Sun Tzu and Anime: Nande Koko ni Sensei ga Character Analysis
Sun Tzu and Anime: Why the Hell are You Here, Teacher? Character Analysis
February's almost here, so let's celebrate the new month with more of Sun Tzu's exceptional wisdom rating more anime legends.
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.
Since Valentine's Day is approaching too, we'll look at a modern romantic cast: the four primary couples from Why the Hell are You Here, Teacher?. As always, to keep things fair, we'll analyze them in the order they were formally introduced.
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Character Analysis: Ichiro Sato
Why the Hell are You Here, Teacher?: Ichiro Sato
Why the Hell are You Here, Teacher?: Ichiro Sato
Victory Factors
| Factor | Score | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Morality | 9 | He's a wonderful person, a loyal friend, and terrific big brother, although he does have a slight selfish streak, like when he cut class at one point. |
| Weather | 8 | He's pretty observant, yet still got caught in the rain during the laundromat arc. |
| Terrain | 5 | He's okay, but has a serious clumsy streak, considering he tried to jump off a bridge as a kid because he thought it'd make him a grown-up, then later missed the beach sign about the sea snakes. |
| Good Leadership | 5 | He's got some good points, namely when he helped Kana get home when she was drunk, plus steadily improves throughout the series...yet is still more lone wolf than leader by the end. |
| Preparation | 5 | He's got a few skills, particularly with entertaining baby sister Shio, but often winds up winging most things. |
| Total | 32 |
Fatal Failings
| Failing | Score | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Recklessness | -9 | Major red flag. He constantly underestimates others, especially his mom Saki's pushing him to marry Kana, and is extremely impulsive, usually when he's angry or embarrassed, like when he panicked in his room after the latter got drunk. |
| Cowardice | -3 | He's terrified of Kana initially, plus often froze under pressure, but getting together with the latter tempered most of that, hence the much lower rating. |
| Anger | -5 | He's got a temper, one that's easily triggered when he's embarrassed, although most of that vanished following his confession to Kana, hence the slightly lower rating. |
| Delicacy of Honor | -3 | He's a tad cocky at times, yet not enough to worry. |
| Over-caring | -7 | Slight red flag. He's infatuated with Kana, and he's very protective of Shio and BFF Rin. |
| Total | -27 |
Final Assessment
Score: 5 (Nightmare scenario)
Character Analysis: Kana Kojima
Why the Hell are You Here, Teacher?: Kana Kojima
Why the Hell are You Here, Teacher?: Kana Kojima
Victory Factors
| Factor | Score | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Morality | 7 | She's very caustic at first, but soon reveals herself to be a great person and a very loyal friend to both Mayu and Saki. |
| Weather | 2 | She's not very observant, most infamously when she also got caught in the rain in the laundromat arc; furthermore, she's terrified of thunder. |
| Terrain | 2 | She's extremely clumsy, such as when she almost knocked Shio out of the pool, and often misses obvious signs, like when she didn't notice Saki trying to get her drunk. |
| Good Leadership | 3 | She's okay in school, but is so indecisive elsewhere, namely with Ichiro, that she's more follower than leader. |
| Preparation | 3 | She's good at teaching, yet got completely caught off-guard by Saki, plus accidentally botched the hotel reservation at the end. |
| Total | 17 |
Fatal Failings
| Failing | Score | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Recklessness | -10 | Epic red flag. She constantly underestimates others, particularly Ichiro and Saki, and tends to impulsively overreact when she's embarrassed, like when she exploded over getting lured to Ichiro's room. |
| Cowardice | -5 | She's secretly shy and very insecure, and she tends to freeze when she's off-guard, although falling for Ichiro tempered a lot of that, hence the lower rating. |
| Anger | -4 | She's got a violent temper, one that's easily triggered, so much so her students labeled her "the Demon." Thankfully, Ichiro was able to calm most of that, hence another lower rating. |
| Delicacy of Honor | -3 | She's pretty cocky initially, although falling for Ichiro humbled her, hence still another lower rating. |
| Over-caring | -7 | Slight red flag. She's hopelessly in love with Ichiro, plus very close friends with Mayu. |
| Total | -29 |
Final Assessment
