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- Guntz – “This is just junk. You can have it. [tosses the Dream Champ Tournament trophy away, which Klonoa catches]”
- Klonoa – “Wahoo! Thanks, Guntz!”
- Guntz – “...Yeah, well... whatever!”
- — Klonoa 2: Dream Champ Tournament
Gunoa is the slash ship between Klonoa and Guntz from the Klonoa fandom.
Canon[]
Klonoa and Guntz first met in Klonoa 2: Dream Champ Tournament and have appeared in multiple games since as friendly rivals.
Klonoa 2: Dream Champ Tournament[]
In Klonoa 2: Dream Champ Tournament, Klonoa and Guntz are two of the adventurers selected to compete in the Dream Champ Tournament. At first, Klonoa has a negative impression of Guntz, who consistently gives him the cold shoulder. Guntz often mocks Klonoa by calling him weak, which frustrates Klonoa even more. As the tournament progresses, Klonoa learns that Garlen, the tournament sponsor, is turning the losers into gears to build his Mechanical Empire. Klonoa's anger towards Guntz grows when he learns that Guntz has defeated Lolo. Determined to save Lolo, Klonoa confronts Guntz in a match. Guntz is captured by Garlen after Klonoa wins. Garlen then reveals his true intentions of turning Klonoa into the main gear because of his abilities. Guntz shoots the Nagapoko to help Klonoa and tells him the rest is up to him. Ultimately, Klonoa defeats Garlen, and everyone is reverted to their normal selves. Everyone wonders about Guntz's whereabouts until they spot him claiming the prize money. Before leaving, he hands the trophy to Klonoa, officially making him the champion.
Klonoa Heroes: Densetsu no Star Medal[]
Klonoa and Guntz first meet near the beginning of the game, where Guntz ends up saving Klonoa from a group of Moos that had ambushed him earlier. He ends up stealing the Radiant Flower, which Klonoa intended to give to Lolo as a parting gift before she departs for the Sky Temple, prompting Klonoa to chase the wolf down to try and get it back. Eventually, Klonoa is able to defeat Guntz and regains the Radiant Flower, giving it to Lolo just before her departure. After that, Guntz approaches Klonoa and asks him to be his bounty-hunting partner, to which Klonoa obliges, with the two going on several missions as a duo. At one point, Guntz ends up encountering Janga, the person responsible for killing his father Batz years ago, and eventually splits off from Klonoa entirely in order to persue him. He ends up bumping back into Klonoa later on, now partnered with Pango, and suggests that they team up to defeat Joka (who had kidnapped Lolo earlier) and Janga, coining the phrase "If we lose, we can't win!" as he does so. This gets Guntz to laugh, and he accepts this as the team's motto.
After defeating Joka and reaching the moon, Guntz calls him an “おこちゃま,” which roughly translates to “little kid.” Later, Guntz admits that he is also an “おこちゃま.” Notably, when the team finally defeats Janga, the feline tries to go in for a cheap shot on Guntz, but Klonoa quickly blocks the attack and gets hurt by Janga's poison claws instead. Furious, Guntz fires at Janga, eventually causing him to fall to his doom. Klonoa ends up in a coma where he is forced to figure out what it really means to be a hero, and notably, it is through outside encouragement from Guntz and Pango that leads Klonoa to find his answer after struggling to find it: to keep moving forward no matter how many times he fails. Eventually, Klonoa, Guntz and Pango are able to defeat Garlen, the person who is really responsible for all of this, and later defeat Nahatomb and save Lolo.
Shippuu Tengoku Kaze no Klonoa[]
Here, Klonoa and Guntz aren't exactly on the best of terms, often clashing for one reason or another. As an example, in one chapter the two end up stealing a diving suit from Garlen in order to chase a Digon that has stolen a number of goods, but they end up fighting over who gets to don the suit, and it culminates in Klonoa blowing the bag of stolen goods up with his Wind Ring, resulting in Klonoa and Guntz being considered criminals, complete with wanted posters of them.
