is an anime series based on the American comic book

Witchblade

Witchblade is an American comic book series published by Top Cow Productions, an imprint of Image Comics, from 1995 until present. The series was created by Top Cow editors Marc Silvestri and David Wohl, writers Brian Haberlin and Christina Z, and artist Michael Turner.The series follows Sara...

 by the same name

Witchblade

Witchblade is an American comic book series published by Top Cow Productions, an imprint of Image Comics, from 1995 until present. The series was created by Top Cow editors Marc Silvestri and David Wohl, writers Brian Haberlin and Christina Z, and artist Michael Turner.The series follows Sara...

. Instead of an adaptation of the original story, the producers decided to create an entire new setup, with all new characters. This co-production between Japanese studio Gonzo and American publisher Top Cow, who owns the rights for the Witchblade

Witchblade

Witchblade is an American comic book series published by Top Cow Productions, an imprint of Image Comics, from 1995 until present. The series was created by Top Cow editors Marc Silvestri and David Wohl, writers Brian Haberlin and Christina Z, and artist Michael Turner.The series follows Sara...

franchise, was licensed for release in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. The English dub premiered on the US cable network IFC

Independent Film Channel

The Independent Film Channel is an American cable TV network that airs independent film and related programming. IFC programming includes commercially interrupted feature-length films, original documentaries, shorts, animated series, original series, acquired series, and content exclusively for...

 in January 2008. The show aired on Tuesdays & Wednesdays at 3:30 AM ET

Eastern Time Zone

The Eastern Time Zone of the United States and Canada is a time zone that falls mostly along the east coast of North America. Its UTC time offset is −5 hrs during standard time and −4 hrs during daylight saving time...

, and the series finale aired on June 13, 2008 on IFC. The show is also available on a purchase-to-download system on Xbox Live

Xbox Live

Xbox Live is an online multiplayer gaming and digital media delivery service created and operated by Microsoft Corporation. It is currently the only online gaming service on consoles that charges users a fee to play multiplayer gaming. It was first made available to the Xbox system in 2002...

 and PlayStation Network. The series is priced at 160 Microsoft Points

Microsoft Points

Microsoft Points are the currency of the Xbox Live Marketplace, Games for Windows - Live Marketplace, Windows Live Gallery, and Zune online stores. The points allow users to purchase content without a credit card and to reduce the number of small credit card transaction fees, which Microsoft would...

 and $1.99 per episode. The first twelve episodes are also available for download via Amazon

Amazon.com

Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...

's Unbox

Amazon Unbox

Amazon Instant Video is an Internet video on demand service, only available in the United States, offered by Amazon.com which offers television shows and films for rental and purchase. The service became available on September 7, 2006 as Amazon Unbox...

 service. The show is also available on Netflix Instant Stream. As of June, 2011, it is available for free on Hulu, but it is unclear how long this will last.

As of December 2008, in the USA and Canada there were 6 Volumes on DVD available, with Vol. 1 having been released in September 2007. There is also a full boxed set containing all 24 episodes and an extra disc with special features. A Blu-ray box set was released on November 3, 2009.

The anime was directed by Yoshimitsu Ohashi, who directed Galaxy Angel

Galaxy Angel

In the video game universe, the Galaxy Angels are from the "Special Guardian Division" and they work closely with the "Imperial Special Guards" and the "Satellite Defense Teams". They are the guardians of the White Moon, the sacred planet of the Transbaal Empire, and the personal protectors of the...

and Galaxy Angel Z, and the characters were designed by Uno Makoto, the character designer for Stellvia and Love Hina

Love Hina

is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Ken Akamatsu. It was originally serialized in Weekly Shōnen Magazine by Kodansha from October 21, 1998 to October 31, 2001 and was published in 14 tankōbon volumes by Kodansha. The series tells the story of Keitaro Urashima and his attempts to...

.

Story

"Sought by the greed of men since the dawn of human kind, but only bestowed upon the women whose fate it forever scars... The Witchblade. Is it the righteous sword of God? Or hand of the Devil himself? Now a new bearer has been chosen. And she must discover the answers for herself. As she stands on the brink of destiny, she is forced to seek the balance between ecstasy and ruin."-Anime prologue for each episode.

