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"Nietono no Shana. Then, your name is Shana. That's what I'll call you. You're Shana. Stop saying you're only a Flame Haze. And I'm not only a Torch. I'm Yuji Sakai."
—Yuji naming the Flame Haze of the Nietono no Shana.

Yuji Sakai (坂井 悠二 Sakai Yūji?) is the main male protagonist of the Shakugan no Shana series. He is a Mystes who has the Treasure Tool Midnight Lost Child inside of him. The story of Shakugan no Shana revolves around his life, both as a high school student and as a Mystes involved in the battle between the Flame Haze and the Crimson Denizens, alongside the Flame Haze Shana.

Eventually, he merges with the powerful Crimson God called the Snake of the Festival and becomes his "substitute body" (代行体 daikō-tai?) until the completion of Bal Masqué's Grand Order. With this, he aims to eliminate the never-ending conflict between the Flame Haze and Crimson Denizens.

Appearance[]

Sakai Yuji

Yūji as a student in the novels

Yūji is a young man with neck-length dark hair, black in the novels and dark brown in the anime, and a fair complexion. He has dark brown irises in the novels and dark blue irises in the anime. He is 15 years of age at the beginning of the series and is 165cm tall.[1][2][3] Initially, his face was usually dull but he could make more tense expressions during crucial moments.[4] After struggling through battles against Crimson Denizens along with Shana, his countenance became more resolute.[5]

Yūji usually wore the Misaki City Municipal High School uniform.

After merging with the Snake of the Festival, Yūji was given the waist-length Dragon Tail hair and the red and black armor Bakuyagai. When Dragon Tail is unequipped, Yūji's hair returns to its normal length and Dragon Tail changes form to a black scarf.

After his separation with the Snake of the Festival, Yūji still possesses both Bakuyagai and Dragon Tail which he equips in battles. Normally, he continues to wear Dragon Tail as a black scarf in winter, and as a bolo tie in summer.[6]

Personality[]

Yūji was initially a subtly shrewd but indecisive person.[4] He is easygoing,[2] kind, sociable, compassionate, and puts the well-being of others before his own. This drew much confusion and annoyance from Shana, as prior Torches from Shana's experience exhibited selfish attitudes. However, he is far from a pushover; he took being considered a mere 'thing' very harshly, insisting that even if he was just residue of his former self, he was still Yūji Sakai and didn't hesitate to call out Shana for her nihilism and lack of empathy, going so far as to call her "heartless" due to her flippant attitude over essentially taking over Yukari Hirai's life. However, Yūji has been shown on several occasions to be too helpful for his own good. An example of this is when he agreed to help out the school committee in place of Matake Ogata, when he had already agreed with Shana to do more training after school. When Shana questioned him about this, he claimed that he didn't have a choice, prompting Shana to point out that he could have simply refused.[7] After Yoshida finds out that he is a Torch, he chooses to abandon Shana and run after her to explain himself. He is shown to deeply regret dragging Yoshida into The Truth of This World, even saying at one point that if there's one thing in his past he could change, it would be that.

Yūji's ability to be quick-witted and remain cool-headed during emergencies is something respected even by the Flame Haze who stayed in Misaki City.[8] Although he lacks the training and discipline of a Flame Haze, he has demonstrated an admirable amount of intelligence and logic, often thinking outside the box and solving puzzles others can't. It is also shown that Yūji is able to remain calm in any situation no matter how dangerous it is. This allows him to think aggressively during combat and counter his enemies with the same level of aggressiveness. Due to that, he has been referred to as a brutal genius by both Flame Haze and Denizens. Yūji's sharpness during battles contrasted how he usually was in ordinary situations and Shana and Kazumi Yoshida were attracted to different aspects of his dual nature, Shana to the part of him which she could rely on in battle and Yoshida to his usual nature in everyday life.[9]

Before learning he had the Reiji Maigo inside him, Yūji was determined to make proof that he existed, going so far as to give up much of his Power of Existence to repair the damage to a classroom, something that had never been done by any other Torch Shana had met. Ultimately, he developed a somewhat optimistic, yet ultimately fatalistic view of his life. Even when he believed he was slated to perish as a Torch, Yūji took the information in stride after the initial shock, and did not seem too disturbed or melancholy with the idea that everyone would simply forget about him. After discovering that he had the Reiji Maigo inside him and was effectively immortal, however, he was relieved and gained a desire to help Shana in her battles, asking Shana to train him in case any other Denizens come to attack Misaki City. While initially unable to fight, Yūji is able to help Shana through his intelligence and insight, and has done so numerous times. Wilhelmina describes him as a very unique boy, and wonders how he can view the world the way he does.[10]

