# Kyubey
Kyubey (キュゥべえ), the white cat-like mascot from the 2011 anime Puella Magi Madoka Magica, debuted looking like an innocent magical companion before the show revealed his role as a manipulative alien harvesting the souls of teenage girls. That bait and switch turned him into a target of obsession on Japanese image boards, spawning the catchphrase 'Make a contract with me and become a magical girl!' and a wave of fan art dedicated to punishing him.
## Origin
Puella Magi Madoka Magica premiered on Japanese TV on January 6, 2011, produced by anime studio Shaft[3]. The first ten episodes aired weekly through March 10, with the final two delayed until April 21 following the Tōhoku earthquake[3]. Kyubey shows up in episode one, offering the schoolgirl protagonist Madoka a contract: he will grant any wish she wants in exchange for her becoming a magical girl and fighting witches[3].
The trailers and opening credits sold Kyubey as a standard cute mascot in the vein of Kero from Card Captor Sakura, so viewers went in expecting a light magical girl show. Episode 3's abrupt tonal shift, and later episodes confirming Kyubey's alien indifference to human suffering, is what turned the character into a meme rather than a mascot, with the 'Kyuubey is Evil' fan theory becoming the dominant reading on the Puella Magi wiki and 2channel threads[2].
- **Platform:** Japanese TV anime (Puella Magi Madoka Magica), viral on 2channel, Tumblr, Danbooru
- **Creator:** Magica Quartet / Studio Shaft (character); meme popularized by anime fans on 2channel and Tumblr
- **Date:** 2011
## Overview
Kyubey fan art tends to run in one of two directions. The first is the 'Everybody Hates Kyubey' pattern, a running joke where illustrators draw him being maimed, crushed, or dismembered by the show's magical girl cast[4]. The second flips him into either a grotesquely muscular parody or a hyper-cute version, often paired side by side with a disturbing edit to remind viewers that his angel face is a lie[4].
The catchphrase 'Make a contract with me and become a magical girl!' became the character's calling card, remixed by fans into 'Make a contract with me and become an [x]!' for whatever absurd role the poster wanted to swap in[4]. Kyubey also spawned the Shift JIS emoticon ／人◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼, used on 2channel and Twitter as shorthand for creepy-cute menace[4]. Between the ASCII face, the pleading contract line, and the pattern of drawing him getting punished, Kyubey works less as a single image macro and more as a toolkit of interlocking bits.
## How It Spread
By late February 2011, Kyubey was everywhere in Akihabara. Sankaku Complex documented storefront displays, computer shop desktops, and mannequins across the district all repurposed to have Kyubey ask passersby, 'Will you make a contract with me?'[1] The invasion coverage ran on February 24, less than two months after the show premiered[1].
Fan communities picked up the character just as quickly. The single-topic Tumblr blog 'Fuck Yeah Contract' launched on February 27, 2011 to collect Kyubey art and edits, and a curated tag on Danbooru called 'Everybody Hates Kyubey' passed 300 images by April 18, filled with fan art of the mascot being tortured by the show's cast[4]. Speculation threads on 2channel and the Puella Magi wiki dissected every scene for clues about his motives, including the 'Ponzi scheme' reading that Kyubey recruits far more magical girls than can ever be sustained[2].
Crunchyroll later reported that 'Make a contract with me and become an [x]!' placed third on the list of top Japanese internet buzzwords of 2011, behind only the 'Nadeshiko Japan' nickname for the women's World Cup team and the AC Japan 'Popopopo~n!' PSA jingle[4]. Even the Urban Dictionary entry captured the fan mood, calling Kyubey 'something everyone is memeing the shit out of'[5].
## How to Use
The Kyubey format typically works one of two ways. Fans either draw or edit him in some cute pose and then punish him for it (crushed, exploded, or being kicked by Homura is common), or they swap the ending of his catchphrase to fit any bit: 'Make a contract with me and become an [x]!' works with roles the poster finds absurd, from tax accountant to crypto trader. When you want the vibe without drawing anything, the ASCII face ／人◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼ often stands in on its own.
## Frequently Asked Questions
### What is Kyubey?
Kyubey (キュゥべえ), nicknamed 'QB', is the small white cat-like alien mascot from the 2011 anime Puella Magi Madoka Magica, presented as a cute magical companion but revealed to be a manipulative contract broker who profits from magical girls' suffering[2].
### Where did Kyubey come from?
Kyubey debuted in episode 1 of Puella Magi Madoka Magica, which aired on Japanese TV on January 6, 2011, produced by Studio Shaft[3]. Fan reactions on 2channel and Tumblr turned him into a meme within weeks[1].
### What does Kyubey mean?
On its own the name is just the character's name in the show, but online 'Kyubey' became shorthand for anything cute that hides a sinister catch, driven by his in-show catchphrase 'Make a contract with me and become a magical girl!'[4].
### How do you use Kyubey?
Fans typically either post fan art of Kyubey being violently punished (the 'Everybody Hates Kyubey' pattern on Danbooru) or remix his catchphrase into 'Make a contract with me and become an [x]!' for absurd roles[4]. The ASCII face ／人◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼ is also used as standalone shorthand[4].
### Is Kyubey still popular?
Kyubey is a classic 2011 anime meme rather than a currently trending one, but the character stays in circulation as a reference point in magical girl and anime discussions, and his 'Kyuubey is Evil' fan theory is still archived on the Puella Magi wiki[2].
## References
1. [https://www.sankakucomplex.com/2011/02/24/qb-conquers-akihabara/]()
2. [https://wiki.puella-magi.net/Speculah:Kyuubey_is_Evil_Theory]()
3. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puella_Magi_Madoka_Magica]()
4. [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/kyubey]()
5. [https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Kyubey]()
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Source: https://meme.com/memes/kyubey
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