Saki Vashtal

A member of the royal family and a commissioned officer (Lt. Colonel) in the Asranian air force, he is distinguished by his black shades (which in the manga was due to an eye injury) and an X-shaped scar on his forehead. Saki is the son of Abdael, the eldest son of the late former king of Asran. Asran was, at the time, the only middle eastern country not exporting its oil. Saki’s grandfather did not wish to sell out to the West or to Communists and suspected that Abdael was having dealings with either. For this reason, on his deathbed, he declared his younger son, Zak, the next king. Humiliated, Abdael, along with his other son Rishaal, became leader of an anti-government rebel force backed by various communist countries. Saki, remained loyal because of his late mother’s love for Asran and is Area 88’s commanding officer, though it is clear that Saki feels shame for betraying his own father and perceives that his late mother would be saddened by his father’s actions. The scar on his forehead is self inflicted as a symbol of this shame. (In the Eclipse, English language comic, Saki scarred himself early in the war when, as a commander of Asran’s regular Air Force, he allowed himself to be tricked by his father—allowing anti-government forces to successfully attack Saki’s base.) Saki appears in all three versions. He is the cousin of Kitori Palvanaff. Though not incompetent, Saki is not exactly considered an outstanding leader by the pilots but they follow his orders for the most part simply because it’s what they are paid to do—and if they don’t he will either dock their pay or shoot them. Although shown as a capable pilot in the manga and OAV, efficiently flies the Kfir, the TV series restricts Saki to the control tower.