Mahiru Koizumi [Zombie Apocalypse.]

Ultimate Photographer Height 165 cm Weight 46 kg (101 lbs) Birth Date ♉ April 24 Blood Type A Likes Traveling alone Dislikes Bad manners Family Unnamed parents Appearance: Mahiru has fair skin with light freckles flecked across her cheeks. She has vivid red hair cut in a short, smooth bob, with choppy bangs. Her eyes are a rather dark olive green. She wears a white uniform dress shirt with short sleeves and a chest pocket, with a red-and-white plaid tie at her collar. On top of this, she wears an olive green school jumper with a pleated skirt. Her legwear consists of a darker olive knee-high socks with lighter colored lines running around the cuff, with olive-black flat sneakers with white laces and soles. Her former school's symbol can be found on her shirt's sleeves, her jumper's chest, and her socks' cuffs. Mahiru can be seen with a black digital camera, appearing to be modeled after a Canon product, but with no discernable specific brand. It is hung around her body with an orange strap, a thin yellow line running through the center, attached with silver buckles. Personality: Mahiru is a sensible and optimistic girl who is generally rather calm and unafraid to speak her mind. She initially comes off as confident but is later revealed to have self-esteem issues. It is evidenced by Mahiru's constant comparing of her photographs to those of her mother, a famous war photographer whose career led her to be absent from home for much of Mahiru's life. However, she finds it frustrating since others too always compare her style to her mother's, and that despite her love for photography, she feels her title is stupid compared to her classmates. Meanwhile, unlike her successful mother, her father was a very poor parent, leaving the responsibility of the housework entirely to her. When Hajime was being scolded by Mahiru, he likened it to being yelled at by his mom. Mahiru has high expectations of men and is quick to be abrasive towards them.

She is much more tolerant and friendly to girls. In the original Japanese, she refers the girls in her class with their first name and "-chan" honorifics, while she refers the guys casually with their last name only. The subjects of her photos are usually of girls and explains that she easily gets bored of photographing guys. She loves taking photos of people's smiles, and it's revealed in her Free Time Events that she recorded everything in Jabberwock Island so that they won't forget, except for the guys which she only recorded once every three days. Mahiru is also known for being protective, loving, and incredibly tolerant, especially towards girls, which is demonstrated by her friendship with Hiyoko, Mikan, and Ibuki. With Hiyoko, although they are the same age, Mahiru treats Hiyoko like a younger sister and becomes very close to her, even assisting her with her clothes. Mahiru shows much patience and kindness with Hiyoko, despite Hiyoko's clinginess and frequent immature behavior. As a result, Mahiru became Hiyoko's favorite and one of the few people she genuinely loves and respects and vice versa; she even started calling her "Big Sis." Since Mahiru is so tolerant, she becomes close friends with Hiyoko despite the fact that Hiyoko has terrible manners most of the time. However, Mahiru does scold Hiyoko occasionally for making disrespectful comments. Mahiru, unlike Hiyoko, is extremely kind to Mikan since she knows how shy she is. Mahiru expresses more concern for Mikan than anyone else, although she is also surprised by everyone else's clumsiness. Mahiru says Mikan takes "skill" to tumble into awkward poses. When Mikan fell into a compromising position, Mahiru would try to cheer her up by telling her to be careful next time; she would also be furious at anyone who made fun of her or threatened her. She also gets along well with Ibuki who does have contrasting personalities with her.

Mahiru had joined a middle school photography club in an effort to improve her photography skills.

Mahiru wants to help as many people as she can, but it'd be a mistake to call her a pushover. She doesn't hesitate to scold those who are rude to her and is also really good at taking care of people although never failing to complain about it. She's also a highly empathetic person even caring about those who treated her poorly as shown by her utter regret over Natsumi's murder and trying to make amends with Fuyuhiko despite both of them mistreating her. Even though she was upset with Nagito for what occurred to Teruteru and the Ultimate Imposter, she was the first to bring him food and worry about him being chained in the old lodge, demonstrating her empathic personality. When confronted with injustice, Mahiru's sympathetic character, raw emotions, and unwavering sense of justice are on full display. This is demonstrated when she finds the body of the Ultimate Imposter and allows her grief to drive her resolve to uncover who murdered them. Another example is when, despite Fuyuhiko's reputation for aggression and violence, Mahiru confronts him about Sato's death and tells him that vengeance is wrong for whatever reason. This is all the more striking when one considers that by that time, Mahiru still had her school memories of Sato erased and relied solely on the information presented in the game. History: While Mahiru was growing up, her mother, a war photographer, would often show her the photographs she had captured of people smiling amidst the horrors of war. The images had such an impact on Mahiru that she decided to follow in her mother's footsteps as a photographer. But because her mother frequently travels, Mahiru was left to fend for herself with her unemployed father, who never offered any assistance with household chores when her mother was gone. She said that she would have liked to travel the world and capture people's smiles if she hadn't had to take care of her dad.

