is a Japanese
light novel
A is a type of Genre fiction, popular literature novel from Japan usually classified as young adult fiction, generally targeting Adolescence, teens to Young adult, twenties or older. The definition is very vague, and wide-ranging.
The abbr ...
series by Toshihiko Tsukiji, with illustrations by Senmu. The series contains 15 volumes, published by
Media Factory
, formerly known as , was a Japanese publisher and brand company of Kadokawa Future Publishing.
History
The company was founded on December 1, 1986, and was a subsidiary of Recruit (Japanese company), Recruit Co., Ltd., based in Shibuya, Tokyo. ...
under their
MF Bunko J
is a publishing label affiliated with the Japanese publishing company Media Factory. It was established in July 2002 and is a light novel label that is aimed at young men with a focus on visual novel-style plots and harem romantic comedies.
Ligh ...
imprint between November 2006 and March 2010. The main series covers 12 volumes, while the remaining three are short story collections. A
manga
are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...
adaptation by Yu Tachibana started serialization in the April 2008 issue of ''
Monthly Comic Alive''. A 12-episode
anime
is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...
adaptation aired in Japan between October and December 2009 on TBS, and concluded in 2011 with ''Kämpfer für die Liebe''.
Plot
Natsuru Senō attends a high school that separates boys from girls. He has a crush on school beauty Kaede Sakura, who has a peculiar collection of , stuffed animals styled in brutal ways of dying. One day, Natsuru discovers he has turned into a girl. His stuffed tiger named Harakiri Tora awakens and tells him that he has been chosen as a , a female fighter who must fight against other Kämpfer that are not part of their team as indicated by a colored .
Natsuru attracts the attention of various girls at school who are Kämpfer, including a shy
bookworm girl, Akane Mishima, who transforms into a gunslinging loudmouth, the beautiful but scheming student council president Shizuku Sangō, and later Natsuru's childhood friend, Mikoto Kondō. Natsuru is sometimes able to change back to being a boy, but because his emotions might transform him, he must then live as a male student as well as a female student with the same name at the school while keeping his switching identity a secret. To complicate things, Sakura herself is strongly attracted to Natsuru's female form, and seems to be tied to the overall formation of the Kämpfer. Later stories involve Natsuru and the girls involved in fights with other Kämpfer groups. Originally the Kämpfer are divided into two opposing factions, Red and Blue, but the White Kämpfer are formed after a truce is reached between elements within the Red and Blue Kämpfer.
Characters
Main characters
;
:
:The
viewpoint character of the light novels, Natsuru is a second-year student at Seitetsu High School. He has a crush on Kaede Sakura, one of the school's beauties. At the start of the story, he discovers that he has been transformed into a girl, and learns that he has been chosen to be a Kämpfer with ''Zauber'', or magic powers, such as casting fireballs. As a girl, he has longer hair styled in a ponytail. After a fight with Shizuku causes him to expose his Kämpfer form to other students of the school, Natsuru is enrolled as a girl of the same name at the school, quickly ranking among the school beauties Kaede and Shizuku.
;
:
:She is Shizuku's childhood friend, crush and one of the Three Beauties of Seitetsu. She has a large collection of stuffed Entrails Animal series dolls and likes to present them to her friends; those who receive the dolls, however, tend to end up becoming Kämpfers. She began to develop an infatuation with Kämpfer Natsuru after being saved from Kämpfer Akane at the beginning of the series. She wields both a katana and a
Beretta 93R against the Red and Blue Kämpfer coalition. Kaede is also shown to be strongly into
female-female romance.
;
:
:A bespectacled honor student helping in the school library and Natsuru's friend, she is also a Blue Kämpfer like Natsuru. Normally very shy and soft-spoken, she becomes the exact opposite upon transforming into a Kämpfer, becoming foul-mouthed, aggressive, violent, and trigger-happy. She is a ''Gewehr''-("gun-" or "rifle-")type Kämpfer who uses a black
Springfield M1911A1 .45 pistol and appears to be ambidextrous. Akane eventually begins to harbor romantic feelings for Natsuru.
;
:
:The President of the Student Council and one of the Three Beauties of Seitetsu, she is a model honor student with a perfect attendance record. She has a calm, confident demeanor which is sometimes interpreted as cold and calculating, especially by Natsuru. She is a Red Kämpfer, which initially puts her at odds with him, and is also a ''Schwert''-("sword-")type Kämpfer who prefers to fight wielding two short swords/daggers linked by a chain. She has a personal objective of finding the reason why Kämpfer must fight each other. She too has feelings for Natsuru.
