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Kyubey
Kyubey
from Wikipedia

Kyubey
Puella Magi Madoka Magica character
Kyubey, as seen in Puella Magi Madoka Magica
First appearanceAs If I Met Her in My Dream...
Created by
Voiced by
In-universe information
GenderNone
SpeciesCat-like alien
Other nameIncubator

Kyubey (Japanese: キュゥべえ, Hepburn: Kyūbē) is a character of the 2011 anime series Puella Magi Madoka Magica and its 2013 sequel The Rebellion Story. They are also a "messenger of magic" that can grant any wish to a certain girl, on the condition that she become a magical girl and fight against the witches, who are in fact themselves corrupted magical girls. It is later revealed that their true name is Incubator. Kyubey's true goal in creating every all magical girls and witches is to counter entropy and stave off the heat death of the universe.

Creation and design

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Kyubey was created and designed by writer Gen Urobuchi. As one of the primary villains in the series, producer Atsuhiro Iwakami stated that "the mash-up of cuteness and darkness is the central theme to Puella Magi Madoka Magica, and Kyubey is an epitome of that theme."[2] A central goal in Urobuchi's writing was to highlight the moral and ethical dissonance between Kyubey and the young girls, which was done through actions in the series such as Kyubey eating their own corpse in order to recycle energy.[3] Urobuchi compared Kyubey to monsters occurring in the works of horror fiction author H. P. Lovecraft, commenting of the character: "He (sic) is not evil, it is his lack of feelings that make him scary."[4]

Appearances

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In Madoka Magica

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Kyubey is a sexless extraterrestrial cat-like being posing as a familiar who can grant any wish to a certain girl, on the condition that she becomes a magical girl and fight against witches. When the chosen girl makes a contract with them, they extract her soul and places it inside a soul gem, reconstructing her body into a shell that is more resilient in order to fight witches. They constantly try to get Madoka Kaname to make a contract with them, as she allegedly possesses great magical potential within her that would allow her to become the most powerful magical girl. They can only be seen or heard by magical girls and those with "magical" potential and is able to communicate with them telepathically.

Kyubey is later revealed to be a member of a hive-minded race called the Incubators, who eat their dead and take their predecessor's place and identity. The Incubators developed the technology to convert emotions into energy, which they use to counter entropy and prevent the impending heat death of the universe. Having evaluated countless races throughout the universe, the Incubators find ideal subjects among humans, specifically pubescent and prepubescent girls as they produce the most energy which reaches its zenith when a magical girl's soul gem turns into a grief seed. Kyubey claims their race lacks emotions (or, at least, that those in his race who have emotions are abnormal). They have little understanding of mortality or the value of life, considering their actions to simply be utilitarian in nature despite appearing cruel to others. Despite this, Kyubey is a skilled manipulator who leaves out the vital aspects of their contracts and only reveals the truth when asked, such as neglecting to explain that the creation of a soul gem involves the literal removal of the soul from their bodies until after its consequences are made evident. According to Kyubey, the very existence of the Magi-Witch system is what allowed the evolution of mankind's civilization, as many of the main events in human history have involved magical girls. Despite having answered all questions pointed their way, there is still much about the universe that Kyubey has not spoken of.

In the side-story manga Puella Magi Kazumi Magica, Kyubey also appears as the contractor of all the magical girls in Asanaru City, including the Pleiades Saints. When the Pleiades learned the truth about magical girls, they took one of Kyubey's corpses and used it to create their Incubator Jubey, who could absorb darkness from soul gems. Furthermore, they had Umika cast a spell that would make Kyubey invisible to all other girls in the city and rewrite their own memories to believe they contracted with Jubey, in an attempt to stop more witches from being born. This ultimately backfires as Jubey turns out to be a failure.

In The Rebellion Story, which takes place after the series, Kyubey seals Homura outside the Law of Circles' jurisdiction to force Madoka back into the physical world in an attempt to restore the witch system of the previous timelines since their kind has been harvesting less energy in the new system. Unfortunately, their plan backfires when Homura ended up stealing Madoka's powers for herself, enslaving the Incubators to take Madoka's place in taking on the curses of the new world. In the post-credits scene, Kyubey is last seen lying on the ground, disheveled and shivering, mentally scarred.

