History Headscratchers / PuellaMagiMadokaMagica

** In the video game spinoff, ''VideoGame/MagiaRecordPuellaMagiMadokaMagicaSideStory'' these creatures are also referred to as "familiars" by characters while the memorias, the cards used to power up your magical girls in the game, refers to them as "minions". So maybe in-universe they are only known as familiars while in meta they could be alternatively and officially referred to as minions.

* If this has been asked before, please forgive me, but... why didn't Homura just reverse time and LIE to Kyubey? Just admit that you're a time traveler but tell him that one day there will be an even more powerful Magical Girl then Madoka will be, but you'll only tell him/it about her if Kyubey never forms a contract with Madoka, from there it's a simpler matter of bringing the magical girls together, you have the time to learn all the things you need to know about Sayaka, Kyoko and Mami to convince them that you're on their side, you could of solved this so easily, Homerun-chan!

* It's never stated or measured, but it's still visibly true that she gets the entire 30 days worth of timeline attached to her, that's not speculation. You can't have a timeline that only affects Earth, we know this because when Homura stops time, it stops everywhere, she can't freeze a person in time or isolate segments of time from each other. When she goes back to the start of the loop, everything from the previous timeline is sublimated into Madoka's magical potential, so yes, it is always 30 days' worth of the universe's energy, because Homura can't permanently isolate objects from each other in time, they always rejoin the flow when her powers are turned off. We don't get a conversion rate of karmic destiny to magical power, but we do see the proportional growth as the timelines progress based on Gretchen's size and Walpurgis' defeat(s). Based on what very little material we have on the subject, in order to do a full, true resurrection of a magical girl, you'd need a wish made by someone whose potential is ''at least'' enough to fully eclipse the magical girl being resurrected, because at that point you're pretty muching paying the difference in karma to "buy" back the karmic debt incurred with her death. In terms of Kyubey's magic, wishing to bring a magical girl back from the dead means buying back the dead Puella Magi's grief seed from wherever it goes when he eats it, and it would go against his entire stated purpose to do that and ''not'' turn a profit.

** IMHO, in the case of Madoka Magica, the yuri undertones are not coming directly from the (canon) series itself but rather from the (non-canon) supplements and artworks around it; especially Kyou/Saya. Mado/Homu in episode 12 can easily be seen as RomanticTwoGirlFriendship (as they're middle school girls), and from here, it's easy to cross the line to LesYay. RomanticTwoGirlFriendship is a very [[TruthInTelevision real phenomenon]] (it's very normal for girls in their early teenage years to hug and cuddle a lot) but as we grow out of the middle-school age, we tend to forget that and become more prone to see such behavior as lesbian. In the [[YuriFan Yuri Fans']] defense, I think most of them take their {{Shipping}}s with a grain of salt and are perfectly aware that they're not even close to being canon.

*** I just came back from watching TheMovie; that image has been removed from it. Also when [[spoiler: Godoka and Homura hug in Godoka's realm, the two are clothed, while they're nekkid in the TV show]]. Probably safe to assume that the creators want to tone down the yuriness. The new opening sequence looks pretty [[RomanticTwoGirlFriendship roma]][[LesYay ntic]], though.

** You're CompletelyMissingThePoint. Those types of huge wishes ''have'' been made by magical girls, and those wishes contributed hugely to the state of humanity to bring the world to the point it's in now. Which, if you haven't noticed, is ''more advanced than ours''. You're splitting hairs about curing cancer; magical girls apparently got us out of the World Wars and the bubonic plague.

* Is the whole show a vicious TakeThat at ''Franchise/PrettyCure''? It's very similar in formula to it out of any other MagicalGirl show, just...much darker. But then again, one of the VA's from that is in here, so... (I haven't seen past the first two eps of Magica, so I could be wrong.)

** Okay, but the girls don't know that when they make their wishes - Madoka is the only person in the entire series who makes her wish knowing the full consequences of wishing. Obviously it would be horrific if it ever happened, but since the people who are choosing don't have that information, it doesn't explain their choices.

*** Maybe that's what happened. Say, a girl watched her loved one slowly die of cancer or was dying herself but still kept it somewhat together, so instead of wishing for only her cure or the cure of her loved one, she'd ask for research on cancer making a huge leap forward, enough to cure her? (would speak for the "She's dying herself" thing - even though the prospect of ones own death is terrifying as fuck, the death of your loved one is far, far worse - so yes, it's not impossible for her staying level-headed enough. After all, even though you might have made peace wth your apprroaching demise, the chance to live inspires IMMENSE hope). The witch Roberta established that Magical girls don't have to be around 13-15, so it might have been a slightly older girl with a bit more perspective?

