Ōarai: Ōarai Girls' Academy (Anglerfish Team, Duck Team and Hippo Team, Rabbit Team and Turtle Team)
Rival Schools: Rival Schools (St. Gloriana Girls Academy, Saunders University High School, Anzio High School, Pravda High School, Kuromorimine Girls High School)
Others: Der Film Characters | Das Finale Characters | Other Characters
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Saunders University High School
. M4, M4A1(76)W, M4A4, and Firefly models were all seen.In the movie they assist Ōarai Academy by transporting their tanks to the mainland so they would not be confiscated. They also join the other rival schools as additional forces for Ōarai High School's match against the University Teams, bringing with them an M4A4, M4A1(76)W, and a Firefly.
Tropes for Saunders in general
- Cool Plane: Saunders has a Lockheed C5M Super Galaxy, which they used to transport Ōarai's tanks to the mainland, as well as their own tanks during the ending credits of the movie.
- They also have several B-29 bombers which they use for towing gliders.
- Eagleland: Saunders has distinctive American traits, such as being rich, using Gratuitous English, having a cheer squad and mostly relying on numbers as their Sensha-do style. They are portrayed as beautiful Americans since they are friendly and good-hearted girls.
- Leitmotif: The Battle Hymn of the Republic
- Paper-Thin Disguise: The "Flying Tankers" Tankathalon team is in no way associated with Saunders University High School.
- Theme Naming: the names of the important Saunders characters have similar pronunciations in both English and Japanese; Kei/Kay, Arisa/Alyssa and Naominote
- The Worf Effect: In the Movie, they are twice shown to be completely outmatched by the University team's skill level.
- Throughout the series, they are frequently refered to as being one of the strongest Sensha-do teams in the league. However, they have yet to be seen scoring a single win against another main school. This wouldnt be as bad if it wasnt for the fact that the only other schools with this honour are Anzio and Chi-ha-tan the two poorest performing main schools in the series.
- Zerg Rush: Their specialty is to deploy a lot of Shermans and simply overwhelm the opponent with superior numbers. They have enough tanks to have three full Sensha-do teams.note
Kay
Kay
This is Sensha-do, not war. Your tank will cry if you are a bad person!
Position: Squadron Commander/Tank Commander, M4A4
Voiced by: Ayako Kawasumi (Japanese), Emily Neves (English)
Saunders' leader and commander of an M4 Sherman during the Saunders-Ōarai match.
Tropes Kay finds exciting!
- Actually Pretty Funny: While Alisa and Naomi are outraged by Yukari's infiltration of Saunders, Kay breaks down in uncontrollable giggles at her Kelly's Heroes reference and compliments her when they meet again just before their match.
- Badass Creed: See her quote above. Let's put it in perspective: in a world where Sensha-do is Serious Business enough to justify disowning one's daughter over preferring lives to victories, she firmly believes the opposite. She utters it only once, so it could be a Badass Boast, but she then she lectures Miho about it, after having behaved that way all the battle and before and after it, making clear it's a creed and not a boast.
- Big Damn Heroes: Saves Alisa from Ōarai's pursuit.
- In the movie they show up to save Ōarai's tanks when the school is closed
- Big Eater: Downplayed, but she is supposed to be American-themed, so this trope is naturally present: during the final, she is seen munching her way through a tub of popcorn roughly the size of her torso. In Motto Love Love Sakusen Desu, it is revealed she wears some sports-channel fat burner belt so she can eat more fried chicken.Nonna: You could just eat less...
- Apparently shares this trait with her direct subordinates, as the end credits scene of the movie would point out: Worfing popcorn inside the cockpit of their school's transport plane, and even taking a large bite out of Arisa's burger.
- Boisterous Bruiser: Typically American boisterousness combined with a typical American 30-ton war machine leads to this.
- Cavalier Competitor: Being spied upon? No biggie. Losing first blood to the enemy? Surprising, but interesting! For her, tank combat is fun."Exciting!""That's Sensha-do!"''
- Defeat Means Friendship: Becomes friends with Miho and Ōarai's sensha-do team after losing to them.
- Eagleland: Not actually American, but she represents the Noble variety as the friendly sportsman with a lot of firepower.
- Expy: Of sorts to Touka Ryuumonbuchi; both have the same hairstyle, and both are Large Hams. The only difference is that Touka is a more of a Jerk with a Heart of Gold, compared to Kay who is at least more open as long as she gets to enjoy the sport.
