‘Ichi the Witch’ Manga Writer, Illustrator Talk About Working Together, Creating World of 1st ‘Male Witch’

By Yayoi Kawatoko / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

11:00 JST, March 20, 2026

After obtaining magical powers, a boy becomes the first “male witch” in the manga “Madan no Ichi” (“Ichi the Witch”), which has been serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump since 2024.

The manga, published by Shueisha Inc., has released more than 1.5 million copies, including digital editions. It has also won the top prize in the comics category of the Next Manga Awards.

In “Ichi the Witch,” magic exists as living things called majiks, which have supernatural powers that can be obtained by overcoming trials.

Although those who can obtain powers to become witches were limited to women, the male protagonist Ichi, a former hunter, accidentally obtains King Majik Uroro, becoming the first male witch.

The Yomiuri Shimbun spoke with Osamu Nishi, who writes the story, and Shiro Usazaki, who is the illustrator, to learn about how they developed the manga.

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The Yomiuri Shimbun: How did you come up with the idea for the story?

Osamu Nishi: I wondered why there is no word (in Japan) that corresponds to the male version of a witch.

Initially, I had two boys as the protagonists — one wants to become a witch and the other a knight who protects the witch. But then I thought that a world in which magic exists as living entities would be more interesting.

I made Ichi as someone who only cares about hunting, thinking that a protagonist with a unique character would make the story more interesting.

Yomiuri: Ichi has a unique way of looking at life and death. When he fights majiks and other characters, he does not try to kill them as long as they don’t try to kill him.

Nishi: Ichi really doesn’t have anything. He doesn’t have dreams or anything in particular he wants to do. He just lives day by day. So, I made his idea on life and death be something that expresses himself, something straightforward, similar to the “eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth” principle from the Code of Hammurabi.

But I still don’t know whether the concept is right for Ichi. It’s kind of a dangerous idea. It might be fun to see how he grows and changes.

Yomiuri: How do you try to express Nishi’s storyboards through art?

Shiro Usazaki: With Nishi’s storyboards, I can clearly visualize the composition and direction of the manga. As the readers see the characters’ faces the most, [I try to draw them in a way so that readers] don’t feel stressed and can develop a real affinity for the characters.

I also think it’s important to draw in a way that conveys necessary information — without noise — and properly communicate what I find interesting to the readers.

Since it is a fantasy, I try to express the world in a lavish way. Although I’m exhausted every week, I’m having fun working on the manga.

Yomiuri: Where did you get the idea of the majiks depicted in the manga?

Nishi: I depict majiks featuring such things as fire, wood and ice, which can be easily used for attacking. I create majiks that are really exciting for readers to see and use kanji for their names.

The majiks can be something related to animals or some phenomenon to make it easier for young children to understand.

Yomiuri: What is the idea behind King Majik, which Ichi obtains first?

Nishi: I thought, “Why don’t I make something like a boss character [that usually only comes out at the climax of a manga or game] and make it appear early on in the manga?”

The first time King Majik appears, I wanted to make a scene that is similar to one in “Howl’s Moving Castle.” So, it’s a large creature that has a powerful presence and is seen breathing among the trees. It was Usazaki’s idea to make him sit on a throne.

Yomiuri: How did you get the idea for the similarly distinctive World-Hater Majik?

Nishi: Initially, I thought about creating a boy who is about the same age as Ichi but looks like the complete opposite. In the storyboards, the boy was laughing and had a sweet smile. But I jumped on Usazaki’s design of a cold-eyed boy who wasn’t smiling.

Yomiuri: You two are in perfect harmony. How did you decide to work together?

Nishi: As my manga, “Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun,” was already serialized in Shukan Shonen Champion manga magazine, I told [the Shueisha] editors that I want Usazaki to handle the art for “Ichi the Witch” after I had made storyboards to a certain extent.

Usazaki: I was drawing storyboards myself at the time, but I told them that I wanted to meet with Nishi after receiving the offer.

Nishi’s storyboards were really interesting. I thought I would regret it if someone else ended up drawing “Ichi the Witch.”

Nishi: As a creator, I always wanted to work for Weekly Shonen Jump. Having Usazaki handle the art for “Ichi the Witch” in Weekly Shonen Jump is the ideal scenario. It was realized after I took a step forward. The magazine gave me an incredible stage.

“Iruma-kun” has been serialized for about eight years, so it’s stable. But regarding Weekly Shonen Jump, I think I’ll pay the price if I let my guard down.

It is incredibly stimulating, and I’m really glad that I’ve been able to work for the magazine. I’ve been able to put a lot of energy into it.

Usazaki: It’s amazing that you still put so much energy into it even after having a manga that has been serialized for eight years (laughs).