By Andrew Nickerson
Throughout history, it’s hard to find a tactical/strategic manual anywhere near as influential as The Art of War by Sun Tzu. This 2,000-year-old manuscript differs from virtually all others on its premise alone: how to win. It then lays out the means of victory in simple, common-sense principles, an approach so effective that expert after expert has said the same thing: if you follow Sun Tzu’s wisdom, you’ll win; if not, you’ll lose. What’s more, his approach has been dissected and replicated across all manner of other mediums, with everyone from sports coaches to politicians to businessmen benefiting from this ancient genius’ brilliant mind.
However, there’s one medium that Sun Tzu hasn’t tapped yet: pop culture plotlines. If he can explain everything else, then there’s no reason to suspect he can’t apply here as well. To illustrate this point, we’re going to examine a famous scene from the anime series The Magnificent Kotobuki1: the heavy bomber raid. More specifically, we’re going to analyze it via the most applicable Sun Tzu principles: morality, terrain, leadership, preparation, improv, foreknowledge, direct-indirect acts, recklessness, cowardice, delicacy of honor, and underestimation.
Here’s the background: a primitive, alternate version of Earth is suddenly visited by a highly advanced group of people, courtesy of a large teleportation circle known as a Hole. Known as the Yufang (after their home world), the new arrivals share their exceptional knowledge and technology, enabling many advances, particularly that of flight. Providing planes (mostly WWII-era), the knowledge of drilling oil, and a myriad of other gifts, they epitomize one of Sun Tzu’s Five Essential Victory Factors, morality2. Unfortunately, their arrival also violates one of Sun Tzu’s Fatal Failings of Leadership, recklessness3, and another Victory Factor, terrain4, because the Hole also disrupts the natural balance, namely by eliminating the world’s oceans. Even stranger, the Yufang mysteriously leave, leaving humanity with an awful mess. 70 years later, the world’s become decrepit, and soon the quickest and safest way to travel/transport goods is via airship, leading to the formation of numerous companies to oblige, a nice use the Sun Tzu principle, “Be flexible. According as circumstances are favorable, one should modify one’s plans,”5 or improv. However, criminals soon take advantage of this to form Air Pirate groups to raid the airships, leading to said companies further using improv by hiring mercenary pilots as escorts/security.
One such group is the Ouni Company, operating via the airship Hagoromo and managed by hardcore businesswoman Loulou. Her security comes from the Kotobuki Flight Corps (KFC from now on), a cadre of six ace female pilots: pancake-loving Kylie; brainiac Kate; eloquent Emma; hard-drinking Zara; hotheaded Chika; and hardcore vet Reona, who’s also their commander. Their chosen aircraft is the Hayabusa, which is quite nimble and quick and has twin, nose-mounted heavy machine guns, but isn’t well-armored, making it a true contrast worthy of their skills. Throughout the series, these bold women battle all manner of threats for their clients, which range from small towns and businesses to prominent politicians and fellow mercenaries, their exploits and skill earning them many allies. However, they keep encountering pirates with increasingly greater numbers, skill, and technology. Most of the latter is extremely expensive, leading them all to ask one thing: how is that possible?
The answer is simple: Isao, an ace pilot who managed to take the reins of a massive corporation. He’s got a plan to take over the world, but needs the means to do so. First, he relies on two Sun Tzu principles: preparation6 (another Essential Victory Factor) and “what enables the wise sovereign and the good general to strike and conquer and achieve things beyond the reach of ordinary men is foreknowledge.”7 He does this by researching the Yufang, and learns something extraordinary: there wasn’t just one Hole connecting their worlds, but multiple ones of varying sizes that have appeared over time. Hence, he puts extreme effort into locating the Holes and securing whatever emerges. From there, he goes to different pirate groups, offering training, money, and technology to stage raids to terrify the people. Afterward, he’d show up to offer security as part of his new invention: the Brotherhood of Freedom Union (Union from now on). He vows that the Union’s security force will handle all pirates, monies from corporations will handle anything energy related, and will establish a monopoly to begin stabilizing costs. It’s an admittedly brilliant use of one of Sun Tzu’s favorite principles: “The direct method may be used for joining battle, but indirect methods will be needed in order to secure victory.”8 What’s more, during one such raid, he personally takes to the skies to defend a city, earning more accolades and the title of mayor of his hometown, to say nothing of the increasing admiration of many other locations, which rams that same principle home even further.
