Sun Tzu and Anime: Cat Planet Cuties Character Analysis

Fri Feb 13 2026

Sun Tzu and Anime: Asobi ni Iku yo! Character Analysis

Valentine’s Day is approaching, so let’s celebrate the love with more of Sun Tzu’s wisdom rating anime’s favorite characters.

As a quick refresher, here’s how the rating system works. Sun Tzu cited Five Essential Victory Factors: Morality, Weather, Terrain, Good Leadership, and Preparation. All under consideration can receive 0-10 points in each category. However, he also cited Five Fatal Failings of Leadership: Recklessness, Cowardice, A Hasty Temper (Anger for simplicity), Delicacy of Honor (DOH), and Caring Too Much About the Troops (Over-caring). All under consideration can lose 0-10 points in each category. At the end, the scores are tallied, and the results reveal how effective a character is in Sun Tzu’s eyes, with the best aiming for 40 or better.

This time, we’re analyzing a classic: the primary cast from Cat Planet Cuties. As always, to keep things fair, we’ll look at them in the order they were formally introduced.

Character Analysis: Manami Kinjou

Cat Planet Cuties: Manami Kinjou

Victory Factors

Factor	Score	Reasoning
Morality	6	She’s a good person and loyal friend at heart, but is notoriously gruff, and has a nasty selfish streak over her longstanding crush on Kio.
Weather	10	Thanks to her training, experience, and keen eye, this isn’t an issue.
Terrain	6	She’s highly capable, especially in the latter half of the series, yet often doesn’t pay attention, something that nearly killed her during her duel with Aoi and later in space.
Good Leadership	5	She’s pretty assertive at times, particularly when pushing Aoi on Kio, yet tends to go rogue when she’s angry at the latter.
Preparation	5	She’s very well trained and knows the outdoors, but her tactlessness often costs her, plus she completely botched the CIA mission and Kio’s misunderstanding over her superior’s name.
Total	32

Fatal Failings

Failing	Score	Reasoning
Recklessness	-10	Epic red flag. She constantly underestimates others, especially Eris and Kio, and tends to impulsively hurt Kio when she’s embarrassed or angry.
Cowardice	-4	She’s very insecure about her feelings throughout the series, but finally confessing to Kio tempered most of that, hence the lower rating.
Anger	-8	Serious red flag. She’s got an explosive temper, and is easily triggered, particularly during her many lewd encounters with Kio.
Delicacy of Honor	-6	She’s very cocky, plus very vain about anyone seeing her undressed, something that often makes her unload on Kio throughout the series.
Over-caring	-8	Serious red flag. Her love for Kio is so deep it drove her into pressing Aoi toward him; worse, the guilt she felt in the aftermath left her so depressed she almost sacrificed herself alongside Aoi when destroying the satellite.
Total	-36

Final Assessment

Score: -4 (Nightmare scenario)

Character Analysis: Maki Itokazu

Cat Planet Cuties: Maki Itokazu

Victory Factors

Factor	Score	Reasoning
Morality	3	She’s got a great sense of loyalty, but her fanatical belief in a certain definition of aliens drove her to try to kill Eris.
Weather	6	She’s okay for the most part, yet isn’t always very observant, like when she botched the night ambush outside the ice cream parlor.
Terrain	5	She’s got a great eye, but is constantly getting caught off-guard, namely when Yuichi and Kio snuck into the Beautiful Contact Secret Society’s base to photograph them as leverage to save Eris.
Good Leadership	2	She’s good as a homeroom teacher, yet her personal disgust with Eris nearly led to an intergalactic incident; she also often mishandles film club activities.
Preparation	5	She’s very familiar with classic sci-fi, but was completely shocked by Eris and the Catians, not to mention stunned by Antonia’s capabilities during the beach trek.
Total	21

Fatal Failings

Failing	Score	Reasoning
Recklessness	-10	Epic red flag. She perpetually underestimates those around her, and is extremely impulsive over anything clashing with her definition of sci-fi, like when she snapped over the film club students describing her suggestions as “not realistic” and “not scientific”.
Cowardice	-7	Slight red flag. She’s got a surprising mean streak, something that steadily builds throughout the series, regardless of Eris and the Catians’ goodness; she’s also easily embarrassed, like when she had to act as a body double for Eris during the mothership arc.
Anger	-9	Major red flag. She’s got a violent temper, one that’s on a hair trigger, and which remains steady throughout the series, culminating in her screaming its epic last line: “What is the sci-fi world coming to?”
Delicacy of Honor	-10	Epic red flag. Her pride and vanity regarding classic sci-fi are her life’s driving force, so much so it led to her claiming Eris was someone, “Even Trekkies would have trouble accepting as real!”
Over-caring	-2	She cares about her fellow Society members, and is a tad concerned for her students, yet not enough to worry.
Total	-38