- Foil: Nicely contrasts with Manga-Anchovy, given that she's laid-back and enjoys exciting matches, while Manga-Anchovy values victory above all else. This is nicely emphasized in that Kay's match is shown in the anime, while Anchovy's in the manga.
- Genki Girl: Her energy during a match (or outside a match) is unrivaled in her team.
- Graceful Loser: Embraces Miho after her loss to Ōarai, then teaches the latter her creed.
- Gratuitous English: Liberally sprinkles her speeches with American English.
- Informed Attribute: Darjeeling's claim that Saunders often uses "dirty tactics" becomes this after Kay is shown in action, unless Darjeeling somehow knew about Alisa intercepting radio communications. She probably assumed that Saunders' foreknowledge of Gloriana's positions in previous matches was Kay's own doing, if she didn't know about Alisa.
- Informed Ability: Kay is lauded as an incredible Sensha-do commander, good enough to be made one of the 3 commanders of 'operation Bumpy' alongside Miho and Maho in Der Film. However Kay has yet to be seen scoring a victory against a named school in the series. See The Worf Effect above
- Irony: Saunders is known for utilizing Zerg Rush tactics to overwhelm their opponents. In Der Film, her tank ends up being ganged up, and then taken out by the Bermuda Trio."Oops..."
- Large Ham: A genki girl that loves her sport in a sherman tank? Yes, this is the result.
- The Leader: Of Saunders' sensha-do squad. She's the charismatic type.
- Lets Fight Like Ladies: She only pursues Ōarai with four tanks rather than taking advantage of her superior numbers, because one of her teammates was intercepting their radio transmissions."This is Sensha-do, not war."
- In Dream Tank Match, at Saunders' Domination Battle against Saint Gloriana, Darjeeling has a small trash talk session with Kay about whether Saunders "brought their listening ear today". While Alisa gets fidgety, Kay claims that she has really good ears. When Assam whispers to Darjeeling that perhaps Kay is Sarcasm-Blind, Darjeeling simply says something along the line, "It is as expected; after all, Kay is not that kind of person."
- Ms. Fanservice: Between her long blonde hair, ample breasts, and choice of outfit, she can prove very attractive.
- Named After Somebody Famous: She may be named after the British Sherman Firefly driver and historian of armored combat Douglas Kay.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: While genuinely energetic, she becomes stern and subdued while telling Alisa that she wants a word with her regarding her radio tapping, which ended up backfiring and costing them the match. When she first finds out about Alisa's radio tapping and screams "You Fool!" at her down the radio so hard Alisa cringes. She brings Alisa to the final with her, though so it seems she wasn't too mad.
- Pass the Popcorn: Munches on a nice container of the stuff in Episode 12 watching the battle with Miho and Maho. Justified because it is a sporting event.
- Phenotype Stereotype: Like Darjeeling, she has the Anglo-Saxon blue eyes and blonde hair gig going for her. Her hair is more strawberry blonde as opposed to Darjeeling's paler color to give off the more wild American vibe.
- Precision F-Strike: In the movie, when the University teams fully breaks through her line, and she is unable to pursue, she tosses her Periscope aside with a loud, and very American, "Shit!!"
- Reasonable Authority Figure: Believes in the concept of fair play and condemns dirty tricks like radio interception.
- Spell My Name With An S: Kay, or Kei, depending on translator
- Tranquil Fury: Not long after the match with Ōarai, she tells Arisa she wants a word with her in a tone that, while subdued, makes it abundantly clear that she's furious at her. Considering Arisa set up a communications-intercepting balloon behind her back, it's not hard to she why she's so mad.
Naomi
Naomi
"Yes, ma'am."
Position: Tank Commander/Gunner, Sherman Firefly
Voiced by: Mariya Ise (Japanese), Stephanie Wittels (English, der Film), Shelley Calene-Black (English, das Finale)
Saunders' second-in-command. Serves as gunner on the Sherman Firefly in Saunders vs Ōarai.
Tropes for Naomi
- Boyish Short Hair: This is how it looks in comparison to her superior's longer hair.
- The Casanova: In Motto Love Love Sakusen, she is said to have many girlfriends and in one scene, is shown to be able to charm St.Gloriana's Assam.
- Chew Bubblegum: While blasting away, she's chewing gum. She even runs out of gum right before kicking Anglerfish's ass.
- Friendly Sniper: Down three Ōarai tanks with her Firefly.
