Some anime comebacks feel like nostalgia bait. This one feels like a homecoming. Magic Knight Rayearth, CLAMP’s beloved shojo fantasy from the early 1990s, officially relaunches today, Wednesday, October 7, with a brand-new 2026 adaptation premiering on TV Asahi in Japan and streaming internationally on Crunchyroll.
Episode 1 is live now with Japanese audio and English subtitles. New episodes arrive every Wednesday, lined up with the TV Asahi broadcast at 11:45 p.m. JST. An English dub has been confirmed, but there is no date for it yet.
A full retelling, not a sequel
If you never saw the original, good news: you don’t need homework. The new series, produced by E&H production and TMS Entertainment, starts the story from scratch. Three eighth-graders from different Tokyo schools, Hikaru, Umi and Fuu, cross paths during a field trip to Tokyo Tower. A strange light and a desperate voice pull them into Cephiro, a world that runs on the strength of human will. There they are named the legendary Magic Knights and asked to awaken three Rune Gods to rescue Princess Emeraude from the sorcerer Zagato.
The plan is a two-cour run, so roughly 24 episodes back to back. That is enough room to tell the full first arc properly instead of rushing it, which longtime fans will appreciate.
A voice cast that reads like an all-star roster
The casting is one of the big talking points. Ayane Sakura leads as the fiery Hikaru Shidou, Rumi Okubo plays the sharp-tongued Umi Ryuuzaki, and Rie Takahashi voices calm, analytical Fuu Hououji. Saori Hayami takes on Princess Emeraude, Yuki Ono plays Zagato, and Mika Kikuchi brings the round, fluffy oracle Mokona back to life.
The supporting side is just as strong: Yoshitsugu Matsuoka as Ferio, Yuki Kaji as the wise Clef, and Emiri Kato as Presea. On the villain side, Mamiko Noto plays Alcyone, Ayumu Murase is Ascot, Hitomi Ueda is Caldina and Hiroki Yasumoto is Lafarga. Pretty much every name here headlines another major series.
Music by Yuki Kajiura
The score comes from Yuki Kajiura, working with Takumi Ozawa and Shiho Terada. Kajiura’s soaring, choir-heavy sound has defined series like Sword Art Online, Fate/Zero and Puella Magi Madoka Magica, and it is a natural fit for a story about believing hard enough to change a world. The opening theme, “Otome no Ken,” is performed by Toaka, while Yurina Kawaguchi sings the ending theme, “Seira.”
Series composition is handled by Shigeru Murakoshi, with character designs by Satomi Watanabe. The trailers leaned hard into the Rune God mechs and the girls’ Magic Knight forms, and the official tagline sums up the spirit nicely: believing hearts become power.
Why it matters this season
The Fall 2026 anime slate is crowded, but Rayearth stands out because it bridges generations. Parents who caught the 1994 series on afternoon TV can now watch the remake with kids who have never heard of Cephiro. With a weekly release, it also gives fans something to talk about every Wednesday instead of a single binge weekend.
Our take: start with episode 1 tonight. If the premiere lands the way the previews suggest, this could be the feel-good fantasy hit of the season.