titled “The Despair Inducing Horror of Dangonropa.”
Also, consider that the Dangonropa video game series spawned anime horror shows like Dangonropa: The Animation, which is widely considered horror. And you cannot separate the seed, the video game, from its frightening fruit, the anime. It’s all horror.
Florida cosplayer Sarahphim.cos (seen below) agrees. “At times, it may not seem like a horror due to the cuteness of the characters, for example, the talking bear, Monokuma,” she said. “However, the suspense, gore, and psychological mind games that the anonymous ‘mastermind’ of the school forces them to go through is truly terrifying and only gets more eerie as the anime commences. Dangonropa is truly a horror anime.”
Sunshine City Scare to feature Celestia Ludenburg from Dangonropa: The Animation
Sunshine City Scare features the character Celestia Ludenburg from Dangonropa: The Animation through the voice actor Linsday Seidel. And Sunshine City Scare is on May 13-14 at the historic Coliseum and surrounding area in downtown St. Petersburg.
Be part of video game horror, anime horror, and more at Sunshine City Scare
Sunshine City Scare is a new breed of horror convention that features video game horror and anime horror as well as horror in movies and a very special guest. The event’s celebrity guests include voice actors and live-action actors who have voiced, portrayed, or created wonderful horror characters in the various horror subgenres.
In addition, the horror con will offer various contests, including two cosplay contests (one each day), a lip sync competition, a TikTok Film Festival, and a fan art contest. Applications for contests are available.
Event tickets are $25 for a single day, and $40 for a weekend pass (prices increase $5 at door).
