Sayaka Yumi (Manga)

Sayaka Yumi is the main female protagonist of the original Mazinger Z manga. She is the pilot of Aphrodite A and later Venus A and daughter of the current director of the Photon Power Laboratory.

Appearance
Sayaka is a teenager of average height with long hair that depending on the artwork is either black or brown and a pink hairband. When piloting her robots, she wears a white jumpsuit with a white helmet and a clear visor.

Personality
Compared to her tomboyish and bossy counterpart in the Mazinger Z anime, Sayaka is much more quiet and compassionate towards others, especially Koji. However, she is willing to put her foot down when someone does anything out of line like when Boss tried to get into a fight with Koji. While not as confident in her abilities as Koji is with his, Sayaka is willing to fight should Koji not be around.

Gennosuke Yumi
Sayaka was raised by her father and is usually at his side when not around Koji.

Koji Kabuto
Sayaka first met Koji when he first attempted to control Mazinger Z and the robot went on a rampage, while things went off to a rocky start, Sayaka starts to warm up to Koji after he helps defend the Photon Lab. As the series goes on Sayaka starts to develop feelings for Koji, worrying about him when he's not piloting Mazinger or when he's taking risks. However, Sayaka does lash out at Koji when he teases her, like when she found that Venus was modeled after a nude photograph of her that Koji supplied to the three scientists.

Boss
Sayaka mainly sees Boss as just a friend despite his boasts to claim Sayaka as his lady. She dislikes it when Boss tries to commit perverse acts on her like try to grope her butt or when he acts like a bully.

Piloting
Sayaka had trained in piloting Aprhodite A and even showed Koji how to use some of the Mazinger's controls when he was having trouble. In just a short amount of time, Sayaka managed to control the differently designed Venus A.

Meeting Koji
When the Mazinger Z was rampaging, Sayaka was dispatched with Aphrodite A to stop it, however Aphrodite could not even scratch the Mazinger. When explained that Koji is the grandson of her father's mentor, Sayaka explains to Koji some of the controls for the Mazinger. Sayaka manages to get back to the Photon Lab as it comes under fire but is unable to repel the Mechanical Beasts. Fortunately, Mazinger arrives in time and effortlessly destroys them.

Ashura's Mechanical Beasts
After the battle, Sayaka brings Koji and Shiro to a new house after their old one was destroyed. As Koji explains that he had to change schools, Sayaka replies that he'll be going to her school. Koji says he'll be looking forward to his first day before going inside. Later Sayaka pilots Aphrodite when Koji and Mazinger Z are under attack by a composite Mechanical Beast. While Aphrodite distracts one of the halves, Mazinger destroys the other before impaling the Mechanical Beast Sayaka was fighting. Koji thanks Sayaka and she says that she was happy to help.

When Koji introduced himself on his first day, Boss tried to pick a fight with him but Sayaka just stood in the way and slapped him telling Boss to knock it off. With a Mechanical Beast attack, Sayaka deployed Aphrodite and tried to help the Mazinger but even with its new Oppai Missile System, it hardly changed the course of the battle and got caught in the Bazin B9's attack. Mazinger managed to catch her and put Aphrodite down safely as it took down the Mechanical Beasts.

Brocken's Puppet Show
Sayaka went on a hiking trip with Koji, Shiro, and Boss. While Shiro and Boss got ahead Sayaka explained to Koji how they don't get much time off and how she worries about him when he's not piloting Mazinger. The group comes across a man who along with several others had seen what appeared to be ghosts are they committed suicide. While Sayaka, Boss, and Shiro were a little scared of this tale; Koji wasn't afraid and just went forward with the others following. Soon a strong mist came in with everyone trying to grab hold of each other. Sayaka scolded Boss when he tried to grope her. They eventually encountered the ghosts along with zombies and other frights. The group ran off back to their hotel.

Sayaka was too afraid to enter the women's hot spring by herself after the ghost encounter and went to the men's hot spring where Koji was hiding behind a statue. She overheard that Koji was going back to the site alone. Impulsively, Sayaka sprang out of her hiding spot telling Koji it was too dangerous. Koji saw her as she tried to cover her private areas and move away. Koji did the same and they bumped into each other.

