Witch

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Witches (魔女, Majo; also "Witchkind") are magical humanoids with a natural destructive instinct.^[2]

History

Early history

Witchkind first emerged shortly after the emergence of the new world created by Shinra Kusakabe due to the migration from the old world creating random changes within inhabitants regarding their nature. Among those changed, former human Inca Kasugatani being among the, if not, first of the witches to appear. She claimed she would cause destruction until Shinra agreed to allow her to bear his children due to his status as hero.^[3]

Creation of the Demon Weapons

Eight hundred years prior to the current era, the breadth of control exhibited by witches was more expansive compared to later centuries and exhibited more destructive power and craftiness, requiring the Eight Shinigami Legions to intervene with a new power as a countermeasure. This led to the design of demon weapons, humans who can transform into weaponry in which was modelled after the legendary weapon, Excalibur. Deeming it too inhuman to perform due to requiring witch souls as the biding force between weapon and human, Death and Eibon ceased further testing and sealed the knowledge away. Arachne would later perform the experiment, manufacturing them in vast quantities, causing her to be marked for death by her own kind and Death alike. Nevertheless, the Legion and it's later successor, Death Weapon Meister Academy, made use of the demon weapons. Overtime, this act caused further division between meisters of the academy and witchkind alike, making them bitter enemies.^[2]

Overview

Characteristics

The physical appearance of witches can vary, but they typically resemble human females. However, certain witches may exhibit animal-like features corresponding to their chosen animal theme. Furthermore, the soul wavelength of a witch is also distinguishable, though it cannot be physically seen and is instead sensed.^[4]

Compatibility

Witches are capable of engaging in sexual reproduction like that of a human. Despite the strife between humans and witchkind, witches may still engage and produce offspring with them. From the example of Crona, it is entirely possible for a union between a witch and another to result in a completely human child.^[5]

The average age in which a witch loses their virginity in the Witch Order is expressed to be 50 years old.^[1]

Racial strife

Eight hundred years ago, the Witches' control in general was far more spread with them using their power to cause great destruction, especially among humans. However, the DWMA's efforts as well as the creation and usage of demon weapons to even the playing field by using their own power against them have caused the witches to lose the upper-hand for a long time and as a result, has forced them to retreat into an isolated space: the Witches' Realm. The destruction from the Witches has caused a strife between both humans and witches alike that has lasted for over eight centuries.^[6]

According to Death the Kid, the racial feud is the result of the generational hatred from the witches. The hatred, in addition, stems mostly from the older generation rather than the new generation of Witches.^[1]

Strife with humans

The general population of humanity is distrustful of witches from previous attempts of causing destruction, giving them infamy as to be regarded as powerful, intimidating, and cunning. This prejudice extends to even select personnel of Death Weapon Meister Academy, causing other witches in hiding to shield their witch heritage with soul protect. However, this level of prejudice isn't prevalent among the upper echelons of DWMA personnel, whom are more aware of the history behind witches.^[7]

Witches in general don't hold humans (demon weapons included) in high regard, many harboring hatred for humanity due to their souls being hunted by humans; due to the usage of witch souls by the DWMA as a countermeasure against their magical powers and previous battles causing witches to be isolated into the Witches' Realm for survival, their hatred of humanity runs deep.^[1][8]

After the battle on the Moon and the Clown Army, in which marked the first time humans and witches banded together against a common threat, Death the Kid sought to improve relations between witches and humans alike.^[9]

Strife with grim reapers

Similarly to humans, witches have also facilitated an immense hatred for grim reapers, much due to a false perception of being inherently incompatible and unable to coexist, with the grim reaper's objective for a more orderly world and their pull of magic giving rise to their destructive instincts, seen as an antithesis of the former's objective.^[1][8] Witches are unaware of the grim reaper's roles of actually presiding over balance.^[10]

Their strife with grim reapers has caused witches to adopt several prejudices, including the Witch Order deeming being a grim reaper a crime punishable by a million deaths, being a more severe crime than those done against the acting witch queen of the Witch Order. Witches also deem the idea of pursuing a relationship with a grim reaper a degenerate act.^[1][8]

After Asura's defeat on the moon, Death the Kid's goal of improving relations between humans and witchkind alike also seemingly improves their viewpoints on grim reapers.^[11]

Countermeasures against Witches

Originally eight centuries ago, evil witches that threaten world order were occasionally hunted by Death himself and later the Eight Reaper Legions, similarly to evil humans. Grim reapers were seen as figures responsible for investigating witch-related matters as such.^[12]

After the dissolution of the Eight Reaper Legions and the founding of Death Weapon Meister Academy, countermeasures against witches changed; because of inclusion of the demon weapons in their ranks, the academy began using the souls of evil witches in order to make demon weapons into death scythe (or "true demon weapons") in order to better fight back against the threats of other witches, a decision that deepened the hatred between the Witch Order and Death Weapon Meister Academy.^[13] This countermeasure by DWMA later abolished by Death the Kid in an effort to establish better relations.^[11]

In the modern era, the countermeasures developed by DWMA forces would later move and be headed by those within the DWMA Central Intelligence Agency, in which can only be officially sanctioned by obtaining an execution order from an acting headmaster of DWMA, a role only meant for a grim reaper, after proof has been presented.^[14][12] Witch suspects are added to the Criminal Witch List.^[15]

Types of Witches

Witches are classified by their type and capability;

