Kyoko Sakura

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"Don't waste food. I'll kill you." - Kyoko Sakura, Episode 7.

Kyoko Sakura
Japanese Name	佐倉 杏子 (Sakura Kyōko)
Voiced by	Japanese: Ai Nonaka English: Lauren Landa Italian: Veronica Puccio Cantonese: Choi An Hung
Age	14-16 (estimated)
Weapon	Spear

Kyoko Sakura is a veteran magical girl who appears to Sayaka and Madoka in episode 5, but not before making a brief appearance at the end of episode 4. She is introduced as an abrasive, fiery, and self-centered girl who fights only for self but later adopts a more sympathetic outlook.

In the spin-off manga Puella Magi Madoka Magica: The Different Story, Kyoko serves as the main protagonist alongside Mami Tomoe.

General info

"There's an easier way to make a guy you fell in love with yours, use that magic you worked so hard for. Rush in there right now and break his hands and legs so he'll never be able to use them again. Make him totally helpless without you. Then he'll be yours... body and soul." - Kyoko, Episode 6.

• Kyoko's height range, according to the Production Note, is 156-158cm. Her birthday, blood type and other biographical information is unknown at this time.
• A magical girl who came from another town, going after Mami's turf after hearing of her death, only to learn from Kyubey upon arrival that Sayaka has taken over.
  • According to the Drama CD "Farewell Story", Kyoko is from the neighboring city of Kazamino.
• Kyoko is always eating something.
• An egoist who doesn't take heed of the damage to the people around her.
  • Kyoko is a callous magical girl who doesn't even mind sacrifices, no matter how much, if it's to gain a Grief Seed.
• A magical girl who simply has supernatural powers and abandoned the premise of justice and benevolence. In short, she doesn't hesitate in any sense in using her magic powers for her own selfish benefit and desires. Kyoko debuts as an ultra selfish character
• Kyoko's regular clothes are the active type and leave a delinquent impression somewhere. She seems to be the type who doesn't mind her navel peeking out.
• Kyoko's special ability is confirmed in the Drama CD "Farewell Story", she can create some kind of illusion to entice or confuse others. Also, she is able to split herself into multiple images to confuse the opponents during battles.
• Kyoko seems to have a rather sadistic side. This is shown in episode 6 when she approaches Sayaka when Sayaka is about to visit her friend Kyosuke. Kyoko scoffs at Sayaka's wish, then says that if she wanted him that badly, she should just go in and break his hands and legs, leaving him crippled and they could be together.
• Kyoko was the daughter of a preacher. Her father started to deviate from regular doctrine and was excommunicated for it - Kyoko used her wish to get her father more followers; however, upon finding this out, her father went insane and killed the entire family but Kyoko, (But in Madoka Portable, Kyoko is gone when he kills her family and hangs himself from the church ceiling) then committing suicide. From there on, Kyoko only uses her magical powers for herself.
• Kyoko values food and chastises those who waste it. After her father lost supporters, Kyoko and her family (parents, Kyoko herself, Momo, her little sister) nearly starved.
• While Kyoko was initially cold toward Sayaka, she grows to like her. This is because Kyoko sees Sayaka making the same mistakes as her. During the end of episode 7, Kyoko even monitors Sayaka's witch hunt. While it is unknown if Sayaka needed her help, Kyoko does protect Sayaka against one of the witch's attacks.
• Kyoko, as revealed in episode 9, liked Sayaka because Sayaka reminded her why she became a magical girl: Kyoko loved stories where love and courage prevail.
• Kyoko, in an effort to restore Sayaka to normal after she became a witch, takes Madoka to Oktavia's lair. After taking many hits defending herself and watching Madoka's attempts to reach her prove futile, Kyoko "sacrifices" herself to stop Oktavia and save Madoka. This also allowed Homura, who had just arrived, to rescue Madoka and leave the witch's lair with her.
• In a previous timeline, Kyoko is killed by a mentally broken Mami after the fight with Oktavia. Having gone mad after learning what happens to magical girls with time, Mami shot and destroyed Kyoko's Soul Gem, killing her in what she saw as a mercy kill that would save Kyoko from becoming a witch.
• Kyoko is brought back to life by Madoka's wish in Episode 12
• Kyoko's backstory is told in the Drama CD "Farewell Story".
  • She had one sister, Momo Sakura.
• She is younger than Mami, but older than Madoka and Sayaka.
• Kyoko's magic is called "enchantment".
• Color theme: Red.
• Soul gem shape: Eye
• Element: Enchantment.
• Rebellion shows that under normal circumstances, Kyoko has the typical attitude of a lazy, slackerish schoolgirl, and loses many of the abrasive points of her personality.

