Manga differences

This page is to list differences between the original anime version of Madoka Magica, and the manga adaptation.

This page will need extensive cleanup before posting in main namespace, it's just a scratchpad now.

General/recurring differences

• Character designs - manga characters have more traditional proportions, while anime is more liberal in treatment of other aspects of Aoki Ume's original designs.
  • Sayaka has a double-bladed sword in the manga, and a single-bladed one in the anime
  • Kyubey has bigger eyes and actually shows facial expressions in the manga

Episode/chapter 1

• Madoka running through the corridor and stairs before Homura's fight with WPN in the pre-OP scene is omitted in the manga.
• WPN's appearance is not shown in the manga.
• Madoka waking up from her "dream" is before the OP in the anime, but after the title pages in the manga.
• Talk with dad, and mom waking scene is omitted.
• Bathroom conversation between Madoka and Junko is greatly abbreviated. The only thing left is the ribbon choosing.
• Morning conversation between girls' trio is abbreviated - all the talk about love letters is omitted, as it was triggered by a talk between Madoka and her mom, which is omitted in the manga.
• When Madoka is "leading" Homura to the nurse's office, in the anime, she tells Homura that her name is pretty, but in the manga, she asks her if they've met each other before.
• The scenes of Homura acing maths and showing her mad athletic skills are preserved only as a single-panel illustration to Sayaka's words during the later talk between the girls.
• Anthonies are more regular and geometric in the manga, and they have noses and mouths.
• Sayaka's suggesting Madoka x Homura yuri possibility more aggressively in the manga in the said talk.
• The building where Madoka meets Kyubey is much more plain and not as dark in the manga.
• Homura is talking about Kyubey's "dirty tricks" and speaks in a quite aggressive manner in the manga, while in the anime, she speaks far less and just holds her poker face.
• Mami's talk with the girls before her transformation is omitted in the manga, as is her talk with Homura after the fight.
• There's just a single Mami's gun in the manga, compared to anime's UMW.
• Mami doesn't introduce herself until ep2 in the anime, while she does in ch1 in the manga.
• Kyubey introduces himself in the anime, while he is introduced by Mami in the manga.
• In the manga, Mami is surprised by Kyubey wanting to make contracts with Madoka and Sayaka.