Madoka Kaname

"If someone tells me that it's wrong to hope, I'll tell them they're wrong every time." - Madoka Kaname, Episode 12.

Madoka Kaname
Japanese Name	鹿目 まどか (Kaname Madoka)
Voiced by	Japanese: Aoi Yuuki English: Christine Marie Cabanos Italian: Joy Saltarelli Spanish: Carmen Ambrós Cantonese: Wong Zi Haan French: Caroline Combes

Madoka Kaname, the viewpoint and title character, is a gentle and friendly 14-year old girl. Living an ordinary life, Madoka has a loving family and is surrounded by good friends. One day she has a dream of a mysterious girl fighting an ominous creature. The next day, Homura Akemi, the girl from her dream, comes to her class as a transfer student.

General Info

Physical features

• Age: 14
• Birthday:October 3
• Height: Slightly less than 150cm (4'11"). Production Note shows a height revision to 152cm (5'0").
• Eye colour: Pink
• Hair colour: Pink
• Blood type: A
• Shoe size: 22 JP (Women's 5.5 US, Children's 4 US, 36 EU, 3 UK)
• Birthplace: Mitakihara City

Other

• Soul Gem: Pink Teardrop located at base of her neck
• Weapon: Bow
• Witch form: Kriemhild Gretchen
• Japanese pronoun: watashi (わたし)
• Known relatives: Tomohisa Kaname (Father), Junko Kaname (Mother), Tatsuya Kaname (Younger brother)
• School: Mitakihara Middle School, Eighth Grade
• For further details, a 100 Question Survey has been published revealing details about Madoka such as her likes, dislikes, hobbies, and physical attributes.

Wish

In episode 10, it is revealed that this Madoka is one of many, each one before her having died in their respective timelines. Due to the changing timeline, Madoka's wish that makes her into a magical girl is different depending on which timeline she is from. However her wishes have always stemmed from her kindness.

From what we know until now, she contracted with Kyubey in order to:

• Save a cat who had just died in front of her in the first timeline (exact wording unknown)
• Either save Homura from Walpurgisnacht or obtain the power to defeat Walpurgisnacht in the fourth timeline (exact wording unknown)
• Save Sayaka in the timeline from The Different Story (exact wording unknown)
• In the penultimate timeline before the new world:

"I want to erase all witches before they are even born. I will erase every single witch in every universe, past and future with my own hands...I don't care what you call it. All those magical girls who held onto their hopes and fought against witches I don't want to see them cry. I want them to stay smiling until the end. If any rule or law stands in my way I will destroy it. I will rewrite it. That is my prayer. That is my wish. Now grant it, Incubator!"

She also asked to accompany Sayaka on her witch hunt just so that if the latter was ever in danger, she could make a wish and rescue Sayaka. She nearly made this wish in Episode 8, but was stopped by Homura.

Design

• Ms. Aoki’s design notes
  • "Even her bow-wielding magical girl form projects an air of kind friendliness. Her choker bears a pink gem."
  • "Of the heroines shown here, Madoka has the most childish body. Her legs are clad in pure, virginal white over-knee socks."
  • "I drew her keeping in mind that as the main character she needs to be average, but also an exceptionally good girl. Hence her puffy, high-placed twin tails. The design and color of her ribbons took a lot of work, but in the end calmed down to something simple."
  • "Magical girl outfit: Madoka was drawn to be the very image of a magical girl. I added an almost fairy tale-ish hints, so hopefully female viewers will be charmed by her as well."
    • "Full of tiny frills, with ribbons arranged at the neck, waist, and on the shoes. It’s perfectly 'cute', and seemingly unsuited for combat, but…"
  • "School uniform: Designed to convey the classy image of a private girls’ school, while not being -too- normal. Its distinguishing point is the small hole at the nape of the neck."