Sadly, those that accept a place in the Union have violated recklessness, another Fatal Failing, cowardice9, and another Essential Victory Factor, leadership10, more specifically its caveat, “We cannot enter into alliances until we are acquainted with the designs of our neighbors.”11 That failure first appears with Isao’s ruthlessly hunting down anyone else conducting research on the Holes, a stunning violation of morality; one such victim is KFC pilot Kate’s brother Allen, who’s left wheelchair-bound after his plane is shot down. Also, Isao’s claims about the monopoly soon turn poisonous, such as with his oil group, Standon, which starts offering gas at half the cost of its competitors. However, said gas is very bad quality, making this another shameful morality violation. Worse, Standon starts going around, offering to buy up smaller oil wells, leading to one of two scenarios: if the buyout is accepted, they’re issued ruthlessly steep quotas until they fold; on the other hand, those who refuse are shot up by Isao’s thugs, adding cowardice to the list of violations being committed. That list soon includes recklessness due to another habit of Isao’s thugs: infiltrating different pirate groups, winning their trust, and then stealing their aircraft before wiping out those who retaliate. This policy does beef up their arsenals, but also increases their roster of enemies.
However, Isao soon encounters 2 obstacles to his Union, the first being Julia, a city councilor for Gadoll and an old classmate of Loulou. Crass, arrogant, and featuring a bent moral compass, she’s the walking epitome of another Fatal Failing, delicacy of honor.12 Then again, she’s also got a sharp mind and, recognizing the threat Isao poses, tries and warn others about him. Despite this great use of foreknowledge and leadership, her words fall on deaf ears, particularly after Isao’s stunt personally fighting back. As a result of this demonstration, more Gadoll councilors buy into his spiel, leading to a huge confrontation during a meeting where Julia again desperately tries warn others, only to be heckled and have the council chairman demands she retract her words and apologize. In a brave use of leadership, namely its caveat “Some commands must not be obeyed,”13 she refuses, unleashing a frightening reaction: the council not only throws her out, they frame her for numerous crimes to justify it, allowing them to almost unanimously join the Union. It’s a staggering violation of morality, leadership, delicacy of honor, cowardice, and recklessness…and they’re still not done. Shortly thereafter, troops go to her home to try and arrest her, but fail another principle, never underestimate an opponent14, because her loyal guards predict the move and help her escape via plane. Undaunted, Isao immediately sends fighters after her, but fails underestimation himself due to Julia’s having already hired ace mercenary/occasional KFC foil Naomi as back-up, a good use of foreknowledge and prep.
