[Madoka Rebellion] Epilogue

OST track name: "Not yet"
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"Homura overcame her obstacles not through Kantian means like a noble self-sacrifice [as Madoka], nor by a base selfish means like [Kyubey's] utilitarianism. Instead, Homura obtained her fulfillment [like the Übermensch] by overcoming her struggle [...] At the ending when Homura was dancing and then jumped from the cliff, one can interpret it as Homura reaffirming life."

[IDFOLEY]

Homura got one thing so right...  If the incubators are so damn concerned about the entropic balance of the universe, then lets see THEM sacrifice themselves for it.

[SentaiYamaneko]

Kinda sad, really. Homura created an ideal world where everyone gets their happy ending except for Kyubey... and herself.

[Oriko-Magica]

I can't imagine the pure satisfaction Homura must feel in this moment. She went through timeline after timeline, with that little asshole each time leading to the death of Madoka and couldn't even be killed and now she's given him a fate worse than death. I love how she just dances near him as if to say "hey bitch. I'm awesome."

[IDFOLEY]

Contrast this with the opening, where everyone is dancing except Homura who is creepily frozen on her knees in dispair...  Now Homura can dance.

[fdsw]

That shot of kyubey experiencing true fear is so haunting

[harupanda]

Remember that heartwarming, cheek-rubbing scene with both Madoka and Homura sitting on chairs from the opening of the first movie? Homura's "symbolistic flashback" when she turns into a witch, where Madoka falls off the chair and disappears (her wish making her cease existing)
0:23 now she is sitting on that chair alone, missing its pair, Madoka. As if she was trying to lean towards her, but she isn't there.
This is sad as shit.

[TransmutedCuppyCake]

Just realized that if Incubators are going to be used as vessels for despair then they themselves might be able to feel it.

That might get a lil' hairy.

[theawkwardone]

I love the idea that Homura didn't physically hurt the Incubators at all. But that she gave them the ability to understand and feel emotion. Like imagine being in their position if you can. A being who uncaringly damned countless innocent people to a horrible demise only to have the guilt of every heinous act you committed suddenly hitting you all at once. Homura knew she couldn't really hurt them physically. This way, they'll be tortured from inside to the point that finding out who Madoka even is will be the last thing on their agenda.

[vbadimothebadassjackass]

Everyone talking about how Homura's little ballet was her mocking Kyubey, but damn she's got some moves.

[Soooooooooooonicable]

Yes, Homura made it so that Kyubey can feel despair and suffering, but now he's also capable of desiring revenge. Just look at the new-found hatred festering deep within his eyes. Foreshadowing anyone? 

[ChaoticAnamnesis]

I swear to god that this movie makes excellent use of leitmotif...

The rendition in this scene is particularly melancholic, especially given the scenery. A half-moon, and Homura dancing by herself.

[phantomslay]

A lot of people in this comments section are talking about how satisfying it is to see Kyubey put in his place. I took away something a little different from this final scene. Homura is standing at the top of the cliff, seemingly waiting for someone. She hears a faint rustle in the bushes and quickly turns, only to find it's Kyubey. Visibly disappointed, Homura proceeds to dance around Kyubey's beaten and trembling body, almost like she's mocking him for his eternal suffering he'll have to endure. At the last moment she eyes her corrupted soul gem born of her corrupted love. With one last wicked smile, she dives off the cliff, presumably to her death. At the end, we see an image of a locked door with a ribbon chaining it shut.

There are several things to take away from this scene aside from Kyubey's Requiem style fate. Homura was waiting for someone to be with her, to finally get one more chance to be with Madoka. But no one else comes. Alone in the new reality she's created Homura accepts herself as the 'true evil'. In the end all that mattered to her was Madoka's true happiness but even that isn't fulfilled. Deep down, she knows how rotten her actions truly are. She violated Madoka's ultimate wish for everyone's happiness over her own existence. Because to her, Madoka's life is more important to her than anything else. After seeing Madoka upset by the changes and almost reverting back to her god form Homura realizes that the undeniable truth is that Madoka will never be truly happy in this new world. The wish Homura destroyed herself over, through countless timelines, will never reach fruition.

Some may argue Homura has truly become a force of evil but there are several details that disagree with that. In earlier scenes, where Homura sits alone in this new universe we see the images of witches everywhere, running rampantly in the new world. However, these beings only seem visible to Homura (the other mains can see them too initially but then lose the ability when Homura rewrites their memories). From that point of logic we can conclude that the witches in the background from earlier are symbolic of her inner self. This makes sense because Homura is essentially the god of the new world. And its images and laws are bent to her desires and thoughts. Her sitting alone at a table for two, with everyone passing by her shows how she'll always be alone and never acknowledged as someone to befriend or trust. Just an unclean demon. The witches throw tomatoes at her, symbolizing how deep down Homura spites and mocks herself for letting things end the way they do. Even the witches mock her for lying to herself and the universe. The tomato hits her head and trickles down in a similar appearance to blood, showing how Homura suffers for her choices but the pain doesn't phase her anymore. The purple river of juice and the black feathers falling from the sky are symbolic of Homura's control over the new world being one of instability and imperfection. While people are now happy with their lives in this new reality, that happiness is based off lies. And a world with nothing but happiness, like a withered black bird or a nearly broken glass, are bound to fade into nothing one day. Finally, we see Homura tearing up when she ties Madoka's hair back up with the red ribbon. The one Madoka left for her in the original reality when she sacrificed herself for the universe. This shows that in the end, no matter what fake happiness she may instill in others she realizes in this moment her wish will never be granted. She'll never feel hope or true love ever again. For that is the fate of all Magical Girls. Homura is left unhappy because deep down she still desires the truth above the lies.

