Sun Tzu and Anime: The Magnificent Kotobuki Character Analysis
Summer's almost over, so let's spend some remaining vacation time with Sun Tzu's exceptional wisdom rating anime's finest.
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.
To send the summer off in style, we're looking at a unique assortment: the titular unit from Kouya no Kotobuki Hikoutai. As always, to keep things fair, we'll analyze them in the order they were formally introduced.
Character Analysis: Kylie
The Magnificent Kotobuki: Kylie
The Magnificent Kotobuki: Kylie
Victory Factors
Factor
Score
Reasoning
Morality
7
She's a great person and loyal wing-mate. However, she nurses a grudge against mercenary pilot Naomi for most of the series and doesn't always work well with Chika.
Weather
5
She's got great instincts, but still got caught in bad weather twice, the second occasion being so bad she crashed.
Terrain
7
She's highly adept in the skies, yet sometimes gets caught off-guard on the ground, most infamously when Kate snuck up on her and Chika outside Allen's hospital room.
Good Leadership
4
She's okay with kids and helped wrangle Reona during the Julia-Isao debate episode, but mostly varies between lone wolf and follower.
Preparation
7
She's arguably the squadron's best pilot, not to mention one of only two people that downs Isao, although she tends to wing things outside of combat.
Total
30
Fatal Failings
Failing
Score
Reasoning
Recklessness
-9
Major red flag. She often underestimates foes, is very careless under pressure, and is very impulsive with pancakes, like when she ducked out of filing a report so she could get some.
Cowardice
-3
She's a tad indecisive, yet not enough to worry.
Anger
-7
Slight red flag. She's a hothead, plus easily triggered, most often by Chika, although Isao also set her off when he boasted about murdering her mentor, Old Sab.
Delicacy of Honor
-7
Slight red flag. She's very cocky, something that nearly gets her killed several times, especially in the series' latter half.
Over-caring
-10
Epic red flag. She adored Old Sab, is very protective of her friends/squadmates, and so obsessed with pancakes she flattened a man for knocking one out of her hands.
Total
-36
Final Assessment
Score: -6 (Nightmare scenario)
Character Analysis: Reona
The Magnificent Kotobuki: Reona
The Magnificent Kotobuki: Reona
Victory Factors
Factor
Score
Reasoning
Morality
8
She's a great person, loyal friend, and very generous with her efforts to maintain an orphanage. However, she can sometimes be selfish when protecting her squadron.
Weather
10
Thanks to her training, skill, and experience, this isn't an issue.
Terrain
8
She's nimble and highly adept, yet occasionally gets caught off-guard, such as when she almost got downed during the Julia-Isao debate arc.
Good Leadership
7
She's a good strategist and does well keeping her squadron focused, but sometimes gets tunnel vision in battle, hence her nickname "Tenacious Reona".
Preparation
7
She's a good planner and organizer, yet didn't heed Julia's warnings about Isao until it was too late.
Total
40
Fatal Failings
Failing
Score
Reasoning
Recklessness
-7
Slight red flag. She often underestimates others, and can be very impulsive about repaying debts because she despises owing anyone.
Cowardice
-4
She froze during the Julia-Isao debate arc, then briefly did it again during the final battle, but those were exceptions.
Anger
-5
She's got a slow-burn temper, yet takes a lot to really snap, Chika and Kylie's continual spats being the most common cause.
Delicacy of Honor
-3
She's a tad cocky, but not enough to worry.
Over-caring
-7
Slight red flag. She's very protective of her squadron, especially Zara, who she's very fond of.
Total
-26
Final Assessment
Score: 14 (Great potential, yet deeply flawed)
Character Analysis: Zara
The Magnificent Kotobuki: Zara
The Magnificent Kotobuki: Zara
Victory Factors
Factor
Score
Reasoning
Morality
10
She's a wonderful person: kind, an exceptional wing-mate, and very caring with others, particularly Reona and Anesan, the artist at Elite Industries.
Weather
10
Thanks to her skills, experience, and training, this isn't an issue.
Terrain
8
She's very capable, yet sometimes gets caught off-guard, like when Isao's butler had a crane clip her wing in the final battle.
Good Leadership
5
She's good at stealth and manipulation, namely when she infiltrated Elite Industries disguised as a dancer, but ultimately tends to vary between follower and lone wolf.
Preparation
7
She's well-trained and knows the arts, yet still sometimes wings things.
Total
40
Fatal Failings
Failing
Score
Reasoning
Recklessness
-7
Slight red flag. She badly underestimated Isao, and is very impulsive with alcohol, most infamously when she literally outdrank an entire room of men.
Cowardice
0
She's surprisingly bold, so no worries here.
Anger
-2
She rarely gets angry, so no worries here either.
Delicacy of Honor
-5
She occasionally gets cocky in combat, an issue that sadly got her shot down twice.
Over-caring
-7
Slight red flag. She's very protective of others, such as when she defended Anesan against Isao's thugs, and is deeply fond of Reona, so much so she suggested they run off together right before the final battle.
Total
-21
Final Assessment
Score: 19 (Great potential, yet deeply flawed)
Character Analysis: Emma
The Magnificent Kotobuki: Emma
The Magnificent Kotobuki: Emma
Victory Factors
Factor
Score
Reasoning
Morality
7
She's a wonderful person and loyal wing-mate, but can sometimes get selfish in the heat of the moment, especially when someone tries to con her family.
Weather
10
Thanks to her skills, experience, and training, this isn't an issue.
