Homura Akemi

Homura Akemi (Japanese: 暁美 ほむら, Hepburn: Akemi Homura) is a fictional character from the 2011 anime series Puella Magi Madoka Magica. A mysterious magical girl that first appeared as a vision in one of Madoka Kaname's nightmares, Homura tries her best to prevent Madoka from making a contract with the messenger of magic, Kyubey. As the story progresses, it is revealed that Homura is a time traveler and have seen Madoka die countless times whenever she makes a contract with Kyubey. Homura becomes the main protagonist of the 2013 sequel film Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie: Rebellion, where she fights with her fellow magical girls against surreal monsters called Nightmares, but after some time, she realizes something is wrong with her memories and then tries to investigate. Homura has appeared in most Puella Magi Madoka Magica related media, including manga, novel adaptation of the series, and video games.

Homura Akemi
Puella Magi Madoka Magica character
Homura Akemi in Magia Record with her shield magic. Artwork by Sasagi Koushi.
First appearance"As If I Met Her in My Dream..."
Created by
Voiced byJapanese
Chiwa Saito
English
Cristina Vee
In-universe information
SpeciesMagical girl
Devil (Rebellion)
GenderFemale
WeaponShield (time manipulation)
Bow

Writer Gen Urobuchi created Homura as a contrast to the series' titular character, Madoka Kaname. He developed her role as a mysterious character who would reveal the truth about magical girl's fate as the series progresses. Urobuchi expanded Homura's character in Rebellion; where he said that the film is about the character growing and struggling with internal conflict. She was designed by Ume Aoki, who tried to express Homura's dark beauty through her design. In the Japanese version of the series, Homura is voiced by Chiwa Saito while Cristina Vee voices her in the English version.

Homura has garnered acclaim from critics, who praised her complex characterization and her self-sacrifice for Madoka. Her backstory revealed in episode 10 was also highly commended. Homura's role in Rebellion have also earned praise from critics, who enjoyed the focus of her character and development, though the character turning to devil at the end of the film received some mixed reviews. Homura's character and her mental health have been the subject of considerable critical attention. She has ranked highly in various popularity polls for best female anime character conducted by several publications such as Newtype, NHK, GooRanking, and continues to remain popular among fans. Numerous merchandise based on her have also been created, such as figures, plush dolls and replicas of her ear cuffs. For voicing Homura, Saito has won the 2011 Newtype Anime Award for Best Supporting Actress.

Conception and creation

Development

Series writer Gen Urobuchi created Homura as a contrast to the series' titular character, Madoka Kaname. While Madoka is a character who couldn't step forward at the beginning of the series, she started moving as the series progresses, while Homura on the other hand, is a character that stops at one place and is unable to move forward due to her time-loop, where she constantly turns back time to save Madoka from her fate.[2] He noted that Homura has repeated nearly 100 timelines in order to save Madoka from her fate.[3] Urobuchi also avoided on portraying Homura's family, as he felt that depicting them won't affect the story, and called them "unnecessary" compared to Madoka's family, in which they play an important part to the story, particularly her mother, Junko Kaname.[4] Although the series is named after the titular protagonist Madoka and story is about her growth and wish of becoming a magical girl, to Urobuchi, he said that Homura feels as the real protagonist of the series.[5] He also described Homura's role at the end of the series as that of an "evangelist", the only person in the world that understands Madoka's existence and importance.[6]

Urobuchi said that he developed Homura's role as another "veteran magical girl aside from Mami Tomoe", stating that she holds the answers about various mysteries in the series, and as the series progresses, she will be the one to reveal the truth about magical girl's fate with Kyubey.[7] While developing her time-manipulation power, Urobuchi explained that Homura's magic shield contains a sand timer that can manipulate time for at least one month, and if the sand on the shield disappears, she cannot manipulate time anymore, but can still travel back in time. He admitted that he did not think enough on how her shield works, making the nature of her shield magic a mystery.[5] Urobuchi was also not fond of giving her the shield as her only weapon, but came to like it after seeing the storyboard where he liked the idea of Homura pulling multiple guns and explosives from the shield.[5] He also regarded Homura as the strongest magical girl "as long as no one discovers how she uses her powers".[3]