Final Assessment

Score: -17 (Nightmare scenario)

Character Analysis: Aoi Futaba

Cat Planet Cuties: Aoi Futaba

Victory Factors

Factor	Score	Reasoning
Morality	7	Despite being a former assassin, she’s surprisingly sweet and a wonderful friend, although she can be caustic when she’s angry, plus has a selfish streak that made her lash out at Eris at the beach.
Weather	10	Due to her training, experience, and keen eye, this isn’t an issue.
Terrain	7	She’s very effective, but mishandled the duel with Manami, and isn’t always very observant, like when she tried to teach Manami to shoot in Kio’s backyard.
Good Leadership	4	She’s got good tactical skills, but her lack of assertiveness makes her more follower than leader.
Preparation	5	She’s well-trained, great at teaching combat skills, and is heavily versed in classic pop culture; however, she’s bad at cooking, and royally botched the gaming arc.
Total	36

Fatal Failings

Failing	Score	Reasoning
Recklessness	-8	Serious red flag. She constantly underestimates others, and can be very impulsive at times, like when she blew her allowance in Tokyo.
Cowardice	-8	She’s painfully shy, insecure, and ashamed of her past, something that nearly killed her after being goaded by Jens’ minion during the mothership arc.
Anger	-5	She’s got a slight temper, but it doesn’t show too often, and it usually takes a lot to really make her snap.
Delicacy of Honor	-5	She’s a tad vain, and has an initial cocky edge; however, confessing to Kio tempered most of that, hence the lower rating.
Over-caring	-7	Slight red flag. She’s helplessly in love with Kio, so much so she was afraid to get close to him because of her dark past.
Total	-33

Final Assessment

Score: 3 (Nightmare scenario)

Character Analysis: Kio Kakazu

Cat Planet Cuties: Kio Kakazu

Victory Factors

Factor	Score	Reasoning
Morality	9	He’s a wonderful person: kind, generous, and very forgiving, something that smooths over many issues throughout the series.
Weather	5	He’s got a keen eye, but is ultimately very frail, something that often holds him back in crises, like when he failed to protect Eris from getting kidnapped twice.
Terrain	7	He’s surprisingly capable, considering how he saved Aoi from Antonia’s sinking ship, then later saved everyone from the exploding satellite, yet isn’t always observant, given the many awkward moments he keeps walking in on.
Good Leadership	4	He’s got some good points, most famously when saving the mothership, but is so non-assertive elsewhere that he’s more follower than leader.
Preparation	5	He’s very smart and well-organized, especially with the film club, yet his naivete with girls often costs him, namely when Manami and Aoi moved into his house.
Total	30

Fatal Failings

Failing	Score	Reasoning
Recklessness	-8	Serious red flag. He constantly underestimates others, and he’s often very careless, something that nearly got him killed trying to get into space.
Cowardice	-5	He’s very wishy-washy and indecisive initially, but finally getting to protect others tempered most of that, hence the lower rating.
Anger	-4	He’s got a slight temper, yet it thankfully doesn’t show up too often.
Delicacy of Honor	-5	His pride is a huge problem throughout the series, given his wanting to defend the girls in his life. However, getting the power suit at Christmas and saving the mothership resolved some of that, hence the slightly lower rating.
Over-caring	-7	Slight red flag. He cares about his friends, something that drove him to save Eris at the base, Aoi on the ship, learn to fight, and rescue the Catians at the end.
Total	-29

Final Assessment

Score: 1 (Nightmare scenario)

Character Analysis: Yuichi Miyagi

Cat Planet Cuties: Yuichi Miyagi

Victory Factors

Factor	Score	Reasoning
Morality	8	He’s a great man, as well as a loving and protective uncle, although he stumbled initially by offering Eris a beer.
Weather	10	Thanks to his training, skill, and keen eye, this isn’t an issue.
Terrain	8	He’s very effective, namely when rescuing Eris during both kidnappings, but sometimes gets caught off-guard, such as when the troops at the base disabled the van he was driving.
Good Leadership	8	He’s a talented tactician, as well as very connected, considering how quickly he enabled Aoi and Manami to intercept Antonia, then later helped their friends get involved in movie voiceovers.
Preparation	7	He’s well-organized and got great improv skills, most infamously when blackmailing the Beautiful Contact Secret Society into helping Eris, although he does wing most things toward the end.
Total	41

Fatal Failings

Failing	Score	Reasoning
Recklessness	-7	Slight red flag. He often underestimates the Catians, and he’s pretty impulsive at times, particularly when trying to get Kio a girlfriend.
Cowardice	0	He’s very bold, so no worries here.
Anger	-2	He’s got a slight temper, yet not enough to worry.
Delicacy of Honor	-7	Slight red flag. He’s very cocky, something that badly cost him at the base and later during Jens’ assault on Kio’s house.
Over-caring	-4	He worries about Kio, and he’s also very protective of his friends.
Total	-20

