Blood+ and Mai HiME |

Otonashi Saya

Saya during first half of the series

Saya during second half of the series

Otonashi Saya was born from a cocoon like object taking from a mummy like chiropteran named SAYA in 1833. Along with another cocoon containing her sister, Diva. Whenever her and Diva's blood mix it crystallizes and disintegrates. She can only stay wake for 2 to 3 years before returning to her 3 decade long sleep. She is a skill
athlete and uses a nihonto or katana for fighting. The sword has a edge in which she can touch her thumb while gripping it so as to draw blood. The sword also has a bohi or grooves specially designed to spread her blood through its entire blade, making it a deadly weapon both against Diva and any Chiropteran made from Diva's blood. Amshel(Diva's Chevalier) breaks her first sword in the series. She acquires a new one from David which has a red crystal at the base of the blade. This crystal is actually a piece of her adoptive father, George's body which crystallized when she killed him with her own blood in order to spare him the fate of fully becoming a Chiropteran.

During the first part of the series Saya appears to be a normal girl, living a normal life as a normal high school girl in Okinawa. She is adopted by George Miyagusuku and has no memory of her life earlier than one year ago. She is able to heal all her injuries very quickly but must regularly receive blood transfusions to remain healthy. Despite these strange traits, she has the outward appearance of a young human teenage girl with an unusually large appetite. Later one during the first arc she starts to have flashbacks about the Vietnam War. Her oldest memories are from her birthplace at Joel's mansion called the "Zoo" in France during the 19th century. Saya's human personality is usually a cheerful and optimistic girl, but her suppressed Chiropteran side is colder calculating, and with a warrior's edge, that brooks no foolishness. Her eyes turn red and her lip color is much more darker when she is fighting Chiropteran. When you series progresses Saya's cheerful and optimistic personality fades away when she learns more about her past and when the enemy stalks her. Her greatest fear is finding out that she is the same or much worse than the monsters she fights.

During the second part of the series Saya appears to be more darker personality and appearance. She gains a maroon trench coat and longer hair. It is revealed that after she and Haji had left the "Zoo", she made him promise to kill her after she kills Diva to prevent the survival of Chiropterans. Past this point in the series, her willingness with co-operating with Red Shield and her own family is dropped, since she doesn't want to endanger then any longer. During this part she believes that her fight with Diva is hers and hers alone. This also changes her cheerful personality, accompanied by an acceptance of her Chiropteran biology and a willingness of necessity to feed off Haji's blood. Karman and Moses later state that they think that Saya has already lost hope. Saya's depression might stem from the fact that she is aware of her next hibernation period drawing near. She becomes prone to sudden bouts of fainting spells and as Solomon observes, her regeneration ability has somewhat slowed down. Everyone on Saya's side does their part to try to "bring" her feelings back during Javier's birthday party, the subsequent fight against Karl and the Corpse Corps, before they depart for Christina Island; and finally, before they set off for the grand finale trip to New York. During that they let her know that this fight is not for her to bear alone and she is never alone. The truth is that not all of Diva's chevaliers are trying to kill her. The fourth brother, Solomon Goldsmith, fell deeply in love with her. He was first introduced to her as a delightful young man at the ball in her Vietnam school, and danced his only dance with her. After the dance he apologized, telling her that he had only asked her as she was the only girl who wasn't staring at him. Solomon only discovered her true identity when he was dragged off by Van Argiano, to look at some results, when Saya's friend Min called out her name. Solomon was greatly disturbed by Amshel's decision to eliminate Saya, and against his brother's will, set out in hope to persuade her to join his side. He saved her life many times as well.

Saya confronts Diva at the Metropolitan Opera House. The duel ends when she and Diva pierce their sword into each other. Diva's blood does not affect her but her blood does, due to Diva having children. Though Saya has said that she lives only to cut down Diva, whom she had released over a century ago, now that the deed is done, all Saya feels is a sense of emptiness and remorse at her sister's body that has been turned to stone. Through Kai's pleas and Haji's admittance of love, Saya breaks her former promise to Haji that she would die after the death of Diva and decides to live instead, and spare the lives of Diva's newborn baby twins as well. When returning to Okinawa Saya does in to her 3 decade long sleep. During that Kai and Diva's children watch over her as she sleeps in the Miyagusuku family grave. Haji had also visited, leaving a fresh pink rose with his ribbon at the grave.

Haji

Haji is Saya's first and only living chevalier. They first met when Joel brought him to the zoo to be her companion. Hoping that they might mate and create more specimens for future experimentation. He lived in the zoo, with Saya in Joel mansion, as he aged while Saya did not. One day while trying to pick a flower off a cliff for Saya to give Joel as a present. He then slipped and fell of the cliff. Misunderstanding an earlier conversation between Haji and Joel about why Saya lives on blood and wanting to save him, Saya feeds him some of her blood, unwittingly turning him into a "chevalier." She had felt guilt over this though out the years. But when she apologized, Haji assured her that he had no regrets as it allows him to always be at her side while she lives her dream of traveling the world with her sword. He plays the cello, as he learned from Saya. He usually carries his cello in a black case on his back. He uses it as a weapon and also a shield. He also fights with a hand full of daggers. Like most chevalier, he does not eat or sleep, and stays awake as Saya sleeps, eats, or does he go into long periods of hibernation. Unlike Diva's chevalier, he does not transform into full chiropteran form. However this is by his own choice rather than a limitation of his power. He keeps his right hand in bandages to hide chiropteran features that he couldn't turn back to human due to shock, as Saya had cut off his arm, due to going crazy, when it had transformed. In the opening in the final season(or arc) Haj is shown to have wings, which weren't shown till the 43th episode.

After Diva's death, Haji convinced Saya to live, which spurs the realization of their feelings and, as a result, they kiss before Amshel arrives. Haji is then crushed by a balcony from stabbing Amshel. with Saya's kanata which was covered in her blood, causing Amshel to crystalize. However, he survives the collapse, even though it isn't immediately revealed on-screen. The other characters assume that he has died, but they are proven wrong when Kai, with Diva's children, goes to the Miyagusuku grave, where Saya is currently sleeping, and finds a fresh pink rose with Haji's blue hair ribbon tied to it.

Haji's name can be either spelled, Haji or Hagi. The Katakana spelling reads his name as "Haji" and is also the spelling used in the English release and the one most commonly used in sources about the show. However, it should be noted that the Production I.G's English web site uses Hagi, as do the English releases of the novels and manga.