Homura's character was also expanded in the 2013 sequel film, Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie: Rebellion, in which she becomes the main protagonist for the film.[8] Urobuchi originally planned to conclude the film with Homura reuniting with Madoka, and ascending to heaven but director Akiyuki Shinbo and producer Atsuhiro Iwakami refused that ending since they want to expand the franchise which gave Urobuchi a hard time to come up with an ending.[9] Urobuchi was also worried about ending Homura ascending with Madoka, as he expressed that such ending wouldn't be a happy end for Homura's character since she would instantly disappear, and he also wanted to create an ending where Madoka escapes from her fate as a God, since a fate where a middle-school girl becomes a God is too much to bear.[8] Urobuchi expressed difficulty to write an ending for the film, until Shinbo came to him and suggested the idea where Homura is "confronting Madoka as an enemy", which then gave Urobuchi the motivation to write and develop the film's ending.[8] He said he agreed with this idea because he believes Homura might be "plausible as Madoka’s equal opposite".[9]

Another theme Urobuchi wanted to convey was Homura's growth, where he said that Homura has thrown her confusion away in the movie and by doing this, she grows up like a strong heroine.[10] Urobuchi expressed that the film is about Homura growing and changing, and feared as to whether people will accept her evolved character or reject it and call her out-of character. Urobuchi said he would be happy if people accept Madoka Magica as a series where characters grow and change, though he said that's up to the viewers to decide.[9] In an interview with the acclaimed mangaka Kazuo Koike, Urobuchi said after developing the Rebellion film, he had a stronger impression on Homura in the movie than what he imagined before. Describing her as "rebellious", he said that although Homura proclaims herself as a Devil, she is having internal conflict.[10]

Design
Akuma Homura's outfit illustrated by Ume Aoki.

Homura was designed by Ume Aoki.[1] The color motif for the character, purple, was chosen by Urobuchi, and Aoki designed them according to him.[11] Aoki tried to let Homura "shine through in her design", and stated that her "silky long hair" is the most distinguishing part of her design. When designing the character for her magical girl outfit, Aoki kept Homura's "personality and combat style in mind" and immediately found her a fascinating character. She described Homura's magical girl design "overall rather monochromatic". For the school uniform, she made Homura wear black tights that gives the same feelings for her magical girl outfit; and said the character "gives off the air of a silent beauty."[11]

Homura's weapons were designed by the anime staff, while her bow used in the final episode is based on an illustration drawn by Ume Aoki.[12] The pair of black wings Homura sprouts in the final episode of the series was not originally written in the script by Urobuchi. The detail was added by production designers Gekidan Inu Curry, and Urobuchi was happy with the addition as it added more "mystery and depth" to the character.[6]

For Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie: Rebellion, Junichiro Taniguchi, the character designer and the animation supervisor for the film, said that it was difficult to create the designs for Homura's devil outfit, due the character wearing pierced earrings that was not written in the initial design.[13] Hiroki Yamamura, who also serves as the animation supervisor, also expressed difficulty in drawing Homura, saying that it was hard for him to add emotions to the character's face due to her stoic face, acknowledging that he would do mistakes when drawing Homura's face to the point that he had a headache.[14]

Voice actresses
Chiwa Saito (left) and Cristina Vee (right), the voice actress' of Homura in Japanese and English versions, respectively.

Homura is voiced by Chiwa Saito in the Japanese version. Saito was originally considered to take the role for Kyubey, but felt she "sounded too stupid" when trying him, and then tried to take the role for Kyosuke Kamijo until Urobuchi told her to try Homura's role.[15] Saito said she felt very honored to take the role for Homura.[16] Saito expressed that it was "tough" to share the character's pain and loneliness and found it "very difficult" to demonstrate these emotions for the character, but also said it made the acting worthy.[16] Urobuchi liked Saito's role for Homura because she gives a feelings of a "Dark Beauty" style for the character.[17] Additionally, Saito identified with Homura's character explaining, "I can’t speak out about my worries are and often keep them to myself which most of the time lead to me thinking negatively, this part I think is quite similar to Homura".[18]

Before the audition, Shinbo was worried about Saito taking the role for Homura because when he listens to her voice, the image of other character Hitagi Senjogahara from Bakemonogatari, who is also voiced by Saito and while the anime is directed by Shinbo, appears to him. He commented: "I had this concern that no matter what, I still get the impression that Homura and Hitagi look similar" and thought it would be better to bring another actress for the character. However, after hearing Saito voicing Homura during the audition, Shinbo was finally convinced with the choice and said "This is it".[19] He praised Saito's acting in episode 10, stating it was "beyond expectation"; praising her for portraying the character's scream and strong emotions.[20]

For Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie: Rebellion, Saito recalls that she was very tired when she first read the script for the film, saying that she was overwhelmed by the amount of the film's details. Saito said that whenever she's involved in a Madoka Magica project, she feels that she doesn't want to lose and while listening to her recording as Homura in the film, Saito sometimes feels that she has "to fix [her voice] more".[21] Saito called Homura "a human person who has a conflict [within herself]." She said that Homura is a person that finds answers "with a lot of conflict", and expressed that she sympathized with Homura's path.[22] According to Saito, Homura's feelings "are stronger in giving than in getting."[23]

Homura is voiced by Cristina Vee in the English dub.[24] At the beginning, when Vee tried Homura, she did not know anything about her character yet so she thought Homura would be a "monotone" character like Yuki Nagato from Haruhi Suzumiya. Vee said she wanted to play her "monotone" but after learning about Homura's character, she said that Homura is "not monotone at all and she has a lot going on under the surface so trying to find that and keep the voice but at the same time she's very controlled" and said that was the most difficult part of "finding her character".[25] In 2012, Vee stated that Homura is the most "complex" character she has voiced.[24]

In 2019, Vee said that Homura was her "most challenging role". She said that it was one of her "first very meaty roles" and that she was still "very young" when she voiced the character, and continues to say "it was like the Olympics of acting, because of all the changes and transitions, and all the emotion that are shown, but not really, because she plays it cool." Vee believes that her role as Homura is "going to live on for a very long time", explaining "this franchise, because it's so powerful, and in a lot of ways very real, if that makes sense."[26]

Appearances

In Puella Magi Madoka Magica

Homura Akemi first appeared as a vision in one of Madoka Kaname’s nightmare. She transfers into her school as a mysterious teenage girl the day after the dream. Homura has a long-silky dark-raven hair, purple eyes, and is said to be an attractive person by her classmates.[27] She is impeccably great at everything she does whether its academic or sports, making her instantly popular despite her cold behaviour.[27] After Madoka and her friend Sayaka Miki come into contact with magical girl Mami Tomoe and extraterrestrial being Kyubey, Homura is revealed to be a rival magical girl with a deep hatred towards Kyubey.[27] It is revealed that Homura is time traveler; she was originally a meek, timid shy second-year student with low self-esteem and suffered from a heart disease and didn't have any friends.[28] She was then befriended by Madoka and eventually saved from a witch (a surreal monster) by Madoka and Mami, who revealed that they were magical girls. When Mami died in the fight with the rampaging witch Walpurgis Night, Madoka sacrificed her life to stop it. Homura, overcome by grief and uselessness, contracted with Kyubey in order to become a person that could protect Madoka, just as Madoka protected her. Her wish was to be able to return to her original meeting with Madoka, leading Homura to receive the power to manipulate time to a certain extent.[28] Her magical weapon is a shield filled with sand that allows her to freeze time.[29] However, this power becomes useless if she is physically restrained as she cannot turn her shield to activate it.[29] She can also use this shield to block projectiles and store the various infinite amount of weapons that she carries.[30] Since her shield and magic has no offensive capability, she instead attacks using stolen firearms and homemade explosives while time is stopped. None of the girls actually know what weapons she has, since she only uses them while time is stopped.[28]

Caught up in a predestination paradox, she tries again and again to prevent Madoka from being killed or making a contract, but time after time fails to save her. After a timeline reset, Homura always returns to the hospital room she formerly lived in.[28] After failing for so many times, she began to change, growing colder and distant to people around her.[28] After Madoka makes her wish and transcends into a cosmic phenomenon called "The Law of Cycles", that appears to all magical girls at the moment before they become witches and rescues them by taking them to a heavenly paradise, creates a new reality in which Homura is the only one who remembers her. Homura continues to fight in the new world against the wraiths, despite believing that the world was irredeemably full of tragedies, because it was a world that Madoka once tried to protect, and she vowed never to forget Madoka's resolve.[31] She inherits Madoka's bow – now a sleek ebony bow with purple diamond setting – and arrows, along with a set of white wings.[31]

