Kirika Kure

Kirika Kure
Japanese Name	呉キリカ (Kure Kirika)
Voiced by	Japanese (Magia Record):Yuka Iguchi

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"Never! I refuse to go back to the way I was!" - Kirika Kure, chapter 4 of Oriko Magica.

Kirika Kure (呉キリカ, Kure Kirika) is one of the main original characters in Puella Magi Oriko Magica. She tends to be the secondary protagonist of Oriko Magica installments, though she was the main protagonist of the extra episode Noisy Citrine in Puella Magi Oriko Magica: Extra Story. Kirika also appears in Puella Magi Oriko Magica: Sadness Prayer and is a playable character in Puella Magi Madoka Magica Online and Puella Magi Madoka Magica Side Story: Magia Record, with the later having her first animated and voice acted appearance.

General Info

Physical Features
Age	14
Eye colour	Yellow
Hair colour	Brown or Black
Height	148cm
Magic
Soul Gem	Purple diamond (belt closure on back waist)
Weapon	Sickle Claws
Witch Form	Latria
Powers and Abilities	Slowdown (To slow down her targets, causing them to perceive her as moving extremely fast)
Wish	To keep changing until she is suitable for Oriko.
Other
Japanese pronoun	watashi (私)
Known relatives	Unnamed mother
Origins	Mitakihara City
School	Mitakihara Middle School, 8th grade

Personality

Kirika is a rather eccentric, rash girl who is incredibly dedicated to her best friend, Oriko Mikuni. When it comes to Oriko, Kirika is willing to do anything she asks of, even killing magical girls, or becoming a witch to help her gain an edge in battle. Kirika is entirely dedicated to Oriko, as well as protective; even so, she is kind to Oriko, and often acts similar to a puppy dog in Oriko's presence.

To people other than Oriko, Kirika tends to be quieter and even moody. She also has bouts of childishness, such as commenting on how hungry and bored she is when in the middle of fighting with Mami Tomoe.

Kirika is also somewhat unstable at times, occasionally laughing madly. However, the Kirika seen in the alternate timeline in Symmetry Diamond and The Last Agate appears to be more stable. The reason is unknown; it's possibly because she isn't hunting magical girls in that timeline.

Kirika is also very touchy and serious on the subject of love, claiming that people who use terms like "crush" don't understand what "true" love is. Kirika also hates being called a child, unless the person in question is her dear Oriko.

In the past, before she met Oriko, Kirika was antisocial and quiet, even timid. She looked down on others as a way of making her feel better about herself. Kirika, however, was awed by Oriko when the girl helped her once. Kirika then became attached to Oriko, wanting to get to know her, but was afraid that Oriko wouldn't remember her, since no one would remember "someone like [Kirika]". So Kirika made her wish to "become a different [Kirika]", leading to her gaining her current personality.

Noisy Citrine further reveals that Kirika used to be a cheerful and happy child, before being betrayed by her friend Erika Mamiya. Kirika then became unhappy and started avoiding others, and so they drifted away from her.

Story

Backstory

Kirika's home-life is unknown, though it is implied she was on poor terms with her mother before making her wish. Her mother appears to be alive.

Kirika used to be a happy, cheerful girl. She had a best friend, Erika Mamiya, and the two were as close as sisters. However, Erika's parents got a divorce and so she and her mother were to move away from Mitakihara City. Kirika went to buy her a toy as a gift, but along the way to deliver it, she caught Erika shoplifting from a book store. Erika then gave Kirika the bag and ran off, leaving Kirika to be framed for the shoplifting. After Erika and her mother then moved away without saying a word, Kirika became distant and antisocial, avoiding others, with others drifting away from her in return. She skipped school regularly, and had no real friends.

During her years at Mitakihara Middle School, Kirika had an accident at a shopping mall where she dropped all her things, and went to pick them up while others in the line complained and told her to hurry up. Oriko then appeared, helping Kirika by picking up all of her things for her, and left almost as quickly as she appeared. Kirika, however, was awed by Oriko, and so tried to meet her again, but became disheartened, as Oriko surely would not remember "someone like [Kirika]".

Shortly afterward, she met Kyubey, who offered to give her the ability to change herself. However, she was unwilling to make the contract, and perceived her own wish as silly. Kyubey continued following her for some time, before Kirika, while telling him to go away, had a second chance encounter with Oriko and embarrassed herself. When Oriko quickly forgave her, she tried to talk more, but realized from her peers and uniform Oriko was a Shirome student and therefore out of Kirika's league. After Kyubey asked her if she wanted her background changed, Kirika thought of a proper wish: she wished to keep changing until she would be suitable for Oriko.

