Creation
Witchblade was created by Marc Silvestri, David Wohl, Brian Haberlin and Michael Turner.
The Witchblade first appeared in Cyblade / Shi #1, with a backup story dedicated to its origin, but this origin was ignored with the launch of the Witchblade ongoing series.
Origin
In the Top Cow Universe, there are 13 Artifacts that are older than the known universe. The Witchblade is the offspring of two of those artifacts, The Darkness and The Angelus. The Darkness represented Chaos and Darkness while the Angelus represented Light and Order. Throughout the years they have been at war with each other and constantly try to kill the other wielder.
The Witchblade was created as a balance between the two opposing forces. The Witchblade is a male and as such it requires a female host. It first crashed like a meteorite on Earth near the beginning of when the Earth formed. The Witchblade was soon discovered by Una, who would become the very first woman to wield the Witchblade.
The Witchblade would eventually have to change hosts as time went by. Eventually it would be discovered by Kenneth Irons in the present,who had sought it for years and yearned to wield it. However, the Witchblade itself chooses who shall wield it’s power so it chose NYPD detective Sara Pezzini. Some time after Sara acquired the witchblade it and the Darkness ended up in the hands of Ian Nottingham. Ian lost the Darkness but managed to maintain ownership of the Witchblade until Sara managed to rest it from him.
Seeking an ancient weapon on par with the Witchblade, Nottingham eventually discovered Excalibur, the female version of the Witchblade (Golden as opposed to Gray). In reality Excalibur was the second half of the Witchblade and Sara absorbed the weapon merging the two halves.
Sara hosted the Witchblade until she discovered she was pregnant. She then transferred ownership of the Witchblade to Danielle Baptiste, a dancer and the daughter of her police captain. Dani was the witchblade’s host until Sara almost died in childbirth. The Witchblade decided to split into two parts again. Danielle retained the Angelus aspect of the Witchblade (Signified by its Blue Gem) while Sara gained the Darkness aspect of the Witchblade (Signified by its Red Gem).
Eventually Sara would succumb to the dark nature of her half of the Witchblade and she battled Danielle, fatally wounding her, and regaining ownership of the whole Witchblade. Danielle was granted the Angelus Force and she used it to rebalance the Witchblade and purge Sara of her dark aspect.
Character Evolution
Witchblade Wielders In Chronological Order
Una (First Wielder)
The first wielder of the Witchblade dates back to prehistoric times. The cavewoman Una discovered it when it crashed like a meteor onto Earth. Accompanied by her pet saber tooth tiger, she went to investigate. However, Una quickly discovered that it was no ordinary meteor, but a living organism that reached out and bonded with her. And so, this was the beginning for the Witchblade on Earth. Una became to first bearer of the Witchblade and the first to struggle for power against it.
Princess Raquel (Egypt 1000 B.C.)
Raquel was a Princess in Ancient Egypt who was betrothed (arranged marriage) to Prince Sallah since her birth. Right before their wedding, Raquel discovered Sallah having an affair with a cat goddess named Bastet. Raquel warned Sallah of the consequences for mingling with the Gods, but he ignored her. Raquel became desperate and prayed to Anubis to stop Sallah. Anubis directed Raquel to a cave that was holding the Witchblade. Now bonded with the Witchblade, Raquel was able to trap Bastet’s soul in a statue. However, Sallah had been giving immortality from Bastet and became enraged with what Raquel had done to his lover. He ends up killing Raquel with his bare hands and stores Bastet away until he can find a way to revive her. Three Thousand years later Bastet was revived by Sallah, and Bastet wants revenge against the Witchblade, despite the new user to be Sara Pezzini and not Princess Raquel.
Lysandra (Greece 7th century B.C.)
A peasant girl from Athens during the time of Ancient Greece, Lysandra became determined to find Mount Olympus so she could speak to the Olympian Gods. She eventually located Mount Olympus and climbed it, only to discover an organic glove rather than Gods. When the glove called out her name, she knew it was her destiny to put it on. Thus Lysandra became the next bearer of the Witchblade.
Cleopatra (Egypt c. 30 B.C.)
The classical Egyptian queen Cleopatra is revealed to be one of the Witchblade wielders in the past.
Scáthach (Scotland unknown century B.C.)
