History Anime / LittleWitchAcademia

''Little Witch Academia'' is a work title that may refer to:

* [[Franchise/LittleWitchAcademia The franchise as a whole.]]
* [[Anime/LittleWitchAcademia2013 The 2013 short film.]]
* [[Manga/LittleWitchAcademiaTeriTerio The manga by Teri Terio.]]
* [[Anime/LittleWitchAcademia2017 The 2017 TV series.]]
* [[Manga/LittleWitchAcademiaKeisukeSato The manga by Keisuke Sato.]]

If an internal link led you here, please correct it to point to the right page.
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[[redirect:Franchise/LittleWitchAcademia]]

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[[caption-width-right:350:''Ladies and Gentleman! Welcome to the show!\\
Off we go to the land of magic!''[[labelnote:Characters]]Clockwise from top left: Ursula Callistis/Shiny Chariot, Diana Cavendish, Sucy Manbavaran, Constanze Amalie von Braunschbank-Albrechtsberger, Amanda O'Neil, Jasminka Antonenko, Lotte Jansson. Center: Atsuko "Akko" Kagari.[[/labelnote]]]]

->''"Never forget, a believing heart is your magic."''
-->-- '''Shiny Chariot'''

''Little Witch Academia'' is an anime franchise by Creator/StudioTrigger, which spun out of a [[Anime/LittleWitchAcademia2013 2013 animated short film]] created by Yoh Yoshinari of Creator/StudioGainax fame.

It focuses on the adventures of Atsuko "Akko" Kagari, a young and plucky Japanese witch-in-training attending the prestigious WizardingSchool Luna Nova Academy, where she dreams of following in the footsteps of her idol Shiny Chariot. However, there is only one problem. She is a muggle and [[IneptMage one that is very incompetent at magic]], which combined with her rebellious, childish and impulsive nature and her idolization of Shiny Chariot, who is not well liked in the magic community, tends to constantly put her at odds with both teachers and students alike, particularly its top student, Diana Cavendish, a highly proud and [[TheAce insanely skilled]] witch prodigy who tends to look down on Akko for the aforementioned reasons.

However, in spite of the insane odds placed against her, she isn't gonna let them stop her and with the help of her best friends and roommates, Lotte Jansson, a shy but kindhearted bookworm who can communicate with spirits and Sucy Manbavaran, a highly mischievous DeadpanSnarker who loves mushrooms and potions as well as Amanda O'Neil, a rebellious and tomboyish delinquent, Constanze Amalie von Braunschbank-Albrechtsberger, a silent student who tends to [[Main/{{Magitek}} combine magic with technology]], Jasminka Antonenko, a sweet girl who tends to be a BigEater, her mentor Ursula Callistis, who unbeknownst to Akko, is actually her very idol in disguise, and finally, the Shiny Rod, a mysterious and powerful wand that her idol used in her shows and chose Akko as its wielder, Akko will stop at nothing to become the witch she dreams of becoming.

!!Works in the series in release order:
[[index]]
[[AC:Films -- Animated]]
[[index]]
* ''Anime/LittleWitchAcademia2013'': A short film released by Studio Trigger in 2013, featuring Akko and her friends Lotte and Sucy on an assignment to explore a dungeon while the haughty top student, Diana, inadvertently causes trouble.
* ''Anime/LittleWitchAcademiaTheEnchantedParade'': A [[/index]]Website/{{Kickstarter}}-funded sequel, wherein Akko and her friends -- alongside three other troublemakers, Amanda, Costanze, and Jasminka -- are appointed to oversee the school's annual witch parade, only for problems to ensue due to Akko's highly ambitious ideas and ControlFreak tendencies.

[[AC:Anime & Manga]]
[[index]]
* [[Manga/LittleWitchAcademiaTeriTerio Terio Teri's five-chapter manga]], ran on ''[[Magazine/ShonenJump Ultra Jump]]'' from 2013 to 2015.
* ''Manga/LittleWitchAcademiaTheMidnightCrown'', written by Yuka Fujiwara and ran in ''Magazine/{{Ribon}}'' through 2015.
* [[Manga/LittleWitchAcademiaKeisukeSato Keisuke Sato's manga]], ran on ''Monthly Shōnen Ace'' from December 26, 2016 to August 25, 2018.
* ''Anime/LittleWitchAcademia2017'': A full-length anime series that serves as a ContinuityReboot for the franchise, again following the hapless Akko and her friends' hijinks at Luna Nova. Despite her troubles in her classes, Akko finds that she can use Shiny Chariot's old wand with surprising aptitude, and may eventually have to use it to combat [[TheMagicGoesAway the global decline of magic]]. The series was announced in 2016 and ran from January to June 2017.
* ''Little Witch Academia: The Nonsensical Witch and the Country of the Fairies'', a light novel by Momo Tachibana.

