Warning: Contains spoilers for Ichi the Witch chapter #1.With a slew ofShonen Jumpmanga either getting canceled or running their course, a new wave of serializations has begun, starting with Osamu Nishi and Shiro Usazaki’sIchi the Witch. The series was advertised as a fantasy story set in a world where only women can use magic until Ichi, a man, suddenly finds himself with magical abilities, much to everyone’s surprise.
As exciting as it was to haveOsamu Nishi fromIruma-Kunand Shiro Usazaki fromAct-Agecollaborating on a manga,Ichi the Witchwas still treated cautiously before its release, both because of how often new manga fail and because of the clichéd nature of its premise. Following its debut, though,Ichi the Witchhas quickly garnered praise from fans for its writing and artwork, and it’s already proving to be a groundbreaking story in all areas.
Shonen Jump’s New Manga Has A Groundbreaking Team Behind Its Production
Why Osamu Nishi & Shiro Usazaki Make A Great Team
The first part of whyIchi the Witchis such a groundbreaking new manga is the team behind its production. For starters, the writerOsamu Nishi is the creator ofWelcome to Demon School, Iruma-kun!, one of the biggest manga running outside ofShonen Jumpthat shows no sign of slowing down even after seven years. Nishi’s talent for intense battles and quirky and heartfelt writing have madeIruma-kuna major hit, so having her inShonen Jumpis a huge get for the magazine.
Ichi the Witchis also illustrated by Shiro Usazaki ofAct-Agefame.Act-Agedebuted inShonen Jumpin 2018, and by 2020,it was one of the biggest manga in the magazine and was on its way to becoming the next big hit, but it was abruptly canceled due to unfortunate circumstances surrounding the writer. Usazaki’s artwork was beloved for her excellent character designs, stellar paneling, and overall high quality, and having her finally return to manga with a veteran like Osamu Nishi is great to see.
Also worth mentioning, of course, is the fact that the duo behindIchi the Witchconsists of two women. While the creators of some of the most popular manga in and out ofShonen JumplikeRanma 1/2,Sailor Moon,Reborn!, andBlue Boxwere all women, it’s rare for multiple women to collaborate on a story outside of groups like Clamp or Peach-Pit.Shonen Jumphaving an all-female creative team behindIchi the Witchmakes it a revolutionary series purely from conception, and that’s one of the biggest factors behind it receiving so much attention.
Ichi The Witch Paints A Vibrant Fantasy World From The Very Start
Shonen Jump’s New Fantasy Manga Is Off To A Great Start
Ichi the Witchhas a great creative team behind it, and that led to an excellent debut for the series. As afantasy manga,Ichi the Witchnaturally revolves around magic and magical creatures, and not only does it have a unique depiction of magic through its general usage, but through the idea of magic being something a person obtains by passing the trials of mysterious beings called Majiks.Ichi the Witchshowcases excellent worldbuildingjust from its first chapter.
Excellently going along with the worldbuilding forIchi the Witch’s fantasy story is the artwork. In addition, Shiro Usazaki’s artworkperfectly complements the fantasy story through the designs of its world and characters, and that’s especially apparent in Ichi’s design after becoming a witch and the design of King Uroro. Fantasy stories often live and die by how interesting their characters and worlds look, and so far,Ichi the Witchmore than succeeds in that regard.
Ichi The Witch Has The Perfect Hero For Its Story
Why Ichi The Witch’s Protagonist Is So Good
BringingIchi the Witch’s story together is, of course, the protagonist, Ichi. As previously discussed, Ichi is a boy living in a world where only women can use magic, but rather than be someone forced to contend with that, Ichi, after being left for dead by his parents as a child,has grown up in the wilderness to become a master hunterand keeps to it both to protect others and because he loves the thrill of life-and-death battles, resulting in a protagonist who very much exists in contrast to the basic premise of the setting.
Not only does the contrast between Ichi’s character and the world he lives in emphasize the uniqueness of his character, butIchi the Witchmakes it a plot point that the protagonist is at odds with the world.His actions throw everyone off, most notably in how being a man let Ichi kill King Uroro and take his magic when women couldn’t kill him. The weirdness of Ichi’s character is played for drama and comedy, and that makes him a far better protagonist than he would have been had he been accustomed to the setting.
Shonen Jump’s New Fantasy Manga Avoids Some Very Tired Clichés
Ichi The Witch Already Avoids Major Pitfalls
Another important element ofIchi the Witchis how it handles some potential clichés, starting with the premise of only women being able to use magic. Stories where only one gender can use superpowers often fall into the cliché of the powerless gender being treated as inferior by the gender with powers, butIchi the Witchnever has the fact that only women can use magic define the setting; Ichi and other male characters get along fine with the female characters, and Desscaras doesn’t like Ichi because he stole her kill of King Uroro, not because he’s a man.
It also would have been easy to depict Ichi as an underdog for living in a world where it’s physically impossible for him to be as strong as everyone else, as is common in anime and manga. However, not only does Ichi’s upbringing prevent that sort of mindset, but he is quickly established as a powerful character through his hunting prowess and the incredible power of King Uroro’s magic. These elements and others might change over time, but at least for now,they do a lot to make the series feel fresh just from a single chapter.
Will Ichi The Witch Become Shonen Jump’s Next Big Hit?
A Promising Debut Does Not Guarantee A Bright Future
As much attention as the series might draw from Osamu Nishi and Shiro Usazaki’s appeal, mangaka who have one successful series don’t always succeed with their follow-up works, and with it still being too early to tell how the story will play out,it’s too soon to say thatIchi the Witchwill become a hit.
That being said, with its great art, worldbuilding, and character writing,Ichi the Witchhas plenty going for it, and with any luck, it will prove to be a greatWeeklyShōnen Jumpmanga for years to come, perhaps helping in filling the void left byMy Hero AcademiaandJujutsu Kaisen.
