Jubey
| Jubey | |
|---|---|
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| Japanese Name | ジュゥべぇ (Jubey) |
"Playtime is over." ~ Jubey, Chapter 4.
Jubey (ジュゥべぇ Juubee) is a character in Puella Magi Kazumi Magica: The Innocent Malice.
Described as a fairy (妖精 yōsei), but very likely an Incubator, he was the Pleiades Saints's contractor. He is particularly notable for being able to clean their Soul Gems on his own, relieving the girls of the need to compete for Grief Seeds.
Personality
While he is very likely an Incubator, and should therefore be emotionless, he has displayed more emotional behavior in a few panels than his colleague has in the entire anime. He displays annoyance/embarrassment when violently hugged by Satomi against her breasts, and disgust when he is fed Evil Nuts instead of Grief Seeds. Furthermore, he dislikes being called Bey-chan.
Most importantly, he appears to be able to understand the concept of deception: he says he 'doesn't know' why Soul Gems turn into Grief Seeds, and claims it only happens 'sometimes.' He also appears to look sad when he tells Kazumi that restoring a Grief Seed to Soul Gem is impossible. Also, when describing the difference between Nico and Kazumi's magic, he starts to call Kazumi's power is 'sacrilege' but then corrects himself saying instead 'destruction.'
Another thing that strangely separates him from his business partner is that while Kyubey stays completely neutral when Puella Magi turn on each other, Jubey openly speaks with Kazumi and Nico on the best strategy to neutralize the Soujous.
While he behaves normally around the Pleiades, he is shown looking down on them with an evil grin (which he'd have no reason to do so if he was simply play acting emotions). However, it is implied that since Jubey is capable of cleansing Soul Gems without a Grief Seed, he may have more use for the girls alive than dead in any circumstance.
It should be noted, however, that while Incubators may be emotionless (apart from mentally ill ones), the Manga version of Madoka Magica has given Kyubey a lot more facial expressions.
History
This section may contain major spoilers for the Kazumi Magica manga!
Please refrain from reading if you haven't read the latest chapter yet.
Jubey has so far only appeared in Kazumi Magica.
He appeared after the Pleiades rescued Umika and Kaoru from an escaped witch. He stood on a rooftop watching their celebration, alongside Kyubey.
Jumping down, he came to the attention of Kazumi, who was shocked at what seemed to be a talking cat. Satomi introduced him as Jubey, the fairy who had turned them into Puellae Magi. He proceeded to absorb the darkness inside the girls' Soul Gems by gracefully spinning in the air, and then he quite literally ate a Grief Seed given to him by Nico. When he asked for more, he was fed Evil Nuts, the awkward looking Grief Seeds dropped by the pseudo-witches they faced before. He spat them out with apparent disgust, saying they weren't Grief Seeds. Umika theorized they imitated the Grief Seed's power and were created by the mysterious girl from before, but before they could draw further conclusions, a huge blast hit the group. Jubey was next seen sleeping with Kazumi's black cat while the rest of the Pleiades discuss Yuuri's attack and their plan of action at Umika, Kaoru and Kazumi's home.
He accompanies the Pleiades to the Asunaro Dome. At the behest of Saki, he attempts to purify Yuuri's soul gem. However, Yuuri shoots him in mid-spin, and becomes a witch.
Jubey then appears in the next chapter, apparently still bleeding from being shot. He explains to Kazumi that Yuuri had become a witch, and that she has to be killed because nothing can change her back. Interestingly, he claims that he doesn't know why the transformation from a magical girl into a witch happens, and that it only happens "sometimes".
Jubey accompanies Nico on a "witch hunt" soon after, along with Kazumi, to Lavieland Amusement Park. He remains with them during Nico's fight with Ayase Souju, and explains that Nico's wish for "regeneration" allows her to transform already-existing objects into clones of herself.}}
When Nico asks him if a magical girl can have multiple transformations, he denies it and says that there are two magical girls inside of Ayase's body.
As she confronts the other magical girl in Ayase's body, Luca Soujou, Kazumi asks Juubey what happens when a Soul Gem is taken away. Jubey says that the magical girl loses her magic and may even die "depending on the situation".
