Mikan Sakura

Mikan Sakura
Character Information
Age:	10 (at debut)
DOB:	January 1
Horoscope	Capricorn
Height :	143 cm
Weight :	33 kg
Blood Type :	O
Alice :	Nullification and Stealing Alices
Alice Stone color :	Mandarin Orange
Type of Alice :	Dangerous Ability (Previously a Special Ability type)
Star ranking :	Single Star, Special Star (assumed rank for being favored by the Principal)
Seiyū :	Kana Ueda

Mikan Sakura (佐倉 蜜柑, Sakura Mikan) is a fictional character in the manga and anime series Alice Academy by Higuchi Tachibana. She is the protagonist, noted for being a cute and super vigorous child. Mikan is voiced by Kana Ueda in a strong Kansai dialect.

Animax had run ads for their hottest babe lineup on Jan 1, 2006 with Mikan. In an official Japan Poll for the most popular manga 2005, Mikan was ranked in 16th place for the Best Female Character category. She was nominated for the Saimoe 2005. Mikan was also nominated and got qualified to Round one of the Sailoli contest 2008, beating Chihiro Ogino in Group D. In 2005 Anime Grand Prix, Mikan was in 45th place in the Favorite Female Category. In all the contests, Mikan is the only Gakuen Alice character present.

Name

Her first name, Mikan (蜜柑), means mandarin oranges in Japanese, which also corresponds to her Alice Stone color. It was her father who suggested this name. Furthermore, Yuka's name contained a kanji that means "citrus perfume".

Background

File:Mikan hair.jpg

Mikan reading a letter from her grandfather

Mikan Sakura, who starts out as a 10-year old outspoken girl, is the protagonist of the story. She used to live with her grandfather in the country.

When she was in fourth grade, Hotaru transferred to her school from the city and had a hard time fitting in with the others due to her being a genius. At first, Mikan didn't really cared to be friends with Hotaru, but when they entered a dance and singing competition together - after Hotaru having said that "two cute girls like them should stick together" - and won it, she decided to be Hotaru's best friend. Because of their win, the two of them instantly became famous in their neighborhood. From then on, Mikan began to care deeply for Hotaru, and they became as close as sisters, even though their personalities were and are the exact opposites.
They constantly fought and argued; Mikan had the tendency to get upset whenever Hotaru would be cold towards her, but even so, they really cared for each other. When Mikan heard that her school was going to be demolished, she led a protest to stop such an act, since it contained so many memories. However, no one joined her. (This section is elaborated in the anime more than in the manga.)

One day, she was shocked to hear that Hotaru was moving back to the city to go to an academy for young "geniuses" like her when she received a note from Hotaru through her 'turtle mail'. She was horrified when she learned that the academy was an all-in-one escalator school where the students would not be allowed to see their parents until they graduated. When she heard rumors that students were treated like slaves in Alice Academy (which she felt was a possibility, since the government gave money to the parents for sending their children to the school), Mikan left her grandfather and her home to go after Hotaru by herself.

After having almost been kidnapped and being saved by Narumi, Mikan was then accepted into Alice Academy and was allowed to be among Hotaru and other children with extraordinary powers.
While she makes numerous friends later on, she is initially accepted with skepticism by her classmates whose friendships she has to win as an "entrance exam" into the Academy. Her condition worsens even more due the fact that even she does not know what her Alice is in the beginning.
There was a challenge "offered" by Natsume; that if she went on a trip to the Northern woods and if she survived all of the horrors inside, they would accept her and she would be officially entered into the academy. While being watched over by the faculty, Mikan managed to complete it with the help of Hotaru, Iinchou, and Ruka (the latter being forced into assisting them), while at the same time she finds out that she has the Nullification Alice, which can put a stop to all other Alices. Majority of her classmates were amazed of her success, but some were still hesitant to accept her. Thrown together with several confident classmates who had already been in the system for a while; some who were quite discriminating, she asks, "How are people with Alices different? We are all human, aren't we?"

She was originally a "No Star" (the lowest rank in the Academy's star-ranking system), but moved on to being a "One Star" after her combined effort with Sumire and rescuing (more or less) Natsume.

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 and for her rare Nullification Alice.

Mikan is kept under keen observation by the Academy, because of her two rare Alices and the fact that she is the daughter of Yuka Azumi, who is a member of the "Z" Organization. The Elementary Division Principal (shortened to ESP by fans) is interested in her and her Alices, and even sent Luna Koizumi to watch over Mikan who bears hatred for Yuka, putting Mikan in an even worse situation. Despite Luna's threats, Mikan still retains her cheerfulness and closeness to others, except, unfortunately, with Natsume.

She is given the title Goddess of Victory by the other students, because she is the main reason why her team won in the sports festival. After all the bad rumors - which were started by Luna - had cleared up, many students become a lot closer to her. However, they started treating Natsume indifferently. Even the ones who used to follow Natsume came to admire and listen to Mikan as well.

