Homura Akemi is your average, darked-haired girl who's ready to start her new year at Mitakihara Middle School. But everything changes after a chance encounter with Magical Girl Madoka Kaname followed by the appearance of a talking white creature.
This episode provides examples of:
- Aliens Are Bastards: Kyuubey isn't bothered in the slightest about Kriemhild Gretchen destroying the Earth since it managed to reach it's quota in preventing entropy.
- Alternate Timeline: As a time traveler, Homura has been resetting history while training herself to stop Walpurgisnacht along with keeping Madoka safe from the Magical Girl lifestyle. The new timelines that we're created are as followed:
- Original Timeline: Homura befriends Madoka and makes a contract with Kyuubey after she's killed by Walpurgisnacht.
- The Second Timeline: Homura teams up with Madoka and Mami and learns how to make detonator bombs. She also learns the truth about Witches after seeing Madoka's transformation.
- The Third Timeline: Homura warns the others about Kyuubey's intentions with no avail. Many of the girls are killed leaving only her and Madoka to face the Ultimate Witch. She also makes her promise to Madoka to stop her from being a Magical Girl.
- The Fourth Timeline: Homura prevents Kyuubey from contracting Madoka and works alone to defeat the Witches and Walpurgisnacht. She fails to stop the latter which leads to Madoka making a contract, becoming Kriemhild Gretchen in the process. Homura also learns of Kyuubey's indifference to humanity and it's mission to prevent entropy.
- Apocalypse Maiden: Madoka's Witch form proves to be so powerful that she's capable of destroying the planet in only a couple of days.
- Big Damn Heroes:
- Homura ends up wandering into a maze created by the Artist Witch Izabel. But before she can be killed, she's rescued thanks to Madoka and Mami.
- Just before Mami murders Homura in the third timeline, Madoka uses her arrows to shatter Mami's Soul Gem.
- Played tragically in the Fourth Timeline. As Homura loses to Walpurgisnacht, Madoka is convinced to make a contract which destroys the Witch but sets the Earth to be destroyed in the process.
- Cassandra Truth: Despite Homura learning about the dark truth about Magical Girls becoming witches, Sayaka dismisses her questioning what Kyuubey gets out of doing so while the other girls don't consider the possibility until it's too late.
- Cerebus Retcon: The series began with Madoka dreaming about Homura battling a powerful witch all alone before Kyuubey suggests that she join her as a Magical Girl. In truth, this scene was a canon event from the fourth timeline that ultimately led to Madoka becoming Kriemhild Gretchen who would plunge the world into the end times.
- Death by Irony: Sayaka complains that she doesn't like Homura using explosions since they always blow up on her whenever she's fighting in the frontlines. When she becomes Oktavia, Homura finishes her off by using multiple explosives planted all over her.
- The Determinator: Homura's monologue in the last scene make it clear that she will find a way to save Madoka and doesn't mind rewinding time as many times as it takes before she finds a way to save her cherished friend.
- Driven by Envy: In the third timeline, Oktavia has dancing doll Familiars that resemble Sayaka's love rival Hitomi.
- First Friend: Madoka is revealed to be this to Homura, having reached out to her before the latter became a Magical Girl. This goes a long way to explain why Homura is so dedicated to Madoka.
- Forced Euthanasia: After Mami sees the proof about Magical Girls turning into Witches, she decides to commit a Murder-Suicide on her friends and herself, succeeding in killing Kyoko and forcing Madoka to kill her before she can do the same to Homura.
- Freak Out: Mami does not handle the truth about witches really well. Just after defeating Oktavia, she resorts to killing her friends so they can all avoid such a tragic fate.
- The Glasses Come Off: In the fourth timeline, a now hardened Homura uses her Soul Gem magic to improve her eyesight thus allowing her to see without her glasses.
- "Groundhog Day" Loop: As a Magical Girl with the power of time travel, Homura has been able to reset time to around a month, setting herself to reunite with Madoka everytime she fails to save her from Walpurgisnacht.
- Hammerspace: Homura uses her hourglass disk to store her stolen weaponry.
- History Repeats: Given the concept of time travel, several canon events were bound to play out exactly the same.
