Hajime Saitou (Visual Novel)

Hajime Saitō (斎藤 Saitou Hajime) is one of the main protagonists in Hakuōki, as well as one of Chizuru's potential love interests. He is the Captain of the Third Division in the Shinsengumi, and is a left-handed master of iai.
Saitō is based on the historical Saitō Hajime.
== Personality ==
Saitou is sharp and rational, sometimes to the point of coldness. However, he is not cruel or violent, and "[takes] no pleasure in battle" despite his efficiency and skill in a fight. Though he is ordinarily cool and distant, he also has a softer and more sympathetic side, of which he does not seem fully aware. For instance, almost immediately after insisting that "it is unlikely [he] can sympathize with [Chizuru's] situation", Saitou refers to Chizuru as "nothing more than a lone girl looking for someone to help [her]".
Saitou is dutiful and responsible, and rarely questions or complains about a task he is given. Because of this, Hijikata tends to assign him dirtier jobs than he would give to his other subordinates. Additionally, due to his often unconditional willingness to follow his superiors' commands, Saitou is sometimes accused of having no will of his own. However, he is capable of objecting to his orders in favor of acting according to his own conscience, such as when he insists on remaining with the Aizu to fight in Bonari Pass rather than accompany the Shinsengumi farther north. A less extreme example is when (in Shinsengumi Adventures 1) he agrees to allow Chizuru to leave her room, going directly against Hijikata's orders for the sake of resolving what he perceives as a crisis.
Perhaps because of his matter-of-fact tone and demeanor, Saitou is an excellent liar, and is capable of spying on the Guardians of the Imperial Tomb and reporting back to the Shinsengumi for a period of several months without getting caught.
Beneath his stoic and aloof personality, Saitou is actually shy towards girls in general and has difficulty when talking with them outside of necessity. This is evident when he's around Chizuru, as he won't speak to her unless either there's something important or if Chizuru herself start a conversation with him. While he can speak about swords for hours, he's contemplating on what to say when it comes about Chizuru's good points. During Chizuru's incognito operation as a geiko, he is unsure whether he should praise her directly or not, and even look away due to being charmed by her beauty. And if someone to point this out, Saitou would lose his calm composure and would flat-out denying it. This made him an occasional teasing target for others who are aware of this side of him, particularly Okita. Due to his inexperience, he's unaware of his own feeling, not realizing whenever he's feeling jealous if others shows interest towards Chizuru.
== Past ==
Due to Saitou's unorthodox left-handed style, no dojo would accept him as a student, even though no one could defeat him. Upon arriving at Shieikan, he was challenged by Okita Souji. During their duel, the two discovered that they were evenly matched in skill, which was unprecedented for them both. Following this display, Shieikan accepted Saitou as a student, perceiving his unique style as an asset since there is no official way to get the edge on a left-handed swordsmen.
== In Hakuōki: Shinsengumi Kitan ==
See also: Saitou Hajime/Route
===Prologue===
Saitou is first encountered as he rescues Chizuru from Rasetsu. Possibly due to the immediate results of Okita's insistence that Chizuru show some gratitude, Saitou is made aware of her true gender within their first encounter. He does not voice his personal opinion on whether she should die, instead deferring to Hijikata's judgment that the decision should be postponed.
===Chapter 1===
When Chizuru is brought into the common area to meet the other Shinsengumi officers, Saitou does not offer her reassurance, but informs her that Okita is only teasing her when he claims to have gone into her room. Kondou later calls upon Saitou to recount the facts from last evening. Though he does not voice his opinion directly during the conversation about Chizuru's fate, he agrees with Sanan that Chizuru may not be able to withstand torture, and that she has no reason to keep their secrets. However, he is also the first to suggest taking her back to her room, thereby maximizing her chances of survival.
If Chizuru chooses to explain the situation, Saitou appears again, along with Heisuke, Nagakura, and Harada. Of the group, Saitou is the only one aware of Chizuru's true gender from the start. If Chizuru explains her reasons for coming to Kyoto, he gleans from her brief summary that she is simply a girl looking for help in an unfamiliar city. Following the others' reactions to his revelation of Chizuru's true gender, Saitou suggests that they return to Hijikata to reassess her situation.
When Chizuru explains that she is trying to find her father, Yukimura Koudou, Saitou reveals that the Shinsengumi has also been looking for him. Okita explains that he has gone missing, while Saitou adds that there is "a reasonable chance that the enemies of the shogun have identified him as a threat". However, he mentions that because doctors trained in Western medicine are few and far between, it is also possible that he is still alive. After Hijikata decides that Chizuru will be of use to the Shinsengumi, Saitou tells her that they will do whatever they can to accommodate her needs.
