Sayaka's Farewell
Sayaka still dies in the new world, but this time she passes without regrets from her choice.
Even though Sayaka is the only supporting character of the series to remain dead in the new world created by Madoka (due to using all her magic), the fact that Sayaka and Madoka were able to meet up one last time to watch Kamijou's violin playing, along with the nature of Madoka's wish, has resulted in many fans suggesting that Sayaka's soul, although erased from the world, now resides in the same plane of existence that Madoka inhabits, where she will watch over all the other magical girls along with Madoka.
Alternatively, Madoka's presence is there to help Sayaka to move on, to help her ease her ending so she would have no regrets. This would more line up with the confirmation that Madoka guides the souls of all dead magical girls to "another universe" after death.
Madoka informs Sayaka that she could have changed Sayaka's fate but in doing so she would have interfered with Kyosuke's fate as well and he wouldn't be able to play the violin. So Madoka decided to respect Sayaka's choice and tearfully Sayaka is fine with it.
In the new timeline created by Madoka, she is not only allowed to listen to Kyousuke's performance, but she is also given the choice to become a knight of justice to the very end, erasing her fate of becoming a witch, an enemy of her beliefs in her mind.
It appears that Sayaka also remembers who Madoka is in the new timeline created by the latter. This is due to Sayaka's choice of words when conversing with Madoka in episode 12; while watching Kamijou play the violin in a private session, Sayaka confesses to Madoka that she has caused her best friend a lot of trouble. This suggests that Sayaka is aware, or at least has some understanding of the emotional hurt she had inflicted on Madoka (and possibly her other friends) in the previous timelines because of her stubbornness to hold true to her own ideals, which led to her Witch transformation.
In that scene, Madoka says, "No, I have to apologize, too. To save you I had to erase it all. And this future will disappear, too." This suggests that the scene happens before the universe resets. The Miki Sayaka of the new world may not remember Madoka.
The Rebellion Story confirms Sayaka remembers all the previous timelines.
At the Otakon 2012 panel, Urobuchi explained the reason why Sayaka had to die, "This was something that director Shinbo proposed at one of the dubbing sessions, that Sayaka Miki could've been kept alive in the story. But my conviction was that in order for the audience to really understand why Madoka became a God at the end, it was important that she die. After all was said and done, Shinbo said to me that the amount of responsibility placed on a middle school girl may have been too much. We explore that more in the movie."[1].
Sayaka remains dead in the new timeline created by Madoka in the final episode, though Madoka grants her final wish to hear Kyousuke play violin. From Mami and Kyoko's perspective, it appears as though she sacrificed herself to destroy a Wraith.
Sayaka in the Anime and Drama CDs
The Drama CD "Sunny Day Life" gives the impression that Sayaka is not a bright student.
It seems that even if Madoka's test scores are low, they are higher than Sayaka's.
Sayaka is normally depicted sleeping in class, which could be why she gets low scores.
Sayaka in Wraith Arc
Sayaka has a smaller role than the other magical girls in Wraith Arc. In chapter 1, Sayaka is hunting wraiths in the city with Mami and Kyoko and is the first to locate the whereabouts of the giant wraith. She fights off a large group of wraiths that were surrounding the giant wraith and then attempts to attack it on her own, worried it would escape before Mami or Kyoko could arrive. Despite this, the giant wraith is able to escape. She and Kyoko have a small scuffle over this with Kyoko being the winner. The next day, Sayaka walks home with Hitomi and talks about Kyoko, leading Hitomi to be glad Sayaka has made a new friend. As they walk, Hitomi notices Kyosuke which triggers her to confess her feelings about him to Sayaka. This causes Sayaka to become distracted in battle which leads to a few crucial mistakes on her part. She rejects the grief cubes that are offered to her and Kyoko admonishes her for being distracted over personal issues. Mami lectures her on the real dangers of fighting wraiths before heading home. Left alone, Kyoko asks if Sayaka is concerned about Kyosuke and Hitomi and tells Sayaka to let a wraith consume Hitomi's feelings as a solution to her dilemma. This angers Sayaka and she challenges Kyoko to another fight, this time beating Kyoko. She tells Kyoko to never talk to her again and leaves.
