Naomi Takatsu

Naomi Takatsu is a student in the Arc Ultimate Class and a Participant of the Killing Game Featured in Newly Despaired: Andromeda.

Her title is the Ultimate Kunoichi. She was a student at Hope's Peak before she joined the Scorpius side of the war. She never had anything to lose in doing so, and during that time she honed her skills in the ninja arts so she could better herself.

Early Life
Naomi lived a relatively quiet life, but for mainly the wrong reasons. As she was brought up in a strict household, she could never really make any friends at school and had to study hard as well. Although her family may come across as relatively normal, at the earliest age of 8 she began training to become the successor to her family's clan of ninjas. This pushed her young body to the limit, even more so than if she were a boy. 3 years or so later, as young as 11, she witnessed the truth of her family's business: they were hired as nothing more than assassins, to take out targets they've been paid to kill (of course they most likely weren't always bad people, either). She was scarred after seeing a dead body at such a young age, traumatised that someone who could be innocent had to go through that, and their families must be suffering as well. She vowed to never use her own talent for such a thing ever since that day. Eventually the final trial to becoming the next successor of her family's clan came along: kill your first target. Of course, given the amount of trauma she had, she just couldn't do it. She hesitated, and thus someone else had to do it for her. This made her parents extremely disappointed, worthy of being called a 'failure to the Takatsu clan'. This of course only made her feel worse about herself in general, and she just wants positive attention. This urge continues to this day, since all she wanted was people to like her. She eventually had to flee her parents' house because she couldn't take it anymore, and has lived on her own ever since. She hated the fact that her parents dictated everything that she ever did, including her social life. She never had any friends growing up as a result, and spent most of the time being lonely and not getting the positive attention she deserved.

Present Day
Naomi has adopted a more positive attitude than what she had previously, however the PTSD and trauma beneath her smile and kindness still exists, as does her urge to gain positive attention from someone, anyone. She just wants to be liked instead of looked down upon. Of course, she's still not good at handling death given that fateful day. She remains strong, despite all of the obstacles in her way. Although she might be positive, she's also adopted a more no-nonsense attitude because of what's happened during her life. She seeks the truth and has a stronger sense of justice than ever.

Killing School Life
Naomi was among one of the 16 students being chosen for the Arc Killing Game, however she had no recollection of why she was there or where she was at the time. Masky gave her and the other students their memories of who they were, but he did not tell them anything about why they were here other than the killing game. Upon hearing this news about the killing game, Naomi was initially scared. The main reason for this is because of how she doesn't like seeing dead bodies, hence why she hoped that nobody would kill. At first, she was also quite hesitant about talking to others because she wasn't sure what they would make of her. She managed to talk to quite a few people, however.

The Slumber Party
Once the Killing Game truly began, Naomi was one of several students who went to the slumber party that was happening in the Ultimate Magical Girl's Lab, the lab that belonged to Ayumi Matsuki, who has the Ultimate Magical Girl title. She had a lot of fun with the others, and this was the first time she was with company and happy. She felt like she could fit in well, often playing along with the games that were played and the jokes that were made. However, the morning after, she and the others discovered the body of Tee Vee, the Ultimate Game Show Host. Naomi was mortified, she couldn't stand seeing it even if Tee Vee wasn't entirely human. But, she wanted to find out who did it... and if they were a member of Orion, the mysterious group that Masky kept mentioning.

The First Orion
During Chapter 1's Trial, it was revealed that the killer was Mitsuhito Masafumi, the Ultimate Brewmaster. Naomi had recently became good friends with him, and the fact that he was the killer alone was more than enough to devastate her. Mitsuhito revealed that he was one of the 5 Orion members who were in amongst the class, and that he would be able to get out scot-free because he would get sent back to Earth. This unfortunately never happened, and Masky suddenly changed plans and executed him. Naomi was distraught at the betrayal of one of her friends, and she wanted to know why Mitsuhito did it. She couldn't understand it no matter how hard she tried to. This made her hate Orion, and everything they stood for. Because this wouldn't be the last time they'd stir up trouble for not just herself, but everyone.

The Second Murder
During Chapter 2's Trial, Naomi was unsurprised that the killer was revealed to be an Orion member, but more so that it was Sae Hichizoe, the Ultimate Choreographer. Whilst she never knew her very much, she did sympathise with those who did know her better. However, she was especially mad that Masky decided to reveal people's secrets one by one; hers was one of the few that were mentioned. The fact that she disliked her family, especially for the fact that the people that they killed weren't all bad. She disliked Masky even more for dropping something like this so casually.

