Kyubey

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Please refrain from reading if you are not yet familiar with all the latest media released.

"I want you to form a contract with me and become magical girls!" - Kyubey, Episode 1.

Kyubey
Japanese Name	キュゥべえ (Kyuubee)
Voiced by	Japanese: Emiri Katou English: Cassandra Lee Italian: Loretta di Pisa Cantonese: Wong Wai Zu

Kyubey (キュゥべえ, Kyuubee or Kyube) is a "Messenger of Magic" (魔法の使者, mahō no shisha) who grants the wishes of young girls, but in exchange contracts their services as Puella Magi (魔法少女, mahō shōjo, lit. Magical Girls). Girls who form a contract with him are tasked to defeat Witches -- bizarre entities that feed upon the hopes and dreams of normal people. Kyubey features prominently as a character within the anime series of Madoka Magica.

Appearance

Kyubey is a small, cat-like creature, about two feet long (including tail). His entire body is covered in often clean, white fur. He has what appear to be four ears; two that resemble an average cat, pointed and up, while the other two appear as long tassel-like appendages that split into three sections at their tip. The tassels fade from white to pink and have three red dots horizontally before the splits. they also bear a pair of floating golden rings. Kyubeys face is his most well known feature; two beady pink and eyes with dark maroon irises and a tiny, omega-shaped "cat mouth". Due to Kyubey's method of telepathic communication, his face remains almost completely unmoving except for blinking and consuming food. This unmoving face is often a source of fan stigma involving Kyubey "staring into one's soul".

On his back is an egg-shaped red oval. In episode 6, this oval flips up, like a trapdoor to act as a receptacle for grief seed fragments.

In the anime, Kyubey has not been evidenced to bleed, however, when injured, he has red matter underneath his fur. When he is shot by Homura several times, Kyubey's body does not seem to contain organs, only solid red. Whether this is artistic censorship or an actual attribute of Kyubey's anatomy is yet unknown.

In the anime, Kyubey's body often makes noises like a plush toy when squeezed or pressed against, suggesting that he is soft and cuddly, at least physically.

In Oriko Magica, Kyubey takes on even more of a "plush toy" appearance than before. Now, his sharp tipped tassel ears are soft and curved, lacking the pink gradient and red spots. His magical hoops have moved further up his ears and his front legs appear to have shortened.

• Kyubey's appearance (and name) share an affinity to Kyuubi, Mythical Japanese foxes with nine tails. In folklore, Kyuubi were known to possess men and have them do the Kyuubi's bidding, a trait identical to Kyubeys desire to collect energy from Puella Magi.

Personality

Kyubey is an Incubator/Messenger of Magic. Because of this, he, like his race, cannot exhibit emotions of any kind. As a result, Kyubey often appears cold, calculating and scheming; traits that make him appear villainous in the series. Kyubey, however, only seeks to achieve a goal; to preserve the universe from entropy. To meet this goal, he takes all means logically efficient and reasonable; namely creating Puella Magi. Initially, Kyubey appears enthusiastic to help the Puella Magi in their quest, offering advice where applicable, however, as more of his true motive is revealed, either by him or others, Kyubey becomes progressively more passive and observatory in manner (although this could be because he has no advice left to offer).

Throughout the series, Kyubey is often accused of trickery and deceit by turning girls into Puella Magi, and subsequently witches, treating humans as energy livestock under the guise of being a miracle granter. Although this can easily be understood, Kyubey states that he never intended to "trick" Puella Magi, but simply leave out traumatizing subtext in order to make the process more appealing to a potential Puella Magi.

Kyubey uses certain speech patterns that indicate he may see himself as superior to the magical girls; the lack of honorifics, the use of the pronouns "Boku" (僕) and "Kimi" (君) and the misuse or overall lack of polite verbs suggests that he is either rude or very casual towards the girls. However, due to his emotionless nature, and the fact that he is an alien, Kyubey may simply not understand the need to be polite, as opposed to being direct.

Kyubey apparently enjoys hot baths and human food, as evidenced in the second episode of the anime.