The second obstacle is KFC, whose efforts often foil Isao’s various efforts, albeit inadvertently. Thus, Isao tries to neutralize them, first via a plot to hijack the Hagoromo and destroy it; however, he fails underestimation again when the former, using improv, prep, and foreknowledge, retake and even crash the airship to stop him. From there, Isao now tries direct-indirect by having one of his companies offer the KFC pilots double their pay and the use of any plane they want to join. But before any answer is given, he makes 2 crucial mistakes, the first occurring when Kylie takes Allen up in a plane to check some of his research, which has progressed to where he can quite literally predict the time/location of where Holes appear. It’s an impressive display of prep and foreknowledge, and he proves it by having Kylie bring him to where a Hole is forming…only to have Isao’s minions attack. The pair put up a valiant struggle through Kylie’s piloting and Allen’s brilliant skill as a rear-seat gunner, a brilliant display of improv and prep, but fail underestimation when reinforcements arrive and the latter runs out of ammo. They end up crashing and are forced to rely on improv by faking their own deaths to avoid being killed. Meanwhile, the other mistake occurs when Isao’s top thug, Hideaki, raids Allen’s hospital room and steals his research notes, ironically prompting both said attack and another based on what his notes reveal: the most likely location where the next Hole will appear—Shouto, a longstanding ally of Isao’s. Regardless of that relationship, Isao shamelessly violates recklessness, morality, and cowardice by falsely accusing his ally of conspiring against the Union, thereby leading to a 24-hour notice of an impending bomb raid to evacuate; in actuality, it’s just an excuse to empty the city. But when Isao’s men move in, nothing appears. As it turns out, Allen miscalculated, costing the Union a valuable ally, something Isao will pay for dearly.
Back at the newly repaired Hagoromo, Allen is discussing his work with KFC and Loulou, along with two others: Adolfo and Fernando, two former pilots repaying the former ensemble for saving their hometown, showing how morality pays off. Soon, they’re joined by Julia, who reveals what’s happened in Gadoll, and then get word from their chief mechanic: a new Hole is opening over Rahama, a location KFC previously saved from pirates…and which Allen just recalculated as where said Hole would appear. Even crazier news arrives in the form of a plane from Shouto, commanded by Camilla, leader of the city’s Vigilantes (self-defense force). She reveals what’s happened to her hometown and ultimately joins their cause, which is more of Isao’s violations coming back to haunt him. They approach Rahama’s leaders that night with the news, as well as warning that Isao will come after the Hole, a good use of foreknowledge that quickly proves fortuitous when Hideaki appears. With shocking arrogance, he delivers an ultimatum: they have 24 hours to hand over Julia and join the Union or be destroyed; it’s a lamentable violation of delicacy of honor, morality, and cowardice. But he soon adds underestimation to that list of violations when Rahama’s mayor, in a bold (for him) display of leadership, refuses. The crowd then heckles Hideaki, sending him away with that same smug attitude, assuring Rahama they’re about to be destroyed. Yet, he doesn’t even realize what kind of mistake this threat truly is. Rahama is now in a position where it can’t surrender or retreat, which invokes a very special caveat of Sun Tzu’s principle of terrain called death ground15. Those placed there will fight will all they’ve got to win, and Isao will soon learn this firsthand.
The next day, the Hagoromo is in full swing, making full use of prep and improv to refit KFC’s craft with some neat upgrades: underwing rockets and belly-mounted jet boosters. Meanwhile, they’re carefully monitoring Isao’s incoming attack, which is way out in the open and easily tracked by witness/radar, an obvious indication that he isn’t the least concerned, making it a shocking failure of delicacy of honor, recklessness, and leadership, to say nothing of underestimation. In a nice show of foreknowledge, terrain, and improv, Reona launches the KFC in a preemptive strike, hoping to trim their ranks a bit, soaring to a higher altitude than normal to shorten their flight time while also getting the drop on their foe. It soon pays off when they appear above the enemy, and it’s quite a sight: 5 heavy bombers, escorted by 25 fighters. KFC quickly dives, unleashing half their rockets as they break the enemy formation, and then use their boosters to outmaneuver the pursuing fighters, whereupon they fire the rest of their rockets. The effect is catastrophic for Isao’s men, costing them 2 bombers and 10 escorts in mere seconds, a huge blow that’s going to cost them dearly; as for KFC, they retreat to the Hagoromo to rearm and refuel.