** This would cause OBSCENE amounts of horror and possibly end the world. Why? ->"Magical Girls are subject to the same amount of dispair as their wish creates for ALL people it effects, as per the laws of equivalent exchange" Imagine shouldering the equivalent amount of dispair to the joy of humanity realizing that cancer no longer exists. Walpurgisnacht would look like a freaking PUPPY compared to your witch form.

*** Not really. As far as I'm aware there's no real evidence that humans can't see Witches. Walprugrisnacht probably just has the power to hide herself from humans. Or maybe witches can turn their WeirdnessCensor off, but it's clear that humans are able to at least see Familliars.

*** I think only exceptionally powerful witches can ever break out of their labyrinths, like Walpurgis Night and Kriemhild Gretchen.

** They're probably referring to one of her rants, not necessarily her love life, about her talking about the Mayan apocalypse. It sorta happens, what with Walpurgrisnacht, but I personally think that it being "foreshadowing" is a stretch.

* Why gems are so FRAGILE? They can be destroyed with a shot of a simple pistol! The entire argument about "being lich helps you in combat" looks weaker when you realise that a magical girl can be killed with one random bullet! Why can't Kyubey make gems durable so magical girls wouldn't be able to escape their fate by killing self?

* How exactly would two Magical Girls handle Walpurgis Night better than one? Based on what we've seen, the stuff Homura throws at it seems far beyond what a 'normal' Madoka and Mami could have done in the first timeline; likewise, Kyouko wouldn't have made much of an addition either.
** Homura being stronger than Madoka is simply not true. Remember that Madoka still managed to defeat Walpurgis alone at the very first timeline. Having more numbers is always an addition. Sure two men facing a lion barehanded probably wouldn't produce a win, but would you rather fight that lion alone or with another comrade? We don't exactly know all of Kyouko's powers either as she wasn't fighting her best when facing Sayaka; at the very least Kyouko could have protected Homura from the fodder enemies Walpurgis was sending out.
*** ''Did'' Madoka [[spoiler:defeat Walpurgis in the first timeline? I thought they only showed Madoka herself dead or dying, but I don't remember Homura mentioning Walpy's defeat. IIRC, the only decisive mention of having successfully defeated her happened in the "Madoka oneshots Walpy and becomes a witch immediately afterward" timeline]].
*** She did... [[spoiler:through a SuicideAttack that took out Walpurgisnacht. Notice that her Soul Gem was nowhere to be seen and Walpurgisnacht was gone? And consider the next few timelines that Madoka manages to defeat WPN without having to resort to a SuicideAttack and eventually into Witchdom? Madoka already had potential to be a great magical girl. Homura's time-traveling just multiplied to the point that Madoka could make a wish to recreate the universe!]]
*** The thing about Madoka's [[spoiler:potential and Homura's time traveling enhancing is unrelated to the discussion. The thing is, Walpurgis being ''absent'' from the "Madoka dies," "Madoka becomes a witch," and "Madoka and Homura together" scenes doesn't MEAN she's been defeated. The thing flies wherever it wants, it could have just moved on to wreak havoc elsewhere after defeating the local resistance. That's why the only EXPLICIT confirmation that Walpurgis really IS defeated comes from the "Madoka oneshots Walpurgis and THEN becomes a witch," when Kyubey actually says it. Madoka's Soul Gem also being absent doesn't say anything on its own. It could've just shattered after a fatal attack without Madoka accomplishing anything. A SuicideAttack can be ''inferred'', but one can also ''infer'' a complete failure from the exact same scenes.]]
*** The PSP rendition of the first timeline seems to imply that Madoka really did kill it in a SuicideAttack, though given how the timelines can play out in different ways in the game, this may or may not be canon to the show. Timeline 2 isn't clear one way or another, but in Timeline 3 it seems like the Homura-Madoka combo drove Walpurgis away without killing it; they would be dead already if Walpurgis was still around, given that they were basically sitting ducks, but if they won against it they'd have had a Grief Seed from it (the one Madoka used on Homura can't have been from Walpurgis, or Homura wouldn't have been surprised that she had it.)
*** You are overthinking things. [[spoiler:That confirmation also came from someone who didn't know Madoka's power was growing because of Homura's timeline hopping. Also, you have to make the distinction of between Madoka doing a SuicideAttack and Curbstomping WPN. It is heavily implied that WPN was defeated in the first timeline after Madoka's SuicideAttack. I don't think they would let WPN roam around without saying nothing or at least implied that they did. WPN was powerful enough to destroy the World even though it would take much longer than Madoka's Krimhild Gretchen. Also consider that Gretchen always more powerful than WPN BEFORE that One-Shot Madoka did.]]
*** Well, what I can say (based mostly on eps 10 and 11) is that:
*** [[spoiler:a) Homura CAN'T use any magical attack, her only magics are time stop and moving stuff around (like the truck or the missile launcher) so far, before the Retcon she never had the bow and she balanced this with timestop, and Genre Savy.]]
*** [[spoiler: Not true. Homura fires purple energy bolts the first time we see her chasing Kyubey, presumably so as not to give him any clues about what her magic really does, and to conserve her Soul Gem as much as possible.]]
*** [[spoiler:b) Madoka is kinda like Nanoha, a mid-long ranged fighter with very very strong magic attacks. Mami also qualifies on this category. Kyoko one hit ko'ed witch-Sakaya with her suicide attack. And Sakaya can heavily increase her strength and speed using magic. So any of the girls with the exception of Homura can use strong magic attacks.]]
*** [[spoiler:c)Walpurgis has an weird eye/magic circle aura around it. IMO walpurgis is simply immune to non-magic attacks, regardless the Overkill, unless it aura is broken with a very powerful magic attack. Thats why Madoka always defeat it, and why having at least one magical girl with a magic attack would greatly increase Humura's possibilities to defeat WP.]]
*** For that matter, [[spoiler:Walpugisnacht]]'s nature is helplessness. Maybe it's simply impossible to do with only one person, because that person is "helpless" - Homura can't win, but Homura + mouse that noms on [[spoiler:Walpurgisnacht]]'s ear can. Madoka breaks this by being [[GameBreaker Madoka]].
*** A witch's nature is like her personality [[spoiler:(she just laughs and floats upside down 95% of the time, and the rare photo(s) showing her right side up also show the city in flames). Homura's firepower hardly singed her dress, and considering all that magical witch-fire spewed, she seems to be magically-heat-resistant enough to laugh off "mere explosives". Ironic, as she is the 'stage-constructing witch'.]]
*** It might be that Walpurgis is just plain immune to fire, since it's her primary element, and all of Homura's bombs either count as being fire-element attacks, or they become fire-elemental attacks once they become reinforced with Homura's magic.

