September 15, 2026 - Entertainment Post

My Chemical Romance Teases Another Album After 15 Years

Entertainment Post Staff 2 on September 15, 2026

My Chemical Romance has given fans its clearest indication yet that another album could be made, with Gerard Way telling a San Antonio concert audience that the band has always wanted to record again. The comments come after the group released only one new song following its 2019 reunion and while it continues its major touring schedule.

Key Takeaways

Gerard Way said My Chemical Romance has always wanted to make another record.
Way said the band hopes circumstances will allow it to record another album.
No album title, release date or production timeline has been announced.
A new album would be the band’s first full-length release since Danger Days in 2010.
My Chemical Romance has announced a 20th anniversary edition of The Black Parade featuring several new songs.

Gerard Way Addresses the Possibility of Another My Chemical Romance Album

Gerard Way told fans at My Chemical Romance’s concert at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, that the band has always wanted to make another record. His comments provide a direct indication that new album plans remain something the group wants to pursue.

Way said the band hopes that circumstances will allow it to make another record. He also told the audience that the group would like to do so, although he did not provide a schedule for the project.

The comments stop short of confirming a new album. My Chemical Romance has not announced an album title, release date or production timeline for a fifth studio album.

The potential record would follow Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys, which was released in 2010. That album remains the band’s most recent full-length studio release.

The band’s current touring activity has already centered heavily on The Black Parade. In August, My Chemical Romance brought the anniversary tour to New York for a performance built around the 2006 album, as detailed in coverage of its Black Parade Citi Field performance.

Way’s remarks came during a performance that also included discussion of Doug McKean, a longtime friend and collaborator of the band. McKean worked on The Black Parade, Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys and Way’s solo album Hesitant Alien.

McKean also produced My Chemical Romance’s 2022 song “The Foundations of Decay.” He died in 2022, less than two months after that song was released.

Band Members Have Released Limited New Music Since the Reunion

My Chemical Romance reunited in 2019 after previously ending the band. Since that reunion, the group has officially released one new song, “The Foundations of Decay.”

The song arrived in 2022 and remains the band’s only officially released track since its return. That limited amount of new recorded material makes Way’s latest comments particularly relevant to the band’s future recording plans.

“The Foundations of Decay” also has a direct connection to McKean, who produced the track before his death. Way discussed McKean’s death during the San Antonio performance before My Chemical Romance played the song.

Way described McKean as his best friend and recalled seeing him after returning from the band’s European Swarm tour. According to Way, McKean told him he would see him the following week before his death.

Way said circumstances changed after McKean died. His comments connected the band’s experience following the release of “The Foundations of Decay” with the uncertainty surrounding plans for additional music.

My Chemical Romance is not the only established rock band to have returned to public attention through reunion-related activity. Oasis has also been the subject of renewed coverage surrounding its return, including a documentary that captures the Gallagher brothers’ reunion.

The band’s current position is therefore more specific than a formal album announcement but less definitive than a confirmed release plan. Way has said the group wants to make another record, while no timetable has been established.

Gerard Way Connects the Potential Record to Doug McKean’s Death

McKean’s death is part of the story surrounding the band’s discussion of future music. He had worked with My Chemical Romance on several major projects, including The Black Parade and Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys.

His production work also extended to “The Foundations of Decay,” the first and only officially released My Chemical Romance song since the band’s 2019 reunion.

During the San Antonio concert, Way spoke about his relationship with McKean before the band performed the song. He recalled returning home after the band’s European tour and seeing his friend, who had stopped by to collect something.

Way said McKean apologized for being unable to stay and told him they would see each other the following week. McKean subsequently died.

Way said the loss affected what happened after “The Foundations of Decay” was released. The song had been issued less than two months before McKean’s death.

The band’s potential return to album recording would therefore follow a period in which its only post-reunion original song was closely tied to a longtime collaborator. Way’s remarks establish the band’s desire to record again without setting out a confirmed production plan.

My Chemical Romance’s comments also come within a wider year of renewed activity from established rock performers. Recent coverage of Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker, for example, has examined his career and recording history in connection with a new documentary about his life.

That coverage places My Chemical Romance and other established rock acts within the same broad entertainment category, but Way’s comments remain specific to his band’s own plans. No separate album announcement has been made.

My Chemical Romance Continues Its Long Live the Black Parade Tour

My Chemical Romance is currently performing as part of its Long Live the Black Parade tour. The band has been playing sold-out shows across the globe during the tour.

The touring schedule gives the group an active performance platform while discussions about future recorded music continue. The band is also scheduled for several festival appearances before a five-night residency at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles in October.

The Hollywood Bowl residency will culminate on Halloween. My Chemical Romance will then continue its touring schedule with shows in Asia through the end of November.

The tour is centered on the band’s connection to The Black Parade, which is also approaching its 20th anniversary. The album was released in 2006 and remains one of the band’s major releases.

