Sasha Loggins
Sasha Loggins (サーシャ・ロギンズ, Sāsha Roginzu) is a primary ally featured in the light novel El Aleph.
She is the granddaughter of Loggins and is a skilled Ripple user. She joins the Speedwagon Foundation as a special investigator along with Gustave Shaulo Messina, working under Lisa Lisa. Sasha also gains the Stand El Obsceno Pájaro de la Noche, a flock of birds that she uses for scouting and fighting.
Appearance
Sasha Loggins is a young Sephardic Jewish woman with a slim build. She is pale with well-arranged facial features and a slender neck. Joaquín Ruiz-Jorruda thinks that her features set her apart from the average woman, believing that she looks as if she was from a black and white drawing. Her bangs are strangely uneven, with the right side being cropped.[1]
Sasha wears a baseball cap with the Speedwagon Foundation logo and an arm warmer on her right arm that goes up to her elbow, leaving her fingers exposed.[1] A wide Ripple-conducting missanga with a total length of around 10 to 20 meters is wrapped around her glove.[3]
While investigating Alhorn's abandoned mansion at Salvador, Bahia, Sasha wears an old jacket, overalls, a backpack, and her baseball cap.[4]
Personality
Sasha Loggins is a compassionate woman possessing a strong sense of duty and loyalty. She is committed to her missions and immediately thinks of informing Lisa Lisa about the situation upon being freed from Alhorn's prison. Whether it's deflecting incoming threats, chasing after endangered prisoners, or shielding a young captive with her own body, Sasha consistently places the safety of others above her own. For example, she pleads for Dos Santos to release the young captive, offering herself in his stead.[3] She unhesitatingly pulls down her shirt without embarrassment to show Joaquín the wound from the Arrow on her chest, showcasing her pragmatic and dedicated nature as she prioritizes conveying vital information over personal modesty.[1] Beneath her strong exterior lies a vulnerable core, as her partner's death weighs heavily on her, and she is haunted by her perceived inability to protect him.[5] Sasha is persistent in achieving her goals, attempting to capture Alhorn for 12 years.[4]
She is a keen observer and quick thinker, able to quickly deduce situations and adapt to them. She immediately understands Joaquín's situation upon seeing the Speedwagon Foundation logo on his uniform and understands his pantomimes.[1] She also understands how La Casa Verde's ability works after losing to it once.[3]
Sasha does not tolerate recklessness or disrespect. When confronted with Octavio's casual attitude and lack of urgency, she responds with a stern demeanor, emphasizing her professional status as a special agent. Her patience is further tested when Octavio's impulsive actions jeopardize their mission by endangering innocent hostages, leading Sasha to unleash a torrent of insults, showcasing her fiery temper and no-nonsense attitude.[3]
Despite only seeing her grandfather in his mourning portrait, Sasha visualizes his face while in distress, suggesting that she is deeply rooted in her heritage and family history.[5] Sasha is also proud to be Lisa Lisa's bodyguard and is quick to assert her self-acquired skills. She initially denies gaining power through the Arrow and highlights her rigorous training and the Ripple techniques she honed through overcoming her fears and sheer willpower.[3]
Abilities
Sasha Loggins is an adept tactician and very durable in battle. For over a decade, she is at the forefront of dangerous encounters against Stand users, accumulating fighting experience in using the Ripple and her Stand. She is able to take on an army of Stand users, protecting her allies while also maintaining the offensive.[6]
Ripple
Sasha is a skilled Ripple warrior, inheriting the ability from her grandfather and trained in mastering it by Lisa Lisa. She is agile with a polished and controlled breathing technique. Her joints are flexible and she can easily repel counterattacks. After seeing her acrobatic techniques, Joaquín imagines that her movements are similar to how Lisa Lisa must have been like when she was younger.[3]
Techniques
Stand
- Main article: El Obsceno Pájaro de la Noche
During her rematch against Dos Santos, Sasha awakens to her new ability. Her power hatches various breeds of birds from her baseball cap. They initially start as chicks, but rapidly grow. Soon, she can summon a large flock of adult birds. The birds can travel 1–2 km away from Sasha's body, so she relies on them for scouting.[4] When battling with them, she fights like a falconer. She commands her birds to fly up high and then plummet down, raining down on her enemies, invoking fear in anyone who can't fly.[6]
History
Background
