is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Lynn Okamoto. It was serialized in Shueisha's manga magazine Weekly Young Jump from January 2012 to March 2016, with its chapters collected in 18 volumes. The series follows Ryouta Murakami, a young boy obsessed with proving that aliens exist, who sees someone that looks just like his deceased girlfriend. An anime television series adaptation by Arms aired between April and June 2014.
Plot Ryouta Murakami along with his childhood friend, Kuroneko set out to search for signs of alien life. Although Ryouta is skeptical about her theory, Kuroneko insists that aliens are real. During their search, an accident occurs which gravely injures Ryouta and kills Kuroneko. Due to his strong memory, Ryouta cannot forget about Kuroneko. Since then, he has been continuously staring at the night sky in order to prove that aliens exist, and also to fulfill Kuroneko's dying wish.
Ten years later, Ryouta is a top student at his school and the sole member of the Astronomy Club, but he is taken aback when a new transfer student named "Neko Kuroha" arrives in his class. She bears a striking resemblance to Ryouta's dead childhood friend, although she dismisses the fact as a bluff. Ryouta later notices something amiss about Neko: First, when a student is miraculously saved after nearly drowning by a mysterious force; and later when Neko predicts that Ryouta will also die and displays superhuman strength when saving him. It is then revealed that Neko is a witch who escaped from an alien research lab.
Ryouta becomes a part of Neko's life, learning more about her dilemma and the hidden forces that exist in the universe. As he sinks deeper and deeper into a world of magic and artificially created witches, Ryouta must use any means necessary to preserve and shelter other escaped witches and allow them to live normally, despite knowing the scientists of the lab would kill any outsiders involved.
Characters Astronomy Club
Ryouta is a high school astronomy club president with a photographic memory, stemming from his connection to the Edda through Vingulf experiments. Bound by a childhood promise to Kuroneko (Neko), he shelters magic-users in an abandoned observatory while seeking "Death Suppressants" to delay their Hatching process. After Valkyria's incident, he struggles to restore Neko's memories. Kidnapped by Vingulf, Ryouta discovers his experimental origins and shortened lifespan. After his and Neko's final confrontation with Loki, the two join together in Edda permanently, where they encounter a child resembling Kazumi.
Neko is a B-rank magic-user with telekinetic abilities, capable of destroying inorganic matter. Identical to Ryouta's presumed-deceased childhood friend Kuroneko (confirmed by a three-dot birthmark), she bears research number 7620. Memory loss accompanies her power usage, prompting Ryouta to limit its activation. As astronomy club vice-president, she privately enjoys singing while researching constellation totals. Her true nature emerges as a prototype Valkyria with latent SS-rank powers, potentially the sought-after Brynhildr. This awakening grants Mako-like abilities, including micro black hole creation used to defeat anti-matter—ran exertion that erases all memories. The amnesiac Neko initially treats Ryouta coldly until rediscovering emotions through her past writings. After her and Ryouta's final confrontation with Loki, the two join together in Edda permanently, where they encounter a child resembling Kazumi.
Kana, research number 4010, is a paralyzed C-rank magic-user who foresees imminent deaths through her left hand. She communicates via voice synthesizer and consumes liquefied food. Initially hostile, she gradually warms to Ryouta's group while serving as their club mascot. Though capable of movement (as noted by Kazumi), she remains immobilized to preserve her power for protecting Neko. After activating her harness' top button, she regains mobility at the cost of foresight, though later develops precise crisis premonitions. Her bond with Mina eventually surpasses her loyalty to Ryouta.
Kazumi (research number 2670) is a B-rank magic-user specializing in rapid computer hacking and decryption. A half-Austrian who speaks Kansai dialect, she infiltrates Ryouta's school and club. Though prone to lewd behavior and sensitive about her physique, she develops genuine feelings for Ryouta, wishing to bear his child as existential proof. Her true abilities exceed AAA-rank classification. During Loki's assault, she sacrifices herself by hacking Edda's genetic memory—reducing Ryouta to instinctual behavior while her body dissolves. She ultimately survives this ordeal.
Kotori (research number 1107) is a B-rank magic-user specializing in spatial transposition, effectively teleporting objects while nullifying their kinetic energy. A clumsy but optimistic cook, she joins Ryouta's astronomy club. The institute targets her as a potential existential threat, later proven when her latent abilities emerge: the Grane-based magic negation and the apocalyptic "Ain Soph Aur" light that merges all cellular life. She activates this final ability to save the world through self-ejection. Her origin as an alien vessel is revealed posthumously, with a clone briefly assisting the astronomy club before perishing.
Hatsuna is an A-rank magic-user with potent regenerative abilities, capable of restoring fatal injuries to herself or others within a five-minute window. Her power enables complete regeneration from just her harness, making her virtually indestructible unless deprived of medication or ejected. After testing Ryouta's loyalty, she develops strong affection for him and becomes vital to the astronomy club's survival. She forms a bond with classmate Takaya, but upon hatching, she kills him when he intervenes. Makina destroys her body, though her surviving Drasil unexpectedly revives both herself and Takaya.
