| Mr. Kobayashi | |
|---|---|
| |
| Biographical info | |
| Name | Mr. Kobayashi[1][2] |
| Japanese name | 小林 |
| Nationality | Japanese |
| Race | Human |
| Gender | Male |
| Family | Unnamed Grandmother Unnamed Ancestors |
| Personal info | |
| Status | Alive |
| Profession | Car company president |
| Residence | Hanafuda Car Factory (Matsue, Japan) |
| Affiliation | Hanafuda Car Company |
| Opponents | Razor Khan Ratso |
| Details | |
| Debut/Closing | Season 4 Episode 2 |
| Voiced by | Tohoru Masamune |
"The cards were handed down from my ancestors. As you can see, I based my company logo on the Hanafuda kanji." |
Mr. Kobayashi is the owner of a car factory in the Japanese city of Matsue. His ancient ancestors were entrusted to guard the legendary Hanafuda Cards, a duty his family had kept for countless generations.
History[]
Background[]
After the fall of the Oni in ancient times, Mr. Kobayashi's ancestors were entrusted to guard the legendary Hanafuda Cards, a magical deck of cards that could be used to locate the Oni Masks and identify their respective removal ingredients. For centuries, the cards were housed in an ancient shrine within the Japanese city of Matsue. Ownership of the cards was passed down from one generation to the next until they were finally inherited by Mr. Kobayashi.
Season 4[]
In their quest to obtain the Oni Masks, Jackie, Jade and Tohru journeyed to Matsue in search of the Hanafuda Cards. Upon arriving at the site of the shrine, the Chans discovered a car factory built in its place. Noting that the company borrowed its logo from the kanji for Hanafuda, the three proceeded to investigate.
Inside, the Chans introduced themselves to the owner of the company, Mr. Kobayashi. Revealing that the cards were still in his possession, Kobayashi explained that they had been handed down from his ancestors. When Jackie and the others attempted to warn him of the Oni, Kobayashi maintained they were merely fantasy, confessing that his grandmother used to read him such stories when he was a child until suddenly becoming alarmed at the emergence of a Shadowkhan. Attempting to retreat into his office, Kobayashi turned around only to come face to face with Ratso, who had been transformed into one of Tarakudo's Oni Generals after donning its respective Oni Mask. Overcome with fear, Kobayashi made a break for the factory exit only to run straight into one of Ratso's Shadowkhan, which demonstrated its deadliness by severing the factory owner's tie in half, prompting Kobayashi to flee the factory in terror, renouncing ownership of the cards to the Chans.
Whilst Jackie kept Ratso's Shadowkhan occupied, Tohru and Jade determined from the Hanafuda Cards that the mask removal ingredient they required to defeat Ratso was Japanese silk. After noticing the severed tie on the factory floor, Tohru deduced that a man of Mr. Kobayashi's status would wear a silk tie. Mr. Kobayashi's tie ultimately enabled the Chans to complete the mask removal spell and remove the Oni Mask from Ratso's face.
Appearances[]
TV Series[]
Season 4[]
Trivia[]
- The name of this character was not known until the release of the fifty-sixth issue of the official magazine.
- His name is likely a reference to the character "Mr. Kobayashi" from the 1995 film The Usual Suspects.
- His appearance may have been based on Vince Toyama, an animation designer for the show.[3]