Mai Kobayashi

Infobox animanga character
color = lightsteelblue
name = Mai Kobayashi
マイ・コバヤシ
古林 舞
series = Super Robot Wars


caption =
first =
last =
creator =
voiced by = Ai Orikasa (Japanese)
portrayed by =
nickname =
alias = Levi Tolar
age =
gender = Female
species = Human Psychodriver
born =
death =
nationality = Japanese
class =
occupation =
title =
relatives = Aya Kobayashi (Adoptive sister),
Kenzo Kobayashi (Adoptive father)
divider = Military History
aux1 name = Affiliation
aux1 = Aerogaters (Alpha 1, OG 1/OGs; As Levi Tolar),
SRX Team (Alpha 1/3, OG 2/OGs)
aux2 name = Rank
aux2 = Unknown
aux3 name = Units Piloted
aux3 = Judecca (Alpha 1, OG 1/OGs),
Huckebein MK III (Alpha 3),
SRX Altered Banpreios (Alpha 3),
Huckebein MK II M (OG 2/OGs),
R-Gun Powered (OG 2/OGs),
Advanced Real Personal Trooper Test Type-1 (OG Gaiden)

Mai Kobayashi ( _ja. マイ・コバヤシ; 古林 舞 in kanji), also known as Levi Tolar, is a fictional character in the Super Robot Wars series. In Alpha canon, she is one of the pilots for the SRX Altered Banpreios, and is joined by fellow pilots Ryusei Date, Raidis F. Branstein and sister Aya Kobayashi in the Super Robot Wars Alpha timeline. In Original Generation canon, she pilots the R-Gun Powered, but opts for the Advanced Real Personal Trooper Test Type-1.

Since it is a trend that many Balmarian characters and mechs are given names of Hebrew origin, the name "Levi Tolar" might be translated as Rabbi Torah. Although "Levi" is one of the twelve Israelite tribes dedicated for jobs in the temple (such as priests), a rabbi, however, is a teacher in Judaism, who teaches the law of God. "Torah" in Hebrew means "the Law", or can specifically refer to the first five books of the Old Testament: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.

Appearances

Mai/Levi appear in the following games:

*Super Robot Wars Alpha - Non-playable enemy character (as Levi) → Playable character (With conditions)
*Super Robot Wars Alpha Gaiden - Playable character (as Levi)
*3rd Super Robot Wars Alpha - Playable character
* - Non-playable enemy character (as Levi)
* - Playable Character
*Super Robot Wars Original Generations - Non-playable enemy character (as Levi) → Playable character (as Mai)
*Super Robot Wars Original Generation Gaiden - Playable character

Mai/Levi also appear in the following anime:

*
* (as Levi)

Theme Music

* "Marionette Messiah" (Retitled "Marionette Savior", in the North American localization of Original Generation 2) - Default theme in all appearances

Personality And Traits

A quiet, gentle girl, Mai Kobayashi is the youngest daughter of Dr. Kenzo Kobayashi, the creator of the T-Link System. Despite her youthful appearance, Mai is a rather mature person, often providing support for her teammates and like her sister, Aya, she is a powerful Psychodriver, and equally able to provide the psychic energy needed to utilize the R-Gun Powered (which was intended for her to use), alongside the SRX, in order to unleash the HTB (Hyper Tronium Buster) Cannon combination attack.:The voice actors for Mai and Aya, Ai Orikasa and Yumi Touma, respectively, also voice siblings in Namco's Tales Of Symphonia OVA, as Genis Sage and Raine Sage.

Mai is very protective of Aya, who is equally protective of her. She has a crush on SRX Team member Ryusei Date and has developed a close friendship with him, even taking up some of his hobbies. This is of some concern to Aya, since Mai has a tendency to call out grandoise attack names in battle, one of Ryusei's calling cards. In addition, Mai is friends with Latune Subbota, her rival for Ryusei's affections and despite both girls being aware of each other's feelings for Ryusei, they nevertheless get along fairly well and occasionally share stories about their mutual object of affection.

