Among the magical girls, Akemi Homura has been shrouded in mystery since her debut, and she often behaves in a mysterious way. Homura is an important character at the core of this story. As a magical girl, she wields extremely powerful magic, toying with other magical girls. We'll introduce the charms of the strong and mysterious magical girl Homura.
Is Homura a friend or foe?
Source: Puella Magi Madoka Magica ©Magica Quartet/Aniplex・Magia Record Partners
She is a transfer student at Mitakihara Junior High School and a classmate of Madoka's. She is intelligent, talented at sports, and beautiful. When Madoka and her friends try to become magical girls, she obstructs their efforts, overbearingly telling them not to become magical girls. She persistently tries to prevent Madoka from becoming a magical girl, which sometimes leads to conflicts with Mami and Sayaka, and Sayaka is very wary of her.
Homura as a Magical Girl
Source: Puella Magi Madoka Magica ©Magica Quartet/Aniplex・Magia Record Partners
She wears a purple and black sailor-like outfit and wields a magical shield in her left hand. This shield has the ability to stop time, allowing her to attack while stopping time around her. He attacks with bombs he makes himself, and firearms such as guns and machine guns that he prepares. His shield is like the pockets of a certain cat-shaped robot, and can store any amount of items, so he stores his firearms there. He can also use time-stopping magic, which can last from a few minutes to a few hours. The magic does not affect things that he is in contact with, such as holding hands with Homura.
Homura, Kyubey's nemesis?
Source: Puella Magi Madoka Magica ©Magica Quartet/Aniplex・Magia Record Partners
When Madoka and Kyubey first met, Kyubey was seriously injured. Homura was the one who inflicted these injuries. Every time Kyubey tried to contact Madoka, Homura would defeat him to prevent him. There are many Kyubeys, so no matter how many you defeat, more will come along to replace them, but they are defeated again and again. When Madoka finally tries to make a contract with Kyubey, she stops time and riddles Kyubey with a gun. Kyubey is defeated by Homura many times, but he gradually comes to understand the properties of Homura's magic and realizes her secret.
Homura's Wish
Source: Puella Magi Madoka Magica ©Magica Quartet/Aniplex・Magia Record Partners
In fact, Homura wasn't originally the beautiful and intelligent girl she is today. Having just recovered from heart disease, she had poor athletic ability and struggled with studying due to being hospitalized and taking time off school. Madoka treated her with great kindness. Also, when Homura was attacked by a witch, it was the magical girl Madoka who saved her. Since then, Homura has admired Madoka. However, Madoka was killed in battle during the Walpurgisnacht attack. Homura, who was not yet a magical girl at the time, wished to "relive her meeting with Kaname-san" and obtained the magic to control time.
Homura's Other Side
Source: Puella Magi Madoka Magica ©Magica Quartet/Aniplex・Magia Record Partners
As mentioned above, the original Homura was a timid, shy girl who was bad at both academics and sports. At this point, Homura is so fragile that even Madoka has to protect her. However, Homura's timid appearance with her braids is very cute, a stark contrast to her initial cool impression. This Homura suddenly appears at the beginning of episode 10, and it was such a shock when I was watching it in real time that I wondered if I'd missed an episode.
Homura Loses Her Way as the Months Repeat
Source: Puella Magi Madoka Magica ©Magica Quartet/Aniplex・Magia Record Partners
With the power she has acquired, Homura travels back one month and reunites with Madoka. Now, as a magical girl, she fights alongside Madoka and Mami. However, she is unable to survive the Walpurgis Night Invasion. She is defeated on Walpurgisnacht, and even after being defeated, Madoka turns into a witch afterwards... Homura repeats this month over and over again in order to save Madoka. She repeats it over and over again, unaware that it is turning Madoka into the strongest magical girl.
