Line #79 Main/Miko


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7	[[quoteright:250:[[Literature/HaruhiSuzumiya https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cit_suzumiya_haruhi_-_novel7_miko.jpg]]]]
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9	A miko (巫女), also known as a shrine maiden, is a priestess in the UsefulNotes/{{Shinto}} religion. Given the strength of Shinto in Japan and the position shrine maidens hold in it, it is no surprise that they are a common character type in anime. Straight portrayals and dramatizations are used just as frequently as a priest or nun would be in North American or European media. If a main character, she might be [[MagicalGirl endowed]] with [[UsefulNotes/{{Onmyodo}} mystical powers]] in order to fight demons, hang ''[[PaperTalisman Ofuda]]'' so that [[SealedEvilInACan she won't have to fight the demons in the first place]], receive visions, etc. Otherwise, fictional and non-fictional Miko work in [[ShrinesAndTemples shrines]], often as an after-school job. Their outfits traditionally consist of red ''hakama'' (trousers) or a long red skirt, and a white ''haori'' (kimono jacket).
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11	Miko are common in [[HGame H-Games]], since unlike nuns, they don't have a ''permanent'' vow of chastity; they can just take over their temple when the head priest(ess) dies or quits, or else they can quit being miko, and then they can do whatever they want. Japanese depictions of most priestesses and other low-rung religious functionaries tend to borrow from miko, [[NunsAreMikos including nuns]].
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13	Another reason they are common in H-Games and {{Fanservice}}-laden anime, however, is that they wear uniforms, and like many other seemingly benign and non-sexualized uniforms, [[KimonoFanService the uniform itself]] can be a type of fetish that [[GettingCrapPastTheRadar does not warrant a higher rating]]. Of course, Shinto is a little less strict about sexuality, so it isn't as sacrilegious as [[NaughtyNuns sexualized nuns]].
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15	Historically, a miko served as an oracle, offering prophecy in the form of a dance. In real life, most modern Miko will help out with shrine functions such as cleaning, perform ceremonial dances based on the historical versions, offer fortunes (''omikuji'', those little slips of paper that tell you what your luck will be like), and sell souvenirs, sometimes as a part-time job. A male miko is called a ''geki'', a ''kannagi'' or ''fugeki'' (all are gender-neutral terms).
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18	!!Examples:
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20	[[foldercontrol]]
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22	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
23	* In the BonusEpisode of ''Manga/AhMyBuddha'' the haremettes face off against a group of mikos and a group of Catholic nuns in a game show. While they themselves are often confused for mikos in the West, they are actually Buddhist nuns.
24	%%* Ren-tan from ''Anime/BinchouTan''.
25	* ''Manga/AyakashiTriangle'': Suzu is an "ayakashi miko", but "miko" is used in the older, broader sense of "person connected to the spirits" (hence it's officially translated "ayakashi ''medium''"). The other use of the term is acknowledged in a flashback where a previous ayakashi miko ''was'' a shrine maiden, but calls herself the shrine's "musume (daughter)".
26	* ''Manga/BlueExorcist'' has Izumo Kamiki, who drives the shrine maiden motif home by fighting with twin foxes she summons from paper talismans. She actually comes from a long line of miko [[spoiler:which ended when her mother was [[DemonicPossession possessed]] by the SealedEvilInACan that her family was suppose to keep under control and tried to [[OffingTheOffspring kill]] her daughters. [[FromBadToWorse Then the Illuminati came in...]]]]
27	* In ''Manga/Brave10'', Isanami is a priestess of Izumo, a lively dancer with the specific task of protecting the Kushimitama. [[spoiler:Or so they told her. It actually protects the world from her SuperPoweredEvilSide.]]
28	%%* Madoka from ''VisualNovel/ABridgeToTheStarrySkies''.
29	* ''Manga/CardcaptorSakura'': Kaho Mizuki, who is the daughter of a Shinto priest and works as a miko when not teaching at Sakura's school.
30	* ClassRepresentative Manami Mitami from ''Manga/ACentaursLife'' lives at a shrine and is a miko. Ironically, she's an [[OurAngelsAreDifferent angel]].
31	* Miiko Tsubaki, the protagonist of ''Manga/DemonLoveSpell'', is a miko in her family's shrine despite [[MuggleBornOfMages her lack of spiritual powers]]. Then she ''does'' turn out to have powers, which let her become the KidWithTheLeash of the powerful [[InterspeciesRomance and hot]] {{youkai}} Kagura...
32	%%* ''Manga/DestinyOfTheShrineMaiden'': Himeko and Chikane (obviously)
33	* Sakuyamon from ''Anime/DigimonTamers''. She has an alternate outfit that is the traditional miko uniform while still wearing her fox mask.
34	* In ''Anime/DragonPilotHisoneAndMasotan'', several miko are required as part of the Ritual, a [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin ritual]] that must be held every 74 years in order to [[spoiler:pacify a giant dragon named Mitatsu-sama so he won't destroy the surrounding area. After the [[DragonRider D-Pilots]] have guided Mitatsu-sama to his "throne", the miko must perform a song and dance to put him to sleep... and then the head miko, known as the Key Girl, [[HumanSacrifice is sacrificed to him]].]]
