Haji

Haji (katakana Haji ハジ) is a main character of Blood+.

The Zoo
In the year 1870, Amshel Goldsmith purchased 12-year-old Haji from his parents at the price of a loaf of bread. Haji was brought to the Zoo and introduced to Saya in hopes that they would mate and create new specimens for Joel and his colleagues to study.

When he first met Saya, they did not get along as she had been spoiled all her life and he was upset by getting separated from his family. However, after spending time together in a barn to dry off from the rain, Haji began bonding with Saya after she learned of his plight.

As the years went by, Haji was Saya's only friend at the Zoo. He grew to understand and love her. He admired Saya's dream of wanting to travel with him and her fencing sword to see the world. By the time he reached adulthood, he was taller than Saya (which annoyed her) and had changed the style of his hair to include a ponytail while he chose black clothing to replace his former grey attire.

While growing up in Joel's mansion, Haji became suspicious of Saya never aging along with Joel giving her blood to ingest and her quick healing ability. Finally, he questioned Joel about these peculiar traits. However, all Joel would tell Haji was that blood was necessary to Saya's survival.Haji was further confused as Saya had never lost a signifigant amount of blood to need a transfusion.

Becoming a Chevalier
Years later, in 1883 Haji falls from a cliff after attempting to pick a flower Saya wanted for Joel's birthday gift. He cracks his skull open on the hard ground below, causing Saya to panic. She remembers the conversation Haji had with Joel about blood and, misunderstanding the meaning of the old man's words, gives Haji her blood in an attempt to save him. While at first she believes that she has killed him, the convulsions and accompanying stillness was Haji's transformation into Saya's chevalier.

Haji is last seen standing behind Saya as she watches Joel's mansion burn to the ground. Haji was also seen that he showed part of his Chiropteran form to Saya on the day she made Haji her Chevalier to keep Zoo security from capturing Saya. But apparently, Saya was scared and shocked by Haji's wings and claws. When Haji saw her expression, he decided to not show his Chiropteran form to Saya anymore. But, as the series progress, he finally showed his form to Saya when fighting with Solomon and apologized her for showing his form to her. As time passes by, Saya has apologized to Haji many times for turning him that day. He in turn assures her that he felt no resentment, and that becoming her chevalier allowed him to be by her side as she lived her dream of traveling the world with her sword.

After Diva escaped, Haji was made to promise Saya that he will kill her when Diva has been slain.

Riku's death
When Diva drank all of Riku's blood, Saya had no choice but turn Riku into a chevalier to save him. This created a brotherly bond between him and Haji. He even explains to Riku what a chevalier must do.

Riku was killed by Diva in Episode 32. Upon seeing Riku's dead body, Haji was angered and crushed Karl's arm before unleashing a mass barrage of attacks. This was one of the few scenes where Haji expresses a desire for vengeance.

Timeskip
After a year following the Red Shield's fall, Haji had been following Saya around the world to slay Chiropterans and ended up breifly meeting Kai. By this time, Haji was allowing Saya to feed on him to keep her healthy. He also noticed she was suffering from fainting spells, which signified she was close to another 30 year long hibernation.

After Saya rejoins the remnants of the Red Shield, Haji follows her to the Opera House Diva is to perform at and keeps Amshel busy while Saya fought Diva. Soon after Diva is slain, Haji disobeys Saya for the first time in his life and tells her to live while confessing his feelings to her. He stays behind to kill Amshel as the Opera House collapses, and is presumed dead.

Epilogue
Some years after Diva's death, Haji is heavily implied to still be alive when Kai, Kanade, and Hibiki find a pink rose with his hair ribbon tied around it left at the crypt Saya is hibernating in.

Appearance
Haji maintains the look of a man in his early twenties, when in reality he has been alive since the late 1800s. He is fair-skinned and has long black hair and pale blue eyes. He dresses in black.

Personality
Haji did not get along with Saya when they first met at the Zoo. Although obedient, he was taciturn and occassionally rude, partly because Saya herself was spoiled and selfish. It was only after revealing his true circumstances that they gradually become friends. While Haji was still living with Saya in France as an adult, he was charming, kind and chivalrous, even parental. These attitudes only grew stronger after Haji became her chevalier.

For the majority of the series Haji has a rather calm, stoic personality, a result of Saya's attack on him in Vietnam. The fact that she attacked him so violently and without hesitation caused a dark, almost melancholic change in his personality. Shortly after the incident, Haji left the Red Shield and his whereabouts were, for the most part, unknown. Although initially distancing himself from Saya following their reunion, he gradually became more affectionate towards his queen. Their relationship also grew stronger with a year-long absence from the Red Shield, although Saya's personality had considerably darkened. Haji loves Saya. Some people don't believe that Haji's personality is quiet and calm because of what Saya did, Haji understands what was happening when she did that and Saya has apologized multiple times. Haji knows that Saya loves him too.

Throughout his life, even prior to becoming a chevalier, Haji has always been loyal, not only to Saya but to her friends and family. At one point, Amshel even describes him as "a puppy following her around."

At the beginning of the series when he found her again in Okinawa, Saya seemed happy and carefree. This appears to have secretly upset him; at the opera house, he speaks almost bitterly about how Kai,Riku, and George had brought back her smile, something that he could not do. Despite being hurt both physically and emotionally by Saya, Haji continues to follow her and obey her every whim, even seemingly sacrificing his own life to make sure Saya escaped safely. His dedication is shown further when it is revealed that he is still alive, and leaves a pink rose on Saya's tomb after she is already asleep.

Chiropteran
Haji's most obvious chiropteran feature is his right hand, which is hidden by a bandage when he is not fighting. It is permanently in chiropteran form after having been cut off by Saya upon her awakening in the Vietnam War. Although chriopterans can heal themselves simply by sticking their severed limbs back on (as Solomon did) it seems as though Haji simply left it detached from his body for too long, leaving it unable to change back into human form.

The true extent of his chiropteran powers can be seen in a pair of bat-like wings, which he uses to save Saya from falling off of a building. He also uses these wings in the fight against Amshel, who notes that he is "pulling out all the stops." Because of Saya's apparent fear the first time he ever transformed, Haji rarely resorts to using his chiropteran form, unless it is absolutely necessary.

Weaponry
Haji plays the cello, a skill he learned from Saya when he was still a young boy. The case in which he carries it can be used as a blunt weapon or shield, and also holds Saya's sword. His cello case looks like an old Victorian coffin. It has a hard metal coating of a odd design (some fans speculate that it is the Chiropteran symbol) with black lacquer finish. Not only can he fight using a sword, or his chiropteran hand as a weapon, but also carries several small daggers.

Manga
In the manga, more of Haji's early relationship with Saya is shown. For example, she starts to feel attracted to him after he grows up and Diva is jealous of their relationship because he is taking up more of Saya's attention. As a result, Diva kills him when Saya frees her, which is why he is turned into a chiropteran (the first Joel tells Saya that if she truly cannot live without him, she should give him her blood, whereas she accidentally turns him in the anime due to a misunderstanding).

Although Hagi shows jealousy towards Kai in the anime, it is more obvious in the manga. He even tells Kai "Saya is my lover" while forcing him to leave (though Haji could have said that to make Kai leave so he and Saya would fight without anyone injured, as he later regretted saying it).

Blood+: Kowloon Nights
Hagi's life after the Vietnam incident is depicted, including his search for Saya. During this time he comes across Nishi Tatsuyoshi and strikes up an unlikely friendship. As they are investigating chiropteran attacks, a member of the Red Shield approaches Haji and tells him of Saya's location.