 This article is about a villain turned Extra Hero in Avataro Sentai Donbrothers.
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- "Spotless integrity, perfection. Sonoi! (清廉潔白、完全主義。ソノイ！ Seiren keppaku, kanzen shugi. Sonoi!)"
- ―Roll Call[src]
Sonoi (ソノイ) is a member of the Noto, with the mantle of the Baron Cross and one of the three former main antagonists of Avataro Sentai Donbrothers who transforms into what was called Transformed Sonoi (ソノイ変身体 Sonoi Henshintai) by the Donbrothers production crew and official material [1]
History
Sonoi first appeared in front of Haruka Kitou when she was attacked by Benitsuki. Poetically lamenting that the beauty of flowers had been ruined, he transformed and quickly slew the monster. Later, when Shisotsuki was born and wreaked havoc, Sonoi arrived at the scene. Despite Haruka mistaking him for a hero and begged him to save her friend, he heartlessly kicked her away and processed to cut down the monster, effectively murdering the man it had transformed from. Sonoi was then engaged by Oni Sister, Kiji Brother, and Don Momotaro. Discovering that a table tennis medalist, Makoto Kazuga, nearby is filled with greed, he forcefully transformed Makoto into Kishiryuki before taking his leave.
TV STORY-Don 1: Avataro
During Chikyuuki’s rampage, Sonoi entered the battle and duels Don Momotaro, at one point he offered him a chance to join the Noto as a loyal servant. Don Momotaro laughed at him saying the general would make a lousy companion, rejecting his offer. After the Ranger shifted to his Alter form and swiftly attacked him, Sonoi was driven back and left the fight offscreen.
TV STORY-Don 7: Group of Teachers
When Taro caught three goons trying to break into his delivery van, Sonoi appeared and both he and Taro easily shooed them away. They each complimented each other on their apparent skills as Sonoi excused himself, sure that they would meet again. On the other side of town, Taro and Sonoi ran into each other trying to save people trapped in a fire. Sonoi shared his reverence for human life, but only without excessive desire, as he believed that would lead to the end of the world. Taro disagreed and parted ways with him, neither being aware of the other's identity as Don Momotaro and a Noto general, respectively.
Sonoi met and battled Don Momotaro many times. On one occasion, when Taro was preparing to deliver a peach finisher at a Hitotsuki, Tsuyoshi Kijino knocked Taro out of the way. Sonoi to delivered the finishing blow instead, apparently killing the man inside the Hitotsuki to the shock of the other Donbrothers are shocked. TV STORY-Don 8: Long Hair Captivity
When the cat Juto began to appear on Earth, Sonoi was frozen in place and did not respond to Sonoza or Sononi's questions. He took them to see the supposed Guardian - Jin Momoi - whose job was to guard the barrier between the Juto and the human world. Jin left them with one warning: They must be cautious of the Juto’s origami, which included a cat, crane and penguin. TV STORY-Don 9: Worn Out Taro and Robotaro TV STORY-Don 11: The Dog Gets Sunstroke
Sonoi intercepted "Detective Sayama" and quickly attempted to strike the beastman down. Despite being hit, the Juto regenerated before escaping with its super speed. Sonoi realized that the Juto were immortal and could not be killed by normal means. Also during this time, Taro found Sonoi to talk about his problem - the inability to lie. Sonoi tried to convince him that there were “ beautiful lies” in the world, citing the moon as an example: The moon had no natural way of producing light, yet it "shone" by reflecting the light of the sun. Sonoi deemed the moon to be more trustworthy than the sun, since it could always be seen in the sky while the latter vanished at night. The two reached an understanding and formed a friendship. TV STORY-Don 12: The Moon Is Lying
As Sonoi tried to draw a picture of Mt. Fuji, he found himself unable to, acknowledging that art was unique to humans who used it to cover up their imperfections. A pigeon landed on the roof near him, delivering a message from the Noto Council that after much investigation, they have found out Don Momotaro's identity as a surviving member of the Don royal family - the Noto's sworn enemy. The 3 generals reconvened at an art gallery to discuss this major development. They had thought all of the Don Clan had been executed. Sonoi said that if there indeed was a survivor, then they must kill him.
Elsewhere, Sonoi caught a mugger and told him to change his ways, just as he spotted Taro nearby. They headed up to a rooftop to talk. Taro told Sonoi that he was having trouble with Sonoi’s idea of beautiful lies earlier, unable to understand it. Sonoi said he liked Taro the way he was and that he brought him hope, wishing the world had had more people like him. As they kept talking about their mortal enemies, Taro hoped to have a meal of oden together with Sonoi once they had finished their work. Sonoi had no idea what oden was, but Taro said he would teach him about it later. The two parted ways once more.