Skill type

• Necromancer (死霊使い(ネクロマンサー), Nekuromansā): A witch who specializes in reviving the dead as a mummy or evil spirit.^[16]
• Short-Range Witch (近距離型魔女, Kinkyori-Gata Majo): Witches capable of fighting in close combat.^[17]

Animal type

• Tanuki Witch (タヌキの魔女, Tanuki no Majo): Witches who can transform into tanukis (Japanese raccoon dogs) and are considered masters of regeneration, making them users of Regeneration Magic. These witches are looked down upon in the Witch Order due to lacking influences from the pull of magic instinct.^[18]

Power type

• Little Witch (チビ魔女, Chibi Majo): A witch who is young and inexperienced, thus still developing her magical powers.^[19]
• Powerful Witch (上級魔女, Jōkyū Majo): A witch with high magical power and is capable of contending with other, high caliber opponents.^[20]

Factions

Throughout the world, there are various groups and clans consisting of witches, with each having different goals, ideologies and even possessing their own standards for society. Some of these groups either are exclusively witch or have accepted witches among their ranks.^[21]

Witch-based organizations and groups

Witch-based families and clans

Special Abilities

Although many witches possess various unique traits and abilities, the majority share common abilities.

• Magic (魔法, Mahō): Witches are most renowned for their ability to manipulate the almost limitless energy known as magic.^[22]
• Transformation (変身, Henshin): Many witches possess the ability to transform into animals of their according theme (often employing Transformation Magic).^[23] However, this is not an ability all witches share, such as Medusa Gorgon, who utilizes other means to enter animals.^[24]
• Magic Sense: Some witches have shown proficiency in sensing the magical power within other beings possessing magic.^[25]
• Longevity: Witches are far more "long-lived" than humans, with many surpassing the century mark. Because of this, it's often difficult to gauge a witch's actual age from her appearance.^[26] It seems that witches age at a normal rate until a certain point in age before slowing down.^[27] Even witches over 800 years old, such as Arachne, can retain a youthful appearance. Despite appearance, however, the effects of aging are still apparent on the body.^[28]

Common Magics

Certain magics are independent of the theme of a witch and are learned among the race:

• Manipulation Magic (操作系の魔法, Sōsakei no Mahō): Many witches are skilled in using manipulation magic one way or another, enabling them to perform mind control with their magic. The usage is common enough for DWMA Central Intelligence Agency to have an archive of known witches specializing in mind control.^[29]
• Calculation Spells (演算魔法, Enzan Mahō): Mathematics-related magic which creates "place-makers" for positioning specific magics, such as spatial magic.^[30] This magic was founded upon by the Sorcerer, Rerené Descartes^[31], and witches differ in their skills of using math.^[32]
• Magic Calculation (マジックカリキュレーション, Majikku Karikureshon): The spell that evokes the effects of calculation spells.^[33]
• Transformation Magic (変身魔法, Henshin Mahō): Magic that allows witches to transform their appearance. Witches use this particular skill to transform themselves into their general animal theme.^[4]

Advance Magic

Among witches, there are magics considered advance. Depending on the scale of magics, the most powerful of advance magics come with a drawback of being only to be potentially held at an hour max:^[34]

• Independent Cube (無干渉領域(インディペンデント・キューブ), Indipendento Kyūbu):A high-level spell in which allows a Witch with spatial magic to be able to cut off space within a given area from all other worlds. However, due to the power needed to perform this spell, a practitioner can only hold the magic in place for an hour at max.^[34]
• Soul Protect (ソウルプロテクト, Souru Purotekuto):A High-Level Spell capable of disguising a witch's soul to that of an ordinary good human. The spell was created to counter the technique, soul perception.^[35]

Rare Magic

• Regeneration Magic (再生魔法, Saisei Mahō): Magic that specializes in healing.^[36] Due to the magic's nature being opposite of the witches' destructive-inclination instinct known as the "pull of magic", the magic is considered to be taboo among witches. Tanuki witches are known for performing this magic.^[36]

Specialized Soul Wavelengths

Even among witches, these beings can attain a certain specialized Soul Wavelengths:

• Madness Wavelength (狂気の波長, Kyōki no hachō): A madness wavelength is a special wavelength that is a powerful draw towards Madness.^[37] A witch that develops a madness wavelength will facilitate their own variant of madness "force" based on personality. (e.x Arachne's own variant of madness invades other's mind and insecurities. This sensation is described as spiders eating away at the mind.)^[38]

Weaknesses

Techniques originating from the Great Traditional Techniques of the Scythe-Meister, such as the Witch-Hunt, are moves tailored to kill witches, especially the evil ones.^[39] When captured, witches are also gagged to prevent the usage of spells, especially those who require chants or are already under Soul Protect.^[40] When forcing witches to cooperate, the DWMA also employs the usage of a special Collar which is set to explode and kill the wearer should they try anything against the DWMA's wishes.^[41]

List of known witches

Trivia

• The written language used by witch is known as "witch text".^[45]
• In the Yen Press English translation, Tezca Tlipoca refers to a "Fifth Power," later revealed to be the witches.^[46] A fifth power, or "quintessence," may refer to the Fifth Element or the Aether, an element beyond the conventional four: air, fire, earth, and water. The quintessence also may refer to a hypothetical form of dark energy.^[47] Based on witches' closeness to dark magic and their operation outside of a normal world, Tezca's potentially unintentional comparison of witches to the Aether and Dark Energy is apt.
• Part of a duty of a Death God seems to include investigating Witch-related incidents. While Death himself was the individual who performed this task, it has since been delegated to Death the Kid.^[12]

References

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