Concept

• According to a interview with Gen Urobuchi, the character Madoka was based on Yunocchi from Hidamari Sketch (An Aoki Ume creation), to the extent that he was prepared for seiyuu Asumi (Kana)-san (Yuno's seiyuu) to voice Madoka.
• He commented that Madoka, the protagonist, is a pretty unusual character for his writing style - "A foreign character that did not exist inside myself."
• "I imagined all the other characters by starting from “Madoka = Yuno”."
• "And every time I got Yunocchi to cry I got hated by the Hidamari fans more."

Personality

Madoka first appears to a naive, gentle girl from a kind family. Though sometimes shy, she makes friends without much difficulty and treats others gently and with respect. She is shown to be a level-headed person, capable of making decisions on her own. In the pre-broadcast November promotional video, she is described as, "A gentle 2nd year middle school girl who thinks of friends before herself." Madoka's mother, Junko, commented that she has always been a good child and never lies.

She has low self-confidence, and she believes she does not have much to offer the world unless she is helping people, which makes becoming a magical girl appealing to her. She has been known to become flustered easily, and in certain circumstances, she can be easily manipulated by others playing on her insecurity and desire to help. As a magical girl, she is more obviously confident in herself than before her wish.

Madoka always tries to call other main characters their first names with postfix (-chan or -san) if possible, and boys by their family name with the suffix "-kun". It may indicate that she is eager to get close to others. The only exception is Kamijou. Madoka might think it is not a good idea to get too close to him since she believes he could potentially become Sayaka's boyfriend. This is confirmed in the PSP, when Madoka finally calls him by his first name, after Sayaka made advances with him in one of the endings.

• Character Development: Fans have complained that the Madoka character is weak, powerless, and useless. That her inaction caused many of her friends die. However, we later learn that this version of Madoka is complete different from the Timeline in Episode 10 or from the Drama CD Memories of You. This radical alteration is the result of Homura's interference that caused a role reversal. Making Homura, not Madoka, the main character until we see a transition or shift taking place during the later part of the series where Madoka truly becomes the main character by trying to change the fate of magical girls.

History

Madoka in the Anime

• After Mami's death, Madoka changed her mind about becoming a magical girl.
• In Episode 6, Junko and Madoka had a conversation on how difficult it is to do the right thing, even when no one is in the wrong (per say). Junko's advice was for Madoka to be on the wrong against her friend to solve the problem, even if it means that her friend would hate her for it.
• Episode 8: Kyubey claimed Madoka's power to be godlike, to the point where she could even change the laws of the universe if she wished for it.
• Episode 10: In the first timeline, Madoka along with Mami saved Homura from a familiar. She died during the fight with Walpurgis Night. In the second timeline, Madoka turned into a witch for the first time, revealing to Homura the link between magical girls and Witches. In a later timeline, Madoka killed Mami in order to save Homura, as Mami lost control of herself and had just killed Kyoko. This is also the timeline in which Madoka asked Homura to go back in time to prevent her from becoming a magical girl. Madoka's power increased exponentially after every timeline. The first time showed she was an ordinary magical girl. In later timeline she had enough power to defeat Walpurgis in one shot, was capable of destroying the entire planet within 10 days in her witch form, and satisfied all Kyubey's energy quotas of the Earth.
• Episode 11: Junko confronts Madoka to stop her from getting into the danger of the storm, Madoka reminds her mother that she is a good girl and never does anything wrong but she tells her she needs to do this, a throwback to their earlier conversation. Madoka knows that what she is doing will worry her family, but she also knows that she must disobey her mother to save her family and her town. This conversation between Junko and Madoka earns her mother's trust.Homura's time repeats had linked multiple parallel universes together with Madoka's fate as their center. With every reset, Homura would force yet another parallel universe to be centered around Madoka. The accumulated karma is the reason why Madoka's potential power is so great. Hearing the revelations from Kyubey regarding the history of Magical Girls, Madoka was deeply hurt and thus wanted to save these girls from despair.
• Episode 12: Madoka wished to erase all witches in every dimension, in every timeline, with her own hands. This created a paradox because Madoka would eventually erase her own witch self, while she must continue to exist and destroy other witches. This paradox resulted in Madoka escaping the bounds of reality and ascending to godhood as Ultimate Madoka. Since Madoka never existed as a human in this new reality, she is no longer remembered by anyone, except for Homura, and Tatsuya for some reason. Sayaka also remembers her after she passes on and becomes a part of the Law of Cycles, as Sayaka confesses to her in episode 12 that she has caused her best friend a lot of trouble; this could be interpreted as Sayaka having learnt of her unfortunate fate of turning into a witch in the other timelines, an outcome which clearly inflicted a great deal of emotional hurt on Madoka.