In this new approach to the Witchblade universe, the lead character (and blade wielder) is Masane Amaha, a kind-hearted woman who, despite her good intentions, is fairly clumsy and not good around the house. She lost her memory during "The Great Quake" that ravaged Tokyo and, curiously, Masane was found unscathed in the phenomenon's ground zero

Ground zero

The term ground zero describes the point on the Earth's surface closest to a detonation...

, holding a baby in her arms. Six years later, she returns to Tokyo with the child, whom she believes to be her daughter, intending to live a peaceful life. Unfortunately for the two, Masane becomes entangled in the struggle for power between a huge corporation and a government agency. She discovers that a mysterious jewel attached to her right wrist is actually the legendary artifact known as the Witchblade.

Main characters

age 23

The primary protagonist of the series. A jobless single mother who loves her only daughter very much. She is the bearer of the Witchblade. She seems to have become the Witchblade bearer six years before the beginning of the series, during an event that destroyed most of Tokyo. She is also somewhat tomboy

Tomboy

A tomboy is a girl who exhibits characteristics or behaviors considered typical of the gender role of a boy, including the wearing of typically masculine-oriented clothes and engaging in games and activities that are often physical in nature, and which are considered in many cultures to be the...

ish, not giving much care for her disposition or appearance. Masane is the caring mother of Rihoko Amaha. Although she is "Riko's" mother, Masane seems to be a little ditsy at times, making Rihoko seem like she is the responsible one. She has a very deep attachment to her daughter. However, the NSWF's Child Welfare Division wants to take Rihoko from Masane because Masane doesn't have any means of income for taking care of Rihoko and the possibility that Masane may not be the actual mother. It is then revealed at the end of episode 12 that Masane is not Rihoko's biological mother, but still wants to be her mother.

Towards the end of the series, as the Witchblade's power begins to break down Masane's body, her hair color changes from red to white while in an "enhanced" state. Masane is doomed from the very beginning of the series: as the wielder of the Witchblade she cannot remove it, and while using the power of the monstrous artifact, her body starts to give in and crumble (to the point of her senses becoming dulled and, in the case of taste, disappearing completely). Knowing that after her death the Witchblade would seek her daughter, as Masane herself is nothing but a temporary host, she chooses death, and so dies in the end of the last episode, obliterating herself, seemingly with the Witchblade, and the huge army of I-weapons that came to destroy her. What remains of her is just a shell given to her by her daughter as a gift, which is given to Rihoko, carried by one of the many stardust-like particles created in the aftermath of Masane's sacrifice.

Masane Amaha dies a heroine in order to give her daughter the gift of a future that is for her alone to choose.

age 6

Masane Amaha's daughter. She is nicknamed Riko. Although she is Masane's daughter, she acts like the mother, responsibility-wise. Rihoko does the shopping, cooking, cleaning, and so forth, although she does not mind doing these things at all. Rihoko cares for her mother deeply and wants to be with Masane. The NSWF's Child Welfare Division wants to take Rihoko because Masane has no way of taking care of her in the event of illness or emergencies. She is frequently praised for her good cooking capabilities. It is later revealed that Rihoko's true biological mother is Reina Soho and her biological father is Takayama. Also, Rihoko is apparently more compatible with the Witchblade than anyone else, and it was she who was responsible for Reina's initial high compatibility rating (because she was pregnant with Rihoko at the time). She is last seen standing at the foot of the ruins caused by the great quake, alongside Takayama receiving the shell she gave Masane, from the star-like flakes falling from the sky after Masane's death. She is now more than likely living with Takayama.

age 26

Yusuke Tozawa is a free-lance photographer. From past experiences, he prefers to use regular cameras rather than digital cameras. He first becomes interested in the number of serial murders taking place in the city and investigates the matter, which leads him to the Witchblade. Tozawa then continues his investigations, but this time, to find out who or what the "Witchblade" is. He is among the first ones to nickname Masane "Masamune" (*Melony* in the English dub), referring to her huge chest ("masa-mune" meaning "undefeatable breasts", and "Melony" referring to her breasts as melons ). This is carried over in the anime, to the point that Tozawa only refers to Masane with this nickname. While at first he appears as the archetype of the freelance reporter, willing to do everything for a scoop, he later shows a deep concern for Masane, firmly believing in her humanity, regardless of the physical appearance, even criticizing a reporter for calling her a monster.

