Kyoko Sakura's Canon List

"At any time when she only thought about herself, even if it meant to use others as stepping stones, she was living strong and brave. She loved dessert and games, and arguing as well. She looked as if she was always a spoiled child who had never grown up.

However, at the very beginning the reason she became a mahou shoujo was for her irreplaceable family. Her father was kind but also stuck through his own convictions, and wanted to live for others even more than feeding his own family. For such a father, she made her prayer. And just by speaking about the ideals, it did not go anywhere. Becoming a mahou shoujo, she accepted the hidden job of eliminating witches without telling anyone. All these was just to save the world.

She might be able to live happily if she could live without getting involved with anybody. But she still did that because she was too kind. When she saw Sayaka who was going to commit the same mistake like she did, she just could not abandon her as one of the same kind. Even though she was snubbed by her so many times.

And so she made her prayer again. That's right, looking at Sayaka who lost herself so easily and got herself imprisoned in despair, even at the end of the very end Kyoko never forgot her consideration for others, or hope. “That's how things go, right? Eventually it is a story where love and courage win...” so she said. The expression on her face, smiling and looking a bit mischievously, will not be so easily forgotten by us no matter how long time passes." - Quote from a NewType article going more into detail on Kyoko's personality.


Kyoko first appeared as a magical girl who came from another town to take over Mami's turf after hearing of her death. According to the Drama CD "Farewell Story", Kyoko is from the neighboring city of Kazamino. She was initially introduced as a callous, arrogant magical girl who simply has supernatural powers and had abandoned the premise of justice and benevolence. In short, she didn't hesitate in any sense in using her magic powers for her own selfish benefit and did not mind sacrificing humans to familiars if it meant obtaining a Grief Seed. Kyoko seems to have a rather sadistic side as well. This is shown when she approaches Sayaka as she 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 appears abrasive and selfish, but she has a somewhat soft side as well. While Kyoko was initially cold toward Sayaka, she grows to like her. This is because Kyoko sees Sayaka making the same mistakes as her. She eventually even monitors one of Sayaka's witch hunts. While it is unknown if Sayaka needed her help, Kyoko does protect her against one of the witch's attacks. Kyoko, as revealed later on, liked Sayaka because she reminded Kyoko of why she became a magical girl in the first place.

Another example of this soft side would be shown in the PSP game's route for Kyoko. It is revealed there that Kyoko visits Mami's apartment after she died and finds this stuffed bear. It turns out that this bear is from when the two of them were partners (as seen in the audio drama Farewell Story and the manga The Different Story); Kyoko won the bear at an arcade and gave it to Mami as a gift. Later on, Kyoko makes a grave for Mami, placing the bear on top of it (the grave is also within sight of her family’s old cathedral). It’s a small gesture that speaks miles. It really shows how sensitive and kindhearted Kyoko is deep down, and that she never stopped caring for Mami. Adding to this, the manga The Different Story shows just how much Kyoko cares for those she considers family- going so far as to put their own well-being above her own, in whatever way she feels will accomplish her goal.

She values food a lot and chastises those who waste it. Adding to this, Kyoko is never really seen without some sort of food. After her father lost supporters, Kyoko and her family (parents, Kyoko herself, Momo, her little sister) nearly starved. Observations can draw the conclusion that she may have experienced trauma from her family's death, giving her an eating disorder of sorts, or that she just wants to erase the memory of hunger from her mind and body.

Kyoko was the elder 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 except Kyoko, (in Madoka Portable, Kyoko is gone when her father kills her family) then committed suicide by hanging himself from the church ceiling. After her family's death, she 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 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. She is competitive as well.

She seems to be very faithful in God as during her final moments in the last timeline, while being killed by Oktavia,(she does live in the world reconstructed by Madoka, but does not remember the pink-haired girl) 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.


