Tomoe Mami

Mami Tomoe is a character from the 2011 magical girl anime Puella Magi Madoka Magica and its subsequent multimedia franchise. Introduced as a mentor figure to protagonist Madoka Kaname, Mami is a veteran magical girl whose abilities include conjuring yellow ribbons and pulling muskets and other firearms out of thin air. She is known for her kindly disposition and willingness to help others in need, as well as her signature move, "Tiro Finale". 
==In Canon==
Fifteen year old Mami is a third-year student at Mitakihara Middle School, one year ahead of Madoka. In their first meeting, Mami calmly and confidently rescues Madoka and her friend Sayaka Miki from a labyrinth and defeats a witch with her magic. She contracted with Kyubey two years earlier after the death of her parents in a car accident and now lives alone in her own apartment. Mami is excited by the prospect of Madoka and Sayaka becoming magical girls themselves, but encourages them to seriously consider their chosen wishes to avoid regrets. 
It is later revealed that Kyubey first contacted Mami while she was on the brink of death, trapped in the wreckage of the car accident that killed her parents. Mami's wish was to save her own life; however, she regrets not asking for her parents to be restored, and is desperately lonely thanks to the solitary lifestyle required of a magical girl. 
Mami takes Madoka and Sayaka under her wing while they consider whether or not to become magical girls. The two "apprentices" are traumatized by her beheading at the hands of Charlotte the Desert Witch, but remain strongly influenced by Mami's noble ideals, even as the limitations of her worldview become increasingly apparent. 
Flashbacks to alternate timelines reveal Mami as a strong leader who suffered a psychological breakdown when she learned the true origins of witches, and nearly killed Homura before Madoka killed her instead. Kyoko Sakura was Mami's former apprentice before Kyoko broke away to follow her own agenda. 
Mami has a strong moral code and believes it is essential for magical girls to help others, even at the cost of their own lives. Her musical theme is "Credens Justiam," or "I Believe in Justice" in Latin. 
==Fan Reactions==
Mami's death at the end of the third episode is genuinely shocking for most viewers, who are not expecting the twist. Reaction videos on YouTube include titles such as WHY HER???, OMG WTF!, and NOOOOOO, MAMI!!!!. 
As a result, most fans are very sympathetic towards the character, particularly once her tragic backstory is revealed. 
==Meta==
==In Fanworks==
Although her screen time in the anime is limited compared to the other characters, Mami is extremely popular and frequently appears in fanworks, especially those showcasing all five members of the "Holy Quintet". As in canon, Mami is a kindly mentor figure, serving as a hostess and inviting the other characters over for tea and homemade baked goods. Other fanworks explore her crippling loneliness and insecurities that she strives to hide behind a cheerful facade. Head-related puns or other allusions to her death at Charlotte's hands are very popular. 
Mami is often shipped with Charlotte, the witch who killed her, or with a (usually) aged-up version of Nagisa Momoe before she became Charlotte. Mami/Kyoko is also popular, with Mami/Homura, Mami/Madoka, and Mami/Sayaka much less common. She also appears in poly ships featuring all five members of the Holy Quintet (or sextet if Nagisa is included). 
 
==Selected Fanworks==
===Fanfics===
*Debut by Lirillith - "Mami fights her first witch." - posted 2011
*stop. rewind. repeat. by Steelneko - "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Mami knows she's not crazy. Homura just might be." - posted 2011
*Cooking Mami by UnmovingGreatLibrary - "Four one-offs: Mami cooks four different meals for four different magical girls and has four first kisses." - posted 2015
*Mami Tomoe Did by ThatOneFan - "Magical girls didn't get graves. They didn't get funerals. They didn't get flowers or headstones or memories. Magical girls didn't get people to cry over them or remember them. But Mami Tomoe did." - posted 2015
*Cui Bono? by atamascolily - "Mami wakes up in Homura's apartment, surprised and grateful to have survived her disastrous encounter with the Dessert Witch. But her host's contradictory behavior raises an important question: what exactly is Homura getting out of this?" - posted 2021
 
===Fanart===
File:Mami tomoe.jpg|alt=a digital illustration of Mami Tomoe in profile, dressed in her magical girl outfit, with a circular backdrop based on the Sweets Witch's labyrinth.|Mami Tomoe by tank2109 (2011)
File:Mami heart bebe.jpeg|alt=	digital art of Mami Tomoe and Bebe/The Sweets Witch against a background of rifles and sweets|ﾏﾐ♥ﾍﾞﾍﾞ(Mami ♥ Bebe) by れっか悠 (2014)
File:Mami Tomoe fanart.png|alt=	an illustration of Mami wearing a sweater with a dress. Her high stockings are barely visible, and her Soul Gem brooch is pinned to her fur hat.|Mami Tomoe fanart by Nyako Panda Yuki (2014)
File:Sancta maria mater dei.jpeg|alt=	an illustration of Holy Mami posed to resemble a saint icon, including a half-moon behind her head forming a pseudo-halo.|Sancta Maria Mater Dei (Holy Mary Mother of God) by priestess-draws (2023)
===Doujinshi===
*Tiro Finale by Amecyan.
*Tiro Finale Mitakihara by Nobita
*The Christmas Witch by Ayanero Taicho
*GOLDEN CAGE by CHRONOLOG
*FLOWER by MIX PUNCH!
===Fanvids===
*Stand in the Rain by VandiMares - audio from "Stand in the Rain" by Superchick, based on the Different Story manga, posted 2014
*Lights~ by Breendo - audio from "Lights" by Elle Golding, posted 2016
*mirror, mirror by musketprincess - audio from "Mirror, Mirror" by Jeff Williams feat. Casey Lee Williams, posted 2016
*Mami Tomoe Tribute - Being Human by Scales_And_Feathers - audio from "Being Human" by Shrux, posted 2016
*If I Had You by VandiMares - audio from "If I Had You" by Adam Lambert, posted 2018
*Circus by NightAkemi - audio from "Circus" by Brittany Spears, posted 2019
*That's My Girl by MagicalGirl4 - audio from "That's My Girl" by Fifth Harmony, posted 2020
*[MAD] Mami's Cold Rain 2022 ~10 years after Ver.~ [Magia Record] by masaka! - audio from "Cold Rain" by Every Little Thing, posted 2022
=== Meta ===
* Mami Tomoe: The MOST IMPORTANT Character in Madoka Magica | Anime Discussion by ProfessorViral, video, posted 2021
* Ya know, something just came to me as I was talking with a friend by strangeracrossthestreet, posted 2022
=== RP Accounts ===
* firstsacrifixed-magicgirl
* ribbonsofjustice
* Tea and Gun
* [ ; ] ᴹᴬᴹᴵ ᵀᴼᴹᴼᴱ [] — 巴 マミ — [] Zombot []
==External Links==
*Wikipedia entry
*Puella Magi Wiki entry
== References ==
Category:Puella Magi Madoka Magica Characters