St. Gloriana Girls Academy

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/GUP_St_GlorianaSmall_124.png

The school representing Kanagawa Prefecture, St. Gloriana (named after Elizabeth I, and whose schoolship is modelled after HMS Ark Royal

) uses British tanks (Matilda

, Churchill

and Crusader

are all seen, along with a "Pink Panther"

, while supplementary materials also include a Cromwell

), and maintains a very British attitude. They have a tradition of sending tea to teams they deem worthy rivals.

They are the first school Ōarai face. It was a practice match ending in St. Gloriana's victory. Miho's skills impressed St. Gloriana's team leader, Darjeeling, enough that the latter takes a shine to the Ōarai girls and attends all their subsequent matches in the tournament proper. Unfortunately, no rematch ever takes place, as St. Gloriana is taken out by Kuromorimine in the semifinals.

In the movie Ōarai and St. Gloriana get their rematch, joined by the Chi-ha-tan Academy and Pravda High School for each team respectively. Unfortunatly for Ōarai the match also ends in St. Gloriana's victory. They later show up to help Ōarai in the University match, fielding their Churchill, a Matilda and a Crusader.

Tropes under St. Gloriana

Aristocrat Team: The St. Gloriana Academy is based on the United Kingdom, which is stylized like this as shown in their tankery team. They are more concerned about etiquette, going as much as to make sure their tea cups do not spill, even when riding on top of rickety WW II vehicles. That does not mean they are not professional drivers, however.
Badass Creed:
"Be elegant at all times". This is St. Gloriana's Sensha-do.
Crazy-Prepared: The school has bomb disposal and riot gear for some reason. They break it out when Jatkosota sends them an old-fashioned alarm clock after Darjeeling trolls them with a smartphone.
Decadent Court: Downplayed because of the setting; the school is practically controlled by the school's alumni, separated into three factions that constantly squabble over the funds for the school's team. Because of that, despite the school being quite wealthy, the tank selections (and their commanders) are always limited by the alumni's decision, causing the senior commanders to always fight alumni board on which tanks should be fielded. It is implied that Rosehip wasn't there in Ooarai's practice match is because the alumni didn't approve her less-than-graceful temperament.
Excuse Me While I Multitask: They are always shown drinking tea even while in a match.
Final Boss: They're established as this to Oarai in at the end of Das Finale Part 4, with Alice as their New Transfer Student.
Leitmotif: The British Grenadiers.
Mighty Glacier: Their main tank lineup, composed primarily of Matildas and a Mk7 Churchill. Their philosophy is also based on this, preferring a slow but steady advance. It's worth noting, though, that they have some of the best drivers in the sport, and can coax speed and automotive feats thst should be impossible out of their lumbering tanks if the situation demands it.
- Fragile Speedster: However, in The Movie, they are also shown deploying a squad of Crusader light tanks, which makes St. Gloriana's overall strategy fit more in line with British World War II tank tactics: slow, heavily armored 'infantry' tanks for the main assault alongside fast, lightly armored 'cruiser' tanks for high speed flanking attacks.
Proper Lady: Most of the named members fall under this trope because their school's creed is "be elegant at all times". The sole exception is Rosehip.
Self-Imposed Challenge: Their practice of carrying teacups into battled is revealed to be this in Ribbon Warrior where Darjeeling and Assam are able to maneuver much more easily without them.
Tea Is Classy: See Theme Naming, the school insignia, and the fact most tanks are furnished with high-class tea sets.
Theme Naming: Almost all of them named after varieties, types, or grades of tea.

Darjeeling

"Let me tell you a proverb of England"

Position: Squadron Commander/Tank Commander, Churchill Mk. VII

Voiced by: Eri Kitamura (Japanese), Kara Greenberg (English)

St. Gloriana's commander. Commands from a Churchill Mk VII during the St. Gloriana-Ōarai practice match. Also seen in the same tank in preview shots for The Movie.

