diff --git a/dev/react/src/tests/animate-cancel-removes-styles.tsx b/dev/react/src/tests/animate-cancel-removes-styles.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..d2b1ecb0bd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/dev/react/src/tests/animate-cancel-removes-styles.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
+import { useEffect, useRef, useState } from "react"
+import { animate } from "framer-motion"
+
+export const App = () => {
+    const ref = useRef<HTMLDivElement>(null)
+    const [result, setResult] = useState("running")
+
+    useEffect(() => {
+        if (!ref.current) return
+
+        const animation = animate(
+            ref.current,
+            { opacity: 1 },
+            { duration: 0.1 }
+        )
+
+        // Wait for animation to finish, then cancel
+        const timeout = setTimeout(() => {
+            const before = ref.current!.style.opacity
+
+            animation.cancel()
+
+            const after = ref.current!.style.opacity
+
+            if (before === "1" && after === "") {
+                setResult("success")
+            } else {
+                setResult(`fail:before=${before},after=${after}`)
+            }
+        }, 500)
+
+        return () => clearTimeout(timeout)
+    }, [])
+
+    return (
+        <div ref={ref} className="box" id="box" style={{ opacity: 0 }}>
+            {result}
+        </div>
+    )
+}
diff --git a/packages/framer-motion/cypress/integration/animate-cancel-removes-styles.ts b/packages/framer-motion/cypress/integration/animate-cancel-removes-styles.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..552c22ee2d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/framer-motion/cypress/integration/animate-cancel-removes-styles.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+describe("animation.cancel() removes persisted styles", () => {
+    it("Removes persisted inline style when cancel is called after completion", () => {
+        cy.visit("?test=animate-cancel-removes-styles")
+            .wait(3000)
+            .get("#box")
+            .then(($el) => {
+                const text = $el.text()
+                expect(text).to.equal("success")
+            })
+    })
+})
diff --git a/packages/motion-dom/src/animation/JSAnimation.ts b/packages/motion-dom/src/animation/JSAnimation.ts
index b0a7a1e96a..c382a7496d 100644
--- a/packages/motion-dom/src/animation/JSAnimation.ts
+++ b/packages/motion-dom/src/animation/JSAnimation.ts
@@ -517,6 +517,7 @@ export class JSAnimation<T extends number | string>
     cancel() {
         this.holdTime = null
         this.startTime = 0
+        this.state = "running"
         this.tick(0)
         this.teardown()
         this.options.onCancel?.()
diff --git a/packages/motion-dom/src/animation/NativeAnimation.ts b/packages/motion-dom/src/animation/NativeAnimation.ts
index 93f8201918..6671330b17 100644
--- a/packages/motion-dom/src/animation/NativeAnimation.ts
+++ b/packages/motion-dom/src/animation/NativeAnimation.ts
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ import {
     noop,
     secondsToMilliseconds,
 } from "motion-utils"
-import { setStyle } from "../render/dom/style-set"
+import { removeStyle, setStyle } from "../render/dom/style-set"
 import { supportsScrollTimeline } from "../utils/supports/scroll-timeline"
 import { getFinalKeyframe } from "./keyframes/get-final"
 import {
@@ -148,6 +148,11 @@ export class NativeAnimation<T extends AnyResolvedKeyframe>
         try {
             this.animation.cancel()
         } catch (e) {}
+
+        const { element, name } = this.options || {}
+        if (element && name && !this.isPseudoElement) {
+            removeStyle(element, name)
+        }
     }
 
     stop() {
@@ -165,7 +170,11 @@ export class NativeAnimation<T extends AnyResolvedKeyframe>
             this.commitStyles()
         }
 
-        if (!this.isPseudoElement) this.cancel()
+        if (!this.isPseudoElement) {
+            try {
+                this.animation.cancel()
+            } catch (e) {}
+        }
     }
 
     /**
diff --git a/packages/motion-dom/src/animation/__tests__/NativeAnimation.test.ts b/packages/motion-dom/src/animation/__tests__/NativeAnimation.test.ts
index 517e464bd7..2ea2103153 100644
--- a/packages/motion-dom/src/animation/__tests__/NativeAnimation.test.ts
+++ b/packages/motion-dom/src/animation/__tests__/NativeAnimation.test.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import { motionValue } from "../../value"
+import { NativeAnimation } from "../NativeAnimation"
 import { NativeAnimationExtended } from "../NativeAnimationExtended"
 
