This section may contain major spoilers for Rebellion! Please refrain from reading if you are not yet familiar with it.
Charlotte (CHARLOTTE) is a witch appearing in episode 3 of the anime.
Charlotte reappears in The Rebellion Story, though she has a slightly different appearance. The other characters call her "Bebe", and she helps the magical girls in their fight against the Nightmares. She is able to switch from witch form to her original magical girl form: Nagisa Momoe, due to being a part of the Law of Cycles.
The witch of sweets. Her nature is tenacity. She desires everything. She will never give up. Though she is capable of creating infinite amounts of any dessert she desires, she is unable to make the cheese that she loves most. One could easily catch her off-guard with a piece of cheese.
Witches Artwork: The witch of sweets. Once dreamt of tenacity. A mysterious creature who suddenly appeared in Mami's home. Was christened "Bebe," but it is actually the witch of sweets who arrived from the Law of Cycles. She was expressionless and silent when she was first encountered, but took on its current appearance out of the blue. A bit loud. Mami made its clothes by hand. Mami resembles someone who appeared in the final nightmare the witch saw.
The witch of sweets. Her nature is tenacity. She desires everything. She will never give up. Though she is capable of creating infinite amounts of any dessert she desires, she is unable to make the cheese that she loves most. One could easily catch her off-guard with a piece of cheese.
Dessert Witch. Nature: Persistence. A Witch that wants it all and never gives up until it gets it. Though it can create a limitless amount of sweets, it is unable to create its favorite thing of all - cheese. It's easy to get the better of this Witch if you bring some cheese along.
The witch of sweets. Her nature is tenacity. She desires everything. She will never give up. Though she is capable of creating infinite amounts of any dessert she desires, she is unable to make the cheese that she loves most. One could easily catch her off-guard with a piece of cheese.
Dessert Witch. Nature: Persistence. A Witch that wants it all and never gives up until it gets it. Though it can create a limitless amount of sweets, it is unable to create its favorite thing of all - cheese. It's easy to get the better of this Witch if you bring some cheese along.
Dessert Witch. Nature: Persistence. Ignoring the rules of trick-or-treating, this Witch relentlessly seeks and consumes as many sweets as it wants. However, it has never laid eyes on the treat it desires the most-likely mistaking cheese for candy. The party begins once it discovers a cheese-flavored snack, but ends the moment it realizes that it's not actual cheese.
Witches Artwork: The fleeing witch of sweets and her servants. Their roles are to search for cheese and to nurse the cheese. When saving Homura, the nurse-like servant helped with Mami's trapezes, while the rat-like servants generally ran circles around Nagisa's position.
The witch of sweets' minion. Its duty is to search for cheese. They mill about inside the Labyrinth while emitting mouse-like squeaks. Their faces are stamps, which they use to mark anything that isn't cheese. The sight of them performing bodyslams while bouncing around like rubber balls may seem completely ridiculous, but if you get hit by one of them head-on, you'll end up with more than a couple of broken bones.
Minions of the witch of sweets. Their role is to search for cheese. You shouldn't expect too much from them, though. They came to Kamihama in search of cheese, hailing from a place called Mitakihara. Their faces are actually stamps. They'll headbutt anything that moves, instantly determining whether or not it's cheese and marking it with either a "Cheese Approval Stamp" or a "Not-Cheese Stamp". Since they didn't have much luck finding cheese in their master's barrier, they expanded their search radius to outside the barrier. (They got kicked out, in a sense.) Even if they succeed in finding some cheese, though, it's a little doubtful as to whether they remember the route back home.The witch of sweets' minion. It's duty is to search for cheese. However, one shouldn't expect much from it.
Dessert Witch Minion. Role: Cheese Scout. These minions perform sprawling searches to find cheese for their Witch. They hunt in droves, but with their feeble, mouse-like intellects they are easily distracted from their purpose. Its face is actually a stamp. It will dash forth to stamp anything that moves, instantly judging its cheese content and branding it with a "cheese" or "not cheese" stamp. Its judgement, however, is unreliable at best and it frequently stamps things in error.
