Sayaka Miki
Sayaka Miki is a fictional character from the 2011 anime series Puella Magi Madoka Magica. A girl with a strong sense of justice and a classical music fan, Sayaka is the childhood and best friend of the series' protagonist, Madoka Kaname. She highly respects and admires her senior Mami Tomoe, an experienced magical girl that fights for justice, and aspires to be like her. Sayaka makes a contract with the messenger of magic, Kyubey, and becomes a magical girl to heal the arms of Kyosuke Kamijo, a boy she is infatuated with since childhood. As the story progresses, Sayaka learns what it means to be a magical girl, and struggles to not abandon her ideals of justice, leading to her downfall. Sayaka appears in , and fights with her friends against surreal monsters called Nightmares. Sayaka has appeared in several Puella Magi Madoka Magica media, including manga, novel adaptation of the series and video games.
Gen Urobuchi stated that he had created Sayaka based on an "Urobuchi character". He referred to her as his favorite character in the series and said her story was the most enjoyable to write. She was designed by Ume Aoki; due to the character's tomboyish personality, Aoki wanted to express both boyish and girlishness to the character's design. Sayaka is voiced by Eri Kitamura in Japanese and Sarah Anne Williams in the English version of the series.
Sayaka has garnered a generally positive reception from critics, who praised her tragic characterization as well as her similarities and relationship with Kyoko Sakura. Her mental breakdown was also highly praised, with critics expressing how effectively portrayed it was to watch her struggle from her ideals. Sayaka's descent into depression and the nature of her witch have also attracted critical attention. Sayaka has also been popular among fans, as she places high in multiple popularity polls. Many different pieces of merchandise related to her, such as figures, plush dolls, and keychains, have been released.
Conception
Creation and design
Sayaka Miki's name was given by Gen Urobuchi. Urobuchi created Sayaka and based her personality on an "Urobuchi character", unlike the series protagonist, Madoka Kaname who is not fit for his writing style but fits the style of character designer "Ume Aoki" character. Urobuchi stated that Sayaka was his favorite character overall and said her storyline was the most enjoyable to write. Because of her grim fate by the end of the series, a destiny that series director Akiyuki Shinbo believed was slightly unfair, he asked Urobuchi if it was possible to change the plot so Sayaka could be spared. Urobuchi declined, saying it was integral for her to die "in order for the audience to really understand why Madoka became a God at the end". Shinbo then asked if she could be brought back to life, saying he had become very attached to the character. Urobuchi again refused, saying this would be impossible because of the already-established rules governing the story. Shinbo acquiesced to this but said he believed there may have been too large a burden placed on the characters who were young, middle-school girls.In episode eight of the series, when Sayaka goes to the train and overhears a conversation between two guys talking about women was actually based on a real event that Urobuchi witnessed, saying that he was crowded in the train and two guys were right infront of him making that kind of conversation. According to Urobuchi, even if Sayaka confesses her love to Kyosuke Kamijo, she would never be happy with him. Nevertheless, he defended Sayaka's wish and choices in the finale, as she still decided to wish for him then disappears with Madoka to the afterlife, Urobuchi said that the final episode is not about Sayaka is destined to die but about her giving her own life to help Kyosuke play the music again so she could listen to him, and felt that the viewers misunderstood her wish. Another aspect Urobuchi wanted to develop in the series was the initial clash between Sayaka and her rival magical girl, Kyoko Sakura; where he stated that across the story, Kyoko kills herself with Sayaka because both of their mistakes are "completely the same."
Sayaka was designed by Ume Aoki. Her theme color is blue. In her magical girl outfit, Sayaka was designed like a swordsman that appears in a magical fantasy setting, and wears a cape and asymmetrical skirt. Urobuchi found her cape to be stylish. Because of the character's tomboyish personality, Aoki said that she wanted to express both boyish and girlishness to the character's design, as a result, she said that the design plan of the magical girl figure did not come up until it was near the final draft. In order to express these traits of the character, Aoki designed the length of her hair and skirt as asymmetrical to show that the right side of her body which has long hair and short skirt embodies femininity, while the left side of her body, which is drawn to look like boyish, has a design with short hair and a long skirt. Aoki originally added a simple yellow hair ornament to the character, but was left out due to various animation issues in TV series. However, the hair ornament was later added in the compilation movies due to Aoki's suggestion, and she changed the design of the simple ornament and added a Fortissimo style to it. Aoki stated that the music motif design was inspired by the animation team from the TV series as they add music notes to Sayaka whenever she transform into her magical girl outfit or when she activates her abilities.
