Maiya Hisau

is a young woman who acts as Kiritsugu Emiya's assistant during the Fourth Holy Grail War. She is cold and professional, which makes it easier for Kiritsugu to act as he needs to.
==Profile==
===Background===
Little is known about her history, save that Kiritsugu had rescued her from a war-torn land many years ago. When Maiya was a child, she was forced into the army and trained to be a soldier. She had been raped by other soldiers and eventually became pregnant. She was separated from her unnamed child, not knowing his fate.Fate/Zero Volume 4: Flames of Purgatory - Act 13 Part 4 -37:02:47, p.089-090 Maiya was rescued by Kiritsugu, who became Maiya's mentor, and taught her his way of life. Her real name is unknown; her current name was given to her by Kiritsugu when he created identity documents for her.
When Kiritsugu was hired by the Einzberns to obtain the Holy Grail eight years before the Fourth Holy Grail War, he entrusted Maiya with all his former equipment - in particular, the gun which allows Kiritsugu to employ his Mystic Code.
===Appearance===
She dresses entirely in black, and gives the cold, distant impression of someone who doesn't have a strong sense of self.
Maiya Ufotable character Sheet.png|Ufotable's character sheet of Maiya in Fate/Zero.
File:MFZ Maiya.png|Maiya Hisau portrayed by Minami Tsukui in Musical Fate/Zero ~The Sword of Promised Victory~ stage adaptation.
Fatezero Cafe Maiya.png|Maiya in Fate/Zero Cafe, illustrated by Ufotable.
Covering Fire.png| in Fate/Grand Order, illustrated by Keitarou Takahashi.
===Personality===
Due to having spent her childhood in an environment deprived of humanity, Maiya lacks a sense of self. She currently considers that her entire being belongs to Kiritsugu, and asking whether she loves Kiritsugu is like asking whether the innards love the brain. The question itself is meaningless. They share a sexual relationship that contains no real emotions. Kiritsugu sees it mainly as a rehearsal before he betrays Irisviel by allowing her to sacrifice herself and complete the Grail. While it is a form of self-abuse to him, and possibly the sorriest excuse to have an affair, Maiya deemed it okay. In short, Maiya is a stoic, emotionless, aloof, grim, brooding, conflicted, cold, and professional person.
She has an absolutely devastating sweet tooth. There’s actually an urban legend passed around among store clerks about a mysterious woman who would always show up at cake buffets all alone and start gulping down desserts one after the other with a sour look on her face. Of course, Maiya herself would die of shame if anybody ever found out about this.
Despite her generally dead-panned and emotionless demeanor Maiya has showcased in a few instances of genuine vulnerability and emotion. This is fully seen when she spoke up regarding her past and her son, who was separated from her at birth. Despite the circumstances of how she had him, it was heavily implied that Maiya genuinely loved her son the moment she held him and was devastated that he was taken from her. As shown when she told Irisviel regarding him, it was implied that Maiya longed to be reunited with her son.
==Role==
===Fate/Zero===
Maiya reunites with Kiritsugu when he arrives in Japan shortly before the Fourth Heaven's Feel, having prepared all the weaponry he requires for the upcoming Holy Grail War. Armed with a Steyr AUG, she aids Kiritsugu by helping him snipe opposing Masters. While Irisviel von Einzbern is initially uneasy around Maiya, they develop a mutual respect when Irisviel recognizes that Maiya has dedicated her life to protecting Kiritsugu.
When Kiritsugu attempts to attack Kayneth Archibald El-Melloi at his stronghold, she ends up working with Irisviel to ensure that Kiritsugu's identity remains a secret from Kirei Kotomine when El-Melloi retaliates by attacking the Einzbern Castle. During the fight of Irisviel and Maiya against Kirei, Maiya is severely wounded several times by him because she tries to protect Irisviel against him. During a subsequent battle to defeat Caster, Maiya captures Sola-Ui Nuada-Re Sophia-Ri and cuts off her arm in order for Kiritsugu to use the woman as a hostage against Lord El-Melloi. After Kiritsugu forces Lord El-Melloi to forfeit in the war, Maiya snipes both El-Melloi and Sola-Ui.