Secondary characters

age 28

Reina Soho is a Neogene cloneblade who works as a Forensics Medicine Specialist in the NSWF (National Scientific Welfare Foundation). She is a strong and intelligent woman. Nevertheless, she is quite self-centered. Unlike most of her First-Generation counterparts, Reina has come to terms with the fact that Furumizu views her and the rest of her Neogene sisters as nothing more than tools at his disposal. By the same token, however, she feels no obligation to answer to his every beck and call. Her nickname as a Cloneblade is "Lady". In her youth, she was found to be a potential bearer for the "true" Witchblade. Eager to test the limits of her genetic potential, Reina and her assistant, Shiori Tsuzuki, attempted to forcibly remove the Witchblade from Masane. It turns out that Reina's high compatibility with the Witchblade was due to the fact that she was carrying Rihoko at the time, and after giving birth, her compatibility dropped significantly. Of all the Cloneblades, Reina was regarded as the most advanced of her Neogene sisters. As a Cloneblade, Reina bore a huge blade on her left forearm, and had wing-like appendages that could transform into robust shields from blades. Reina considered herself and everyone around her as objects to be researched. She even went so far as to seize custody of her biological daughter, Rihoko, in order to test how motherhood would affect her mentally. Much to her surprise, she began to develop maternal feelings for the girl. The full extent of her love for Rihoko is revealed when she sacrifices herself to protect her from the psychopathic Neogene, Maria. Her cloneblade armor is white and pink.

age 15

Maria is part of the Second generation of sisters created by Tatsuoki Furumizu and she was the first to be equipped with a Dual Cloneblade. Her cloneblade armor is purple and red. She appears much older than she truly is which suggests that the sisters age rapidly. She has an obsession for cats and dogs. Maria undergoes many changes throughout the series. She starts out as a hyper, mentally unstable adolescent with an extreme inferiority complex. While extremely strong and dangerous, she is little more than an insecure child desperate for attention and a mother to call her own. This changes when her actual mother, Reina, rejects her. After killing Reina in a rage, her personality becomes almost catatonic. She also changes her appearance to match the deceased Reina's. After hearing of Furumizu's plans to use her as a surrogate mother for his "perfect" clone, her disgust transforms her into a megalomaniacal psychopath who seeks power at all costs. She kills Furumizu and seizes control of the NSWF. She pledges to transform the NSWF into an army that will secure power for herself as well as the Neogene "chosen ones". In truth, however, Maria is the leader of the organization in name only. With no clear goal other than to obtain power at all costs, Maria becomes even more secretive and reclusive than her late "father". With the exception of Aoi, cloneblades such as Asagi view her as an insecure child trying to "act tough". As Maria drifts aimlessly, Nishida effectively runs the entire organization and continues to use its resources to hunt for the Witchblade. Her Cloneblade form is not quite as heavily armored as the others. Nevertheless, it is by far the strongest. In her cloneblade form she is able to extend her fingers and impale her victims multiple times. The extent of her power can be seen when she pierces Reina's armor blades with ease. In the end, Maria meets her demise while fantasizing despairingly about her mother. In her final moments, she asks the hallucination of her mother if "she still loved her". Maria barely has the chance to finish her sentence as she turns to crystal dust.

age 34

Reiji Takayama is the Bureau Chief of Douji Group Industries. He also is the one responsible for employing Masane to fight-off malfunctioning "Ex-cons", highly technological weapons developed by his own employers. Takayama is a stoic and very stern man who shows little to no expressions at all. He is usually accompanied by his assistant, Hiroki Segawa. Takayama seems to have a past relationship with Reina Soho, possibly a sexual one, as it is briefly discussed between himself and Masane that there is a possibility he may be Rihoko's biological father, a point which he says is possible, which he later affirmed completely in Episode 19. They both had worked together before the ground-zero event in doing research on the Witchblade. Initially Takayama appears to be cynical and cold, but as the anime progresses this proves to be completely false as his relationship with Masane deepens. He and Masane later become romantically involved in episode 19. Masane later attempts to get him and Riko closer after learning he is her real father. He is last seen standing with Riko at the site of Masane's last fight, watching on as she sacrifices her life.