Yūji is also shown to be highly oblivious to Shana and Yoshida's feelings for him, even when clearly noticeable by his friends.[11] He believed there was no way they could be interested in him. He has come close to figuring it out several times, but always dismisses it as his imagination. As a result of his obliviousness, Yūji is prone to doing things that end up hurting Shana or Yoshida's feelings when he has no intention of doing so. When Fumina Konoe first comes to Misaki City, Yūji ends up helping her a great deal due to her being incredibly helpless. However, this causes a great deal of grief and jealousy to both Shana and Yoshida. Even after Hayato Ike points out the effect Yūji's actions are having on the girls, he can't even begin to understand why.[12] He was indecisive about choosing between Shana and Yoshida as he was a person who gets carried away by logic and unconsciously sensed and understood that his everyday life would change if he confessed to either of them. Cherishing his everyday life after experiencing the harshness of matters concerning the Crimson Realm, he was uncomfortable with making a decision.[13]

Later on, Yūji's personality undergoes a change for the worse and he begins to lose some of his kind nature, becoming cold and indifferent towards others. This is shown when he bluntly rejects Kazumi's gift that she brought for him and his mother, saying that the two of them live in different worlds and he can't keep accepting things from her,[14] though he later apologizes after being chewed out for it by Shana.[15] He also becomes more ruthless, such as when he kills one of the Jaeger Zarovee's duplicates with his bare hands and then proceeds to incinerate the rest. After Bal Masqué puts a transmitter on the Midnight Lost Child, Yūji starts taking his training more seriously, as noted by Shana and Wilhelmina, though this results in him getting ahead of himself and requesting training he's not ready for yet, forcing Wilhelmina, Margery and Marchosias to remind him that he has to be patient. He also decides it's finally time for him to leave Misaki City, believing that he'll just attract more trouble and keep putting the city in danger if he stays. However, this draws criticism from Shana and, to a lesser extent, Kazumi, neither of whom believe he's actually serious about leaving, with Shana outright accusing him of lying to himself. Though he denies this at first, Yūji comes to accept it as the truth during the ambush from Sabrac, having realized the city won't be safe even if he does leave. As a result, he gains a strong desire to protect Misaki City and everyone who lives in it, believing that it's what he has to do. However, that desire comes to an abrupt end when he mysteriously vanishes on the night of Christmas Eve.[16]

After merging with the Snake of the Festival, Yuji's personality undergoes a very drastic change. He is shown to be very ruthless and downright cruel at times, such as when he callously reveals to Margery the truth about the Silver for no reason other than to put her out of commission, as well as telling Kazumi that he returned her letter simply to give her some hope. He is also quite manipulative, as he eventually exploits Kazumi's unrequited feelings for him in order to further Bal-Masque's plans. He seems to have grown even more innocently insensitive, as he has a very difficult time understanding that he completely traumatized Shana after defeating her easily and rendering her powerless, and sincerely doesn't get why she becomes so upset when he tries to get close to her afterward. The calm part of his personality also reaches alarming levels, as he remains eerily calm and smiling regardless of what he is currently talking about. His personality overall is very similar to that of the Snake, as the two are almost always on the same wavelength, though this could simply be the result of them sharing a body.

When Yuji comes face-to-face with Johann, he speculates that Yuji is underestimating love, which is why he doesn't even trust Shana with the details of his plan. While Yuji initially dismisses this as nothing but a naive viewpoint, he eventually comes to realise that the entire conflict between him and Shana could have been avoided if he had simply trusted her more and asked for her help in creating Xanadu, but ultimately believed that Shana would always consider her duty as a Flame Haze to be more important than him. As Johann puts it, he became so fixated on his goal that he ended up neglecting the one person that goal was supposed to benefit most, and Shana even calls him out for not telling her his true plan from the beginning. Wrecked with guilt over all that he's done, Yuji decides that he has to atone by wandering Xanadu and teaching the Denizens how to co-exist with the humans- alone. Shana and Alastor, however, are disgusted that he believes that this is what he has to do, with the former calling him out for never considering what she wants. Even after being defeated by Shana and recalling Johann's words (that it's okay for him to be a little selfish), Yuji still doesn't believe he deserves to be with Shana after all he's done. Shana, however, assures him that in spite of all of it, she forgives him, she still loves him, and she desires only for him to be with her forever. Yuji agrees, but nevertheless maintains the belief that he has to make amends, as he knows that not everyone will be as forgiving as Shana.[17]

Background[]

Yuji's past life is something which he describes as ordinary. He said, "My life wasn't filled with hope, yet it wasn't hopeless either". It was until his fateful encounter with Shana. His mother, Chigusa, is a regular housewife while his father Kantaro was in overseas. Upon Chigusa's confirmation of pregnancy, it was revealed by her husband Kantarō that Yuji actually had an older brother who died at birth. Thus, in memory of the first baby and from the parents' wish, the second baby was given the name Yuji, which means "Second (child) who shall live long".

Yūji was a normal first year high school student who received average grades.[4]

More than a month prior to encountering the "Flame-Haired Burning-Eyed Hunter",[18][citation needed] a majority of Yūji's Power of Existence was consumed by the Friagne Party and he was made into a Torch. At the same time, the Reiji Maigo is transferred to him after the Random Transfer induced by Pheles, who was in battle with Sabrac.

