Updated August 15, 2023 140.6K votes 35.4K voters 792.3K views
Over 35.4K Ranker voters have come together to rank this list of The 22 Best Magic Anime You Can't Afford To Miss
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Vote up the greatest magical anime of all time.
Latest additions: Dead Mount Death Play, Mashle: Magic and Muscles
Most divisive: Puella Magi Madoka Magica
Anime about magic can be some of the most fun kind of anime to watch. Magic opens up a world of story options that simply aren't available in the mundane world - sure, you can have a great character arc and plotline in an office romance or a hard-boiled detective story, but are there dragons? Can the characters cast magic spells or transform into strange animals? In anime with magic powers, they can do all that and more.
What are the best magic anime out there? There's plenty to choose from. Like emotionally nuanced character studies? The Ancient Magus' Bride tells a heartfelt and moving story of a young girl finding acceptance in a magical community. Prefer a little more action? The Fate series chronicles a series of magical clashes. Enjoy a light-hearted, slice-of-life anime? Flying Witch describes the everyday adventures of a young witch-in-training.
Let the world know which magical anime you think deserves some recognition.
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Photo: That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime / 8bit
Satoru Mikami is an ordinary 37-year-old man until he loses his life to a goon and ends up being reincarnated in a fantasy world rife with incredible magic. Unfortunately for him, he isn't reincarnated into a powerful magical being.
Instead, he gets reincarnated as a ball of slime. Hijinks abound.
All Asta wants in life is to become the Wizard King - but with no magical aptitude manifesting, his goal seems remarkably out of reach. One day, he unexpectedly receives a grimoire decorated with a five-leaf clover. With this item, it appears that he may have a chance after all.
When Momonga's favorite MMORPG is about to shut down, he stays logged into its servers during its last moments. When the game shuts down, he finds that he's still there as his character, and the NPCs are a lot more lively than they used to be.
Momonga quickly begins to amass power in what is now his real, everyday world.
In a world where magic is part of everyday life, magical guilds take on job requests ranging from simple to complex. The Fairy Tail guild is a ragtag bunch of mages with different goals - for example, Natsu wants to find his father, and Lucy wants to collect celestial gate keys and become a professional wizard.
Together, they clash with rival guilds and work to achieve their dreams.
The Holy Knights rule over Britannia with an iron fist - protecting it with incredible magic, but also subjecting it to their despotic rule. Princess Elizabeth seeks out a group of rogue warriors who might be able to defeat the Holy Knights. If they successfully topple the Holy Knights, then they can free Britannia.
Photo: Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic / A-1 Pictures
The Magi series takes the legend of Aladdin and gives it an anime twist. A young mage named Aladdin ends up trying to conquer a dungeon - a magical labyrinth full of untold riches - in order to pay back the money he owes. From there, an unforgettable magical adventure begins to unfold and take shape.
