Sun Tzu and Anime: KanColle Character Analysis
Sun Tzu and Anime: Kantai Collection: KanColle Character Analysis
Spring is out in full force, so let's contribute to the season's incredible potential with more of Sun Tzu's genius rating more of anime's greatest.
As a quick refresher, here's how the rating system works. Sun Tzu cited Five Essential Factors to be Mastered for Victory: 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 modern military classic: Mobile Unit Five from KanColle. As always, to keep things fair, we'll analyze them in the order they were formally introduced.
Advertisement
Character Analysis: Fubuki
KanColle: Fubuki
Victory Factors
| Factor | Score | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Morality | 9 | She's very sweet and a devoted ally, although she gets a tad selfish about getting remodeled, especially after seeing Yudachi's transformation. |
| Weather | 9 | She's very observant, as well as highly potent, although she had a few problems in the rain during the South Seas mission, as well as when rescuing Shokaku and Zuikaku. |
| Terrain | 9 | Originally, she could barely stand on the water (not to mention running face-first into a pole); however, experience and training made this one of her greatest pluses, especially toward the end. |
| Good Leadership | 8 | She was very indecisive at first, yet soon evolved into an exceptional leader, one who could handle egos and coordination very well, particularly when she talked Nagato into letting Yamato fight. |
| Preparation | 7 | She's smart and very driven, although she still occasionally wings things. |
| Total | 42 |
Fatal Failings
| Failing | Score | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Recklessness | -8 | Serious red flag. She often underestimates the Abyssals, and tends to impulsively charge too far ahead, something that nearly gets her killed several times. |
| Cowardice | -2 | She was extremely shy at first, but experience and training tempered most of that, hence the much lower rating. |
| Anger | -5 | She's got a temper, yet befriending everyone else and learning some patience calmed some of that, hence another lower rating. |
| Delicacy of Honor | -5 | She's a tad vain, mostly when comparing herself to Yudachi's new appearance, and she also gets a tad cocky toward the end. |
| Over-caring | -7 | Slight red flag. She's very protective of others, namely after Kisaragi's death; she's also very fond of the Admiral. |
| Total | -27 |
Final Assessment
Score: 15 (Great potential, yet deeply flawed)
Character Analysis: Kaga
KanColle: Kaga
Victory Factors
| Factor | Score | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Morality | 6 | She's a good person and loyal friend, yet gets very caustic around Zuikaku over which of their respective carrier groups is better. |
| Weather | 5 | She's extremely potent, but can't function well in bad weather, hence her not participating in the South Seas mission. |
| Terrain | 7 | She's highly observant, yet still sometimes gets caught off-guard, most infamously in the lead up to Operation MO and during the final battle. |
| Good Leadership | 3 | She's got potential, like when helping Akagi bring down the initial Abyssal base, but is ultimately more follower than leader. |
| Preparation | 5 | She's well trained and great at origami, yet doesn't always plan well, and often ignores advice, especially during the unit's early days. |
| Total | 26 |
Fatal Failings
| Failing | Score | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Recklessness | -8 | Serious red flag. She constantly underestimates foes, and occasionally gets very careless, a flaw that nearly killed her during Operation MI. |
| Cowardice | -2 | She briefly froze during the final battle, but that was an exception at most. |
| Anger | -3 | She's got a slow-burn temper, yet not enough to worry. |
| Delicacy of Honor | -7 | Slight red flag. She's very proud, as well as very cocky, issues that caused most of the unit's early flak, plus also got her badly damaged several times. |
| Over-caring | -4 | She really cares about Akagi, and later grows to respect all her comrades, especially Fubuki. |
| Total | -24 |
Final Assessment
Score: 2 (Nightmare scenario)
Character Analysis: Oichi
KanColle: Oichi
Victory Factors