Terrain
8
She's very potent, yet occasionally gets caught off-guard, like when she famously dipped her Oscar's tail into a river so she could down two pursuers, only to get downed herself moments later.
Good Leadership
5
She's got some good business skills, but tends to go rogue at random moments and isn't very diplomatic.
Preparation
6
She's well-trained and deeply aware of the surrounding social scene, yet mostly wings everything outside of that.
Total
36
Fatal Failings
Failing
Score
Reasoning
Recklessness
-9
Major red flag. She often underestimates foes, gets very impulsive when she's angry or impatient, and is very careless, such as when she got on Elite Industries' president's tail, only to get downed by a rear-seat gunner.
Cowardice
-2
She freezes a few times, but not enough to worry.
Anger
-8
Serious red flag. She's got an explosive temper, plus is easily triggered, most famously by Rahama's indecisive mayor, although she also repeatedly snaps during the many battles with Isao.
Delicacy of Honor
-3
She's a tad vain, yet not to worry here either.
Over-caring
-5
She's very protective of her family and squadron mates, plus also admires Lulu's spunk.
Total
-27
Final Assessment
Score: 9 (Nightmare scenario)
Character Analysis: Kate
The Magnificent Kotobuki: Kate
The Magnificent Kotobuki: Kate
Victory Factors
Factor
Score
Reasoning
Morality
7
Despite her tsundere nature, she's a wonderful sister and loyal wing-mate, as well as the most adamant champion of the sabotaged oil derrick.
Weather
10
Thanks to her skills, experience, and knowledge, this isn't an issue.
Terrain
7
She's a great pilot and highly observant, yet was very confused about the ocean.
Good Leadership
5
She handled the oil derrick incident well, but ultimately is more follower than leader.
Preparation
7
She's extremely smart, well-trained, a great engineer, and the only other person to down Isao. However, she's very naïve and can't always read social cues.
Total
36
Fatal Failings
Failing
Score
Reasoning
Recklessness
-7
Slight red flag. She badly underestimated Isao, and can sometimes be very careless, such as when she tried to dodge a missile in the final battle, only to get downed by its shrapnel.
Cowardice
-3
She's a tad indecisive, yet not enough to worry.
Anger
0
She doesn't really get angry, so no worries here.
Delicacy of Honor
-7
Slight red flag. She's surprisingly cocky, which she famously proved when taunting Isao after downing him: "Carelessness is your greatest weakness."
Over-caring
-5
She's very protective of Allen, hence her constantly bringing him books and alcohol.
Total
-22
Final Assessment
Score: 14 (Great potential, yet deeply flawed)
Character Analysis: Chika
The Magnificent Kotobuki: Chika
The Magnificent Kotobuki: Chika
Victory Factors
Factor
Score
Reasoning
Morality
5
She's got a good heart, but is very caustic and snippy, especially toward Kylie.
Weather
8
She's very capable, namely during the battle against the giant bombers, yet isn't always as good at night.
Terrain
5
She's nimble, but also clumsy and not very observant, such as when she skimmed the ground to see how low she could fly.
Good Leadership
3
She's okay at motivating people, yet isn't a good strategist and mostly does her own thing rather than follow orders.
Preparation
4
She's good at choosing books, but rarely plans anything and wasn't the least bit ready for Isao's ruthlessness.
Total
25
Fatal Failings
Failing
Score
Reasoning
Recklessness
-10
Epic red flag. She perpetually underestimates others, has a huge careless streak, and is very impulsive, like when she spent most of her wages buying her backpack, then labeling it Malo.
Cowardice
-5
She's a tad nervous, plus briefly froze in the final battle.
Anger
-10
Epic red flag. She's got an explosive temper, and is easily triggered, most often by Kylie, although she also got into a violent spat with Rahama's guard leader.
Delicacy of Honor
-10
Epic red flag. She's proud and extremely cocky, issues that inevitably make her the squadron's most downed pilot.
Over-caring
-4
Despite her bluster, she's very close to her wing-mates, plus very protective of Malo.
Total
-39
Final Assessment
Score: -14 (Nightmare scenario)
Reviewing the Results
This unit was a mixed bag: very capable pilots, all of which suffer from pettiness, impulsivity, and short tempers. With such in mind, it's no surprise they all get downed at least twice apiece, but that harkens back to what's been said all along: follow Sun Tzu, and you'll win; ignore him, and you'll lose.
The Magnificent Kotobuki Characters: Victory Factors Analysis
Character
Morality
Weather
Terrain
Leadership
Preparation
Final Score
Kylie
7
5
7
4
7
30
Reona
8
10
8
7
7
40
Zara
10
10
8
5
7
40
Emma
7
10
8
5
6
36
Kate
7
10
7
5
7
36
Chika
5
8
5
3
4
25
The Magnificent Kotobuki Characters: Fatal Failings Analysis
Character
Recklessness
Cowardice
Anger
DOH
Over-caring
Final Score
Kylie
-9
-3
-7
-7
-10
-36
Reona
-7
-4
-5
-3
-7
-26
Zara
-7
0
-2
-5
-7
-21
Emma
-9
-2
-8
-3
-5
-27
Kate
-7
-3
0
-7
-5
-22
Chika
-10
-5
-10
-10
-4
-39
The Magnificent Kotobuki Characters: Final Scores
Character
Final Score
Assessment
Kylie
-6
Nightmare scenario
Reona
14
Great potential, yet deeply flawed
Zara
19
Great potential, yet deeply flawed
Emma
9
Nightmare scenario
Kate
14
Great potential, yet deeply flawed
Chika
-14
Nightmare scenario
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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.
