Miho theories

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Miho theories—attempts to explain Miho's nature and background—are perhaps the largest single category of theories Megatokyo fans come up with. Miho has shown few cards in the comic, and the ones she does show tend to raise more questions than answers.

Her nature

These theories focus on trying to answer questions about Miho's physical being. Theories in this category generally need to be reconciled against her more outstanding physical characteristics, especially her illness.

There are a few broad categories of thought about what Miho really is. One major line of thought is that she is some sort of supernatural being. Theories of the supernatural are abundant and highly varied, as there are a lot of ways to match her physical strengths and limitations against some sort of unreal construct. The other major line of thought is that she is just a regular, though strange, girl. Although this line of thought is really only one theory, how it manifests itself and the way in which it gets argued tends to vary from one fan to the next.

She's human

This class of theories contends that Miho is essentially a human girl, with the possibility open for some characteristics that extend beyond the basic normalities of life. Theories in this class will generally be more in line with Piro's point of view.

Magical girl

Based on Meimi accepting the contract on Largo "as a mother, as a friend, and as a mentor". If the first two are Yuki and Erika, Miho would be the most likely candidate for Magical Girl in training. Miho's ability to reach the top of street lamps and power-poles Strip:943 is compatible with the power exhibited by Meimi, and her manipulative skills also fit. It is possible that the mentoring has nothing to do with Magical Girl powers, in which case the range of likely candidates is much wider. A variation on this theory is that Miho is Meimi's magical girl form.

Reverse magical girl

Based on what Miho said to yuki in Strip:937 combined with what she said in strip 944, it would seem that all magical girls feed on emotions, either positive or negative, and can even promote the emotions they need in other people, most likely through some form of unconscious projection. This theory would explain why Miho would work in the cave of evil, a goth club where emotions like depression and pain would both be plentiful and welcome. It might also explain the conversation in strips 428, 423,434, and 435.

Normal girl

Perhaps the most mundane of the Miho theories, a good number of fans believe Miho is just a regular, though somewhat eccentric, girl. This theory contends that everything Miho does, including lightpost climbing and her lack of appetite, is fully within the range of possibility for someone of about her age.

Psychic

She knew about Largo's bad mood somehow.

She's undead

Popularized by Largo, these theories claim that Miho's life is inherently connected to those who once lost theirs.

Vampire

One of Largo's theories, and the reason he's so keen on finding "pointy sticks". It's important to note that different cultures have different ideas about vampires, so arguments like "she wears crosses" or "she goes out in the daylight" don't necessarily refute this claim. However, one fan has claimed that this is impossible because of her admitting to having a beating heart and a warm body, which vampires are not usually noted as having.

Psychic vampire

A more common fan claim, based on her statement that she "need[s] the life energy of beautiful people to survive" (made while taunting Largo). The basic claim is that she somehow feeds on the emotional or mental energy of the people around her; to do so, she tries to evoke strong emotions in them. She has actually implied this in a few ways.

Queen of the Zombies

Largo's favorite theory, but not really supported by evidence. However, there is evidence that they fear or respect her, as evident in 1055.

Undead magical girl

A conclusion that largo reaches in 1109 after mulling over the ineptitude of the Tokyo Police Cataclysm Division, which is supported by her apparent connection to the necrowombicon and by the fear that the zombies have of her.

She's something else

SEVS/EDS unit

Miho's relatively in-depth knowledge of how SEVS/EDS units work, her gaming and hacking skills, the fact that she has not, until recently, been shown eating, and the lack of parental presence are cited as supportive evidence for this theory. It may also explain how she could climb the lightpost.

Kitsune

She's got that trickster personality.

Game

Miho was shown being overwhelmed by Kimiko's desire to bring Kotone to life may point to her own origins. She could be a perfect game able to both draw energy from and control people's emotions.

Her personality

These theories attempt to answer the question of why Miho acts the way she does. They tend to focus on specific personality aspects, without necessarily generalizing out to explain everything about her all at once. For the most part, theories about her personality are independent of her physical nature.

Computer skill

A less contested but no less controversial subject is Miho's skill with computers.

Most commonly, Miho is assumed to be a hacker. Her hacking skill is offered primarily as an explanation for how she was able to bring down the Endgames servers. It is also common to assume that she has reprogrammed Ping, at least slightly. For a time, she was also believed to have been the anonymous poster who disclosed Erika's location, though later evidence revealed that it was most likely Dom who was responsible. Further evidence for her computer skill comes from her use of computer related language, especially programmer jargon, in her descriptions of what she did to the Endgames server and how EDS works relative to Ping.

The other side of the debate claims that while Miho may have more skill than the average user, she is far from expert enough to be considered a hacker. Her ability to crash the Endgames servers is explained by the fact that she was taking advantage of emotional statistics to control the characters; something the game designers probably never considered when they released the game. It is assumed that she either exposed a bug that had not been detected, perhaps because of insufficient testing, or that the administrators saw what was going on and brought the system down to correct the problems her style of gameplay had caused for other users.

Conjectures

Miho is a very loved character. However the evidence we are given comes from varied sources. Partly from Largo's quotes, Ping and Piro's random interactions and snippets of the Endgame story. Indeed there is an air of mystery around her, so we must point out what we DO know about her.

