Best Wizards In Anime

Key Takeaways

• Some wizards in anime are brave, boisterous, and funny heroes while others are the more standard scrawny and more academic magic wielders.
• Characters like Shuna from That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime stand out as powerful spellcasters usually due to the sheer scale of each spell they cast.
• The vast world of anime has wizards of all types, magical schools, creeds, and more.

The world of anime has some truly exceptional and talented wizards who became some of the most beloved characters of all time. Anime fans could meet these powerful wizards in the best fantasy anime series and movies and go on unforgettable and magic-filled adventures with them.

While some of these wizards are truly evil and use dark magic, there are also heroic and even funny magicians who bravely faced monsters, supernatural warriors, and some of the strongest evil witches of all time too. Anime lovers can get lost in these enchanting and action-filled stories and learn about interesting magic systems while watching anime set in imaginative fantasy worlds as well as ones that take place in modern times.

Updated November 27th, 2024 by Jacob Buchalter: Wizards in anime are all over the place. Depending on the series or context, a ‘wizard’ could be the standard spellcaster in a robe or it could be an upfront damage dealer who can also do spells. It truly does just depend on the ‘rules’ of the setting and story. This is actually a great thing for this list in particular, as it means we have a very wide range of completely unique magic users to pick from when it comes to choosing the ‘strongest wizards’. So, with that in mind, let’s take an in-depth look at some of the most well-known and powerful spellcasters in anime and talk a bit about what makes each of them so strong.

15 Shuna

That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime

Let’s start things off with a pretty oddball inclusion, just to get this list heading in a unique direction. Obviously, when talking about magic users from the isekai series That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, Rimuru Tempest is going to basically always be first. However, Rimuru’s magic is basically on autopilot due to Raphael, and they’re more of a mixed fighter than a wizard or mage overall. But, when looking at all of the overpowered characters in this series, the only one that really fits the bill of a typical ‘wizard’ is Shuna.

Shuna is one of the most trusted compatriots of Rimuru, and for good reason. While she’s incredibly polite and pretty quiet, Shuna absolutely means business. After Rimuru became a full demon lord, Shuna also got even more powerful, gaining access to her own Ultimate Skills, new branches of magic, and more. For example, she’s one of the only Majin able to perform holy magic, something that shouldn’t be accessible to Majin in the first place. In general, Shuna is just an incredibly powerful spellcaster in every single sense of the word.

14 Megumin

KonoSuba: God’s Blessing on this Wonderful World!

Next up has to be one of the most iconic wizards in anime history, Megumin. Megumin is an Arch Wizard, to be more precise, and she’s incredibly specialized, both to her benefit and detriment. Like most of the people in Kazuma’s party, Megumin is a bit of an outcast due to her hyper fixation of a specialization.

There are a lot of branches of magic in KonoSuba, but Megumin went with Explosion magic and put her whole being into it. While there are a lot of detriments to Explosion Magic (and we mean a lot), it is one of the most powerful and destructive branches of magic in KonoSuba, especially when Megumin uses it. Of course, this basically turns her into a ‘one-and-done’ party member, basically going fully limp and needing to be carried after casting one of her spells, but when it comes to raw power in the Kazuma’s party, Megumin is probably at the top of the list.

13 Sung Jinwoo

Solo Leveling

Next up let’s talk about Sung Jinwoo, the protagonist of the worldwide hit known as Solo Leveling. Sung Jinwoo might not be what one thinks of when one first imagines a ‘wizard’ but he absolutely is. Saying exactly what Sung Jinwoo is would be a gigantic Solo Leveling spoiler, so let’s just say he’s essentially considered a Necromancer, which is a type of wizard. Contrary to a lot of other protagonists in stories about hunters and dungeons, Sung Jinwoo is a caster who started as more of a thief build.

While his strength, dexterity, and mobility are all well above most other hunters, Jinwoo put the majority of his stats into Intelligence once he got the Necromancer class. And, as far as a wizard goes, nothing really seems stronger than being able to summon and control a literal army of shadows.

