Nogi Sonoko

Nogi Sonoko (乃木 園子, Nogi Sonoko^?) is one of the three main characters of the light novel Washio Sumi is a Hero. At the time of the story taking place, she's an elementary school 6th-year student chosen by Taisha to fight Vertexes as a Hero, along with Minowa Gin and Washio Sumi.

She first appears in the anime in Yuuki Yuuna's Chapter when she summons Tougou and Yuuna after their battle with Vertexes in Episode 8. She had lost the use of most of her body due to the events of Washio Sumi is a Hero and is confined to a hospital bed.

After being healed of her Sange, she enrolls in Sanshu Middle School and joins the Hero Club as an official member.

Background

One of the three original Heroes who fought alongside Washio Sumi and Minowa Gin. Her intellect, tactical skills, and calmness under pressure led to the Taisha assigning her as the leader of her team.

Sonoko's family has a very high status in the Taisha. This, combined with her ditziness, caused her to have a very sheltered upbringing, and before meeting Sumi and Gin she had never had any friends. Her parents became frustrated due to her constant spacing out, and decided to play a prank to see how she would react. They collapsed in front of her, and to their surprise, saw her run to the phone and explain their current condition, including exactly how many seconds they were "out". From then on, they let her space out as much as she wanted.

After Gin was killed in action, Sonoko and Sumi became very close, and before their final battle, Sonoko gave Sumi her hair ribbon as a symbol of their friendship. During the battle, Sonoko uses her Mankai three times which she sacrificed her right eye, her left arm, and her heart. After Sumi lost her memories due to using Mankai, Sonoko used her Mankai seventeen more times in order to drive back all twelve Vertexes and protect Sumi, resulting in her losing function of most of her body.

Appearance

Sonoko has long, dirty-blonde hair that she ties in a ponytail using a blue ribbon, with bangs that reach down to her chin. She has gray eyes. Her outfit is a deep violet suit with some white undertones and four coattails, two in front and two in back. A purple ribbon is secured to her chest by a white and purple bow.

In Yuuki Yuuna is a Hero, she wears a faded pink hospital robe. Bandages cover almost all of her face except for an eye and her mouth and cover her hair. There is an IV drip attached to her arm and a clip attached to her finger. Her hair color is also brighter than before.

As of Sonoko After, Sonoko wears the Sanshu Middle School girl's uniform during school hours. Her casual wear is a purple overall dress, with a white undershirt showing in her bust area. She also wears a new purple ribbon in her hair, but still keeps it long. In the anime, she does a bow similar to her original but reverted in color and with a flower design sewn onto a section of it.

Personality

Sonoko is a very easygoing girl who has a habit of spacing out, and she claims that she can fall asleep and wake up at will whenever she wants to. However, her cloud cuckoo lander personality masks a truly staggering intellect, and she can formulate plans in mere seconds. Sonoko is also a successful novelist who specializes in romance novels, and she enjoys imagining her female friends in romantic situations with each other.

Abilities

In her original Hero form, Sonoko wields a multi-pronged Sankaku Yari spear that allows her to strike from mid-distance. As one of the original Heroes, Sonoko underwent intense physical training, and as a result, she is very physically fit despite her lazy nature.

Sonoko's first fairy, Kurama Tengu, gives her an improved and rather fanciful version of her original spear, with the ability to extend the hilt to extraordinarily long lengths. What other abilities her 20 other fairies may have bestowed upon her are unknown. Sonoko was also mentioned to be the strongest hero in the extra chapter of Bouquet of Brilliance by a Taisha priest.

In the light novel, Sonoko's Mankai form grants her a large version of her spear, whose tip is surrounded by multiple blades that she can freely manipulate. In the anime, however, Sonoko's Mankai form resembles Tougou's in that she flies in a warship of sorts that resembles a Greek trireme, with "oars" that function as blades. She can make a shield out of the oars by putting them all together in front of her ship, and it is strong enough to push back the Leo Vertex. By amassing large amounts of energy around her Mankai, it can also grant her the form of a bird that can fire lasers from its wings.

Fairies

• Karasu "Sebastian" Tengu: A crow tengu spirit. According to Sonoko, it has the power to teleport and to appear in dreams.
• Baku: A tapir spirit. According to Sonoko, it has the power to travel in and eat dreams.
• Makura Gaeshi: A zashiki-warashi, or household ghost. According to Sonoko, it has the power to flip pillows.
• Ryoumensukuna: One of her spirits named in Sonoko in Reminiscence. Its powers are unknown.
• Daidarabocchi: One of her spirits named in Sonoko in Reminiscence. Its powers are unknown.
• Gashadokuro: One of her spirits named in Sonoko in Reminiscence. Its powers are unknown.
• 15 other unnamed fairies

Plot

TBA

Relationships

Tougou Mimori / Washio Sumi

Sonoko's elementary school classmate and fellow Hero. Sonoko fought alongside Minowa Gin and Tougou Mimori (who had been taken in by the Washio family and named Washio Sumi when she was born) as a Hero team. Although Sonoko's ditzy demeanor conflicted with Sumi's serious nature, the two became fast friends and became closer after Gin's death. During their final battle together, Sumi lost her memories of her time as a Hero and thus forgot who Sonoko was, although she still had the ribbon that Sonoko had given her.

In the present day, Sonoko summons Tougou, who had retaken her birth name after losing her memories as Washio Sumi, in order to inform her of the truth about the Hero System. Although Tougou doesn't remember her, she trusts her for some reason and remembers that her ribbon is very precious to her. Later, Sonoko encourages Tougou to witness the world outside of the Shinju's barrier, which leads to the plot's climax.