• She has Gothic Tendencies (please note her costumes and where she hangs out 'Cave of Evil' <in 270>)
• She has an interest in technology (evident not only in her prior knowledge of S.E.V's and her hacking skills in the Endgames game.) (in 185, Largo remembers her presence)
• She doesn't eat much. (218 for example)
• Her health isn't that good. (357 and 236)
• She likes to manipulate people. (277 and 428)
• Her parents are absent often (245); she may even be an orphan
• She quote 'needs the life energy of beautiful people to survive' (116)
• She has a knack for scaling lamp posts (381 and 512)
• She is so attractive she can manipulate guys into a catatonic state (107)

Now, let’s put some of these together so we can understand her. She doesn't eat so she gets sick. Now that's pretty straight forward. Why doesn't she eat? Because she lives off of the energy of beautiful people. She's a typical teenage girl who is worried about her looks and weight, with typical teenage issues. It’s also evident that her parents are missing, this would also add to another level of self-destruction, she may be upset about not having her parents around so she tries to manipulate what she can in her life. Goths and ravers are also a tad extreme; this could be a cry for attention to her absent parents. There are a few little bits here and there that could draw us to the conclusion that she is the queen of the undead, but please note that these all come from Largo. From experience, if she really is that attractive, most otaku WOULD be stunned into a catatonic state. He might also be hinting at the fact that she plays a necromantic character in the Endgames game and hangs in a nightclub called the Cave of Evil. A little of Fred's humor also comes in from a skit where he points out that ravers do in fact look a lot like zombies. Any ideas that she's bisexual may be valid, she does call Kimiko 'very cute' (113) but it’s more likely that this again is another point of her manipulating her environment. A lot of readers may like this theory because she's a sexy goth, and because Dom hinted that something like that might have gone on when Ping and Miho stayed overnight. Miho is merely interested in technology, especially the kind that she can manipulate and use to manipulate the angsty and confused Piro. Evidence for her being a zombie or lesbian comes from Dom and Largo. Repeat, Dom and Largo. Dom is a twisted sociopath and Largo is a drunk who can't discern video games from real life. In one scene, she watches Piro, Largo and Ping interact from atop a light post. I think we can give Fred Artistic License here, it's only there because it looks so damned cool. SO, who is Miho. All of what I have said above is backed up with evidence, yet could all be refuted at Fred Gallagher's will. Only he knows the truth behind Miho, and even that’s refutable. In response to the evidence given, I feel Miho is most likely a very lonely girl with deep parent issues, a twisted personality, a brilliant wardrobe and an eating disorder. Although it's boring, she is part of both Piro's and Largo's reality. Although people seem extreme and quirky on the outside, I feel (as of 15/07/05) that as the story progresses we will see that they have all lived normal and mundane lives underneath their explosive exteriors. Miho is just the same. (This theory falls flat on its face when you consider that Miho leaped approx. 10-20m straight up while holding Nanasawa, and flipped Dom's van upside-down.)

The Clues

Any good theory must be compared against data. Here is evidence that must be balanced against any theory.

Feeding

Miho frequently mentions that she's hungry or that she need[s] to eat. What she actually eats is unknown and we never see her eat her share or even what she orders. She has referred to needs about things other than food. She even challenged Yuki in Strip 937 We're not that different. You feed on the emotions the same way I do.

however we have recently seen her eat.

Illness

We witnessed her collapse, where she was described as having her pulse is weak and thready... She's cold... barely breathing. The nurse told us Tohya-san has had these fainting spells before. and that It's only been two years since you were in the hospital. Her friend Kenji at the Cave of Evil explained how he almost lost her a few years ago.

Skills

She is widely suspected of being a Hacker. Her own words hint at this: You haven't cracked the 'personal privacy' algorithms yet? and there is a speech explaining By manipulating these 'emotional statistics'.... We've seen her play computer games quite well: She is so kicking your ass. and there are solid displays of her athletic prowess Pole Sitting, Tesla Dodging, High Wire Walking, and the ability to jump great distances and live, while carrying people, as well as strength and skill enough to flip a van upside-down with one hand.

Games Playing

Miho likes playing games. She played Endgames with both Largo and Piro and she's playing games with both again: Which is my reality?. While she is juggling both games, she also jealously prevents others from playing.

Her inclusion of Yuki in her games dates back years. She has encouraged Yuki to chase Piro in the past, but was warning her away just prior to discovering a secret of Yuki's and starting a new game. However, she isn't exclusive to this game.

Much of her interest in these 'games' appears to be the challenge and when the challenge is gone, she loses interest and will say so.

It's also well documented that she enjoys stirring trouble. Sometimes it's merely helping someone dig themselves in deeper but more often, it's teasing, dropping hints and other taunts. Whole spectacles result from her mischief making, something she's done for years.

She's well aware of how others perceive her, but continues anyway. Sometimes she may even delight in it and her friends have been aware of that side of her for years.

Philosophy

While there are many mysteries in her past, she's been surprisingly open about her philosophy. She has explained elements to Ping and Piro, but she waxed most voluble with Largo. Her biggest explanation came in Strip 606:

It's foolish to fight your own battles if you don't have to.

It's foolish because more often than not, we don't really win. Now, do we? Usually we try to fight small, unimportant battles we know we can win. It makes us feel better about the big ones we can't. Battles are only fun if you don't get hurt. Even in small battles I always seem to get hurt.

That's why it's more fun just to watch other people play.

External links

• Miho Theory Database, archived copy of site maintained by forumite "Yone"
• Tohyology Website