Plot[]

"Flame-Haired Burning-Eyed Hunter" Arc[]

Yuji shana

Yūji in his school uniform.

Yūji did not know anything about being a Torch until he was caught up in a Fūzetsu, where he had a direct encounter with one of Friagne's Rinne and with Shana, the Flame-Haired Burning-Eyed Hunter.

The Rinne had tried to eat him upon realizing he was a Mystes, and was narrowly saved by Shana, although she stated that it was really not her intention to do so and he was just there by chance. Shocked and a little more than terrified with the unexpected events, he demanded an explanation from Shana, who nonchalantly told him he was just a Torch, a mere object, and that the real Sakai Yuji had been long since dead.

Yuji develops an optimistic attitude in his realization that he was a Torch, in spite of Shana telling him that he was to perish within the days that follow. Despite Shana's scornful and even harsh responses towards his actions, he manages to change her attitude for the better, and even giving the nameless Flame Haze a name (Shana), and stating, "You are no longer just a Flame Haze, you are Shana. And I am no longer just a Torch, I am Sakai Yuji."

He accepts his fate with no ill feelings, a trait which surprised the Flame-Haired Burning-Eyed Hunter, knowing that most Torches would be depressed to the point that they would even commit suicide before their existence wears off. In fact, Yuji uses this fate to commit acts of heroism, defended by the belief that even if his existence would one day disappear, his sacrifice would be proof that he had once lived.

Despite all these changes, he still struggles to live the ordinary life he once had and at the same time, tries to help Shana in her battles and save Misaki City and its inhabitants.

A Fateful Choice[]

Shana and Kazumi, who both harbored feelings for Yuji, both decided to write him a letter, and whomever he would respond to would be the one he had chosen. Unfortunately, he had disappeared on Christmas Eve, and everyone except those who had knowledge of who he really is, had forgotten about him.

It is later implied that Yuji had chosen Shana over Kazumi. He was even surprised that his feelings were already there for a long time and contemplated about all the time wasted with her. With this realization, he made a decision and voluntarily erased his existence on Christmas Eve, for the sake of changing Shana's fate.

Meanwhile, he also received advice from a mysterious voice which offered him the chance of saving Shana from the endless conflict between Flame Haze and the Crimson Realm. Yuji accepts this offer and merges with the owner of the voice; none other than the Crimson God, "Snake of the Festival".

Bal Masqué's New Leader[]

Employing his new powers which even exceed that of a Crimson Lord, Yuji joins Bal Masqué, where the Priestess (Hecate), the Strategist (Bel-Peol) and Fecor (Bel-Peol's right-hand man) accept him as the new leader.

Snake Of The Festival, Sakai Yuji

Yuji merged with the Snake of the Festival

After, he goes to Misaki City and faces off with Shana, defeating her, and proceeds to the Yoda Department Store, where Eita and Kazumi are, to claim the Haridan which belongs to Bal Masque. Kazumi asks why he returned the letters she wrote to him and Yuji replies that he cannot think of anything to say to her that won't hurt her feelings (meaning Yuji returned Kazumi's letters instead of bluntly rejecting her, thinking that his actions would be less hurtful than saying it openly. This indicates that he has chosen Shana over her.).

After encountering and defeating Shana in Misaki City, Yuji restrains her powers using the Tartaros and takes her away to the Seireiden. He and a few member of Bal Masqué then travel to the rift between the human world and the Crimson Realm, the place where the body of the Snake of the Festival is sealed.

Second Great War[]

Yuji's Choice

Yūji returning to Misaki City for the final battle.

Bal Masque successfully awakens the Snake of the Festival's true form, which brings forth an advantage in the war against the Flame Haze. The Snake's true form is successfully brought upon the Earth which gives enough of a morale boost to Bal Masque's troops that the Flame Haze begin losing the war. Yuji Sakai announced his plan to the retreating Flame Haze that as the God of Creation, he wishes to create a new world, one that fulfills every Denizen's wishes that there is no war, an abundance of Power of Existence, and no pain and suffering like this world, named Xanadu. Furthermore, he added that Flame Haze should not oppose this as this also indirectly fulfills Flame Haze purpose that no more Denizens would kill humans indiscriminately for Power of Existence. However, the announcement has a darker purpose. Most of the Flame Haze made pacts with Crimson Lords for revenge, injustice, and suffering. Now with the weight of protecting a new world being irrelevant to them, is too cruel, most mentally broke down, leading to a massacre by Bal Masque's troops. After the war, he reveals the location that is appropriate for the creation of Xanadu, Misaki City.

