Witchcraft Unveiled: Unraveling the Mystery Behind Noel Niihashi

Highlights

Noel Niihashi is a cool and stoic character with a deadpan personality, but she shows moments of intense emotion when faced with certain situations.

Noel, a skilled Piper, possesses remarkable powers such as spellcasting without incantation and the ability to easily defeat Dark Dragons with a single shot.

The enigma surrounding her true identity and the potential that she may not be fully human arises from the interconnectedness between the world of BURN THE WITCH and the BLEACH universe. This connection involves the transformation of individuals through their contact with Dragons, altering their very composition.

Noel Niihashi, one of the main characters in Tite Kubo's BURN THE WITCH, is portrayed as a cool, calm, and collected young witch who works alongside her partner Ninny Spangcole. While not much is known about Noel's past, the BURN THE WITCH movie provides some insight into her abilities, personality, and her role as the series' blue ogre counterpart to Ninny's "red ogre" personality. Similar to characters from the original series BLEACH, Noel possesses certain traits that evoke familiarity. Let's delve into the character of Noel Niihashi.

Deadpan

Noel Niihashi BURN THE WITCH

Noel, with her jet black hair and overall appearance, gives off a quintessential Japanese anime character vibe, despite not actually being Japanese, according to Ninny. However, she is a devoted fan of anime and Japanese culture in general, evident in her choice of the original Dragon Ball theme as her phone ringtone. Noel supposedly chose the name "Noel" because it's a popular name for girls in Japan, and it's possible that "Niihashi" is also a made-up name. She prefers wearing a school uniform while working because it helps her navigate easily, as people tend to make assumptions about her based on her appearance, eliminating the need for explanations. Noel has a stoic and deadpan personality, which is reflected in everything she does. There have been only a few instances where her blank expression has been replaced by strong emotions, particularly when she realized Osushi was a Dragon that had absorbed Balgo Parks' lecherous personality and angrily destroyed the newly replaced Wing Bind sign.

In contrast to Ninny, who values the boost in reputation from a job well done, Noel's primary motivation is money, which makes her more prone to reckless decisions. She has no interest in advancing beyond the Pipers and can be seen as a character whose eccentricity is often mistaken for being mysterious, although she is actually quite transparent about her passions and interests. During her free time, Noel is less serious and even cheerful, spending most of her time reading the newspaper and tending to her garden. We have limited knowledge about Noel's past or anything that happened after the events of BURN THE WITCH, as we have only witnessed her interactions with the characters introduced in the film. In many ways, Noel's appearance and personality resemble an early Rukia Kuchiki, with a particular obsession (Rukia loves bunnies) combined with aspects of Byakuya's stoic demeanor.

Abilities

Noel Niihashi Magic – BURN THE WITCH

Noel, as a Piper, possesses her own Witch Kit that takes the form of a teal-accented musket-like magical weapon. Its futuristic appearance, complete with three discs at the end, adds to its charm. However, behind its adorable facade lies immense destructive power. With her Absolute Dragon Shatter ability, Noel can obliterate a Dark Dragon with a single shot. Similarly to Ninny, Noel rides a Broombuggy named Wordsworth, serving as her Dragon mount.

Moreover, Noel boasts enhanced speed, durability, and strength, alongside a profound understanding of magic. She effortlessly unleashes powerful spells without the need for an incantation. These include the formidable Magic #75: Gatling Claw, which she employed to defend Balgo Parks from a ferocious Dark Dragon. Furthermore, in collaboration with Ninny, Noel can cast spells like Magic #68: Supernal Jail, enabling them to subdue even the fully evolved and molted Cinderella, a legendary dragon known as a Märchen and named after a fairy tale.

High-Speculation

We have limited knowledge about Noel, as she only reveals what she wants us to know. This leaves plenty of room for speculation about how her character will be developed in the BURN THE WITCH narrative. There is something peculiar about Noel's appearance that may hold significance later on – a horn-like accessory or protrusion emerging from her left temple. In the world of BURN THE WITCH, which has been confirmed to be the same as BLEACH, we are introduced to the concept of people being transformed into Dragonclad by contact with Dragons, as seen with Macy Baljure and Balgo Parks.

Since being a Dragonclad is considered a felony, Wing Bind provides protection for Macy and Balgo. It is plausible that Noel may not be entirely human if she is also under their protection. The Dragonclad are no longer fully human, and the true nature of Dragons is still uncertain, as not all of them are necessarily malicious. This uncertainty arises from the emphasis on composite beings within the BLEACH universe, suggesting that Noel's lack of information may be due to her being a fabrication of some sort. There are numerous aspects of the BLEACH universe that need to be reconciled, assuming that Wing Bind is indeed connected to the West Branch of Soul Society, and Noel's identity is one aspect that requires further explanation.