is a Japanese

media mix Media may refer to: Communication * Media (communication), tools used to deliver information or data ** Advertising media, various media, content, buying and placement for advertising ** Broadcast media, communications delivered over mass e ...

originally created by

Fumikane Shimada , is an anime and video game illustrator and character designer from Okayama Prefecture. Biography Well known for sparking the popularity of the mecha musume boom within the 2000s, Fumikane was involved in various dōjin activities as one of the ...

via a series of magazine illustration columns. The franchise has since been adapted into several

light novel A light novel (, Hepburn: ''raito noberu'') is a style of young adult novel primarily targeting high school and middle school students. The term "light novel" is a ''wasei-eigo'', or a Japanese term formed from words in the English languag ...

manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...

, and

anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...

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 Earth during the

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

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 Fuso 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 Fuso girl named Hikari Karibuchi, who joins the titular Brave Witches to fight in the place of her injured sister Takami.

Production

In a postscript column in ''

Comp Ace is a Japanese PC game, computer game and manga magazine published by Kadokawa Shoten. ''Comp Ace'' began as a special edition version of another one of Kadokawa Shoten's magazines, ''Comptiq''. The first issue was released on March 26, 2005, and ...

'', Fumikane Shimada had mentioned his desire to use his

Mecha Musume is a form of anthropomorphism in anime and manga where '' moe'' qualities are given to non-human beings (such as animals, plants, supernatural entities and fantastical creatures), objects, concepts, or phenomena. In addition to ''moe'' feature ...

concepts across a variety of media, leading to the production of the ''Strike Witches'' OVA by Gonzo. However, at about the same time Fumikane was also contracted to create the character designs for ''

Sky Girls is a Japanese anime franchise produced by Konami and animated by J.C.Staff. A 30-minute OVA episode was released on August 25, 2006 and a television series adaptation aired on Chiba TV from July 5, 2007, to December 27, 2007. Plot In the ...

'', which had its televised run in late 2007. During this time there was no word on the further development of a ''Strike Witches'' animated series, although promotional items such as plastic figures of the OVA's characters were released. Not until December 2007 was the anime officially announced, after which details were slowly released, such as the casting of the remaining main characters that had no lines in the OVA.

Media

Light novels

Three separate light novel series have been published. The first, , was written by Noboru Yamaguchi and illustrated by Hashigo Ueda. The first volume was published on September 30, 2006, and the third and last on June 28, 2008. The ''Suomus Misfits Squadron'' series is set in a different time period and location from the anime, and uses a different cast of characters. A reboot of the first series of light novels began in October 2018. It is written by Toshihiko Tsukiji and illustrated by Kōsuke Tsukinami. As of October 2020 four volumes have been published using the title ''Silent Witches Suoms Iranko Company ReBOOT!.'' The second light novel series, titled , was written by Hidehisa Nanbō and illustrated by Hashigo Ueda. As of June 30, 2010, the fourth and last volume has been published. The publication of this series coincided with the anime television series, and uses the same cast of characters; however, while some of the chapters are adaptations of the anime episodes, several are original. The third light novel series is the stories about the 506th Joint Fighter Wing. The timeline of the story happens in between from the beginning of the Season 2 anime to the before of the film. It is authored by Hidehisa Nanbō. The first volume was published in Japan on 1 January 2015. Volume 2 was published on 1 May 2015 and Volume 3 is published on 1 October 2015. Volume 4 was published on 1 March 2016 and volume 5 was published on 1 November 2016. The latest volume 8 was published on 1 May 2018. There are versions with the five original CD dramas from volumes 3 to 7.

Manga

There are currently ten manga series of ''Strike Witches'': ; :Written and illustrated by Yoshiyuki Kazumi. It was serialized in ''

'' between September 26, 2005, and January 26, 2006. It was canceled after three chapters. ; :Written and illustrated by Yuki Tanaka, was serialized in ''Comp Ace'' between January 26 and November 26, 2008, with its chapters collected in two ''

tankōbon is the Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or cultur ...

'' volumes.