Johann with Yuji

Johann and Sakai Yuji

However, Johann was awakened by Pheles after Kazumi summoned her to the battlefield. He attempts to remove the Midnight Lost Child from Yuji but fails at first. Yuji asks Johann why he is taking away the Midnight Lost Child. Johann immediately answers that he doesn't agree with Yuji's plan after Xanadu is created and after the God of Creation is separated from him. He also noted that Yuji had belittles love. He said that Yuji had underestimated Shana's feelings for him. He pointed out that Yuji thinks that Yuji himself is the only one who could sacrifice the world for love, when in fact, he himself had done the same thing. When Pheles asked him to leave the battlefield, he immediately released the Midnight Lost Child and hugs Pheles. Later, Johann and Pheles cast a spell to summon a van which appears to be Gyūki in a form of a van to take Yoshida and the two of them away.

Through various battles and tactical planning, he successfully created Xanadu by sacrificing Priestess as the beginning of the creation of the new world. However, Shana and her team returns to fight Yuji Sakai as they realize the mirrored world would cause imbalance of Power of Existence in the far distant future if Denizens consumes Power of Existence recklessly. Through ensuing battles, Shana and Margery Daw successfully reconstructed the Restriction Spell to include a Law that humans can never be consumed in Xanadu. This is a last ditch effort as Shana's team is too small to prevent the creation of Xanadu, so they merely wanted to protect the Xanadu humans instead. As they feel relieved that their plan worked, Shana is agitated to see Yuji Sakai smiling.

Yuji Sakai, foreseeing this plan reveals that the whole Restriction Spell is a secondary effect. In reality, the only requirement is to wait till midnight so that Midnight Lost Child will refill, during which time he asks the Professor to place a special Restriction Spell to obtain extremely vast amount of Power of Existence under his control, where he can direct it to the creation of Xanadu and null the Law placed by Shana. Shana and the other Flame Haze have not been beaten, but have clearly lost and can only watch helplessly on at the creation of Xanadu. However Yuji Sakai, as the Snake of the Festival, hears the Denizen's, as well as the Flame Haze's, wish and does not undo the law put in place by Shana.

Post-Second Great War[]

As the Denizens leave to Xanadu, Yuji Sakai parted with the Snake of the Festival. The Strategist, holding the essence of God of Creation gave him a chain-shape key to Tartaros. At the end, the God stated he grew fond of Yuji Sakai, a mere torch that was willing to allow himself to be used as a tool to fulfill his plan, and even if nobody else approved of his plan, the God approved it and gives his blessings to Yuji Sakai, as they departed to Xanadu.

Later the Spiral Organ appeared, gave Yuji a crystal containing Unrestricted Spell for bringing back the lost things, grant basic protection for his body and embedding a new unrestricted spell into the anti-flame ring Azure, saying it's been wonderful working with Yuji Sakai. Later, Lamies left a last parting gift, naming Yuji's new Unrestricted Spell, Grammatica and ask him to contemplate on the meaning of it.

Now, fully himself, he decided to face Shana and Margery Daw in the final battle, and Sydonay impressed by the boy's action decided to ally with him and fights Margery Daw. During the battle Yuji Sakai activated the green crystal and cast it on Yoshida Kazumi, with the last plea for her to agree. The spell activates and it restored all the destruction caused at Misaki City and healed damaged people although he regretted that dead people cannot be revived.

Shana asked Yuji Sakai what is his intention and he replied that in order to atone the killing of Flame Haze and Humans on his quest, he will travel to Xanadu that has no Misaki City alone to teach Denizens and humans to coexist peacefully, even if it takes thousands of years so that he can finally be together with Shana without guilt. Shana punches Yuji and gives him Hirai's Torch.

Shana and Alastor were furious with his philosophy of severe self-punishment. They used their tremendous strength to overpower Yuji Sakai and leads to his defeat. In the limbo, Johann confronts him smiling and teases Yuji Sakai that he underestimated the power of love again. He awakens, carried by Shana shyly said he just need to ask and she would go with him to Xanadu together without a thought. Admitting his loss he replied to Shana, he asks for her forgiveness, asks her to be with him in Xanadu and she accepts happily.

As they embraced and kissed, the Spiral Organ Unrestricted Spell activated and Yuji Sakai becomes a "True existence," as prophesized by God of Punishment - something more than a normal torch or a Mystes. As Yuji Sakai and Shana delights at this revelation, they departed to Xanadu.

Yuji later wanders Xanadu, with Shana by his side, to preach the idea that humans and Crimson Denizens can coexist peacefully. However, while surviving Flame Haze who come to the new world and a group of Crimson Lords who once lost their contractors have come to term with Yuji's intention, they still view him as the sage who comes up with such an extraordinarily evil scheme; so most of them choose to maintain their distance with both Yuji and Shana until they are ready to be trusted.

Before long, a nickname has been dedicated to this great heretic who is known as Yuji Sakai: World-Wandering Ascetic (廻世の行者 Kaisei no Gyōja?) meaning "the one who takes an ascetic path to wander the world and preach the people of it."