In chapter two, Sayaka thinks back on the conversation she had with Hitomi in which she was promised a full day to sort through her feelings and decide on a course of action concerning Kyosuke. A wraith is hunting down Hitomi and Kyubey alerts Sayaka to its presence. She dispatches it with relative ease only to find that Hitomi has ran into Kyosuke and is now conversing with him. Despite not hearing anything of the conversation, she fears the worst and wanders off into the city alone. Later for her meeting with Mami and Kyoko, Sayaka inadvertently runs into a large swarm of wraiths which she attempts to destroy all at once. However, there are too many wraiths for her to destroy on her own and she gives up, willing to allow the wraiths to consumer her negative feelings. Kyoko saves her before the wraiths can begin and Kyubey tells the girls to hurry since Mami is in danger. It seems the giant wraith has appeared out of nowhere and is currently targeting Mami. As the three girls work together to defeat the giant wraith, all goes well until the wraith breaks through Kyoko's barriers and captures Sayaka. Inside the giant wraith Sayaka's feelings are consumed as she watches her life flash before her eyes. Thanks to Kyoko and Mami's words of encouragement, Sayaka is able to cut her way out of the giant wraith with the last of her power. She witnesses Kyosuke play the violin once more before God Madoka takes her away.
Afterwards, a mutant wraith disguises itself as Sayaka taunts Kyoko and Hitomi at the station, asking Hitomi to choose between keeping Kyosuke to herself or Sayaka as a friend. Thereafter the wraith spends the rest of the story attacking the remaining magical girls.
Sayaka in The Rebellion Story
Homulilly's barrier
Prior to the beginning of the movie, the Incubators trap Homura's Soul Gem in an Isolation Field that blocks out the Law of Cycles, causing a barrier to form within the Soul Gem. After Kyubey modifies the Field to allow the barrier to "invite" victims, Sayaka enters the barrier from the Law of Cycles along with Madoka and Nagisa Momoe. (Although the movie doesn't explicitly say this, Sayaka is essentially an angel for Madoka.) To prevent the Incubators from observing the Law of Cycles (which would give them the information they need to reinstate the witch system), Madoka entrusts her memories and powers to Sayaka and Nagisa.
Homura's witch barrier is a false, idealized Mitakihara that alters the memories of the humans trapped in it. Sayaka is unaffected by the memory alterations (either due to being part of the Law of Cycles or because she was entrusted with Madoka's memories), but plays along in order to fool Kyubey. When the movie begins, Sayaka is once again a student at Mitakihara Middle School and fights alongside the other magical girls against Nightmares, monsters created by the barrier specifically to provide an enemy for the magical girls to fight. She is shown to be much closer to Kyoko, who is now Sayaka and Madoka's classmate; in fact Kyoko is staying at Sayaka's house.
Although she is pretending to have her memories erased, Sayaka acts more well-adjusted than she did in the anime. It's implied she has memories of all of the previous timelines. When Hitomi gives birth to a Nightmare out of her frustration with Kyosuke, Sayaka jokes that Hitomi chose an insensitive boyfriend. After the Nightmare is defeated, Sayaka is the one who purifies Hitomi.
When Homura begins to discover the truth of the barrier, she suspects Bebe, Nagisa's disguised form. This puts Homura into conflict with Mami, which ends with Homura incapacitated. Sayaka saves Homura and chides her for picking a fight with Mami and suspecting Bebe. When Homura tries to stop time Sayaka prevents it from happening by thrusting her sword into Homura's shield. She chides Homura again for relying too much on her time magic. Sayaka then discusses the nature of the barrier with Homura, causing Homura to realize the witch must be one of the five magical girls. Sayaka asks Homura if it's alright to kill someone that just wants a world where everyone can be happy. Instead of answering, Homura remembers that Sayaka shouldn't exist, and asks her who she is. Sayaka responds by saying that she's exactly who Homura thinks she is. Homura then sees Oktavia reflected in a puddle the girls are standing on, prompting her to attack Sayaka. Sayaka escapes, but tells Homura to think about whether she really wants to destroy the false Mitakihara, as it would be bad if Homura had any regrets.