After Tougou regained most of her memories at the end of the first season, she and Sonoko have restored their old friendship.

Nogi Sonoko / Sonocchi

After Hinata summoned three new Heroes, including Sumi, two Sonokos first met each other and they bare each other’s resemblances. A younger Sonoko is referred to as “Sonocchi”.

Minowa Gin

Sonoko's elementary school classmate and fellow Hero who fought alongside her. Although she and Sonoko couldn't work together at first, they quickly became friends and bonded over their duties as Heroes and in their ordinary lives. Gin's death was very hard on Sonoko, and she was described as crying herself to sleep. Later, she tells their teacher/commander that Gin was still with them, despite her body being dead, and she uses Gin's philosophy about being a Hero to give her courage through her final battle.

Yuuki Yuuna

A fellow Hero that Sonoko meets, and later her classmate and fellow club member. Since Sonoko was trying to get in contact with the girl she knew as Sumi during Episode 8, it's possible that she summoned Yuuna by accident. Nonetheless, Sonoko is kind and courteous toward her. When they meet again in Sonoko After, they become friends instantaneously. Sonoko also enjoys imagining Yuuna and Tougou in romantic situations. However, Sonoko tells herself that something felt uneasy about Yuuna after her recovery.

Inubouzaki Fuu

Sonoko's fellow Hero and club president as of Sonoko After. Fuu first learned about Sonoko's existence from Yuuna and Tougou. As former and current Hero Club leaders, the two of them get along quite well. Sonoko even went to the hospital with the other girls to see Fuu when the latest was hit by a car.

Inubouzaki Itsuki

Sonoko's fellow hero and senpai as of Sonoko After. Although Itsuki has not had much interaction with Sonoko, Itsuki mentioned that she had read one of Sonoko's romance novels and found it "really exciting." They also share a love of reading.

Miyoshi Karin

Sonoko's fellow hero and senpai as of Sonoko After. Although Karin and Sonoko didn't meet in the first season, Sonoko had been in contact with Karin's older brother, Miyoshi Harunobu, who has a high-level position in the Taisha. Later on, Sonoko mentions that Karin really does remind her of Gin, although it is unknown if Karin knows who Gin is.

Nogi Wakaba

Sonoko's ancestor and one of the very first Heroes from before the Divine Era. It was her exploits that led to the Nogi's quasi-noble status by the time of the anime. In the Yuusha de aru All-Stars gag 4koma, the stoic and serious Wakaba is extremely dismayed to learn that Sonoko, her complete opposite in personality, is her descendant. In the Hanayui no Kirameki chapter 3 storyline, Sonoko meets Hinata who introduces her to Wakaba, who comments that Sonoko's physicality is her own, but her personality is similar to Hinata's.

Forms of Address

Elementary School

Middle School

Trivia

• Sonoko enjoys giving others nicknames. Although she tried to call Tougou "Mimori," Tougou told her not to force herself and to just keep calling her "Wasshi."
• Sonoko is rather infamous for her appearance being inconsistent between various media. Her hair appears brown in the original TV broadcast of Yuuki Yuuna's Chapter before being turned blonde in the Blu-ray version of Episode 12, her eyes appear brown in most promotional material but gray in the anime. Her hair appears light gray in Washio Sumi's Chapter and darker gray in Heroes' Chapter onwards anime-wise. In Bouquet of Brilliance, elementary Sonoko's hair color is the same as Washio Sumi's Chapter but the middle school version is blond using the same shade as Yuuki Yuuna is a Hero S. Both Sonokos have blonde hair in Churutto! albeit a lighter shade from other media. While many official artists (such as the 4-koma artist Kotamaru) draw her with large eyebrows, other art shows her with normal-sized eyebrows.

Flower Motif

In Washio Sumi is a Hero, Sonoko is associated with purple roses. After Sumi loses her memory, she is associated with blue roses (thought to be a commemorance to Sumi's theme color of blue). At the end of Washio Sumi's Chapter, Heroes' Chapter and beyond, she is associated with the Star Lotus.

Gallery

Elementary School (WaSuYu)

• Official Art
• Model Sheets
• Light Novel
• Anime
• Manga
• Mobage

School uniform (anime).

Churutto! SD anime

School uniform (light novel).

Face details.

Sonoko's updated Hero form.

Sonoko with Sumi in their updated Hero outfits.

Sonoko's Mankai.

Sonoko, coloured in the 4koma.

Nogi Sonoko (Shougakkou) Twitter icon

Middle School (YuYuYu)

• Official Art
• Model Sheets
• Light Novel
• Anime
• Manga
• Mobage

Sonoko's original appearance as a middle schooler.

Sonoko's Heroes' Chapter appearance.

Great Mankai's Chapter

Churutto! SD anime

Sharing time with Mimori

Massage chairs~

A poster featuring Sonoko that was part of the Kan'onji City tourism promotional project (2016).

Original

Sonoko's Hero form in Heroes' Chapter.

Great Mankai's Chapter

Sonoko in the 8th episode of Season 1.

Middle-School Aged Sonoko fighting as a Hero

Sonoko, fully healed, joining the Hero Club in Season 2.

Sonoko during her transformation sequence.

Sonoko going Mankai once more.

An older Sonoko's 4koma design.

Nogi Sonoko (Chuugakkou) Twitter icon

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