Minayo is a minor character from Valkyrie Profile. She was stillborn to a Shinto priest from Hai-Lan, which is why her parents adopted an orphan named Nanami[1].
Storyline[]
As the daughter of a Shinto priest, Minayo was due to become the protector of the family's shrine, but that role fell to Nanami instead, and she attempted to perform a ritual to be accepted by the shrine's resident spirit. This apparently involved going to the Dragoncastle Caverns to retrieve the Dragonbane sword from another shrine. Nanami was unsuccessful, probably because she was not a blood relative to the family, but decided to make a second attempt, even though her parents, and especially her mother, feared for her safety.
As Nanami approached the Dragonbane shrine, Minayo's spirit appeared and attacked her. Sensing its presence, Lenneth appeared to defeat it, but Nanami interceded. She saw that Minayo had not accepted her death and resented the fact that she was trying to take her place. She said that she did not want to die, but felt that the only solution was to allow Minayo to live on in her body. Lenneth therefore recruited Nanami as an Einherjar, and Minayo returned to her parents with the Dragonbane in Nanami's guise. However, despite her appearance, they understood what had happened and were saddened by Nanami's sacrifice. They are visibly overcome with emotion, but it remains unclear whether they understand what has really happened.
If Lenneth revisits the Shinto shrine in Hai-Lan after recruiting Nanami, Minayo will offer her the Dragonbane, saying that she will never forget what Nanami has done for her.
Etymology[]
Minayo's name is designed to be a quasi-mirror image of Nanami's. It notably uses two of the same characters: 美 (mi; beautiful) [2] and 那 (na; which) [3], with the addition of 代 (yo; to replace) [4]. The combination could thus mean "which replaces beauty", or "substitute beauty", referring to the fact that Minayo takes Nanami's place (after Nanami herself tried to take her place).
Trivia[]
- Minayo has the traditional appearance of a yūrei [5], a vengeful spirit from Japanese folklore: long black hair and a white burial kimono.
- According to the developers, Nanami's sacrifice was actually a form of Soul Transfer, much as what Belenus did for Asaka or Lemia for Grey. As Minayo was stillborn, she never had an adult body, which is why Nanami was able to offer her own[6].