He later helps Nico translate the name of the Soujous combined attack, and is seen covering his eyes while Kazumi is getting hit by hit. He also identifies Kazumi's magic as "sacrilege", but then seems to correct himself and says it's "destruction". He then helps Kazumi and Nico use their own counterattack by biting their hands at the correct moment, allowing them to use a synchronized attack that defeats the Soujous.
Powers, Weapons & Abilities
This section may contain major spoilers for the anime!
Please refrain from reading if you haven't watched Episode 8 yet.As an Incubator, he wields the power to grant wishes through contracts and, by removing one's soul and giving it a physical form as a Soul Gem, give a Puella Magi their powers. He also disposes of Grief Seeds by eating them. It is assumed he possesses other powers displayed by his "cousin", Kyubey, such as possessing multiple bodies and being able to show memories inside other's minds.
He has, however, shown an ability of his own, unseen before: the power to clean a Puella Magi's Soul Gem on his own, without requiring the use of a Grief Seed. This could have franchise-wide implications.
Trivia
- Unlike Kyubey, who merely drops Grief Seeds onto a hatch in his back, Jubey literally eats them: the circle in his forehead can be seen clenching just as one's mouth does while eating, and munching sounds can be heard.
- Jubey's name is a pun on Kyubey's name ("kyuu" in Japanese is "nine", while "juu" is "ten"). It likely has nothing to do with the word "Incubator".
- The original series proposal for Madoka Magica referred to the contract-making creature as a fairy. Jubey being called a fairy may be a reference to that.
Speculation
- It appears that he absorbs the grief from the Soul Gems onto his skin, which is appropriately pitch black. On the other hand, he is seen making a gulping noise and licking his lips afterwards, suggesting some sort of consumption.
- In the anime, magical girls worked alone or in small groups because the Grief Seeds they needed to clean their Soul Gems were a limited resource. Magical girls could easily clash over territory and were just as likely to compete than cooperate. When the Pleiades Saints were revealed to be a seven-member magical girl team, a number of readers wondered how that could be possible in this context. It was considered unlikely that there were enough witches in Asunaro City to support seven magical girls. Chapter 4 explained that Jubey, the fairy they contracted with, can clean their Soul Gems, meaning they don't need to compete for Grief Seeds.
- What was left unexplained was why this was done. Kyubey has never demonstrated the ability to clean Soul Gems in the anime. In fact, he actively sought to have the girls corrupt their Soul Gems and turn into witches. One probable explanation is that from what we've seen, the Pleiades had fairly minor wishes and were therefore weaker magical girls. Being weak magical girls, they wouldn't become powerful witches, and thus they wouldn't produce a lot of energy when they transformed. It is then more efficient for Jubey to let them hunt Grief Seeds for him than to try and convert them into witches.
In purely mathematical terms, a team of weak Puellae Magi capturing a more powerful witch than themselves, using team tactics to level the field, is extremely efficient when it comes to energy output.
- What was left unexplained was why this was done. Kyubey has never demonstrated the ability to clean Soul Gems in the anime. In fact, he actively sought to have the girls corrupt their Soul Gems and turn into witches. One probable explanation is that from what we've seen, the Pleiades had fairly minor wishes and were therefore weaker magical girls. Being weak magical girls, they wouldn't become powerful witches, and thus they wouldn't produce a lot of energy when they transformed. It is then more efficient for Jubey to let them hunt Grief Seeds for him than to try and convert them into witches.
- It was mentioned in the anime that it was possible for an Incubator to have emotions, but they would be considered mentally ill. Juubey might be one of those Incubators.
- Jubey claims that he doesn't know the reason why a Puella Magi would transform into a Witch and that it only happens "sometimes". It is unknown if he honestly doesn't know or if he is lying.
Gallery
Jubey standing alongside Kyubey. Together known as The Legion Of Doom.
Maybe not such a good fairy.
Just a snack.
An "imitation" Grief Seed, a.k.a an Evil Nut. Do not feed them to your Incubator, especially after midnight.
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