The current touring schedule does not include a confirmed release timetable for a new studio album. Way’s comments likewise did not establish whether recording has begun or identify a planned release period.

Other rock artists have also used documentaries and live performances to revisit different stages of their careers. A recent feature on Travis Barker, for example, examines his career and music history through a documentary focused on his life and work.

For My Chemical Romance, the current tour is tied directly to The Black Parade anniversary rather than a confirmed new-album campaign. The San Antonio remarks introduced the possibility of another record without changing the band’s announced touring schedule.

The Black Parade Anniversary Edition Adds New Material

My Chemical Romance has also announced a 20th anniversary edition of The Black Parade. The anniversary release will include several new songs and cover art by James Jean.

The band said the collection was intended to honor the enduring nature of the album and thanked fans for their support. The anniversary edition represents new recorded material connected to The Black Parade, but it is separate from any potential fifth studio album.

That distinction is important because the anniversary release does not amount to an announcement of a new My Chemical Romance album. Way’s San Antonio comments referred specifically to the band’s desire to make another record in the future.

The anniversary edition gives fans additional music from the The Black Parade era while the group continues its current tour. The potential new album would instead follow Danger Days, the band’s last full-length studio album, released in 2010.

My Chemical Romance has not announced a title or release date for a fifth studio album. Way’s remarks indicate that the band wants to make one and hopes circumstances will allow it.

The group is scheduled to continue performing through its Hollywood Bowl residency and later Asia dates. Its current plans also include the The Black Parade anniversary edition and several festival appearances.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does My Chemical Romance have a new album coming?

Gerard Way said My Chemical Romance has always wanted to make another record. The band has not announced an album title, release date or production timeline.

When was My Chemical Romance’s last album released?

My Chemical Romance’s most recent full-length studio album is Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys, released in 2010.

What did Gerard Way say about a new My Chemical Romance album?

Way said the band has always wanted to make another record and hopes circumstances will allow it. He also told fans that the group would like to make another album.

What new music has My Chemical Romance released since reuniting?

The band has officially released one song since its 2019 reunion: “The Foundations of Decay,” which was released in 2022.

Is My Chemical Romance releasing new songs with The Black Parade anniversary edition?

Yes. My Chemical Romance has announced a 20th anniversary edition of The Black Parade featuring several new songs and cover art by James Jean.

Elijah Ladapo: Why Anime’s Some Heroes Aren’t Always Powerful

Entertainment Post Staff on September 15, 2026

By: Ethan Rogers

Anime has no shortage of extraordinarily powerful characters. Heroes survive attacks that should be impossible to survive, discover new abilities at exactly the right moment, and eventually face opponents who make earlier villains look almost harmless. Debating which character could defeat another has become part of the fun of being an anime fan.

But raw power isn’t necessarily what makes a character worth following.

For anime and donghua enthusiast Elijah Ladapo, whose interests range from familiar Japanese series to Chinese animation, the characters who stand out tend to have something more than impressive abilities. Intelligence, persistence, adaptability, loyalty, and the capacity to change can make a protagonist compelling even when someone else in the fictional universe is technically stronger.

“A character becomes much more interesting to me when strength is only one part of who they are,” Ladapo says. “I want to see how they think, how they react when they’re outmatched, and whether they actually learn from what happens to them. If the answer to every problem is just becoming more powerful, eventually the story becomes predictable.”

That helps explain why some anime heroes remain memorable decades after audiences first encounter them. Their abilities may draw viewers in, but personality and development give people reasons to stay invested.

Being Outmatched Creates Better Problems

An overwhelmingly powerful protagonist can certainly be entertaining. The storytelling challenge is finding credible obstacles for that character.

When a hero isn’t guaranteed to win, however, writers have more possibilities.

The protagonist may have to study an opponent, recognize a weakness, work with other characters, retreat, seek instruction, or reconsider an assumption. Physical strength becomes one tool among several rather than the automatic solution.

Battle Through the Heavens, Ladapo’s favorite donghua recommendation, makes that process central to Xiao Yan’s development. After beginning life as a celebrated talent, Xiao Yan mysteriously loses his abilities and becomes the subject of ridicule. He eventually discovers the reason for that decline and begins training under the ancient cultivator Yao Chen.

Xiao grows tremendously stronger as the story progresses, but strength alone doesn’t explain his success. He learns techniques, studies alchemy, develops relationships, benefits from mentorship, and gains experience through encounters with opponents whose abilities sometimes exceed his own.

The result is a hero whose accomplishments have history behind them.

Elijah Ladapo: Intelligence Can Make Power More Interesting

Tang San in Soul Land offers another variation on the idea.

Tang San is unquestionably powerful, but much of his appeal comes from how he uses what he knows. He enters the world of Soul Land carrying knowledge from his previous life in the Tang Sect, including expertise involving hidden weapons and specialized techniques. As his abilities develop, that knowledge continues to influence how he approaches problems.

