vashtal saki

A member of the royal family and a commissioned officer (Lt. Colonel) in the Asranian air force, he stands out with his black shades, attributed to an eye injury in the manga, and an X-shaped scar on his forehead. Saki is the son of Abdael, who was the eldest son of the late king of Asran. At that time, Asran was uniquely positioned as the only Middle Eastern country not exporting its oil. Saki's grandfather refused to sell out to Western or Communist interests and suspected Abdael of engaging with either side. Consequently, on his deathbed, he named his younger son, Zak, as the next king. Feeling humiliated, Abdael, along with his other son Rishaal, became the leader of an anti-government rebel force backed by various communist countries. Despite this, Saki remained loyal to Asran due to his late mother's love for the country and serves as Area 88's commanding officer. It is evident that Saki feels shame for betraying his father and believes his late mother would be saddened by his father's actions. The scar on his forehead is self-inflicted, symbolizing this shame. In the Eclipse English language comic, Saki scarred himself early in the war when, as a commander of Asran's regular Air Force, he allowed himself to be tricked by his father—resulting in a successful attack on Saki's base by anti-government forces. Saki appears in all three versions of the story. He is the cousin of Kitori Palvanaff. While not incompetent, Saki is not considered an outstanding leader by the pilots, who follow his orders mainly because it's what they are paid to do—and if they don't, he will either dock their pay or shoot them. Although shown as a capable pilot in the manga and OAV, efficiently flying the Kfir, the TV series restricts Saki to the control tower. (Source: Wikipedia)