Danganronpa Demo: The Holy Grail

Short of Spike Chunsoft just leaking all of the beta sprites to us, the Demo of the first Danganronpa game is the closest we will probably ever get to an uncovered holy grail. Well, it's on par with the beta SDR2 screenshots, at the very least.

The Demo, released several months before the official release, is a treasure trove of information. While we will only be touching on the sprites in this article, it is worth mentioning that a lot can be found inside the game's files, too. And, if you wish to access these sprites yourself, I have uploaded them all onto The Spriters Resource.

Before we begin, I will contradict what I just said about covering only the beta sprites, just to point out a neat little difference in sound design: both the sound effect for walking and for advancing dialogue is different. (Does anyone else think the footsteps kind of sound like Cell's footsteps in DBZ...?)

You can already tell Fujisaki looks weird, right?

Firstly, I'm going to go in alphabetical order by last name. I'm also going to only cover the sprites that are for sure different or might be different. Sprites where I found 0 difference whatsoever will not be shared, of course. Some characters lacked any sprites with differences. Also, sorry for the small image quality in advance. PSP sprites, you know how it is.

ASAHINA AOI

While none of Asahina's sprites are changed, her testimony truth bullet is a different story.

Truth Bullet from Demo	Comparison with Final Sprite

Overlaying her final sprite, it's like night and day. Her eyes were made smaller, her eyelashes lessened, hair bigger...clearly, while her in-game sprites were already finished in the Demo, this truth bullet slipped through the cracks. Interestingly, this oversight slipped through into the final game. However, it was correct in the Vita re-release.

PSP (Source: ゲーム燦爛サブチャンネル)	PSVITA (Source: Quiet Game Archive)

The Vita version would go on to become the base version of the game for North American players and every subsequent re-release (Steam, Xbox, etc.) in other words, this oversight can only be found on the original Japanese PSP release, which is not uncommon, as both DR1 and SDR2 has its fair share of PSP oversights and glitches.

ENOSHIMA JUNKO (IKUSABA MUKURO)

Demo Sprite	Final Sprite	Comparison .GIF

Enoshima has one sprite that is different from the final version, and it is extremely minor. Look at her nails. Yeah, that's it.

However, this small change has an interesting background.

In the Demo version, they were originally going to be tipped white to match the red-and-white bow on her head (likely). The final sprite has her nails be a solid, bright red. To get a better look, here's a higher-res version of the sprite from the Vita, which uses the final PSP sprite:

Full red nails.

Now, here's the full-body of that same sprite, again used in the Vita, PSP version, and Demo:

White tips!

It looks like they forgot to go back and fix it for the full-body as well, so the change only persists for the half-body sprites. All of Enoshima (Ikusaba's) full-body sprites have white tipped nails. What's even funnier (and cool!) is that I found that DRS not only uses PSP sprites that were then fixed/changed in the Vita release of DR1, but also uses beta sprites. Up until now, I thought this was only true of a select few SDR2 characters, but I have found many incorrect sprites for Kirigiri and Kuwata specifically.

And for Enoshima...

The white-tipped nails make a return!

BTW, this is true of all Enoshima/Ikusaba sprites. Seriously, go compare any sprites where she has her nails showing from DR1 to DRS...

DR1 PSVITA	DRS Switch

Sorry, I went on a tangent. I can't help it with these things.

If you're wondering why it was changed, my only guess is, because of the PSP's poor resolution, the team thought it would look too confusing to put so much detail into such a small area. So, they just made them solid red in the end. I doubt bringing them back for DRS was intentional, as so many beta sprites are used in that game that it makes my head spin, it was probably on accident like the rest of them. To be fair, most people wouldn't realize they grabbed the wrong sprite with a detail this small.

FUJISAKI CHIHIRO

This is our first one with both half-body and full-body examples, so buckle up.

Fujisaki is a very interesting case. For one, all of his demo sprites are shorter than the final version. Because of this, in the comparison GIFs, the beta sprite will have an empty gap below it. I suppose they wanted him to be taller in his final sprites, so they moved him up a little. But because of this—and because it looks like they did some color adjustments—it was impossible to perfectly sync them up. The colors are just processed differently. Because of how small PSP sprites are, it's hard to tell if very minor differences are real differences, or just pixelation differences caused by the sprite being compressed and are thus unintentional.