Tropes Darjeeling finds elegant.

The Ace: In addition to being the only commander to defeat Miho during the series, chapter 11 of Motto Love Love Sakusen Desu, in which the Gloriana girls visit an arcade, reveals that she seems to be peerlessly good at anything she turns her hand to: defeating Pekoe and Assam at ping-pong (at the same time, when her only previous experience was tennis), winning a pile of coins on a fruit machine, winning at pool, bowling, arcade games, karaoke, and poker, and finally matching the two of them in a pillow fight at once.
Pekoe: I don't think we'll match Darjeeling-sama in our lifetime...
Always Someone Better: Darjeeling is the only commander to have defeated Miho. Twice! The fact that the second time around was a high-speed chase where she and her crew were driving a Churchill (which doesn't even belong in the same sentence as the words 'high-speed chase') just rubs salt into the wound.
- In Ribbon Warrior, when it's increasingly clear that the reason why Darjeeling makes Pekoe participate in tankathlon is to groom her to be the next commander of St. Gloriana, anyone who realizes this scoffs at the possibility that Pekoe can measure up to Darjeeling.
Attention Deficit... Ooh, Shiny!: Supplementary materials reveal that she has a great many passing random enthusiasms, such as horse-riding, cooking, restaurant service, competing in lotteries, and English romance novels among other things.
Badass Boast: Declares that she will defeat Ōarai without spilling a drop of tea. She actually ends up dropping and shattering her (full) teacup when Miho manages to turn their match from a Curb-Stomp Battle to an actual fight.
Berserk Button: Do not intefere with her access, expected or otherwise, to tea.
Catchphrase: She is fond of saying "Do you know this proverb/story?" before giving the said proverb or story to whoever she's talking to.
Casual Danger Dialogue: The very first dialogue in the movie between her and Pekoe is this
Darjeeling: (sees a tea stalk standing up on her tea) A tea stalk is standing up... Do you know this English saying? "When a tea stalk is standing up, a wonderful guest will arrive."
Pekoe: Pardon me, but I think our guests have already arrived, although I don't think they are wonderful...
camera zooms out, revealing St. Gloriana's tanks being bombarded by Ōarai and Chi-Ha-Tan tanks.
Combat Pragmatist: Is not above using superior numbers against a lone tank. Which, given that it's Miho's tank, is entirely understandable. Lampshaded by herself.
"The English will abandon their morals in love and in war."
Cosplay Otaku Girl: In the Motto Love Love Sakusen manga, she's shown to be fond of wearing various costumes, such as a maid outfit, the tank restaurant's uniform, and a nurse outfit.
- This seems to be Flanderization from a line in the movie where she mentions wanting to try Ooarai's school uniform as the reason for preparing a set for all the team members joining in the match against the UST.
Crazy-Prepared: After a day losing to her in an arcade, Pekoe and Assam decide to ambush her in a pillow fight. She swiftly reveals two pillows she had already readied in anticipation.
Pekoe: Let us take the first move for once!
Assam: Darjeeling-sama, prepare yourself!
Darjeeling: Surprise.
Dramatic Drop: Drops her teacup in the middle of the battle (in spite of declaring she never would!), as a sign of facing pressure from Ōarai.
Defeat Means Friendship: Inverted. She defeats Miho in their practice match, but considers her a Worthy Opponent, and immediately warms up to her.
The Dreaded: In Ribbon Warrior, her feats of defeating Miho twice above made her gained this status, particularly to Shizuka who is a Loony Fan to the Nishizumi.
Drink-Based Characterization: Her love of drinking tea, even during the most inappropriate of circumstances.
Eccentric Mentor: Darjeeling's overly refined bearing (even during battle) along with her dispensation of proverbs and stories may well be her way of impressing her experience on Orange Pekoe.
Edible Theme Naming: Darjeeling is a variety of tea.
English Rose: Here, as an Invoked Trope. Darjeeling strives to present the look and behaviour of an English Rose, despite being Japanese herself.
Fan of Underdog: Towards Ōarai.
Flanderization: Originally, the anime portrayed Darjeeling as a dignified and experienced commander whose only quirks were a love of tea and a penchant for spouting esoteric aphorisms. Subsequent materials have made her equal parts stoic and eccentric, obsessed with British culture and having a passing interest in just about anything that catches her attention.
Fleeting Passionate Hobbies: Her random enthusiasms are a Running Gag in many supplemental materials.
Girlish Pigtails: Wore her hair in braided pigtails as a first year under Earl Grey.
Graceful Loser: Doesn't mind her school's loss to Kuromorimine. In fact, she seems to prefer it, as it gives her the opportunity to observe how much Ōarai (and Miho in particular) Took a Level in Badass.