Madoka in Wraith Arc

Madoka only makes a few small cameo appearance in Wraith Arc. In the beginning she is seen bidding farewell to Homura and giving her her ribbons. In chapter 2 she is seen taking Sayaka once she's used up her magic and in Chapter 9 she is seen helping Homura to destroy the time shield and resetting the timeline so the curses of the previous universe don't interfere with the current one.

A mutant wraith disguises itself in Madoka's form and helps to assist Homura throughout the story, even going so far as to join in the battle against the mutant wraiths.

Madoka in Rebellion

Warning, this section contains spoilers about the movie.

At the end of the anime, Madoka becomes known as the Law of Cycles - the power that brings salvation to magical girls. However, Homura tells Kyubey about the witch system, and Kyubey decides to use Homura's Soul Gem in an experiment. Kyubey places Homura's Soul Gem in an Isolation Field - a space that blocks out all external influence, including the Law of Cycles. However, the Isolation Field prevents Homura from being born as a witch, meaning that Madoka's wish is not invalidated. (Although not directly stated, its implied that by creating a space where the Law of Cycles cannot enter, Kyubey blocks Madoka's omniscience.) Ultimately, a witch barrier forms inside Homura's Soul Gem. Kyubey allows the barrier to draw in victims, including Mami, Kyoko, and Madoka's family. Kyubey believes that this will eventually cause the Law of Cycles to materialize in the barrier. Kyubey's goal is to observe the Law of Cycles, which would ultimately allow him to interfere with and control it. However, Madoka is aware of Kyubey's plan. She enters Homura's barrier with Sayaka and Nagisa Momoe (the magical girl who became Charlotte). Sayaka and Nagisa are now part of the Law of Cycles and are capable of invoking the power of their witch forms (since their witches were also absorbed by the Law of Cycles before they were born.) Madoka entrusts them with her memories and powers in order to fool Kyubey, and allows Homura's barrier to alter her memories and suppress her powers. Within Homura's barrier, Madoka believes that she is an ordinary magical girl. She is reunited with her family, who were also taken into Homura's barrier and had their memories altered. Along with Sayaka, Kyoko, Mami, and Bebe (a disguised Nagisa), Madoka fights Nightmares, monsters created by Homura's barrier. Kyubey recognizes Madoka as the Law of Cycles but is unable to determine the nature of her powers. He decides to stay close to Madoka, pretending to be a harmless animal-like helper. Eventually Homura appears in her barrier and joins the other magical girls. Homura is unaware that she is a witch, but she soon realizes that she's in a witch barrier and resolves to discover the truth. Homura's journey brings her into contact and conflict with the other magical girls. Madoka comes to Homura and offers to listen to her problems. Homura tries to tell Madoka about her fate at the end of the anime, framing it as a dream she had. Madoka tells Homura that it sounds like a bad dream, and reassures Homura that she would never want to go away to a place where she can't see anyone again. Homura then believes that Madoka isn't happy being the Law of Cycles(or isn't as happy as she could be), and exclaims that she have stopped Madoka from sacrificing herself. Homura then decides to believe that Madoka is real (having wondered if Madoka was an illusion), and begins to realize that she herself is the witch. Ultimately, Homura learns about Kyubey's plot, and decides to foil it by dying in her barrier. Homura transforms into her witch form, Homulilly, and marches to her death. Fortunately, Sayaka and Nagisa have explained everything to the other magical girls, and they have a plan to save Homura. Sayaka summons her witch self Oktavia and an army of familiars. Madoka and Nagisa use their magic to attack the ceiling of Homulilly's barrier, while the other magical girls, the summoned familiars, and Oktavia hold off Homulilly and her army of familiars. Ultimately, Madoka destroys the ceiling of the barrier, revealing Kyubey's Isolation Field. Madoka then reaches out Homura's humanity and the two girls combine their powers to destroy the Isolation Field from the inside, completely foiling Kyubey's plan. With the Isolation Field destroys, all the magical girls reappear in the real world. Sayaka and Nagisa return Madoka's memories and powers to her and she transforms into Ultimate Madoka. However, Madoka is still in a human form (which means she lacks omniscience and can be seen by others). As she comes down to take Homura's Soul Gem into the Law of Cycles, Homura grabs Madoka's hands before her Soul Gem can be purified. Homura's Soul Gem turns black, and then fills with a new color. (It's unclear if this color was something that had already existed in Homura's Soul Gem, or if it is the result of Homura grabbing Madoka and interfering with the Law of Cycles). Homura's actions causes reality to crack. Madoka is then separated from Ultimate Madoka (it is unclear if Homura deliberately caused this, or if it is the result of Homura's interference). The colors inside Homura's Soul Gem explode outward. The cracks perpetuate throughout reality, followed by the colors of Homura's Soul Gem, which engulfs the universe. Homura has now become a new existence, which she defines as a demon. She explains that she took a piece of the Law of Cycles, which corresponds to Madoka's existence as a person before she became the Law of Cycles. Homura creates a new world where the magical girls can be alive and happy, although she alters their memories to fit with the new world. In this new reality, Madoka believes she has spent three years in America with her family, and they have just moved back to Japan. Madoka transfers into her class from the original reality, reversing her role with Homura's. Homura introduces herself to Madoka and offers to show her around the school. As they walk together, Homura asks Madoka how she feels returning to her hometown. Madoka says it feels familiar, but something feels different. As the keep walking, Madoka realizes that the thing that feels different is herself. Her eyes glow gold, her yellow hair ribbons untie themselves, and reality changes. Homura grabs onto Madoka and says that Madoka is her true self right now, returning Madoka and reality to normal. Homura asks Madoka if she thinks the world is precious, and if she thinks either laws or desires are more important. Madoka thinks that law is more important, saying that selfishly breaking the law is a bad thing. Homura takes off the hair ribbon she received from Madoka and says that she and Madoka might become enemies someday. She ties the ribbon into Madoka's hair, saying that she doesn't care about being Madoka's enemy as she just wants a world where Madoka can be happy. In one of the final scenes of the movie, Madoka is shown happily unpacking boxes with her family.