Seven Seas Entertainment Seven Seas Entertainment is an American publishing company located in Los Angeles, California. It was originally dedicated to the publication of original English-language manga, but now publishes licensed manga and light novels from Japan, as we ...

released the series in North America in April 2014. ; :Illustrated by Shin Kyogoku. Also referred to as ''Strike Witches 1.5'', which takes place between the two anime series. It was serialized in ' from September 30, 2009, to July 30, 2010, with its chapters collected in a single volume. Seven Seas Entertainment licensed the manga in North America. ; :Illustrated by Ningen. It focuses on Mio Sakamoto during the Fuso Sea Incident in 1937. It was serialized in ''Nyantype'' from October 30, 2010, to November 30, 2011, with its chapters collected in two volumes. Seven Seas Entertainment licensed the manga in North America. ; :Illustrated by Atsuto Shinozuka. It focuses on the Isle of Wight Detachment Group. It was serialized in ''Comp Ace'' between April 26, 2011, to June 26, 2012. Its chapters were collected in two volumes. Seven Seas Entertainment licensed the manga in North America. ; :Illustrated by Takeshi Nogami. Previously a semi-official ''

dōjinshi , also romanized as ', is the Japanese term for self-published print works, such as magazines, manga, and novels. Part of a wider category of '' doujin'' (self-published) works, ''doujinshi'' are often derivative of existing works and created ...

'' which focuses on the African Front. A chapter was published in ''

Comptiq is a Japanese computer game magazine, first published in 1983, by Kadokawa Shoten. The name "Comptiq" came from combining the words "computer" and "boutique". Originally a PC magazine, its focus shifted from computers to computer games. As of S ...

'' on November 10, 2011, and a collected volume was released on January 26, 2012. ; :Illustrated by Shin Kyogoku. It follows the story of the Suomus LLV24, including telling the stories of Eila Juutilainen and Nikka Katajainen's past, characters who feature in the ''Strike Witches'' and ''Brave Witches'' anime respectively. It was serialized in ''Nyantype'' from September 30, 2013, to October 30, 2014, with its chapters collected in two volumes. ; :Illustrated by Atsuto Shinozuka. It follows the story of the 504th Joint Fighter Wing, taking place before and during the second season of the ''Strike Witches'' anime, and covers events from their perspective that correspond to the events of the anime. It was serialized in ''Comptiq'' from February 10, 2014, to September 10, 2015, with its chapters collected in three volumes. ; :Illustrated by Tsuchii. The manga is a prequel story for Erica Hartmann, following her early days in the Karlsland JG52, three years before the start of the ''Strike Witches'' anime. It was serialized in ''Comp Ace'' between March 26 and September 26, 2016, with its chapters collected in a single volume. ; :Illustrated by Tsuchii. A manga adaptation of the first few volumes of the ''Noble Witches'' light novel series. It was serialized in ''Comp Ace'' from May 26, 2017, to September 26, 2018, with its chapters collected in three volumes.

Self published works

;''Strike Witches: Witch in Africa'' :Published in August 2008, and jointly authored by Fumikane Shimada, Takaaki Suzuki, and Takeshi Nogami. It is considered semi-canonical. The B5-size publication contains a manga and novel section, both dealing primarily with the "Star of Africa" Hanna-Justina Marseille during the North African Campaign. Details on the ''Strike Witches ''world setting that could not be added into the anime were also added into the publication. ;''Strike Witches: Witch in Africa'' :Originally meant to be included in the anime DVD booklets, but because of a reduction in the booklet size, it was instead published as a

dojin In Japan, is a group of people who share an interest, activity, or hobby. The word is sometimes translated into English as "clique", "fandom", "coterie", "society", or "circle" (as in "sewing circle"). Self-published creative works produced b ...

. The manga began serialization in ''

'' beginning November 10, 2011. ;''Strike Witches: Tiger in Desert'' :Published in December 2008. Similar to the first volume, and set in the same general time frame and location (North Africa, circa 1942). Consisting of two volumes it follows an experimental Karlsland tank witch unit based on the

Tiger I The Tiger I () was a German heavy tank of World War II that operated beginning in 1942 in Africa and in the Soviet Union, usually in independent heavy tank battalions. It gave the German Army its first armoured fighting vehicle that mounted ...

. ;''World Witches: Witches of the Sphinx'' :Published from 2010 to 2012, the series takes place in North Africa, 1943 and concerns the joint effort of the Storm Witches and three tank witch units under the command of

General Patton George Smith Patton Jr. (November 11, 1885 – December 21, 1945) was a general in the United States Army who commanded the Seventh United States Army in the Mediterranean Theater of World War II, and the Third United States Army in France ...