Kirika in Oriko Magica and Sadness Prayer

Warning, this section contains spoilers.
Kirika meets Oriko for the first time after her wish under poor circumstances. As a side effect of the wish, Kirika's memory of making it had been erased, along with her memory of Oriko, putting her in a rage. To blow off steam, she attacks Oriko, declaring an intent to defeat the other girl and cheer herself up. However, though Kirika initially dominates the fight, Oriko manages to scrape a victory by leading Kirika into a trap. Uncharacteristically, she spares the other girl's life and declares that Kirika will work for her from now on, and in exchange, she will tell her the truth about magical girls. Kirika accepts the teamup, but is mostly confused and frustrated, due to Oriko's refusal to tell her much of the truth and confusing directions--mainly to share Grief Seeds, and continue attacking other magical girls. Nonetheless, she still acts in Oriko's defense, kicking her Witch-kissed uncle in the face while under the impression that he was a pervert. When Oriko tells her the truth, she is embarrassed, but Oriko quickly forgives her for it. Things go badly south, however, when Kirika decides to engage fellow magical girl Komaki Asako. The barrier-focused girl turns out to be a very close match for Kirika, resulting in an increasingly heated battle. At its height, Kirika throws out a powerful attack to finish off Komaki, which is intercepted by Akira Namekata, an innocent girl who tried to protect her friend without knowing the truth of the battle, and which cuts her in two. Horrified, she attempts to flee, but an enraged Komaki charges her with axe in hand, and Kirika swings in defense, impaling the other girl through the head on her claws. Kyubey, having found a mortally wounded Komaki much later, puts out the news that a magical girl in black killed two people. Kirika returns home to Oriko rocked to her core by her actions, in a state of shock and occasionally seeing hallucinations of Komaki and Akira's corpses. While she had been willing to kill before, she was unaware of the weight it would place on her, and is wracked by guilt. Her guilt only worsens when she sees the handouts from Oriko's class and learns that Oriko knew Komaki personally, being reduced to a sobbing wreck and begging for forgiveness, nearly falling into despair. However, when Oriko returns home, she finds that Kirika has brightened up considerably. She cheerfully hugs Oriko before apologizing, and when Oriko casually accepts the apology and notes a refusal to judge Kirika's actions, she grows yet more enthusiastic, declaring that she will only kill magical girls from now on. She concludes that the euphoria she feels means that this was probably the wish she forgot, and in her euphoria, claims that she can do anything for Oriko. Oriko considers a date, but upon receiving another vision, sends Kirika out to be an emissary to Sasa Yuuki, currently on the run from a team of Kazamino magical girls. Kirika successfully rescues Sasa and slays her pursuer, before introducing herself. Sasa immediately recognizes Kirika as the murderer, when Oriko arrives on the scene and offers an alliance, in the name of wiping out the Kazamino team. Kirika and Sasa are forced to work together, but fail to get along. Kirika dislikes Sasa for taking away from time that could be spent with Oriko, and begins a rant about how Oriko forgave her for her horrible actions, and how she will need to change herself further to return Oriko's feelings. Sasa, upon hearing this, is horrified at Kirika's clear and growing derangement, and resolves to either kill Kirika or flee the city. While reflecting on her feelings, Kirika realizes that she may have met Oriko before. With Oriko's plan in motion, Kirika ambushes the Kazamino team, forcing them to scatter. She engages Mai Akane in a duel, and though the fight remains even for a time, Mai manages to deliver a lethal-looking blow, cutting her upper torso nearly in two. However, when Lina, the group leader, turns into a witch and kills Miyako, Mai collapses in anguish at the death of her friends... at which a still-living Kirika stabs her through the chest. Together with Oriko, they combine their observations, and discern that the thing that killed Sasa was using some kind of time-stop ability. With Sasa dead, Oriko and Kirika travel to Kazamino to steal her collection of Grief Seeds. Though initially cheerful to be heading on an outing together, she notices that Oriko is troubled, and furthermore, that Oriko is lying to her. She wonders if she's still not the right person, and resolves to continue changing for Oriko. When she questions Oriko after learning that Oriko told Kyubey about Yuma, however, Oriko angrily slaps her and declares, with some uncertainty, that she is who she is and has no regrets. Satisfied with the answer, Kirika declares that she will kill anyone Oriko desires of her. With that in mind, Kirika continues her killings of local magical girls, including two more. Kyubey attempts to question her, but Kirika turns out to be uncharacteristically good at lying, declaring that she never wished to become a murderer. Shortly afterward, while watching TV with Oriko, she notices Oriko's discomfort at a politician on the news, and asks if she should kill him. Oriko refuses, claiming that her personal grudge is of no concern to the plan, and reflects on Kirika's growing mental deterioration. While wandering around the house, Kirika, attempting to locate Oriko's family photos, finds a notebook from Oriko's father, containing a suicide note that blames Oriko for his death. Angered at the implication, she declares him an enemy and tries to