Madoka in the Drama CDs

• From Drama CD 1 "Memories of you", the reason Madoka became a Magical Girl in the first timeline is to save a cat which had been run over by a car. Madoka also treated Homura very nicely from the beginning, who at that time was being bullied. We also learn that whenever Madoka made a contract and become a Magical Girl, she would act much more confident since it gave her a sense of purpose. Madoka's kindness in this first timeline towards Homura is one of the major reasons why Homura is so drawn to her. Homura's interventions during the course of the anime prevented this change.
• In the Drama CD 2"Sunny Day Life" Madoka used to get good grades, but her duties as a magical girl are interfering with her studies.
  • For what is worth, Madoka's grades are still better than Sayaka's.

Madoka in The Different Story

"Mami-san, does that mean to save yourself, you have to give up on all the magical girls who aren't your friends...?" - Madoka, Puella Magi Madoka Magica: The Different Story, Chapter 5.

Madoka first appears at the very end of volume 1, waking Mami up in her apartment in order to get her help intervening on Kyoko and Sayaka's fight. She is has not contracted yet in this timeline, but accompanies Mami and Sayaka on their witch hunts.

• Madoka is worried about Sayaka, and always thinks how to help her. She tells Kyousuke about how his waist is healed. This doesn't help Sayaka, however.
• Madoka makes her wish to help Sayaka and becomes a magical girl at the very end of this story, so Homura gives up this timeline.
  • Madoka doesn't know the truth about magical girl system. She thinks Sayaka is killed by witches because Homura tells her so.
  • Madoka meets Kyoko after being helped by her and Homura. They becomes friends and tells each other about another side of Sayaka and Mami.

