Miaka is the star of Fushigi Yuugi. She is a beautiful, warm, and loving woman who is thrown into a role she has never dreamed of nor desired. Yet, the true strength of her character shines as the series progresses, and we see her face trials and terrors that no teenager should ever have to! Her will to save her seishi and to bring the Phoenix to save Konan country is a force to be reckoned with.

When we first meet Miaka in the FY anime, she is revealed to be a gluttonous, lazy, sometimes ditzy girl - your average 15 year old, shojou anime heroine. She is living a pretty ordinary life with her mother, brother - Keisuke - and her best friend, Yui, but all that changed one fateful day.

Absorbed into an enchanted book, The Four Gods, Sky and Earth, Miaka fulfills her destiny as Suzaku No Miko. She is the girl of the legend who must gather 7 seishi/warriors and call forth the mighty god Suzaku - a Phoenix. During her adventures, we see many sides of Miaka, and her character is revealed to be more than that of the ditzy heroine.

Miaka has a heart of gold, and is willing to sacrifice her life for the ones she loves. She tries hard to compromise and get along with everyone, even those who treat her badly. For example, when Nuriko arrived onto the scene, she was always very mean to Miaka. Miaka decided she had to get along with Nuriko, no matter how much mistreatment she would have to put up with, if that would get Nuriko to like her and be her friend. When Nuriko lied about losing an earring given by her mother, in a lake, Miaka said that she would go and find it for Nuriko because it a mother's gift was something important. Miaka wound up nearly drowning to find an object that didn't exist, while Nuriko laughed about her clever joke.

Miaka then walked in on Nuriko admitting to Tamahome of her cruel joke, and after slapping each other and venting their anger with each other, she offered Nuriko a round, pink pebble. She said it wouldn't replace the earring but it was just as beautiful.

Miaka never gives up hope in the ones she loves. Even when Yui becomes her enemy, Miaka never gives up hope that she'll get back HER Yui-chan and that they will be best friends once more. It is because of Miaka's constant, unwavering love and hope in Yui that, at the end of the series, Yui helps Miaka call forth Suzaku and defeat Nakago.

Putting her friends and loved ones in danger, either directly or indirectly because of her, is something Miaka can't tolerate. She wants everyone to be happy and alright and doesn't want anyone to suffer because of her. When Kutou assasins attack Tamahome's family, the assasin told Miaka she must surrender herself to death under his sword. If she didn't, Tamahome's family of young brothers and sistes, and a sick, old father, would all suffer and/or die. With that, Miaka bravely marches forward - to give up her life. All she thinks about is the pain and suffering on the children's faces (Tamahome's brothers and sisters) and on the face of his sick old father.

The greatest example of Miaka's love for her seishi is when she stuck a broken shard of a plate into her chest in the 'evil Miaka episode'. Taitsikun had arranged for an evil Miaka to take the place of the real Miaka, as a test to see how strong Miaka's and her seishi's love for each other was. As the evil Miaka drained the energy from Tamahome and Hotohori, Miaka plunged the shard into her chest, killing the evil Miaka and nearly killing herself, as well. All she could think of was the pain Hotohori and Tamahome were in and would not stand and watch their suffering. She HAD to save them, and she did.

Despite Miaka's strong will, loyalty, dedication to her role as Suzaku No Miko, and her never ending hope, fans of FY still tend to put Miaka down, focusing on her gluttony and ditziness. It is true that Miaka loves food, and even in the face of great danger, will take the time to gulp down some good home cooking! Part of Miaka's charm is that she is so real! She isn't some toothpaste commercial perfect character. She has her faults yet they don't get in the way of her pursuit for the greater good. She always stays strong and determined to fulfill her destiny as the Suzako No Miko.

There is a reason why Miaka, and characters like her (Usagi/Serena in Sailor Moon) are the leaders despite their apparent flaws. The reason is that the girls never let their faults get in the way of the greater good. They show that one does not have to be perfect in order to have the qualities that will save the world. All one needs is the spirit, strength, and determination not to let their own faults get in the way of what needs to be done. Miaka may not be perfect on the outside, but she is perfect where it counts, in her heart! Her love and devotion to her Seishi and her role as the Miko is what propels her to even risk her life, and be possessed by the Phoenix.

Miaka is the heart and soul of Fushigi Yuugi. She is the lovable, cheerful, optimistic, ever loving person that we all have a little inside of in each of us, or wish we were more like. Her capacity for love is great - as seen by her love and devotion to Tamahome. Even when Tamahome was 'evil', and hit her on the head with his weapon, she beared the pain and kept on loving him. Her heart never left him. And when Tamahome came to kill her and would have with his sword, Miaka gave up and said, "If itwill make you happy to kill me, then kill me."

Tamahome would not have fallen for just any woman. He chose Miaka because of the woman she is inside. He sees the beauty within Miaka's soul. He is the one who sees Miaka for who she really is - a young girl who is not ready for such a role of responsibility as a Miko yet finds within her the strength and determination to succeed. He, like the other seishi, all see in her, her capacity for greatness and the strength of her love and will.

Miaka is Suzaku No Miko because of the strength and beauty of her soul. It was her destiny to save Konan, fall in love with Tamahome, and be tested severely. She fulfills her destiny, and with Suzaku's blessings, is finally able to enjoy a happy, peaceful life with Tamahome, reincarnated as a human being of Earth, named Taka. The couple marry and have a beautiful son - product of a miraculous love. She may have the annoying traits of a Shoujo anime heroine, but Miaka proves that even with those faults, one can achieve true greatness, and be a beautiful soul.

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Article copyright 1999 Nishi Rajan