Dessert Witch Minion. Role: Cheese Scout. In hopes that it might get invited to the Witch's party, it dons the garb it prepared for the occasion and frantically continues searching for cheese. However, since it believe cheese to be a type of candy, it will never find it. It tries to increase the members of its search party thinking that will help with its efforts. But it hasn't realized the error of its ways, and as such, will never be invited.
Witches Artwork: The fleeing witch of sweets and her servants. Their roles are to search for cheese and to nurse the cheese. When saving Homura, the nurse-like servant helped with Mami's trapezes, while the rat-like servants generally ran circles around Nagisa's position.
Dessert Witch Minion. Role: Cheese Nurse. Its duties within the Labyrinth include stepping on, hanging up, and harassing patients, but due to constant smoke breaks it hardly gets anything done at all. A discourteous smoker, it does not carry a portable ashtray. But it at least has the decency to use the bodies of nearby patients instead.
Dessert Witch Minion. Role: Cheese Nurse. It works its hardest to keep cheese in the best condition, in case it gets invited to the Witch's party. But what it brings is always the fake stuff, making all of its effort pointless. It has realized this only recently, and now it wears the outfit it picked out for the party while sulking outside and smoking.
Charlotte first appears in Episode 3. Her Grief Seed appears outside the hospital Kyosuke Kamijo is staying in, Madoka notices it whilst leaving with Sayaka. Sayaka stays by the Grief Seed while Madoka goes to find Mami. Mami and Madoka venture into the labyrinth together to save Sayaka and defeat the witch. Polina are shown in the labyrinth but never fought, however Pyotr are. When Mami and Madoka reach the deepest part of the labyrinth, Mami appears to beat the witch Charlotte however the witch reveals she hasn't been defeated by revealing her second form and decapitating Mami. She then proceeds to eat her, killing her. Before the witch can get to the other girls, Homura arrives and kills the witch with her time manipulations skills and explosives.
The Rebellion Story
Charlotte reappears in The Rebellion Story though with a slightly new appearance and the name 'Bebe'. She lives with Mami and joins the girls in their battles. Homura soon realises something's wrong as she remembers Charlotte being their enemy. Bebe quickly reveals herself to Mami to be the magical girl Nagisa Momoe and while fighting Homulilly, explains how she and Sayaka are reborn as part of the law of cycles and act as secretaries for Ultimate Madoka, hence why both of them can use their witch forms, albeit in different ways. Bebe is able to transform from witch form to magical girl form freely, as well as using her witch forms second form - though sometimes with a slightly altered appearance. She is also able to summon Pyotr, however they don't seem to be able to do much, and Polina, who help Mami fight. Charlotte's original appearance in Episode 3 makes a cameo as Homura reminisces about witches as well as in photographs of Charlotte turning into Bebe with Mami.
Aside from the Pyotr & Polina's description in the Witches Artwork, they also have a different description in the Ulla's Rental concept page from the Rebellion Production Note, but this is just a shorter and altered version of their description.
Pyotr & Polina
Minions of the Witch of Sweets. The rat-shaped minions were busy circling around Nagisa's feet, while the nurse-dressed minions helped Mami with the trapeze. (お菓子の魔女の手下。 ネズミ型の手下はなぎさの足元をせっせと回っていた。 看護師姿の手下はマミの空中ブランコを手伝った。)
When fighting her, she will always have both her forms as a boss fight. In Madoka's Route, you start as Mami to fight her first form then have to play as Homura for her second form, in line with the anime story. Her Grief Seed can be collected to cleanse a magical girl's Soul Gem during battle.
Madoka Online
The angel-like Pyotr is described as specializing in preserving/storing (depending on translation) the cheese.
Magia Record
Charlotte appears as an enemy witch but also as Nagisa Momoe's doppel. Her witch description is the same as the original anime.
