After finishing the main Story mode of the 1.2 Reload edition of the game, players are able to play through a bonus game mode (School Mode, also known as its full title, Enhanting Dangan Academy ~Purely Prismatic Souls~) where the teens trapped at Hope’s Peak High School must build multiple Monokumas before the Killing Game starts. This new bonus game mode allows players to bond with other characters in the format of a dating simulator. At the end of School Mode, any characters that have a maxed out relationship with the player character will have ending dialogue with Makoto, giving him their underwear after finishing talking to him.

Some fans have queerly read this since the act of male characters giving Makoto Naegi (a male character) their underwear can seem to be referencing gay or at least queer relationships in some way.

LGBTQ References in this series:

Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc (2010): Chihiro; Genocide Jack/Jill and Toko; Hifumi’s Ending; Mondo and Taka; Monokuma; School Mode

Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair (2012): Ibuki Mioda, Island Mode, Mentions, Mikan Tsumiki, Nagito Komaeda, Teruteru Hanamura

Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls (2014): Tokomaru Ship

Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony (2017): K1-B0, Kaede Akamatsu, Kokichi Oma, Korekiyo Shinguji’s Love Suite Event, Love Across the Universe: Dangan Salmon Team, Miu Iruma, Rantaro Amami, Tenko Chabashira

See also QRM’s entry for this game series.

Citations:

1. School Mode (n.d.) Danganronpa Wiki. Retrieved from http://danganronpa.wikia.com/wiki/School_Mode