OVA
Description
Mio Sakamoto serves as sub-commander of the 501st Joint Fighter Wing, holding the commissioned rank of Squadron Leader with an official rank equivalent to Major. As the oldest member of the unit at nineteen years old, later twenty, she hails from Fuso. Her extensive combat experience began with early engagements against the Neuroi, including the pivotal 1937 Fuso Sea Incident, which cemented her status as a seasoned veteran.
Her background involves key participation in the initial development and testing of Striker Units. She worked directly with Dr. Miyafuji Ichiro, Yoshika Miyafuji's father, becoming the first pilot of this technology. Before the Neuroi's full-scale invasion, she deployed to Britannia to contribute to the Type 0 Striker Unit's development, forming a close association with Dr. Miyafuji during his European research. During this period, she served in the Fuso Imperial Navy European Dispatch Fleet Libau Flying Corps, defending Europe during the Karlsland collapse and aiding in the evacuation of Libau's population. Injuries sustained there forced a temporary return to Fuso.
Mio's magical ability centers on her "Magic Eye" (魔眼, Magan), concealed beneath an eyepatch. This perception-based power grants exceptional long-distance vision and the capacity to detect Neuroi cores within her direct line of sight, though it cannot penetrate solid obstacles or function optimally at night. Constant activation necessitates the eyepatch when not in use. By her late teens, advancing age diminished her magic power, rendering her unable to generate effective combat shields. To compensate, she forged and enchanted a katana, Reppumaru, and developed the "Reppuzan" technique—a wave of magical energy released from the blade. Mastering this telekinetic-class technique proved particularly challenging due to the mismatch with her innate perception-based magic. During the final battle against the Neuroi Super-Hive in Venezia, her depleted magic caused Reppuzan to fail, leading to her absorption by the Neuroi. She was later rescued by Yoshika Miyafuji's sacrifice. After eight years of combat, she retired as a witch due to complete magical depletion but remained within the military.
Her personality blends strict discipline as an instructor with a broadly cheerful and candidly mannish demeanor. She emphasizes "simplicity and fortitude" as a motto, displaying hot-blooded determination balanced by cool strategic thinking in battle. Deeply sentimental and driven by a fear of losing comrades, her notoriously rigorous training methods stem from this protective instinct. She harbors a fondness for hot springs, initiating construction of a Fuso-style bathhouse at the 501st's base, and is easily moved to tears, though she avoids showing this vulnerability publicly. Exceptions occurred during moments of extreme frustration over her fading magic, such as confiding in Minna-Dietlinde Wilcke. Her relationships include unawareness of Perrine H. Clostermann's romantic feelings, interpreting them as mere respect, and a profound, longstanding bond with Wilcke. She receives near-worshipful devotion from her subordinate, Hijikata Keisuke.
In combat, she wielded a Type 99-2 Model 2 Kai heavy machine gun alongside Reppumaru. Her Striker Units evolved from the Miyabishi Type 0 Carrier-based Fighter Legs Model 21 to the Yamanishi Shiden Model 21 and finally the experimental Yamanishi Shiden Model 53 during her service with the 501st. Post-retirement, she transitioned into a military instructor, earning respect for rearing skilled witches despite some struggling with her strictness. Her character draws inspiration from historical Japanese aces: her eyepatch, visual prowess, and "never give up" philosophy reference Saburo Sakai, while her aerial maneuvers and swordsmanship echo Tetsuzō Iwamoto.
Her background involves key participation in the initial development and testing of Striker Units. She worked directly with Dr. Miyafuji Ichiro, Yoshika Miyafuji's father, becoming the first pilot of this technology. Before the Neuroi's full-scale invasion, she deployed to Britannia to contribute to the Type 0 Striker Unit's development, forming a close association with Dr. Miyafuji during his European research. During this period, she served in the Fuso Imperial Navy European Dispatch Fleet Libau Flying Corps, defending Europe during the Karlsland collapse and aiding in the evacuation of Libau's population. Injuries sustained there forced a temporary return to Fuso.
Mio's magical ability centers on her "Magic Eye" (魔眼, Magan), concealed beneath an eyepatch. This perception-based power grants exceptional long-distance vision and the capacity to detect Neuroi cores within her direct line of sight, though it cannot penetrate solid obstacles or function optimally at night. Constant activation necessitates the eyepatch when not in use. By her late teens, advancing age diminished her magic power, rendering her unable to generate effective combat shields. To compensate, she forged and enchanted a katana, Reppumaru, and developed the "Reppuzan" technique—a wave of magical energy released from the blade. Mastering this telekinetic-class technique proved particularly challenging due to the mismatch with her innate perception-based magic. During the final battle against the Neuroi Super-Hive in Venezia, her depleted magic caused Reppuzan to fail, leading to her absorption by the Neuroi. She was later rescued by Yoshika Miyafuji's sacrifice. After eight years of combat, she retired as a witch due to complete magical depletion but remained within the military.
Her personality blends strict discipline as an instructor with a broadly cheerful and candidly mannish demeanor. She emphasizes "simplicity and fortitude" as a motto, displaying hot-blooded determination balanced by cool strategic thinking in battle. Deeply sentimental and driven by a fear of losing comrades, her notoriously rigorous training methods stem from this protective instinct. She harbors a fondness for hot springs, initiating construction of a Fuso-style bathhouse at the 501st's base, and is easily moved to tears, though she avoids showing this vulnerability publicly. Exceptions occurred during moments of extreme frustration over her fading magic, such as confiding in Minna-Dietlinde Wilcke. Her relationships include unawareness of Perrine H. Clostermann's romantic feelings, interpreting them as mere respect, and a profound, longstanding bond with Wilcke. She receives near-worshipful devotion from her subordinate, Hijikata Keisuke.
In combat, she wielded a Type 99-2 Model 2 Kai heavy machine gun alongside Reppumaru. Her Striker Units evolved from the Miyabishi Type 0 Carrier-based Fighter Legs Model 21 to the Yamanishi Shiden Model 21 and finally the experimental Yamanishi Shiden Model 53 during her service with the 501st. Post-retirement, she transitioned into a military instructor, earning respect for rearing skilled witches despite some struggling with her strictness. Her character draws inspiration from historical Japanese aces: her eyepatch, visual prowess, and "never give up" philosophy reference Saburo Sakai, while her aerial maneuvers and swordsmanship echo Tetsuzō Iwamoto.