;
:
:Natsuru's widely-travelled, energetic childhood friend who only recently reunited with him due to her father being an archaeologist who lives and widely travels abroad. As a result of her lifestyle, she has become a highly adventurous, risk-taking person. Although she has too much pride to explicitly admit it, she has feelings for Natsuru.
Messengers
The role of the is mainly to assist those chosen to become Kämpfer in understanding the rules and mechanisms of Kämpfer combat. They take the form of Entrails Animals,
stuffed animals
A stuffed toy is a toy with an outer fabric sewn from a textile and stuffed with flexible material. They are known by many names, such as plush toys, plushies, lovies and stuffies; in Britain and Australia, they may also be called soft toys ...
that are notable for having their intestines sticking out from their bellies and names referring to different methods of death. Many of them have been described in the novels as having voices similar to those of specific real-life
voice actors
Voice acting is the art of Acting, performing a character or providing information to an audience with one's voice. Performers are often called voice actors/actresses in addition to other names. Examples of voice work include animation, animated, ...
, who would in turn do the voices for them in the anime.
There are five major Messengers in the anime series.
;
:
:Messenger for Natsuru in the form of a stabbed, scarred
tiger
The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is a large Felidae, cat and a member of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Asia. It has a powerful, muscular body with a large head and paws, a long tail and orange fur with black, mostly vertical stripes. It is ...
that wears an eye patch and blood oozing from its mouth. In a scene where Natsuru was asked to turn on the TV in the hotel, it stated a preference for watching the ''
Sazae-san
is a Japanese ''yonkoma'' manga series written and illustrated by Machiko Hasegawa. It was first published in Hasegawa's local paper, the , on April 22, 1946. When the ''Asahi Shimbun'' wished to have Hasegawa draw the four-panel comic for ...
'' anime;
Michiko Nomura, who voices it, is also the voice of one of the characters in that show.
;
:
:Messenger for Akane in the form of an impaled
rabbit
Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also includes the hares), which is in the order Lagomorpha (which also includes pikas). They are familiar throughout the world as a small herbivore, a prey animal, a domesticated ...
which has bloodshot eyes and blood oozing from its mouth. It speaks with a sarcastic tone and has a foul mouth although it is on good terms with Harakiri Tora. Its voice was described as sounding like that of Tamura, who voices it in the anime.
In a scene where Natsuru was asked to turn on the TV in the hotel, it stated a preference for watching pay-channel
pornography
Pornography (colloquially called porn or porno) is Sexual suggestiveness, sexually suggestive material, such as a picture, video, text, or audio, intended for sexual arousal. Made for consumption by adults, pornographic depictions have evolv ...
.
;
:
:Messenger for Shizuku in the shape of a white
wildcat
The wildcat is a species complex comprising two small wild cat species: the European wildcat (''Felis silvestris'') and the African wildcat (''F. lybica''). The European wildcat inhabits forests in Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus, while th ...
with bristling fur to denote electric shock. It speaks in a lively voice that sounds like
Nana Mizuki
, better known by the stage name , is a Japanese voice actress, singer, and narrator. She is represented by the agency StarCrew. Mizuki was trained as an enka singer, releasing one single under her birth name in 1993 and made her debut as a voic ...
, likewise she voices it in the anime.
In a scene where Natsuru was asked to turn on the TV in the hotel, it stated a preference for watching
Hanshin Tigers
The are a Nippon Professional Baseball team playing in the Central League. The team is based in Nishinomiya, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, next to their main stadium, Hanshin Koshien Stadium.
The Tigers are owned by Hanshin Electric Railway Co., ...
baseball games.
;
:
:Messenger for Mikoto in the appearance of a strangled
dog
The dog (''Canis familiaris'' or ''Canis lupus familiaris'') is a domesticated descendant of the gray wolf. Also called the domestic dog, it was selectively bred from a population of wolves during the Late Pleistocene by hunter-gatherers. ...
with a noose tied around its neck. It speaks with a soft, subdued voice typical of many characters voiced by
Mamiko Noto, who in turn voices it in the anime. In a scene where Natsuru was asked to turn on the TV in the hotel, it stated a preference for watching rare commercials that are only broadcast in certain regions.