Namco X Capcom[]
Namco X Capcom is a crossover game featuring characters from Namco and Capcom. Klonoa and Guntz appear as allies to the protagonists, Rejji and Xiaomu, to help stop the Ouma organization. Here, Klonoa and Guntz's relationship seen in Klonoa Heroes is built upon, with Guntz at one point being on the fence regarding bringing Klonoa along for the ride out of concern for his safety. In the Namco X Capcom Manga Anthology, there is a story revolving around Klonoa and Guntz, with the two being repeatedly hugged by several of the game's female cast members.
Klonoa: Dream Traveler of Noctis Sol[]
In Klonoa: Dream Traveler of Noctis Sol, Klonoa sets off on an adventure with his friends to stop the Nighty-Knights from attacking dream worlds. After traveling the Dream Stream, Klonoa and his friends find themselves in Guntzland. Suddenly, Guntz appears and orders them to leave. Klonoa is puzzled as to why Guntz doesn't recognize him. Guntz questions how Klonoa knows his name, then holds him at gunpoint, threatening to blast him. Klonoa tries to recover Guntz's memory by reminding him that they used to be rivals but have since become friends. Klonoa eventually realizes they are in Guntz's old dream, which explains his lack of memory. Klonoa and his friends then manage to flee the world before Guntz can launch an attack. In the final part, Klonoa faces Guntz again when he is summoned alongside Chipple and Nightmare Klonoa to take down Klonoa.
Fanon[]
Gunoa is a fairly popular ship within the Klonoa community, with it being seen as one of the big three Klonoa ships, alongside Klololo and Klosorrow. Gunoa is even seen by some as the Klonoa equivalent to the Sonadow ship, due to the obvious parallels between Klonoa and Sonic and especially Guntz and Shadow. There is plenty of fan art and fan fiction of this ship, especially following the big newcomer boom Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series brought in, despite Guntz not appearing in Klonoa: Door to Phantomile or Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil. The two characters’ relationship remains quite popular within the community.
Klonoa and Guntz's dynamic in fanfiction often explores their tragic pasts. Klonoa, a youthful Dream Traveler, is destined to leave the worlds he saves, yet he approaches this fate with an optimistic spirit. In contrast, Guntz, a hardened bounty hunter, is still a child grappling with the loss of his father. His forced maturity and denial of his own youth create a stark contrast to Klonoa's carefree nature. While many Gunoa fics delve into their shared pain and offer comfort, others celebrate their playful side, highlighting the underlying innocence of both characters. Not all Gunoa ships default to being hurt or comfort ships though, as there are also a handful of more heartwarming and sometimes even silly fanfics with the two.
Fandom[]
- FAN FICTION
- Klonoa/Guntz tag on AO3
- Guntz/Klonoa tag on AO3
- Guntz & Klonoa tag on AO3
- WIKIS
- Klonoa's Relationship with Guntz on the Klonoa Wiki
- Guntz' Relationship with Klonoa on the Klonoa Wiki
Trivia[]
- There was a 4-week long Klonoa character tournament poll that was held on the Klonoa @ Home website, which served as the official hub for all things Klonoa in the early 2000s, with the prize being a wallpaper containing original artwork by Klonoa character designer Yoshihiko Arai. Klonoa and Guntz won 1st and 2nd place respectively, and as a result, the two are front-and-center, with the artwork depicting them snowboarding. The King of Sorrow and Huepow were also featured in the background, due to them landing at 3rd and 4th place, respectively.
- The unofficial fan translation of Klonoa Heroes by the Klonoa Mega Chat Discord Server, a heartfelt and meticulous effort by the community, introduces subtle yet significant adjustments to the original Japanese dialogue. Several of these changes often downplay or omit references to Guntz's youth. For example, in the original, Guntz calls himself an "おこちゃま," which literally translates to "kid." The fan translation, however, alters this into "child at heart," subtly shifting the nuance. This adaptation contrasts with the original, where Guntz not only teases Klonoa as an "おこちゃま" but also directly acknowledges that he is one himself. While the meaning of the text isn't too different in this example, some fans have said that these changes result in a slightly different portrayal of Guntz’s character.