If Chizuru searches for someone to talk to, she finds Okita and Saitou in the courtyard. When she expresses a wish to look for her father, Saitou informs her that the Shinsengumi does not have enough men to keep an eye on her. However, he proposes that he test her combat abilities to see if she is worthy of joining them on their rounds. Chizuru agrees, but insists on using the back of her blade out of concern for Saitou's safety. In the ensuing scuffle, she is disarmed, but Saitou says they may still consider taking her out on patrol with them whenever she is given permission to leave the compound.
At the end of the day, Saitou overhears Chizuru talking to herself about how kind the captains have been, and interrupts the ensuing exchange between her and Okita to inform them that dinner is ready. Once they arrive in the hall along with Heisuke, Inoue informs the group that Sanan has been injured, and Saitou explains to Chizuru the importance of Sanan's ability to wield a sword. Okita then implies that Sanan will have to take something to avoid losing the use of his arm, and Nagakura mentions "the Corps". When Chizuru expresses confusion, curiosity, and concern, Saitou reminds her that prying into their affairs is dangerous.
===In other routes===
====Kazama's route====
Following Chizuru's separation from the Shinsengumi, Saitou is not encountered again. Historically, he lived through the events of the game, but his alleged death at Bonari Pass is mentioned in close to the end along with Okita's.
==In Hakuōki: Ginsei no Shou==
After the war the Aizu Domain, that Saitou was allied with, was exiled to Tonami, the northernmost prefecture of Honshu. Over 3 years later, Chizuru and Saitou live a peaceful life in Tonami as a married couple. Saitou brings Chizuru to see cherry blossoms and compares them to a life of samurai, Chizuru asks if he still wants to disappear like the fleeting sakura petals, but he promises to never use the Rasetsu power again because he does not wish to die and leave Chizuru. Later, he announces that he was invited to be an Aizu representative in a new organization in the Ministry of Interior that is meant to be a police department and do a similar job to what the Shinsengumi once were tasked with. Additionally, he is worried about Chizuru's health, but Chizuru reveals that she is not sick, she is pregnant. Saitou is astonished but happy, because, apparently, they tried to conceive a baby for a while but failed. Eventually, Hajime suggests changing the way they address each other to something more intimate, and Chizuru asks him to call her "dear".
== In the musicals ==
Main article: Saitou Hajime/HakuMyu
Saitou is portrayed by Matsuda Ryo in HakuMyu Saitou-hen through Kazama-hen; by Hashimoto Shohei in HakuMyu Toudou-hen through HakuMyu LIVE 2; and by Naya Takeru in HakuMyu Harada-hen and Hijikata-hen 2.
== Quotes ==
* "It would be best if you prepared for the worst. I doubt this will end well for you." (Prologue, to Chizuru)
* "Is something wrong, Yukimura? Draw your blade, unless it is merely decoration." (Chapter 1, to Chizuru)
* "Your master should be proud. Your blade was not clouded." (Chapter 1, to Chizuru)
* "Souji. You seem to have time to argue… Move your feet instead!" (Shinsengumi Adventures 1, to Okita)
* "At this point, we'd even take assistance from another cat if it would prove helpful. We could use you." (Shisengumi Adventures 1, to Chizuru)
* "None of the men in the Shinsengumi are kind enough to keep a small animal like you and care for it! Including me." (Shinsengumi Adventures 1, to a cat)
== Trivia ==
* Saitou apparently has an extreme love of tofu, which is barely mentioned in the original game but is played for laughs in HakuMyu Saitou-hen, HakuMyu Okita-hen, HakuMyu LIVE, and HakuMyu Kazama-hen.
** The first in-game mention of this predilection is in Hakuōki: Reimeiroku, when he informs Ryuunosuke that the dish he is protecting is his favorite.
** Saitou's Kyoto Winds DLC later centers on his love of tofu.
**In a Drama CD, Saitou anonymously request for tofu to be frequently added into their menu.
* Though Saitou is not particularly competitive in most areas, he is as protective of his food at mealtimes as any of the other captains, and encourages Chizuru to defend hers as well.
* In an unlockable Ephemera scene in Shinsengumi Kitan, Saitou is revealed to spend more time at Shimabara after joining the Guardians of the Imperial Tomb. He insists that he is drinking socially, but hints that he is actually miserable, adding that if he spends enough of their money, they may kick him out. When Heisuke expresses alarm, he says he was joking.
*In some artwork, he's shown to have birds perching on his head or shoulder or both.
Category:Characters
Category:Main
Category:Shinsengumi
Category:Rasetsu
Category:Visual Novel