35	* ''Manga/TheElusiveSamurai'': Shizuku is a miko of Suwa Shrine with divine powers, such as the ability to see spirits. Tokiyuki's group makes their hideout at the Suwa Shrine for two years, where she continues to perform her shrine duties whenever she isn't on a mission with the Elusive Warriors.
36	* [[Franchise/{{Pokemon}} Sabrina]] from ''Manga/TheElectricTaleOfPikachu'' is a kind and sweethearted ''miko'' who is terrorized by an evil Haunter named "[[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast The Black Fog]]". This is [[AdaptationalHeroism quite different]] from ''Anime/PokemonTheOriginalSeries'', where she's a stoic and dangerous psychic who terrorized Saffron city by turning people into dolls (and had a SplitPersonality in the form of a CreepyChild), or ''Manga/PokemonAdventures'' where she's an elite Team Rocket officer.
37	* The epitome of Mikos in the MagicalGirl world: Miaka Yuuki and Yui Hongo from ''Manga/FushigiYuugi'', predated by other two girls from UsefulNotes/ImperialJapan times: Takiko Okuda and Suzuno Osugi. Takiko is upgraded to HeroOfAnotherStory in ''Manga/FushigiYuugiGenbuKaiden'', and Suzuno gets her chance in ''Manga/FushigiYuugiByakkoIbun''.
38	* Subverted in ''Manga/FutureDiary'', as the Miko we meet (Tsubaki Kasugano) is not only one of the Diary Holders, but a member [[spoiler:and prisoner/SexSlave]] of a ReligionOfEvil [[spoiler:which didn't ''start'' as an evil cult, but was turned into such after her parents' murders]]. [[spoiler:In an AlternateUniverse, though, Tsubaki ''is'' the real deal and an {{all loving hero}}ine.]]
39	* Miyako from ''Anime/GhostHound''. At one point she even becomes the [[OracularUrchin prophet for a local cult]], although not entirely willingly.
40	%%* Ayako in ''Manga/GhostHunt''.
41	* In ''Anime/GundamBuildDiversReRise'', Hinata Mukai plays this role as part of a ''Kyūdō'' ceremony. [[spoiler:At the end of the series, she joins the rest of [=BUILD DiVERS=] on Eldora with her GBN avatar taking up something akin to the look she used in the ceremony.]]
42	%%* ''Manga/HappyLesson'': Yayoi Sanzenin, also the SchoolNurse.
43	* The ''VideoGame/HarukanaruTokiNoNakaDe'' franchise, like ''Manga/FushigiYuugi'', is centered around two schoolgirls becoming TrappedInAnotherWorld to serve as mikos to the local deity (the Yin and Yang side of the Dragon God). They are consistently called mikos, and in the manga/anime adaptations, at least one of them (Akane) has been shown wearing a typical miko outfit at some points.
44	* Riza, of ''Manga/HayateTheCombatButler'', is a Miko, though you wouldn't be able to tell except in the chapters where they visit her home.
45	* ''Manga/{{Inuyasha}}'':
46	** There are several miko in both major and supporting roles, particularly Kikyou, her younger sister Kaede (also leader of her village), and Midoriko, the "creator" of the Shikon No Tama; Kagome, although not really identified as a miko prior to people in the Sengoku era simply jumping to conclusions, also has many of the powers of a miko, as a result of being Kikyou's reincarnation. There's also an ''evil'' miko, Tsubaki, who started as a normal one [[RivalTurnedEvil but was driven to evil]] over her jealousy against Kikyou.
47	** Kagome's family does run what appears to be a traditional Shinto shrine, though Kagome doesn't seem to perform miko tasks while living there. However, [[spoiler:Kagome is dressed as a miko at the end of the series, implying she has taken up the position now that she lives in the feudal era.]]
48	* Akimoto, Misono, Ryouko and Manabe from ''Jinjya no Susume'', a manga that takes a more or less realistic look at running a Shinto shrine and the work Miko do.
49	* ''Manga/KaijuGirlCaramelise'': [[CloudCuckoolander Manatsu Tomosato]] thinks Kuroe is this, calling her "[[{{Kaiju}} Harugon's]] priestess" and assuming she has some connection to the monster on that basis. This comes up when they and Rairi visit Kaiju Island, where Manatsu ropes Kuroe into dressing in a priestess outfit in an attempt to summon Harugon.
50	* Miko from ''Manga/KaguyaSamaLoveIsWar'' may be the least likely of the cast to do manual work, but to celebrate her birthday, [[https://twitter.com/anime_kaguya/status/1521867249690107904 official Twitter account]] shared a character art of Miko dressed as a miko.
51	%%* ''Anime/{{Kamichu}}'': Matsuri and Miko.
52	* Motoko from ''Manga/LoveHina'' works as a part-time miko at a local shrine, and she usually wears the traditional miko outfit even when she isn't working there.