Personality

Kyoko seems abrasive and selfish but has a somewhat soft side as well. She values food a lot and loves to eat. She may have experienced trauma from her family's death giving her an eating disorder of sorts, or erasing the memory of hunger. She is rather tomboyish, with barely any femininity at all if any. This is where she differs from Sayaka's boyishness, where Sayaka has a bit of a girlish streak in the fact that she is interested in romance, while Kyoko just about has a nice side, and likes stories with happy endings. (Doesn't everybody?) She is competitive and after her family's death was introduced to the principles of "Dog eat dog world", "you get what you pay for" and "Kill or be killed/Eat or be eaten" and started to live by them. She uses her magic and other abilities mainly for herself due to the belief that helping somebody else will only result in something bad. She is also somewhat arrogant. She seems to be very faithful in God as during her final moments in the original timeline getting killed by Oktavia (she does live in the world reconstructed by Madoka, but does not remember her), she prays to God to show her a "happy dream." . It's uncertain what exactly what this means, but presumably she is pleading to be shown something happy like her family all being alive and happy, in the form of a dream, or to allow her to die peacefully and ascend to Heaven.

History

Kyoko in Oriko Magica

This section may contain major spoilers!

Please refrain from reading if you are not yet familiar with all the latest media released.

"Just like what you read in manga, right? But it ain't like in manga where your overflowing love and courage is enough to give you the strength to save your butt. And ain't nothing can bring dead family members back to life." - Kyoko, Puella Magi Oriko Magica, Chapter 1.

• In Chapter 1, Kyoko takes in Yuma, a young girl orphaned when her parents are killed by a witch shortly before Kyoko kills it. Yuma has no one to go back to, and together they break into bathhouses and share a hotel room. Kyoko tries to instill her own morals into Yuma, and tells her to never disrespect and waste food. Yuma accompanies Kyoko to fight Witches, and when checking for wounds on Yuma after she has a close call with a witch, Kyoko learns of Yuma's abusive past, and sympathizes with her even more. Kyubey appears and tells Kyoko about the murders of magical girls. He attempts to contract with Yuma, but Kyoko stops him and tells Yuma to never become a magical girl.
• In Chapter 2, Kyoko leaves Yuma in their hotel room and goes out to fight a witch alone. Kyoko nearly dies from having her legs and arms torn off by the witch. Yuma, who has just made a contract with Kyubey, uses her new healing powers to save her. Kyoko is incredibly angry that the girl didn't heed her warnings about contracting, but after Yuma cries about fearing that she's useless and that she had been pushed to the edge by a girl named Oriko, Kyoko subsides. She does, however, promise to make Oriko pay for what she'd done.
• In Chapter 3, Kyoko appears only once, and speaks with Mami about the recent murders of magical girls. Mami is looking for a "black magical girl", but Kyoko knows only as much as Mami does. Yuma then flips Mami's skirt in defense of Kyoko, thinking that Mami was bullying her caretaker. Kyoko tells her that she is mistaken about Mami, but thanks her for trying to be helpful. She asks Mami about Oriko, but Mami doesn't know anything and Kyoko will tell her no more about it.
• In Chapter 6, Kyoko and Yuma fight together with Mami against Kirika after saving the blond magical girl. The fact that a magical girl will become a witch in her despair, but Yuma's words unite them again and together with Mami, they defeat the witch Kirika.
• In Chapter 7, Oriko is killed, and everyone seems to be safe, but Oriko's final attack kills Madoka. Kyoko asks Yuma if she can heal her, but it's too late, so Homura resets the timeline.