Sasha Loggins was trained by Lisa Lisa to become a successor of the Ripple. The two have a very close relationship and she is the most trusted guard in the Speedwagon Foundation.[1] She did not know her grandfather aside from seeing him in a photo.[3] Along with her partner, Gustave Shaulo Messina, Lisa Lisa assigns them a mission to find Fernando Alhorn.[2] After infiltrating Alhorn's fortress, she and Messina are caught by Dos Santos and fail to defeat his Stand. They are then imprisoned and shot with the Bow and Arrow. The Arrow pierces through Sasha's chest, but she manages to survive and gains the ability to see Stands, whereas Gustave passes away.[1]
El Aleph
Peru Arc
Prison Escape
Joaquín manages to infiltrate the south building of Alhorn's citadel where Sasha and around 14 other prisoners are held hostage. Sasha quickly recognizes the Speedwagon Foundation logo on his uniform. Joaquín explains that he can't talk so the two communicate using a pen and paper, preventing anyone from eavesdropping. Sasha explains who she is and her history with Lisa Lisa. She lifts down her shirt to show Joaquín the scar the Arrow made on her chest. Sasha further explains that she has seen about ten different evil spirits with various forms and speculates that Alhorn is building an army of wielders. Determined to inform Lisa Lisa about the situation, Sasha expresses her intent to escape with Joaquín's help. She confidently declares that she would serve as Joaquín's "radar" using her ability to see the evil spirits. Before they leave, Sasha says a silent prayer to Gustave, promising that she'll be right back for him.[1]
Using her braided cord, Sasha's Ripple Overdrive incapacitates all of the guards in their way. Sasha urges the prisoners who who could walk to follow her, promising to return for the others. As they stealthily navigate the building, avoiding guards and checkpoints, Octavio interrupts their progress. He asks who Sasha is, who introduces herself as a special agent. Octavio then reveals that he had intentionally started a fire in the building as a distraction, believing it would force Alhorn to evacuate with the Arrow. Since the building is full of flammable materials, it would soon explode. The group rushes to evacuate the immobile prisoners. Sasha, infuriated by Octavio's reckless plan, berates him with a flurry of insults for not thinking about the hostages. Despite the chaos, they manage to reach the bottom floor, only to be confronted by more guards at the bridge's entrance.[3]
Battle Against Dos Santos
As soldiers approach, Sasha quickly assesses that they don't possess any evil spirits. She precisely strikes the guards down using her whip and Overdrives. However, their only exit is blocked by a wall of soldiers and Dos Santos. Dos Santos demands to see the power Sasha had gained from the Arrow, but she denies having any such ability. He summons his own ability, La Casa Verde, causing the surroundings to change dramatically. Trees burst through the floor, their roots intertwining and transforming the bridge into a dense forest.
As they try to retreat, aerial roots attack them like predatory snakes. Sasha and Octavio find themselves battling not just horizontally but also vertically, as the roots and trees expand in all directions. Dos Santos taunts Sasha, reminding her of her previous failure against him. Sasha tries to protect a young boy, but both of them are ensnared by the roots. Sasha loses hope and feels remorseful for not being able to protect the young boy like she couldn't protect her partner in the previous battle. She recalls the mourning photo of her grandfather, and then suddenly a mysterious chirping sound emanates from within her hat. To everyone's surprise, baby birds appear to hatch from it. Dos Santos, intrigued, momentarily halts his attack, wondering if these birds are Sasha's new power.[3]
Lisa Lisa, J.D. Hernández and other Speedwagon Foundation agents arrive at the citadel by following signals left behind by Joaquín. Sasha spots Lisa Lisa below and shouts to inform her about her new bird powers. The birds are featherless and clumsy, but they are determined to fly. Meanwhile, Octavio manages to grab Dos Santos's head and put him into a chokehold. Lisa Lisa communicates with Sasha through Hernández shouting for her, urging Sasha to use the Ripple to intervene. However, Sasha is unsure if she could reach the height where Octavio and Dos Santos are locked in their deadly embrace. Sasha then notices a bird tugging at the braided cord wrapped around her arm. Two fledgling birds, which had grown rapidly, take the braid's ends and fly in opposite directions. One end is directed towards Lisa Lisa, and the other towards Octavio. Lisa Lisa, understanding the significance, takes hold of the braid. One toucan-like bird struggles to deliver its end to Octavio, its wings weakening midway. Joaquín helps it complete its mission by hanging beneath the roots, adding weight to them so they would sag, allowing the bird to reach Octavio. Lisa Lisa, using her binoculars, confirms the connection and channels her Ripple through the braid. Sasha also transfers as much Ripple energy as she could. The Ripple surges through Octavio harmlessly and transfers into Dos Santos, incapacitating him and ceasing the aggressive growth of the forest.