| Factor | Score | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Morality | 5 | She's got a good heart, but gets extremely caustic toward anyone getting between her and Kitakami; she also had some initial issues with Zuikaku, most infamously when she called the latter "Flight Deck Chest." |
| Weather | 5 | She's capable, yet not very observant, something that badly cost her throughout the unit's early days, as well as during Operation MO. |
| Terrain | 5 | She's very nimble, but often gets caught off-guard, like when she lost her focus in Operation MI, allowing the Abyssals to surround her and Kitakami. |
| Good Leadership | 2 | She's very assertive, but frequently goes rogue; she also doesn't always coordinate well with others. |
| Preparation | 3 | She's well trained, but prefers to wing things rather than plan. |
| Total | 20 |
Fatal Failings
| Failing | Score | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Recklessness | -10 | Epic red flag. She perpetually underestimates foes, and is extremely impulsive when she's angry or jealous, such as when she snapped about Kitakami taking time to help train Fubuki. |
| Cowardice | -4 | She's a tad indecisive, yet not enough to really worry. |
| Anger | -9 | Major red flag. She's a hothead, and is easily triggered, most often when she's jealous or her pride is insulted, a flaw that never truly abates despite several close calls. |
| Delicacy of Honor | -7 | Slight red flag. She's very cocky, as well as very vain, although she gets a tad better toward the end, hence the slightly lower rating. |
| Over-caring | -10 | Epic red flag. Her obsession with Kitakami makes her one of anime's most violently jealous girls, her most legendary moment being when she knocked over an Abyssal attacking the latter, then angrily hurled it into the air while screaming, "How dare you look at Kitakami? Stupid Abyssal, I will crush you! Die, insect!" |
| Total | -40 |
Final Assessment
Score: -20 (Nightmare scenario)
Character Analysis: Kitakami
KanColle: Kitakami
Victory Factors
| Factor | Score | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Morality | 10 | She's very sweet and a loyal friend, something that helped calm many of the unit's initial clashes. |
| Weather | 5 | She's okay, but not very observant, a problem that held her back throughout the preliminary to Operation MO. |
| Terrain | 5 | She's very agile, yet tends to get caught off-guard, like when she got surrounded and nearly destroyed twice during the final battle. |
| Good Leadership | 3 | She's got potential, namely when soothing frazzled egos, but is ultimately more follower than leader. |
| Preparation | 5 | She's well trained and works well with Oichi, yet ultimately tends to wing most things. |
| Total | 28 |
Fatal Failings
| Failing | Score | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Recklessness | -9 | Major red flag. She constantly underestimates foes, and is often very careless, something that led to an epic disaster when she tried to be the unit's flagship. |
| Cowardice | -7 | Slight red flag. She's shy and indecisive, and she also badly froze during Operation MI. |
| Anger | 0 | She doesn't get angry, so no worries here. |
| Delicacy of Honor | -2 | She's a tad vain, yet not enough to worry. |
| Over-caring | -7 | Slight red flag. She's very close to Oichi, a bond that inadvertently causes her peers a lot of stress throughout the series' second half. |
| Total | -25 |
Final Assessment
Score: 3 (Nightmare scenario)
Character Analysis: Kongo
KanColle: Kongo
Victory Factors
| Factor | Score | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Morality | 10 | She's very sweet, plus highly exuberant, making her the unit's morale booster, especially when she's in one of her adoring moments. |
| Weather | 10 | Thanks to her resilience, firepower, and strength, this isn't an issue. |
| Terrain | 5 | She's fast and very powerful, yet not very observant, like when she tried to find Shimakaze and didn't see her sitting nearby. |
| Good Leadership | 5 | She's very energetic, but not very organized; she also often goes rogue while trying to win the Admiral's heart. |
| Preparation | 5 | She's good in battle, yet not very bright, considering Nagato tried to brief her on a mission, asked if there were questions, and she responded "What?" |
| Total | 35 |
Fatal Failings
