Madoka is a myterious girl. Her mood swings are drastic and can happen in the space of a second. She could be kind, loving, and sunny one moment and harsh, cold, and steely the next. She is the kimagure (meaning whimsical / capricious) in Kimagure Orange Road. You could never guess what Madoka is thinking at a given moment, which is why Kyousuke wanted so badly to read her mind using ESP!
Madoka's parents are never home, because they perform abroad as world-class musicians. Her older sister doesn't seem to show up at the house much either. Madoka lives in the house all by herself, and this has caused her to become fiercely independent and tough. She looks after herself quite well, and has picked up quite a fearsome reputation on the street as "Madoka the Pick" with the guitar pick she throws as a weapon. Because she's a loner she never joined any street gangs. However, all the teenage hoodlums on the street live in fear of her. The picture you see above certainly isn't of the Madoka before her meeting with Kyousuke. In another section of this page, you will find out just how Kyousuke has changed Madoka.
Under that tough exterior, Madoka is really a gentle and loving person. She always think of others before herself, and wouldn't hesitate to give up her own interests in order to make someone else happy; That is especially true toward Hikaru, her close (and for a long time, only) friend since childhood. Madoka is very musically talented and seem to take after her parents in that regard. She can play several musical instruments, most notably the saxophone. Madoka can be seen playing the blues with it in the tv series whenever she gets in a pensive mood.