# Orb: On the Movements of the Earth

Orb: On the Movements of the Earth (Japanese: チ。―地球の運動について―, Hepburn: Chi: Chikyū no Undō ni Tsuite) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Uoto [ja]. It was serialized in Shogakukan's seinen manga magazine Weekly Big Comic Spirits from September 2020 to April 2022, with its chapters collected in eight tankōbon volumes. A 25-episode anime television series adaptation produced by Madhouse aired from October 2024 to March 2025.

## Plot

The manga is set in 15th century "P Kingdom". People who suggest ideas in opposition to the teachings of the "C religion", such as that the Earth revolves around the Sun, are considered heretics, and are tortured or burned at the stake. Rafal, a child prodigy with an interest in astronomy, is forced by Hubert, a scholar and heretic, to assist him in his research for the "about the movement of the Earth" theory. When Nowak, an inquisitor, finds a diagram drawn by Rafal showing a heliocentric model, Hubert claims responsibility and is executed, leaving Rafal a spherical pendant. Rafal uses the pendant to find Hubert's hidden research materials on the theory. Rafal continues Hubert's research, but is informed on by his foster father, Potocki. At his inquisition, Rafal refuses to denounce the theory, committing suicide by ingesting poppy seeds.
Ten years later, Oczy and Gras, two duelists, are assigned to guard a heretic during transportation. The heretic reveals the location of the research to them, dying to protect Oczy from Nowak. The pair decide to seek out a demoted priest, Badeni, to help make sense of the material. While on a bridge, it collapses, and Gras entrusts their mission and the pendant to Oczy before dying. Oczy meets Badeni, who agrees to look at the materials in exchange for Oczy continuing Gras' astronomical observations. Badeni finds the materials to be incomplete and requiring the use of more records. They post a problem at public boards in the city and find a girl, Jolanta, answering it on the same day. Jolanta, a researcher, agrees to cooperate with them by introducing them to Piast, an ardent advocate of the Ptolemaic model. After Oczy observes Venus waxing, Piast agrees to give the group access to his records. Using Piast's records, Badeni finishes the theory. Nowak catches on to the group, inspecting Badeni's cabin and noticing the pendant. Oczy holds off the inquisitors, but he and Badeni are captured. Nowak tortures Oczy, forcing Badeni to divulge the location of the research materials, and the two are executed. Antoni, a rival of Nowak, attempts to get Jolanta, Nowak's daughter, convicted as a heretic, but she is freed by an inquisitor. Grabowski, a priest at Badeni's church, discovers that Badeni had transcribed a diary written by Oczy onto the heads of the local vagabonds.
Twenty-five years later, Schmidt, the captain of the Heretic Liberation Force, retrieves Oczy's book under Jolanta's orders, but is forced to leave it in an abandoned village. Draka, a Romani, comes across the book and, seeing an opportunity to profit, burns it, forcing Schmidt to take her along. Draka, in exchange for being allowed to use their printing press, recites the contents of the book to Jolanta. When the group is found by the inquisitors lead by a middle-aged Nowak, Jolanta stays behind; blowing herself up with detonations. Draka, Schmidt, and the rest of the group reconvenes at another camp during the ensuing explosion where they began publishing their book with a printing press, only to be betrayed by one of their own who gave their position away to Nowak and the inquisitors. In a desparate gambit, Schmidt and the remainder of the Heretic Liberation Force sacrifice themselves bidding time for Draka to reach Antoni's church; the latter now a Bishop who briefly became acquainted with Draka. Upon being challenged by Draka with the validity of heliocentrism's blasphemous claim, Antoni is convinced to publish and profit from it given the changing times and the church's waning influence. However, Nowak reaches the two, kills Antoni and burns down the church in an act of arson meant to demonize the cause of heliocentrism. Draka is dealt a lethal blow to her side, but turns the blade onto Nowak and fatally injures him before escaping the burning church. In his final moments, Nowak speaks with a hallucination of Rafal and is met with realization that he had been the villian of heliocentrism all along; he then openly prays to God for his daughter's salvation into Heaven before dying on the spot. Draka also succumbs to her injury but manages to send out a letter via Antoni's carrier pigeon.

## Characters
### Part 1
#### Rafal (ラファウ, Rafau)

    Voiced by: Maaya Sakamoto
    A young prodigy who skipped a grade and entered university at the age of 12. Rafal has always excelled by making rational decisions. However, his interest was piqued by the beauty of the heliocentric theory, leading him to delve into extensive research on the subject. His eventual suicide to evade persecution is what drives the plot forward.

