New Magic Knight Rayearth Anime Sets Anime Expo 2026 World Premiere for July 4

A 30-year wait ends at Anime Expo

According to the official anime account, the new Magic Knight Rayearth television series will hold its world premiere at Anime Expo 2026 in Los Angeles this weekend. The official premiere visual sets the screening for Saturday, July 4 from 12:00 PM to 1:20 PM in the JW Diamond room, where attendees will be among the first in the world to see the new adaptation.

Magic Knight Rayearth is one of CLAMP's signature works, and our catalog dates the original television anime to 1994. The new series arrives roughly three decades later as a fresh take on the story of three middle school girls pulled into the magical world of Cephiro and tasked with becoming its legendary Magic Knights.

What is screening at the premiere

Reports from Anime News Network and Anime Corner indicate the premiere will screen the first two episodes, with voice cast on hand for the occasion. The official visual lists Rie Takahashi, who voices Fuu Hououji, and Saori Hayami, who voices Princess Emeraude, as attending guests. Both outlets frame the Los Angeles screening as a global first look ahead of the show's Japanese broadcast.

Cast and staff

Per the same reports, the central trio is led by Ayane Sakura as Hikaru Shidou, Rumi Okubo as Umi Ryuuzaki, and Rie Takahashi as Fuu Hououji. Additional roles announced for the production include Saori Hayami as Emeraude, Yuki Ono as Zagato, and Mika Kikuchi as Mokona, casting that matches the character visuals the official account has been rolling out over the past several weeks. According to coverage of the project, Yui Miura is directing, with Shigeru Murakoshi on series composition, Satomi Watanabe on character design, and Yuki Kajiura among the composers. The series is reported to be animated by E&H Production under planning and production from UNLIMITED PRODUCE by TMS.

When it airs

While the Anime Expo screening is the first public look, the full series is reported to begin its Japanese television run in October 2026 on TV Asahi, airing within the network's late night IMAnimation W block. A streaming plan for audiences outside Japan has not been detailed in the sources reviewed here, so fans waiting at home will want to watch for a separate distribution announcement.