Demo Sprite	Final Sprite	Comparison .GIF

This first GIF highlights this well. The demo sprite adds a softening affect to the colors and outlines, whereas the final sprite lacks these and appears brighter and more bold. It is then hard to tell if many of the differences are a result of this, or are actual tangible differences.

Demo Sprite	Final Sprite	Comparison .GIF

This one is much more noticeable and verifiably different. And...I actually really prefer the Demo version over the final sprite. The bigger arm looks nice on him, but most of all, I like the sort of demure but disinterested look he has without the blush. It's so much cuter to me!!

Demo Sprite	Final Sprite	Comparison .GIF

Unlike above though, I think the final sprite is much better here. The Demo version looks unfinished and kind of goofy. They slimmed his face down, reworked the mouth, and made the shading darker. The blush is a bit overkill in my opinion, but overall I like the look of the final sprite more. It's so fascinating to see these beta sprites and see how they decided to go about reworking them into their final versions. Sometimes, the direction the beta was in may look better to you. Other times, you're so glad they decided to go back and change it.

Demo Sprite	Final Sprite	Comparison .GIF

Only 3 differences I can spot with this one (that for sure aren't a result of the compression): his left eyebrow was moved down a little, his shirt collar was edited a tad, and they forgot to make the space between his neck and right hair strand transparent, which they fixed in the final sprite.

Right, then; let's jump into Fujisaki's full-body sprites!

Demo Sprite	Final Sprite	Comparison .GIF

Next to Naegi, I think Fujisaki had the most beta sprites uncovered via this Demo. Anyhow, beta Fujisaki here has lighter shading, his chin not as prominent, and his right pupil less centered than in the final version. While I'm here, I should mention that the Japanese-only app, Alter Ego, uses a number of beta sprites, including this one, giving us an up-close look:

I've ripped these sprites in the past to make these comparison GIFs but I no longer have them, so I will just be borrowing them off of Spriters Resource...

Alter Ego App (Source: Kendotlibero)	Comparison with Final Sprite

This is actually true for one of the earlier sprites we looked at too:

Alter Ego App (Source: Kendotlibero)	Comparison with Final Sprite

It's interesting to see a little bit of blush on this one, where the Demo version had 0 blush whatsoever. Perhaps this is an in-between one right before they decided to scrap the expression entirely?

...Okay, back on topic. Let's see the next Fujisaki sprite.

Demo Sprite	Final Sprite	Comparison .GIF

In this one, while the shading is the same, the face was still changed. A blush was added to the final sprite, but the eyes were redrawn, too. It seems at least one used to be a bit longer.

Demo Sprite	Final Sprite	Comparison .GIF

And here's the opposite case! It doesn't seem any line art has been changed (except maybe his right eyebrow...?) but the shading was darkened and even redone in parts of his hair.

Demo Sprite	Final Sprite	Comparison .GIF

Finally, we have what is probably my favorite of all the Demo sprites. It made me laugh the first time I saw it. Fujisaki's face is completely different, having been scrapped and redrawn in its entirety for the final sprite. It's rare to see beta sprites have their whole expressions reworked, but this is one of the few times we get it. I so wish we had a regular half-body of this one! Okay, okay, enough gawking...so, besides the lighter shading, beta Fujisaki's whole head shape was bigger, his face much lower down than it is in the final sprite. As well, his expression is less of curiosity and more like a pout/expression of annoyance. Very cute!

ISHIMARU KIYOTAKA

You know what's funny? Ishimaru has the opposite problem to Fujisaki. His final sprite was lowered instead of raised. So, in these comparison GIFs, the one with a transparent gap below it is actually the final sprite, as I had to raise it up to match the demo sprite.

Again like with Fujisaki, some differences may be caused by compression.

Demo Sprite	Final Sprite	Comparison .GIF

His right shoulder button was raised in the final sprite, and his mouth was made into a thin line. His eyes were also flattened at the bottom more, overall giving him a sterner look. It seems his uniform collar was also raised and straightened out. I feel these very small changes did a lot over all. The amount of flat, straight lines added really hit home with giving Ishimaru the upstanding, straight-laced feeling his final character has.

Demo Sprite	Final Sprite	Comparison .GIF

This one is interesting, because it's one of those things you don't notice until it's pointed out. The final version has this sort of dusky air brush affect around the clothes, while the demo version is completely white. I never noticed that until doing this comparison. It seems a strand of hair on the right side of his head right next to his eye was shortened, and the buttons on his collar were forgotten in the beta sprite, but fixed in the final. I wonder if the odd dusky effect was intentional for the final sprite?