;
:
:The oldest Messenger in the form of a black scorched
lion
The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large Felidae, cat of the genus ''Panthera'', native to Sub-Saharan Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body (biology), body; a short, rounded head; round ears; and a dark, hairy tuft at the ...
. Its existence said to pre-date the Zōmotsu Animal toyline. In episode 11 of the anime, it reveals the reason behind the Kämpfer battles.
;
:
:A
tsundere
is a Culture of Japan, Japanese term for a character development process that depicts a character with an initially harsh personality who gradually reveals a warmer, friendlier side over time.
The word is derived from the terms (adverb, 'mo ...
messenger that in the form of a
penguin
Penguins are a group of aquatic flightless birds from the family Spheniscidae () of the order Sphenisciformes (). They live almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere. Only one species, the Galápagos penguin, is equatorial, with a sm ...
that has a suspended fish jumping out of its gaping mouth and its innards are pulled out from both the front and back. It is a parody to its
seiyu's vocal specialty.
Supporting characters
;
:
:A first-year member of the school's Newspaper Club, she is always after the latest scoop and has a habit of exaggerating her findings. She has long straight purple hair. She and Akane are childhood friends.
;
:
:The leader of the trio of girls in Female Nasturu's class who exploits the latter's popularity for fun and profit. She has short brown hair and glasses.
;
:
:One of the trio of girls in Female Nasturu class who exploits the latter's popularity. Unlike the others, she is attracted to the Female Natsuru and will not hesitate to be close to her when given the chance. She has short blond hair that covers part of her face.
;
:
:One of the trio of girls in Female Natsuru class who exploits the latter's popularity and who serves as the trio accountant. She tends to sell things to the Female Natsuru. She has short purple hair, and carries a calculator.
;
:
:Male Natsuru's classmate who is the president of the , an underground club to admire the girls. He has spiky light brown hair.
White Kämpfers
The White Kämpfers are a group of Kämpfers who follow orders from Kaede, after receiving their messengers during the Miss Seitetsu contest. Their surnames are similar to some voice actresses, who in turn voiced them in the anime.
;
:
:Schwert user armed with a
kusarigama
A is a traditional Japanese weapon that consists of a '' kama'' (the Japanese equivalent of a sickle or billhook) on a kusari-fundo – a type of metal chain (''kusari'') with a heavy iron weight (''fundo'') at the end. The ''kusarigama'' is s ...
. She is a middle school student, and she is the only character who wears a different school uniform.
;
:
:Schwert user armed with a
sabre
A sabre or saber ( ) is a type of backsword with a curved blade associated with the light cavalry of the Early Modern warfare, early modern and Napoleonic period, Napoleonic periods. Originally associated with Central European cavalry such a ...
. She is incompetent and indecisive, and also acts like a tsundere.
;
:
:Gewehr user armed with an
MAC-10
The Military Armament Corporation Model 10, officially abbreviated as "M10" or "M-10", and more commonly known as the MAC-10, is a compact, Blowback (arms), blowback operated machine pistol/submachine gun that was developed by Gordon Ingram in ...
submachine gun. She seems to be afraid of everything, especially the Blue and Red Kampfer.
;
:
:Zauber user. She attacks by launching energy bolts against her enemies. She is a self-proclaimed tomboy, and she is noticeably tall and athletic in comparison to the other white Kampfer.
Media
Light novels
The
light novel
A is a type of Genre fiction, popular literature novel from Japan usually classified as young adult fiction, generally targeting Adolescence, teens to Young adult, twenties or older. The definition is very vague, and wide-ranging.
The abbr ...
series written by Toshihiko Tsukiji, with illustrations by Senmu, were released under
Media Factory
, formerly known as , was a Japanese publisher and brand company of Kadokawa Future Publishing.
History
The company was founded on December 1, 1986, and was a subsidiary of Recruit (Japanese company), Recruit Co., Ltd., based in Shibuya, Tokyo. ...
's
MF Bunko J
is a publishing label affiliated with the Japanese publishing company Media Factory. It was established in July 2002 and is a light novel label that is aimed at young men with a focus on visual novel-style plots and harem romantic comedies.
Ligh ...
imprint, with 15 volumes released between November 24, 2006
and March 25, 2010.
The main series covers 12 volumes, while the remaining three are short story collections.
