Strike Witches 501st Unit, Taking Off!
Alternate Titles
Strike Witches 501 Butai Hasshinshimasu!
501部隊発進しますっ！
Synopsis
The young Yoshika Miyafuji enlists in the 501st Joint Fighter Wing to serve as humanity’s line of defense. But with the enemy, the Neuroi, nowhere in sight, she ends up spending her combat-free days cooking and cleaning. With so many unique personalities in the group, her silly, slapstick days as a Strike Witch are just beginning!
Background
Strike Witches 501st Unit, Taking Off! is based on the original Strike Witches mixed media series by Fumikane Shimada that encompasses a wide range of content including light novels, manga, doujinshi, video games, film, and music. Including Strike Witches 501st Unit, Taking Off!, the series has had three anime adaptations to date: Strike Witches and Strike Witches 2, and a spin-off series titled Brave Witches. Two more anime adaptations have also been announced for 2020 and 2021: Strike Witches: Road to Berlin and a project currently being called Idol Witches.
Strike Witches 501st Unit, Taking Off! is being directed by Fumio Ito at Acca Effe Kiga Production with character designs by Kei Ajiki and music by Shigemitsu Nagaoka. Production I.G and Anime Beans are also cooperating on the anime. The opening theme song will be "Sora ga Yobu Hō e" by Yoko Ishida, and the ending theme song will be "Treasure of life" by members of the cast as the 501st Joint Fighter Wing. The anime will premiere in Japan on April 9, 2019 on Tokyo MX.
Characters
Yoshika Miyafuji (Japanese: Misato Fukuen / English: Cherami Leigh)
Originally from Fuso, Yoshika is the daughter of Ichiro Miyafuji, the famed researcher who invented the Striker Units. Energetic and innocent, she has a strong desire to help people and has inherent healing abilities. Her character is based on the Japanese flying ace Kaneyoshi Muto. Her familiar is a mameshiba.
Mio Sakamoto (Japanese: Saori Seto / English: Kira Vincent-Davis)
Cheerful and confident, Mio has excellent leadership qualities and is looked up to by many of the other Witches for her personality and combat abilities. Her magic ability Magic Eye allows her right eye to have super-vision and see in spectrums not normally possible for humans, proving invaluable for spotting Neuroi at a distance and locating their cores. The ability is always active so she wears an eyepatch to cover her right eye when not in use. Her familiar is a doberman.
Lynette Bishop (Japanese: Kaori Nazuka / English: Kate Bristol)
Nicknamed Lynne by her squadmates, Lynette hails from Britannia. Shy and obedient, she becomes good friends with Yoshika. She is the squad’s sharpshooter, and her magical abilities are Ballistic Stabilization, which allows her to control the flight of projectiles to a degree, and Grant Magic Power, which allows her to imbue her bullets with magical energy to increase their effectiveness. Her familiar is a Scottish Fold.
Perrine H. Clostermann (Japanese: Miyuki Sawashiro / English: Jad Saxton)
Originally hailing from Gallia, Perrine is refined and elegant, having come from a wealthy family. She greatly admires Mio. Her magical ability is Tonnerre, a lightning-based attack that expands outward from her location hitting any targets within range. Her familiar is a Chartreux.
Minna-Dietlinde Wilcke (Japanese: Rie Tanaka / English: Anastasia Muñoz)
Graceful and gentle, Minna excels in operations and planning, having a keen understand of her squad and their abilities. Musically inclined, she is a talented singer and comes from a long line of musicians rumored to be connected to Bach. Her magical ability allows her to discern all targets within range in every direction. Her leadership in combat also instills trust from her squadmates. Her familiar is a gray wolf.
Gertrud Barkhorn (Japanese: Mie Sonozaki / English: Stephanie Sheh)
Nicknamed Trude by her squadmates, Gertrud hails from Karlsland and is their second best ace behind Hartmann. Though she may be calm and collected by nature, she can also be hot-blooded. She is very strict when it comes to rules and regulations. Her magical ability is Superhuman Strength, giving her the ability to perform for long periods of time in combat utilizing heavy armaments. Her familiar is a German Shorthair Pointer.
Erica Hartmann (Japanese: Sakura Nogawa / English: Luci Christian)
Known as the Black Devil, Erica hails from Karlsland and is their number one ace. While a complete slob in everyday life who goes at her own pace, she is efficient and strategic in combat. She tends to do what she wants, sometimes not paying attention to those around her. Her favorite hobby is sleeping. Her magical ability is Sturm, which lets her control gusts of ether to attack enemies. Her familiar is a Dachshund. Unlike the other witches, she doesn’t grow ears but rather the tips of her hair turn black.
Francesca Lucchini (Japanese: Chiwa Saito / English: Trina Nishimura)
Originally hailing from Romagnia, Francesca is can be childish and self-indulgent, slacking on training to laze around. She loves sleeping and can fall asleep anywhere and everywhere around the base. She has trouble following rules and does as she pleases. She is obsessed with boobs and often cuddles up to Shirley and prowls around looking for opportunities to get hands on with her squadmates. Her magical ability gives her the power to concentrate and discharge magical energy. Her familiar is a black panther.
Charlotte E. Yeager (Japanese: Ami Koshimizu / English: Jamie Marchi)
A renowned test pilot known for her need for speed, Charlotte, or Shirley to her friends, hails from Liberion and is known by the name Glamorous Shirley. Daring and confident, Shirley is a thrill-seeker who dreams of breaking the sound barrier. Her magical ability Speed Boost grants her the ability to increase her speed through concentration. Her familiar is a rabbit.
Sanya V. Litvyak (Japanese: Mai Kadowaki / English: Jennifer Forrester)
Full name Aleksandra Vladimirovna Litvyak, Sanya hails from Orussia and is sometimes referred to by her alias, White Lily of Stalingrad, due to her white hair. Introverted, quiet, and extremely reserved, she is a night owl by nature and often takes night patrols. She is extremely close with Eila and goes everywhere with her. Her magical ability is Magic Antenna, which allows her to interact with radio waves, allowing her to detect Neuroi at great distances. She is also able to use her ability to provide guidance to other Witches or rebroadcast transmissions. Her familiar is a black cat.
Eila Ilmatar Juutilainen (Japanese: Ayuru Ohashi / English: Caitlin Glass)
Hailing from Suomus, Eila is relaxed and friendly, but also has a mischievous side and is fond of pranking her squadmates. Her hobby is fortune-telling, though she isn’t very good at it. Since she too sleeps during the day, she is often paired up with Sanya and has become very close to her. Her magic ability is Foresight, allowing her to be able to dodge enemy fire and predict their movements through being able to predict the immediate future. Her familiar is a black fox.
International Streaming
- Anime on Demand (Germany)
- Crunchyroll
Official Link
Staff
- Original Creators: Humikane Shimada, Projekt Kagonish
- Manga: Makoto Fujibayashi
- Director: Fumio Ito
- Character Designer: Kei Ajiki
- Series Literature: Shinya Murakami
- Music: Shigemitsu Nagaoka
- Music Production: Nippon Columbia
- Sound Director: Tomohiro Yoshida
- Sound Production: Glovision
- Producer: Takashi Tachizaki
- Animation Production: Acca Effe Kiga Production
- Animation Production Cooperation: Production I.G, Anime Beans