Name: Kyoko Sakura Kyoko Sakura appears tomboyish, selfish, and bellicose on the surface, but at her core, she is a deeply affectionate and caring girl. Due to a traumatic past, she began acting solely for her own benefit, yet she holds strong convictions—such as never forgiving those who waste food—and hides a pure, clumsy kindness that worries for others. Appearance She is characterized by a prominent snaggletooth and long red hair tied into a ponytail with a black ribbon. While she has a petite image, she stands at 158cm (according to the Puella Magi Madoka Magica PRODUCTION NOTE), which isn't particularly short. She is the third tallest among the main five Magical Girls. Her Magical Girl outfit is likely modeled after her father's clerical vestments. The color is a deep crimson, consisting of a ruffled sleeveless dress with a standing collar. A diamond-shaped cross opening at the collar contains a red gem. (This red stone was added by Kyoko using magic to house her Soul Gem; it was not part of the original outfit.) The front of the dress opens in an A-line shape, with layered lace along the edges. The dress length reaches her thighs. Underneath, she wears a long black tube top featuring a church motif and a short pink pleated skirt. On her feet, she wears black thigh-high socks and red gothic-style cuffed heeled boots adorned with diamond cross patterns. She wears light purplish-gray arm covers from her upper arms to her wrists, with black cuffs featuring white buttons covering part of the wrists. Her Soul Gem color is red, the symbol is an oval, and its position after transformation is at her collar. Kyoko's wish was: "I want everyone to listen seriously to what my old man has to say." Her father, a clergyman, believed that "new eras require new teachings" and began preaching "common sense" truths separate from traditional dogma. However, the public viewed it as nothing more than a suspicious cult, leading him to lose his followers and be excommunicated from the church. From then on, they lived in such poverty that they struggled to find daily meals. This is believed to be the origin of her obsession with eating and her refusal to tolerate wasting food. Kyoko was pained by the fact that no one would listen to her beloved father. When Kyubey appeared, she made a contract, and her father regained more followers and faith than ever before. However, the happiness did not last. Upon discovering that he had gained followers through magic rather than his own teachings, her father denounced her, shouting, "You're a witch who leads people's hearts astray!" Driven by the shock, he committed a murder-suicide involving the whole family (father, mother, and younger sister), leaving only Kyoko behind. As a result, her miracle led to an even greater despair, and Kyoko vowed from then on to "never use magic for the sake of others." Afterward, she lost her moral restraints, living an extreme lifestyle driven by whim and emotion—committing cold-blooded crimes at times, while helping people at others. Ironically, living selfishly in this manner helped suppress her transformation into a Witch. On the other hand, she secretly hated this way of life (it is mentioned that her constant eating is a way to vent stress). Her contact with Sayaka Miki, who fought for justice and wished for others just as Kyoko once did, strengthened these feelings. According to Gen Urobuchi, the scriptwriter: "Kyoko maintained her peace of mind by venting her despair through acting as a villain, but in truth, she didn't like that version of herself. If she could have saved Sayaka, she could have saved her own heart. Had she abandoned her, she would have faced true despair." In other words, Kyoko likely committed various misdeeds as a motive to vent her negative emotions. She may have been taking out her unrewarded feelings on unspecified numbers of people. Furthermore, in the portable game version, there is a route where she turns into a Witch due to factors involving her relationship with Sayaka. Combat Style A close-quarters combatant specializing in speed and power. Her physical abilities are among the best of the Magical Girls in the series. She displays acrobatic, light movements and dominates the battlefield with high-performance multi-sectioned spears and superior technique. Beyond speed, her power is immense; she hung Sayaka up while untransformed, restrained a transformed Homura in the manga version, and performed the feat of throwing the Witch of Quaintness high into the sky while transformed. Additionally, a status chart in the first movie's pamphlet showed all stats (Attack, Defense, Speed, Stamina, etc.) as 3 or higher out of 5, excluding her sealed initial magic (illusions). Her speed was rated equal to Madoka's, who was significantly buffed by accumulated karma. While this suggests she has the most balanced and high-level abilities among the five, Gen Urobuchi clarified on Twitter after the movie's release that "old data from the early planning stages was unearthed and somehow printed in the pamphlet," noting that these parameters are highly unreliable for the final versions of the characters. (According to Urobuchi, regarding Sayaka's speed alone, the actual value should be about 50% higher than what was in the pamphlet.)