Puella Magi Madoka Magica is an anime produced by SHAFT and Aniplex, directed by Akiyuki Shinbo and written by Gen Urobuchi. It follows Madoka Kaname, a kind 14-year old girl who has a mysterious dream and encounters transfer student Homura Akemi. She also spends time with her friend Sayaka Miki at Mitakihara Middle School. The anime features magical girls who make contracts with Kyubey to fight witches and their minions. Main characters include Mami Tomoe, an experienced magical girl who mentors Madoka and Sayaka, and Kyoko Sakura, a veteran magical girl who appears later in the story.

2. Puella Magi Madoka Magica is a production
of
studio SHAFT and Aniplex under Atsuhiro
Iwakami as a main producer. The series
was directed by Akiyuki Shinbo and
written by Gen Urobuchi with original
character designs by Ume Aoki. Madoka
Magica began development after Akiyuki
Shinbo expressed his desire to work on a
new magical girl series after Magical Girl
Lyrical Nanoha to producer Atsuhiro
Iwakami while they were working
on Hidamari Sketch and Bakemonogatari.

5. Madoka Kaname, the protagonist
and title character, is a gentle
and friendly 14 year old girl.
Living an ordinary life, Madoka
has a loving family and is
surrounded by good friends. One
day she has a dream of a
mysterious girl fighting an
ominous creature. The next
day, Akemi Homura, the girl from
her dream, comes to her class as
a transfer student.

6. Homura Akemi is the
deuteragonist of Madoka
Magica. She is first seen
by Madoka in a dream of
her fighting a monster in
a desolate landscape of
skyscrapers. The day
after the dream, Homura
has transferred to
Madoka's school where
she gives her ominous
warnings.

7. Sayaka Miki is a main character and Madoka's best friend. Like Madoka,
she is also a second-year student at Mitakihara Middle School. Tomboyish,
confident, and a little brash, she upholds a strong sense of justice and adopts
a heroic attitude as a magical girl.

8. Kyoko Sakura is a veteran
magical girl who appears
to Sayaka and Madoka in
episode 5, but not before
making a brief appearance at
the end of episode 4. She is
introduced as an abrasive,
fiery, and self-centered girl
who fights only for self but
later adopts a more
sympathetic outlook.
In the spin-off manga Puella
Magi Madoka Magica: The
Different Story, Kyoko serves
as the main protagonist
alongside Mami Tomoe.

9. Mami Tomoe is a magical girl who
rescues Madoka and Sayaka from
a witch in episode 1. She is already
contracted to Kyubey and offers to act as
a mentor to the pair should they choose to
become magical girls. She is a powerful
veteran who fights with summoned
muskets and ribbons, as well as a ladylike
older sister figure who enjoys tea. Mami,
eager to acquire new friends,
demonstrates the glory and heady thrill
of magical heroism, but also shows
Madoka and Sayaka the terrible danger
inherent in going into the teeth of a
witch's domain.
In the spin-off manga Puella Magi
Madoka Magica: The Different Story,
Mami serves as the main protagonist
alongside Kyoko Sakura.

10. The negative impulse that is
called anxiety or suspicion, or
excessive wrath or hatred =
beings that spread the seeds of
disaster across the world.
Normally, they conceal
themselves behind barriers.

11. The dessert witch, with a tenacious nature. She desires everything. She will
never give up. Though she is capable of creating infinite amounts of any
dessert she desires, she is unable to make the cheese that she loves most.
One could easily catch her off-guard with a piece of cheese.

12. The dessert witch's minion. His duty is to
search for cheese. However, one shouldn't
expect much from him.

13. The mermaid witch; it is in
her nature to fall in love.
Looking for the feeling that
moved her so long ago, she
moves with the entire
concert hall. Her fortune
only turns under the weight
of memories and no longer
moves toward the future.
Nothing will reach her any
longer. She will come to
know nothing more. She
simply allows no one to
disturb her minions'
playing.

14. The mermaid witch's
minion, whose duty is to
perform. Several of them
form a hollow orchestra
that continually plays
music for the witch. People
who listen to their music
for long enough will lose
their soul. This orchestra
only exists for its witch; to
her, the orchestra is
everything.

15. The stage-constructing witch
(alias: Walpurgis Night / real
name: unknown); her nature is
helplessness. She symbolizes the
fool who continuously spins in
circles. The witch's mysteries
have been handed down through
the course of history; her
appellation is "Walpurgis Night."
She will continue to rotate
aimlessly throughout the world
until she completely changes the
whole of this age into a drama.
When the doll's usual upsidedown position reaches the top
part of the witch, she completely
roils the civilization on the
ground in a flash through her
gale-like flight.

16. The stage-constructing
witch's minions. Their duty
is to be clowns. Countless
souls drawn to her vast
magical power. Nobody
knows whether Walpurgis
Night was initially a single
person, or if it was a
phantom born from the
gathering of many spirits.

17. Sources of images and information:
Puella magi wiki
Zerochan.net
Shatterheart.net