Jubey

Jubey
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.

Chapter 19 reveals that the Jubey in the story is not a real Incubator, as he mysteriously breaks up and leaves a pair of Grief Seeds behind.

Personality

While he is 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.' He has also been shown outright lying to Kazumi, something Kyubey never does.

Another thing that strangely separates him from his business partner is that while Kyubey stays completely neutral when magical girls turn on each other, Jubey openly speaks with Kazumi and Nico on the best strategy to neutralize the Soujous, and appears worried when Kazumi is clearly outmatched by them alone. This grows even more bizarre when if he had done nothing or given them bad advice leading their deaths or simply refused to purify their Soul Gems, which would have eliminated them and their 'cheating' of the magical girl system with The Freezer. His actions seem contradictory to his function of harvesting emotions. This was explained in Chapter 12, that Jubey is actually brainwashed. When the Pleiades found out the truth of witches and magical girls, they confronted him and Umika wipes his memories, removes his ability to make any more contracts and to work for them.

While he behaves normally around the Pleiades, he is shown looking down on them with an evil grin in the company of Kyubey, as well as when describing the details about The Freezer (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 cleaning house, literally.

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 magical girls. 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.

While speaking with the Pleiades, Nico's Soul Gem cracks, we see background text of her thinking that that she'll die without a trace, and she wants everyone to remember. She thinks she doesn't want to kill anyone anymore. The runes coming out of her Soul Gem read "We have no future as long as he's around." Mirai flips out and uses her attack La Bestia ("The Beasts") causing an army of teddy-bears to appear and chew on the witch. When the witch throws them off, Mirai uses La Bestia Refare ("Remake the Beast"). The bears start hugging each other and turn into a giant bear that Mirai jumps on. The bear pounces on the witch and pulls it into a bear hug. Mirai leaps into the air, turns her wand into a giant sword, and cuts both the bear and the witch in half. The witch dies, yelling "Cut" one last time. She drops a Grief Seed (which notably looks different than Nico's Soul Gem).

Mirai asks Saki if she's alright, but she's still processing Nico's death. Mirai tells her she had to do it, but is interrupted by Satomi screaming that she doesn't want to die or turn into a witch. Jubey and Umika look at the Grief Seed, as Umika wonders how did things turn out like this. Kazumi takes the hand of Nico's body and finds it's cold. As she shouts Nico's name, a voice says "You called?" Everyone is shocked to see another Nico standing behind them. As Kazumi asks what's going on, the other Nico walks up to the first Nico's body, puts her arm around her neck, and with a disturbing expression says "Switch". She then touches the hair of the body, and it's face suddenly vanishes. Jubey, a disturbing grin on his face, says that the body was Nico's "spare" and "compensation for Nico's contract". Kaoru asks why Nico didn't tell them. Nico says that to deceive an enemy, you have to deceive your allies. Kaoru punches her, then gives her a hug. Nico then says they should cut to the chase. Kaoru tells Saki Kazumi can handle it.

The scene switches to Mirai's teddy bear museum, "Angelica Bears". Mirai says that in Japanese it's called "Ashitaba" (literally "tomorrow's leaf") and says that Kazumi came up with the name. As they walk inside, they step onto a magic circle. Umika holds out her ring, suddenly transporting them all somewhere else. Umika tells Kazumi that the museum was born from them meeting with her. The walk up to a giant door, which opens into a giant room filled with girls floating in tanks. The middle of the room contains a pile of Soul Gems. Umika explains that after they take Soul Gems, they put the empty shells of the magical girls into "the Freezer". Kazumi says that Ayase was right, and asks why they're doing this. Jubey says that it's their response to the magical girl system, which is full of contradictions: Rejection.

Picking up from the end of the last chapter, Umika explains that witches are the end state of magical girls. (While she's speaking Oktavia is briefly seen, as is Sayaka in silhouette). Umika tells Kazumi that they lied to her when they said that sometimes the Soul Gems of magical girls go out of control. Jubey, grinning, explains that Soul Gems are the extracted souls of magical girls. Kaoru admits that they're like zombies, but it's preferable to dying to a witch in one shot. Jubey then says that the Pleiades refuse to fight without feeling pain. Kaoru responds by saying that if they do that they'll cease being human. Umika explains that the magical girls they capture are placed in a barrier that separates them from their Soul Gems and puts them in suspended animation, preventing them from becoming witches. Kaoru says they hope to find a way to completely clean the gems and turn them back into humans. Until then, they'll keep fighting. This is their "rejection" of the magical girl system. Nico then takes out a container that has the Soujus, their Soul Gems, and the Soul Gem and body of another magical girl. The bodies of the magical girls have been shrunken to the point where they can be picked up by one hand. Nico puts into two new containers, saying they "will keep on waiting for the prince's kiss." Kazumi asks when everyone found out about the connection between magical girls and wishes. Umika touches her forehead to Kazumi's, telling her to remember everything.