Third Time's A Charm
Naomi was one of the first few people to witness the dead bodies of Ryosei Kawasaki, the Ultimate Line Cook and Ikumi Hashimoto, the Ultimate Hitwoman. She was taken aback at the fact that two people were killed, but what was waiting for her in the trial was even more devastating. It was then revealed that during Chapter 3's trial that the killer was none other than Mia Sasaki, the Ultimate Cultist, one of Naomi's closer friends. She couldn't understand how someone as nice and kind as her could've possibly killed those two people, until she found out that the main reason why was because she saw the 'Dark Lord' in them, and she wanted to save them. However, the 'Dark Lord' doesn't actually exist, and is nothing more than a schizophrenic hallucination due to Mia's schizophrenia. This upset Naomi even more, since it wasn't inherently Mia's fault for what happened. She was, however, glad to know that Mia wasn't part of Orion.

A Magical Twist
Much to Naomi's surprise, the one who was killed in Chapter 4 was Emica Yokoi, the Ultimate Lucid Dreamer. She had known already that she was a member of Orion, and at first thought it was someone who wasn't a member of Orion who killed her, which turned out not the be the case at all. The real killer was Ayumi Matsuki, the Ultimate Magical Girl. Ayumi was also a member of Orion, but she had in fact defected from the group after realising their true intentions and how much suffering they had brought to the students on the Arc. Naomi thought that Ayumi was brave to some degree, as it takes a lot to do something like what she did. Ayumi's sacrifice wouldn't go in vain, at least not to Naomi.

Huh? Antonio's Hatching!
Naomi and Novella were both looking after Antonio's egg after Novella had told her about a crack forming in the egg, to signify that Antonio was about to hatch soon. They both watched from Novella's dorm, as Antonio broke free from his egg. Naomi was pretty surprised to see that Antonio was so special, often calling him a 'sill little sparkplug' because that's what he reminded her of. She thought Antonio was cute, and special to say the least. She also thought that Novella would be a very good motherly figure to him, since she was the one who named him.

Naomi's Fate
In Chapter 5, it was revealed that she was the one who killed Niikura Chikuma, the Ultimate Nail Artist. The reason behind this was because if she didn't, then Novella would have been killed instead, since Niikura found out that she was the last standing member of Orion. Naomi didn't care about neither Orion nor Scorpius at this point in time, since she chose not to pick a side. She only did what was best: she protected her friend. She was thankful to have met everyone, even those who killed, because when she was younger she never had the privilege of making such kind friends. She respects each and every one of them, and never expected them to forgive her for what she did, even if it was the right thing to do and she had to abide by the rules. During her execution, she gave everyone one last smile, before being decapitated.

Appearance
Naomi's hair is brown and shoulder-length, and her eyes are also hazel brown. She wears a female ninja-style garb that is black and blue in colour, as well as a black skirt. She also wears thigh-high boots that have the special property of sticking to surfaces, e.g. walls or ceilings. She also has a holster on her left leg that can fit up to three knives or kunai in it, and she carries smoke bombs on her person.

Personality
Naomi's personality has changed over the years, but she mainly remains to be a strong-willed girl that has a positive attitude. However, she does sometimes worry about what people think of her, and tends to be lonely quite often due to her childhood. She refuses to harm or kill others using her talent, because she believes that to be the wrong path to take as a ninja, even if it is what ended up happening during Chapter 5. She gets especially emotional during Mitsuhito's execution in Chapter 1, and the Class Trial of Chapter 3. This is because the killers in both cases were people she trusted and were her close friends to some degree. She can't stand losing the people that she cares about after putting so much effort in to become friends.

Talent
As the Ultimate Kunoichi, Naomi is highly proficient at the ninja arts. This includes martial arts, kunai throwing, etc. Despite having a talent that could be a physical advantage, she decides against using it for such a thing as she deems it to be the wrong path (although this statement is later contradicted in Chapter 5). She wants to protect everyone, and with a little inspiration, pass on what she's learned to other people so that they can protect themselves when they wouldn't normally be able to.

Unnamed Parents
Naomi doesn't care about her family anymore after all of the things that she's been put through, and thus she doesn't want to be associated with them and wants to restore a good reputation to the Takatsu name. She never got the positive attention she deserved as a child, she couldn't make any friends because of her parents and worst of all they traumatised her at such a young age. She couldn't go back to something like that, not after years of suffering. They don't love her, and she doesn't love them.

Mitsuhito Masafumi
Mitsuhito, otherwise known as 'Mitsu' to her, originally rubbed her the wrong way and the two often argued, but she started to understand that there was more than meets the eye to him, even if he didn't manage to tell her the real reason as to why he was the was he was. She found him interesting, and kept around to see if she could change his cynical nature. Unfortunately, this never happened, as he was revealed to be the Chapter 1 Killer and then executed. This deeply upset her, as he was one of the people he trusted the most and was closest to at that particular point in time.