hide the book, but does a poor enough job of it that Oriko quickly becomes suspicious. However, Oriko finds a stuffed toy, and, under the impression that it is what was being hidden, decides to let Kirika have it as a gift. While in Oriko's father's rose garden, the two prepare to have tea. Kirika names all the different kinds of roses she sees in an attempt to impress Oriko, but is told that it was Oriko's father, Hisaomi Mikuni, who liked roses. Kirika says there's no point knowing anything that doesn't pertain to Oriko, causing Oriko to comment that such thinking would make Kirika an ignorant child. A witch attacks them, and as Kirika fights it, Oriko prepares the tea. Kirika comments about the witch daring to try to come between herself and Oriko. Kirika ends up smashing their table and ruining it, so the two just sit together after the battle, Kirika resting in Oriko's lap. Kirika goes out for another hunt, musing on the fact that, as much as she provides for Oriko, she cannot replace Oriko's entire support network and family. However, in her reflections, she bumps into someone and loses the stuffed toy that was a gift from Oriko. By coincidence, she runs into Mami, who finds and returns the toy to Kirika, who claims that Mami is her "savior." As thanks, Kirika treats Mami to a crepe. When Mami asks about the present, and makes the mistake of asking if Kirika likes the person who gave it to her. Kirika's attitude changes swiftly. She says that Mami throws such words around too easily, and that real love is "an infinity of limitations" While saying this, Kirika is suddenly surrounded and attacked by a witch. Mami resolves to save Kirika, but Kirika is fine. She says that she devoted herself to "her," meaning Oriko, and is willing to even kill her savior for that cause. When she transforms and attacks her, Mami realizes that this is the black magical girl responsible for the recent murders of the other magical girls in the city. Kirika, now almost completely deranged, confirms this. Mami defends herself as best she can, but Kirika is too fast to shoot or restrain with her ribbons. Eventually, Kirika wears her down until Mami is wounded on her leg. Mami manages to escape into the witch's barrier, away from Kirika, and sets a trap for her based on the deduction that Kirika's speed is actually an illusion. Kirika is actually slowing her enemies down with a spell, letting her seem faster and more agile than she really is. Mami shoots at her, but Kirika slows it down and dodges it. She didn't account for it to go off after it had past it, however, and the blow wounds her back (where her Soul Gem sits) quite deeply. Mami demands an explanation for the murders, but Kirika refuses to give one. Mami prepares to shoot Kirika through the head, but is stopped when Oriko appears and causes a huge explosion. In the confusion, Oriko saved Kirika and took her back home to be healed. With major wounds, Kirika tells Oriko what she can remember of her wish. Oriko responds, tearfully, that what Kirika's done in unforgivable and she'll have to make it up to Oriko. Kirika agrees, but then they realize that her Soul Gem is cracked, effectively crippling Kirika's combat abilities. When Oriko becomes uncharacteristically morose, Kirika freaks out, and asks her if she found "it", before passing out. Upon waking up, though, Kirika remembers the truth of her wish: it was to continue changing to be a person suitable for Oriko. When Oriko returns home, having read the suicide note and spoken to her father's associates, in a state of anguish, Kirika attempts to calm her down without much initial success, as Oriko rages about her imminent demise and how she no longer wishes to be herself. However, Kirika tells Oriko that Oriko is the reason her wish came true, and that due to the nature of Kirika's wish, they still have a chance: Kirika can become a Witch. Though Oriko rejects this plan at first, Kirika tells Oriko that she will make the sacrifice happily, in the name of seeing the plan through. With the plan set in motion, Oriko and Kirika spend their last night together at Kirika's house. Playing video games, eating snacks, and enjoying conversation, the two go on to share a bed, reflecting on how close they've become. The next morning, Kirika and Oriko head to Mitakihara Middle School, with Oriko noting that what they do next will be unforgivable, to which Kirika notes that she forgives Oriko, and accepts what will happen next. Kirika and Oriko take over Mitakihara Middle School's broadcasting room some time later, sending out a short message to the students that tells Mami and Homura that this will be the final battle. A witch's barrier then mysteriously forms around the school. Oriko and Kirika are confronted by Homura at the heart of the barrier world. Kirika transforms into a witch, revealing that the barrier is in fact hers. Even as a witch, she helps Oriko attack Homura, who has been joined by Mami, Yuma, and Kyoko. She is defeated by them and killed. Oriko's soul gem is close to exhaustion, and when she takes a hit, Homura executes Oriko. In her final moments, she has a dream of Kirika handing her a final piece of aid, and she uses a shard of Kirika's witch body, hitting Kyubey and Madoka, before dying. Afterwards, in the afterlife, Kirika meets Oriko in an illusion of the Mitakihara school corridor. Kirika notices that Oriko carries a big burden about her and offers to take half of her burden. Shortly after that, in an illusion of Oriko's front garden, they encounter Madoka in her goddess form, and Oriko, though noting that her journey helped her find what was truly special, apologizes deeply, and thanks Madoka for coming to them.