The story flashes back into the past. Umika, Kaoru, Satomi, Mirai, Nico, and Saki are standing on a catwalk. They all display a witch's kiss on their necks. It then shows the "despair" of each Pleiade, which references each girl's wish and contract made with Jubey. The girls standing on the catwalk jump off, as a voice says, "Everyone should just die." The voice is cut-off by a familiar spell with ribbons wrapping around the girls, stopping their fall. Their savior is none other than Kazumi, who says, "Ciao! You suicidal girls!"

After Kazumi forces the girls to fight a witch's familiars in order to make them realize they want to live, Kazumi destroys the witch. As Saki asks, "What was that?" A silhouette appears behind her, looking similar to Kyubey. It turns out to be Jubey, who says that was Magical Girl Kazumi, who hunts witches, proving that Kazumi is the first girl who made a contract with Jubey out of the seven Pleiades. When Kazumi's stomach growls, they all go to her house, where Kazumi makes her grandmother's strawberry risotto. When they all respond positively to the taste, Kazumi says that her grandmother would be happy to hear that. She reveals that her grandmother has passed away, and that she became a magical girl the same day.

Jubey with Mami Tomoe, when he first spots Kazumi.

She was studying abroad when she learned that her grandmother's condition became critical. While hurrying home, she ran straight into a witch's barrier. Fortunately, she's saved by a surprise appearance from Mami Tomoe, who muses that she can't take it easy even on a trip. Mami destroys the witch, and when Kazumi thanks her, Mami tells her to get going and be careful. As Kazumi leaves, Jubey is strangely seen by Mami's feet. At Kazumi's home, a doctor explains that her grandmother only has a few days left unless she's hooked up to a respiratory machine and it's unlikely that she'll wake up. Kazumi says that her grandmother would never want to go on life support. Later and alone with her grandmother, Kazumi starts crying and says that she wants her grandmother to open her eyes, just once more. Jubey appears on the windowsill, saying (wording it "Make a contract with me and become a magical girl!" (ボクと契約して、魔法少女になってよ！, boku to keiyaku shite, mahou shoujo ni natte yo!), which is exactly the same famous phrase used by Kyubey) that he can grant her wish if she makes a contract and becomes a magical girl.

Kazumi opens up a witch's barrier around herself and the girls. Familiars appear and start attacking the normal girls while Kazumi watches. Kaoru tries to use her crutch to fight them off, but falls down. Umika shields her with her body. Mirai does something similar for Saki. Satomi asks why Kazumi isn't helping. Kazumi responds by asking why they don't want to be eaten if they want to die. She then pulls six firearms from her hat and drops them on the ground. The familiars combine, revealing that they were actually a witch. The girls pick up the weapons, Satomi saying she doesn't want to die and Nico musing she can't run away from guns. They fire at the witch, deflating it like a balloon. It re-inflates itself and charges. Kazumi stops the witch with her cross, saying that "As long as you keep trying to live, you won't fall into despair" and that there's always hope. She then fires "Limit Esterni", destroying the witch.

As the barrier disappears, Saki asks "What was that?" A silhouette appears behind her, looking similar to Kyubey. It turns out to be Jubey, who says that was Magical Girl Kazumi, who hunts witches. A loud growling noise is heard, which turns out to be Kazumi being hungry. It's revealed that her ahoge was absent in the past (though the symbol is still on her hat and earring-bell). The scene changes to Kazumi's house, where she eats with the Pleiades. She talks about how her grandmother said that people eat plants and animals to live, and so they have a duty to them to keep living. She asks the girls about her strawberry risotto, which was passed down from her grandmother. When they respond positively, Kazumi says that her grandmother would be happy to hear that. Saki asks where her grandmother is now, prompting Kazumi to reveal that she had passed away. She tells them not to worry.