Demo Sprite	Final Sprite	Comparison .GIF

Demo Sprite	Final Sprite	Comparison .GIF

I'm grouping these two together as they're very similar sprites with similar differences. Both sprites had the right side of the uniform collar shaved off a bit, and they also had the button threads rounded to better fit the curvature of his chest. It seems the top sprite also had a thicker thumb in the original demo sprite.

Demo Sprite	Final Sprite	Comparison .GIF

While the right shoulder button is made smaller in the final sprite, the biggest difference here is Ishimaru's left eye. The outline was much thicker in the demo sprite, and was erased a bit for the final sprite.

Demo Sprite	Final Sprite	Comparison .GIF

This one probably has the least amount of differences. The shoulder pad and buttons were modified just slightly, and maybe the hands were changed too? But it's hard to tell if it's genuine or just the image compression.

Demo Sprite	Final Sprite	Comparison .GIF

While this is the same sprite we see in the half-bodies from earlier, I'm sharing it again as, for some reason, beta Ishimaru's sprite is further down and to the left than it is in the final version. Noting the placement of the sprites within the rectangle grid is actually important as it determines exactly how tall they appear in the trials. By the way, the rest of Ishimaru's sprites are the same as the final version. Even though full-bodies of some of his half-body sprites are used in the Demo, unlike those same half-bodies, the full-body sprites appear to be the finished versions. It makes me wonder why, then, the half-bodies are the unfinished versions...

KIRIGIRI KYOUKO

Firstly, I want to point out that a majority of Kirigiri's sprites were off-center in the Demo. I've included two comparisons, one with the sprite left as is to show this, and one (which the rest will be) with the position corrected.

Demo Sprite	Final Sprite	Comparison .GIF, uncorrected	Comparison .GIF, corrected

It seems with the exception of her mouth being moved down like, one pixel (if it isn't just image compression), it's largely the same.

Demo Sprite	Final Sprite	Comparison .GIF

The beta sprites are also generally taller for Kirigiri, hence the weird cut off. Anyhow, the main change here is her mouth and nose, which were redrawn significantly closer to the middle of her face in the final sprite.

Demo Sprite	Final Sprite	Comparison .GIF

In this sprite, her whole face and jawline was reworked to be less tilted. Some minor tweaks to her nose and ear as well. I understand that the final sprite looks more anatomically correct, but I sort of liked the perspective style of the Demo.

Demo Sprite	Final Sprite	Comparison .GIF

You gotta admit, this one is pretty funny. A comparison GIF between the two sprites makes it look like she's bopping to some music, haha. But anyways, a lot was redone here. Her entire head—hair and all—was redrawn to be more tilted. She also wears a more thoughtful expression in the final instead of appearing like she's asleep. Her shirt collar was also touched up to fit the new head tilt.

Still, I really like this sprite. It's different enough to the point that it feels like it could be an extra sprite for Kirigiri. I think that's really, really cool.

Aright. These next three sprites are just full-bodies of the half-bodies, so I'll show them all at once.

Comparison .GIF	Comparison .GIF	Comparison .GIF

As you can tell with the first and second one, the placement used to be a little different. For the first one, beta Kirigiri used to be placed several pixels higher. For the second, she is a few pixels up and to the right.

Demo Sprite	Final Sprite	Comparison .GIF

Here's a new expression, however! Her eyes were edited to be more flat. Her cheek was rounded out as well. Most notable to me was the beta sprite being a little cross-eyed. I kind of think it's cute and would love to see a HQ version of this some day...

KUWATA LEON

Demo Sprite	Final Sprite	Comparison .GIF

It's pretty obvious to see why this one got changed. The left side of Kuwata's face is somewhat asymmetrical, and so it was redrawn to be fixed. He used to have a cute eyelash, but it got removed. His grin also used to be a little wider.

Demo Sprite	Final Sprite	Comparison .GIF

For some reason, the beta sprite has this weird black dot hovering by Kuwata's right fist. No clue why, and it was removed come time for the final game.

Demo Sprite	Final Sprite	Comparison .GIF

The same as the half-body one.

Demo Sprite	Final Sprite	Comparison .GIF

Here's one that was changed quite a bit. It feels a lot more reminiscent of DISTRUST, doesn't it? With the darker shading and lack of highlights, not to mention Leon's eyes being more intense and smaller. I love the final sprite, but something about this beta is really neat, too...it's much more intense.