12 Atsuko ‘Akko’ Kagari

Little Witch Academia

When it comes to well-known wizards in the Little Witch Academia setting, Akko is actually relatively unknown. However, she’s by far the most popular character in the series itself, just not in-universe. Funnily enough, while Atsuko has a pretty obvious predisposition as a Witch, her magical abilities and prowess are pretty low throughout the course of Little Witch Academia. Yes, Akko can use Shiny Chariot’s Shiny Rod with incredible proficiency but outside of that, she can barely keep a broom afloat.

The magic Akko is shown to be using the most in the series is her Metamorphosis Magic, and even then most of the time she just uses this for sneaking around or mobility more than actual combat prowess. Still, as far as popular wizards go, Akko is one of the best.

11 Elias Ainsworth

Ancient Magus Bride

Elias Ainsworth is a bit of a unique inclusion on this list. For one, Elias isn’t really human, but more of a mix of both Fae and human elements. Two, Elias is a mage that specializes in shadow magic or black magic, but just as much of the shadow magic he’s shown in The Ancient Magus Bride is just a natural part of his being more than it is magic he’s ‘casting’. He uses this magic and natural inclination to hide in the shadows of others, summon destructive thorns, and more.

But, this doesn’t mean that Elias only knows shadow magic, otherwise he would have been a horrible teacher to Chise. No, Elias is pretty proficient in a lot of other forms of magic such as teleportation magic, summoning magic, and more. He’s one of the most memorable mages in anime history, and the full extent of his knowledge and abilities is still pretty much unknown.

10 Rudeus Greyrat

Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation

Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation quickly became one of the most popular new anime shows, and is considered by many fans as one of the best isekai anime of all time. While protagonist Rudeus Greyrat was an arrogant and selfish human, he completely changed after he died and got transported to a new fantasy realm.

Since Rudeus was ashamed of his behavior, he decided to become a much more humble and kind person. While he also had a more pervy and aggressive side, he used his magical abilities to protect his friends and family. Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation‘s story follows Rudeus’ adventures as he becomes a powerful anime wizard and a beloved member of his new home.

9 Tatsuya Shiba

The Irregular at Magic High School

The Irregular at Magic High School‘s Tatsuya Shiba is the smartest anime wizard. He has a genius-level intellect who can use his special abilities and analytical mind to easily create new magic sequences. Even though he might seem cold and uncaring, he does have a warmer side and can get quite emotional, especially when it comes to his sister, Miyuki.

While Tatsuya is still in high school, he is a highly skilled magic user who can defeat just about anyone. The Irregular at Magic High School‘s story follows Tatsuya and Miyuki’s adventures as the siblings wreak havoc on the prestigious National Magic University Affiliated First High School.

8 Haku

Spirited Away

Haku is Spirited Away‘s lost river spirit who can take the form of a gigantic white dragon as well as a teen human boy. While in his human form, Haku is a powerful wizard with various magical abilities. In his dragon form, he’s even capable of flying. He is a caring and curious boy who wanted to learn magic from Yubaba, so he became one of her many workers.

Haku tries to help Chihiro by keeping her safe and helping her break the curse on her parents, so they can safely return to the human realm. Spirited Away has one of the most magical bathhouses in anime, and its story follows Chihiro’s adventures in the spirit realm.

7 Clow Reed

Cardcaptor Sakura

Clow Reed is Cardcaptor Sakura‘s most powerful wizard. Thanks to his Chinese and British magical heritage, he was able to create a new body of magic and cast some of the strongest spells of all time. He also created the magical Clow Cards and their guardians, Cerberus and Yue.

Clow is considered one of the best anime wizards ever, who always tried to use his unmatched abilities for good. Cardcaptor Sakura follows Sakura’s adventures as the bubbly elementary school student tries to retrieve a set of magical cards she accidentally set free.