- During the first day of school, Madoka and Homura walk together to the nurse's office while getting to know each other.
- Sayaka has her conflict with Kyoko after becoming a Magical Girl.
- Sayaka falls into despair while her friends are horrified over her transformation.
Kyoko: Damnit! What are you?! What have you done to Sayaka?!
Madoka: Sayaka, please stop! Try to remember! I know you didn't want to hurt anyone!- Walpurgisnacht wreaks havoc on the city and Madoka ends up dying after her demise.
- I Lied: Madoka sheepishly admits that she lied about not having any Grief Seeds only to pull one out to save Homura.
- I Regret Nothing: And in the original, Madoka didn't mind becoming a Magical Girl as she was able to save Homura and ultimately befriend her.
- I Work Alone: Homura decides to complete her mission of protecting Madoka and defeating Walpurgisnacht without relying on anyone for help anymore.
- Ironic Echo Cut: Mami mentions that Walpurgisnacht will becoming to town so she needs to train Madoka so she can be prepared to fight her. It then cuts to Mami who's dead after fighting the Ultimate Witch which leads to Madoka to continue on without her.
- Jerkass Has a Point: Mami agrees with Sayaka's rant on how the Homura's bombs can be dangerous to her comrades during battle. This leads to Homura expanding her arsenal with guns from the yakuza.
- Last-Name Basis: For a majority of her early adventures, Homura referred to Madoka as "Ms. Kaname". It isn't until the end of the third timeline does she begin using her official name.
- Little "No": Homura says this when she sees Madoka transform into a witch for the very first time.
- Mercy Kill:
- Madoka has no choice but to kill her senpai when she tries to kill her friends out of despair.
- Homura tearfully shoots Madoka's corrupted Soul Gem per her request.
- The Needs of the Many: Even though her senpai was killed and how she's not as strong to successfully defeat Walpurgisnacht, Madoka still insists on fighting her to protect her city and everyone.
- Now, Let Me Carry You: To bring back her friend who was kind to her, Homura wishes to redo her first meeting with Madoka only this time she'll be strong enough to protect her.
- Once More, with Clarity:
- The dream fight from Episode 1 plays again in the fourth timeline with Homura trying to tell Madoka something. Only this time we learn that Homura was actually warning Madoka not to listen to Kyuubey despite her grim situation.
- The part where Madoka finds an injured Kyuubey only to be intimated by Homura returns only with an extra scene that shows Homura killing one of the white monster's clones before chasing after it.
- Origins Episode: This episode serves as one to Homura, revealing how she became a Magical Girl, how she knows so much about Kyubey and the Magical Girl system, and why she’s dedicated to keeping Madoka from becoming a Magical Girl.
- The Promise: In the third timeline, Homura promises Madoka to stop her from making a contract with Kyuubey and to keep her safe from the horrors of becoming a Magical Girl.
- Say My Name: Homura calls out Madoka's name multiple times throughout the episode.
- Sickly Neurotic Geek: Along with having braided pigtails and glasses, Homura is revealed to have been in a hospital for most of her adolescence because of a heart condition. As shown in her early days, she struggled alot with physical education.
- So Proud of You: Mami praises Madoka's performance in defeating Izabel despite her status as a rookie.
- Title Drop: Homura thinks to herself "I won't rely on anyone anymore" as she continues her mission in the fourth timeline.
- Took a Level in Badass: With each new timeline, Homura gains more battle experience and firepower on her quest to destroy Walpurgisnacht.
- Weak, but Skilled: While Homura has the power to freeze time, she needs to rely on a weapon of sorts to do significant damage to her opponents. This would lead to her learning how to build detonators and use deadly gunfire.
- Wham Episode: This episode goes into full detail explaining Homura's origins, her discovery of the corrupt Magical Girl system, and her dedication towards protecting Madoka.
- Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds: Suggested. In the third timeline with both their Soul Gems having been corrupted, Homura suggests that she and Madoka become witches who can destroy the world to free everything from evil and suffering.
"I'll do it over, no matter how many times it takes. I'll relive it over and over again. I will find a way out. The one path that will lead you out of this destiny of despair. Madoka, my one, and my only friend. I don't care, because if it's for you, I'll stay trapped in this endless maze. Forever."