Synopsis

Kyubey is an incubator, a member of an alien race dedicating their purpose towards counteracting the effects of (and possibly negating) Entropy; the principle that energy output is always less than energy input, a fact that is presently causing the universe to slowly die out. In order to achieve this, Kyubey collects raw energy from a source that seems to be excepted from entropy; the emotions of girls in their second growth stage (14-18). In order to harvest this energy, Kyubey forms contracts with these girls: the exchange of a wish for absolutely anything, for the servitude as a Puella Magi, magical girls who use their powers to defeat witches who then drop grief seeds. The energy produced during this process is then harvested by Kyubey through unknown means. Kyubey does not reveal, however, that Puella Magi turn into witches after falling into despair; witches that are then fought by other Puella Magi, creating an endless cycle. Because of this, Kyubey is often seen as the true antagonist of the series, despite the fact that his justification is that he is saving countless other sectors of the universe in doing so. Kyubey's goal in Madoka Magica is to turn Madoka into an incredibly powerful Puella magi, who will then destroy the Walpurgis Night and become the most powerful witch; the Kreimhild Gretchin, a process which apparently produces obscene amounts of energy, at the expense of the human race (as there would be no Puella Magi able to defeat the most powerful witch)

Powers

Kyubey has a wide variety of magical abilities which he uses in his mission to counteract entropy. They are listed below

• Telepathic communication Kyubey communicates with Puella Magi and potential Puella Magi through telepathic communication, as opposed to verbal. Exposure to this apparently enables Puella Magi and potential Puella Magi to also communicate telepathically amongst each other when Kyubey is nearby.
• Invisibility Kyubey is invisible to everyone except for Puella magi and candidates. Normal humans do not seem to notice his presence at all, just as he does not seem able to communicate with them.
• Teleportation Kyubey has been evidenced to cross long distances in impossibly short time spans, the method for which is yet unknown, but can be assumed to be teleportation. In episode 10, he also fades into reality above Homura, which may be the visible manifestation of him teleporting.
• Wish granting Kyubey can grant wishes of young girls, no matter how wild and unrealistic they may be, in the same manner a Genie would. Kyubey only allocates one wish per contract and it is unknown if this ability is contract bound or he is able to use it at will.
• Energy conversion/collection Kyubey is able to collect energy from witch transformation and battles through an unseen means. In Timeline 6, he collects it by magical girls dropping grief seed fragments into a hatch-like "mouth" on his red oval on his back. How he is able to transport this energy also remains a mystery.
• Soul Gem Creation Kyubey is capable of rending young girls souls from their bodies and placing them within small egg-shaped gemstones called soul gems. This makes the newly formed Puella Magi capable of transformation into their "magical girl form" as well as increased agility, strength and pain threshold, at the expense that the original body is simply turned into a puppet of the soul gem, and its feelings are numbed. Like with granting wishes, it is unknown if Kyubey can do this at will, or a contract must first be formed.
• Replication After being killed, another identical Kyubey will appear nearby to consume the remains of his predecessor. This Kyubey appears to retain most, if not all the knowledge of the last after consuming the remains. This may suggest a "hive mind" or cloning process. It may also reference that "cats have nine lives", as Kyubey resembles a cat (Kyuubi, being nine-tailed foxes may also be a coincidental occurrence).
• Soul Gem Stimulation As referenced in episode 7, Kyubey can create impulses of certain feelings on a soul gem simply by touching it. In Sayaka's case, he emulates a pike (probably mimicking Kyoko's) impaling Sayaka's stomach.

Trivia

• Kyubey's Name spelling is often a topic of argument amongst fans, the many various spellings in different texts have caused confusion as to its meaning
  • His name is written in both Hiragana and Katakana as キュ(kyu)ゥ(u)べ(be)え(e), so Kyuubee or Kyuubey would be most accurate as a romanization.
  • On the other hand, the fifth commercial has his name romanized as "Kyubey", which resulted in controversy. However, the lack of the extra u is probably just a use of the modified Hepburn system, which never accounts for extended vowels.
  • Gen Urobuchi joked that the "Kyu" comes from the katakana of the English word Cute so it could also be Cubey.
  • Episode 8 suggests that his name comes from 'Incubator', which would be romanized as 'inkyubeetaa.' In the same episode, it is revealed that he has multiple replacements.
    • During Kyubey's dialogues in episode 9, he keeps saying "we", meaning that he isn't the only Incubator.
  • Some fans of 2ch have taken to assigning the kanji 「九兵衛」 (Kyūbē, lit. nine protector soldiers or nine warriors in defense) to his name, speculating that like Doraemon (whose name can be written as 「銅鑼衛門」), Kyubey's naming might have been inspired by old Samurai dramas.
  • 'QB' is short for 'Kyubey' in Niconico Douga. This name is also common on 2ch.

