History Characters / PuellaMagiMadokaMagicaMagicalGirls

* SkilledButNaive: Ultimately while Mami is quite the experienced magical girl in combat with a wider variety of hard learned skills and talent, her greatest weakness is a lack of awareness of the darker side of her job. [[spoiler: She is well aware that being a magical girl is lonely, dangerous, and you will regret a bad wish, but she is completely unaware of the origin of witches and seemingly the nature of Soul Gems.]] As a result she does give Madoka and Sayaka a lot of genuinely learned advice, but there is simply parts of the job she can't give them.

* CriticalHesitationBlunder: [[spoiler:She goes into Charlotte's barrier thinking the witch will be an easy kill, but then the witch suddenly reveals her second form, a giant worm with a mouthful of razor-sharp teeth. Mami is too shocked to move, and gets her head bitten off.]]

* JapaneseDelinquents: She skips school, picks fights with those who enter her territory, wears [[BareYourMidriff somewhat inappropriate]] clothing for her age, and lives off of stolen food. And true to the major character archetype of this trope, she turns out to be nicer than she acts.

* BodyHorror: [[spoiler:when she steps into H.N. Elly's witch barrier and said witch has her familiars stretch her body to her limit as she pulls her inside.]]

* ActionGirl: PlayedWith. [[spoiler:In the timelines where she's a magical girl]], she is a force to be reckoned with. In the main show, however, she's strictly reduced to a NonActionGuy for most of the series [[spoiler:because Homura is desperately trying to stop her from contracting, as that would bring the end of the world should she become a with.]]

!!!'''Voiced by:''' Creator/AoiYuuki (Japanese), Creator/ChristineMarieCabanos (English), Creator/CarmenAmbros (Spanish), Creator/JoySaltarelli (Italian), Caroline Combes (French), Lydia Morgenstern (German)

* BackFromTheDead: [[spoiler:In the GrandFinale, Madoka revived her with her wish.]]

!!!'''Voiced by:''' Creator/AoiYuuki (Japanese), Creator/ChristineMarieCabanos (English), Creator/CarmenAmbros (Spanish), Creator/JoySaltarelli (Italian)

* ElementalMotifs: Fire. Not only her theme color ties into fire, but she's also a FieryRedhead and her religious nature reflects fire. Her backstory was told in shadow play, and one needs light (from a fire sometimes) to enact it. [[spoiler:The nail in the coffin is her witch form, which is essentially one big candle.]] Also, fire is associated with [[BigEater indiscriminate consumption]].

* SempaiKohai:

* BulletHell: Creates these with "Unlimited Musket Works".

* FieldOfBlades: [[MemeticMutation Unlimited Musket Works]], indeed.

* TastesLikeFriendship: Kyoko isn't the nicest person, but if she's willing to be your friend, the first thing she'll probably do is hand you a candy bar and say, "You want some?"

* SplitPersonalityMerge: [[spoiler:Kind of; after her apotheosis she gains knowledge of all other timelines.]]

* SurvivorGuilt: After [[spoiler:Mami]] dies right in front of her Madoka goes to her house and says "I'm sorry for being so weak."

* AdaptationalModesty: [[spoiler:The CompilationMovie changes the "naked space hugs" scene so that Madoka and Homura are instead wearing white lace dresses.]]

* ShoutOut: She's not the first magical girl to be named [[Anime/MagicalAngelCreamyMami Mami.]]

** 'Madoka' is usually written as 'Deer eye'. A deer is the symbol of undermore [[http://www.whats-your-sign.com/animal-symbolism-deer.html love, peace and grace]].

* CurtainsMatchTheWindow: Pink hair and eyes.

* TheMentor: She acts as a mentor to Sayaka and Madoka, and persuades them not to waste their lives and talent on a stupid wish, and to join her as a Puella Magi to fight witches.
* MentorOccupationalHazard: [[spoiler:Alas, poor Mami! While mentoring two magical girl candidates she is eaten by a monster caterpillar]]!

* RetGone: The price of ending the [[spoiler:ViciousCycle is her removal from physical existence.]]

* {{Expy}}: WordOfGod has compared Madoka to ''Manga/HidamariSketch'''s Yuno. Urobuchi remarked that every time he made Madoka cry, the Yuno fans hated him more.

** As detailed in the series' FridgeBrilliance section, her name when written in traditional order, '''Ka'''name Mado'''ka''', begins and ends with the same syllable, [[spoiler:symbolic of someone whose existence is tied to a repeating cycle.]]

** [[WordOfGod Gen Urobuchi]] stated that ''Sayaka'' is TheProtagonist of his story, although Madoka is the main character originally planned by Ume Aoki. However, [[spoiler:this may have been a [[LyingCreator bait-and-switch statement]] to make Sayaka's fate more surprising, as Homura turns out to be the main heroic catalyst in the series.]]

** [[PlayingWithATrope Played With]] by WordOfGod. The primary character arc is the lead up to Sayaka's [[spoiler:transformation]], but the plot itself revolves around Homura's attempt to stop Madoka [[spoiler:from dying]] or becoming a magical girl.

* LethalHarmlessPowers: WordOfGod is that her only power is to create ribbons. Ergo, the matchlock rifles she conjures, as well as the bullets they fire, are actually constructed ''using her ribbons''.

-->'''Mami:''' [[spoiler:''(sobbing as she aims her gun at Homura)'' If Soul Gems give birth to witches, then we have no choice but to die! Both me... ''and you!'']]