Sun Tzu & Anime: Girls Und Panzer Character Analysis

Wed May 28 2025

Girls Und Panzer Character Analysis

When it comes to tactical brilliance, no one has had as lengthy an impact as Sun Tzu. His famed treatise The Art of War has been lauded for millennia, both for its commonsense approach to tactics/strategy and unique goal: winning. In fact, his wisdom is so effective one expert famously said in the documentary The Art of War: "If you listen to Sun Tzu, if you follow his principles, you will be victorious; if you ignore him, you do so at your own peril, because you will definitely lose." Moreover, his approach has proven universally effective, with everyone from athletes to businessmen to politicians able to boast of using it to prevail.

Once more into the breach as Sun Tzu's wisdom returns to the world of pop culture. Here's a refresher for those unfamiliar with this approach. Sun Tzu cited Five Essential Factors to be Mastered for Victory: Morality, Weather, Terrain, Good Leadership, and Preparation; those under consideration can receive 0-10 points based on how effective they are in each category. However, he also cited Five Fatal Failings of Leadership: Recklessness, Cowardice, A Hasty Temper (we'll call it Anger for simplicity), Delicacy of Honor (DOH), and Caring Too Much About the Troops (Over-caring); those under consideration can lose 0-10 points based on how they fare here. 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.

For this assessment, we'll be looking at a very special roster: the primary high school (and lone university) commanders from Girls Und Panzer and its first two OVAs. To keep things fair, we'll analyze them in the order they were formally introduced, starting with Ooarai Girls Academy's team leader Miho Nishizumi.

Character Analysis: Miho Nishizumi

Girls Und Panzer: Miho Nishizumi

Victory Factors

Factor	Score	Reasoning
Morality	10	She's compassionate and incredibly loyal, so much so she sacrificed her family's winning streak to save comrades' lives.
Weather	10	She's got a keen eye for her surroundings, and isn't afraid to push through difficult conditions like snow or rain.
Terrain	10	Her ability to adapt to terrain is breathtaking, particularly urban environments like towns and the University bout's theme park.
Good Leadership	10	Despite an awkward start, she soon blossoms into arguably anime's best field commander, bringing victory to amateurs and organizing a rogue team to smash undefeated university all-stars.
Preparation	10	She's great at researching opponents and training her teammates accordingly, notably with Anzio and Kuromorimine.
Total	50

Fatal Failings

Failing	Score	Reasoning
Recklessness	-2	She occasionally underestimates foes, but is normally very careful.
Cowardice	-3	She's initially shy and indecisive, but soon grows out of most of it, hence the lower rating.
Anger	0	She never really gets angry, so no problems here.
Delicacy of Honor	0	She's modest off the field and confident on it, so no problem here either.
Over-caring	-2	She cares deeply for others, but won't hesitate to risk them in combat.
Total	-7

Final Assessment

Score: 43 (Epic Class)

Character Analysis: Maho Nishizumi

Girls Und Panzer: Maho Nishizumi

Victory Factors

Factor	Score	Reasoning
Morality	4	She's very nice, like helping Mako get to her grandmother, but failing to defend Miho to their mom was a huge mistake.
Weather	4	She's okay, but moving heavy tanks along a muddy slope in a rain squall was sloppy.
Terrain	5	Again, she's okay, but badly mishandled both the urban environment where she fought Miho and the theme park.
Good Leadership	5	She's good in normal circumstances, but sloppy when she needs to improvise due to the Nishizumi style's rigidity.
Preparation	2	She and her teammates are too strictly disciplined, something that costs them whenever something goes wrong.
Total	20

Fatal Failings

Failing	Score	Reasoning
Recklessness	-10	Epic red flag. She mishandled the previous tournament, constantly underestimated Miho, and let herself get drawn into a 1-on-1 bout for no reason.
Cowardice	-8	Major red flag. She repeatedly failed to defend Miho to their mom, something which cost her team dearly.
Anger	0	She doesn't really get angry, so no worries.
Delicacy of Honor	-9	Major red flag. Pride crippled her relationship with Miho, as well as cost her the win in the finals.
Over-caring	-2	She does care about Miho, but not enough to worry.
Total	-29

Final Assessment

Score: -9 (Nightmare scenario)

Character Analysis: Darjeeling

Girls Und Panzer: Darjeeling

Victory Factors

Factor	Score	Reasoning
Morality	9	She comes across as aloof, but is actually very nice, especially when backing Miho.
Weather	8	She's got a good eye for her surroundings, especially in the University bout.
Terrain	9	She's skilled at adapting under pressure, like moving her tank under the bridge to fight the T-28.
Good Leadership	8	She's got some impressive skills, particularly with deception and baiting, although she does occasionally miss some cues.
Preparation	10	She's a great trainer and not afraid to borrow tactics, like when she witnesses the Maus' defeat.
Total	44

