Glossary
A glossary of relevant terms.
Doppel
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According to the official website "A select few Magical Girls in Kamihama City can summon a power known as a Doppel. Only awakened Magical Girls have this ability, which allows them to invoke a portion of the Witch power in their Soul Gem when it becomes fully tainted."
Familiar
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A Familiar is a secondary enemy that a Witch creates for a variety of purposes, usually shortly after the Witch itself is born. After either eating a few humans or gaining enough energy, they will turn into a filled Grief Seed, lay roots and grow into identical copies of their parent Witch, able to spawn their own Familiars and dropping their own Grief Seed (occasionally exploited in a practice known as "Witch farming"). This is frequently possible despite the original Witch having already been defeated -- indeed, the entire Witch population of Kamihama City save for Etteilla was created in this way.
Unlike their parent Witches, Familiars are approximately weak enough for a human to do significant damage to them without magical assistance.
Familiars do not drop any Grief Seeds when killed unless they have matured into a full Witch.
According to the January 2012 Dengeki PlayStation, Familiars are "projections of the magical girl's heart before they became a witch".
The only entries in the franchise that have named Familiars are Madoka Magica and Magia Record.
As with the names of Witches, the names of Familiars in Madoka Magica relate to the works or themes of Johann Goethe, Richard Wagner, or Pyotr Tchaikovsky. Albertine is named after one or two women by that name that Goethe was known friends with, and her Familiar Anja is named after a titular character of a play by writer Klaus Mann, who like Goethe wrote an adaptation of the legend of Faust. Charlotte's Familiars, Pyotr and Polina, are respectively named after Pyotr Tchaikovsky (composer for The Nutcracker) and both Polina Semionova (a ballerina in The Nutcracker) and, possibly, Pauiline von Metternich, a woman important in the promotion of Richard Wagner's work.
In Magia Record, it is more common for the names for the Familiars to more closely relate to the name of their master Witches, which themselves tend to be named for more personal reasons outside of the game's larger inspirations. For instance, Zenobia is a revered Syrian queen, and Zabaii comes from Zenobia's birth name or an ancestor. Shin, a babysitting-themed Witch, may be named after the television character Shin Takonara who is herself a babysitter; her Familiar, Kotori, is named after a Japanese children's game. This may also explain the aforementioned characterization of Familiars are projections of the Magical Girl's heart.
Grief Cube
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An object dropped by Wraiths when they are defeated. By using them, the Magical Girls can clean their Soul Gem and stave off their death. They are not as efficient as Grief Seeds and it is unknown if filling them with too many impurities would result in a Wraith hatching from them.
Grief Seed
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When a Soul Gem contains too many impurities and becomes completely black, it will transform into a Grief Seed, and its Magical Girl will become a Witch. All Grief Seeds drain impurities when used on a dim Soul Gem, replenishing a girl's magic and staving off their transformation into a Witch. In episode 6, Kyubey warns that absorbing too many impurities can revive the Witch. A Grief Seed that has been used before and already contains impurities will be unable to fully cleanse a Soul Gem. Due to unknown reasons, a Witch is not always guaranteed to leave behind a Grief Seed when defeated. This has been theorized to be at random, due to the attack also destroying the Grief Seed inside the Witch, or due to the Witch choosing not to leave one behind, but the reason is ultimately unknown.
Because of how valuable they are, Magical Girls may also use Grief Seeds to test if they can cooperate with another Magical Girl; rejecting an offered Grief Seed from another Magical Girl means refusing to work with them and hostility. Both Mami and Homura performed such kinds of tests.
As shown in Magia Record:
- Grief Seeds can be consumed by Witches and make them stronger.
- They are also confirmed to exist within the bodies of the Witches that own them.
- Grief Seeds are originally Soul Gems that have been influenced by emotions. Inside Grief Seeds is an energy similar to an iPS cell, a type of stem cell within living organisms, which can "become any emotion".
- Grief Seeds can be reached and stimulated by the hydrogen line, a specific radio wave used to send and receive signals during searches for extraterrestrial intelligence; it can penetrate through any obstacle, including the bodies of Witches, and resonate with their Grief Seeds within, allowing whoever is sending the signal to stimulate and manipulate their emotions.
- Touka Satomi further explains that, somehow, the hydrogen line can be emitted "with brain waves", such as brain waves used in hypnotism and waves that are emitted when one is excited, meaning that Witches can also feel others' emotions.
- Grief Seeds can be reached and stimulated by the hydrogen line, a specific radio wave used to send and receive signals during searches for extraterrestrial intelligence; it can penetrate through any obstacle, including the bodies of Witches, and resonate with their Grief Seeds within, allowing whoever is sending the signal to stimulate and manipulate their emotions.
See this page for list of Grief Seeds in the franchise.
Incubator
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A creature that can grant young girls wishes and turn them into Magical Girls. They are an alien race that exploits the emotions of humans to create energy with the ultimate goal of fending off the end of the universe. When making a contract, they pull the soul out of a girl's body and encase it in a Soul Gem. They are known to use underhanded tactics and not reveal all of the details of the contract.
