"Before we go any farther, I guess I should introduce myself. My name's Makoto Naegi. As you can see, I'm nothing but a hopelessly average high school student. Average on the outside, average on the inside. I really don't have much going for me when it comes to grades, special abilities, even personality. I mean yeah, I have hobbies and stuff I like to do, but it's not like I'm a psychic or mutant or whatever. Like, if you asked me what my favorite song was, or my favorite movie or TV show... They'd all just be whatever's most popular at that particular moment. Even among the average, I'm completely average. So I can't even say I'm your "everyday hero" type. That's just who I am. Anyway, I figure it's always good to introduce yourself right off the bat. But you know, if I have any kind of "strong point," so to speak... I'd say I'm a little more gung-ho than other people. I mean look at me. I'm completely ordinary, but still... Here I am, standing in front of the anything but ordinary Hope's Peak Academy. I still can't believe I'm standing here. I wonder if someone like me can survive in a place like this..."

"That was how it all began... And how life as I knew it came to an end. At that point, I should have realized... The reason I was brought to Hope's Peak Academy wasn't because I had ultimate good luck. It was so I could experience ultimate despair..."

"We'd finally discovered some small measure of hope. But even that... ...was taken away from us. And we couldn't even put up a fight. We were given hope, and then when that hope was taken away...despair. It's just like... Just like what the mastermind is doing to us... Then...could it really be true? Whoever stole Alter Ego... Could they really be working for the mastermind? If that's true... No! It can't be! There's no way! I didn't even realize I'd yelled that out loud. The scary thing isn't the idea of someone spying on us. What's really scary is... ...the idea that we're starting to doubt each other again. That scares me more than anything."