Kyoko in Kazumi Magica

• Kyoko made a brief appearance in chapter 16 of Kazumi Magica. She was mentioned in Michiru's diary, as she describes how she met Yuuri Asuka, who at that time was fighting against Kyoko.

Kyoko in the PSP Game

Warning, this section contains general game spoilers.

Kyoko's Rosso Fantasma makes a return. It is used to daze opponents for several turns, leaving them open to attack. Kyoko is the only person that can prevent Sayaka from becoming a witch. Kyoko's family reappears in the game during a flashback. Kyoko's witch form is revealed: Ophelia. In the Homura route, Homura can choose Madoka, Mami or Kyoko to accompany her in the search for Sayaka. If she chooses Kyoko, Sayaka will be saved.

Kyoko in The Different Story

• Kyoko's illusion ability recovers a little in the 3rd volume, when she tries to stop Mami from committing suicide. (Die with Oktavia)
• She not only can make multiple images of herself, but also can make other kinds of illusions. She fakes Mami to believe her own soul gem is cleansed, to stop Mami from turning into Candeloro.
• Kyoko finally is defeated by a witch and dies. Before this, she gets a grief seed from Oktavia to cleanse Mami's soul gem.
• Kyoko and Madoka becomes secret friends when Madoka visits Kyoko.

Trivia

"You know what the food chain is, right? I'm sure you learned about it in school. Witches prey on weak humans and we prey on the witches. That's the way how the world works, isn't?" - Kyoko Sakura, Episode 5.

• Fans also use the alternative spelling of Kyouko for her name. This is because the first 'o' in Kyoko is a long vowel which is written as 'ou' (おう) in Japanese. In proper Hepburn romanization, the long vowel is indicated by a macron on top (Kyoko). The macron is often left out in general usage. When spelled that way, she has the same first name as Kyouko Kasodani from Touhou Project, a danmaku game series.
• Before her name was officially revealed, she was nicknamed Condom-chan by Western fans because of the suggestive-looking ice lolly she had flapping in her mouth in the Opening animation. She is nicknamed Anko by Japanese fans due to an initial misreading of her name when she was first revealed in a magazine.
• The first character for Sakura (佐) means "to help" while the second (倉) means "warehouse."
• Her last name can also be used as a first name.
• Her last name sounds the same as (桜) "cherry blossom", which is also the first name of the protagonist of Cardcaptor Sakura [1], a kind of magical girl manga/anime.
• Her first name (杏子) means "apricot tree." Apricot+ happens to be Ume Aoki's circle name [2].
• The first character of her name (杏) is the implied real first name (An) of Kafuka Fuura from Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei. Both characters are voiced by Ai Nonaka.
• She is the only main character whose first name has certain kanji in the original Japanese version.
• Aoi Yuuki (VA of Madoka) confessed that she was in love with the Kyoko character in the Magical Girls Tea Party bonus CD.
  • Okay, "in love" would be putting it lightly considering Aoi Yuuki claims Kyoko to be her waifu with extreme infatuation.
  • So is Chiwa Saito (VA of Homura) apparently.
  • And Ryouko Shintani (Hitomi).
  • Eri Kitamura (Sayaka) is the Seme to Kyoko's Uke.
• According with the Drama CD "Farewell Story", Kyoko has been a magical girl for a year before she met Mami. Since the Drama CD events takes place one year before the anime events, it is suspected that Kyoko has been a magical girl for at least two years, making her the second veteran of the group, after Mami.
• Kyoko's special attack is called "Rosso Fantasma" (Red Phantom) but for personal reasons she no longer has her illusory powers during the time of the anime events.
  • For obvious reasons she thinks that the name is embarrassing, you can blame Mami for that.
  • In chapter 19 of Kazumi Magica, Umika Misaki uses her own ability to learn and study how to use "Rosso Fantasma".
• Ai Nonaka describes Kyoko's speech style to be Shouwa-ish (Shouwa era, 1926-1989), meaning an old style of talking.
• In the Audio Commentary for Episode 7, Aoi Yuuki (Madoka) describes the character of Kyoko of being an anti-hero, a flawed human character that has to fight to overcome aspects of her unjust self, to attain an overall form of justice that she believes in.
• In the original draft for the script it is stated that Kyoko did steal the apples in Episode 7

Speculations & Observations

"I beg you, God... If this is how my life ends... Let me see a happy dream, just once..." - Kyoko, Episode 9.