age 25

Segawa Hiroki is Reiji Takayama's assistant and right hand man. He is always prepared and is a very capable assistant. He is the kind of person who loves power and his loyalty lies with who ever is stronger. He describes himself as a person who loves to follow those who have power, and demonstrates it by switching sides with whoever wields the most powerful position within Dohji Industries. He is last seen standing with the Dohji recovery team on a bridge wishing Takayama good luck.

Minor characters

age 40

Masaya Wado is the Director of the Bio Division at Douji Group Industries. He has known and competed with Takayama since college, where they were once members of a rowing

Rowing (sport)

Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water...

 team. At Douji, Wado constantly sought to outdo and eventually oust Takayama. When the Witchblade, worn by Masane, eventually returns to Douji, Wado's jealousy of Takayama grows and he secretly conducts his own experiments to create a weapon to rival the Witchblade, eventually conceiving the Ultimateblade. During this time, Wado secretly meets with Dr. Nishida of the NSWF in order to gain access to their own research on the Witchblade as well as Nishida's support with his agenda. Arrogant and ambitious, yet petty, cowardly and obsessive, Wado often pursues his goals while neglecting the consequences of his actions until it was too late. This is first demonstrated when he attempted to frame Takayama for the murderous rampages of the Ultimateblade. In doing so, he endangered Douji as a whole with a potential public scandal that was avoided only when Takayama voluntarily stepped down as Bureau Chief. In an incident that finally destroyed the Douji Group, Wado made several attempts to reclaim the Witchblade for his own, thus encouraging its growth in power. With this, Douji's iWeapons began to malfunction, yet Wado ignored the potential dangers. When hundreds of iWeapons malfunction and escape a cargo ship to converge on Tokyo with the goal of destroying the Witchblade, Wado finally realizes the magnitude of his actions. He desperately turns to Takayama for help in stopping the iWeapons and saving Douji from ruin. Takayama declares that it would be impossible since there were too many lives at stake and that Wado had no one to blame but himself. The last time Wado is seen, he has apparently gone insane from the enormity of his loss with reporters approaching from behind him. What happened to him after that is unknown.

age 28

Dr. Nishida is the amoral chief researcher of the NSWF who is extremely obsessed with researching the capabilities of the Witchblade and cared little for any laws and restrictions that would be placed on her experiments. She has monitored and helped to create several generations of Neogenes at NSWF's secret facilities. Nishida was in charge of creating the fourth generation of Neogene sisters who were going to have Maria's genes as the ultimate mother. She switched her allegiance to Maria because she saw Furumizu as a fool and that they can gain nothing more out of using his "flawed" genes. After Furumizu's death, Nishida is effectively in charge of the NSWF since Maria cared little for the day-to-day management of the corporation. With her new executive powers at NSWF, Nishida continues her secret alliance with Wado, who by this time is the new Bureau Chief of the Douji Group. After Masane stays with Takayama after his resignation from Douji, Nishida aids Wado in their attempts to claim the Witchblade for themselves. Nishida becomes increasingly fascinated with the Witchblade's full potential, seeing the chance to more fully understand a power close to God. During the iWeapon incident in Tokyo, Nishida becomes obsessed with the cataclysmic energy readings resulting from the conflict and drives closer to the violence in order to get a better examination. Heedless of the risk to her life, she fails to notice an incoming iWeapon that crushes her car and herself.