53	* ''Franchise/LoveLive'':
54	** Nozomi Toujou from ''Anime/LoveLive'' works as a part-time Miko at Kanda Shrine, where Honoka, Umi and Kotori first start their fitness training to be an [[IdolSinger idol group]]. [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanda_Shrine Kanda Shrine]] is in fact [[RealPlaceBackground a real shrine]], located in the Chiyoda ward of Tokyo; Nozomi might be the only fictional miko whose real shrine sells [[https://youtu.be/NXZ_PBlMrPg?t=3m merchandise of her.]] Being a mundane series, Nozomi doesn't have any supernatural powers, though she is fond of fortune telling.
55	** Sumire Heanna from ''Anime/LoveLiveSuperstar'' lives at a shrine, and also works as a miko there.
56	* The Hiiragi twins in ''Manga/LuckyStar'' work as part-time miko along with their older sisters, given that their father is a Shinto priest. Unlike most other examples, the Hiiragi sisters are more based on modern mikos and have zero connection to spiritual stuff; their duties typically consist of things like ground-breaking ceremonies and managing the shrine on New Year's Day. It's easy to forget that they are actual mikos since they are all portrayed as normal girls in a slice of life comedy show.
57	* Micaiah Chevelle of ''Manga/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaVivid'' is either one or simply dresses like one for her Barrier Jacket.
58	* Mahoro from episode 5 of ''Manga/{{Mahoromatic}}'' dresses as a miko while Suguru and his friends are ghosthunting at their school. Her rationale is just having some fun with the situation.
59	* Matoi and Yuma work part-time as mikos in ''Anime/MatoiTheSacredSlayer''. It seems to be a requisite to becoming an [[MagicalGirl exorcist girl]].
60	* ''Manga/MermaidMelodyPichiPichiPitch'': In the manga, Rina sometimes fills in for the ''miko'' at a shrine devoted to a mermaid spirit.
61	%%* Tsumugi in ''Manga/TheMikosWordsAndTheWitchesIncantations''.
62	* In ''Manga/MonsterMusume'', the main cast encounter a [[AsianFoxSpirit Kitsune]] who works as a miko at a shrine when they're on vacation. She uses her shapeshifting powers to put on {{Sentai}} shows, much to the annoyance of the priest who runs the shrine. Later in the series, Miia winds up getting a job at a snake shrine, where she's very popular due to being a [[SnakePeople lamia]].
63	* Shiho Munakata from ''Anime/MyHime'' works part-time at a Shinto shrine with her grandfather, which she and her friends visit in one episode.
64	%%* Mayura of ''Manga/MythicalDetectiveLokiRagnarok''.
65	%%* ''Manga/NagasareteAirantou'': Ayane, Machi, Chizuru, Yashiro.
66	* Mana Tatsumiya from ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi'', in between the breaks she gets in her mercenary job. This apparently does not conflict [[spoiler:with her being half-demon]].
67	%%* Kureha Akabane from ''Anime/NightWizard The Animation'' deserves a mention here.
68	* In ''Manga/OtakuElf'', Elda, the titular elf is enshrined in a Shinto shrine and has a miko, Koito, to take care of her needs, force her outside for certain ceremonies, and [[ServileSnarker offer up the snark]] when she's done something ridiculous again, which happens about once a chapter.
69	* Miko-chan of ''Manga/OtasukeMikoMikoChan'' is a MagicalGirl based off of shrine maidens. She is a {{Mascot}} for the Mikoshiba shrine more than anything else, helping [[TheMerch sell official merchandise of herself]] to keep the place afloat.
70	* Yomogi Inaba from ''Manga/OtogiMatsuri''. She can see spirits and has inherited a group of five small spirit foxes.
71	%%* Tomoe from ''Anime/QueensBlade''.
72	* ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'': [[WholesomeCrossdresser Ukyo]] [[UnluckyChildhoodFriend Kuonji]] is shown as an example of the 'parttime/after-school' version in one of the late manga oneshot stories. She presumably only was there a short time or was only a 'casual' miko, as she never displayed any mystical talents during or after that story.
73	* While far from being an actual miko, the concept of a 'miko chanelling the gods' is stated to have been an inspiration for ''Anime/RebuildOfEvangelion'''s Mari Makinami by WordOfGod.
74	* ''Franchise/SailorMoon'':
75	** Rei "Sailor Mars" Hino is a ''miko'' at her grandfather's shrine, which amplifies her spiritual powers. Many of her attacks are Shinto-based, and in civilian form, she can drive off monsters with ''{{ofuda}}''. Sailor Moon's creator, Creator/NaokoTakeuchi, did ''miko'' work in a shrine as a youngster and used her experience as the basis for Rei's character, making this a case of WriteWhatYouKnow. In the manga Rei is very devoted to being a miko and hopes to take over management of the shrine after her grandfather retires, but in [[Anime/SailorMoon the first anime]] she treats it more like a part-time job.
76	** In an episode of the ''R'' series of the first anime, Minako and Makoto briefly work as miko to cover up for Rei when she's busy at the SchoolFestival. HilarityEnsues.
77	%%* Kirara in ''Anime/SamuraiSeven''.
78	* ''Manga/SengokuYouko'' has a miko in the form of Rinzu, though how much she adheres to formal duties are up for guessing, as her adopted parent is a mountain goddess.