But what about future Magical Girls? Won't they turn into witches again? No, Homura didn't completely destroy the Law of Cycles established by Madoka. Witches are still forever gone from the true reality and only wraiths exist. But now, it's highly unlikely new Magical Girls will be born as Kyubey and all the incubators bear the eternal responsibility of enduring their pain and misery should they happen to vanish. In this new reality Madoka and the rest of the mains do not become Magical Girls, since Homura rewrote all their memories about being them in the first place. They still possess their rings, but they are not able to recall what they are for. And if Kyubey is not there to remind them of their abilities they'll just never have to fight Wraiths. It's unlikely Homura rewrote every Magical Girls' memories, considering there are hundreds of thousands more in the world. They'll bear the responsibility of fighting Wraiths. But the fact Homura erased Mami, Sakura, Sayaka, and Madoka's memories specifically shows that in her own twisted way, she does care about them living happily and peacefully, regardless of whether their new happiness is based on lies.

Ultimately, Homura accepts she'll forever be alone in the new reality. With no one left to live for and with her old friends now her enemies Homura goes to the top of the cliff to end herself for good. Kyubey is the last thing she sees before and it gives her a sense of disappointment but also twisted satisfaction. At least in the end, Madoka and her friends won't suffer from the burden of being made Magical Girls anymore so long as Kyubey suffers eternally. She dances around his body, contrasting how in the opening of the movie she wasn't dancing with the other characters. This is symbolic of how while everyone else lives happy about their final choices (even Sayaka if you count her after Madoka uses her wish in the original timeline), Homura is not left happy by her final choice. Her dance is not a joyful one. It's a mocking, disdainful one, showing her corrupted sense of morality and love compared to the rest of the cast. Homura glances at her soul gem one more time and smiles at it, accepting herself as the 'enemy' of the world. A 'demon'. With that, she flings herself off the cliff, ending her life living for no one's sake, not even her own. If her wish will never bring her true happiness the least she can do is die the demon that she has become. Finally, the door sealed by the ribbon in the end is the same one Madoka went through in Homura's consciousness to save her. But now the door is chained shut. By a ribbon of the same color as Homura's. Due to her own actions Homura has now prevented anyone from saving her. Her true desire was to die as a witch to let Madoka live peacefully. But now, even that hope is gone. In the end, Homura started lonely and ended lonely.

That, is probably the most tragic fate any character has received in this series.
Edit: Thank you so much for the support guys! I honestly didn't think too many people would notice this!

[JNWR]

kyubey shivering... i've waited a long time to see something like that. he deserves it.

[ProjectSun]

Whether or not the Incubators truly deserved it near the end, but I will say though that the Incubators pretty much brought this upon themselves when they first conducted that whole experiment, to say the least. If they knew better that messing with human emotions as an energy source is not something they should toy with in the first place, well, that's pretty much their own fault for opening up a can of worms. Even if they happen to be a bunch of alien furballs that can not understand human emotions.
And for those people that feel bad for Kyubey, if you remember back when Homura did many of the time loops. In one of the timeline, Kyubey flat out tells Homura that once they had all the energy quota they needed while Madoka's witch form was causing havoc on planet Earth, they think that it ain't their problem but Earth's problem, and who knows how many other worlds they did that as well. And then right here in the 3rd movie, they out right wanted to control the Law of Cycles just so they could turn magical girls into witches to collect more energy once again. Yeah the Incubators pretty much had it coming for a very long time so I don't really feel bad for them. In the end, Devil Homura pretty much gave these furballs a good taste of their own medicine. 

[kaltogi]

It's depressing because Homura gave everyone a happy ending.

She gave Kyoko a chance a be with Sayaka again.

She gave Mami all her comrades and her friends back, even Nagisa.

She gave Sayaka her life back before she was a witch.

She gave Madoka the opportunity of being a normal girl that could be with her family and friends.

And what does Homura get? Nothing. In the end, she doesn't get Madoka or even Madoka's true happiness, because she knows that the reality she created is fake. It's just so sad that no matter how hard she tries, her wish can never be fulfilled. She can't accomplish it by time traveling or even making a whole new world. It's a wish that's doomed to fail. And that is just so bleak.

[fawkes]

"Did you do it?"
"...Yes."
"What did it cost?"