Other Appearances[]

Anime Appearances[]

Shakugan no Shana-tan[]

Dengeki Bunko 2007 Movie Festival Special[]

DB Movie Festival Yuji Keita plead

Yūji trying to calm an angry Shana

In this special, Kazumi goes to Yūji's house and asks him to go to the Dengeki Bunko Movie Festival with her. In the theater, he looks for Kazumi, who had left to buy drinks, and finds her with a naked Keita Kawahira from the Inukami! series. Keita hides behind Yūji, who is hit by Keita's love interest, Yōko's flame attack. He falls unconscious and lands in Kazumi's breasts. When Shana sees this, she is inconsolable, and both Yūji and Keita are burnt and knocked out by Shana and Yōko. At the theater, Yūji and Keita are still unconscious.[19]

Relationships[]

Yuji is generally a friendly person which leads to him being liked by most people.

Shana[]

When Yuji had first met the "Flame-Haired Burning-Eyed Hunter", he was naturally intimidated. Despite Shana being cold towards him (as she views him only as a Mystes) and often calling him an object, he persisted with his actions towards her and manages to change her for the better. Shana continuously tries to irritate or belittle him, but his patience and tendency to forgive her for her actions draws secret admiration and love from her and slowly, she begins to open up to others as well because of his influence.

Even though Shana is already shown to love him, and her feelings are even noted by others, Yuji remained clueless until Christmas Eve. This is mainly because he does not believe he is worthy enough for Shana, as he is only a Mystes, and when Shana had uttered that she loved him when she was about to perform Tenpa Jōsai, he had concluded that she couldn't have said that because he had believed that as a Flame Haze, she was not allowed to fall in love. Indeed, he distanced himself from Shana, when she and Wilhelmina contemplated about killing him, and Shana resorted to calling him an object again (this was only done to appease Wilhelmina), hurting Shana. In the end, he has more or less came to terms that Shana has feelings for him when she and Kazumi Yoshida demanded that he choose between the two of them. In the end, he had chosen Shana, but had disappeared on Christmas Eve.

It was revealed that he had merged with the God of Creation (Snake of the Festival) in his desire to change Shana's fate. He states that his only wish is to walk by her side, without her giving up her life in fighting Denizens until she burns out. However, his actions are something that greatly troubles Shana, who views it as something wrong and is now traumatized with him and his actions.

Despite Shana's obvious fears about his new form, he still tries to connect with her and makes advances in order to calm her down. He protects her from the Master Throne Hecate's attacks, as she is the reason why he is doing this in the first place. Their relationship is a bit strained, as they work for opposite sides and have different ideals and wishes to follow. However, he tries to make Shana understand that he does love her (although he has yet to say it to her verbally) and what he does is for her.

In the end of the Second War, Yuji makes his intentions clear, that he wishes for the Denizens to have a new world, so Shana doesn't have to fight anymore. This frustrates Shana, as Yuji never told her anything, and thinks that he belittles their relationship. This was also pointed out by Johann, saying that Yuji is underestimating love, and that he does not understand its full power.

After the War, Yuji had planned to go and wander in Xanadu alone without Shana, thinking that it would be the most painful punishment that could be given to him, so he could atone for his sins (taking the lives of countless Denizens, Flame Haze and humans). This again, angers Shana, who says that Yuji is taking too much burden onto himself, and that he never asks Shana herself what she wants.

After a long and intense battle (where Margery was able to defeat Sydonay), Shana was able to get some sense into Yuji, and stated that no matter what Yuji does, Shana would still want to be with him. Yuji finally relents, and they share a kiss (the first and only in both anime and light novel), and Leanan-sidhe's spell had activated, turning Yuji into an actual existence. Together, they flew into Xanadu where (according to the Snake of the Festival who was looking after Xanadu) Yuji is still working on assisting human and Crimson Denizen to cooperate, with Shana by his side.

Kazumi Yoshida[]

Yuji and Kazumi met an unknown amount of time before the start of the series, though they rarely conversed due to the latter's shyness. The two remain on a last name-basis over the entire series, though Kazumi does use Yuji's first name once in a private conversation with Shana. Although Yuji does not return Kazumi's romantic feelings, he does definitely care for her as a friend, as shown when he got angry at Shana for saying she had nothing to do with them. Eventually, Kazumi grows to realize that she has little to no chance of winning Yuji's heart.

As Yuji's personality grows colder, however, he begins to treat Kazumi with indifference. This is shown when he bluntly rejects the gift she brought for him and his mother, saying that the two of them live in different worlds and he can't keep taking things from her, though he later admits how rude this was after being called out for it by Shana. It's possible that this is due to his guilt over exposing Kazumi to the Crimson World (he even states that if there's one thing he would change, it would be that). After merging with the Snake of the Festival, Yuji's indifference towards Kazumi increases, even telling her that he returned her letter simply to give her some hope.