79	* ''Manga/ShrineOfTheMorningMist'' features several miko who are sisters and classmates, and a fair amount of the plot revolves around said shrine. An early episode features the girls getting initiated as priestesses, with cold water baths and other rites. They also battle demons in later episodes.
80	* ''Manga/SilentMobius'': Yamigumo Nami, who wears her outfit instead of a uniform. She fights with holy water and ''[=ofuda=]'' but later acquires some more powerful weapons.
81	* The Simoun Sibyllae in ''Anime/{{Simoun}}'' are treated as ''miko''s (and called that by name), although their religion is quite different from Shinto. Likewise the priestesses of the Plumbum Highlands.
82	* Kantarou from ''Manga/{{Tactics}}'' dresses like one, but when someone brings it up, he denies it, insisting it just happens to be read and white.
83	%%* Hikaru and Kaoru Midou from ''Manga/TsukuyomiMoonPhase''.
84	* The titular Amagami sisters from ''Manga/TyingTheKnotWithAnAmagamiSister'' all live and work at a Shinto shrine as shrine maidens. The main character Uryuu is allowed to live at the shrine, on the condition that he has to marry one of the sisters so the shrine will stay open.
85	%%* [[UnluckyChildhoodFriend Akina]] from ''Manga/UFOPrincessValkyrie''. She also [[ACupAngst has feelings of inadequacy]] and [[{{Tsundere}} attitude problems]].
86	* The two {{Magical Girl}}s of ''Anime/UmiMonogatari'' are referred to as the "Priestess of the Sky" and "Priestess of the Sea", though only the former's transformed outfit looks like a Miko's.
87	%%* ''Manga/UruseiYatsura'': Sakura, who is also the school nurse.
88	* Arashi Kishuu in ''Manga/{{X 1999}}'', raised by the mikos of the famous ''Ise Jingun'' shrine [[spoiler:because her mother was one of them]]. Technically, Yuzuriha Nekoi is supposed to become a miko as well, but her grandmother preferred to send her away to school and to fulfill her destiny as a Dragon of Heaven.
89	* Uesato Hinata, Fujimori Mito, Aki Masuzu, Kokudo Aya are just known mikos in the ''Franchise/YuushaDeAru'' franchise. They can't fight but recieve oracles from Shinju as images and relay them to heroes for their fights against Vertexes.
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92	[[folder:Fan Works]]
93	* In the Crossover ''Literature/{{Worm}}''/''VideoGame/{{Okami}}'' fanfic ''Fanfic/{{Constellations}}'', Taylor takes on this role as she renews the shrine she and [[AngelUnaware Sunshine]] find in Brockton Bay.
94	* ''Fanfic/TheCrownOfNeverwinter'' makes Ranma one of these, as she accidentally qualified when she helped a priest to tend a shrine of Inari. Ranma thinks it's rather useless a job since the gods basically vanished from Earth, but it's hinted it might change when she comes to Faêrun, a dimension much more favorable to DivineIntervention.
95	* ''Fanfic/AGameOfCatAndCat'': As per canon, Mina Hakuba is a miko. She uses a sacred bow traditional to mikos as a weapon, and in one conversation she gets into detail about the particular beliefs of her shrine regarding Amaterasu.
96	* ''Fanfic/GodzillaNewEra'' retells the events of ''Film/Godzilla2000'' in the Heisei Saga continuity with heavy Shinto elements. The aged Hina is the miko of Odo Island, where a more archaic form of Shintoism still exists. One reoccuring debate in the story is the cast unsure if Godzilla is just a [[Film/GodzillaVsKingGhidorah dinosaur mutated by radiation]] or [[MaybeMagicMaybeMundane something supernatural reacting to advances in technology]]. Hina is adamant there had always been a Godzilla in some form or another, maintaining a mummified claw of dinosaur at a shrine as a relic. She conducts an appeasement ritual, complete with [[ShownTheirWork tamagushi]] used, at the same time Godzilla Junior ascends to becoming the third modern Godzilla. She later explains to [=G-Force's=] Commander the concept of Godzilla being a kami representing destruction itself, meaning trying to destroy it is a hopeless endeavour.
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99	[[folder:Film]]
100	%%* A miko was needed in ''Film/GodzillaVsMechagodzilla'' to awaken King Caesar.
101	* ''Film/SanshoTheBailiff'': A middle-aged widow gives shelter to an exiled noblewoman who is traveling with her two children and her sole remaining servant. Only it turns out the miko is evil. The servant is murdered, the mother is handed over to procurers who force her into prostitution, and the children are sold into slavery.
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104	[[folder:Literature]]
105	* Shirayuki from ''Literature/AriaTheScarletAmmo'', often wears a traditional shrine maiden outfit, although she has some [[{{Yandere}} darker traits]].
106	* ''Literature/{{Campione}}'': Yuri Mariya is officially called a "Hime-Miko" (a woman with divine ancestry that gives her spiritual powers), but she otherwise fits the trope to a T. She's worked/served as a miko for a shrine since she was a child due to inheriting magical powers, and she wears the traditional outfit while doing so.
107	* In ''Literature/TheGirlFromTheWell'', Tark's mother Yoko was a miko in her youth, and the woman in black haunting him is believed to be the ghost of another miko. Tark ends up seeking out a group of mikos to help free him from the woman in black's possession.