Eventually Homura realizes she is the witch and becomes Homulilly. Kyubey tells Madoka to reveal her true powers in order to save Homura, but Sayaka tells Madoka not to listen to him. She stabs herself in order to summon Oktavia and an army of familiars from other witches. The summoned familiars battle Homulilly's familiars, while Oktavia holds off Homulilly herself. The other magical girls either fight off Homulilly's familiars or attack the ceiling of the barrier, cracking it. During the battle, Sayaka is rescued by Kyoko and admits that she regretted abandoning Kyoko at the end of the anime. The two girls then fight off familiars together, and Oktavia even uses Kyoko's spear to punch another hole in Homulilly's barrier. Finally Madoka shatters the ceiling of the barrier and exposes Kyubey's Isolation Field. She reaches out to Homura's remaining Humanity, and together they destroy the Isolation Field from within.
Once the barrier vanishes, Ultimate Madoka descends from the sky to retrieve Homura's Soul Gem. Sayaka and Nagisa descend alongside her in a carriage. However, Homura has been changed by her experience in the barrier and grabs Madoka before she can erase Homura's Soul Gem. Homura's actions tear apart reality and seperate Madoka from her goddess self. Sayaka is engulfed by colors that erupt from Homura's Soul Gem and spread across the universe.
Akuma Homura's Universe
Now a self-proclaimed demon, Homura creates a new universe. For unknown reasons, Sayaka is the only one who retains her memories. Also, she can no longer return to the Law of Cycles. She confronts Homura, asking her why she stole a fragment of the Law of Cycles. Homura replied that she only stole Madoka's existence as a human. Homura says that as a demon, it's only appropriate she goes against god. Sayaka summons Oktavia again and asks Homura if she wants to destroy the universe. Homura says it's a fine idea once all the wraiths are destroyed, and when the time comes she'll gladly be their enemy. Homura then asks if Sayaka really can oppose her and claps her hands, causing Oktavia to vanish. Homura tells Sayaka that her memories are being altered. Sayaka says she remembers that she was somewhere else and part of something greater, but she can't remember what it felt like. Homura tells her to just let go and accept returning to her human life, but Sayaka says that although her memories are gone, there is one thing she will never forget: that Homura Akemi is a demon. Despite the threat, Homura says that they should at least pretend to be friends in front of Madoka.
Homura vanishes, and Sayaka is greeted by Hitomi and Kyosuke. Even though she lost her memories, she says she feels really happy to be greeted by the two. Hitomi says that Sayaka is saying strange things, and Sayaka agrees with a laugh. A shot of Sayaka's hand reveals that her ring and Soul Gem mark are still present. However, the Runes displaying her name have vanished, indicating her powers are gone or sealed. At the end of the movie, Sayaka is seen enjoying pocky with Kyoko, indicating they are still close in this new world.
Sayaka in Madoka Magica: The Different Story
Sayaka acts more like a perfectionist than she did in other media. She often obsesses over the mistakes that she makes and is very conscious of other people's expectations.
In this manga, Sayaka tries to escape when Mami requests that she study magic to find witches efficiently.
It is shown that Sayaka can also heal others in this story.
Sayaka appears in the later part of chapter 4. In chapter 7, it is shown that Sayaka makes a contract and prevents Mami from danger.
When Hitomi tells her that she will confess to Kyousuke, Sayaka's sense of responsibility as a magical girl prevents her from confessing first. Again, she is unable to bear her own selfishness, especially when she didn't help Hitomi who was in a witch's trap.
In chapter 8, Sayaka exhausted her magic and becomes a witch. According to Kyubey, she is too weak to gain any good when there are many more powerful magical girls.
