Welcome to Anime Rants! Today I’m trying something a little different: DnD Alignments for anime characters. I love analyzing characters using the MBTI personality model. The DnD Alignment Chart is a far simpler model. I am excited to try using a system I’m not proficient with yet. I practiced learning the system with some friends; we discussed the characters from several anime series and debated their placement. Anyway, this is the result of me trying it on my own for the first time. Please let me know what you think. If this post is well-received, I might write others alignment posts for anime characters. I made a chart just below, though it doesn’t look particularly good. But most of this post is text. I have listed all the characters and explained my reasoning for categorizing them the way I did. Please enjoy.
Hitomi Shizuki: True Neutral
Although Hitomi may be spoiled and selfish, it would be a joke to consider her in the Evil category. However, due to limited character information, we can’t be sure she would represent Good very well either. Neutral is the most sensible option.
I chose True Neutral because of how she handles the situation with Sayaka and Kamijo. A Lawful, principled character would not have gotten in Sayaka’s way once she realized the depth of the other girl’s feelings. A Chaotic character would simply go after Kamijo without considering the right way to do things. Hitomi is right in between. She chose to warn Sayaka ahead of time, but still pursue Kamijo. This suggests she has respect for the systems in place, but only to certain degree. She will rock the boat if it’s something truly important. Even if this case analysis is wrong, I still think Hitomi would be True Neutral by process of elimination.
Homura Akemi: Chaotic Neutral
Charts found via Google Images usually place Homura in the Evil category. However, I think very few of the Madoka Magica characters could be called Evil, and Homura isn’t among those few. She is selfish and she will violate boundaries, but I am unable to see her as Evil. If Homura had stopped the Law of the Cycle completely, she would certainly be Evil; but she violated only one small piece of it, and the Law still operates outside her dimension. In my opinion, Homura can only be Neutral. As I explained, she isn’t Evil, but neither is she particularly altruistic or helpful. The only thing she cares about is protecting Madoka. Therefore, neutrality is the best choice.
I concur with most online charts that view Homura as Chaotic. The reasoning for this is that she operates outside of the systems in place. She is not concerned with following the laws of the real world, which is why she steals most of the supplies needed for her weapons. She holds the Magical Girl system in contempt and avidly loathes Kyuubey. This system is something that cannot be forgiven. Lastly, Homura has no regard for the “sacredness” of the Law of the Cycle, which is why she steals a piece from it and imprisons it in her own world. This character’s nonexistent respect for authority or rules clearly makes her Chaotic.
Junko Kaname: Chaotic Good
Compared to the main cast, there isn’t a lot of time spent on Madoka’s career mom. So, it might be stretching things a little too much to give her an alignment. Just take this with a grain of salt. Junko would be either Neutral Good or Chaotic Good. She loves her family and gives everything to work to take care of them. She’s uplifting and encouraging, probably not one to take advantage of others. Thus, it’s pretty clear Junko is in the Good category.
We can pretty much eliminate Lawfulness as an option because Mrs. Kaname is someone who breaks tradition and cares little for societal norms. She is also a high-functioning alcoholic, and can be irresponsible when out drinking after work. Neutral Good seems like the correct choice. However, I also think it’s fair to label her as Chaotic if you look at things in the bigger picture of traditional Japanese society. If that society is the system, Junko is indeed Chaotic. Not only is she an assertive and highly rational career woman, but she also has a stay-at-home husband. All of these things violate what is expected of a good little Japanese wife. Junko is breaking apart the misogynistic system and giving the finger to standard society.
Kazuko Saotome: Unknown
Saotome-sensei is a very minor character who doesn’t receive much time or development in the anime. Therefore, it would be dishonest of me to try to place her on an alignment chart. That being said, I’m comfortable making a very rough guess. Miss Saotome might be Chaotic Good.
Kyoko Sakura: True Neutral
She might have a hot temper sometimes, but we all know Kyoko is not in the Evil category. At first, I wanted to place her into the Good tier. However, consider the nature of Kyoko’s wish. It was for people to listen to her father, which would make him happy and save the family from poverty and dysfunction. It was a bonus for Kyoko that she got to fight nefarious witches and feel like a hero; it was not the motivating factor at all. After her wish destroyed her family, Kyoko utterly rejected the idea of fighting for justice and went for the practical route. She is simply fighting to stay alive for as long as possible, having fun along the way.
Kyoko will sometimes abuse her powers and steal the food or items she wants, which isn’t typically a “Good” trait. On the other hand, she goes far out of her way to try saving Sayaka. In some world, she even sacrifices her life to bring down Sayaka’s Witch and protect Homura and Madoka. Since Kyoko has a mix of traits, I personally believe Neutral is the best choice for her. However, I can also see decent arguments for her being Neutral Good. Another option that some argue for is Chaotic Neutral. We’ve already decided Kyoko is Neutral, but is she Chaotic or True Neutral?
At first, Kyoko may seem chaotic, but she actually follows the Magical Girl system as it was intended to be used. She may harbor resentment, but she’s found a way to “get her money’s worth” out of a bad deal and enjoy certain aspects of it. This suggests a degree of Lawfulness. But Kyoko also has a solid disregard for authority and traditional values, so she can’t be fully Lawful. Neither Good nor Evil, and neither Lawful nor Chaotic, Kyoko is an excellent example of a True Neutral character.
Kyousuke Kamijou: Unknown
There simply isn’t enough information about Kamijo for me to place him on an alignment chart. If I had to make a wild guess, I would say he might be Neutral Good.
