It has been over a decade. Honestly, if you told a fan in 2013 that they’d still be scouring Japanese production blogs for scraps of info about the "real" sequel to Rebellion in 2026, they’d probably just give up on the genre entirely. We are talking about Madoka Magica Part 2—or more accurately, the fourth film, Walpurgisnacht Rising (Walpurgis no Kaiten). It is the white whale of the anime industry.
The franchise basically redefined what a "magical girl" could be. It wasn't just about sparkles and friendship; it was about entropy, cosmic despair, and the terrifying price of a wish. But after the ending of the third movie, where Homura Akemi essentially rewrote the laws of the universe out of a twisted, obsessive love, the story just... stopped.
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Fans have been stuck in a loop. Much like Homura herself.
The Long Road to Walpurgisnacht Rising
What most people get wrong about Madoka Magica Part 2 is the timeline. This isn't a rushed production. It's the opposite. It’s a project that has been gestating in the minds of the "Magica Quartet"—Akiyuki Shinbo, Gen Urobuchi, Ume Aoki, and Yuki Kajiura—since the credits rolled on the last film.
There was a Concept Movie back in 2015. It was weird. It had ballet, a statue of Madoka, and some cryptic dialogue that suggested the "Magical Girl" system was evolving into something even more predatory. But then? Silence. For years.
Shaft, the animation studio, is famous for its distinct, avant-garde style. They don't do "normal" frames. They do head tilts, abstract architecture, and surrealist dreamscapes. That takes time. Plus, they got distracted. They spent years working on the Magia Record spin-off, which, let’s be real, didn't quite hit the same emotional notes for the hardcore fanbase.
Then came the 10th-anniversary event in 2021. That’s when it became official. The actual sequel was happening.
The title Walpurgisnacht Rising is a massive hint for anyone who remembers the original series. Walpurgisnacht was the "stage-play witch," the ultimate disaster that Madoka had to sacrifice her humanity to stop. Bringing that name back implies we are looping back to the beginning, but with the roles reversed. Homura is now the "Devil" (Akuma Homura), and she’s created a world where Madoka is "happy" but trapped.
What the trailers actually tell us
We’ve seen the clips. They are haunting.
There is a shot of a phone booth. A shot of Homura looking exhausted. A shot of a new, fractured world. The visual language suggests that Homura’s "perfect" universe is starting to crack at the seams. You can't just imprison a literal goddess and expect the physics of the soul to stay stable.
One of the biggest rumors that actually holds weight is the involvement of the original voice cast. Aoi Yuki (Madoka) and Chiwa Saito (Homura) have both hinted at the emotional toll of returning to these characters. This isn't a lighthearted reunion. It’s a reckoning.
Why the Delay Actually Matters for the Story
If they had released Madoka Magica Part 2 in 2016, would it have been as good? Probably not.
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The "Urobuchi vibe" requires a specific kind of nihilism mixed with hope. Gen Urobuchi, the writer, is known as "The Urobucher" for a reason. He kills characters. He breaks hearts. But since the original series, the landscape of anime has changed. We’ve seen the rise of "dark" shonen like Jujutsu Kaisen and Chainsaw Man. The bar for psychological horror in animation is much higher now.
Shaft is likely feeling the pressure. They have to outdo the "Rebellion" twist, which is widely considered one of the most controversial and brilliant endings in anime history.
- Homura’s betrayal wasn't a plot hole.
- It was the logical conclusion of her trauma.
- She spent 10 years watching her best friend die.
- She wasn't going to let heaven take her away again.
This creates a massive narrative problem for the sequel. How do you top a girl becoming a demon to save a god? You can't just have a big fight scene. It has to be a philosophical debate with magical explosions.
The Magia Record Connection
A lot of people think you need to watch the Magia Record anime or play the mobile game to understand the upcoming movie.
Actually? You probably don't.
While Magia Record introduced characters like Iroha Tamaki, it exists in an alternate timeline. The "Part 2" movie is a direct sequel to the 2013 film. It’s focusing on the original quintet: Madoka, Homura, Sayaka, Mami, and Kyoko. Sayaka Miki, in particular, seems to be a major player in the new footage. She’s the only one who truly remembers the "Law of Cycles" (Madoka's god form), making her a direct threat to Homura’s fake reality.
The Technical Side: Why 2026 is the Critical Year
We are now in 2026. The production cycles for high-end theatrical anime have ballooned. Look at Evangelion 3.0+1.0. It took forever, but the result was a masterpiece that provided genuine closure.
Shaft has been rebuilding their internal teams. They lost some key animators over the last decade, but the Walpurgisnacht Rising trailers show a return to the "Gekidan Inu Curry" art style—those creepy, collage-like witch labyrinths that made the original show so distinct.
If the movie is aiming for a definitive conclusion, the animation needs to be flawless. We are looking at a potential runtime of over two hours. That’s a lot of hand-drawn suffering.
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The music is another factor. Yuki Kajiura is returning. Her score is the heartbeat of the franchise. Without those haunting Latin vocals and melancholic violins, it’s just not Madoka. Reports suggest she has been composing the new themes to reflect a "broken" version of the original motifs.
What to Do While You Wait
It is easy to get frustrated. But the wait for Madoka Magica Part 2 offers a chance to look at the series with fresh eyes.
First, rewatch Rebellion. Don't just watch it for the action. Watch Homura’s face. Every time she interacts with the "human" Madoka in the fake Mitakihara City, she is evaluating the cost of her soul.
Second, check out the Wraith Arc manga. It bridges the gap between the end of the TV series and the start of Rebellion. It explains what happened to the world when the Witches disappeared and were replaced by "Wraiths." It gives a lot of context for why Homura’s mental state deteriorated so badly.
Third, keep an eye on official Aniplex channels. They tend to drop major trailers during the winter and summer festivals in Japan.
Actionable Insights for Fans
- Refresh your memory: The "Law of Cycles" and "Entropy" are the two pillars of the plot. If you don't understand why Kyubey wants to harvest emotions to save the universe from heat death, the sequel's stakes won't make sense.
- Ignore the "leak" culture: There are countless fake scripts floating around Reddit and 4chan. Gen Urobuchi is notoriously secretive. If it didn't come from a verified Japanese press release, it’s fan fiction.
- Watch the spin-offs for world-building: While not strictly necessary, Puella Magi Madoka Magica: The Different Story is a manga that explores Mami and Kyoko’s backstory. It adds a lot of weight to their roles in the upcoming film.
The reality of Madoka Magica Part 2 is that it is a legacy project. It’s not just a cash grab; it’s an attempt to finish one of the most influential stories of the 21st century. Whether Homura finds redemption or the universe finally collapses under the weight of her love remains to be seen.
Just be ready for it to hurt. Because in this universe, every miracle comes with an equal and opposite despair. That is the one rule that never changes.
To stay prepared, ensure you have a legal streaming subscription ready for when the international rights are announced. Typically, Crunchyroll or Hulu handles the distribution for Aniplex titles in the West. Expect a limited theatrical run followed by a streaming release roughly six months later. Also, if you’re a collector, start looking at the 10th-anniversary merch now; it’s only going to get more expensive once the new movie hype peaks.