In final chapter, Sayaka is revived by Madoka, who made the contract with Kyubey. Sayaka does not remember being transformed into a witch, just that Madoka saved her from being killed by a witch. Before facing Walpurgis Night, Sayaka apologizes with Homura, saying she had misunderstood her actions and what the two want is to protect Madoka. Also, Sayaka says she owes Homura for saving her life once and she'll find a way to thank her. She is last seen facing Walpurgis Night before Homura restarts time.
Sayaka in the PSP Game
There is a Sayaka route in the game, which is different from the anime. The scenario is supervised by Gen Urobuchi who wrote the script for the anime series. But there are multiple different 'if' developments. There is a different 'Sayaka route', in which it is possible to prevent Sayaka from becoming a witch. She may fight with other magical girls.
It is possible to have a better ending, or to have a more cruel one than the anime, depending on the player's choices.
It is possible to stop Sayaka's insanity and her transformation into a witch in the Sayaka route or Homura route of the PSP Game.
Kyoko can prevent Sayaka from becoming a witch.
In the Bonus Route, Sayaka has a confrontation with Hitomi about Kyousuke. After that, she confesses Kyosuke about her feelings and her identity as a Magical Girl.
The Madoka route also provides a potential wording for Sayaka's wish: "I want to heal Kyosuke's hand."
Sayaka in Kazumi Magica
Sayaka's and Oktavia's silhouettes appeared once during Umika's explanation about Witches, as she says that witches are the end state of magical girls.
Sayaka in Oriko Magica
Sayaka is mentioned in Chapter 3. She does not appear until chapter 4, however. Sayaka is also protected by Homura so that she never gets contracted there.
Unlike the other timelines, she considers Homura as a friend, as she declared in chapter 7.
She helped Hitomi to escape from familiars' attacks from chapter 5-7, when Mitakihara Junior High is covered with a witch's barrier. Madoka reunites with them, and together, they go to help Homura. Madoka is killed by Oriko, and Sayaka and Hitomi are seen mourning her just before Homura resets the timeline.
Sayaka in Magia Record Side Story
Sayaka arrives at Kamihama City to go shopping with Kyousuke Kamijou. Sayaka insists it's not a date - Kyousuke is looking for a CD by one of his favorite violinists, while Sayaka is looking for fancy clothes (or something). Suddenly Sayaka hears a scream. Wondering if it's a witch, she runs towards it and finds herself in an empty elementary school. Finding it empty, she hears groaning and comes across Hinano Miyako. Sayaka asks if she's alrght, and Hinano says she is. The girls introduce themselves. Hinano explains she got bumped on the back of the head while setting things up for the chemistry lab. Hinano suspects the culprit is still around.
Sayaka decides that "Great Detective Sayaka-chan" will help. Sayaka gives a faux case summary and asks Hinano if anyone else was around. Hinano says today's an off day so there aren't any teachers or students around, and the kids who would come to the lab wouldn't be here so early. Hinano wonders if it's a witch, then tells Sayaka she's just talking to herself. Sayaka asks if Hinano is a magical girl, and reveals she's one herself. Hinano says she didn't detect a witch's presence. Sayaka agrees, and said that she only ran to the school because she only thought a witch could be there when she heard screaming.
Hinano wonders if the witch hit her and ran. Sayaka says the door was closed when she got there, and Hinano says it should have been closed the whole time she was preparing in the lab. Hinano asks the "Magical Detective" what she think happened. Sayaka thinks the culprit must have entered through the room's window, since it was on the first floor. Sayaka notes that when she came in the curtains were fluttering. Sayaka figures that the culprit has already escaped, so catching them will be difficult. Hinano says that they have a lead, and with her scientific expertise she's going to shoot fire.
Hinano uses a blacklight to show the footprints left on the floor. Turning off the light reveals many footprints. Hinano says she knows what the footprints of the school's indoor shoes are, and the ones that don't match the others belong to the culprit. They find some footprints that don't match, but Sayaka points out it could belong to a teacher. Suddenly she sees a strange mark on the floor. After seeing where the mark leads to, Sayaka starts laughing and says she's cracked the case.