#### Nowak (ノヴァク, Novaku)

    Voiced by: Kenjiro Tsuda
    An inquisitor who lacks a specific ideology, but believes it is his duty to protect the peace of the world, including his daughter, even if it means resorting to cruel actions.

#### Hubert (フベルト, Fuberuto)

    Voiced by: Show Hayami
    A heretic is imprisoned for his forbidden research. In order to be released and continue his work, he feigned a change of heart. However, after meeting Rafal, Hubert revealed the truth about his research; the heliocentric theory.

#### Potocki (ポトツキ, Pototsuki)

    Voiced by: Kōichi Makishima [ja]
    Rafal's foster father was the one who asked him to give up studying astronomy and instead focus on theology when he entered university.

### Part 2
#### Oczy (オクジー, Okujī)

    Voiced by: Katsuyuki Konishi
    A champion fighter with excellent eyesight, but a fear of looking at the sky. His mindset is overwhelmingly negative, with no expectations for the world and a desire to reach heaven as soon as possible.

#### Gras (グラス, Gurasu)

    Voiced by: Minoru Shiraishi
    Oczy's comrade. Unlike with Oczy, his outlook is overwhelmingly positive even in times of despair, which he attributes to his fascination with Mars.

#### Badeni (バデーニ, Badēni)

    Voiced by: Yuichi Nakamura
    A monk sets out on a quest to find the "best moment of his life". In his pursuit of knowledge, he disregards the rules of the church, leading to his eyes being burned and his subsequent banishment to a rural village.

#### Jolenta (ヨレンタ, Yorenta)

    Voiced by: Saya Hitomi [ja], Toa Yukinari (adult)
    A research assistant in the field of astronomy, she was accepted into a facility led by a renowned cosmologist. However, she is currently feeling disheartened as she is not given the opportunity to conduct research to her full potential due to her gender. She is revealed to be Nowak's daughter, and she is unaware that Nowak is an inquisitor.

#### Kolbe (コルベ, Korube)

    Voiced by: Nobunaga Shimazaki
    Jolenta's colleague. As women are looked down on, he publishes Jolenta's research on her behalf.

#### Count Piast (ピャスト伯, Pyasuto Haku)

    Voiced by: Shinya Fukumatsu, Daisuke Namikawa (young)
    An astronomer who leads the research group Jolenta belongs to. Despite being a believer in geocentrism, he has devoted his life to learning the truth about the universe.

#### Antoni (アントニ)

    Voiced by: Satoshi Mikami
    A bishop who is an arrogant and devoted member of the church. He views Nowak's inquisition as threatening to the church's future as unlike with Nowak, he is willing to adapt to changes.

### Part 3
#### Draka (ドゥラカ, Duraka)

    Voiced by: Miyuri Shimabukuro
    The daughter of a nomadic tribe, this talented woman has made a significant contribution to the development of her village. Her strong belief in "earning money until her worries disappear" stems from her personal experience of losing her father at a young age.

#### Schmidt (シュミット, Shumitto)

    Voiced by: Satoshi Hino
    The captain of the Heresy Liberation Squad is a naturalist who seeks to revive a god that has been corrupted by human morality. Currently, his focus is on weakening the orthodox faction of the C Church.

#### Dhruv (ドゥルーヴ, Durūvu)

    Voiced by: Tomomichi Nishimura
    Draka's uncle. He raises Draka as her only blood relative left after her father's death. While he teaches Draka to live with conviction, he will do anything to survive.

### Final part
#### Albert Brudzewski (アルベルト・ブルゼフスキ, Aruberuto Buruzefusuki)

    Voiced by: Shōya Ishige, Atsumi Tanezaki (young)
    A young man works at a bakery, where he assists with various tasks. He used to have a passion for learning, but after a particular incident, he lost his interest in academics.

## Media
### Manga

Written and illustrated by Uoto [ja], Orb: On the Movements of the Earth was serialized in Shogakukan's seinen manga magazine Weekly Big Comic Spirits from September 14, 2020, to April 18, 2022. Shogakukan collected its chapters in eight tankōbon, released from December 11, 2020, to June 30, 2022.
Seven Seas Entertainment has licensed the manga for English publication, releasing the manga in a 2-in-1 omnibus edition.