File:The savior of a new world.jpg

his heresy

• Certain comments from Mami in Episode 2 and 3 seem to be referring to Kyoko, indicating that they had encountered each other in the past. She mentions Mami by name in Episode 4. In Episode 5, when Sayaka says that she blames Mami's death on people like Kyoko, Kyoko tells her to "Shut up. Just shut up.", further implying some connection between the two. The prequel manga Oriko Magica, which will star Kyoko and Mami, is likely to explain this in detail.
  • Kyoko refers to Mami only by her first name with Kyubey in Episode 4. This was considered a sign that Kyoko and Mami had known each other previously.
  • The Drama CD "Farewell Story" tells the backstory of Kyoko and Mami meeting for the first time. It is suggested that the events take place prior to the beginning of the anime series.
    • In the same Drama CD, Kyoko addresses Mami as Mami-san, indicating that their relationship is as Senpai and Kohai. By the end of the story Kyoko addresses Mami with her full name, indicating that their relationship has become distant.
• Her behavior and character hint to next possible past of hers. In episode seven, it is revealed that she too made a selfless wish for her father, and ended up losing her entire family due to her wish's repercussions. Thus, she eats gratuitously because her family never had enough to eat before she made her wish. Kyoko states that she has learned from this experience that using magic to help others is a mistake, and that magic should only be used to make one's own wishes come true.
  • It is possible that Kyoko is suffering from an eating disorder brought by the traumatic death of her family. Kyoko uses food as a way to comfort her loneliness or any sorrowful events.
    • It may be possible that Kyoko eats excessively to erase the memories of hunger, as those emotions are tied to her traumatic past.
  • A NewType article goes into more details regarding Kyoko's character and behavior.
• According to the official artwork of Kyoko's younger self, she wore blue pants (most likely jeans). As of now, she wears tight blue shorts. It could be speculated that she cut her own pants into shorts when they got too small, since the color is very similar. This contributes to the fact that she was poor so she probably couldn't afford many clothes.
• Kyoko seems to dislike when girls became magical girls because they made a selfless wish. While at first she disliked Sayaka for making a selfless wish, in the end she grows to like her because Kyoko sees Sayaka making the same mistakes as her. In Kazumi Magica she is seen fighting against Yuuri Asuka, probably because of her wish (to cure Airi).
  • In Puella Magi Madoka Magica: The Different Story, it seems that Kyoko believes that her selfless wish to help her family end up hurting them, because of that she blames herself for what happened. She thinks that by forcing her own selfish form of happiness on others, she end up hurting what was precious and important to her. Kyoko reasons that if she had made a selfish wish for herself, the only person end up hurting would had been her own self.
• 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.
    • It is possible to say that Kyoko's father would have never been able to trust anyone as a result of the spell that was cast upon him. Not only did he saw his daughter as a sort of monster (witch) but he probably saw himself to be an abomination, which is why he decided death was the only viable option.
    • It is because Kyoko maybe witch hunting while her family was in danger, and Kyoko's family were dead when she got home.
• In Japan the colour red is associated with sacredness and resistance to negative energies which could be connected to both her Father's religious work and her continuing to fight after her wish indirectly caused the death of her family, something that would probably cause most Magical Girls to give into despair.
• 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 with police the residents were forced in multiple suicide but the broadcast doesn't mention any other details. It is not known if the police suspected the father, or if the private residency was the Sakura Church.
• It's speculated by some fans that Momo, her younger sister may have secretly been turned into a Magical Girl, only to become the witch Elsa Maria in the end.
• In Episode 9, she stores Sayaka's soulless body in an expensively decorated room. Some viewers believe that this is her true home, but there has been speculation that it is merely a hotel room that she managed to somehow commandeer using her magic.
  • Also, we see Kyoko throwing two wooden sticks at a wall before entering Oktavia's barrier. There is a graffiti of a heart and inside it we can read the words "Love Me Do" which is the name of a Beatle's song. This song probably represents Kyoko's feelings towards Sayaka.
    • "Love Me, Do" is correct English - two imperatives (songs of course take liberties with punctuation, and in the Beatles song "Do" functions correctly in "Love Me, Do" and in "Do you know I love you", which *is* probably intentional).
    • A verse of the lyrics: "Love, Love Me Do/You know I love you/I'll always be true/So please, Love Me Do"
    • When you read "Love Me Do" out loud, it could be misunderstood as "Love Me Too" if whispered.
  • Episode 11 reveals that Sayaka's body was found in a hotel room with no leads to what happened. It is unlikely that was Kyoko's residency.
  • The Oriko manga reinforces the idea that Kyoko lacks a permanent residency, instead she takes shelter at a fancy hotel (it is never stated how is she able to afford it or what trick she used to obtain a room).
    • Rumor has it that there is a magazine article that states that Kyoko has mind trick powers that she gained when she made her wish (similar to her Father's ability to make people believe him) but she lost those powers due to the trauma caused by seeing her father killing her family and hanging himself. The same article indicates that Kyoko gets her monetary income by breaking and busting ATM machines, she uses the stolen money to buy food and pay rent on expensive hotel rooms.