For her role in , Urobuchi said that he developed her role as someone that knows things "more than Homura does for once". In an interview with manga artist Kazuo Koike, Koike asks if Sayaka might become the new protagonist in the future, and Urobuchi replied that since Sayaka had a special role in Rebellion, there's a possibility of her being a "lone heroine in the future", and he believes that Sayaka might be the only person who can stop Homura Akemi. Junichiro Taniguchi, the character designer and the animation supervisor of the film, said that Sayaka's design changed the most albeit he initially did not intend to change her design. According to Taniguchi, Sayaka and Kyoko's role have been reversed in the film, as Sayaka appears to be the "mysterious one" while Kyoko "seems more upbeat".
Voice actresses
Sayaka is voiced by Eri Kitamura in the Japanese version. When Kitamura got the role for Sayaka, she expressed happiness as she liked the character since the audition. Kitamura called Sayaka's character both "honest than everybody else" but "also weaker than everybody else." She felt that Sayaka was like any young girl that faces difficult circumstances and does not think properly about what's right and wrong, and said that Sayaka "just faced it up with dignity, even though she got more downcast than any others." Kitamura said that she fell in love with Sayaka's character, and said that she is the "most realistic" character she has voiced; describing her as a magical girl with a "strong sense of justice". Kitamura acknowledged that it was difficult to portray the character's changing of expressions but also said that it was "rewarding" and she "kind of enjoyed it". Shinbo stated that Kitamura's acting as a suffering girl was "really great". Shinbo also said that Kitamura was not convinced with Sayaka's death.For Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie: Rebellion, Kitamura said the scene between Sayaka and Homura opposing each other was the most memorable scene for her, stating that their dialogue "have a lot of subtle nuances", while also expressing how hard it was for her to play "a worthy character" but also said she was engrossed by the acting.
In the English dub, Sayaka is voiced by Sarah Anne Williams. Williams, a fan of magical girls anime, was surprised when initially watching Madoka Magica, recalling that the series is "not going to be a normal ride" and "it's probably going to hurt." Williams characterized Sayaka's personality as "tomboyish, very cheerful and upbeat" and "a bit naive". She stated that she loved Sayaka's character because she feels "a little similar to her", and says "it's very much like kinda taking a part of myself and pulling in a different direction."
Character
A second-year student at Mitakihara middle school, Sayaka Miki is Madoka Kaname's childhood and best friend. She is a blue-haired lively tomboy with strong ideals of love and lawfulness, and loves classical musics. After helping Madoka rescue the messenger of magic, Kyubey, she is introduced to the world of magical girls with the guidance of Mami Tomoe, an experienced magical girl who fights for justice, and Sayaka aspires to be like her. After Mami's death, Sayaka makes a contract with Kyubey and becomes a magical girl; wishing to heal the wounded hand of Kyosuke Kamijo, a young violinist that she is infatuated with, visiting him daily in the hospital. She tries to take on Mami's role, and believes that every magical girl should use their power to help people, thus getting resentful towards Homura Akemi and Kyoko Sakura due to their different role, and clashes with the latter over their ideals and wishes.As a magical girl, Sayaka wears a blue asymmetrical skirt with a white cape and gloves, and her weapon of choice is a cutlass, being able to produce multiples of them at a time. She also has an extraordinary regenerative ability due to the healing nature of her wish. Sayaka insists that her wish is selfless and feels that fighting witches to save people is a bonus, even after witnessing Mami's death.