 /**
@@ -9,6 +10,107 @@ import { NativeAnimationExtended } from "../NativeAnimationExtended"
  * the scheduled render could apply the correct value, causing a visual flash
  * back to the initial value.
  */
+describe("NativeAnimation - cancel removes persisted styles", () => {
+    let mockAnimation: any
+
+    beforeEach(() => {
+        mockAnimation = {
+            cancel: jest.fn(),
+            onfinish: null,
+            playbackRate: 1,
+            currentTime: 300,
+            playState: "running",
+            effect: {
+                getComputedTiming: () => ({ duration: 300 }),
+                updateTiming: jest.fn(),
+            },
+        }
+
+        Element.prototype.animate = jest
+            .fn()
+            .mockImplementation(() => mockAnimation)
+    })
+
+    afterEach(() => {
+        ;(Element.prototype as any).animate = undefined
+        jest.restoreAllMocks()
+    })
+
+    test("cancel() removes persisted inline style after animation finishes", () => {
+        const element = document.createElement("div")
+        const mv = motionValue(0)
+
+        const anim = new NativeAnimationExtended({
+            element,
+            name: "opacity",
+            keyframes: [0, 1],
+            motionValue: mv,
+            finalKeyframe: 1,
+            onComplete: jest.fn(),
+            duration: 300,
+            ease: "easeOut",
+        } as any)
+
+        // Simulate the WAAPI onfinish event firing
+        mockAnimation.onfinish?.()
+
+        // After finish, inline style should be persisted
+        expect(element.style.opacity).toBe("1")
+
+        // Now cancel - should remove the persisted style
+        anim.cancel()
+        expect(element.style.opacity).toBe("")
+    })
+
+    test("cancel() removes persisted inline style for CSS custom properties", () => {
+        const element = document.createElement("div")
+        const mv = motionValue(0)
+
+        const anim = new NativeAnimationExtended({
+            element,
+            name: "--my-color",
+            keyframes: ["red", "blue"],
+            motionValue: mv,
+            finalKeyframe: "blue",
+            onComplete: jest.fn(),
+            duration: 300,
+            ease: "easeOut",
+        } as any)
+
+        // Simulate finish
+        mockAnimation.onfinish?.()
+        expect(element.style.getPropertyValue("--my-color")).toBe("blue")
+
+        // Cancel should remove
+        anim.cancel()
+        expect(element.style.getPropertyValue("--my-color")).toBe("")
+    })
+
+    test("stop() preserves committed inline styles", () => {
+        const element = document.createElement("div")
+        document.body.appendChild(element)
+
+        const anim = new NativeAnimation({
+            element,
+            name: "opacity",
+            keyframes: [0, 1],
+            finalKeyframe: 1,
+            onComplete: jest.fn(),
+            duration: 300,
+            ease: "easeOut",
+        } as any)
+
+        // Mock commitStyles to set inline style (simulating WAAPI behavior)
+        mockAnimation.commitStyles = jest.fn(() => {
+            element.style.opacity = "0.5"
+        })
+
+        // stop() should preserve the committed style
+        anim.stop()
+        expect(element.style.opacity).toBe("0.5")
+    })
+})
+
 describe("NativeAnimation - onfinish style commit", () => {
     let mockAnimation: any
 
diff --git a/packages/motion-dom/src/render/dom/style-set.ts b/packages/motion-dom/src/render/dom/style-set.ts
index b81b164d6f..ac17634772 100644
--- a/packages/motion-dom/src/render/dom/style-set.ts
+++ b/packages/motion-dom/src/render/dom/style-set.ts
@@ -10,3 +10,12 @@ export function setStyle(
         ? element.style.setProperty(name, value as string)
         : (element.style[name as any] = value as string)
 }
+
+export function removeStyle(
+    element: HTMLElement | SVGElement,
+    name: string
+) {
+    isCSSVar(name)
+        ? element.style.removeProperty(name)
+        : (element.style[name as any] = "")
+}
diff --git a/tests/animate/animate.spec.ts b/tests/animate/animate.spec.ts
index db2391424e..15e8b91d06 100644
--- a/tests/animate/animate.spec.ts
+++ b/tests/animate/animate.spec.ts
@@ -112,19 +112,19 @@ test.describe("animate() methods", () => {
         })
     })
 
-    test("cancel() after finish is a no-op", async ({ page }) => {
+    test("cancel() after finish removes persisted styles", async ({ page }) => {
         await waitForAnimation(
             "animate/animate-cancel-after-finish.html",
             page
         )
         await eachBox(page, async (box) => {
             const id = await box.getAttribute("id")
-            // cancel() after finish should not revert — the final value is committed
+            // cancel() after finish should revert — removing persisted inline styles
             const boundingBox = await box.boundingBox()
             expect(
                 boundingBox?.x,
-                `${id} should remain at final position after cancel`
-            ).toBeCloseTo(100)
+                `${id} should revert to original position after cancel`
+            ).toBeCloseTo(0)
         })
     })