Konatsu Warren

'''SPOILERS AHEAD! READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!Konatsu Warren '''is a secondary character, an antagonist in the 07-Ghost series and one of Ayanami's subordinates. He is a member of the Black Hawks and, before Shuri Oak and Teito Klein had joined, was the only one of the group without the power of a Warsfeil. However Konatsu makes up for this significant disadvantage with his skill as a swordsman.

Konatsu has not been a member of the Black Hawks for very long (in the anime he is the newest recruit and second youngest), is the sixth youngest (after Kuroyuri, Shuri, Teito, Yukinami and Suzunami) in the manga, and acts as Hyuuga's Begleiter. Out of the Black Hawks, Konatsu can be considered the most 'sane'.

Etymology
"Konatsu" is the name of a famous citric fruit in Japan. Konatsu differs from other citric fruits in that its white rind is sweet and edible, while other citric fruits' white rind is bitter and inedible; this may have inspired the authors to name the character "Konatsu", as he is the only one in a family of Warsfeil that cannot use black magic. It is also worth noting that the konatsu citric fruit is also called 'hyuuga natsu' in some parts of Japan, and Konatsu (the character) is Hyuuga's begleiter.

In Japanese, "little summer" is pronounced as "ko natsu".

"Warren" is a name of German origin. It means "protector". In the English language, a warren is a network of interconnecting rabbit burrows, and in Teutonic, "Warren" means "protecting friend".

Physical appearance
Konatsu appears to be a young boy in his mid-teens, of average height and average build (estimated to be 51 kg, since his build is similar to Mikage's). Since he joined the Black Hawks, Konatsu has grown considerably, but in the present series it is estimated that he is around 175 cm. Aside from the change in height, Konatsu's hair was also much longer (neck length) when he was younger.

He has a youthful, slightly round face, large brownish-amber coloured eyes, a small nose and small mouth. Konatsu's hair is a light, golden blonde colour and is rather messy with a long fringe that is parted in the middle. His skin is also a fair, pinkish colour. Konatsu bears a resemblance to Mikage and Shuri, and his facial features look somewhat like Teito's. The resemblance between Teito and Konatsu is particularly evident when Teito dyed his hair blonde during the Hawkzile Race.

Clothing
During his academy years, Konatsu wore the Barsburg Military cadet uniform, consisting of a black, or dark blue, thigh-length tunic with long sleeves and a neck guard. He wore black trousers, knee-length back boots and white gloves, similar to the other military cadets. His uniform had golden trimming on the shoulders, chest, sleeve cuffs and neck guard. He also wore a gold belt, as well as gold shoulder boards on his right shoulder and a small version of the Barsburg Military insignia over his left shoulder.

Once he has graduated, he wears the standard Black Hawks uniform, consisting of a black, or possibly dark blue, ankle length overcoat with golden trimming on the chest, neck guard and sleeve cuffs. It is possible that he wears a white shirt under his overcoat. Like the other Black Hawks, Konatsu wears black trousers, knee-length, black, buckled boots and white gloves, as well as a small half mantle emblazoned with the military insignia over his left shoulder and a gold shoulder board on his right.

When the Black Hawks went to Antwort, Konatsu wore a winter version of the military uniform. It looked very similar to the standard uniform, but was made of a thicker material, with a higher neck-guard and silver decoration instead of gold.

Personality
Konatsu is regarded as the most 'sane' out of the Black Hawks, and is often stressed or irritated by the behaviour of his fellow Black Hawks, especially Hyuuga and Shuri. He apparently has a 'beautiful' soul, as said by Katsuragi in Kapitel 89.

Possibly as a result of being the only non-Warsfeil on the Black Hawks (before Yukinami, Suzunami, Teito and Shuri joined), Konatsu is a hard worker and always tries to complete his paperwork to a high standard. He also appreciates it when others work hard, as shown by his happiness at Yukinami's initiative and his displeasure at Hyuuga's laziness. He is the introspective type when things go wrong. He can also be seen as the voice of reason towards the more eccentric behaviour displayed by his team mates. He is always polite when speaking with others and is quite courteous (bringing a snack which Kuroyuri likes with him). He is quite shy, and blushes or overreacts when he is teased or embarrassed.

