Oriko Mikuni
This section may contain major spoilers!
Please refrain from reading if you are not yet familiar with all the latest media released."It is human emotion that created the gods...and created the demons. It created everything." - Oriko Mikuni, Chapter 1.
| Oriko Mikuni | |
|---|---|
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| Japanese Name | 美国 織莉子 (Mikuni Oriko) |
| Weapon | Large, vine-patterned spheres. |
Oriko Mikuni (美国 織莉子 Mikuni Oriko) is the titular character from Puella Magi Oriko Magica. She is a magical girl with the ability to forsee the future. She starts out as friendly with seemingly good intentions, only to reveal herself as the main antagonist in Oriko Magica.
Personality
Oriko's ability to forsee the future gained her the understanding that magical girls can become witches, and because of that, a terrible future could await the city. Due to that vision, as well as her upbringing as the daughter of a politician, Oriko feels responsible to prevent that possible future, at all costs. Oriko smiles as she lies to Yuma, to manipulate the young girl into contracting with Kyubey. She convinces her close friend Kirika to do the dirty work of killing other magical girls. Oriko feels those means are justified by her end goal of protecting the peace she has achieved in her life with Kirika, as well as bringing peace to the world. She seems to be highly influenced by her political family in her ability to exercise Machiavellian tactics with much personal charisma, all for the sake of a lofty goal.
Oriko shows a gentler side in her personal nature with her close friend Kirika. She enjoys teasing Kirika, but deep down, Oriko cares greatly for her. She'll even let Kirika sleep in her lap after a battle. Oriko also shows devotion to her family, from when she was a little child helping out her father in his campaigns to now doing what she can to help make her father's dream of a peaceful world come true.
History
Oriko in Oriko Magica
"Answer one question. Why are you so hellbent on fighting?"
"It's...to save my world." - Homura Akemi and Oriko Mikuni, Chapter 7.
Oriko contracted with Kyubey for a wish. When testing out her magic for the first time, Oriko sees the vision of Mitakihara Town in ruins, destroyed by the witch Kriemhild Gretchen. Oriko knows that the witch has to be stopped, but it is impossible to destroy her once she's created. She is then struck by another vision of a young girl, Yuma, and proceeds to tell Kyubey about her potentials as Puella Magi candidate in order to distract him from attempting to make a contract with Madoka.
She appears again when Kyoko has gone to fight a witch, leaving Yuma behind at their hotel room. She speaks to Yuma and suggests that Kyoko may already be dead, playing on Yuma's fear of being alone. Yuma rushes off to find her friend, leading to a chain reaction of events that ends with her becoming contracted. Kyoko swears she's going to make Oriko pay for making Yuma into a magical girl. At the end of the chapter, Oriko asks her friend Kirika over the phone to begin killing magical girls in order to provide further distraction for Kyubey and the other magical girls while she sets her plan into motion.
In a flashback, it's revealed that Oriko is the daughter of a politician, Hisaomi Mikuni. As a young child, she helped him in his campaign. Now she wants to make his dream of bringing peace to the city, and then to the world, come true.
While in her father's rose garden, she and Kirika prepare to have tea. A witch attacks them, and as Kirika fights it, Oriko prepares the tea. Kirika ends up smashing their table and ruining it, so the two just sit together, Kirika resting in Oriko's lap. Oriko muses to herself that if Kirika wasn't there she would have broken down long ago, and then has another vision. This tells her that she's going to have to ask Kirika to fight again, to protect their world.
During Kirika's fight with Mami, Oriko has a vision that Kirika will be mortally wounded and intervenes to rescue her. Mami recognizes Oriko from Kyoko's description, to which Oriko responds that they will meet again and Mami will realize "how foolish [she's] been". She leaves without a fight, but Mami is nonetheless stunned as she could sense very powerful magic emanating from Oriko.
Back at Oriko's house, she is attempting to nurse Kirika, who refuses medical attention. Kirika also confesses that, afraid of being rejected by Oriko when they met, she wished to change her personality. Oriko tells her that she can never forgive the deception, but as both she and Kirika are smiling, it seems that they have no regrets. She then discovers that Kirika's Soul Gem has been cracked and begins crying.
As the fifth chapter begins, another flashback of Oriko's past is shown. She was a highly-respected young woman who excelled at almost anything. However, her world was turned inside-out and her reputation sullied when it was revealed that her father had been embezzling money, and he committed suicide to escape prosecution. Alongside Kirika, Oriko hijacks the announcement system at Mitakihara Middle School and gives a speech suggesting that she didn't stop respecting her father in spite of that. She cryptically warns the students about the presence of witches and how Puella Magi must defeat them for the greater good. The school is then enveloped by a witch's barrier, as familiars attack and devour the people inside.
