So Ra No Wo To/Characters

Characters from So Ra No Wo To: the members of the Republic of Helvetia 1121st Tank Platoon, and supporting characters from the town of Seize and beyond.

Private Kanata Sorami
"Voiced by: Hisako Kanemoto"

Protagonist of the series, Kanata joined the military to learn how to play the trumpet and was assigned to the 1121st Platoon as a bugler. A cheerful and optimistic person, her presence helped to lighten the mood within the platoon.

"Rio: [...] So make as many problems for me as you'd like. I did the same[...] Kanata: Understood, ma'am! From now on, I'll make as many problems for you as I can!"
 * A-Cup Angst: It only comes up in one scene, but Kanata is aware of Rio and Filicia's assets.
 * Badass Unintentional: Kanata just wanted to learn to play the trumpet.
 * Country Mouse: Kanata comes from a particularly remote and backwards part of Helvetia, where old Japanese customs are stronger.
 * Desperately Looking for a Purpose In Life: Bugle mastered, Kanata spends the second OVA wondering what she should do now.
 * Dreadful Musician: Starts off as one, but finally figures out how to blow in episode 5. She still can't hold a candle to Rio's jazz trumpet, though.
 * Epic Hail: Someone has to tell both armies the peace has been signed!
 * Hair Decorations: A single clip on her left temple.
 * Exact Words


 * Fashionable Asymmetry: Her haircut, with a single tress hanging.
 * Hairstyle Inertia: As seen in the flashback to the time she met
 * Hisako Kanemoto: Before she was a Squid Girl.
 * Informed Flaw: Kanata claims to get lost a lot. She gets lost exactly twice, both cases shown in the first episode. She does, however, get easily distracted, and is prone to wandering off her path if something catches her eye.
 * Meaningful Name: Her given name is written with kanji that mean 'the other side', 'distant' or 'over there'. In episode 13,.
 * Shaggy Search Technique: Kanata has a knack for stumbling upon interesting things, be it ancient diaries, automated watchposts or giant winged skeletons.
 * Super Senses: Her hearing. It starts as perfect pitch, and then heads into the "no one could have heard that" territory.
 * Women Drivers: By the second OVA she's already driving the platoon's jeep. Although she drives slooowly, she gets distracted easily.
 * You Are Better Than You Think You Are: That's what her senpai Rio told her in episode three when she worried about being useless.
 * You Were Trying Too Hard: Episode four shows how you can improve your trumpet technique following advice from a glassblower: don't overdo it.

Sergeant Major Rio Kazumiya
"Voiced by: Yuu Kobayashi"

Second-in-command of the 1121st Platoon, Rio appears as a cool and unflappable person with a no-nonsense attitude and can be very strict in demanding military discipline and issuing orders. However, she also cares a lot about her fellow members, which makes her greatly admired by the younger members, especially Kureha.


 * Achilles in His Tent:
 * : In the series finale.
 * Epic Hail:
 * Hairstyle Inertia: As seen in the flashbacks to her childhood, Rio has kept the same Hime Cut for years.
 * Halfbreed: Rio is of mixed heritage.
 * Hime Cut: Somewhat unkempt.
 * Hot-Blooded: Rio doesn't do things half-assed, from giving speeches to cooking.
 * : But for Filicia, the rest of the girls don't know who Rio is exactly.
 * Lethal Chef: Bits of the kitchen turn up as ingredients of her cooking, so Kanata doesn't take her offer to help her in the kitchen in episode 8.
 * Memento MacGuffin: A jingle bell inherited from her
 * Missing Mom: Her mom died at an early age, as seen in episode three's flashback.
 * Parental Abandonment:
 * Sergeant Rough
 * Tall, Dark and Bishoujo: She isn't the taller girl (that would be Filicia).
 * That's an Order: When Kanata proves too keen on learning what is behind the mysterious cellar door in the first OVA Rio resorts to pulling rank on her.
 * You Gotta Have Blue Hair: The singular example, at that - though the Priest refers to her as 'the black-haired girl' at one point.
 * Yuu Kobayashi: Chewing the Scenery as if she were on a diet.
 * Tall, Dark and Bishoujo: She isn't the taller girl (that would be Filicia).
 * That's an Order: When Kanata proves too keen on learning what is behind the mysterious cellar door in the first OVA Rio resorts to pulling rank on her.
 * You Gotta Have Blue Hair: The singular example, at that - though the Priest refers to her as 'the black-haired girl' at one point.
 * Yuu Kobayashi: Chewing the Scenery as if she were on a diet.