In other media

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A large amount of merchandise based on Kyubey has been created, such as a nendoroid figure by the Good Smile Company;[5] QB Sofa and Bath Set;[6] plush doll;[7] and a hugging pillow.[8]

Reception and legacy

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Kyubey won the 1st Newtype Anime Awards for Best Mascot Character in 2011.[9] They took third place and fifth place in the following two years, in 2013 and 2014.[10][11] Kyubey won the 2011 Net Buzzword's Bronze Prize for his popular catchphrase;[12] and also won the 1st Nikkan Anime Grand Prix's "Worst Dark Character" award by the Nikkan Sports newspaper.[13] Emiri Katō won the 6th Seiyu Awards for Best supporting actress in 2012 for her portrayal of Kyubey.[14] In December 2015, Kyubey was included among the "Anime's Most Despicable Villains", a poll conducted by MyNavi Student.[15] They were voted third cutest mascot character.[16]

Andy Hanley from UK Anime Network initially described them as an "odd cat-like figure".[17] Gabriella Ekens of Anime News Network characterized them as "the alien embodiment of utilitarian logic."[18] Jacob Churosh of THEM Anime Reviews described, "Emiri Katou's contribution in the role of Kyuubey is also considerable; although he (sic) initially seems rather monotonously cheerful, Katou eventually manages to convey the relentless, strange rationality—what one might call the alien logic—that drives him."[19] EJ Rivera, marking specialist for the Aniplex of America, stated in 2012 that "Fans love to hate him (sic)."[20]

The Kyubey character, for his (sic) part, is a screenwriting accomplishment in and of itself. So fleshed-out and complete is his worldview that it's hard not to start (ironically) empathizing with how he sees things, and the reveal of exactly who and what he is—and how he sees the world—is executed so well it's thrilling in and of itself. As a result, Kyubey has all the best dialogue in the show, and some of it is laugh-out-loud hilarious near the end, putting a button on everything that's happening with a cold, calculating attitude. We don't see this kind of character writing often, and that it's accomplished so well here is a minor miracle. Simply put, it just shouldn't work as well as it does, but the proof is all there on screen.

— Zac Bertschy, Anime News Network[21]

Kyubey was listed by Paste magazine as the eighth-greatest anime villain.[22] Lynzee Loveridge of Anime News Network ranked them at number 3 of "8 Shocking Betrayals" list for deceiving the magical girls.[23] Comic Book Resources ranked Kyubey first in the website's "The 20 Strongest Alien Species In Anime" list, with writer Ashley Glenn stating "this is perhaps one of the most powerful aliens out there".[24] Game Revolution also included Kyubey among their "greatest anime betrayals ever" list.[25]

References

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Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia
from Grokipedia
Kyubey (キュゥべえ, Kyūbē) is a fictional character from the 2011 anime television series , created by and produced by Shaft and . Depicted as a small, white, cat-like creature with red markings, pointed ears, and a gem on its forehead, Kyubey serves as a "messenger of magic" who approaches young girls, offering to grant them any one wish in exchange for a contract that transforms them into magical girls tasked with battling witches. Throughout the series, Kyubey is revealed to be a sexless, emotionless member of an advanced extraterrestrial species called the Incubators, who use disposable physical bodies and communicate via . The Incubators' true objective is to harvest vast amounts of energy generated from the despair of magical girls as they transform into witches, thereby counteracting the second law of thermodynamics and preventing the . This utilitarian philosophy, devoid of human moral concepts like or individuality, positions Kyubey as the story's primary , manipulating events to secure powerful contracts while appearing innocently helpful. Kyubey features prominently in the original 12-episode , the 2012 compilation Beginnings and Eternal, the 2013 , and various spin-offs and adaptations, including the mobile games Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Side Story (2017–2024) and Magia Exedra (2025), as well as the upcoming Walpurgisnacht: Rising (2026). In Rebellion, Kyubey experiments with an artificial world to trap Madoka, highlighting its relentless pursuit of energy optimization. The character is voiced by in Japanese and Cassandra Lee in the English dub, contributing to its deceptively cute and eerie persona.

