Megumin
{{short description|Fictional character in the KonoSuba series}}
{{Use British English|date=March 2024}}
{{Infobox character
| name = Megumin
| series = KonoSuba
| image = Megumin anime.png
| creator = Natsume Akatsuki
| caption = Megumin as seen in promotional artwork for KonoSuba: Fantastic Days
| first_minor = Oh! My Useless Goddess!
| first_date = December 20, 2012
| gender = Female
| occupation = Arch-wizard
| relatives = {{plainlist|
- Hyoizaburo (father)
- Yuiyui (mother)
- Komekko (sister)
}}
| significant_other = Kazuma Satou
| portrayer =
| voice = {{plainlist|
- Rie Takahashi (Japanese)
- Erica Mendez (English)
}}
| nationality =
}}
{{nihongo|Megumin|めぐみん|lead=yes}} is a fictional character from the light novel, manga, and anime series KonoSuba, written by Natsume Akatsuki. In the universe of KonoSuba, a parallel world with MMORPG elements, Megumin is a sorcerer who joins protagonist Kazuma Satou's party in an attempt to defeat the Demon King. Due to the party's dysfunctional abilities, Kazuma quickly gives up on the idea of defeating the Demon King and tries to live a comfortable lifestyle, only to find the circumstances of his daily life force him and his party to encounter and battle the Demon King's generals.{{Relevance inline|date=March 2024|reason=Is this last sentence really important enough for the leading paragraph? It seems to focus more on Kazuma than Megumin.}}
Megumin has become a KonoSuba break-out character.{{Cn|date=March 2024|reason=Source needed to confirm her status as a break-out character.}} Critical response to Megumin has been positive, with particular praise focused on the humour of the character's gags. Rie Takahashi's performance as the voice actress for Megumin has also been praised. The character's popularity led to Megumin becoming the lead character in the KonoSuba: God's Blessing on This Wonderful World! Legend of Crimson film, which explores her background, as well as starring in her own spin-off light novel series KonoSuba: An Explosion on This Wonderful World!, which explores her story prior to the events of the main series. The spin-off light novels have since been adapted into both a manga series and an anime television series.
Creation
File:Megumin's Light Novel design Concept art.png
When Akatsuki Natsume was creating the main characters of the series, he kept in mind that their party should have the same basic structure as the Dragon Quest games but with major flaws. For Megumin, he said that she's pretty similar to Dragon Quest mages who only want to use the skill 'Magic Burst', a powerful move in that series which drains all of a character's mana points, without any regard for others most of the time. Akatsuki also stated that he made Megumin an "edgelord", because any teenage wizard with power comparable to her would be one.Konosuba: God's Blessing on This Wonderful World! Memorial Fan Book
Kurone Mishima, the illustrator of the KonoSuba light novels, stated that Megumin was initially supposed to have long hair, but she decided against it after she realised that all of the girls in the main cast had long hair. She instead balanced their appearances by giving Megumin a boyish look with shorter hair. To fit with her chūnibyō characteristics, Kurone gave Megumin fingerless gloves, an eyepatch worn purely for aesthetics, bandages, and a red and black colour scheme. She included a hat in the design as she believed Megumin looked cute with it.Konosuba: God's Blessing on This Wonderful World! Memorial Fan Book
In Japanese, Megumin is voiced by Rie Takahashi. Takahashi recalls the 2019 film's director, Takaomi Kanasaki, wanting her to give Megumin a cool appeal. For romantic scenes between Megumin and Kazuma, Takahashi attempted to give Megumin a cuter, more girly side, which made a major contrast to most of her previous scenes. In retrospective, Takahashi enjoyed the film for how it further expanded Megumin's story.{{cite web|url=https://ddnavi.com/interview/560782/a/|script-title=ja:公開直前！ みんなで語ろう、映画『このすば』③――めぐみん役・高橋李依編|language=ja |trans-title=Just before release! Let's all talk about the movie "Konosuba" 3 - Rie Takahashi as Megumin|website=Da Vinci News Kadokawa Corporation|access-date=September 26, 2022|date=August 29, 2019|author=Hidekuni Shida|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211010045639/https://ddnavi.com/interview/560782/a/ |archive-date=October 10, 2021 |url-status=dead}}
Erica Mendez provided Megumin's voice in the series's English dub, which was produced by the Los Angeles-based studio Bang Zoom! Entertainment.{{Cite web |last=Mateo |first=Alex |date=2023-04-18 |title=KamiKatsu, Konosuba: An Explosion on This Wonderful World Anime Reveal English Dub Casts, Premieres |url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2023-04-18/kamikatsu-konosuba-an-explosion-on-this-wonderful-world-anime-reveal-english-dub-casts-premieres/.197224 |access-date=2024-03-04 |website=Anime News Network |language=en}}
Appearances
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| image2 = Erica Mendez (23447553906).jpg
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| footer = Megumin is voiced in Japanese by Rie Takahashi and in English by Erica Mendez.
