Kenzaburo Tondabayashi

His voice actor is Kenichi Inoue.

Kenzaburo is the pre-reincarnation self of the protagonist in Michio Ueyama's manga series, *From Bureaucrat to Villainess*.

Interestingly, Ueyama has frequently depicted Kenzaburo as his personal avatar in other works.

His name was inspired by the author's late father, Kenichiro.

The author humorously noted in Volume 2's comments that since his father was the eldest son, Kenzaburo might be the third son.

Kenzaburo is a 52-year-old otaku man from the Showa and Heisei eras, sporting a bald spot and glasses.

He works diligently as a civil servant at Tsumanuma City Hall.

Early drafts referred to him as "around fifty," suggesting his age wasn't precisely defined initially.

In his youth, he was active in doujinshi circles, which is where he first met his wife, Mitsuko Tondabayashi.

His distinctive "barcode bald spot" is actually a deliberate choice.

He discovered that wearing a comedic barcode wig and glasses for complaint handling made angry citizens surprisingly compliant.

Realizing the "gravitas of an elder" was effective in public service, he decided to embrace his natural hair loss.

His go-to karaoke song, "Galaxy Express 999" (Godiego version), is versatile enough for both otaku gatherings and business entertainment.

In a fun twist, the anime featured this song as a special ending theme in Episode 9, credited to "Grace = Kenzaburo."

Kenzaburo is a master of video games, particularly dungeon-crawlers, with skills comparable to a speedrunner.

He firmly believes, "Dungeons are designed to be conquered; if you truly understand the creator's intent, the path will reveal itself."

This philosophy allows him to expertly navigate high-difficulty academy dungeons on his first attempt, often with minimal combat.

His wife, Mitsuko Tondabayashi, affectionately calls him "a person with the mental age of a child."

However, as she is also a devoted otaku, they share a deep bond as like-minded partners.

Their daughter, Hinako Tondabayashi, received an "otaku education" from them and respects her parents as pioneers in their shared interests.

The family's strong bond is evident in their habit of recreating iconic anime and tokusatsu catchphrases and poses together.

While respected as a manager at the city hall, Kenzaburo can sometimes get carried away when an otaku topic arises.

He launches into passionate lectures, occasionally making his colleagues feel a bit awkward.

Kenzaburo's life takes a dramatic turn when he's hit by a car while saving a boy, leading to his reincarnation (likely possession) as Grace Auvergne, an antagonist in an Otome game.

He lacked prior Otome game knowledge, but his daughter had played "Magical Academy Love & Beast" (MagiBee), which he tries to leverage.

Though his knowledge of the game's intricate scenarios and settings is unclear, he shrewdly observes and assesses the personalities of the capture targets (heroine Anna Doll's potential love interests).

Despite inhabiting the role of a villainess, Kenzaburo's inherently kind nature shines through.

He acts with a parental perspective and professional conduct, inadvertently earning him widespread admiration.

He lives by the principle that "even within a game, the characters are genuinely alive, deserving of human respect and courtesy."

As he inadvertently guides Anna Doll through her routes, he eventually decides, "I'll just play the villainess role to the best of my ability."

On the flip side, his otaku spirit thrives in the "MagiBee" world, as he delights in learning real magic and observing the impressive work of dwarves.

He also finds himself genuinely impressed by the student council members' practice matches.

His life philosophy, "Regard anyone skillful as your teacher, regardless of age," leads him to learn magic from Auguste Lion and Richard Verseau, who are much younger.

His otaku tendencies mean he can't quite abandon his "game strategy" mindset.

He attempts to match Anna Doll with capture targets, often resulting in their affection for him increasing instead.

During challenge-based events like the Trial Labyrinth or Academy Dungeon, he sometimes neglects the capture targets, focusing intensely on tasks like collecting coins they generate.

Kenzaburo mistakenly believes that "whatever Grace Auvergne does, it won't impact those around her," thinking he's merely playing a role.

In reality, Anna Doll and the capture targets' affection for Grace Auvergne has soared dramatically.

He remains blissfully unaware of this, or at least doesn't fully grasp the depth of their adoration, leading to numerous comical misunderstandings.

Intriguingly, in the real world, Kenzaburo's original body is still alive, though unconscious.

This suggests his situation is more accurately a "possession" rather than a pure "reincarnation into a game world."

The author, Michio Ueyama, explained in an interview his intention for a happy ending, where Kenzaburo would not abandon his wife and daughter.

Ueyama noted, "Classic Isekai stories always ended with the protagonist returning, so I plan the same for this work."

A crucial moment occurs when a brief connection to the real world opens from Adrian's lab.

He receives a letter from Hinako Tondabayashi, confirming his body is alive and that he has a chance to return, while his family watches over him.

Kenzaburo Tondabayashi

From Bureaucrat to Villainess

Kenichi Inoue, the voice actor for Kenzaburo in the anime, notably also played Jerid Messa in *Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam*, the second television series of the *Gundam* franchise.

Both characters share a "childlike mental age."

However, Kenzaburo's youthful spirit brings positive outcomes in the other world, while Jerid's immaturity, particularly in the movie versions, ultimately leads to his downfall.

Michio Ueyama, the author, once shared an illustration titled *From Lieutenant to Villainess*, humorously depicting Kenzaburo dressed as Jerid (complete with golden hair).

This artwork re-imagined Jerid's infamous insult to Camille Bidan from *Zeta Gundam* Episode 1 as a line delivered from Kenzaburo's "parental perspective."

Comments on this illustration playfully suggested outcomes like "The Titans would be purified" or "Camille wouldn't join the A.E.U.G., leading to a peaceful, transformative Titans victory."

Yet, some fans also worried, "Camille would still punch him no matter what," acknowledging Camille's notoriously short temper early in the series.

Coincidentally, Camille Bidan's voice actor also portrays Sebastian, the butler, in *From Bureaucrat to Villainess*, creating an unexpected voice actor reunion.

Ueyama commemorated this by posting another related illustration.

Beyond Jerid, Ueyama has also created "Kenzaburo-ified" illustrations of other iconic characters voiced by Kenichi Inoue.

These include Joe Shimamura from *Cyborg 009*, Champ from *Red Photon Zillion*, Shiro Yamaoka from *Oishinbo*, and Rom Stol from *Machine Robo: Revenge of Cronos*.

As previously mentioned, Kenichi Inoue (as Kenzaburo) performed "Galaxy Express 999" in anime Episode 9.

Inoue had actually appeared in the TV anime version of *Galaxy Express 999* during his early career (though not as Tetsuro).

He expressed his heartfelt gratitude for the opportunity to sing the song on the anime's official website.