[aiofg]

The window imagine at the last scene is really depressing it was open when Madoka came to save her now its forcefully shut by ribbons symbolising that she has basically doomed herself of the only chance of salvation

[luniarwolff]

What I find truly scary about this is how Kyubey looks when you look at it close up.
There are two reasons for this, one is his appearance. Whenever, Kyubey is damaged it can make a new body for itself as seen multiple times. However, here it is damaged to the point that it can only be defined as a 'cruel miracle' that it is still 'alive'. So that asks a very good question. Why cannot it not heal? It has an unlimited number of bodies, so what is preventing it from healing?
The second is his eyes. The emotion in them is fear. Let me just reiterate that. Kyubey is afraid. This is the creature which has a hive mind and is practically immortal as it cannot be 'killed'. It is the creature that has seen so much, such as creatures like Kriemhild Gretchen and possibly worse, all the while never battering an eye. 
But here he is afraid. He is afraid of Homura did to him. The immortal hive minded alien is scared of Homura. 
This leaves a terrifying implication. Homura has ascended to the level from which she can damage an immortal hive minded being to the point that he cannot repair mentally of physically.

[Noahk]

My overall opinion is this:

Madoka Kaname is an amazing and selfless girl. She made her wish and sacrifice because she had a deep rooted desire to save every magical girl from despair. To ensure that they would be at peace and not suffer anymore. This is the main motivation of her wish.

However, Madoka was also in a tight spot. In a sense, she had her back up against a wall. She knew that only she was capable of making this wish a reality. She knows only she is capable of defeating Walpurgis, and protect her city and family. She doesn’t want Homura to keep time traveling because she knows it’s only causing her endless suffering, and Homura was about to give up and become a witch. Even though it may cause Madoka suffering and pain, she rose up and did what had to be done. I’m not saying Madoka made her wish simply because she had no choice; I’m saying she was in a difficult situation with the options presented to her. As I said, her true motivation was her desire to relieve magical girls from their suffering and restore hope to them.

But this doesn’t mean Madoka isn’t suffering for it.

Let me just list some things that show Madoka may be suffering as a god:


“Saying, "See you later, " I wave my hand
Cracking a smile, yet I'm feeling lonely
The truth is, I still have more to talk about
But with the words "See you later"
I say we'll meet again, but it's a lie
and with my usual smile, I say
"See you tomorrow"

Compare these lyrics to the scene where Madoka bids farewell to Homura. Although Madoka was smiling and reassuring Homura, these lyrics may represent her concealed feelings at the time.

2. The flower field scene. I know Madoka’s memories are gone but it is still the real Madoka, but she doesn’t have her memories of being a god or her sacrifice. Even so, I think when Madoka says how she wouldn’t want to leave anyone and that it would hurt her, those feelings are still shared by Madoka when she made her sacrifice in the anime. But she went through with it anyways because she had a deep desire to save all magical girls from despair and because she knew she was the only one capable of defeating Walpurgis and save her town and protect her family. But she might still be hurting even as the law of cycles, since she is away from everyone. The director said this is the real Madoka, stating her true feelings at the time.

3. The dialogue between Madoka and Homura in the concept movie. Here it is:

Madoka & Homura: Do you know what happiness is?

Madoka: It's bright May sunshine.

Homura: It's the warmth of family.

Madoka: It's fried eggs for breakfast.

Madoka & Homura: But there's nothing like that in Heaven.

Madoka & Homura: Do you know what happiness is?

Homura: It's having your name called by someone.

Madoka: It's calling someone's name.

Homura: It's when someone is thinking of you.

Madoka & Homura: But God alone cannot have any of this.

This dialogue gives us a bit of a clearer picture of what the law of cycles may be like.

4. Madoka’s scarred arm. When you see the clip where Madoka reaches out to Homura and brings her back to her normal self, you can see the animators included a bunch of scars on her arm. This could be interpreted to represent the heavy burden Madoka must now bear as a goddess.

I believe that Madoka’s journey and character development are important and her free will should be respected. Madoka genuinely wanted to save these girls from despair, so I believe that her wish shouldn’t be invalidated. If Homura caused the law of cycles to stop working and witches came back, I would be COMPLETELY against what Homura did. I agree that it wasn’t right to forcibly take Madoka away...

However, I also truly believe that Madoka was suffering to some degree, based off the list above. Which is why I both agree and disagree with Homuras actions. The way she did it isn’t right, yes, but she’s also freeing Madoka from an eternity of solitude and reuniting her with her family. Shes “kidnapping” her human half on earth, but she’s also freeing Madoka from a cosmic prison of loneliness and relieving her of that huge burden. She’s giving Sayaka another chance at life without disregarding her wish. Nagisa also gets another chance at life and is with Mami, who was always lonely. Kyoko is with Sayaka again. But I do think memory manipulation is wrong, and I also think this newfound fragile happiness won’t last forever. But, at the very least, these girls get to have some peace. And those nasty incubators won’t cause more trouble since Homura has them under her control.

Personally, I think that while Madoka is happy to give magical girls salvation and be their hope, a part of her (her human self, her humanity) is also sad and lonely. Which is why I have mixed feelings overall, but at least Madoka gets to be with her family for the time being. But I do believe this happy fabricated utopia won’t last forever and there will be problems in the future.

I want a rebellion sequel and I want it now! I’m hoping they announce something on the tenth anniversary website.

[transientlotus]

It took me a couple of weeks to go back to feeling normal after watching Rebellion.