October 15th, 2014 
AstroNerdBoy ユーキューホルダー! Manga Review
UQ Holder Chapter 54
SPOILER Summary/Synopsis:
With Touta’s attack failing, Kuroumaru tosses him Gravity Blade. Touta tries again, but fails, but Sayoko connects with a shadow fist. She then uses Grand Master magic to fire 571 Dark Fire Arrows at the UQ Holder folks in rapid order. With zombies climbing the walls, Kuroumaru attacks, which breaks through and damages Sayoko. She regenerates and forms more arms, but then has Kirie attack and bite Kuroumaru.
With Kuroumaru captured, Touta lands a punch, thanks to Magia Erebea. Sayoko counter attacks with a large, unincanted spell, but Kuroumaru forms a barrier to defend against it. Kuroumaru and Touta move to attack, but Sayoko activates the virus within Kuroumaru. With that, Kuroumaru attacks Touta as Sayoko explains that this modified virus infects the soul. With that, Kuroumaru cuts Touta in half.
Thoughts/Review:
Ugh. I can’t write as much as I want since I’m not at home, but I’ll do the best I can.
As mentioned in the spoilers, Sayoko reveals herself to be a powerful mage. I’d love it if we got more information about her, including how she became a necromancer and where she learned magic from. Sadly, I doubt that we’ll get that.
Her zombie infection that can target immortals as well as mortals is an interesting twist. Once this is over, I guess we’ll be in for a bit of Kuroumaru angst over having been taken over twice.
With Touta cut in half, I see some possible outcomes (or a combination of the them).
- Touta uses Magia Erebea to reform and go on the offensive again.
- Eva shows up to face Sayoko.
- Karin shows up, having been freed by Kirie somehow.
- Santa says or does something that turns the tide.
One more things — as Sayoko remade herself, I couldn’t help but think of Naraku from Inuyasha, who always managed to reform somehow. Yeah, I know, not the same thing, but for some reason, I was reminded.
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This could take an interesting turn but I won’t get hopes up.
I hope there’s a tournament arc at some point, the Mahora Budokai was one of my favourite parts of Negima.
I’m kinda the opposite on having a tournament, but that’s just me.
How about,
5. Juuzou shows up?
Who knows, maybe Eva mentioning him was a bit of foreshadowing for this arc. 😀
But well, I think 4 is the most likely though. I will be more upset if 1 happens in next chapter (ch 55).
Well, #5 could be the answer. I’d forgotten about the name drop earlier.
Sayoko is not same level as Fate/Eva/Negi but she is around same level with Dynamis plus could be stronger since
Sayoko is strong shadow mage that can cast Sagitta Magica with large number
Yet she is bodiless that not everyone can damage her and even if someone can damage her , she has freaking fast regen power
Not only mage , she uses biotic weapon like virus, control enemies and human, which act as her front guardians (the back mage front knight stuff again )
The people we know that can beats her
1. Shinmeiryuu elites
2. Eva with her strong sealing spells that frozen up the demon and their surrounding
3. Fate seem to be got some sealing spell used against Eva
4. Sayoko , guardian of Santa
http://anime.astronerdboy.com/2014/10/uq-holder-chapter-54-spoiler-info-and-images.html#.VEAUiRaDpr0
I used to think Sayoko was at Dynamis level as seen on the comment I made on that link but after reading this chapter she is even weaker than I thought. ChaosProphet mentioned that she should be around Kagetaro’s level which is 3000 and I agree with him. The only thing both Sayoko and Dynamis have in common is elemental affinity to shadow element and the ability to summon armies of demons/zombies but what Sayoko have that makes her stand out is her spiritual form and regeneration via miasma.
Negi’s lightning form is technically considered as a spiritual form and cannot be hit physically as shown when Godel tried to hit Negi’s lightning form but his physical attacks missed just like how Touta couldn’t hit Sayoko’s miasma form with physical attacks to further confirm that Negi’s lightning form is spiritual in nature, Ken Akamatsu mentioned in volume 27 of Lexicon Negimarium that Negi’s lightning form turns the caster into a genie.
http://negima.wikia.com/wiki/%CE%89_%CE%86%CE%A3%CE%A4%CE%A1%CE%91%CE%A0%CE%97%CE%84_%CE%8E%CE%A0%CE%95%CE%84%CE%A1_%CE%9F%CE%A5%CE%84%CE%A1%CE%91%CE%9D%CE%9F%CE%84%CE%A5_%CE%9C%CE%95%CE%A4%CE%91_%CE%94%CE%A5%CE%9D%CE%91%CE%84%CE%9C%CE%95%CE%9D%CE%97
So basically anyone shown in Negima who could physically hit Negi’s lightning form like Rakan, Eva, Fate, Poyo, Dynamis, and many others should also be able to do the same to Sayoko. Someone asked Ken Akamatsu in Q&A how Rakan was able to physically hit Negi when physical attacks do not work against him? Ken Akamatsu said it was because of Rakan’s “fighting spirit”.