The Celtic warrior goddess Scáthach (also the patron goddess of Hyrkania and Red Sonja) was revealed to be a former Witchblade wielder in the Witchblade/Red Sonja crossover series.
Nissa (2nd century)
Nissa met with the Hyrkanian warrior woman Red Sonja on one of her trips to vanquish evil. Nissa was impaled by an fallen angel Ragniel, but Red Sonja saved her, and the Witchblade chose Red Sonja as a temporary wielder. Afterwards, Red Sonja ordered the Witchblade back to Nissa. Nissa also fought alongside of the Devi, in her first battle against Tama. Nissa again was ran through with a sword and seemingly lost her life there.
Red Sonja (2nd Century)
After Ragniel had badly wounded Nissa, possession of the Witchblade temporarily passed over to Red Sonja. She first used its power to save Nissa and herself from an attack by giant wormlike creatures. It later aided Sonja in retrieving her lost sword. Before parting ways, Red Sonja made a deal with the Witchblade to hide memories of her sword from Nissa, so that in the future, Sara Pezzini would learn what she needed to at the precise moment.
Samantha (Rome c. 229 A.D.)
Samantha lived in a ‘barbarian’ village during the time of the Roman Empire. Her village was attacked by Romans and she was sold to slavery. Samantha tried to contact her lost family by smuggling letters, but she was soon caught and thrown in a dungeon. She eventually escaped and began wandering the world. Samantha did not know how to survive on her own, but was fortunate to be discovered by Druids passing by. They took her in, trained her, and gave her the Witchblade. The Druids believed in a prophecy that stated Samantha would soon rid their lands of the Romans. Samantha returned to her village and used the Witchblade to kill Roman soldiers trying to rape a young girl. She was later caught, but initially refused to use the Witchblade in self-defense as the Romans would have branded her a witch. She was sentenced to death but just before her execution, she decided to use the Witchblade again and ended up destroying her village along with all the Romans in it. Samantha then continued her mission to bring the Romans to justice.
Zara, Queen of Bones (England 359 A.D.)
Zara was half demon and a conqueror. She fought Kideon, who wielded Sword of Lucifer, and defeated him. Merlin approached her and made a deal with her, but betrayed her later. She was eventually killed by Butcher Knight.
Cathain
Septima Zenobia
Leung Lin Yao (China 722 A.D.)
A myth emerged in Ancient China which spoke of a powerful woman who wore a gauntlet that resembled a dragon. She was so powerful that she was able to train an actual dragon and summon it at will. She was also rumored to have single-handedly forced the Mongols to abort their invasion of China at the Great Wall of China.
Itagaki
Katarina Godliffe (1175-1178 Medieval England) and (Present Chicago)
Katarina Godliffe was no ordinary woman; she was a thief, a treasure hunter, and an adventurer. However, when she was billed an excessive amount at a pub, she was forced to shovel manure to pay her debt. While shoveling, she digs up the Witchblade. Then a battle between the army of the Darkness and a Medieval Spawn ensued near Katarina, the Witchblade came to life and bonded with her. Katarina was able to defeat the army and began to team up with the Knight. Together, the two teamed with Katarina’s friend Stalker and went on a crusade to defeat all the Darkness in the world. When they defeated the Lord Cardinale, the knight then revealed to Katarina that they were lovers from another life. She laughed and went her separate ways along with Stalker to continue their treasure hunting.
The Witchblade abandoned her during a bar brawl in 1178 in which a child died, which led her to go the Faerie realm becoming a sheriff in the Faerie realm, 900 years later Katarina met Sara Pezzini in Faerie realm helping Sara stop Toio Mulranny who fled to Chicago with Katarina following him, during a fight in Chicago part of the Witchblade bonded with her, which she used to stop Alisa Spencer dying in the process.
Annabella Altavista (1213 Sicily)
Annabella was left to be raised by a religious organization called Emanuele. They were also given the “Hand of God” at the same time. After her 18th birthday, Annabella began questioning her life and about the “Hand of God” as it was never mentioned in the bible. After their members attacked their own religious group, Annabella was discovered and the rival religious group called Swamians began to look for her. The Emanuele tried to protect Annabella by wielding the “Hand of God” but were unsuccessful. Annabella decided to pick up the “Hand of God” and the Emanuele realize she can use it. Annabelle battled against the Swamians and defeated them. Annabella would become the people’s savior.
