| Madoka Kaname | |
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| Puella Magi Madoka Magica character | |
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| First appearance | "As If I Met Her in My Dream..." |
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| In-universe information | |
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| Gender | Female |
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| Weapon | Bow |
Madoka Kaname (Japanese: 鹿目 まどか, Hepburn: Kaname Madoka) is the title character of the 2011 Japanese anime television series Puella Magi Madoka Magica. Madoka is a kind and gentle 14-year-old girl who initially lives a normal and happy life, but is then faced with the decision of becoming a magical girl. She aspires to become a magical girl after witnessing her senior Mami Tomoe fighting against surreal monsters known as witches in order to protect people. In Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie: Rebellion, Madoka appears as a magical girl and fights with her friends against new monsters known as nightmares. She appears in most Puella Magi Madoka Magica related-media, including manga, novels and video games.
In developing the character, writer Gen Urobuchi imagined the series' protagonist as being a girl with a "cheerful and idealistic" personality, in contrast to his usual writing style. Madoka was designed by Ume Aoki, who used the character Yuno from her manga Hidamari Sketch as an initial basis. Although her theme color was intended to be white, it was changed to pink. Aoki also noted the difficulty of drawing Madoka due to her double ponytail hair. Madoka Kaname is voiced by Aoi Yūki in Japanese, and Christine Marie Cabanos in English.
Madoka has ranked highly in various polls, placing second in the Best Female Category at the 1st Newtype Anime Awards in 2011, as well ranking seventh in a top 10 anime heroines poll conducted by NHK in 2013. Her character has been well received by fans and critics, with reviewers praising her character transformation and resonance with the series' other characters, particularly her relationship with Homura Akemi.