I Am Very British: Her Japanese has a very refined angle to it; the kind that only Hana can match.
Ice-Cream Koan: Her jokes and pearls of wisdom are... difficult to grasp if you're not English. Sometimes even if you are English...
Lady of War: She's generally a composed and dignified lady. She's also a very competent strategist and commander.
The Leader: Of St. Gloriana's Sensha-do team. She overlaps all types: being St. Gloriana's lead strategist, a level-headed individual, and is held in high-regard by her peers and subordinates.
Leaning on the Fourth Wall: In Ribbon Warrior she comes up with an idea for a "Dream Tank Match" and even suggests talking to video game developers about the idea. The whole segment is basically just her not so subtly shilling for the actual Girls und Panzer Dream Tank Match game (though the visual is from the mobile game, Great Tankery Operation).
Lethal Chef: Cooking is just about the only thing that she is truly horrible at doing. Chapter 5 of the official spin-off manga portrays her as this. Much to the displeasure of her subordinates and Anglerfish Team.
Yukari (*sotto voce): "Is this an MRE?"
- However, she can cook a fairly normal-tasting porridge, shown in the chapter of the aforementioned spin-off manga when she nurses Pekoe back to health. She can also make excellent tasting tea.
Lets Fight Like Ladies: Promises to not use dirty and underhanded tactics during their first practice match with Ōarai.
Lightning Bruiser: In real life, the Churchill was a textbook Mighty Glacier, let down by a combination of an underpowered engine and heavy armour to the point where it was more a barely-mobile bunker than a tank. Through some arcane witchcraft, though, Darjeeling and her team seem to have turned it into a deceptively fast, agile monster capable of keeping up with Team Anglerfish's Panzer IV, of all things.
Meaningful Name: In Ribbon Warrior, she names her team for the Cauldron tournament "Team Guy Fawkes." Just as the original was involved in a plot looking to change the status quo (by assassinating James I), Darjeeling's reason for hosting the Cauldron tournament is to shake up the Senshado establishment by having some of its up and coming players compete in tankathlon.
Meido: Dons a short-skirt version in Chapter 5 of Motto Love Love Sakusen, again to her subordinates' dismay.
Not So Stoic:
- In Saga of Pravda, we see her as a freshman assisting her senior Earl Grey. At this time, she is far less restrained and exasperated by the latter's antics, not unlike her current relationship with Orange Pekoe.
- As the Cauldron tournament goes on, Darjeeling goes more and more flustered through the combination of sleep deprivation, battle stress, and her own ambitious scheming. It's to the point that she goes borderline Sayaka Miki, demanding the final to be commenced 3 hours after the 24 hour long battle royale and intending to implement nonsensical rules like swapping vehicles and crew members (despite how it would damage team cohesion), not caring that her fellow St. Gloriana participants were exhausted from the over-enthusiastic audience and that there was just no time to rest or repair the tanks. Asparagus calls her out on this, and it took Shiho and Chiyo passive-aggressively taking her down a peg to prevent a potential accident.
Officer And A Lady: Commander of St. Gloriana's tanks and a Proper Lady.
Ojou: Assam, Pekoe, and Rosehip always addresses her as "Darjeeling-sama" implying that their social status is definitely below hers. The Motto Love Love Sakusen manga shows that she lives in a Big Fancy House.
Paper-Thin Disguise: Her "Black Tea Mask" persona is just her in a cape and Guy Fawkes mask.
Proper Lady: Polite, dignified, dresses modestly and drinks tea with impeccable poise.
Quintessential British Lady: St. Gloriana's national theme is the British Empire and so Darjeeling enjoys tea, uses english idoims and acts like a Proper Lady.
Spirited Competitor: She plays to win but doesn't turn Sensha-do into Serious Business like Kuromorinmine.
Stiff Upper Lip: Has no qualms watching the Ōarai-Pravda match out in the open, despite how cold everyone else finds it.
Team Mom: Tries to be this to her tank crew and Pekoe-chan in particular. Pekoe is having none of it. In Motto Love Love Sakusen Desu, she seems to be this towards the other teams, calling them together for a meeting about how to defeat Ōarai.
Trademark Favorite Food: Aside from tea, the Motto Love Love Sakusen manga shows that Darjeeling is very fond of jellied eels. She considers them "soul food" and would offer them to others if given a chance.
Who Names Their Kid "Dude"?: Averted. According to the official Twitter account, Darjeeling is not her actual name. The staff even jokes Darjeeling's real name is probably something really Japanese.
Worthy Opponent: How she sees Ōarai; she sends them tea as a sign of her respect. The feeling is mutual.

