Mejiro Mcqueen

Overview

Mejiro McQueen is a prominent character in the Umamusume: Pretty Derby franchise, inspired by the real-life thoroughbred racehorse of the same name. As a highborn lady hailing from the prestigious Mejiro family, she takes immense pride in her lineage and dedicates herself to achieving her clan's long-standing ambition of winning the Tenno Sho. Renowned as an unmatched long-distance runner, her refined composure and elegance draw wide admiration. She serves as a co-protagonist alongside Tokai Teio in the second season of the anime and stands as a key figure leading the team in the mobile game's main story.

Appearance

Mejiro McQueen is distinguished by long, purple-tinted grey hair, black tips on her horse ears, and a simple green ribbon tied to her right ear. She has bright, pale purple eyes. Her signature racing dress, titled Elegance Line, is a pitch-black coat dress accented with frills, whereas her alternate winning outfit, End of the Skies, features a clean white design. Her casual wardrobe consists of a floral knee-length dress paired with a blouse accented by a purple ribbon tie, black tights, and bluish-grey pumps.

Personality

McQueen maintains a polite and ladylike demeanor that earns her widespread respect, coupled with a strong sense of duty toward her noble family lineage. Despite her prim exterior, she struggles with a major sweet tooth and an inclination to gain weight easily, forcing her to undergo strict secret diets. Influenced by Mejiro Ryan, she is also a passionate closet fan of baseball who occasionally blurts out cheering lines in her sleep. Although fundamentally earnest, she adapts well to absurd situations and frequently plays the straight-man role opposite her eccentric companions.

Abilities

McQueen is an elite long-distance stayer built for stamina-heavy endurance races. She possesses remarkable race pacing and strategic instincts, often biding her time in the middle of the field before executing a powerful, sustained sprint starting around the final turn. Her running strength remains formidable even on rain-soaked, heavy, or muddy turf, empowering her to secure major titles including the Kikuka Sho, consecutive Tenno Sho Spring victories, and the Takarazuka Kinen.

Background

Born into the distinguished Mejiro clan, McQueen entered Tracen Academy bearing the inherited duty of winning the Tenno Sho to continue her family's multi-generational legacy. After overcoming early struggles with weight control and leg inflammation, she proved her prowess by capturing the Kikuka Sho. She achieved her lifelong dream by winning the Tenno Sho Spring and becoming the first runner in history to claim back-to-back victories in that event. Despite enduring intense rivalries and injury setbacks, she remained a dominant force until suspensory desmitis forced her sudden retirement shortly before the Tenno Sho Autumn.

Relationships

Tokai Teio is McQueen's primary rival and close friend, with both constantly pushing one another toward grander heights. She shares a unique bond with Gold Ship, frequently serving as the sensible foil to her teammate's chaotic antics. Within her family, she is deeply connected to fellow Mejiro members such as Mejiro Ryan, Mejiro Dober, and Mejiro Palmer. She also engages in fierce long-distance showdowns with Rice Shower and shares a room at the Rittou Dormitory with Ikuno Dictus.

Trivia

The name prefix Mejiro originates from the Mejiro district in Toshima, Tokyo, while McQueen pays tribute to Hollywood actor Steve McQueen. In real life, the racehorse Mejiro McQueen became the first in Japanese racing history to pass one billion yen in career earnings. Beyond his own racing career, his genetic pairing as a broodmare sire with Stay Gold—famously dubbed the Sutema cross—produced legendary champions like Orfevre and Gold Ship, preserving one of Japan's most celebrated domestic sire lines.