[The Witch and the Mercenary] The Art of Battle with Miyagi Makoto

Interviews #Miyagi Makoto #The Witch and the Mercenary June 7, 2026

This article was originally published on October 9, 2024

Zig is an elite mercenary whose life has been, up until this point, dictated by the flow of money for services. Siasha is a terrifying witch who has had to defend herself against the humans sent to kill her. Between the two of them, they have racked up a considerable number of lives taken, but now it’s time for them to tackle a brand-new adventure on a whole other continent… These two powerful beings stand together in their new battle life in another world!

In honor of the third volume of The Witch and the Mercenary being released, we bring you an interview with Miyagi Makoto-sensei, the artist behind the manga.

We get by with a little help from those around us

Q. What made you want to become a manga artist?
A. I’ve always loved drawing, but one day, a friend reached out and said, “hey, you should draw a manga. Doing it yourself is really fun.” And so, I created my first original manga.

Q. How did you study manga techniques?
A. I developed my background drawing skills while working as an assistant, and my editor has helped me hone my storytelling skills. Those had the biggest impact, I think.

Q. How did you end up debuting as a manga artist?
A. The manga that I created with my editor after I presented them with my original work won the monthly Jump Rookie! prize, and was then published on Jump+. That was my official debut.

Q. What are some of your favorite manga series?
A.
・Golden Kamuy
・Space Brothers
・Summer Time Rendering

Q. Do you read a lot of fantasy stories? Are there any that have influenced your work?
A. I’m not sure if it influenced my work or not, but I got into Fate/Grand Order (mobile game) and from there, I got sucked into the Fate series. In terms of fantasy manga, I like Magi.

Storyboards and paneling taking shape even before serialization

Q. How did you end up working on this series?
A. When I was struggling with my creative work, I reached out to my current editor via DM on Twitter (now X) for advice. While we were working together on an original serialized project, I was invited to enter the adaptation contest for The Witch and the Mercenary. Since I wasn’t confident submitting only my character art, I also drew and submitted a storyboard of a scene I really wanted to draw.

Q. How did it feel when you were selected for serialization?
A. I was delighted, of course, but also pretty shocked at the time. I had no prior experience of being serialized, and I worried whether my art was good enough, so I was surprised that they picked me.

Q. What did you think of the original story when you read it?
A. In the land they come from, witches were ostracized by the people, but when they travel to the other continent, magic is extremely common, and mercenaries are rejected by society. I thought that role reversal was quite interesting. The description of Zig’s battle with Isana hooked me instantly and I started imagining how it would look if I were to turn it into a manga. Her character design is also really cute.

Taking care not to make things too perfect

Q. What do you focus on when you’re drawing out the world and the characters?
A. I try hard to make sure that Zig looks as imposing and powerful as possible. The world’s setting is very solid, so if there’s anything I’m not sure about when I’m drawing, I ask my editor, and they communicate with Kaeru Chohokiteki-sensei to clarify the details for me.

Q. What were the most fun and most difficult story sections for you to draw?
A. I had fun drawing the part where Lyell shows up. Zig and Siasha are both powerful but calm and composed, whereas Lyell really lets his emotions show, which made him easy to draw.
I think the hardest part was the very beginning, right after they arrive at the other continent. I put a lot of effort into designing the demon beasts.

Q. Who is your favorite character?
A. Definitely Isana. She’s so expressive, and great fun to draw.

Q. What do you focus on when drawing those intense battle scenes?
A. I try to make sure that the lines aren’t too perfect. Rather than drawing lots of fine lines, I feel like showing the action with more rough, aggressive strokes gets the feeling across better. Also, when I have the brain capacity, the direction of the light.

If you could use magic… you’d sketch?!

Q. What is the hardest thing for you about having a serialization?
A. Definitely keeping up with communication… I’m sure I’m always making life hard for my editor and my assistant. It’s hard to convey what I’m trying to draw in words.

Q. If you ended up on an adventure in this world, would you prefer to experience a fight using magic like Siasha or a close-quarters fight like Zig?
A. I don’t think I’m suited for either type of combat. I would die so quickly [laughs]. Maybe I could get by as some kind of support role that makes magic tools…?

Q. If you did live in a world with magic, what kind of magic would you like to be able to use? Have you ever wanted to try your hand at magic before?
A. I’d like to use stealth magic to hide myself and secretly sketch the demon beasts.
(Editor: That’s no different from now!) I guess not [laughs]!

Get ready for full-power Siasha!

Q. What scene are you hoping readers pay attention to in the future?
A. It’s still a little way off, but I’m really looking forward to drawing Siasha when she goes all-out with her witch powers. I’m so ready to draw her as beautiful, yet terrifying.

Q. And finally, could you leave a message for your readers?
A. I’m sorry that the updates have been taking a while… I’m going to do my best to reduce the breaks and give you plenty to read, so I hope you stick around. I’ll try my hardest…!