TV-Series
Description
Gertrud Barkhorn is a veteran military witch from Karlsland, a nation that serves as an analogue to Germany. She holds the rank of Captain, later Major, and serves as the combat commander of the 501st Joint Fighter Wing, acting as the adjutant to the unit's commander, Minna-Dietlinde Wilcke. At eighteen to twenty years of age, she has already achieved the status of the second-highest ace in the Karlsland Air Force, having recorded over two hundred confirmed aerial victories against the alien Neuroi, second only to her comrade Erica Hartmann. Her family name and flying ace status are inspired by the historical pilot Gerhard Barkhorn.
In appearance, Gertrud has reddish-brown hair that she typically styles into two small braids and brown eyes. She stands at 162 centimeters tall. Her military uniform consists of a dark green Karlsland Air Force jacket over a white shirt, paired with black boots. Like other witches, her magical abilities grant her the use of a Striker Unit, and when she activates her magic, she manifests the ears and tail of her familiar animal, a German Shorthair Pointer.
Gertrud is characterized by a calm, cool, and collected demeanor, approaching situations as a realist who values rationality and logic. She has a strong belief in military discipline, punctuality, and adherence to rules, and is known to complain when others are late or act without proper order. This strictness, however, is directed almost exclusively at her longtime comrade Erica Hartmann, whose carefree and undisciplined lifestyle frustrates Gertrud. Despite her outward composure, she possesses a deeply hot-blooded and passionate nature that can surface in intense situations, sometimes causing her to lose awareness of her surroundings. She is also a very private and efficient person, often supporting her comrades from the background rather than seeking the spotlight.
Her primary motivation is to achieve maximum results with minimum damage, a philosophy that drives her role as a combat leader. A significant driving force in her personal development is the trauma surrounding her younger sister, Cristiane "Chris" Barkhorn. Chris was severely wounded during an evacuation war and fell into a coma, an event that left Gertrud with deep guilt and emotional scars, as she felt responsible for failing to protect her. This trauma initially manifested in self-destructive behavior, but she gradually began to recover through her interactions with others. The coma is eventually resolved, allowing Gertrud to rebuild her relationship with her sister and send her souvenirs from her deployments. This backstory has given her a pronounced weakness for little sister characters, and she has a potentially embarrassing tendency to dote on them.
Within the 501st Joint Fighter Wing, Gertrud serves as a key support system for the commander, Minna-Dietlinde Wilcke, assisting her with operational planning and unit management. The dynamic between them is one of long-standing trust and mutual respect. Her most significant relationship is with Erica Hartmann. Despite her constant scolding of Erica for her lack of discipline, the two have been comrades in arms since the start of the war in 1939, sharing a deep bond. While she is strict with her, Gertrud also shows concern for her, and their friendship developed over years of service together. She also forms a strong bond with the protagonist, Yoshika Miyafuji, due to Yoshika's resemblance to her younger sister, Chris. This leads Gertrud to treat Yoshika with a unique gentleness and protectiveness, and she is responsible for Yoshika's magical treatment that helps resolve her own trauma. However, she is also stern with Yoshika as a superior officer, resulting in a relationship where Yoshika sees her as a strict boss while Gertrud sees a little sister.
Throughout her character development, Gertrud transitions from being haunted by her past and struggling with self-blame to becoming a more open and emotionally available individual. She learns to process her feelings regarding her sister and allows herself to form closer attachments to her new comrades, like Yoshika. She also grows into her leadership role, succeeding Mio Sakamoto as the battle commander of the 501st. Her development includes a noted "tsundere" aspect, where she occasionally acts harshly to hide her more affectionate feelings, a trait that becomes more visible in the second season when her excitement during battle causes her to burn her hands on hot gun barrels.
Gertrud possesses a unique inherent magical ability classified as Superhuman Strength. This ability is a form of telekinesis that circulates magic power internally, making it highly sustainable for long periods of combat. This magic grants her physical strength far beyond that of a normal witch. She can wield heavy armaments that others cannot, carry excessive amounts of ammunition, tear apart iron chains, and briefly lift steel structures weighing several tons. In combat, she typically dual-wields heavy machine guns such as the MG42, MG131, or MG151. She pilots a Striker Unit based on a prototype Focke-Wulf Fw 190D-6, notable for its liquid-cooled engine. She also once performed a practical test on an experimental Me 262 V1 Jet Striker, but a defect in the machine caused it to rapidly drain her magical power, leading to a crash. Beyond her raw power and combat skills, she is also highly capable in drafting operational plans, managing equipment and supplies, and handling administrative tasks, making her an effective combat leader and adjutant. Her notable weaknesses include a complete inability to drive any vehicle, to the point that others must take the wheel for her safety, and a general lack of skill with complex machinery.