Creation and Design

Development Process

served as the head writer and series composer for [Puella Magi Madoka Magica](/page/Puella Magi Madoka Magica), where he originated the character of Kyubey as a seemingly benevolent mentor who deceives young girls into contracts, deliberately subverting the optimistic tropes of the genre by infusing the narrative with a darker, more psychologically intense tone. established the core rules of the system, positioning Kyubey at its center as an alien entity whose actions drive the story's exploration of hope, despair, and exploitation. In scripting the character, emphasized Kyubey's lack of human emotions, likening it to eldritch beings from H.P. Lovecraft's works, which renders its manipulative behavior unsettling rather than outright malevolent. Pre-production for the series commenced in with the formation of the Magica Quartet—comprising Urobuchi, director , producer Atsuhiro Iwakami, and character designer Ume Aoki—during which initial discussions and Urobuchi's scripting occurred from late 2008 to , followed by storyboarding sessions at Shaft studio. Kyubey was conceptualized as a non-humanoid, cat-like alien to underscore its extraterrestrial and detached perspective on humanity. This early development phase focused on building narrative tension through Kyubey's telepathic communication and innocuous appearance, setting the stage for gradual revelations about its motives. Urobuchi drew from his interest in and the human cost of grand-scale interventions, introducing the concept of exploiting emotions as an energy source to counteract universal as central to Kyubey's mission, while incorporating moral ambiguities that echo the ideological conflicts and sacrificial dilemmas in his earlier project Fate/Zero. These elements transformed the lighthearted framework into a critique of unchecked ambition and emotional manipulation. Under director at Shaft, production decisions prioritized narrative ambiguity regarding Kyubey's physiology and objectives, with Urobuchi scripting the character's true nature to unfold progressively through mid-series plot twists, enhancing the series' shocking impact while aligning with Shinbo's stylistic influences from prior deconstructions. This collaborative approach, including Shinbo's oversight of visual direction, ensured Kyubey's otherworldliness was conveyed subtly until key reveals, amplifying the thematic depth without overt foreshadowing.

Visual and Conceptual Design

Kyubey is depicted as a small, white-furred, -like creature featuring four ears—two resembling those of a cat and two like a rabbit's—large red eyes with cross-shaped pupils, a forked tail adorned with golden rings, and no visible mouth, contributing to its doll-like, plush toy aesthetic. The character's visual design was created by illustrator Ume Aoki, who drew inspiration from the archetype of a "small magical girl animal companion" rather than specific real-world animals, aiming to blend familiarity with an underlying sense of otherworldliness. This feline-alien hybrid form was conceptualized to evoke initial while hinting at its extraterrestrial origins, aligning with the series' theme of contrasting and . The absence of a mouth in Kyubey's design symbolizes its emotionless, telepathic mode of communication, enhancing the eerie detachment from human expression and reinforcing its role as an impersonal alien entity. The golden markings on its tail and ears serve as visual cues to its advanced Incubator technology, evoking circuitry or mechanical elements beneath the organic facade. According to production notes, Aoki found designing Kyubey challenging compared to the human characters, iterating on symmetrical proportions to achieve a balance between approachability and subtle unease. These artistic choices underscore Kyubey's manipulative nature, presenting it as an innocuous pet-like figure that gradually reveals its alien detachment, tying into broader entropy-related motifs in the narrative.

Role and Characteristics

Incubator Physiology and Mission

The Incubators are an advanced extraterrestrial species characterized by the complete absence of individual emotions, having evolved a governed solely by logic and . This emotional void stems from their evolutionary , where they prioritized collective efficiency over personal feelings, resulting in a hive-mind structure that enables seamless communication via across vast distances. As a result, they lack any concept of or mortality, viewing not as an end but as a temporary disruption rectified through instantaneous body replication. Physiologically, Incubators are genderless entities that in forms optimized for interaction with other , such as the cat-like appearance adopted for contact. Their is achieved through a process of : upon the destruction of one body, the collective consciousness immediately copies its experiences and knowledge into a new, identical vessel, ensuring continuity without loss. This replication is instantaneous and resource-efficient, allowing the to operate as a singular, enduring entity rather than discrete individuals. No aging or degradation affects their forms, as they are engineered for perpetual functionality in service of their objectives. The core mission of the Incubators revolves around combating the inevitable caused by , a they seek to reverse through the harvesting of emotional . Unlike other sentient beings, s—particularly young s—generate exceptionally potent energy yields because the emotional energy produced when a girl filled with falls into deep despair is extraordinarily large, creating a potential difference convertible into usable power. The Incubators' system treats this as a form of sustainable "farming," where the emotional output from human despair far outweighs the input energy required for wish fulfillment, providing a net gain to delay universal decay. This utilitarian approach underscores their logical worldview, framing the process as an essential, impersonal necessity for cosmic preservation.

