Sun Tzu and Anime: Upotte Character Analysis
Sun Tzu and Anime: Upotte Character Analysis
Everything's bright and blooming, so let's keep that mood going with more of Sun Tzu's exceptional wisdom rating anime favorites.
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 looking at a legendary cast: the primary characters from Upotte. As always, to keep things fair, we'll analyze them in the order they were formally introduced.
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Character Analysis: Funco (FNC)
Upotte: Funco (FNC)
Upotte: Funco (FNC)
Victory Factors
| Factor | Score | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Morality | 8 | She's very sweet and a loyal friend, yet can be caustic when she's angry or embarrassed, especially over the new Sensei's mentioning her thong. |
| Weather | 6 | She's observant, but couldn't handle the cold in the winter arc, plus didn't fare so well in the dark during the city battle. |
| Terrain | 6 | She's very agile, plus has great instincts, most famously when she bounced her shots under the bridge to hit Galil in the competition. Still, she often gets caught off-guard, like when Faru pulled her through the fountain during the make-up test. |
| Good Leadership | 4 | She's got potential, namely when giving the new Sensei a tour of the Academy, but ultimately tends to jump between follower and lone wolf. |
| Preparation | 5 | She was great at helping with the festival, as well as when she helped the new Sensei when he got sick; however, she blew off her sniper assignment, and wasn't ready for the AK attack. |
| Total | 29 |
Fatal Failings
| Failing | Score | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Recklessness | -9 | Major red flag. She constantly underestimates others, and is extremely impulsive when she's angry or embarrassed, most infamously for hospitalizing the new Sensei three times (and getting suspended twice as a result). |
| Cowardice | -5 | She's shy and insecure at first, yet slowly gets braver throughout the series, hence the lower rating. |
| Anger | -5 | She's got a temper, but it doesn't appear too often, and it takes a lot to really make her snap. |
| Delicacy of Honor | -3 | She's a tad vain, but not enough to worry. |
| Over-caring | -7 | Slight red flag. She really likes the new Sensei, despite the occasional awkwardness, and is extremely protective of her friends. |
| Total | -29 |
Final Assessment
Score: 0 (Nightmare scenario)
Character Analysis: Sig (Sig-Sauer SG550)
Upotte: Sig (Sig-Sauer SG550)
Upotte: Sig (Sig-Sauer SG550)
Victory Factors
| Factor | Score | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Morality | 7 | She's a good person and caring friend, but often gets jealous over Funco, especially in the series' latter half. |
| Weather | 10 | Thanks to her keen eye, great instincts, and Swiss manufacturing, this isn't an issue. |
| Terrain | 5 | She's very resilient, but often gets caught off-guard, such as when she got trapped in the freezer in the city battle. |
| Good Leadership | 6 | She's very assertive and capable, like when she ripped into Ichiroku during the competition, yet tends to go rogue around Funco. |
| Preparation | 7 | She's smart, well-trained, and a natural athlete, but still famously flunked a history test for saying carpet bombing included rugs. |
| Total | 35 |
Fatal Failings
| Failing | Score | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Recklessness | -8 | Serious red flag. She constantly underestimates foes, and is very impulsive, particularly when she's angry or jealous, such as when she vented on the range over Sako kissing Funco. |
| Cowardice | 0 | She's very bold, so no worries here. |
| Anger | -7 | Slight red flag. She's a hothead, as well as easily triggered, namely when she's jealous or her pride is insulted, like when someone brought up a variant of her design. |
| Delicacy of Honor | -7 | Slight red flag. She's very cocky, plus very vain, qualities that badly cost her during the competition and city battle. |
| Over-caring | -7 | Slight red flag. She's in love with Funco, is extremely protective of her friends, and greatly respects the new Sensei. |
| Total | -29 |
Final Assessment
Score: 6 (Nightmare scenario)
Character Analysis: Ichiroku (M-16A4)
Upotte: Ichiroku (M-16A4)
Upotte: Ichiroku (M-16A4)
Victory Factors
| Factor | Score | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Morality | 5 | She's got a good heart, but was really mean to Elle during the competition, and has a twisted sense of humor, particularly when it comes to the new Sensei. |
| Weather | 4 | She's observant, yet her sensitive internal structure means she's got to be very careful in adverse elements like extreme humidity, rain, or snow. |
| Terrain | 3 | She's very agile, but her internals are very vulnerable to things like mud, sand, or water, something that almost cost her the competition. |
| Good Leadership | 4 | She's very driven, especially when she's in Burst Mode, yet is ultimately more lone wolf than leader. |
| Preparation | 5 | She's great with improvisation, but ultimately wings just about everything else. |
| Total | 21 |
Fatal Failings
| Failing | Score | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Recklessness | -10 | Epic red flag. She perpetually underestimates others, and is extremely impulsive, namely when she's angry or excited, like when she tried to use festival funds to buy new gear. |
| Cowardice | -6 | She gets nervous here and there, plus badly froze when the new Sensei caught her shooting in the hallway. |
