Kyouko has a history of fluctuating beliefs and ideals. As with most younger kids, her idea of justice and righteousness was shallow and one-note. Her values were also dictated by circumstance; with few friends at any early age, she loved and relied on her family more than an average girl would. This applies in particular to her father, a priest, who was the patriarch and provided for the family. He was a very honest and sefless man, and these sympathies drove him to preach a message that differed from traditional doctrine. Young Kyouko, however, believed wholeheartedly in her father’s message, and she couldn’t understand why the people rejected it. The injustice of it hurt her terrifically.
Kyouko’s family became very poor when her father was excommunicated from the church, and during that time of poverty, she learned the true value of keeping food on the table. It was a value she never let go of. To keep her family from starving, and to reverse the seemingly terrible injustice of her father’s word being ignored, Kyouko became a Puella Magi and made a wish that she thought would set everything right. For a little while, it seemed to work and Kyouko was happy. She was happy to be a hero, even behind the scenes, and to serve justice by saving people from witches. When tragedy struck, though, Kyouko became a very different person. Her father murdered her mother and sister, and killed himself when he found out the truth behind Kyouko’s wish.
It seems natural that this would turn any person’s world upside down. In response, Kyouko became selfish and jaded. With how things turned out, it seemed idiotic to use her powers to help anyone but herself. When the series begins and Kyouko first appears, she has completely bought in to her new ideals. She steals, and is seen habitually eating. She stops Sayaka from destroying a familiar, claiming that it’s stupid because there is no reward for doing so—she would rather have it kill a few people and become a witch. She also fights Sayaka, a fellow Puella Magi, over ideals and territory, almost killing her. She later stalks Sayaka and sadistically threatens to grievously injure the boy that Sayaka has strong romantic feelings for.
Despite this behavior, the strange thing is that Kyouko likes Sayaka. It boils down to the feelings and true nature of herself that Kyouko is repressing. Throughout the series, she goes through a fierce internal battle. After the death of her family, she is forced into maintaining a survival mode that requires ruthless self-sufficiency—there are things she thinks she has to do, and ways she thinks she ought to act; she cannot show weakness, she cannot show kindness, and she cannot rely on anyone but herself. This side of her battles with her older values—the ones she deemed worthless and naïve after the tragedy. And while her jaded side seems to dominate in her initial encounters with Sayaka, the fact that she still likes Sayaka manages to manifest in how much attention she pays her.
In reality, Kyouko is lonely and frustrated with her own lifestyle. Sayaka reminds her of herself when she was younger, and that is able to trigger some compassion in her, as well as a rising of old feelings and values. It first manifests in a conversation she has with Sayaka; she tells Sayaka the story of her past, and tries to use it to convince her to abandon her selfless ways before she is hurt by them. Sayaka rejects the suggestion flat out, and while this angers Kyouko, it also pushes her to reach out even more. There isn’t enough opportunity, though. By the time Kyouko is willing to more fully commit, Sayaka loses herself to despair and turns into a witch.
In brief summery, Kyouko has a multi-layered self. At her core, she is a girl who wants to find happiness. She has a fierce and jaded exterior, and she is willing to push her selfish agenda a long way. That said, she is still starved for company and friendship, and there’s a girl who understands the benefit of kindness and the pursuit of good buried under several layers of forced denial and hardened survival instinct.
Kyouko Sakura • Puella Magi Madoka Magica • Reserved (1/2)
Contact Info:
Other Characters Played: n/a
Preferred Apartment: None
Character Name: Kyouko Sakura
Canon: Puella Magi Madoka Magica
Canon Point: Middle of Episode 9
Background/History: General • Kyouko
Personality:
Kyouko has a history of fluctuating beliefs and ideals. As with most younger kids, her idea of justice and righteousness was shallow and one-note. Her values were also dictated by circumstance; with few friends at any early age, she loved and relied on her family more than an average girl would. This applies in particular to her father, a priest, who was the patriarch and provided for the family. He was a very honest and sefless man, and these sympathies drove him to preach a message that differed from traditional doctrine. Young Kyouko, however, believed wholeheartedly in her father’s message, and she couldn’t understand why the people rejected it. The injustice of it hurt her terrifically.
Kyouko’s family became very poor when her father was excommunicated from the church, and during that time of poverty, she learned the true value of keeping food on the table. It was a value she never let go of. To keep her family from starving, and to reverse the seemingly terrible injustice of her father’s word being ignored, Kyouko became a Puella Magi and made a wish that she thought would set everything right. For a little while, it seemed to work and Kyouko was happy. She was happy to be a hero, even behind the scenes, and to serve justice by saving people from witches. When tragedy struck, though, Kyouko became a very different person. Her father murdered her mother and sister, and killed himself when he found out the truth behind Kyouko’s wish.
It seems natural that this would turn any person’s world upside down. In response, Kyouko became selfish and jaded. With how things turned out, it seemed idiotic to use her powers to help anyone but herself. When the series begins and Kyouko first appears, she has completely bought in to her new ideals. She steals, and is seen habitually eating. She stops Sayaka from destroying a familiar, claiming that it’s stupid because there is no reward for doing so—she would rather have it kill a few people and become a witch. She also fights Sayaka, a fellow Puella Magi, over ideals and territory, almost killing her. She later stalks Sayaka and sadistically threatens to grievously injure the boy that Sayaka has strong romantic feelings for.
Despite this behavior, the strange thing is that Kyouko likes Sayaka. It boils down to the feelings and true nature of herself that Kyouko is repressing. Throughout the series, she goes through a fierce internal battle. After the death of her family, she is forced into maintaining a survival mode that requires ruthless self-sufficiency—there are things she thinks she has to do, and ways she thinks she ought to act; she cannot show weakness, she cannot show kindness, and she cannot rely on anyone but herself. This side of her battles with her older values—the ones she deemed worthless and naïve after the tragedy. And while her jaded side seems to dominate in her initial encounters with Sayaka, the fact that she still likes Sayaka manages to manifest in how much attention she pays her.
In reality, Kyouko is lonely and frustrated with her own lifestyle. Sayaka reminds her of herself when she was younger, and that is able to trigger some compassion in her, as well as a rising of old feelings and values. It first manifests in a conversation she has with Sayaka; she tells Sayaka the story of her past, and tries to use it to convince her to abandon her selfless ways before she is hurt by them. Sayaka rejects the suggestion flat out, and while this angers Kyouko, it also pushes her to reach out even more. There isn’t enough opportunity, though. By the time Kyouko is willing to more fully commit, Sayaka loses herself to despair and turns into a witch.
In brief summery, Kyouko has a multi-layered self. At her core, she is a girl who wants to find happiness. She has a fierce and jaded exterior, and she is willing to push her selfish agenda a long way. That said, she is still starved for company and friendship, and there’s a girl who understands the benefit of kindness and the pursuit of good buried under several layers of forced denial and hardened survival instinct.