Sasha and Lisa Lisa don't have a joyful reunion, as she immediately explains what happened to her. As Joaquín and Octavio head down to Lisa Lisa, Alhorn suddenly shoots them from afar using the Arrow, promising to meet them again in the future. Lisa Lisa, Hernández, and Sasha rush towards them, bringing them back to the Foundation's infirmary as they pass out.[5]
While Joaquín is recovering, Sasha visits him in the infirmary. She tries comforting him by reassuring him that she does not see any evil spirit near him like Dos Santos had. However, Joaquín's ability was already manifesting, making Sasha and anyone else who came to visit Joaquín feel fatigued.[7]
Final Arc
The Search for Alhorn
In the late 1970s, Sasha and Hernández encounter Alhorn a second time by following him to a casino in São Paulo. However, they fail to capture him. One of his companions uses their Stand to cause many casualties while Alhorn flees the scene. Alhorn also manages to escape from their third encounter, which follows a similar pattern. Aside from Alhorn, Sasha and Hernández search extensively for Octavio and Joaquín's whereabouts, but they remain untraceable as well.[8]
In 1986, Sasha travels alone to a decaying mansion in the lower town of Salvador, Bahia in Brazil, which is known to be Alhorn's last base before he disappeared in the early 1980s. Sasha thinks she might look like a homeless person or a laborer with how she's dressed. Sasha calls back her flock of birds, and many of them land on her shoulders, taking turns chirping. Sasha tells her birds to be quiet, promising them a special worm pasta treat if they can find a clue inside. The mansion's interior is even more deteriorated than outside. Amidst the rubble, Sasha uses her Ripple ability to create a simple detection device with her flask of mint tea, searching for any signs of life. However, she doesn't detect anyone. As she heads down a corridor, she finds several frescoes on the wall for over 15 meters, each depicting gruesome punishments like beheading, crucifixions, whipping, and impalement. One painting depicts saints kneeling and praying to the dark night sky. It has inscriptions from the opening lines of Genesis, Chapter 1 of the Bible, where it is stated that God called the light "day" and the darkness "night". Notably, "No apia luz!" is written above the text in reddish-black paint or blood. Sasha wonders why someone would go out of their way to write that, denying the premise of the Bible.
As Sasha looks around the mansion again, she notes that the damage does not look like simple neglect, but rather, it seems as if animals had rampaged inside. There are smashed walls, furniture, and chandeliers, so Sasha believes a fight took place. There are also no bullet holes, but it looks to Sasha as if a tornado had ripped through the house, so she wonders whether Alhorn used his mysterious ability. Sasha continues the search until a bird comes back to her, looking eager for praise. The bird leads her to a library, where she finds blood under a bookshelf. After trying everything she could think of to move the shelf, she takes out a book from a box, and that leads to the bookshelf moving away to reveal a door to the basement. In the basement, Sasha starts feeling uncomfortable, choking from the foul air and unpleasant miasma. None of the lights are working, and there is even more destruction there compared to the upper floor, as if something rampaged through it. The place also seems to be some sort of factory, but it is unclear what Alhorn was creating. A bird gives Sasha a fragment of a human's finger bone. She then finds multiple skeletons in different poses, most likely to be the factory workers. In particular, one skeleton has its neck bone severed and its skull is nowhere to be found in the mansion.[4]
Invading the Amazon
Sasha travels with Lisa Lisa, Hernández, and the Rueda Squad to the eternally night Amazon rainforest where the Selva Cartel is operating, believing the boss to be Alhorn. They had to manage their health and sleep carefully upon entering the jungle, with Lisa Lisa and Sasha maintaining proper breathing using the Ripple. Sasha calls back her birds from scouting and Lisa Lisa is glad that she can see the cute birds now. Sasha reports that the cartel's bodyguards have already sensed their intrusion, but the group follows the bird anyways toward the commune, hoping that they could enter without bloodshed.