Family[]

Unbeknownst to them, after Yūji became a transient Torch, his family was a source of emotional support which made him feel that he was still living.[20] After he formed a contract with the Snake of the Festival, Yūji was all but forgotten by his family, with his sister Miyu being their "only" child.

Powers and Abilities[]

Yuji silver Endan

While many Flame Haze and Lords of the Crimson Realm would be deceived or confused by unconventional casting of Unrestricted Spells, Yuji is able to quickly deduce and see through the ploy despite his unfamiliarity with them, enabling his allies, generally Shana, to strike at the heart of their opposition. Furthermore, Yūji's regular physical training has enabled him to foresee as well as dodge a good majority of attacks from skilled Flame Haze such as Shana and Wilhelmina due to training from them, and he has gained the ability to cast Unrestricted Spells with the help of Margery Daw.

However, he loses his detection ability to sense Power of Existence due to Johann leaving the Reiji Maigo.[21]

Natural Abilities[]

Expert Hand-to-Hand Combatant: Due to Yuji receiving regular training from Shana and Wilhelmina, he gains the foresight to predict attacks from skilled opponents by sensing their killing intent and develop keen reflexes to compensate for the superhuman speed of Flame Haze and Crimson Denizens. After merging with Snake of the Festival, Yuji's skill in combat increased exponentially as he was capable of fighting equally with Shana and the other Flame Haze.

Keen Intellect: Despite his somewhat naive attitude, Yuji is an attentive student and maintains a good work ethic in spite of his cumbersome activities involving the Crimson Realm. In battle, He is a clever strategist who quickly adapts to changing circumstances in the midst of battle as well as deducing an enemy's ploys. He even learns to apply his knowledge of the Crimson Realm in order to devise new Unrestricted Spells of his own. After becoming one with the Snake of Festival, he can determine the pattern of his opponent's battle methods and form a proper counter-strategy to defeat his opponent's attacks.

Expert Swordsman: After Yuji received swordsmanship training from Shana, he becomes skilled enough that he nearly killed Wilhelmina in a fit of maddened rage when she threatened Shana. And after he fully merged with Snake of the Festival, his skill in swordplay had increased to the point that he was able to hold his own in a duel with Shana.

Immortality: Due to the Reiji Maigo replenishing his existence every midnight, Yuji will never age and die. After he becomes a solid existence, he no longer needs the Reiji Maigo to be immortal.

Substitute Body of Snake of the Festival (former)[]

Yuji defeat Shana

Yuji defeating Shana

After reaching an agreement with "Snake of the Festival", Yūji becomes able to wield power as a Crimson Denizen while maintaining his Mystes form. He gained the ability to use Snake of the Festival's powers of creation. The color of the flame he possesses is pitch black. He was initially able to defeat Shana.

Divine Summoning (former)[]

Saiki Reisō (祭基礼創?, Ritual-Grounding, Ceremony-Creation) is a technique unique to the Snake of the Festival and Yuji, his one-time contractor. It is a Divine Summoning.

Unrestricted Spells[]

Yūji learns to create his own Endan, which is silver in color, to fire at targets.

Grammatica[]

Yujispell

Yuji's New Unrestricted Shield spell.

Grammatica (グランマティカ Guranmatika?): Yuji created an Unrestricted Spell called Grammatica which surprises Shana, Margery, Wilhelmina and even Sydonay.[22] It uses multiple spells to form several combinations which can create many different effects.

Grammatica is entirely Yuji's own spell, separate from the Snake. He instinctively calls upon it for the first time when his Azure Ring fails to completely stop a flame volley from Shana in her attempt to separate him from the World Egg. He calls upon it again shortly thereafter to directly protect the World Egg from Shana's flame. However, his lack of mastery of the new spell prevents him from bringing it to its full potential and it ultimately breaks, letting the flames through.

Grammatica-teleport

Yuji teleporting with Grammatica

Yuji's new Unrestricted Spell looks like a collection of clear crystals and has been used primarily as a shield, but its versatility is bound only by Yuji's will and has even been witnessed to be used as a teleportation device. It is noted that Yuji's own flame color is noted to be azure, which when contemplated on, is the exact opposite of Shana's fiery flame.[23] It is also noted that after Leanan-sidhe gave Yuji his permanent existence, is that Yuji is still able to retain his own powers (e.g. fly, handle the Blutsauger, and master Grammmatica), despite not being a Crimson Lord, Tomogara, Flame Haze or Contractor of any sort.

Others[]

Kaikin (戒禁?, Keeper, lit. "Prohibiting Commandment"):

Treasure Tools[]

Reiji Maigo[]

Reiji Maigo (零時迷子?, lit. "Midnight Lost Child"): Yūji has survived being a Torch because of the power of the Reiji Maigo, which also allowed him to move freely within Fūzetsu.[3] At first, he was not aware of its existence, until one encounter with Friagne which forced him to use up his Power of Existence to heal his classmates who were severely wounded by Friagne's attacks. By midnight, the flickering flame which was seen on Torches suddenly burst back into life, much to the shock of Shana and Alastor, who realized that Yuji is the keeper of the Reiji Maigo. Later on, he has been using the Reiji Maigo on a variety of purposes, especially restoring anything which was involved due to the battles with the Crimson Denizens.