• For more information about energy, entropy and thermodynamics in general, see Thermodynamics.
• Kyubey appears to be capable of teleportation. In episode 10, at the end of the first timeline, he appears to fade into reality above Homura.
• A fanart meme tends to point out Kyubey's similarity to Hummy, the mascot of Suite Precure♪, the other (much more traditional, child-friendly, and optimistic) magical girl series that began airing in Winter 2011. Due to the closeness of their airing dates, this is likely a coincidence, but it has not gone unnoticed and adds to the series' postmodernist deconstruction of the magical girl genre.

• Kyubey's speech patterns may have been used to give a "foreign" touch to Kyubey's speech, as this pattern emulates the typical way of speaking in other languages, such as English.
  • It can also be interpreted as Kyubey treating personal names just as tags for identifying individuals, similar to a social security number.
  • Boku is also used by girls, but this is uncommon in real life. In manga, anime and alike, this is often employed for girls exhibiting "boyish" personality traits. Such girls are called boku-kko (僕っ子) a western equivalent is a "tomboy".
• Some fan speculation has arisen that the "Kyu" in Kyubey may be resemblant to a tag or identification number, just as Juubey has the number 10 affixed to "Juu" Kyubey is Number 9 in the series. although this would make sense, Kazumi Magica conffirms that the "Juu" in Juubey does not mean 10. Juubey, however is also not a "real" incubator
  • However, in Episode 11 Kyubey reveals to Madoka that while this statement is true on the majority of their race, there have been extreme rare cases of those capable of expressing emotions, but because this is a very rare phenomenon they are considered to be mentally ill.
  • Spa Weekly! Article: Kyubey's utilitarianism prioritizes the continuation of the whole universe and takes precedence over the happenings of individual entities. Kyubey's actions are not based on ignorance since he is aware of the cause-and-effect law of nature, he consciously decides that the law is immutable and conveniently uses it to exploit the Puella Magi system. Apparently this makes Kyubey a Bad Buddhist.
  • In Chapter 21 of Kazumi Magica, Kyubey "wanted" to communicate with Juubey, even if it was man-made, as it wanted to connect with another of his kind. It is unknown if Kyubey's reasons were because it wanted to learn more about Juubey or if it was "feeling lonely".
• In the Drama CD "Sunny Day Life" Kyubey tries to convince to an exasperated Madoka that "he" doesn't see himself as male (in human terms) so "he" doesn't understand why "he" isn't allowed to be in the bathroom with a naked Madoka.
  • On the Blu-ray commentary it was pointed by Gen Urobuchi that Kyubey has no gender.
• According to the Blu-Ray Episode 2 voice commentary:
  • Kyubey was not based on any animal, just the concept of a "small mahou shoujo animal"
  • When asked what animals were used as the basis for Kyubey's design, Ume Aoki was very cryptic because of spoilers.
    • The only clue she gives is "coil". According to the drama CD interpreter, it's possible that it relates to the theory that Kyubey's design is based on the uterus. Supporters of this theory believe Kyubey's ears look like fallopian tubes. It could also refer to Incubator., which has a similar meaning to it. This interpretation was proven wrong in the commentary for episode 8, where Chiwa Saito explained that the truth that was hidden was that the marking on Kyubey's back is that of an egg, and that was the connection to Incubator.
      • Considering he is an Incubator, this is not farfetched.
• In an interview with NewType, Shinbo was thinking of giving lip-synching to Kyubey in the new world but Yukihiro Miyamoto said no since fundamentally Kyubey remains the same creature as before, only interested in energy efficiency, so he remains unchanged. Also in the interview it's stated Kyubey doesn't move his mouth to speak because he is communicating by telepathy.
  • It also enhances the creepy factor.
  • Prior to broadcasting, no one told the seiyuu (specially Emiri Kato) that Kyubey's mouth doesnt move, so she tried to properly lip-synch her lines. When they saw the first episode on the air, the seiyuu were shocked that they were tricked.
• Aoi Yuuki (Madoka), Chiwa Saito (Homura), and Kaori Mizuhashi (Mami) tried for the role of Kyubey. Saito was told her Kyubey sounded too stupid, and in Yuuki's part hers sounded too naive and that she was too cute for it (no surprise there). They all found the role for Kyubey to be too difficult for them.
  • They also found the Kyubey character to be too smart for them.
• In the Audio Commentary for Episode 9, before reading the script or knowing the nature of the show, Emiri Kato (VA of Kyubey) was very happy that she was voicing a cute animal character.
• According to Shinbo, he just finished reading Michael Sandel's book, and he describes Kyubey as a Michael Sandel-esque character (this is regarding with the book's section on Utilitarianism).
• Gen Urobuchi comments in the Audio Commentary for Episode 12 that (the) Kyubey's presence is world wide (WWQB). This can be interpreted as that multiple Kyubeys are being used to contract and reduce entropy; and are not limited to just using one single incubator at a time. this would explain as to why kyubeys can consume dead predecessors. it may also suggest that instead of kyubey being able to teleport, there are simply several, each one assigned to go with a magical girl or clusters thereof, at a time.
• During the Sakura-Con 2012 panel interview, Urobuchi explains that Kyubey is not evil, it is his lack of human feelings that makes him scary.
  • Urobuchi compares H.P. Lovecraft's creatures to be same as Kyubey, in that they are uninterested in humans feelings.
• Kyubey's head has a slight resemblance to [| Pagumon from the Digimon franchise]. This isn't so meaningless when once conciders both are sinister, can be cryptic in their speech, and can use their 'ears' as a pair of hands.