Kazumi point to a book with Umika, asking her if that's the book that plagiarized her story. After reading the book Kazumi says it's bad because the main character wastes food like "The Girl who Trod on the Loaf" (a fairytale by Hans Christian Andersen). Umika suddenly becomes animated and agrees, saying the scene wasn't in her draft. She then explains that the rule of villains is that the one who wastes food is a villain and can't be left alive - revealing the source of the brief flashback Kazumi had in Chapter 1. Kazumi says she never heard of that, but agrees. She tells Umika to keep writing, because other than the main character the story was good. As Kazumi goes to get desert, Saki asks her how she became a magical girl.

Kazumi explains she became a magical girl the day her grandmother died. The story flashes back again to Kazumi's past. She narrates that she was studying abroad when she learned that her grandmother's condition became critical. While hurrying home, she ran straight into a witch's barrier. Fortunately, she's saved by a surprise appearance from Mami Tomoe, who muses that she can't take it easy even on a trip. Mami destroys the witch with "Tiro Finale". When Kazumi thanks her, Mami tells her to get going and be careful. As Kazumi leaves Jubey is strangely seen by Mami's feet. At Kazumi's home, a doctor explains that her grandmother only has a few days left unless she's hooked up to a respiratory machine and it's unlikely that she'll wake up. Kazumi says that her grandmother would never want to go on life support. Later and alone with her grandmother, Kazumi starts crying and says that she wants her grandmother to open her eyes, just once more. Jubey appears on the windowsill, saying that he can grant her wish if she makes a contract and becomes a magical girl.

Jubey tells Kazumi being a magical girl is difficult. Kazumi is fine with that and wishes for her grandmother to return to her normal self as long as she remains alive. Jubey asks if she's fine with not curing her grandmother's illness. Kazumi says she wants to, but it wouldn't be respecting her way of life. The contract is established. Kazumi's grandmother wakes up, asking if it's a dream. Kazumi says it's her last dream, and asks her grandmother if she can teach her how to make strawberry risotto. Kazumi spends the day learning cooking skills and advice from her grandmother. She tells Kazumi that people can't fall into dispair as she gives Kazumi her earring-bell; the same earring-bell Kazumi has worn throughout the series. The flashback in a flashback ends as Kazumi says her grandmother went to heaven the next day.

Saki asks why Kazumi didn't just wish her grandmother to be healthy, saying Kazumi is now all alone. Kazumi says her grandmother will always be in her heart, just like Miyuki will be in Saki's heart (Miyuki here is revealed to be Saki's sister). Mriai asks if she can be a magical girl. Jubey tells her she can if she accepts her fate of fighting witches. Mirai says she can accept anything. Umika, Kaoru, Satomi, Nico and Saki quickly chime in agreement. Kazumi cheers over having new friends. Mirai questions the fact that she's a friend, prompting Saki to thank Mirai for protecting her. Jubey tells the girls to give him their wishes. Mirai says her wish was already granted by having friends. Saki suggests wishing for the friends that have always protected her - Mirai's teddy bears. She points to a number on it, asking Mirai if it's her 666th friends. When Mirai asks how Saki knew, Saki explains that her sister did the same thing. Mirai decides to wish for a museum for all her teddy bears. Kazumi suggests calling it "Angelica Bears" which is a pun on Mirai's name and the Ashitaba plant (Mirai's name means "Future Young Leaf", Ashitaba means "Tomorrow's Leaf" and is in the Angelica genus).

Satomi then wishes to talk to animals. Nico whispers her wish to Jubey, embarrassed to say it aloud. Saki wishes for her sister's flower to bloom forever. Umika wishes for an editor to recognize and handle her works preciously. Kaoru wants to help the people that were hurt in the match where she had her injury. Kazumi asks her about her injuries, but Kaoru says she'll just return to the field with her current legs. The contracts are completed, and Kazumi names their team the Pleiades Saints. The scene cuts to the girls fighting a witch. Kaoru destroys it with her spiked shoes. Jubey asks about her strengthened magical girl body. Kaoru is very happy about it. Kazumi calls Kaoru's attack Capitano Potenza ("Captain Power"), and reveals she wants everyone to call their attacks, even recording them in a book. Kazumi reveals that she's following the lead of Mami Tomoe and says she won't cook for the girls if they don't do it. Saki then notices Kazumi's earrings are missing. Kazumi guesses she lost them in the battle, but admits it's okay because her grandmother won't disappear from her heart. Later on Kazumi receives a new pair of the earrings. Kaoru explains that Saki asked her dad to get them while he was on a business trip. Kazumi thanks Saki, while Mirai has a sad or angry expression on her face.