Meanwhile, another Hitotsuki was rampaging. When Don Momotaro was trying to fight off the monster, Sonoi, already transformed, popped in to attack the hero. They used a decisive slash at the same time, forcing both to demorph, revealing Taro and Sonoi's true identities to each other for the first time. Shocked at this revelation, they both acknowledged that their oden date would not happen anymore. Taro asked for Sonoi’s name, noting how unfortunate this turn of events was. Sonoi took advantage of Taro's inability to lie to inquire of the latter's own weakness, which he later exploited to deal a fatal blow to Don Momotaro, seemingly killing him. TV STORY-Don 13: Goodbye Taro
Having defeated Taro by exploiting his weakness, Sonoi felt dissatisfied with his victory and wanted his rival to return for a fair duel. When Taro's substitute, Jiro Momotani showed up to lead the Donbrothers, Sonoi told them how to save Taro. He explained that those struck down by the Noto were not exactly "killed", but only imprisoned within another dimension. In a later battle, Sonoi created an opening for Jiro and Tsuyoshi to enter that dimension, where they succeeded in pulling Taro out. TV STORY-Don 14: Substitute Jiro
With Taro back on Earth, Sonoi asked him for a proper one - on - one showdown, where they fought fairly. Despite a few distractions, the two were able to get their fight. Sonoi emerged the loser this time, brought down by Don Momotaro's slash. His dead body was carried away by Don Murasame, back to his home dimension. The Noto Council held a funeral for him and asked Taro to attend. The event was only an excuse, however, for the Council to steal Taro's power. They sent the stolen power into Sonoi's corpse, reviving him from the dead, more powerful than before with an upgraded fighting form.
Although Sonoi was resurrected, Taro's power within him changed his personality. He behaved in a similar way to Taro, sitting on palanquins and laughing loudly when he went to fight. Challenging Taro to another one - on - one, Sonoi won this duel in a similar manner to how he had been beaten before, putting Taro into critical condition. Satisfied with the victory, Sonoi came to the other Donbrothers to have them serve under him and the Noto. Unfortunately, Kaito managed to save Taro in time for him to return, thwarting Sonoi's plans.
Sonoi regained his original personality when he was out eating oden with Taro and the Donbrothers. He continued fighting Taro, but the two slowly rekindled their friendship even as they opposed each other. This, coupled with Sononi and Sonoza's own fraternization with the other Donbrothers, caused the Noto Council to deem them deserters. They sent Sonoshi to deal with the trio, but they temporarily teamed up with the Donbrothers to defeat him.
Once the Council sent Sonoroku and Sonogo as reinforcements for Sonoshi, the trio were kicked out of their own home base into the human world. Seeing no other options, Sonoi resolved to join forces with the Donbrothers for good. He took his two comrades with him to the Donbrothers to talk things out, but not everyone was keen on letting them join, as they had already been enemies for so long. Sonoi decided to go to the Forest of Slumber to find the Ring Of Forgiveness, thinking that such a gesture would enough a show of sincerity on his part. Despite the Juto's presence in the Forest, Sonoi successfully found the Ring, and used it to release everyone trapped in the Noto's prison back to Earth.
In spite of having freed those they had imprisoned, a few of the Donbrothers still disapproved of the Noto trio. It was only after Taro faked falling victim to Sekaiki that they were forced to work together as a team to save him. Sonoi saw right through this scheme, though, commending Taro on it.
Sonoi learned of Taro's eventual memory loss once he finished his mission in the course of their final battle against Sonoya and Sonona. Sonoi fought them alongside the Donbrothers but were overwhelmed before Don Momotaro arrived to aid the heroes.
Donbrothers vs Zenkaiger
Sonoi quit the Donbrothers and inherited the oden stall from the previous owner whom he used to visit. Taro, having recently regained his memory, met him by coincidence. Being sad from how the Donbrothers had fallen, Sonoi told Taro about how bad the Donbrothers had become ever since Jiro began leading the team and how he left them in protest after losing a duel with Don Doragoku, trying to stop the latter's bad influence on the team.
After hearing about Taro's death, Sonoi arrived late to the funeral and gave the energy that he used to obtain his Kyokatai form to revive Taro. To ensure his safety, Sonoi aided in holding off Jiro in order to prevent him from sneak - attacking Taro during the intense fight with Kikaiki and Kashiwamochi World. Although he won his fight with Jiro, the night after he revived Taro, Sonoi breathed his last breath with Sonoza bearing witness to this.
King-Ohger vs. Donbrothers
After his death, Sonoi became an inhabitant of Hakabaka, where he ran a similar oden stall. He served Taro and Gira when they briefly passed away, and taught them about the connection between life and death. He was shown taking care of Taro's pet beetle Gii - which had already died long ago.