Speculations

The theories below have been proven right.
At least one element from the franchise is rendering them valid.

File:QB make a wish foundation.jpg

This page is brought you by "The QB Make a Wish Foundation"

• When Kyubey gets shot by Homura in Episode 8, another one appears and eats the dead body. It could either be another version of 'Kyubey' (as expected in some speculations), or the same Kyubey that respawned. After all, cats are supposed to have 9 lives, so what about him?
  • This could also be an effort to get back some energy, that would otherwise be lost.
  • The existence of multiple Kyubey bodies that seem to share a single personality, his use of the pronoun "we" in referring to himself/the Incubator(s) in episode 9, and his inability to comprehend the Magis' emotional distress at losing one of their own, suggests that the Incubators might be a hive mind (many individuals acting as an extension of a single consciousness).
    • This could be an indicator that the aliens possess a form of cloning technology that allows them to create new replacements. It has been speculated that Kyubey's people could recreate a new vessel when a Puella Magi loses her body as long as her Soul Gem is still intact. This indicates a sophisticated level of cloning technology and genetic engineering on their part.
  • The Kazumi manga adds to this dispute by showing another Incubator called Jubey, differing in appearance, personality and working methods from Kyubey. However, he is suggested to be working together with Kyubey, as the two are seen together in Chapter 4, although their relation is not explicitly stated.
  • Would it be possible that Incubators have their own souls separated from their bodies? As such, as long as their own version of a "Soul Gem" is kept in tact, they can control different bodies and even switch between them.

Confirmation: Gen Urobuchi states that there are Multiple Kyubeys working together at once.

• It would seem that Kyubey never lies but instead holds back important information, often under the pretense of no-one asking him. An example for this is episode 9: when Kyoko asks him if Sayaka can be saved, he only says that nobody ever tried to turn a witch back into a human being (which could in fact be true), rather than saying that it's indeed possible (which would be a lie, as he reveals to Homura at the end of the episode). However, Kyubey also tells Madoka that he is incapable of manipulating humans, which contradicts the reason why he allowed Kyoko to chase after Sayaka in the first place: he wanted her to be killed so that only Homura would be left to battle the powerful Walpurgis, thus forcing Madoka to become a magical girl. This is clearly an attempt to manipulate Madoka's actions, making his earlier statement to her a lie.
  • He also states that his/their reasons for creating magic girls is so that new cultures can arise without the heat death of the universe preventing that. He seems rather nonchalant about leaving Earth to be destroyed at the hands of Kriemhild Gretchen in timeline 4. Given that nearly all of the population dynamics models made for the Puella Magica world will inevitably result in the destruction of life on that planet and that Earth is clearly not the only world harvested by Kyubey's race, their reasoning seems rather suspect. Assuming they really are collecting the energy to stave off the heat death of the universe, for other cultures doesn't appear to be their reason for doing it. If he is consciously lying about the reason, then this would make his story to Madoka another attempt to manipulate her by claiming it's 'for the greater good.' Additionally, if this was the reason and if magic/wishes can really do anything, then why not simply explain it to someone and ask them to make a wish to prevent the universe from suffering heat death? Surely someone somewhere in the universe would be willing to make such a wish.

Confirmation: This is actually said. in the anime.

• Many fans believe Kyubey is evil and believe he/she should not be trusted.
  • In the end, it all depends on the point of view ...

• According to the same theory, it is likely that Kyubey is the messenger of a greater entity that has its own agenda.

Confirmation: Again, in the anime. Also Stated By Gen that Kyubey is not evil, just cold and emotionless.

The theories below have not been proven yet.
Please keep in mind that they are fanmade theories, and not official material.

File:The faces of Kyubey.jpg

File:Kyubeys true form madoka comic.jpg

Madoka can see your true character, Kyubey.

