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Emma, the optimistic orange-haired girl, is one of the main characters of the hit series The Promised Neverland. The series was created by Kaiu Shirai and Posuka Demizu. As the manga ends, now is a great time to learn more Emma. She is one of the bravest and smartest kids from Grace Field House.
Consider yourself warned – this article contains spoiler from the recently-concluded manga. We will provide specific details not yet in the anime to get your Promised Neverland geek in tip-top shape.
1. She Was Designed to Be A Leader
There is a trio of kids – Emma, Ray, and Norman – leading the escape from the Grace Field House. However, it is without a doubt that Emma is the main protagonist of the series. She is basically the Eren to Ray and Norman’s Mikasa and Armin. But what most people might not know is that Emma was actually created and designed to be the leader, unlike Eren, burn intended. Sorry not sorry.
Here are some of the points:
- Emma’s official birthday is set on August 22, making her Zodiac sign Leo. People born under this sign are said to be natural-born leaders. They are creative, confident, and hard to dissuade once they’re set on their goals. A real-world Leo is US President Barrack Obama. The first Black American president surpassed a lot of challenges and was able to bring his people together during his term, enacting life-changing progress for a lot of his constituents.
- She is the only girl in the trio because, according to author Kaiu Shirai, the first series antagonist (Isabella) is also a female. They matched their genders to see a mother-daughter relationship drive the story.
- As Isabella is the “mother” at the Grace Field House, Emma also grows into a motherly role to the Grace Field House orphans. She serves as the balance between Ray and Norman, insists that all kids be included in the escape. SPOILER ALERT: She sacrifices herself for the good of everyone near the end of the series.
- Her traits – green eyes and orange hair – also support this. Green eyes are often associated with great leaders, passionate and creative in their approach. Also, orange hair has been common in main characters in anime – Nami (One Piece), Ichigo (Bleach), Hinata (Haikyuu), and more.
2. The Secret Behind The Name “Emma”
Emma, as a name, traces its origin from the Germanic word “ermen”. It means “whole” or “universal”. Whether Kaiu Shirai was aware of it, we can’t say for sure. But it fits since the character of the same name is the balanced, well-rounded character of the series.
However, in the context of The Promised Neverland, the secret behind the name “Emma” was explained. This was revealed only through a pair of exclusive manga pages. It was only accessible to players who achieved the high scores in a mini-game found in The Promised Neverland website. In the secret panels, Isabella named her Emma because Mama thinks that the name is cute, likable, cool, and simple.
3. Does Emma Die in The Promised Neverland
No. She survives until the end. Instead, the Demon God “took her family from her world” (See manga panel below). All her past memories and future connections were taken from her, saying that she’ll never see her family again.
The royal hierarchy has fallen, Queen Legravalima is dead, and the Five Head Regents has ended. A lot has changed. Mujika became the new queen of the demon world. The escaped orphans return to Grace Field to save the rest of the kids and leave the demon world altogether.
When everyone crosses to the Human World, they realize that Emma was not with them. Norman, Ray, and the rest of the Grace Field orphans set out to find her. It was explained that the condition for their safe arrival to the human world was Emma’s family. However, since the wish was that they cross to the human world safely, the Demon God can’t kill them.
After staying in the home of a local hunter for a month, she started regaining faint memories through her dreams. Her savior, an old man who survived the war that ravaged the human world, took her to a village filled with people. It was here that the Grace Field orphans found her confused and without the number on her neck. It ends in a tear-jerking reunion.
4. Who is the Smartest in The Promised Neverland?
One of the most common questions among fans is how to rank the smartest and the most athletic. In terms of intelligence, Norman definitely tops the trio. He never got a score of less than 300, the perfect score in the Grace Field tests. Even in his delirious state after suffering from heatstroke, he was able to quickly solve a complex mathematical problem posed by Isabella. Lastly, that he caught Ray as Isabella’s spy clearly shows him as the more intelligent one.
He is followed by Ray, who definitely knows a lot about the world and history and a lot of general information. Aside from the trapping incident, Ray has also achieved a full score in all tests aside from the ave.2, earning a score of 292 out of 300. In the same exam, Emma only got 265.
On the other hand, Emma is definitely the most athletic among them. It was established in the very first episode, playing tag with others. What she might lack in critical thinking abilities, she more than makes up with her energy and speed. Later on in the series, she also demonstrates her endurance after fighting despite getting wounds from Leuvis (Ch93).
