* Icons * Saionji Kyouichi *
Saionji Kyouichi is the first of the duelists and members of the Student Council we get to meet up close and personal. His character isn't very well developed in the movie, however.
We first meet Saionji on the dueling platform just after Utena meets Anthy. He's the current winner of the duels and the one engaged to the Rose Bride. It is he who begins to tell Utena what the whole business with the Rose Bride is. However, he's not interested in the whole sparkling castle business - he duels for Anthy herself.
Saionji's affections to Anthy are rather rough. He bends down to kiss her but she must stand on tiptoe to return the gesture. When pulling her to his side he grabs her forcefully. He sees Anthy as his prize and tells this much to Utena in their duel. Utena tells him not to hit his girlfriend, but Saionji scoffs and replies that she is the Rose Bride, a trophy, and that he can to do her what he wants.
His personality is one who wants to be in control. When Anthy openly defies him - trying to stop the duel because she thinks Utena doesn't know what she's getting into and pushing Utena out of the way of his final blow, he gets angry. When Utena defeats him, his expression is a mixture of shock and horror. How could a girl beat him?
And then... Saionji disappears. He doesn't show up again until the very end, when the student council rescues the Utena car from the tunnel. He and the other two help fix the Utena car as best as they can. His parting words to Anthy are, "When we meet again, I'll win you back for sure."
He and the other student council members return to the world of Ohtori Academy and that's the last that's seen of them. But it is hinted that they, too, will make their escape to the outside world... what will happen? It's certainly fodder for any fanfic writer out there.
