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— Maya's intro quote |
Maya Fallegeros is a female playable character who was introduced in the 1996 arcade game Killer Instinct 2. An Amazonian queen who hails from South America's rainforest, in Killer Instinct (2013) she's the last surviving member of a group of monster hunters known as the Night Guard. Maya became the first of the original Killer Instinct 2 cast to be reintroduced to the series after twenty years. She was made available on October 15th 2015, marking her second debut as a playable fighter during the Season Two of KI 2013. In Season Three, Maya was also given a fraternal twin sister through the new character Mira.
Biography[]
Appearance[]
In Killer Instinct 2, Maya is a South American Amazon with wavy blond hair, who is wearing leopard-skin gloves, greaves, skirt and a bra, and has several leather strings with pouches strapped to her thighs. She wears a bejeweled silver circlet on her forehead, and is wielding two wide-bladed steel daggers.
"Tall and strong-looking, with a pretty oval face and long braids." - Maya's overhauled looks in KI (2013)
Maya received a significant overhaul for Killer Instinct (2013). She is much taller and stronger-looking than before, her skin appears slightly darker, and her blond hair has grown a lot longer; now worn in tightly woven gold braids down her back. She no longer wears leopard-skin cloth, but instead dons an Incan-styled light armor that consists of a chest piece, shoulder guards, gauntlets, greaves and boots. Maya also has a large twisting burn mark running up her left leg, inflicted by Cinder. She wields a unique set of daggers in KI 2013, the twin blades known as Temperance and Vengeance; ancient relics which represent light and shadow.
Maya's default "retro" costume mirrors her original outfit from Killer Instinct 2 but with some differences: the leather strings around her thighs are replaced by gold snake-themed ornaments (very similar to her concept art from the 1990s), ornaments which she also wears on her shins, forearms, and chest, and she now features a bronze belt and golden circlet that each have a large emerald etched into them. Her hair is cut much shorter but retains the braids of her default appearance, and she wears a set of golden snake-themed earrings. She still keeps Temperance and Vengeance from her default KI (2013) costume.
Personality[]
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— Maya's story mode description |
Maya is a formidable young Amazon who stalks her enemies like a jungle huntress. She never hesitates to act in the face of danger, can be stouthearted to the point of recklessness, and is known for referring to foes as her "prey". Because of the forbidden weapons that Maya was forced to take up in self-defense, the ancient blades known as Temperance and Vengeance, a grand struggle between light and darkness has begun inside her conscience.
Vengeance provokes Maya's most ruthless side, urging her to slaughter any standing in her way, while Temperance appeals to her forbearance; buffering the dark temptation Vengeance elicits and preventing Maya from losing herself in her passions. Wielding only one of the mystic daggers can have adverse effects on her psyche, especially when she only holds Vengeance, and so Maya tries to have both on hand at all times; to even out the cosmic opposites the two blades represent.
Because Temperance and Vengeance exert their influence in a perfect equilibrium, it is their wielder's own penchant for good or evil that determines which dagger gains the upper hand. The twin artifacts are therefore infamous for always revealing the true character of those who use their great powers.
Abilities & Powers[]
The body of an athletic champion
Maya has the body of a champion athlete and she boasts the agility of an acrobat to match. Moving deftly across the battlefield with Temperance and Vengeance at the ready, her dexterity allows her to evade opponents with ease, only to close in without warning and rip them to shreds in a whirlwind of steel when an opening presents itself.
In KI 2013, Maya can hurl Temperance and Vengeance as magical projectiles, causing the daggers to accumulate mystical powers which enable them to break through any foe's defenses. She may also link the twin blades by their hilts, turning them into a powerful double-bladed weapon called "Enmity". Temperance and Vengeance have telepathically connected Maya to Kan-Ra, the sorcerer who brought the daggers with him from Egypt, allowing the two enemies to track each other by experiencing visions about one another.
As the daughter to one of the Night Guard's most esteemed hunters, Maya has been well-trained from her early youth in a variety of Brazilian martial arts and old Incan combat tactics, which is most noticeable in her acrobatic spryness, the power of her legwork, and her predator-styled assault techniques.