General Montgomery Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein, (; 17 November 1887 – 24 March 1976), nicknamed "Monty", was a senior British Army officer who served in the First World War, the Irish War of Independence and ...

and

General Rommel Johannes Erwin Eugen Rommel () (15 November 1891 – 14 October 1944) was a German field marshal during World War II. Popularly known as the Desert Fox (, ), he served in the ''Wehrmacht'' (armed forces) of Nazi Germany, as well as servi ...

in retaking the

Suez Canal The Suez Canal ( arz, قَنَاةُ ٱلسُّوَيْسِ, ') is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez and dividing Africa and Asia. The long canal is a popular ...

. Five volumes were released. ;''Sengoku Witches: The Witch of Honnoji'' :Published in 2009. Takes place during Japan's

Sengoku period The was a period in History of Japan, Japanese history of near-constant civil war and social upheaval from 1467 to 1615. The Sengoku period was initiated by the Ōnin War in 1467 which collapsed the Feudalism, feudal system of Japan under the ...

Oda Nobunaga was a Japanese ''daimyō'' and one of the leading figures of the Sengoku period. He is regarded as the first "Great Unifier" of Japan. Nobunaga was head of the very powerful Oda clan, and launched a war against other ''daimyō'' to unify ...

is rescued from Honnoji by his page, in this version the witch

Mori Ranmaru , also known as Mori Naritoshi (森成利), was the son of Mori Yoshinari, and had 5 brothers in total, from the province of Mino. He was a member of the Mori Clan, descendants of the Seiwa Genji. Biography From an early age, Ranmaru was an a ...

, instead of committing suicide in the

Honnō-ji Incident The was an attempt to assassinate Japanese daimyo Oda Nobunaga at the Honnō-ji temple in Kyoto on 21 June 1582, resulting in the suicide by '' seppuku'' of both Nobunaga and his son Oda Nobutada. The unprotected Nobunaga was ambushed by his ...

Anime

original video animation , abbreviated as OVA and sometimes as OAV (original animation video), are Japanese animated films and series made specially for release in home video formats without prior showings on television or in theaters, though the first part of an OVA s ...

directed by

Kunihisa Sugishima is a Japanese anime director. Career Sugishima started his career on Sunrise in the 1980s, having worked as the setting producer for ''Heavy Metal L-Gaim''s episodes 1 to 18, as well as the director and storyboarder for other episodes. Another ...

and produced by

Gonzo Gonzo may refer to: People * Gonzo (nickname), a list of people with the nickname * Radislav Jovanov Gonzo (born 1964), Croatian music video director Radislav Jovanov, also known as Gonzo * Matthias Röhr (born 1962), German musician whose stage ...

was released on January 1, 2007. The first anime season was produced by Gonzo and broadcast in Japan from July 3 to September 18, 2008. Aside from the traditional televised broadcast, the series was also made available with English subtitles and an English dub through

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

, BOST TV and

Crunchyroll Crunchyroll is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Sony through a joint venture between Sony Pictures and Sony Music Entertainment Japan's Aniplex. The service primarily distributes films and tel ...

, using a simultaneous release schedule similar to that of '' The Tower of Druaga: the Aegis of Uruk'', also produced by Gonzo. The YouTube and Crunchyroll broadcasts operate under a streaming window, allowing users to freely watch each new episode of the series on the day of their release for a set amount of time. Crunchyroll also offers individual episodes to be purchased and downloaded during and after this streaming window has ended. An uncensored version of the series was later released on Region 2 DVD, containing nudity that was obscured for the TV broadcast. The first volume was made available on September 26, 2008, the second on October 24, the third volume on November 28, the fourth volume on December 26, and the fifth volume on January 30, 2009. The anime has been licensed by

Funimation Crunchyroll, LLC, previously known as Funimation from 1994 to 2022, is an American entertainment company owned by Japanese conglomerate Sony as a joint venture between Sony Pictures and Sony Music Entertainment Japan's Aniplex that specializes ...

and was released on March 30, 2010. A second series entitled ''Strike Witches 2'' was produced by

AIC AIC may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Alice in Chains, American rock band * Alice in Chains: AIC 23, a 2013 mockumentary * Anime International Company, a Japanese animation studio * Art Institute of Chicago, an art museum in Chicago Busin ...

and aired between July 7, 2010, and September 23, 2010. This season has also been acquired by Funimation Entertainment and was simulcast on their video portal, with an intended home video release in September 2011. The release was held back until October 2, 2012.