Personality
Sonoi is a very calm and graceful man interested in human art. He often talks in a very poetic manner. He is surprisingly heroic and does not hesitate to go into a fire to rescue innocent people. By his own admission, he loves humans and only wants the best for them. However, this sentiment only applies for those without excessive desires, as Sonoi loathes greedy humans. He deems them impure beings whose unholy desires give birth to the Hitotsuki, the monsters that disturb and corrupt his home dimension. To this end, not only does he hunt down the naturally formed Hitotsuki, but he also forcefully creates more of them from humans with particularly strong desires. He never spares a second thought before cutting them down, even fully aware that his method is apparently fatal. This puts him at odds with Don Momotaro and his companions, whose methods are less extreme than his own.
Throughout his time in the human world, Sonoi has gradually developed a complicated relationship with Taro Momoi. Though he admires Taro for his pure honesty and friendliness, Sonoi later expresses disappointment upon learning that Taro is the descendant of the Don clan - the sworn enemy that he and his people have been hunting down in the first place. However, it is apparent that deep down, his attachment towards Taro has not changed, as he does become troubled over defeating Taro by taking advantage of the latter's honesty. Sonoi even feels a tinge of joy upon Taro's brief return, willing to offer the Donbrothers assistance to bring him back permanently, in the hopes that he may have a fair duel with him in the future. Ultimately, the Noto's feud with the Don Clan was not enough to break their friendship, as they become close again. Sonoi is even ready to relinquish his own power to bring Taro back to life, and save him from Jiro at the cost of his own.
After his revival using Taro's energy, Sonoi's behavior becomes drastically different from his original self, being far louder, more bombastic, akin to Taro as Don Momotaro. Notably, he returns using a grand entrance method similar to Don Momotaro's first battlefield foray, and constantly laughs like the hero does. He also refers to Sononi and Sonoza as his "companions", acts extremely arrogant and tyrannical, and has attacked them both at random, much like what Don Momotaro used to do to his teammates in the beginning. After shedding tears containing the red energy of Taro, his pupils turns from red back to blue, and Sonoi reverses to his old personality, much to his fellow Noto's rejoice.
After Sonoi and his co have been deemed as unworthy and fit to be replaced by Sonoshi and his co, Sonoi no longer holds back from showing his sincerity to Taro as he tries to atone for his sins. He goes out of his way to reach the Juto's Forest to find the Ring Of Forgiveness to free all those he has imprisoned, knowing full well the consequences of such an act. Although some other members are slow to accept him, Taro acknowledges his change of heart almost immediately and sees no problem with his joining the Donbrothers.
Sonoi's experience with human culture and Taro's friendship also make him wiser. A year after Taro has stepped down, Sonoi is the only one to openly reject Jiro and quit the team because he knows how Jiro has become a dictator instead of a leader. His growth is even appreciated by Taro who is also saddened by the fact that Sonoi has abandoned the team because of Jiro.
Transformed Sonoi
- Height: 192 cm
- Weight: 90 kg
Powers and Abilities
Powers
- Hitotsuki Creation: Sonoi possesses the ability to turn any human with strong desire into a Hitotsuki.
- Enhanced Speed: Sonoi possesses superhuman speed, allowing him to move around in the blink of an eye.
Abilities
to be added
Weaknesses
to be added
Arsenal
- Motorcycle: Sonoi has his own personal motorcycle.
- Noto Brace (脳人ブレス Nōto Buresu): Sonoi wields a bracelet that allows him to change into his monster form.
- Baron Sword (バロンソード Baron Sōdo): Sonoi wields a sword in combat.
Hitotsuki
- Kishiryuki (1)
Appearances: Donbrothers Episodes 1-2, 7-8, 13-16, 20-27, 37-38, 49, Avataro Sentai Donbrothers vs. Zenkaiger
After his revival, Sonoi changes into his Kyokatai form with the power of Don Momotaro.
- Height: 192 cm
- Weight: 90 kg
Powers and Abilities
Powers
- Hitotsuki Creation: Sonoi possesses the ability to turn any human with strong desire into a Hitotsuki.
Abilities
to be added
Weaknesses
to be added
Arsenal
- Noto Brace (脳人ブレス Nōto Buresu): Sonoi Kyokatai retains his Noto Brace from his previous form.
- Baron Sword (バロンソード Baron Sōdo): Sonoi Kyokatai retains his weapon from his previous form.
- Shield: The shield on Sonoi Kyokatai's chest is more robust and can move to his left arm for defense.
- Laser: Sonoi Kyokatai is able to generate and fire red lasers from the orb on his shield.