Fatal Failings

Failing	Score	Reasoning
Recklessness	-7	Slight red flag. She badly underestimated Miho the first time out, then the University team later.
Cowardice	-2	She freezes once during her initial fight with Miho, but otherwise is pretty brave.
Anger	0	She never really gets angry, so no worries.
Delicacy of Honor	-5	She's proud, yet it doesn't interfere with her judgment after facing Miho, hence the lower score.
Over-caring	0	She cares for others, but not enough to worry.
Total	-14

Final Assessment

Score: 30 (Highly capable, with slight flaws)

Character Analysis: Kay

Victory Factors

Factor	Score	Reasoning
Morality	9	She's giving and generous, like when she used her school's transport to save Ooarai's tanks.
Weather	9	She's extremely effective, even when it rained during the university fight.
Terrain	8	She's normally very good, but her sub-commander's spying backfired when facing Miho.
Good Leadership	8	She's efficient and great at adapting, namely when she had her comrade shoot out the bridge to expose the T-28's belly.
Preparation	5	She's okay, but missing her teammate's spying was a big fail.
Total	39

Fatal Failings

Failing	Score	Reasoning
Recklessness	-8	Serious red flag. She's got a long history of underestimating teammates and opponents, especially in the University battle.
Cowardice	0	She's very brave, so no worries.
Anger	-2	She rarely gets angry, and rarely at that.
Delicacy of Honor	-8	Serious red flag. She's very cocky, plus has a lot of pride, something she never truly loses.
Over-caring	0	She cares about her teammates, but not enough to worry.
Total	-18

Final Assessment

Score: 21 (Capable, yet moderately flawed)

Character Analysis: Anchovy

Girls Und Panzer: Anchovy

Victory Factors

Factor	Score	Reasoning
Morality	8	Despite her gruff nature, she's actually really nice, particularly when celebrating Miho's win.
Weather	8	She's got a good eye, especially in mountainous terrain.
Terrain	10	She's amazingly effective, namely in the University battle, when she rode her CV up the roller coaster to provide oversight.
Good Leadership	6	She's okay, but her choice of sub-commander and personal recklessness was embarrassing.
Preparation	5	She's good at plotting attacks, especially with decoys, but can't motivate her team away from their food obsession.
Total	37

Fatal Failings

Failing	Score	Reasoning
Recklessness	-9	Serious red flag. She constantly underestimates foes, and her failure to conceal the P-40 (including wasting fuel by driving it everywhere) was really sloppy.
Cowardice	-8	Serious red flag. She often panics under pressure, which cost her against both Miho and the University team.
Anger	-8	Serious red flag: She's a hothead, especially when something goes wrong, plus she's very impatient.
Delicacy of Honor	-8	Serious red flag. She's cocky, plus irrational under pressure, making it difficult for her to coordinate with others.
Over-caring	0	She cares for her teammates, but not enough to worry.
Total	-33

Final Assessment

Score: 4 (Nightmare scenario)

Character Analysis: Katyusha

Girls Und Panzer: Katyusha

Victory Factors

Factor	Score	Reasoning
Morality	6	She's not all bad, but does have a caustic nature.
Weather	9	She's very capable regardless of conditions, especially in the snow.
Terrain	9	She's got a good eye for terrain, and can make full use of it as needed.
Good Leadership	5	She's okay, but sometimes freezes or overreacts under pressure, like when her teammates were defeated on the hill.
Preparation	5	She's okay here too, but often misses cues, like failing to train before facing Miho.
Total	34

Fatal Failings

Failing	Score	Reasoning
Recklessness	-9	Serious red flag. She's extremely impulsive and often misses opportunities, like failing to follow-up on Miho's crippled team in the tournament.
Cowardice	-8	Serious red flag. She's a bully, but completely froze on the hill during the University bout.
Anger	-8	Serious red flag. She's got a violent temper and is easily triggered.
Delicacy of Honor	-10	Epic red flag. She's extremely sensitive about her height…so much so she makes her sub-commander carry her on her shoulders.
Over-caring	-8	Serious red flag. Despite her bluster, she deeply values her teammates, so much so that losing them in the University bout crushed her.
Total	-43

Final Assessment

Score: -9 (Nightmare scenario)

Character Analysis: Kinuyo Nishi

Girls Und Panzer: Kinuyo Nishi

Victory Factors

Factor	Score	Reasoning
Morality	10	She's sweet and extremely loyal, even showing up with multiple tanks to aid Miho.
Weather	8	She's pretty good, namely during the exhibition with St. Gloriana's and Pravda.
Terrain	9	She's great at ambushes, particularly in the amusement park, as well as feints.
Good Leadership	5	She's got some skills, but often can't stop her teammates' impulsive charges.
Preparation	8	She's great at baiting foes, although she does wing things here and there.
Total	40

