This section contains details that may spoil any surprises.
- For more information about the black fox, see Kuronosuke.
Konnosuke (こんのすけ) is a kudagitsune who helps the Saniwa navigate in the game. Konnosuke is also featured in other media such as a TV documentary and anime series show. It has been mentioned in both game and other media about its love for aburaage (油揚げ).
Konnosuke is also one of the primary mascots of Touken Ranbu, alongside Mikazuki Munechika and the five starter swords Kashuu Kiyomitsu, Yamanbagiri Kunihiro, Mutsunokami Yoshiyuki, Kasen Kanesada, and Hachisuka Kotetsu.
Description[]
Konnosuke is a talking kudagitsune employed by the Time Government who assists the Saniwa. In the original game, his role was to help the player navigate the game and occasionally drop lore tidbits. However, in many of the adaptations, his role is expanded to include acting as a guide and companion to the Touken Danshi.
In terms of personality, Konnosuke in the original game is very professional, polite in speech and mannerisms, and enjoys fried tofu. Beyond this, little is known about his character because, unlike the Touken Danshi, he does not receive much focus in the story outside of his designated role as a tutorial guide.
Notably, while shown to have the ability to talk through his speech bubbles and in his Hyakki Yakou Recollections, Konnosuke does not have an in-game voice-actor and is currently the only recurring character to not have one. Konnosuke does, however, have many different voice actors across the many Touken Ranbu adaptations, to reflect that each Konnosuke is a different Konnosuke.
Appearances in the game[]
Konnosuke appears after selecting a server and sword starter to lead the new Saniwa through a basic gameplay tutorial. The gameplay tutorial has four main sections (Sortie, Repairs, Smithing, and Armory) that must be cleared before going on your own.
Konnosuke also appears when there are connection issues or the game is under maintenance.
Hyakki Yakou[]
Konnosuke's first series of Recollections occur during this event, as he is one of the many kudagitsune summoned to Iko by a mysterious force, eventually revealed to be War Demon, and briefly disappears, but is quickly returned to the citadel after being found in the depths of Iko by Hariban. Similar to what Kuki Masamune says in his event Obtained voice-over, Konnosuke explains his calling to Iko felt like a dream, and imagined being drawn to a magnificent wedding procession, possibly alluding to the Kitsune no Yomeiri.
Along with his minor role of being another potential victim of the War Demon, the player learns a little more about Konnosuke, such as the fact that, along with being an assistant to the Saniwa, he and his kind are also subordinate to the Government's kudagitsune-user, a Touken Danshi named Kitsunegasaki who first made a brief, unnamed appearance during the Great Invasion. When Kitsunegasaki is involved, Konnosuke also appears to be more panicked than when he is with the Saniwa, and also more approval-seeking, implying that the kudagitsune and Kitsunegasaki have a stricter relationship.
Konnosuke and his kind are also expected by the Government to be on duty at all times so that they can be ready to relay information from headquarters.
Following his revelation to Kitsunegasaki and the player about what had happened to him, Konnosuke resumes his role as a tutorial guide and largely inactive commentator for the duration of the event, and is not further explored.
Appearances in Other Media[]
Appearance | Media | Voice Actor |
---|---|---|
Okkii Konnosuke no Touken Sanpo | None | |
Katsugeki Touken Ranbu | Nagatsuka Takuma | |
Katsugeki Touken Ranbu | Sugiyama Noriaki | |
Katsugeki Touken Ranbu | Okumura Shou | |
Zoku Touken Ranbu Hanamaru | Shin Yuuki | |
Zoku Touken Ranbu Hanamaru | Tobita Nobuo | |
Touken Ranbu Musou | Kappei Yamaguchi | |
Wanpaku! Touken Ranbu | None | |
Touken Ranbu Kai: Kyoden Moyuru Honnōji | None |
Trivia[]
- The "Kon" in his name is the sound of a fox's bark in Japanese, while "-nosuke" is a masculine name suffix that means “to help,” and denotes individuals whose roles it is to offer support others.
- Konnosuke's gender is never stated in the browser game; however, the masculine suffix "-nosuke" attached to his name, as well as the fact that he is always voiced by a male actor when appearing in adaptations, suggest that Konnosuke is a male kudagitsune.
- Of all the mascots, Konnosuke tends to show up the least in adaptations. However, he is occasionally referenced in spin-offs in which he does not appear as a character:
- Shinken Ranbusai 2018 and 2022 reference Konnosuke in the form of props and merchandise.
- Several Konnosuke statues can be seen around the citadel in the live action films.
- Konnosuke is absent in the Stage Play continuity, but a kudagitsune named Fukunosuke that looks very similar to him save for his eyes and crescent-shaped head markings appears in his place.
- With the exception of Mamenosuke and Kyuunosuke, the other "-nosukes," such as Kuronosuke and Momonosuke, are palette swaps of Konnosuke.
- Konnosuke is explicitly stated to be a machine from Saniwa’s era in Katsugeki Touken Ranbu, with this also being implied to be the case in Touken Ranbu Kai: Kyoden Moyuru Honnōji. However, it is unknown if this information applies to all Konnosuke's or just to the Konnosuke's of those particular citadels.
- Konnosuke in Touken Ranbu Kai: Kyoden Moyuru Honnōji is the most different of any Konnosuke portrayal, as he not only has different facial markings but also appears to lack the ability to speak, communicating in animal-like grunting sounds.
- Mamenosuke, a kudagitsune kit introduced for the Touken Ranbu LINE app, addresses him as "Senpai," suggesting that he is a fully grown kudagitsune.