Vingulf A Sorcerian secret research organization that discovered alien remains in Germany in 1910 through a joint operation involving gold miners and Ryouta's great-grandfather, a Japanese geologist. Rather than disclosing the finding, the group initiated classified studies aimed at achieving divine annihilation. Relocating to Japan during World War II, the organization established autonomous operations. It currently maintains research subject A008 and Loki in incubation for their role in humanity's prophesied transformation.
The chief professor overseeing magic-user experiments, he views B-rank subjects as failures and pursues perfect alien specimens at any cost. A protease enzyme developer in college, he leads the retrieval of Kotori. Initially unaware of Ryouta's involvement, he confirms it through Mako. His sole empathy is shown toward his deceased sister , whose brain he implants into Kotori's Grane harness against orders. He dies shielding Mako from gunfire.
A research staff member initially sympathetic toward magic-users, valued by Chisato for his intellect. After failing to capture fugitive B-rank subjects, he is dismissed and survives an assassination attempt that causes brain damage. Abducted from hospitalization by Mina, he later recovers and locates the magic-users' hideout, demonstrating unexpected combat prowess against Takaya. Upon learning of Nanami's forgiveness and Chisato's death, he abandons his mission and joins Hexenjagd at Miki's invitation.
A newly-appointed employee placed to work at the Vingulf research lab. Not suitable for the job, however, she finds sympathy with the aliens and magic-users. She teams with Kazumi and the astronomy club during their infiltration inside the institute.
A woman who is Chisato's replacement and acquainted with the higher-ups. She has a sadistic and nearly bipolar personality and is also a magic-user with a harness just like that of Valkyria. It is shown that she can negate anti-matters. She has a shadowy objective when literally sending out magic-users that are about to hatch and ensure chaos. Onodera intends to use Valkyria to shape the world.
Makina, originally named Yuuta Murakami, is Ryouta's presumed-deceased younger brother and Sorcerian's prototype hybrid. His unstable physiology deteriorates outside controlled environments. Possessing superior destructive and teleportation abilities beyond Valkyria, he attempts to claim Neko, triggering conflict with Ryouta. During a global broadcast, he assassinates the President of the United States to prevent alien disclosure, aspiring to become humanity's new Adam. After Sorcerian's revival renders him obsolete, he is consumed. Vingulf subsequently reveals Ryouta as his designated replacement.
Takachiho, father of Makina and Ryouta, leads Vingulf while maintaining a fabricated death. He controls Sorcerian—the conscious origin of all Drasils—which awaited a Valkyria before acting. His objective is reviving Loki to annihilate and remake humanity, for which purpose he engineered his sons as alien-human hybrids. Though claiming paternal care for Ryouta while indoctrinating him with religious concepts, Takachiho is ultimately killed by Loki.
Other Witches
Nanami (research number 5210), a soft-spoken AA-rank magic-user with memory manipulation abilities, develops admiration for Ryouta's observational skills. After her physical form dissolves from harness ejection, she persists as a consciousness within Ryouta's mind, manifesting during critical moments. Her illusions grow tangible over time, including an Aphrodite projection, though this cognitive occupation dangerously expands. To preserve Ryouta's life, she guides him to document essential Vingulf intelligence before erasing herself from his memory, resulting in her complete termination—retained only as a name in Ryouta's recollection.
Kikako (research number 5010), an AA-rank magic-user designated "Bombardment Unit", fires destructive energy beams from her mouth for assassinations. Defeated when Kotori binds herself to a pole and swaps their positions, Kikako is returned to the lab. Though promised clemency for mission completion, she faces violent interrogation about the Kotori encounter.
An AA-rank hybrid magic-user with two types of magic: Being able to slice anything within a 3-meter radius around herself, and manipulating time by one minute; although it will cause her to hang up immediately. Her research number is 6001. She dies after failing to kill Neko, melting away after her harness is ejected.
An AAA-rank magic-user. She possesses the power of technopathy and has computer hacking skills akin to Kazumi, even being implied to be the most powerful in that regard. Chisato gave Freya a room full of video games in exchange for her cooperation and is now under the care of Yuki. Freya briefly engages in a battle against Kazumi.
Codenamed Skadi. The strongest AAA-rank magic-user. She possesses the power of foresight, much like Kana. The difference between their abilities though is that Mizuka sees the future via her dreams and can peer further than Kana as well as with an accuracy of 100%. However, much like that of Kana, Mizuka's body also suffered a massive penalty for this power and is unable to move nor hear. Mizuka bonds with Yuki. In a future dream, she gives Kazumi options as to which future she wishes to choose. Using the last of her power, she melts the moment she informs Kurofuku of Kotori's whereabouts. It is presumed that Mizuka predicted the entire series' events.