- Played in an amusingyly literal sense in the movie, where she exchanges friendly, polite small tea-talk with Darjeeling right before sniping the obstacle between Darjeeling and her target, allowing her to destroy it.
- Funbag Airbag: When she slumps back in her seat with a "sigh" at the end of their onscreen battle, her head finds some... comfortable pillows... courtesy of her startled commander.
- Graceful Loser: While visibly disappointed by their slim margin of defeat, she nevertheless harbors no ill will towards Ooarai at the end of the day.
- Lady Looks Like a Dude: Conspicuously so. Outside the tank it's not so conspicuous, due to her bosom.
- Number Two: To Saunders as a whole.
- Worthy Opponent: Considers Hana as this in the spin-off manga. If the end of the match between Saunders and Continuation High School towards the end of das Finale Part III is any indication, Naomi also considers the largely-unseen Continuation gunner Jouko as one, viewing the match-ending shot Jouko fired with both contempt and reluctant respect.
Alisa
Alisa
"Why are those run-down tanks driving us off?" (Turns to her gunner) "Aim to the right! Our school is on a different level than yours!"
Position: Tank Commander/Radio Operator, M4A1(76)W
Voiced by: Aya Hirano (Japanese), Brittney Karbowski (English)
Saunders' third-in-command. Commands the flag tank, an M4A1(76)W, during the Saunders-Ōarai match.
Tropes Alisa eavesdropped on
- All Love Is Unrequited: Mentions a guy she likes called "Takashi" who doesn't like her back while her tank is fleeing from Ooarai, though considering her mental state at the time, she could have just been babbling. She also implies that Takashi likes another girl, but gives no indication as to whether his love is requited. It's a very cryptic Shout-Out: Hirano voiced Suzumiya Haruhi, and Takayuki Narumi is whom Suzumiya Haruka is in love with.
- Ascended Extra: Gets a much larger role in the Ribbon Warrior spin-off as the leader of the "Flying Tankers" Tankathalon group.
- Awesomeness by Analysis: She might not be the best tank commander around and clearly needs a remedial course on good sportsmanship, but episode 5 shows why she's Saunders' Vice-Captain:
- She accurately guesses Ōarai's positions at the time of the radio transmission (time-distance calculation + terrain analysis), translates the very vague "leftwards direction" into a specific set of coordinates (more terrain analysis) and accurately estimates how fast Rabbit Team would get there (time-distance calculation, and it wouldn't have worked unless she got the first two approximately right). She then coordinates the movements of two platoons so the platoon moving in the open comes into view shortly before the flanking platoon moves in through the forest and counters Ōarai's reinforcing element by moving in Naomi's platoon (latter is not quite as impressive because her team has visual contact now, but still requires time-distance calculations). She also figured out the feasibility of withdrawing two tanks back out of commitment and into envelopment ahead of Ōarai's tanks (same). Keep in mind that all this was accomplished using only a radio and a map, without even seeing the battle unfold.
- Berserk Button: Bringing up her non-existent love life.
- Blatant Lies: Claims her knowledge of Ooarai's positioning comes from "female intuition". Kay only doesn't notice because she's too pumped up.
- Boisterous Weakling: For all her boasting, she's an ineffective tank commander, whose panic over Oarai catching her results in an amusing symmetry with her calling Ōarai "weaklings". This is discussed in the second recap episode (and downplayed because Miho is that nice).
- Butt-Monkey: After her master plan against Ooarai falls to pieces, she seems to fall into this. Especially in Motto Love Love Sakusen Desu, where she gets caught trying to infiltrate Ooarai and humiliated, and later in the Christmas installment, where Kay, dressed as Santa, crowdsurfs a sled into the back of her head and knocks her into a cake.
- Combat Pragmatist: She's willing to seek every advantage in battle.
- Dick Dastardly Stops to Cheat: Saunders had numerical superiority, better tanks and more experienced crews, but Alisa just had to bring a radio listening balloon regardless. This enables Ōarai to turn the tables by sending fake communications via radio and real orders via text message.
- Evil Laugh: She lets rip with one after intercepting another transmission, getting some startled looks from her crew.
- Foreshadowing: In Episode 6, when her Sherman flag tank was being pursued by Oarai's tanks, she stressfully asked why such a school was participating in the tournament and that she knew that it was supposed to be abolished soon. This happened way early, even before the Student Council President of Oarai stated that if they lost the tournament, the school would be abolished.
