I’ve just completed Ichi The Witch Volume 1 and I’m disappointed. I’m disappointed in myself for sleeping on such a good story.
Ichi the Witch is a Shonen title written by Osamu Nishi and drawn by Shiro Usazaki. Initially released 9/8/2024, it is consistently on the Manga Plus App’s top ten hottest manga. It has 1.5 million copies in circulation as of February 2026.
Ichi The Witch’s Premise
In a world where mystical creatures exist, named Majiks, Witches are tasked with completing their trials to capture them and obtain their powers. The twist is, witches can only be women.
Ichi, a young man abandoned on the mountains as a baby, possesses the skills of a hunter. One day a witch named Desscaras finds herself within the grasp of the most elusive Majik, Uroro the king majik. His trial is that he can only be killed by a man.
Ichi kills Uroro, saves Desscaras, and obtains King magic. He is the only man in history to become a witch and must navigate the world of witchcraft while being such an anomaly.
Ichi the Witch’s Fresh Perspective
The first thing that attracted me to this series was the fact that the writer and artist are a female duo. I have never read a manga made by women and I was looking to experience a new perspective. In most Shonen I’ve read, the men are 99.99% of the focus. In this story, Ichi is the only man of importance so far and it’s been interesting to see how the writer has handled him.
I still don’t know much about Ichi and I feel as though it’s not because it hasn’t been touched on, but because there’s nothing to know at the moment anyway. Because Ichi grew up alone in the mountains, there isn’t much to him when it comes to his feelings towards other people.
99! Evil Eye – Weekend Weebs
Ichi’s Mindset
Ichi cares deeply about nature and animals. He doesn’t believe in hunting for sport. Killing should always have a purpose. “Death for death” Ichi says often. It should be because you need to eat or because you are defending yourself. Despite those beliefs, Ichi still enjoys hunting immensely. His thirst for hunting is the main reason he even agreed to join Desscaras. Hunting Majiks has been exciting for him.
Hunting humans seems to not be a priority right now. Uroro has tried to persuade Ichi multiple times to take Majiks’ side and hunt witches. Ichi hasn’t considered it at all. I don’t believe it’s because Ichi wouldn’t kill humans, but because Majiks simply don’t align with his morals. So far the Majiks that have been presented are objectively evil. They kill for entertainment.
When Desscaras seemed like a threat, Ichi didn’t hesitate to turn his knife on her. Which tells me that he has no qualms about killing people if need be. So far there’s no evidence that he has ever killed a person. I’m sure there will be a point in the story where a person is the enemy. It was also mentioned that there are Majiks that assist people willingly, so I’m interested to see that interaction as well.
Kumugi just joined Ichi and Desscaras, forming team Desscaras. Their team reminds me of the Demon Slayer trio: Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and Inosuke.
Ichi would be Tanjiro. The epitome of neutral good. Kumugi would be Zenitsu. She’s constantly anxious but actually very dependable. Desscaras is Inosuke. A bit full of themselves and can come off as rude but is a kind person at their core.
There are a few other named characters like the analytical witch and the magical equipment merchant. I’m interested to know more about the witch that Desscaras answers to. They seem to be the boss. The two girls that knew Ichi and left the village are also of interest.
So far I’m enjoying the story. It’s been a fun read. It’s a good first volume and I’m hoping to get more lore in the next volume. All the witches have been either positive or neutral towards Ichi. I’d love to see a negative witch.
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