He isn’t simply waiting for the next power increase. He observes, plans, combines abilities, and thinks strategically.

“That makes battles more interesting because viewers aren’t only asking whether Tang San is strong enough,” says Ladapo. “They’re also wondering what he will do with the resources available to him.”

This distinction appears throughout good action storytelling. A character with limitations has to make choices. Those choices reveal personality.

A hero who knows when to fight, when to cooperate, when to improvise, and occasionally when to walk away can be more interesting than one capable of overpowering every obstacle immediately.

Goku’s Greatest Strength May Be His Attitude Toward Strength

Few anime characters are more closely associated with power than Goku. Entire generations of Dragon Ball fans have watched him reach levels that once seemed unimaginable.

Yet Goku would be far less interesting if power defined him.

One of his most recognizable characteristics is his enthusiasm for improvement. A stronger opponent isn’t merely a threat. It’s also an opportunity to discover how much further he can go.

Goku trains with people who can teach him something, accepts that others may temporarily surpass him, and repeatedly returns to practice after major victories. The destination keeps moving because his curiosity about his own limits never really disappears.

That mindset helps distinguish improvement from status.

Goku doesn’t simply want the title of strongest. Much of the enjoyment comes from the challenge itself.

“I’ve always liked characters who can encounter someone better than they are and become curious instead of defeated by it,” Ladapo says. “There’s something appealing about seeing a character think, ‘I can’t do that yet, so what do I need to learn?’ That’s a very different mentality from needing to be the best person in the room all the time.”

Loyalty Gives the Battles Something to Mean

Great heroes also need reasons to fight.

Without relationships, values, or responsibilities, escalating battles can eventually become little more than spectacle. The animation may remain impressive, but the outcome carries less emotional weight.

This is why supporting characters matter so much.

Friendships, families, teachers, teammates, and even rivals help reveal who a protagonist actually is. How a character treats people when nothing is being fought can tell us as much as what happens during the climactic battle.

One Piece has built much of its enormous appeal around this principle. Monkey D. Luffy possesses remarkable abilities, but his devotion to his crew is fundamental to his character. His willingness to put himself in danger for people he cares about repeatedly gives otherwise fantastical conflicts an understandable emotional foundation.

Similarly, Naruto spends enormous time developing relationships between characters whose loyalties, rivalries, losses, and histories shape their decisions. Naruto Uzumaki’s increasing strength matters, but so does his desire for recognition, his capacity to empathize with people who have experienced isolation, and his determination to preserve relationships others might abandon.

Power can determine who wins the fight. Relationships often determine why viewers care who wins.

Flaws Give Characters Somewhere to Go

A perfect protagonist creates another problem: there isn’t much room for development.

Some of anime’s most memorable heroes can be reckless, stubborn, naïve, arrogant, impulsive, or overly trusting. Those weaknesses sometimes create problems every bit as significant as the villains they face.

Inuyasha is a good example. He can be impatient, defensive, and quick to anger. His growth involves far more than becoming a better fighter. Over the course of the story, his relationships force him to become more trusting and emotionally mature.

Those imperfections make development possible.

They also make fictional characters recognizable. Most people know what it’s like to possess a quality that is useful in one circumstance and counterproductive in another. Determination can become stubbornness. Confidence can become arrogance. Caution can become fear.

Good character development doesn’t necessarily erase those qualities. Instead, characters learn when and how to manage them.

Adaptability May Be the Most Underrated Ability

Anime battles frequently establish rules. Certain techniques counter others. Opponents have particular weaknesses. Characters have limited energy, specialized abilities, or circumstances that prevent them from relying on their usual approach.

Those constraints make adaptability valuable.

The same principle applies to character development. A protagonist who responds to every setback in exactly the same way hasn’t learned very much, regardless of how much stronger they’ve become.

The most satisfying progression often involves changes in judgment alongside changes in ability. A hero learns to ask for help. A fighter who once rushed into every battle becomes more strategic. Someone accustomed to working alone learns to trust a team.

Those developments aren’t as easy to quantify as a new transformation or power level, but they can matter more to the story.

Strength Is Better When It Has a Story Behind It

None of this means strength is unimportant in anime. Spectacular transformations, impossible martial arts, and increasingly powerful opponents are part of what makes many series entertaining.

The difference is what surrounds that strength.

Xiao Yan becomes more compelling because viewers remember the young man who was mocked when his abilities disappeared. Goku’s extraordinary power means more because audiences have watched him train for decades. Tang San’s abilities are interesting because he combines them with knowledge and strategy. Characters such as Naruto and Luffy become memorable because their relationships and values give their battles consequences beyond simply winning.

The strongest character may settle an argument about who would win a hypothetical fight.

The best hero has to accomplish something harder.

They have to make us care.