She’s loud. She’s bright. She’s the festival-loving powerhouse that basically redefined the meta for a lot of players. If you've spent more than five minutes in the world of Kitasan Black Uma Musume Pretty Derby, you know her energy is infectious—or maybe a little exhausting if you’re trying to keep up with her stats.
Kitasan Black isn't just another girl in a running suit. She represents a very specific era of the Cygames franchise. She's the bridge between the "old guard" of the original 1998-era legends and the modern, high-octane spectacle the game has become. Most people see the big smile and the "matsuri" (festival) theme and think she’s just a happy-go-lucky support character. They're wrong. Underneath that cheerful exterior is one of the most mechanically complex and historically significant racers in the entire roster.
The Real Story Behind the Festival Girl
Most fans know she’s based on a real horse. But people often forget just how much of a celebrity the actual Kitasan Black was in Japan. Owned by the legendary enka singer Saburo Kitajima, the horse was a populist hero. He wasn't some blue-blooded elite born into a dynasty of champions. He was the "people’s horse."
In the game, this translates into her obsession with festivals and community. When you play through her story mode, you aren't just training a runner; you're managing a local celebrity who feels a crushing weight to make everyone happy. It’s actually kinda heavy if you pay attention to the dialogue. She’s terrified of letting down the "neighborhood." That’s why her skills often trigger based on her position relative to the crowd or the front of the pack. She needs to be seen. She needs to lead.
Breaking the Meta: The SSR Support Card That Changed Everything
We have to talk about the card. You know the one. The Speed SSR "Full Speed! To the Festival!" card.
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For a long time, this was the "must-have" or "reroll until you get it" card. Why? Because the power creep was real. Before Kitasan Black arrived in the support pool, building a high-speed runner was a slog of RNG and mediocre training bonuses. Kitasan changed the math. Her high "Starting Bond Gauge" and "Hint Level Up" meant you could max out your relationship with her by the end of the first year, leading to Rainbow Training sessions that felt like cheating.
Honestly, it warped the game. For months, every high-rank team in the Team Stadium was just a sea of girls trained using her card. It got to the point where if you didn't have a Max Limit Break (MLB) Kitasan Black support, you were basically playing a different, harder game. Cygames eventually had to introduce new mechanics and cards like Top Gun or Maruzensky variants just to give players other viable options.
How to Actually Build a Kitasan Black That Wins
If you're lucky enough to have her as a playable character (the 3-star "Koshu Musume" version), you can't just slap speed on her and pray. She’s a "Runner" (逃げ - Nige) by trade.
The biggest mistake? Ignoring Stamina. Because her unique skill, "Kachidoki Wasshoi!," triggers better when she has a lead at the final corner, people think they just need raw velocity. But Kitasan's real-life counterpart was a stayer. He won the Kikuka Sho (3000m) and the Tenno Sho Spring (3200m). In Kitasan Black Uma Musume Pretty Derby builds, you need to treat her like a long-distance specialist who happens to have a sprinter's kick.
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- Focus on the "Lead" Skills: You need Sente Joushu (Vanguard) or Kyuko-itchen (Quick Change) to ensure she grabs the lead early. If Kitasan isn't in 1st place by the middle of the race, her win rate plummets.
- The Stamina Threshold: For a 2400m+ race, don't even think about entering with less than 800 Stamina and at least two gold recovery skills like Arc Maestro.
- The Power Trap: Runners don't need as much Power as "Betweeners" (Sashi), but Kitasan needs enough to resist being bumped out of her lane. Aim for a B+ (700-800) range.
The Rivalry with Satono Diamond
You can't talk about Kita-chan without mentioning "Dia-chan" (Satono Diamond). Their relationship is the emotional core of the Season 3 anime and their in-game events.
It’s a classic trope: the wealthy, refined heiress versus the boisterous, hardworking girl of the people. But the game handles it with a lot of nuance. Satono Diamond represents the "Curse of the Satono family"—the real-life streak of bad luck the owner had in G1 races. Kitasan is the one who helps her break that. When you see them together in the training center, the buffs you get aren't just random stats; they reflect their mutual growth.
Why the Season 3 Backlash Happened
There was a bit of a stir when the third season of the anime focused heavily on Kitasan. Some fans felt her "invincibility" made for a boring narrative. In the real racing world, Kitasan Black was so dominant that people got tired of seeing him win.
The anime tried to fix this by showing her physical decline and the toll her "matsuri" style took on her body. It was a polarizing choice. Some loved the drama; others felt it was too melodramatic for a girl who basically spends her time yelling about fireworks. Regardless of where you stand, her character arc is one of the few that actually deals with the "end" of an athlete's career in a meaningful way.
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Surprising Details You Probably Missed
Did you know her character design includes subtle nods to her owner’s singing career? The patterns on her kimono-style school uniform and her "Deck the Halls" vibe are direct references to Saburo Kitajima’s stage costumes. Also, her height. Kitasan is actually quite tall for an Uma Musume, reflecting the large physical build of the original horse.
Another weird quirk: Her favorite food in the game is traditional festival snacks, but her training bonuses actually favor "Intelligence" (Wisdom) more than you'd expect for a "muscle-head" character. This is because Kitasan was known for being a very smart, tractable horse who listened perfectly to his jockey, Yutaka Take.
Maximize Your Training Runs Right Now
If you want to dominate the current CM (Champions Meeting) or just clear the URA/Grand Masters scenarios with a high rank, stop treating Kitasan like a generalist.
- Inheritance is Key: Look for parents with "Blue" Stamina factors. Kitasan gets plenty of Speed on her own, so you need to shore up her endurance through inheritance.
- Lane Choice: Use the Inner Strategy skill. Since she’s a runner, getting stuck on the outside of the track is a death sentence.
- The "Groundwork" Meta: If you're playing in high-level PvP, you must trigger the Jigatame (Groundwork) skill at the start. To do this, you need three other passive skills to trigger simultaneously. It's a pain to set up, but it makes her nearly uncatchable.
Kitasan Black remains a cornerstone of the Kitasan Black Uma Musume Pretty Derby experience. She’s the literal and figurative "face" of the game's expansion. Whether you’re pulling for her because you love the "matsuri" vibe or because you want to crush the leaderboard, understanding her historical weight and mechanical requirements is the only way to actually win.
To truly master her build, start by auditing your current support deck for "Runner" specific skills like Leading Figure and Escape Artistry. Prioritize these over raw stat sticks to ensure she stays at the front of the pack where she belongs. Check your inheritance factors for "Green" track-specific buffs like Right Turns or Summer Girl to give her that extra 40-50 point edge in specific seasonal events.