Homura's New Battle
A World Without Madoka
Source: Puella Magi Madoka Magica ©Magica Quartet/Aniplex・Magia Record Partners
Although Homura ultimately failed to stop Madoka from becoming a magical girl, she resolved to live in the new world Madoka created (a world without witches). While grieving his eternal separation from Madoka, who has become a concept of the Law of Cycles, he suppresses his grief and throws himself into the battle against the "Demon Beasts" that have appeared in place of the Witch. At this point, he can no longer use his time-stopping magic, and instead has "memory manipulation magic," and his weapon is the same bow as Madoka's.
Living and Fighting in a New World
Source: Puella Magi Madoka Magica ©Magica Quartet/Aniplex・Magia Record Partners
After the TV series, Homura begins her battle with magical beasts. In "Rebellion: New Edition," which depicts what happens afterwards, Homura lives a fulfilling magical girl life, attending school with Madoka, Sayaka, Mami, and Kyoko by day and battling enemies called "Nightmares" at night. However, she begins to feel something is off, and begins to believe that this world was created by someone. When she remembers that the enemies are magical beasts, and that Mami and Kyoko also fight magical beasts, not Nightmares, her suspicions turn to certainty, and she sets out to find the culprit who created the fake Mitakihara.
The culprit who created this world is...
Source: Puella Magi Madoka Magica ©Magica Quartet/Aniplex・Magia Record Partners
While searching for the culprit behind the creation of the fake Mitakihara, Homura realizes something important: her Soul Gem has been completely corrupted without her realizing it. Homura's Soul Gem, which began to produce a curse, was trapped within a barrier by Kyubey, and without being able to receive the salvation of the Law of Cycles (Madoka), she created a false Mitakihara and ultimately became the "Nutcracker Witch."
Homura is Kyubey's experimental subject
Source: Puella Magi Madoka Magica ©Magica Quartet/Aniplex・Magia Record Partners
Madoka's wish was supposed to have created a world without witches, so why did Homura become a witch? This is because Kyubey sealed Homura's Soul Gem in a barrier that is unaffected by the Law of Cycles. Although Kyubey is unaware of the existence of witches, he has doubts about Soul Gems, which disappear after being corrupted, and the existence of the Law of Cycles that purifies them. As such, he conducted an experiment on Homura's Soul Gem to see what would happen if a completely corrupted Soul Gem was not purified.
Homura Becomes a Demon
Source: Puella Magi Madoka Magica ©Magica Quartet/Aniplex・Magia Record Partners
Homura, who has become a witch, is defeated by Madoka, Mami, Sayaka, Kyoko, and Nagisa. The barrier created by Kyubey collapses, and Homura is finally able to receive the salvation of Madoka's Law of Cycles. The moment Madoka tries to touch Homura's Soul Gem, Homura captures her. She then steals the power of Madoka's Law of Cycles and remakes the world once again. At that moment, she grows black wings, the complete opposite of Ultimate Madoka, and calls herself "a devil who has tainted even the power of God."
Homura Living in a New World for the Second Time
Source: Puella Magi Madoka Magica ©Magica Quartet/Aniplex・Magia Record Partners
After becoming a demon and reshaping the world, Homura led an ordinary life, attending school with Madoka and her friends. However, Sayaka, the only one who retained memories from her past, perceived Homura's existence as a danger. Homura even used memory manipulation magic to alter Sayaka's memories, creating an ordinary everyday life with Madoka.
Homura, Madoka's counterpart
Source: Puella Magi Madoka Magica ©Magica Quartet/Aniplex・Magia Record Partners
Homura is the opposite of Madoka in many ways: when she first appears, she's a strong-willed girl, the opposite of Madoka's timidity; in her past, she's a useless girl, the opposite of Madoka's success as a magical girl; and in contrast to Madoka's god-like nature, Homura has become a demon. Because Homura truly loves Madoka, they are often depicted together, and their relationship is often described as forbidden. She's a mysterious and solitary figure, but with a past as a useless girl, she is the core of this story. While she's a difficult character to empathize with, the scene at the end, when Homura sheds tears as she mourns her farewell to Madoka, is truly moving, so if you haven't seen it yet, I highly recommend it.
