Madoka Magica Episode 10: I Won't Rely On Anyone Anymore

I Won't Depend on Anyone Anymore もう誰にも頼らない
First airing	10 March 2011
Script	Gen Urobuchi
Storyboard	Shinsaku Sasaki
Episode director	Yuki Yase
Animation Director	Yoshiaki Itou Kazuya Shiotsuki

Summary

This episode centers around Homura. Most of the mystery behind her origin and behavior in previous episodes is explained.

Timeline 1

In the original timeline for Homura, she was a normal human girl suffering from a heart disease. She is shown just released from the hospital and transferring to the Mitakihara Middle School, similar to the first episode. She differs in appearance to the Homura we know, though - she wears glasses and wears her long hair tied in two braids. Her personality also feels different - she is a lot more shy and clumsy.

Madoka, Sayaka and other new classmates try to befriend Homura, which makes her feel uneasy. During a talk with Madoka, she admits finding herself worthless, not unlike Madoka does in the timeline of other episodes. Homura's problems during math and sports classes (probably related to being out of school for a long time) contribute to her depression, which makes her get suicidal thoughts on the way from school.

Presumably because of these thoughts, she wanders into the barrier of witch Izabel. She is quickly saved by Puella Magi Madoka and Mami, with Madoka asking her to keep their jobs a secret from schoolmates. Later, during a visit at Mami's apartment, Madoka reveals that she's been contracted only for a very short time. Homura feels fascinated about her magical friends, similar to how Madoka acts in initial episodes.

Some time later, Madoka and Mami fight Walpurgis Night together, with Homura following them as a human. Mami is defeated quickly, then Madoka apparently manages to defeat the witch, but at the expense of her own life. Homura cries over Madoka's dead body, and accepts Kyuubey's proposal to become a Puella Magi, her wish being "I want to redo my meeting with Kaname-san. Instead of being protected by her, I want to protect her!" The contract is formed, with Kyuubey commenting that the wish has "surpassed entropy".

Timeline 2

Homura wakes up in a hospital, on the date she was released in the previous iteration, having a Soul Gem in her hand. After transferring to school, she instantly tells Madoka about becoming a Puella Magi, hoping for good cooperation.

Madoka and Mami train Homura the Puella Magi, who turns out to be extremely clumsy, despite having the very powerful ability of stopping time. Meanwhile, Homura reads online guides about making explosives, contributing to improving her skills. While still clumsy, she plays the most important role when the trio - now good friends - fights with the witch Patricia.

The next scene shown is after the Walpurgis Night - after defeating the witch, Madoka's Soul Gem turns into a Grief Seed and she becomes a witch.

Timeline 3

The time goes back again, and Homura wakes up at the exact same place and time as previously. Scared and angered by the discovery of the true nature of the contract with Kyuubey, she decides to tell the other girls immediately. Sayaka, who in this timeline became a Puella Magi, too, doesn't believe her and accuses her of collaborating with Kyouko, whom apparently only Homura has met yet.

Sayaka also tells that she feels afraid of Homura's explosives, which makes Homura go to a meeting of some armed formation and steal some firearms, all on frozen time. Since Sayaka turns into a witch, presumably for similar reasons as in Episode 8, Homura uses the firearms during the fight with her to protect Madoka, and also defeats her, even though Madoka and Kyouko try to make Sayaka human again in a fashion similar to Episode 9.

Upon seeing the true nature of Puella Magi herself, Mami breaks down and attempts to kill all the magical girls, including herself, in order to prevent their eventual transformation into witches. She kills Kyouko first by shooting her Soul Gem and attempts to kill Homura by binding her, but before she can do so, Madoka uses her beam arrows to kill her. The remaining two fight on the Walpurgis Night together, and defeat the witch, having their Soul Gems fatally tainted, though. Madoka heals Homura with a Grief Seed she was hiding, and asks Homura to prevent her from becoming a Puella Magi next time she'll go back in time. Homura agrees, and grants Madoka one more wish of hers - killing her to prevent her from becoming a witch.

Timeline 4

Upon waking up in the familiar hospital, Homura changes her presence by magically healing her eyes, wearing the hair down and taming her emotions - just how she looked in all the previous episodes. She warns Madoka at night (with Madoka recognizing her to some extent as she says "Homu...") and goes hunting all the witches.

On Walpurgis Night, a sequence very similar to the dream from Episode 1 is shown. Homura watches Kyuubey persuading Madoka and screams to prevent her from forming the contract, but Madoka doesn't seem to hear it.

Off-camera, Madoka forms the contract and defeats the witch with just one shot, but becomes a witch (Kriemhild Gretchen) herself shortly after. Kyuubey comments that she may destroy the whole Earth in near future. He has collected an enormous amount of energy from her already, though, so he doesn't care about it anymore.

