Sun Tzu and Anime: Sewayaki Kitsune no Senko-san Character Analysis
Summer is blazing away, so let's take some time to cool off with more of Sun Tzu's exceptional wisdom rating anime's greatest cozy casts.
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 cozy classic: Kuroto Nakano, Senko, Yasuko Koenji, Shiro, and Yozora from The Helpful Fox Senko-san. As always, to keep things fair, we'll analyze them in the order they were formally introduced.
Character Analysis: Kuroto Nakano
The Helpful Fox Senko-san: Kuroto Nakano
The Helpful Fox Senko-san: Kuroto Nakano
Victory Factors
Factor
Score
Reasoning
Morality
7
He's a great person, yet truly blossoms when Senko moves in to pamper him, thus letting him show his goodness to others.
Weather
4
He's okay, but not very observant, like when Senko had to physically restrain him from trying to leave when it was snowing.
Terrain
4
He knows his neighborhood, yet tends to get caught off-guard a lot, especially when Senko's colleagues start showing up; he's also a tad clumsy with his belongings.
Good Leadership
3
He's got potential, but is so meek his co-workers constantly take advantage of him; he also can't really handle criticism from his boss.
Preparation
4
He's great with computers, yet can't seem to figure out how to relax or find leisure time.
Total
21
Fatal Failings
Failing
Score
Reasoning
Recklessness
-9
Major red flag. He constantly underestimates others, and is extremely impulsive about fluffy things, something Senko learned the hard way by his frequent requests to touch her tail.
Cowardice
-9
Major red flag. He's painfully wishy-washy, plus so insecure Senko perpetually struggles to keep him healthy.
Anger
-2
He's got a slight temper, but not enough to worry.
Delicacy of Honor
-3
He's a tad vain, yet not enough to worry here either.
Over-caring
-7
Slight red flag. He's very protective of Senko, and soon grows close to Yasuko after they meet face-to-face.
Total
-30
Final Assessment
Score: -9 (Nightmare scenario)
Character Analysis: Senko
The Helpful Fox Senko-san: Senko
The Helpful Fox Senko-san: Senko
Victory Factors
Factor
Score
Reasoning
Morality
8
She's very sweet and caring, but can sometimes be very selfish, namely when trying to keep Kuroto away from Shiro and Yozora.
Weather
10
Thanks to her magic, keen eye, and sharp senses, this isn't an issue.
Terrain
8
She's very capable, yet can be clumsy, like when she used a levitation spell at the grocery store to look at the upper shelves…never once thinking others might notice.
Good Leadership
6
She's very assertive with Kuroto, but tends to go rogue when protecting him, such as when she led him back to the shrine after he got separated from his grandmother as a boy.
Preparation
5
She's an incredible chef, masseuse, and therapist, yet was so naïve about modern tech she inadvertently caused a mess when cleaning Kuroto's apartment.
Total
37
Fatal Failings
Failing
Score
Reasoning
Recklessness
-8
Serious red flag. She often underestimates others, and can be very impulsive about watching her favorite magical girl anime, something that soon begins consuming her afternoons.
Cowardice
-6
She froze initially when Kuroto wanted to touch her tail, had a meltdown when he poked her ears, and panicked when his apartment's tech went haywire.
Anger
-5
She's got a temper, yet rarely snaps, although Shiro and Yozora constantly test her.
Delicacy of Honor
-4
She's a tad vain, but not enough to worry.
Over-caring
-8
Serious red flag. She's determined to protect Kuroto, so much so she pretended to be his wife when Yasuko first came over.
Total
-31
Final Assessment
Score: 6 (Nightmare scenario)
Character Analysis: Yasuko Koenji
The Helpful Fox Senko-san: Yasuko Koenji
The Helpful Fox Senko-san: Yasuko Koenji
Victory Factors
Factor
Score
Reasoning
Morality
7
She's a good person and loyal friend, particularly when teaching Senko and Shiro how to make her favorite pasta dish. However, she sometimes gets very selfish with the latter, whom she practically considers a muse by the end.
Weather
8
She's pretty good, yet had a few issues when it was snowing.
Terrain
7
She's quick, but sometimes gets caught off-guard, mostly by Shiro's random appearances.
Good Leadership
4
She's got a few good points, yet ultimately is more lone wolf than leader.
Preparation
5
She's a great cook and artist, but mostly wings everything else.
Total
31
Fatal Failings
Failing
Score
Reasoning
Recklessness
-8
Serious red flag. She constantly underestimates Senko and her colleagues, and is extremely impulsive about having Shiro try on different outfits so she can get inspiration.
Cowardice
-4
She froze initially around Senko, then did it again when Shiro first leapt through her wall.
Anger
-5
She's got a temper, yet only snapped once, and it took a lot to do so.