Oriko and Kirika are confronted by Homura at the heart of the barrier world. Oriko reveals that she knows Homura from her vision, and has been trying to change the fate of Mitakihara Town ever since she received it. Her goal is to kill Madoka before she becomes a Puella Magi and then a witch capable of destroying the world. This was followed by Kirika's witch attacking Homura, who has been joined by Mami, Yuma, and Kyoko in order to protect Oriko from being potentially injured or possibly even killed. Upon learning the truth, the other three are shocked and fight much more poorly, causing Oriko to pity their inability to accept reality.
The nature of Oriko's wish is revealed. After her father's suicide, people turned their scorn to her, sending her death threats and barring her from the school presidential elections. Oriko became a social shut-in, convinced everyone had betrayed her (which is not surprising given the way so many were treating her for the "guilt by association" from being her father's daughter), and wondering what purpose she served in life if everything had depended on her father's political standing. At this point, Kyubey had appeared and offered her a contract that would define her existence from then on. Oriko wished to have a reason to live, which resulted in her precognitive abilities. She tells Homura that they are different, because Oriko wants to save many people as opposed to Homura, who is trying to protect only Madoka. She then fights Homura.
Kirika is defeated by the other three Puella Magi working together, driving Oriko into a rage. She only becomes more desperate when Kyubey appears, announcing that he's managed to see through Oriko's plan: using Yuma's contract and the murder of other magical girls to distract him from Madoka's potential. Oriko's Soul Gem is close to exhaustion, but she continues to attack Homura, aiming to make her use up enough magic so that she cannot defend Madoka. When Kyoko throws her spear at Kirika's body, Oriko jumps between them and is impaled, displaying her genuine care for Kirika. With the last of her strength, she throws a shard of Kirika's witch body at Kyubey, and dies.
However, it turns out that Kyubey was not her target. Instead, Oriko hit Madoka, who had been coming to help Homura in the fight. Madoka is struck in the heart and killed instantly, causing Homura to create a new timeline. The last shot of the manga is Oriko and Kirika, holding hands in what is implied to be the afterlife, happy they are finally at peace and together still even then, despite all that has occurred.
Oriko in Noisy Citrine
Oriko does not feature much in Noisy Citrine. We are given a brief flashback showing how she met Kirika at the convenience store, and then nothing else until the ending. Kirika finally confronts Oriko, and we see their very first meeting (outside the flashback), where Kirika confesses having feelings for her and having wanted to talk to her since that day.
Oriko in Symmetry Diamond
Symmetry Diamond reveals that Oriko wasn't always able to use her precognition to fight effectively. During her first few weeks, her precognition was active 24/7 and would severely burn through her magic reserves. She relied on Kirika to get Grief Seeds for her, not being able to provide much in battle besides advice.
During the first chapter, Oriko meets Yuma in the park at night. They talk about their parents, Oriko lamenting never getting scolded and Yuma lamenting always getting scolded, the two coming to an agreement that there's no such thing as a perfect daughter. Oriko also talks about how, ever since discovering her father's corpse in the house, she's afraid of wandering about the house at night.
As Yuma leaves, Oriko's precognition flashes, and she sees Yuma's future death as she's hit by a truck.
Powers, Weapons & Abilities
Oriko's powers manifest as the ability to see into the future. She is, however, physically weak, and thus asks Kirika to do her work as she would not be able to withstand a direct attack. She can summon multiple spheres, patterned with what appear to be vines. She can send these at her enemies to attack with blunt force at high speeds.
Trivia
- Despite being the titular character, Oriko is not featured on the first volume cover of Oriko Magica.
- Despite being the titular character, Oriko is depicted as the main antagonist in the manga. While her character itself is not innately evil, her methods are nonetheless brutal and although her villain status is questionable, she is definitely the main antagonist.
- Her last name Mikuni can refer to 未来に (miku ni), meaning "to the future". The first character for Mikuni (美) means "beauty", while the second one (国) means "country".
- Her last name can also be used as a first name.
- Her first name means "weaver girl", and sounds similar to Oracle.
- A number of fans have noted similarities between Oriko and Touhou Project characters Maribel Han and Yukari Yakumo.
- Kirika and Oriko are exactly 121 days and 3 hours apart in age. Oriko is the older of the two.
- Oriko is the only character in the franchise who attends Shirome, a prestigious girls' school in Mitakihara Town. She is the student council president and top member of her class.
- Kuroe Mura, the mangaka for Oriko Magica, has said that she is supposed to be a final-boss type of character. This may have led him to draw her with bug-like eyes in his early proposals.
Speculation
- It is suspected that with her power to see the future she has learned the truth behind the Puella Magi system; maybe she saw her own fate where she becomes a witch. This was confirmed as being true, and is the foundation for her motivations and plans throughout the series.