Maitea (1288 Yucatan)
Maitea was a Mayan priestess who came across the Witchblade. However, she did not understand why the blade came to her and chose her. She decided to perform rituals to learn more answers about the Witchblade. She had to do a human sacrifice, she began to prey and it seems that her prays have been answered. However, it was not the serpent god that she was looking for, it was the Angelus, the mother of the Witchblade. The Angelus was attempting to influence the Witchblade to tip the balance to the Angelus’ favor in order to defeat the Darkness. There was a rumor that the Witchblade possessed her and shortly after, all her people disappeared.
Amali (14th century, Arabia)
Shared the Witchblade with her sister Amani. They Both had half of the Witchblade and came at odds with each other.
Amani (14th century, Arabia)
Shared the Witchblade with her sister Amali. They Both had half of the Witchblade and came at odds with each other.
Joan of Arc (1429-1431 France)
Joan of Arc was a celebrated warrior that claimed to hear voices and sees visions from God. However, it was not God, it was actually the Witchblade talking to her. Joan used the Witchblade to end the Siege of Orleans to help the French in their war against England. Joan was supposedly burned to death on a stake on May 30, 1431. However, 5 years later she re-emerged in Paris. The person that burned on the stake was actually Joan’s lover named Gilles de Rais, he had sworn a blood oath to protect Joan at the cost of his own life. Joan changed her name to Joan of Armoises and wandered the world until one day, she mysteriously vanished along with the Witchblade and was never seen again.
Queen Kijani (1510 Timbuktu)
Queen Kijani was a Witchblade Wielder who ruled the lost city of Tombuto. Although Askia Mohammad I was seen as the ruler of that land, Queen Kijani was the real leader behind the scenes. While Mohammad controlled the land’s wealth, Kijani had all the power. Since she was a Witchblade wielder, she was able to defend her city without the aid of an army.
Queen Isabella
Shiori-sama (1632 Japan)
Shiori was the wife of Nabushige, the ruler of their kingdom. However, a man named Tsunemoto attacked their kingdom attempting to take it over. They killed Nabushige and Shiori was exiled from her own kingdom. She began wandering Japan and began having dreams of her husband’s murder and a blade calling her name. She decided to go look for it and befriend more female warriors along the way. They finally arrive at Mt. Kurama and Shiori discovers the Witchblade. She returns to her kingdom along with her new friends and attempt to retake her kingdom back. Shiori defeats Tsunemoto and is the ruler of her kingdom once again, defending it along with the female warriors.
Yuka-chan (1635 Japan)
Yuka was Shiori’s chosen successor, after she had a baby. Yuka-chan fought with a wielder of The Blood Sword do defend Shiori-sama. Blood Sword wielder came to get the Witchblade, as ordered by her master, but Yuka-chan was better than her and defeated her. Acting on her principle “Do not let enemy live, to act vengeance upon you” she killed the Blood Sword wielder and claimed her sword as her own.
Roxanne Laroque (17th Century France)
Disguised as a man, Roxanne became a feared Musketeer while wielding the Witchblade. When someone attempted to assassinate King Louis XIV, Roxanne came to defend him. However, during the fight her hat fell off and revealed that she was really a woman. Now that her gender was revealed, Roxanne left the Musketeers and disappeared. However, she would stay in France and defend the weak against criminals as a vigilante.
Anne Bonny (1718 The Caribbean)
When Anne Bonny was young, she met a pirate named Calico Jack Rackham. She joined him as a pirate even though women were not allowed to become pirates. Anne was a tough woman, in every fight she would go after the strongest man and defeat them. They would later steal a treasure map from their arch nemesis, Blackbeard. Anne and Rackham set off in their Jolly Roger ship and found the island. The treasure that was there was actually the Witchblade. Blackbeard followed them and would ambush them. Anne took the Witchblade and used it to save the crew from Blackbeard. Later, Blackbeard would attack them again on a ship battle. Anne used a pistol in one hand and the Witchblade on the other to defend against Blackbeard. In 1720 Anne and the others would be captured and sentenced to death. However, Anne revealed that she was pregnant and was sent to prison. She escaped from prison and rumor has it that she moved to the Carolinas to begin a new life.
