Grundla Saha was an African member of the School of Democracy, acting as its martial arts expert and even going as far as teaching Ivan everything he knew about combat. He is the second SOD member Ivan encounters in the single-player campaign, serving as the game’s third boss.
“Saha” in Grundla Saha’s name represents the personification of the god Vishnu. Vishnu is conceived as “the Preserver or the Protector”.
Saha makes his only appearance in the game at the end of Mission 3. During the mission, Ivan and Delta Force face opposition from Saha’s kukri-wielding forces, with Ivan eventually splitting off from the rest of his squad to face Saha himself. Ashamed of what Ivan has become, Saha criticized him first for using firearms, and then for being ‘blind to the suffering’ of the nations at the mercy of the United States. Prior to his fight with Ivan, he injected himself with a formula that made him stronger and immune to gunfire. Despite this, Saha fell in battle against Ivan, weakly throwing his kukri at him and even lightly wounding him before succumbing to his injuries and dying.
Saha is perhaps the only SOD member aside from Isaac Kumano that could truly be considered Ivan’s equal. He is very fast and powerful, able to deliver flurries of slashes with his kukri and throws them at a rate as fast as a machine gun. He will attempt to pin Ivan down during the fight against him to try and slit his throat, prompting the player to rock the control stick back and forth to break free. He also possesses an attack that will instantly kill Ivan should he manage to execute it. He will seize Ivan from behind and impale him through the chest with his kukri if the attack isn’t dodged.
Likely due to injecting himself with a formula developed by Big Mouse, Saha is immune to gunfire during the fight against him and can only be harmed with melee weapons. Dodging and attacking while he is vulnerable is the key to defeating him.