It is found out that Mikan also possesses another rare alice: the stealing alice, which she inherited from her mother.. She first discovered her stealing alice during the Hanahime arc, when she was affected by Persona's alice. When her condition took a turn for the worst, she subconsciously used the stealing alice to draw Persona's alice out of her body. Since she is able to use her alice now, she uses it to heal Narumi-sensei who became cursed with Persona's alice. He tells her to tell no one of her new alice because he wants to keep her away from trouble, and she agrees to keep it a secret. The knowledge of her new alice spreads, though. Because of the Elementary Principal, a rumor [untrue] spreads saying that whoever is able to force Mikan to show her Alice can move up one star rank, which is why students begin to force her to steal their alices, chasing her around. In the sports festival, she uses her alice subconsciously during the Kibasen (horse back race) to pull out Luna's alice out of the possessed students that were attacking her.

She becomes very close with Bear. One day, she came across Bear while running away from students who were chasing her. She finds out that bear wants her to steal his soul so that it could return to Kaname, thinking such an act would heal him. Trying to help Mikan, Bear became injured. Mikan felt so sorry; she cried and desperately tried to fix him, but it seemed as if Bear's life was ceased. It turns out that Bear was just pretending because he felt embarrassed, this being the first time another person has showed so much care for him. This experience made them become much closer. When Bear used to always hurt Mikan, Bear now settles down with her, even when Tsubasa isn't around.

Because of her Stealing-Alice, Mikan is transferred to the Dangerous Ability Class. The Elementary Division Principal explains to her that this is because of her special new alice, and says that she is his "personal favorite". She tries to object to the principal's words and decisions, which forces chaos to erupt. Inside the principal's room, she brawls with Luna, resulting in Luna's Alice being stolen.

Before things worsen, Natsume and Narumi are able to get her out of the place and save her, leading them first to the Middle School Principal's place, then to the High School Principal's.

In order to get away from the Elementary Principal for good, Narumi tells her that they are going to escape in the academy because it will be dangerous for her to stay there (because of her stealing alice), but she was sad because she doesn't want to leave her best friend Hotaru, her other friends and Natsume.

When Mikan is transported to the high school principal's office, the principal introduces himself as her uncle and the older brother of her father, Izumi Yukihira, and informs her about her mother. Of course, Mikan is surprised to learn about her relationship with the principal, as well as some facts about her parents when she travels to the past with the help of Nodachi-sensei that will help her determine whether or not she will accept the High School Principal's decision to make her live with her mother in order to keep not only her, but the rest of the school safe.

During the time travel trip, she learns about her father and mother's past, as well as the true colours of the Elementary school Principal. When she was watching her father leave to see the Elementary School Principal, or going towards his death, she tries to jump back through time to stop him from going, hoping that she could change the future by saving him. However, upon arrival, she realised she couldn't speak. Only when Tsubasa jumped through the time window to bring her back, she managed to scream "Daddy".

She was traumatised upon seeing her father die right before her eyes because of Persona's alice going wild. She is unable to control her emotions and breaks down crying, and Natsume hugs her and tells her not to look.

After learning the truth about her mother she decided to go with her and escape from the academy despit being told that she will be chased constantly.

Character

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Mikan winning the race.

In an author's note, Tachibana Higuchi described Mikan as cheerful and energetic, someone who forgets her worries easily and dependent on others. That's the image she had in mind when she created the character.

Mikan is an extremely cute, energetic, and a good-natured girl, but her clumsiness leads her to trouble most of the time. While she is average in academics and the school's star ranking system (at the start of the series), she has a strong willpower and a happy-go-lucky attitude. Her mottos, "Never Lose!" and "Never Give Up!" have carried her through countless trials in her life in the Academy.

She is also good at sports and an excellent runner. Her best subjects are PE and Home Economics and her talents include singing, dancing, and playing the recorder. She never backs down an argument, especially against Natsume, and she stands up for others. She is very clueless when it comes to love and romance. She is even oblivious to the romantic feelings of Natsume and Ruka for her. Her optimistic and innocent character allows her to befriend everybody, whether they are rivals or strangers. Her charms has managed to turn a lot of students into friends and even admirers. Although she is sweet, she can be scary when angry and tempted.

Even though bad things happen to her, she still always manages to smile, which annoyed Natsume a lot at first. She always tries to make the best out of a bad situation. She does not think twice when helping other people, even though she will be the one who will suffer the consequences. She is a very selfless and other-centered person. She is also friendly by nature and has grown to love the Academy, despite its dark secrets. She has the talent of making other people happy.

