In some ways, Juri is a lot like Utena—strong, brave, yet still feminine. Besides being a member of the Student Council, she is also the captain of the fencing team. She is also very influential, so much so that there is a rumor that a teacher quit just because Juri was displeased with him. She claims that she wants the power of the revolution to disprove miracles, but what does she really want?

Her cold, beautiful, and cynical exterior masks her internal suffering. Once she had two friends—a boy and a girl—and the three of them were very close. The boy fell in love with her and the girl (Shiori) grew jealous and resentful. She was not as beautiful or talented as Juri and thus always felt eclipsed by her popular friend. When she saw the boy falling in love with Juri, she decided to use him to hurt her, telling Juri she should believe in miracles while lying behind her back. She convinced him that Juri was in love with someone else and the two of them left the school together. Juri was heartbroken, but not because she loved the boy. She was in love with Shiori and had hoped one day that she could return her feelings. Now she saw Shiori’s resentment, and she refused to believe in miracles, except that in her heart she still clung to hope. She wore a locket around her neck with Shiori’s picture in it.

During their first encounter, Utena and Juri seem to get along quite well. Utena jokes that she wishes the power of the Rose Bride would help her with her exams. Later, when Utena sees Juri sitting by a fountain she feels comfortable enough with Juri to tell her about her prince. Juri leans in close to her, as if to kiss her, but grabs her hand and tries to take her ring, calling her disgusting for doing everything for the sake of a man. She challenges her to a duel the next day.

As the duel begins, it seems clear that Juri is the stronger of the two. She begins wearing Utena down almost immediately and even the power of Dios doesn’t appear to be much help. Finally, she knocks Utena down and her sword flies off into the air. Juri holds her sword out, bragging that there are no miracles, until Utena’s sword lands right in the middle of her flower. Stunned, she insists that it isn’t a miracle.

Juri’s life gets much more complicated when Shiori returns to Ohtori. Juri tries to keep her distance from her, but when Shiori admits that what she did was wrong, Juri coldly informer her that she never had feelings for the boy. Utena gets involved when Shiori tells her a very edited version of the situation—basically that Juri was once her dear friend but that Shiori no longer deserved her trust. Despite not knowing all the details, she goes to Juri and tries to convince her to forgive Shiori. Juri responds by comparing Utena to Shiori, calling her “cruelly innocent.” She sees both Shiori and Utena as being blinded by their innocence, so they don’t see that they are hurting people.

Not long after, Juri’s fencing coach also returns and he uses Shiori to get Juri to duel Utena again. Although he doesn’t want the power of the revolution for himself, he wants to give Juri the power of miracles. Juri forfeits the duel when Utena shatters her locket.

Although they are never close friends, Juri does seem to like Utena in the end. She even offers to put her in her new locket. Despite all of her posturing to the contrary, Juri is a lot like Utena—noble and idealistic. Utena, for her part, admires Juri as a skilled fighter and intelligent person.

For more information on Juri, visit No Angel Came.

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