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Minaho Masaki is the oldest daughter of the First Juraian Prince Yosho "Katsuhito" Masaki and Galaxy Police chairwoman Airi Masaki. She was the older sister of Kiyone Masaki, which makes her the aunt to series protagonist Tenchi Masaki, his sister Tennyo, and indirectly to their half-brother, Kenshi. She works closely with Seto Kamiki Jurai.

Background

Airi Magma and Yosho were students at the Galaxy Academy together and fell in love. Airi got pregnant by Yosho on a night just before her family, the leaders of her home planet, Airai, called her home for an arranged marriage, forbidding her to return to the Academy. Minaho was born in a difficult time. The planet led a theocratic empire and the recent plans of the nation's leaders failed. The arranged marriages, including Airi's, that would have connected them to Jurai Royalty (and the object of their desire, the Goddess, Tsunami) were cancelled. Her own birth couldn't have helped the situation, but it is unknown how much the public ever learned at the time. The effect of the scandals was amplified a hundred fold by the serial killer, Widow, who had the ability to intensify the unease of a tightly knit community, such as a devout religious group, into a violent psychosis. Mass suicides occurred and a rebellion resulted in a civil war that collapsed society almost overnight. Minaho's grandfather and most of the ruling class were killed. Airi and Minaho were protected by by Minaho's great aunt, Keira Magma, a nun and leader of the monastic order. Eventually, Airi and Minaho were given asylum at the Academy.

Minaho young full

Young Minaho

Even after the fall of the planet, Airaian religious adherents sent assassins after them, blaming the Magma family for the fall of the nation. It was probably around this time that Jurai acknowledged that Minaho was Yosho's daughter and let both of them use the powerful Masaki name as a deterrent. Airi continued her studies with the goal of becoming a powerful Philosopher, able to protect herself and her daughter. While struggling to prove her work (and other students unwilling to volunteer), her mother performed experiments on Minaho that left her badly scarred on her back. The work itself, however, led to great success and Airi succeeded in her goals and was able to gain the desired power to effectively wipe out any remaining groups threatening them. The prolonged danger and limited contact with others caused he to grow up isolated and probably led to a an extended case of arrested development. If the experiments caused any friction between them, it has since been reconciled, at least somewhat. Although she could easily get the scars removed, she now sees them as points of pride. [1]

Soon after Yosho was able to contact Airi and he learned about Minaho, it seems she came to live on Earth, toiling in the fields just as her nephew eventually would. Telling Tenchi that she lived there for "a short time" of about 100 years. It is revealed that Minaho helped raise Kiyone, as Airi was busy with work at the time. Minaho laments that, given the relative small age difference in such long-lived family members (19 years between two people over 700 years old), she is more like a sister to her mother than a daughter.

Minaho works the primary intelligence officer for the galactic political figure Lady Seto, commander of the Juraian fleet, otherwise known as the "Devil Princess of Jurai." She is apparently the only one who can manage any form of control on Seto, earning her the nickname of Seto's Leash and Conscience. In the anime, she was first formally introduced in Tenchi Muyo! GXP and is seen semi-frequently throughout the series and in later episodes of the OVA series. She attended her sister's wake and may be seen in those sections. Later, she reports on the Choubimaru Incident and attends the wedding of Nobuyuki (her brother-in-law) and Rea (who is also like family to her).

In OVA 4 she was able to spend time with and bond with her nephew Tenchi prior to the wedding. She seems to be happy that she can now provide a semblance of a maternal figure to Tenchi and expresses regret that she could not fill the role earlier. Unfortunately, her position in the political affairs of the far away galactic civilizations kept her away for most of Tenchi's childhood. Fortunately or not, Rea was there as somewhat of a sister figure for Tenchi and in some ways a substitute mother figure in Minaho's place. But even Tenchi's father admits that that was complicated by Tenchi also having some unadmited romantic feelings for Rea himself. Both Rea and Minaho (as well as Tennyo) have qualities of Tenchi's "ideal mother figure" and as such he sees the image of his mother in them--a fact which Nobuyuki agrees with and describes as "a mother's figure is complicated when seen from the eyes of all children" seeing as no other person can truly replace Kiyone, even her sister Minaho.