Hitotsuki
- Taiyoki (33)
Appearances: Donbrothers Episodes 32-34, 37-39, 43, 45-50, Avataro Sentai Donbrothers vs. Zenkaiger
Relationships
Allies
Noto
Others
- Donbrothers
- Taro Momoi/Don Momotaro: During their interactions, Sonoi develops an admiration for the naïve purity of Taro's civilian persona, unaware that he and is actually Don Momotaro, a member of the Don clan. He even admits to Taro that he "gives him hope" for humanity. They also talk about food frequently, and Taro says he'd like to have Oden with Sonoi, though Sonoi has never heard of Oden. When he finds out Taro is Don Momotaro, this fills Sonoi with despair, and he kills Taro after learning his weakness. However, Sonoi regrets this decision, later helping to bring Taro back. Although the two become enemies, Sonoi still respects Taro, even considering him a friend to some extent. He even helps Taro deliver his packages before their duel so that he can get done faster. Before going to their duel, Taro is able to finally show Sonoi what Oden is. The two's friendship manages to overcome the feud between the Don Clan and the Noto in the last episodes of the series.
- Shinichi Saruhara/Saru Brother: Former Enemy
- Haruka Kitou/Oni Sister: Former Enemy
- Tsubasa Inuzuka/Inu Brother: Former Enemy
- Tsuyoshi Kijino/Kiji Brother: Former Enemy
- Kaito Goshikida/Zenkaizer Black: to be added
- Don Murasame: to be added
Enemies
Noto (Inspectors)
Others
- Jiro Momotani/Don Doragoku/Don Torabolt: Initially an enemy as Jiro is a member of the Donbrothers and the Don clan, Sonoi is on good terms with him after he defects from the Noto. However, once Jiro has become a dictator after Taro has stepped down as a leader, Sonoi stands up to him and quits the team afterwards.
Behind the Scenes
Portrayal
- Sonoi is portrayed by Yuya Tominaga (富永 勇也 Tominaga Yūya). While transformed, his suit actor is Hirotsugu Mori (森 博嗣 Mori Hirotsugu).
Design
- Transformed Sonoi is a homage to Chojin Barom One
, which was produced by Toei.
, which was produced by Toei.Etymology
- Sonoi's name is a play on "sono ichi", meaning "part one".
Notes
- According to an interview with Yuya Tominaga, Sonoi’s death in episode 27 was originally meant to be permanent, followed by the deaths of Sononi and Sonoza. However, writer Toshiki Inoue was amazed by the trio actors’ performance that he decided to rewrite the characters’ fates and renegotiate their contracts in order to keep their characters in the series.[2]
- Sonoi is the first Extra Hero who is initially evil but turned good to be permanently dead in a crossover movie instead of a series.
Appearances
- Avataro Sentai Donbrothers
- Don 1: Avataro
- Don 2: Big Peach, Small Peach
- Don 4: Onigiri Oni
- Don 5: Holed Up Dog
- Don 6: Short-Lived Pheasant
- Don 7: Group of Teachers
- Don 8: Long Hair Captivity
- Don 9: Worn Out Taro and Robotaro
- Don 10: The Rainbow The Oni Saw
- Don 11: The Dog Gets Sunstroke
- Don 12: The Moon Is Lying
- Don 13: Goodbye Taro
- Don 14: Substitute Jiro
- Don 15: Welcome Back Taro
- Don 16: Darkness Switch
- Don 18: A Jawsome Strike
- Don 20: High Nose Elegy
- Avataro Sentai Donbrothers The Movie: New First Love Hero
- Don 22: Hellish Road of Manga
- Don 25: Hero-Worker
- Don 26: Finale Forward Step-Out
- Don 27: Duel for Real (Death)
- Don 29: Mourning and Murasame (Spirit and Corpse)
- Don 30: Juto Hunter (Flashback)
- Don 32: Duel Part 2 (First Revival)
- Don 33: The Wasshoi Bird
- Don 34: Natsumi Meets Me
- Don 35: Origami Song
- Don 36: Dog Dog Battle
- Don 37: I and Ni and Za and Shi
- Don 38: Nonsensical Cooking
- Don 39: Unexpected Button Pressing
- Don 41: Santa Struggling
- Don 42: Off-putting Family
- Don 43: Run Through Time, Run Through the Mysteries
- Don 44: White Revealed, Black Revealed
- Don 45: Laughing Village, Rugged Village
- Don 46: A Natsumi Night's Dream
- Don 47: DonNo Conference
- Don 48: 9 Donbro
- Don 49: Last Memories
- Don Final: We Have Made True Bonds
- Avataro Sentai Donbrothers Final Live Tour 2023
- Avataro Sentai Donbrothers vs. Zenkaiger
- Avataro Sentai Donbrothers vs. Avataro Sentai Donburies
- Ohsama Sentai King-Ohger vs. Donbrothers
References
Footnotes