age 31

Nora is a Neogene who serves as Tatsuoki Furumizu's assistant. She is one of Furimuzu's most loyal and reliable subordinates. Cooly arrogant and blunt in her interactions with others, she is very competitive with her sisters and is prone to jealousy. After watching Furimuzu reward Maria's tantrum with a trip to the toy store, Nora roughly manhandles her and confines her to a hotel room after the mentally unstable Neogene loses her temper in public. With the exception of Furumizu himself, she considers everyone and everything around her as a tool for her advancement. She is also a very powerful cloneblade. Unlike Masane and Shiori, she is able to effectively control her carnal impulses while transformed' much like Reina. Her nickname as a cloneblade is "Spider", she has the ability to shoot needles and entrap her opponents with strands from her hair and three rapier like blades on her left arm. She battled Masane and was able to capture her to have the Witchblade remove from Masane. She battles Reina, trying to get Rihoko. She ultimately is impaled by Reina and is killed. It is worth noting that she sees Reina as her biggest rival as she was by far the most powerful Neogene and it is her personal rivalry that caused her death. Her cloneblade armor is orange and green.

age 15

Aoi is the first sparring partner that Maria does not kill. They become good friends to the point of Aoi becoming her assistant and best friend later on in the anime, where she too is equipped with a Dual Cloneblade. As a Cloneblade she is melee fighter using sickle like blades. She has small blue eyes and blond hair she wears in braids. She wears an orange dress. It is worth noting that Aoi is fanatically loyal to Maria, to the point of attacking Masane in a blind rage, for injuring Maria, later in the series. This proves to be fatal, as she is impaled and killed by Masane. Her last words were for Maria to continue her quest to obtain the Witchblade. It is also worth noting that Aoi is the only person Maria seems to care about, being her only friend, to the point of crying over her death. Her cloneblade armor is blue and orange.

age 18

Asagi is the sister chosen by Aoi when Maria asked her to chose a capable sister to help herself and Aoi fight and take the Witchblade from Masane. She also is equipped with the Dual Cloneblade. She acts calmly but without any interest in her role, a behavior reflected in her physical appearance as well, often questioning for what or who Maria is acting, and what she really wants, which often earns a scolding from Aoi. For this very reason, Maria kills her, impaling her. Asagi is the only Cloneblade in the entire anime that doesn't fight (she does fight some exCons, but this isn't shown). Her cloneblade armor is black and blue.

age 65

An antagonist

Antagonist

An antagonist is a character, group of characters, or institution, that represents the opposition against which the protagonist must contend...

 in the Witchblade

Witchblade

Witchblade is an American comic book series published by Top Cow Productions, an imprint of Image Comics, from 1995 until present. The series was created by Top Cow editors Marc Silvestri and David Wohl, writers Brian Haberlin and Christina Z, and artist Michael Turner.The series follows Sara...

 series. Tatsuoki Furimizu is the head of the NSWF. He is affectionately known as "Father" by his Neogene "daughters" and the orphans in his care. While a brilliant scholar and administrator in his youth, Furimizu has grown increasingly reclusive and secretive with age in his quest to acquire the Witchblade. Despite exhuberating charm and paternal warmth when interacting with the public and his "children", he is rather cold-hearted and deranged in reality. He is completely single-minded in pursuit of his goals, and shows no concern for the physical and emotional well-being of those who serve him. He's later revealed to be unable to have children. Believing his father to be perfect in every way, Furumizu comes to the conclusion that his mother's genes are to blame for his malady. He attempts to create the perfect mother from his own "superior" genes which results in the creation of several genetically-enhanced women known as Neogenes. After selecting a candidate for the Witchblade among the Neogenes, Furumizu hopes to be reborn from the loins of the designated bearer as a superior being. After realizing that her "grandfather" views her as nothing more than a tool for his rebirth, a radically powerful Neogene named Maria mortally wounds Furumizu in a coup. As Furumizu chokes on his own blood, Nishida informs him that she purposefully neglected to incorporate his genes into the newest batch of Neogene zygotes. With his life's ambitions ruined beyond repair, Furumizu succumbs to a nervous breakdown

Nervous breakdown

Mental breakdown is a non-medical term used to describe an acute, time-limited phase of a specific disorder that presents primarily with features of depression or anxiety.-Definition:...