In The Rebellion Story

In Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie: Rebellion, Homura fights with her fellow magical girls against new monsters called Nightmares. However, after some time, Homura realizes something is strange with her memories, and then starts to investigate. She eventually finds out that the Mitakihara city is an idealized world created by her subconscious while she is on the verge of becoming a witch, and is being experimented by Kyubey who wants to observe Ultimate Madoka that has become a concept. Homura chooses to become a witch without being guided by Ultimate Madoka in order to destroy Kyubey's scheme. Ultimate Madoka then appears to take Homura to heaven. However, Homura usurps Ultimate Madoka and becomes the being Akuma Homura (悪魔 ほむら), splitting Madoka and her goddess form, sealing her powers and rewriting the universe. Unlike Ultimate Madoka, Akuma Homura can take human form in the new world, and does not exist as a concept. She managed to enslave the Incubator race, who now work under her to take on the curses of the new world. Akuma Homura's powers are sealed within her earring, which can change to and from a lizard form, and walk around on its own. Despite proclaiming herself as the devil, Madoka, Sayaka, Kyoko, Mami, and Nagisa are all given happy lives in her new world. A post-credits scene shows a tired Homura seated in a chair while watching over Mitakihara with a badly-beaten and mentally scarred Kyubey nearby before she leans over a cliff and falls.

In Magia Record

Homura appears with her personality being that of a shy, timid-magical girl rather than her cold and strong personality.[32] In the game, it is said that there is a time paradox which caused the events of Magia Record that never happened in the anime series. The Homura in the game and main anime series are the same person but are walking different paths, with the former never going through the experience of Mami killing Kyoko, and Madoka asking Homura to kill her after promising to prevent her from contracting with Kyubey.[33] In the game's story, after Mami disappears, Homura goes to Kamihama city with Madoka searching for her. They encounter the magical girl Alina Gray, who reveals that she defeated Mami and fed her to one of her "grand masterpiece witch", angering both Homura and Madoka.[34] Homura and Madoka then investigate an abandoned museum, with Sayaka joining them but parts her way from them after they get attacked by a group called Wings of Magius.

After meeting with Sayaka, she reveals to Homura and Madoka that Mami is brainwashed by the Magius, and then they decide to search for her in order to rescue her.[35][36] However, they meet Mami at Mitakihara city, who had become the "Saint of Kamihama", and traps them in a barrier with the help of Alina.[37] Kyoko comes and breaks the barrier and rescues them. However, when Homura was informed that Walpurgisnacht will be heading to Kamihama city due to the guidance of Magius, she thought that it would be better to stay at Mitakihara as she's afraid of facing it with Madoka, but Madoka and her friends were determined to go to Kamihama city, thus Homura decides to go help them.[38] After arriving in Kamihama, they meet with Mami, whose brainwash had been broken by Yachiyo Nanami, and they joins her. Together, they face the Magius at Hotel Fenthope in order to stop them from sacrificing innocent people to achieve their goals in liberating magical girls.[39] In the final battle, Homura fights against Walpurgisnacht with the magical girls in Kamihama city, and finally succeeds in defeating it with her final words in the battle being "Goodbye, Walpurgisnacht".[40]

For the stage play adaptation of Magia Record, Homura was portrayed by Hina Kawata of Keyakizaka46 idol girl group.[41] She also appears in the manga adaptation of the game, being featured on the cover of the manga's second volume with Yachiyo Nanami.[42]

Appearances in other media

A drama CDs written by Gen Urobuchi that explores Homura's further character was released along with the anime series' Blu-ray disc.[43] In the drama CD, Memories of You, it was revealed that Homura was a target of bully in school due to her low self-esteem and fragile personality. Because of her weak psyche, she was easily bullied into depression, and feels worthless to everyone. The drama CD also goes into further details about Homura and Madoka's relationship and their strong bond, with Madoka saving Homura from both Isabella (witch) and from her bullying, as well as supporting Homura whenever she feels down.[44]

