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For the Mai-Otome character, see Mai Tokiha (Otome).

Mai is the protagonist of the Mai-HiME anime series. She is portrayed as a self-reliant person, hesitant to tell others about her problems. She is a first-year high school student, and her roommate is Mikoto Minagi. Her stated hobbies are working part-time jobs and taking care of Takumi.[1]

She is the guardian of the younger brother. Takumi Tokiha after their mother's death from drowning when she tried to save Takumi when he was a kid. Since then, Mai blamed herself for this occurrence and was devoted to handle all the household responsibilities, thus being the talented cook she has become. She enjoys karaoke, though a running joke shows her increasing frustration about her seeming inability to indulge. She is unwilling to reveal her problems to others, but ever willing to help them with theirs. She bottles up her negative emotions to the point of explosion.

Characteristics[]

Mai is depicted with short ginger hair and a rather large bust. She is typically cast as a guardian sister to Mikoto and Takumi Tokiha, a close friend to Natsuki Kuga but usually at odds with her, and a potential love interest of Yuuichi Tate and Reito Kanzaki. She is associated with fire, and in all series wields 4 large golden rings with magatama as weapons. She also uses a mitsu tomoe as her symbol.

Anime Synopsis[]

A Girl's Most Important Event[]

Mai and Takumi are traveling on a ship heading toward their new school Fuuka Academy. Mai notices a glowing red star and when her brother states that he cannot see it she teases him saying that is something only honest people can see. Just then Takumi notices something in the water. When the girl that has just been rescued is in need of CPR it is Mai who performs the resuscitation. Having gotten wet from the incident Mai is thanked by a guy whom she notices that he is staring at her breast. Mai immediately snaps at him and takes off. While attempting to change she notices her brother has forgotten his medicine and takes it with her. Noticing a mark on her right breast she questions how the girl she just saved has the same mark and remembers that in the processes of given her CPR she has just had her first kiss. While looking for a change of clothes she remembers that all her luggage has been put in storage and the only thing left to wear is her school uniform. She reunites with her brother and meets Tate Yuuichi as well as his self-proclaim sister Shiho Munakata who are students at the school she'll be going. Just then Mai and Tate are invited to meet the captain of the ship. On their way there they argue about Tate's sexual harassment. As the boat rocks, the two fall and are attacked by a mysterious woman wearing a motorcycle helmet. Mai is forced to take her to where the rescued girl is but when they arrive in the room a fight breaks out. Mai is forced to run and hide as the two other girls fight. As Mai leaves the area, she runs into Yuichi who she takes her frustration on the situation on and remembers that she forgot the medicine for her brother when she changed clothes. Mai and Tate return to find the medicine and suddenly find themselves separated by the ship splitting in half, Mai tells Tate to take the medicine to her brother and she precedes to escape. By climbing an escape hatch Mai reaches the deck of the ship only to find the two girls fighting again as she is attacked, a mysterious fire shield is created and Mai unknowingly protects herself. Mai is told by the attacker to stay away from the Fuuka Academy. As the ship begins to sink, Mai and the rescued girl begin to fall in the ocean. Just when it seemed as if both girls were doomed, when Mai wakes and she sees herself on dry land surrounded by a group of students wearing the same uniform as her. Frustrated by the recent events, Mai screams.

After-School Secrets?[]

Mai was being interrogated by the student council's executive committee leader Haruka Suzushiro for waking up in the courtyard and for bringing a weapon to school. The vice-president of the student council Reito Kanzaki offers both Mai and Haruka a cup of tea while the rest of the school council listens to the questioning. Just then Tate brings in Takumi who is happy to see her the two are dismissed by the council president Shizuru Fujino. Mai and her brother are escorted by Tate who explains to her that the school is run by the students, Mai makes fun of Tate calling him a "Lackie" for the council. Mai and Tate argue as they arrive at the staff room. Mai introduces herself to her new class where she finds that Tate is in. Mai along with Aoi Sennou and Chie Harada go to the school cafeteria, where they meet Takumi.

In episode 1, Mai and her brother Takumi take a ferry to their new school, Fuuka Academy. On the trip, Mai meets Yuichi Tate, with whom she begins a love-hate relationship. Mai resuscitates a girl who was found in the river, Mikoto Minagi. Mikoto and a mysterious attacker (later shown to be Natsuki Kuga) battle on the ferry, revealing magical powers; during this battle, Mai finds out she has powers similar to the two.

Mai meets and befriends many other students, including Mikoto and Natsuki, in episodes 2 and 3. Being informed by Nagi Homura that her brother is in a nearby forest, she finds him under attack by an Orphan. Mai materializes her Elements for the first time and also acquires her Child, Kagutsuchi, a giant winged creature, which she uses to defeat the Orphan.