After the small skirmish, Sayaka goes back with Koji to the sight. There they find that the ghost and zombies were really just animatronics and that they were covering supply trucks delivering some sort of materials across the mountain. The mastermind of the operation Count Brocken showed himself to the pair before having his machines controlled by the Mario N7 attack. While Koji managed to fight off a few them, Sayaka is captured and held hostage. As if taunting Koji, Brocken has his killer androids strip Sayaka down to her underwear much to Sayaka's embarrassment and Koji's slight amusement. Shiro came in piloting the Hover Pilder freeing Sayaka before giving it to Koji to destroy the Mechanical Beast and foiling Brocken's plan.

Sayaka had joined the Kabuto brothers at their house one day and was given a parfait Koji had made. Sayaka's dissolved being based on Mazinger's Rust Hurricane. But the whimsy died when Count Brocken appeared challenging Koji to a battle. Sayaka warned Koji it was a trap, but Koji went in spite of the dangers. Later Sayaka was with her father and Koji discussing a way to fight the Grogos G5 as it had several hostages on its body. Sayaka was startled by the sight of it and could only wish Koji luck.

Saluud Escape
Baron Ashura had launched multiple attacks on the cities of Japan, with Koji unavailable Sayaka and Aphrodite were deployed to fight. Sayaka was nervous as the odds were against her and was later ambushed by the KingDan X10, cutting the Aprhodite in half and the Ashura Corps. abducting Sayaka to place her inside of the Mechanical Beast. After Koji managed to get back the Mazinger Z and overpower several Mechanical Beasts, KingDan appeared with Sayaka in its chest. With Sayaka in jeopardy, Koji is forced to surrender.

Boss who managed to sneak in liberated Koji and helped him find Sayaka. Koji went to wake Sayaka up but found that she was naked under the white sheets on her bed. Sayaka woke up while covering herself before given an Iron Mask's uniform. The group goes to find the Hover Pilder but it is guarded by Gamia Q3. Sayaka helps Koji fight the killer android by returning his Photon Gun after it was swatted away, allowing Koji to destroy Q3. Sayaka and Boss take the escape pod as the Saluud is bombarded by mines. Sayaka goes to her father asking if Koji made it back. When she learns that Koji didn't come back yet and hearing how Koji would come back, Sayaka hoped Koji would come back. With the Saluud destroyed, Sayaka begins to despair but sheds tears of joy when Mazinger surfaces.

The King of Hell
Sayaka was disappointed that she couldn't fight anymore as Aprhodite was broken beyond repair but Koji showed Sayaka a new robot, Venus A. Sayaka is astounded at the sight of the robot asking how they managed to build it. Koji and the three scientists reply that they used a nude picture of Sayaka as the model. Sayaka was mad at this fact and chased Koji. While still incomplete, Sayaka used the Venus to help Koji from afar with its Koshiryoku Beam.

With Dr. Hell moving to a new location, Prof. Yumi decides to attack. Sayaka is with Koji as they see the Mazinger Army being constructed and meet its pilots. Sayaka had to stop Koji from blasting them with his Photon Gun due to their resemblance to past enemies. But when Masao passes by them, Koji doesn't do so. Sayaka asked why to which Koji replied that he thought about Sayaka as she was like a monster. Sayaka chased Koji around before deploying to attack Hell Castle.

Along the way, the Mazinger Army encounters Mechanical Beasts that they fight off. But when more Mechanical Beasts arrived on the seen, Sayaka is the only one to survive when Mazinger Z equipped with the Jet Scrander arrives. Together Koji and Sayaka find Hell Castle, only for Dr. Hell to unleash his final Mechanical Beast, Hell King Gordon. Sayaka and Venus try to help fight off the giant Mechanical Beast but is easily swatted away. Sayaka watched as Mazinger dived into its tornado attack and destroyed the Hell King Gordon.

Trivia

 * According to an interview with Go Nagai, Sayaka was originally a design for Mitsuko "Jubei" Yagyu, the female protagonist of Harenchi Gakuen.