Mikan is a hard worker and once she sets her mind on something, she never stops until she achieves it. Often she can be clever and mature when needed. She can come up with good ideas. An example of this is the RPG system she suggested for the Special Ability Class and with the sports festival. Though she tends to brood over things, she can be perceptive in critical situations.

Relationships

Main article: List of Alice Academy characters

Hotaru Imai

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Hotaru and Mikan

Mikan and Hotaru are best friends, meeting for the first time in the 4th grade. They get into fights sometimes, and Hotaru does not think twice in hitting her with one of her inventions. Hotaru, despite being cold and rational, cares for Mikan deeply and she likes seeing her smile. After arriving at the Academy, Mikan manages to get to meet Hotaru, who turns out to be one of the representatives to show her around around the school. Hotaru was very surprised to see Mikan and wondered why she was in the Academy. She seemed to distant herself from Mikan at first. Mikan is confused at this and wonders why her friend isn't happy to see her. It is soon revealed by Iinchō that Hotaru was trying to get into the Honor Student Award, so she could visit her friends and parents back home, including Mikan. Upon meeting her older and much colder brother, Hotaru realizes that Mikan is the person who will help her stop becoming like Subaru.

Hotaru happens to know Natsume and Ruka's feelings for Mikan, but she keeps quiet about it. She also knows who Mikan is falling for (Natsume). Hotaru can be very protective of Mikan and she just enjoys teasing, or more accurately, torturing Mikan's many admirers, namely Natsume and mostly Ruka.

While running away from the Principal and Persona, Hotaru and the rest of class B came to help, but Mikan did not want to leave Hotaru. Hotaru told her to run and that she promises that she will see her afterwards.

Natsume Hyūga

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Mikan and Natsume

On Mikan's first day in the Academy, Natsume Hyūga pinned her down on the couch and asked for her identity. But she panicked and refused to tell him who she was. Natsume saw her underwear when her skirt fell off as she ran towards Narumi-sensei. In the manga, he actually stole her underwear. This was when he started calling her Polka-dots.

She at first hates him but unconsciously cares for him, and eventually starts to form a friendship with him, and soon, he became someone whom she loves, but does not realize this until Chapter 98 . Natsume has the Alice of fire and is in the Dangerous Ability class. Natsume hates the Academy and is forced to do its dirty work. Narumi thinks that Mikan holds the key to save Natsume and change the Academy. She also saved Natsume from the Anti-Alice Organization with the combined effort of Sumire. He was often cold and unfeeling towards others, except with his best friend, as Natsume's friendship with Mikan has eventually drawn to Mikan because of her cheerful and kind personality. Their friendship continues to grow until she had begin to melt Natsume's frozen heart and he finally admits his feelings for her, and admits to himself that he loves her and will do anything to protect her. This is something which he hides and fights for against Ruka, who is also in love with her. It is a fact that Mikan is the only girl Natsume calls by her first name and she already got kissed by him twice during the Christmas ball. He has also hugged her more than once in the manga. An example of this is in Chapter 116. Mikan has just witnessed her father's death and is screaming out "Daddy!" so Natsume hugs her and says, "Mikan, don't look." Doing as he says, she cries into his chest.

Natsume easily gets jealous of guys who are fawning over Mikan. For example, right after admitting to Ruka that he loved Mikan, the two boys watched from afar as Mikan greeted Narumi-sensei. Narumi hugged Mikan, inciting Natsume to walk over and kick him and threaten Narumi not to hug her.

Natsume openly confessed his love for Mikan to the Elementary Principal in chapter 97, proclaiming that he wouldn't 'let the woman he loved fall into the same darkness as him.'

Ruka Nogi

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Ruka and Mikan

One of Mikan's many admirers and good friend, Ruka is Natsume's childhood friend. She refers him as Ruka-pyon because he always carries a rabbit with him. "Pyon" literally means "hop" and is a very cutesy way for a girl to refer to her friends.

Mikan first met him when she was being pinned down by Natsume on the couch. His view of Mikan gradually improves, especially after the dodgeball game where he became one of the members of Mikan's team. Ruka had also helped her escape from the Academy so she could see her grandfather again.

In episode 20 of the anime Ruka danced with Mikan and later heard Natsume calling Mikan by name and he also noticed her blushing as she walked away. He afterwards becomes convinced that Mikan likes Natsume, how long he thinks that is unknown, since it doesn't seem apparent that he still believes that.

Ruka also kissed her but more modestly on the cheek. Throughout the series, Ruka becomes more committed to liking Mikan, but she remains oblivious of his feelings.

He told Natsume that he will "not lose", meaning Mikan's affections. In a fairly recent chapter Ruka and Natsume were pitted against each other in a race, and their eyes met they both looked away and thought, "I don't want to lose". Mikan also promised to exchange Alice Stones with Ruka even though at that time she didn't realize such an exchange symbolized "going steady". But she finally understands the meaning and realizes that she should give it Natsume instead.