Manga Entertainment Manga Entertainment was a producer, licensee, and distributor of anime in the United States and the United Kingdom. Originally founded in the UK in 1987, the UK branch became Funimation UK and Ireland in 2021, also currently known as Crunchyro ...

released the series in the United Kingdom on September 24, 2012. A three-part OVA series produced by

Silver Link is a Japanese animation studio. It was founded by ex-Frontline animation producer Hayato Kaneko in December 2007 and is based in Tokyo. History After the company's establishment in 2007, Shin Oonuma, who was previously a director alongside S ...

titled ''Strike Witches: Operation Victory Arrow'', which features three short stories taking place between the second anime season and the film, was released between September 20, 2014, and May 2, 2015. A spin-off series by Silver Link, titled ''Brave Witches'', began airing on October 5, 2016. The series is not a continuation of the previous seasons and instead focuses on the 502nd Joint Fighter Wing.

simulcasted the series worldwide.

has released an English dub of the series. The series is scheduled to be released on Blu-ray and DVD in 2017. A 13th episode aired in theatres in 2017.

Madman Entertainment Madman Entertainment Pty. Ltd., also known as Madman Films, is an Australian distribution and rights management company headquartered in East Melbourne, Victoria, specialising in feature films, documentaries and television series across theatri ...

is importing

's release in Australia and New Zealand. On July 8, 2018, a ''Strike Witches'' anime project titled ''Strike Witches: 501st Joint Fighter Wing Take Off!'' was announced as part of the ''World Witches'' series to commemorate the franchise's tenth anniversary. The 12-episode anime adaptation is based on the 2011 comedy spin-off 4-koma manga series by Makoto Fujibayashi. It aired from April 9 to June 25, 2019, on Tokyo MX, TV Aichi, MBS and BS11. The original cast of ''Strike Witches'' returned to reprise their roles. Acca effe and Giga Production are animating the series with Fumio Ito as director. Seiko Nagaoka, returned from ''Brave Witches'' to produce the music at Nippon Columbia. Production I.G and Anime Beans have been credited for animation production assistance. Funimation has acquired the licence to stream the series with English subs the same day as Japan, with an English dub set for premiere on April 23. The spin-off also received a 30-minute nationwide theatrical release planned for October 4 with returning cast and production committee from the spin-off TV show. A new anime series titled ''World Witches Take Off!'' aired from January 13 to March 31, 2021, with the cast and staff from ''Strike Witches: 501st Joint Fighter Wing Take Off!'' reprising their roles. The series will run for 12 episodes. Crunchyroll streamed the series with English subtitles. A third season of ''Strike Witches'' series titled ''Strike Witches: Road to Berlin'' has been announced and aired from October 7 to December 23, 2020.

David Production is a Japanese animation studio founded in September 2007 and is based in Nishitōkyō, Tokyo. Notable works from the studio include ''JoJo's Bizarre Adventure'', ''Cells at Work!'', and '' Fire Force''. Establishment The company was founded b ...

is animating the series with Kazuhiro Takamura returning as director, Striker Unit is handling the series composition, and Tatsuhiko Urata (''Strike Witches'' and ''Strike Witches 2'' scriptwriter) is credited as the chief writer. Seikou Nagaoka will produce the music at Nippon Columbia.

is streaming the series with an English dub and

is streaming the series with subtitles. Another new ''Strike Witches'' anime project titled as ''Luminous Witches'' has been announced. Initially scheduled to air in 2021, it was later delayed to 2022 due to "various circumstances." Shaft is animating the series with

Shouji Saeki is a Japanese director, storyboard artist, writer, and animator known for directing and writing several series for studios Gainax and Shaft. Career Saeki began working as an in-between animator with Gainax, which was a role that carried on ...

, who served as episode director and scriptwriter for ''Strike Witches'' and ''Strike Witches 2,'' directing the anime and handling the series composition. Shinya Murakami is credited for the "Witches series literature." Kadokawa is producing the music. The series aired from July 3 to September 25, 2022. The cast members performed the opening theme song "Wonderful World", as well as the ending theme song "Watashi to Minna no Uta".