Raised in a religious family, you could state that Kyoko's life was normal. Both her mother and father were present in her life, and she had a younger sister, named Momo, to take care of and offer comfort when needed. Her father, who worked as the pastor in their church, earned sufficient money. It wasn't as much as some families, Kyoko would later comment, but from what she remembered, it was more than enough. That is, until her father started preaching outside the doctrine.

Kyoko's father was a sensitive man, you see. Even now, Kyoko holds fond memories of his kindhearted ways, and if asked about how he acted, she'd respond with the answer of, "He was too honest. Too kind. Every morning, he was brought to tears by the worries of the world written in the newspaper." Unfortunately, when he started bringing his own emotion-born ideals, he lost followers. And when he lost followers, their money flow slowed to a stop- up until the point he was ex-communed from the church. Day by day, the Sakura family found it much, much harder to go on, some days going without food at all.

It was during these times that Kyoko's street smarts and quick wits started to develop. She doesn't quite recall the details of her first snatch, but she remembers fondly that it was an apple, her stomach was practically begging for some sort of sustenance, and the only thing that kept her from being caught was luck. This apple, she'd brought home, and her mother split it between her and Momo.

During one night, when Kyoko thought that the hunger that dwelled in the pits of her belly was going to kill her, that salvation appeared- in the form of a white, cat-like creature called Kyubey. It offered her a wish, any wish, that it could make come true. From then on, though, she'd have to fight creatures called 'witches'. Kyoko thought about her wish, though, instead of letting opportunity get the best of her. Driven by hunger and pity, she wished that anyone who listened to her father believe his words- though, maybe not in that exact format. Either way, that was how the wish made it to be. The next day, the church was filled with followers, and Kyoko began life as a Magical Girl.

While the sun smiled upon the world, her father preached to the masses, and when the moon's loving rays descended down upon the night, Kyoko ousted witches and familiars alike- though it certainly wasn't the most ideal way for a magical girl to live, it was Kyoko's way, and there was not a soul who would challenge her for that. That part of Kazamino was hers, and for a long time, she had only minor run-ins with other magical girls, who shared different ideals from her own.

That is, until she met Mami Tomoe.

It was a rare instance in which Kyoko was chasing a witch who, formerly, had escaped her grasp. The red-head was almost done for, when the blonde musketeer stepped in, saving Kyoko from the witch's clutches and helping her to defeat the Minotaur-like witch. After the battle, Kyoko introduced herself to Mami, expressing her thanks only seconds after. After being asked and explaining why she ventured into Mitakihara, as venturing in on another magical girl's territory isn't exactly a friendly gesture if not invited in, they both cleansed their soul gems- the sources of their power, and Mami invited Kyoko over for tea and dessert.

Kyoko clearly thought highly of the elder magical girl, both being a year ahead in age and experience, and later on into the conversation, asked if Mami would be her teacher- which clearly surprised the blonde. However, she does accept, and the two start lessons shortly thereafter- hunting both witches and familiars and saving numerous people. It's Mami who brought up the idea of Kyoko generating barriers, a skill which later becomes proficient to the red-head's survival. Everything was perfect. Kyoko had a friend and a mentor, a loving family, and fought off the darkness and despair that plagued at humanity.

Of course, things can never stay perfect for long, and even the happiest person has their breaking point, especially when confronted with the truth.

A chilly day in autumn, a witch plagued the Sakura church. People gathered, drawn by the negative feelings in their heart. Kyoko successfully fought off the witch, but it was what happened after that caused the turning point in her life. Mr. Sakura had caught his daughter fighting the witch, in her magical girl form. It's later shown that Kyoko is led home by her father, presumably to explain the events which have unfolded, and he doesn't react in the way she thought he might've.

Instead, Kyoko's father was driven to insanity with the realization that his followers are not truly there for what they believe, but for the wish that Kyoko made. He certainly doesn't see witches and magical girls as different, and proceeds to call his own daughter a witch who 'unknowingly sold her soul to the devil'. Kyoko tries, again and again, to explain to him what she does, but eventually, she gives up, unknowing of the events that would soon occur.