Mahiru had joined a middle school photography club in an effort to improve her photography skills. During this period, she formed a friendship with Sato and unwittingly became enemies with Natsumi Kuzuryu, her junior in the photography club who harbored jealousy towards her talent. Sato, who always sides with Mahiru, begins to develop an intense dislike toward Natsumi, and this hatred later grows into a tragedy involving these three girls. After Mahiru won numerous photography awards while attending Light Forest Institute, Hope's Peak noticed her talent and enrolled her in Class 77-B as the Ultimate Photographer. Her distinctive portraits are what make her work stand out. When Mahiru enrolled at Hope's Peak Academy, her friend Sato attended the Hope's Peak Reserve Course Department. Unfortunately for Mahiru and Sato, the ever-problematic Natsumi also attended the Reserve Course. In Class 77-B, Mahiru got along well with her eccentric classmates, especially Hiyoko Saionji the Ultimate Traditional Dancer, Mikan Tsumiki the Ultimate Nurse, and Ibuki Mioda the Ultimate Musician. Among them, Mahiru grew particularly closest with Hiyoko. She introduced these three to Sato as well later on. Mahiru also has a lot of admiration for Chisa Yukizome, the Former Ultimate Housekeeper as well as her homeroom teacher, who was very kind to her and who took note of her friendship with Sato—even if sometimes Mahiru thinks she can be an oddball. It was mentioned that Mahiru has a large circle of friends even beyond Class 77-B thanks to her reliability, kindness, and thoughtfulness. Mahiru frequently spends time eating lunch with Sato in the Reserve Course building. Due to this, Mahiru was once again a convenient target for Natsumi's relentless bullying. However, their hostility has taken on a new dimension as Natsumi turns out to be the younger sister of Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu, the Ultimate Yakuza who happens to be a classmate of Mahiru.

Sato covered up this truth, said a pervert was responsible for the murder, and persuaded the others not to notify the authorities that they had discovered the corpse.

One day, Mahiru was walking to the Reserve Course building to visit Sato when she heard a commotion coming out from her friend's class. It turned out that Sato and Natsumi were arguing about her. In a playful jab at Mahiru's frequent visits to Reserve Course, Natsumi said that Mahiru goes there mostly to make fun of the talentless, in contrast to herself and Natsumi's brother Fuyuhiko. Mahiru who usually prefers to ignore Natsumi or at least try to be civil with her, eventually became fed up with Natsumi's relentless comments, then brought up the fact that Natsumi's attitude had never changed ever since she joined the photography club. Sato bolstered Mahiru's claim by stating that Natsumi is envious of her since, as the Ultimate Photographer, Mahiru is on an equal footing with her brother in the main course. Just as Natsumi was about to punch Sato, Mahiru stepped in and pulled her out of the classroom, ending the commotion...or so she thought. It is suggested that Sato might have romantic affections for Mahiru, which would explain why he would go to such extreme lengths to protect her. At one point, Sato happens to meet Chisa and blushes shyly as she explains to her that she's planning to eat with a friend. After their fight with Natsumi and arguments in which Mahiru did not approve of Sato's action, even though it was done to protect her, Sato now insisted that Mahiru has great talent and that her photos will become famous (in the English dub, Sato describes it as the beauty Mahiru brings into the world)—which Mahiru found surprising and flattering. In the English dub, Natsumi also mocked Sato's behavior towards Mahiru by calling her "lovesick". Within this implication, Sato's feelings appear to be one-sided, though this has not been confirmed. One day, together with Sato, Hiyoko, Mikan, and Ibuki, Mahiru discovered a corpse in the music room. The body was later revealed belong to Natsumi's, who was murdered by Sato because the girl had been bullying Mahiru.

Sadly, Sato was killed by Fuyuhiko on the next day. Mahiru was seen crying on Hiyoko's chest while her classmates watched on in worry. This case was later utilized in the Killing School Trip by Monokuma, serving as the game's second motive and was given the title "Twilight Syndrome Murder Case".