Appearances
In ''Puella Magi Madoka Magica''
A girl with a strong sense of justice, Sayaka is Madoka Kaname's best friend. Sayaka is infatuated with Kyosuke Kamijo since childhood, and visits him daily at the hospital. When Mami Tomoe saves her and Madoka from a witch, Kyubey explains that he wants to form a contract with Sayaka and Madoka and make them magical girls to grant any wishes. However, in exchange those who make wishes must become magical girls to fight witches who are born from curses. Mami then offers to take them with her on a witch hunt to determine whether there is a wish they would risk their lives for. After witnessing Mami's death, Sayaka becomes worried about becoming a magical girl, but later makes a contract with Kyubey in order to heal the hands of Kyousuke. She clashes with Kyoko Sakura over their ideals and they try to kill each other, but are stopped by Homura Akemi. Sayaka grows resentful towards Kyoko due her selfish outlook, and Homura for misunderstanding that she let Mami get killed by a witch. As Sayaka's ideals are put against the reality of her wish's consequences and the stress of fighting, her view of the world is slowly corrupted. She becomes hateful and distrustful towards others, including Madoka, whom she lashes out at and accuses of being selfish.After learning that her soul is no longer in her body, but in her soul gem, Sayaka starts to believe she is a zombie; and when her friend Hitomi Shizuki confesses to her about her love of Kyosuke, Sayaka falls into isolation and refuses all help. In her despair, she loses faith in humanity and justice, making her give up on her ideals and herself; thus leading to her soul gem becoming fully corrupted, turning into a grief seed, making her into the armored Mermaid Witch Oktavia von Seckendorff, whose barrier resembles a concert hall with an array of faceless, Kyosuke-like figures playing music for her. Though Kyoko and Madoka attempt to communicate with Sayaka, they realize that she is beyond help. Kyoko then performs a powerful attack to finish off Oktavia at the cost of her life. It was revealed that Homura is a time traveler, and in all of the timelines, Sayaka would always despair and turn into a witch when making a contract. Despite Madoka becoming a goddess and reworking of the world in the final timeline, Sayaka still makes a wish in the new world, and thus ends up disappearing after exhausting her soul gem. Despite this, however, Sayaka does not regret her wish, and hopes that Hitomi will make Kyosuke happy, before leaving with Madoka to the afterlife.
In , Sayaka assists Madoka and Nagisa Momoe in saving Homura, and has received knowledge of all previous timelines as a result of becoming a part of the Law of Cycles. She shows the power to summon and manipulate witches, with her Oktavia form now an extension of her will she can summon at will. Sayaka states that she became an assistant of Madoka because she "regretted leaving Kyoko behind". At the end of the film, Sayaka and Nagisa were pulled from afterlife by Homura, and given a new life and human forms in the new world. Unlike Madoka and Nagisa, Sayaka retained her memories before being subjected to Homura's power as Sayaka promises to never forget the devil that Homura had become even if she forgets everything else.
In ''Magia Record''
In January 2018, Aniplex made a debut character commercial for Sayaka for the Smartphone game Magia Record due to her not appearing earlier in the game. Appearing in Chapter 6 of the main story, Sayaka joins Madoka and Homura in search for the missing Mami in Kamihama city. They infiltrate the abandoned Kamihama Record Museum, but were then attacked by the Wings of Magius, a group of magical girls that wants to liberate magical girls from their cruel fate. While Madoka and Homura are fighting, Sayaka goes to the museum and then meets Mami, who is now brainwashed and becomes a member of the Wings of Magius, and tries to kill Iroha Tamaki and Yachiyo Nanami but is stopped by Sayaka. Sayaka tries to comfort her, but Mami overpowers her, making Sayaka escape the fight with Iroha and Yachiyo by using one of Homura's bomb.After introducing herself to Iroha and Yachiyo, Sayaka learns from them the truth about magical girl, that they become witches when their soul gem is corrupted, and then parts her way from them. Sayaka then meets with Madoka and Homura, and explains everything she heard about, with the girls being shocked in silence. Sayaka becomes afraid in turning to a witch, but then Madoka convinces her that they shouldn't abandon hope, and that they should keep searching for Mami, to which Sayaka agrees. After they go back to Mitakihara city, Mami appears to them and they try to convince her to stop, but fails and then are trapped in a barrier created by Alina Gray, but were later rescued by Kyoko. After Kyoko saves them, she explains that a very powerful witch called Walpurgisnact is coming to Kamihama city, then departs. Sayaka, Madoka and Homura then goes to Kamihama city again and there they meet Mami, who's brainwash was broken by Yachiyo, and they join her and cooperate with Iroha and her friends in order to stop the Magius and defeat Walpurgisnacth.