#### Volumes

| No. | Original release date | Original ISBN | English release date | English ISBN |
| 1 | December 11, 2020 | 978-4-09-860778-5 | November 21, 2023 | 979-8-88843-262-4 |
| 2 | January 12, 2021 | 978-4-09-860801-0 | November 21, 2023 | 979-8-88843-262-4 |
| 3 | March 30, 2021 | 978-4-09-860878-2 | March 19, 2024 | 979-8-88843-341-6 |
| 4 | June 30, 2021 | 978-4-09-861071-6 | March 19, 2024 | 979-8-88843-341-6 |
| 5 | September 30, 2021 | 978-4-09-861146-1 | August 20, 2024 | 979-8-88843-581-6 |
| 6 | December 28, 2021 | 978-4-09-861206-2 | August 20, 2024 | 979-8-88843-581-6 |
| 7 | March 30, 2022 | 978-4-09-861260-4 | December 17, 2024 | 979-8-88843-582-3 |
| 8 | June 30, 2022 | 978-4-09-861317-5 | December 17, 2024 | 979-8-88843-582-3 |

### Anime

In June 2022, an anime adaptation produced by Madhouse was announced. It was later revealed to be a television series directed by Kenichi Shimizu and written by Shingo Irie, with Masanori Shino designing the characters, and Kensuke Ushio composing the music. The series aired for 25 episodes from October 5, 2024, to March 15, 2025, on NHK General. The opening theme song is "Kaijū" (怪獣, 'Monster'), performed by Sakanaction, while the first ending theme song is "Aporia" (アポリア), and the second ending theme song is "Hebi" (へび, 'Serpent'), both performed by Yorushika. Netflix licensed the series for worldwide simulcast.

#### Episodes

| No. | Title | Directed by | Storyboard by | Original release date |
| 1 | "Heliocentrism. How About That?" Transliteration: "Chidōsetsu, to Demo Yobō ka" (Japanese: 『地動説』、とでも呼ぼうか) | Kotono Watanabe | Kenichi Shimizu | October 5, 2024 (2024-10-5) |
| 2 | "And Now... I'm Going to Move the Earth" Transliteration: "Ima Kara, Chikyū o Ugokasu" (Japanese: 今から、地球を動かす) | Hiromichi Matano | Kenichi Shimizu | October 5, 2024 (2024-10-5) |
| 3 | "I... Believe in Heliocentrism" Transliteration: "Boku wa, Chidōsetsu o Shinjitemasu" (Japanese: 僕は、地動説を信じてます) | Masato Miyoshi | Kenichi Shimizu | October 12, 2024 (2024-10-12) |
| 4 | "The Fact That This World is Far More Beautiful Than Heaven" Transliteration: "Kono Chikyuu wa, Tengoku Nanka Yori mo Utsukushii" (Japanese: この地球は、天国なんかよりも美しい) | Asami Kawano | Hiroshi Kōjina | October 19, 2024 (2024-10-19) |
| 5 | "Even If I Die... This World Will Continue" Transliteration: "Watashi ga Shindemo Kono Sekai wa Tsuzuku" (Japanese: 私が死んでもこの世界は続く) | Masato Miyoshi | Junichi Sakata | October 26, 2024 (2024-10-26) |
| 6 | "Move… The World" Transliteration: "Sekai o, Ugokase" (Japanese: 世界を、動かせ) | Kotono Watanabe | TBA | November 2, 2024 (2024-11-2) |
| 7 | "Matters of the Truth" Transliteration: "Shinri no Tamenara" (Japanese: 真理のためなら) | Hiroki Mori | Koji Sawai | November 9, 2024 (2024-11-9) |
| 8 | "We Must Become Icarus" Transliteration: "Ikarosu ni Naraneba" (Japanese: イカロスにならねば) | Kotono Watanabe | Kotono Watanabe | November 16, 2024 (2024-11-16) |
| 9 | "This is What It Means... To Learn Something, I Think" Transliteration: "Kitto Sore ga, Nanika o Shiru to iu Kotoda" (Japanese: きっとそれが、何かを知るということだ) | Asami Kawano | Asami Kawano | November 23, 2024 (2024-11-23) |
| 10 | "Truth" Transliteration: "Chi" (Japanese: 『知』) | Hiromichi Matano | Kenichi Shimizu | November 30, 2024 (2024-11-30) |
| 11 | "Terror" Transliteration: "Chi" (Japanese: 『血』) | Masatoyo Takada | Masatoyo Takada | December 7, 2024 (2024-12-7) |
| 12 | "Heliocentrism is My Faith" Transliteration: "Ore wa, Chidōsetsu o Shinkō Shi Teru" (Japanese: 俺は、地動説を信仰してる) | Asami Kawano | Kenichi Shimizu | December 14, 2024 (2024-12-14) |
| 13 | "Freedom" Transliteration: "Jiyū o" (Japanese: 『自由』を) | Masateru Matsumura | Kenichi Shimizu | December 21, 2024 (2024-12-21) |
| 14 | "Tonight's Sky..." Transliteration: "Kyō no Kono Sora wa" (Japanese: 今日のこの空は) | Kotono Watanabe | Kotono Watanabe | December 28, 2024 (2024-12-28) |
| 15 | "Is it... My Turn?" Transliteration: "Watashi no, Banna no Ka?" (Japanese: 私の、番なのか？) | Masato Miyoshi | Koji Sawai | January 4, 2025 (2025-1-4) |
| 16 | "It's Time to Begin the Operation" Transliteration: "Kōdō o Kaishi Suru" (Japanese: 行動を開始する) | Asami Kawano | Asami Kawano | January 11, 2025 (2025-1-11) |
| 17 | "I Could Make a Lot of Money with This Book... Maybe" Transliteration: "Kono Hon de Dai Kasegi Dekiru, Kamo" (Japanese: この本で大稼ぎできる、かも) | Hiromichi Matano | Koji Sawai | January 18, 2025 (2025-1-18) |
| 18 | "To Liberate Information" Transliteration: "Jōhō o Kaihō Suru" (Japanese: 情報を解放する) | Mitsuyuki Masuhara | Koji Sawai | January 25, 2025 (2025-1-25) |
| 19 | "Wandering is How You Find What's Right" Transliteration: "Mayoi no Naka ni Rinri ga Aru" (Japanese: 迷いの中に倫理がある) | Hiroki Mori | Kotono Watanabe | February 1, 2025 (2025-2-1) |
| 20 | "I Love Heliocentrism" Transliteration: "Watashi wa, Chidōsetsu o Aishite Iru" (Japanese: 私は、地動説を愛している) | Unknown | TBA | February 8, 2025 (2025-2-8) |
| 21 | "The Times Are Changing" Transliteration: "Jidai wa Kawaru" (Japanese: 時代は変わる) | Unknown | TBA | February 15, 2025 (2025-2-15) |
| 22 | "Neither of You Will be Known to History" Transliteration: "Kimi-ra wa Rekishi no Tōjō Jinbutsu Janai" (Japanese: 君らは歴史の登場人物じゃない) | TBA | TBA | February 22, 2025 (2025-2-22) |
| 23 | "Comrades" Transliteration: "Onaji Jidai o Tsukutta Nakama" (Japanese: 同じ時代を作った仲間) | TBA | TBA | March 1, 2025 (2025-3-1) |
| 24 | "Thaumazein" Transliteration: "Taumazein o" (Japanese: タウマゼインを) | TBA | TBA | March 8, 2025 (2025-3-8) |
| 25 | "Question" (Japanese: ?) | TBA | TBA | March 15, 2025 (2025-3-15) |