After about an hour, the cartel's guards confront them, asking if they're lost tourists and mocking them. One of them asks Sasha to stay with them, seeing that she's a woman. Lisa Lisa attempts to defuse the situation and requests to meet with their boss, claiming that they're acquainted with him. Nonetheless, the guards have direct orders not to communicate with any intruder and to eliminate them instead. The cartel's army begin attacking with their Stands, while Sasha holds them off with her birds. Several Rueda Squad members are killed or incapacitated, but Sasha doesn't lose hope and starts her counterattack. She scatters her flock high into the air and then has them rain down on her foes. Her swarm of birds protects her allies while also pecking or clawing at vulnerable spots of her opponents. She then combines her flock into a giant monstrous bird, demanding to see their boss.
The cartel's guards refuse to give up and strike down many of Sasha's birds, severely injuring Sasha as well. Seeing their hopeless situation, Lisa Lisa is about to summon her Stand. However, Sasha stops her, believing that it isn't time for that yet as she should conserve her energy until they reach the boss. Suddenly, Joaquín appears and stops both sides from fighting. Sasha questions him about his alignment with Alhorn's gang, but he remains silent, only offering a subtle, empathetic smile. He demonstrates his power by releasing a black wave that spreads across the jungle floor, passing harmlessly through Sasha and her group but leaving a chilling effect. Thus, Lisa Lisa realizes that the unending night is Joaquín's power.[6]
Joaquín leads Lisa Lisa, Sasha, and Hernández into the commune, with their wrists and mouths bound and under heavy guard. Sasha wonders if they're being taken as human sacrifices. Although she could still summon her birds to free their restraints, she wouldn't be able to gain an advantage anyways. They are led to a chamber in the innermost room of a temple, where they meet the boss of the cartel. The boss is actually Octavio, not Alhorn like they expected. Reclining nonchalantly, he dismisses their concerns about his inhumane acts and the cartel's activities, claiming it's necessary to make a living since he has to provide for his community living in the jungle. Octavio asks what they came for, which angers Sasha. He flaunts his prosthetic leg, asking if they came to apologize or give him compensation for chopping off his leg without permission. He also confirms that he was the one who gathered all the ability users together for his army using the Arrow. He shows them Alhorn's head in a birdcage, explaining that he already dealt with the gang leader years ago. He let them in to see him out of gratitude for Hernández and Lisa Lisa, but he demands that they leave and not meddle with his business. Octavio speaks to Alhorn's head, showing that he's still somehow alive, and asks Alhorn to narrate what happened on the night where they got their revenge on him.[9]
The group stays quiet for a while after hearing Alhorn's chilling tale. Sasha breaks the silence by accusing Octavio of usurping Alhorn's position and becoming his successor by creating an army of ability users. Octavio demands Joaquín to unleash El Aleph on them since they refuse to leave without his Arrow. Joaquín is reluctant at first, but succumbs to his will. His ability creates hordes of nightmarish creatures from the darkness, devouring friend and foe alike. Sasha bumps into a giant crustacean-like creature, which makes her hand develop a rash. The rash swells into worm-like bulges, spreading to her arms and neck, resembling the marks of a branding iron or whip. Not only does she feel pain in the affected areas, but her fingertips become paralyzed. A coffee jelly-like bell-shaped creature resembling an umbrella then stings Sasha with its tentacle and sucks her blood. Before she could lose consciousness, Hernández jumps onto the creature and attempts to set it on fire with his torch. However, the creature doesn't stop feeding on Sasha, and even blades and bullets are useless. Sasha attempts to use the Ripple on the creature, which forces the creature to let go of her. Thus, she realizes that these creatures are weak to the Ripple. Sasha and Hernández escape from the swarm of creatures by being airlifted out by Sasha's birds.