- Girlish Pigtails: Which make her look like a loudmouth brat after tangling with Ōarai.
- Gut Feeling: She claims that her knowledge of Ōarai's positions comes from this.
- Hoist by Her Own Petard: The reason the numerically superior Saunders units ended up out-of-position, leaving her tank at Ōarai's mercy and convincing Kay to bring matching numbers of tanks during their counterattack? She fell for fake communications (when Miho deduced that their radio transmissions were being intercepted), fooling her into emptying her guns without informing her allies.
- Jerkass Has a Point: In general, she’s not a very nice individual, but she does have a point in calling out her crew for not using their tank’s machine gun just because it’s not as cool as the cannon,
- Large Ham: She's Laughing Mad as she's running for the hills and combining these mad laughs with non-sequiturs.
- Loophole Abuse: Technically, intercepting radio transmissions isn't cheating, but it's not good sportsmanship either. To further elaborate, using radio interception airplanes is illegal in the Sensha-do tournament. She gets around this by using a radio interception balloon.
- Mission Control: Serves as one for Saunders and helped by the radio intercepts.
- Munchkin: Her team already had a two-one advantage in numbers, better tanks, and many more veterans, yet she still decided to eavesdrop on her opponent's communications to further increase the odds of winning. Imagine how bad she would be in World of Tanks!
- Oh, Crap!: After realizing Kay disapproves of her actions and wants a word with her in an uncharacteristically stern tone.
- Paper-Thin Disguise: In Motto Love Love Sakusen Desu, she only uses a pair of fake sunglasses and breast pads as a disguise.
- Rank Up: Takes over as commander of Saunders's Sensha-do team in the Little Army 2 spin-off manga.
- Revenge: In Motto Love Love Sakusen Desu, she decides to infiltrate Ōarai to steal its classified information in revenge for Yukari infiltrating Saunders. However, her disguise is... less than stellar, as Leopon Team finds her suspicious immediately.
- Smug Snake: When she thinks her team holds the upper hand, she holds very dismissive views of her opponents, acting condescending towards them and letting loose with Unsportsmanlike Gloating when she's particularly confident of victory. But when the tables are turned or some unexpected complication happens, she tries to flee while having what can only be described as a panic attack.
- Spell My Name With An S: Depending on the translation, is "Arisa", "Alisa," "Alyssa" or "Alice."
- Throw the Dog a Bone: Leads Saunders to victory against Pravda in Little Army 2.
- Ribbon Warrior also shows that she's a good strategist, at least in Tankathlon, where her penchant for more underhanded tactics gives her an advantage.
- Token Evil Teammate: Relatively minor, but she's still a poor sport and a cheater in a team known for fair play and graciousness in both victory and defeat.
- Unsportsmanlike Gloating: When The Cavalry appears she goes back to her eeevil ranting.
- Villainous Breakdown: When she finds out she was outsmarted and led into a trap, she doesn't take it well and starts babbling incoherently as her tank drives for its life.
- Youthful Freckles: Her freckled face combined with her attitude brings to mind a Bratty Half-Pint who didn't grow up.
Loader and Gunner, M4A1(76)W
Tropes for the two
- Beleaguered Assistant: Crewing Alisa's tank is not a cake walk.
- Cool Helmet: The loader easy to distinguish in group shots because she's very rarely seen without her tanker helmet, even outside of matches. Because of this many fans also commonly refer to her as Helmet-chan.
- Ineffectual Sympathetic Villain: The "ineffectual" part being because their tank is cramped with radio spying equipment, to the point of the loader being unable to find her shells in a hurry.
- No Badass to His Valet: It's clear they don't have a high opinion of Alisa's capabilities.
- No Name Given: Hence the fan nicknames (a simple "Loader-chan" and "Gunner-chan").
- Not-So-Harmless Villain: When Alisa finally gets out of her Villainous Breakdown and stops distracting them, they become quite effective. Discussed by Miho in the second recap episode.
- Silent Snarker: They do speak, but most of their frustration at Alisa's antics and command (or lack thereof) style is conveyed through exasperated facial expressions.
- Show, Don't Tell: They get lots of characterization in a very limited screen time. See Silent Snarker above.
- The Reliable One: They fill the trope so closely that quoting verbatim the first two paragraphs of its page would accurately describe their on-screen time.
- Those Two Girls: The two are just there in Alisa's Sherman.