It's late at night. A freezing cold winter night. What happened exactly is unknown, whether or not Kyoko was there and failed to protect her family, whether she arrived before her father perished, or whether she arrived home to the gristly scene. It would later be reported on the news. A fire, at the famous Sakura House. The pastor had apparently died from hanging himself. The mother and youngest daughter, victims of homicide. The eldest daughter, missing. Such a day was when Kyoko Sakura lost her beliefs, and in turn, lost the ability which let her function most efficiently in battle.

At least a year, spent fighting on naive ideals alone. A year under Mami's tutelage. And now, she'd lost her family due to her own wish. However, she was nowhere near depressed. It was only natural for the red-head to turn to anger. Anger at God, for taking away her family, anger at her father, for never understanding what she was doing, anger at the world, for being so cruel and unjust. However, she could never find it in her to be angry at Mami- the girl was too nice. Too sweet. Too much of everything that Kyoko decided to turn away from. Kyoko cut ties with her former mentor, in a way she'd regret in the long run, and turned to the other way of living as a magical girl. She stopped caring for the innocents, yet she never truly harmed one. She used what magic she had left for herself, and did what she could to survive, to adapt. Stealing became a one way ticket to free food and free money, and she eventually began busting open ATMS for money- but never in broad daylight. The only familiars she'd kill were the ones that tried to settle in her family's church.


As a magical girl, Kyoko already has numerous boosts to her speed, strength, defense, healing rate, etc. As her soul is in the red-shaped gem she has (normally concealed as a ring) she could have most of her body rendered to a point where living would be considered impossible, and still survive. Her comment on her first attack, when battling Sayaka, is that the hit, "Should've left (her) in the hospital for at least three months." Being proven that Kyoko is one for hard-hitting attacks (and that the statement pretty much confirmed that Kyoko's attack dealt more damage than shown) it could be assumed that their healing rate, normally, is the same as ours, unless they focus on healing the injuries.

"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 as Kyoko's mind rejects or regrets her own wish, she won't be able to use her magic as she did before." -Excerpt from the Madoka Magica wiki

Even without this, her skill and ability to overcome this loss of magic (normally a downfall) shows with her survival lasting three years, and only ending with her sacrificing herself to take down Oktavia. She uses her weapon, a modular spear. While steel hard, it is extremely flexible, and can extend or bend easily. The handle can be broken down into numerous pieces, connected by a chain, allowing her to attack or defend over a wide area. The chain runs along the handle, ending in a heavy ball at the blunt side. The ball's weight is used to easily wrap the chain around foes, restricting them. She can also summon her weapon from her soul gem when not in magical girl form- an instinctual reaction which is probably accessible for all magical girls- and has the same amount of flexibility and use as her normal spear. Assuming this skill is not exclusive to Kyoko, it has undoubtedly minimized the likelihood of a magical girl dying from an ambush. Adding to this, Kyoko has an amped up version of her spear, nicknamed by the community as the Scorpion Spear. It appears to possess the same properties as her regular spear, but the amount of effort needed to summon it is life-threatening- making it a last resort in any fight. Alongside her spear, Kyoko has the ability to put up barriers to protect others or keep them from interfering, as well as the typical magical girl benefits and downfalls.

However, as typical for being a magical girl, if her soul gem is shattered, she'll die. If she uses too much magic or succumbs to despair, she'll turn into a witch. Since the only way for her to cleanse her soul gem is through the usage of grief seeds, and there is a lack of access to witches, it could eventually be a true matter of life-or-death, depending (not that it already wouldn't be.)

[attr="class","sigh"]Red

[attr="class","sigh"]Female

[attr="class","sigh"]15

[attr="class","sigh"]Human

[attr="class","sigh"]Chaotic Neutral

[attr="class","sigh"]5'2"

[attr="class","sigh"]Biromantic Asexual

[attr="class","sigh"]Puella Magi

[attr="class","sigh"]Kazamino

[attr="class","sigh"]KyokoSakura

[attr="class","fall"]SERIES; Puella Magi Madoka Magica