About “Youjo Senki” in a few words:

“Youjo Senki” is a Japanese light novel series that was later adapted into an anime in 2017. The story takes place in an alternate world during World War I, where a ruthless businessman is reborn as a young girl named Tanya Degurechaff. As she navigates the political and military landscape of this new world, Tanya must fight for her survival and rise through the ranks of the army. With elements of fantasy and action, “Youjo Senki” is a thrilling and intense series that keeps viewers on the edge of their seats.

Meet the characters from Youjo Senki

Matheus Johann Weiss

Okay, Matheus is that quietly dangerous mastermind type — you know the one who smiles and then rearranges your entire battle plan. He’s methodical, annoyingly punctual, and probably owns three identical pocket watches (or is that just a rumor?); loves maps more than people, but secretly brought a stuffed bear to a conference once, don’t tell. He can look like a textbook strategist but will improvise in these weird, brilliant flashes that make everyone else feel like they missed a meeting. There’s a tiny soft spot under all the steel, though he’ll never admit it and will instead write it off as “tactical empathy.”

Hans von Zettour

Hans is the old-school officer with an irritatingly calm voice who quotes philosophers mid-battle and somehow makes it sound intimidating. He’s dignified, stiff-backed, likes protocol almost religiously, but also tells awful jokes when things get tense — like, groan-worthy puns. He’s that mentor figure who believes in the system, even when the system makes you want to scream; he’s stubborn in a way that’s almost poetic. And yes, he enjoys brandy and hates paperwork, which is baffling because he always ends up doing spreadsheets at 2 a.m.

Tanya von Degurechaff

Tanya is chaos in a child’s body and it’s the best/worst kind of brilliance — ruthless, precise, and absolutely terrifying when she decides something must be done. She obsesses over strategy like it’s a crossword puzzle (she collects stamps too? maybe — she definitely hoards stationary), loves orders, and will calculate human lives like inventory, which is both horrifying and oddly efficient. She’s got this neat little smile that never reaches her eyes, and she’s so pettily vindictive you almost admire the commitment to spite. Also kind of a workaholic who treats war like a career ladder and tea time like a battlefield briefing, but don’t ask her about feelings.

Mary Sioux

Mary is that no-nonsense, hard-as-nails commander who punches through bureaucracy with a grin and a cigarette (maybe tastes like metal, who knows). She’s fiercely practical, kind of blunt to the point of brutal honesty, yet will feed a stray dog mid-campaign because how else do you calm your head? She hates pretense and loves a straight answer — also writes awful limericks when sleep-deprived, which is both tragic and charming. And somehow she’s always the calmest person in the room until she isn’t, and then watch out, because it gets dramatic.

Warren Grantz

Warren feels like the grizzled veteran you’d both trust and not cross — big voice, bigger plans, and a laugh that rattles windows. He’s a practical realist who reads troop morale like a weather report, loves numbers and logistics (nerd alert), but will also break into sentimental stories about “the good old days” that maybe never happened exactly like that. He hates pointless heroics but will personally lead the charge if it means people survive, which is hypocritical and somehow noble. Quirk: wears mismatched socks on purpose? or forgetfully — the mystery remains.

Viktoriya Serebryakova

Viktoriya — Visha! — is the endlessly cheerful machine who keeps everything running and is secretly terrifyingly competent, like adorable paperwork with a bayonet. She’s loyal to a fault, annoyingly upbeat when you want to be melodramatic, and somehow manages to balance tea-time morale boosts with razor-sharp battlefield efficiency. Clumsy in small things (spills soup, cries at sweet commercials) but frighteningly precise with intel and orders, which makes her unpredictably perfect. Also she has this tiny habit of humming under stress — very human, very cute, very dangerous when coupled with a rifle.

Erich von Lergen

Erich is that cool, calculating aristocrat who always smells faintly of old books and ambition; very composed, very sharp, and a little bit of a chessmaster personality. He believes in ideals (dangerous ones), is polished in public and coldly pragmatic in private, and will sacrifice anything for what he thinks is the greater plan. He has a weird tenderness for music — listens to it while plotting — which makes him oddly sympathetic and a touch unpredictable. Also sometimes he slips up and you catch a glimpse of real doubt (or maybe it was a nap), which makes him human in a way that’s almost unfair.