Final Assessment

Score: 21 (Capable, yet moderately flawed)

Character Analysis: Eris

Cat Planet Cuties: Eris

Victory Factors

Factor	Score	Reasoning
Morality	10	She’s sweet, gentle, and generous, plus she was heartily ashamed of her people’s past with the Grand Former Assistroid. Even better, she solved the issue of everyone’s overlapping by declaring that she, Aoi, and Manami could simply share Kio.
Weather	5	She’s good, yet (like all Catians) has trouble handling extreme heat and cold.
Terrain	8	She’s very observant and highly nimble, particularly while wearing her power suit, although she ran into trouble when her ship was damaged in the final battle with Jens.
Good Leadership	5	She’s got great skill, especially when leading the assistroids against the tanks at the base and coming up with the means to save the mothership, yet tends to go rogue at random times…most infamously during her mating season.
Preparation	5	She’s got some good points, particularly after meeting Ichika and Antonia. Still, she forgot to load food onto her ship before coming to Earth, and her naivete led to her getting kidnapped twice.
Total	33

Fatal Failings

Failing	Score	Reasoning
Recklessness	-10	Epic red flag. She constantly underestimates others, especially Aoi and Manami, and her bubble-headed nature often makes her misinterpret things, most infamously when assuming Kio’s “secret stash” was how Earthlings behaved.
Cowardice	-2	She’s a tad shy with Kio, yet not enough to worry.
Anger	-3	She gets angry a few times, but they’re the exception.
Delicacy of Honor	-2	She’s a tad vain, mostly with the Grand Assistroid and when Kio got his power suit, yet not enough to worry here either.
Over-caring	-5	She’s completely in love with Kio, plus also loves both his friends and her fellow Catians.
Total	-22

Final Assessment

Score: 11 (Great potential, yet deeply flawed)

Character Analysis: The Assistroids

Cat Planet Cuties: The Assistroids

Victory Factors

Factor	Score	Reasoning
Morality	10	They’re all loving, compassionate, and fiercely loyal to those around them.
Weather	10	Due to their solid make-up, keen eyes, and sensors, this isn’t an issue.
Terrain	7	They’re very creative, especially when sneaking into the base to steal the helicopter, but are a tad clumsy, like when Aoi and Manami’s droids got snagged at the beach.
Good Leadership	2	They’ve got good initiative, particularly when handling mundane things, yet are consummate followers, not leaders.
Preparation	7	They’re very capable, considering how fast they learn various tasks, but often wind up winging things, especially at Kio’s house.
Total	36

Fatal Failings

Failing	Score	Reasoning
Recklessness	-8	Serious red flag. They’re constantly underestimating others, particularly Sarah, and are pretty careless, most infamously while using their signs to speak: the letters they use are often either upside down or backwards.
Cowardice	-3	They get a tad nervous at times, yet not enough to worry.
Anger	0	They don’t get angry, so no worries here either.
Delicacy of Honor	-4	They can be cocky in combat, but not enough to worry here either.
Over-caring	-9	Major red flag. They’re completely dedicated to their assigned masters, and go the extra light year to protect them.
Total	-24

Final Assessment

Score: 12 (Great potential, yet deeply flawed)

Character Analysis: Antonia

Cat Planet Cuties: Antonia

Victory Factors

Factor	Score	Reasoning
Morality	7	She’s initially selfish and spoiled, but befriending Kio and company helped her mature into a generous, compassionate girl and great friend.
Weather	7	She’s okay most of the time, yet isn’t always very observant, considering how easily Aoi and Manami tracked her ship.
Terrain	7	She’s got a good eye, especially when finding the rocket for Eris, but is easily caught off-guard, most infamously when Manami and Aoi snuck aboard her ship, then when Jens later sank it.
Good Leadership	5	She’s a capable businesswoman, yet tends to go rogue at random moments, like when she transferred to Kio’s school to be near Eris…and had high-tech armored glass installed as a precaution.
Preparation	8	She’s very organized, namely when using her wealth to pursue goals, although she still occasionally wings things with friends.
Total	34

Fatal Failings

Failing	Score	Reasoning
Recklessness	-9	Major red flag. She completely underestimated Kio, plus is insanely impulsive, such as when she was invited to play games at the end…then tried to offer millions in cash as a victory prize.
Cowardice	-4	She’s a tad shy and indecisive at times, yet not enough to worry.
Anger	-7	Slight red flag. She’s a hothead, plus easily triggered when she’s annoyed or frustrated, like when she kept demanding a certain card during the gaming arc…then lashed out at an assistroid who misinterpreted.
Delicacy of Honor	-7	Slight red flag. She’s very cocky, as well as extremely vain, something that never truly changes despite several close calls.
Over-caring	-10	Epic red flag. She’s so obsessed with cats that she founded the Underside of the Kitten’s Paw, a cat-worshiping cult…then tried to kidnap Eris, whom she called “the Divine Embodiment”, to serve as its head.
Total	-37