108	* Mikuru Asahina from ''Literature/HaruhiSuzumiya'' is forced to dress up as one of these at one point to exorcise some ghosts.
109	* Akeno from ''Literature/HighSchoolDXD'' is probably a (double?) subversion, she wears the traditional miko outfit when she uses her strongest magic and is known as the Priestess Of Lightning (in Japanese Miko is used)... but she's also a demon.
110	* In ''Literature/TheIrregularAtMagicHighSchool'', (most) magic isn't religious, but Tatsuya recommends that Miyuki wear a miko's outfit during the [[spoiler:ceremony to return his full power to him]]. [[GoingCommando (Yes, including that.)]] The idea is that its simple texture and construction will keep her focused while he draws out [[spoiler:the Pledge spell]] from her brain, since any sort of distraction could have really bad consequences.
111	* Minori in ''Literature/LogHorizon'' appears as a kannagi in this game-turned-reality series. Her powers are part of the character class, with no specific religious tenets attached.
112	* In ''Literature/OurHomesFoxDeity'', Ko is the family sentinel, a miko with powers.
113	* In ''Literature/RentalMagica'' miko have a very limited set of abilities, but in this setting the main advantage of Shinto are purification rituals. Thus little Mikan almost exclusively provides cover, but she's ''very'' strong in this role and may be the most indispensable member of the team when they face something really nasty.
114	* Keiko Tatsumiya, a powerful miko wielding a naginata, is one of the protagonists of Hiroshi Aramata's fantasy novel ''Literature/{{Teito Monogatari}}'', including its various adaptations and spinoffs ''Doomed Megalopolis'', ''Babylon Tokyo'' and ''Teito Monogatari Gaiden''.
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117	%%%[[folder:Live Action TV]]
118	%%%* Nobuta from ''Series/NobutaWoProduce''.
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120	%%
121	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
122	* In ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' 4th edition, the third player's handbook adds the ''Seeker'' class, which seems based on Miko.
123	** They are the equivalent of holy warriors of the Primal Spirits (spirit entities akin to, but separate from, the Gods and Primordials, who embody various aspects of the natural order and the real world, from blood ties to the seasons to specific creatures and places), who seek out and destroy enemies of the natural order. They use magical powers granted by the Primal Spirits and channeled through bows and throwing weapons to create all kinds of magical effects, such as causing strangling grasses and vines to suddenly erupt from where their arrow hit the ground and ensnare all nearby enemies.
124	** The Seeker was originally intended to be part of a "ki" power source, but the creators realized the UnfortunateImplications in producing a set of classes that shared nothing in common but the "inspired by Asia" background, and so it was broken apart. While the Seeker became a Primal Controller, the Monk, the only other apparent survivor, became a Psionic Striker.
125	* In the setting provided in the ''Mecha Vs Kaiju'' RPG the intelligence branch of Japan's mecha defense force is made up entirely of Mikos. This makes some sense considering [[spoiler:The original Kaiju was an Oni mutated by the Hiroshima bomb and samples of his DNA were used to create most of the others, and the leaders of the evil organization that control the Kaiju have Oni ancestry themselves]]
126	* Sylvan Mikorange in the ''TabletopGame/YuGiOh TCG'', who happens to be an anthropomorphic orange Shinto priestess.
127	[[/folder]]
128
129	[[folder:Video Games]]
130	* ''VideoGame/AkaSeka'': The three spirit mediums for the three great deities, known as Miko of the Sun (太陽の巫女 ''taiyō no miko''), Priest of the Sea (海の巫覡 ''umi no fugeki'') and Priest of the Moon (月の巫祝 ''tsuki no fushuku''). The latter two are a man and an animal, but all three are collectively referred to as ''miko''.
131	* Maori from ''VideoGame/ArcanaHeart''. She has three miko sisters who fight with her, too.
132	* [[RedOniBlueOni Cloche and Luca]] from ''VideoGame/ArTonelicoIIMelodyOfMetafalica''. They are not called "miko" or "shrine maiden" in the [[TranslationTrainWreck US release]], but you will hear them referred as such in the Japanese version.
133	%%* Mikado in ''VideoGame/BushidoBlade''.
134	* ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaAriaOfSorrow'' and ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaDawnOfSorrow'' feature the love interest Mina Hakuba. She is the miko of a shrine which in 1999 conducted a ritual to permanently seal away Dracula's Castle inside an eclipse (though she was far too young to participate herself, if she was born at all). In ''Dawn'' she creates a talisman for Soma which [[spoiler:helps keep him sane and avoid the BadEnding.]]
135	* Nozomu Miki from ''VideoGame/DankiraBoysBeDANCING'' is a male miko.
136	* The ''VideoGame/FatalFrame'' series has Shrine Maidens with similar, albeit [[DarkerAndEdgier darker]] roles.
137	** From [[VideoGame/FatalFrameI the first game]], there are the Rope Shrine Maidens chosen to be [[HumanSacrifice sacrificed]], in a rather atrocious way, in order to prevent the {{Hellgate}} from opening.
