Punishment: Who is Momo Ayase?

Key takeaways

• Momo Ayase's upbringing shapes her no-nonsense personality and intolerance for bullying, leading to life-changing adventures.
• After meeting Okarun, Momo develops psychic powers, deepens her relationship with her grandmother, and explores romance.
• Momo's courage, wisdom and heroism in supernatural conflicts make him an inspiring and memorable character.

A masterpiece by Yukinobu Tatsu, punishmentIntroduces readers to a rich and imaginative world of aliens and spirits that beautifully blends horror, romance, comedy, and science-fiction elements. While at its heart, the story explores cryptid myths and alien conspiracy theories, it also captures the development of its quirky characters, adding humor, personal adversity, triumphs, and intrigue to a chaotic tale. Among these characters, the eccentric heroine Momo Ayase emerges as a decisive figure whose actions and decisions profoundly affect the story.

Not only does Momo display confidence and courage in the face of difficult situations, showing unwavering loyalty to the greater good, but her dynamic personality adds more drama, hilarity and spice to the series. But what makes him stand out from the many quirky characters in manga? In this article, we explore Momo Ayase's childhood, her relationship with her grandmother, and the dramatic impact Okarun had on her life.

Momo's childhood and relationship with her grandmother

Seiko Ayase shaped Momo into a strong young woman

Although it is not clear what happened to her parents, Momo Ayase began living with her grandmother Seiko at an early age at the Ayase residence in Kamigo City. Being a spirit medium, Seiko taught her granddaughter daily rituals, presumably to ward off evil spirits. At the same time, Momo developed a crush on his childhood friend Jin Anjoji. Although she was reluctant, Seiko still pushed her to perform the rituals in public, which eventually led to abuse by her peers. Momo reached a breaking point when Jin also joined the bullies and made fun of her.

Heartbroken and humiliated, Momo falls out with Seiko, and she even begins to doubt her grandmother's credentials as a spirit medium. While the disagreement was fueled by the ridicule she faced at the hands of her peers, deep down, Momo cared deeply for her grandmother. Eventually, she realized that she was more worried about people belittling Seiko's daily ritual than her own bullying. An enlightening revelation then helps her repair her relationship with her grandmother as she realizes how much Seiko means to her.

As Momo grows up, her relationship with Seiko develops. While she secretly respects her grandmother, Momo's daily conversations with Seiko are filled with friendly banter, mockery, and insults that add warmth and humor to their unique bond. After Momo enrolls in high school, she has grown into a strong, high-minded and kind teenager who has no patience for bullies and troublemakers. It is Seiko's gentle guidance and freedom-loving nature that allows Momo to grow and shape her into the resilient young woman she will become. Interestingly, her hatred of bullying and lack of respect for bullies eventually leads to someone who changes her life forever.

Momo's life after meeting Okarun

Meeting Ken Takakura and developing feelings for him lead to Momo's maturation

As mentioned above, Seiko's upbringing was instrumental in shaping Momo's no-nonsense personality and intolerance for bullying. It is this hatred for troublemakers that changed his life. One day, when she sees a boy her age being picked on by her classmates, Momo doesn't hesitate to step in and make sure he's safe. Her act of kindness introduced her to Ken Takakura, an occult fanatic who believed in alien conspiracy theories. Momo soon learns that Okarun does not believe in spirits, and she realizes that her foreign beliefs mean nothing.

Momo and Ken's conflicting worldviews eventually lead to a bet that sends the pair on a life-changing adventure that challenges their belief systems. After both realize that aliens and spirits are real, they find themselves drawn to each other as they explore the supernatural. Their friendship and companionship is rooted in Momo's bravado and intolerant attitude towards abuse, shaped by her childhood experiences. In another incident, Momo goes out of her way to use her power and drop the basin on another person who tries to manipulate Okarun for narcissistic reasons. These events also highlight her strong sense of justice and demonstrate that Momo is very considerate of the people around her, even though she doesn't know them.

After meeting Okarun, Momo awakens her dormant psychic powers when faced with a crisis. She quickly realized that her grandmother's shameful rituals were not without purpose, and that they provided her protection from supernatural forces. This, in turn, strengthens her bond with Seiko as she realizes how long her grandmother has been protecting her from supernatural threats without her knowledge. It is also hinted that crossing paths with Okarun not only expands Momo's supernatural worldview and helps her grow closer to Seiko, but she also begins to develop romantic feelings she has never experienced before.

Ken gradually becomes an indispensable part of her life, and in any crisis, the first person she thinks of. Momo's romantic feelings deepen as Okarun begins to receive more attention from his friends, especially girls. In several instances, she also has emotional outbursts, which reveal her possessive attitude towards Kane. However, Momo is, in general, an expressive high schooler who does not hesitate to express her thoughts and feelings. She wears her heart on her sleeve and shows her emotions openly, which adds more layers to her charming personality. Besides being outgoing, expressive and kind, Momo can sometimes be short-tempered and easily irritated.

Despite being a typical teenager, Momo still shows incredible courage in the face of adversity. Ever since she crosses paths with Okarun, she finds herself unexpectedly drawn into supernatural conflicts. While some of these inconveniences are mundane, others may be inter-cosmic conflicts, putting the Earth in an existential crisis. Fighting militaristic and colonialist alien races comes at a high cost, and putting your life on the line is always in the cards. But even in such dire situations, Momo regularly displays wisdom beyond her years and willingly fights for the greater good. Her bravery and courage at such a young age makes her an inspirational character who leaves a lasting impression.