Cool/unique character designs for spellcasters

[The Fury]

So, I started on this rabbit hole when someone mentioned Isakai subgenre fantasy. I'd never heard that term before, so I did a quick Google of it. Naturally, I came across a lot of different fantasy anime character designs, some of which looked pretty cool, some that were... eh. The general pattern seemed to be that spellcasters looked sort of uninspired in their character design, usually having a robe or a cloak with a weird stick. Sometimes a hat too. Maybe it's just that the armor, weapons, and accessories that other fantasy character types have adds a little more interest.

This doesn't seem to be unique to anime either. I can't honestly recall when I last saw an illustration of a spellcaster and thought, "Wow, cool character design!"

Personally, I blame it on the fact that I haven't been exposed to the right media more than anything else, so what are y'all's favorite spellcasters character design-wise?

[Rater202]

I'm quite fond of the design of Venom Strange from Marvel Comic's Venomverse event.

https://78.media.tumblr.com/efa695127b3c897bf7af7322f2f51b04/tumblr_ous9o4fcLe1rp6jf8o1_500.jpg

Basically Doctor Strange from an alternate universe where he's also Venom.

[Kitten Champion]

While I'm don't specifically like the character, I'm partial to the unusual design features of Vento of the Front from A Certain Magical Index.

https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/to-aru-majutsu-no-index/images/2/2f/Vent_of_the_Front.jpg/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/480?cb=20100312214828

It's an interesting aesthetic direction to bring to a nun's habit, while still being able to identify its basis. The preponderance of piercings - which gets brought into her magic - captures the intimidating/villainous aspect of her well.

[Durkoala]

It is a book series and therefore prone to looking as good as you want it to, but the mages of Skulduggery Pleasant tended to favour suits, greatcoats or leather, which is fairly non-standard at least.

Nahiri the Lithomancer, from Magic: The Gathering is a simple design that evokes a blacksmith, but one I'm partial to.

https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/gamelore/images/4/44/Nahiri%27s_Wrath.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20160806025603

I also want to give an honourable mention to Gandalf. Despite his many, many imitators, his blend of wizard classic with a wandering tramp and swordsman is very striking.

[BWR]

Personally I'm fond of John Constantine, because it's iconic and something you could easily wear around town without feeling like a ****.

[Prime32]

A Certain Magical Index
Index has a ton of creative concepts in general. Like the underground Japanese Christians who specialise in blending into a crowd, and can cast spells "invisibly" by hiding their components in mundane actions and objects.


I also want to give an honourable mention to Gandalf. Despite his many, many imitators, his blend of wizard classic with a wandering tramp and swordsman is very striking.But Gandalf is just an imitator of Odin. :smalltongue:

[Durkoala]

But Gandalf is just an imitator of Odin. :smalltongue:

He has two eyes! Totally different!

[The Fury]

Index has a ton of creative concepts in general. Like the underground Japanese Christians who specialise in blending into a crowd, and can cast spells "invisibly" by hiding their components in mundane actions and objects.


Yeah, I forgot about A Certain Magical Index, (thanks for bringing that one up Kitten Champion.) That series, and the sequel/tie-in A Certain Scientific Railgun, had a lot of interesting ideas, and quite a few spellcaster character designs that were unique and cool-looking. Though both series made me really angry when I watched them. I remember thinking that they had some really interesting ideas that were underused in favor of typical high school moe fluff.

[Kitten Champion]

Yeah, I forgot about A Certain Magical Index, (thanks for bringing that one up Kitten Champion.) That series, and the sequel/tie-in A Certain Scientific Railgun, had a lot of interesting ideas, and quite a few spellcaster character designs that were unique and cool-looking. Though both series made me really angry when I watched them. I remember thinking that they had some really interesting ideas that were underused in favor of typical high school moe fluff.

The main issue with Index and a lot of similar works is they being Light Novels originally, the conflicts tend to be rather short to fit to the novella length. They go from introducing a new threat, explaining what he/she/it can do, to figuring out how he/she/it can be beaten, to actually beating him/her/it, all within the span of what would be a prologue for a - let's say - Brandon Sanderson work.

For an anime adaptation trying to space out things to fit its medium, elaborating on the magic system and larger world-building elements is difficult, whereas pushing in more of the fluffier/comedic aspects is pretty straightforwardly easy and also what a significant portion of the audience want as well.

It's a better solution than what, say, Chrome Shelled Regios did, where their anime adaptation - recognizing how little material they had relative to what they wanted - inserted a bunch of stuff from later volumes into the narrative far earlier to fill the time, coming off as schizophrenic tangents to pretty straightforward and concise stories. A lot of "who the hell are you?" and "what the hell is this?" going on.

[Sermil]

Minor detail in a bunch of Fire Emblem games... When you first get a spell casting character, they hold a book or staff or whatever that they use when casting spells. Once they promote to an advance class, though, they usually have a book or staff that just floats along next to them, following the motion of their hands but often not being held by them. It's minor, but it makes them look just that much cooler.

[Sahe]

Not Spellcasters in the traditional sense, but the Benders in Avatar have all sorts of styles in their character design influenced by their role in society and their land of origin that I find quite cool.

In Dragon Age, especially Dragon Age 2 and upwards magic users tend to stray more from they typical robes look and tend to don armor a bit more and more different styles. Especially named characters come quite varied. There is Morrigan who goes from sexy witch of the swamp to court wizard dressed in a raven themed ballroom dress (at least for one theme). Solas who has a bit of a wilderness hobo style going on. Dorian who likes to wear airy robes, often showing off a shoulder. Vivienne who usually wears rather tight clothes flattering her body broken up by bits of armor, high collars and what I can best describe as trains, also not to forget that stylish horned headdress. Lastly there is the Inquisitor with their trench coat invoking Film Noir PI images.

[Prime32]

On light novels... I think Margery Daw from Shakugan no Shana was a cool wizard concept. All "Flame Hazes" get their powers by bonding with a supernatural entity in the form of an object - hers is a book, and also a crude goofball, meaning she often ends up punching him to get him to shut up. While all Flame Hazes have some ability to cast spells, she specialises in it, and is often called on to analyze or dismantle the spells of others. She can create magic bookmarks that work as sensors or defensive charms, and travels around by standing on the book as it flies. Also she fights by transforming into a wolf-bear hybrid that can fly and breathe fire.