OVA
Description
Bunwa Kaku is a character who appears as a strategist and key figure in the power struggles among the fighter schools in the anime series Ikki Tousen: Dragon Destiny. She is the successor of the ancient Chinese strategist Jia Xu. In her role, Kaku is known for her intelligence, her ability to manipulate others, and her preference for working behind the scenes rather than engaging in direct combat.
Physically, Kaku is a young woman with long, raven-black hair typically styled into two tails. She wears glasses and is most often seen in the official uniform of Rakuyo High School, which consists of a red blazer, a red skirt, and knee-high socks. Her age is listed as eighteen.
Initially, Kaku serves as the second-in-command to Chuuei Toutaku, the powerful and oppressive leader of Rakuyo High School. In this capacity, she is shown participating in high-level meetings and carrying out his orders, such as delivering demands to rival schools and orchestrating attacks on those who defy him. For instance, she once ordered a group of Rakuyo fighters to kill the powerful warrior Ryofu on Toutaku's command, though the mission failed. She was also instrumental in the events that led to the awakening of Ryubi Gentoku's dragon power three years before the main storyline begins.
Kaku's defining characteristic is her manipulative nature. Her true strength lies not in her own fighting ability, which is described as average, but in her capacity to maneuver other fighters into doing her bidding. She is a planner and a schemer, often using seduction and psychological tactics as tools to achieve her goals. Her network of relationships is often tied to her strategic ambitions; she has been known to enter into intimate relationships with those she plots with, including her original leader Toutaku and later the Kyosho fighter Houkou Kakuka.
Following the defeat of Toutaku, Kaku demonstrates her adaptability and self-interest by switching allegiances. She joins the powerful Kyosho Academy and offers her services to its leader, Moutoku Sousou, who accepts her. In the service of Sousou, her role as a strategist becomes more prominent. She is credited with helping Kyosho gain the most territories in the Kanto region and is seen in a relationship with Sousou's close friend and advisor, Kakuka, with whom she shares intimate moments and discusses the importance of Sousou's dragon power. However, her position is not entirely secure, as Sousou demonstrates a lack of complete trust in her, once forbidding her from making any more plans on her own after a meeting ends in violence.
The death of Kakuka is a turning point for Kaku. After discovering his gravely injured body, she informs Sousou, which fuels his rage and leads to an all-out war against Nanyo Academy. She warns Sousou that his path mirrors his ancestor's, but her warning is ignored. Subsequently, she is removed from her position as Kyosho's strategist and is told she has been replaced by someone believed to be superior. After being dismissed, a Kyosho fighter named Bunen Choryo attempts to force himself on her, but she manages to escape. This series of betrayals by the leaders she served leads Kaku to a new resolution: to stop relying on others and to fight for herself.
Following her dismissal, Kaku continues to act on her own initiative. She manipulates the fighter Myousai Kakouen into going to Nanyo to try and steal the Dragon Jade, motivated by a desire to prove her own strategic superiority over her replacement. At the end of her story arc in Dragon Destiny, she is shown wandering aimlessly before encountering Genjou Kakouton, Sousou's friend, who is sitting alone searching for Sousou.
Physically, Kaku is a young woman with long, raven-black hair typically styled into two tails. She wears glasses and is most often seen in the official uniform of Rakuyo High School, which consists of a red blazer, a red skirt, and knee-high socks. Her age is listed as eighteen.
Initially, Kaku serves as the second-in-command to Chuuei Toutaku, the powerful and oppressive leader of Rakuyo High School. In this capacity, she is shown participating in high-level meetings and carrying out his orders, such as delivering demands to rival schools and orchestrating attacks on those who defy him. For instance, she once ordered a group of Rakuyo fighters to kill the powerful warrior Ryofu on Toutaku's command, though the mission failed. She was also instrumental in the events that led to the awakening of Ryubi Gentoku's dragon power three years before the main storyline begins.
Kaku's defining characteristic is her manipulative nature. Her true strength lies not in her own fighting ability, which is described as average, but in her capacity to maneuver other fighters into doing her bidding. She is a planner and a schemer, often using seduction and psychological tactics as tools to achieve her goals. Her network of relationships is often tied to her strategic ambitions; she has been known to enter into intimate relationships with those she plots with, including her original leader Toutaku and later the Kyosho fighter Houkou Kakuka.
Following the defeat of Toutaku, Kaku demonstrates her adaptability and self-interest by switching allegiances. She joins the powerful Kyosho Academy and offers her services to its leader, Moutoku Sousou, who accepts her. In the service of Sousou, her role as a strategist becomes more prominent. She is credited with helping Kyosho gain the most territories in the Kanto region and is seen in a relationship with Sousou's close friend and advisor, Kakuka, with whom she shares intimate moments and discusses the importance of Sousou's dragon power. However, her position is not entirely secure, as Sousou demonstrates a lack of complete trust in her, once forbidding her from making any more plans on her own after a meeting ends in violence.
The death of Kakuka is a turning point for Kaku. After discovering his gravely injured body, she informs Sousou, which fuels his rage and leads to an all-out war against Nanyo Academy. She warns Sousou that his path mirrors his ancestor's, but her warning is ignored. Subsequently, she is removed from her position as Kyosho's strategist and is told she has been replaced by someone believed to be superior. After being dismissed, a Kyosho fighter named Bunen Choryo attempts to force himself on her, but she manages to escape. This series of betrayals by the leaders she served leads Kaku to a new resolution: to stop relying on others and to fight for herself.
Following her dismissal, Kaku continues to act on her own initiative. She manipulates the fighter Myousai Kakouen into going to Nanyo to try and steal the Dragon Jade, motivated by a desire to prove her own strategic superiority over her replacement. At the end of her story arc in Dragon Destiny, she is shown wandering aimlessly before encountering Genjou Kakouton, Sousou's friend, who is sitting alone searching for Sousou.