Besides the main series, Homura has appeared in several manga's related to Puella Magi Madoka Magica media. She is a supporting character in the manga spin-off Puella Magi Madoka Magica: The Different Story, with her role being very much the same as that of the anime series, preventing Madoka from making a contract with Kyubey while also trying to negotiate with other magical girls to fight against the powerful witch Walpurgisnacht.[45] In Puella Magi Oriko Magica, Homura kills the main character of the manga, Oriko Mikune, since Oriko wants to kill Madoka to prevent her from becoming the worst witch. However, before dying, Oriko manages to kill Madoka using the last power of her magic, with Homura being shocked in terror seeing Madoka's dead body, then she resets the timeline again.[46] In 2015, two spin-off manga series featuring Homura as the main character were announced: a four-panel fantasy slice-of-life comic titled Puella Magi Homura Tamura, and Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Homura's Revenge, an alternate universe story where Madoka joined Homura in her time traveling.[47] Homura also appears as the main heroine in the Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Wraith Arc manga, that takes place between the second film Eternal and the third film Rebellion.[48] It is revealed that after Madoka rewrote the universe, Homura got the ability to manipulate memories at her own will.[49] She appears in a novel adaptation of the original series written by Hajime Ninomae, illustrated by Yūpon and published by Nitroplus,[50] as well as appearing in manga adaptation of the anime series, written and illustrated by Honakogae, and published by Houbunsha.[51][52]

Homura is a playable character in most Puella Magi Madoka Magica video games,[53] such as the PlayStation Portable action video game developed by Namco Bandai Games, Puella Magi Madoka Magica Portable (2012),[54] and the PlayStation Vita titled Puella Magi Madoka Magica: The Battle Pentagram (2013).[55] Homura is the player character of Puella Magi Madoka Magica TPS featuring Homura Akemi, a third-person shooter video game for Android released in 2011.[56][57] Homura also appears in several pachinko games related to the series, including Slot Puella Magi Madoka Magica (2013), Slot Puella Magi Madoka Magica 2 (2016),[58] CR Pachinko Puella Magi Madoka Magica (2017),[59] SLOT Puella Magi Madoka Magica A (2017),[60] and the 2019 Slot Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie: Rebellion.[61]

Homura is also a playable character in numerous games outside the Puella Magi Madoka Magica video games, such as Phantom of the Kill,[62] Chain Chronicle,[63] Million Arthur,[64] and the rhythm game Girl Friend Note.[65] Homura's magical girl costume appears as an alternative for the main character Milla from Tales of Xillia 2, though the character does not appear.[66] Her costume and weapons also appears in the game Phantasy Star Online 2,[67] as well as the PSP game Gods Eater Burst, being available as downloadable content (DLC).[68] Homura and her devil form as well as costume of her magical girl also appear in the mobile game Unison League.[69]

Characterization and themes

Homura initially appears as an ambiguous and mysterious figure, with little known about her story or motivations.[70] She is calm and quite, and gave up on being understood by others as a result of her repeated time loops.[71] Homura was originally a weak, shy and timid girl that suffered from heart disease; she did not have any friends due being constantly in the hospital, and has a very low self esteem.[71] When Madoka saves her and forms a friendship with her, but dies after fighting Walpurgis Night, Homura becomes obsessed and desperate in saving her, but fails every time, thus becoming cold and distant to people around her.[71] According to Chiwa Saito and Aoi Yuki, Homura's love for Madoka is a feeling of dependence rather than attraction.[72] When asked if Homura is in love with Madoka, Gen Urobuchi replied with "Probably". He further commented on their relationship, explaining that "a really strong friendship turns into a lovelike-relationship without the sexual attraction".[3] Akiyuki Shinbo also commented on Homura's love for Madoka in the Rebellion film, saying that Homura's love for Madoka is wider than romance, a feeling of friendship.[73]

Despite appearing as a cold person with strong personality, Homura is actually quite fragile as noted by Saito.[15] According to Saito, Homura's heart was quite shaken when she tried to kill Sayaka, and then showed her hysterical performance. Writer Jed A. Blue also observed that despite Homura's cold behavior and her determination to save Madoka at any cost, she "usually avoids hurting humans or magical girls and instead focuses on fighting witches and Kyubey",[74] and is shown to care about people around her, such as Mami and Kyoko, "whom she ultimately trusts to kill Homulilly, come to respect and possibly even like them, as well".[75] Urobuchi concurred that the dream world in Rebellion in which Homura dreamed up in her barrier represents the deepest part of her psyche, where she wanted to play and fight with her friends against the new monster called "Nightmares", which was also created by Homura due to her "wistful" thinking that fighting "Nightmares" are better than "Witches".[9] In Japanese Aesthetics and Anime: The Influence of Tradition, Dani Cavallaro writes that Homura's initial unusual persona is "one of the most unusual twist to the norm proposed" by the series; and although she initially appears to be "Madoka's adversary or even a witch", the reason behind her effort "is not enmity but rather a selfless desire to protect [Madoka] from a destiny which [Homura] knows to be tantamount not to a supreme bonus but rather to a poisoned chalice."[76] Rachael Verret of The Mary Sue found Homura's journey too "redemptive", writing that she "sacrificed her own humanity instantly for the sake of preserving the purity of what the incubators value (her gem), playing the system and saving Madoka while causing herself to be broken and selfishly relying on Madoka as her personal eternal savior." Verret then said that Homura is finally "able to recognize the necessity of self-reliance through [Madoka's sacrifice] and continues to carry on her values in the reset world."[77]

