Oshi No Ko: Who Is Maria From the Lyrics? Explained!

Oshi no ko is a seinen manga written by Aka Akasaka and drawn by Mengo Yokoyari. It has been published since April 23, 2020. An anime adaptation produced by the Doga Kobo studio premiered on April 12, 2023, with the first season ending on June 28, 2023. A second season has, of course, been announced, which makes sense, since the series was a major hit. But, in this article, we will not focus exclusively on the plot of Oshi no Ko but rather on the lyrics of the opening song, “Idol.” Since the anime is about singing and the world of Idols, it makes sense that we talk about the songs as well, as you will find out who the mysterious Maria from the lyrics is.

By all means, Maria, from the full text of the song “Idol,” refers to the Holy Virgin Mary, also called Maria in Japanese. The reference symbolizes the lies that Ai Hoshino had to maintain because she was an Idol and the issues that arose from these lies about her private life and desires.

As you might presume, the rest of this article will be focused on the lyrics of the “Idol,” the opening song of the Oshi no Ko anime’s first season. And while the TV size version was less confusing, the full version contains an interesting reference, and that is why we have decided to explore it here and analyze it here for you. We will give you the complete song transcript and tell you its meaning and symbolic value for the plot of Oshi no Ko. We must warn you that this article could contain minor spoilers.

Maria is very likely the Virgin Mary

As usual, we will first bring you the lyrics of the song in question before we actually analyze it, as otherwise – it wouldn’t make much sense to tell you about a song you cannot see yourself.

We have bolded the verse in which the mysterious Maria is mentioned, and as fans will know, this one was not present in the TV size version of the song but only in the full version. Still, considering Oshi no Ko’s popularity, we can confirm that analyzing this piece of text is quite important and that the enigmatic woman has caused a lot of confusion online. So, who is Maria?

While she is known in the West as Mary, Maria is by all means the Holy Virgin Mary present in Western Christianity. Fans have speculated this, but the lyrics themselves support this, as does the symbolism of the verse. Namely, in Japanese, the Virgin Mary is called 聖母マリア (せいぼマリア), with マリア being the katakana for Maria. And while we know that Japanese people always write foreign names in katakana, this would be too big of a coincidence based on everything we know, so we’re not considering it.

Why? Well, there is a symbolism to the Virgin Mary reference in the series, which is focused on the lies and the false glitter of the Idol world. In the series, Ai Hoshino, the female protagonist, is perceived as a saint, a deity even – always smiling, always perfect, untouched, clean, and almost completely holy.

Idols are forbidden from having children, and their private lives are both a big secret and quite restricted by the companies that endorse them. In that aspect, the public perception of Ai was a lot like the theological perception of the Virgin Mary.

And from that perspective, it really did seem like Ai Hoshino gave immaculate birth to Ruby and Aqua, remaining pure despite giving birth. This was a painful reference to the lies that the world of Idols forced upon the Idols themselves, as they were forced to look like saints while they were just regular humans. Immaculate birth was a lie, and Ai Hosino lived a lie. She was a lie. Just like the Virgin Mary, she was turned into a saint while only being a human.