Made in Abyss Movie 3: Dawn of the Deep Soul

Made in Abyss: Dawn of the Deep Soul is the third movie in the Made in Abyss franchise. It covers the Ido Front Arc.

On January 4, 2019, the Made in Abyss Twitter account announced the movie alongside a promotional poster.

On March 22, 2019, the Made in Abyss Twitter account announced the movie for January 2020 alongside a new promotional poster.

On July 25, 2019, the official Kadokawa Anime Youtube channel released a trailer that announced the Movie's Japanese release date as January 17, 2020.

Dawn of the Deep Soul was set to air in western theaters on April 13th and April 15th, with dub, but had to be postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

On August 5, 2020, Sentai announced, via a tweet, that Dawn of the Deep Soul would air in select western theaters on August 14th and 15th, with dub.

On August 26, 2020, Sentai announced, in their "Sentai at Home" stream, that Dawn of the Deep Soul would receive virtual screenings. September 4th, it was announced that virtual screenings would begin September 18th, 2020 in the United States of America, Canada, United States Minor Outlying Islands, United Kingdom of Great Britain & Northern Ireland, and South Africa. For a week, via virtual ticket, the movie could be viewed with subs or dubs. Purchasers had access to the stream for 24 hours, after beginning the stream, to finish watching it.

The virtual screenings included the first and fourth episodes of Marulk's Daily Life OVAs.

Synopsis
The group embarks from Nanachi's Hideout, reaching the Garden of the Flowers of Resilience. There they encounter one of Bondrewd's Umbra Hands. A brief exchange follows, in which the Umbra Hand tells them that the field is to be burned down due to an Amaranthine-Deceptor infestation and that Bondrewd is expecting them. As the burning commences, the Deceptors swarm and attack the group; however, Riko is unscathed. The three of them proceed to Bondrewd's base, Ido Front. A girl, Prushka, approaches them and asks if they are her father's guests.

A few moments later, Bondrewd arrives to greet the trio. He informs them that entrance into the 6th Layer is only passible with a personalized White Whistle, to the group's dismay. He invites them to stay a night and Prushka gives them a tour of the base. During the night, Riko searches for a bathroom and is inflicted with The Curse of the Abyss while attempting to ascend a staircase. She regains her senses to find herself in Prushka's care. The two of them spend time together, quickly becoming friends, and Prushka introduces Riko to her pet: Meinya.

Meanwhile, Nanachi seeks out Bondrewd to question him about Prushka. After a short exchange, Bondrewd asks Nanachi to become his assistant again. Nanachi agrees on the condition that he let Riko and Reg advance safely into the 6th Layer, however Bondrewd can't agree to this, due to Reg's unique existence and his desire to study the boy. Upon realizing the weight of the situation, Nanachi rushes to free the captive Reg, as the Umbra Hands have already begun experimenting on him and cut off his arm.

Moments later, Prushka and Riko join the scene. They are in shock to see what the Umbra Hands have done to Reg. Prushka orders the Umbra Hands to stop mistreating her father's guests, only to be rebuked that this area is off-limits to her.

The trio, together with Prushka, flees outside Ido Front and escapes on a boat. Only Prushka stays back, hoping to convince Bondrewd to return Reg's arm.

Riko is visibly distraught and laments the suffering brought upon Reg. Reg, lying injured, mentions he can smell the burnt parts of Netherworld Stew. Relying on the knowledge gained from the notes of her mother, Lyza, Riko deduces that they are in the vicinity of a Stingerhead nest. The trio prepare themselves then lie in wait for Bondrewd.

Reg, Nanachi, and Riko are confronted by Bondrewd and his Umbra Hands again. This time, however, they have been lead into the trap prepared by the trio and are massacred by a colony of Stingerheads.

Using his signature weapon, Sparagmos, only Bondrewd survives the attack. The trio continue to bombard Bondrewd with a series of attacks: destroying his gauntlets, infesting him with Amaranthine-Deceptor larvae, subjecting his body to the Curse of the 6th Layer, and crushing his body with a boulder.

Moments later, Prushka and an Umbra Hand arrive. Prushka bursts out in tears for violent fate that befell her papa. The Umbra Hand quickly removes his masks and replaces it with Bondrewd's own, assuming the "role" Bondrewd in the process.

Bondrewd reassures Prushka and quickly incapacitates her, revealing to the trio that all Umbra Hands are him. The team hopelessly attempt to retaliate, but he quickly disables them before leaving. He once again invites them back to the Ido Front, whenever they are ready.