Ayanami
Since Konatsu was a child, it has been his dream (or the only reason why he practises swordsmanship very hard) to become Ayanami's subordinate to protect him. Konatsu displays a great level of respect towards Ayanami, pledging to risk his own life to ensure his safety. In the second drama CD, when Hyuuga told him that Ayanami asked Konatsu to do him a personal favour, he became very excited and nervous at the same time. Konatsu appears to be a little afraid of his superior, sometimes flinching and occasionally runs away (second drama CD) when Ayanami speaks in a sulky tone.

Ayanami is shown to approve of Konatsu and his hard-working attitude, and defends him from Hyuuga's 'abuse' at one point, because Hyuuga had been manipulating Konatsu into doing Hyuuga's work for him, which Ayanami reprimands him for.

Hyuuga
Konatsu is rather shy around Hyuuga especially when, or perhaps because of, Hyuuga's constant teasing and prank pulling. Konatsu is sometimes embarrassed by Hyuuga's antics and finds his behaviour irritating, often hitting him out of stress, such as when he shoves Hyuuga off the bed when he is late for work yet refuses to wake up, or when he splashes a bucket of salty water at him because Hyuuga complains he needs a holiday at the beach. Katsuragi has said that Hyuuga's working attitude and behavior are bad because Konatsu has spoiled him (mini-drama in the 8th Limited Animate DVD).

However, despite Hyuuga dumping most of his paperwork onto Konatsu and abusing him, Konatsu still cares for Hyuuga and is willing to risk his own life to help him, as shown in an episode in the anime when he hurried to help Hyuuga from Labrador's attack and caused himself to be strangled by the opponent's attack, and in manga chapter 89 when he knows that he is not a match to Katsuragi in terms of fighting at all, but still attacks Katsuragi, wanting to avenge Hyuuga's 'death'. Hyuuga has also been shown to care for Konatsu, as he ordered Konatsu not to fight Katsuragi, for the sake of Konatsu's safety. In Kapitel 96, Konatsu is overwhlemed with emotion upon seeing that Hyuuga survived his battle with Katsuragi.

Hyuuga occasionally calls Konatsu 'Kona-chan'.

Katsuragi
Before Katsuragi 'killed' Hyuuga, Konatsu has had a good relationship with Katsuragi. He relies on Katsuragi. In a manga chapter, when he sees that everyone is messing the work, he screams for Katsuragi helplessly. He also seems to like Katsuragi's cooking (e.g. he eats Katsuragi's snack in the dream pot chapter) and company (e.g. in the first drama CD, he said it's a pity that Katsuragi is sick and cannot go to the hot spring with them). It seems that he does respect Katsuragi, as even when Konatsu is in deep anger and hatred when he sees Hyuuga being 'killed' by Katsuragi and took up his sword to kill 'the traitor', he still uses 'anata' (the formal, polite 'you') when he talks with Katsuragi, which is unlike him, as he used 'omae' (the rude, informal 'you') when he talked with his enemy (e.g. when he fought against Castor).

However, their good relationship comes to an end in manga chapter 89, when Katsuragi 'killed' Hyuuga before Konatsu's eyes. Despite knowing that Katsuragi outmatched him in terms of skill, he tried to kill Katsuragi, saying: 'I'll kill you even if we end up stabbing each other!'. Katsuragi easily defeated him, but decided not to kill him, and told Konatsu that if ever his (Konatsu's) hatred turns his beautiful soul jet black, he (Katsuragi) will let Konatsu be his opponent.

Kuroyuri
He gets along with Kuroyuri well, possibly because they are the only members in the Black Hawks who have "strange" tastes when it comes to food (he is the only one who finds Kuroyuri's cooking delicious while Ayanami,Hyuuga, Haruse and Katsuragi faint after eating it). He is very worried when he sees Kuroyuri fall from the airship and rushes to save them.

Wakaba Oak
As his rank is much lower than Wakaba's, for manner's sake he talks to his superior respectfully and kneels down immediately when the field marshal approaches and talks to him. In truth, he is indifferent towards Marshal Oak.

Family
Konatsu's Grandfather

Konatsu seems to have a good relationship with his grandfather, as his grandfather is the only member of his family who did not ostracise or reject him for not having been born a Warsfeil, and is also the only member of his family who came to watch Konatsu during sword practice. Konatsu's grandfather has also complimented Konatsu's skill with the sword, saying that it is 'splendid'. Konatsu applied to join the Black Hawks after his grandfather advised him to, showing that he respects his grandfather's opinion.

