Maya and Meena
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- Japanese:
- Miyuki Sawashiro (Maya)
Yoko Hikasa (Meena) - English:
- Anjli Mohindra (Maya)
Mariam Haque (Meena)
| Maya and Meena | |
|---|---|
| Dragon Quest characters | |
 Maya (right) and Meena (left) in Dragon Quest IV | |
| First game | Dragon Quest IV (1990) |
| Created by | Yuji Horii |
| Designed by | Akira Toriyama |
| Voiced by |
|
Maya and Meena[a] are two fictional characters in the 1990 video game Dragon Quest IV. Maya is a dancer and Meena a fortune teller. The two are sisters who set out on a journey to avenge their father's murder. They appear as the lead characters of the fourth chapter, and join the Hero in the fifth chapter to defeat the monster Psaro. They were created by Yuji Horii and designed by Akira Toriyama, and have been the subject of praise for both their designs and concepts, particularly Meena's use of tarot cards as weapons and Maya's beauty. The music played for the pair has also received praise, with critics identifying folk music and Middle Eastern music inspirations for their theme.
The pair were localized under the names Mara and Nara in the 1992 English release of Dragon Warrior IV, and as Maya and Meena starting with the 2008 English localization of the Nintendo DS remake of Dragon Quest IV.
Maya and Meena appear in the video game Dragon Quest IV, first appearing as the lead characters of the fourth chapter. They are working in the town Laissez Fayre (Monbaraba), a town for entertainers and tourists, with Maya being a dancer and Meena a fortune teller. They work these jobs as a cover to investigate the murder of their father, trying to find the whereabouts of his killer Balzack. Their father had been developing an amazing discovery, the Secret of Evolution, but Balzack killed him and stole the incomplete work from him. They join with another of their father's apprentices, Oojam (Orin), and eventually find and defeat Balzack at the castle of Léon (Keeleon). Afterward, Balzack's master, Marquis de Leon, defeats the group, arresting them. They manage to escape, but the guards catch them; Oojam gives his life to allow the sisters to escape to Endor.
In the fifth chapter, they are found in Endor, stranded due to Maya spending all their money gambling. Meena's fortune-telling recognizes that the Hero is the one with the power to save the world. She and Maya join the party, the first members of the Hero's team to join the battle against Psaro. Later in Chapter 5, they confront Balzack once again, who has used an imperfect version of the Secret of Evolution to transform into a new monstrous form. They successfully manage to avenge their father's death by killing him.
Concept and creation
Maya and Meena were both created by the game's creator, Yuji Horii, and designed by the game's artist, Akira Toriyama.[citation needed] Horii decided to change up the player's expected structure of the fifth chapter by having the characters join the Hero's party in reverse order of the earlier chapters, meaning the sisters were set to be the first to join the Hero.[1] In Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince, Maya appears wearing an outfit that covers up more of her skin, wearing spats and innerwear under her normal outfit. Maya's design was changed to include spats as part of a statue featured in Dragon Quest Treasures.[2] The characters Veronica and Serena from Dragon Quest XI were inspired by Maya and Meena, with the staff wanting to include a "strong female duo" like Maya and Meena.[3]