Madoka in Kazumi Magica

Madoka's silhouette appeared once during Juubey's explanation about Magical Girl system. She also makes a single-panel cameo in the extra pages in the first volume of the collected edition.

Madoka In Oriko Magica

"How can you act so calm about all this? Why? Why am I the only one you're saving? You've got so much power Homura-chan!!"
"If you plan to let all the others die...then it'd be better if you didn't save me...!" - Madoka, Puella Magi Oriko Magica, Chapter 5.

• Madoka appears in Chapter 3, asking Homura to go home with her, along with Sayaka and Hitomi. She is well protected by Homura and isn't aware of Magical Girl system.
• She appears in Chapter 4 for one page. She is shown with her friends Homura, Sayaka and Hitomi going out for snacks after school.
• In chapters 5 through 7, Mitakihara Junior High was attacked by Oriko and Kirika. Oriko spoke to the school through the school's broadcast system, and seemed to give a threatening look to Madoka as she claimed she defeat a creature of ultimate despair that will descend upon them. As a witch's barrier forms over the school, Madoka is separated from her friends attacked by familiars. Homura saves her in time, but Madoka demands to know why she does not help the other students. Homura knows she cannot save everyone, and wanted to try to save Madoka anyway. Madoka apologized as Homura puts her in a protective barrier so familiars cannot attack her and left to defeat the perpetrators. Madoka escaped from the protective barrier created by Homura, and tried to help Homura with Sayaka and Hitomi. Madoka was Oriko's real target. The white magical girl wanted to kill her before she could contract and become a magical girl herself, and then the most powerful witch ever. She was killed by Oriko at the very end, when they were dying Oriko used a shard of Kirika's witch body to impale Madoka through the torso. Once Oriko died and the witch barrier was lifted, Hitomi and Sayaka mourning for the dead Madoka became visible.
• In the final chapter of Sadness Prayer, Madoka appears in her goddess form before Oriko and Kirika after both of them died at the end of the manga.

Madoka in Magia Record

• See Madoka Kaname in Magia Record
• See Ultimate Madoka in Magia Record

Madoka in Tart Magica

Madoka appears in the last chapter (Chapter 21), in her Goddess outfit, when Melissa de Vignolles tells Eliza Celjska that her preach about Tart being saved and redeemed in the future will be possible.

Observations

• Madoka is the only one without a transformation sequence as a magical girl within the anime series; however during the anime's opening scenes, she does appear in a transformation sequence.
• It is suggested that the reason Madoka is so miserable is that she wishes for power in order to be selfless so that she won't be miserable any more. Kyubey uses this to manipulate Madoka's thinking into making her wish through her guilt. He tries to manipulate Madoka into a belief that she can be free from her misery by making a selfless wish.
  • Without the wish and the life experience as a magical girl, Madoka's character never grows and develops into a courageous heroine. However, her life experience as a scared teenage girl, constantly crying and mourning the death of so many, always wanting to do what's right yet feeling powerless, the failure of attempting to save friends and strangers, and the sorrow she feels for the victims of innocent girls deceived by a calculating cold alien allows Madoka to finally develop the courage to confront her fears to save Homura and the world, instead of succumbing to despair and running away. In other words Madoka finally grows up. The scene with her mother in Episode 11 leaves that impression.
• It is speculated that any wish Madoka ever made would be twisted because of the nature of the wish, according with Episode 11. Kyubey suspects that as long as the motives are selfish, the wish will always be twisted because the wishers' desire would always fail to meet their expectation.
  • Madoka may realized that as long as her thinking was selfish or incorrect, then her wish would also be twisted. It is suspected that Madoka contemplates what to do to save Homura and her town in Episode 11, without being caught into the snare of the wish's trap. It is suspected that Madoka goes from wanting to be selfless for selfish reasons to wanting to be selfless for selflessness itself. By removing Madoka's selfish desire from her wish, she literally removes her self and her physical presence as a consequence.
    • A Philosophical analysis tries to determine Madoka's motive, Talk:Philosophical_Observations#Madoka_and_Minding_her_Motive
• An argument can be said that Madoka has two ways to develop her courage. One is through Kyubey by magic (which is the easiest path); the other way is more difficult and hurtful, the painful life experience and lessons she receives through friends, family members, and from strangers. But the most influential character in Madoka's life would be her mother, her source of wisdom, courage, and strength.