• Some think Kyubey's real form is that of a red devil and his/her white fur acts as a cover as indicated by tears rather than bleeding in Episode 1.
  • Additionally, when he gets shot full of holes in Episode 8, there are small drops that appear to be blood, but they do not spread out after he is hit. He also appears to have no bones or organs.
  • Gen Urobuchi's tweet "Yeah, that's terrible! We still haven't shown even a single scene with bloodshed!" (まだ今んとこ流血シーンなんてないのに、ひどいよね！) may refer to the fact that Kyubey doesn't bleed.
• In Kazumi Magica Kyubey says that incubators share a concious, but in Madoka Magica, Kyubey mentions that in their world, Emotions are like a mental illness, So this means all Incubators are slightly free from the mental link.

• To our knowledge, Kyubey has thus far only accepted wishes that his species's technology can "grant:" the healing of a paralyzed hand (Sayaka), the rescuing of a girl trapped in a crushed automobile (Mami), mass mind-control (Kyoko), and time travel (Homura). While we don't know for sure the bounds of this technology, we definitely do know that Kyubey's species can't end the heat death of the universe on its own, meaning that Kyubey wouldn't be able to grant the wish "Save the universe from entropy!"
  • No limits were stated. He hasn't failed to grant (or rejected) any wish on the first request. (Was technology ever mentioned?)
    • Kyubey does say at one point that sufficiently-advanced technology can appear to be magic to less-advanced species. He also mentions early on in the series that he can't bring dead people back to life, a clear limitation on his wish-granting abilities that most likely comes from his species' inability to revive the dead.
    • However, note, that wish granting may essentially be considered as an exertion of energy. Yet, magic girls generate more unergy upon their deciet, therefore it is anti-entropy. To wish against entropy, all the energy in the universe would not suffice.
    • Isn't that inconsistent with Homura undoing deaths every time she time-travels.
      • No, since Homura always travels back to a certain point in time before everyone is killed. She isn't "undoing" deaths so much as going to a timeline where they haven't happened yet. (Of course, if Kyubey's species is capable of time travel, then he could technically "revive" a person by going back in time, grabbing a past version of that person, and bringing him/her to the present...but, of course, the past version of said person wouldn't necessarily be the same as the version the potential Puella Magi would want. In addition, picking up and dropping off people in different time lines could have complicated, horrible effects on time in general.)
  • When granting Homura's wish, Kyubey clearly states her wish surpassed entropy and yet he still succeeds in granting it. (see episode 10's page) That's consistent with his explanation that magic comes from the girls and magic is above entropy.
    • However, while "magic"/"miracles" can come from the girls, we have seen no indication of Kyubey being able to use any kind of magic other than what his species' advanced technology allows him to do. Moreover, he -- not the girls themselves -- grants the wishes, meaning that all wishes thus far have been granted using technology rather than magic. Taking fan theories about the ending of the show in mind, this could become a plot point when Madoka makes her decision to become/refuse to become a Puella Magi.
    • We don't know how wishes are granted. Another possibility is he plays a catalytic role. Homura's wish wouldn't have been possible if he granted them only using what his race was already capable of.
      • He couldn't have just given her a portable time machine? In that case, he would have given Homura the technological means to complete her wish, while she would have provided the "magic" to make that wish surpass entropy -- making Kyubey's, as you suggested, a catalytic role that doesn't necessarily involve magic on his part. Going back to why he apparently can't find someone to wish against the heat death of the universe, Kyubey most likely can't provide the catalyst necessary for such a wish to come true. He'd have to rely entirely on the magic of the girl in question, and so far as we know Madoka has been the only person he's met who might have the magical potential to rewrite the laws of the universe.
  • However, Kyubey seems to either remember making a contract with Homura, or know that such a contract has been made. It is therefore possible that the reason he wishes to make Madoka into a magical girl is that, as long as Homura keeps on resetting the space/time continuum, Kyubey can harvest an infinite amount of energy from each of the witches killed in each individual timeline, thus permanently preventing the heat death of the universe - for as long as Homura keeps resetting time. If Kyubey harvests energy from each parallel universe (and any witches that may be created from them), it is possible to create a paradoxically infinite universe.
• To all above points regarding wish granting: Kyubey's capacity to grant wishes is stated to be limitless until episode 12, in which he states that madoka can wish to become god if she so desired, implying that a certain capacity for energy is required to do so. Technology is not necessarily evident in the wish granting process, however, magic is (it is used in episode 12 when he grants madoka's wish; a strong magical aura). although some of the puella magi's weapons are "technological" in nature (homura's clockwork shield, mami's Muskets) this doesn't mean that they run off technology; they're called Magical Girls for a reason.
• Apparently Kyubey selects the right moment and the right time to appear to grant wishes to his victims, and he seems to await for the conditions to be perfect to secure a good level of energy. At first glance he gives the impression that he is coming to rescue his victims by allowing them a wish during their weakest moment. He probably can sense a great moment of despair and he awaits for the girls' state of mind to be in turmoil and ready to ask for a (selfish) wish. It is speculated that he does this to guarantee that their wishes will be selfish in nature so it would fail to meet their expectations. In doing so Kyubey secures a great amount of despair thus releasing a great level of energy.
  • Examples:

Mami's near death experience

Kyoko's family distress

Sayaka's pressure to help Kyousuke

Homura's despair to save Madoka

Oriko's moment of crisis

Kirika's fear of never getting close to Oriko

Yuma's fear of abandonment

Madoka's desire to save everything from witches

• This speculative philosophical essay deals with the nature of Kyubey's utilitarianism: Talk:Philosophical Observations
  • this may also suggest the theory that Kyubey can see into the future, in that he can divine which girls to select to become puella magi.

In Kazumi Magica

"We Incubators don't have individual consciousnesses. We belong to a single consciousness." - Kyubey, Kazumi Magica, Ch. 21.

Kyubey proposing a contract to Airi.

Kyubey appears in Chapters 2, 4, 5, 14, 20 and 21 of Kazumi Magica.

• In Chapter 2 Kyubey appears as a silhouette along with Madoka as Kaoru explains magic to Kazumi.
• In Chapter 4 Kyubey is seen at the very beginning of the chapter, sitting next to Jubey as they watch the Pleiades Saints. He cryptically asks if things will go better "this time".
• In Chapter 5 Kyubey's role is expanded. He appears briefly when Yuuri becomes a witch, similar to the end of Episode 8. He then further appears in the extended flashback of Yuuri's and Airi's backstory. First he contracts with Yuuri, and then after Yuuri becomes a witch and is killed by the Pleiades he explains exactly what happened to Airi, culminating in her contracting with him. When she contracts, he tells her that "Your wish has surpassed entropy." Kyubey also tells Airi about the Pleaides Saints when she asks who killed Yuuri. During the entire chapter, Kyubey either appears as a shadow or in the shadows. It's quite clear that he is manipulating Airi, and that he is ultimately responsible for almost all of the subsequent events in the series beyond simply contracting magical girls to become witches.
• In Chapter 14, Kyubey's face is seen as Satomi realizes the truth of where witches come from after watching Michiru become one. He is also seen watching from above (like Niko and Jubey, who can be seen a few panels before) while Satomi reveals the truth of the clones to Kazumi and forces them to fight one another.
• In Chapter 20, Kyubey appears in person when Umika and Kaoru call for him, having recovered their memories of Incubators, which were suppressed by a spell cast by Umika.
• In Chapter 21, Kyubey reveals that Incubators don't have individual consciousnesses. They are like a network terminal connected to one single consciousness.
  • Strangely, Kyubey "wanted" to talk to Juubey, it wanted to talk to another of his kind, even if it was man-made.
  • It's implied that in all of the flashbacks from previous chapters, any appearances by Juubey were actually of Kyubey. This suggests that Kyubey was manipulating Airi and Kanna in order to make them go after the Pleiades Saints.

In Oriko Magica

"What a shame, huh?"
--"Incubator...!!"
"Well, I found her. I found Madoka Kaname." - Kyubey, Oriko and Homura. Puella Magi Oriko Magica, Chapter 6.

Kyubey as he appears in Oriko Magica.

• In Chapter 1, Kyubey contracts with Oriko, who tells him of Yuma, another Puella Magi candidate he should try contracting. He later tries to convince Yuma to contract with him, but is stopped by Kyoko. Kyoko then learns from him about the recent murders of Puella Magi. When he appears again, speaking with Oriko, he claims that human emotions are unfathomable to him. Oriko replies that he should learn to appreciate them, as they give him what he desires.
• In Chapter 2, he successfully contracts with Yuma after Kyoko is attacked by a witch.
• In Chapter 3, he tells Mami about the recent murders of Puella Magi. He says that the most recent victim told him the murderer was a "black Puella Magi," and not a witch.
• In Chapter 5, Kyubey discusses the identity of the black magical girl with Mami, and told her he never mentioned Kirika because he had no proof it was her. He discovers Oriko's plot to kill Madoka before she can contract and eventually become a witch, and tries to stop her.
• In Chapter 6, he sends Kyoko and Yuma to help Mami defeat the witch that has put a barrier around Mitakihara Junior High, as well as stop Oriko, who has gone out of control. Despite both Homura and Oriko's attempts to hide Madoka from him, he finds her inside the barrier.
• In Chapter 7, Oriko uses the last of her life to shoot a piece of Kirika's witch body through him and Madoka, who was hidden behind him, through a wall. She kills the girl before she can contract, foiling both Homura and Kyubey's plans.

