Witch on the Holy Night Movie: Release Dates & How to Watch

Witch on the Holy Night (魔法使いの夜, Mahōtsukai no Yoru, often shortened to "Mahoyo") opens in Japanese cinemas on Friday, November 20, 2026. Outside Japan, Crunchyroll and Sony Pictures release it in theaters from January 21, 2027. The US, Canada, UK and Ireland get it on January 29, 2027, and North America gets both subtitled and English-dubbed screenings.

It's ufotable's adaptation of the Type-Moon visual novel of the same name. Below: every confirmed date by country, the cast and staff, what the story is about (no spoilers), and what I'd tell a friend who wants to see it in Japan.

Witch on the Holy Night movie at a glance

Jargon check: a visual novel is a story-driven game where you mostly read text over character art and backgrounds, with music and (sometimes) voice acting. Type-Moon is the studio behind Fate/stay night and Tsukihime, and ufotable is the animation studio behind Fate/Zero and Demon Slayer.

International release dates by country

Crunchyroll announced the worldwide rollout on September 10, 2026. These are theatrical dates; check your local cinema chain for showtimes closer to the day.

Sub or dub? Crunchyroll's announcement says the US and Canada release will be "available in both Japanese with English subtitles as well as dubbed in English". Some coverage reads that as a worldwide dub, but the announcement only says it for North America. No English dub cast has been named yet.

Streaming: there's no streaming date. Crunchyroll has the international rights, so that's the obvious future home, but nothing is announced. Anyone promising you a stream before January is not a legal source.

Cast and staff

The three leads are the same voice actors who played them in the 2022 remaster of the game.

Key staff, from the official site:

• Original work: Kinoko Nasu / Type-Moon
• Original character design: Hirokazu Koyama; original character concept: Takashi Takeuchi
• Director: 竹内 將 (English outlets haven't agreed on the romanization yet, so I'm giving the official kanji)
• Chief director: Hikaru Kondo
• Character design: Moe Tsuzuki; chief animation director: Masato Nagamori
• Screenplay: ufotable
• Art director: Koji Eto
• Music: Hideyuki Fukasawa
• Theme song: "Yoru to Ao" by supercell, written, composed and arranged by ryo and sung by Nagi Yanagi. supercell also wrote the ending song for the original game.

What is Witch on the Holy Night about? (no spoilers)

Aoko Aozaki is a high school student and student council president by day, and an apprentice magician by night. She lives with her housemate Alice Kuonji, a magus. One rainy morning Aoko meets Soujyuro Shizuki, a transfer student who has just come down from the mountains to the city.

It's set in the fictional Misaki Town near the end of Japan's Shōwa era (which ended in January 1989). Outlook India's coverage puts it in the late 1980s.

Do you need to know Fate or Tsukihime? No. The story is a prequel to Tsukihime: Aoko later appears there as the mentor of its hero, Shiki Tohno, and this film tells her backstory. Fate fans will recognise the mood and the magic terms, but the film stands on its own. If you only know ufotable from Demon Slayer, our Demon Slayer watch order explains where the Infinity Castle films stand.

From 1996 novel to 2026 film: a quick timeline

That's almost five years from announcement to release, which is very ufotable. Wikipedia also reports a smartphone version of the game launching alongside the movie on November 20, 2026. I couldn't confirm that on an official page, so treat it as reported, not confirmed.

Seeing it in Japan: tickets and events

If you're in Japan, or visiting in late November, this is what's official:

• Advance tickets ("Mubichike"): a Mubichike is a Japanese pre-sale movie ticket you buy before release and exchange for a seat later. The film's costs 1,500 yen. The second key visual card ticket, bought at a theater, came with a 16-page Magician Apprentice Reader booklet while stocks lasted.
• Ticket bundles: Aniplex Online, TOHO animation STORE, Animate and Lawson sell tickets bundled with merchandise (acrylic plates, a ticket file, a keychain, a tapestry), from 2,490 to 5,350 yen.
• Events: the official site lists a pre-release event in Ikebukuro on the night of November 19, and opening stage greetings with Haruka Tomatsu and Yūsuke Kobayashi at theaters in Tokyo and Osaka.

My tip, as someone who lives here: expect opening weekend for a Type-Moon x ufotable film to be busy. Book through the cinema's own website as soon as it opens reservations for your showing. And don't expect English subtitles at regular Japanese screenings. If you need subs, wait for the January release at home.

Should you watch it?

My take: if you liked the Heaven's Feel films or Fate/Zero, this is a safe bet for the visuals alone. ufotable has spent years on it. The bigger question is the story. The visual novel is slow, atmospheric and dialogue-heavy, more slice-of-life with magic than nonstop battles. Go in expecting a mood piece with a few big set pieces, not Demon Slayer pacing.

For what else is on right now, see our Fall 2026 anime season guide. I'll update this post when the runtime, the dub cast or a streaming date is announced.