Raising a pet in Danganronpa 2 may seem despair-inducing at first, but don't give up hope! It really is quite simple once you get the hang of it and raising pets can be extremely rewarding.

Everything starts with Chibimi. After hatching from its egg, Chibimi will accumulate Hope and Despair (or not!) depending on your actions. After taking 1,000 in-game steps, Chibimi will transition into a chrysalis and, after 100 more steps, hatch into one of six possible pets. The resulting pet is determined by Chibimi's Hope and Despair levels prior to entering its cocoon.

Hope and Despair are each tracked by their respective meters and each can be a value between 0 and 10. However, be careful! If a pet accumulates 10 points of Despair it will die! Should your pet die, it takes another 2,000 steps to get a new egg so try to avoid this if at all possible.

• Hope is raised by one point every time you give your pet a gift. All pets like all gifts equally, so Mineral Water is your best friend; it can be purchased consistently from the Vending Machine in the Rocketpunch Market for a single Monocoin. Hope will never lower because Hope cannot be defeated by Despair! Typically it's a good idea to give Chibimi gifts as soon as it hatches to get it to the level of Hope you want.
  
• Despair will raise gradually as you take steps if you fail to clean up after your pet and allow it to live in its own filth. Chibimi will ♥♥♥♥ approximately every 100 steps you take and it will pile up if you don't flush it. The dirtier your pet's room, the faster Despair will accumulate. Despair will also lower by one point every time you give your pet a gift. This is good for keeping your pet from dying, but be careful not to raise Chibimi's Hope too high if you're trying to get a specific pet!

After Chibimi's cocoon hatches, you will have one of your very own adult pets! Keeping this pet alive for 2,000 more steps will give you a reward. Rewards are always the same for any given pet and include a significant amount of Monocoins and two gift items. You also receive a handful of experience every time you successfully raise a pet, usually enough to gain 1-2 levels. After those 2,000 steps, your pet will lay an egg and the process begins anew.

The following details each of the six pets Chibimi can become, the range for how much Hope and Despair is required to get that pet, and the rewards they give you for keeping it alive. And remember, have fun!

The default pet, your reward for doing the bare minimum. Having been given neither hope nor despair, it failed to evolve.

A pet born from pure despair. Forced to live in its own ♥♥♥♥ for most of its life, it has transformed to match its hopeless surroundings.

A happy pet pig. Having been shown a small glimmer of hope, it has grown fat and content regardless of its despair.

A strong and stoic gorilla. With the ample hope this pet has been given, it can overcome almost any despair.

Your teacher, Monomi Usami! A creature of pure hope, she refuses to feel despair. All she wants is for everyone to get along and be happy. Love, love.

Hope's Peak Academy Headmaster, Mnokuma! (Wait...) Made from a synthesis of equal parts black hope and white despair, he only wants what's best for you. That is, after you graduate, of course...

I hope this answered any questions you may have had about raising your very own pet. There's an achievement for successfully raising all six, so get to it! Feel free to leave your favorite pet stories in the comments. If there's anything I've missed, please let me know! Thanks!