Danganronpa is compounded from the Japanese words for "bullet" (dangan) and "refutation" (ronpa).
Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc (Literally Danganronpa: Academy of Hope and High School Students of Despair) s a murder mystery visual novel developed and published by Spike Chunsoft (formerly Spike) and the first game in the Danganronpa series. The game was originally released in Japan for the PlayStation Portable on November 25, 2010 and was later ported to iOS and Android devices on August 20, 2012. Two manga adaptations and two spin-off novels have been published, and a television anime adaptation by Lerche aired between July and September 2013.
A sequel, Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair, was released for PlayStation Portable on July 26, 2012. A compilation of both games, titled Danganronpa 1・2 Reload, was released for PlayStation Vita in Japan on October 10, 2013. NIS America released the Vita remake of the first game in North America on February 11, 2014, and in Europe and Australia on February 14, 2014. Another game, titled Zettai Zetsubō Shōjo: Danganronpa AnotherEpisode, was released for the PS Vita in 2014.