A girl with a strong sense of justice and a classical music fan, Sayaka is the childhood and best friend of one of the series' protagonists, Madoka Kaname.

Sayaka has appeared in several Puella Magi Madoka Magica media, including manga, a novel adaptation of the series, and video games.

Sayaka Miki is generally positively received by critics, who praised her tragic arc as well as her similarities and relationship with Kyoko Sakura.

Urobuchi said that the final episode is not about Sayaka is destined to die but about her giving her own life to help Kyōsuke play the music again so she could listen to him, and felt that the viewers misunderstood her wish.

[12] In order to express these traits, Aoki designed the length of her hair and skirt asymmetrically to contrast her femininity and masculinity on both sides of her body.

[10] Aoki originally added a simple yellow hairpin to the character, but it was left out in the series due to various animation issues.

[13] For the 2013 sequel film Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie: Rebellion, Urobuchi said that he developed Sayaka's role as someone that knows "more [things] than Homura does for once".

[22] As a fan of the magical girl genre, Williams was surprised when she first watched Madoka Magica, recalling that the series is "not going to be a normal ride" and "it's probably going to hurt".

[27] After Mami's death, Sayaka makes a contract with Kyubey and becomes a magical girl by using her wish to heal the wounded hand of Kyōsuke Kamijo, a young violinist that she is infatuated with and visits daily in the hospital.

[28] She tries to assume Mami's role and believes that every magical girl should use their power to help people, and dislikes Homura Akemi and Kyoko Sakura due to their different views.

[29] Sayaka insists that her wish is selfless and feels that fighting witches to save people is a bonus, even after witnessing Mami's death.

In January 2018, Aniplex made a debut character commercial for Sayaka for the smartphone game Magia Record due to her late introduction.

[36] Sayaka appears in Chapter 6 of the main story and joins Madoka and Homura to search for Mami in Kamihama city.

They fail and are trapped in a barrier created by Alina Gray before being rescued by Kyoko, who tells them that a very powerful witch called Walpurgisnacht is coming to Kamihama city before leaving.

[40][41] Sayaka, Madoka, and Homura go to Kamihama city, where they meet Mami (who had been released from her mind control) and their friends to stop the Magius and defeat Walpurgisnacht.

[45] In Puella Magi Madoka Magica: The Different Story, Sayaka has a similar personality to the original series, but displays more perfectionist tendencies.

[47] She is a recurring character in Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Wraith Arc, which takes place between the films Eternal and Rebellion.

[48] Sayaka also appears in a novel adaptation of the original series written by Hajime Ninomae, illustrated by Yūpon and published by Nitroplus, with script composition by Gen Urobuchi.

Seeing her break down emotionally as a result of having her soul torn from its host really brings home the impact of the situation – it wouldn't be anywhere near as powerful a story without having all those pieces fall into place exactly as they do, and it's a real testament to the quality of this show's writing.

[70] Michael Pementel of Bloody Disgusting also commended the character's struggle as she "begins to realize everything she’s lost out on" and "questions her actions and accepts that all she has done was a mistake", while also praising her "descent into depression".

The bubbly tomboy in love who was forced to question whether there is really such a thing as a selfless act, and discovers that kindness can lead to greater tragedy.

"[74] Dan Barnett of UK Anime Network enjoyed Sayaka's interaction with Kyoko in Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie: Rebellion due to their relatively more carefree relationship, calling it "one of the truly joyous moments in the film".

Japanese psychologist Takashi Tomita observed that Sayaka has the determination and clumsiness to stick to one thing when she thinks about getting it, and when she gets stuck, she easily becomes stressed.

[8] Sara Cleto and Erin Kathleen Bahl note the elements that Oktavia (Sayaka's witch form) uses "to construct her labyrinth are drawn from her memories as well as from fairy-tale tropes, and she remixes these pieces to create multiple versions of her own memory-narrative".

Blue posits that the main characters of the series suffers from different types of depressive disorders, with Sayaka's entire arc about "a story of loss and mounting despair culminating in suicide".

He describes how Sayaka sees the conflict between magical girls and witches as a fight between good and evil, and eagerly decides to join the former.

[82] Blue also says that the thing that most hurts Sayaka is the moment where she regrets saving her friend Hitomi from a witch, and uses it to rationalize her "becom[ing] subhuman".

[97] Charles Pulliam-Moore from Gizmodo Australia included Sayaka in the list of "9 Magical Girl Transformation Sequences To Inspire You To Get Dressed", with Pulliam-Moore appreciating Sayaka's transformation scene for highlighting aspects of her character as well as commenting on her "bullish nature" which "is a big part of what makes her such a powerful witch".

[101][102][103] Along with the main cast of the series, Sayaka appeared on the sides of taxis in Sapporo and was sold in vending machines as a doll.

[106] To promote Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie: Rebellion, a rubber strap, bandana (drawn by Ume Aoki), and pouch based on the character were created.