Homura refuses to fight Madoka the witch, which make Kyuubey realize that she's from a different timeline.

Timeline 5

Homura insists of repeating that particular period of time (between her transferring and the Walpurgis Night), no matter how many times, until she saves Madoka. She kills Kyuubey, but he respawns in a new body, which she chases, but he is saved by Madoka, similar to Episode 1.

Homura's monologue reveals that she is devoted to saving Madoka no matter how many times she'll have to retry.

Runes

See Runes of episode 10

Speculations and Observations

About Walpurgis Night and magic in general

• According to Kyuubey, Madoka as a Witch has the power to destroy the world but it is of no concern to him as long as they meet their quota.
  • It is speculated that because of the nature of Madoka's wish in Timeline 4, that wish gave her the power to not only destroy the Witch during Walpurgis Night with just one shot but that same power will destroy the world once she becomes a Witch herself. For that to happen Madoka will have to make the same wish on Walpurgis Night in Timeline 5.
• Given the nature of Walpurgis Night and the presence of gears and the "falling" figure of the witch, Walpurgis Night could be the witch form of Homura. Although Homura's magic is very limited, her experience in multiple timelines makes the witch a formidable foe.
• Since Walpurgis Night didn't drop a Grief Seed in Timeline 3, it is possible that Walpurgis Night could be a familar of an even more powerful witch. However, this would conflict with QB's statement of Walpurgis Night being the most powerful witch.
• Walpurgis Night could be the witch of a magic girl who defeated the previous most powerful witch. As QB mentioned in Episode 10, the only choice left for a magic girl after defeating the most powerful witch "is to become a (even more powerful) witch herself".
• Walpurgis Night could be Homura's witch form from the future, where she despairs with the fact that her involvement with Madoka only made her suffer some more. This would make sense if Timeline 1 was the best possible ending and the witch's goal is to kill Madoka alone (Timeline 1) or to kill Homura and end her fate.

About the timelines and time travel

• It seems like in every timeline the last ones left to fight Walpurgis Night are Homura and Madoka.
  • It is assumed that Mami, Kyouko, and Sayaka always die in every timeline.
    • However, some evidence suggests that Kyouko's and Sayaka's absence on Walpurgis Night in the other timelines could be explained by Kyouko never arriving in town (or joining forces) or Sayaka never making her wish.
      • Under this assumption we are lead to believe that Mami dies in every timeline.
• It is possible that an imprint or a residue of past timelines are still within Madoka's memory. One example is the dream that Madoka had in Episode 1 and that strange image static in Episode 8.
• It was speculated in Episode 9 that if Kyuubey's people have the technology to travel back in time, they could fix the entropy problem by reversing it. However, in Episode 10, we learn that Kyuubey can only grant the ability to travel back in time. He is only part of the process to create it, so they do not posses the ability itself. The power of time travel rests only within Homura because of her wish.
• Homura's Past Timeline Experiences:
  • While powerful, Mami can become mentally and emotionally unstable. If she learns the truth, she's likely to break down from the pressure and kill everyone (she is unreliable as an ally).
  • Sayaka refuses to believe or listen to Homura's advice. She will also be prone to making the same mistakes and become a witch (her fate is inevitable no matter what).
  • From past experience, Homura believes Kyouko may be the only ally left to help her in stopping Walpurgis Night. However, she did not anticipate her actions that lead to her death since this didnt happen in previous timelines.
  • Leaving Madoka alone or keeping her distance from her will not stop her from making her wish. Nor can Homura stop Walpurgis Night on her own.
  • The only constant in previous timelines is that Madoka is the only one with a pure soul, she was the only one who called her a friend and trusted her with her life.
• Every time Homura tries to change the past she seems to make it worse:
  • Original timeline: Mami and Madoka die like heroines and they are the only known casualties, Earth is saved (and there are no more threats to the planet). The Truth is never revealed.
    • In this version Madoka dies without regrets in her heart, she remains pure and innocent in the end thus avoids the fate of becoming a witch.
  • Second timeline: Mami dies as a heroine, but Madoka becomes a normal Witch.
  • Third timeline: Sayaka becomes a witch and is killed by Homura, Mami dies but not before she loses her sanity and kills Kyouko. Madoka still dies and becomes a witch, but not before she saves Homura from becoming a witch and Homura mercy kills her before that happens.
  • Fourth timeline: Madoka becomes a powerful Witch that will destroy the Earth, everyone dies.
  • Fifth timeline: Mami dies before learning the truth, Sayaka still becomes a witch and dies with Kyouko.
• Homura's reason to go back in time seems to change in each timeline, even though it's possible that only her methods of trying to save Madoka change and her final goal is still the same:
  • Original Timeline: Goes back to help Madoka and stop her from dying.
  • Timeline 2: Homura witnesses the truth and sees Madoka die and become a witch. Homura decides to go back and warn the other girls about the truth.
  • Timeline 3: Homura seems to resign to her fate, she wants to die alongside with Madoka and become witches together, she does not mind if they bring more destruction. However, Madoka saves her life and asks her to stop her from making the stupid mistake of becoming a Puella Magi/Witch, she also tells her that there are still good things left in the world so she refuses to become a Witch and bring more destruction.
  • Timeline 4: Homura realizes that Madoka has the power to destroy the world if left alone. Her mission is to fulfill Madoka's previous request and stop her from becoming a Puella Magi/Witch that will lead to the destruction of the Earth (something that Madoka refused to become part of in Timeline 3).
• Madoka may be getting stronger on each timeline for unknown reasons.
  • Timeline 1 Madoka triumphs on Walpurgis night, possibly only after Mami has already weakened the witch. Madoka somehow dies from her wounds from the battle. This seems to be the weakest of all the Madokas.
  • Timeline 2 Madoka is victorious on Walpurgis night and does not die from her battle injuries. However, she immediately transforms into a witch afterwards. We do not know if Madoka as a witch is especially strong or not.
    • This one can be misleading, we must not forget that in this timeline she has the assistance of Homura and possibly Mami, which is why Madoka didnt die.
  • Timeline 3 Madoka wins with only the assistance of Homura. They would be capable of surviving if it were not for the blackening of their Soul Gems. Madoka clings to her humanity longer compared to her last incarnation.
    • Why Madoka lasted longer could be a result of her unwillingness to transform as she is now aware of what will happen next. The previous Madoka version was probably scared and confused as to what was happening to her so it is possible she didn't fight back the transformation. Also, she may have more energy left because of Homura's increased power and experience.
  • Timeline 4 Madoka is able to stop Walpurgis night in just one hit. Obviously stronger compared to the timeline 1 version. Kyubbey mentions how strong Madoka had become, surpassing his expectations. Her witch form has the power to destroy the whole planet.
    • It is stated previously that the strength and power of a Puella Magi is reflected by the nature of their wish, since Madoka witnessed the power of the witch in Walpurgis Night, she could have wished for the power to defeat her thus receiving equal or greater power than the witch.
      • Because Madoka has always stated how Puella Magi should protect everyone, it is possible her wish was simply to protect everyone and thus the corresponding witch curse would be to kill everyone.
  • Timeline 5 Kyuubey mentions that Madoka could become a god or godlike if she wished, although this may simply be him egging her on to become a magical girl.
• In timeline 5 Homura kills kyuubey once at the beggining and fails to do it again until episode 9
  • That's why kyuubey mentions that she already killed him twice and he realizes that Homura can use Time-Control magic

