Training Montage

Training Montage is the femslash ship between Akane Owari and Ibuki Mioda from the Danganronpa fandom.

Canon
In the game, Akane and Ibuki are both members of Class 77-B, and were both participants of the Killing School Trip.

Both are bold in their talents respectively, with Akane's habit of eating and fighting, and Ibuki's hyperactive behavior. The two of them are not the brightest in Class Trials either; only presenting one piece of evidence in the trial Hajime Hinata can actually use or completely getting a clue misinterpreted.

Ibuki and Akane are also a target of Hiyoko Saionji's relentless teasing. This is due to their carefree & gullible natures.

Although Hiyoko and Ibuki were best friends at Hope's Peak Academy and that the dancer is a fan of the musician's music, Hiyoko and Akane are distant. Hiyoko sees the duo as "peabrains", calls them names, and has gone as far as revealing she had gotten Akane to consume flowers that she had stomped on. After that instance, Hiyoko had stopped teasing them because they were just that gullible.

When fighting with Nekomaru Nidai, Akane tends to become more persistent and determined. This leads to her becoming injured despite the times she says she's unharmed. In both instances, she fought with Nekomaru in Chapter 2 and Ibuki was around to comment on both, and in both times, Ibuki is visibly concerned. When fighting Nekomaru the first time on Chandler Beach, Ibuki screams which causes Hajime to run over and she exclaims "The killing is started again!", despite the gymnast and coach only training. Ibuki is surprised at Akane taking so much damage from Nekomaru, although Akane is wobbling away after the fight, and says "[Akane's] probably gonna get even stronger." After the second time and showing up to the diner, she's bloodied from training. Ibuki, who had flirtatiously commented on every girl so far, is taken aback by Akane and mentions the blood on her makes her reminiscent of the horror movie character, Carrie, before asking if she's okay.

In Chapter 3, Ibuki is a victim from being strangled. After arriving to the scene of the crime, Akane is appalled by a culprit striking again. She tries her best to participate in trial, despite getting clues misconstrued like how Hiyoko's key wound up in her kimono and defending Mikan Tsumiki when the nurse became suspect.

In Despair Arc and Danganronpa 2.5, the duo fail to speak often. However, there are a couple of shots of the two standing nearest each other, showing they are in good terms.

Fanon
Akabuki is a rarepair within the Danganronpa fandom, with only 3 works on AO3 so far and about 2 posts for both the "akabuki" and "akane x ibuki" tags. Despite its small coverage, some fans are attracted to its dynamic.

Ibuki and Akane are bold to the point of having recognizable traits; Ibuki is random, upbeat, and pinning her as the musically talented type, while Akane is eager for food, fiery, and athletic. Together, they have the "two unstoppable forces" ship dynamic, as their energetic natures would perfectly (and chaotically) sync up as a couple.

Although she is concerned at first, Ibuki steadily watches Akane train with Nekomaru, giving commentary and exaggerated reactions. Such a thing could be akin to a spotter or a loved one watching someone at a sports meet. Along with other Ibuki ships, the musician is known for being attracted to the same gender. Akane readily lets others play with her breasts as a way to reward or apologize to someone, which could make someone like Ibuki excited. However, it is hinted that the both of them are actually very sensitive. Akane's past shows that her love for food stems from a life that was filled with poverty, and she was affected by sexual abuse that she nonchalantly reveals to Hajime. In addition, she believes that hesitation and anxiousness is a sign of weakness and she hates being weak. Thus, she never allows herself to be weak, and forces herself to be strong. Ibuki, on the other hand, does not have a fully explained past. Even still, it can be theorized in her Free Time Events, although she may appear a bit insensitive at times, that she is actually a very caring friend. She states that "there are more important things in this world than a temporary physical relationship", insisting that finding her "destined one" would make sure that Ibuki would never feel despair again.

Fandom
FAN FICTION

TUMBLR

Trivia

 * The nickname for this ship, Training Montage, has been dubbed for it along side Akabuki because it references the talents of both girls. A gymnast is an occupation that requires training to be flexible and athletic, referencing Akane as the Ultimate Gymnast. In most movies, a montage (accompanied by music) plays to hype up the viewer or the athlete as they train, referencing Ibuki as the Ultimate Musician.
 * Akane is a survivor of the Killing School Trip, however, Ibuki is Chapter 3's second victim.
 * Ibuki and Akane are two female students who were infected with the Despair Disease in Chapter 3.
 * This statement is rendered false at the end of the chapter's trial, revealing Mikan Tsumiki as the third female student infected. However, Ibuki had a variant of the disease called the Gullible Disease and Akane having the Coward Disease. They were both also treated by Mikan in the hospital along with Nagito Komaeda.