Kyubey: Lawful Evil
The Kyubey race claims to be helping the universe last longer, ultimately helping intelligent life in the cosmos as whole. So if we’re being completely utilitarian, they aren’t wicked. The Kyubeys also lack emotional capacity, so they cannot be malicious. But alignments are all about the roles of the characters within the fabric of the story. Kyubey is clearly an antagonist from the point of view of human girls. These alien creatures created and continuously perpetuate an unfair system that causes young girls to despair and die. This also causes the birth of destructive Witches, leading to many innocent human victims. From the perspectives of every other character in Madoka Magica, Kyubey is entirely Evil.
So, what flavor of evil is this creature? Lawful Evil is one strong option. A Kyubey functions much like a devil in DnD lore. It makes a contract which it must abide by, and there are rules in the system that need to be followed. However, there is also a solid argument for Kyubey being Neutral Evil. Lawful characters respect existing systems and have a sort of code to operate by. Chaotic characters are the opposite. It’s possible that Kyubeys are somewhere between. Personally, however, I believe Lawful Evil is the more correct choice.
Note: To restate, Kyubey is only evil from the perspective of the humans in the story. Strictly speaking, this race cannot be accurately placed on an alignment chart due to lacking the notion of human morality.
Madoka Kaname: Neutral Good
Right off the bat, I assumed the titular heroine of the series would be Lawful Good. We don’t even need to debate the fact that Madoka is Good. She’s loving, altruistic, and honest. As a human with strong morals and an aversion to causing harm or conflict, Madoka is very Lawful. Prior to making her wish in the final timeline, Madoka was indeed Lawful Good. In the worlds where she was a Magical Girl, she respected authority and worked within the system. However, the nature of this girl’s wish in the final timeline changed the situation.
Madoka thought over her wish fairly well and worded it carefully in such a way to completely destroy the system put in place by Kyubey. She essentially became God so she could make the rules herself. This was a highly Chaotic act that changed the planet forever. That being said, she put a new, better system in place immediately. And don’t forget that Madoka still holds to a strong moral code of selflessness. As you can see, this girl is in some ways Chaotic and in some ways Lawful. Since she isn’t completely one or the other, her neutrality is clear. Putting it altogether, Madoka is Neutral Good.
Mami Tomoe: Lawful Good
Search results for Madoka Magica alignment often categorized Mami as Neutral Good. Nevertheless, I argue that Lawful Good is more accurate for this character. Mami is so selfless and loving that she can’t be anything but Good. Even after she was forced to become a Magical Girl to live, she chose to fight for the sake of goodness, prioritizing the rescue of as many innocent humans as possible.
As for the Lawful part, that’s also fairly straightforward. Mami doesn’t abuse her power to steal or take weapons like Kyoko and Homura. Despite the fact that she was forced into her role, this golden-haired girl holds no resentment toward the system that governs Magical Girls (in most timelines anyway). She even defends the system as a way to create heroes of justice; granted, this is before she understands the system in its terrible entirety. Lastly, Mami has a strong moral compass that serves as her code of operation. All these elements indicate Lawfulness, so Mami is Lawful Good.
Nagisa Momoe/Bebe: Unknown
Nagisa only appears in the third Madoka Magica movie, Rebellion. For most of the time, she is disguised as a magical puppet that Mami calls Bebe. I’m not sure if this character is further developed in other Madoka Magica media. But for my purposes, there is not enough information to determine her alignment. My gut feeling says Nagisa might be Chaotic Good, but I’m unsure.
Sayaka Miki: Lawful Neutral
I have dedicated hours upon hours of thought to my favorite Madoka Magica character, Sayaka. Therefore, I might be grossly overthinking things. Still, here is my thought process. Sayaka should probably be classified as Neutral rather than Good, because although her initial intentions were pure, she spirals into madness and becomes unstable. She deeply hurt Madoka’s feelings by lashing out, and she arrogantly refused any kind of cooperation with Kyoko or Homura. The climax of Sayaka’s bad behavior was when she lost control and killed at least two men on the late-night train. She despaired, died, and turned into a Witch that same night. Because of her inner darker side, I think Sayaka is best described as Neutral.
What about Lawfulness, you ask? Well, Sayaka is rambunctious, but generally follows the rules. Much like Mami, Sayaka operates within the system of Magical Girls. Even though that system was making her suffer acutely, Sayaka did little, if anything, to fight back. In the end, she lived and died according to the system. Also, Sayaka originally had a strong sense of justice and a strict moral code for herself. The overwhelming strictness of her self-imposed moral perfectionism is part of what broke her down. This reasoning suggests that Sayaka is a Lawful character. Putting it altogether, Lawful Neutral is what makes the most sense.
Tomohisa Kaname: Unknown
Madoka’s kind-hearted, stay-at-home dad is extremely lovable, but there isn’t enough information about him to determine his alignment. My guess would be Lawful Good, but that’s merely speculation.
Witches: Chaotic Evil
Strictly speaking, Witches are more like destructive storms than conscious entities, so they have no sense of morality at all. But within the story of Madoka Magica, they can be considered Evil. After all, Witches kill many innocent humans as well as directly or indirectly killing the main characters depending on the timeline. Witches can’t be anything but Chaotic, since they are simply wild collections of curses. To restate, although Witches can’t technically be judged as thinking beings, they can be classified to an alignment based on their role in the narrative.
That’s it for today. Thanks so much for reading, and please leave me your thoughts on whether I should keep doing alignment-related blog posts. Also feel free to tell me your opinions on Madoka Magica alignments and how they might differ from my own. See you next time!
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