Maya Natsume is a main protagonist in Tenjho Tenge. She is a seventeen-year-old third-year student at Toudou Academy and the captain of the Juken Club, also known as the Jyuukenbu or Soft-Sword Club. She is the younger sister of the late Shin Natsume and the elder sister of Aya Natsume. Despite her true age, Maya often uses a unique body manipulation technique to shrink herself into the appearance of an eight-year-old child, a form she uses to conserve her ki energy. In her adult form, she is tall, with long silver hair and blue eyes.

Maya is a highly skilled martial artist and swordswoman, trained in the Natsume Goushin Ryu fighting style, of which she is the current head, holding the titles of shihandai and kaiden. Unlike her siblings, she does not possess the hereditary Dragon Eye. Because of this, her father entrusted her with the cursed sword Reiki. She does possess the rare Amaterasu Dragon Gate, an ability that appears once every four hundred years, which allows her to nullify the ki of others. Her ki flows in a counterclockwise direction, granting her control over opponents whose ki flows clockwise.

Personality-wise, Maya is resilient, determined, and a natural leader. She is protective of her younger sister Aya and extremely loyal to her family and allies. Though she often appears tough, she occasionally shows vulnerability, stemming from her desire to prove her worth and protect those she loves. She is not bound by her family's old traditions, a trait that sometimes puts her at odds with Aya. Her primary motivation is the death of her older brother Shin, who was killed by Mitsuomi Takayanagi. She has sworn revenge against Mitsuomi, even though she once had romantic feelings for him, creating an internal conflict between vengeance and lingering affection.

In the story's central conflict, Maya leads the Juken Club as the main opposition to the Executive Council, which is led by Mitsuomi. The club was originally formed by Shin to unite members of the Katana Group for the school's Election Tournament. After Shin's death, Maya took over, and under her leadership, the club continues to challenge the Executive Council's authority. She also acts as a trainer for new members Bob Makihara and Souichiro Nagi, becoming particularly fascinated by Nagi's growing abilities.

Maya's key relationships include her sister Aya, whom she fiercely protects, and her deceased brother Shin, whose death defines her quest for revenge. Her relationship with Mitsuomi is complex, evolving from past romance to sworn enmity. She has meaningful bonds with the other Juken Club members, which reflect her leadership role. Over the course of the series, Maya undergoes significant development, primarily learning to overcome her feelings of inadequacy due to not having the Dragon Eye and moving toward self-acceptance, understanding that strength is not solely defined by inherited power.

Maya's notable abilities include her mastery of the Natsume Goushin Ryu fighting style, the body manipulation technique for conserving ki, the Natsume Ryu Kouki Renhou Nijusan technique for manipulating ki, and the rare Amaterasu Dragon Gate that nullifies opponents' ki. She is also a skilled wielder of the cursed sword Reiki. Her leadership and strategic thinking are essential to her role as captain of the Juken Club, and she remains a formidable combatant driven by loyalty to her family.