Private Kureha Suminoya
"Voiced by: Eri Kitamura"

The designated gunner of the 1121st Platoon, Kureha is also the youngest member in the platoon. However, she is perhaps the most serious member and is a stickler for military regulations. Greatly admires Rio and Major Klaus.


 * Cry Cute: She drops her professional facade and let's out the waterworks when the rest of the crew decides
 * Deceased Parents Are the Best: Kureha loves to talk about her parents - although he barely remembers them.
 * Girls Love Stuffed Animals: She sleeps with a lederhosen-clad teddy bear.
 * Girlish Pigtails: Her usual hairstyle (tied with red ribbons) except while wearing her helmet.
 * Green-Eyed Monster: At first Kureha resents Kanata for getting some of Rio's attention as the newbie.
 * Military Brat: Her father was a tank commander and her mother a military nurse.
 * Never Gets Drunk: The only girl sober at the end of the first OVA. She still gets a hangover, though.
 * Only Sane Employee: Kureha is the only member of the 1121st that thinks there's something wrong with Filicia's relaxed approach to command.
 * Straight Man: Not only is Kureha generally the most serious of the five (barring Noel's Kuudere-ness), she's the only person living in the Clocktower Fortress with (comparatively) few Les Yay scenes.
 * Tsundere: She might act tough and professional but she's actually a softie. "I-It's not like I did it for you or anything like that..."
 * With Due Respect: She's the most military-minded of the crew, pulling rank on Kanata during the second episode on their tour through the base. When Filicia  she properly objects.

Corporal Noël Kannagi
"Voiced by: Yuuki Aoi"

The designated driver and mechanic of the 1121st Platoon, Noël is a taciturn and reserved person who spends much of her time tinkering at the platoon's tank Takemikazuchi.


 * Bokukko: She uses this male pronoun to refer to herself.
 * Broken Bird: Machines don't betray you..
 * Bunny Ears Lawyer: She may not answer you while driving, wonder at a pillbug, fall asleep at random and be quite laconic, but she can repair anything, save those pesky Black Boxes.
 * Child Prodigy:.
 * Defrosting Ice Queen: Filicia mentions that Noel has changed a lot since Kanata arrived. Noel also declares herself happy when Kanata doesn't arrive at the Clocktower Fortress on time, but by episode 4, she falls asleep on Kanata's shoulder.
 * Heavy Sleeper: She has a tendency to pull all-nighters working on the tank, resulting in narcolepsy.
 * Kuudere: The Stoic subtype. Noel says very little and uses as few words as possible to say it; however, she's
 * Sobriquet: Her connection to the Invisible Reaper bio-weapon earned her the epithet for herself.
 * Rei Ayanami Expy: Her laconic speaking style and appearance bring to mind a few other girls like her.
 * Teen Genius: Repaired the super-advanced Takemicaduchi alone, in an old, dilapidated high-school gym and achieved fluency in German Holy Roman in just under two months.
 * Terse Talker: Noël is pretty concise when she talks. While she is sober.
 * White-Haired Pretty Girl: She's fifteen and white haired, and as seen in the flashback, she's been white haired since an early age.
 * Wrench Wench: She's the Takemikazuchi Spider Tank pilot and mechanic.
 * Zettai Ryouiki: Her nightwear.
 * White-Haired Pretty Girl: She's fifteen and white haired, and as seen in the flashback, she's been white haired since an early age.
 * Wrench Wench: She's the Takemikazuchi Spider Tank pilot and mechanic.
 * Zettai Ryouiki: Her nightwear.

Second Lieutenant Filicia Heidemann
"Voiced by: Aya Endo"

Leader of the 1121st Platoon, Filicia adopts a very relaxed approach in commanding the platoon, beginning with her insistence of First-Name Basis amongst platoon members. She cares a lot about her subordinates and wanted them to be as happy as possible during their time in the Clocktower Fortress.