For the stage play adaptation of Magia Record, Sayaka is portrayed by Miku Kanemura of Keyakizaka46 idol group. In the anime adaptation, Sayaka appears at the final episode of the first season. She protects Yachiyo Nanami and engages in a fight with Mami, who is brainwashed by the Magius. As Mami overpowers her, Sayaka escapes with Yachiyo and then the building collapses.
Appearances in other media
Sayaka has appeared in several manga's related to Puella Magi Madoka Magica media. She is a supporting character in Puella Magi Oriko Magica, and is seen to be a friend with Homura, walking with her alongside Madoka and Hitomi. In this timeline, Sayaka doesn't know about magic and is not a magical girl thanks to being protected by Homura from Kyubey. In ', Sayaka has the same personality but acts more of a perfectionist. She fights alongside Mami, and becomes distracted during a witch hunt, which makes Mami get injured while protecting her, though Homura and Kyoko arrive in time to give Sayaka the chance to heal Mami. Feeling guilty for this, Sayaka ends her partnership with Mami, and decides to fight alone. She is also a recurring character in the ' manga, that takes place between the second film Eternal and the third film Rebellion. Sayaka appears in a novel adaptation of the original series written by Hajime Ninomae, illustrated by Yūpon and published by Nitroplus, with script composition by Gen Urobuchi. The novel goes into details on how Sayaka met with Madoka and formed a friendship with her, becoming her childhood friend. She also appears in manga adaptation of the anime series, written and illustrated by Honakogae, and published by Houbunsha.Sayaka is a playable character in most Puella Magi Madoka Magica video games, such as the PlayStation Portable action video game developed by Namco Bandai Games, Puella Magi Madoka Magica Portable, and the PlayStation Vita titled Puella Magi Madoka Magica: The Battle Pentagram. She is also present alongside Kyoko in the Third Person Shooter titled Puella Magi Madoka Magica TPS Featuring Sayaka Miki & Sakura Kyoko. Sayaka appeared in a pachinko game titled Slot Puella Magi Madoka Magica, and also a second pachinko game titled Slot Puella Magi Madoka Magica 2, featuring the song "Naturally" by her voice actress Eri Kitamura and Madoka's Aoi Yuki. She is also featured in CR Pachinko Puella Magi Madoka Magica, SLOT Puella Magi Madoka Magica A, and Slot Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie: Rebellion.
The character also appears in several crossover games such as the role-playing puzzle game Crash Fever, and Kaden Shoujo, another RPG. Sayaka also appears in the mobile game Phantom of the Kill, Valkyrie Connect, Unison League, Million Arthur, and the tower defense RPG Chain Chronicle.
A drama CD that explores Sayaka's character was also released.
Cultural impact
Critical response
Sayaka's character has attracted mainly positive critical reception. Kory Cerjak from The Fandom Post praised Sayaka's tragic arc and downfall, while also finding her similarities with Kyoko interesting, describing them both as "tragedies", and praised Sarah Anne Williams as her voice actress, labeling her as "fantastic". Michael Pementel of Bloody Disgusting also commended the character's struggle as she "begins to realize everything she’s lost out on" and "questions her actions and accepts that all she has done was a mistake", while also praising her "descent into depression". Josh A. Stevens of Anime Uk News said: "When I think of Madoka Magica though, I think of Sayaka. The bubbly tomboy in love who was forced to question whether there is really such a thing as a selfless act, and discovers that kindness can lead to greater tragedy. The majority of the cast’s character arcs are complex and deserving of their own series, but hers is the one that’s stuck with me." Rebecca Silverman of Anime News Network noted how Sayaka and Kyoko "serve as mirror characters to each other", as they had similar wishes with similar results, but found that Sayaka "arguably brings her own problems down on her head with her attitude", and said that her tragic arc was "disturbing for its apparent inevitability". THEM Anime Reviewer Jacob Churosh commended her Japanese voice actress, stating that Eri Kitamura "provide worthy support as the dangerously brash Sayaka Miki."Dan Barnett of UK Anime Network enjoyed Sayaka's interaction with Kyoko in due to their "free from the dark shadows" relationship, calling it "one of the truly joyous moments in the film". In his review of the Magia Record anime adaptation, James Beckett of Anime News Network disliked Sayaka's appearance as she "just shows up out of nowhere" and "her presence here could only possibly matter as fanservice" despite calling her one of his favorite Madoka Magica character. He further noted that she "has no stake in Iroha or Yachiyo's fates, and she shouldn't be relevant to them, either."