Flying on the birds, Sasha and Hernández arrive to the rooftop of the temple which has transformed into an airborne arena due to creatures piling up underneath it. They see Lisa Lisa fighting Octavio and Joaquín, so Sasha informs her that the Ripple works on the creatures. Lisa Lisa defeats most of the creatures on the rooftop with The House of Earth. At the end of the battle, she sends Octavio and Joaquín flying off the arena with a barrage of punches from The House of Earth. They end up falling into the swarm of nightmarish creatures, where it is unknown whether the creatures would devour their own creators. Before Lisa Lisa collapses from exhaustion, she implores Sasha and Hernández to rescue Octavio and Joaquín. The eternal night in the jungle fades and it finally becomes morning.[10]
It is unknown whether Sasha and Hernández successfully rescued Octavio and Joaquín, as their fates in the Speedwagon Foundation records are officially unrecorded. However, they acquire Octavio's Arrow and securely place it in a storage area known only to a few.[11]
Chapters
Novel Appearances- El Aleph Chapter 5: V - Peru Arc (Mentioned only)
- El Aleph Chapter 7: VII - Peru Arc (Mentioned only)
- El Aleph Chapter 8: VIII - Peru Arc (1st full appearance)
- El Aleph Chapter 9: IX - Peru Arc
- El Aleph Chapter 10: X - Peru Arc
- El Aleph Chapter 11: XI - Peru Arc
- El Aleph Chapter 13: XIII - Final Arc
- El Aleph Chapter 14: XIV - Final Arc (Mentioned only)
- El Aleph Chapter 15: XV - Final Arc
- El Aleph Chapter 17: XVII - Final Arc
- El Aleph Chapter 19: XIX - Final Arc
- El Aleph Final Chapter: Epilogo (Mentioned only)
Quotes
Quotes- “I need to tell Lisa Lisa about everything I've seen here.”—Sasha Loggins, El Aleph Chapter 8: VIII - Peru Arc
- “If you can walk, come with me. Make an orderly line and follow me. I'll come back for everyone else soon – hang on just a little longer.”—Sasha Loggins, El Aleph Chapter 9: IX - Peru Arc
- “You boludo! You calabaza! Why the hell am I stuck escaping with a worthless idiot who hasn't even got the wisdom or sense of an earthworm?! Did you ever stop to think for a second that there were people here besides Alhorn's little gang? Now there's going to be a fire spreading while we're trying to make our escape! What was Hernández thinking, sending a tontopolla like you here? It's 10,000 years too early for you!”
- “I have to focus to get over this wall. I have to focus on not dying. I can't stop for a moment. I have to just focus on what's in front of me and keep charging forward. Lead the captives, push the gurneys, and head straight for the exit.”—Sasha Loggins, El Aleph Chapter 9: IX - Peru Arc
- “I learned the power I wield on my own, through intense training. I overcame my fears and honed it with my own willpower. That's the only power I have. I don't have any others.”—Sasha Loggins, El Aleph Chapter 9: IX - Peru Arc
- “Can't you just take me?! Let go of the kid! Not him!”—Sasha Loggins, El Aleph Chapter 9: IX - Peru Arc
- “I couldn't protect you, Messina. We were supposed to be together forever, but then that man... that Maravilla was too much for us, even as a team. Does the Ripple have no way to win against such an unknown power? Is that boy's life going to fall into the clutches of this bosque?”—Sasha Loggins, El Aleph Chapter 9: IX - Peru Arc
- “I can't tell you for sure, but there's a flock of birds I can see! They can't fly very well yet, but they're trying to learn with all their might!”—Sasha Loggins, El Aleph Chapter 10: X - Peru Arc
- “Come on... come here...”—Sasha Loggins calling back her birds, El Aleph Chapter 13: XIII - Final Arc
- “Come on, shush! We're about to investigate a secret hideout. Each one of you, be a cool spy and sneak in quietly. The one who finds a clue gets a special treat of worm pasta, so no noise, okay?”—Sasha Loggins to her Stand, El Aleph Chapter 13: XIII - Final Arc
- “Damn it, am I really going to become food for this coffee jelly monster...?”—Sasha Loggins, El Aleph Chapter 19: XIX - Final Arc
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 El Aleph Chapter 8: VIII - Peru Arc
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 El Aleph Chapter 5: V - Peru Arc
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 El Aleph Chapter 9: IX - Peru Arc
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 El Aleph Chapter 13: XIII - Final Arc
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 El Aleph Chapter 10: X - Peru Arc
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 El Aleph Chapter 15: XV - Final Arc
- ↑ El Aleph Chapter 11: XI - Peru Arc
- ↑ El Aleph Chapter 14: XIV - Final Arc
- ↑ El Aleph Chapter 17: XVII - Final Arc
- ↑ El Aleph Chapter 19: XIX - Final Arc
- ↑ El Aleph Final Chapter: Epilogo