She is a very efficient worker and seems to be aware of all the affairs of the Juraian empire. Minaho is over 700 years old and is shown to be very professional and sometimes regrets working so closely with Lady Seto. When members were worried about what kind of person she might be (worried about similarities to Airi or Misaki, they are relived to hear most compare her to Funaho. Although details have never been given, it seems she is bonded with a Royal Tree, which may be one cause of her expanded lifespan.

There is a running gag that Minaho is often being goaded by the people around her to get married but she never finds a suitable husband and is always preoccupied by her tasks and responsibilities (some of which are put upon her despite of her will). There was even a mention in a doujinshi that her nephew could even be considered a candidate , but it is quickly dismissed. Even her parents and grandparents get in on the speculation. In fact, the first time Seina Yamada meets Emperor Azusa, he is asked if he'd be willing to marry her.

Tenchi Muyo! GXP Novels

Minaho's character is further established as a supporting character in the Tenchi Muyo! GXP light novels. In the novels, she is one of the women who have to deal with Seina's influence in the world around him, mostly through political means.

She works closely under Seto and both received gifted jewelry decorated with very expensive Juraian amber. Seina bought these gifts for them and others with his first paycheck as thanks for their help. Normally, such gifts could only be purchased at an exorbitant cost, but the maker was a Juraian, who like many in the empire, was very thankful for the work he has done and sold them at the cost of simple accesories. Minaho received a broach and Seto (most likely Mirror Seto) received earrings and both women are shown talking to each other about the joy the gifts bring them -Minaho barely able to form words due to her feelings. It is a scene of "women in love" as they dreamily gaze at the accessories they immediately wore and treasured while thinking of the boy who bought it for them. It is also within the GXP novels that Minaho herself declares that she will also go after Seina (for marriage) albeit there are reasons that are keeping her from going all-out.

In the novels it is touched upon that Minaho's team, also consisting of Mizune Masaki, Otoka Masaki, and Fuuka Masaki may form another set of "Four Future Wives" meant to be married to Seina for political reasons. The rest of the team also work in the background with Minaho dealing with the political ramifications of Seina's actions, one of "the dedicated teams composed to deal with Seina." They are also all former or part-time residents of Masaki Village and are acquainted with Seina from their time spent there. They have, to this point, been kept from meeting with Seina in an effort to minimize his knowledge of how connected the village and the people he knows are related to Jurai. While Minaho spends the day with Tenchi, Mizune complains about Seto not allowing them to see Seina in person.

While Minaho has been recognized as full royalty on Jurai, the rest of her team have not been recognized as such. But the moment Yosho's survival and the existence of his descendants in the Masaki Village is made public they will all be considered as possible members of Royalty (especially Mizune, the second oldest living descendent of Yosho, after Minaho). Seina being married to so many members of royalty could be seen as a problem. Though eventually it seems that Seina's marrying into just about every political power in the galaxy seems inevitable.

Etymology

  • The name Minaho means "beautiful" (美) (mi), "Nara, what" (奈) (na) and "grain" (穂) (ho).
  • Minaho's surname Masaki means "straight grain, spindle tree, (kokuji)" (柾) or "right, proper" (正) (masa) and "tree, wood" (木) (ki).

Trivia

  • There is a story that has been treated as canon involving Airi removing Minaho's fetus, putting it in stasis and keeping the pregnancy secret to protect her from vengeful Airians and only implanting it years later. If this was canon it has since been revised and no mention of it has been made of it, even in sizable profiles written for both characters by Masaki Kajashima in a December 2017 Doujinshi.
  • Minaho mentions she had been born by the time of Ryoko's attack on Jurai.
  • Minaho is shown to be an expert at Aikido during her training of Kenshi.[2]
  • The novels suggest that Minaho will eventually marry Seina, but at the reception for the announcement of Tenchi's engagement with the girls in OVA 5, she's still getting teased about Tenchi having gotten married before her, and still not having a boyfriend/romantic interest. It is unknown if this is meant as a retcon of the novels, or something else.
  • Minaho was visiting Earth, while Tenchi and Seina were young boys, when space pirates released a devastatingly deadly parasite on Earth. It kills each previous host as it moves to the next. Young Kiriko Masaki overheard this and rushed to find Seina (whom she assumed the parasite would attack). Kiriko arrived in time to protect Seina but her arm was infected. Minaho was forced to cut off Kiriko's arm in order to save her (soon after regrown).

Gallery

  1. The Masaki Destiny
  2. I am sure you have your opinion on the matter, but please consider the matter closed
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