Mahiru took pictures of the body after the other girls left, and then she found evidence in the room next to it that showed Sato was trying to cover up her role in finding the body. Mahiru took a picture of that as well before cleaning it up to protect her friend. The next day Mahiru showed her photos of the body to the other girls, saying they would be useful if the police questioned them, but Sato quickly snatched and destroyed the photos. Mahiru secretly held onto the photo of the evidence implicating Sato and confronted her with it the following day. She promised Sato that the evidence was cleaned up, then asked her what really happened. Sato admitted to a horrified Mahiru that she killed Natsumi, then ran away to dispose of the photo. In the Twilight Syndrome Murder Case, this situation is shown whereby Mahiru (Girl D) approaches Sato (Girl E) to discuss the murder, and Sato presumes that Mahiru will profess her love to her, further suggesting that Sato may have romantic feelings for her. Following the passing of her close friend, Mahiru's life descended into a never-ending series of tragic events. The deaths of Natsumi and Sato affected Mahiru's morale in class greatly. Not long after incident, Mahiru watched a riot caused by the Reserve Course students after finding out that Hope's Peak Academy used their money for human experiments from her classroom's window along with the rest of her classmates. Without her even knowing, this was all planned by the Ultimate Despair Junko Enoshima and Mahiru alongside her classmates were soon to be involved in what would later known as The Tragedy. Once Junko had Chisa and Mikan brainwashed, she led Mahiru and the others underground to her hideout. The class enters what appears to be the chamber that will be used for Class Trials later on as Mikan presses a button to open the entrance. As soon as the room's monitors turn on, Junko appears on screen.

Makoto made them enter the Neo World Program, where their memories were reset to a time prior to their entering Hope's Peak Academy, before they were manipulated by Junko - resulting in all of them not recognizing each other.

The execution of Chiaki Nanami, the Ultimate Gamer and her class representative, is initiated by Junko after some explanation, with Mahiru and the rest of the class being forced to watch the horror. No matter how hard Mahiru tries to averge her eyes from the screen, she just can't tear her gaze away. The door is opened by Chiaki once she achieves the "goal" in her execution. On the opposite side, she can make out Mahiru, the remainder of the class, and Chisa. Spikes emerge from beneath the earth and stab Chiaki all over as soon as she reaches for Chisa's hand. The recording had a profound effect on Mahiru and her classmates, causing them to spiral into despair. Mahiru joined the Ultimate Despair after falling prey to Junko's brainwashing. Alongside her corrupted classmates, she started The Tragedy and kept it ongoing even after Junko's death in the final stage of the Killing School Life. Her infamous contributions as the Ultimate Despair include photographing Sonia Nevermind, the Ultimate Princess, who commands a mind-controlled army wearing Monokuma helmets, to spread her despair-inducing photographs to the world. Mahiru and her classmates who did not commit suicide to follow their leader Junko soon became known as the Remnants of Despair. Eventually, the Future Foundation secured the custody of Mahiru and the other fourteen - at first only aware that they were survivors from Hope's Peak Academy. When Makoto Naegi, Class 78th's Ultimate Lucky Student, by that time a member of the 14th Division of the Future Foundation, realized that the survivors were in fact, Remnants of Despair, he quickly directed them to Jabberwock Island in secret. The plan was to overwrite Mahiru and the others' memories of themselves as Ultimate Despair, replacing them with good ones in order to undo all the damage Junko had done to them.

Even her memories of middle school related to Sato and Natsumi seem to have been erased for an unknown reason, as she couldn't remember either of them after playing Twilight Syndrome Murder Case. The scheme backfired when Izuru Kamukura, the Ultimate Hope and the final product of the Izuru Kamukura Project, uploaded Junko's malware AI just before they were to be programmed. Consequently, they were subjected to the identical brutal incident that befell Class 78th, although in a realistically simulated environment. The killing game became known as the Killing School Trip, an ordeal that Mahiru and the other Remnants of Despair were coerced into participating. Alongside fourteen other Remnants of Despair and one Future Foundation observer, Mahiru participated Killing School Trip. It took place inside a virtual world known as the Neo World Program, which resembles Jabberwock Island. Due to her memories as the Ultimate Despair and life in Hope's Peak Academy was erased by the Future Foundation, she couldn't recognize any of her classmates, even Hiyoko who was one of her closest friends. Mahiru initially crossed paths with Hajime Hinata, a Reserve Course student and fellow classmate of the late Sato—who, little did she know, was actually Izuru Kamukura all along—while she was hanging out outside the Lodge in Hotel Mirai. Ever so strict and uptight with men, Mahiru wasted no time lecturing Hajime, who recoiled in fear as she described the group's must-have task—gathering Hope Fragments—before they could leave the island. Despite her attitude, Mahiru admitted that she was concerned at first due to suddenly being transported into a strange tropical island. However, her fears gradually faded as she explored the island and interacted with other students.

As the official leader, Ultimate Imposter, suggested holding a party at the old lodge, Mahiru offered to take pictures.