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Megumin is an arch-wizard who is part of the Crimson Demons race – modified humans who possess dark brown hair, crimson eyes, powerful magic affinity, and chūnibyō characteristics.{{ref|LN|LN 5.5.5}} She is in her young teens, being 13-14 years old throughout the main series.{{ref|LN|LN 14.3.3}} Megumin only knows a single, incredibly powerful Explosion spell that immediately depletes her mana and incapacitates her after a single use. She refuses to learn any other skills. Due to the strength and resulting fallout of her explosion spell, she struggled to find a party who would accept her prior to meeting Kazuma.{{ref|LN|LN 1.1.7}} She eventually falls in love with Kazuma and confesses her feelings to him, leading them to becoming a couple. They initially keep their relationship a secret, however it is exposed when Darkness, another member of Kazuma's party, confesses her love to him as well.
Megumin appears in a spin-off light novel series that focuses on her life before joining Kazuma's party, titled {{nihongo foot|KonoSuba: An Explosion on This Wonderful World!|この素晴らしい世界に爆焔を！|Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Bakuen o!|lit. "Give Explosions to This Wonderful World!"}}. It was also written and illustrated by Akatsuki and Mishima respectively. Taking place a year prior to the events of main series, it explores how Megumin learned Explosion magic, and how she eventually came to meet her companions.{{cite web|url=http://sneakerbunko.jp/bookdetails/index.php?pcd=321403000163|script-title=ja:この素晴らしい世界に爆焔を！|publisher=Kadokawa Shoten|access-date=June 6, 2015|language=ja|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150319035638/http://sneakerbunko.jp/bookdetails/index.php?pcd=321403000163|archive-date=March 19, 2015|url-status=dead}} A sequel novel was also released.{{cite web|url=http://sneakerbunko.jp/bookdetails/index.php?pcd=321607000363|script-title=ja:続・この素晴らしい世界に爆焔を！|publisher=Kadokawa Shoten|access-date=February 11, 2017|language=ja|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180118182424/http://sneakerbunko.jp/bookdetails/index.php?pcd=321607000363|archive-date=January 18, 2018|url-status=dead}}
Megumin also appears in the crossover series Isekai Quartet.{{Cite web|url=https://www.mau2.com/anime/isekaiquartet|script-title=ja:異世界かるてっと - アニメ声優情報|website=www.mau2.com|access-date=2019-06-15}}
Personality
Megumin's personality is characterised by her boisterous and eccentric nature, which is further accentuated by her love for theatrics. As a member of the Crimson Magic Clan, she displays chūnibyō tendencies, and she has a fondness for giving strange names to people and things. Despite her cocky and arrogant demeanour, she has a childish and immature side, which is evident in her sensitivity towards her age and underdeveloped body. She often finds herself becoming despondent or aggressive when treated like a child. She maintains a petty rivalry with her old classmate Yunyun, though she secretly sees her as a friend, despite never missing an opportunity to bully and harass her.
Megumin's obsession with explosion magic is one of her most defining traits. She invests all of her stat increases in perfecting her one explosion spell, which she considers to be the most powerful and useful. Her refusal to learn any other type of magic often gets her into trouble, and she will go to great lengths to protect her explosion magic, even if it means disregarding logic and consequences. Despite her shortcomings, Megumin is acknowledged by Kazuma as having the most common sense out of anyone in the group. She is fairly intelligent and adept at magic, and her love and loyalty towards her friends are unwavering, and she will fiercely protect them if necessary.