Having the Reiji Maigo soon became a double-edged sword as the Treasure Tool gained the interest of Bal Masque, whose purpose in the series is to grant Hecate, a powerful Crimson Lord, an endless supply of Power of Existence. Hecate almost succeeded in tapping into the powers of the Treasure Tool, causing the Reiji Maigo to increase the limit of its Power of Existence restoration. Because of this, Yuji's Power of Existence now rivals those of a powerful Crimson Lord's.

The two great battles with Bal Masque endangered Yuji and the Reiji Maigo, but due to the joint efforts of Wilhelmina Carmel, Margery Daw, and Shana, and also due to the abilities of Yuji himself, he managed to hold on to the Reiji Maigo and fend off Bal Masque's attempts.

Locked inside the Treasure Tool are two entities. One is "Eternal Lover" Johann, the lover of Pheles who created the Treasure Tool.

The other is an entity referred to as The Silver, a being whose existence dates back to the time when "Chanter of Elegies" Margery Daw was still a human being. "The Silver" was placed inside Reiji Maigo when pieces of the Psalm of the Grand Order were forced inside by "Destructive Blade" Sabrac when he attacked Pheles and Johan.

In later volumes of the novel, it is reveal that the reason that Bal Masqué seeks Reiji Maigo because it is one of the necessary Treasure Tool to bring back their god, the "Snake of the Festival", the Crimson God with the black flame and silver shadow who is one of the true gods of the Crimson World, and is the founder/true leader of the Bal Masque. "The Silver" and the pieces of the Psalm of the Grand Order were placed inside Reiji Maigo for that purpose.

The "Snake of the Festival" is later reborn and merged with Yuji, whom he honored by telling his subordinates to refer to him as "Snake of the Festival" Yuji Sakai, unlike other Lords who used mythological names of angels, gods or demons. When Yuji first activates the Fūzetsu on his own, the presence of the silver flames indicates an omen to The Snake of the Festival's return into the world.

Others[]

Azure (アズュール Azyūru?):

Yuuji!

"Snake of the Festival" Yūji Sakai wielding Blutsauger.

Blutsauger (吸血鬼ブルートザオガー Burūtozaogā?, Japanese for "Vampire", German for "Blood-sucker"): Yūji has the ability to wield Blutsauger and infusing it with some of his own power.

Dragon Tail (竜尾 Ryūbi?): After merging with Snake of the Festival, Yūji was equipped with Dragon Tail by Dantalion. His hair turns black and grows extremely long. He can grow his hair even longer, and use it for offensive and defensive maneuvers. It was seen powerful enough to split an entire building apart. However, due to its connection to Dantalion, the Dragon Tail became inactive after his death.

Tyrant (暴君 Bōkun?):

Bakuyagai (莫夜凱 Bakuyagai?, Triumph of the Twilight): A Treasure Tool in the form of armor, which Yūji received after merging the Snake of the Festival and he kept with him even after living in Xanadu.

Quotes[]

  • (Opening narration) "It happened in Misaki City, when the cherry blossoms were in full bloom. They were later than usual this year. My name is Yuji Sakai. The school year had just begun & I was settling in to daily routine that was the life of a high school student. A normal morning no different from any other, Nothing out of the ordinary. Days like that were supposed to last forever. At the time, I couldn't even begin to imagine what was about to happen. I had no inkling of the strange diverging world I was soon to encounter or of the fact that I was going to die. And then I saw her, the girl with the flame red hair & blazing eyes. That was the day my world...changed forever."
  • (To Shana & Alastor) "What is wrong with you?! You keep calling me 'it' as if I'm some thing!"[24]
  • (To Shana) "Why do you keep saying 'only'? Just stop it!"[25]
  • (Thinking) "My existence will be used to help Ike and the others. That will be proof that I was here."[26]
  • (To Shana) "We were able to put a stop to the city devouring, but what do we do if more Crimson Denizens show up all of a sudden? So I thought, with a little hard work, I could train and help you out."[27]
  • (Thinking) "Shana doesn't seem fazed by what happened, but I can't stop thinking about that day. Right before we thought we were going to disappear, she said something to me. [Flashback] For some reason, I can't seem to remember what she said after that. Did she tell me she... No, I must be crazy. There's no way Shana feels that way about me."[28]
  • (To Kazumi) "I'm sorry. I can't accept it. You and I come from different worlds. You saw it yourself. I'm not even a human being anymore."
  • (Thinking) "They wouldn't understand. I'm finally able to deal with my situation. I'm not lying to myself. I'm not."[29]
  • (Thinking) "Shana and Yoshida were right. I was lying to myself. I don't want to leave. I was only telling myself what I wanted to hear."[30]
  • (To Shana) "I'm following this path so I can protect everyone, and so that we can be together. Those are my heart's desires"[31]
  • (Yuji's speech to the Denizen army at Seireiden): "Do you have a premonition in you?! Do you have a desire for war in you?! That is the proof of those who will go on with me! I will now enter the second stage of our ambition! *Points to the Divine Gate* Above us! Through the Divine Gate I made, I will retrieve my other half. The body of the God of Creation, the Snake of the Festival, waits at the bottom of the Eternal Pitfall. Here, I command all of you staying behind... Until my return, protect this Seireiden! Swing the swords you've sharpened for this day! Roar with your fangs and claws in the air! Light the fires in your hearts! Use all the wisdom you have! Show that you're here! As proof that you exist, use every bit of power you have! Fight! Fight! Fight! If you do, then the final stage of our ambition, the transformation of this world... is what I will gain hold of. Without fail this time!"
  • (Thinking): "I forced my will on everybody. I can't simply let go of all that guilt for the sake of love."[32]

