Winx Season 8: Did Aisha Act Out of Character in the Sirenix Arc?

Some Winx fans think Aisha acted out of character in the season eight Sirenix arc. Why would a tough girl like her get stage fright? She’s been through way worse, after all.

I think people think this way because Rainbow has overemphasized her fierce side lately and de-emphasized her sensitive side. More proof is when people say Aisha acted like her “true self” (her fierce side) in Winx season two, and World of Winx brought back her “true self”. Maybe those fans have forgotten that in season two:

• She cried a lot, sometimes in minor situations, like when she felt left out or said something awkward
• She was scared of the dark
• Losing Anne, her childhood friend, gave her separation anxiety, so she freaked out whenever she was alone
• She panicked and shot Morphix beams indiscriminately at a bunch of gang members at a Gardenia nightclub (see “The Invisible Pixies” — Winx season 2, episode 13).

Also, remember this?

Where am I? It’s so dark! No! I’m totally alone! Someone help me! Please help me! I don’t wanna be alone! Please! Help me!

Aisha, “Danger in the Wildland” (Winx eason 2, episode 22)

Can you imagine World of Winx Aisha saying this? Yeah, right.

Aisha has always had contradictions in her personality. That’s part of what makes her a well-rounded, well-written character. Yes, she’s matured and gotten stronger since the early seasons, but that doesn’t mean she can’t feel nervous and overwhelmed anymore. Those are normal emotions.

How Aisha’s Past Played Into The Sirenix Arc

Why was she nervous during the Sirenix arc? I don’t think she’s afraid of public speaking. The speech meant a lot to her because of the circumstance. As she told Nex in “Into the Depths of Andros” (Winx season 8, episode 8), she wanted to make her parents and her people proud.

Think about the significance of her giving a speech for the Andros Anniversary. She had a sheltered childhood and was trained to be one thing and one thing only: a “mistress of etiquette” (as Tune put it). Chances are Aisha’s parents didn’t give her many responsibilities or moments in the spotlight before she met the Winx. It wasn’t even until season five that they trusted her with royal duties like attending the Sovereigns’ Council.

The Sirenix arc was the Winx’s first visit to Andros (in the cartoon) since the last episode of season five. (Didn’t realize it had been that long, did you?) It was also the first time Aisha, not her parents, spoke in front of her kingdom, and it won’t be the last. This speech was progress on her journey to becoming queen.

Maybe she wanted to instill confidence in her ability to rule. The speech was almost like a job interview…for the most important position on her planet! That’s a lot of pressure!

“Sometimes, Our Anxieties Run Out of Control….”

As things got worse and worse — she flubbed her speech, then Gorgol’s light disappeared, then the anemones captured all her friends — Aisha became more and more unstable. Not only does she have a precedent for this behavior — think about the nightclub freak-out again — but also, Rainbow kept bringing up two important factors:

1. She was stressed out: first from the speech, then from her kingdom being attacked again.
2. She wanted to make her parents and her people proud: Remember: everyone at the festival — her parents, Queen Ligea, Dorona, the dignitaries, and the merfolk — knew that Obscurum had attacked Gorgol, and the Winx and Nex had gone to save it. What if they had failed? How would Aisha have faced everyone, especially after bungling that speech? What would they have thought of her as their princess and future queen?

Aisha wasn’t acting in her right mind because she wasn’t in her right mind. Stress and anxiety impair a person’s judgement. If she’d been unaffected by everything that happened, would that have been believable? No. (Plus, it would have been boring to watch.)

Final Thoughts

I’ll close with an excerpt from a comment on the Italian clip from “The Light of Gorgol” (Winx season 8, episode 9):

[Aisha] showed raw emotions and character development. She has acted out of a protective nature, out of revenge and anger….She showed elements of who she used to be.

So answering the question in the title: “Did Aisha act out of character during the Sirenix arc?” No. It’s just been too long since we’ve seen her like this.

I think we need to see it more often. It reminds us she’s not a stoic warrior, but a regular girl. What makes her tough is not that she has no weakness or anxiety, but that she pushes forward despite it. As she herself said in Winx season three: “Fear is a part of courage.”