Other members of the Warren Family

Konatsu makes little mention of his other relatives, including his parents, and does not seem to be close to any of them. It was shown in the side chapter 'Aspiration' that some of his relatives called him an 'ill-omened child', even going as far as to say: 'Get him out of here.' and 'There's no use for him in our family.' Konatsu also said in the same chapter: 'I don't need that family', implying that he dislikes and resents his family.

Shuri Oak
He dislikes Shuri and is fed up with having to protect "THAT OAK" by himself As a peer, he does not even bother to comfort Shuri when Shuri mourns his father's death. Shuri had sadly developed a hero complex with Konatsu, calling him 'onii-sama' (lit. 'honourable elder brother-sama').

Teito Klein
While Konatsu has no hesitation in attacking Teito, like Hyuuga and unlike Ayanami, he has no personal grudge towards him. likes Teito's capability. Upon hearing that Teito scored Grade A for information processing, Konatsu was so touched that he cried and welcomed Teito happily, thinking that finally there's someone who can lessen his workload. He then proceeded to give Teito a baseball bat, probably to hit Shuri and Hyuuga with. Konatsu also gave Teito a can of peach juice and a ballpoint pen.

Both boys were bullied during their student years, so they have something in common.

Sword
Konatsu is a skilled swordsman, making up for his lack of Warsfeil abilities with his swordsmanship.

Strength
He displays average physical strength for a boy his size and age.

Early childhood
"I was born a very ordinary person."

- Konatsu Warren

Konatsu was born to two unknown members of the Warren Family, a rich and influential family of nobles known for being gifted with the births of many Warsfeil. However, despite the Warsfeil blood running through his family, Konatsu was born a normal human, and so he was shunned for being an "ill omen" by the Warsfeil in his family save for his grandfather.

His grandfather convinced Konatsu not to give up, and told him of Ayanami, the leader of the Black Hawks and rumoured reincarnation of Verloren. His grandfather taught him swordsmanship under the belief that if he joined the Black Hawks to guard the reincarnation of Verloren, he might be accepted by his family.

Academy years and application to the Black Hawks
Konatsu was part of the 312th class. During his academy years, Konatsu grew to become an excellent swordsman: achieving top marks in the practical examination, an A on 'military data processing', and having never lost a battle, all of which allowed him to graduate with the top seat. Despite this, it is implied he was bullied by the other students for his ambition.

Konatsu applied for the Black Hawks but was rejected, as despite his academic achievement and swordsmanship he still was not a Warsfeil. Konatsu is heartbroken by this and angrily comments that 'years spent honing a skill is nothing compared to natural-born talent'.

A fight with Hyuuga
"It's true what you say. But I've never lost when it comes to swordsmanship."

- Konatsu Warren

One morning, he catches sight of Hyuuga in the courtyard practising with his sword and mistakes him for a new instructor. Konatsu moves closer for a better look, but Hyuuga catches him staring, approaches him and strikes up a conversation. Hyuuga recognises Konatsu as the human who wants to join the Black Hawks and jokingly says Konatsu looks too weak to have won the top seat. Konatsu asserts his skill, and Hyuuga challenges him to a fight, saying that if Konatsu can land one 'hit' on him, Hyuuga would give him the katana he had earlier caught Konatsu staring at. Konatsu gratefully accepts the challenge, unaware Hyuuga is a member of the Black Hawks.

As Black Hawks Haruse, Kuroyuri and Katsuragi come to watch, Hyuuga remains stood in one place and lets Konatsu come to him. Konatsu lunges for Hyuuga, but Hyuuga strikes out- sending Konatsu sliding backwards (cutting Konatsu's arm in the process) and felling the tree behind him. Konatsu again goes for Hyuuga but Hyuuga uppercuts him and sends Konatsu's sword flying out of his hands. As Konatsu gropes for his sword Hyuuga criticises him for attacking without thinking to defend himself. Konatsu looks at Hyuuga and sees an image of himself standing next to Hyuuga and mocking him (Konatsu) and he (Konatsu) grabs his sword and lashes out at the image. The image of Konatsu is cut in two, leaving Hyuuga amused that Konatsu is fighting an imaginary enemy instead of him. Hyuuga hits Konatsu in the ribs with the back of his sword, breaking a few and Konatsu keels over in pain.

"It's not over! Not yet!"