      • This magazine article confirms the suspicion in regards to Kyoko's income, it also supports the idea that Kyoko has the ability from her wish to charm others ("mind trick") but doesn't use them as she suppresses them subconsciously because of the trauma with her family. Her powers had been described as persuasion/hallucination.
        • Same article illustrates that Kyoko's bad behavior and mischief is due to her attempt to cope with reality to survive her ordeal. It is thanks to this survival mechanism that she was able to avoid despair. Same article indicates that while Kyoko is no stranger to robbery, she would never harm anyone who was innocent in the process. Instead, she would commit her crimes without harming anyone physically by committing them at night.
          • Kyoko's full ability is finally displayed in the Drama CD "Farewell Story", she has the ability to confuse her opponents with illusions as well as split herself into multiple images.
          • In Puella Magi Madoka Magica: The Different Story, Kyubey explains that Kyoko's magic is called "enchantment". When Kyoko rejected her power after losing her family, she also rejected her own wish. Kyubey explains that Kyoko's magic is now useless, because her subconscious mind has rejected her own wish and along with it her magical ability. As long has Kyoko's mind rejects or regrets her own wish, she won't be able to use her magic as she did before.
• Her spear could be a reference to the scorpion's spear.
  • The spear appears as linked pieces during combat, like the scorpion's tail.
  • She uses a warding spell in battle. Scorpions often associated with protection/warding spells, in Egypt and Tibet the Scorpion is made into an amulet - signifying protection and warding off evil.
  • The scorpion character who appears in Goethe's Faust is caught between the extremes of heaven or hell. Kyoko commits sins like letting people die and (likely) steals food, but in the same time she's seen as praying and she never allows wasting food.
    • Kyoko offers an apple to Sayaka while she advises her to live a life of selfishness but Sayaka refuses both of them. Sayaka believes that Kyoko's self-centered philosophy is just wrong and also rejects the fruit because she apparently believes it was stolen. Her attempt to tempt Sayaka with an apple and her suggestion to follow a path of selfish survivalism could be interpreted as Kyoko acting as the snake advising Sayaka to abandon the path of justice.
    • Kyoko refuses to abandon Sayaka's soulless body in Episode 9 even after Homura told her it was hopeless, she even sacrifices some of her Soul Gem's purity to keep Sayaka's body warm at her own expense. Kyoko even admits to Madoka that one time she used to be an idealist just like Sayaka, that she used to believe in stories where love and courage could overcome anything.
• Her spear could be a reference to a Snake in it's elongated form or the Lance of Longinus from Neon Genesis Evangelion.
• Kyoko's spear could be a reference to a unicorn's horn, as a picture of a mermaid wind-chime (which may represent Sayaka's witch form) next to a unicorn wind-chime appears in the Blu-Ray version of episode 9 while Kyoko speaks with Madoka about saving Sayaka.
  • The unicorn became the most important imaginary animal of the middle ages and the Renaissance when it was commonly described as an extremely wild woodland creature, a symbol of purity and grace, which could only be captured by a virgin.
    • According with antique encyclopedias, its horn was said to have the power to render poisoned water potable and to heal sickness.
      • This often gets extended to the lifting of curses and breaking of illusions.
• Kyoko is the only character who is the most affected by Sayaka's death in the both the previous timeline and the new world created by Madoka, even though she described her relationship with Sayaka as "finally being able to become friends". This lends credence to speculation that Kyoko's feelings for Sakaya go beyond that of normal friendship.
  • Interestingly, Kyoko never calls anyone by their name until near the end of Episode 8 when Sayaka's about to become a Witch. After that she mentions Sayaka's name constantly through Episode 9. Every other timeline in Episode 10 and Episode 12 Kyoko never addresses Madoka or Homura by name. Nor does she address Mami, although she doesn't exactly have any real dialogue with her. It is suspected that this puts an emphasis on how important Sayaka is to Kyoko.
• The "Sunny Day Life" Drama CD points out that Kyoko doesn't go to school.
• Production notes indicates that in Episode 9, Kyoko damaged her entire right torso.
• According to some fans, her somewhat tomboyish nature, reddish hair tied in a pony-tail and sporty style of clothing (when not transformed) which includes shorts and exposes her navel make her look rather like Yoko Littner from Gurenn Lagann (a mecha anime from Gainax).
  • She could also be said to resemble Hibiki Ganaha from THE iDOLM@STER franchise, to the point one could palette swap them into each other. Their hairstyles, expressions, and fangs are all similar. Even their casual and hyperactive personalities are the same. This has been noted in some fan art. (Danbooru SFW image)
• In episode 10, some audiences are under the impression that Kyoko is a member of Madoka's team. However, actually, there is "no" scene that Kyoko joins in Madoka's team. Moreover, she obviously opposes their team at the beginning of the timeline 3. There is a possibility that Kyoko is an "enemy" of Madoka's team in the timeline 3.
  • In "The Different Story" and Mami's scenario in PSP, Kyoko, after she meets again Mami, does not fight as Mami's member on the very end. So in Timeline 3, there is a high possibility a member of Madoka's team on the very end.
• It is possible that Kyoko is older than Mami. Although she appears as an 8th grader in Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie: Rebellion, this could be because she had not gone to school for at least one year.
  • She most likely would not have been able to go to school in the year after her father's death and would have been homeless at the time. It is also possible that she could have been in a grade above Mami due to the fact that she might not have gone to school when her family was really poor, thus making her older than Mami.