Etymology

• The characters of her last name mean "deer" (鹿) and "eye"(目), respectively.
• Her last name can also be used as a first name.
• Her last name sounds the same as (要), a word which means "keystone" or "hub".
• Madoka could also mean "wish" or "ambition" or "flower".
  • The name Madoka can be written with the character for "circle" or "round" in kanji (円) reflecting the cyclical nature of the magical girl-witch incubator relationship as well as the circular repetition of timelines that revolve around her. It could also be written with the character for "wish" or "ambition"; the connotations of that should be obvious. Her last name, Kaname, can also be read as "pivot" or "vital point", which is apt to say the least due to Homura's time-meddling making Madoka's existence the pivotal point of every timeline she creates.

Trivia

• Madoka owns many stuffed animals in her room.
  • One of Madoka's stuffed animals resembles Lady from Disney's movie "Lady and the Tramp".
• Madoka loves cats like Homura.
• According with Urobuchi, he made Junko a strong woman so Madoka would want to emulate her strength and courage.
• Aoi Yuuki (Madoka's VA) really likes Kyoko and she claimed that Kyoko is her wife. You can hear her confession in the Magical Girls Tea Party bonus CD.
  • In the commentary for Episode 5 Aoi Yuki declares her love for Kyoko and desires to marry her. Ai Nonaka questions her choice and informs her all she ever does is eat. Aoi Yuki is ok with this and declares she would just adjust.
  • Aoi Yuuki goes even more gaga for Kyoko in the audio commentaries for Episode 7: "The one I love, it's Kyoko-tan." "Kyoko-tan is the absolute best!" "it's like she isn't trying to be cool, but she's still REALLY cool."
  • In the "C81 Aniplex Madoka Special Talk CD", not even two minutes has passed and Aoi Yuki's already fangirling over Kyoko-tan~
• Urobuchi in his audio commentary on BD/DVD 3 explains that he felt like Aoi Yuki was born for the role of Madoka. What he means is that she doesn't force herself into the role of becoming her character and she leaves the impression of being a natural airhead, but in a good way.
• Madoka's last form is known as Ultimate Madoka. Prior to this information, fans called her form "MadoKami", Godoka, or Goddess Madoka.
  • In one of the original artwork designs, it is noted that Madoka is holding a shinai sword or a bow.
• Madoka is a Grade A Zettai Ryouiki in her school uniform
• Wehihihi ♥ "ウェヒヒヒヒ" is an onomatopoeia for Madoka's trademark laughter. You can hear it here. (Or here.)
• Gen Urobuchi tweeted that he chose October 3 as Madoka's birthday, because that was the day when the ‘Mahou Shoujo Apocalypse Madoka☆Magica Project’ document was created[1].
  • The project was developed under the working title "Mahō Shōjo Mokushiroku Madoka☆Magica", ("Magical Girl Revelation Madoka☆Magica" or "Maho Shojo Apocalypse Madoka☆Magica"), a reference to the Bible.
    • 黙示録 specifically refers to the Book of Revelation.
• There is a petition to change the official name of the NGC 6357 nebula to the "Madokami nebula".
• As an adult, she looks similar to her Ultimate Madoka form, though without the pigtails.

Gallery

See Gallery:Madoka

See also

• GetNavi 2011-12
• Magical Girl Magazine (Otona Anime)
• Aoi Yuki's Data file
• July 2011 NewType article concerning Maadoka.

External links

• Madoka Kaname at Pixiv image repository (Japanese)
• Madoka Kaname at Danbooru image repository (NSFW)