Reception
Megumin in particular has been considered one of the series' most popular characters, winning Sneaker Bunko
The character is often seen as one of the best heroines from KonoSuba, with sites comparing her with Aqua and Darkness.{{cite web|url=https://www.cbr.com/konosuba-aqua-megumin-best-character/|title=Konosuba: 10 Things That Prove Aqua Is The Best Character (& 5 It's Actually Megumin)|website=Comic Book Resources|date=3 May 2020|access-date=September 26, 2022}}{{cite web|url=https://www.cbr.com/konosuba-megumin-darkness-best-worst-girl/|title=Konosuba: Megumin vs Darkness for Best/Worst Girl|website=Comic Book Resources|date=28 May 2020|access-date=September 26, 2022}} Anime UK News felt the animation of Megumin's explosions were well executed in the anime.{{cite web|url=https://animeuknews.net/2020/10/konosuba-gods-blessing-on-this-wonderful-world-complete-season-1-review/|title=KonoSuba Season 1 Review|website=Anime UK News|date=16 October 2020|access-date=September 23, 2022}} Anime News Network (ANN) said that Megumin and Aqua are the series' best characters as their gags are hilarious in contrast to the less appealing Kazuma and Darkness.{{cite web|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/konosuba-god-blessing-on-this-wonderful-world-episodes-1-10-streaming/.100209|title=KonoSuba – God's blessing on this wonderful world!! Episodes 1-10 Streaming|website=Anime News Network|access-date=September 23, 2022}} According to ComicBook, the character of Megumin is noticeably popular within cosplayers and merchandising in general.{{cite web|url=https://www.cbr.com/konosuba-megumin-awesome-cosplay-look-just-like-anime/|title=KonoSuba: 10 Awesome Megumin Cosplay That Look Just Like The Anime|website=Comic Book Resources|date=12 May 2020|access-date=September 26, 2022}}{{cite web|url=https://comicbook.com/anime/news/konosuba-megumin-cosplay-anime-girls/|title=Konosuba Cosplay Gets Explosive With Megumin|website=ComicBook|date=September 2022 |access-date=September 26, 2022}}{{cite web|url=http://www.goodsmile.info/en/product/6927/Nendoroid+Megumin+School+Uniform+Ver.html|title=KonoSuba: Megumin School Uniform Nendoroid Explodes|website=www.goodsmile.info|date=12 January 2018|access-date=September 26, 2022}} Comic Book Resources went to call Megumin one of the most valuable players detailing five events in the narrative, but also criticised her for her poor treatment of Yunyun.{{cite web|url=https://www.cbr.com/konosubu-megumin-mvp/|title=Konosuba: 5 Times Megumin Was The MVP (& 5 Times She Fell Flat On Her Face)|website=Comic Book Resources|date=13 April 2021|access-date=September 26, 2022}} In another article, she was referred to as a great hero, but at the same time had several factors that would make her more appealing as a villain.{{cite web|url=https://www.cbr.com/konosuba-megumin-hero-villain/|title=Konosuba: 5 Reasons Megumin Is A Great Hero (& 5 Why She'd Be A Cooler Villain)|website=Comic Book Resources|date=2 October 2020|access-date=September 26, 2022}}
Jordan Ramée at GameSpot found the KonoSuba: Legend of Crimson film struggled to "capture the same tone as the anime series because it splits up the core group of characters" to focus on Kazuma and Megumin which he described as "dull" due to how it leads to repetition of the same jokes, while later gags were criticised for their controversial nature. Nevertheless, he still praised the focus on the duo's relationship for giving them a romantic tone. Furthermore, the further exploration of Megumin and Yunyun's relationship was praised for being explored for the first time.{{Cite web|last=Ramée|first=Jordan|date=November 15, 2019|title=Konosuba: Legend Of Crimson Review - Falls Short|url=https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/konosuba-legend-of-crimson-review-falls-short/1900-6417359/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211224043516/https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/konosuba-legend-of-crimson-review-falls-short/1900-6417359/%7Caccess-date=2020-07-12/|archive-date=December 24, 2021|access-date=July 12, 2020|website=GameSpot}} ANN stated that the film continued to capture the appeal of Megumin's jokes alongside her background while advancing her relationship with Kazuma.{{cite web|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/konosuba-movie/legend-of-crimson/.153153|title=KONOSUBA movie Legend of Crimson|website=Anime News Network|access-date=September 23, 2022}} Biggest In Japan stated that the film fully explored Megumin's character and world to the point of overshadowing the rest of the female characters, but certain explored content could come across as problematic.{{cite web|url=https://biggestinjapan.com/index.php/2019/09/16/the-konosuba-movie-is-all-about-megumin|title=THE KONOSUBA MOVIE IS ALL ABOUT MEGUMIN|website=Biggest in Japan|date=16 September 2019|access-date=September 26, 2022}} CouchSoup described Megumin's character and party as one of the worst groups in the isekai genre which makes the series comical, pointing out how useless Megumin can be due to her obsession with only one magic spell.{{Cite web|title=Konosuba: A Parody on This Isekai Genre|url=https://couchsoup.com/konosuba-a-parody-on-this-isekai-genre/|website=Couch Soup|date=12 July 2022|access-date=September 25, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220712224438/https://couchsoup.com/konosuba-a-parody-on-this-isekai-genre/|archive-date=July 12, 2022}}