Later, Kaoru and the other Pleiades (except Kazumi) wonder why Kazumi is late, having been told Kazumi was bringing a new friend. Jubey appears, saying a witch's barrier is nearby. They run to Asunaro Dome, where they see Yuuri Asuka transform into a witch. After the battle the girls are stunned. Satomi asks if magical girls turn into witches. Jubey explains how witches are created, and says his job is to gather the energy form the conversion of hope to despair. Kaoru grabs Jubey while he explains that immature witches should be called magical girls. Suddenly Umika grabs Jubey and slams her head against him. A laser fires from her eye into his. Jubey falls down and asks why Umika is looking scary. Umika explains to Kaoru that she rewrote Jubey's memories, preventing him from making contracts. The story then returns to the present. Kazumi says she remembers hunting magical girls after Yuuri, but then suddenly falls over. The symbol for the Evil Nuts appears in her eyes. Satomi looks on in shock, as Kaoru says everyone's tired. Umika leads Kazumi out as Kaoru says they should rest for the day. Saki remains in the Freezer, looking at the pile of Soul Gems. They include two Evil Nuts. We then find Satomi is walking up behind her. Saki asks why Satomi is there. Satomi pulls her hand to her mouth and says, "Saki, let's kill Kazumi." The last panel has Satomi giving a sinister grin.

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 magical girl 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 magical girl's Soul Gem on his own, without requiring the use of a Grief Seed. This could have franchise-wide implications.

Chapter 12 shows that Jubey's ability to make new contracts has been removed by the Saints. Effectively making him 'worthless' as an Incubator.. But, in Chapter 18, he is able to make a contract with Kanna Hijiri, after his supposed brainwashing..

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.
• As another contrast to Kyubey, he speaks in a colloquial and overtly masculine tone with the Pleiades , which is a trait he adopted after his brainwashing.. However, he is still capable of talking in the same manner as Kyubey when explaining Kanna's past to her..

Speculation

Munch munch.

• 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 magical girls capturing a more powerful witch than themselves, using team tactics to level the field, is extremely efficient when it comes to energy output.
  • Considering Chapter 8 and Chapter 15, where Nico's spare and Satomi became Witches, respectively, one could compare Jubey's method of purifying Soul Gems to recharging an electronic device. For instance, charging a device constantly may reduce it's battery lifetime, to the point where it may display its battery as fully charged at one moment and the next moment show it as "low battery" and turn off. When one considers that they both had no signs of corruption in their Soul Gems until the moment before they turned into Witches, it's not an implausible train of thought.
    • But that wouldn't explain how Michiru, who supposedly purified her Soul Gem via Jubey and had her Soul Gem pitch-black as she turned into a Witch, as shown in Chapter 14
      • After his identity as a fake is revealed, fans are wondering if his cleaning act was a mere optical trick to fool the Saints, or if he simply ran out of power to purify their Soul Gems as time passed.
• 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 magical girl 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.
    • Chapter 10 reveals that he actually knew the reason why a magical girl transforms into a Witch. However, it is still not clear the nature or the reasoning behind hiding this fact from Kazumi. The Pleiades Saints, on the other hand, knew the truth all along.
  • It was revealed in chapter 12 that he was brainwashed. It may be possible that the process may have changed his personality and altered or affected the area of the brain that causes emotions. It apparently also made him able to outright lie and feel pain.
• In chapter 19, Jubey disintegrates and fails to cleanse some Soul Gems, according with Kyubey, this was because Jubey was "incomplete".
  • One possible interpretation is that because Jubey's memories were altered, as well as its function, its magic or form was becoming and growing unstable each time it cleansed the Pleiades Saints' Soul Gems.

Gallery

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  Jubey standing alongside Kyubey. Together known as The Legion Of Doom.

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  Maybe not such a good fairy.

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  Just a snack.

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  An "imitation" Grief Seed, a.k.a an Evil Nut. Do not feed them to your Incubator, especially after midnight.

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  One of the ear-like appendages around Jubey's neck resembles a hand in this panel.

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.

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  Jubey with his partner in "crime", Kyubey.

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