5. Does Emma End Up With Norman or Ray?
The answer is none. Strictly speaking, there was no concrete ship that sailed in The Promised Neverland. Emma has always been a mother figure, rising over challenges to save first the children in their orphanage and later, all the kids in other “farms.” She has always sought to devote herself to something bigger.
Shipping is a part of almost any fandom – looking for the faintest clues and extending their suspension of disbelief – and The Promised Neverland is not an exception. First of all, when the series opens in the year 2045, the three top orphans of the Grace Field House were all 11 years old.
By the time all most of the orphans safely cross into the human world, it was sometime in November 2047. Emma, Ray, and Norman are 12-13 years old. By the end of the series, she was reunited with both of them, as well as the other Grace Field orphans.
As a fun fact, the Neverland’s spinoff novel, “A Letter from Norman,” reveals how Norman actually felt towards Emma. He mentions that he has always loved Emma since they were toddlers. Furthermore, when Emma asked him what he wanted to become in the future, he just wanted to be with Emma.
But in terms of their voice actresses, Emma seems to have already made her choice.
6. Emma’s Japanese and English Voice Actresses
Throughout the 12-episode anime adaptation of the hit manga by Kaiu Shirai and Posuka Demizu, Emma was voiced by actress, singer, and seiyuu (voice actor) Sumire Morohoshi. She has provided the voice for a number of characters including the following:
- Kyouka Izumi from Bungou Stray Dogs
- Shia Gold from Isekai Shokudou
- Hitoka Yachi from Haikyuu
- Shion Watanabe from Inuyashiki
- Rena Sayama from Ultraman
Additionally, during an interview with Sumire-san (Emma) on The Promised Neverland show, she admits to be head over heels over Norman – the character himself. She even shares the moment where Norman tells Emma that they should run away together. For more details, check the radio interview for yourself in the video below:
Meanwhile, her English voice is provided by VA Erica Mendez who has portrayed Diane from The Seven Deadly Sins, Ryuko Matoi from Kill La Kill, and Nico Yazawa from Love Live!
7. Changes to The Promised Neverland Live-Action Movie
In the upcoming The Promised Neverland live-action adaptation, directed by acclaimed director in the genre Yuichiro Hirakawa (ERASED, Rookie), Emma will be portrayed by Minami Hamabe, a 20-year-old actress famous for bringing other popular anime characters to life. She played Yumeko Jabami from Kakegurui, the titular character from Saki, Sakura Yamauchi from Let Me Eat Your Pancreas, and more.
In the live-action adaptation, the 20-year-old Minami will play the 15-year-old Emma. Yes, she will be aged by four years more in the series. Interestingly enough, their order from the oldest is as follows: Ray, Norman, and Emma. In the live action, they will be played by actors in reverse order of age: Emma (played by Minami Hamabe, 20), Norman (Rihito Itagaki, 18), and Ray (Jyo Kairi, 13).
In terms of appearance, Emma will appear Japanese, although Shirai noted that the story was originally western in setting, and features western-looking characters. In our opinion, this has never been a problem in Japanese live-action adaptations. Furthermore, Emma’s signature antenna, the orange crescent lock of hair on her head, is not available in the upcoming movie.
8. What Emma Taught Us
From the start of the series, Emma said that her dream is to one day ride a giraffe. It illustrates her innocence, before knowing what the Grace Field House was actually like. Since knowing the truth, she has been solely focused on getting out of the orphanage – and taking everyone with her. Driven by the need to survive and keep everyone else safe, Emma has evolved into a mother figure for everyone.
Her dedication to her purpose has led her to do things people can’t expect from an 11-year-old. During the first escape from Grace Field, Emma deliberately cut off her ear to avoid being tracked. She also later learned to use weapons, such as a bow and later, a rifle. With these weapons, she was able to defend herself and even kill demons.
Lastly, she forged a new Promise with the Demon God to ensure the safety of everyone else. In exchange, she offered her memories and connections as the price. She promised the kids that everything will be alright. Despite Ray and Norman’s doubts, Emma was able to convince everyone that they will be together in the human world. After all the challenges they faced, Emma remained a child inside. She is, after all, an innocent being with an honest wish to be with her family.
The above panel is the perfect ending, showing Emma as being sincere and pure down to the very essence of her being. Even without her memory, everything that makes up this orange-haired girl earnestly wants to be with her family. A spine-chilling, tear-jerking farewell to the readers who have witnessed human farms and child-sized demon slayers.
Conclusion
And… there you have it! Everything you need to know about Emma from The Promised Neverland. Do you agree with her leadership skills? Her athleticism? Her spunk? Is Emma the new candidate in the best girl category? Tell us what you think, and what you want to know, in the comments below:
