Yuji Sakai

"It happened in Misaki City, when the cherry blossoms were in full bloom. They were later than usual this year. My name is Yuji Sakai. The school year had just begun & I was settling in to daily routine that was the life of a high school student. A normal morning no different from any other, Nothing out of the ordinary. Days like that were supposed to last forever. At the time, I couldn't even begin to imagine what was about to happen. I had no incling of the strange diverging world I was soon to encounter or of the fact that I was going to die. And then I saw her, the girl with the flame red hair & blazing eyes. That was the day my world...changed forever."

- Yuuji's opening narration

Yuuji Sakai is the main male protagonist of the light novel and anime series Shakugan no Shana. He is a Mystes who has the Treasure Tool Midnight Lost Child inside of him. The story of Shakugan no Shana revolves around his life, both as a high school student and as a Mystes involved in the battle between the Flame Haze and the Crimson Denizens, alongside the Flame Haze Shana.

He is voiced by Satoshi Hino in the Japanese version of the anime, while in the English version he is voiced by Kristian Ayre in season 1 and Josh Grelle in seasons 2 & 3.

Appearance
Yuji (post-Snake of the Festival) is a young man with black hair that goes down to his neck (originally they were almost thigh-length hair). He has a fair complexion, dark blue irises and slitted pupils (varying from normal human pupils to very slitted pupils). He is about 15-16 years of age,  and is a first-year high school student. In the anime, he is 5 1/2 feet (165cm) tall.

Before merging with the Snake of the Festival, Yuji usually normally wore the Misaki City Municipal High School uniform, had brown hair and his eyes were of a lighter shade and a more olive complexion.

Personality
Yuji is a kind person who puts others before himself. This drew much confusion and annoyance from Shana, as prior torches from Shana's experience exhibited selfish attitudes. He took being considered a mere 'thing' very harshly, insisting that even if he was just residue of his former self, he was still Yuji Sakai and didn't hesitate to call out Shana for her nihilism and lack of empathy.

Simultaneously, Yuji's compassion and empathy sow the seeds of attraction between him and Shana. However, for a long time, he seems to be clueless about the feelings she and Kazumi Yoshida harbour for him, unable to believe that they would love someone like him. He almost figures it out on several occasions but quickly dismisses it as his imagination.

However, Yuji's generous nature could take on a very drastic side, to the point that he would carry all problems and burdens by himself, thinking that it would be too much for others, even Shana, whom he wants to walk with forever. This was shown when he planned the creation of Xanadu secretly, without telling anyone of his true intentions, and even going against his known allies, just to get what he wants. He even said himself that his desire to do something for others could turn into a greedy wish, since he would stop at nothing to get what he desires in the end.

Johann had also noted that he belittles love. He said that Yuji is underestimating Shana's feelings for him. Johann pointed out that Yuji thinks that he is the only one who could sacrifice the world for love, when in fact, Johann had done the same. Yuji, when desperate, takes everything drastically and to the extreme, something that is both admired and worried on about by allies and enemies. His stubborn side is only matched by Shana, who is the only person he could relent on.