Sayaka's character has also attracted critical attention. Japanese psychologist Takashi Tomita observed that Sayaka has the determination and clumsiness to stick to one thing when she thinks about getting it, and when she gets stuck, she easily falls into stress. Tomita also noted that Sayaka has the aspect of falling into self-hatred due to her strong desire for perfection. Writer Mayuko Ueda said that Sayaka's self-esteem is one of her weakness. Sara Cleto and Erin Kathleen Bahl addresses the elements that Oktavia uses "to construct her labyrinth are drawn from her memories as well as from fairy-tale tropes, and she remixes these pieces to create multiple versions of her own memory-narrative" and compared her unrequited love story to that of The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen. Writing for The Girl at the End of Time: Temporality, remediation, and Narrative Freedom in Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Forrest Greenwood notes each of the series' character's design has themes that coneys their character, saying Sayaka's design conveys her as a "forthright" character, but in truth, these traits of the characters "endure nightmarish tragedies and betrayals in their canonical narrative arcs." In Japanese Aesthetics and Anime: The Influence of Tradition, Dani Cavallaro writes that Sayaka's "generous outlook" is what "ultimately seals her inevitable downfall."
In the book The Very Soil: An Unauthorized Critical Study of Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Jed A. Blue addresses that the main characters of the series suffers from different types of depressive disorders, with Sayaka's entire arc about "a story of loss and mounting despair culminating in suicide." Blue also commented on Sayaka's admiration for Mami Tomoe and hatred for Homura Akemi, as Sayaka immediately cheers and admires Mami because she serves as a protector of innocent but hates Homura due her different role, Blue says: "For Sayaka, the magical girl represents an exciting conflict between a clear good and a clear evil, one Sayaka is eager to join on the side of good." Blue further explains that Sayaka only "wants to fight evil", and that she is only "focused on what she wants to do, rather than on what state of being she wants to achieve", noting that she "assumes that her action will bring that state of being about, but she is still failing to express the wish she truly desires."
Blue also said that "it is not the loss of her love interest that most hurts Sayaka, but rather the brief moment during this conversation in which she regrets saving Hitomi from the witch. Sayaka is holding herself to a ridiculously high standard here, and thus failing to recognize that brief ugly impulses are a part of the human condition, an element of the internal life that does not necessarily translate into outward behavior. Instead, Sayaka takes this momentary viciousness as proof that she has truly become subhuman, that she is a "zombie" rather than a person with an unusual physical configuration", and also compared her unrequited love story to The Little Mermaid.
Popularity
Sayaka's character has been well received by fans, as she places high in several popularity polls. She took second place for "Top 7 Blue-Haired Anime Heroines" voted by Akihabara Fans. In 2012, she was voted as the second most tragic female character in anime, and took eight place in 2015 for the same category. In a BIGLOBE poll, Sayaka ranked 18th in the category "Anime Girl that Attracts the Most Desperate Fanboys". In a 2015 Charapedia poll, Sayaka ranked at 17th of "Characters who deserve their own anime" list. Sayaka was also voted as the eight most popular SHAFT heroines in 2016. The same year, a Charapedia poll, which asked fans to list the "best anime magical girls", had Sayaka placed 9th with 226 votes. In an Anime News Network poll, Sayaka's witch form was voted as the second coolest monster form in anime. In another ANN poll of "Who is your favorite blue-haired character", had Sayaka placed fifth, with 8.5% of votes. In a Manga.Tokyo poll from 2018, Sayaka's line "I… am so stupid" was voted as the eighth most famous before dying line in anime. In a 2020 Ani Trending News poll, Sayaka was also voted as the eighth best female anime character of Winter 2011. The same year, Sayaka was voted the 14th best-magical girl character in a poll by Anime! Anime!.Charles Pulliam-Moore from Gizmodo Australia included Sayaka in the list of "9 Magical Girl Transformation Sequences To Inspire You To Get Dressed", with Pulliam-Moore writing that "best transformation sequences are always the ones that highlight aspects of a character’s personality that make them identifiable even when they aren’t powered up and in costume."