Continuity to previous episodes

• Although the assumption is that the prologue from Episode 1 is from Timeline 4, when Homura was fighting Walpurgis Night, that same Witch seems to differ in her shape in Episode 10 during the actual Timeline 4.
  • Walpurgis Night from Episode 10's Timeline 4 has slimmer body and longer dress.
  • Walpurgis Night of Timeline 1 is also slightly different from other two.
  • On top of that, the whole sequence looks different: it is a lot darker in Episode 1, and some backgrounds from the same episode are colored, while it is entirely black and white (and mostly white) in Timeline 4. See a visual comparison (Episode 10 on the left, Episode 1 on the right).
• Likewise, while Timeline 5 looks very similar to a scene from Episode 1 (contributing to an interpretation that it is the timeline of all previous episodes), there are small diferences:
  • There is a short conversation between Homura and Madoka in Episode 1, but in Episode 10, Madoka only says "Homura-chan". In episode 1, when Madoka encounters Homura in the closed section of the mall, Sayaka surprises Homura with a fire extinguisher; in episode 10, Sayaka doesn't make a surprise attack and Homura simply runs away when she appears.
  • Additionally, in Episode 1 Homura is seen with one of her legs propped on a bag and is never seen taking a step back.
• Homura comments in Episode 4 that she has witnessed "countless" magical girls die. In Episode 10, we see her witness (or kill herself) at most 9 deaths (the exact number depends on whether to count becoming a witch as dying, or whether to count killing the witch form). Even though some events may have happened off-camera, it is still too low number to consider it "too many to count". This suggests that there were indeed more loops than seen in the episode.