Assam

"According to the data, its weak spot is right there."

Position: Gunner, Churchill Mk. VII

Voiced by: Satomi Akesaka (Japanese, Drama CD and Movie), Joanne Bonasso (English)

Darjeeling's gunner.

Tropes for Assam

Ascended Extra: Downplayed in the movie. She gets more screen time and more lines, but she's still a supporting character.
Chekhov's Skill: In the practice match of the movie, she is shown to read some kind of data concerning their unit's firepower and survivability in combat. It turns out that Assam gathers data on their opponents. This comes into good use in defeating the University Team's T28 Super Heavy Tank.
Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: She's not been seen nor mentioned again after the St. Gloriana battle, in any of their later cameos, until the movie.
Edible Theme Naming: Assam is a variety of tea.
If My Calculations Are Correct: She's the head of Gloriana's information gathering bureau the GI6, thus responsible with the school's data calculation regarding of their battle plans. She almost says the trope's name word for word when Darjeeling's Churchill lodges itself under the bridge to shoot the University's T28 and thus, unable to defend itself when under attack.
Informed Attribute: She's said to like jokes, but never tells any in animated material. This is remedied in Motto Love Love Sakusen Desu, where she tells a few of them, although her jokes aren't very good, to say the least.
Proper Tights with a Skirt: Like Darjeeling, she wears this combo as part of the 'refined british lady' image of St. Gloriana.
The Voiceless: In the anime, Assam is well known for being silent (however, this can be slightly justified since she's got very little screen time).

Orange Pekoe

"Pardon?" (When reacting to Darjeeling's proverbs)

Position: Loader, Churchill Mk. VII

Voiced by: Mai Ishihara (Japanese), Ally Piotrowski (English), Christina Kelly (English, das Finale)

Darjeeling's loader and tea partner.