Enola (1876 Western United States)
The wild west, a place where outlaws and lawmen were the power of the area. However, there were never any records written about an amazing gunslinger that was actually a woman. She was half Arapaho and half white, she wielded that Witchblade and was the most accurate gunner to ever live in the old west. She is a myth, and remained unbeaten in a duel.
Florence Nightingale
Marie Curie
Elizabeth Brontë
Bernadette (~1888 Paris)
Bernadette was a waitress in Paris who fought crime at night using the Witchblade. She was killed by Dorian Gray.
Josephine Valmont (1898 Paris)
An African woman of common lineage who mingled with Paris aristocracy, commanding their every gaze and desire. Her beauty was matched only by the grace with which she controlled the Witchblade. It is unknown how she found or gave up the Witchblade but it is certain that Kenneth Irons was involved.
Salifah Zayid (1904)
A thief who was hired to retrieve the Witchblade, and it bonded with her for a time.
Letty Swan (Late 19th Century Chicago)
Letty Swan was seen wielding the Witchblade and fighting alongside Darkness wielder Teo Estacado and Magdalena Charlotte. They trapped The Fountain underground back then. Letty Swan also had encountered a Banshee in her lifetime.
Tasya Federova (1942 Stalingrad, Russia)
A Witchblade wielder during World War 2. She defended Doroga Zhizni (The Road of Life) on the front line of the 900-day siege on Lenigrad. More then 600,000 people died in that 900 days, except for Tasya, who escaped with minor injuries.
Sara Pezzini (Present-day NewYork City)
New York police detective Sara Pezzini is the first wielder of the Witchblade to appear in comics, as well as the one most well-known to readers.
Taking a bullet for her partner while undergoing a dangerous investigation, Sara was mortally wounded. It was then that the Witchblade chose Sara as its new wielder, healing her wounds and giving her access to its power. Sara adventured with the Witchblade for many years. When she eventually became pregnant she decided she needed to give the Witchblade away, choosing ballet dancer Danielle Baptiste to become the Witchblade’s new host. Sara would then have died giving birth, but the Witchblade’s bond with her was strong and it decided to keep her alive by sending half of itself back to her. Sara became the wielder of one half of the Witchblade, with Danielle Baptiste wielding the other half. But the Witchblade does not like to be separated, leading to inevitable conflict between the two women.
Kenneth Irons – Present NYC
Kenneth Irons was obsessed with the Witchblade from the very first moments. He was the one who dug it up and took to New York. He tried to use it himself and it cost him his hand. He also told Dannette Boucher to try the Witchblade, but it rejected her too, but left behind a piece of it. He then searched a way to control the blade, marking himself with mystical symbols. When Sara Pezzini got the Witchblade, Kenneth managed to wield the Witchblade on for a brief moment before Sara took full control again.
Ian Nottingham (Present NYC/Japan)
Nottingham became a wielder of the Witchblade when Sara gave the blade to him willingly during Family Ties event. Nottingham gave into the Witchblade’s thirst for blood unlike Sara, and he was able to unleash the blade’s full power. Sara eventually retrieved the blade from him. He would later discover a weapon that was said to rival the Witchblade’s power named the Excalibur. Again Ian gave into the blood lust and used the powers more efficiently than Sara. But at the end Excalibur was revealed to be a part of Witchblade, and Sara took that weapon from him too.
Lara Croft (Present NYC)
In order to save the life of current host Sara Pezzini, the Witchblade chose famed British adventurer Lara Croft as a short-term wielder. When Sara decided to use the Witchblade to destroy a deadly machine built by the villainous Weave, the backlash caused an energy buildup within the Witchblade, incapacitating Sara. The Witchblade then turned to Lara Croft to complete the task. Lara succeeded in destroying the machine with the Witchblade but was killed by the resulting energy discharge. Lara was later brought back to life by Nehebkau, guardian of the underworld.
Kaylie (Present NYC)
When Sara Pezzini was suffering temporary amnesia, and was married to Wolverine, Kaylie had somehow got possession of the Witchblade. But she wasn’t in control. Sara Pezzini ordered the Witchblade back to her, and it listened.