Kirika in Extra Story

Warning, this section contains spoilers.
In Noisy Citrine, after making a contract with Kyubey and becoming a magical girl, Kirika goes to the train station to meet Oriko, feeling that she is more worthy of Oriko's time. However, after Oriko appears on the station, Kirika finds herself unable to do it, realizing that despite contracting with Kyubey and changing her personality, she still doesn't have the courage to talk to Oriko. The next day, she tries to retry her attempt at befriending Oriko, but instead runs into her ex-friend Erika on the way. Upon remembering how she was betrayed by Erika in the past, Kirika pushes her and runs away. Kirika and Erika meet later when Erika has been possessed by a witch. Kirika stops Erika from hanging herself, but Erika lashes out against Kirika, wanting to die, believing Kirika still hates her after Erika framed her for her shoplifting. Kirika, however, saves Erika anyway and says that she has become a different Kirika, before defeating the witch. Afterwards, Kirika forgives Erika, and tells her about her nature as a magical girl. Several days later, after apparently befriending Oriko, she tells her about the incident. A teasing Oriko asks her how much she cares about Erika, provoking an embarrassed response as Kirika claims that she has only one special person in her life. Oriko, intrigued, asks who that person is. In Symmetry Diamond, Kirika has teamed up with Oriko to defeat Walpurgisnacht--evidently, Kriemhild Gretchen does not exist in this timeline, and therefore Oriko has no plans to kill other magical girls. Because Oriko's magic is being quickly consumed by her uncontrollable visions and she does not have much fighting ability, Kirika hunts down grief seeds for her. Kirika is knocked out by Sasa after being surprised by her "impossible" magic. This causes Oriko to suspect something amiss, as She later reappears to save Oriko from being killed by Sasa and subsequently destroys Sasa's facade, before helping Oriko to bring down Sasa and her witches. She helps Oriko find Yuma a new family in the epilogue, before going on an outing together, with Kirika overjoyed to be in public with Oriko. In Last Agate, Kirika shares a cake with Oriko on the eve of Walpurgisnacht. They are last seen preparing to go up against the witch.

Kirika in Magia Record

See Kirika Kure in Magia Record

Powers and Abilities

Kirika's weapons are long, curved claws worn on her wrists and hands. There are three blades on each hand usually, though she can manifest more and have five on each hand. With these, she is able to slice open her opponents with separate cuts, as well as tear apart restraining magic like Mami's ribbons. She can also lengthen the claws into long, razor-edged whips. She is a very skilled close-range fighter, and often uses her feet in combat.

She also has the ability to slow her enemies down, giving the illusion of her having exceptional acrobatic agility and speed. Kirika's ability can also be used on herself, as she shows when she slows down her own transformation into a witch. It's notable that when she first met Oriko she was gathering her fallen belongings while being told by bystanders to "hurry up"; it's possible her powers were derived from this event, as she wished to change her personality in order to befriend Oriko. It is also possible that it derives from Kirika's belief that one only has a limited time with the people they love, given that it causes events to last longer.

Noisy Citrine revealed that she has named two of her attacks. "Stepping Fang" is an attack in which Kirika releases her claws and throws them, in order to hit targets she cannot reach herself in time. "Vampire Fang" is a powered-up version of her normal attack, able to split a witch in half with one hit.

Observations

Kirika commented in Oriko Magica that she often skipped school, which could explain her absence in Madoka Magica outside of meta reasons.
Kirika is seen reading yuri manga in Noisy Citrine.
Unlike other girls, Kirika's soul gem is seen tucked into the folds of her casual skirt instead of being worn as a ring.

Etymology

Her first name is written in katakana and has no particular meaning. When written in kanji, it can be read many different ways, ex. "fog fire" or "fog perfume".
Her last name is written with kanji meaning "give" or "do something for", referring to her devotion to Oriko and willingness to follow her commands.

Trivia

Kirika and Oriko are exactly 121 days and 3 hours apart in age. Kirika is the younger of the two.
In the original manga, she is noted to have been born in 1996.
Kirika is the first serial killer in the franchise, sharing a trait in common with Suzune Amano. Both characters are also doing the bidding of someone else, although the latter is unaware of this most of the time.
Her gorging on sugar may be due to her power (slowing things down and speeding them up) which would mess up her metabolism.
According to Magia Archive Kirika's magical girl outfit is designed to resemble a tuxedo, in contrast to Oriko's which is based on a wedding dress.
Her hair has undergone a color change throughout the years with it bouncing between brown and black. Her hair color seems to be finalized sometime before the release of Sadness Prayer, as her hair color stayed black after its release.