Tropes for Orange Pekoe

Badass Adorable: Despite being one of the smallest and demure characters in the series, Motto Love Love Sakusen Desu reveals that not only is she more than prepared to put Darjeeling in her place, but all that loading of heavy shells means she's stronger than Darjeeling and Assam combined.
Big Ol' Eyebrows: Not the most extreme case out there, but they are noticeable, and in Motto Love Love Sakusen Desu, she's a bit insecure about them.
Cloudcuckoolander's Minder: In supplemental materials, she's usually the one who tries to reel in Darjeeling's eccentricities, though not with much success.
Edible Theme Naming: Orange pekoe is a tea grade, indicating tea made from only the fresh buds and young leaves.
Ensign Newbie: Ribbon Warrior makes it clear that Darjeeling is grooming her for a command role in the team, when she places her in charge of the "Chindits" volunteer Tankathalon group. Although she does well in a practice match, her inexperience shows when she goes up against Bonple in the Cauldron Tournament. Orange Pekoe essentially freezes up after her initial plan to ambush Bonple fails, which allows Jajka's more experienced team to easily mop up the now directionless Chindits.
Happy Place: Her strategy for coping with Darjeeling's frequent bizarre enthusiasms (and awful cooking) and Assam's terrible jokes is to go here and just ride out the storm. Represented in MLLSD with a small fairy-Pekoe which hovers above her head.
Hero-Worshipper: She has tendency to fangirl to most chivalrous of people. Her admiration to Darjeeling is because of this, and in Dream Tank Match, she also admires Kay for the same reason despite their vastly different personalities. In Ribbon Warrior, Pekoe is apprehensive of Shizuka's claim that she admires Pekoe because this is the same girl who burned someone's house just so she could have the opening against Erika's company.
Honest Axe: In "Motto Love Love Sakusen Desu," she has a dream about Darjeeling falling into a pond, and Assam asking if she would like a golden or silver version of her; she asks if she has to choose. In one of Darjeeling's dream, Pekoe is the axe in the pond, and Darjeeling says she wants them all
Red Baron: Ribbon Warrior reveals that she's known as "Darjeeling's Cloaked Dagger" in certain circles.
Satellite Character: Her role (besides being Darjeeling's Loader) is being the foil reacting to her occasional weirdness.
Squee: Her only independent action in the series: upon seeing how Kay embraces Miho and cheerfully explains to her the sportsmanship angle of Sensha-do, Darjeeling keeps her calm disposition, but Pekoe brings her hands to her mouth in a endearingly girlish way.

Rukuriri

"Fool! It won't work this time!"

Position: Tank Commander, Matilda II

Voiced by: Masayo Kurata (Japanese), Lauren Hernik (English)

Commander of a Matilda II.

Tropes for Rukuriri

All There in the Manual: Her name isn't even mentioned in the series or movie proper, just in the supplementary materials. She's finally named in Das Finale.
Arrogant Kung-Fu Girl: Is said to have a big ego, even calling the Duck Team "fools" in Der Film and referring to herself as "The Great Rukuriri" in Ribbon Warrior. Both cases, this would bite her in the ass.
Butt-Monkey: Tends to get caught in situations where her tank gets shot. Counting the spinoff mangas, the only time she's shown scoring a kill is in the practice match with Ooarai, after that, it's all downhill for her.
Edible Theme Naming: Rukuriri is a Kenyan tea.
Epic Fail: Her attempted "ambush" of Bonple during the Cauldron Tournament results in her getting taken out by Jajka's subordinates within seconds.
Large Ham: She's pretty bombastic, even by St. Gloriana standards.
Rukuriri: Here I am! For I, the Great Rukuriri, have taken it upon myself to give Bonple a swift kick to the ass!
Smug Snake: While Rukuriri is fairly competent in Sensha-do and not a complete Jerkass, she's so full of herself and gets easily freaked out when she's about to be taken out.
Wrong Genre Savvy: Rukuriri tries to be Genre Savvy in Der Film by anticipating the Duck Team showing up behind her at the car garage. She's right this time... except she fails to see a Type 95 Ha-Go to her right.
- Happens again in Ribbon Warrior during the practice match against Orange Pekoe's "Chindits" where she anticipates the latter's trap but fails to read the meaning behind the name ^note which causes her to not anticipate Rosehip cutting through the jungle to strike at her back.