After the death of Lord El-Melloi, Maiya joins Irisviel and Saber at Kiritsugu's new stronghold after the Einzbern Castle is compromised and provides Saber with a motorcycle prepared by Kiritsugu after he learned that she was capable of driving the car he had given Irisviel. Maiya learns that Irisviel's condition is deteriorating, but agrees to Irisviel's request to conceal the truth from Saber. The three women later meet with Tokiomi Tohsaka and Kotomine to discuss Tokiomi's proposal for the remainder of the Fourth Heaven's Feel, though Irisviel and Maiya reject most of the terms.
During the last day of the war, Maiya is assigned to protect Irisviel, who is to be the vessel of the Holy Grail. She reveals to Irisviel about her past and her child, Irisviel encourages Maiya to live on and try to find her family and her real name. After conversing briefly with Irisviel, they are attacked by Rider (Berserker in disguise); Maiya is fatally injured attempting to stop the Servant from kidnapping Irisviel and dies shortly after Kiritsugu arrives to try and save them. She had resolved herself to die and disappear unrewarded and alone, so dying in Kiritsugu's arms was likely a joy beyond her wildest dreams.
===Other appearances===
She is mentioned by Kiritsugu in Fate/tiger colosseum Upper.
In Fate/strange Fake, it is revealed that Sigma, one of the Snowfield Holy Grail War Masters, is her biological son, the child she had as a result of being raped and who was taken from her before she could give him a name.Fate/strange Fake Volume 3 - Interlude: "The Trials Begin" Her former country's government raised him as a child soldier, encouraging him to fight using the lie that his mother was abducted by the enemy.Fate/strange Fake Manga Chapter 13: "The Passion of a Nameless Soldier (Part 1)" Sigma only learned about her life and death after being released from the former government, though he does not care much save for being jealous of Maiya having died with a reason to live.
==Abilities==
Maiya, like Kiritsugu, is not a normal Magus. He only taught her what was necessary to complete her duties, so they can not be said to have a true master and apprentice relationship. She is only slightly better than Azaka Kokutou in her skills in Magecraft, but she makes up for that with her experience as a professional killer who can wield even the crudest weapons to deadly effect. Magecraft is just a tool for her to accomplish her goals, so she is skilled enough to be called a user of "deadly Magecraft." If push came to shove, she would be able to kill somebody with nothing more than a simple wooden skewer from a yakitori restaurant.
As shown when she operated behind the scenes for Kiritsugu, Maiya possessed the needed skills to tail and sneak up on someone, even a Magus, in secret and without being detected. Maiya's skills for stealth along with her knife skills, allowed her to swiftly cut off Sola-Ui Nuada-Re Sophia-Ri's arm containing her Command Spells before she could even notice her presence and later was able to treat the wound and keep Sola-Ui alive, implying that Maiya was skilled or trained in either first aid or healing Magecraft. Maiya was also shown to use a Bat as her Familiar. The Bat itself was also shown to have a miniature camera attached to its leg for additional surveillance capability.
Like Kiritsugu, she use a and a as weapons. She later utilizes a 9mm handgun, likely a Glock 19, as a sidearm, and it was most likely picked by herself rather than Kiritsugu.
==Development==
===Creation and Conception===
The design requested for Maiya was a "fighting maiden with a vector pants look" that wasn't Bazett. She has a slender and flexible image with a costume that shows no particular ethnicity and gives the feeling of "Where is she actually from?" She gives Takashi Takeuchi an empty, ephemeral impression that doesn't give off a sense of self when he draws her. He also didn't notice her hairstyle overlaps with Waver's until he first did a full body illustration of her.
===Reception===
*In the Type-Moon's 10th Anniversary Character Poll, Maiya from Fate/Zero was ranked 56th.
==References==
Category:Characters in Fate/Zero
Category:Humans
Category:Freelancer magi
Category:Introduced in 2006
Category:Soldiers