In a time when fantasy Shonen anime is reaching its epitome of popularity, with stories like My Hero Academia or Jujutsu Kaisen reaching an unprecedented increase in sales, Little Witch Academia broke the norm with a story anchored by a female character becoming exactly what the genre had been needing for a long time. Albeit the franchise kickstarted through its 2013 and 2015 short films, it wouldn’t be until 2017 that this original story written by Masahiko Otsuka would receive a well-deserved anime adaptation, which ran from January until June of 2017.
This fun and quirky anime introduces the students at the prestige school Luna Nova Magical Academy, who are aiming to become witches upon receiving elite training. One particular student, Atsuko ‘Akko’ Kagari, enrolls at this school but due to her non-magical background, she struggles to become the witch she wished to be – until she discovers the ancient relic Shiny Rod, left behind by Shiny Chariot. As the story unravels, the audience meets an assortment of students working to restore the flow of magic, and here are those exact characters ranked by popularity.
10. Lord Andrew Hanbridge
While his role as a main character is somewhat undermined by his despise of magic, Lord Andrew is still among one of the best recurring characters introduced in Little Witch Academia. His stoic yet polite attitude, alongside his reserved nature, has made Lord Andrew an almost impenetrable wall. Nonetheless, his compassion and kindness do transpire when it is most needed – especially when it comes to praising the witches’ passion and determination.
His undying loyalty to his father also added a sympathizing layer to his character, as his own beliefs are surrounding his dad’s own obsolete views regarding magic. Much to the surprise of the audience, Andrew still has a rebellious side to him, as he continuously grows and learns that all his decisions oughtn’t derive from his father’s own wishes. After all, as he learns piano in secret, his character only becomes more lovable.
9. Annabel Crème
Somewhat insecure albeit extremely sweet, Annabel Crème is the current author of the Night Fall novel series, upon having been chosen by the magic pen to impersonate the original Annabel Crème. Despite having been picked to become the heteronym of Annabel Crème, this young girl is still extremely self-conscious and insecure about her abilities as a writer, causing her to become distant from her fans and many of those around her.
Upon becoming friends with Lotte, Annabel took it upon herself to become more thick-skinned, learning that people’s negative criticism shouldn’t always deter her from being confident in her craft. Even though she is a writer, Annabel’s knowledge of magic makes her all the more interesting, and even if she is not a witch herself, she certainly can get away with using enchanted items, just like the pen belonging to her predecessor.
8. Jasminka Antonenko
Adorable yet mischievous, Jasminka Antonenko is undoubtedly one of the best characters in all of the Little Witch Academia franchise. Initially introduced in the film Little Witch Academia: The Enchanted Parade, Jasminka immediately became a beloved character due to her cute design contrasting with her rowdy behavior seen when she is stealing sweets to eat in class.
Encouraging and cheerful, Jasminka’s personality comes through from her immediate introduction. Despite being a troublemaker, who is always munching on something as she attends to Amanda and Constanze’s impish plans, Jasminka is always keeping a positive attitude regardless of the situation they’re in. Moreover, despite her love for food, she not once refused to share her prized sweets with her friends, showing exactly how sweet she can really be.
7. Atsuko ‘Akko’ Kagari
Despite being the main character, Akko lies relatively low on the list – the reasoning being none other than the arsenal of incredibly written characters that are already in the series as is. Even if she is in seventh place, Akko is still one of the funniest characters on the show. Optimistic and cheerful, yet with a hint of impulsiveness, Akko is always up for a challenge, even if it means putting her life in danger to achieve her dream of becoming a talented witch.
This determined witch is undeniably the focus of the show. With most storylines surrounding her and her wish to become a powerful witch, it is no wonder that we have a much in-depth focus on her character development and, thus, her flaws. From being slightly selfish to even ignoring others’ opinions in favor of living her idealized life, Akko is still an incredibly creative, clever, and kind witch, who will certainly try her best to always do what is right.
6. Constanze Amalie von Braunschbank-Albrechtsberger
It may be her lack of social skills or adorable design that made everyone fall in love with Constanze, but whatever it is, it worked. The little witch from Germany has captured the attention of all fans due to her troublemaking nature and passion for tech, although her social skills are certainly questionable. Having only said very few words in the anime, Constanze lets her actions – and most of all, her robots – speak for themselves.