When Homura becomes the being Akuma Homura (悪魔 ほむら, Devil Homura), opposing Madoka who is a God, sparked controversy among fans due to Homura opposing Madoka's wish and becoming the "embodiment of evil", however, Urobuchi and Shinbo defended this decision, with Shinbo stating that had Homura ascended with Madoka to heaven, the Incubators (Kyubey) would try to steal Madoka's power by experimenting on other magical girls which would result in a bad ending,[78] while Urobuchi said that Homura did not deny Madoka's wish.[79]

Cultural impact

Merchandise

Due to Homura's popularity, numerous merchandise related to the character have been created, such as Nendoroids and figurines.[80][81][82][83] In 2012, a talking alarm clock with the voice of Homura, recorded by Saito Chiwa was auctioned with the bid of 112,000 yen on the Yahoo! Japan.[84] A replica set of Homura's Rebellion ear cuff that sold for 21,600 yen was also released in 2015, and was immediately sold out.[85] Other merchandise based on Homura have been released, that includes plush dolls,[86] perfumes,[87] mugs,[88] posters,[89] headphones,[90] keychains,[91] clothing items such as T-shirts,[92] high heels and shoes,[93][94] Lingerie,[95] and glasses etc.[96] Homura was featured on MasterCard Credit Card,[97] and has also appeared on the cover of Mercedes-Benz for test driving,[98] as well as appearing in vending machines in the form of a doll.[99] Homura appeared on the Japanese guide dog-training organization.[100] Japanese toy company Bandai produced a replica of Homura's grief seed.[101] The Homura Magica book, that explores Homura's character depth, including personality, relationship, and also features an interview with Saito, was released in December 2018 and is commercially available.[102]

Popularity
Kyubey, Homura and Madoka Kaname featured in stairs of Akihabara.

Homura won the 2011 Newtype Anime Award for best female character.[103] In the 2013 Newtype anime awards, she was voted the fourth-best female character.[104] In 2014, she once again took that place.[105] Homura won the Animage Grand Prix Editors Choice award for best female character of Animage in 2011.[106][107] Chiwa Saito's portrayal of Homura won her the 2011 Newtype Anime Award for Best Supporting Actress.[108] Her English voice actress, Cristina Vee was also nominated for Best Female Lead Vocal Performance in Television at the 1st BTVA Voice Acting Awards.[109] Japanese voice actress Sumire Uesaka cosplayed as Homura at the Comiket 85.[110] BIGLOBE users voted Homura as the most popular female black-haired heroine in 2013.[111] In another BIGLOBE poll, Homura ranked first in the category "Anime Girl that Attracts the Most Desperate Fanboys".[112] In 2014, NTT customers ranked Homura as their 5th favorite black haired female anime character.[113] Homura is also one of SHAFT's most popular heroines, where she took second place for "Top 10 Shaft Heroines" in 2016, three years after her debut in The Rebellion Story.[114]

A reader poll conducted by NHK also determined that Homura is one of the best heroines, having garnered 14% of votes.[115] Additionally, in 2016 Charapedia poll, Homura ranked first in the category of "Most Alluring Transfer Students".[116] In another Charapedia poll, Homura placed second for the most enchanting magical girl character, with the site's writer stating that Homura is "definitely one of the representative characters of magical girls in Japanese animation."[117][118] In an Anime News Network poll of "Which anime villain is most deserving of redemption", Homura ranked sixth for her role in Rebellion, with 4.0% of votes.[119] In a Japanese TV special from August 2017, Homura was voted as the 19th "Most Splendid Heroine" from the Heisei Era.[120] In 2019, GooRanking voted Homura as the best anime heroine of Heisei Era.[121] In a 2020 Ani Trending News poll, Homura was voted as the best female anime character of Winter 2011,[122] and the third best female character of the year (2011) overall.[123] The same year, Homura was also voted the third best-magical girl character in a poll by Anime! Anime!.[124]