- Konatsu Warren

Seeing Konatsu lying on the floor in pain, Hyuuga announces that the fight is over and begins to walk away, but Konatsu becomes angry at himself for failing to close the gap between them and he screams for the fight to continue. Hyuuga shoots some of his Zaiphon at Konatsu, but Konatsu gets up and still refuses to allow the fight to end. He continues to try and attack Hyuuga right up until he faints from a combination of exhaustion and his injuries.

Hyuuga sighs and approaches Konatsu to check if he is alright but as he leans in, Konatsu unconsciously grabs Hyuuga's throat. Hyuuga smiles at the rest of the Black Hawks watching, as Konatsu has scored the 'hit'.

Acceptance
"I want a strong heart. The ability to run on my own."

- Konatsu

Konatsu wakes up in hospital some time later to find Hyuuga sitting on his hospital bed and Hyuuga tells Konatsu not to move due to his injuries. Konatsu apologises for his "careless, shameful behaviour" but Hyuuga ignores him and compliments him on his fighting spirit and tenacity (showing him the hand shaped bruises Konatsu left on his neck) and gives him his katana. Konatsu thanks Hyuuga for the honour of duelling "with an instructor" and Hyuuga smiles and gets up to leave- handing Konatsu a Black Hawks acceptance form before he does. Konatsu is shocked, finally realising Hyuuga is part of the Black Hawks.

Begleiter exam
He first appears alongside Ayanami and the other Black Hawks as they observe the candidates taking the entrance exam for the Barsburg Army, where he sees Shuri bang against the glass screaming for help.

A meeting about the Eye
He is later seen in a meeting, with other high-ranking officers discussing Teito's escape, where he suggests that as Teito was just a sklave he will have nowhere to go.

Wars Attacks
It is then revealed that Teito holds the Eye of Mikhail and Ayanami sends the Black Hawks to retrieve it. Ayanami believes that they must be in possession of both Eyes so a repeat of the Raggs War is avoided. Konatsu, Katsuragi and Hyuuga are seen with Ayanami attending a meeting about the hostile situation with the neighbouring country, Antwort.

Konatsu plays a small part in the first mission, in which the Eye of Mikhail is eventually retrieved, appearing briefly to save Kuroyuri as they fall from a Hawkzile.

Antwort War
"Speaking so frankly in front of Ayanami-sama! Certainly a rare and endangered species, Major!"

- Konatsu

As the Black Hawks approach Antwort, Ayanami asks about Haruse's condition, and Konatsu replies that Haruse is sleeping. Just then, Shuri Oak appears, having earlier been brought aboard by Hyuuga on Wakaba's orders, and begins behaving rudely in front of Ayanami, announcing that he (Shuri) is Ayanami's begleiter. Konatsu is appalled, but tells Kuroyuri they cannot kill him. When Shuri asks what Antwort is, Konatsu is annoyed, and explains it is the last allied nation of Raggs.

The fleet is spotted by Antwort soldiers approaching the country. The soldiers do nothing, confident that their anti-battleship shield will block any attack and deter them. Once the Black Hawks have reached Antwort, Ayanami breaks the anti-battleship shield with his Zaiphon and tells Shuri Oak that his begleiters are expected to fight on the front line. Hyuuga then throws Shuri overboard, where he (Shuri) lands in the centre of the countries Eastern camp. He survives the fall, but is mistaken by Antwort's men as the fleet's only front-liner, and they fire at him in panic. Shuri almost meets his death via Antwort's arsenal, but Konatsu leaps from the Ribidzile after him and saves him by cutting the cannons in half.

"I'm not doing this to save you. If you died, it would damage lieutenant Hyuuga's reputation! If you don't want to die then stand up already!"

- Konatsu

Konatsu, denies he is saving Shuri Oak, stating that he was only doing it so as to avoid getting his lieutenant Hyuuga's reputation damaged. Konatsu then proceeds to slash at the incoming enemies and cuts them down into bloody heaps that stun Shuri speechless. Konatsu warns him not to look away, saying that this is the true face of war.

Once the battle has ended, Shuri kicks a dead body that lies on the floor- prompting Konatsu to slap him and tells him not to "mock the dead". Shuri begins to panic- saying he has never seen a dead body before. He cries on Konatsu.