Other observations and speculations

• The calendar in Homura's room shows that she's getting discharged from the hospital on the 16th and returns to school on the 25th. From the format of the calendar, the 25th is apparently a Friday. The only month in 2011 that has 31 days and the 25th falling on a Friday is March. This means that the anime is set during the same time the final episode will be airing.
• Homura's only way to get guns and weapons is by stealing them, it is assumed that she must have stolen them from a group of criminals.
• Although it is shown that Homura can time travel, the limitations are not clear. She is always shown returning to the hospital only after something happens to Madoka, whether it be her dying or becoming a witch. This does not indicate whether or not Homura can continue after Madoka dies or if she can start over in the middle of one timeline.
  • In addition, it is unclear if Homura retains all of her physical improvements between time traveling. We see obvious contrasts between episode 1 and 10 where Homura is certainly stronger in timeline 5. However, this could be due to Homura retraining her weak body every time she starts again in the hospital and not be a result of accumulated strength.
    • As she was able to use magic to heal her eyes, it is quite possible she did the same with her body.
• In Timeline 3, the Grief Seed Madoka uses to heal Homura maybe Sayaka's Grief Seed. She might have obtained it after defeating Oktavia at the station. Madoka might have kept the Grief Seed until the end to remember Sayaka.
  • The Grief Seed from Episode 10 looks different from that of Episode 8. However, this can be explained if the Grief Seed from Episode 8 is an immature form. Both Sayaka and Madoka's Grief Seed does not show dark parts as other Witches' Grief Seeds (except Charlotte's Seed which was partially dark since Charlotte had revived recently).
• Fans have complained that they think Madoka is a weak character and doesn't have a lot of character development, regardless of their criticism, arguably one of the reasons can be Homura. Homura's mission to stop Madoka from becoming a Mahou Shoujo has also halted some of her character development. In each separate timeline we see a different side of Madoka: she can be strong, resilient, and self-sacrificing when she is a Mahou Shoujo. The character trait that remains constant in every timeline compared to the current one is her kindness and trust, in which she's willing to do what she can to help those in need.
• Homura's shield can bend space and time; it is also useful for storing her arsenal of weapons. It is also a symbol of her will to protect Madoka.
  • Inside Homura's shield there are mechanisms like gears, springs, and a escapement wheel; these are parts typically found in mechanical clocks.
    • Everytime Homura uses her power her shield produces a small drop of red material. It's composition and function is unknown but it may have something to do with Homura's ability to surpass entropy to stop or travel back in time.
• It is possible that the reason Kyuubey made Homura a Puella Magi in timeline 1 was to meet his energy quota. The Madoka version of that timeline died before she could become a witch.
• This time, the only change spotted in the opening animation was the addition of Homura and Kyouko to the group shot. The opening animation has also been used as the ending sequence. (this episode has no proper opening)
• The building from which Homura steals weapons in Timeline 3 has a banner reading 「射太興業」. 興業 means "industrial enterprise", and 射太 can be read as "Shafuto", the Japanese pronounciation of "Shaft".
• The new version of Episode 10 that was broadcast at Nico Nico shows a tree in Timeline 4. Some speculate that this tree could somehow be related to the Yggdrasil Tree (world tree) of Norse Mythology.

Images

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  Madoka's grief seed, the cutest grief seed yet.

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  Oktavia as seen in Episode 10.

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  Oktavia's minions look like Hitomi

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  Madoka's first witch transformation.

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  This is either Madoka's witch form or her display of power.

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  Homura's calendar and Madoka revealing the timeframe in which she contracted.

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  This is a happier and innocent Homura from Timeline 1. By Timeline 5 her demeanor will change.

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  How to make bombs.

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  Mami suffers from a mental breakdown once she learns the truth. She decides suicide is the only option.

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  Group shot with Kyouko and Homura.

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  Comparison between Bakemonogatari and Madoka

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  This Witch is PATRICIA

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  Walpurgis Night from Timeline 1

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  The world after Walpurgis Night in Timeline 4

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  Paintings referenced in this episode.

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  The Grief Seed maybe Sayaka's

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  Walpurgis Night looks different in each fight.

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  Comparison of Madoka's witch form in episode 10 and the image at the beginning of episode 1

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  Contrast of the first day of school between timeline 1 and timeline 5

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  Mami's apartment name plate was changed in Episode 10

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  The inside of Homura's shield resembles the mechanism of a mechanical clock

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  The sequence in Episode 10 (left) is not the dream from Episode 1 (right).

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  Comparison of Madoka's eyes from the opening secuence and homura's eyes in the first time travel.

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  Tree added in the Niconico Channel broadcast version.

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  SHAFT updated Episode 10 for a rerun stream. This updated version shows Madoka's witch name as Kriemhild Gretchen. Gretchen happened to be Faust's lover.

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  2ch comparison chart between MBS broadcast and Nico channel broadcast.

Episodes
Previous episode	Current episode	Next episode
Episode 9 I'll Never Allow That	Madoka Magica Episode 10: I Won't Rely On Anyone Anymore I Won't Depend on Anyone Anymore	Episode 11 To The Only Path Remaining