Pyotr
Minions of the witch of sweets. Their role is to search for cheese.
You shouldn't expect too much from them, though.
They came to Kamihama in search of cheese, hailing from a place called Mitakihara.
Their faces are actually stamps. They'll headbutt anything that moves, instantly determining whether or not it's cheese and marking it with either a "Cheese Approval Stamp" or a "Not-Cheese Stamp".
Since they didn't have much luck finding cheese in their master's barrier, they expanded their search radius to outside the barrier. (They got kicked out, in a sense.) Even if they succeed in finding some cheese, though, it's a little doubtful as to whether they remember the route back home.
The Doppel of tenacity. Its form is desserts. The master of this emotion gets attached to people and objects as soon as they pluck her heartstrings. She may behave in a shameful manner at times, but in her heart is a well of deep love. The Doppel does not fuse with its host; rather, it emerges as a mask from her nose, which then covers her face completely. The host does not move while her Doppel is present. Instead she sits completely still and stares as though she were staring at the object of her obsession.
The Doppel of tenacity. Its form is melted chocolate.
The master of this emotion always misidentifies the target of her tenacious attachment. Upon seeing a chocolate cake, she’ll surrender to its luscious brown temptation and try to swallow it whole, but will find her stomach filled with milk-white no-bake cheesecake instead.
This Doppel sometimes responds to its master’s desire by deliberately going for the cheesecake in the first place, but on these occasions alone, it finds its stomach filled with actual baked cheesecake.
The Doppel of tenacity. Its form is soda.
The master of this emotion doesn’t want to go back home, and is trying to create one last, great summer memory.
Her Doppel resonates with its master, and wants to soak everything around it in a young, verdant summer hue.
It sucks the carbonated juice that surrounds it into its mouth, then sprays it and lets it pop absolutely everywhere. Everything the juice touches practically bursts with fun: people bursting into motion, personalities bursting with joy, hairstyles bursting with individuality, et cetera. No matter what scene results from the Doppel’s influence, everyone gets high on the carbonated scent, and there’s nary a scream of terror or pain to be heard.
Incidentally, the Doppel seems to dislike sparkler fireworks, as they seem to declare the end of summer.
Magia Exedra
Charlotte, Pyotr and Polina appear in Magia Exedra. They appear in the Main Quest Sweets Witch. The familiars also appear in the event quest Farewell Story Part I and Charlotte appears as a score attack boss in Farewell Story Part II.
Charlotte
Elemental Weakness(es)
Skills
Light DMG [L] (All)
Deals light DMG [L] to all enemies.
Light DMG [M] (All)
Deals light DMG [M] to all enemies.
DMG Taken UP (All)
Increases all enemies' DMG taken for 3 turns.
Pyotr
Elemental Weakness(es)
Skills
Light DMG [L] (Proximity)
Deals light DMG [L] to a single enemy and light DMG [M] to enemies in proximity.
Light DMG [M] (All)
Deals light DMG [M] to all enemies.
SPD UP
Increases own SPD for 3 turns.
Pyotr (Nurse)
Elemental Weakness(es)
Skills
Light DMG [M] / Light RES DOWN (Proximity)
Deals light DMG [M] to a single enemy and light DMG [S] to enemies in proximity.
Decreases light RES for 2 turns.
SPD UP
Increases own SPD for 3 turns.
Pyotr (Pink)
Elemental Weakness(es)
Skills
Flame DMG [M] (Proximity)
Deals flame DMG [M] to a single enemy and enemies in proximity.
Flame DMG [L] (Single) / ATK UP [S] (Selection)
Deals flame DMG [L] to a single enemy.
Slightly increases own ATK for 3 turns.
Effect increases if same type of effect already applied.
Pyotr (Blue)
Elemental Weakness(es)
Skills
Aqua DMG [M] (All)
Deals aqua DMG [M] to all enemies.
Aqua DMG [M] (Proximity) / SPD UP [S] (Single)
Deals aqua DMG [M] to a single enemy and enemies in proximity.
