Personality

Maxi is probably one of the most misunderstood characters in the Soul Calibur series. He is generally considered to be a womanising egomaniac. There is no basis for this opinion whatsoever! People do not bother to examine him properly, for the most part, and just form opinions based on his looks and style, on his 'dandiness.' It is, admittedly, quite difficult to analyse characters in fighting games. You see very little of their character outside of battle -- and when fighting people's attitudes often change due to the adrenalin rush and also to cope with what they are going through. For the most part we have to use their biographical data to work out what their real personality is like. So that's where we'll start.

Mister Captain

There is a direct reference to Maxi's personality in his SC2 biography. It mentions that he became popular with the villagers who rescued him because of his knowledge, sense of duty and likeable personality! This suggests that Maxi is a charismatic fellow - the sort that it is hard not to like. More, that he is intelligent and dutiful; he takes responsibilities seriously.

This makes sense when you consider that he was once a (pirate) captain - he lead an entire ship full of men. He was a leader. To be a good leader requires all three of the mentioned characteristics. It also requires a natural sense of authority and a confident, assertive personality - traits that Maxi, therefore, likely possesses. We can certainly see the confidence in the games, especially by his insistance on taking on Astaroth by himself even when his friends offer assistance (this happens in one of his Tales of Souls paths in SC3).

Speaking of Astaroth, Maxi clearly has major vengeance issues - his reaction to the loss of his crew and family was to go and seek revenge. He did not seem to allow himself much time to mourn properly and get over the loss. So, he does not cope with loss very well. His sworn brother Kyam's last words to him were 'go with Kilik to the West, and see the world for yourself.' I very much doubt Kyam or any of Maxi's crew would want him to waste away his life pursuing vengeance constantly, yet this is what he does to the point of displaying suicidal behaviour. Indeed, in one of his Tales of Souls paths he says that he thought he could 'die peacefully' after killing Astaroth (he was only rescued from this state of mind by Kilik).

So... a likeable, charismatic leader who has difficulty coping with negative emotions. I would also add 'vain' to this list! He knows he looks good and does a lot to maintain this (two quotes demonstrate this perfectly, those being 'Aww, man, you messed up my hair!' and 'Heh, I look good, right?'). More, his nickname is 'Dandy of the South Sea,' and a dandy is a man who dresses fashionably and takes care of his appearance! :3

Hi, Beautiful...

For these next two sections, I can only theorise and make a guess at what Maxi is like. To start with, I shall repeat what I said earlier - I do NOT think he is a womaniser. I think that the characteristics associated with the word 'dandy' are polite manners, chivalry, a firm grasp of the concept of romance and a respect for women (after all, Regal from the game Tales of Symphonia is called a dandy, and he is certainly one polite fellow), along with the vanity and taking care of oneself. So, yes, I think that Maxi is a romantic but NOT a womaniser! I can see him being the sort whom women naturally take a shine to.

I also think that he'd be a one-woman man, the type who firmly believes in the concept of a soul-mate. The great amount of loss he has experienced would probably make him a rather over-protective lover, though. He'd have a need to spoil and guard his lover, so I guess he'd need a partner who in turn has a need to feel protected!

A Loyal Friend

What about Maxi as a friend? Well, he formed a very strong bond with Kilik and Xianghua, and we know he is supposed to be likeable. Judging from quotes and artwork (as well as the trademark smirk), I would guess at him having a good sense of humour too. So, a good friend to have! He is a wanderer at heart, though, so he might be a little flightly and impatient - I can't imagine him wanting to hang around in one place for too long. Remember, he only remained in the village for those four years because of his injuries (loss of dexterity in his arms and legs). I seriously doubt he would have remained there if he had the choice. Any friends of his would have to be prepared to understand this and follow him if they really cared for him that much. But, they could expect him to always watch their backs and take care of them in return. He is a dutiful man who would always remember what a friend has done for him.

Summary

So, Maxi's personality can be summarised like this -

Positive:

Charismatic and likeable.

He is very dutiful, and takes his responsibilities very seriously.

Has confidence by the bucketload, and a natural sense of authority.

Chivalrous and respectful to women.

Negative:

He is quite vain.

Has difficulty dealing with negative emotions (can't cope with loss).

Does not like remaining in one place for too long, and is rather flighty and impatient.

Issues with vengeance and forgiveness. Holds a grudge.


There you have it! I may expand this as some point, but you have the most important bits here. ^^