Not to be confused with Max (Shining Force), Max Thunder or Jetta Maxx.
Maxima Enfield (マキシマ・エンフィールド Makishima Enfīrudo), also known as Sakuya (サクヤ Sakuya), is a major recurring character in the Shining series.
Appearance[]
Sakuya appears as a young woman with long brown haired tied into a ponytail.
History[]
Sakuya is the humanoid vessel who carries the blood of the ancients, she is a holy maiden said to keep the world in harmony. She was said to be slumbering underneath St. Luminous College. Count Isaac Saint-Germain, who had been studying the Ancients and the the divine vessels, transferred from Germany to Japan specifically to enroll in the college. When he arrived he broke the seal on Sakuya's Mind World, seeking to obtain her power and knowledge of the ancients for himself.
Shining Hearts[]
Sakuya appears after Kaguya, who was suffering from amnesia began to unlock her emotions through interacting with Rick Elwood. Whenever she showed up she would offer some mysterious advice to Rick before leaving, returning only as Kaguya's emotions unlocked further.
Near the end of the game Rick, Kaguya and their party thwart Count Isaac Saint-Germain's plans. Just as he's about to destroy the world, Sakuya appears, sealing Isaac within a seperate dimension and preventing him from doing so. She seals him into a cube, and passes the role of defeating him to Rick and his party. After they are victorious Neris Filiam asks who she is. Sakuya states that Kaguya knowns best, revealing they are one and the same
Sakuya comments that Isaac has shut his heart off, and surrounds himself with mechanical soldiers because he's afraid of being betrayed, and states he can come with her on a spiritual journey of healing instead.
After Kaguya unlocks all the keys to her heart and thus all her emotions, she states she needs to return home. When the moon shones red, the gate to another world opens and the passages between dimensions opens. As Rick and Neris watch, Sakuya arrives, and Kaguya reveals that Sakuya is her from the future and her job is to protect the worlds and their harmony. Something akin to a goddess, but interfering with worlds is not as simple as she'd like. Sakuya leaves that world in the hands of Rick, handing him the key to his heart as a parting gift before both Sakuya and Kaguya float up into the sky and return to the moon to protect another world.
Shining Blade[]
Between the events of Shining Hearts and Shining Blade, Crantor is invaded by the Imperial army, burning the lands and slaughtering their people in order to harvest enough souls to revive the Dark Dragon. Some of their victims included Sakuya and Rick Elwood's friends, Amil Manaflare and Airy Ardet. Sakuya, in order to help save that world and oppose the revival of the Dark Dragon, summoned Rage Sheena from yet another world to help save them, training both him and Rick Elwood further in swordsplay.
Sakuya takes on the role of the commanding leader opposing the Imperial Army, handing out missions to her allies, coming up with combat strategies, performing war council meetings and being actively involved on the front lines herself, although after several missions go awry she realises they need to reorganise their current forces, and she passes the role of leader to Rage, following his lead going forward.
Additionally Sakuya has the unique ability to see souls and help shape them into soul blades. She rescues Airy Ardent's soul before it can be harvested and preserves her as a soul blade, allowing Airy to reunite with Rick Elwood and Amil Manaflare.
Sakuya's traits are as follows:
- Leadership: When allies are nearby, Hit rate increases.
- Swordsmith: Attack power increases when entering the battlefield.
- Soul trainer: When her move meter is less than half, her magic power increases.
- Conflict: Hit rate decreases when attacking.
Shining Ark[]
Coming soon
Blade Arcus[]
Maxima becomes aware that the Seven Soul Spirits have been released. Sensing a great darkness on the horizon, and realising how volatile the world is becoming, she sets out right the wrongs alongside Rage Sheena, Rick Elwood, Fenrir, Altina and Pairon. One of the seven orbs has chosen her as it's vessel. Realising there is no way to give up the orb without defeat or being defeated, she makes a promise with her allies, some of whom are also vessels for the orbs, to give it their all in order to obtain the orbs and restore balance.
Sakuya has her suspicions that the man behind the looming darkness and Ryuuga's sudden release of the orbs is Count Isaac Saint-Germain, and without telling her allies, sets out to capture him herself.
After battling her way through, she comes into contact with the Count, who questions why she, as an overseer would be so involved with the affairs of humans. She replies she'd normally stay out of things if it weren't for malefactors such as he who warp the natural order. She asks him to surrender, which Isaac declines. After she bests him in combat, he flees and Sakuya is given the chance by the Sacred Dragon to get a wish granted.
After triumphing over the final test. When asked for what she wished, she didn't ask for anything. When Rage and Yukihime asked about this, Sakuya simply responded that she was comfortable with the choice she made. Her last thoughts are that whilst she could have wished for peace through the power of the orbs, she would rather the people of this world forge that peace through their own intentions and not through magical enforcement. She says a prayer that tomorrow is a better day than the one that came before which Rage misunderstands as being about the weather, before she tells them that they must head to their next destination.
Other appearances[]
Chain Chronicle[]
Kotodaman[]
Trivia[]
- Sakuya's title of Maxima Enfield is a play on words.[1]
- Maxima is Max and 'ima' means 'now' in Japanese. Max was the original hero of Shining Force, and so it's a callback to that.[1]
- The Enfield part of her title relates to a specific race of the Ancients.[1]
- Sakuya's other self, Kaguya, was based on the Japanese folklore "The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter".
- "Maxima Enfield" was a character who existed even back during production of Shining Wind. Her initial design concept was created as a short haired teacher for that game. After she didn't make the final cut in that game, the plan was to include her in "FAN Festa", but that didn't work out either. There were several other opportunities to include Maxima in projects, but the team held off until Shining Hearts to incorporate her as a major plot relevant character.[2]
- She is however said to be sleeping under St. Luminous College as the third divine vessel in Shining Wind, although never seen.
- Whilst she didn't become playable until Shining Blade, Sakuya had been considered as a playable character for Shining Hearts, but the team decided to let Kaguya, Sakuya's other self become the party character in order to better introduce Maxima Enfield.[2]
- Sakuya appears in Chain Chronicle as a limited time recruitable soldier.
- Sakuya also appears in Kotadaman as the only Shining representative in the Sega crossover event.
- Sakuya has the second most appearances of any single Shining series character after Ranah Elwyn Sylphis.
Gallery[]
References[]
Sega characters
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