138	** The second, ''VideoGame/FatalFrameII: Crimson Butterfly'', has the [[CreepyTwins Twin]] Shrine Maidens. [[spoiler:One of them is supposed to sacrifice the other to, guess what, prevent the hellgate from opening.]]
139	** The third, ''VideoGame/FatalFrameIII: The Tormented'', has [[FourIsDeath four]] Handmaidens, also known as Pacifiers in Europe and Japan, that wear full miko attire and perform daily shrine and housekeeping activities, as well as helping and eventually [[spoiler:impaling]] the Tattooed Priestess, another kind of Shrine Maidens chosen because they experienced the pain of losing a loved one. They have the pain of others tattooed in their skins [[spoiler:and are sacrificed to prevent the Rift, an infernal force, from spilling into the dreams of the living]].
140	** In the fourth game, ''VideoGame/FatalFrameMaskOfTheLunarEclipse'', there are the Kanade and the Utsuwa, who perform the Rougetsu Kagura ritual to worship the [[TotalEclipseOfThePlot lunar eclipse]] [[spoiler:and summon the gate to the other world so that the souls of the deceased can pass on. Of course, things go terribly wrong, and the ritual fails]]. It also includes the Tsukimori Shrine Maidens.
141	** The fifth installment in the series, ''VideoGame/FatalFrameMaidenOfBlackWater'', focuses on the traditions of Mt. Mikami. In the past, an order of Mikos used their psychic powers to [[spoiler:take in the final thoughts of suicide victims so they could pass peacefully. Eventually, they would exhaust their powers through absorbing so many thoughts from the dead and would be placed into a ceremonial box, and sunk beneath the lake in order to purify it]]. After the mountain became cursed, legend stated anyone that encountered a ghostly miko would be DrivenToSuicide.
142	* ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'':
143	** Yuna from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'' isn't a miko, but she has a very important place at her temple and her outfit - with its plain white top, long drapey white sleeves, large bow at the back, and long, pleated skirt - is clearly based on a miko outfit.
144	** [[InconsistentSpelling Aria/Elia]] from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIII'' is called "the miko of water" in Japanese, but is translated in English as 'the maiden of water'. The world and religion aren't especially [[FantasyCounterpartReligion Shinto-esque]], and neither is Aria / Elia's outfit, so it's more of a Japanese rough equivalent.
145	* ''Franchise/FireEmblem'':
146	** The final class of [[SquishyWizard Micaiah]] from ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemRadiantDawn Radiant Dawn]]'' uses the kanji for Miko in the Japanese version (though the accompanying katakana reads as "Shaman" as a ContinuityNod to ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemGenealogyOfTheHolyWar Genealogy of the Holy War]]''), though the only Miko-ish things about it are her usage of Light Magic and the color scheme being mostly white and red...
147	** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemFates'''s version of the [[http://fireemblem.wikia.com/wiki/Shrine_Maiden Cleric class,]] Shrine Maiden, is referred to as "Miko" in the Japanese version, with Princess Sakura and [[spoiler:her potential daughter]] Mitama starting off as this. This carries over into one of the Shrine Maiden class' promoted classes, [[http://fireemblem.wikia.com/wiki/Priestess_(Fates) Priestess]]. Unlike the case mentioned above, the Shrine Maiden and Priestess outfits actually ''do'' resemble Miko clothing, due to both classes being exclusive to characters from the [[{{Wutai}} Japanese-esque nation of Hoshido]].
148	* Kohen from ''VideoGame/GaiaCrusaders'', one of the playable characters, is a miko priestess who fights using her spells.
149	* Katsumi from ''Website/GaiaOnline'', who tends the Shrine at the local {{Wutai}}.
150	* ''VideoGame/GenshinImpact'': Mikos (called shrine maidens in-game) serve the Grand Narukami Shrine, the highest point of the main island of the Japanese-themed Inazuma. The head shrine maiden is even named Yae Miko (a kitsune); she is a playable character, as well as a former miko in Kuki Shinobu who comes from a long line of shrine maidens.
151	* ''VideoGame/GoldenSunDarkDawn'':
152	** Princess Himi, whose default classes all have "Miko" in their names. She has the classic red and white outfit as well.
153	** The [[VideoGame/GoldenSun previous games]] have two mythological-based summons that carries this image [[SadlyMythtaken (despite how inaccurate it is to the original)]], [[Myth/AztecMythology Coatlicue]] and [[Literature/TheOdyssey Ulysses]].
154	%%* Sayo-chan (a.k.a. [[DubNameChange Pocky)]] from the ''VideoGame/KikiKaiKai'' / ''Pocky & Rocky'' series of CuteEmUp games.
155	* Chizuru and Maki Kagura from ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters'' are Shinto priestesses and the heiresses of a very traditional heroic clan that helps keep {{Orochi}} sealed. Since Maki is a PosthumousCharacter, the one doing the main work is Chizuru; in fact, Kyo can drop by her temple in KOF:KYO and she'll show up in ''miko'' robes.
156	* Utsuki and Kureha from ''VideoGame/{{Kuon}}'', kinda. They are the daughters of the shrine, wear red and white robes, and know how to use UsefulNotes/{{Onmyodo}}, but they are not referred to as Miko.
