Kyouko Sakura

Kyouko Sakura
File:RedHairedGirl.jpg
Japanese Name	佐倉 杏子 (Sakura Kyouko)
Seiyū	Ai Nonaka
Weapon	Spear

As of Episode 3, Kyouko Sakura only appears in a shot in the opening and as a silhouette in the ending. She appears first at the end of Episode 4.

Official Info

This section may contain major spoilers!

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

• A Puella Magi who came from another town, going after Mami's turf.
• She's always eating something.
• An egoist who doesn't take heed of damage to her surroundings.
• A girl with a foul mouth who appeared after Mami's death. She is a callous Puella Magi who doesn't even mind sacrifices, no matter how much, if it's to gain a Grief Seed.
• A Puella Magi 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. Kyouko debuts as an ultra selfish character
• Her 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.
• She 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 Kyousuke. Kyouko scoffs at Sayaka's wish, then says that if she wanted him that badly, she should just go in and break his hand and legs, leaving him crippled and they could be together.
• Kyouko was the daughter of a preacher. Her father started to deviate from regular doctrine and was excommunicated for it - Kyouko used her wish to get her father more followers; however, upon finding this out, her father went insane and killed the entire family but Kyouko, then commiting suicide. From there on, Kyouko only uses her magical powers for herself.
• Kyouko values food and chastises those who waste it. After her father lost supporters, Kyouko and her family (parents, Kyouko herself, an unnamed little sister) nearly starved.
• While Kyouko was initially cold toward Sayaka, she grows to like her. This is because Kyouko sees Sayaka making the same mistakes as her. During the end of episode 7, Kyouko even monitors Sayaka's witch hunt. While it is unknown if Sayaka needed her help, Kyouko does protect Sayaka against one of the witch's attacks.
• Kyouko, as revealed in episode 9, liked Sayaka because Sayaka reminded her why she became a magical girl: Kyouko loved stories where love and courage prevail.
• Kyouko tries to help return Sayaka to normal by using Madoka to reach her. However, after sustaining many blows in the battle with the Witch Sayaka and seeing Madoka's failure to reach her humanity, Kyouko sacrifices herself to not only kill Sayaka, but make sure Sayaka didn't die alone. Also allowing Homura and Madoka to leave safely.
• In a previous timeline, Kyouko is killed by a mentally broken Mami after the fight with Octavia. Having gone mad after learning what happens to Puella Magi with time, Mami shot and destroyed Kyouko's Soul Gem, killing her in what she saw as a mercy kill that would save Kyouko from becoming a witch.
• She is brought back to life by Madoka's wish in Episode 12

Trivia

• 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.
• Her last name can also be used as a first name.
• Her first name Kyouko (杏子) can also be read as Anzu (あんず)–apricot. Apricot+ is Ume's circle name [1].
• 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

Speculations & Observations

• Certain comments from Mami in Episode 2 and 3 seem to be referring to Kyouko, 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 Kyouko, Kyouko tells her to "Shut up. Just shut up", further implying some connection between the two. The prequel manga Oriko Magica, which will star Kyouko and Mami, is likely to explain this in detail.
• 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. Kyouko 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's speculated by some fans that her unnamed 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.
• Her spear could be a reference to the scorpions spear.
  • The spear appears as linked pieces during combat , like the scorpions 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. Kyouko 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.
    • Kyouko offers an apple to Sayaka while she advises her to live a life of selfishness but Sayaka refuses both of them. Sayaka believes that Kyouko'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 Kyouko acting as the snake advising Sayaka to abandon the path of justice.
    • Kyouko 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. Kyouko 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.

Platonic or Yuri Love?

It is common to find yuri subtext on the Mahou Shoujo genre, sometimes it develops into shippings or pairings created by fans, even if it was not part of the creators original intention. The creators of the show may have been aware of this phenomenon so they decided to exploit the same yuri subtext phenomenon when it came to the relationship between Kyouko and Sayaka. However, the yuri subtext mostly comes from Kyouko making it one-sided; while it is officially recognized that Kyouko has feelings for Sayaka, it is uncertain what types of feelings they are. Fans would argue that Sayaka just never had the chance to return these feelings, and Kyouko was never really good in articulating them.

Many fans point out that the reason these two are paired up together is because of their opposing personalities. Sayaka and Kyouko differ not only philosophically but their personalities are bound to cause clashes; yet they are not that dissimilar once you study these characters. Sayaka is an idealist who pursues the path of a hero of justice, she wants to emulate Mami as an example of an ideal Puella Magi. To Sayaka the gift of being a Puella Magi was something sacred to be used for good only and not for selfish acts. Kyouko on the other hand is more of a rogue who would only use her powers to satiate her base desires. Kyouko scoffs at the idea of using her powers to help others, instead she believes a Puella Magi should only help herself (even at the expense of others). To Kyouko there are no rules except her own.