. He wails hysterically over the loss of his "mother" and begins to ingest the vials containing the genetic material for the next generation of sisters. Disgusted by his unsightly behavior, Maria finishes him off with one last blow.

age 26

Shiori acts as the secretary and assistant of Reina. She is a lesbian and is sexually infatuated with her employer (though this is mostly cut off in the censored version aired in Japan), whom she affectionately addresses as "Sensei" (Or Doctor in the English dub). She's also a Cloneblade. She is the very first one to fight against Masane. Nicknamed "Diva", she acts arrogant and confident, but is soon revealed to have little to no control over her impulses as a Cloneblade. While in her Cloneblade form she sports a large scythe-like blade, and later gains one on both arms. She brutally beats Masane and chases her relentlessly only to be stopped by Reina herself. During her fight with Masane her Cloneblade is critically damaged. As a result, her impulses and emotion become enslaved by the carnal drive of her cloneblade. She quickly becomes a psychotic maniac, slaughtering for pure pleasure. In the end, she succeeds in unlocking the full powers of the Cloneblade albeit for a short moment. After attacking and beating Masane, she attempts to rape Takayama. However, her body crumbles into crystal dust before she is able to rape her beloved sensei's lover. It is worth noting that Shiori, while being a minor character, is one of the most sadistic and depraved characters in the anime series. Her cloneblade armor is blue and cyan

Cyan

Cyan from , transliterated: kýanos, meaning "dark blue substance") may be used as the name of any of a number of colors in the blue/green range of the spectrum. In reference to the visible spectrum cyan is used to refer to the color obtained by mixing equal amounts of green and blue light or the...

, but turns to blue and red after unlocking her full power.

Misc.

• Witchblade

An ancient magical artifact of unimaginable power. Many wars have been fought by those who sought to control it. Few seem to realize or care that the Witchblade itself is a sentient being with its own mysterious desires. Six years before the story begins, the artifact wound up in the possession of the Douji Group who sought to use the item to benefit themselves. It was taken from them by Reina Soho, a member of the NSWF. She took the blade and rather than turn it over to the NSWF, ran into hiding. During an attempt by the NSWF and Douji Group to take it from her, the blade released a massive surge of power and triggered what was later known as the "Great Quake". For some reason it then chose a young woman named Masane Amaha to become its bearer. It was eventually deduced that the Witchblade would ultimately choose Masane's adopted daughter, Rihoko, as its bearer once she was mature enough. The Witchblade was only usable by Reina and Masane due to their proximity to Rihoko, whom the weapon chose as its true bearer even before her birth. Once she realized this, Masane vowed to save her daughter from the Witchblade's cursed fate.

• Cloneblade

Before the Great Quake the NSWF studied the Witchblade and used their research to create a biological copy of it, dubbed a Cloneblade. Cloneblades possess many of the same powers as the Witchblade, but in truth are just cheap imitations of the original. Known Cloneblade sisters include Reina Soho, Shiori Tsuzuki, and Nora. A human equipped with a cloneblade bears a silver bracelet with a blue jewel on their left wrist. Later research led to the creation of much stronger Dual Cloneblades: two Cloneblades being wielded at once by the same person. Known Dual Clonebalde sisters, from the second generation only, include Maria, Aoi, and Asagi. A human equipped with a Dual Cloneblade bears ornate silver bracelets with purple jewels on both wrists.

• Ex-cons

Ex-Cons were mechanical monsters manufactured by the Douji Group that Masane fought during the first half of the series. During the cataclysm known as "the Great Quake," they were all accidentally released and have been wandering around ever since. They were camoflauged in human form, but when they sensed power emanating from the Witchblade or a Cloneblade, they revealed their real forms. Similar to the Witchblade and Cloneblades, the Ex-cons lusted for combat. Almost no two were alike and each possessed a different method of fighting. It is later revealed that Ex-cons were created using corpses that were signed over to Douji. An Ex-con Masane once fought showed signs of trying to resist the urge to kill. Unlike the others it seemed to still have some of its humanity which it showed when it, in human form, befriended Riko. It is highly possible that they, like the Cloneblades, were derived from the Witchblade as their human forms all have an inactive Cloneblade-like bracelet on the upper part of their arm.

