Orb: On the Movements of the Earth

Part 1

• Rafal (ラファウ)
• A young prodigy adopted by Potocki who is set to enter 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 forbidden research of the subject. His eventual suicide to evade persecution is what drives the plot forward.
• Nowak (ノヴァク)
• 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)
• A heretic 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 reveals his research into the heliocentric theory, giving Rafal all his research before he is executed.
• Potocki (ポトツキ)
• Rafal's foster father and professor at his school. He was found guilty of heresy for his study of astronomy in the past, also forcing Rafal to give up studying astronomy to instead focus on theology when he enters university.

Part 2

• Oczy (オクジー)
• A champion fighter with excellent eyesight, but has 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)
• Oczy's comrade who, unlike Oczy, has an overwhelmingly positive outlook even in times of despair. He attributes this to his fascination with Mars, which he started documenting after his family was killed in the plague.
• Badeni (バデーニ)
• A monk obsessed with understanding the universe and proving himself above others. 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.
• Damian (ダミアン)
• A young inquisitor who recruits Nowak for help in his investigation against heretics. He eventually becomes a bishop and reforms his attitudes toward torture.
• Jolenta (ヨレンタ)
• A research assistant in the field of astronomy, she was accepted into a facility led by a renowned cosmologist Count Piast. However, 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. She forms the Heretic Liberation Front after Antoni attempts to have killed for heresy and fakes her death to remove Nowak from his position.
• Kolbe (コルベ)
• Jolenta's colleague who acts supportive, but publishes Jolenta's research in his name to improve his standing.
• Count Piast (ピャスト伯)
• 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)
• A curate and eventual bishop, he is both arrogant and deeply devoted to the church. He views Nowak's inquisition as a threat to the church's future and a waste of money, attempting to kill Jolenta to weaken his influence. Unlike Nowak, he is willing to adapt to changes.

Part 3

• Draka (ドゥラカ)
• The daughter of a nomadic Romani tribe, she has made significant contributions to the development of her village, but is unsatisfied with her life. She is obsessed with earning money, believing an excess of money will give her peace of mind, stemming from her experience of losing her father at a young age.
• Schmidt (シュミット)
• The long-winded captain of the Heretic Liberation Front and a naturalist who seeks to revive a god that has not been corrupted by human morality. His goal is to weaken the orthodox faction and liberate freedom of information.
• Lewandowski (レヴァンドロフスキ)
• A reserved older member of the Heretic Liberation Front, and a close friend of Schmidt.
• Frei (フライ)
• A soft-spoken younger member of the Heretic Liberation Front, and direct subordinate of Schmidt. He is actually a member of the church, sabotaging and later betraying Schmidt.
• Dhruv (ドゥルーヴ)
• Draka's uncle who raises Draka as her only blood relative left after her father's death. He teaches Draka that there is no god and to live with conviction. He will do anything to survive, including giving up Draka to save his own life.

Final part

• Albert Brudzewski (アルベルト・ブルゼフスキ)
• A young man who 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. After speaking with a priest in a booth, he renews his thirst for knowledge despite his trauma and heads to university.

Manga

Written and illustrated by Uoto, Orb: On the Movements of the Earth was serialized in Shogakukan's manga magazine Weekly Big Comic Spirits from September 14, 2020,[14][15] to April 18, 2022.[16][17] Shogakukan collected its chapters in eight, 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.[18][19]

Volumes

Anime

In June 2022, an anime adaptation produced by Madhouse was announced.[32] 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.[6] The series aired for 25 episodes from October 5, 2024, to March 15, 2025, on NHK General TV.[33][34] The opening theme song is "Kaijū" (怪獣), performed by Sakanaction,[6] while the first ending theme song is "Aporia" (アポリア), and the second ending theme song is "Hebi" (へび), both performed by Yorushika.[35][10] Netflix licensed the series for worldwide simulcast.[36]

Episodes

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.[41] It was also featured in the music video for Amazarashi's song "Cassiopeia Mooring" (カシオピア係留所), 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.[42]