http://vetus.wordpress.com/nazenani/
Not to mention there is a very basic sealing spell called Lagena Signatoria which can seal demons and spirits. Even Yue and Nodoka was shown to use it.
http://forums.mangafox.me/threads/153552-Lexicon-Negimarium?p=3877601&viewfull=1#post3877601
Now the reason why I think Sayoko isn’t all that strong is because she got knocked down by Touta’s punch which was only an incomplete Magia Erebea form and she even tried to run away from Kuromaru. Early MM arc Negi’s base Magia Erebea form is around 1100 and Armationem form is around 2200. Note that Touta can’t even use Armationem so I would definitely put him below Negi in Armationem form. In terms of physical stats she doesn’t seem to be very strong, fast, or durable either. I think someone like Setsuna or Kaede should be able to run circles around her. So in the end Sayoko’s power set is just broken with her zombie virus affecting the soul of immortals with the combination of her spiritual form but at the same time she really isn’t that strong based on power levels.
Ah, Jack Rakan, the broken character. How I wish to see him in action again..
I would say Sayoko is strong, offensively. But not so strong defensively. And Kuromaru is like her natural enemy.
Maybe it’s just that she is more that kind of magician, someone who needs a partner to protect her while she’s preparing a strong spell, unlike Nagi.
She is strong offensively true but she is nowhere near Dynamis’ level. I still think ChaosProphet’s estimation of Sayoko’s powerlever being somewhere near Kagetaro’s level sounds about right. After all, Kagetaro could summon thousands of shadow spears and individually one shadow spear could destroy a large building, imagine the kind of power behind thousands of them being used at once. That’s far more impressive than Sayoko’s 571 Sagitta Magica spell or any spells she have shown so far.
http://www.mangareader.net/209-15079-11/mahou-sensei-negima/chapter-246.html
http://www.mangareader.net/209-15031-7/mahou-sensei-negima/chapter-198.html
I’m in agreement with this. The only thing that makes her a serious threat is the bullshitted zombie asspull of death that “Oh can affect immortals too teehee”, which YMMV on how thrilling a device it is.
Take that away, and I don’t think she’d register very high on the list of powerful enemies. She’s sort of in this weird nexus between Vargas and Kagetero. Truth be told, I’m half convinced Kage is more powerful on the whole given that she’s fairly unimpressive as a whole, but that’s just my two cents.
Interesting. However, Sayoko is a pure mage type whereas Negi and Eva are battle mages. Sayoko would ideally have a partner under the pactio system to defend her against melee types like Touta. So I think that Sayoko is powerful as a mage, but she’s not powerful when it comes to melee combat.
2. Which spell are you talking about? The one she used in Kyoto or Mundus Magicus?
According to chapter 51 of MSN, she used “Cosmic Catastrophe” in Kyoto (No, I’m not talking about “Kosmike Katastrophe” :p), and I’m not sure if it really is a sealing magic.
Meanwhile, she used that grand sealing spell which only works on “puppet” in MM. So I don’t know if this spell is effective against Sayoko.
Nevertheless, I also think Eva is more than capable in handling Sayoko.
4. ?
I’m sorry, but I don’t really get it. Sayoko beats Sayoko?
Sayoko is pretty powerful, and a necromancer to boot.
Maybe Akamatsu will combine your 3rd and 4th one. With his power Santa would be the ideal person to free Karin. Although he would need to know she was buried and where.
And now a theory that I think is pretty unlikely from what we saw so far but still want to mention: I’m wondering if there is more to Santa and Sayoko’s story that we haven’t been told. That scene where Sayoko asked Santa if he wanted everyone to die, it felt like when Santa accept power came from him to Sayoko, as if he was the necromancer. But everything we were shown so far indicates the opposite. That would need to be quite a twist.
There has to be more. The real question is, will Sensei tell that story?
One more things — as Sayoko remade herself, I couldn’t help but think of Naraku from Inuyasha, who always managed to reform somehow. Yeah, I know, not the same thing, but for some reason, I was reminded.
The interesting part regarding this is that if the translation is accurate, Touta even calls Sayoko a ‘Spider Women’ for some reason.
And as we know Naraku has always been related to spiders (his powers as well as that burn mark on his back). Maybe Ken-Sensei was actually trying to make a Inuyasha reference with Sayako.
Given that Akamatsu himself stated in an interview to be a friend of Inuyasha mangaka it´s possible
Interesting. I didn’t know that.
I think because she was using her shadow ability to produce multiple arms, like a spider.
Maybe. Hard to say though.