Both Homura and Madoka were referenced in the HBO series Euphoria.[125]

Critical response

Homura has garnered critical acclaim. Her backstory revealed in episode 10 was highly lauded due to how it portrays her pain and struggle as well as for explaining her cold personality; multiple critics have also it the best episode of the series.[126][127][128][129][130] Critics also commended the character's complexity and tragedy,[126][128][131] and have regarded her as a sympathetic character.[126] Critics have described her backstory as "outstanding",[132] "compelling",[133] and "haunting".[134] Zac Bertschy of Anime News Network described Homura as the series "most crucial" character,[128] while Dan Barnett of UK Anime Network regarded her as the tragic heroine of the story.[135] Ryotaro Aoki of Otaku USA also characterized her as "a stoic, justice-seeking righteous" character.[136] THEM Anime reviewer Jacob Churosh said Homura's "mask of cool aloofness and brutal indifference crumbles in spectacular fashion [..] as we probe the depths of her history and begin to discover what tragedies caused Homura to don such a mask in the first place."[130] Richard Eisenbeis of Kotaku stated that upon a rewatch for the series, "all the plot twists and character motivations [..] almost becomes a new story—not about Madoka but about Homura." He further explained that "the story can be looked at as Homura being the only sane person in an insane world" and noted that "many of her lines have double meanings that can only be appreciated" upon a rewatch.[137] The creator of Neon Genesis Evangelion, Hideaki Anno, liked her backstory and the way she was depicted.[138] Japanese critic Minori Ishida called Homura one of the "most complex" and "compelling" character in anime.[139] Her self-sacrifice for Madoka and their tragic relationship has also been commended.[126][128][140][141][142] Some critics have also commended Homura's "dark beauty" and "luxurious hair".[24][135][143][144]

Homura's character in the Rebellion movie earned positive critical response. Writers enjoyed the focus of her character as well as her development.[145][146][147][148] Chris Beveridge of The Fandom Post enjoyed watching Homura as the main character of the film, and stated that she "has always been the key character" for him and "she owns this movie well."[148] Writer Jed A. Blue stated Homura had "extensive character development", and called her a "complex character".[145] Homura's rebellion against Madoka was also noted as consistent by critics,[146][148] who sympathized with the character's actions as Homura never had her wish granted while being the only person to remember Madoka as well as having her memories in failing trying to save Madoka,[145][146] with Richard Eisenbeis stating "it must have been hell for her" for experiencing all of this,[146] and Toshi Nakamura also pointed out the character's "psychological state" and the "Incubators using Homura as a lab rat" leading her to become a witch.[146] Conversely, Jacob Chapmam of Anime News Network was harshly critical towards her character at the end of the film, calling her "out-of-character", but also felt that "Devil Homura's victory feel tragic and hollow".[140] Lynzee Loveridge of the same website stated that she enjoyed having Homura's character focused on in the film but Rebellion as an ending.[147] Homura's battle with Mami was also commended by reviewers, with Geoff Berkshire of Variety describing the battle as "an epic, gravity-defying gun" that "would make the Wachowskis jealous",[141] and Richard Eisenbeis also described it as a "pretty epic" battle.[146]

Critics have also enjoyed Chiwa Saito's performance. Hailing the series' cast as "uniformly impressive", Jacob Churosh highlighted Saito's as a standout,[130] while David Cabrera of Anime News Network wrote, "[The cast's] performances, particularly Chiwa Saito as Homura, are frequently heart-wrenching."[149] Cristina Vee was also praised, with Kory Cerjak of The Fandom Post stating that Vee "works really well" as Homura, stating that she "truly shines", while also commenting on her "slight changes in her intonation that designates her change in demeanor," saying "It’s brilliant."[150] Zac Bertschy states that Vee "turns in a better performance" as the character "which is a good thing since so much of the series rests on her shoulders."[128]