In appearance, Gertrud has reddish-brown hair that she typically styles into two small braids and brown eyes. She stands at 162 centimeters tall. Her military uniform consists of a dark green Karlsland Air Force jacket over a white shirt, paired with black boots. Like other witches, her magical abilities grant her the use of a Striker Unit, and when she activates her magic, she manifests the ears and tail of her familiar animal, a German Shorthair Pointer.
Gertrud is characterized by a calm, cool, and collected demeanor, approaching situations as a realist who values rationality and logic. She has a strong belief in military discipline, punctuality, and adherence to rules, and is known to complain when others are late or act without proper order. This strictness, however, is directed almost exclusively at her longtime comrade Erica Hartmann, whose carefree and undisciplined lifestyle frustrates Gertrud. Despite her outward composure, she possesses a deeply hot-blooded and passionate nature that can surface in intense situations, sometimes causing her to lose awareness of her surroundings. She is also a very private and efficient person, often supporting her comrades from the background rather than seeking the spotlight.
Her primary motivation is to achieve maximum results with minimum damage, a philosophy that drives her role as a combat leader. A significant driving force in her personal development is the trauma surrounding her younger sister, Cristiane "Chris" Barkhorn. Chris was severely wounded during an evacuation war and fell into a coma, an event that left Gertrud with deep guilt and emotional scars, as she felt responsible for failing to protect her. This trauma initially manifested in self-destructive behavior, but she gradually began to recover through her interactions with others. The coma is eventually resolved, allowing Gertrud to rebuild her relationship with her sister and send her souvenirs from her deployments. This backstory has given her a pronounced weakness for little sister characters, and she has a potentially embarrassing tendency to dote on them.
Within the 501st Joint Fighter Wing, Gertrud serves as a key support system for the commander, Minna-Dietlinde Wilcke, assisting her with operational planning and unit management. The dynamic between them is one of long-standing trust and mutual respect. Her most significant relationship is with Erica Hartmann. Despite her constant scolding of Erica for her lack of discipline, the two have been comrades in arms since the start of the war in 1939, sharing a deep bond. While she is strict with her, Gertrud also shows concern for her, and their friendship developed over years of service together. She also forms a strong bond with the protagonist, Yoshika Miyafuji, due to Yoshika's resemblance to her younger sister, Chris. This leads Gertrud to treat Yoshika with a unique gentleness and protectiveness, and she is responsible for Yoshika's magical treatment that helps resolve her own trauma. However, she is also stern with Yoshika as a superior officer, resulting in a relationship where Yoshika sees her as a strict boss while Gertrud sees a little sister.
Throughout her character development, Gertrud transitions from being haunted by her past and struggling with self-blame to becoming a more open and emotionally available individual. She learns to process her feelings regarding her sister and allows herself to form closer attachments to her new comrades, like Yoshika. She also grows into her leadership role, succeeding Mio Sakamoto as the battle commander of the 501st. Her development includes a noted "tsundere" aspect, where she occasionally acts harshly to hide her more affectionate feelings, a trait that becomes more visible in the second season when her excitement during battle causes her to burn her hands on hot gun barrels.
Gertrud possesses a unique inherent magical ability classified as Superhuman Strength. This ability is a form of telekinesis that circulates magic power internally, making it highly sustainable for long periods of combat. This magic grants her physical strength far beyond that of a normal witch. She can wield heavy armaments that others cannot, carry excessive amounts of ammunition, tear apart iron chains, and briefly lift steel structures weighing several tons. In combat, she typically dual-wields heavy machine guns such as the MG42, MG131, or MG151. She pilots a Striker Unit based on a prototype Focke-Wulf Fw 190D-6, notable for its liquid-cooled engine. She also once performed a practical test on an experimental Me 262 V1 Jet Striker, but a defect in the machine caused it to rapidly drain her magical power, leading to a crash. Beyond her raw power and combat skills, she is also highly capable in drafting operational plans, managing equipment and supplies, and handling administrative tasks, making her an effective combat leader and adjutant. Her notable weaknesses include a complete inability to drive any vehicle, to the point that others must take the wheel for her safety, and a general lack of skill with complex machinery.