I wonder if he finally got it memorized. (iykyk)

MAIZONO SAYAKA

Demo Sprite	Final Sprite	Comparison .GIF

Maziono has a similar edit made to her that Fujisaki did. Her beta sprite lacked a noticeable blush, so it was upped in the final version. Her face shape was also made fuller, and her right eye edited a tad.

Demo Sprite	Final Sprite	Comparison .GIF

We have some different shading here and there, like by her left side or on her hand. There also appears to be a mistakenly placed spot of transparency right under her bow on her right arm. What's most noteworthy here is the expression. In the beta version, her eyebrow was lifted instead of furrowed, making her appear more surprised and less worried. It's such a small detail, but it completely changes the emotion of the sprite!

NAEGI MAKOTO

Wooah, okay. I almost debated doing this one since it's been covered both on The Cutting Room Floor and even the Danganronpa Wiki...but you know what the both of those don't have??? COMPARISON GIFS.

Plus, I actually have a lot to say about Naegi's sprites here. So...for the uninitiated, here's a ton of beta Naegis for you.

Demo Sprite	Final Sprite	Comparison .GIF

Let's start with the simplest. Naegi's default sprite, with the exception of the left side of his face (thicker outline), is the same but given darker shading. Despite being simple in theory, Naegi's default sprite is interesting for the number of renditions we have for it. Here's a little handy chart I made:

Sorry for the quality, but you get the gist. Of course, I truncated some of the info for sake of readability. The first early trial sprite is also found in the Vita files, as well as SDR2's PSP/Vita files. As for the second sprite, we've seen it also in the SDR2 art book.

The third sprite is very strange. We can tell it's the earlier sprite due to the shading being lighter than the rest of Naegi's sprites. However, the half-body version is mistakenly used even up to the Vita version. It wasn't until UTDP and DRS that they used the correct half-body version, which would be of sprite number 4. The correct sprite was always used for the full-body in all version.

...Now, this brings up a problem with the definition I gave on the Sprite landing page itself, right? After all, it was the full-body that was correct, not the half-body. We can infer with confidence that it is indeed the full-body that is meant to be the correct final sprite, as the darker shading would match better with Naegi's other finished sprites (as you will see further down); Many of Naegi's beta sprites have the lighter shading. Furthermore, the betas that came before lacked any such thicker black outline on the left side of his face, pointing it to be an addition rather than a subtraction (such as if it had always been there and they trimmed it down for the final sprite).

To all this, my official position is...shrug. I really have no explanation for this one. It is this sprite with the only exception to the rule I have crafted. I mean, yes, we have seen other sprites in this article, such as Ishimaru, which used the correct full-body but not half-body. These things were fixed in the debut game, however, which is what I always turn to as reference. Naegi's here is the only one that fails to be correct that I know of in the final game. So...hopefully he's the only outlier.

Demo Sprite	Final Sprite	Comparison .GIF

More dramatic changes will be seen hereon. For example, this sprite where Naegi's face was reworked and the shading changed completely on his hoodie.

Demo Sprite	Final Sprite	Comparison .GIF

Much like we'll see—and as I've said—a mark of Naegi's beta to final transition is the shading becoming much darker. The halo lighting in his hair also becomes more prominent. Also, it seems his eyes may have been a little darker at some point. It's only now that I'm realizing that Naegi has grey eyes...I hear grey eyes are the rarest eye color. I wonder if that's true.

Demo Sprite	Final Sprite	Comparison .GIF

Unless noticeable in a new way, I won't go repeating myself about the darker shading or hair halo henceforth. What's interesting about this one is the changes to Naegi's posture, which is relatively uncommon for sprite revisions. Both hands were redrawn entirely, his left one made smaller in particular. His arm, too, was redrawn. Some shading on his right shoe and hoodie zipper were also modified, along in other places like his pants.

Demo Sprite	Final Sprite	Comparison .GIF

Much of the same changes from above, from the zipper to the shoe to the right hand. Elsewise, his hoodie's...well, hood, got a few changes. Also, while half of it is due simply to lacking shading and thus looking larger, his eyes used to be a lot bigger originally.

Demo Sprite	Final Sprite	Comparison .GIF

Again, much like the above...with the strange shading on the hoodie making a reappearance this time. Also, the third button on his blazer was way too close to the second one, which was later fixed. I do like the beta sprite's grimace, though. It's kind of cute.

