Sota Honjo

Sota Honjo

"Handing out pins for your grandpa in the scramble... That's aces, dawg. We'll wear your pins. It'd be an honor. Hang in there, Mick. We'll be rootin' for you."

— Sota to Makoto

Sota Honjo (本庄 爽太, Honjō Sōta) is the boyfriend ofNao. He and Nao appear briefly duringDay 6 whenMakoto Miki attempts to sell Nao aRed Skull pin.

Appearance[]

Sota has a slender but slightly muscular build. Like Nao he has slightly darker skin although it is unclear if it is natural, a tan, or him being of the ganguro fashion. He has teal green eyes. He has slicked back blonde hair with a very high ponytail at the top.

He wears sunglasses on his head, a black collared vest, a low-cut white shirt with some black stripes which shows his mid-riff, and blue pants. He has a brown belt with a large white buckle with a black symbol resembling a plus sign on it. He accessorizes with two necklaces, two earrings on his ear, a white wraparound of sorts on his arm, and a white watch.

There are some differences between the game and the anime. Because sprites are flipped in the game, it is not clarified if his accessories (earrings, wraparound and watch) are supposed to be on one side or if they also exist on both sides. In the anime, it is shown all of them are only on his left side. In the game, his pants are shown to be shredded on the thigh, however, his pants appear undamaged in the anime. While the area under his thigh is not shown in the game, the anime shows his pants are rolled up and do not cover his ankles, and he has some dark blue loafers. He has no visible socks. In the anime, his belt has lost its brown color, appearing more blue or black.

Personality[]

Sota is tenderhearted and helpsNeku Sakuraba realize that he should open up to others and he is very protective ofNao. He refuses to snipe out other Players to get ahead in theReapers' Game. It is shown that he can be blunt and harsh when annoyed, such as when he tellsMakoto Miki to "stop mumbling, loser!" if the player does not choose the right meme.

Biography[]

Main Story[]

Sota is first encountered with Nao, as living humans, by Neku and Shiki onShiki, Day 6 as they attempt to help Makoto Miki promote theRed Skull pins. At first, Sota gets the wrong impression that Makoto was trying to hit on Nao, but Makoto claims his grandfather has "totally gnarly" arthritis and is sad because no one wants to wear his pins. Sota and Nao are fooled by the lie and end up taking the pins anyway.

Sometime after, he and Nao die together. While his death is a mystery in the game, the anime shows him and Nao were killed in a car crash near the end of Week 1. He becomes aplayer during the second week of theReapers' Game and is the partner of Nao. He is seen in the Tin Pin Slammer Challenge onJoshua, Day 2. When Neku loses the challenge, Sota goes on to win it after Joshua secretly breaksShooter's pin launcher, therefore completing the mission for that day.

Later, onthe fourth day, Neku and Joshua run into both Sota and Nao again. Joshua reveals to them only one player is brought back to life if they win a Reapers' Game, while Neku tells them about Shiki being his entry fee. Sota convinces Neku not to give up hope, and that he must truly care about Shiki to go through so much for her. This exchange also leads the Composer's decision to spare Shibuya.

OnDay 6, when the Taboo Noise attack players and Reapers, Neku and Joshua witness Nao being erased. They jump in to save Sota from the same fate, although they know this is impossible, as a player can only exist in the UG for seven minutes without their partner. Sota disappears with just enough time to tell Neku not to blame himself.

Another Day[]

Sota is Neku's barber since he was a "little squirt" and he can be played in Tin Pin twice.

Non-Canon Appearances[]

The Animation[]

Sota and Nao appear in the first seven episodes ofThe World Ends with You The Animation in some form or another.

In thefirst episode, they are seen walking across the street whenNeku Sakuraba wakes up.

In thesecond episode, Neku andShiki Misaki find Sota and Nao sitting down. Nao comments that the waterEiji Oji promotes is delicious, making Sota wonder as it's just water. Nao mentions she only got it because Sota waited in line for her and she thanks him. Shiki scans Nao to find Oji's location.

In thethird episode, a news broadcast is shown announcing their deaths. They are revealed to be in their late teens, as well being caught in a car accident. They were noted to be "unconscious", meaning they died in the hospital.

In thefourth episode, they are gathered with the other players outside 104 Building. Neku recognizes them as the people on the broadcast the previous day.

In thefifth episode, they flee from a Taboo Noise attack and meet Neku and Joshua, warning them to stay away from the area. Joshua tells them that only one partner gets to come back to life, while Neku tells them his partner was taken as his entry fee. Sota and Nao hear a weird sound and continue fleeing.

In thesixth episode, Sota and Nao find a lone Neku at Cat Street. Nao tells Neku that it seems they may be the only players left. Sota sits beside Neku and tells him not to feel guilty that his partner was taken as his entry fee because it shows how much he cares about them, and that it's very unlikely Neku's partner would hold it against him. Because there is no mission for today, Sota and Nao leave.

In theseventh episode, Nao is erased from existence by a Noise. Sota cries as Neku and Joshua arrive too late. As Sota fades away as well, he grabs Neku's wrist and encourages Neku to survive.

In thefinal episode, Sota and Nao are both revived and they cross path with Neku's group.

Etymology[]

• The nameSota means "refreshing, bracing, resonant, sweet, clear" (爽) (so) and "thick big, great" (太) (ta).
• Sota's surnameHonjo means "base, root, origin, source" (本) (hon) and "level" (庄) (sho/jo).

Quotes[]

• "No worries, man. She was your entry fee, yeah? That means you really care about her. No reason to feel guilty for that. And I'd play the Game a million times forNao. Whatever it takes to get us back to the RG, dawg." (toNeku Sakuraba aboutShiki Misaki)
• "Forget blame, man! Plus, I don't care if only one of us gets a second chance. I still ain't sniping other Players."
• "Nao! Stay with me! We're finishing this thing together! Nao! Nao! Dammit... DAMMIT!"
• "You two survive. Get your old partner back. I hope all three of ya get back safe." (final words)

Trivia[]

• His name can also be written as ホンジョウ ソウタ. The Japanese version of the game also includes this translation for convenience when he wins in the tournament.
• Because the original game andThe Animation have a lot of differences, it is unclear if Sota andNao are canonically alive. It is never shown if he was revived in the original game and he is never mentioned inNEO: The World Ends with You
  • InNEO, the player can scan a woman who mentions there is a newDef Märch album, suggesting that its band members (who were all similarly only shown to be revived inThe Animation) are now canonically alive, possibly meaning Sota and Nao are now canonically alive as well given that it seems to coincide withThe Animation. However, it is also possible that any of its members could have been replaced and that the characters who apparently died in the game canon remain deceased in its canon.
• The English anime voice actors of Sota and Nao are a married couple.

Gallery[]

Sota expression cell sheet from The Animation

Concept artwork of Sota inThe Animation

Sota and Nao revived in the ending ofThe Animation