Score: -12 (Nightmare scenario)
Character Analysis: Rin Suzuki
Why the Hell are You Here, Teacher?: Rin Suzuki
Why the Hell are You Here, Teacher?: Rin Suzuki
Victory Factors
| Factor | Score | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Morality | 10 | Despite his burly appearance, he's a total softie: gentle, generous, a great big brother, and loyal friend. |
| Weather | 8 | He's very capable, yet still got caught in the rain when picking up meals for his siblings. |
| Terrain | 5 | He's got potential due to his strength and speed, but isn't always very observant, something that often inadvertently costs Mayu when he's trying to help her. |
| Good Leadership | 4 | He's good with his siblings, yet so timid otherwise that he's more follower than leader. |
| Preparation | 5 | He's pretty good at fixing things, like when he helped mend the old schoolhouse's broken floor, and he's a great cook. However, he often winds up winging everything else. |
| Total | 32 |
Fatal Failings
| Failing | Score | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Recklessness | -8 | Serious red flag. He completely underestimated Mayu, and is often very careless, usually without even realizing it, one such example being when he accidentally crushed the latter against the subway door. |
| Cowardice | -5 | He's very shy and indecisive at first, but getting together with Mayu tempered some of that, hence the lower rating. |
| Anger | 0 | He never really gets angry, so no worries here. |
| Delicacy of Honor | 0 | He's surprisingly modest, so no worries here either. |
| Over-caring | -8 | Serious red flag. He's utterly infatuated with Mayu, and is very protective of his siblings and Ichiro. |
| Total | -21 |
Final Assessment
Score: 11 (Great potential, yet deeply flawed)
Character Analysis: Mayu Matsukaze
Why the Hell are You Here, Teacher?: Mayu Matsukaze
Why the Hell are You Here, Teacher?: Mayu Matsukaze
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Victory Factors
| Factor | Score | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Morality | 10 | She's an angel: generous, gentle, and extremely sweet, something which wins over virtually all who know her; she's also a great big sister. |
| Weather | 5 | She's okay, yet got caught in the rain at the restaurant with Rin, and she also didn't really pay attention when checking out Hikari's event at the festival. |
| Terrain | 3 | She's observant, yet extremely clumsy, leading to a plethora of problems that leaving her shattered and Rin beyond apologetic. |
| Good Leadership | 4 | She's good in class, yet tends to go rogue whenever Rin's around, like when she heard about a "bear on the rampage" inadvertently helping couples at the festival and went racing after it. |
| Preparation | 4 | She's good at organizing the festival, meeting up with Rin, and cooking, but ultimately winds up winging everything else. |
| Total | 26 |
Fatal Failings
| Failing | Score | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Recklessness | -10 | Epic red flag. She constantly underestimates others, namely Rin, and is extremely impulsive when she's embarrassed or excited, like when she confessed to Rin in the locked room...then ran away in a panic. |
| Cowardice | -6 | She's painfully shy and insecure throughout most of the series, plus extremely depressed by her inability to tell Rin how she feels. However, finally confessing to him tempered some of that, hence the lower rating. |
| Anger | 0 | She doesn't get angry, so no worries here. |
| Delicacy of Honor | -3 | She's a tad vain at times, yet not enough to worry. |
| Over-caring | -9 | Major red flag. Her love for Rin is what drives her from the beginning, regardless of the accidents she encounters. |
| Total | -28 |
Final Assessment
Score: -2 (Nightmare scenario)
Character Analysis: Takashi Takahashi
Why the Hell are You Here, Teacher?: Takashi Takahashi
Why the Hell are You Here, Teacher?: Takashi Takahashi
Victory Factors
| Factor | Score | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Morality | 9 | He's a great person, thoughtful and considerate, although he does have a slight selfish streak, mostly when trying to prove his maturity. |
| Weather | 3 | He's surprisingly frail, something that badly cost him during the hiking arc when he fell into the river and got sick. |
| Terrain | 5 | He's okay, considering he tracked down Hikari when she was hiding during the festival, yet is also very clumsy, such as when he inadvertently dragged the latter out of the changing room without checking if she was ready. |
