Puella Magi Madoka Magica, or Madoka Magica as fans often call it, has delighted anime fans since its debut in 2011. Originally a 12-episode limited series, it blossomed into an expansive franchise comprising movies, manga, and video games. The kawaii stylings aren’t for everyone, but the cutesy exterior hides a story that takes itself seriously, with complex characters and lore.
At the most basic level, Madoka Magica is a magical girl story that follows middle-school student Madoka Kaname. Madoka is living a regular life until she encounters a small white cat-like creature called Kyubey. Kyubey tells the girls they can have any wish their heart desires if they agree to become magical girls and fight evil creatures called witches.
This throws Madoka and her friends into a mysterious and dangerous world where magical girls are locked in a never-ending war with powerful witches. The more Madoka learns, the more she finds that nothing is as simple as it first appears.
How to watch Puella Magi Madoka Magica in release order
One of the easiest ways to watch Puella Magi Madoka Magica is to watch it in the order it was released. If you do this, you’ll watch the show in the following order:
- Puella Magi Madoka Magica – Episodes 1 – 12
- Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie: Beginnings
- Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie: Eternal
- Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie: Rebellion
- Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Side Story Season 1
- Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Side Story Season 2
- Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Side Story: Dawn of a Shallow Dream
As of writing, the original anime series is available to stream on Crunchyroll and Hulu. Crunchyroll also has the side stories. The movies are a little harder to track down and don’t appear to be included in any subscription, though they’re available to buy from various streaming services, such as Apple TV.
Handling the Madoka Movies
It should be noted that while Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie is a trilogy, the first two movies, Beginnings and Eternal, are re-tellings of the story found in the original series but with new animation and voice acting.
This means you can skip these movies if you want. Or watch them rather than the original series depending on your personal tastes. But no matter your choice, you must watch Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie: Rebellion, the third movie in the series, as its all-new content. Plus, it acts as a sequel to the story seen in the original series and the first two movies.
Rebellion is soon getting a sequel, Puella Magi Madoka Magica The Movie -Walpurgisnacht: Rising-, featuring many returning staff and cast from the original anime. As yet we don’t have a firm release date, though it will land in winter 2024 in Japan and hopefully overseas soon after.
How to watch Puella Magi Madoka Magica in chronological order
Thankfully, watching Puella Magi Madoka Magica in chronological order is also easy, as the chronology isn’t that hard to work out. To watch Puella Magi Madoka Magica in this order, you should watch it in the following order:
- Puella Magi Madoka Magica or Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie: Beginnings and Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie: Eternal
- Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie: Rebellion
- Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Side Story Season 1
- Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Side Story Season 2
- Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Side Story: Dawn of a Shallow Dream
While Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Side Story does feel like it should happen between the movies during the early episodes, it references events that occur during Rebellion during later ones. Officially it is considered an alternative continuity and thus it is best to watch it once you’ve finished the original Madoka and its movies.
If you’re in the mood for magical girls, please check out our carefully curated list of the finest transformations from across the genre, which naturally includes Madoka Magica.