As Levi Tolar, Mai is ruthless and merciless, both on and off the battlefield. She takes great pride in her status as the priestess of Judecca and speaks outrighteously -- her orders obeyed without question. A complete contrast to her quiet and thoughtful persona as Mai, Levi is arrogant and supremely confident in her right to lead and conquer.

Mai's eye color changes many times over the course of the series she appears in. As Levi, she is heterochromic: her right eye is red, the color that matches her hair, and her left eye a golden yellow. However, when performing the Judecca attack of the same-named mecha in Original Generation, the accompanying cut-in shows her left eye as blue. In Alpha Gaiden, her intermission portrait shows both eyes to be red. This is again changed in Original Generation 2 and Alpha 3, where, perhaps now made canonically, both her irises are blue, although this can be interpreted that with Levi's influence gone, Mai's natural blue eye color returns.

History

Mai Kobayashi is not biologically related to Dr. Kenzo Kobayashi, nor Aya. She began as a test subject in one of Kenzo's research labs with the T-Link System many years ago, before the events of Original Generation. However, a lab explosion stops the experiment; Mai is nowhere to be found and presumed dead. When the Aerogaters begin their invasion of Earth, a powerful Psychodriver called "Levi Tolar", the priestess of Judecca and leader of the invading forces, orders the Earth to surrender within 30 days, or face utter destruction. Refusing to give in, the Earth forces retaliate, and eventually defeat Ingram Prisken and his R-Gun Rivale and many other Aerogaters. This prompts Levi to launch in the mighty Judecca, acting as the living core for the machine, and face her enemies.

During battle, Radha Bairaban reveals to Levi Tolar she is, in fact, the missing Mai Kobayashi. Levi would not hear of such words, for she believes she is solely an Aerogater warrior. Chance would come to the Earth forces when Levi starts receiving a headache, while losing control of the Judecca. Levi is defeated, and the Judecca destroyed, but not before revealing the mass of Zfylud Crystals in Meteor-3 is taking form, into that of Septuagint. The Earth forces barely manage to destroy Septuagint, thus ending the Aerogater invasion.

Mai appears in Original Generation 2, as Kenzo's youngest daughter. She is assigned to the SRX Team for learning purposes and becomes the pilot for the upgraded R-Gun Powered. However, unknown to most of the cast, Mai was, in fact, Levi Tolar: after the lab accident, Mai was kidnapped and brainwashed by the Aerogaters into thinking that she was Levi. At the site where Septuagint was destroyed, the remains of the Judecca was found. The core of the unit is discovered, and inside lay Levi, alive and unconscious. Seeing an opportunity to use the Psychodriver to power the functional T-Link System for the SRX, Kenzo decides to treat her once again, as Aya's sister, Mai. However, Levi is still buried deep beneath Mai's subconsciousness, and tries unsuccessfully to convince Mai to turn against her comrades and pilot the Judecca again. But support from the cast, especially that of Ryusei, Aya, Arado Balanga, and Shine Hausen prevents Levi's presence within Mai to control her, and allow her to make her own decisions, free from any influence. Mai chooses to fight alongside the SRX Team for the rest of Original Generation 2.

Levi Tolar's origins in the Alpha timeline is similar to the Original Generation timeline, albeit the fact she is convinced to join the Londo Bell forces against the Aerogaters. After being freed from the mind-control of Judecca, Levi pilots the R-Gun and fights the invaders. Levi reappears in Alpha Gaiden, piloting a mass produced Huckebein MK II M in the final battle against Shu Shirakawa and his Neo Granzon. When she appears in Alpha 3, Levi now goes by her original name, Mai Kobayashi, having recovered most of her memories. News of Aya's apparent death after the SRX is nearly destroyed by Hazal Gozzo's Vaikran hits her hard, but she is instrumental in making Ryusei recover his fighting spirit. When the SRX Banpreios rolls out, Mai becomes one of its supporting pilots, but since Aya is not present, the T-Link System could not be utilized to the fullest of its abilities, that is, until the Alpha Numbers reach the Balmarian homeworld and rescue the captured Aya. With her sister in the Banpreios, the unit's capabilities are heightened, thanks to the psychic abilities of the two.

In the animated , Mai appears as one of the bridge operators aboard the Hagane.