Killer Instinct 2[]
Maya's original appearance in Killer Instinct 2 (1996)
Maya's "retro" looks for Killer Instinct (2013)
Story[]
Made queen of the land of Amazonia after her part in banishing the dark lord Gargos. Cast out by her tribe as Gargos returns, Maya must vanquish him to regain her throne.
Extended Story[]
The return of the tyrannical Gargos to the ancient world is welcomed by few. Among his foremost adversaries are the Amazons of the great jungle, whose recently-crowned Queen, Maya, earned great respect for her part in the original banishment of the demonic warlords. Now that one of them has returned to lay his curse on the world, Maya's tribes folk cast her from the realm. Until the threat is permanently dealt with, she is forbidden to return.
Endings[]
Kill Tusk[]
Maya saves her home land from Gargos. Life in the rain forest can proceed as normal. Triumphant, Maya returns home on her own to the jungle realm of Amazonia. The enchantments of the queen keep the tribe well defended, and although lonely, she rules well.
Don't Kill Tusk[]
Maya saves her home land from Gargos. Life in the rain forest can proceed as normal. The threat has been destroyed, and Maya has earned a new admirer she quite takes a fancy to... The two are soon married, and with the protection of Maya's goddess, their reign is a long and peaceful one.
Stage[]
- Main article: Jungle
Killer Instinct (2013)[]
Maya was the 2nd character to be released for the Season Two of Killer Instinct (2013), and became the first of the original Killer Instinct 2 cast to be reintroduced to the franchise after twenty years.
Story[]
Maya's default new appearance in Killer Instinct (2013)
A headstrong warrior with a will of steel, in battle Maya can always be found on the front lines charging in with her daggers, Temperance and Vengeance. When Ultratech raids the hidden temple of the Night Guard and begins to loot the dangerous artifacts that were sealed within, Maya takes up the golden daggers known as Temperance and Vengeance, the ancient blades of the mad sorcerer Kan-Ra, and sets out to destroy the horrors Ultratech again unleashed unto the world.
Extended Story[]
Temperance & Vengeance:
- Main article: Temperance and Vengeance
Shadow Lords[]
Guard Duty
(1/2) - before fighting Mira
It is Maya's sworn duty to protect the world from the many horrors lurking beneath its shadows. The Night Guard have been busy of late, aiding the Alliance and hunting horrors that attempt to capitalize on the distraction the war has caused. For several months, rumors have surfaced of a new horror plaguing villages across the globe. Locals have been known to call her the "blood-witch". (Mira appears before Maya, and the sisters bitterly confront each other.)
(2/2) - after fighting Mira
Maya's remade City of Dawn background stage (KI 2013)
Evil has been abolished in this corner of the Earth, and Maya can return to the Citadel knowing she has done her part. The "blood-witch" Mira has been slain. Though Maya's heart weighs heavy, she knows she has put an end to a great evil.
Stage[]
- Main article: City of Dawn
The City of Dawn is a high resolution remake of Maya's original Killer Instinct 2 background stage, called "Jungle". When an Ultra Combo is performed in City of Dawn, lightning bolts begin to strike the dam visible in the background. The gargantuan structure becomes heavily damaged and the water it holds breaks through at several places, causing the central basin to begin flooding rapidly.
Gallery[]
.png "KI2 Maya Ending 1-B (1).png (163 KB)")
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Quotes[]
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— Maya activates her Instinct Mode |
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— Maya's Season Two taunt |
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— Maya's Season Two taunt |
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— Maya's Season Three taunt |
"Jealousy is unbecoming, sister."
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— Maya bickering with her fraternal twin Mira (Shadow Lords dialogue) |
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— Maya makes a stand against her vampire sibling (Shadow Lords) |
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— After putting her vampiric sister down with Temperance & Vengeance (Shadow Lords dialogue) |
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— Maya hunting after Spinal during the events of Shadow Lords |
Trivia[]
- During Maya's first reveal for Killer Instinct (2013), Iron Galaxy described her as "Incan inspired" and of "Latin origin", and characterized her as a "warrior, hunter, badass" and a "monster hunter extraordinaire".
- The Killer Instinct Novella mentions that Maya's native language is Portuguese, verifying she and her fraternal twin Mira have a Pardo Brazilian ethnicity. Mira's backstory also reveals both sisters have the motto of the Fallegeros family, "Sangue do Meu Sangue" (Portuguese for "Blood of My Blood"), tattooed "somewhere" on their bodies.