Etymology[]

  • The name Yūji means "permanence" (悠) () and "two" (二) (ji).
    • The more accurate meaning to the name Yuji would be "tranquil second son."
  • Yūji's surname Sakai means "slope, hill" (坂) (saka) and "well, mine shaft, pit" (井) (i).
    • Part of his surname, Saka ( slope?), is taken from the word Hirasaka, the slope which leads to the land of the dead or Yomi in Japanese.  It refers to his "death" at the beginning of the story along with Yukari Hirai whose surname is also taken from the word.

Trivia[]

  • Yuji had a twin brother who died shortly after birth. This makes him a twinless twin.
  • Before merging with the Snake of the Festival, Yuji used the informal male pronoun "Boku" (?), but after merging, like the Snake of the Festival, Yuji uses the archaic male pronoun "Yo" (余, 予?).
  • In the original Light Novel, Yuji does not lose to Shana in a fight, but is shown a letter he left Shana, before departing. This makes him lose his will to fight and submit completely after hearing Shana's confession. After that, they depart to Xanadu.
  • In the Light Novel Epilogue, which is featured in the second-last novel by Yashichiro Takahashi, it is revealed that Yuji travels together with Shana, trying to convince Denizens and Humans to coexist. He is often a target of aggression, getting involved in fights and often on the run. It is also hinted that Yuji is still linked with the God of Creation - Snake of the Festival, who whilst sleeping, watches over Yuji and Shana through Yuji's eyes.
  • In the original light novels, the azure color does not appear, Yuji's flame is still black, the God of Creation left a big mark on Yuji throughout their journey together, and it is also hinted that they are still somehow linked together.

Gallery[]

Notes[]

  1. RGB code sourced from silver (シルバー) on colordic
  2. RGB code sourced from 黒 on colordic

References[]

Navigation[]

Misaki City
Misaki Municipal High School
Students Yūji SakaiYukari HiraiShanaKazumi Yoshida • • Keisaku SatōEita TanakaMatake OgataHayato IkeKimiko NakamuraHarumi FujitaFumina KonoeInaho AsanumaHiroko NishioShōtarō KawakamiToshiko KurodaUeharaSuganoSasakiOgiwaraTakaiIshidaKobayashiSasamotoTanigawaTsujiMiyamotoMatake Ogata's senpai
Teachers Satoru ŌmineMr. OkadaMr. Kondō
Residents
Sakai Residence Chigusa SakaiKantarō SakaiMiyu Sakai
Yoshida Residence Ken YoshidaKazumi Yoshida's motherEkaterina
Others H. MasudaMikaMika's motherWaruzō WarutaYūji KasaiYūji Kasai's motherKazumi
Other
Locations B WindDekamori TengokuHanayagi ConstructionHirai ResidenceHNVHotel MisakiMana RiverMisaki Atrium ArchMisaki BridgeMisaki City StationMisaki Clock TowerMisaki Municipal High SchoolMisaki OnsenMisaki WaterlandPottosSakai ResidenceSatō ResidenceSuper MisakiYoda Department Store
Related Articles Misago FestivalSeishū FestivalMaelstrom of Warfare
Bal Masqué
Leaders Snake of the FestivalYūji Sakai
The Trinity HecateSydonayBel-Peol
Waches FecorPursonVual
Herolds DecarabiaGaapStolas
Wanderers MammonOrgonRibesalBarmaEgynOrobasPaimonPhalegBifrons
Jaegers HaborymOseLerajeBufarPirsoynBathinVineZarovee
Army Commanders FecorDecarabiaHaborymRibesalPursonMammonOrobas
Allies DantalionDominoSabracRofocaleLamies
Conflicts Ancient WarGreat WarRévolution WarSecond Great War
Related Articles Divine GateFumina KonoeGrand OrderSeireidenThe SilverStatue of PrideXanadu
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