Final Assessment

Score: -3 (Nightmare scenario)

Character Analysis: Ichika

Cat Planet Cuties: Ichika

Victory Factors

Factor	Score	Reasoning
Morality	7	She’s always willing to help Kio and company, especially toward the end, but has a mysterious side that famously got her labeled “monster cat.”
Weather	10	Thanks to her technology, keen eye, and awareness, this isn’t an issue.
Terrain	7	She’s quite effective, namely with her Accel Form cards, although she sometimes gets caught off-guard, like when Antonia inadvertently beaned her with an assistroid during the gaming arc.
Good Leadership	5	She’s got great skills, such as when she helped stop Jens’ droids at the beach, but is ultimately more lone wolf than leader.
Preparation	8	She’s very smart and has good tactical skills, although she forgot her cue at the restaurant.
Total	37

Fatal Failings

Failing	Score	Reasoning
Recklessness	-7	Slight red flag. She badly underestimated Jens and Antonia, and she can be impulsive when she’s annoyed or angry, such as when she yelled at a mystery caller on the phone.
Cowardice	0	She’s very brazen, so no worries here.
Anger	-6	She’s got a temper and can get easily triggered in the heat of the moment, although that rarely happens.
Delicacy of Honor	-8	She’s extremely cocky, particularly regarding her cards, although it badly cost her when she lost Rock-Paper-Scissors to Kio.
Over-caring	-2	She cares about Kio and his friends, yet not enough to worry.
Total	-23

Final Assessment

Score: 14 (Great potential, yet deeply flawed)

Reviewing the Results

This was quite a unique lot: great potential left and right, only to be suddenly undone by clumsy and awkward mistakes. No doubt, that’s the reason behind the cast’s infamous antics…but that all harkens back to what’s been said all along: follow Sun Tzu, and you’ll win; ignore him, and you’ll lose.

Cat Planet Cuties Characters: Victory Factors Analysis

Character	Morality	Weather	Terrain	Leadership	Preparation	Final Score
Manami Kinjou	6	10	6	5	5	32
Maki Itokazu	3	6	5	2	5	21
Aoi Futaba	7	10	7	4	5	36
Kio Kakazu	9	5	7	4	5	30
Yuichi Miyagi	8	10	8	8	7	41
Eris	10	5	8	5	5	33
The Assistroids	10	10	7	2	7	36
Antonia	7	7	7	5	8	34
Ichika	7	10	7	5	8	37

Cat Planet Cuties Characters: Fatal Failings Analysis

Character	Recklessness	Cowardice	Anger	DOH	Over-caring	Final Score
Manami Kinjou	-10	-4	-8	-6	-8	-36
Maki Itokazu	-10	-7	-9	-10	-2	-38
Aoi Futaba	-8	-8	-5	-5	-7	-33
Kio Kakazu	-8	-5	-4	-5	-7	-29
Yuichi Miyagi	-7	0	-2	-7	-4	-20
Eris	-10	-2	-3	-2	-5	-22
The Assistroids	-8	-3	0	-4	-9	-24
Antonia	-9	-4	-7	-7	-10	-37
Ichika	-7	0	-6	-8	-2	-23

Cat Planet Cuties Characters: Final Scores

Character	Final Score	Assessment
Manami Kinjou	-4	Nightmare scenario
Maki Itokazu	-17	Nightmare scenario
Aoi Futaba	3	Nightmare scenario
Kio Kakazu	1	Nightmare scenario
Yuichi Miyagi	21	Capable, yet moderately flawed
Eris	11	Great potential, yet deeply flawed
The Assistroids	12	Great potential, yet deeply flawed
Antonia	-3	Nightmare scenario
Ichika	14	Great potential, yet deeply flawed

Article by:Andrew Nickerson

Andrew's originally from Massachusetts, and has studied military history/tactics/strategy for almost 30 years. He has a BA in History (English minor) from UMASS Lowell and JD from Mass. School of Law. He can be found on Twitter (@AndrewNickers19) daily, analyzing characters via Sun Tzu.

Fun Fact: Andrew's a huge fan of anime music. He particularly recommends Crescent Love (Brighter than the Dawning Blue), Dream Riser (Girls Und Panzer), and the fight theme to Zoids: New Century.

Take a Quiz on a Mentioned Anime!

Cat Planet Cuties

Asobi ni Iku yo!

Play Quiz View 9 Questions