 * A Mother To Her Women: Filicia lists among the rules of the fortress that no one is to be adressed by rank, and she does every kind of menial tasks not usually performed by officers, like cleaning up the bathroom in episode 2.
 * Call Back: During the battle of Vingt-et-un,, Filicia says the same thing to the girls of the 1121st.
 * Captain Smooth
 * Fear of Thunder: Filicia usually smiling, calm composure breaks down during thunderstorms, as seen in episode two.
 * Hidden Depths: Filicia starts as the Team Mom and grows into an Iron Woobie as we learn more of her past and motivations.
 * Mama Bear: Filicia is a really nice girl... But make her girls cry and you'll regret it!
 * Meaningful Echo: See Call Back.
 * Meganekko: Pretty, always smiling and composed, giving orders that sound like suggestions, and a tad vulnerable.
 * Phenotype Stereotype: Germanic name = Hair of Gold and Blue Eyes.
 * Scary Shiny Glasses: Her glasses hide her eyes for serious effect in episode seven and for laughs in the first OVA.
 * Team Mom: You won't find officers who give group hugs often.
 * Unsuspectingly Soused: Can't really be called 'unsuspectingly', since she knew she was drinking alcohol; more like soused after spiking everyone's tea and overestimating her own tolerance.
 * Scary Shiny Glasses: Her glasses hide her eyes for serious effect in episode seven and for laughs in the first OVA.
 * Team Mom: You won't find officers who give group hugs often.
 * Unsuspectingly Soused: Can't really be called 'unsuspectingly', since she knew she was drinking alcohol; more like soused after spiking everyone's tea and overestimating her own tolerance.
 * Team Mom: You won't find officers who give group hugs often.
 * Unsuspectingly Soused: Can't really be called 'unsuspectingly', since she knew she was drinking alcohol; more like soused after spiking everyone's tea and overestimating her own tolerance.
 * Unsuspectingly Soused: Can't really be called 'unsuspectingly', since she knew she was drinking alcohol; more like soused after spiking everyone's tea and overestimating her own tolerance.

Sister Yumina
"Voiced by: Misato Fukuen"

A miko nun well, she works at the church and takes care of the orphans, all right?


 * Faux Fluency: Whereas Nami Miyahara's Aisha is pretty fluent in German - err Roman, Misato Fukuen clearly isn't. Fortunately Sister Yumina isn't supposed to be, being Helvetian, which means Roman is likely her second language.
 * Nuns Are Mikos: An inversion of the usual example; she looks more like a miko, but acts more like a nun.
 * Parental Substitute
 * Rummage Sale Reject: Not so much herself - her hakama-habit is actually quite fetching - but she doesn't spare the children or Kanata her poorly-coordinated choices of clothing.
 * Unsuspectingly Soused: In 'The Fortress At War', when . Less unsuspectingly later in the same episode, though.

Major Klaus
"Voiced by: Unsho Ishizuka"

A courier  responsible for supplying the 1121st with their mail and their new recruits. , 'Miracle Klaus', the Desert Wolf.


 * Call to Agriculture: After finishing his military service, his plan is to become a farmer.
 * Drives Like Crazy: He's good at what he does, but Kanata likely won't be riding with him again anytime soon.
 * Memetic Badass: In-Universe example - The Desert fucking Wolf.
 * Older Than They Look: He's fifty-one.
 * Sobriquet: The Desert Wolf.
 * Sobriquet: The Desert Wolf.

Aldola
"Voiced by: Nami Miyahara"

A  introduced in Episode 11 after she

"Du hast genug gelitten, deshalb vergebe ich dir, auch wenn dir sonst niemand vergeben sollte."
 * Ambiguously Brown
 * Bilingual Bonus: Given that she only speaks German Roman, much of her dialogue, including a major CMoH, requires a translation team fluent in German as well as Japanese.
 * Breast Attack: Noel gropes her breast to forestall being stabbed in the neck with a syringe. It works very well.
 * But Not Too Foreign: Her grandmother was Helvetian.
 * Can't Get Away with Nuthin':
 * Versöhnlich:


 * Viewers Are Geniuses: See Bilingual Bonus. The Roman dialogue wasn't translated for the viewers in the original airing.

Iliya Arkadia, a.k.a. "Grace"
"Voiced by: Ryoko Ono"

War heroine and daughter of the Archduke of Helvetia, she crossed the paths of several of the girls of the 1121st Tank Platoon before they were assigned to the Time Keeping Fortress.


 * Hime Cut: Fitting her Badass Princess status, this traditional Japanese hairstyle looks strange on a blonde. Her half-sister sports the same haircut.
 * Onee-Sama: Her half-sister pretty much worshipped her.
 * The Paragon: Everyone who ever met her was inspired by her wholesomeness (in different ways), especially Kanata, Rio and Filicia.
 * Phenotype Stereotype: Hair of Gold and Green Eyes
 * Posthumous Character: She only appears in flashbacks.
 * Royals Who Actually Do Something: She was a revered Helvetian war heroine.
 * Too Good for This Sinful Earth: Besides all her wartime heroism, she died saving a kid from drowning.

Naomi
"Voiced by: Mayuno Yasukawa"

Owner of the glasswork shop and ally of the Clocktower Fortress girls.


 * Friend in the Black Market: She acts as a go-between for smuggling illegal calvados as a side to her curio shop.
 * Insistent Terminology: Do not like people addressing her in terms that would reveal her age and insists them on using the age-neutral "Naomi-san" instead.
 * Ms. Exposition
 * Oba-san: She's in her forties.