Manga
A
manga
are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...
adaptation, written by Tsukiji and illustrated by Yu Tachibana, began serialization in the April 2008 issue of ''
Monthly Comic Alive''. The first ''
tankōbon
A is a standard publishing format for books in Japan, alongside other formats such as ''shinsho'' (17x11 cm paperback books) and ''bunkobon''. Used as a loanword in English, the term specifically refers to a printed collection of a manga that w ...
'' volume was released on October 23, 2008;
ten volumes have been released with the last being on July 23, 2013.
Anime
A 12-episode
anime
is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...
series adaptation produced by
Nomad
Nomads are communities without fixed habitation who regularly move to and from areas. Such groups include hunter-gatherers, pastoral nomads (owning livestock), tinkers and trader nomads. In the twentieth century, the population of nomadic pa ...
, directed by
Yasuhiro Kuroda, and written by
Kazuyuki Fudeyasu
is a Japanese anime screenwriter. He debuted in 1997 and has worked on numerous series since, including ''Black Clover'', ''That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime'', and ''By the Grace of the Gods''. Fudeyasu usually spells his name with kanji. ...
aired in Japan on
TBS between October 2 and December 17, 2009.
The opening theme is by
Minami Kuribayashi and the ending theme is by
Marina Inoue
is a Japanese voice actress and narrator from Tokyo, Japan. She is affiliated with Aoni Production. She was signed into Aniplex until 2007. She was chosen out of 2,000 people from the "Gonna be a star" auditions (hosted by Sony Music Entertain ...
and
Megumi Nakajima
is a Japanese voice actress and singer, who is affiliated with Stay Luck. In 2003, she joined the talent agency Stardust Promotion after passing their audition. Later, in 2007, she debuted as a voice actress and singer after passing an auditi ...
. The anime has been licensed in North America by Sentai Filmworks. Distributor
Section23 Films
SXION 23 LLC, doing business as Section23 Films, is an American multimedia distributor based in Houston, Texas specializing in releasing anime and Japanese films. Established in 2009, Section23 is one of five successors to ADV Films; alongside ...
, through its
Sentai Filmworks
Sentai Filmworks, LLC (or simply Sentai) is an American entertainment company. Located in Houston, the company specializes in the dubbing and distribution of Japanese animation and Asian cinema. Its post-production arm is Sentai Studios.
The ...
division, released the series in a complete collection on January 18, 2011. An additional two episodes, titled , were screened at an event held at Odaiba Cinema Mediage theater in Tokyo on March 6, 2011, with only one of the episodes aired on TBS on April 8, 2011. Sentai Filmworks re-released the series on Blu-ray with an English dub on May 28, 2019.
Reception
Theron Martin of
Anime News Network
Anime News Network (ANN) is a news website that reports on the status of anime, manga, video games, Japanese popular music and other related cultures within North America, Australia, Southeast Asia and Japan. The website offers reviews and ot ...
called the series a "spiritual descendant" of ''
Maze: The Mega-Burst Space'' and ''
Ranma ½
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Rumiko Takahashi. It was serialized in ''Weekly Shōnen Sunday'' from August 1987 to March 1996, with the chapters collected in 38 volumes by Shogakukan. The story revolves a ...
'' which feature characters who regularly switch genders, but is a "
harem
A harem is a domestic space that is reserved for the women of the house in a Muslim family. A harem may house a man's wife or wives, their pre-pubescent male children, unmarried daughters, female domestic Domestic worker, servants, and other un ...
comedy."
However, Martin argues that the action-oriented and harem-oriented elements are not balanced in the series, with the harem comedy stronger, and said that the "
perverse and sometimes twisted sense of humor" of the show works best, and even says that while there is fan service, it is "fairly tame by recent standards". He also said that the music score has "fun little themes" and said the plot "is a mess".
References
External links
''Kämpfer'' animeat
TBS
''Kämpfer'' animeat
StarChild
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kampfer
2006 Japanese novels
2008 manga
2009 anime television series debuts
2011 anime television series debuts
Anime and manga based on light novels
Action anime and manga
Fiction about shapeshifting
Harem anime and manga
Light novels
Media Factory manga
Kadokawa Corporation franchises
MF Bunko J
Nomad (animation studio)
Anime and manga set in schools
Seinen manga
Sentai Filmworks
TBS Television (Japan) original programming
Japanese LGBTQ-related animated television series
Transgender-related anime and manga