- It is speculated that Oriko will become one of the witches seen in the anime. Initially her appearance suggested she was Elsa Maria or Walpurgis Night. The latter speculation was strengthened when she sees a vision of what appears to be Walpurgis Night in her future, which some take to mean she will become Walpurgis. Then Chapter 3 revealed that her father had a rose garden, which prompted speculation that she was Gertrud; note that Oriko's name meaning "weaver girl" would complement Gertrud's association with scissors. Gertrud also has an insincere nature.
- There is also a speculation that she might be killed by Homura at the beginning of every timeline after this, if the spin-off manga is considered one of Homura's timelines. Oriko will try to kill Madoka to save the city if she contracts and sees the future. Homura knows that she is unlikely to win against Oriko's precognition ability, and therefore Oriko is a threat to her goal. Homura may kill her to stop this from happening.
- We have to remember that the Oriko timeline is an irregularity that shouldn't have happened (indicating that the event is pretty rare but not impossible); perhaps a rare anomaly that emerges unpredictably as a random chance.
- It is speculated that the Oriko timeline takes place sometime between March 16 but not later than May 1 (from the time Homura wakes up from the hospital to the time Walpurgis Night arrives).
- It is unknown what triggered the Oriko timeline but it is possible that the event was set in motion when Oriko's father was discovered that he was embezzling funds from the city and committed suicide, if this incident hadn't happened perhaps Oriko would have never become a Puella Magi with the power to see the future.
- A bizarre case takes place in Episode 10, timeline 3. According to production notes, Kyousuke was a guitarist. To further complicate matters the alternate-Oktavia's witch card mentions a guitar, and we have no reason to assume it refers to anyone but Kyousuke. This makes it canon in the Madoka universe. It is speculated that the events in Timeline 3 takes place in a parallel universe, perhaps this is too the result of an "irregularity". Given this information, it could be possible that the Oriko timeline also takes place in a parallel universe, visited by Homura as a result of her mysterious powers.
- It is unknown what triggered the Oriko timeline but it is possible that the event was set in motion when Oriko's father was discovered that he was embezzling funds from the city and committed suicide, if this incident hadn't happened perhaps Oriko would have never become a Puella Magi with the power to see the future.
- It is speculated that the Oriko timeline takes place sometime between March 16 but not later than May 1 (from the time Homura wakes up from the hospital to the time Walpurgis Night arrives).
- We have to remember that the Oriko timeline is an irregularity that shouldn't have happened (indicating that the event is pretty rare but not impossible); perhaps a rare anomaly that emerges unpredictably as a random chance.
- In an ironic twist Oriko saved the city by killing Madoka to prevent the birth of Kriemhild Gretchen, thus also saving the world. However, we do not know what will happen when Walpurgis Night arrives to Mitakihara. It can be said that this was a victory for Oriko and Kirika; and another defeat for Homura. Howvever, in her own self-righteousness, Oriko thinks she has saved the world, but in reality she actually has doomed it because she has killed the only one who can defeat the Walpurgis Night.
- In another ironic twist literally everything Oriko was technically undone in the final timeline, when Madoka wishes to destroy every witch in every possible world and time before they are born. link.
Gallery
Official art
Kirika and Oriko in their school uniforms.
Oriko and Yuma in Symmetry Diamond.
Oriko closeup as in Madoka Magica Online
Manga Pages and Panels
- OrikoCharacterPage01.png
Oriko using her magic for the first time.
- OrikoCharacterProfile.png
Oriko's full costume.
Oriko in her normal clothes.
Oriko as a child.
Oriko saving Kirika's empty corpse.
- Oriko wish meaning of her life.jpg
Oriko's wish.
- Homura irregular timeline.jpg
Homura considers the Oriko timeline to be irregular.
- Oriko transformation.jpg
Oriko's transformation.
Oriko's stress of having to live up to people's expectations of her.
Oriko as she appears in Symmetry Diamond.
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.- Orikofanartwhite&grey.png
- Orikomikuni-fanart01.jpg
- Oriko and kyubey01.jpg
- Kirika and Oriko bad.png
- Orikobucket.jpg
Oriko's weird fashion sense.
- Chibi oriko.jpg
- Fake screenshot fanart oriko.jpg
- Oriko fanart serious.jpg
- Oriko Kiria tea party.jpg
- OrikoKirikaGundamparody01.jpeg
- OrikoKirikaSmilingInUniformsFanart.jpeg
- Oriko and tomoe mami fanart.png
"I regret that we meet in this way. You and I are of a kind. In a different reality, I could have called you friend."
- Oriko and mami garden fanart.png
- KirikaOrikoTransformedFanart.jpeg
- KirikaOrikoTransformedHugging.png
- KiriKo-And Im home.png
- Oriko Smiling fanart.jpeg
- Oriko kirika fanart roses garden.jpg