Irregularity
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An umbrella term used by Kyubey for all beings whose existence he can't explain.
Until they are recognized, time travelers are usually classified as Irregulars. Such was the case for Homura Akemi, who was considered an Irregular due to the knowledge and powers she possessed, as well as Kyubey not recognizing her. Mabayu Aki was also considered an Irregular due to having wiped herself from Kyubey's memories.
Alternatively, a Magical Girl with unusually high potential, power and extra abilities due to another girl's wish is also considered an Irregular due to the unprecedented amount of power they possess. Madoka's own high potential categorized her as an Irregular and a similar case was Tart gaining a power boost against Corbeau and achieving a new form, as well as Oriko achieving a new form after realizing her love for Kirika.
During her final battle, Tart became something called the Perfect Irregular. This final form also allowed her to not become a Witch before her death.
Karmic Potential
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Kimochi
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Labyrinth
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In the anime, these locations are designed and animated by Gekidan Inu Curry in a style vastly different from that of the rest of the series in order to reinforce the otherworldly aspect. Inside and outside of the anime they are commonly referred to as barriers, likely because they have a barrier element to them, or sometimes as "mazes" (迷路 meiro) or "wards".
According to the January 2012 Dengeki PlayStation, the barrier is "a space resembling the Magical Girl's mental landscape before they became a Witch", but the landscape often mirrors the labyrinth's location in the real world, twisting it with its own imagery. The barrier's imagery can be based off a lot of things, such as where the girl became a Witch, what their Soul Gem or Grief Seed motifs were, who they were as a person, and/or what their wish was.
This can be seen by looking at Oktavia von Seckendorff's barrier which has a theme of longing for Kyosuke, since Sayaka's wish was to heal his hand. The ulterior motive behind the wish was for Kyosuke to love her, but this didn't happen. There is a Kyosuke-like figure shown in her barrier. Additionally, she became a witch at a train station, and at the beginning of episode 8 we see trains in Oktavia's barrier, only for them to be missing when its location changes.
A labyrinth's layout is both based on the Witch herself, and also reflects the real-world locations the barrier is situated around, usually changing as it moves. The labyrinth of the same witch can have a completely different layout depending on the location it warps. Barriers can be mobile in various ways, some even capable of direct flight, and the space within them is usually much bigger than the space which they occupy in the real world.
Law of Cycles
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The Law of Cycles is an extra-universal system created by Madoka Kaname for the purpose of killing and archiving Magical Girls who are about to become Witches, being the only salvation for them. It observes the Magical Girls across all timelines and occasionally sends the archived girls as emissaries on missions.
As the future of the universe in which Magia Record takes place is under the Automatic Purification System, the Law of Cycles has no access to it, and it is further implied that the summoning system also has to cheat (as Nagisa Momoe was summoned into the Mirror Witch's labyrinth, known to connect alternate universes). Despite this, Madoka is sometimes able to force her support through.
The name is possibly a pun, as 円 can also be read as 'Madoka'.
Magic
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Magical Girl
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Young girls who have made a contract with Kyubey and, in exchange for a wish, combat Witches. A Magical Girl can transform between her normal and Magical Girl form at will. As proof of their contract, they have Soul Gems. Since darkness accumulates in the Soul Gem, a Magical Girl needs to fight Witches and obtain Grief Seeds to remove the darkness.
When they contract, the Incubator takes the soul out of a girl's body and puts it into a Soul Gem without their knowledge. Additionally, a Magical Girl who does not clean her Soul Gem will become a Witch.
Nightmare
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A creature from the barrier of Homulilly. In the labyrinth, they play a similar role to Witches as the main threat facing the labyrinth's Mitakihara City. They are created by the emotional turmoil of the residents of the city during their sleep.
Other creatures with similar functions appear inside the labyrinths of girls who are on the brink of becoming a Witch, as well as other dreamscapes.
Philosopher's Stone
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A Philosopher's Stone is a magical rock of unclear origin with a variety of uses. Currently, it is known to be able to:
- Completely halt the aging process in uncontracted humans.
- Sustain a What-If reality.
As of 1431, the only known Philosopher's Stones are in the possession of Nicholas Flamel and the What-If version of Minou.
Soul Gem
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The Soul Gem is the source of a Magical Girl's magical power, produced upon contracting by extracting the contractee's soul and giving it physical form. When they use their magic, experience strong negative emotions, or sustain physical injuries, the Soul Gem gathers impurities and becomes "corrupted". When "corrupted", the gem loses its shine and becomes progressively darker. The only way to rid it of its darkness is to extract it with a Grief Seed or Grief Cube.