157	* ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'':
158	** In Japan, the six Maidens in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaFourSwordsAdventures'' are called Mikos (Zelda is considered the seventh, but she's a princess). They're responsible for keeping the power of the Four Sword Sanctuary under control. Once freed from their captors and reunited, they help Link locate Princess Zelda (who is still captive) and then confront the FinalBoss.
159	** Paya fills a similar role to a Miko in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild''. She is the granddaughter of Impa, the religious and political leader of the Sheikah, and spends each day cleaning the hybrid temple/town hall building and tending to the prayer statues outside. She also sports FacialMarkings in the shape of the Sheikah tribe's ThirdEye emblem to honor her ancestry, and while she doesn't wear the traditional outfit, she does have the white-with-red-trimmings wardrobe all the Sheikah wear that faintly evokes it.
160	* Not a character, but ''VideoGame/ManaKhemiaAlchemistsOfAlRevis'' has a costume clearly based on the miko. Amazingly, the recipe to making this costume is in the hands of the resident CuteGhostGirl.
161	* In ''VideoGame/MegaManXDive'', [[Videogame/MegaManX4 Iris]] gains a New Year variant dressed up in a shrine maiden kimono.
162	* ''VideoGame/{{Mousehunt}}'' has the Sacred Shrine Mouse, a mouse with a shrine maiden outfit, talismans and gohei.
163	* Torahime from ''VideoGame/MuramasaTheDemonBlade'' WAS a Miko in charge of protecting Muramasa. But she is [[DeathByOriginStory killed before the start of he story]] and [[BackFromTheDead comes back]] as a [[LadyOfWar horse-riding lady samurai]] [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge to avenge her family]].
164	* ''VideoGame/NinjaGaiden'' has a couple of miko: Kureha, who tends the shrine that houses the [[SwordOfPlotAdvancement Ninja Dragon Sword]], and Momiji, her sister. Kureha is little more than a DisposableWoman who is barely in the game for two minutes, existing solely so that Ryu can start his RoaringRampageOfRevenge, but Momiji is a LadyOfWar through and through, using inherited ninjutsu skills to fight rival clans.
165	* ''VideoGame/{{Okamiden}}'' gives us Miko Cho, whose name should indicate that she is a Miko. [[spoiler:Kagu]] also becomes one, in order to fight off King Fury.
166	* ''VideoGame/{{Overwatch}}'' has the playable hero Kiriko Kamori, who's a thematic mixture of a miko, a ''[[GratuitousNinja ninja]]'', and [[AsianFoxSpirit a magic kitsune spirit]]. Her costume is a stylized, more futuristic and streetwear-like interpretation of the usual "white kimono jacket/red long skirt" outfit, and for gameplay, she wields technologically-tinged variants of Shinto charms like {{Paper Talisman}}s and Suzu bells, along with [[AssistCharacter the aforementioned magic kitsune]] which leaves behind holographic torii gates in its wake. While she isn't seen working at a shrine, she nonetheless carries a spiritual edge in being tied to her family's line of work, and is also connected to a {{Youkai}}-themed gang of vigilantes who [[GangOfHats adorn themselves in similar mixes of ancient and futuristic Japanese aesthetics]].
167	* ''VideoGame/PhantomBreaker'''s Waka Kumon. She is armed with a "Fu-mantion Artifact" (a type of powerful spiritual weapon, in her case, a naginata) and is part of a long line of demon hunters who have been charged with taking down an entity named "Phantom."
168	* ''VideoGame/SacredEarthAlternative'': Konoe has a shrine maiden aesthetic and fights using a Gohei. In the main menu, her class is listed as Priestess. According to the Storyteller, Konoe [[spoiler:,or rather, the original Konoe,]] served as a priestess who communicated with a god.
169	* In ''VideoGame/SakuraWars2019'', Hatsuho Shinonome is not only a member of the Imperial Combat Revue, but she's also the resident shrine maiden of the Shinonome Shrine in Tokyo. In addition, her regular attire consists of a red hakama and a white haori, but it doesn't cover up her cleavage.
170	* Mizuki Rashojin from the second ''VideoGame/SamuraiShodown'' is a rare [[SinisterMinister villainous]] Miko, who uses her ''gohei'' as a [[AbsurdlySharpBlade sharp]] weapon and has a demonic CanineCompanion to assist in the fight. [[spoiler:However if she's beaten by Kyoshiro, it turns out that rather than killing her, Kyoshiro exorcised her from her host Bizuki, a genuinely kind miko who fell victim to DemonicPossession that took place when a purification ritual she performed didn't go as planned.]]
171	* A miko with mystical powers named Eri was supposed to be added to the Maiden Shrine area of ''VideoGame/TheSecretWorld'', but the devs never got around to it. The in-game lore characters still talk about her though, and she's mentioned as living in the shrine, performing rituals of purification and divination and kagura dances.
172	* Koyori, the SeriesMascot of ''VideoGame/SengokuAce'' is a miko that uses the typical attire... with some liberties, as using a NavelDeepNeckline to [[BuxomBeautyStandard stand out her "atributes"]] and [[GogglesDoNothing aviator goggles over her hair]]. Apart of that, she attacks with seals and even has a {{Mon}} she summons in at least one of the games.