| Failing | Score | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Recklessness | -10 | Epic red flag. She constantly underestimates foes, and is extremely impulsive, most often when bursting into the Admiral's office to surprise him. |
| Cowardice | 0 | She's very bold, so no worries here. |
| Anger | -4 | She's got a slight temper, yet not enough to worry. |
| Delicacy of Honor | -7 | Slight red flag. She's very cocky, a quirk that's often fueled by her sisters, although she also often goes overboard after a successful mission. |
| Over-caring | -7 | Slight red flag. She's infatuated with the Admiral, as well as very protective of her sisters and Fubuki. |
| Total | -28 |
Final Assessment
Score: 7 (Nightmare scenario)
Character Analysis: Zuikaku
KanColle: Zuikaku
Advertisement
Victory Factors
| Factor | Score | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Morality | 6 | She's a good person and dedicated friend, but her initial issues with Oichi and Kaga got so bad she tried to demand the unit be split up. |
| Weather | 5 | She's potent, yet doesn't function well in bad weather, something that nearly killed her and Shokaku during the lead up to Operation MO. |
| Terrain | 5 | She's got great range, but is often very clumsy, a trait that cost everyone when she tried to outdo Kaga during a training mission. |
| Good Leadership | 3 | She can handle some situations, plus did well during Operation MI, yet is ultimately more follower than leader. |
| Preparation | 5 | She's well trained and helped resupply Akagi and Kaga in the final battle, but mostly tends to wing things. |
| Total | 24 |
Fatal Failings
| Failing | Score | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Recklessness | -7 | Slight red flag. She often underestimates the Abyssals, and is extremely impulsive when she's angry or annoyed, although she gets a tad better toward the end, hence the slightly lower rating. |
| Cowardice | -5 | She freezes several times, especially after Shokaku was injured pre-Operation MO, as well as when she ran out of arrows in the final battle. |
| Anger | -7 | Slight red flag. She's a hothead, plus easily triggered, usually by something Kaga does, like when she jabbed at the latter about her "fake humble act", only to have Kaga reply, "Humble is a very big word for you." |
| Delicacy of Honor | -6 | She's very proud, particularly when it comes to battlefield superiority, although she gets a tad better toward the end, hence the slightly lower rating. |
| Over-caring | -4 | She's very close to Shokaku, and gradually grows to respect her teammates after Fubuki takes charge. |
| Total | -29 |
Final Assessment
Score: -5 (Nightmare scenario)
Reviewing the Results
This cast was another oddball lot: great potential offset by weird eccentricities, pride, and everything in between. Thus, it's no secret they had a lot of early struggles, not to mention plenty of flaws to iron out. Still, that harkens back to what's been said since the beginning: if you listen to Sun Tzu, you'll win; if you ignore him, you'll lose.
Kancolle Characters: Victory Factors Analysis
| Character | Morality | Weather | Terrain | Leadership | Preparation | Final Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fubuki | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 42 |
| Kaga | 6 | 5 | 7 | 3 | 5 | 26 |
| Oichi | 5 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 20 |
| Kitakami | 10 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 28 |
| Kongo | 10 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 35 |
| Zuikaku | 6 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 24 |
Kancolle Characters: Fatal Failings Analysis
| Character | Recklessness | Cowardice | Anger | DOH | Over-caring | Final Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fubuki | -8 | -2 | -5 | -5 | -7 | -27 |
| Kaga | -8 | -2 | -3 | -7 | -4 | -24 |
| Oichi | -10 | -4 | -9 | -7 | -10 | -40 |
| Kitakami | -9 | -7 | 0 | -2 | -7 | -25 |
| Kongo | -10 | 0 | -4 | -7 | -7 | -28 |
| Zuikaku | -7 | -5 | -7 | -6 | -4 | -29 |
Kancolle Characters: Final Scores
| Character | Final Score | Assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Fubuki | 15 | Great potential, yet deeply flawed |
| Kaga | 2 | Nightmare scenario |
| Oichi | -20 | Nightmare scenario |
| Kitakami | 3 | Nightmare scenario |
| Kongo | 7 | Nightmare scenario |
| Zuikaku | -5 | Nightmare scenario |
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.