* How do the magical girls know of Walpurgis's existence before she is born? In Timeline 1, Mami even says "Kaname should become a pro before Walpurgis Night." But unlike Homura, they don't have the benefit of knowing its nature or knowing when it's going to appear, or even that it will appear at all.
** Any decent magic girls already knew about Walpurgis, as Kyoko shown an intrest in fighting it without Homura having to explain what it is. As for Mami's comment, she might have known there will be a Walpurgis, but might not have known it would be so soon and it would hit their city.
** Well, yes, we know they did know there was a Walpurgis. But where did they find out that she's coming? Did Kyubey tell them? How did he find out?
*** The witch's card says that stories about Walpurgis Night have been "handed down through history", so either some Puella Magi have told each other (trying to form teams against it?) or Kyuubey is telling. He can sense when witches are about to hatch. He most likely didn't tell Madoka in later timelines so that when Walpurgis did appear, she'd be overwhelmed and more easily forced into making a wish.

* I agree that Walpurgisnight is a collection of witches, but what causes the witches to gather? Charlotte and Gertrud, who we saw in the first three episodes were alone, so what was different about the witches who did make up WN?
** She isn't a gathering of whole, complete, individual witches, she's a collection of curse energy that doesn't get absorbed into a grief seed (basically, the leftovers from when witches' kisses disappear after the witch who cast them is destroyed, or when familiars are killed without maturing into a witch first). It's called "a gathering of witches" based on the actual Walpurgis Night Festival, where witches gather on a mountain.
*** The above is pure speculation. Kazumi Magica includes instances in which Witches can be brought together to interact with one another.
*** Not quite. According to WordOfGod, WPN works "like tornadoes", so it seems to be a combination of the two. Walpurgis is a single witch that can absorb other witches, sucking up curse energy to become a huge, crazy-powerful witch.

* Forgive me if this has already been asked, but why doesn't Homura just kill the person who's going to turn into Walpurgisnacht? Also, if the only people who turn into Witches are Magical Girls, why isn't anyone aware that the Magical Girl who turns into Walpurgisnacht exists? Is Walpurgisnacht formed from something else besides a Magical Girl?
** A number of reasons:
*** Walpurgisnacht is a conglomeration of multiple witches, she isn't formed from just one magical girl. This is why Madoka's attack in episode 12 destroys her without hitting her: since she stopped all the witches from ever being born, Walpurgis can't exist.
*** Homura's sandtimer only goes back a month, and Walpurgisnacht is a powerful witch that appears periodically, to the point that she's a figure of Magical Girl lore and has caused multiple "natural disasters" in the past.
*** Madoka and company are the only magical girls who know that magical girls become witches, so no other magical girl would ever have figured out that Walpurgisnacht was ever a human girl.