- Though Maya takes after the Fallegeros' African ancestry more than Mira, she's the only one of the sisters with the natural blond hair and blue eyes of the family's European lineage. Another ironic twist is that Mira was given the same measurements in KI (2013) which Maya had in Killer Instinct 2.
- In KI2's original story, Maya is one of the heroes who banished Gargos and Eyedol from the world. This led to her being crowned queen of the Amazons (who in KI's lore apparently live in the Amazon rainforest), and who quite eagerly chooses Tusk as her consort if no Ultra Combo is performed on him.
- This ending causes Tusk to become the only male royal in Amazonia's history, as it mentions he and Maya embark on a long reign over the nation with her goddess' blessing.
The moment of truth...
...uncovers a light of righteousness
- Maya's victory cinematic in KI 2013 shows her on the verge of slaying her foe in cold blood, but she restrains herself. This is a reference to her story, which states Temperance and Vengeance wage war for her conscience; with Vengeance inciting Maya to murder and Temperance urging mercy. Maya's ability to resist Vengeance's dark temptations reveals Temperance has the greater sway over her.
- That is illustrated by the closing screenshot of Maya's victory cinematic, which shows Temperance's light shining brilliantly, and Vengeance's shadows quietly receding. This moment of truth leads the daggers to unveil that Maya has a righteous and noble soul.
- Temperance and Vengeance, the twin golden blades dating to the age of ancient Egypt's religion, are "Weighing the Heart" of whoever holds them; thereby exposing their wielder's true nature to the world. This implies the two artifacts are linked to the deity Ma'at.
- Maya's music theme for Killer Instinct (2013), also titled "Temperance & Vengeance" after the eponymous daggers, is a vocalized remix of her original Killer Instinct 2 background stage music called "Jungle". It was composed by Mick Gordon and features the vocals of Ali Edwards.
- On April 9th 2017, former KI designer Kevin Bayliss posted his 1995 concept art of Maya on his Twitter/X account. It showed a design largely identical to Maya's appearance in KI2, except that her attire was made of snakeskin rather than a leopard's pelt. She also wielded a snake-themed staff or scepter instead of two steel daggers, and her early concept names were "Amber" and "Cobra."
- Interestingly, Maya's retro costumes in KI (2013) all feature snake-themed ornaments on her thighs, shins, forearms and chest, in what seems to be a tribute or throwback by Iron Galaxy to Bayliss' original artwork.
- In KI 2013, Maya can sometimes be heard shouting "Cobra!" when she performs a special command move with the Vengeance dagger.
- Maya's name pronunciation was anglicized in KI2 as MAY-ya. This was changed in Killer Instinct (2013), where her name instead is pronounced as MAH-ya. However, if the player chooses Chris Sutherland as the "classic" announcer for KI 2013, he will again pronounce her name as MAY-ya.
External Links[]
- Maya's character page at the official Killer Instinct Website
- Maya's gameplay profile at Infil's The Complete Killer Instinct Guide
Media[]
- Maya's trailer - Maya's official reveal for Killer Instinct (2013)
- Maya's Ultimate - First reveal of Maya's new Ultimate Combo for KI 2013
- Pink Diamond (Maya) vs. BH Thompxson (Jago) - Video compilation of pro gamer matchups with Maya (KI 2013)
- Killer Instinct 2 Arcade Playthrough With Maya - Playthrough of the original Killer Instinct 2 arcade game
| Killer Instinct 2/Gold Characters | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Playable | Jago ·Black Orchid ·TJ Combo ·Glacius ·Sabrewulf ·Spinal ·Fulgore ·Maya ·Kim Wu ·Tusk | |||
| Boss | Gargos | |||
| Killer Instinct (2013) Characters | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | Jago ·Sabrewulf ·Glacius ·Thunder ·Sadira ·Orchid ·Spinal ·Fulgore ·Shadow Jago | |||
| Season 2 | TJ Combo ·Maya ·Kan-Ra ·Riptor ·Omen ·Aganos ·Hisako ·Cinder ·ARIA | |||
| Season 3 | Kim Wu ·Tusk ·Arbiter ·Rash ·Mira ·Gargos ·General RAAM ·Eyedol | |||
| Season 3+ | Kilgore ·Shin Hisako ·Eagle | |||