Kyubey also appears in Noisy Citrine, the prequel manga that focuses on Kirika Kure.

Additionally, Kyubey exhibits a power he hasn't shown before Oriko Magica: levitation. He is rarely seen standing on anything in the manga, usually preferring to float in mid-air.

See Also

• Kato Emiri's Data file

Gallery

Official art

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  Original character design by Ume Aoki

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  Offical CM show "Kyubey"

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  Ume 4-koma Megami Magazine

• Ume madoka kyubey.jpg
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  Kyubey and Yuno from Hidamari Sketch

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  NewType magazine, July 2011.

• QB Emiri Kato.jpg

  Screenshot of Kyubey and his seiyuu Emiri Kato.

Screenshots

Kyubey being Kyubey

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  He stares into your soul.

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  Kyubey eating.

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  QB sunbathing.

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  Kyubey taking a hot bath

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  Kyubey is sleeping.

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  Kyubey is scared while eating.

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  Kyubey is killed????

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  Kyubey being Kyubey.

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  Kyubey Trolling

• Incubator.jpg

  Shot full of holes

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  Spoiler: He lives.

• Kyubey eating itself.gif

  Kyubey eating itself.

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  Great taste, less filling

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Fanart

This section contains fanart images

Everything in the following fan gallery is created, or the comments accompanying them are created, for entertainment value and should not be confused with actual canon events of the Puella Magi franchise.

• Mahou.Shoujo.Madoka☆Magica.full.1146289.jpg
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• Everybody hates Kyubey.jpg

  An accurate depiction of the overall reaction of fans regarding Kyubey.

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  A sketch of Kyubey by his voice actress, Emiri Katou.

• Kyubey sketches.jpg

  Far left - Urbouchi Gen sketch of QB from the Madoka cafe book, middle Emiri Kato (QB) sketch of her character from twitter and right is Aoi Yuki's sketch from her blog.

• Homura killing QB.gif

  Homura unlocks achievement:

• VerizonQB.jpg

  I rather sell my soul to the Devil

• Cute abomination meets cute abomination.jpg

  Urobuchi is one sick monster

• Killing Kyubey.jpg
• QB trolling 01.gif

  If only QB trolling was this obvious.

• Contract!.gif
• Kyubey is food.jpg
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• Wheeljack's horrible mistake.jpg

  What kind of alien race would built such monstrosity?

• Madoka legal contract.jpg

  Wait a minute, he is right! They are minors! Why hasnt these kids given legal counsel before they sold their souls?

• Soviet russia QB.png
• How ep 3 should have ended.jpg

  Everybody hates Kyubey.

• Madoka punches qb.gif

  Yet another punishment deserved for Kyubey.

• Laughin QB.gif
• My Neighbor Coobie.jpg
• QBEY 01.png
• Opera browser.jpg
• The suffering of QB.jpg
• Madoka hate QB.gif

  Madoka hate QB

• Kyubey punching bag.jpg
• QBilly saw parody.png

  Madoka, let's play a game.

• Kyoko roasting Kyubey.gif

  Kyoko roasting Kyubey.

• Please be Careful if You've Seen this Face (crimson shake).jpg
• QB Advertisement sign today.jpg

  Sign up today!

• QB anti-spiral the real villain.jpg

  Quick, someone shoot him! For once, he is actually making sense!

• Call of QB fanart.jpg
• Crying kyubey fanart.jpg

  The living definition of impossible or "When Hell freezes over".

• Excalibur soul eater kyubey disgusting punishment.jpg
• QBAY.jpg
• MGM (Magical Girl Movie) fanart.jpg
• Kill it with fire art kyubey homura fanart.jpg
• Kill it with fire art kyubey madoka art.jpg
• QB anatomy model fanart.jpg
• Where kyubey comes from.jpg
• Kyubey and Jubey Fanart.png

  Kyubey with his partner in "crime", Jubey.