In the following episodes, Mai continues to fight Orphans along with Mikoto and Natsuki, becoming especially close to Mikoto. Mai picks up a part-time job at the Lindem Baum restaurant, where she works with her future teacher Midori Sugiura. She begins a romantic relationship with Reito Kanzaki, whom she reveals her HiME powers to in episode 8. In episodes 14 and 15 Mai joins with the other known HiME in freeing Fuuka Academy from Searrs' control. Mai and Kagutsuchi block Alyssa Searrs' attack and defeat her Child.

Beginning with episode 17, Mai becomes more unsure of her desires; she cannot decide between Yuichi and Reito, and she feels abandoned when Takumi starts to be more independent. Mai attempts to stop the fighting between HiME and instructs Mikoto not to fight. She later becomes enraged at Mikoto when in episode 20 it appears the latter is responsible for the death/disappearance of Takumi, although Mai herself feels responsible as well.

Mai becomes increasing attracted to Yuichi, leading up to episode 24 when Yuichi saves her from defeat at Yukariko Sanada's hands. A phantom HiME who had been attacking Mai in previous episodes reveals herself to be Shiho Munakata, Yuichi's childhood friend and Mai's romantic rival. Shiho's defeat by Mikoto leads to the death of Yuichi, driving Mai into despair.

In episode 25 she resolves to stop the Obsidian Prince, who is behind the carnival. Nagi leads her to the Obsidian Palace where the Obsidian Prince (in Reito's body) and Mikoto are waiting. In her battle with Mikoto in episode 26, she declares her love for Mikoto, breaking the Obsidian Prince's control over her. Mai later defeats the Obsidian Prince with Kagutsuchi, returning school life to normal.

Alternative Summary[]

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Mai's formative years were spent in the Suginami ward of Tokyo, where she attended South Suginami-ku's 4th Elementary School and West Suginami-ku's Junior High School, before moving on to the private Namikawa High School. Her last known address in the area before transferring to the Fuuka Academy (as a recipient of the Kazahana Scholarship) on 1st May was 12-44-40 Suginami-ku Kamiigusa, Tokyo. She is an advanced CPR practitioner (a skill she presumably thought necessary considering Takumi's ill health) and has passed Eiken, an English proficiency test, to the 4th degree.

She is first seen at the very beginning of the anime, onboard a ship where she and Takumi are travelling to their new school, the aforementioned Fuuka Academy. A young girl is seen floating apparently lifeless in the water and is brought aboard. Mai performs CPR on the girl, who is later introduced as Mikoto Minagi. Aboard ship, Mai and Takumi are befriended by Yuuichi Tate, whose knack of appearing to be a pervert immediately disgusts Mai, and his childhood friend (and would-be lover) Shiho Munakata. Another mysterious figure wielding pistols, Natsuki Kuga attacks the ship searching for Mikoto and they do battle, which eventually causes the ship to be sunk and Mai to reveal her own materialising powers, similar to those exhibited by Natsuki. Mai finally makes it to the Academy, where she is immediately taken to task and interrogated by the feisty Executive Director Haruka Suzushiro over unexplained damage to the school grounds in the vicinity of where Mai was discovered. She is somewhat disconcerted to discover that Tate is on the Student Council and even less happy when it transpires that she'll be in the same class as him. However, she soon makes friends in her class, particularly Chie Harada and Aoi Senoh but also Miya Suzuki, Sayuri Ichinose and Yayoi Ota. Early on in her career, she comes across the Academy's Principal, Mashiro Kazahana, and Mashiro's assistant/maid, Fumi Himeno.

During a search for Takumi, who'd gone missing and dropped his medication, she finds herself in a cave with a middle school student, Nagi Homura, who introduces the concept of HiMEs to her. Being attacked by an Orphan, she (along with Natsuki and Mikoto - who by now is Mai's close friend and roommate) battle back, seemingly defeating it before each of its two halves, cloven by Mikoto and her sword Miroku, become animated again and attack. Nagi guides Mai to a petroglyph which appears to depict a dragon-like figure, which she claims she recognises (a flashback shows a ghostly dragon saving her and Mikoto from drowning and causing the damage to the ground for which Mai had been interrogated earlier). She adopts this creature, Kagutsuchi as her Child and they destroy the Orphan - and the whole mountain side besides - in a blaze of intense fire. Kagutsuchi is widely acknowledged as the most powerful of the Childs, as is pointed out later by the art teacher Wataru Ishigami.