Others

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Mikan and Tsubasa

She also has innocent crushes on Tsubasa Andō and Kaname Sonō, who are in the upper years. She first met Tsubasa when he saved her from some middle school bullies. It is revealed that Tsubasa is actually her very first senpai. She describes him to be cool and someone with a face of a movie star. She usually clings to Tsubasa and finds comfort with him whenever she faces deep problems. Tsubasa is more like an older brother to Mikan, but he's also one of the reasons why Natsume gets jealous.

Narumi-sensei was the first one to discover Mikan's Alice and introduced her to the Academy. It is revealed that he fell in love with Mikan's mother, and he sometimes sees her in Mikan. After saving Mikan from kidnappers, Mikan innocently asked him if she could sleep with him. Of course, Narumi complied with her request. Mikan told him that she misses her grandfather and asked if she could call him grandfather. Narumi didn't like the idea, since he was just in his twenties, so he suggested being called father instead. Among all the teachers, Mikan is closest to Narumi. In chapter 97 after bringing Natsume and Mikan away from the Principal and Persona he asked Mikan if she wanted to live with him outside the academy because he couldn't watch Mikan grow up there. Leaving Mikan to think about it he left to by them some time so she could escape with Natsume.

Yū a.k.a. Iinchō, the class representative of the Elementary Class B, is one of Mikan's first friends in the Academy. According to the author, he fell in love with Mikan at first sight. He is always ready to help Mikan in almost anything.

Sumire Shouda used to be on bad terms with Mikan mostly because Mikan was receiving a lot attention from Natsume and Ruka. Mikan teasingly calls her Permy due to her hair. Sumire became good friends with Mikan later on, but still considers Mikan as a rival in all sorts of things.

Shūichi Sakurano and Subaru Imai were very close to Mikan's mother, Yuka Azumi, and because of that they swore to protect Mikan at all cost. They took the teacher training program to become teachers to stay in the academy to watch over Mikan. Sakurano, most especially, acts very kindly to her and has shown so many signs of fondness for her, while Subaru treats Mikan much nicer than other people.

Mikan has a good bond with almost everyone. She loves all her friends equally, as a part of her innocent personality.

Alice

Mikan's "Alice", or magical ability, is the Nullification Alice, which is the reason why the Academy administration keeps an eye on her, and also why she received a no star ranking at the start. Her Nullifying ability can cancel out any Alices that are cast upon her, preventing her from being affected, although it is not active all the time. It also makes her completely immune to Pheromone type Alices. Mikan's Nullification Alice is also able to project onto other people (shown when she stops Yuka Azumi from stealing Natsume's Alice from the other side of the room).

In the manga, it was shown that Mikan has a second Alice, which is revealed to be her mother's Alice. While the Nullification Alice cancels out any Alices, Mikan's Stealing-Alice has the ability to suck other people's Alices and turn them into Alice stones. This Alice also has the ability to put the stolen Alices in other people's body. Both the Nullification Alice and Stealing-Alice are considered to be rare and unique.

She is the daughter of Yuka Azumi, who has the Alice of stealing the Alice of others as demonstrated when she stole Iinchou's Alice , and Izumi Yukihara (later revealed to be her father), who had the nullifying Alice that she also inherited. Most recently, it was revealed that Yuka Azumi had the Instant Teleportation. Her uncle, the high school principal of the academy, is regarded as a "god" due to his Alice of Longevity and Alice Detection. Her parents, her uncle, and herself all possessed very rare Alices, making them special to the academy.

Mikan is able to draw out Persona's Alice from her body when she is attacked by him in the Hana Princess Arc, and turned it into a stone. The later chapters of the manga revealed that the Academy has watched out for her because they suspected she has two Alices, due to the fact that she is the daughter of two very "dangerous" people with Alice.

Because of her Stealing-Alice, she is transferred to the Dangerous Ability Class. She can use her Stealing-Alice efficiently and is able to use it against Luna. The principal calls her as his "precious favorite" and is highly interested in her and her Alice.

Her form of Alice is not completely clear. Early in the series, many suspected it was the third type, Intermittent. Confusion was spread when Mikan's Stealing Alice was revealed. Since neither of her parents' Alice shape has been revealed, there have been no theories that could be presented with reasonable data. Some theories were that she has two Alice forms, one for each Alice, or that she has the fourth shape, Limitless, which decreases the user's life span. Though both are not favorable, as her mother, Yuka Azumi does not seem to be in poor health caused by her Alice, nor has there been any hint that it is possible to have two Alice forms. There has also been speculations that her Alice is outside the four shapes.

There also seems to be the possibility that Mikan has a third Alice that appears in her dreams, some type of Alice that allows her to see important events that are occurring elsewhere while she sleeps. This ability shown in at least two chapters most importantly in chapter 95 where Mikan had very clear visions.