The Fandom Post also praised Megumin's role in her spin-off An Explosion on This Wonderful World! for the gags she provides. The success of Megumin's spin-off led to The Fandom Post comment that he looks forward to more spin-offs centred around the other supporting characters.{{cite web|url=https://www.fandompost.com/2020/04/14/konosuba-an-explosion-on-this-wonderful-world-vol-03-manga-review/|title=Konosuba: An Explosion on this Wonderful World Vol. #03 Manga Review|website=Fandom Post|date=14 April 2020|access-date=September 23, 2022}}{{cite web|url=https://www.fandompost.com/2020/03/18/konosuba-an-explosion-on-this-wonderful-world-vol-01-manga-review/|title=Konosuba: An Explosion on this Wonderful World Vol. #01 Manga Review|website=Fandom Post|date=18 March 2020|access-date=September 23, 2022}} Anime UK also appreciated the handling of other relationships involving Megumin, such as with her pet and her friend Yunyun, which were barely explored in the main series.{{cite web|url=https://animeuknews.net/2019/06/konosuba-an-explosion-on-this-wonderful-world-volume-1-review/|title=Konosuba: An Explosion on this Wonderful World! Volume 1 Review|website=Anime UK News|date=27 June 2019|access-date=September 26, 2022}} In a further review, the same site commented that the spin-off would please any fan of the character.{{cite web|url=https://animeuknews.net/2020/07/konosuba-an-explosion-on-this-wonderful-world-volume-4-review/|title=Konosuba: An Explosion on this Wonderful World! Volume 4 Review|website=Anime UK News|date=25 July 2020|access-date=September 26, 2022}}
The character's voice acting has also been subjected to praise. Nick Creamer of ANN commended Rie Takahashi's role as Megumin for the energy provided in her performance.{{cite web|last=Creamer|first=Nick|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/konosuba-god-blessing-on-this-wonderful-world-episodes-1-10-streaming/.100209|title=KonoSuba – God's Blessing on This Wonderful World! [Episodes 1-10 Streaming]|website=Anime News Network|date=March 25, 2016|access-date=August 30, 2017}} Anime UK News felt Takahashi was appealing thanks to her deliveries, but was overshadowed by Kazuma and Aqua's actors.{{cite web|url=https://animeuknews.net/2016/03/konosuba-season-1-review/|title=KonoSuba Season 1 Review|website=Anime UK News|date=20 March 2016|access-date=September 23, 2022}} Erica Mendez's performance as Megumin in the English dub attracted positive responses, with SportsKeeda listing Megumin as one of her best roles due to how her character was written.{{cite web|url=https://www.sportskeeda.com/esports/5-iconic-anime-characters-voiced-erica-mendez-genshin-impact-va-ayaka|title=5 iconic anime characters voiced by Erica Mendez, the Genshin Impact VA of Ayaka|website=SportsKeeda|date=20 April 2022 |access-date=September 26, 2022}}
Japanese manufacturer Good Smile Company released figures of Megumin in their Nendoroid and Figma lines.{{Cite web |title=Nendoroid Megumin｜Good Smile Company |url=https://www.goodsmile.com/en/product/3918/Nendoroid+Megumin |access-date=2024-09-19 |website=Good Smile Company Online Store |language=ja-jp}}{{Cite web |title=figma Megumin｜Good Smile Company |url=https://www.goodsmile.com/en/product/5249/figma+Megumin |access-date=2024-09-19 |website=Good Smile Company Online Store |language=ja-jp}} Plushies were also released by some manufacturers.{{Cite web |title=KONO SUBARASHII SEKAI NI BAKUEN WO! Kuripan Big Plushie Megumin｜Good Smile Company |url=https://www.goodsmile.com/en/product/12068/KONO+SUBARASHII+SEKAI+NI+BAKUEN+WO+Kuripan+Big+Plushie+Megumin |access-date=2024-09-19 |website=Good Smile Company Online Store |language=ja-jp}}
References
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{{Konosuba}}
Category:Anime and manga characters introduced in 2012
Category:Anime and manga characters who use magic
Category:Anime and manga sidekicks
Category:Fantasy (genre) adventurers
Category:Fantasy anime and manga characters
Category:Female characters in anime and manga
Category:Fictional characters with fire or heat abilities