Danielle Baptiste (Present NYC)
New York ballet dancer Danielle Baptiste met detective Sara Pezzini while shopping at an antique store, owned by the enigmatic Curator. Dani instantly recognized the Witchblade worn by Sara as the mysterious gauntlet seen in her dreams. When Sara offered the Witchblade to Dani she impulsively decided to accept it, since Sara wanted to give it up and Dani was looking for meaning in her life. The Witchblade later gave half of its power back to Sara, upon discovering the Darkness’ and Angelus’ plans to use the baby to end the eternal struggle between them.
Gerard Irons (Present NYC)
He is Kenneth Irons’ son and used ancient knowledge to take control of half of Witchblade. After defeating Sara Pezzini, he tried to take her half too, but the Witchblade didn’t want to leave her. Gerard then tracked down his old enemy Sir Renaud de Gaudin and killed him with the Witchblade. She was again confronted by Pezzini, who threw him off the roof. On the ground, Danielle retrieved her part of the Balance.
Ivy Pezzini (Near Future, daughter of Sara)
In this future, Sara had left the NYPD and worked for the federal government. She became the leader of Level 42, which deals with hyper-natural research and recovery group. Sara continued to wield the Witchblade until she decides to pass it on. Sara has twin children named Sean and Ivy, Ivy inherited the Witchblade from Sara and she would be taught how to control it.
Selena Alice Lauren (2100 NYC)
In a world where it has almost reached a true utopia. This world had no diseases, aging, or criminals. She was a former government operative who was an expert at tracking serial killers. Her work drove her insane and she would disappear for six months. She eventually resurfaced in amateur sex videos. She would later be arrested for giving narcotic therapy to men. Selina escaped from jail and vanished, rejecting the new world’s technological hypocrisy. However, a rare double homicide forced Detective John Chimu to call in an expert. Selena Lauren was that expert and she was already the bearer of the Witchblade and used it to help investigate the murders in exchange for immunity. She would also seduce Chimu and they would discover that the murder was caused by criminals that were used as test subjects for the aging drug. The sex and killing caused Chimu to go insane and killed the criminal and himself right afterwards. Selina would become a detective once again and used the Witchblade to aid her.
Debbie Santalesa (Future)
Debbie was Witchblade bearer before Akane Nakiko retrieved it. She was abused girl who took a job in an experiment. She was put in contact with the Witchblade, and it saw her fitting. Debbie escaped with the power of the artifact and lived on streets, before Akane found her and convinced her to fight the Witchblade, what then fell off of her arm.
Akane Nakiko (Future)
Akane is a telepathic, empathetic cyborg police detective. She bonds with the Witchblade when she is on the run from the police accused of murder she did not commit. She uses Witchblade to catch the real criminal.
Persephani (Far Future, Post-Apocalypse Gourge Kingdom)
In a world that lies in ruins, only human beings are still living on Earth. Persephani was the daughter of Lord Gourge in the Gourge Kingdom. Ever since birth, Persephani had an aching pain in her right arm. One day, she decided to venture into the sewers, following the voices in her head. She would be tracked down by a bounty hunter named Tommi X-9. The two of them learned that Lord Gourge had set them both up and Persephani learns that the ache in her right arm was the gauntlet. She then embraced the power of the Witchblade and together with Tommi X-9, they destroyed the entire Gourge Kingdom.
Aphrodite IX (Far Future, Post-Apocalypse)
The last in a long line of artificial life forms, Aphrodite awakens in a post-apocalyptic world only to find a world of two civilizations, one of genetically enhanced citizens, the other one of citizens using cybernetics as enhancements. In a game of deceit, both civilizations almost fall victim to the manipulated and mind controlled Aphrodite IX. But the moment she thought herself freed, it turns out she is one of many “models” who are to rule this reborn earth. It is the appearance of the Darkness, that forces the reappearance of the Witchblade and their inevitable team-up, making this Aphrodite the next bearer.
Powers and Abilities
Divine Powers
Since the Witchblade is male, it requires a female host (on rare occasions it has bonded with a male host but such bonds are usually brief). The Witchblade is the only one who decides who is worthy of bonding with it. However, even if it has chosen the host, if the wielder becomes unworthy of the Witchblade, it will cut off their right arm however it let Katarina keep her right when she became unworthy. The Witchblade can revive the dead and also relive the previous experiences of its current wielder. While it is inactive, the Witchblade would look like a heavy jewel encrusted bracelet. It is worn on the right wrist. While active, it wraps itself around the host’s body while tearing up their clothing. It becomes a body armor and weapon at the same time.
