Machikado Mazoku Chapter 88 Discussion

I was expecting there to be word play with Anri's name like there was with Shion. I couldn't figure out why Ito-sensei named her Satanri or Satan Ri. But as soon as it was revealed that her family name was changed from Satan to Sata it sunk in. Anri is likely a play on the "Satan" of Zoroastrianism, Angra Mainyu or Ahriman. Her name is essentially Satan Ahri.

I have a very funny feeling that Anri is in the exact same situation that Shamiko is in and that it was Sakura and Joshua who sealed her family's power. The fire she mentioned was likely from the same battle that saw the Hinatsuki warehouse destroyed, Sakura reduced to a core and Joshua sealed. Anri befriending Shamiko before she awakened was probably not a coincidence. She intentionally got close to her in order to draw her blood and lift her own seal. She was waiting for Shamiko to get strong enough to do it. That "recipe" isn't a recipe it's a ruse to obtain her blood. Shamiko might end up conceptualizing the very weapon that Anri intends to use to fulfill her goal.

Edit: Actually, Shamiko's blood might not be enough as she's a demon and only has a mahou shoujo's core. Shion insisting to keep Momo and Mikan out of it makes more sense now.

@Quintessence It is speculated that Angra Mainyu and Ahura Mazda were the inspiration for the idea of dualism of good and evil in Judaism (and possibly even monoteistic nature of Judaism after the Persian period), and "satan", previously being a general term meaning "adversary" in the Hebrew Bible (like Philistines calling David "satan"), began being used as a descriptor for something resembling a Zoroastrian Deva, evil spirit. One direct borrow would be Asmodeus, a "Satan" whose name originates from Aeshma Deva, the demon of wrath in Zoroastrianism.

Maybe I'm overthinking this, but it would be very impressive if Ito-sensei deliberately combined aspects of Persian and Israelite religion in Anri's name knowing they were in contact and exchanging ideas after Cyrus's conquest of Babylon.