| Good Leadership | 4 | He's very flimsy at first, although he gets a tad better over time; however, he's still more follower than leader at the end. |
| Preparation | 5 | He's got some skills, namely when helping with the festival and calming Hikari, but still winds up winging most things regardless. |
| Total | 26 |
Fatal Failings
| Failing | Score | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Recklessness | -9 | Major red flag. He constantly underestimates Hikari, and he's a tad impulsive, like when he confessed his love before passing out during the hike. |
| Cowardice | -6 | He's very shy and indecisive throughout the series, although he gets a tad bolder at the end, hence the slightly lower rating. |
| Anger | -3 | He's got a slight temper, yet not enough to really worry. |
| Delicacy of Honor | -4 | He's pretty vain initially, mostly while trying to prove his maturity to others, but confessing to Hikari tempered most of that, hence the lower rating. |
| Over-caring | -5 | He loves Hikari, and is also very close with the other guys in the series. |
| Total | -27 |
Final Assessment
Score: -1 (Nightmare scenario)
Character Analysis: Hikari Hazakura
Why the Hell are You Here, Teacher?: Hikari Hazakura
Why the Hell are You Here, Teacher?: Hikari Hazakura
Victory Factors
| Factor | Score | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Morality | 6 | She's a great person and loyal friend at heart, but her wild nature is so overwhelming that Rin, Mayu, and Sayu all famously commented, "This teacher is something else." |
| Weather | 10 | Thanks to her strength, keen eye, and outdoors experience, this isn't an issue. |
| Terrain | 2 | She's extremely clumsy, something that often costs her, like when she ran into the old school building to prank Takashi, only to fall through the floor. |
| Good Leadership | 3 | She's capable with classes and very assertive at times, but her over-the-top outside behavior makes her constantly go rogue for the most random reasons. |
| Preparation | 4 | She's got some skills, namely with chaperoning the hike and organizing the festival, yet often winds up winging everything else. |
| Total | 25 |
Fatal Failings
| Failing | Score | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Recklessness | -10 | Epic red flag. She constantly underestimates others, and is one of anime's most wildly impulsive characters, like when she thought Takashi rejected her...so she pulled on the bear mascot outfit and began terrorizing couples at the festival. |
| Cowardice | -5 | She's secretly shy and insecure, particularly when it comes to Takashi, leading to one of anime's oddest love confessions: "You belong to me. You're mine for good. Are we clear?" |
| Anger | -8 | Serious red flag. She's a hothead, plus easily triggered, namely when she's frustrated, such as when Takashi found her in the PE room...only to have her yell, "You abandoned me!" |
| Delicacy of Honor | -7 | Slight red flag. She's very cocky, plus likes to jab at people, like when she teased Mayu during the festival by saying, "You must really have it bad for that Suzuki guy." |
| Over-caring | -7 | Slight red flag. She loves Takashi and is very protective of Chizuru, especially when helping the latter open up to others. |
| Total | -37 |
Final Assessment
Score: -12 (Nightmare scenario)
Character Analysis: Chizuru Tachibana
Why the Hell are You Here, Teacher?: Chizuru Tachibana
Why the Hell are You Here, Teacher?: Chizuru Tachibana
Victory Factors
| Factor | Score | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Morality | 7 | She comes across as icy—so much so the students labeled her "Absolute Zero"—yet is actually a great person and loyal friend. |
| Weather | 2 | She's not very observant, considering how she got caught in a rain squall on the island, then got snowed in at school during Valentine's Day. |
| Terrain | 2 | She's extremely clumsy, plus constantly misses obvious signs, like when she booked a place she thought specialized in stargazing...but turned out to be a love hotel. |
| Good Leadership | 2 | She's not very clear, plus isn't very assertive, thus leaving most people confused and her mutely repeating, "I have failed again." |
| Preparation | 3 | She's got potential, such as when she planned the island trip with Koh, yet often ends up winging things. |
| Total | 16 |
Fatal Failings
| Failing | Score | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Recklessness | -10 | Epic red flag. She constantly underestimates Koh, and is extremely impulsive, like when she literally just showed up at the latter's house at Christmas. Moreover, she often blurts out random or tactless comments, inadvertently reinforcing her tsundere image. |
| Cowardice | -6 | She's secretly shy and very lonely, although being with Koh helps her open up, hence the lower rating. |
| Anger | 0 | She never really gets angry, so no worries here. |
| Delicacy of Honor | -4 | She's a tad vain, usually while trying to look good for Koh, yet not enough to really worry. |
| Over-caring | -7 | Slight red flag. She's hopelessly in love with Koh, and is also very close with Hikari. |
| Total | -27 |
Final Assessment
Score: -11 (Nightmare scenario)
Character Analysis: Koh Tanaka
Why the Hell are You Here, Teacher?: Koh Tanaka
Why the Hell are You Here, Teacher?: Koh Tanaka
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Victory Factors
| Factor | Score | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Morality | 8 | He's a great person and loyal friend, although he's got a selfish streak, namely when he bet the other guys he'd get a girlfriend by graduation. |
| Weather | 2 | He's okay, yet also got caught in the rain on the island, then got snowed in waiting for a card from Chizuru on Valentine's Day. |
| Terrain | 5 | He's got a keen eye, but is still very clumsy, something that constantly costs him, usually while helping untangle Chizuru from several awkward messes. |
| Good Leadership | 5 | He's got potential, considering how he gave the class commencement speech at graduation, yet ultimately tends to vary between lone wolf and follower. |
| Preparation | 3 | He's got some skills, namely with organizing the graduation trip, yet mostly winds up winging things. |
| Total | 23 |
Fatal Failings
| Failing | Score | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Recklessness | -9 | Major red flag. He completely underestimated Chizuru, and is very impulsive, usually when he's embarrassed, something that often costs him when trying to get close to the latter. |
| Cowardice | -4 | He's shy and insecure at first, but getting together with Chizuru tempered some of that, hence the lower rating. |
| Anger | -3 | He's got a slight temper, yet not enough to really worry. |
| Delicacy of Honor | -4 | He's very vain at times, although those moments tend to be short-lived, considering how easily embarrassed he is. |
| Over-caring | -7 | Slight red flag. He adores Chizuru, and really goes the extra mile to make her happy. He's also very close to the other guys in the series. |
| Total | -27 |
Final Assessment
Score: -4 (Nightmare scenario)
Reviewing the Results
This cast was really messy, no doubt a huge part of why they spend their respective courtships stumbling and tripping (in some cases literally) over each other. However, that all harkens back to what's been said since the beginning: follow Sun Tzu, and you'll win; ignore him, and you'll lose.
Why the Hell are You Here, Teacher? Characters: Victory Factors Analysis
| Character | Morality | Weather | Terrain | Leadership | Preparation | Final Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ichiro | 9 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 32 |
| Kana | 7 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 17 |
| Rin | 10 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 32 |
| Mayu | 10 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 26 |
| Takashi | 9 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 26 |
| Hikari | 6 | 10 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 25 |
| Chizuru | 7 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 16 |
| Koh | 8 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 23 |
Why the Hell are You Here, Teacher? Characters: Fatal Failings Analysis
| Character | Recklessness | Cowardice | Anger | DOH | Over-caring | Final Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ichiro | -9 | -3 | -5 | -3 | -7 | -27 |
| Kana | -10 | -5 | -4 | -3 | -7 | -29 |
| Rin | -8 | -5 | 0 | 0 | -8 | -21 |
| Mayu | -10 | -6 | 0 | -3 | -9 | -28 |
| Takashi | -9 | -6 | -3 | -4 | -5 | -27 |
| Hikari | -10 | -5 | -8 | -7 | -7 | -37 |
| Chizuru | -10 | -6 | 0 | -4 | -7 | -27 |
| Koh | -9 | -4 | -3 | -4 | -7 | -27 |
Why the Hell are You Here, Teacher? Characters: Final Scores
| Character | Final Score | Assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Ichiro | 5 | Nightmare scenario |
| Kana | -12 | Nightmare scenario |
| Rin | 11 | Great potential, yet deeply flawed |
| Mayu | -2 | Nightmare scenario |
| Takashi | -1 | Nightmare scenario |
| Hikari | -12 | Nightmare scenario |
| Chizuru | -11 | Nightmare scenario |
| Koh | -4 | 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.