Sentai Filmworks Sentai Filmworks, LLC or just Sentai, is an American entertainment company owned by AMC Networks. Located in Houston, the company specializes in the dubbing and distribution of Japanese animation and Asian cinema. Its post-production arm is S ...

has licensed the series.

Film

On October 28, 2010, a film adaptation of ''Strike Witches'' was announced to have been greenlit. Produced by AIC, the film was released in Japanese theaters on March 17, 2012, and on DVD and BD on October 26, 2012. The film was licensed by

; they released it on Blu-ray on October 4, 2016. A new 30-minute film for ''Strike Witches: 501st Joint Fighter Wing Take Off!'' was released in Japanese theaters on October 4, 2019. The main cast members and staff reprise their roles from the anime.

Music

The first season used two pieces of theme music. , performed by

Yoko Ishida is a Japanese singer. She is known for having performed theme songs for anime shows such as ''Prétear'', ''Ai Yori Aoshi'', the ''Ah! My Goddess'' TV series and the ''Strike Witches'' series, as well as for having sung for the Para Para Max CD ...

is used as the opening. is used as the ending. "Bookmark A Head" is performed by the main cast as usually duets and the singers vary from episode to episode. , translated by Takaaki Suzuki, and performed by Minna-Dietlinde Wilcke (

Rie Tanaka is a Japanese voice actress and singer who is currently affiliated with Office Anemone. Notable among her numerous roles in anime are Lacus Clyne in ''Mobile Suit Gundam Seed'' and ''Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Destiny'', Chi in ''Chobits'', Hikar ...

), is used as an insert song in episode 8. In Funimation's release, , a song also sung by Rie Tanaka from the CD album for the ''Strike Witches: What I Can Do Along With You'' game, was substituted for Lili Marleen. The

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

for "Strike Witches: To Do What I Can" was released on August 20, 2008, by

Columbia Music Entertainment , often pronounced ''Korombia'', operating internationally as , is a Japanese record label founded in 1910 as Nipponophone Co., Ltd. It affiliated itself with the Columbia Graphophone Company of the United Kingdom and adopted the standard UK C ...

and also a version of "Bookmark A Head" performed by

Misato Fukuen is a Japanese actress and voice actress affiliated with StarCrew. Her real name is . She has also performed activities as a singer under the name of MIRI. Filmography TV anime Original video animation *''To Love Ru'' – Golden Darkness *'' T ...

. An album entitled the was released on October 10, 2008, by Columbia Music Entertainment, containing all versions "Bookmark A Head" as well as the insert "Lili Marleen". The original soundtrack containing 36 tracks was released on September 9, 2008. For the second season, the opening theme is by

and the ending theme is "Over Sky", which is once again performed by members of the vocal cast. For the third season, the opening theme is by Ishida while the ending theme is performed by the vocal cast. Additionally, five albums of character image songs were released by Columbia Music Entertainment: *''Strike Witches Hime Uta Collection Sono 1 -Yoshika Miyafuji ~ Mio Sakamoto-'' released on March 18, 2009 *''Strike Witches Hime Uta Collection Sono 2 -Sanya V. Litvyak ~ Eila Ilmatar Juutilainen-'' released on March 18, 2009 *''Strike Witches Hime Uta Collection Sono 3 -Minna-Dietlinde Wilcke ~ Erica Hartmann ~ Gertrud Barkhorn-'' released on April 1, 2009 *''Strike Witches Hime Uta Collection Sono 4 -Perrine-H. Clostermann ~ Lynette Bishop ~ Yoshika Miyafuji-'' released on April 15, 2009 *''Strike Witches Hime Uta Collection Sono 5 - Francesca Lucchini ~ Charlotte E. Yeager-'' released on April 15, 2009

Video games

There are currently five games based on the ''Strike Witches'' franchise. While mainly based on the characters featured in the anime, characters from the two manga series also appear in some of the games. The first three ''Strike Witches'' games have the same opening, "private wing" by

* , is a simulation game developed by Russell Games for the

Nintendo DS The is a handheld game console produced by Nintendo, released globally across 2004 and 2005. The DS, an initialism for "Developers' System" or "Dual Screen", introduced distinctive new features to handheld games: two LCD screens working in tan ...