• Neogenes

Neogenes are genetically predisposed humans created to wield Cloneblades and were given the name "Cloneblade Sisters". Once they completed training Neogenes were equipped with a Cloneblade; all had personalized armor and wielded either an extendable weapon or a unique blade. It is later revealed that the Neogenes were created using the genetics of Tatsuoki Furumizu and either a superior female specimen or a previous generation Neogene. Neogenes that are born in the same generation call themselves 'sisters'. Several of the first generation sisters are mothers of the second; Reina, for example is Maria's mother. They were created for the sole purpose of giving Furumizu the "perfect mother" so he could be reborn as a perfected human.

• iWeapons

iWeapons were the second generation of weapons created by the Douji Group. They resembled tanks and had an array of missles and a mounted cannon. Unlike their predecessors, the Ex-cons, they responded to human control and had built in safeguards to prevent them from going berserk when sensing the Witchblade; however, the safeguards failed after the Witchblade transformed. Like the Ex-Cons the iWeapons were also made from corpses, which gave them their ghostly energy in the final episodes.

• Ultimate Blade

Wado of the Douji Group, in an attempt to upstage Takayama secretly developed what he called an Ultimate Blade, which could be wielded by a man. The Ultimate Blade was an experimental bio-weapon developed by the Douji Group Bio Division under the name "Project Witchblade". The only known Ultimate Blade wielder so far was Wado's assistant Yagi. Though it proved to be almost more powerful than the original, it caused accelerated breakdown and killed the wielder more quickly than the Witchblade. In addition to two, bladed gauntlets (fashioned after dual Cloneblade technology) and full-body, high-density armor, the Ultimateblade was also equipped with a high-powered machine gun

Machine gun

A machine gun is a fully automatic mounted or portable firearm, usually designed to fire rounds in quick succession from an ammunition belt or large-capacity magazine, typically at a rate of several hundred rounds per minute....

. The project was largely a personal project of Wado's, who hoped that sales for the Ultimate Blade would exceed those of the iWeapons produced by Takayama's division. After failing to impress the Douji Group's board of directors with the Ultimateblade project, Wado callously used his own meek assistant, Yagi, as a test subject for the Ultimate Blade, in a desperate attempt to demonstrate the weapon's power. As a result Yagi went mad and was driven to homicidal, murderous rages, barely held in check by Wado's team of scientists. After Takayama stepped down as Bureau Chief, Wado grew fearful of Takayama's possible return to Douji and sent Ultimate Blade Yagi to kill Takayama at his home. Fortunately Masane was with Takayama at the time and protected Takayama. In combat the Ultimate Blade did exceed the Witchblade's power at first. However, Masane unlocked the Witchblade's full capabilities and quickly dispatched the Ultimate Blade. The failure of the Ultimate Blade project and the demonstration of the Witchblade's full power drove Wado over the edge, eventually leading to the ruin of the Douji Group.

Cast

• Planning: Arthur Smith
  Arthur Smith
  Arthur Smith may refer to:*Arthur "Guitar Boogie" Smith , American guitar player and composer*Arthur Donaldson Smith, American explorer of Africa*Arthur Henderson Smith , American missionary in China, author of books on Chinese culture...
  
  (GDH), Kenji Shimizu
  Kenji Shimizu
  , b. 1940, is an aikido teacher and founder of the aikido style Tendoryu .Shimizu was born in 1940 in Fukuoka, Japan. He had been training judo since childhood and held a 4th dan in this art when he changed to aikido in 1963. He then became one of the last personal students of the aikido founder...
  
   (Sky Perfect Well Think), Naotsugu Katō (CBC
  Chubu-Nippon Broadcasting
  is a regional radio and television service serving Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. Its radio service is affiliated with the Japan Radio Network and its television service affiliated with the Japan News Network and the TBS Network.-Radio:Frequency...
  
  ), Taitō Okiura (Gonzo)
• Executive producer: Koji Kajita
• Executive producer: Marc Silvestri
  Marc Silvestri
  Marc Silvestri is an American comic book artist, creator and publisher. He currently acts as the CEO for Top Cow Productions.-Early life:Marc Silvestri was born in Palm Beach, Florida.-Career:...
  
  
• Original story: Top Cow Productions
  Top Cow Productions
  Top Cow Productions is an American comics publisher, a partner studio of Image Comics founded by Marc Silvestri in 1992.-History:...
  