• QB driver fanart.jpg
• Kyubey-chan ni omakase parody cardcaptor fanart.jpg
• Uncle QB wants you fanart.jpg
• Wanted dead or alive poster fanart.jpg
• Magica warfare Kyubey Corner-shot weapon system MAIDOLL Presented by Fei.jpg
• Hitomaron I Love You! 004.png

  But, we already have a Juubey!

• Hitomaron I Love You! 005.png
• Hitomaron I Love You! 023.png

  Maybe his name is O Bey.

• Sailor moon kyubey.jpg
• NO QB.jpg
• Kyubey-grenade.jpg

Fanart Female Kyubey

This section contains fanart images

Everything in the following fan gallery is created, or the comments accompanying them are created, for entertainment value and should not be confused with actual canon events of the Puella Magi franchise.

While technically speaking Kyubey has no gender, some fanart has depicted Kyubey as a girl. Perhaps a girlish feminine touch will soften the hostile hearts against this furball from Hell. Unfortunately, some fans may have taken the idea to its extreme logic.

• Cute yet evil qb fem art.jpg
• Another cute fem qb art.jpg
• Cute qb fem fanart.jpg
• Adorable fqb art.jpg
• School girl qb fem art.jpg
• Happy qb fem art.jpg
• Fqb fanart.jpg
• Fem qb swimsuit art.jpg
• Fem qb hungry art.jpg
• Fem qb still hungry.jpg
• Kyubey seiyuu connection fanart.jpg

  Fun fact: They are both voiced by the same seiyuu.

• Kyubey chan Contract.jpg
• Evil Kyu-chan.jpg

  This is by far the most accurate depiction.

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  Creepy, right?

Miscellaneous

Analysis

Spelling conflicts

The odd Japanese spelling of Kyubey's name has contributed to many alternative Latin-character spellings. The three supported by official materials are "Kyubey", "Kyubee", and "Qbey".

• KyubeyCM.jpg

  "Kyubey" appears in the seventh television commercial.

• Kyubee name.jpg

  Official site HTML show "Kyubee".

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  "Qbey" appears written in runes in episode 11.

Kyubey "Cute Alien" Model

In episode 2 of Ground Defense Force! Mao-chan, a 2002 anime that shares certain superficial traits with Madoka, one of them is a very Kyubey looking alien. In this anime, these aliens are considered so cute that the world has a difficult time defending against the alien invasion, because of public opinion that this would be "bullying."

However, the similarity in appearance is coincidental. Ume Aoki stated in the BD 1 episode 2 audio commentary that Kyubey's design wasn't based off any character.

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Cosplay

• Qb-at-the-park-016.jpg

  Kyubey seeking volunteers to solve the energy crisis.

• Qb-at-the-park-020.jpg

  Kyubey, isn't he a little too old to be a mahou shoujo AND the wrong gender?

• Qb-at-the-park-023.jpg

  Quick, someone call Chris Hansen!

• Qb-at-the-park-026.jpg

  Kyubey's catch of the day.

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  "Hey, girl. Are you interested in the exciting and glamorous world of Magical Girls? Free dresses, free magical powers, and one wish! All of this for the price of your soul, but what is a soul really? It is just an abstract, unscientific, superstitious, primitive concept that has never been proven. Just sign here and you can start immediately. Take my business card and think about it!"

• Grief seed prices crashes being QB is suffering.jpg

  Kyubey, the day after the Grief Seed market crashed. Being Kyubey is suffering.

• QB cosplay military capture comiket 80-2011.jpg

  They will remember us. For this. Because out of all our vast array of nightmares this is the one we choose for ourselves. We go forward like a breath exhaled from the Earth. With vigor in our hearts and one goal in sight: We. Will. Kill him. Get Ready, this is for Sayaka.

• Qb-at-Comike80-01.jpg

  Kyubey is bullying Madoka at Comike80.

• Qb-at-Comike80-02.jpg

  Two Kyubeys are bullying Madoka at Comike80.

• Qb-at-Comike80-03.jpg

  Kyubeys are still bullying Madoka at Comike80 and no sight of Homura.

• Kyubey Cosplay female.jpg

  Ok, I give in. When do you want my soul?

External links

• Kyubey at Pixiv image repository (Japanese)
• Kyubey at Danbooru image repository (NSFW)
• You can eat this Kyubey
• ／人◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼Contrato bueno ¡Si!
• Ask Kyubey
• The wish is a lie
• Kyubee's still alive Sedeto
• Catchphrase on Net Buzzword 2011 List
• Kyubey in Akihabara
• キュゥべえ コスプレ衣装 -Japan kyubey cosplay