Mina Majikina

Mina Majikina (真鏡名 ミナ, Majikina Mina) is a character from Samurai Shodown series introduced in Samurai Shodown V.

Mina placed 1st on the Dengeki Online website DLC character poll.

Development
According to the game's creators, similar to Yoshitora Tokugawa to Haohmaru, Mina was created to be the "polar opposite to Nakoruru" and as the "new heroine" to the series. They extended these keywords to everything, including fighting style, weaponry, hair color and clothing. Though she drifted slightly away from her original image, Mina became a favorite to them and they expressed an interest to implement her into more games. She has made an outside appearance in the spin off series Queen's Blade.

Story
She is blessed since birth with powerful spiritual energy and was sent away from her home to train in the art of exorcising demons. Her village revered her as a kaminchu ("shrine maiden" in the Ryukyu dialect) but also shunned her as they were in fear of her powers. As a result of her isolation, Mina is unable to express emotions.

One day, she departs her village to destroy an ayakashi (a certain kind of yokai). Upon her victory, she senses a powerful and evil force in her village but returns to see everything in ruins and all the inhabitants dead. In the wreckage, she finds a seemingly harmless being named Chample to whom she grew to endear. Taking her new friend in her arms, she is determined to eliminate as many demons as possible, starting with Gaoh. However, she eventually comes to the conclusion that Chample is the demon that destroyed her village. In her ending, Chample reveals its true form, prompting her to kill Chample to avenge the villagers. The ending originally implied a mutual kill, Chample being slain, and Mina committing suicide afterwards/being killed as well.

However, her appearance in Samurai Shodown (2019) from within the second season of DLC characters reveals she survived the ordeal, and it showed that Chample's dangerous demonic form sealed with two talismans on its forehead to keep its power under control. Moreover, Mina is revealed to have absorbed some of Chample's evil power into her body, blinding her right eye and corroding her body as well. Following Shizuka Gozen's demise, the evil energy which corrupted Chample has vanished, just as Mina's right eye is cured at the same time. Thus, both Mina and Chample are finally found peace and retire from fighting.

Personality
Mina is a withdrawn and introverted woman. She distrusts people, unsure of how to act around others without being suspicious of them, due to being simultaneously revered and reviled for her powers. She has little regard for her own welfare especially after absorbing the evil energy in Chample, conceding to be doomed to live a short life.

As an exorcist by profession, she is wary of objects and people with unusual powers, sometimes branding them as evil despite not necessarily being so. She suspects people or objects even remotely exhibiting suspicious powers as an ayakashi, that she seeks to destroy for the greater good.

Powers

 * Energy Arrow - Mina can shoot arrows fueled with ki energy.

Fighting Style
Mina is the first archer character to grace the character lineup. Players need to keep her enemies at bay with her various archery skills as she has little means of defending herself in close range combat. Her upclose attacks are given a much-needed boost in the 2019 reboot, and her bow has apparent upgrades, enabling to function as a bladed object as well.

Unlike other animal companions, Chample is used less for attacking purposes and mostly remains as a mascot character, participating in battle through background animations and noises. Several moves do include him though, like 'Good night Chample' in which Mina puts him to sleep, stopping his movement and sounds. Because he seldom helps Mina in her fights, he has been called "annoyingly cute" by critics.

Music

 * Butterfly - Samurai Shodown V
 * Akemodoro - Samurai Shodown (2019)
 * Scarlet Scar - Days of Memories (Kaze Maou Miyako de Tsukamaete!)

Voice Actors

 * Satsuki Yukino - Samurai Shodown V~Perfect
 * Tsumugi Ōsawa - Samurai Shodown VI
 * Rie Tanaka - Queen's Gate: Spiral Chaos
 * Yui Ishikawa - Samurai Shodown (2019)

Game Appearances

 * Samurai Shodown V
 * Samurai Shodown V Special
 * Samurai Shodown V Perfect
 * Samurai Shodown VI
 * Queen's Gate: Spiral Chaos
 * Samurai Shodown (2019) - DLC character

Mobile Appearances

 * Days of Memories (Ōedo Ren'ai Emaki, Kaze Maiu Miyako de Tsukamaete!) - unplayable
 * SNK Gals Island Jintori Puzzle Miseteagemasu
 * Kingdom Story
 * Samurai Shodown: Oborozuki Densetsu
 * Dark Avenger X
 * Kyoutou Kotoba RPG Kotodaman


 * SNK Fighting Age

Cameo Appearances

 * Samurai Spirits Oni

Etymology

 * Mina's surname Majikina means "real, genuine" (真) (ma), "mirror, looking glass" (鏡) (jiki) and "name, noted, distinguished, reputation" (名) (na).