| Anger | -7 | Slight red flag. She's a hothead, and easily triggered, namely when her pride is insulted, hence her blowing up on Sako in the competition. |
| Delicacy of Honor | -8 | Serious red flag. She's extremely cocky, as well as very vain, a flaw Sig used against her during the snowball fight and their camping trip. |
| Over-caring | -8 | Serious red flag. She's very close to her friends, even if she doesn't always show it, and respects the new Sensei. |
| Total | -39 |
Final Assessment
Score: -18 (Nightmare scenario)
Character Analysis: Elle (L85A1)
Upotte: Elle (L85A1)
Upotte: Elle (L85A1)
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Victory Factors
| Factor | Score | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Morality | 7 | She's sweet and a loyal friend, but can be caustic when she's annoyed or upset, although she only voices such things in her sleep. |
| Weather | 5 | She's okay, yet her sensitive system makes her very frail, a flaw that often leaves her in great pain, plus vulnerable to the elements. |
| Terrain | 5 | She's observant, but is highly sensitive to things like mud; she's also very clumsy, like when she accidentally popped her own balloon during the make-up exam. |
| Good Leadership | 4 | She's got some good points, namely when playing decoy, yet is still more follower than leader. |
| Preparation | 5 | She's well trained and has great adaptation skills, most famously when she braced her magazine with her hand/knees in the city battle. However, she blew off her sniper exam, then later caused the avalanche in the winter arc. |
| Total | 26 |
Fatal Failings
| Failing | Score | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Recklessness | -9 | Major red flag. She constantly underestimates others, and is very impulsive, like when she tried to shoot Sig for insulting her...only to break her firing pin. |
| Cowardice | -5 | She's very timid at first, but slowly gets a tad bolder, hence the lower rating. |
| Anger | -4 | She's got a slow-burn temper, yet takes a lot to truly snap. |
| Delicacy of Honor | -7 | Slight red flag. She's very vain, namely when trying to hold her own, hence her huge push to help Ichiroku in the competition, then later in the city battle. |
| Over-caring | -5 | She loves her friends, and respects the new Sensei, even if she's not very vocal. |
| Total | -30 |
Final Assessment
Score: -4 (Nightmare scenario)
Character Analysis: The New Sensei
Upotte: The New Sensei
Upotte: The New Sensei
Victory Factors
| Factor | Score | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Morality | 7 | He's a good man, but can be very forceful, most infamously when he whacked Ichiroku and Elle after catching the former shooting in the hall. |
| Weather | 5 | He's observant, yet a tad frail, considering how sick he got after getting caught in the avalanche. |
| Terrain | 4 | He's okay, but very clumsy, something that repeatedly costs him throughout his first year at the academy. |
| Good Leadership | 6 | He's a good teacher, yet isn't always very assertive; he also never truly acclimates to the Academy. |
| Preparation | 4 | He's a good organizer, but wasn't the least bit ready for the Academy; he's also a terrible shot. |
| Total | 26 |
Fatal Failings
| Failing | Score | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Recklessness | -10 | Epic red flag. He perpetually underestimates everyone, and tends to impulsively overreact to things, like when he muttered, "This school is ****ing ridiculous!" after Ichiyon drove a tank through the wall at the festival. |
| Cowardice | -4 | He's pretty nervous at first, plus frequently freezes around Funco, although time slowly tempered some of that, hence the lower rating. |
| Anger | -7 | Slight red flag. He's a hothead, and easily triggered, most often by the students, although he also snapped at Ms. Thompson during the festival. |
| Delicacy of Honor | -2 | He's a tad vain, but not enough to worry. |
| Over-caring | -5 | He slowly grows very protective of the girls, so much so he stared down the AKs' leader during the city battle. |
| Total | -28 |
Final Assessment
Score: -2 (Nightmare scenario)
Character Analysis: Ichihachi (AR-18)
Upotte: Ichihachi (AR-18)
Upotte: Ichihachi (AR-18)
Victory Factors
| Factor | Score | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Morality | 10 | She's a wonderful person, a great friend, and extremely forgiving, most famously when she saved Galil in the competition. |
| Weather | 10 | Thanks to her resilience, keen eye, and training, this isn't an issue. |
| Terrain | 6 | She's observant, yet often gets caught off-guard, like when she got shot by the AKs during their preliminary assault. |
| Good Leadership | 5 | She's got potential, namely when helping Galil acclimate to the Academy, but is ultimately more follower than leader. |
| Preparation | 5 | She's well-trained, yet has trouble with her uniform because of her loose stock; she also didn't warn Ichiroku about the chicken nuggets in time. |
| Total | 36 |
Fatal Failings
| Failing | Score | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Recklessness | -7 | Slight red flag. She constantly underestimates her classmates, especially Galil, and is a tad impulsive, like when she snuck out at the beach to get a squid mug. |
| Cowardice | -3 | She's a tad nervous, but not enough to worry. |
| Anger | -3 | She's got a slight temper, yet not enough to worry here either. |
| Delicacy of Honor | -2 | She's a tad cocky, but not enough to worry here as well. |
| Over-caring | -7 | Slight red flag. She's very close to her friends, and really likes Galil. |