### Other

The manga was featured in the music video for Amazarashi's song "1.0" on March 30, 2022, with the video showing lyrics using letterpress printing on art from the series. It was also featured in the music video for Amazarashi's song "Cassiopeia Mooring" (カシオピア係留所, Kashiopia Keiryū-sho), released on June 30, 2022, with characters from the series and their dialogue being projected onto the planetarium of the Itabashi Science and Education Museum in Tokyo.

## Reception

The manga was recommended by manga artists Hitoshi Iwaaki and Shin Takahashi. Chi was nominated for the 14th Manga Taishō in 2021 and placed second with 67 points; it was nominated for the 15th edition in 2022 and placed fifth with 59 points. It was nominated for the Next Manga Award in 2021 and placed tenth in the print category. The series ranked 37th on the 2021 "Book of the Year" list by Da Vinci magazine; it ranked 21st on the 2022 list. It ranked second on Takarajimasha's Kono Manga ga Sugoi! 2022 list of best manga for male readers. It won the Mandō Kobayashi Manga Grand Prix 2021, created by comedian and manga enthusiast Kendo Kobayashi. The manga was nominated for the 67th Shogakukan Manga Award in the general category in 2021; it was also nominated for the 68th edition in the same category in 2022. The series ranked fifth on the Nationwide Bookstore Employees' Recommended Comics of 2022. The manga was nominated for the 46th Kodansha Manga Award in the general category in 2022. The series won the 26th Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize in 2022. The manga won the 54th Seiun Award in the Best Comic category in 2023.