Monokuma is the main antagonist. He is a strange teddy bear who proclaims himself to be the principal of Hope's Peak Academy and initiates a life of mutual killing among the students, being the manipulator for everyone to experience the dog-eat-dog world and despair within their hearts (except optimistic students like Makoto Naegi's hope are immune to his despair plan). He is also needed through the series from episodes 1-13