Sakura family

"He thought religion hadn't adapted enough. He wanted something new, something that made sense in today's world.
So one day, he started preaching stuff to the congregation that wasn't in the bible.
People got upset, stopped coming to his sermons. The church kicked him out and after that, well, nobody cared about what he had to say." ~ Kyoko Sakura in Episode 7.

Sakura Family
Japanese Name	佐倉 (Sakura)
Seiyū	Banjou Ginga (Kyoko's Father) Kikuko Inoue (Kyoko's Mother) Mami Shirata （Sakura Momo） Ai Nonaka (Sakura Kyoko)

The Sakura family consist of a father, a mother, and two daughters, Sakura Kyoko and Sakura Momo. Kyoko is the oldest daughter, making Momo the youngest. Kyoko's father was the priest of the Sakura Church. In the anime version it is implied that the family resided in Mitakihara, but according to the Drama CD "Farewell Story", Kyoko and her family resided in Kazamino at the time. To make things more confusing, the Sakura Church is either believed to be in Mitakihara or in Kazamino city.

Story

Kyoko's father was a sensitive and an idealistic man who added his personal beliefs within his preaching that went against acceptable church orthodoxy. As a result he was excommunicated for deviating from acceptable religious doctrine. For a time the family went hungry as people stopped attending their church. Kyoko used her wish to make people "believe her father's words" so his audience would be more accepting of his lofty ideals. Suddenly, people started to flock to the Sakura Church and they accepted the new beliefs unconditionally. This new vigor and devotion to the new beliefs convinced Kyoko's father that people were now devoted to his ideals. When a Witch invaded the Sakura Church her father found out that Kyoko was a magical girl. In the process, he also learned of Kyoko's wish which was the reason why people started to become unconditionally faithful to the new beliefs. Her father started to drink heavily after that. He realized that the only reason people started to accept his new doctrine was because of magic, people felt under his "spell" and obeyed his words without any question. This was a result of magic and not because of personal devotion. This realization began his descent into madness.

One day, Kyoko's father (in a fit of madness) killed his family and committed suicide by hanging himself. Kyoko was the sole survivor of the gruesome event. After seeing what had become of her family, Kyoko's ideals were shattered and she began to live selfishly.

Father

• Kyoko's father was a priest who was responsible for the overseeing of a large cathedral. As a result of preaching new ideas and deviating from church doctrine he was excommunicated from the order, he was also alienated from his congregation as a result of preaching heresy.
  • Kyoko's father could be an Anglican priest since he is married with children, also his clergy outfit is similar to their style. Another evidence is that his cathedral shares some architectural similarities to the Canterbury Cathedral.
• According to Kyoko, her father was an extremely kind and sensitive man. So sensitive that he was in constant worry due to the state of the world's affairs. In her own words: "He was too honest. Too kind. Every morning reading the paper, the worries of the world brought him to tears". As a result of this he started preaching new ideas born more from his convoluted (idealistic) emotions rather than continue to preach the acceptable doctrine, which got him and his family to become destitute and hungry. Driven by hunger and pity, Kyoko made her wish to help his father find new followers by making anyone who listened to him to believe his words. But Kyoko's father soon learned the truth behind the miracle that he experienced, that his preaching was only accepted as a result of magic and not by real devotion to his radical ideas. The fact that his followers' hearts and minds were manipulated by magic shattered his mind and worldview. Once Kyoko's father is confronted with the awful truth, probably driven by madness, he decides to kill his wife and Kyoko's little sister, after murdering his family in cold blood he commits suicide. It is unknown how or why Kyoko survived or if her father tried to take her life. It is assumed that she most likely survived as a result of her being a magical girl who cannot die unless her Soul Gem is destroyed.
• Because of Kyoko's wish her father had the mental ability to influence and manipulate the mind of others to believe him. Perhaps he even had the ability to persuade others to follow his orders without forcing them. It is not known what is the extension of his powers. The only clue that exists is that whoever listened to Kyoko's father they would listen and believe him (no matter how absurd his statement or lofty his ideals). It is not know what is the duration of the spell (if there is any), its effects on the individual, or if there is any mental damage in the person (and if there is, if it is permanent on the target).

Mother

Not much information is given about Kyoko's mother other than she was a caring and patient woman who supported her husband and family to the best of her abilities.

Momo Sakura

See Momo Sakura

Kyoko Sakura

See Kyoko Sakura

Observations

• It is suggested in the manga that Kyouko's father was physically abusing his wife.
• In Puella Magi Madoka Magica: The Different Story a news broadcast indicates that a private residence in Kazamino City was caught on fire, inside the residency they found the bodies of the three members of the Sakura family. According to police, the residents were forced in a multiple suicide act but the broadcast doesn't mention any other details. It is not known if the police suspected Kyoko's father as the perpetrator, or if the private residency was the Sakura Church. The manga seems to leave a strong impression that the Sakura Church functioned as their private residence as well.

Etymology

• The first character for Sakura (佐) means "to help" while the second (倉) means "warehouse."

Trivia

• Kyoko's father and mother don't have an official name.
• The studio drew an official anime design for the character of the father but it was never used in the series.
• The studio never drew an official anime design for the character of the mother.
  • Instead, they depicted both of them as stylized paper cutouts in Episode 7.
• The manga Puella Magi Madoka Magica: The Different Story has a more detailed design of Kyoko's father. The mother's appearance in the manga is the first detailed design of hers.
• Banjou Ginga is the voice actor of Kyoko's father in the Drama CD: Farewell Story. The character doesn't have a speaking role in the original series.
• Kikuko Inoue is the voice actress of Kyoko's mother in the Drama CD: Farewell Story. The character doesn't have a speaking role in the original series.

Gallery

Screenshots

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  Sakura Family as it is depicted in the anime.
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  Kyoko's father commits suicide by hanging himself after murdering his family in the anime.
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  Kyoko's mother and sister dismembered in the anime.
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  The Sakuras in Puella Magi Madoka Magica Portable.

Manga

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  Kyoko's mother in Puella Magi Madoka Magica: The Different Story.
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  Kyoko's father and Momo in Puella Magi Madoka Magica: The Different Story.
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  Kyoko's father discovers she is a magical girl, which is what starts his descent into madness.
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  The manga version of Madoka makes this event in Kyoko's life more gruesome than the anime version.
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  Kyoko recalls her father's sensitivity and idealism.
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  Mami has dinner with Kyoko and her family.