Sagara

Sagara (サーガラ) is a secondary antagonist in Saiyuki: Journey West. She is the only member of the Devil Eight who trusts Deva and questions Asura's intentions for the world.

In Hinduism and Buddhism, Sagara is one of the eight reptilian guardians of Buddha in the Lotus Sutra. As the only female of the group, Sagara is a master of the oceans and is sometimes referred to as the "Virtuous Queen". While Hinduism states these eight beings are nagas, Chinese and Japanese interpretations refer to them as dragon lords. The English name for her game counterpart stays truer to her race and names her after the feminine term for the serpent beings.

Role in Game
Before she became a devil, Nagini was a chief leader for the entire dragon race. Wanting to fight for the independence of all dragons from humanity, she joined Asura's rebellion 1,000 years before the start of the story. She had no intentions of fighting again until her master threatened to destroy the entire dragon clan if she protested.

For the sake of protecting her origins, Nagini feels under constant pressure to follow Asura's orders. At first, she doesn't understand why Deva stalls in retrieving the divine staff and Guardians. He doesn't explain himself, causing her to lose her patience and attack Sanzo at Dragon Cliff. Discovering Ryorin next to the monk, she orders the girl to retrieve the staff for her. She lashes out when Ryorin refuses her, giving a chilling warning of the consequences if Nagini fails her mission.

Recovering from her injuries, she visits Deva again and realizes they share a common goal for their actions. Her displeasure for him cools and from him she learns Asura's real plans for the world. At his request, she tries to devise a plan to steal the staff from Sanzo without killing the pilgrim. Nagini decides to morph into Lady Kannon's image within Thunder Temple and requests only the monk join her in Heaven. Goku sees through her ruse and she retreats when an amused Asura calls her back.

When Sanzo heads toward Heaven, Nagini awaits them at Heavens Door. By now, her animosity for gaining the staff has faded and she is willing to divulge what she knows. However, she desires to test the party's strength and prove themselves worthy of learning the Devil Eight's past. Impressed, she keeps true to her word until her injuries get the best of her. She is mentioned to be sleeping with the rest of the Devils by Lady Kannon at the end of the game.

Personality
A proud woman of her race in spite of her current Devil status, Nagini believes she can be the true savior for them. Nagini is among the noblest dragons in existence, so she doesn't take criticisms or disobedience lightly. Petulant towards those who don't follow her curt pace, people will have to clash with her to even gain her respect. Although she has a tough front, she is at times a benign individual who understands sympathy and seeks to repair whatever misconceptions within her power.

Nagini tries to be caring for Mahoraga, even if he wants nothing to do with her. She likely remains unaware of his reasons for despising her.

Fighting Style
Her first encounter forces the main six party members onto the field, placing Sanzo and Ryorin on the upper right hand corner of the map while the other four remain in the lower left. Goku may use his Cloud ability to help out Sanzo and Ryorin while the remaining three members will have to climb their way toward the cliff.

Nagini at this time prefers to target the dragon girl, since her element will be stronger of the two. She mainly utilizes fire spells and rarely attacks with her weapon. The player can choose to either withdraw the two stranded members to reunite with the rest of the party or merely keep Nagini pinned in the corner with Ryorin. In actuality, the sorcerer who heals the dragon lord is the main threat on the map; the dragon lord will not be too hard to beat with Sanzo's healing support.

The fight with Nagini at Heavens Door has a simple layout and her attacks are significantly mightier. Like Ryorin, she can fly over whatever formations the ally party will try to surround her with and will attack with heavy hitting group attacks. Each of her attacks will take away approximately one quarter of any target's health and her range of attack is significantly wider. However, she remains surprisingly frail in spite of her true form and will likely fall due to the party's stronger equipment at this part of the game.