Lynzee Loveridge ranked Homura first in her article "8 Essential Time-Travelling Heroines", writing: "Homura relives tragedy after tragedy in hopes of saving her best friend, and ultimately the world, from destruction. If Homura can be faulted for inadvertently creating the situation she hopes to prevent, she can also be credited for destroying the system of despair magical girls were trapped in."[151] She also included Homura second in her article "7 Cruel Gods" list, comparing the character's selfishness and her rebellion against Madoka to that of Paradise Lost's Lucifer.[152] In June 2018, Crunchyroll ranked Homura third in "Most Unlucky Characters in All of Anime", with writer Nicole Mejias writing that Homura have "re-lived the same tragic events nearly 100 times" that "is perhaps one of the worst fates someone could have", noting that she lived "alone and trapped in a cycle that never ends".[153]

Analysis

Homura has been the subject of analysis, as several writers have explored and commented on the character's psyche and mental state. Some writers have surmised that Homura suffers from several mental illnesses, with Jed A. Blue saying that Homura is the epitome of functional depression or dysthymia,[154] and that "while she is functional, she is also depressed, and all it takes is a slight push downward to make her collapse".[155] The writer also states that she suffers from self-guilt, self-hatred in addition to being suicidal.[156] Writer Bryan J. McAfee also shared a similar opinion and found that Homura suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder due to her failed attempts at saving Madoka as well as killing her to prevent her from becoming a witch and for experiencing cruel realities in her time loops.[157]

Homura's rebellion against Madoka has also been analyzed. Jed A Blue said "Homura's choice to become a 'demon' devoted to keeping Madoka in the world costs her the only thing she values, the chance to be together with Madoka in the end; now they must eventually be enemies. Isn't it therefore Homura who is selfless?"[158] The writer also says that the film's title, Rebellion, is referring to Homura rebelling against herself and Kyubey.[159] Blue also observed that "Homura is nowhere near as evil as she considers herself to be."[160]

Furthermore, Homura has also been compared to Goethe's character Faust,[161] and Nutcracker from The Nutcracker and the Mouse King by E. T. A. Hoffmann's.[162] Noting Homura's complexity and multifaceted personality, Jed Blue highlights how Homura becomes the demiurge of the new universe and yet she "chooses to make a world where she is alone" and isolates herself from everyone, only to give Madoka a normal, happy life with her family,[163] and says Homura "remains a morally ambiguous figure".[70] Jed also observed how "If the other magical girls had simply killed her [Homulilly], she would be beyond further punishment, and her suffering would have ended. But they, in their cruel mercy, forced her to go on, forced her to find another way to keep protecting Madoka and punishing herself. She hates them for that, for failing to hate her as she hates herself. In her new world, she expresses her hatred by passive-aggressively mocking its targets. She breaks a teacup behind Mami, recalling her death fighting Charlotte. She taunts Sayaka as her memories decay, mimicking Sayaka's loss of self when she became a witch. She tricks Kyoko into wasting food. And, in the stinger, she throws herself off a cliff next to a white chair, mirroring Madoka tipping off it earlier. Her hatred for herself has not changed. All that has changed is that now she has the power to make the magical girls hate her, to position herself as their enemy in the hopes that they will finish the job."[163]

Homura's time loop is said to be a trauma response. However, Jed A Blue says that Homura actually suffered from trauma before even becoming a magical girl, being hospitalized for her heart disease about half a year. Jed said: "She has spent six months helpless, afraid for her life, probably in a great deal of pain, being subjected to who knows how many invasive, frightening tests and procedures. That’s a lot for anyone to handle, let alone a 14-year-old girl, so it is unsurprising that Homura already shows a number of trauma symptoms from the start: she is anxious and shy, socially withdrawn, and struggles with self-worth issues, which morph quickly into suicidal ideation when she wanders into a Witch’s labyrinth. She clings hard to Madoka as her savior and friend thereafter, only to see Madoka die in battle with Walpurgisnacht."[160] When Madoka makes her wish, Jed notes that she saves all magical girl except Homura "since her trauma predates becoming a magical girl, Madoka cannot simply absorb it from her Soul Gem as she does with the others; instead, Homura carries her memories of both her failure to rescue Madoka and, buried beneath, her helplessness in the hospital."[160] And when Homura turns into demon and rewrites the world, she "serves only to deepen her suffering: where once, in the grip of a Witch, she contemplated suicide, in the stinger of Rebellion she actually attempts it, throwing herself off a cliff."[160] The writer observed that Homura's world is superior than Madoka's pure land since the characters are much happier in her world.[164] Reiji Yamada asserts that Homura suffers from loneliness, stating that her time magic is the equivalent of lonely magic.[165]

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