The Real Strike Witches

Written by A. H. on 04 Oct 2011

This article was originally published in July 2010 to celebrate the streaming release of Strike Witches 2 on Crunchyroll - it's been republished in full to coincide with the UK DVD release of Strike Witches from Manga Entertainment, in the hope of informing and fascinating new readers. Enjoy!

While this summer has seen a handful of new anime series hit the UK courtesy of Crunchyroll's streaming service, the most high-profile show to hit our shores must surely by the second season of Strike Witches - A franchise that has already proved to be hugely popular with otaku in Japan before more recently making the transition to North America on DVD.

Diving into Strike Witches 2 might seem like a daunting task for anyone without prior knowledge of the show, particularly given its large cast of female characters.  While we can't promise to answer the really important questions which surround Strike Witches (Why don't any of them wear skirts or trousers?  Why do they grow animal ears and tails when they use magic?), what we can do is introduce you to the girls of the 501st Joint Fighter Wing as they fight against the alien Neuroi threat in this alternate 1940s Earth - An exercise which is even more interesting than it might initially sound, as each and every one of these characters is also named and created in homage to a real-life fighter pilot from the Second World War which the show mirrors in its own unique way.

So, join us as we introduce you to the "real" Strike Witches, complete with their real-life World War II counterparts.

Mio Sakamoto

At the head of the 501st Joint Fighter Wing in combat terms is Major Mio Sakamoto, the oldest of the Strike Witches at the age of twenty who hails from Fuso (aka Japan in real world terms).  Come this second series of the show, Sakamoto's age means that she has lost some of her magical potency, leaving her unable to create defensive shields like the other witches - A shortfall which she looks to make up for by forging her own sword as the second season begins, forging it with magical power that allows it to slice through Neuroi lasers (and indeed the Neuroi themselves).

Also unique to Sakamoto is the patch which she wears over her right eye.  While in Strike Witches itself this covers a magical eye which Sakamoto can use to see the inner "core" of the Neuroi, it also serves as a nod towards one of the World War II-based inspirations for her character Saburo Sakai, who famously once flew 640 miles back to his base despite suffering serious injuries to his head which included the loss of sight in his right eye - his sight never returned, but that didn't stop him from continuing to fly and commit further feats of skill and bravery that only served to add to his legend.  Indeed, Sakai's simple philosophy to "never give up" is also encompassed within Sakamoto's character.

Sakamoto's other real-life counterpart is Tetsuzo Iwamoto, Japan's leading fighter pilot to survive the Second World War who claimed to have destroyed over two hundred aircraft, and also the frequent user of a roll technique which allowed him to switch from being tailed by an enemy aircraft to having his sights set on said opponent in an instant - A technique demonstrated by Sakamoto herself in the first season of Strike Witches.

As of Strike Witches 2, Sakamoto's new, improved Striker unit design is based upon Japan's Kawanishi N1K fighter plane.

Yoshika Miyafuji

Yoshika Miyafuji is, like Sakamoto, another Fuso Witch who is the daughter of the creator of the Striker Units used by Witches in combat.  Although her dedication and magical power is set towards healing the sick and wounded, she winds up as part of the 501st Joint Fighter Wing and, come this second series, finds herself with the rank of Sergeant.

Miyafuji's real-life World War II inspiration is Kaneyoshi Muto, whose claim to fame is single-handedly taking on twelve enemy fighters, downing four of them before the rest of them fled.  This ties in with Yoshika's tendency to rush into things and go it alone in combat when necessary.

Miyafuji's Striker Unit is designed to resemble that of Japan's Mitsubishi A6M Zero long-range fighter.

Lynette Bishop

If you're in need of a particular character to cheer on with this series, why not plump for Sergeant Lynette Bishop, Britannia's only member of the 501st Joint Fighter Wing and the squadron's sharp-shooter, who holds the ability to insert magical power into the shots that she fires, thus super-charging them to effectively make them armour-piercing when dealing with the Neuroi.

Unsurprisingly, her Striker Unit is based upon the RAF's Spitfire single-seat fighter, while her real-life counterpart is the Canadian World War I ace William "Billy" Bishop, believed to be the British Empires top ace with seventy-two victories to his name.  While the real life Bishop's no-holds barred flying style hardly matches Lynette's personality, his move to focusing on surprise attacks later in the war does, with Lynette Bishop's ability to pick out and fire on a target from a great distance matching Billy Bishop's prowess at picking out targets from a ridiculous range.