Taira Tonotsugu Review: Pawn or Heir of the Taira Family?
Is Taira Tonotsugu a beloved son or a disposable political pawn? Dive into our Nippon Sangoku review of Taira Denki's heir and his true role in the war.
Nippon Sangoku aired its latest episode, Episode 7, on May 17, 2026. After watching it myself, I was really impressed. It was an amazing episode where a lot of things happened, but among all of them, the one thing that amazed everyone was the dynamic scenes of Taira Tonotsugu. While you may think Tonotsugu is just a spoiled child with the worst personality, he is someone who is capable of turning into a great man in the future.
Tonotsugu is the son of Taira Denki and the heir to the Taira family. In the first few episodes, because we followed the perspective of the main character, Aoteru Misumi, and Tonotsugu acted like a spoiled child, it was natural for everyone to dislike or even hate him. However, after going through everything in Episode 7, he has truly grown, or perhaps it is more accurate to say he has finally shown us his true self.
Since we, as viewers, also watch the story from a third-person or "God's perspective," we might think Tonotsugu was too dumb to fall into Seii’s trap. However, to be honest, when Nagao Muuton and his men have such incredible acting skills, it is really hard for anyone not to fall for it. We can’t truly blame Tonotsugu for falling into the enemy’s trap, as he was just looking to achieve some results and ultimately help his father take over the military power.
Tonotsugu is a more complicated character compared to others in the series. While he indeed acted like a spoiled child in the beginning, in the end, he is just a kid, or even a pawn to his own father. In order to understand the story better, it is necessary for us to get to know his character more, since he might be someone who affects the Three Kingdoms the most in the future.
What happened in Episode 7: The great changes of Taira Tonotsugu
Before we dive deep into Taira Tonotsugu, I understand what everyone is worried about. Although Nippon Sangoku is based on a manga, I want to ensure everyone gets the best experience, so I will not include any manga spoilers in this post. However, since this post focuses on Tonotsugu, it does contain spoilers for the anime episodes. If you want to avoid all spoilers, please stop reading and leave this post now!
In Episode 7 of the Nippon Sangoku anime, Nagao Muuton from Seii launched a fierce nighttime attack against Yamato in Kanazawa. At that time, the Yamato army that had entered Kanazawa consisted mostly of Tonotsugu and his men, so Muuton’s actual plan was to kill every single one of them. The plan was solid, and Muuton is truly talented in warfare; in fact, he wiped out a large number of Yamato’s soldiers. Unfortunately for him, however, Tonotsugu managed to survive.
Even though Muuton had a great plan, Tonotsugu is the son of Taira Denki and the Grand Archivist of Yamato, so the Yamato soldiers naturally did whatever they could to keep him alive. While this was a normal reaction for the soldiers, meaning Tonotsugu's survival wasn't entirely unexpected, the actions he took next went completely beyond everyone’s imagination.
Despite being just a young child, Tonotsugu took full responsibility for what he had done. He even apologized to Right Lieutenant General Sugoh and decided to fight alongside him to head back to Yamato. This was completely unexpected for me. I knew Tonotsugu was going to do something great, but I didn’t think we would see his "soft" side. I was deeply moved by his actions; although he had been a spoiled child for the first few episodes, in the end, he is just a young kid trying to look good in front of his dad. Having everyone around him killed is a terrible experience, but he was still able to overcome it quickly and move forward.
Source: 『日本三國』公式 Official X account
What is the true nature of the young child: The two sides of Tonotsugu
After watching Nippon Sangoku Episode 7, I believe everyone will be stunned and amazed by Tonotsugu's performance, as he looks incredibly cool and mature in this episode. I was also really surprised by it, but at the same time, it made me question the true nature of this young child. To a certain degree, you could say that Tonotsugu was just acting; since his life was in danger, he needed to act to keep himself alive. However, this explanation also raises another question: wouldn’t his acting skills be a little too good if everything he did was fake?
I can understand that in warfare, especially during the Three Kingdoms era, kids need to be good at acting in order to survive, but I also think there is a limit to it. Tonotsugu truly went through the worst nightmare of his life; almost everyone he trusted was killed, and even Tama-chan, who had helped him so much, was killed as well. After witnessing so much death in a single night and feeling such immense frustration, regret, and other negative emotions, I don't think Tonotsugu would be capable of putting on such a great act just to stay alive.
As the son of Taira Denki and the Grand Archivist of Yamato, Tonotsugu didn't even need to act just to stay alive. Of course, he couldn't use his "spoiled kid" persona in that situation, but simply acting normal would have been enough to survive, since Sugoh couldn't actually let him die no matter what happened. I bet Sugoh understood that too; in the end, his duty was to save Tonotsugu. As long as Sugoh remained a soldier, he had to protect Tonotsugu even if it meant sacrificing himself. This might sound cruel, but it is the path Sugoh chose to walk. Tonotsugu didn't need to say or do that much just to survive, yet he did everything so perfectly that it ultimately bred hope, even while they were trapped in hell.