Slightly decreases(sic) own SPD for 3 turns.
Effect increases if same type of effect already applied.
Pyotr (Green)
Elemental Weakness(es)
Skills
Forest DMG [M] (All)
Deals forest DMG [M] (DEF-based) to all enemies.
Forest DMG [L] (Single) / DEF UP [S] (Selection)
Deals forest DMG [L] (DEF-based) to a single enemy.
Slightly increases own DEF for 3 turns.
Effect increases if same type of effect already applied.
Polina
Elemental Weakness(es)
Skills
Restore HP [S] (Single)
Restores a small amount of HP to a single ally.
DEF UP
Increases own DEF for 3 turns.
Light DMG [M] (Single)
Deals light DMG [M] to a single enemy.
Polina (Blue)
Elemental Weakness(es)
Skills
ATK UP (All) (Effect UP: Stacks)
Increases all allies' ATK for 3 turns.
Effect increases if already applied.
DEF UP (All ) (Effect UP: Stacks)
Increases all allies' DEF for 3 turns.
Effect increases if already applied.
Bebe made a cameo with the introduction of the Camera function, originally appearing in a short cutscene between her and Nighthawk when the player first uses the Camera function. Bebe was later added as a function in the Camera to add her as an NPC alongside a character, or a character herself.
During the Forever Halloween Night event, Charlotte, Pyotr and Polina are given Halloween-themed appearances, as well as given unique descriptions. Her barrier also has a makeover, featuring Jack-O-Lanterns and even more sweets.
Events
Madogatari
Pyotr
The witch of sweets' minion. Its duty is to search for cheese.
They mill about inside the Labyrinth while emitting mouse-like squeaks.
Their faces are stamps, which they use to mark anything that isn't cheese.
The sight of them performing bodyslams while bouncing around like rubber balls may seem completely ridiculous,
but if you get hit by one of them head-on, you'll end up with more than a couple of broken bones.
Song
One solitary cheese (ひとっこチーズ)
Original text
Translation
チーズ！ チーズ！
チーズは どこよ？
チーズ！ チーズ！
わたしは ここよ？
チーズ！ チーズ！
おねがい ひとつ
チーズ！ チーズ！
チーズを さがせ！
にっがい チーズ
がったい チーズ
モソモソ チーズ
やな チーズ
わたしが ほしい
チーズは ひとつ
チーズ！ チーズ！
チーズを さがせ
Cheese! Cheese!
Where is the cheese?
Cheese! Cheese!
I'm right here, see?
Cheese! Cheese!
I'd like one, please
Cheese! Cheese!
Search for the cheese!
Bitter cheese,
blocky cheese,
squirmy cheese,
bad cheese.
There's just one cheese
that I really want.
Cheese! Cheese!
Search for the cheese!
Observations
Charlotte's head is shaped like a wrapped sweet, this motif can also be seen on her grief seed.
Watching carefully one can see that when Charlotte's second form gets injured a new Charlotte comes out of the mouth replacing the old as if the layers are being blown away.
Charlotte's head also bears strong resemblance to a Charlotte Mold, a cooking vessel used exclusively for the baking and forming of desserts.
The name Charlotte could also refer to Charlotte Buff, a woman Goethe unrequitedly loved and that deeply influenced him. The central and homonym character from Goethe's The Sorrows of Young Werther was based on her
Pyotr is the Russian form of the given name Peter.
The name Peter simply means 'stone' or 'rock' however given the sweet theme of the barrier - they could be a reference to rock candy
Pyotr Ilyich Thaikovsky was a Russian romantic period composer who composed scores for The Nutcracker and Swan Lake. He also composed '"None but the Lonely Heart", based on a poem by Lev Mei which was in turn translated from Goethe's Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship.
Polina is also a Russian given name, interpreted either as a short form of the name Apollinaria, or a variant form of the name Paulina
Polina means 'little stone', which is similar to Pyotr's etymology.