Rosehip

"You can't run away from the top speedster of St. Gloriana!"

Position: Tank Commander, Crusader

Voiced by: Natsumi Takamori (Japanese), Stephanie Wittels (English), Emily Neves (English, das Finale)

Introduced in the movie. The irascible commander of St. Gloriana's Crusader tank battalion (all of those seen so far being the 6lber armed Crusader III's).

Tropes chased down by Rosehip

Attack! Attack! Attack!: In contrast to the slow and steady advance of her peers, Rosehip prefers to just dive into the fray, using the Crusader's speed to quickly take out opponents. This borders on Leeroy Jenkins as sometimes, she doesn't really think ahead of what the opponent might do or who her opponent is and has to be reigned in by Darjeeling. For example, she expected to face Chaffees when the University team broke through the gate they were protecting and was the first to dive to the fray, only to come face-to-face with a T28 Super Heavy Tank.
Blood Knight: When fighting against Oni team in Ribbon Warrior, she becomes unable to rein in her own battlelust and practically dives into the fray with crazed look on her face.
Edible Theme Naming: Named after for the fruit of rose flowers,
Fragile Speedster: Commands the school's Crusader tanks, depicted as very fast but also highly vulnerable in the film.
Fiery Redhead: So much, being one of the more free-spirited students of the St. Gloriana and for having her namesake hair color.
Hidden Depths: Her aggressiveness, lack of manners, and penchant for using Fragile Speedster tanks are the result of not wanting to be dead last due to being the youngest among her siblings.
Hot-Blooded: She's loud, full of energy, and always ready to dive into action.
Japanese Honorifics: Uses the ultra-formal "watakushi" for herself, almost as if she's overcompensating, together with other terms typical of an Ojou (e.g using "de gozaimasu" instead of "desu"). However, it's obviously an affected style and not her normal speech pattern, since she doesn't use it when she gets flustered or when she talks to herself.
Kukris Are Kool: Is seen wielding a Kukri in Ribbon Warrior.
Lower-Class Lout: A very much downplayed example. She comes from a poor, low class family and has trouble keeping up with the elegance shown by her upperclassmen such as preventing her tea from spilling. Also, her manner of speaking is rough and loud, in contrast to the soft and refined way the others speak. She also favors the speedy but weak armored cruiser vehicles over the elite's preference for the slow and heavily armored infantry tanks. Interestingly, this feature is better shown in how she handles her tank (and how she invariably becomes a casualty, such as trading with a Chaffee before flying into a wall and falling onto her side in Der Film or spinning onto one track and careening into a railing to be picked off in Das Finale episode 2), which may be interpreted as inelegant and brutish.
Massive Numbered Siblings: According to a drama CD, she comes from a poor, lower-class household where she lives with 18 family members, 7 of whom are male siblings.
Noblewoman's Laugh: does the classic "Ohohohoho" during the practice match in the movie.
No Indoor Voice: In comparison to Darjeeling, she is usually speaking on the top of her lungs.
Penny Among Diamonds: The only known St. Gloriana student who is a commoner.
Proper Lady: Well, she tries to be one in order to keep up with her peers' elegance, the key word being try. However, she's acts too much like a commoner that she finds it difficult to follow "elegant" table manners. Well she, at least, gets the speech pattern right, although just barely.
Remember the New Guy?: According to the audio dramas, Rosehip was actually present during St. Gloriana's practice match with Oarai. After the match, you can see her Crusader in the background while Darjeeling is calling Miho a Worthy Opponent.
Too Fast to Stop: She crashes her Crusader on Klara's T-34/85 during the practice match in the movie, causing both to be buried in the wreckage of a store they destroy, which her unit somehow survives afterwards. Ends up embedded in a wall while taking out one of the university Chaffees.
Wrench Wench: In addition to her role as a tank commander, she also serves as a mechanic.

Characters / Girls Und Panzer St Gloriana