Danganronpa: Kirigiri

Danganronpa Kirigiri (Japanese: ダンガンロンパ霧切) is a Japanese detective mystery light novel series written by Takekuni Kitayama and illustrated by Rui Komatsuzaki. It was published by Seikaisha from September 13, 2013, to June 17, 2020, and has been collected in seven tankōbon volumes. A prequel to Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc, the series focus on the future "Ultimate Detective" Kyoko Kirigiri over the course of the story as she rises through the ranks of the Detective Shelf Collection (DSC), solving various mysteries alongside her assistant, Yui Samidare.

Proposed by Danganronpa creator Kazutaka Kodaka, following a pitch from Kitayama, elements of the series were incorporated into Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair, Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls, and Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak Academy. Receiving a universally positive critical reception, Spike Chunsoft ordered a spin-off video game of the series, also written and directed by Kitayama, and titled Kirigiri Sou, for release in October 2016. In November 2016, Danganronpa Kirigiri was nominated for the 2017 Sugoi Japan Award for "Best Entertainment Novel", ranking second behind Your Name.