# Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha Watch Order Also known as: Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha, Nanoha, Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha A's, Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS, Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha ViVid, ViVid Strike!, Nanoha Reflection, Nanoha Detonation, Nanoha EXCEEDS Gun Blaze Vengeance Source: https://www.animechrono.com/franchise/magical-girl-lyrical-nanoha Last updated: 2026-11-02 Last checked against current sources: 2026-11-02 AnimeChrono watch orders put every season, movie, OVA, ONA and special in chronological story order, mark optional entries, say where to start, and are maintained by signed-in fans with versioned edits that can be reverted (11 entries in this order). Where to start Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha: begin with the 2004 TV series, episode 1, then A's (2005). After that the franchise splits in two. This Nanoha watch order lists both continuities in story order. The TV continuity runs Nanoha (Episodes 1-13), A's (Episodes 1-13), StrikerS (Episodes 1-26, ten years later), ViVid (Episodes 1-12) and ViVid Strike! (Episodes 1-12). The movie continuity starts with The Movie 1st (2010) and The Movie 2nd A's (2012), which retell the first two seasons, then breaks off into new stories with Reflection (2017), Detonation (2018) and the 2026 TV series EXCEEDS Gun Blaze Vengeance (Episodes 1-12), set two years after Detonation. StrikerS and ViVid do not connect to Reflection, Detonation or EXCEEDS, so you can watch either branch first after A's. ## Recommended first watch Start with Season 1 (13 episodes) and A's (13). For the TV continuity, continue with StrikerS (26), ViVid (12) and ViVid Strike! (12). For the movie continuity, watch Reflection and Detonation, then EXCEEDS Gun Blaze Vengeance (12). The Movie 1st and 2nd A's retell Season 1 and A's, so they are optional if you have seen the TV versions. ## Start here Start with Episodes 1-13 (Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha). 3 entries are optional: ViVid Strike! OVA, Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha: The Movie 1st (Movie continuity), and Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha: The Movie 2nd A's (Movie continuity). The story still tracks without them. Filler and skip notes: - **Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha: The Movie 1st (Movie continuity)** — Optional if you watched Season 1. - **Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha: The Movie 2nd A's (Movie continuity)** — Optional if you watched A's. - **ViVid Strike! OVA** — Optional. ## The chronological order 1. Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha: Episodes 1-13 2. Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha A's: Episodes 1-13 3. Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS: Episodes 1-26 4. Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha ViVid: Episodes 1-12 5. ViVid Strike!: Episodes 1-12 6. ViVid Strike! OVA (OVA) — optional 7. Movie continuity: Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha: The Movie 1st (movie) — optional 8. Movie continuity: Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha: The Movie 2nd A's (movie) — optional 9. Movie continuity: Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha: Reflection (movie) 10. Movie continuity: Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha Detonation (movie) 11. Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha EXCEEDS Gun Blaze Vengeance: Episodes 1-12 ## Release order Sorted by air date. This follows when each entry aired, which may differ from the chronological watch order. 1. Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha: Episodes 1-13 — aired 2004-10-03 2. Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha A's: Episodes 1-13 — aired 2005-10-02 3. Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS: Episodes 1-26 — aired 2007-04-02 4. Movie continuity: Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha: The Movie 1st (movie) — optional — aired 2010-01-23 5. Movie continuity: Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha: The Movie 2nd A's (movie) — optional — aired 2012-07-14 6. Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha ViVid: Episodes 1-12 — aired 2015-04-03 7. ViVid Strike!: Episodes 1-12 — aired 2016-10-02 8. ViVid Strike! OVA (OVA) — optional — aired 2017-01-25 9. Movie continuity: Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha: Reflection (movie) — aired 2017-07-22 10. Movie continuity: Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha Detonation (movie) — aired 2018-10-19 11. Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha EXCEEDS Gun Blaze Vengeance: Episodes 1-12 — aired 2026-07-05 ## Side branches Part of Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha, but outside the chronological order above. - **Picture drama specials** (Specials · 2013-2015): Short bonus picture dramas from the Blu-ray sets (Lyrical IF, Medical Shamal, Midchilda Gakuen). Optional; any time after the matching season. - **Triangle Heart: Sweet Songs Forever** (OVA · 2003): The visual-novel OVA where Nanoha first appeared as a side character. A different story; not needed. ## FAQ **What order should I watch Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha in?** Start with Season 1 (13 episodes) and A's (13). For the TV continuity, continue with StrikerS (26), ViVid (12) and ViVid Strike! (12). For the movie continuity, watch Reflection and Detonation, then EXCEEDS Gun Blaze Vengeance (12). The Movie 1st and 2nd A's retell Season 1 and A's, so they are optional if you have seen the TV versions. **Where should I start Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha?** Start with the 2004 TV series (13 episodes), then A's (13). Both continuities build on that story. **Are the Nanoha movies a retelling or a sequel?** Both. The Movie 1st and The Movie 2nd A's retell Season 1 and A's. Reflection and Detonation are new stories set after them, in a separate movie continuity. **Is EXCEEDS Gun Blaze Vengeance a sequel to StrikerS?** No. It aired July to September 2026 and is set two years after Detonation, in the movie continuity. StrikerS, ViVid and ViVid Strike! are the TV continuity. **Do I need to watch Triangle Heart first?** No. Nanoha began as a spin-off of the Triangle Heart visual novels, but the Nanoha anime is a separate story and needs no Triangle Heart. **What is the chronological order of Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha?** Start with Episodes 1-13 (Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha), then continue with Episodes 1-13 (Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha A's), Episodes 1-26 (Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS), Episodes 1-12 (Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha ViVid), Episodes 1-12 (ViVid Strike!), and ViVid Strike! OVA, followed by 5 more entries. The full Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha watch order on this page has 11 entries across 8 series, listed in chronological viewing order. **What is the release order of Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha?** In the order they aired, start with Episodes 1-13 (Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha), then Episodes 1-13 (Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha A's), Episodes 1-26 (Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS), Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha: The Movie 1st (Movie continuity), Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha: The Movie 2nd A's (Movie continuity), and Episodes 1-12 (Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha ViVid), followed by 5 more entries. Release order follows air dates and is not the recommended chronological order. **How many episodes is Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha?** Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha has 88 TV episodes in this order, plus 4 movies and 1 OVA. **Where do the Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha movies fit in the watch order?** Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha: The Movie 1st comes right after ViVid Strike! OVA, Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha: The Movie 2nd A's comes right after Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha: The Movie 1st (Movie continuity), Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha: Reflection comes right after Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha: The Movie 2nd A's (Movie continuity), and Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha Detonation comes right after Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha: Reflection (Movie continuity). **Can I skip anything in Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha?** Yes. 3 entries are marked optional: ViVid Strike! OVA, Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha: The Movie 1st (Movie continuity), and Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha: The Movie 2nd A's (Movie continuity). Everything else is part of the main story. **Is Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha finished?** Yes. Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha has finished airing, and this order covers everything released so far in chronological viewing order. --- Something wrong or out of date? Anyone can edit this order at https://www.animechrono.com/franchise/magical-girl-lyrical-nanoha. Every change is versioned.