Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak High School[a] is a mystery horror[1][2] anime television series produced by Lerche, directed by Daiki Fukuoka, and supervised by Seiji Kishi.

Critics felt that The End of Hope's Peak High School was an attractive anime sequel to the video games, based on the casting.

Some critics felt that the narrative was far darker than the video games, to the point it was hard to become attached to the new cast or returning members who die in the story.

Despair, which takes place prior to the events of Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc,[3] opens with homeroom teacher Housekeeper Chisa Yukizome, who begins her job teaching Hope's Peak Academy's 77th Class of Super High School Level students, who stand out as talented in different ways.

She is teaching in order to help her childhood friends Student Council President Kyosuke Munakata and Boxer Juzo Sakakura improve the establishment.

After spending half a year teaching the Reserve Course, Chisa asks Juzo for a trustee's ID in order to investigate the Kamukura Project.

The now amnesia-ridden Hinata, referred to as Izuru Kamukura, meets a despair terrorist named Junko Enoshima and her sister Soldier Mukuro Ikusaba.

One by one, members of the Future Foundation began to die in mysterious circumstances: Farmer Daisaku Bandai, Wrestler Great Gozu, Pharmacist Seiko Kimura, Blacksmith Sonosuke Izayoi, Scout Koichi Kizakura, Psychologist Miaya Gekkogahara, and Confectioner Ruruka Ando.

Makoto soon realizes that the late chairman of the Foundation, former Headmaster Kazuo Tengan, is the mastermind behind the killing game and was manipulating Animator Mitarai Ryota to spread the videos.

In the final scene, the spirits of the late Junko and Chisa watch the events unfold in the afterlife (taking the form of a movie theater) as they wonder if the surviving characters can stop Ryota.

Kodaka wanted to reduce the amount of action from that in the previous works and, instead, to create a psychological struggle based on the trials presented by the new killing game.

[14] While Kodaka planned the original plot, former Nitroplus writer Norimitsu Kaihō was in charge of revising the scripts to adapt them into the anime series.

Lerche's handling of the brief encounter between Izuru and Nagito earned recognition from the original creator, based on how both characters possess similar talents.

As a result, Imposter became more developed as he showed his own identity and concern when looking after Ryota Mitarai, whom Kodaka referred to as a tragic character, due to how Junko manipulates him to steal his subliminal techniques.

Juzo was created to be an object of viewers' hatred, for his violent actions towards both Makoto and Hajime, but the revelation of his one-sided feelings for Kyosuke was meant to show a more sensitive side.

Animation producer Yuuji Higa said it was ultimately Naegi and Hajime, carrying their respective burdens of hope and despair, that he thought were really amazing.

Morikawa claimed that fans had to pay attention to Kyosuke, Chisa, and Juzo in both anime story arcs, in order to properly understand them.

Kodaka apologized to actor Junichi Suwabe, saying he received negative feedback from fans for his character, Juzo Sakakura, except for the elements showing he had a close connection with Kyosuke.

[25] Both parts were simulcast in North America, the United Kingdom, and Ireland by Funimation, who began streaming English-dubbed versions starting on August 10, 2016.

Meanwhile, most of the cast of Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair reprised their roles, including Papenbrook once more as Nagito Komaeda and Johnny Yong Bosch as Hajime Hinata/Izuru Kamakura.

[30] In the original Japanese series, there is a scene in the finale where Nagito talks joyfully while holding hands with Makoto, whom he declares to be his idol for their similar talents; but he is taken by his friends before he can complete their interaction.

[39][40] The game Kirigiri Sou was released on Microsoft Windows and OS X on November 25, 2016, in Japan and China, and was made available bundled with the third Blu-ray box set of the anime series.

[55] A Danganronpa 3 collaboration is also present in Hōkai Gakuen 2, a Chinese side-scrolling shooter mobile game developed by miHoYo for iOS and Android.

[56] In promoting the anime, a collaboration between Danganronpa and Absolute took place in Tokyo during 2016, where fans could interact with the voice actors, with Takayama reprising her role of Hajime.

Other issues involved the dark tone, such as Makoto's attempted suicide when learning the modus operandi from the culprit or the decision to revive a character in Hope.

[75][76][73] James Becket of Anime News Network found the story unique but he, too, felt that, to enjoy it fully, the viewer needs to watch both interconnected arcs.

He praised the English cast—including Caitlin Glass, who played Kyoko—but felt that the entire cast had been overshadowed by the lead actor, Bryce Papenbrook, who provided "the goofy charm and charisma that has made Makoto such an endearing hero over the years".

[83] Manga.Tokyo's reviewer named Nagito as one of his favorite characters, believing his calm demeanor and distinctive design made an interesting parallel to Junko.

[84][85] Beckett found the English cast entertaining, mentioning actors such as Johnny Yong Bosch, who played Hajime, and Colleen Clinkenbeard, as Chisa.

[81] Hope Arc earned an average "B−" rating from Anime News Network's Jacob Chapman, who found the relationship between Makoto and Kyoko Kirigiri one of the most appealing and compared them to Romeo and Juliet as a romantic tragedy.