UQ Holder! is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Ken Akamatsu. It was serialized in Kodansha's Weekly Shōnen Magazine from 2013 to 2016 and later transferred to Bessatsu Shōnen Magazine, where it was serialized from 2016 to 2022. Set several generations later in the world of his previous work Negima! Magister Negi Magi, it follows the adventures of Tōta Konoe, a young boy who is transformed into a vampire and joins a secret society composed of immortal beings.
Plot Tōta Konoe, the grandson of Negi Springfield, aspires to leave his village and live life in the city of Shin-Tokyo, which has a tower structure rising into space. When he is mortally wounded by a bounty hunter who was hunting after his guardian, Yukihime. He discovers he has been made into an immortal vampire by Yukihime, a 700-year-old vampire mage Evangeline A.K. McDowell. Picking up another boy named Kuromaru along the way, they go to a place outside Shin-Tokyo where Yukihime leads a secret society of immortals called UQ Holder.
Characters UQ Holder UQ Holder is a secret organization of immortals and led by Yukihime. Its members reside at the () estate, 10 km from the Shin-Tokyo coast, which fronts as a hot springs resort. Its main members are known as Numbers. Its goals are to protect other immortals living on the Earth, as well as helping the outcasts of society. It is also interested in protecting humans from the immortals that are intent on destroying society.
Tōta is a 14-year-old boy raised by Yukihime after his parents died two years prior in a car accident. His grandfather was assumed to be the legendary magician Negi Springfield, At the start of the series, when he is mortally wounded by an assassin while protecting Yukihime, he discovers he had been transformed by her into a vampire and then drinks her blood to affirm his immortality. His dream is to be worthy to ascend Amanomihashira, the tower in Shin-Tokyo which leads into outer space. He would like to be a singer to support his friend in a band, but has a horrible singing voice and is disillusioned that he won't be able to develop a deeper voice or grow taller now that he is immortal. Although immortal, he cannot regenerate severed limbs if the limb still has some life in it. Within the UQ Holder group, he is member number 7. Tōta uses a gravity blade, a sword that can adjust its weight thousand-times fold or more. He also has the power of "Magia Erebea", allowing him to absorb magic into his own body, bonding it to his soul. In Volume 7, it is revealed that he was not a descendant of Negi's but a clone of him. It is later revealed that his DNA was made of Negi's and Asuna Kagurazaka.
Evangeline A.K. McDowell is a 700-year-old vampire who, after parting ways with her friends from the Mahora Academy, adopted the alias "Yukihime" and established the secret "UQ Holder" society for immortal beings. She appears as a tall and attractive woman with white-blonde hair and blue eyes, although she can assume her true form of a 10-year-old girl on occasion. She becomes Tōta's guardian after she was allegedly involved in a car accident that killed his birth parents. Still, their dying wish was to have Tota survive, and she transformed him into a vampire. At the start of the series, she is a teacher in a small village school, but later takes Tōta into the city and on their adventures. Later, it is revealed that Yukihime had met Tōta centuries before becoming his guardian due to a temporal paradox and bonded with him at that time, implying that she also fell in love with him at the occasion. She also still harbors feelings for Negi but claims that she intends to uphold her promise to him of ending his life should the Lifemaker succeed in taking over his body. Later, it is revealed by Dana through a picture that in the original dimension from Negima, Evangeline married Nagi Springfield after he was freed from Ialda's control by Negi. Yukihime becomes Ialda's newest host after Tōta sacrifices himself for 47 years to save the Earth.
A member of the fushigari (immortal hunters) clan, Kurōmaru has been immortal for about 4 1/2 years before meeting Tōta. She has black hair styled in black twin tails, and her bangs typically cover over her left eye. Kuromaru's mission was to slay Yukihime or never return. Still, after losing to Tōta, she joined him and Yukihime on their adventures. Despite claiming to be a boy, Kurōmaru has shy mannerisms such as covering her chest that Tōta and others often confuse him to be a girl or a boy. Kurōmaru later reveals that he comes from a tribe of demi-humans called yata ga karasu (crow in Japanese mythology) who are born genderless but can choose their gender at age 16 or naturally settle into one. Although Kurōmaru wants to be Tōta's brother-in-arms, Kurōmaru develops romantic feelings towards Tōta. Kurōmaru's body slowly transforms toward the feminine side despite not being age 16 yet; showing their body to become the opposite gender of their lover to be compatible with them. Kurōmaru is an adept of the Kyoto Shinmei-ryū sword style and other Eastern battle techniques and later becomes the first to form a pactio with Tōta. Later on in the story, Kurōmaru's body becomes fully feminine and she gains the ability to alter her hair color at will. Kurōmaru and Tōta then have sexual intercourse after confessing their love for each other.