Polina Semionova was a ballerina who once played the lead role in Thaikovsky's The Nutcracker.
Pauline von Metternich was an Austrian socialite who was important in the promotion of Richard Wagner's work; it was at her request that Napolean III invited Wagner to "substantially amend" his opera Tannhäuser, creating what would be known as the "Paris version", which failed and would become one of the nineteenth century's greatest musical scandals. Wagner also dedicated a piano composition to her
Tannhäuser "centers on the struggle between sacred and profane love, and redemption through love, a theme running through much of Wagner's mature work."
There is no significant difference between the Japanese pronunciations of gonbo and gombo, so gonbo is an alternate romanization.
Mogu Mogu Gombo aired from 1993 until 2003 and was hosted by two famous comedians (Kobuhei Hayashiya and HIROMI). The main target audience was children, but many adults also enjoyed it.
The cooking and eating themes of the show match Charlotte's themes of sweets and eating Mami. A children's show matches other aspects of the barrier: Charlotte looks like a doll in one form and a clown in the other, she has a tea party setup like what a little girl might arrange, and she fills her barrier with candy
It's been speculated that Charlotte's real body is the doll that sits across her in the anime, since Homura only manages to defeat her after stepping on it. However, Shinbo denies this in a interview published in the Kikan S magazine, volume 33.
Trivia
A description in the Production Note reveals that Charlotte obtained "one single cheesecake" in strict accordance with her wish.
A line in the design for Charlotte's labyrinth in the Official Guidebook says "It's really a delicious cheese cake. My dying mother wanted to eat it, but maybe I should have cured her disease instead. However, that surely wasn't appropriate."
On the official website, mousing over Charlotte's card changes the image from the first to the second using JavaScript.
Although official pronunciations of almost all witches' names are undisclosed, "Charlotte" is pronounced "シャルロッテ" (Sharurotte) like a German name (Shar-lot-teh) according to an official product's document.
Runes in Charlotte's card are styled like biscuits.
According to the Movie 3 Brochure, Charlotte is called "Bebe" in Rebellion because the other characters can't actually read the runes.
It's possible that Bebe's name was meant to contrast with Mami's name ("Baby" and "Mommy").
It is suggested that Charlotte's design was changed to make her more expressive.
According to Witches Guide, Mami found Bebe in her original appearance (looking as Charlotte does) and was quiet. Mami sews Bebe new clothes and over time her appearance continues to change and she becomes even more interactive. This can also be seen in photographs of Bebe in Mami's apartment.
Bebe actually talks to the other characters. When she speaks, bubbles with katakana appear from her mouth, though the noises she makes are just gibberish. The other characters appear to understand her just fine, and subtitles appear to let the viewer know what she's saying.
In Magia Record, Charlotte is the first witch to appear as a Doppel and then as an enemy Witch.
Also in Magia Exedra, Charlotte's first form is used as a decoy for her second form, and thus lacks alternate palettes and cannot be battled outside of the Story mode.
Charlotte's first form also has motions which would've been her attack or buff/debuff motion, depicting her opening her mouth yawning as seen in trailers, but it is extremely rare as she has very low HP, meaning she could be easily defeated in one hit in this form.
Charlotte is the second Witch to get multiple Portraits in Magia Exedra, after Shitori Egumo. Unlike Shitori Egumo, both her Portraits are of the same form.
Candy Witch Minion. Role: Cheese Scout.
Don't rely on it too much.
お菓子の魔女の手下。その役割はチーズを探すこと。
しかし過度な期待は禁物。
Ringing Next Door
Bloom Down
Normal
???
? turns
Max Limit Break
Attack DOWN [V] & Defense DOWN [V] (Single / 1T)
8 turns
A lively, friendly world that will snuggle up beside you! Get the events on the other side of the screen, big and small, and introduce them to everyone freely and carefree! Then together with everyone, Magi Magi Magireco~♪ (Comic Release Collaboration)
