Or is he?

The first paragraph is how I've found most Utena fans see Saionji, and with good reason. Saionji is probably the character in Utena who is hardest to decipher, and for a good part of the series he is either used as 1)the embodiment of the archetypical "minor villian" from which Utena has to protect Anthy, or 2)comic relief. Very rarely are we offered a glimpse at the actual character Saionji, and even then we are not given the whole picture. Looking from an objective point of view, Saionji is the character who has the least of rights to even be a duellist.

As a person, Saionji cannot be defined through his own thoughts and actions, but through the thoughts and actions of others. It's impossible to explain who he is simply by watching him outside the context of human interaction. It is only in his dealings with Utena, Anthy, Touga, Akio, Wakaba, and others that we can piece together the puzzle pieces that form the whole picture.

Saionji claims throughout the series that he searches for "something eternal." That is the basis we must keep in mind for any character development on his part. What is "something eternal," and how do his actions further his search for it? Of course, we can't answer that question, since Saionji himself isn't quite sure what he's looking for. All he knows is that he wants it, and he thinks the floating castle of Dios above the duelling arena holds it within.

Other sections of this page will give more insight into Saionji's character, so I won't be redundant by giving all of my opinions and analyses here. I don't believe that Saionji is a "nice" person at heart; in fact, I believe he is misguided, bitter, and very cruel. But that doesn't mean that he doesn't deserve some recognition of his own, if only for being one of the pivotal characters of Shoujo Kakumei Utena.