Gengorō Makabe is member number 6 in UQ Holder; he has short hair and wears glasses. Gengorō Makabe originates from an alternate reality in the year 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic. He was transported to the UQ Holder! world when he was hit by a truck and gained video game-like powers. He has a limited number of extra lives that allow him to revive instantly after dying and which he refills by doing good deeds. He can also summon several weapons instantly and evaluate his opponents like a game character's stats. He ends up using all his extra lives to help the rest of UQ Holder to stop a terrorist attack, thus losing his immortality temporarily, but ending up surviving by getting an extra life by having saved mortals from the bombing. During an attack by Ialda and Negi's corrupted comrades, Makabe's powers are nullified. He is returned to his home dimension, though he also brings Tōta and Jūzō with him unintentionally. In order to return to the UQ Holder! world, Makabe, Tōta, and Jūzō leap off a roof and are transported to the moment that Makabe's powers were neutralised.
Member number 4 in UQ Holder and nicknamed the Saintess of Steel, Karin is a quiet girl around the same appearance in age as Tōta and Kurōmaru, Karin Yuuki is very devoted to Yukihime after having been saved by her in the past and is immediately jealous of Tōta's close relationship with her. She often wears a schoolgirl uniform from Amano-Mihashira Academy after having infiltrated the school during a mission. She bears a tattoo on her back of the roman numeral XIII. Her immortality is said to come from divine origin, as all her wounds heal instantly without scars. Centuries ago, she was branded as a witch and hunted when she was a small child. Her name was Yseut Karin Orte, her character being inspired on the biblical Judas Iscariot. She later becomes the second person to form a pactio with Tōta. Upon realizing her feelings for Tōta, Karin declares her love for him and the two have sexual intercourse after he reciprocates his feelings for her as well.
Contrary to the other members who achieved immortality through magical means, Ikkū Ameya obtained his by replacing almost all of his body with cybernetic implants, which not only give him enhanced strength and speed but several types of weaponry at his disposal, including the "Al-Iskandariya Orbital Cannon" which used to be Chachamaru Karakuri's pactio weapon in Negima!. He can also change his appearance by just transferring himself to a different cybernetic body with other physical features. He appears as a 24-year-old and claims to behave like a teenager, having entered a coma when he was 13 and being bedridden for 72 years before being given a cybernetic body. He is member number 10.
Member number 2 of UQ Holder, Jinbei Shishido, is introduced as having dwelled in the tunnels under the facility for two years, after being sent there for having drunk Yukihime's wine stash and then inadvertently forgotten. He advises Tōta and Kurōmaru in dealing with the monsters. 1400 years ago, he achieved immortality by eating the flesh of a mermaid. Still, he has weak regenerative powers, resulting in numerous body scars. He is susceptible to being killed by crushing his head. Despite his power and status within the organization, he's generally laid-back and has a reputation for being a slacker.
(Japanese); Amanda Lee (English) Member number 9, Kirië Sakurame is the leading patron of UQ Holder, residing in the penthouse suite of the premises. Although she appears as a 12-year-old girl with orange blonde braided hair and glasses, she has lived much longer. Her ability is Reset and Restart, which allows her to rewind time, averting adverse events like her own death by returning to a specific instant in a time marked by save points. She has also used this power to make a fortune in the stock market. She can also bring along a person she touches, either just their mind or their body as well. Kirië badmouths Tōta due to their bad start on their first mission together, but becomes more friendly with him afterwards. During an ambush by Ialda's forces, Kirie's ability is permanently sealed. To evade permanent death, Kirie moves into an alternate reality but eventually finds Dana and trades her agelessness for a way back to her homeworld. As she is now mortal, she ages into an adult by the time she meets Tōta again. Despite trying to avoid him, Tōta catches up to her and the pair have sexual intercourse after confessing their love for one another. She later reunites with her former UQ Holder comrades.
Santa Sasaki is a student at Amano-Mihashira Academy City who lives as a hikkikomori (shut-in) in his dorm room, living off of real-money transactions in video games. He is aware of the UQ Holder members that infiltrated the school but is surprised that Tōta and Kurōmaru have become his roommates. As a Psion, Santa has several abilities that the UQ Holder members call "unique skills," including intangibility (going through walls and putting people through walls), telekinesis, flight, and possession. Having been bullied as a student, he had died. Nonetheless, he was turned into a revenant, a powerful, vengeful spirit, by his friend, a necromancer named Sayoko. Assisted by Tōta and his friends, Santa stops Sayoko's plan and restores her to her original self, but she passes away soon after. Santa then joins UQ Holder as member number 12.
A UQ Holder executive that Tōta and Kurōmaru meet.
Negima characters
Some of the characters from the Negima series make appearances.
Negi Springfield's main rival and comrade in the Negima series and is currently heralded as the greatest wizard in the Solar System. He leads "Ala Alba", the brigade Negi founded with his students. He opposes UQ Holder, claiming that Yukihime was responsible for Negi's disappearance, while UQ Holder regards him as its greatest enemy. Fate claims that there is a way to save Negi and the entire Solar System by using Tōta, but that he was also responsible for the death of Tōta's parents. He sociopathically targets Tōta, killing anyone in the way.