* In Episode 10,we're shown the past timelines, in particular the one where Homura becomes Puella Magi. In the timelines afterwards, Homura is seen warning the other Puella Magi about Walpurgisnacht. This makes sense, considering that Homura got this information from Mami back in the first timeline. What doesn't make sense is how that original Mami knew about Walpurgis in the first place. Kyoko is not an possible source for two reasons: one, she isn't shown in this timeline, as Mami didn't die until the fight with Walpurgisnacht, and two, if she had been the one who told Mami, then where did Kyoko get the information from? Kyubey is not a likely option considering that he doesn't generally give out information unless specifically asked, or if the act of giving in some way benefits his end goals. In order to get information out the Incubator,one would have a question exactly as specific as the information one wishes(no pun intended) to receive. Mami would have to ask something along the lines of "Is there some super-powerful witch capable of destroying the city and possibly the world, going to appear anytime soon?" The chances of Mami(or anyone else for that matter) thinking of a question as specific as that without any prior knowledge is VERY slim.
** I can't remember where (I want to say it's in the concept notes somewhere, but I can't recall for sure), but it's mentioned that Walpurgisnacht has been around for a long time because no one is strong enough to defeat her, so stories of her have been passed down from magical girl to magical girl through the ages. Kyouko and Mami ''were'' friends before the start of the story, though, they just had a falling out and split up before the series proper, so she's just as valid a source as any. Even if not, Kyubey is a fine source either way: finding a girl and saying, "A gigantic witch is coming to destroy your city, but you have the potential to become a magical girl that can stand up to fight it!" is probably his idea of shooting fish in a barrel. He doesn't have to tell them they can't win, just that they can fight if they make a contract.
* On a similar note, why didn't Homura leave Mitakihara city to go look for more Puella Magi to help her defeat Walpurgisnacht? I understand that its part of her character to want to do things on her own, to want to be Madoka's singular protector, but I mean- COME ON. She's gone through so many timelines,and you're telling me that she never once thought to ask for help from outside Mitakihara? And its not like in Rebellion where they weren't able to leave either. It was never stated that they couldn't leave Mitakihara city.

* ''What is that giant tree-like thing seen in Episode 1 before the opening credits?'' As far as I can tell from views of the Mitakihara City skyline, it's like it's not there until Walpurgisnacht turns up (it's there in Episode 10, we see Homura and Madoka on it with Mami's body). In Episode 12, it doesn't turn up, so I don't believe that Walpurgisnacht creates it. Apparently, whatever it is seems to have an Eldritch Location inside of it and is partially made of city infrastruture (eg. street lights).
** I would assume that Walpurgisnacht ''does'' spawn the tree, just not consistently. She doesn't have a barrier, per se, but she does very clearly influence her surroundings magically when she manifests. We know that other witches' barriers aren't static and change their appearance and location, so Walpurgis' influence on the area could similarly be something that varies across manifestations. I mean, besides her, the only other magical being in the area when the tree shows up is Homura - between Homura and Walpurgis, it just seems more likely that Walpurgis did it, especially considering that "stage construction" is Walpurgis' whole schtick.
*** Or, Walpurgisnacht does spawn the tree consistently; that's what happens if it reaches the shelter. The reason it didn't appear in episode 12 is because it didn't get that far before Madoka stopped it.
* Going off the question above about a theoretical girl whose wish was to be a boy, would transgender girls have a chance to become magical girls? Would Kyubey seek them out for wishes, would they have to be the recipient of a wish, or are they simply out of luck?

* Is there a reason why there are only magical GIRLS? I mean, the out of universe reason is more or less obvious, but is there a concrete reason given why they only use girls for the contract?
*** How many times are people going to ask this? Actually pay attention to the show, people, Kyubey explicitly states his reasoning, this is not a headscratcher if you have more brains than a goldfish does. It's because teenage girls are the most emotionally volatile demographic of humanity and the Incubators are extremely efficient. Teenage girls are guaranteed to get the results they want, which means contracting with anyone ''except'' teenage girls is a waste of their time. Imagine somebody puts you in front of two slot machines, a pink one and a blue one. They tell you that the pink one wins a hundred dollar prize every single time. The blue one wins a hundred dollar prize once out of every ten spins. Every pull costs ten dollars and you have a hundred dollars in your pocket, how many times do you use each machine?
*** You're point was made, but you could have been less of an ass about it. I just had difficulty finding concrete information so I wanted confirmation.
*** If you had difficulty finding this information, it's because you didn't actually look for it. It's stated directly in the show. Kyubey even explains why magical girls are called magical ''girls'' in reference to what humans call females in their second growth phase. Multiple entries on this page and the Fridge page reference the question of why there are no magical boys, what would happen if a transgender boy or girl made a contract, what happens if a girl made a contract wishing to be a boy, and so on, and so on. So I apologize if I made my frustrations a little more obvious than is polite, but I'll try being nicer if you'll try being smarter.