6 Kazuma Kannagi

Stigma of the Wind

Kazuma Kannagi is not only one of the most iconic anime wizards of all time but also its strongest wind magic user. After making a contract with the Spirit King of the Wind, Kazuma became an unbeatable wizard who could use his wind magic to fly and defeat anyone else no matter what spirit power they had. Despite his immense power and his troubled backstory, he stayed a caring person even though he always liked to show off his powers.

Stigma of the Wind follows Kazuma’s story, who has been kicked out from his noble Kannagi household because he couldn’t use fire magic and was defeated by his younger cousin. However, years later Kazuma returned proudly after he became a master of wind magic and soon proved that he is the most powerful wizard in the Kannagi family. The anime follows his adventures as he defeats enemies and uses his magic to protect innocents from evil spirits and monsters.

5 Judar

Magi: The Labyrinth Of Magic

Judar is one of the most iconic evil wizards in anime who was one of the most devious characters in Magi. Since Judar lived a comfortable life from an early age and became one of the most powerful wizards in his world, early on he was often arrogant and treated everyone around him badly. However, he was one of the strongest wizards who was never afraid to use his black magic for deadly attacks.

Magi: The Labyrinth Of Magic is one of the most fun and magic-filled anime for Dungeons and Dragons fans and all anime lovers who appreciate stories inspired by ancient tales and myths. Magi follows the story of Alibaba who goes on an epic adventure to conquer one of the many dungeons of his world and become a powerful and respected wizard.

4 Howl

Howl’s Moving Castle

Howl is probably one of the most well-known iconic wizards in anime with truly powerful abilities. While Howl Jenkins Pendragon is one of the vainest wizards who ever lived, he is also one of the bravest and most skilled ones who proved his powers not only against other wizards and witches but against the monsters and bombs of a deadly war.

Howl’s Moving Castle fans could meet some of the most powerful wizards and witches as well as one of the most inspiring female Ghibli characters of all time. The anime tells the story of Howl and Sophie’s love story as the two go on a dangerous and beautiful adventure to help break each other’s curse.

3 Gildarts

Fairy Tail

Gildarts is one of the most beloved and strongest wizards in Fairy Tail whose intense power can be felt from a great distance. He is one of the bravest members of the Fairy Tail Guild and is a mighty S-Class Mage. While Gildarts has many powerful abilities and can perform all kinds of magic his most famous one is Crush, which allows him to easily smash anything into tiny pieces.

Fairy Tail is one of the most popular anime based on fairy tales with immensely fun and powerful witches and wizards. The story follows two young magic users called Natsu and Lucy, who join the famous wizard guild, Fairy Tail, to fight evil and increase their powers.

2 Fluder Paradyne

Overlord

Fluder Paradyne is one of the oldest and most powerful wizards in Overlord. He’s one of the most intelligent magic users who mastered multiple types of powerful magic and became the greatest magic caster of the Baharuth Empire. He has been obsessed with magic his entire life and spends all of his time learning more about magic and increasing his skills and abilities.

Overlord is one of the most exciting dark fantasy anime series with some great and powerful magic users. While some of the evilest characters in Overlord have intense powers none could defeat Fluder. The anime’s story is set in a dark fantasy realm where a group of modern-day gamers is suddenly transported and has to find ways to stay alive and get back home.

1 Asta

Black Clover

Despite not being able to actually use magic, Asta still became one of the most iconic anime wizards of all time with the help of Anti-Magic energy. Once he discovered his unique ability he became one of its most powerful users and soon was able to defeat just about any wizard or witch. Asta is also one of the most inspiring and headstrong wizards who was also a skilled swordsman and had superhuman speed and strength.

Black Clover is one of the most fun and motivating fantasy shows with all kinds of mighty witches and wizards as well as anime characters with copying powers. The story is about Asta and Yuno, two young orphan boys who decide to compete against each other until one of them becomes the next Emperor Magus.