Return from Antwort
Konatsu waits with the rest of the Black Hawks as Ayanami is in a meeting with Wakaba Oak. When the two arrive, a tearful Shuri Oak runs into his father's arms and is comforted by him. Hyuuga laughs and jokes that Konatsu has been abusing Shuri (as an explanation for Shuri's battle wounds) which causes Konatsu to shout at Hyuuga for joking about such a thing in front of Shuri's father. Just as Wakaba talks with Ayanami about Shuri being his (Ayanami's) begleiter, Shuri interrupts him to introduce Konatsu.

Konatsu is horrified as Shuri expresses his admiration for him, calling him onii-sama, and vows to be like him. Wakaba, seeing how attached Shuri has become to Konatsu places Shuri under Konatsu's care. Konatsu obliges, but when the Field Marshal leaves, Konatsu looses his composure and readies his bat, forcing Hyuuga to restrain him.

"$***! Furthermore Lt.Commander aren't you undertaking the training of those twins! Which means that too will become my job!"

- Konatsu Warren

Konatsu further laments that he will be also be taking care of the Antwort twins, as Hyuuga (their true carer) cannot be expected to do so himself.

When the Black Hawks return to their office, Konatsu is initially pleased when he sees Hyuuga doing his paperwork, but when he comes closer he sees that Hyuuga has actually drawn a picture of Ayanami on the documents. Konatsu begins to shout at Hyuuga, drawing attention to the two Antwort twins who he cites as a good example. However when he looks at them, he sees Suzunami has been using his own hand-made tulip seal instead of the proper staff seal and Yukinami has spilt a bottle of ink on the floor. Konatsu begins to panic as he searches for the seal and when Katsuragi appears, Konatsu runs to him for help.

Title
Konatsu is seen on a cliff overlooking the Barsburg Church, where he salutes Ayanami and tells him "preparations for the meeting are in order".

The Black Hawks were then sent on a mission to infiltrate the Church and capture the host of the Eye of Mikhail, as it was revealed that the Eye is useless without its host. He accompanies Hyuuga to the Church where they confront Castor and Labrador - seemingly winning before the fight is interrupted when Teito warps everyone to Pandora's box where Ayanami instructs the Black Hawks to retreat.

At the end of the manga, Konatsu and Hyuuga are the only Black Hawks confirmed to have remained in the Barsburg military.

Quotes

 * 'I am the person who understands you the most in this world.' 
 * 'You really can't see it? Alright then, I'll be frank and direct... Your feelings for Ayanami-sama are unilateral.' 
 * 'Don't mock the dead, heretic.' (upon seeing Shuri kick a dead soldier, in Kapitel 26)
 * 'Colonel Katsuragi...the one who dropped the chandelier was Zehel...you weren't at the ball, how did you know that?' (Kapitel 88)
 * 'Even if I will die with you, I must kill you!'  (to Katsuragi, after he sees Hyuuga's 'death' in his battle against Katsuragi, manga chapter 89)
 * 'Hey, you. That doesn't look like the face of a respectable bishop.' (to Castor, manga chapter 70)

Trivia

 * Konatsu has not been made a Warsfeil, despite it being possible and his family wanting him to be one. This is likely because he did not want to be given a skill he was not able to gain himself.
 * In Katsuragi's view, Konatsu's soul is beautiful or/and pure. (manga chapter 89)
 * Ayanami might not have taken half of Konatsu's soul, as in manga chapter 89 he has not possessed Konatsu to save him from Katsuragi or to attack Katsuragi.
 * Konatsu's grandfather thinks that Konatsu, in his previous life, has done something which offended Verloren, and that's why Konatsu was not born a Warsfeil in this life.
 * In the first 07-Ghost CD drama, Konatsu appears as Mr.K in a telephone interview where he complains about his boss (Hyuuga)'s behaviour.
 * In the second CD drama, Hyuuga tells Konatsu that Ayanami wants him to prepare a birthday present and speech for Chairman Miroku's 70th birthday as a prank. When Kuroyuri tells Konatsu to relax as "Chairman Miroku doesn't have much time to live anyway", Konatsu mistakenly thinks that Miroku is going to die soon.
 * Konatsu hopes that when he is 70 years old, he will be surrounded by grandchildren and will have many friends.
 * In the 5th Limited Animate DVD released in 2010, there is a mini drama (lasting less than 20 minutes) which features Hyuuga and Konatsu, titled "Konatsu is the Strongest".
 * In the 9th Limited Animate DVD, Konatsu appeared with Katsuragi in a mini-drama, in which Katsuragi implied that Konatsu has spoiled Hyuuga.