Using her near-encyclopedic knowledge of Artifacts, Riko hypothesizes that Bondrewd may be using the Zoaholic relic to transfer his consciousness. They regroup to make a strategy to destroy it. As they sneak back into Ido Front, Nanachi and Riko make their way into what Nanachi calls the "processing room". Nanachi explains to Riko that Bondrewd's tool for surviving the curse, Cartridges, are made from living humans. A process in which the subject's organs, flesh, and bones are removed, barring those absolutely necessary to sustain life. Nanachi tearfully regrets their hand in enabling such an atrocity. Moments later, Bondrewd arrives explains the Ido Front's purpose as a ritual site for creating the materials needed to create a White Whistle. Again, he invites Nanachi to join him.

Quickly, Reg interrupts the scene, having absorbed the base's energy reserves. A fight between Reg, in a savage state, and Bondrewd breaks out. Reg fires his Incinerator, but an intervention from Nanachi allows Reg to regain his faculties and spare the three, while also damaging the Ido Front facility.

Reg is then tackled into the pit beneath the damaged facility by a nearby Umbra Hand, where he is forced to re-confront Bondrewd. It is at this point that Reg, Riko, and Nanachi coordinate their final plan. Reg ascends the pit, forcing Bondrewd to use his Cartridges while the two exchange blows. Arriving again in the 5th Layer, Bondrewd reveals that one of the Cartridges used during the fight contained the remains of Prushka. The revelation greatly unsettles the trio, as Bondrewd basks in his newly attained Blessed form.

In a flashback to Prushka's early life, she is shown in the care of Umbra Hands, recovering from a Transportation Vessel accident. Although she survived, she was subjected to the Curse of the 5th Layer and as a result, she suffered severe physical, mental, and psychological trauma. One of Bondrewd's subordinates, a Black Whistle named Gueira, attempted to heal her but to no avail. He considered the possibility of simply killing her—as she was assumed to be of no use and was only suffering, until Bondrewd himself approached her. The White Whistle hugged her and declared that she would be his daughter, giving her the name "Prushka".

Hiding alone in dark areas between walls, she would have panic attacks and display fits of hysteria. One day, Bondrewd gifted her a small creature called a Meinastilim. The previously frantic Prushka quickly showed signs of affection for it, naming it "Meinya". Overjoyed with the first signs of recovery in his daughter, Bondrewd declared that the day would be her birthday, signifying a new start for her.

In time, Prushka showed improvements and was soon behaving like a regular girl. One day, playing with Meinya, she began to climb stairs at the Ido Front and was again hit by the curse of the 5th Layer. Again, resulting in grievous wounds. Despite the experience, Prushka's mind was able to recover much more quickly than before, though her hair ended up permanently curled.

Pinned by Bondrewd, Reg fires his Incinerator, but it is quickly dodged by the legendary White Whistle. On the cusp of victory, Bondrewd is cut down by Riko, wielding the Incinerator of Reg's dismembered arm.

In the aftermath, Riko clutches onto Prushka's Cartridge and cries. Life fading away, a stone falls from the Cartridge, shocking all. Nanachi tells Riko that Prushka assumed the form of the stone to be able to adventure with Riko. Her very own White Whistle.

The group prepares to depart on their Last Dive. Bondrewd is shown seeing them off, with a small contingent of Umbra Hands in attendance, reciting a poem.

Adapted From

 * Volume 4, Chapter 26: A Fresh Start
 * Volume 4, Chapter 27: The Forbidden Field of Flowers
 * Volume 4, Chapter 28: The Entrance to the Sixth Layer
 * Volume 4, Chapter 29: A Fateful Reunion
 * Volume 4, Chapter 30: Unforeseen Peril
 * Volume 4, Chapter 31: Despair and Hope
 * Volume 4, Chapter 32: The End of a Fierce Fight
 * Volume 5, Chapter 33: The True Nature of the Mask
 * Volume 5, Chapter 34: Counterattack
 * Volume 5, Chapter 35: Clouded Memory
 * Volume 5, Chapter 36: Miniature Garden of Dawn
 * Volume 5, Chapter 37: Flower of Dawn
 * Volume 5, Chapter 38: The Challengers

Character Appearances

 * Bondrewd
 * Gueira
 * Meinya
 * Minor Characters
 * Mitty
 * Nanachi
 * Reg
 * Riko
 * Prushka
 * Umbra Hands

Bestiary Indexing

 * Amaranthine-Deceptor
 * Hamashirama
 * Meinastilim
 * Stingerhead
 * Unknown Creatures