  
• Series composition: Yasuko Kobayashi
  Yasuko Kobayashi
  is a Japanese anime and tokusatsu drama screenwriter who has been involved in various television shows throughout her career, beginning in 1993 with Tokusou Robo Janperson.-Writing credits:...
  
  
• Character design: Makoto Uno
• Conceptual design & setting research: Shinya Ogura
• Design works: Kazuyuki Matsubara
• Art director: Junichi Higashi
• Color design: Yūko Satō
  Yuko Sato
  is a Japanese voice actress.-Anime voice roles::*Agent Aika as White Delmo R*Animal Yokocho as Issa...
  
  
• Editing: Kiyoshi Hirose
• Music: Kazunori Miyake, Masanori Takumi
• Sound direction: Jin Aketagawa
• Sound effects: Katsuhiro Nakano (Soundbox), Naoto Yamatani (Soundbox)
• Producers: Osamu Nagai (GDH), Shin Hieda (SKY Perfect Well Think
  SKY Perfect Well Think
  is a Japanese content production and development enterprise, owned by SKY Perfect Communications, established on July 29, 2004. It is involved in the production, development and distribution of several feature films, anime series, television programs and numerous other media...
  
  ), Tsuyoshi Okazaki (CBC
  Chubu-Nippon Broadcasting
  is a regional radio and television service serving Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. Its radio service is affiliated with the Japan Radio Network and its television service affiliated with the Japan News Network and the TBS Network.-Radio:Frequency...
  
  )
• Director: Yoshimitsu Ohashi
• Animation production: Gonzo
• Production: Chubu-Nippon Broadcasting
  Chubu-Nippon Broadcasting
  is a regional radio and television service serving Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. Its radio service is affiliated with the Japan Radio Network and its television service affiliated with the Japan News Network and the TBS Network.-Radio:Frequency...
  
   (CBC), SKY Perfect Well Think
  SKY Perfect Well Think
  is a Japanese content production and development enterprise, owned by SKY Perfect Communications, established on July 29, 2004. It is involved in the production, development and distribution of several feature films, anime series, television programs and numerous other media...
  
  , GDH

Differences in the DVD and TV versions

Due to the original version of the witchblade costume showing far too much skin, the series recolored most of the said areas into black for broadcast in Japan. These blackened portions were returned to the original coloring for the DVD release of the series. (The DVD version is what IFC

Independent Film Channel

The Independent Film Channel is an American cable TV network that airs independent film and related programming. IFC programming includes commercially interrupted feature-length films, original documentaries, shorts, animated series, original series, acquired series, and content exclusively for...

 is showing on cable TV.) The DVDs also contain many instances where the animation is cleaned up compared to the TV broadcast and in some cases whole frames are completely redrawn. The TV episodes are rated TV-MA in the United States.

Theme songs

Opening themes

• "XTC", by Psychic Lover
  Psychic Lover
  is a pop-rock band consisting of vocalist and guitarist . Originally consisting of six members, YOFFY and IMAJO are the only two who remained for their rise to fame. Much of their work has been featured as opening and closing themes of Japanese television series and Anime...
  
   (episodes 1-13, 24)
• "Dear Bob", by Koologi (episodes 14-23)

Ending themes

• "Ashita no Te" (あしたの手), by Mamiko Noto
  Mamiko Noto
  is a Japanese voice actress working under Office Osawa. She was born in the city of Kanazawa, Ishikawa, and graduated from Hokuriku Gakuen Senior High School.-Voice:...
  
   (episodes 1-12)
• "Kutsuhimo" (靴ひも), by Asami Yamamoto (episodes 13-23)
• "Kodō -get closer-" (鼓動 -get closer-), by Psychic Lover
  Psychic Lover
  is a pop-rock band consisting of vocalist and guitarist . Originally consisting of six members, YOFFY and IMAJO are the only two who remained for their rise to fame. Much of their work has been featured as opening and closing themes of Japanese television series and Anime...
  
  (episode 24)

External links

• Official Witchblade homepage
• FUNimation's Witchblade Website
• Reviews of the Funimation DVD releases