"Girls und Panzer" is a hugely popular TV anime series featuring a fantastical worldview in which high school girls pilot tanks and compete in a sport known as "Sensha-do." This anime features a diverse cast of unique characters, including the protagonist Miho Nishizumi. I'd like to introduce you to Katyusha, the captain of the rival school, the powerful Pravda High School.
Katyusha's Profile
Height: 127cm
Birthplace: Abashiri, Hokkaido
Birthday: January 31st
Vehicle/Position: T-34/85, Commander
Favorite Tank: KV-2
Favorite Flower: Chamomile
Daily Routine: Hanging for Health
CV: Hisako Kanemoto
"Little Tyrant" Katyusha
She's the captain of Pravda High School, and despite her small stature, she has a strong-willed and selfish personality. Her childish personality matches her appearance, and when someone points out her short stature, she gets angry and yells, "I'll punish you!" Katyusha, however, has immense trust in her vice-captain, Nonna. She seems to enjoy being carried on Nonna's shoulders by the tall girl and looking down on everyone around her.
She's merciless toward her teammates, punishing them with "25 rubles to Siberia (25 days of remedial classes in a dark classroom)" if they fail in a match or insult Katyusha. However, she is a skilled captain, and in the national tournament semi-finals, she cornered Oarai with a siege using the flag truck as a decoy.
Katyusha's Achievements in the Series
TV Anime Version
She first appeared in Episode 8. She was Oarai's opponent in the semi-finals. During tea time with Darjeeling, she immediately shows her childish side by smearing Russian tea jam on her cheek. During the match, she employs a clever strategy of using the flag car as a decoy to lure Oarai into a siege and then launch an all-out attack. However, she is overconfident in her abilities and leaves the flag car's escorts weak, and even though she loses sight of two Oarai vehicles while pursuing them, she becomes somewhat emotional during the match, saying, "Such small details don't matter." As a result, her flag car is destroyed by Oarai. She bursts into tears in frustration, but acknowledges Nishizumi Miho's strength and shakes her hand, becoming good rivals. She rushes to cheer on Oarai in the finals, and celebrates as if it were her own victory when Oarai wins.
Movie Version
In the Oarai Victory Exhibition Match, she teams up with St. Gloriana to face the Oarai Chi-Ha Tan Alliance. Together with St. Gloriana, they will pursue only the opposing flag vehicle with all vehicles. However, Oarai's clever tactics gradually destroyed their allies, eventually leaving them with only three tanks remaining. Nevertheless, they ultimately acted as a shield for Churchill (their team's flag vehicle), creating an opening for the attack, allowing Churchill to destroy the enemy's flag vehicle (Panzer IV) and secure a stunning victory. In the University Selection Tournament, he was a member of the Sunflower Company and served as the battalion's vice commander. Early on, they took a position on high ground to provide support for their allies from above, but were forced to retreat after mysterious artillery fire from above (from a Karl self-propelled mortar). Because they were positioned at the rear of the line, they were subjected to concentrated enemy fire. To protect Katyusha, Pravda's members (Klara, Nina, and Nonna) took their place. "It's not for a commander to abandon his subordinates and run away," he said, attempting to fight alongside his subordinates. However, persuaded by Nonna and Nina, he retreated, leaving his teammates behind, leaving Pravda with only one tank left. Afterwards, he fights alone to avenge his subordinate, but Nakajima, Nekonya, and others from Oarai tell him, "We're still here, we're your comrades," so he accepts the Oarai people as his allies. He works together with Leopon and Anteater to destroy two Pershings, and then works with Leopon and Tiger II to destroy the Lumi vehicle of the university selection deputy commander, achieving great success before he is finally defeated.
Is Katyusha surprisingly knowledgeable?
In her first appearance, she was enjoying tea time with Darjeeling. When Darjeeling tried to add jam to her tea, she instructed her that true Russian tea is not made with jam, but by licking the tea before drinking it. In the movie version, while chasing the enemy vice commander's vehicle with the Leopon and Tiger II, Nakajima says, "Follow me, I'm going to slip," and Itsumi Erika doesn't understand what he means, but Katyusha immediately understands, saying, "Slipstream." Perhaps Katyusha is quite knowledgeable, as she even knows about fluid dynamics.
Katyusha in the final chapter...
Katyusha will soon be graduating from high school. She's been studying Russian hard, hoping to study tank warfare in Russia after graduation.
Comrade Katyusha is the best
She's childish, just like her appearance suggests, but she's also strong-willed and overbearing. However, she has the qualities of a captain and is trusted by her comrades, as she makes meticulous plans, refuses to leave her comrades behind, and is always willing to act as a shield for her comrades. She also has a hardworking side, working hard to grow taller and studying Russian (though she seems to get sleepy easily...). She shows many different sides to her, from crying and laughing to getting angry, making her the perfect comrade.