Mia Sasaki
Mia was another interesting person to Naomi, as she felt she shared some similarities and some differences with her that would allow her to get to know her well. They became good friends, although they never spoke as much as Naomi would've hoped. Mia gave her the inspiration to pass on her teachings to others if she manages to get back home, as well as try out some new things like different hairstyles. She admires Mia's honesty and overall kindness, and was deeply hurt to find out that she was the killer during Chapter 3, but didn't grudge her for it since she found out that it wasn't inherently her fault as she lost an ongoing mental battle.

Novella Giordano
Novella is the person that Naomi relates to on a personal level, upon discovering that they share so much in common. She never thought she could find someone that she shares so much with, and thus she's kept in contact with Novella ever since discovering this fact. She looks up to Novella in a way, admiring her bravery to keep pushing forward no matter what. However, she did notice that she had similar issues in a sense that she can feel as lonely as she is, and she describes it as 'looking into an old mirror', often describing Novella's loneliness as 'cruel, far too cruel' internally. She considers Novella to be one of her best friends, even though Naomi was executed for protecting her. She passed on her trust to Novella, entrusting her with the care of her fellow classmates and Antonio, which she's absolutely sure she is capable of.

Ayumi Matsuki
Naomi likes Ayumi's quirky nature, especially for being the Ultimate Magical Girl and all. She reckons that she's rather cute to some degree, being so girly and such things. However, she doesn't like her random outbursts during the class trials, and when she derails the conversation it tends to bug her to some degree. Despite this, Naomi still sees her as a good friend. She admires the fact that Ayumi was brave enough to defect from Orion, even if it meant her death in the process. If Ayumi could've lived, it's possible that Naomi would've been better friends with her.

Kentaro Yoshikawa
Whilst Naomi and Kentaro have barely spoken to one another, she's seen his caring nature every now and then, whether it be during or after trials or talking to someone else. She really admires him for that, and also admires the fact that he's stayed so strong all the way from Chapter 1 to Chapter 4. Naomi reckons deep down that even if she suffers the mightiest of blows, Kentaro will be able to cheer her up one way or another. She reckons he's a good guy who's mentally strong and has a big heart, which has often been proven to be the case time and time again.

Maria Nakamura
Although Maria and Naomi have barely met up aside from some small chat, she finds her quite interesting. Upon learning about her talent as the Ultimate Spy, she was intrigued as to what it was she did, until finding the Ultimate Spy Lab, where it's clear that most of her job revolves around collecting information. Naomi reckons that Maria is relatively strong and brave, much like a few other people. Her mysteriousness is what made her more and more curious. She respects her like any other classmate and friend.

Tichiga Moku
Although Naomi and Tichiga have barely met up with one another, she respects the fact that he works hard to help those who have special needs, despite being one of the people who has these kinds of needs himself. She doesn't see why Tichiga creates 'murderous students', according to Masky near the very end of Chapter 2's trial, as he's far too nice to cause something like that happen. She sees him as someone she can trust, to some degree. However, she reckons that Tichiga needs some help himself since he can be a bit fragile, and wishes she could do more for him.

List of Appearances

 * Newly Despaired: Andromeda

Trivia

 * Naomi's talent was originally meant to be the Ultimate Shrine Maiden, but was later changed to Kunoichi because it was a more interesting talent (and a character with the talent Shrine Maiden already existed in the fangan Danganronpa Rebirth anyways).
 * Naomi is the second original character to be played by Crashy, the first being Murasa from DRND Season 3.
 * Naomi is the very first Danganronpa OC that Crashy ever created.
 * The concept of Naomi's character stemmed from the character Strider Hiryu from the Strider series, as Crashy took inspiration from him to make an interesting twist on a ninja-based character, which became the starting point for what Naomi is now.
 * Naomi's hairstyle is slightly unusual for a female ninja due to her hair normally being left down, whereas normally it would be tied in a ponytail (which she later then does, as Mia inspired her to do so).
 * Kunoichi literally means female ninja or female practitioner of ninpo (ninja arts) in Japanese.
 * Naomi is the character with the highest amount of Rebuttal Showdowns in a single DRND Season, with 3 on the attacking side, and 2 on the defending side, making for a total of 5.
 * Naomi's Rebuttal Showdown lines reflect her no-nonsense attitude, such as her lines of: "No more nonsense!" and "I'll cut you down!".
 * Naomi is the first OC played by Crashy to have ever murdered.