and released on November 26, 2009. It features Junko Takei. The Witches take under their wing a candidate commanding officer from the Fuso Empire, Junko. She contacts the 501st to inform them that she will be meeting up with them during a training exercise. At the same time the military announces a new operation: to make a concerted strike against the Neuroi at the Gallian coastline and establish a new frontline base. Pre-orders for the Nintendo DS version received a fake girl's gym shorts DS pouch with their order. * is a

visual novel A , often abbreviated as VN, is a form of digital semi-interactive fiction. Visual novels are often associated with and used in the medium of video games, but are not always labeled as such themselves. They combine a textual narrative with sta ...

title also developed by Russell Games for

PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October 2000, in Europe on 24 November 2000, and in Australia on 3 ...

, which was released on May 27, 2010. This adventure game features Amaki Suwa and Nishiki Nakajima. To the south of the base lies a deserted island where the Witches are conducting open-air exercises. However, when the carrier they are stationed on comes under surprise Neuroi attack, the Witches are left stranded. In the two weeks that it will take for reinforcements to arrive, the Witches decide to carry on with their maneuvers, as well as make sure they can survive. * , is a '' bullet hell shoot 'em up'' developed by Cyberfront for

Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox series. It competed with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation ...

. Players control a group of three witches, and change positions to best defend against the Neuroi. And this game also features Junko Takei, with Nishiki Nakajima as a downloadable character. It was released in Japan on July 29, 2010. On June 28, 2012, it was released on

PlayStation Portable The PlayStation Portable (PSP) is a handheld game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 12, 2004, in North America on March 24, 2005, and in PAL regions on September 1, 2005, ...

. Everything in Xbox 360 version also available in PSP version. * A fourth game, , was developed by

Kadokawa Games Kadokawa may refer to: * Kadokawa Corporation, the holding company of the Kadokawa Group **Kadokawa Content Gate and Kadokawa Mobile, both former names for BookWalker **Kadokawa Future Publishing, a subsidiary of Kadokawa Corporation and the publ ...

for

. The game features tactical shootouts between Witches, as well as minigames in which the players massages one of the Witches. It was released in Japan on October 21, 2010. * A fifth game, , was developed by

Cave A cave or cavern is a natural void in the ground, specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. The word ''cave'' can refer to smaller openings such as sea ...

for Android and

iOS iOS (formerly iPhone OS) is a mobile operating system created and developed by Apple Inc. exclusively for its hardware. It is the operating system that powers many of the company's mobile devices, including the iPhone; the term also includes ...

. The game was released in Japan on October 13, 2020.

Reception

John Oppliger of

AnimeNation AnimeNation was an American business that included RentAnime.com, a discussion forum, anime industry news, and a column called "Ask John." It was previously a retailer of anime and manga products until 2014 and an anime licensing and distributio ...

listed ''Strike Witches'' as one of the best

girls with guns Girls with guns is a subgenre of action films and animation that portray a female protagonist engaged in shootouts. The genre typically involves gun-play, stunts and martial arts action. Cinema The 1985 Hong Kong film '' Yes, Madam'', directed ...

anime series, stating that "its numerous shooting scenes and its stellar action scene animation qualify it for recognition as one of anime’s outstanding girls with guns shows."

Explanatory notes

General references

External links

*
Fumikane Shimada official site

Funimation's official Strike Witches site

Official video game homesite
* {{Shouji Saeki 2006 Japanese novels 2005 manga 2007 anime OVAs 2008 anime television series debuts 2008 Japanese novels 2008 manga 2010 anime television series debuts 2010 Japanese novels 2011 manga 2012 anime films 2012 Japanese novels 2016 anime television series debuts 2016 anime OVAs 2017 anime OVAs 2019 anime television series debuts 2020 anime television series debuts 2021 anime television series debuts 2022 anime television series debuts Alternate history anime Anime International Company Anime postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic David Production Fiction about robots Funimation Girls with guns anime and manga Gonzo (company) Kadokawa Dwango franchises Kadokawa Shoten games Kadokawa Shoten manga Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko Light novels Madman Entertainment anime Magical girl anime and manga Military anime and manga Military science fiction Muse Communication Robots in television Seinen manga Sentai Filmworks Seven Seas Entertainment titles Shaft (company) Silver Link World War II alternate histories