Saya Minatsuki

Infobox character
name = Saya Minatsuki
age = 19 (deceased)
height = 5'4"
blood-type = O
hair color = Dark Brown
eye color = Blue/green
occupation = Sweeper
weapon = Beretta 93R
interests = Fireworks, being on the rooftop and milks
dislikes = Killing instead of protecting
special Skills = Ricocheting bullets at different angles and velocities
first = "Black Cat" manga issue #1"Black Cat" anime episode #1
Gender = Female
portrayer = Megumi Toyoguchi (Japanese)
Caitlin Glass (English)
creator = Kentaro Yabuki

Saya Minatsuki (サヤ＝ミナツキ) is a minor character from the anime and manga series Black Cat. She is an accomplished sweeper, whose fun loving spirit and easy likability made her Train's first real friend. Her involvement with him lead to his more human outlook on life and his departure of the Chrono numbers. However, she was killed by Creed Diskenth, who was jealous of her relationship with Train, and believed that she had "bewitched" the ex-Chronos Number. She died in Train's arms during a fireworks show, and told him that he could "forget about her." Presumably, this was her way of telling him not to hold onto the past and seek vengeance for her death. Though she is deceased during the course of the manga series, her "spirit" lives on, often guiding Train and his friends and giving them strength, particularly during the final battle. While she was alive she wore a yukata, just because she thought she looked cute in it.

History

Little is known about Saya, due to her being dead before the start of the manga and knowing Train for so little time. Even she has no memories of her life before she was 10 years old, thanks to what she heard had been heavy abuse from her parents. She tells Train that her first real memory is waking up in hospital and being carried off to a relative's house; but even then, she always felt she was alone. Her fortunes changed since she became a Sweeper, which according to her in the occupation that best suits her personality and way of thinking.

In the Manga

A Sweeper who found an injured Train after he botched a mission for Chronos and helped him recover. Her carefree lifestyle fascinated Train, who had only ever known a life of quiet submission. Eventually, they came to live in the same apartment building, though only saw each other sporadically due to their busy schedules as Eraser and Sweeper respectively. Thanks to Saya's influence, Train began to question what he wanted from life, and started to spare the lives of the men he was sent to kill by the Supreme Elder of Chronos. Their friendship spanned across several months, but came to an abrupt end when Saya was murdered by Creed, who was convinced that she had "cursed" Train into being "weak." Even two years later, her death still hits Train hard, and he believes that his negligence brought about her demise. (Chronos put him in solitary confinement for his failure to assassinate his targets, and he had only just been released the day she died, arriving seconds too late). As the manga progresses, we learn more about Saya and her relationship with Train, as well as about her childhood and traumatic past. Even though people frequently ask whether Train and Saya's relationship was a romantic one, Train always insists that he fell in love with her way of life, and not Saya herself. Her weapon of choice in both the manga and anime is a Beretta 93R, and her special technique was ricocheting bullets at different angles and velocities ("Reflect Shot").

In the Anime

Saya appeared suddenly to Train on a rooftop one night, and the two of them shared a strange friendship that spanned only a few days. Still, those few days seemed to be enough to cause a change in Train. Saya influenced Train to do what he wanted to do and live freely, which causes Train to decide not to follow Chrono's orders anymore, as he leaves. By discussing her own worldview, Saya also indirectly encouraged Train not to kill people unless he actually wanted to do so; the implication is that Train had some hidden discomfort with being an assassin and Saya helped him realize he did not actually need to be one. Creed, who admired Train's way of killing and was obsessed with Train, watched from afar until he got the chance to one day meet with Saya when Train was not around, and kill her. She makes a cameo during the ending credits of the final episode, walking past Train in a bustling city street. Supposedly, this is symbolic of his moving on and letting go of the past (however some fans believe that this might hint that she might have some how survived, in the anime at least). Except for the time line changes, the situation between Saya and Train is pretty much the same as in the manga.

Abilities

Reflect Shot: As the name suggests, Saya is able to fire bullets that ricochet off hard surfaces and strike opponents at odd angles and different velocities. It took Saya five years to master this technique, as it required heavy marksmanship experience and a great deal of projectile calculation. Because of the level of concentration needed, she usually saves the Reflect Shot for more difficult targets and situation.