The amount of armor that comes out of the Witchblade to protect the host will always depend on the level of threat. For example, if the host is fighting a mere mortal, there will be less armor wrapped around the host. But if the host is fighting enemies at the level of demons, it will form more armor to protect its host. The Witchblade can form many different types of weapons. It can form swords, shields, and wings. The Witchblade can also shoot energy blasts and other projectiles. Also it has the ability to shoot a whip-like chain that enables the user to climb. It is one of the 13 artifacts.
Other Versions
Kimberly Tossovova (Alternate Reality)
Kimberly began working at a New York brothel, in which she became one of the best. One of her clients fell for Kimberly and even stole the Witchblade from Kenneth Irons and gave it to her. She ended up killing Irons and continued to wield the Witchblade.
Mary Parker (Alternate Reality)
Mary Parker is a teen-aged girl who is the wielder of the Witchbalde.
Witchblade Lost Generations Ao No Shoujo (Novel)
Written by Tokuma Shoten with art by Uno Makoto the novels main protagonist is a sickly 15-year-old Okinawan girl, Yuri Miyazono, who wields the Witchblade for her own survival.
Witchblade: Takeru (Manga)
The Witchblade: Takeru manga began being published in the Champion Red magazine by the Akita Shoten publishing company in March 2006. It is written by Kobayashi Yasuko and illustrated by by Sumita Kazasa. The series began publishing an English version by Bandai Entertainment in 2007. It is similar to the Witchblade anime in that it has no direct connection with the American Witchblade comic series, and also has no connection to the Witchblade anime. However, it is connected to the expanded Witchblade universe, and also seems to be set before the Witchblade anime.
The story follows a young girl named Takeru. She was raised by nuns at a Buddist temple. Takeru recently began having nightmares of a weird gauntlet that wraps around her, then she has to pull out a sword that was stabbing her stomach. Later that morning, a nun whom Takeru has grown to call “grandma” tells her to stop looking in the storage house, and she asks why. However Takeru does not get an answer to her question. Takeru then goes to school and meets up with her friend, Kou. Kou is a descendant of the famous “Demon Hunters” family. After school, Kou and Takeru go back to her home at the temple, where she discovers the place has been trashed. She then runs to the storage house and discovers grandma being held by the neck by a demon. The demon begins chocking Takeru as she reached towards the mysterious gauntlet. The gauntlet reacts and it begins wrapping itself around Takeru.
Possessed by the Witchblade, Takeru wants blood badly. Takeru pulls the same sword from her nightmares out of her stomach and kills all the demons. She then passes out in Kou’s arms. It is later revealed that Takeru may have some kind of connection to the “Oni” (Oni are Japanese foklore creatures similar to demons and monsters). This may be the reason why she shows a strong attraction to the “Hand of Oni” (Witchblade). Takeru eventually awakens with the memories of what had just transpired. Meanwhile, Kou learns that he might have to kill Takeru because he is the descendant of the demon hunters. That same night, Takeru gets a call from a mysterious stranger. The Witchblade reacts and she runs after the man. She then confronts the man with his demon servants, then they begin to battle. However, once the mystery man changed into his demon form, Takeru was no match for him. Luckily for Takeru, Kou comes in to save her with the Demon Slayer sword. However, Kou is only human and his skills were still no match for the demon. In desperation, Takeru called for the Witchblade and now seems to be in control. Takeru then picks up the Demon Slayer sword and kills the demon quickly. The next day at school, Takeru and Kou talk to each other while eating lunch, and they talk about what could happen in the future because Takeru is possibly a demon herself. However, Kou confirms to Takeru that he would never kill her even if she was a demon.