A Different Kyoko

"It'd be like a story where love and courage wins, you know? When I think about it, I became a mahou shoujo because I loved those stories." - Kyoko, Episode 9.

• Magazine articles and other Media have depicted another side of Kyoko that exists in the New World (or a happier parallel world version):
  • Kyoko's idealism is still intact and strong; she still has a strong desire to help people. Probably becoming a good girl and a self-respecting mahou shoujo. This could be a result that she never lost her family as it was the catalyst for her character change.
    • It is speculated that Kyoko never lost her idealism, but instead she buried it after she understood the awful reality of the real world. Kyoko tries desperately to suppress her old self through out the series, but it would gradually start to come back as the series progresses.
      • It is suspected that her meeting with Sayaka and their gradual interaction was the triggering event that rekindled Kyoko's lost idealism.
      • This is confirmed in the Drama CD 3, in which it is revelaed that Kyoko had an illusory power named "Rosso Fantasma" (Red Illusion/Phantom) by Mami. After the death of her family, she loses this power since she becomes disillusioned and loses her ideals. It is heavily implied that that was the same attack she used to kill Oktavia, showing that she rekindled her idealism.
  • The "Sunny Day Life" depicts a Kyoko who is still "innocent" as she cannot understand why would anyone steal used panties.
    • It is speculated that this "Pure Maiden" characteristic resides in the New World version of Kyoko.
      • The same could be said in the Old World version too as there is nothing to indicate otherwise but because of lack of evidence this is only speculation.
• Kyoko appears to behave this way in The Rebellion Story; her memories were rewritten in order to provide a happy life for Madoka, and she also goes to school and therefore likely benefits from integration in normal society.