The culprit is...a baseball. Sayaka explains that after the baseball hit Hinano it left a mark on the floor and rolled into the corner of the room. Sayaka guesses it came from the baseball club that is out practicing on the playing field, pointing out that they can hear the children's voices. Sayaka also says that the room is directly facing the playing field and it must have entered through the window after a kid hit it. Suddenly a child enters the room and asks for the ball back. Hinano returns it and tells the kid to be careful from now on. Sayaka says both Hinano and the child are so mature even though they both look like grade school students. Hinano asks if Sayaka said something, but Sayaka denies it.
With the case solved, Sayaka decides to head back. She says that she plans on shopping and trying on some Western-style clothes the next day. Hinano asks if Sayaka is going on a date, but Sayaka insists it isn't. Disbelieving her, Hinano gives her a gift and uses her chemicals to make Sayaka a perfume. She wishes Sayaka good luck on her date, though Sayaka insists it isn't. Sayaka narrates that something unexpectedly cool happened because she helped someone out. She then narrates that "Magical Detective Sayaka-chan" can solve any problem.
Having arrived in the shopping district, Sayaka goes clothes shopping but can't pick something to buy. Suddenly Emiri Kisaki comes by, having smelled the perfume Sayaka was given by Hinano. Thinking Sayaka is Hinano, Emiri is surprised to find someone else. When Emiri explains she smelled Hinano's perfumes, Sayaka says she's met her a little while ago. Emiri says she has a "unique relationship" with Hinano, but then says she's just joking. Sayaka says the mystery is solved, and explains she was just letting out her inner detective.
Sayaka then says she has to get back to shopping. Emiri asks if she's looking for dating attire, claiming to have learned that because she's super-perceptive. Sayaka insists it's not actually a date, but Emiri barely listens. Claiming to be the "Cutest in the World", Emiri declares she will coordinate Sayaka's wardrobe. Sayaka points out they didn't introduce themselves yet. She soon learns that Emiri is also a magical girl. Sayaka says it's unusual to meet two in one day, but Emiri says there's tons of magical girls in Kamihama.
Emiri shows Sayaka clothing with the year's new color: "Salmon Pink". She calls it the fashion of little devils. Sayaka thinks pink doesn't look good on her. Emiri thinks she's wrong and has her try on pink accessories. Sayaka says she'd like a more subdued outfit. Emiri then shows her another outfit. When Sayaka says it's just more Sweet Pink, Emiri insists it's the more adultlike "Bitter Pink". Sayaka doesn't understand the difference. Emiri tells her to try it on, claiming the path to Cuteness is a trying one. Sayaka says it's too trying.
Despite all the things Sayaka tries on, she's not satisfied. Sayaka decides that cute just isn't her thing. Emiri insists it's not true. Sayaka said that she's happy Emiri is telling her nice things, but if she can't get into it she'll just be uncomfortable during her date. Sayaka also says that the person she likes doesn't care about clothing or appearances. Sayaka says she believes they prefer to see people for who they are on the inside. Emiri says that person sounds nice. Sayaka says he's also a music-loving nerd, but that part of him is cool. Emiri says that "Lovely-dovey Sayakyan is so Cyuute!"
Emiri decides to take Sayaka to a special place, explaining that the location of the date is important. She claims this location will make guys fall head-over-heels in love. Emiri takes Sayaka to the top of a tower. Before they reach it, Emiri tells Sayaka to close her eyes. When they finally reach the spot, Emiri tells Sayaka to open her eyes and turn around. Sayaka sees a beautiful view of the city at night. Emiri calls it the number one spot in Kamihama. Sayaka agrees. Emiri says that her guy will have to fall in love with her if she takes him to this spot. Sayaka says she wants to see it with him even if he doesn't fall in love with her.
Sayaka thanks Emiri, and Emiri says Sayaka is pure and wishes her good luck. She says that Sayaka's cuteness is "up to standards". Sayaka says she'll try her hardest. Suddenly she realizes it's late and says she has to head back. Emiri offers to take her back to the train station, claiming that an adorable lady requires an escort. The girls leave. Sayaka narrates that the perfume she got led her to another encounter where she was told about a beautiful place. Sayaka says that with her love supported by the magical girls of Kamihama she'll do her best. She still insists it wasn't anything like a date.
