

In season 1 episode 6, Shirogane says that he wants to have 9 kids during a
psychological test; the same is referenced in season 2 episode 1, when Chika
and Shirogane have 9 kids (when playing a game). So what does having 9 kids
refer to other than a baseball team?


CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-07-28T04:40:36.023
58230
2023-11-23T13:26:42.443
2023-11-23T12:44:20.350
8486
29580
question
culture kaguya-sama-love-is-war
What is the significance of Shirogane having 9 kids?


In season 1 episode 6, Shirogane was taking a psychological test from
Fujiwara:

> Imagine there's a cage of pets in front of you. How many kittens can fit in
> there?

The number given would reveal how many children the test taker subconsciously
wants to have. The kitten quiz is obviously also a reference to "cats have
nine lives".

Then in season 2 episode 1, the student council members were playing a custom
board game, and Shirogane and Fujiwara stepped onto the "marriage" and
"childbirth" spaces, which resulted in them having nine children in-game. I
believe the "having nine children" gag is based on the [nine sons of the
dragon](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nine_sons_of_the_dragon) lore, and
incidentally, dragons and cats are symbols of fertility and sexuality,
respectively.

I don't know if one could make an additional connection to the imagery of [Hou
Yi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hou_Yi) "shooting" down the nine "suns"
(Cupid + shoots + yellow, oval suns). Although both Hou Yi and the nine sons
of the dragon originated from Chinese mythology, [it's not the first time that
_Love is War_ has borrowed Chinese
elements](https://anime.stackexchange.com/q/57625/8486) to enhance its story,
so it's very likely that these are what is referenced in the joke.


CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-11-23T13:26:42.443
68454
2023-11-23T13:26:42.443
8486
58230
answer