Delicacy of Honor
-7
Slight red flag. She's pretty cocky, something that almost cost her when she started competing with Shiro at the beach.
Over-caring
-5
She worries about Kuroto, and really dotes on Shiro, especially at the end.
Total
-27
Final Assessment
Score: 4 (Nightmare scenario)
Character Analysis: Shiro
The Helpful Fox Senko-san: Shiro
The Helpful Fox Senko-san: Shiro
Victory Factors
Factor
Score
Reasoning
Morality
6
She's got a good heart, but is obsessed with showing up Senko, hence her numerous attempts to lure Kuroto away.
Weather
10
Thanks to her magic, connections, and keen senses, this isn't an issue.
Terrain
5
She's very capable, especially when using spiritual paths to move or help Kuroto get home, yet isn't very observant, especially when she fled the latter's apartment by phasing through the wall…then nonchalantly walking past Yasuko.
Good Leadership
4
She's good at helping Yasuko, but ultimately is more lone wolf than leader.
Preparation
5
She's smart and well-versed in magic, yet somehow didn't think there'd be consequences for using the spiritual beach without permission.
Total
30
Fatal Failings
Failing
Score
Reasoning
Recklessness
-9
Major red flag. She constantly underestimates others, namely Kuroto's fluff obsession, and is extremely impulsive about video gaming and TV, both of which become huge obsessions for her.
Cowardice
-5
She freaked out when Kuroto kept trying to touch her tail, and is sometimes cowed by Yozora, namely when the latter locked her up after the beach arc.
Anger
-7
Slight red flag. She's a hothead, plus easily triggered, mostly by Senko, although she also sparred with Yasuko at the beach.
Delicacy of Honor
-7
Slight red flag. She's very cocky and ultra-competitive, hence her using magic to cheat while gaming with Kuroto.
Over-caring
-3
She respects her colleagues, and soon grows very fond of Yasuko.
Total
-31
Final Assessment
Score: -1 (Nightmare scenario)
Character Analysis: Yozora
The Helpful Fox Senko-san: Yozora
The Helpful Fox Senko-san: Yozora
Victory Factors
Factor
Score
Reasoning
Morality
6
She's got a good heart, but loves toying with others, like when she tried to tempt Kuroto with her numerous tails.
Weather
10
Due to her magic, power, and keen senses, this isn't an issue.
Terrain
8
She's quick and agile, yet sometimes gets caught off-guard, most famously when Kuroto pinned her in his apartment.
Good Leadership
6
She's very rational about managing Kuroto's mercurial moods, but doesn't always watch Shiro and Senko; she also nearly gave up on the former during his dark period.
Preparation
6
She's very creative, such as when she secretly provided ingredients for the beach barbecue, yet wasn't the least bit ready for Kuroto's fluff obsession or how far Senko was willing to go for him.
Total
36
Fatal Failings
Failing
Score
Reasoning
Recklessness
-7
Slight red flag. She underestimated Senko and Shiro, and can be very impulsive about getting her way, something that nearly cost everyone when she tested the former in the final episode.
Cowardice
-2
She froze when Kuroto pinned her, but is otherwise very brazen.
Anger
-4
She's got a slight temper, yet not enough to worry.
Delicacy of Honor
-5
She was very cocky at first, but getting rejected by Kuroto tempered some of that, hence the lower rating.
Over-caring
-7
Slight red flag. She's very concerned about Kuroto and Senko, a feeling that steadily grows as their bond deepens.
Total
-25
Final Assessment
Score: 11 (Great potential, yet deeply flawed)
Reviewing the Results
This cast was a trainwreck: great intent shattered by carelessness, clumsiness, and awkward impulsivity. Thus, it's no surprise they wind up in one epic farce after another…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.
The Helpful Fox Senko-san Characters: Victory Factors Analysis
Character
Morality
Weather
Terrain
Leadership
Preparation
Final Score
Kuroto
7
4
4
3
4
21
Senko
8
10
8
6
5
37
Yasuko
7
8
7
4
5
31
Shiro
6
10
5
4
5
30
Yozora
6
10
8
6
6
36
The Helpful Fox Senko-san Characters: Fatal Failings Analysis
Character
Recklessness
Cowardice
Anger
DOH
Over-caring
Final Score
Kuroto
-9
-9
-2
-3
-7
-30
Senko
-8
-6
-5
-4
-8
-31
Yasuko
-8
-4
-5
-7
-5
-27
Shiro
-9
-5
-7
-7
-3
-31
Yozora
-7
-2
-4
-5
-7
-25
The Helpful Fox Senko-san Characters: Final Scores
Character
Final Score
Assessment
Kuroto
-9
Nightmare scenario
Senko
6
Nightmare scenario
Yasuko
4
Nightmare scenario
Shiro
-1
Nightmare scenario
Yozora
11
Great potential, yet deeply flawed
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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.
