Mikan Sakura

Mikan Sakura, or more appropriately Mikan Yukihira, is the female protagonist of Gakuen Alice, who posses three very unique Alices--the Nullification, Stealing and Inserting Alices. Her story begins after she follows Hotaru Imai (Mikan's best friend) to a place called Alice Academy--a Tokyo school supposedly exclusive for geniuses of Hotaru's caliber. There she finds out the truth about the academy, and as she was enrolled afterwards, the truth about herself. Aside from being Hotaru's best friend, she also goes on to become the love interest and eventual wife of Natsume Hyūga. Mikan is voiced by Kana Ueda with a strong Kansai dialect. Mikan is an optimistic, cute, athletic and good-natured girl, but her clumsiness lands her into trouble. She is a cheerful and energetic person, much to the annoyance of her mellow-headed best friend, Hotaru, and used to live with her adoptive grandfather in the country before transferring to Alice Academy. Mikan was ten when she debuted. Petite and average in height, Mikan's most prominent features are her big brown eyes (often depicted as amber or olive) and a heart-shape faced with a small nose, very similar to her mother, Yuka Azumi. She usually sports her long brown locks in two pig tails, with the tips curling naturally, although she changes this from time to time, often to match with the occasion at present. Mikan is said to be her mother's splitting image, especially in the instances when she lets her hair down. The only difference, however, are Mikan's fringes that split in the middle, reminiscent of her father's, Izumi Yukihira, hairstyle. Mikan is usually seen donning the standard female elementary school uniform--a black cardigan over a white collared, long-sleeved shirt, matched with a plaid red mini-skirt, and black knee-length boots. Her one star status is showcased on her cardigan's right collar. The manga has also shown her in the summer uniform, which consists of a short-sleeved blouse, the typical patterned skirt, thigh-high socks, and black shoes. She is always seen with a smile and cheerful attitude. After four years have passed, she grows taller and her hairstyle changes. Instead of being in the middle, her fringes have moved to left side. She also lets her hair down with some hair rolled in a bun. Cute and optimistic, also energetic, Mikan may look like an ordinary girl, but she is a gifted Alice. In terms of personality, Mikan is good-natured and caring towards her friends. Her clumsiness may lead her to trouble most of the time, but she has a very determined spirit. Her mottoes, "Never Lose!" and "Never Give up!", have carried her through countless trials in her life in the academy. Despite being a klutz, Mikan is quite athletic and is an excellent runner. In fact, her best subject is P.E., along with Home Economics. She houses a number of talents, which includes singing, dancing and playing the recorder. While she is below average in academics, Mikan is considered to be a walking barrier in the school because of her Alice. Mikan is a capable cook, as such she was shown teaching Sumire Shoda how to cook in the Anime and her ability to make tasty mochi and valentines chocolate. Her favorite treat is Fluff Puffs (Howalon in Japanese). Like her father, Mikan is highly upbeat, loud, outgoing yet foolish and several times in the series she is shown to cheer up her friends. Nodacchi comments on how similar she is to her father as she is able to befriend everybody around her and overcome many obstacles. She exhibits strong attachments to her friends and loved ones. She has a fear of the dark and ghosts, and can easily freak out. When it comes to romance and love, she is very clueless despite her many admirers, a trait similar to her mother, because she believed that she was too young to like boys. She is even oblivious to the romantic feelings that Natsume and Ruka have for her. When she does learn of their feelings, she reacts calmly and analyzes her own feelings for them, concluding she loves Natsume as a lover and Ruka as a dear friend. Apart from that, her innocent and cheerful personality allows her to befriend others easily, whether they are rivals or strangers. Her charms have even managed to turn a lot of students into friends and admirers. She also admires those who care deeply for others and inspires her to help her friends as much as possible. Although at first disliking Natsume for his cold and rude attitude, Mikan immediately exhibited genuine concern for his well-being and wanted to help Natsume with his personal issues. Eventually she became protective of Natsume after learning his dark past and the abuse he endures, vowing to never forgive anyone who hurts him. She gradually grew to suspect he had become romantically interested in her and, once he confirmed this, she realized she had fallen in love with him a long time ago. Although seen as timid when it comes to romance, Mikan reacts maturely by setting boundaries in her relationship with Natsume; she allows him to kiss her, she is the one who proposes they do the Alice Stone Exchange and become soul mates, she pledges her commitment to him, and openly refers to Natsume as her fiancé. Mikan’s forgiveness of Natsume for his past actions reveal her maturity in contrast to her whiny and childish impulsiveness. Furthermore, although she didn’t wish for the Elementary School Principal to be killed despite his crimes, she exhibited great relief when she learned of his death and didn’t blame Natsume and Narumi for their attempts on the ESP’s life. An endearing young girl with an innocent heart, Mikan is an incredibly brave, honourable and compassionate person, often risking her life and happiness for those dear to her. She is shown to be very caring, sensitive and somewhat stubborn as she won't back down without a fight, as shown with her regular bickering with Natsume. She can also be a crybaby at times. Mikan is the type of person who easily forgets her worries and problems, mostly appearing happy and smiling. She always tries to make the best out of a bad situation, a trait that never fails to amaze even her closest friends. Often she can be clever and mature when needed. In contrast to her naivety, she can exhibit clever thinking and perceptiveness during critical situations. Although she is a bit hot-tempered, she tends to forgive people who bully or tease her, that is unless they show they regret their actions; for example, she was named "Mikan No Kimi", which means crimson rose, in the HanaHime Arc after she forgave two girls who were jealous of her and apologized to her once Shizune threatened to kick them out of the HanaHime, and when she forgave Persona for her father's death and the abuse of Natsume after he apologized to her and offered to help her escape from the ESP. A lot of people were doubtful of her at first, however, with her cheerfulness and charms, Mikan eventually gains a lot of friends and admirers in the academy. Mikan is also famous in the academy for being Natsume's partner with the Nullification Alice and later for her Stealing Alice which caused her to receive unwanted attention from the Elementary School Principal and the members of the Dangerous Ability Class. Mikan grew to despise the Elementary School Principal once she learned he is source of the sufferings within the Academy and personally ordered her parents to be murdered so he could capture her for his own benefit. Mikan, however, was considerate of her friends’ safety and was willing to be a captive rather than watch them suffer. Although she wanted the ESP to be punished for his crimes and wanted revenge for what he had done to her parents and Natsume, Mikan never wished for him to be killed but when he was, she reacted calmly and relieved.