Demo Sprite	Final Sprite	Comparison .GIF

Less changes than the others so far, but still noticeable. From the hands, to the hoodie's hood, and his face being made fuller around the cheek.

Demo Sprite	Final Sprite	Comparison .GIF

Besides shading, the biggest change here is the placement. Naegi's sprite was lowered a few pixels.

Demo Sprite	Final Sprite	Comparison .GIF

...and the same is true here, although I think he was moved a few pixels to the left as well.

Demo Sprite	Final Sprite	Comparison .GIF

The shading change is really noticeable on this one. Far from just the colors being darkened, a lot of the shading itself was redone in its entirety. Also, Naegi's hand was fixed to be less claw-like. I'm also getting the impression his face used to be a lot smaller/rounder, but this seems true of a lot of DR1 beta sprites.

Demo Sprite	Final Sprite	Comparison .GIF

Like I said earlier, it's rare to get whole poses reworked. Not only was Naegi's left arm redrawn, but it was completely changed to be a new pose, along with him being given a different mouth (The sprite was also nudged to the left a little).

Some people actually classify this as a completely separate sprite because of these differences, saying the expression is different enough to be considered a new emotion in the set. I'm inclined to agree. To have a beta this different is certainly interesting.

Demo Sprite	Final Sprite	Comparison .GIF

Finally, we have a classic. Same ol' with the shading reworks and blazer's button fix, but the left hand was also redrawn, along with Naegi's unsure smile being toned down.

Aaaand we're done with Naegi! That was a lot...but it's really cool to see, right?

OOWADA MONDO

Demo Sprite	Final Sprite	Comparison .GIF

What you'll notice right away with this GIF is how the outline appears to be different between the two sprites. The conclusion, then, is that the outline must have been reworked for Oowada. But that is not necessarily the case. And, no, it's not GIF artifacting either. It's hard to tell with such a small GIF, but actually, beta Oowada's outlines looks like they were accidentally erased in many areas, as if someone used the "magic wand" tool in an editing program and pulled him out from a bigger picture. You can see an example of that in his left hand especially. It's not that his hand was redrawn—it's actually that the Demo version has the lower part of his hand mysteriously erased.

Demo Sprite	Final Sprite

You can see the lack of any black outline at the bottom, and the side of his coat to the right, too, lacks an outline. It's all very strange, and makes me wonder why it looks so messy.

Demo Sprite	Final Sprite	Comparison .GIF

Here we have another fun example of a complete expression change! Much like Fujisaki, the beta sprite's expression conveys a much different emotion than the final version. I'd say the beta version looks less outright furious. Also, it's worth noting his hands were given extra detail in the final sprite.

TOGAMI BYAKUYA

Demo Sprite	Final Sprite	Comparison .GIF

For Togami, they made his eyes less narrow, his nose longer, and his mouth more clearly a frown.

Demo Sprite	Final Sprite	Comparison .GIF

And here's the full-body version.

Demo Sprite	Final Sprite	Comparison .GIF

This one interests me as it is a case of a sprite I didn't notice was different until I made a comparison GIF. In fact, I was so sure it wasn't different! This is such a classic Togami sprite to me that I thought I would know 100% for sure if it was off in some way. But, to cover my bases I always do a comparison and don't just assume. I'm glad I do that, because I was shocked with just how different the eyes are.

Specifically, his pupils used to be smaller, and his top eyelash not as thick. This makes the beta version look more alert than thoughtful in my opinion, and so I feel the change was a good thing. When it comes to minute facial differences, I really wish we had half-body sprites of them so we could get a closer look, but until one is discovered or there's some big Spike Chunsoft leak, a PSP full-body will have to do.

YAMADA HIFUMI

Demo Sprite	Final Sprite	Comparison .GIF

As you can see, Yamada's hairline was fixed on the left side of his head. His mouth was given minor touch-ups, the details on the glasses were also reworked, and most prominently, they added a shadow over his face in the final sprite.

Demo Sprite	Final Sprite	Comparison .GIF

And while anti-climatic, the last sprite for this article is the full-body version of the sprite above.

Phew. That was a lot to go through. But, I hope you found it as interesting as I did! I still find many of these sprites remarkable in the same way I did when I first wrote about them back on my blog. Because DR1 beta sprites aren't as numerous as SDR2 beta sprites, this Demo is such a huge help in providing much needed material. I hold out hope that some of these sprites will be found or released in higher quality one day. Until then, these sprites continue to help me immensely when it comes to research and identification of other beta sprites.