This unlikely pair started out as enemies and Kyouko was close on killing Sayaka, but as the story progressed it was Kyouko who took the first step to close their gap of distrust. Kyouko even went so far as to explain to Sayaka her painful past and to why she believes Sayaka is making a mistake with her life. But Sayaka refuses Kyouko's advice and subtly proclaims she will be a better Puella Magi than her, that she will still follow a righteous path. Sayaka's arrogance at first seems to anger Kyouko (it is not known if she is angry at Sayaka, at herself, or both) but this doesnt stop her from continually pursuing Sayaka to stop her from furthering her mistakes. (Some fans like to suggest that this moment would have alienated any other character from trying to pursue a friendship with Sayaka, yet it seems to have an opposite effect with Kyouko).

Soon the roles are reversed in Episode 8 and 9. Sayaka finally admits that deep down she was no different from others, that she had selfish desires that were never fulfilled and that she regrets her decision on becoming a Puella Magi (like the love of a boy that went unfulfilled, or the jealous regret of saving a friend's life). She starts to see society as a selfish group who would only exploit others with no remorse for those who suffer. Sayaka finally understands that her decision brought nothing but unhappiness and regrets on her part. Betrayed by the world and by her ideals she soon falls into despair and darkness. It is because of this event that Kyouko soon starts to reveal a different side of her.

With the loss of Sayaka, Kyouko starts to reclaim back her older self. She admits to Madoka that there was a time she used to idealize stories of love, friendship, and courage but she abandoned those ideals when she lost her family. After seeing Sayaka's despair, Kyouko decides that she wants to save her and get the old Sayaka back. Kyouko was putting her faith on romantic ideals, a move that many would like to point out as being irrational and dangerous (even Kyubey agrees such notion is illogical). Once Kyouko realises that there is no way to save Sayaka, she decides to sacrifice her life so they could both be together. That way Sayaka wont be alone anymore. There is a division among fans regarding Kyouko's decision to die with Sayaka. There are those who say Kyouko did it as an act of love (the tragic yuri pair or maybe and act of frienship), others say Kyouko knew that even if she did survive it would only be a matter of time before she became a witch so she wanted to end her life her way (a self sacrifice with practical motives).

To fans that support the yuri relationship, the reason that they find this pair strong and attractive is because they want Sayaka to be with someone who can love her and protect her. Kyouko was the only character who understood Sayaka's true nature (and her pain) since Kyouko admitted to her that she saw a fragment of herself in Sayaka. Kyouko was also the only one who chased after her to the bitter end, no matter the obstacles or how obstinate was Sayaka, Kyouko was still there for her. Kyouko fits the perfect role as Sayaka's protector and savior.

The relationship between Kyouko and Sayaka may have not been accidental or a tease but created to heighten emotional investments by the viewers. It is possible that this was part of the creator's intention to emotionally move groups of hardcore fans who support a SayakaxKyouko pairing, thus making their demise in Episode 9 more tragic (or as fans put it a "Yuri Tragedy" ending).

• The Melusine Legend and Kyouko's Soul Gem: There is a Melusine legend that indicates that "a Melusina surfaces briefly every seven years as a beautiful woman or as a serpent, holding a small golden key in her mouth. Whoever takes the key from her will set her free and may claim her as his bride." In Episode 9, Kyouko undoes her hair and then uses her hairpin to pray, it is uncertain but it seems that her Soul Gem and her hairpin were fused together to create a new hairpin with a shape that resembles that of her father's religious symbol. After Sayaka's prayer she kisses the newly formed hairpin and tosses it into the air (before she destroys it with her spear), maybe as an offering to Sayaka to free her from her Witch form by sacrificing Kyouko's soul. The shape of the normal hairpin and of the Soul Gem fused hairpin looks like of a golden key.

• The double-suicide is considered typical in romantic endings for two tragic lovers in Japanese storytelling. Many fans would point this fact as evidence for making this couple canon.

• After the airing of Episode 9, yuri artwork of this pair exploded on Pixiv.

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  From Nitroplus's Staff Blog: If they were to try to settle things peacefully, things would have gone more like this.

• Sayaka kyouko spinoff.jpg

  Episode synopses: Kyouko comes to town, falls in love with Sayaka at first sight, unable to be honest with her, can do nothing but clash with her constantly. Some sources say these were produced by a staffer.

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  Kyouko pretending to be a boy and a new transfer student, tries to get closer to Sayaka as a new classmate. Also produced by the same staffer.

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  The image on the left is from Revolutionary Girl Utena, the image on the right is from Episode 9 with Sayaka and Kyouko

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  Kyouko's last words to Homura. Kyouko later admits she failed to do that, maybe an admission that she failed to protect Sayaka.

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  There seems to be a connection between the Melusine legend and Kyouko's hairpin/soul gem and her father's religious symbol (see above)

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  This official art seems to subtlety pair each girl with their respective partners (notice how Mami is alone)

• Kyousaya doujin soul gem sexing.png

  A Yuri Doujin depicting the KyoukoxSayaka pair with some steamy Soul Gem sexing

Gallery

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  Official character art (from a magazine scan).

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  Comparison of Kyouko's chain barrier emblem and a print of the Gojū-no-tō at Kōfuku-ji.

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

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  Kyouko's soul gem.

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

• Prayer and kiss.png

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

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  Kyouko's final battle with Oktavia

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

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  Kyouko in prayer

External links

• Kyouko Sakura at Pixiv image repository (Japanese)
• Kyouko Sakura at Danbooru image repository (NSFW)