Soon, the attack is spotted by Rahama’s radar, and they scramble their response: Camilla, an ace, in an unknown fighter; the mayor, a lousy pilot, flying an ultra-fast, well-armed Raiden; Adolfo and Fernando, average pilots, both flying Shidens, which have great firepower and armor but are more cumbersome; and Rahama’s Vigilantes, fairly poor pilots, 11 craft that’re well-armed but have fixed landing gear, limiting their mobility. They immediately engage the escorts, who do a number on the Vigilantes, but then the tide starts turning when Camilla, in a nice use of improv, outmaneuvers and downs an escort. Next, KFC arrives, again using terrain and improv by diving in from above, quickly downing 3 more escorts before going after the bombers. The Vigilantes’ commander promptly uses leadership, namely a new caveat, knowing how to use all forces16, by ordering everyone to focus on the escorts and leave the bombers to the former. It’s a wise call, as KFC soon finds their weapons aren’t enough to directly down the behemoths, showing they’ve violated underestimation themselves. Their prior morality then pays off when Adolfo downs an escort on Reona’s tail, at which time she wields improv by ordering her cohorts to hit the bombers’ fuselage where it meets the wing. It’s a great move that ultimately brings down a bomber, but the remaining two are closing on Rahama…until Naomi appears, wielding morality and improv via her Zero’s cannons17, which set another bomber’s engines ablaze and send it falling. It’s a shocker to all, especially Kylie, who’s fought Naomi several times, but Reona wields another leadership caveat, enforcing discipline18, by ordering her cohort to focus on the fight. Tragically, all appears to have been in vain, as the last bomber (which Isao happens to be aboard) drops its payload….
Or so one would think. Ironically, Isao has fatally violated underestimation once more, this time of a new foe: fate. The last downed bomber slams into the Hole, causing a reaction that detonates its payload. The subsequent explosion causes the Hole to collapse on itself, triggering a huge suction force that draws in all around it, including Isao’s falling bombs, before vanishing entirely. It’s a stunning upset, one that’s turned a bitter win into a crushing defeat for the megalomaniac; furthermore, it illustrates a caveat of underestimation: “The good fighter is able to secure himself against defeat, but cannot make certain of victory.”19 At the end of the battle, he’s lost 4 bombers, 20 escort fighters, and all his ordinance, a staggering 80% loss rate…and the news only gets worse from there. He’s also lost face before his allies, many of which were no doubt wavering with the destruction of Shouto, as well as shown other city/town holdouts that the Union can lose, something that’ll inspire further resistance. What’s more, the destruction of the Hole provides his foes with vital foreknowledge, the kind that’ll soon be very beneficial.
This was an ugly mess of a fight but, thanks to Sun Tzu’s guiding hand, an aspiring dictator suffered a huge loss, one he’ll never recover from. What’s more, it only goes to illustrate the lesson so many have said: follow Sun Tzu, and you’ll win; ignore him, and you’ll lose.
Footnotes
1The Magnificent Kotobuki: The Complete Series, dir. Tsutomu Mizushima (2020)
2 Lionel Giles, The Art of War (New York, NY; Fall River Press, 2011), 3.
3Giles, The Art of War, 28.
4 Giles, The Art of War, 3.
5Giles, The Art of War, 4.
6Giles, The Art of War, 3.
7Giles, The Art of War, 50.
8Giles, The Art of War, 15.
9Giles, The Art of War, 41.
10Giles, The Art of War, 3.
11Giles, The Art of War, 24.
12Giles, The Art of War, 28.
13Giles, The Art of War, 27.
14Giles, The Art of War, 33.
15Giles, The Art of War, 41.
16Giles, The Art of War, 11.
17 Chris McNab, Key Weapons of the World (London, UK; Amber Books, 2019), 178.
18Giles, The Art of War, 11.
19Giles, The Art of War, 12
Bibliography
Chris McNab. Key Weapons of the World. London: Amber Books, 2019.
Sun Tzu. The Art of War. Translated by Lionel Giles. New York: Fall River Press, 2011.
Tsutomu, Mizushima, director. The Magnificent Kotobuki: The Complete Series. 2020; Sentai Filmworks, 2020. 300 min. Blu-Ray.
Academy of the Heart And Mind 