{"rewrite":{"id":"r_a876cc06c1de05a22c15e55e","clusterId":"c_b3ddba64d6a68e42091f249d","slug":"madoka-magica-walpurgisnacht-rising-reveals-maaya-sakamoto-role","model":"deepseek-v4-flash","headline":"Madoka Magica Walpurgisnacht Rising Reveals Maaya Sakamoto Role","summary":"Maaya Sakamoto plays the unnamed upperclassman known as Wasu in Puella Magi Madoka Magica The Movie: Walpurgisnacht: Rising, the sequel to the Rebellion film. The character looks like Homura, and the film has not given her true name. The film opened in theaters on August 28, ranked at #1 in its opening weekend, and sold 535,000 tickets for 939,647,100 yen in its first three days.","whyItMatters":"The casting reveal lands after the film already opened and took the top spot in its opening weekend, so the announcement is filling in a character the audience has seen but cannot name.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eSakamoto voices a character the film leaves unnamed, an upperclassman called Wasu who looks like Homura. No one in the film knows her real name or identity. The role was announced on Saturday, after the film opened in theaters on August 28 and ranked at #1 in its opening weekend.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eYukihiro Miyamoto directed. Shion Wakayama voices the new magical girl Shichōka and Tomoyo Kurosawa voices Selma Therese, while Aoi Yūki, Chiwa Saitō, Kaori Mizuhashi, Eri Kitamura, Ai Nonaka, Kana Asumi and Emiri Katō return. FictionJunction performs the theme song \u0026#34;Kanata.\u0026#34;\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"Maaya Sakamoto's Wasu has no confirmed name and a face modeled on Homura. The film withholds her identity while selling tickets as a direct sequel, which keeps the mystery as the draw rather than a spoiler to reveal.","twitterPost":"Maaya Sakamoto voices Wasu, a character the film leaves unnamed and designs to resemble Homura. The mystery is the marketing, not a plot point to spoil.","threadsPost":"Maaya Sakamoto plays Wasu, and the film never gives the character her real name while styling her to look like Homura. With 535,000 tickets sold in three days, the withholding is doing commercial work: the unnamed upperclassman is a hook, not an oversight.","newsletterBlurb":"The Walpurgisnacht: Rising film has confirmed Maaya Sakamoto as Wasu, an upperclassman who looks like Homura and whose real name the film withholds. The announcement comes after the August 28 opening, when the film ranked #1 and sold 535,000 tickets in three days. Shion Wakayama and Tomoyo Kurosawa join the cast, with FictionJunction on the theme song.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"Anime News Network\",\"url\":\"https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2026-09-11/madoka-magica-walpurgisnacht-rising-anime-film-reveals-maaya-sakamoto-role/.241675\",\"title\":\"Madoka Magica -Walpurgisnacht: Rising- Anime Film Reveals Maaya Sakamoto's Role\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":4413,"outputTokens":667,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1789150462,"createdAt":"2026-09-11T18:08:27.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-09-11T18:13:20.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-09-11T18:13:20.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_b3ddba64d6a68e42091f249d","canonicalTitle":"News\nMadoka Magica -Walpurgisnacht: Rising- Anime Film Reveals Maaya Sakamoto's Role","representativeArticleId":"a_83cd3de8201ca5327c5ac13a","sourceCount":1,"writtenSourceCount":1,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":true,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[\"Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie: Walpurgisnacht: Rising\"],\"manga_titles\":[],\"work_titles\":[],\"studios\":[],\"people\":[\"Maaya Sakamoto\"],\"type\":\"news\",\"domain\":\"anime\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-09-11T16:20:15.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-09-11T16:20:15.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-09-11T18:13:20.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"Anime News Network","url":"https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2026-09-11/madoka-magica-walpurgisnacht-rising-anime-film-reveals-maaya-sakamoto-role/.241675","title":"News\nMadoka Magica -Walpurgisnacht: Rising- Anime Film Reveals Maaya Sakamoto's Role"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":["Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie: Walpurgisnacht: Rising"],"manga_titles":[],"work_titles":[],"studios":[],"people":["Maaya Sakamoto"],"type":"news","domain":"anime","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":null}