When we think of magical girls, the image of frilly dresses, cute poses, and obscure references to celestial bodies come to mind. Yeah, aside from the outfit, Asuka is having none of that. From her shaky integration into a school life plagued by flashes of the tribulations she experienced in the past we get an inverted and coldly rational view of the norm.

Rather than a girl who grows more mature through discovering an affinity for magic. Asuka’s a girl chasing after what remains of a fleeting childhood magic robbed her of.

Despite spending so much time in retirement, Asuka remains a venerable badass, bisecting fools with her karambit as casually as we take out the trash. Her resignation and relative ease with violence create a disconnect between her youthful appearance and cute maid uniform that reminds us of both Full Metal Panic’s Sousuke Sagara and Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magika’s Homura Akemi.

Similarly to the two above, she quickly develops a soft spot. In Asuka’s case, it’s reserved for her two normal classmates, Nozomi Makino and Sayako Hata. Seeing her interact with the pair is adorable, like a lion minding two kittens.

She was made to suffer the deaths of six squadmates, fought at the forefront of humanity’s defensive war against the Netherbeasts, and even had her parents’ body parts mailed to her, all before she would be old enough to enlist in a modern military.

Despite her social awkwardness and bitter demeanor, anyone on the outside could be convinced that Asuka was a stable person. She displays a remarkable level of resilience that provokes as much awe as it does sympathy.

Asuka is generally level headed and displays wisdom well beyond her age. Just how much of her personality is a result of coping with trauma rather than any natural disinclination towards most waif and genki-girl female protagonists isn’t too clear. She represents a breath of fresh air for people tired of foolhardy, lovesick, and loud protagonists that refuse to grow their wisdom teeth in any case.

Compared to so many protagonists that risk life and limb to seek a vaunted position, treasure beyond their wildest dreams, or some other heady aspiration, Asuka’s goals are simple. She wants to go to school, make friends and do anything but worry about saving the world. It’s a trait that makes Asuka human, and one that has us gritting our teeth for her when something that easy can’t be granted.