Walpurgisnacht

"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 upside-down position reaches the top part of the witch, she completely roils the civilization on the ground in a flash through her gale-like flight."

- Official profile "She will turn all of fate's misfortune to nothing. She will flood the earth with magic, and take all of humankind into her play. A moving stage construction. If everything is a play, no unhappy things will exist. It may be a tragedy, but it'll all be part of the script. The play stops on Walpurgisnacht, and the earth does not turn even once more. The story will not change. Tomorrow, and the day after, is the night of Walpurgis."

- From Puella Magi Production Note

Walpurgisnacht (alternately referred to as "Walpurgis Night" or "Walpurgis" both in the series and among fans) is supposedly the strongest witch current Magical Girls would have to fight. Her real name is unknown, while "Walpurgisnacht" is a common moniker given to it by magical girls. Her nature had been kept mysterious during most of the series, which led to a lot of speculation from fans during the original broadcast. This article's first purpose is, as with the other witches, to provide information about her. The witch first appeared in the prologue "dream" sequence of Episode 1, although it wasn't called by any name back then. This led to some speculations about the witch's identity before it was finally revealed in Episode 10.

For a compilation of historical, mythological, and literary information concerning Walpurgisnacht (ワルプルギスの夜 Warupurugisu no Yoru, Night of Walpurgis), a term first mentioned by Homura in Episode 6.

Nature
Walpurgisnacht is not a typical witch. Instead, she is a conglomerate of many witches fused into one. It is not explained how or why this fusion happened. Walpurgisnacht has so much power that she is not confined within a barrier like most other witches. Instead of harming humans with a Witch's Kiss, she can wreak havoc directly with her powers, and can completely obliterate an entire town if not stopped. Thankfully, she appears very rarely. She is ostensibly the most powerful witch and a whole team of magical girls is needed to defeat her, though even her power is dwarfed by the godlike Kriemhild Gretchen, the witch form of Madoka Kaname.

Defeat
Walpurgisnacht can be defeated, but it is much more difficult than any other witch. Only a team of magical girls can stand a chance, and even then it's likely they will suffer heavy casualties. This is what happens in the previous timelines (later undone by Homura).

In the main timeline of the show, Walpurgisnacht is not technically defeated. She is instead erased from existence along with every other witch past, present or future when Madoka makes her wish.

Powers and Abilities
Walpurgisnacht displays power way beyond that of a standard witch. Notably, she is resistant enough to damage to easily shrug off hundreds of attacks from heavy artillery. Walpurgisnacht can spit fire (a reference to the festival she is named after) and shoot homing magical projectiles at her opponents. Her familiars are silhouettes made of space and stars which resemble magical girls. Her appearance is preceded by a parade of colorful minions, fitting her nature as a witch of spectacle and festivity.

Trivia

 * Walpurgisnacht is named after a traditional festival celebrated in spring in parts of Central and Northern Europe associated with witches. This festival is celebrated with dancing and bonfires.
 * Walpurgisnacht is a term first used by Homura in Episode 6. Due to the lack of information on its subject, and due to the overwhelming imagination of fans, a lot of information about "Walpurgisnacht" had been gathered during the broadcast. This article is then a compilation of historical, mythological, and literary information concerning this event.