173	%%* The Reimu Look-a-likes in ''[[VideoGame/{{Something}} Something Else]]''. Their village is under attack by mischievous ghosts, and their leader went missing.
174	* ''VideoGame/SpiritualAssassinTaromaru'' have ''hostile'' miko enemies in the temple levels, where they're dressed in classic red-and-white miko robes and carries a ''gohei'' that they use to launch energy blasts on you.
175	* The title of "[[TheChosenOne Chosen]] of {{Mana}}" in ''VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia'' is "Miko" in the original Japanese. The position has religious connotations, although it's more of a CrystalDragonJesus religion than anything to do with Shinto.
176	* ''Franchise/TouhouProject'':
177	** Reimu Hakurei and Sanae Kochiya, both of whom wear [[CostumeExaggeration somewhat non-traditional, heavily customized]] miko outfits[[note]]Reimu's was more traditional-looking in the Platform/PC98 era, and gradually acquired various frills and other modifications between the early PC games[[/note]]; while Reimu's outfit at least keeps the traditional red and white color scheme, Sanae wears ''blue'' and white. Fanon tends to pit them against each other, as they both need people to visit their shrines [[PerpetualPoverty (Reimu needs offerings,]] [[GodsNeedPrayerBadly Sanae needs faith).]] Not to be confused with the final boss of ''VideoGame/TouhouShinreibyouTenDesires'', whose ''name'' is Miko (the kanji for that name translating to either "saint" or "divine child") but isn't actually a miko herself.
178	** The [[{{Fanon}} fanmade-but-generally-accepted-as-real]] character known only as Sendai Hakurei no Miko ("The previous generation's Hakurei shrine maiden") is a miko wearing the same style of clothes as Reimu and often portrayed as Reimu's mother, but is [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5trgSvUAGM a physical powerhouse]] on par with [[{{Oni}} Yuugi]].
179	* ''VideoGame/ToukenRanbu'': Ishikirimaru and Tarōtachi, with the latter's internal affairs outfit, which consists of hakama and a ''gohei'', evoking this trope.
180	* Nanami from ''VideoGame/ValkyrieProfile''. Hey, if vampires are running around in Norse mythology, why not mikos? Nanami takes a ''really'' wrong turn in the afterlife and ends up in Valhalla.
181	[[/folder]]
182
183	[[folder:Visual Novels]]
184	* Rika Furude in ''VisualNovel/HigurashiWhenTheyCry'' is a shrine maiden for a slightly peculiar branch of Shinto that includes [[spoiler:simulated disembowelment and cannibalism]] in its ceremonies. For those who believe in Shinto, which places a great deal of emphasis on purity and not touching dead things, this is beyond blasphemy.
185	* ''VisualNovel/{{NekoMiko}}'': Ayame and Kaede are CatGirl Miko priestesses who reside at Nekofuku shrine. When they fail to purge the PlayerCharacter of his bad luck, they decide to move in with him until it's been completely expunged from him.
186	* ''Genderflipped'' in ''[[VisualNovel/ShallWeDateNinjaShadow Shall We date?: Ninja Shadow]]'', where the Shinto SexyPriest Asagi is one of the {{bifauxnen}} PlayerCharacter's companions and prospect {{love interest}}s.
187	* Luka Urushibara of ''VisualNovel/SteinsGate'' works at her family's shrine and dresses in the traditional manner. [[spoiler:She is UsefulNotes/{{transgender}} and when she's able to use time travel to cross into a world line where she is a cis woman; though later the consequences of the timeline alterations require them to be undone.]]
188	* Itsuki in ''VisualNovel/{{Suika}}'', though eventually she realizes that there's no way she could be since she doesn't do the rituals and doesn't remember becoming one. [[spoiler:She has been DeadAllAlong.]]
189	%%* ''VisualNovel/YuminaTheEthereal'' has the sisters Youko and Tsukuyo Sakaue, with one that is a {{Seer\|s}}.
190	[[/folder]]
191
192	[[folder:Web Animation]]
193	* Sakura Miko from ''WebAnimation/{{Hololive}}''. Her original description is that she was a friendly, if lazy, shrine maiden who was sent by the Virtual Gods to our world to become an idol, and through that would learn about the popular culture to enrich the realm she came from. Overtime though, she would faze out of that and became a {{Womanchild}}.
194	* ''WebAnimation/MangaRoom'': [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3l-lXsLMp8&t=0s Hana]] works as a shrine maiden despite being a [[JapaneseDelinquents delinquent]].
195	* ''WebAnimation/MysterySkullsAnimated'': Vivi's paternal grandmother is a small old woman who wears blue hakama with a white haori and carries a shakujo.
196	* It turns out Vet-san from ''WebAnimation/NekoSugarGirls'' is also a shrine maiden. She does a TransformationSequence to change from being a HospitalHottie to being a miko.
197	[[/folder]]
198
199	[[folder:Webcomics]]
200	* Masako in ''Webcomic/BeneathTheClouds'', is an assistant to a Buddhist priest who performs exorcisms. She dresses like a miko, as it's similar to Heian period casual clothing.
201	[[/folder]]
202
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Context Main / Miko