The day of Sayaka's "date" with Kyosuke has arrived. Sayaka narrates that after they bought a CD and walked around for a bit, she got a message from Kyosuke. He says that the train is running late, and it'll take him an hour to get to where Sayaka is. Sayaka tells him not to worry and wonders what she will do for an hour. Suddenly she senses a witch and decides to fight it. Sayaka enters the barrier at the same time as another magical girl, who introduces herself as Kokoro Awane. Sayaka admits she's relieved to have help, since she usually fights with her friends. Kokoro says the same is true for her.
The girls defeat the witch. Sayaka gives Kokoro the Grief Seed, saying that she had to defeat the witch anyway before she could meet with her precious person. Sayaka claims the Grief Seed is her way of thanking Kokoro. Sayaka then admits she still has an hour to kill. Kokoro then invites Sayaka for tea, as thanks for the Grief Seed. Sayaka jokes she'll order something expensive. At the cafe, Sayaka tells Kokoro that she became a magical girl to heal someone she loved. Kokoro says she's shocked to hear that. Sayaka says she sometimes wondered if things would be okay, but when she saw Kyosuke play the violin she felt that everything was how it should be. Kokoro asks if Sayaka is meeting the person she made a wish for today. When Sayaka says they're buying a violin CD, Kokoro says Sayaka has a deep love for music and tells her to do her best.
Sayaka asks Kokoro what she wished for. Kokoro says she wished to bring her family together again, so they could live happily. However, Kokoro admits she probably isn't happy because even after bringing her family back together there were still problems. Kokoro says that in the past she used to worry about it and wondered if her wish was a mistake. However, she claims to be fine with it now and that she already said goodbye to that past self of her. Kokoro says that she won't let her wish be in vain and that she will bring her family's hearts together. Sayaka says Kokoro is strong, but Kokoro says she spent most of her time sulking until recently. Kokoro says she decided to start thinking positive, and Sayaka says after hearing that she feels like she can think more positively herself.
Sayaka says that one can change a person's heart with their own power. Kokoro says that's what she believes in. Sayaka says she'll treasure her wish and believe in herself. Kokoro tells Sayaka to make her date a success. Suddenly Sayaka gets another message from Kyosuke, saying he'll be there soon. Sayaka says she should get going, and that someday soon her and Kokoro should go for tea again. Kokoro agrees, and then comments on Sayaka's perfume. Sayaka explains where it came from, and Kokoro says it'll "level up" her "first impression stat". Sayaka points out that Kyosuke's only passion is music.
Kokoro then asks what Sayaka will do after buying the CD with Kyosuke. Sayaka tells her about the spot Emiri told her about. Kokoro says that sounds beautiful. Sayaka then says she has to leave to see Kyosuke. Kokoro says it will work out, and that any boy Sayaka meets will fall head-over-heels for her. A disbelieving Sayaka says that would be nice. She then bids Kokoro goodbye and runs to the station. Sayaka feels like she's going to have a good day today. She's surprised to see her magical girl life has turned out this way.
Costume Story
Winter Clothes
Sayaka, Madoka Kaname and Homura Akemi visit Kamihama for Christmas. The girls decide to get something to eat, and find a man selling crepes. Sayaka is shocked to see the man is selling a "strawberry kimchi tomato" crepe, but the girls all order something else. Sayaka wonders if eating the other crepe would have made the day more memorable, but decides it was perfect already.
Swimsuit (2018)
Sayaka and Hinano try to light fireworks, but find their lighters aren't working. Sayaka decides to buy a new one, and Mami Tomoe offers to come with her. While walking to a convenience store, Sayaka notices Mami seems nervous. Mami then freaks out over a strange noise, which turns out to be Kyoko Sakura playing a prank. Both Kyoko and Sayaka help Mami recover. Sayaka admits she was scared herself, but somehow felt better when Kyoko came with them.
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