After Usami, the observer of the school trip, an AI programmed by the Future Foundation, reassured the students that they shouldn't be worried and even gave Mahiru and the others their swimsuits, Mahiru couldn't contain her excitement and went swimming with the rest of the group on the beach. Following Usami's suggestion that they throw a party, Mahiru enthusiastically suggests a campfire. However, just as Mahiru was starting to get excited about the "school trip," she learned that it had been set up by the evil animatronic bear, Monokuma, the self-proclaimed headmaster of Hope's Peak Academy but was actually an artificial intelligence who had taken over the Neo World Program. Despite the challenges posed by the Killing School Trip, Mahiru's determination to do what's best for everyone shines through. She maintains her rigorous attitude toward men, particularly the cowardly Ultimate Mechanic, Kazuichi Soda, whom she had to drag off from his room to the hotel restaurant to kick off the meeting. At the meeting, Mahiru disagreed with the Ultimate Imposter (who was pretending to be Byakuya Togami) and did not want them to be the group's leader since, in her opinion, they were too annoyingly aggressive. She had a preference for Sonia and attempted to persuade her to take the lead, primarily because she believed that Sonia's status as the "Ultimate Princess" qualified her for the position. However, Sonia informed her that her position is merely for "decoration" and that and that a leader would have protected their men, something the Imposter appeared willing to do. It was for this reason that Mahiru grudgingly acknowledged the Imposter as the leader. The whole time she didn't realize that the party was thrown to save her and the others from Nagito Komaeda's, the Ultimate Lucky Student, murderous plan.

Creator Kazutaka Kodaka later explained that Hiyoko's school memories with Mahiru are very precious to her, which is why she became close to her despite losing her memories in the Neo World Program.

Amidst the lively party, a blackout happened at the party, and Mahiru was sent to a state of shock after discovering the body of Ultimate Imposter under the table thereafter. Despite the initial argument that they had, Mahiru had already considered the Ultimate Imposter as a friend, and that's why she became determined in solving their murder and encouraged Hajime to do the same. She made use of photos she had shot at the party and had even planned them out so that everyone could see the room's condition before the blackout. The students use this photo to piece together the events leading up to the Class Trial when Nagito is revealed to have planned the blackout and to discover that the Ultimate Cook, Teruteru Hanamura, was actually the one responsible for the murder of the Ultimate Imposter. Mahiru and the others, minus Teruteru who was later executed by Monokuma, survived the first Class Trial. People were furious and began to despise Nagito after they found out he directly caused the death of the Imposter and Teruteru, most notably, Kazuichi and the Ultimate Team Manager, Nekomaru Nidai, who bound Nagito in the ancient lodge. The equally upset but sympathetic Mahiru, thought that they were going too far and that the group shouldn't let Nagito starve to death. Despite her best intentions, she ended up giving up on feeding Nagito breakfast since she was so irritated with him. Instead, Mahiru forced Hajime to deliver Nagito the food she had already prepared, and went on to spend time together with Hiyoko. In fact, Mahiru and Hiyoko's friendship blossoms on the very same day after she was willing to help Hiyoko solve her problem by showering with her and teaching her how to tie her kimono obi. They became close, just as they had when they were students at Hope's Peak Academy.

Mahiru and her classmates arrived at the island where the Future Foundation's off-shore facility was located, having left from Jabberwock Island. Having rescued Byakuya Togami and Yasuhiro Hagakure, two members of the Future Foundation and survivors of the Killing School Life, from beneath the rubble, the group set out to confront their one and only classmate, Ryota Mitarai, the Ultimate Animator, who Junko had coerced into creating the brainwashing video that transformed Mahiru and the others into the Ultimate Despair. Unlike Mahiru and the rest, he avoided being turned into Ultimate Despair due to his contribution. Thus, the Class 77-B's fight with the brainwashed rescue squad troops, including the Former Super High School Level Elite Task Force, began. Island Mode and Ultimate Talent Development Plan exist in two separate alternate universes where Mahiru still attends Hope's Peak Academy, but no students are in peril. As they are alternate universes, these events are non-canonical, but because Mahiru's personality is unchanged, backstory information shared by her in these events is considered questionably or dubiously canonical rather than fully non-canonical. Free Time Events are also considered somewhat questionably canonical due to the nature of how Free Time Events are accessed (in that some characters' Free Time Events cannot be fully completed during the course of the canon game storyline due to limitations on the number of interactions you can have with them during one playthrough, and thus can only be accessed after they have canonically died either through a second playthrough or via Island Mode). However, due to Free Time Events being largely experienced during the canon game storyline, Free Time Events are more grounded in canon than Island Mode and Ultimate Talent Development Plan and are largely considered canon by the majority of players.