Prologue - Part 1

The massive high school towers over all the other buildings in this bustling urban area. It's like the school stands at the center of the entire world.

It brings in top students from every field imaginable. A government-funded school of privilege. They say that if you come here and manage to graduate, you'll be set for life. With hundreds of years of tradition, it sends the cream of the crop into the work force every year. It was built to raise hope in the nation's future. Which makes Hope's Peak a pretty fitting name.

There are two things you need to attend this school... One, you have to already be attending high school. Two, you have to be the very best at what you do. No ordinary student could enroll here. The only way in is if you're scouted by the school itself.

And standing there at the gate of the ultimate school filled with the ultimate students...

...was me.

" 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 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..."

It's got this overwhelming presence...like it's trying to swallow me whole. But it's no wonder I would feel that way. What you have to understand is... Well, let me just tell you about the "preparation" I did last night to get ready for today.

Hope's Peak only invites those students who are the truly elite in their field. It's such a popular topic, there are threads online dedicated to talking about the school's attendees. So to prepare, I looked up some of the those threads. And all I saw was talk about "ultimate" students, who were way beyond your average high schooler.

For example, one incoming student is the "Ultimate Pop Sensation." I guess she's a high school girl who's also the lead singer for a pop group famous all over the country.

There's also the "Ultimate Baseball Star." He was the cleanup hitter for the national high school champs. Pro teams already have their eyes on him.

Then there's the "Ultimate Fashionista." She's been on the cover of tons of fashion magazines. She's what every high school girl wants to be.

Oh, and they mentioned the "Ultimate Biker Gang Leader." The scary thing is, he's the de facto leader of every biker gang in Japan. Gangs everywhere love the guy.

On top of that, there's the Ultimate Martial Artist, the Ultimate Analyzer , the Ultimate Fanfic Creator, the Ultimate Gambler, The Ultimate Swimming pro, the Ultimate Programmer, the Ultimate Clairvoyant, and then some. Reading that made me realize how totally powerless I was. It was the country's finest, top to bottom. I felt like a tame little house cat who'd wandered into a pride of lions.

But still, there was something I couldn't stop thinking about. You see, there were a few students who I couldn't find any info on, no matter how much I looked. With all those "ultimate" students, I'm the only one without any kind of worthwhile talent. But then, what about those other new students who didn't seem to pop up anywhere.

" Could they be just average students like me, without any talent or anything?"

That thought was kind of encouraging. I mean, I know I don't have much in the way of personality. But beyond that, there's an even bigger issue... How did such an unbelievably average student like me get picked to come to this "ultimate" high school? I mean, I guess there *is* a reason... You just have to take one glance at the acceptance letter they sent me to see why.

"We recently held a lottery to select one ordinary student to attend our school. As a result, you have been selected, and we invite you to join us as the Ultimate Lucky Student."

They spelled it out plain as day--I got invited by pure luck. Honestly, I probably would have been better off just declining their offer. But after hearing how graduating was a "guarantee for success" later in life, I just couldn't say no.

But then, actually standing there in front of the school... I started to feel lost, like I didn't belong there. I could feel myself losing my nerve.

" But still...I can't just stand here in front of the gate forever..."

Frozen in place, murmuring to myself, I looked down at the acceptance letter clutched in my hand. It said there'd be a meeting for all incoming students in the main hall at 8 a.m. The meeting still isn't for a little while, but...

" I should probably just head in. Yeah... Yeah, let's do this!"

I gathered up all my determination and tried to act like I'd done this a million times before. And I took my first step towards the main hall...

: This is where we're supposed to meet, right? I guess I'm the first one here.

There's a really elegant clock over in the corner. It says it's 7:10 a.m. The meeting doesn't start until 8 o'clock. So there's still a full 50 minutes left. It makes sense nobody else would be here yet...

: I was so wound up, I got here way too early.

I have plenty of time before the meeting. Just standing around waiting isn't exactly... I should take a look around the school. Maybe that'll help me calm down a little.

: I *am* a student here now, so there shouldn't be any problem with me having a look around, right?

It'll help me kill some time, if nothing else. Trying to play it cool, I took my first step into Hope's Peak Academy. It was also my first step toward starting a new life at a new school. At least, that's what I was hoping for.

"What the--!?"

But the instant I took that first step forward... My view became warped, twisted. It was like some kind of delusion, melting away and mixing together into something else. Spinning, mixing, melting away, then spinning again... And the next moment...

Everything went black.

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.