Not necessarily the most cheerful character, Constanze is still loved among fans as a result of her ingenious creations and semi-mysterious personality. No one knows exactly why she doesn’t talk much, but her skills as a witch aren’t at all affected by her lonesome and independent nature. Instead, Constanze has personally made sure that no one bothers her while she’s working on her projects, working to become the best witch in her own terms.
5. Lotte Jansson
If there is one thing that everyone can agree on is that Lotte would make a great friend to have by your side. This Finnish witch is known for her shy and timid personality, almost overshadowing her pure and kindhearted nature. Through her earnest actions and calm demeanor towards Akko, Lotte’s personality truly comes through when she’s taking care of the girls around her, making sure that everyone is safe and sound.
Perfectly embodying the ‘mom friend’ trope, Lotte is almost the type of character one wishes to take care of, but she ends up taking care of you instead. With the help of the rest of the witches in the group, she becomes increasingly more confident, showing her true colors more and more as time goes by. This consistent character development not only makes Lotte an interesting character to watch, but it almost makes us all wish we had a Lotte in our own lives.
4. Amanda O’Neill
Alongside Constanze and Jasminka, Amanda is a troublemaker always indulging in some mischievous activities capable of putting them all in some serious trouble. This rebellious nature, alongside her little respect for authority, has granted her the role of being one of the most engaging and amusing characters in all of Little Witch Academia – of course, in addition to her mesmerizing design as a tomboy with a knack for athletics.
Amanda’s captivating persona is ultimately what makes this North American character so favored by fans of the series. Whether it may be her constant unruly behavior as she heads to the Luna Nova’s storehouses just to toy with the security systems, or simply her masked kindness and compassion towards her friends, one thing is for certain: Amanda is surely one of the best characters to have graced our screens.
3. Diana Cavendish
Seemingly stuck up and arrogant at first glance, Diana quickly earned her place in everyone’s hearts as time went by. Her sense of responsibility and, consequently, concern for her friends was surely evident from her constant nagging towards the other witches. Her stoicism, alongside her composed and erudite attitudes – derived from her descent from a prestigious line of witches traced back to ancient times– results in a traditionalism that is incredibly noticeable among the rebellious witches.
Despite this callousness and over-confidence from Diana, her actions become all the more understandable once the audience realizes that she does, in fact, care about her friends, even if she shows it slightly differently from the rest of the group. The frustration she often displays come from a place of concern and genuine wish for providing help, even if her constant attempts at helping others are often overlooked.
2. Professor Ursula Callistis
Otherwise known as the infamous “Shiny Chariot,” Professor Ursula Callistis is the person behind the famous witch idolized for her gigantic power, courage, and intellect. As the Magic Astrology professor at the Luna Nova Magical Academy in addition to being the mentor of Akko, Professor Ursula became a prominent figure and presence in the halls of the academy, much to everyone’s delight.
With a natural charm and radiant personality, Ursula quickly became one of the best characters to have ever come from Little Witch Academia. Despite her ambitious nature being almost too large for her to contain, Ursula is still loved by teachers and students, due to her achievements as well as her magnetic persona. Even if she is not as headstrong and passionate as she once was – especially as Shiny Chariot – Ursula is still a highly treasured character in the series.
1. Sucy Manbavaran
As for the first place on this list, it couldn’t have gone to anyone but Sucy Manbavaran. Known for her deadpan look on her face almost appearing aloof at all times, Sucy is the epitome of sarcasm in Little Witch Academia. In perfect contrast with the rest of the girls, Sucy is much calmer and more collected than her peers. Despite this cool outlook resulting in almost indifference at all times, Sucy still has a special interest that has given her the title of “Creepy Sucy,” by some witches.
Due to her eccentric preferences in subjects that others quickly labeled as disturbing, Sucy’s interest in performing experiments with potions and poisons, pulling pranks, and even creating foul-smelling fumes, was at the origin of some witches, Hannah and Barbara, picking up on the girl. Truthfully, Sucy is in fact, a compassionate witch who cares about her friends – even if she has no qualms about experimenting with her potions on Akko. At the end of the day, only the audience knows Sucy for what she’s like, earning her place as the best character in Little Witch Academia.
This wholesome all-ages Shojo anime is certainly the perfect animated series to introduce everyone in the family. Fun, quirky and with wholly interesting characters, Little Witch Academia will surely become a staple in everyone’s homes.