A spoiled child or an amazing kid full of possibilities, I am truly curious about Tonotsugu's true nature. Personally, I believe he is an amazing kid full of potential. While it might sound hard for everyone to believe, and he did indeed fall into Muuton’s trap, no one would be capable of just "putting on an act" after going through so many terrible things in a single night. Even if Tonotsugu were talented enough to act under those circumstances, no one truly knows what will happen next in war; you still need genuine courage and bravery. Ultimately, he is remarkable because he possesses the most important qualities to survive, even at such a young age.
Source: 『日本三國』公式 Official X account
The reasons behind the act: The relationship between the Taira family and Yamato
If the true nature of Taira Tonotsugu is a kid full of possibilities, then it would suggest that he was acting, or at least putting on a "spoiled kid" persona in the first few episodes. You may think I am exaggerating, or perhaps that Tonotsugu just happens to have two different personalities, but to understand him better, let’s take a look at his past.
According to information from Nippon Sangoku's official X account (『日本三國』公式), Tonotsugu is not Taira Denki's only child. This makes perfect sense; since Taira Denki is the true ruler of Yamato, it would actually be stranger if he only had one child. Because Tonotsugu was neither the only child nor the eldest, he wasn't originally the successor to the Taira family. He was never supposed to be the heir, which raises a new question: why is he joining the war?
In an era of warfare, those who joined wars for their family were usually the eldest son, or the one who was supposed to be the successor. The reason is simple: it was a great opportunity for them to gain experience and achieve results to climb higher in the future. From the fact that Tonotsugu is the one participating, we can assume that Denki is choosing him as the successor. We can understand that logic, but it still begs the question, why?
According to the information available, Tonotsugu’s mother killed the child who was originally supposed to be the successor, which gave Tonotsugu the chance to rise. Tonotsugu is a talented kid; he has been good at writing since he was young, and he is quite familiar with music and horses, which explains why he could ride to Kanazawa without any problems. Knowing Tonotsugu’s past gives us a great clue as to why he needs to act or maintain two different personalities. When you are born into a family like that, and likely witnessed everything your mother did just to help you climb higher, you naturally need to master your acting skills. Otherwise, you can’t truly survive the dirtiness of the adult world.
Source: 『日本三國』公式 Official X account
What is Taira Denki looking for from Tonotsugu: A lovely son or a pawn for greater wars?
Besides the amazing actions Tonotsugu takes in Episode 7, there is another part that will capture our attention: his resolution. In Episode 7, Tonotsugu is not only determined to escape that living hell, but he also has something he needs to ask his own father. We don't know yet what he wants to ask, but perhaps it is related to why his father lied to him.
According to Episode 7, based on what Tonotsugu thought about this operation and what he had heard from his father, the mission was supposed to be easy and safe. However, it turned out to be completely the opposite. We don't really know what Taira Denki said to him, but from Tonotsugu's expressions, we can assume he feels lied to a certain degree. At the same time, from what we witnessed in Episode 7, we also know that Taira Denki has been launching plans in secret.
In Episode 7, Aoteru Misumi suggests that Taira Denki is using Yamato’s people to protest, aiming to push Yamato into an all-out war with Seii. This move will really help Yamato’s government transition into an all-out war, ultimately allowing Yamato to fulfill its dream of unifying Japan. While it is hard to believe that Taira Denki is aiming for the unification of Japan, the fact that he sent his own son into an extremely dangerous environment, something a man of his stature surely should have anticipated, strongly suggests he is using his own son as a pawn for a grand purpose.
I think Taira Denki loves his son to a certain degree, but it is an unfortunate fate for any son living in an era of warfare that fathers can always find replacements very easily. Taira Denki is the man who controls Yamato; for someone like him, producing heirs is an easy thing, so as cruel as it is to say, he can always replace Tonotsugu. Taira Denki is indeed a man with the worst personality, and when you weigh Tonotsugu's life against the grand goal of unifying Japan, Tonotsugu's life simply doesn't stand a chance.
Here’s a great YouTube video worth checking out.
Conclusion
Despite being just a young child, Taira Tonotsugu is truly an amazing character who is full of possibilities. Although he was a spoiled child in the first few episodes, it turns out he has the capacity to deal with any situation, even when things get incredibly difficult. Since the circumstances surrounding him are still so dangerous, it might be hard for him to realize it yet, but it is a massive advantage that he has built a great relationship with Ryumon Mitsuhide and his army.
Ryumon Mitsuhide and his army are talented soldiers who are absolutely capable of protecting him until they reach Yamato. Once they finally meet up, Tonotsugu will finally be able to get some well-deserved rest. Furthermore, if Tonotsugu manages to survive this ordeal and eventually takes over the Taira family, Ryumon Mitsuhide and his men are also capable of helping him achieve the ultimate dream: the unification of Japan.
Thank you for reading this post! I will be publishing more content soon, including plot explanations, character deep-dives, and much more, so please stay tuned. While you wait for my next post, feel free to leave as many episodic reviews as possible, as there are plenty of challenges waiting for you on AnimeOshi!
Source: 『日本三國』公式 Official X account
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