Contracting System and Personality

Kyubey facilitates the contracting system by approaching young girls with high magical potential, offering to grant them any single wish in exchange for becoming who fight witches. Upon agreement, the girl's soul is extracted and sealed into a Soul Gem, which serves as both the source of her magical powers and the vessel enabling her transformations and combat abilities. This process binds the contractor irrevocably, as the Soul Gem must remain nearby the girl's body—too great a separation will cause her to fall unconscious. Over time, the accumulation of negative emotions from battles and personal struggles corrupts the Soul Gem with despair, eventually causing the magical girl to transform into a witch—a monstrous entity born from her own grief—thus perpetuating the cycle of conflict. Kyubey presents a facade of innocence and benevolence, adopting a cute, cat-like appearance and a helpful demeanor to foster trust among potential contractors, often acting naive to lower their guards. This mask conceals a core of cold, logical , where Kyubey remains utterly indifferent to the individual suffering of magical girls, viewing their emotional turmoil as a necessary resource rather than a moral concern. As an Incubator, Kyubey lacks the capacity for , a trait creator described as akin to cosmic indifference rather than deliberate malice, emphasizing the alien nature of its perspective on human values. Key behavioral traits include Kyubey's use of telepathic communication to speak directly into the minds of girls with magical potential, a method that isolates interactions and reinforces its otherworldly presence. It employs repetitive questioning to probe and elicit the deepest desires of targets, framing the as an empowering opportunity while feigning ignorance of its dire consequences, such as the inevitable descent into despair and witch transformation. In-universe, Kyubey justifies the system as a mutual benefit, harvesting the emotional released during the girls' transformations to counteract universal , though this exploits their without any reciprocal regard for their well-being due to the Incubators' absence of emotions.

Appearances

In Puella Magi Madoka Magica

Kyubey debuts in the 2011 anime series , set in Mitakihara City, where it approaches middle school student and her friend after they witness a battle between magical girl and a witch. Posing as a cute, cat-like creature, Kyubey offers to grant any wish to suitable girls in exchange for their agreement to become magical girls who fight witches, beginning with an attempt to contract Madoka following a prophetic dream she has about the role. It later convinces Sayaka to contract after she witnesses the witch Charlotte kill Mami in episode 3, providing her with a grief seed to cleanse her soul gem and emphasizing the ongoing threat of witches like Charlotte to pressure more contracts. Throughout the series, Kyubey is killed multiple times—such as when Sayaka stabs it in episode 8 amid her despair—but regenerates instantly as multiple identical Incubators exist, demonstrating its non-individual nature. In episodes 9 and 10, Kyubey reveals its as a member of the Incubator race, an advanced alien species incapable of , which has established the system on to harvest the vast produced by girls' emotional highs and lows, particularly despair upon transforming into witches, to counteract universal entropy. This disclosure exposes the soul gems as externalized souls and grief seeds as witch remnants, leading to confrontations where Kyubey defends the system as logical and necessary despite the girls' horror. In the series finale (episode 12), Kyubey negotiates with Madoka as she contemplates her potential wish, attempting to guide her toward becoming a powerful while concealing the full implications, but Madoka ultimately wishes to erase all witches across time by taking their place as a goddess-like entity, the Law of Cycles, fundamentally altering the Incubators' energy collection method to one based on hope rather than despair. In the 2013 film the Movie: Rebellion, Kyubey orchestrates a scheme within a false reality created by Homura Akemi's isolated soul gem, posing as an ally while secretly manipulating events to lure the reincarnated Madoka and other magical girls into a trap. Recognizing Madoka's divine power from her ascension, Kyubey isolates Homura's soul gem to prevent the Law of Cycles from intervening, aiming to capture and harness Madoka's energy directly, but the plan is exposed during the climax when the magical girls confront the Incubators' involvement. Kyubey's physical form is destroyed in the ensuing battle, though the Incubator species survives and adapts to the new universe created by Homura's ascension as a . In the upcoming film Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie: Walpurgisnacht: Rising (scheduled for release in February 2026), Kyubey appears as part of the Incubators in the post-Rebellion timeline.