Platonic or Romantic Love?

It is common to find yuri subtext projected into the magical girl genre by the fanbase. Sometimes it develops into shippings or pairings created by fans, even if it was not part of the creators' original intention. The creators of Madoka Magica may have been aware of this phenomenon, so they decided to exploit the same phenomenon when it came to the relationship between Kyoko and Sayaka.

However, the percieved subtext mostly comes from Kyoko, making it one-sided; while it is officially recognized that Kyoko has feelings for Sayaka, it is uncertain what types of feelings they are. Fans of the relationship would argue that Sayaka just never had the chance to return these feelings, and Kyoko was never really good in articulating them.

On the other hand, critics of the KyoSaya theory suggest that the two characters never knew each other long enough to develop any sort of romantic relationship, even if their sexual orientation was homosexual. Kyoko's relationship with Sayaka is explained as one of close sympathy, rather than love, a possible explanation for her efforts to help Sayaka.

Fans have also noticed that the feminine form of Kyosuke could be Kyoko.

You can find more details regarding the argument here.

Magazine Article

• Animedia June 2011
• NewType July 2011
• Ai Nonaka's Data file

Gallery

Official art

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  Official art of Kyoko's family (depiction of her father and younger sister)

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  Kyoko's mother, as she appears in The Different Story.

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  Ume Aoki doujin "RKGKMDK" from COMIC1☆5, under Apricot+ alias

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  Ume shipping Kyoko and Sayaka in her doujin

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  Fan translation of KyoSaya page 1

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  Fan translation of KyoSaya page 2

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  Ume Aoki's 4koma from the Madoka BD 3 fanbook

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  Ume Aoki's 4koma from the Madoka BD 4 fanbook

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  Kyoko appearing in casual clothes in Oriko Magica.

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  Kyoko in her magical girl clothes in Oriko Magica.

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  Early production sketch of Kyoko.

• Nitroblog sayaka kyoko comiket.jpg

  Art from Nitro+ blog

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  Guide Dog PR poster featuring Kyoko

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  Kyoko's spear design from the production notes.

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  from the Blu-Ray Volume 4 Booklet.

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  Sketch of Kyoko's hotel room.

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  Another Sketch of Kyoko's hotel room.

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  Ophelia, Kyoko's witch form.

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  Kyoko and her family on the PSP.

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  Kyoko finding her father's body in the Oriko Magica manga.

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  Kyoko using Rosso Fantasma.

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  Kyoko closeup as in Madoka Magica Online

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  Ichiban Kuji Puella Magi Magiccraft visual board

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  Aniplex+ Limited Edition Halloween Costume panel

Screenshots

Kyoko as a regular girl

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  Kyoko captured from the opening.

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  Kyoko eating biscuit.

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  Kyoko dancing.

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  Kyoko making friends.

• Kyoko eats hamburger.gif

  Kyoko eats hamburger.

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  Kyoko eating chips.

• Kyoko gluttony.gif

  The Amazing Kyoko and her bottomless stomach.

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  Never change, Kyoko.

Kyoko as a Magical Girl

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  Kyoko's transformation (T.V version.)

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  Kyoko's transformation (BD version.)

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  Another transformation sequence

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  Kyoko's Movie transformation sequence

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  Another Movie transformation sequence

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  Killing Witches

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  Kyoko fighting with Sayaka

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  Kyoko fighting with Sayaka

• Prayer and kiss.png

  Kyoko prays and then kisses her soul gem (It is customary for Catholics to kiss their rosary beads as a part of their prayer).

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  Kyoko's ultimate attack looks snake-like, could also be interpreted as a scorpion's tail

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  Kyoko's final battle with Oktavia

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  Kyoko fighting with Oktavia

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  Kyoko and Sayaka

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  Kyoko in prayer

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  Kyoko getting killed

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  Kyoko's soul gem.

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  Her ring during the church scene, which reads "Kyoko" in runes.

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  Another shot of her ring, which had runes added in the BD version.

• Madokamagica05 263.jpg

Kyoko as a witch

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  Ophelia

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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.

