*Some Maya/Zatz-related spoilers.*
Another Maya and the Three Relationship Spotlight! Maya’s friendship with the three prophesied warriors is utterly lovely, as I’ve said, and her dynamic with Zatz is really neat too. Even though it becomes clear pretty early on which way things are going to go with that relationship, the journey of watching them get there is terrific.
Maya and Zatz have… well, it’s the opposite of a meet cute. He interrupts her coronation for her fifteenth birthday, crashing the party in a spectacular way. Riding his skeletal steed, Zatz, Prince of Bats, shows up from the realm of the gods in full armor. He announces that 1) Maya is actually the daughter of the goddess of death, 2) the god of war wants to increase his power by sacrificing her, and 3) if anyone tries to prevent that, he’ll lay waste to their kingdoms. Cheery message, right? Happy birthday, Maya!
Needless to say, this positions Maya as decidedly not Team Zatz. The next few times she sees him, she’s ready to trade accusations, blows, and/or blades. She views him as an underling of the gods and is already way over this whole “let’s sacrifice Maya” thing. So it doesn’t really register for her that Zatz never actually tries to capture her and bring her to Lord Mictlan. He refuses to fight her father when he’s injured, noting that it would be without honor, and when Lord Mictlan kills someone close to Maya, Zatz brings her their weapons as a gesture of sympathy.
Because even though, for a while, he’s still ostensibly on the side of the gods (if only to avoid Lord Mictlan’s wrath,) Zatz is already falling hard for Maya. I love that, when he returns to the underworld, he immediately tells his father that Maya is courageous, loyal, and beautiful, in that order. It reminds me of Aladdin, when Aladdin is gushing to Genie about Jasmine and begins by telling him how smart and fun she is—it’s only at Genie’s prompting that he brings up her beauty. If you’re into guys, get you a guy who appreciates all your qualities!
So it’s only a matter of time before Zatz fully demonstrates to Maya that his allegiances are changing. He intervenes when his goddess girlfriend goes after Maya (making it clear they’re through, hehe,) and he ultimately rejects Lord Mictlan and joins Maya’s quest to fight him. Before it’s all said and done, he’s comforting her in a moment of grief, and they’re fighting alongside each other as Lord Mictlan arrives with all the forces of hell behind him.
The enemies-to-lovers thing is a trope, but when done well, it can be really good, and this one is. I love their clash in the middle of the series, where they have the most chemistry-fueled fight this side of Xu Wenwu and Ying Li. They both have such light in their eyes as they cross blades. When they do finally get together, they’re too cute, with Zatz announcing, “I missed you,” as they reunite for the final battle and Maya planting a huge kiss on Zatz, just in case it’ll be their last chance. Throw in their mutual respect for each other, the way they have each other’s backs, and the way both of them are determined to fight for what’s right, and you’ve got a real winning combination.
Also,
Zatz’s repeated use of, “Be well, Princess Maya—I’ll see you soon,” has such “as you wish” vibes. You love to
see it.
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