【Fannish 2025 #02】Most Important Female Character in My Childhood

[fukaimetsu]

Alright, in the second week of Fannish 50, I want to talk about the most important female character for Women's Day! So, I dedicate this post to her!

Meet Suigintou from Rozen Maiden! I feel the need to talk about her and why she’s so important to me. My love for her ended up shaping my preferences and taste in fictional characters.

I first watched Rozen Maiden when I was in grade school. I discovered it through someone in my otaku Facebook group who posted an edit of Souseiseki, and I saw a lot of fan art of the series. At the time, I was also really into gothic lolita aesthetics, so naturally, I was interested.

When I finally watched it, I didn’t fully understand the plot because, well, I was too young and kinda dumb lol. However, when Suigintou first appeared, I was immediately captivated by her. Her design was everything I loved—dark, edgy, purple, white-haired—basically the perfect gothic character for me. Not to mention, her voice was pure sexo (sasuga Tanaka Rie), and her arrogant personality was *chef’s kiss*.

Suigintou quickly became my favorite character. I was obsessed with her, I made tons of Photoshop edits, posted fan art, and she became my ultimate fixation. It felt like she was created just for me! When I read the Rozen Maiden manga, I was shocked to learn that it was created by Peach-Pit, one of my favorite mangaka. I had already loved Shugo Chara, so it all made sense. Suigintou’s fashion sense reminded me of Hoshina Utau, and since I loves Utau, my love for Suigintou only grew stronger.

Even though Suigintou is an antagonist, that’s exactly why I love her! Her sadistic, brutal, spiteful, and arrogant personality makes her such a great character. But she’s also more than just a villain, she’s a deeply layered character with clear motives and sympathetic goals. If you understand her backstory, you might even find yourself rooting for her to win the Alice Game.

Her relationship with her master, Megu, also reveals a completely different side of her. Despite being anything but gentle or kind-hearted, Suigintou is surprisingly capable of intimacy and care when it comes to Megu, a sickly girl. This made me love her even more, like, wow, she can be like that too? I adored Suigintou and Megu’s relationship. Before I even knew what yuri was, I think I unconsciously shipped them (though, at the time, I just thought of them as close friends).

Looking back, I can confidently say that Suigintou was one of my first anime lesbian crushes. Before realizing I was one, I loved her so much that I thought, If I were a man, she’d be my waifu! Eventually, I just went ahead and called her my waifu anyway because, honestly, I didn’t care , I was just that in love with her.

Suigintou also influenced my taste in fictional characters. I realized I tend to love sadistic characters, kuudere types, morally questionable, and characters who have strong affection for someone of the same gender. She played a huge role in shaping my preferences, which is why my favorite characters now—Akemi Homura, Malos, Loki, and Dream Journey—all share similarities with her.

• Homura is a kuudere girl who, despite her appearance, has a mature personality and a deep loves to Madoka.
• Malos is different in that he’s more extroverted, but he’s also a spiteful character like Suigintou. Plus, both have a similar goal of wanting to meet their creator (or "Father"), and Malos has a strong bond with another man, Jin.
• Loki is sadistic yet deeply complex, with underlying issues and a strong love for his brother.
•  Dorija is another kuudere, though she’s not sadistic or arrogant. However, she’s fiercely protective of her younger sister, Orfevre, and would do anything for her, just like Suigintou with Megu.

Funnily enough, all four of these characters have a dark color scheme, just like Suigintou! (Okay, maybe Loki and Dorija lean more towards brown/blue, but they still have a dark aesthetic.) In the end, I basically just keep falling for variations of Suigintou, whether they’re male or female, mixed with different traits. But the essence remains the same: a morally questionable kuudere with deep, strong love and affection for someone of the same gender and has dark/purple color scheme.

Suigintou was truly the character for me. I don’t know if my taste would be the same if I hadn’t met her, but there’s no doubt that she played a huge role in my childhood and deeply influenced my love for certain character types. In a way, she also triggered my hidden queerness, she made me realize I was queer before I even knew it myself.

Thank you, Peach-Pit-sensei, for creating such a wonderful character and an amazing series like Rozen Maiden. I should rewatch it when I have the time, maybe now that I’m an adult, I’ll see her in a new light.

Suigintou will always be the keeper of my younger self!