• Kyoko Gainax.jpg

  Row row, fight the powah.

• Kyouko is mai waifu drawn by Yuuki Aoi.jpg

  Fan art drawn by Aoi Yuuki herself.

• Kyokuko family fighting early life.png

  A fanart depiction of Kyoko's early life and family.

• Kyouko little sis.jpg

  Fan depiction of Kyoko and her little sister.

• Kyouko lil sis flying.jpg

  Kyoko being an awesome sister.

• Sakura sisters young church.png

  The cute sisters.

• The Sakura Sisters.jpg

  The Sakura Sisters.

• Kyouko nun.jpg

  Kyoko Sakura as an Anglican nun.

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  How popular is Kyoko with fans? You tell me.

• Kyouko just wants friends.jpg
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  Fan coloring of Ume's work

• Fan creation kyouko gem jewelry.jpg

  Fan creation of Kyoko's jewelry.

• Fan creation Kyouko Soul Gem Jewelry.jpg

  Fan jewelry creation of Kyoko's Soul Gem with a crucifix.

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  She is not bad, she just wanted friends.

• Xenu.jpg

  Mr. Sakura's new doctrine wasn't too popular...

• Puella Magi Kyouko Magika.jpg

  "Puella Magi Kyoko Magica". All am saying is that she should get her own spinoff...

• Kyouko alt hairstyle.jpg
• (Ootsuka Rei) Whether you're a zombie or not.png

  Magical girls are basically interns that you pay only once.

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• Kyoko roasting Kyubey.gif

  Kyoko roasting Kyubey.

• Kyoko pixel mugen.gif
• Fanart Kyoko evaluates.jpg

  How much does Kyoko evaluate for each character?

• Kyouko momo fanart father.png

  Kyoko and Momo!! and her papa...

• Kyouko pocky addiction fanart.jpg
• Kyouko meets sayaka afterlife fan.gif

  Kyoko meets Sayaka in the afterlife

• Unmaibou snacks kyouko fanart chibi.jpg

  How Kyoko got her Umaibou, she paid for it!

• Homeless kyouko speculah fanart.jpg

  Technically homeless but she does sleep on nicer places.

• Sakurakyoko-4-2.jpeg
• 2d62a406271fd68a8fe7b625936a61ee.jpg
• 452290-1.jpg
• Sample-75758ea453050af9ae30d5b2f4d0a178.jpg
• Badass kyouko is badass.jpg

  Puella Magi is some serious business.

• Kyouko am I moe now sayaka.png
• Kyouko school uniform take my snack.jpg
• Kyouko in space sun fanart witch labyrinth.jpg

  Why is Kyoko so cool?

• The end of analog broadcasting kyoko comic fanart.jpg

  Kyoko, the original poorfag.

• Kyouko is cool by noirrac-d3ke0d8.jpg
• Kyoko magical soldier fanart.png
• NEW POPE.png

  We have a Pope! And it is Rome's first Female Japanese Anglican Magical Girl Pope!

• 27739145 big p5.png
• Gankyoko.jpg

  Art of Kyoko drawn by GAN, the author and illustrator of Suzune Magica. From twitpic.

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Miscellaneous

Location

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  Sakura Cathedral: Kyoko's father was a priest, and his cathedral could house a large congregation.

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  Kyoko's hotel room sketch design.

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  Another sketch of the same hotel room.

Observations

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  Comparison of Kyoko's chain barrier emblem and a print of the Gojū-no-to at Kofuku-ji.

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  Kyoko's binoculars seem to be based on the High Eight Chocolate by Furuta Confectionary Co.

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  Transcription of the package label on the instant ramen Kyoko eats at Homura's home, according to 2ch. Accuracy unconfirmed, but the label says that the manufacturer is SHAFT.

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  Evidence that magical girls do age.

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  Kyoko's outfit design is similar to a sketching drawing from the Hidamari series, another Ume Aoki's creation.

External Links

• Kyoko Sakura at Pixiv image repository (Japanese)
• Kyoko Sakura at Danbooru image repository (NSFW)
• Fan fabricates Kyoko's ring with silver clay
• Ask Kyoko