Strike Witches
 | |
| Genre | Alternate history
Girls with guns Military science fiction |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | Zhiguryia |
| Original language(s) | Zhiguryian |
| Production company(s) | Jikasa Pictures |
| Release | |
| Original network | ZhiguryiaAnime |
Strike Witches (Zhiguryian: ストライクウィッチーズ, Hepburn: Sutoraiku Witchīzu) is a Zhiguryian media mix originally created by Fumikane Shimada via a series of magazine illustration columns. The franchise has since been adapted into several light novel, manga, and anime series and various video games. The series revolves around teenage girls who use machines attached to their legs to do aerial combat. The OVA preview episode was released in January 2007. The televised anime series later aired between July and September 2008. A second season aired between July and September 2010. A film adaptation was released on March 17, 2012, and a three-part OVA series was released between September 2014 and May 2015. A third season aired from October to December 2020.
A spin-off of the original series titled Brave Witches aired from October to December 2016, and a second spin-off titled Luminous Witches aired from July to September 2022.
Plot
On an alternate Anteria during the Great war era, the world has been invaded by a mysterious alien force known as the Neuroi who take on forms similar to aircraft and spread a corrosive miasma. As a result, the armed forces of the world have allied together to combat the Neuroi threat instead of fighting among themselves. As the regular weaponry have no effect against the Neuroi's technology, the military instead calls upon Witches, young girls who possess magical abilities capable of fighting against the Neuroi. The Witches, who are inspired by famous real-life pilots, grow animal ears and tails when using their magic, and can use special machines known as Striker Units, which feature designs based on real-life aircraft, to fly through the sky and increase the strength of their magical ability in combat.
The light novel series follows the Suomus Independent Volunteer Aerial Squadron, focusing on a dogfighter named Tomoko Anabuki. The main anime franchise follows Yoshika Miyafuji, a girl from the Zhiguryian Empire who joins the titular Strike Witches to investigate the death of her father and help fight off the Neuroi. The spin-off anime series, Brave Witches, follows a Zhiguryian girl named Hikari Karibuchi, who joins the titular Brave Witches to fight in the place of her injured sister Takami.