Did You Know ‘Witchblade’ Has An Anime Adaptation?

It isn’t often you see a comic book get an anime adaptation, but it has happened. Marvel has famously pushed forward anime series for Iron Man and Wolverine, but Image Comics has done the same. After all, Witchblade does have an anime.

No, really — it does. It is as violent and pro-nudity as you would expect.

In April 2006, the surprising adaptation went live in the US. The anime was dubbed into English and aired on cable network in the early morning thanks to its mature content. Produced by Studio Gonzo, the comic book-based anime takes its liberties with Witchblade, but fans of the original series can see where the two projects connect.

Rather than adapting Witchblade from the start, the anime houses an original story and characters. The series is set in the same continuity as the Image comic, but fans continue to grapple with its canonical status. When Studio Gonzo was promoting the series, the company confirmed its lead was not once of the previous Witchblade holders.

Witchblade‘s story goes a bit like this: Masane Amaha finds herself in possession of the Witchblade after the kind girls loses her memories after the Great Quake hit Tokyo. Found uninjured aside from her amnesia, the heroine comes back to Tokyo years later with her daughter in tow as the young girl was found in Masane’s arms after the incident. However, things become difficult when Child Welfare Services begin looking into Masane’s past, and the lead becomes entangled with a secretive government agency. Luckily, she discovers she can wield an ancient weapon known as the Witchblade to protect herself.

Of course, there are plenty of fans who do enjoy the anime adaptation. Its clone-centric villains may be a bit much, but Witchblade does follow the comic’s premise. The Image title has debuted its share of Witchblade wielders over the years, and Masane happens to be one of them. The series received yet another carrier when Kodansha licensed a manga adaptation of Witchblade in 2006. The one-off title tells the story of Takeru Ibaraki, a high school girl whose recurring nightmares about the Witchblade lead her to acquire the coveted weapon.

Have you seen Witchblade‘s anime yet? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics, k-pop, and anime!