The highly anticipated fourth film in the Puella Magi Madoka Magica franchise, titled Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie Walpurgisnacht: Rising, is set to premiere in Japan on August 28. Aniplex announced the release date alongside a full-length trailer for the movie.
The original Madoka Magica anime series, produced by Studio Shaft, debuted in 2011 and gained recognition for its dark subversion of the magical girl genre. It followed a group of schoolgirls who become magical girls through contracts, only to discover that their transformations eventually lead to despair and their own corruption into witches. The series is often compared to Neon Genesis Evangelion for its deconstruction of its respective genre.
This film continues the narrative established in the 2013 movie Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie: Rebellion. In Rebellion, Homura Akemi diverged from the original series' ending, where Madoka Kaname ascended to a form of godhood, creating a world free from witch-induced despair. Instead, Homura intervened, seizing Madoka's power for herself to create a new reality where Madoka could live, even if it meant perpetuating the suffering of others. The trailer for Walpurgisnacht: Rising indicates a brewing conflict between Homura and the other magical girls, suggesting it will serve as a climactic conclusion to the film series.
Walpurgisnacht: Rising experienced several delays, initially slated for 2024, then pushed to 2025, and subsequently to February 2026 before its current August 28 release. As of now, there is no information regarding an international release date for the film.