In his book Theological Worlds, W. Paul Jones explores five common Christian perspectives (“theological worlds”) to help Christians better understand why they believe certain things about their faith and be more sensitive to the beliefs of others. For me, these theological worlds line up surprisingly well with the characters of the Mahō Shōjo Madoka Magica series. I want to start by looking specifically at the title character, Madoka Kaname, how she represents World Four (Condemnation & Forgiveness), and how her place in that world influences the plot of the show.

The obsessio of World Four “centers in the power of the demonic upon one’s will” (Jones, 81-82). We see this in the Madoka universe in several places. Most notably, we encounter “messengers of magic” who have the power to grant a wish to a girl of their choosing. In return, however, that girl must then become a “magical girl” (think Sailor Moon) and fight against witches, evil creatures born from curses that are responsible for murders and suicides. These witches are the demonic theodicy of the world. They impose their will on humans, causing people to commit violence against themselves or others. For instance, there is a scene where the girls interrupt a cultic mass-suicide, the members of which are under the influence of a witch. The witches, however, also influence the wills of magical girls. When the magical girls disobey or fall short of the task they are given, their Soul Gems become tainted with despair. Once these Soul Gems become too tainted, the magical girls transform into the very witches they fight against, falling into a demonic cycle of disobedience.

Members of World Four also encounter as sense of “‘oughtness,” animated by feelings of guilt… Here sin is willful, intentional, and chosen – relished at least in part because it is forbidden” (Jones, 82). Madoka feels this guilt as she watches her friends bear the weight of fighting as/being magical girls. She is overwhelmed with this sense of “ought,” knowing that joining the fight would be “the right thing to do” even though it is not her will. To not would be “sinful, willful, intentional, and chosen” lack of participation. And so she feels guilt, letting her friends endanger themselves while she waits on the sidelines.

Sin in World Four is rooted not in what a person has done but in what he isn’t doing, what she just can’t seem to do. Out of this, a sense of powerlessness arises. Jones writes, “The mark of sin is not so much in ‘doings.’ It is the quality of one’s life itself that is in need of atonement. Simply ‘to be’ means living at the expense of others” (88). Madoka knows this powerlessness all too well and believes that becoming a magical girl will relieve her from it. In episode 3, her magical girl mentor, Mami, asks Madoka why she wants to be a magical girl, emphasizing the gravity of the decision. Madoka replies, “There’s nothing special about me. I’ve never been good at school, and I don’t have any talents. I’m scared this is the way my life is going to stay: always asking for help and not being able to help when people need it. I can’t stand thinking about it.” She has no control over the world around her. This extends beyond the magical girl world and into her home life as well. Madoka’s mother, Junko, is a powerful business executive who works herself to the bone providing for her family. She is only seen interacting with Madoka early in the morning, when they are doing their make-up, and late at night. In episode 6, she tells her daughter, “When you get older, it’s harder to make mistakes; as you get more responsibilities, the less mistakes you are allowed to make.” It’s easy to see why Madoka places an incredibly high value on self-efficacy that she then can’t live up to, leading to a perception of powerlessness. So, when she is exposed to the world of magical girls, they become an idol of the power she cannot achieve on her own.

Once Madoka musters the courage to make her wish, however, she is no longer one of the condemned in World Four but its sacrificial savior. This takes place through a substitutionary method of atonement. Jones writes, “In World Four, atonement must be compensatory, because Love, in forgiving the unworthy, must replace what must be removed and make up for what has been ruined. This is not a matter of taking sides, as in world two, but of taking the place of” (202). As a member of World Four, Madoka’s default understanding of atonement, her own desire for atonement, would be through substitution. So, in order to save the universe, Madoka’s first instinct is to sacrificially substitute take the place of all the magical girls throughout time and takes on their burdens for herself.

World Four’s Christ is “‘the lamb who was slain,’ through which we, the enemy, are ‘reconciled to God by the death of his Son’ (Rev. 5:12; Rom. 5:10)” (Jones, 204). Madoka serves this function for the magical girls, acting as redeemer by sacrificing herself to relieve them of their curses and their burden to hunt witches and collect grief seeds. Jones writes, “Chistologically speaking, what is needed is a Savior – One who can take away that which poisons and blocks a restored relationship with God” (202). We watch this play out visually as well as narratively when Madoka absorbs the corruption from the soul gems of all the magical girls throughout time before absorbing the soul gems themselves, a physical representation of the magical girl’s contract.

Members of World Four best understand their salvation as “reprieve, which entails newness in the undeserved relation of adoption” (Jones, 202). Through Madoka’s sacrificial substitution, the cycle of magical girls is broken. All magical girls past, present, and future are reprieved of the cost of their wishes. It is not the deeds of the girls or their obedience to their duty that releases them from this cycle but a pardon in the form of Madoka taking on their burdens from them. It is fitting that this is essentially done through the cancelling of contracts given World Four’s tendency to use legal analogies. When Madoka makes her wish and sets all this in motion, Kyube (one of the messengers of magic mentioned before) responds with shock, telling Madoka that her wish “violates the laws of karmic destiny. Are you trying to become a God?” (episode 12). Members of World Four likely share Kyube’s surprise. Reprieve does not fit with the letter of the law. It doesn’t balance the scales. Yet God and God alone offers this grace nonetheless.

Had any of the other characters been chosen as the lead, the story would likely play out quite differently. It is Madoka, however, plays the role of savior, and her world is one of condemnation and forgiveness. How many of us live in a world like this, where we know what we ought to be doing but just can’t find the strength to do it no matter how hard we try? We are victims of a bad deal that we can’t keep our end of, and we can only get out of it if someone greater than ourselves, greater than the system, volunteers to take our place. Christ chose to intervene and take our place. He provides us a reprieve from the cycle of disobedience and guilt we feel from never being able to live up to God’s expectation. For those of us in World Four, Madoka’s story is a fresh take on an all-to-familiar narrative. For those of us outside World Four, her story provides an empathetic look at the faith journeys of many of our sisters and brothers in Christ.