Fatal Failings

Failing	Score	Reasoning
Recklessness	-9	Serious red flag. She constantly underestimates foes and often loses teammates to unnecessary aggression, especially when facing the University team.
Cowardice	0	She's very brave, so no issue here.
Anger	0	She never really gets angry, so no issue here either.
Delicacy of Honor	-9	Serious red flag. Pride drives her team…often to destruction.
Over-caring	-3	She's protective of Miho, but not enough to worry.
Total	-21

Final Assessment

Score: 19 (Great potential, yet deeply flawed)

Character Analysis: Mika

Girls Und Panzer: Mika

Victory Factors

Factor	Score	Reasoning
Morality	8	She's cold, but a good person at heart, especially when aiding Miho.
Weather	9	She's very aware of her surroundings and very capable under adverse conditions.
Terrain	10	She's got one of the series' best eyes for terrain, plus can exploit it quite well.
Good Leadership	9	She's phenomenally skilled, and can readily adapt under pressure, like when she helped defeat the Mercer-Karl.
Preparation	10	Her team is incredibly well-trained, and she's a solid planner.
Total	46

Fatal Failings

Failing	Score	Reasoning
Recklessness	-7	Slight red flag. She tends to underestimate foes, and not reining in her driver in the University bout wasn't smart.
Cowardice	0	She's pretty brazen, so no worries.
Anger	0	She's very placid, so no worries here too.
Delicacy of Honor	-8	Serious red flag. She's very arrogant and often dismisses ideas she doesn't personally approve of.
Over-caring	0	She cares about her teammates, but not enough to worry.
Total	-15

Final Assessment

Score: 31 (Highly capable, with slight flaws)

Character Analysis: Alice Shimada

Girls Und Panzer: Alice Shimada

Victory Factors

Factor	Score	Reasoning
Morality	9	She's got a good heart, like when she wants to save the Punchy Museum in exchange for taking on Miho.
Weather	10	Her eye for her surroundings is incredible, especially in the attack on the hill.
Terrain	10	Her skill with moving troops is breathtaking, especially when feinting in the forest and the park.
Good Leadership	7	She's highly capable, but missed some big chances against Miho.
Preparation	8	She's a skilled trainer and planner, although she doesn't do so well when winging it.
Total	44

Fatal Failings

Failing	Score	Reasoning
Recklessness	-10	Epic red flag. She badly underestimated Miho, missed opportunities to protect the Mercer-Karl, and didn't enter the bout when she had a chance despite being her team's top fighter.
Cowardice	-2	She's pretty brave, although she did freeze twice.
Anger	0	She never really gets angry, so no worries.
Delicacy of Honor	-10	Epic red flag. She's extremely arrogant, which was a huge reason she lost.
Over-caring	-9	Serious red flag. Her love of Punchy made her freeze at the last minute, costing her the match.
Total	-31

Final Assessment

Score: 13 (Great potential, yet deeply flawed)

Reviewing the Results

This was a much more diverse result than with Tomo-Chan, but it speaks volumes about how capable these girls are. It also shows how even the most capable leaders can fail when they ignore history's immortal warning: follow Sun Tzu, and you'll win; ignore him, and you'll lose.

Girls Und Panzer Characters: Victory Factors Analysis

Character	Morality	Weather	Terrain	Leadership	Preparation	Final Score
Miho Nishizumi	10	10	10	10	10	50
Maho Nishizumi	4	4	5	5	2	20
Darjeeling	9	8	9	8	10	44
Kay	9	9	8	8	5	39
Anchovy	8	8	10	6	5	37
Katyusha	6	9	9	5	5	34
Kinuyo	10	8	9	5	8	40
Mika	8	9	10	9	10	46
Alice Shimada	9	10	10	7	8	44

Girls Und Panzer Characters: Fatal Failings Analysis

Character	Recklessness	Cowardice	Anger	DOH	Over-caring	Final Score
Miho Nishizumi	-2	-3	0	0	-2	-7
Maho Nishizumi	-10	-8	0	-9	-2	-29
Darjeeling	-7	-2	0	-5	0	-14
Kay	-8	0	-2	-8	0	-18
Anchovy	-9	-8	-8	-8	0	-33
Katyusha	-9	-8	-8	-10	-8	-43
Kinuyo	-9	0	0	-9	-3	-21
Mika	-7	0	0	-8	0	-15
Alice Shimada	-10	-2	0	-10	-9	-31

Girls Und Panzer Characters: Final Scores

Character	Final Score	Assessment
Miho Nishizumi	43	Epic Class
Maho Nishizumi	-9	Nightmare scenario
Darjeeling	30	Highly capable, with slight flaws
Kay	21	Capable, yet moderately flawed
Anchovy	4	Nightmare scenario
Katyusha	-9	Nightmare scenario
Kinuyo	19	Great potential, yet deeply flawed
Mika	31	Highly capable, with slight flaws
Alice Shimada	13	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.