Mai Shiranui

Now why on God's green earth did I make a page to Mai, the bouncy kunoichi (female ninja) who almost all guys seem to love? Well, it was a last minute addition, but for some reason even I can't think of, I really like Mai and I love the way she brightens up the sometimes dark world of Fatal Fury. She is very cheerful, gravity defying and not too smart... but always devastatingly beautiful and a tough and effective fighter. And she knows how to keep Andy in line ^_~. Mai and her deadly fans (where does she hide them?) are is anchor for the KOF "girl's team." So for those reasons, I figured ah hell, why not?

Mai made her anime debut in Fatal Fury OAV II. She pouts, bounces, tries to get Andy's attention (but is ignored, since Andy is preoccupied with worry for his brother Terry), and gets in a fight with Lawrence Blood. Andy of course rescues her, and carries her away to safety while she giggles and wraps herself around him (IMO, the cutest scene in the anime). That's all she does... she doesn't do much else in this OAV. She has a slightly bigger part in Fatal Fury, the movie; the easiest way to follow her through the movie is by her change of clothing, so that's how I am going to summarize it ^^;;. Confused? Well, let's start from the "top"; it's pretty obvious once you see the anime.

Mai's Outfits

"MILK" shirt, jean shorts - This is her first appearance in this anime. She's attending Joe's Thai kickboxing match... Skintight short blue dress w/ cutouts at the bust, matching blue jacket - and then goes to the subsequent party thrown by Kim Kaphwan. Sulia, Laocorn's sister, is introduced.
? Something with a red jacket - Andy, Terry, Sulia, Joe and Mai are on a plane to some unknown location - they are now going after the God Armor pieces which Laocorn is trying to assemble. Teeny yellow and black bandeau bikini - So they fly to this island, where there a clues as to the location of the pieces of God Armor. Everyone is in swim suits, since it is a nice, sunny island ^^.
Nothing / A pink and purple robe - In pursuit of the armor, they fly somewhere else. Mai tries to seduce Andy since they are sharing a room... Black and yellow bike shorts, yellow shirt and cap - but is unsuccessful. They try to decide what to do next.
Skintight red dress w/ cutouts up both sides - Mai wants to go dancing at Duck King's club... Nakoruru's outfit! - and even poses as Nakoruru from Samurai Shodown...
A sheer fuchsia robe, black spandex top - and ultimately decides to dance on stage, to the approval of many members of the male audience, including Hauer. She blows him off and makes him really mad. Fuchsia Chinese dress - Enraged, Hauer gets his revenge by taking Mai as a hostage in exchange for a piece of the Mars Armor. He tries to kiss her in front of Andy, which angers Andy so much that he simply rushes Hauer and is defeated in combat.
White cutoff t-shirt, cropped jean shorts - Andy, disappointed by his defeat, trains hard. When Pani and Hauer threaten Mai and Sulia again, Andy beats Hauer and Mai beats Pani, thereby saving Andy from a back attack. A grateful Andy hugs her in return.
Mai's usual, bust baring, completely impractical fighting outfit - Once the God Armor is assembled, Mai jumps into battle, doing her best to help despite Terry's request that she stay out of battle. Andy saves Mai from Laocorn when she gets injured, then almost sacrifices his life to save her when the God Armor goes out of control... but Laocorn's final selfless act saves the two of them at the cost of his own life.

So why do I like Mai? I like tough, bold anime chicks, and I think she's quite pretty too. Besides, what I would give to be daring enough to dress like her! She's got a style all her own. I also like how upbeat and bright she is, and how she relentlessly chases after Andy. Andy's usually pretty tough and calm, but when Mai is around, he gets totally flustered and manages to contort his face into the funniest expressions. Animerica magazine summarized it best by saying "The only time Andy loses his cool is when the lovely Mai is in peril or turns on the sugar." But even though Mai is a good fighter in her own right (as a Shiranui ninja), she seems to always get in trouble. Part of the reason is because she wants Andy to come to rescue her, and the other reason is because for some reason, there is this unwritten rule that Mai cannot beat anyone in a fight unless they are female. I don't like this of course... Chun Li of Street Fighter has no problem fighting guys (unfortunately, usually Vega). So anyhow, I hope to see Mai actually win a fight against a real opponent someday.

A few more pics of the lovely Mai, for the enjoyment of the male audience ;). In row 2, the second pic was sent to me by Justin and the third pic is a fanart piece by Bret Denslow from Bret Denslow's Art Page.

The little dog in this pic is my little girl, Mai-chan. Her registered name is Serendipity Baby and she is a Papillon. She earned the nickname "Mai" because of all her Mai Shiranui traits, which include being redheaded, energetic, bubbleheaded and bouncy (uh, in a different way). Find out more about my Miss Mai at: Serendipity Baby's Pages-Full of Pets!

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