Takeru and Kou are in the library trying to research about the demons when they are interrupted by the new Librarian Sakurai. She notices that they are researching about demons and runs off to find books for them. When she returns, she discovers that the two of them had already left. Takeru and Kou went to the hospital to visit one of the nuns that were injured. Inside the hospital, Takeru feels the urge of the Witchblade again, and eventually the Witchblade is activated. Takeru confronts a demon in the hallway of the hospital and battles him as Kou watches from the sidelines. The demon seemed to have the upperhand until Takeru pulled the katana from her stomach and slashed one of his arms off. Kou, who was held by webbing the demon released, was able to rip it off his face and threw his sword at the demon, giving Takeru time to kill him. Takeru began feeling the urge to feed on human blood, to which Kou allows Takeru to drink the blood from his ripped cheek. Quickly afterwards, Librarian Sakurai shows up with some soldiers and detains Kou and Takeru.
Takeru is then met by Eric Mason, the Deputy Secretary of the United States Department of Defense. He reveals to her about some past wielders of the Witchblade, and revealed that they had accidentally resurrected the demons. Mason then reveals that Takeru’s father was one of the supervisisors in the resurrection of the demons, and that the demons killed him. He offers Takeru a chance to avenge her father and kill the demons. Takeru is given time to think it over, and she eventually freaks out and wants to take off the Witchblade so she doesn’t turn into a demon. Sakurai assures her that there has never been a wielder who turned into a demon. They are interrupted by soliders who have discover demons at the Kikakushi village. Takeru hurries over there to protect the nuns and her grandma. She saves a girl from a demon on her way there, and eventually encounters another powerful demon.
Witchblade: Bearers of the Blade
Masane Amaha is not like the other wielders of the Witchblade she is kind person and a mother as well. She lost all her memory do to a catastrophic event that nearly destroyed Tokyo. Masane was found in the center of point of what could be ground zero. she was found holding a baby that she would be her daughter Rihoko. Six years later Masane would come back to Tokyo with Rihoko after being on the run from NSWF’s Child Welfare Division.
Other Media
Television
Witchblade TV Series
Yancy Butler played the NY police detective Sara Pezzini. She comes across the Witchblade, a mystical artifact that gives her enhanced strength, agility, the ability to deflect bullets with its armored glove, and the ability to gain full armor and a sword when needed. Various individuals such as mysterious millionaire Kenneth Irons try to gain the Witchblade from her, dropping hints and trying to manipulate her into serving them. Meanwhile, the Witchblade itself has a mind of its own and has its own plots and schemes.
Witchblade (Anime)
The Witchblade anime was co-produced by the Japanese company GONZO and the American comic book company, Top Cow. The anime was not an exact adaption of the Witchblade comic book. However, it is connected to the expanded universe of the Witchblade. The setting of the anime is set in the far future, long after Sara Pezzini was the wielder of the Witchblade. The story follows a Japanese woman named Masane Amaha. She was discovered inside ground zero (A phenomenal disaster) unharmed. Masane unknowingly, had the Witchlade on her wrist after this incident. She was also holding a baby in her arms and had lost all her memory. Six years later, Masane and the baby (Rihoko) returned to Tokyo.
They would walk around Tokyo sight seeing for awhile, Masane told Rihoko that if she got lost they would meet each other under the Tokyo Tower.However, when they are having lunch they are confronted by NSWF’s Child Welfare Division. The Child Welfare wanted to take Rihoko away from Masane because she was not really her mother, and also because she had no job to support her. Masane would try to take her child back but would end up getting arrested and sent to jail.
She would then be attacked in jail by a mysterious monster. Luckily for Masane, the Witchblade activated as a reaction to her danger. Masane easily disposed of that monster and escaped from jail right afterwards. However, using the Witchblade used up all her stamina and she collapsed in an ally. Masane would be taken in by a man working for the Douji Group Industries. When Masane awakens, she is met by Hiroki Segawa, the same man who took her in after she passed out. Hiroki takes Masane to his boss, Reiji Takayama. He tells Masane about the Witchblade and its powers, and tells her that it belonged to them. Meaning, since she cannot just take it off, she has to work for them now. Masane continued to decline until Reiji offered her a nice life with her daughter. Masane then agreed, and Reiji briefs her in about hunting the “Ex-Cons.” Ex-Cons are monsters that feed on people, and it was the same thing that attacked Masane at the jail. The Witchblade acts differently with Masane when compared to the original American wielders; when activated the Witchblade gives Masane not only a different hair color and style but also an ecstasy-like rush that heightens when she fights.