OVA
Description
Lee Kouran, also known as Kohran Li, is a member of the first generation Imperial Combat Revue's Flower Division, serving as the unit's chief mechanic, engineer, and combat pilot. She originates from Beijing, China, where she was born as the third daughter of a trading merchant. During the upheaval of the Xinhai Revolution, her parents were killed and her two older sisters went missing. After this loss, she was taken in by the Zhao family in Dalian, where she endured seven years of hard labor. Her mechanical aptitude manifested early; at age four she repaired a pocket watch her father had broken out of curiosity. Her talent eventually brought her to the attention of Ayame Fujieda, who recruited her for the Imperial Combat Revue. Before joining, she spent two years in Kobe studying under the British engineer Percy Howard, learning about steam-powered mecha and spirit-energy engines. This period of study also influenced her distinctive dialect.
In personality, Lee Kouran is cheerful, good‑humored, and highly energetic. She has a deep passion for machinery and invention, often spending long hours in her workshop creating new devices. A running characteristic of her inventions is that they are prone to backfiring or exploding, frequently at the expense of her fellow team members, especially the commander Ichiro Ogami. Despite her sunny exterior, she carries a serious and traumatic past: a bandit raid during her childhood resulted in a village fire that killed her parents, and she was the sole survivor. This trauma surfaces when she encounters fire or similar chaos, causing temporary paralysis. She also harbors insecurities about her appearance, feeling less glamorous than the other Flower Division members. Her motivations are driven by a desire to create machines that bring happiness to people, and she holds a deep admiration for the original creator of the koubu mecha, unaware that he has allied with the enemy.
Within the story, Lee Kouran serves multiple roles. As the chief engineer, she is responsible for maintaining and improving the Flower Division's koubu, often performing the task single‑handedly with the help of small robot assistants. Her technical skill is so advanced that it surpasses the entire engineering team of the Kanzaki corporation. As a combat pilot, she operates a koubu in battle, compensating for her relatively low spirit energy by precisely attuning her spiritual power to the mecha's spirit crystal. Additionally, she works as the stage manager for the Flower Division's theatrical performances, handling technical aspects behind the scenes. Her comedic inventions and cheerful demeanor make her a source of levity within the team.
Key relationships include her bond with Percy Howard, who became a foster father and mentor, and with Commander Ichiro Ogami, who serves as both her commanding officer and a potential romantic interest. She often uses Ogami as a test subject for her creations, leading to humorous mishaps. Her relationship with the other Flower Division members is generally warm, though she sometimes feels inferior to their beauty and grace.
Lee Kouran undergoes noticeable development over the course of the series. In the first Sakura Wars game, her background is only lightly touched upon, and she is primarily presented as an eccentric inventor. The sequel, Sakura Wars 2, explores her past in greater depth. A mission that results in a fire triggers her traumatic memories, and she is forced to confront the loss of her family. Through Commander Ogami's support, she retrieves a keepsake from her family home in Kobe, strengthens her resolve, and gains greater confidence in herself and her place in the team. This arc helps her move past her self‑consciousness and reaffirms her commitment to her loved ones.
Her notable abilities include genius‑level mechanical engineering, allowing her to build, repair, and innovate upon the koubu and other machinery. She also possesses sufficient spiritual power to pilot a koubu effectively, though it is the lowest among the Flower Division. Her true strength lies in her deep understanding of the koubu's spirit‑energy systems, which she uses to maximize her combat effectiveness. Her inventions, while often unreliable, occasionally prove useful in both combat and daily life. On stage, she demonstrates skills as a stage manager and occasionally performs as an actress, typically in comedic roles.
In personality, Lee Kouran is cheerful, good‑humored, and highly energetic. She has a deep passion for machinery and invention, often spending long hours in her workshop creating new devices. A running characteristic of her inventions is that they are prone to backfiring or exploding, frequently at the expense of her fellow team members, especially the commander Ichiro Ogami. Despite her sunny exterior, she carries a serious and traumatic past: a bandit raid during her childhood resulted in a village fire that killed her parents, and she was the sole survivor. This trauma surfaces when she encounters fire or similar chaos, causing temporary paralysis. She also harbors insecurities about her appearance, feeling less glamorous than the other Flower Division members. Her motivations are driven by a desire to create machines that bring happiness to people, and she holds a deep admiration for the original creator of the koubu mecha, unaware that he has allied with the enemy.
Within the story, Lee Kouran serves multiple roles. As the chief engineer, she is responsible for maintaining and improving the Flower Division's koubu, often performing the task single‑handedly with the help of small robot assistants. Her technical skill is so advanced that it surpasses the entire engineering team of the Kanzaki corporation. As a combat pilot, she operates a koubu in battle, compensating for her relatively low spirit energy by precisely attuning her spiritual power to the mecha's spirit crystal. Additionally, she works as the stage manager for the Flower Division's theatrical performances, handling technical aspects behind the scenes. Her comedic inventions and cheerful demeanor make her a source of levity within the team.
Key relationships include her bond with Percy Howard, who became a foster father and mentor, and with Commander Ichiro Ogami, who serves as both her commanding officer and a potential romantic interest. She often uses Ogami as a test subject for her creations, leading to humorous mishaps. Her relationship with the other Flower Division members is generally warm, though she sometimes feels inferior to their beauty and grace.
Lee Kouran undergoes noticeable development over the course of the series. In the first Sakura Wars game, her background is only lightly touched upon, and she is primarily presented as an eccentric inventor. The sequel, Sakura Wars 2, explores her past in greater depth. A mission that results in a fire triggers her traumatic memories, and she is forced to confront the loss of her family. Through Commander Ogami's support, she retrieves a keepsake from her family home in Kobe, strengthens her resolve, and gains greater confidence in herself and her place in the team. This arc helps her move past her self‑consciousness and reaffirms her commitment to her loved ones.
Her notable abilities include genius‑level mechanical engineering, allowing her to build, repair, and innovate upon the koubu and other machinery. She also possesses sufficient spiritual power to pilot a koubu effectively, though it is the lowest among the Flower Division. Her true strength lies in her deep understanding of the koubu's spirit‑energy systems, which she uses to maximize her combat effectiveness. Her inventions, while often unreliable, occasionally prove useful in both combat and daily life. On stage, she demonstrates skills as a stage manager and occasionally performs as an actress, typically in comedic roles.