Later, Mai picks up a part-time job at the Linden Baum restaurant, where she works alongside Akane Higurashi, Kazuya Kurauchi and Midori Sugiura. She continues to fight Orphans alongside Natsuki and Mikoto, who is now her roommate. She is asked by Reito Kanzaki if she would like to date him, and the pair attend a festival together (aided by Chie and Aoi's "kidnap" of Mikoto), having previously been forced to reveal her powers to him after the pair, along with Yuuichi and Takumi, fall into an underground complex. After the Searrs Foundation attempt to take control of the Academy, Mai is captured by their forces, but is liberated by Mikoto. With the other HiMEs, she joins Academy Principal Mashiro Kazahana to develop a plan to regain control, fighting alongside her fellows to defeat Searrs. To his consternation, Yuuichi (who, by now, has fallen in love with Mai) sees her riding on the back of Kagutsuchi, causing his feelings of helplessness, powerlessness and confusion to spiral. With Kagutsuchi, Mai engages Eclipse 1 Artemis, Searrs' orbital weapons satellite (which announced their intent by destroying a bridge) and Alyssa Searrs' Child, absorbing a blast intended for the Academy and eventually destroying it.

Thereafter, she attends a bonding exercise in the form of a karaoke competition arranged by Midori, before learning about the HiME Carnival from the mysterious trickster figure Nagi. She becomes more confused and depressed as Takumi becomes more independent and as she is forced to choose between Reito and Yuuichi. In addition, Mikoto comes under the control of the Obsidian Lord, who is revealed to reside in Reito, who is the ani-ue Mikoto has been searching for. As such, she doesn't heed Mai's instruction not to engage the other HiMEs in battle and, by the end, has killed three Childs and played an important part in the death of Gennai, Akira Okuzaki's Child, by a phantom HiME who had been attacking Mai and who was later revealed to be the now vengeful Shiho, jealous of Yuuichi's burgeoning romance with Mai, and her Child, Yatagarasu. Gennai's downfall resulted in the decease of Akira's Most Important Person, Takumi. Mikoto herself kills Yatagarasu, after Mai finds herself unable to, which causes Yuuichi to disappear. Yuuichi had previously saved Mai from defeat at the hands of Vlas, Sister Yukariko Sanada's Child, when she fell into an illusion caused by Vlas. Indeed, Mai herself warned Yuuichi that it was dangerous for them to associate, telling him to distance himself from her. Her warning comes to an unexpected fruition when she is waylaid by Shiho (who now reveals herself) and Yatagarasu and Yuuichi asks her to kill Yatagarasu, who is dispatched by Mikoto's blade when Mai declines. She attempts to kiss Yuuichi, who has chosen Mai over Shiho, but he disintegrates before she has a chance to.

After this, she meets Nagi and asks the boy to take her to the Obsidian Lord, whom she engages in conversation before battling with Mikoto, whilst their Childs engage each other simultaneously. She is later reunited with the resurrected Yuuichi (who, with the other Most Important People has been restored to like by Suishohime/Mashiro after Miyu Greer, who Mai met on her way to Kokuyouguu, intervenes on behalf of Alyssa Searrs), who protects her from the Obsidian Lord, who was intent on killing her. She later hugs Mikoto and tells her she loves her, breaking the spell of the HiME Star.

Manga Synopsis[]

In the manga, she starts off with her trademark rings but is already fairly skilled at fighting. Her Key is Yuuichi Tate, and her Child is Kagutsuchi.

When she becomes a QUEEN, she becomes more powerful and is able to summon a darker Kagutsuchi without the use of a Key. She gains two larger rings floating behind her back, in addition to her standard 4 rings.[2]

In the final battle, Kagutsuchi draws itself into the sword stuck in its head, creating the Sword of Kagutsuchi which Mai, Yuuichi and Natsuki wield.

Name origins[]

Mai is the titular lead of My-HiME. The series' title can be interpreted as "My Princess", "Princess Mai", "Dancing Princess", or simply as "HiME Mai". The different meanings of My-HiME are used throughout the various series.

Kagutsuchi is named after Kagu-tsuchi, the Japanese god of fire. Its story of burning up its mother relates to Mai's story in the My-HiME anime, and the sword in its head is a reference to Kagutsuchi's beheading.

Trivia[]

  • Mai's HiME mark is located on her right breast,[3] which is said to be controlled by Cancer, her Zodiac sign.
  • Coincidentally, Mai's Japanese voice actress, Mai Nakahara, shares the same first name.
  • There is a running gag where Mikoto buries her face in Mai's chest and sometimes being over-protective of her to the point that she is carried by Mai in a piggy-back-ride way for the whole day.
  • In both the anime and the manga, Mai possesses exceptional cooking skills.
  • Mai is the only HIME whose CHILD is likely unable to be killed, as shown in episode 15, due to Kagutsuchi's resurrection ability.
  • She mentions she had done any kind of jobs since little no matter what the content of the job was to support her brother.
  • Mai mentions that when she was 10 she was forced into buying a bra since her breast was developing yet she was reluctant to do so and kept going bra less until recently when the attention she was getting became too much.
  • Mai reveals that she doesn't care the appearance of a man as long he has lot of money to give her.

References[]

  1. My-HiME anime, episode 19
  2. My-HiME manga, chapter 39, page 19
  3. My-HiME anime, episode 1
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