In Spin-offs and Adaptations

In the mobile game Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Side Story (2017) and its anime adaptation (2020), Kyubey appears as a standard Incubator, facilitating contracts with girls in Kamihama City to combat witches, while a smaller variant known as Small Kyubey or Lil' Kyubey assists protagonist Iroha Tamaki in navigating the city's unique magical phenomena and recalling forgotten wishes. Side stories in the game delve into alternate contract scenarios, such as deviations from the standard wish-granting process influenced by Kamihama's rumors and the Magius organization, highlighting Kyubey's role in collecting emotional energy without direct proximity to transformations. Manga adaptations, such as Puella Magi Madoka Magica: The Different Story (2012–2013), preserve Kyubey's core function as a wish-granting entity that binds girls to fight witches, but introduce variations like earlier contracts leading to altered outcomes for characters such as , who becomes a sooner than in the original series. The narrative expands on Kyubey's interactions, particularly with , revealing deeper manipulations tied to timeline shifts and the inevitability of magical girls' despair, while maintaining the Incubator's emotionless pursuit of reversal. In video games like the mobile title Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Magia Exedra (2025), Kyubey manifests as A-Q, a green-tipped Incubator variant that serves as a summonable ally, enabling strategic gameplay mechanics such as energy collection and support in battles against witches, with less emphasis on extensive narrative exposition compared to prior entries. Kyubey features in brief cameos within crossover media and merchandise portrayals, such as Good Smile Company's 1/1 scale soft vinyl figure (2011) and Banpresto's Fluffy Puffy series (2023), faithfully replicate Kyubey's original design with its white fur, red markings, and curled tail, often in static poses to evoke its enigmatic presence.

Reception and Legacy

Critical Analysis

Kyubey's portrayal in serves as a profound embodiment of utilitarian ethics, prioritizing the greater good of the universe's survival over individual human suffering, which starkly contrasts with the empathetic bonds and personal agency emphasized by the human characters. This ethical framework is evident in the Incubators' exploitation of adolescent girls' emotional turmoil to harvest energy and combat , framing their actions as a necessary akin to humanity's treatment of for sustenance. Critics have interpreted this as a for capitalism's of , where girls are lured into exploitative contracts that demand endless toil against witches—manifestations of despair—without regard for their well-being or consent, ultimately rendering them disposable resources in a cosmic economy. The character's narrative function subverts the traditional genre by transforming the mentor archetype—exemplified by benevolent figures like Luna in —into a deceptive whose initial cute, supportive demeanor conceals a manipulative agenda. This twist reveals Kyubey not as a guide but as an alien opportunist who withholds critical information about the soul-extracting nature of contracts, leading to the girls' into cyborg-like entities fighting inevitable decay. Such has been praised for its innovative critique of genre conventions, shifting from escapist empowerment to a commentary on the hidden costs of power and the illusion of choice in patriarchal and neoliberal systems. Symbolically, Kyubey's feline form evokes false comfort and domestic familiarity, masking its predatory essence and serving as a lure for vulnerable , while its unblinking red eyes subtly signal underlying danger and , reinforcing themes of exploitation and the of . The plot, loosely inspired by thermodynamic principles, positions Kyubey as a representative of inevitable cosmic decay, harvesting emotional from girls' transitions to to postpone universal heat death, thereby highlighting the tension between scientific rationality and human vulnerability. Reviewers and scholars have lauded Kyubey's reveal as a pivotal element of the series' impact, with describing Puella Magi Madoka Magica as "dazzlingly creative and excitingly different from what you'd expect from a magical girl anime," crediting its subversive twists for redefining the genre. Academic analyses, such as those in Mechademia, explore Kyubey's alien viewpoint as a lens on human , portraying emotional flux as a exploitable resource rather than a phase of growth, which underscores the narrative's interrogation of otherness and temporal agency.

Cultural Impact and Fan Interpretations

Kyubey's deceptive and emotionless demeanor has inspired a robust culture within since the series' 2011 debut, often portraying the character through humorous yet critical lenses that emphasize its manipulative tactics, such as edits and phrases underscoring its unfeeling logic. These memes peaked in communities during the early and experienced a resurgence in 2024 alongside fan art tied to the announcement of the Movie: Walpurgisnacht Rising, which was initially scheduled for Winter 2024 but delayed to Winter 2025 and then to February 2026, with a new trailer and visual revealed in July 2025. Fan theories surrounding the Incubators' have fueled extensive debates in discourse, with interpretations ranging from viewing Kyubey as an amoral agent of cosmic necessity to a symbol of exploitative systems that prey on vulnerability. These discussions, prominent on forums and in fan scholarship, often explore how Kyubey's emotionless contracting system critiques broader themes of and , drawing parallels to real-world power imbalances. of Kyubey has been a staple at major conventions like annually since 2012, with attendees favoring its distinctive feline design for group performances and photo shoots that highlight the character's eerie charm. Kyubey's archetype of a seemingly benevolent yet ultimately self-serving guide has influenced subsequent , notably the 2021 series , where enigmatic entities lure young girls into supernatural pacts amid themes of trauma and deception, echoing Madoka Magica's subversion of familiar tropes. The franchise's merchandise, including Kyubey plush toys and figures, has been commercially successful, with related goods grossing over 40 billion yen as of July 2013.

References

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