| Total | -22 |
Final Assessment
Score: 14 (Great potential, yet deeply flawed)
Character Analysis: Sako (Sako RK-95)
Upotte: Sako (Sako RK-95)
Upotte: Sako (Sako RK-95)
Victory Factors
| Factor | Score | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Morality | 5 | She's got some good points, but was very caustic throughout her campaign to take over different schools; she's also very creepy around Funco. |
| Weather | 10 | Thanks to her strength, experience, and resilience, this isn't an issue. |
| Terrain | 8 | She's highly capable and observant, yet sometimes gets caught off-guard, like when Sig knocked her off Funco in the competition. |
| Good Leadership | 3 | She's very driven, but her cruelty and questionable motives are a serious liability, as is her tendency to go rogue. |
| Preparation | 5 | She's well-trained and has good foresight; however, she badly misread the Academy, and didn't prepare for the competition very well. |
| Total | 31 |
Fatal Failings
| Failing | Score | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Recklessness | -10 | Epic red flag. She constantly underestimates foes, and is extremely impulsive, especially when trying to get a rise out of people, like when she kept shooting Funco to hurt Ichiroku. |
| Cowardice | -6 | She's got a vicious bullying streak, but meeting Funco tempered that a little, hence the slightly lower rating. |
| Anger | -8 | Serious red flag. She's got a violent temper, and is easily triggered, particularly when she's frustrated, namely toward the AKs. |
| Delicacy of Honor | -7 | Slight red flag. She's very cocky, plus extremely vain, problems that slowly worsen toward the end. |
| Over-caring | -7 | Slight red flag. She's got a huge crush on Funco, who she calls "my cute little bunny", and her reaction to seeing the latter take down Galil was very disturbing. |
| Total | -38 |
Final Assessment
Score: -7 (Nightmare scenario)
Character Analysis: Galil
Upotte: Galil
Upotte: Galil
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Victory Factors
| Factor | Score | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Morality | 7 | She was a tad crude at first, but soon proved a great person and loyal friend. |
| Weather | 10 | Due to her training, keen eye, and tough frame, this isn't an issue. |
| Terrain | 5 | She's agile and highly observant, yet sometimes gets caught off-guard, a problem that got her shot twice in the competition and nearly killed her at the beach. |
| Good Leadership | 3 | She's got potential, namely when helping with the festival, but is ultimately more follower than leader. |
| Preparation | 3 | She's well trained and has good senses, yet mostly winds up winging things. |
| Total | 28 |
Fatal Failings
| Failing | Score | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Recklessness | -10 | Epic red flag. She perpetually underestimates foes and is very impulsive, like when she blew down two walls to expand the Camel Farm for the festival. |
| Cowardice | 0 | She's very bold, so no worries here. |
| Anger | -3 | She's got a slight temper, yet not enough to worry. |
| Delicacy of Honor | -4 | She's very cocky initially, but meeting Ichihachi tempered most of that, hence the much lower rating. |
| Over-caring | -7 | Slight red flag. She's very protective of her friends, and has a huge crush on Ichihachi. |
| Total | -24 |
Final Assessment
Score: 4 (Nightmare scenario)
Reviewing the Results
This cast was a mess: tons of potential undone by bad judgment, extreme jealousy, and everything in between. Therefore, it's no surprise they have countless problems throughout the series. Thankfully, many of them greatly improve following the city battle, which is a great sign...and harkens back to what's been said all along: if you listen to Sun Tzu, you'll win; if you ignore him, you'll lose.
Upotte Characters: Victory Factors Analysis
| Character | Morality | Weather | Terrain | Leadership | Preparation | Final Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Funco | 8 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 29 |
| Sig | 7 | 10 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 35 |
| Ichiroku | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 21 |
| Elle | 7 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 26 |
| Sensei | 7 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 26 |
| Ichihachi | 10 | 10 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 36 |
| Sako | 5 | 10 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 31 |
| Galil | 7 | 10 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 28 |
Upotte Characters: Fatal Failings Analysis
| Character | Recklessness | Cowardice | Anger | DOH | Over-caring | Final Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Funco | -9 | -5 | -5 | -3 | -7 | -29 |
| Sig | -8 | 0 | -7 | -7 | -7 | -29 |
| Ichiroku | -10 | -6 | -7 | -8 | -8 | -39 |
| Elle | -9 | -5 | -4 | -7 | -5 | -30 |
| Sensei | -10 | -4 | -7 | -2 | -5 | -28 |
| Ichihachi | -7 | -3 | -3 | -2 | -7 | -22 |
| Sako | -10 | -6 | -8 | -7 | -7 | -38 |
| Galil | -10 | 0 | -3 | -4 | -7 | -24 |
Upotte Characters: Final Scores
| Character | Final Score | Assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Funco | 0 | Nightmare scenario |
| Sig | 6 | Nightmare scenario |
| Ichiroku | -18 | Nightmare scenario |
| Elle | -4 | Nightmare scenario |
| Sensei | -2 | Nightmare scenario |
| Ichihachi | 14 | Great potential, yet deeply flawed |
| Sako | -7 | Nightmare scenario |
| Galil | 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.