Prince Mattiwaza (Kuro, The Prince of Darkness or Shattiwaza)

### (マッティワザ、黒太子)

Also known as the Prince of Darkness, Mattiwaza is the crown prince of the Mitanni kingdom, son of King Tushratta, and younger brother to the Egyptian Queen Dowager Nefertiti, previously known as Princess Tatukia in the Mitanni Kingdom. Nicknamed the "Prince of Darkness" for his ruthless demeanor and behavior at war, he's said to destroy everything in his way leaving trails of blood in his wake. He's careless as to what his soldiers do during war and will take any of the women they capture for his own should he see fit. Being commonly called the Prince of Darkness, it's revealed that the rumours about him are true. Mattiwaza's armies devastated a town, killed the men, and took the women prisoner. In volume 5 Mattiwaza makes it clear that he has no fear killing even the women when he decapitated one of the noble female prisoners. These rumours rang true until his defeat by Kail in volume 7. Yuri opens Mattiwaza's eyes to the emotional pain he'd been holding back since he was a child and that he's been unnecessarily harsh.

Mattiwaza's Mitanni charioteers are known for being the best in Anatolia having defeated numerous enemies with this advantage. It wasn't until the Hittites were blessed with the knowledge of iron making that Mattiwaza and his charioteers were defeated. After this defeat, Mattiwaza and Kail became allies, meaning the skillful Mitanni chariots were now forged with iron, only making them stronger.

It's discovered in volume 7 that some of Mattiwaza's pent up rage is from when his love and sister Tatukia was sent to Egypt to marry. Once he found out that his sister was doing more than well and came to the realization of his feelings while Yuri was in his seraglio. He accepted Nadia's love at the beginning of volume 7 and flees with her to Babylonia. This leads him to eventually became a more gentle and merciful person.

While hidden in Babylonia, Mattiwaza becomes an ally to the Hittites, and no longer the Bloody Prince of Darkness, but the King of the new Mitanni empire.

### Relationships

**Kail Mursili**

Mattiwaza and Kail don't have much of a relationship and Mattiwaza only sees Kail as an enemy to the Mitanni. Their kingdoms were often at war, so it's likely the met before the series begins. Unlike Kail and Ramses, Kail and Mattiwaza didn't meet in battle and never had a one-on-one fight. The first time we see them meet is in Kizuwatna when Zannanza had kidnapped Yuri and the Mitanni attack the city.

Mattiwaza battles against Kail at Wassugani until he and his father escape with Yuri. Kail siege on the city Mattiwaza and his father escape to[city name needed] is short lived. Kail lays siege to the city and manages to infiltrates the city and palace while disguised as one of Nadia's entourage. During the siege is when Mattiwaza's father King Tushratta is killed in a mutiny, leaving Mattiwaza to rule should he be able to rebuild the Mitanni kingdom. After Kail defeats Mattiwaza's troops and the siege is over, Mattiwaza flees to Babylonia with Nadia. During which time he and Kail come to an agreement and become allies.

Mattiwaza isn't seen again until the battle of Kadesh between the Egyptian and the Hittites. Kail calls upon all his allies to help and send troops, one of which being Mattiwaza and the Mitanni charioteers which Kail outfits with iron reinforcements. Mattiwaza helps Kail defeat the Egyptians with no hard feelings from the previous war between the Hittites and Mitanni.

**Yuri Ishtar**

Prior to the Hittite-Mitanni war, Yuri and Mattiwaza have never met, nor heard of each other. In volume 5 they meet when Kail's infiltration plan for Malatia goes wrong. Mattiwaza returns to the city early and Yuri, Ryui, and Shala become prisoners of the Mitanni. When Mattiwaza realizes that one of the captives is Ishtar goddess of war, concubine of Prince Kail, he quickly figures out who she is and attempts to kill her in a show of power in a fight against a lion. After winning the fight and skewering the lion, Mattiwaza sends Yuri to his seraglio to have the goddess of war on his side.

Initially he had planned on killing Yuri if she used her victory wish to leave and return to Kail. Instead she used her wish to force Mattiwaza to treat his prisoners of war like any other worker, giving them proper food and jobs meant for people. He respects her wish and allows her to move freely in both the seraglio and city as long as she's escorted by soldiers and doesn't attempt to leave the city.

Mattiwaza becomes rather indifferent about Yuri until she enters his sister Tatukia's old room, to which entry was forbidden. It was at this point he started to open up to her. Mattiwaza explained to Yuri that his sister was sent to Egypt to marry, although they were very close, even lovers. After they spoke about his sister, Mattiwaza came to a sort of realization that Tatukia hadn't died and was still living in Egypt. Spite knowing her new Egyptian name, Nefertiti, he never attempted to contact her and acted as if she was dead to the world. Yuri was the first person to enter Tatukia's bedroom and live.

When the Hittites took control of Wassugani, Mattiwaza told everyone in the seraglio to flee and take with them whatever they wanted. Before he escaped, he left Yuri with the obsidian piece he wore on his head with the idea that she could use it to prove to Mitanni soldiers she was the princes' concubine until she found Hittite soldiers that recognized her. When Yuri was rescued by Kail in volume 7, he had the obsidian piece turned into a necklace which she eventually returned to Nefertiti before she left Egypt in volume 22.

When Yuri sees Mattiwaza for the last time, it's at the battle of Kadesh. She was surprised to see him and greets him as the prince before Kail can correct her since he's now King of the new Mitanni kingdom.

**Nefertiti**

Mattiwaza had only one sibling, a sister named Tatukia (Nefertiti in Egypt) who gave him the nickname Matti. They were very close, to the point you could call them lovers. When Tatukia was told that she was going to be sent to Egypt to marry, both Tatukia and Mattiwaza were upset. On the day she left, Tatukia gave Mattiwaza one of her earrings to remember her by. Mattiwaza wore it on his head for years to come until he gave it to Yuri in volume 7.