Physical contact with the Soul Gem is required for a Magical Girl to transform. When not transformed, a Magical Girl's Soul Gem typically takes its default "egg" form, or may be turned into a ring at will to be worn for easier transportation. When in ring form, the band will display its owner's name written in Runes. When transformed, the gem will change appearance and become incorporated into its owner's costume. The gem's costumed form most often takes on the appearance of one of the two symbols, which may or may not be the same symbol repeated, on the top and bottom/center of the gem in its "egg" form (e.g. Mami Tomoe's becomes a flower, Rena Minami's becomes a music note, etc.).
A Magical Girl is capable of using their Soul Gem to perform magic when not transformed: they can merge it with a normal object to temporarily imbue it with magic, also transforming its appearance, which is then returned the normal when the Soul Gem is separated from it; and they can summon simplified forms of their weapons made of magical energy that extent from, and can be retracted into, the gem.
A Magical Girl must remain within 100 meters of their Soul Gem or their connection will be broken, and the girl will instantly "die". If this connection is broken, it will only be re-established once physical contact between them has been made again. Once separated within 100 meters, a Magical Girl's body has approximately 48 hours until it begins to decay. While transformed, a Magical Girl may be separated from their Soul Gem and retain their life and magic provided the distance between them does not exceed 100 meters; however, if a Magical Girl is not already transformed and is separated from their gem while remaining within proper distance of it, they will be unable to transform and, potentially, unable to use their unique magic. The connection between a Magical Girl and their Soul Gem can be broken by another using magic while still within 100 meters of each other.
If the Soul Gem becomes too full of impurities and turns completely black, it will transform into a Grief Seed, and its Magical Girl will become a Witch. This will completely sever the connection to the Magical Girl's body, unless the Magical Girl was already using a Doppel at the time and leaving the boundary of the Automatic Purification System.
Soul Gems have a natural magic sense that allows Magical Girls to detect both generalized spikes in magic and specific magic signatures of Witches, other Magical Girls as well as other magical creatures. Additionally, by looking through the Soul Gem Ring, certain things that have been hidden by magic are made visible and this seems to be a way for Magical Girls to spread messages between each other.
See also: Lists of Soul Gems
Spirit
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Spirits generally appear to people who have a close connection to them, but this isn't always the case (as shown by Manatsu). Spirits can appear for a variety of reasons, and not all are for the betterment of the person they appear to.
The Universe
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Uwasa
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While somewhat similar to Witches, Uwasa (also called Rumors) are very different. They are the manifestations of actual rumors that are spread through Kamihama City created by Nemu Hiiragi, originating from rumors she created about the city she saw through her hospital window before becoming a Magical Girl. Uwasa exist to spread and fulfill these rumors, attacking those who meet the rumors' conditions or who prevent the rumors' completion. They notably do not drop Grief Seeds when killed.
Some Uwasa are capable of communication or even independent thought that goes against the intentions of its creator or its own purpose. The Uwasa of the Commoner's Horse announces its intention to attack before it appears. The Uwasa of the Anonymous Artificial Intelligence is also capable of speech and has friendly interactions with other Magical Girls. However, it claims it is bound by its instincts as a uwasa.
An Uwasa's rumor can be modified on the fly, although doing so takes magical energy proportional to the magnitude of the change. For instance, modifying the Uwasa of the Graveyard Banquet more than simply adding a single line would have risked Nemu's life.
Under some circumstances, it is possible to turn a flesh-and-blood Magical Girl into an Uwasa and back.
See also: Category:Uwasa
Witch
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Episode 8 reveals that Witches are the final form of Magical Girls. When a girl's Soul Gem becomes too full of impurities and turns completely black, it transforms into a Grief Seed, and its Magical Girl becomes a Witch. Witches from the past seem to have nouns and nicknames for people as their names rather than traditionally feminine names.
As revealed in Magia Record, witches are capable of, and can be made stronger by, consuming Grief Seeds and other witches.
The traditional Japanese term for Witch is Devil (悪鬼 Akki).
See also: Category:Witches
Witch's Kiss
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A Witch's Kiss is a marking, the personal symbol of the Witch, used by a Witch and its Familiars to control the minds of humans. They can be used to exacerbate pre-existing negative emotions and thoughts, change personalities, make people commit crimes or suicide, or lure them into a Labyrinth to be consumed by the Witch inside. While some of these actions may not necessarily lead humans to being consumed, some Witches may also desire merely to spread evil and misfortune regardless of if they get sustenance. Further, a Kissed human may not always die from it. Familiars can Kiss humans well outside of the Labyrinth they hail from in order to bring them to their Witch.
In the original series, Witch's Kisses were only depicted as appearing on people's necks. In Magia Record, they are now shown to appear on any part of the body, including the face and limbs.
In the original series and Magia Record, it is shown that humans with magical potential (future Magical Girls) can still become Kissed. It is unconfirmed, though implied in Rebellion, that even contracted Magical Girls can also be Kissed.
The symbol that makes up a Witch's Kiss also appears at the entrance of its owner's Labyrinth.
Wraith
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The creatures that appear in the world created by Ultimate Madoka. They feed off the emotions of humans and Magical Girls and are attracted to areas of high emotion. When defeated, they drop Grief Cubes.