<p>By <a href="http://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/4862487726">interview of Gen Urobuchi</a>, Law of Wheels/Cycles is a folklore talked between Magical Girls.</p>

<p>Following idea is my (and some <a href="http://dic.nicovideo.jp/a/%E5%86%86%E7%92%B0%E3%81%AE%E7%90%86">Japanese anime fan's</a>) guess.</p>

<p>Law of Wheels/Cycles is translated from "円環の理".
理 is principle or reasonable.
I think 円環 is circle or ring instead of Wheels/Cycle.</p>

<p>Madoka is officially written as "まどか", but most Japanese have a name in kanji.
By <a href="http://name.m3q.jp/list?s=%E3%81%BE%E3%81%A9%E3%81%8B&amp;g=2">a naming dictionary</a>,
most common kanji for the name "まどか" is "円"(circle).</p>

<p>By this two facts, I guess 円環 means Madoka.
In the rewritten world, most people forgot about Madoka, but Homura found some affected things from Madoka.
I guess the folklore was named Law of Wheels/Cycle because of such a effect.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-08-23T05:26:14.950Z
May I ask what do you mean by "affected things"?
nhahtdh
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-08-23T06:00:22.970Z
For example, Madoka's mother say she didn't know Madoka but she feel she heard the name "madoka" before.
kumagoro
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-08-24T23:21:05.023Z
and also there's Madoka's little bother who was saying her name and drawing her in the dirt to which Homura replied "yeh, that really does look like her"
Memor-X
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-02-23T03:34:31.910Z
Interesting how the name of the Law of Cycles is comprised of "Madoka" (円) and "Tamaki" (環) as in Iroha 
Crescent Crossbow
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-08-21T07:28:22.653Z
2014-08-23T05:25:21.170Z
2014-08-23T05:25:21.170Z
kumagoro
<p>In <em>Puella Magi Madoka Magica</em>, before Ultimate Madoka's universe, I read that the system where a Magical Girl would become a Witch was referred to as the "Law of Wheels", while after that, the new system and Madoka herself is known as the "Law of Cycles", this term actually being used by Homura and the Incubators in the Rebellion movie.</p>

<p>I am wondering, where did these terms come from? Neither system seems like a wheel/cycle as in neither one does a Magical Girl ever return to normal (the origin).</p>

<p>EDIT: I seem to have made a mistake as Mami may have said "Law of Wheels" in <a href="http://wiki.puella-magi.net/Sayaka_Miki#Sayaka.27s_Farewell" rel="noreferrer">Episode 12 in Ultimate Madoka's Universe</a>, but still it doesn't change my question of where these terms came from.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-08-18T08:36:48.327Z
Kyubey explained that when a Puella transforms into a Witch, it gives energy to its world. And the Puella change when they fight Witches. So the Puella exist because of the Witches and the Witches exist because of the Puella. Here is the cycle.
AGuif
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-08-18T18:13:00.143Z
Please include the source (by whom) of these translations so we may have better context. Translations may vary between distributor and translator (official and unofficial).
кяαzєя
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-08-18T22:18:25.377Z
@ɹǝzɐɹʞ you talking to me? doing a bit of backtracking to where i heard of the terms, [Law of Wheels](http://wiki.puella-magi.net/Sayaka_Miki) seems to have been said by Mami in episode 12 (my mistake, shought she said cycles) while [Law of Cycles](http://wiki.puella-magi.net/Puella_Magi_Madoka_Magica_LOVE!_Sayaka_%26_Kyouko_Version) can be found here but also Homura does say in the Rebellion move she altered only apart of the the Law of Cycles to allow Madoka to exists
Memor-X
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-08-18T22:19:27.617Z
Also when Homura wakes up after learning she's actually a witch the Incubators talk about how they know of the Law of Cycles but can not understand it and thus explain their plan to capture it, study it and ultimately manipulate it
Memor-X
<madoka-magica>
Where do the terms "Law of Wheels/Cycles" come from?
# Where do the terms "Law of Wheels/Cycles" come from?
Posted by: username_0 on 2014-08-18
In *Puella Magi Madoka Magica*, before Ultimate Madoka's universe, I read that the system where a Magical Girl would become a Witch was referred to as the "Law of Wheels", while after that, the new system and Madoka herself is known as the "Law of Cycles", this term actually being used by Homura and the Incubators in the Rebellion movie.

I am wondering, where did these terms come from? Neither system seems like a wheel/cycle as in neither one does a Magical Girl ever return to normal (the origin).

EDIT: I seem to have made a mistake as Mami may have said "Law of Wheels" in [Episode 12 in Ultimate Madoka's Universe](http://wiki.puella-magi.net/Sayaka_Miki#Sayaka.27s_Farewell), but still it doesn't change my question of where these terms came from.
**Tags:** madoka-magica
> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Kyubey explained that when a Puella transforms into a Witch, it gives energy to its world. And the Puella change when they fight Witches. So the Puella exist because of the Witches and the Witches exist because of the Puella. Here is the cycle.  
> **username_2**: Please include the source (by whom) of these translations so we may have better context. Translations may vary between distributor and translator (official and unofficial).  
> **username_0**: @ɹǝzɐɹʞ you talking to me? doing a bit of backtracking to where i heard of the terms, [Law of Wheels](http://wiki.puella-magi.net/Sayaka_Miki) seems to have been said by Mami in episode 12 (my mistake, shought she said cycles) while [Law of Cycles](http://wiki.puella-magi.net/Puella_Magi_Madoka_Magica_LOVE!_Sayaka_%26_Kyouko_Version) can be found here but also Homura does say in the Rebellion move she altered only apart of the the Law of Cycles to allow Madoka to exists  
> **username_0**: Also when Homura wakes up after learning she's actually a witch the Incubators talk about how they know of the Law of Cycles but can not understand it and thus explain their plan to capture it, study it and ultimately manipulate it  
---
## 1 answers
### Answer by username_3 on 2014-08-21. Score: 6 | Accepted answer
By [interview of Gen Urobuchi](http://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/4862487726), Law of Wheels/Cycles is a folklore talked between Magical Girls.

Following idea is my (and some [Japanese anime fan's](http://dic.nicovideo.jp/a/%E5%86%86%E7%92%B0%E3%81%AE%E7%90%86)) guess.

Law of Wheels/Cycles is translated from "円環の理".
理 is principle or reasonable.
I think 円環 is circle or ring instead of Wheels/Cycle.

Madoka is officially written as "まどか", but most Japanese have a name in kanji.
By [a naming dictionary](http://name.m3q.jp/list?s=%E3%81%BE%E3%81%A9%E3%81%8B&g=2),
most common kanji for the name "まどか" is "円"(circle).

By this two facts, I guess 円環 means Madoka.
In the rewritten world, most people forgot about Madoka, but Homura found some affected things from Madoka.
I guess the folklore was named Law of Wheels/Cycle because of such a effect.
> **Comments:**
> **username_4** (2014-08-23): May I ask what do you mean by "affected things"?  
> **username_3** (2014-08-23): For example, Madoka's mother say she didn't know Madoka but she feel she heard the name "madoka" before.  
> **username_0** (2014-08-24): and also there's Madoka's little bother who was saying her name and drawing her in the dirt to which Homura replied "yeh, that really does look like her"  
> **username_5** (2022-02-23): Interesting how the name of the Law of Cycles is comprised of "Madoka" (円) and "Tamaki" (環) as in Iroha   
---
