And while of course there’s the iconic Hogwarts where a lot of magical schools draw inspiration from, other are entirely unique. Sometimes they’re parts of a secret or elite society, while other magic high schools are just a part of everyday life. And honestly, it’s always fun to see how a magic system is visualized in a setting through the lens of someone who’s young and still wide-eyed to the world. So let’s dive into some of the best anime that take on this magical school setting. It’s time to make a wish, cast a spell, and figure out which of these schools have open applications.
15. Blade Dance of Elementalers
This anime starts off with the main character accidentally acquiring magic powers when it really should’ve been someone else. He enters a magic school in order to gain control of his powers The show is very simple and up front about what it is: It’s a harem magic school setting, with a splash of fun action sequences, and an interesting (if not fairly standard) magic system. While not the deepest show on this list, I do think it’s a fun watch with cool visuals to help it out.
14. Rosario + Vampire
Here’s another harem anime, but this time our protagonist isn’t actually magically inclined at all. Instead the girls surrounding him are all magical in some way. While Yokai Academy isn’t quite a witches and wizards exclusive school, housing all sorts of monsters and ghouls as well, it’s certainly mystical in its presentation. And while its story is fairly standard, the characters (particularly the girls) are what makes this one stand out the most.
13. Magic-Kyun! Renaissance
Magic-Kyun! Renaissance is a very different entry in this list. While most people in magic schools are training to be some kind of combatant of a sort, in Renaissance, they’re simply training in art. Since art is magic that can inspire all sorts of miracles, you can be certain that the visuals here are real pretty to look at. And instead of this being a typical male harem anime, it’s a female harem instead! I definitely think this is a cute show that’s interesting & at least unique on its own.
12. The Irregular At Magic High School
At what point are magic and technology considered one and the same? In the world of The Irregular, society has reached that point. And magic is taught just like any course about technology or engineering. With a main character that’s incredibly competent, as well as his sister who’s placed in the class above him, Tatsuya is actually incredibly talented. Plus he shows this talent in practice, rather than on paper. This is another anime that visually looks really good. And it’s interesting to see magic getting such a technical deep-dive – not to mention its aesthetics are one of this show’s strongest aspects.
11. The Familiar of Zero
After Louise summons a normal Japanese boy to her world, she practically keeps him captive and uses his potential for magic to assist in her own magical studies at school. While Louise is… hard to like at first, I do like that her relationship with Saito gets better as the show progresses. Even if her jealousy can be a bit much sometimes. Also the setting of this show is superb. It’s definitely a different type of isekai than you’d normally see, where the main character is under someone’s control, instead of being super OP.
10. Baka and Test
Though the magical elements of this show are a little bit shaky at best, they’re interesting enough to keep you around. Each character has a familiar (or stand-esque little friend) that resembles them, and they’re used to taking control of certain classrooms. All of that is mostly pushed to the side though, as most of the show focuses on being a cute romantic comedy/triangle, with a lot of really funny jokes. So if you’re into rom-com anime with a setting in a magical school, this is worth checking out.
9. Chivalry of A Failed Knight
The thing that drew me to this show was actually its magic system. I adore the concept of being able to manifest a magical weapon with the power of your own soul. And that’s just what we get to see here! Not to mention I actually think the romance in this show is developed very well. It feels like a really mature take on romance, despite most other shows with similar settings being mostly played for laughs.
8. The Legend of the Legendary Heroes
While this show doesn’t take place primarily in a magic school, our main character Ryner is still a student of magic. So it’s a little bit of a cheat compared to other entries on the list – but it’s still a really great anime. Most of the moments shown in the academy are the moments where he’s introduced with Sion, his best friend, who also went on to become the king of Roland. Early in the show he’s sent off on a quest to recover a set of relics to help achieve the goal of world peace that Sion’s dreamt of creating. There’s also a lot of twists & turns here to keep you engaged along the way.
7. Demon King Daimao
I admittedly have a lot of nostalgia for this show. But I do also think it has a lot of genuinely cool concepts for its own magical world – definitely unique compared to other “magical” anime. One interesting thing in particular is the fact that our main character (Akuto) is the Demon King himself. A lot of the plot involves him trying to understand what that power means, and how that affects those around him. And even though there’s a lot of ecchi moments, Akuto’s constant struggle of fighting against basically becoming the evil entity that everyone fears is genuinely interesting to watch.
6. Cute High Earth Defense Club LOVE!
Everyone knows about magical girls. They’re everywhere in anime by now – and have even spawned their own subgenre within the medium. But have you ever considered… magical boys? For brevity’s sake, we’ll call this show Love. But Love is actually a very fun and surreal ride for an anime, as we follow a group of boys chosen to be members of the Earth Defense Club. Their leader? A wombat. Honestly, this show is just a fun trip. And it’s surprisingly well animated. Also the boys are very cute. If any of those things interest you, it’s a short and fun watch.
5. Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic
Being a young Magi, Aladdin has a lot to learn. And particularly in the first season he learns a lot when he meets his companion Alibaba for the first time. This is another entry where it’s not quite a magic school, as more accurately there’s magical labyrinths of knowledge spread throughout the world that our cast has to progress through to learn more. Still, it’s a very fun and heartfelt adventure series with great characterization and action sequences. And on top of that, Magi also features really fun visuals based off of Arabian Nights aesthetics.
4. My Hero Academia
Superpowers are more or less magic, so I feel totally comfortable throwing this entry on the list. My Hero Academia is a show that needs little introduction. In a world where almost everyone has a superpower called a “quirk”, there are now high schools that help train their students to be able to hone their powers and become superheroes. Midoriya is one of the unfortunates born without a quirk. But he soon inherits one, thanks to his new mentor All-Might. And with his help (and the help of the school) Midoriya plans to become the #1 hero. This is a must-try if you haven’t seen this before.
3. Jujutsu Kaisen
Jujutsu Kaisen is an amazing action series that starts off with our main character having a purely casual interest in the ideas behind the paranormal… and then things quickly spiral out of control. Not only does he acquire his own set of new powers, but he meets up with a lot of other people called “Sorcerers” who possess powers not entirely different from his own. After the action kicks off, this show is a spectacle. The powers in this anime are an absolute blast to watch, and it sports my main man Panda. I love that Panda.
2. Mob Psycho 100
Young Mob is an extremely powerful psychic in a world where spirits and mystical powers of all sorts exist. But Mob has a goal completely unrelated to his powers. He wants to become stronger so he can impress the girl of his dreams. He’s a pure hearted boy who’s been granted extreme powers – and has to learn how to be responsible with them. While only very few people hold these powers, there are a lot of similarities to more traditional magic school anime. Also the story itself is fantastic, and the characters are some of the best I’ve ever seen in this genre. Go check it out if you like action anime & cool psychic powers.
1. Little Witch Academia
This is by far the most pure embodiment of what I (and most people) think of when we hear the phrase “magic school”. Little Witch Academia is a delight from beginning to end. Akko doesn’t actually start out with magic, and she doesn’t have any real connection to magic other than the witch she loved: Shiny Chariot. Enrolling in Luna Nova Magical Academy soon after the start of the show, Atsuko is a bit of a slacker, and is wholly reckless for sure. But despite her lack of talent in magic, she never loses hope that she can become an amazing witch. At its heart, this show is really sweet, funny, and it knows how to put a smile on your face between the storylines and the visual aesthetics. If you’re looking for a tried-and-true magical school setting anime, this show is perfect.