[[AC:Video Games]]
[[index]]
* ''VideoGame/LittleWitchAcademiaChamberOfTime'': An action RPG for [[/index]]UsefulNotes/PlayStation4 and PC announced in May 2017. The game was developed by A+ Games, published by Creator/BandaiNamcoEntertainment, and was released in Japan on November 30, 2017, and May 15, 2018, in Western countries.
* ''VideoGame/LittleWitchAcademiaVRBroomRacing'': A VR game by Univrs, released on October 13, 2020, on the Oculus Quest and Oculus Quest 2 and June 15, 2021, for the [=PlayStation=] VR, the Oculus Rift, and Steam VR.

If a direct link leads you here and it points to the 2013 and 2015 films, the 2017 series, or the video games, please correct it to the proper page.

For two older anime series with similar premise and themes, see ''Manga/SoulEater'' and ''Anime/TweenyWitches''. Many fans compared the show with ''Franchise/HarryPotter'' due to SmallReferencePools, but the show has much more in common with the older ''Literature/TheWorstWitch''. Not to be confused with ''Literature/TheLittleWitch'', a book by Otfried Preußler. It has no relation to ''Franchise/MyHeroAcademia'' besides being set in [[AcademyOfAdventure specialized schools]] (hence the "Academia" in the titles).
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!!Believe in yourself, that is your trope:
* TheAce: Diana Cavendish comes from an old noble family of witches who descends from one of the Nine Old Witches (basically the supreme authorities on magic), is extremely intelligent and talented, has always the right answer for everything, knows more than her teachers do, always looks elegant and composed...and after all of this we discover that [[spoiler:having her magic drained out of her as a child, so she had to relearn everything, and having her evil aunt plot to sell her family's artifacts to muggles]] didn't even affect her that much, making her ''even more'' of an Ace.
* AdultsAreUseless:
** Averted in the films. While Professor Ursula is the only one present to deal with the dragon problem, she promptly reacts in a meaningful way by re-barring the dungeon door. When students attack it, she tries to stop, showing she knows about the dragon's ability to eat magic. When the students' aggressive magics make the dragon so powerful that it destroys the door, she orders the evacuation of the building and uses herself as bait to allow the students to reach safety. She does it again in ''The Enchanted Parade'' by fooling the parade crowd that the battle against the giant is all an elaborate stage show to prevent a mass panic.
** Played straight in the TV series. All the adults besides Ursula and Croix are ridiculously incompetent—they exist only to teach classes and [[CoolAndUnusualPunishment prescribe punishments]], sometimes needing the kids to sort out their messes. [[spoiler:They signed a major funding contract for the school ''without reading it'' because it's written in ancient dragon language, but, naturally, Diana can read it and discovers the dragon who wrote it was taking advantage of their inability to read it, giving them much less than he owed them.]] However, Ursula occasionally gets to do something, such as [[spoiler:when she saves Akko and Andrew from a rampaging bear]].
* AerithAndBob: The series has fairly normal names for the witches' country of origin, like Akko Kagari (Japanese), Diana Cavendish (English), and Lotte Jansson (Scandinavian).[[note]]The variant "Lotta" is more common in Finland.[[/note]] This is juxtaposed with a name like "Sucy Manbanvaran".[[note]]Likely a [[AsLongAsItSoundsForeign garbling]] of some Philippine terms, as she is Southeast Asian: ''susi'' is Tagalog for ''key'' and ''mambabarang'' is a Cebuano term for a sorcerer/sorceress.[[/note]]
* AllPartOfTheShow:
** In ''The Enchanted Parade'', a combination of factors releases a magical rock giant during [[AttackOfTheTownFestival the town festival]]. [[CoolTeacher Professor Ursula]] plays it off like this a show that the WizardingSchool is putting on, and has them cheer encouragement as [[AscendedFangirl Akko]], [[BespectacledCutie Lotte]] and [[CreepyGood Sucy]] defeat it. Funnily enough, Akko ''did'' want to put on a show like this earlier, but it fell through.
** In "Undead Travelogue", Akko passes off the antics of a reanimated corpse as being part of an elaborate street performance.
** In "Bee Affection", Andrew turns Akko's attempts to swat the Lovelove Bee into being part of the evening's entertainment, by accompanying her on the piano with "[[SuspiciouslyAproposMusic Flight of the Bumblebee]]".
* AllThereInTheManual: ''Little Witch Academia: Chronicle'' contains additional information and lore regarding the main characters and world that isn't presented otherwise (alongside various interviews and concept art). Sadly though, the book [[NoExportForYou never saw a release outside of Japan]]. [[invoked]]
* AppealToTradition: A common argument. The older witches prefer things done "the old way" and are thus unable to keep up with the changing times, much to the frustration of Akko and company.
* ArcNumber: The series may well be determined to cover every non-Christian three in Europe. We've got the students in witch covens of three, triquetras, Hecatian trios including Hecatian depictions of the moon, and even a Grand Triskelion.
* ArcWords: "A believing heart is your magic." Shiny Chariot's creed, which fuels [[TheHero Akko's]] ceaseless drive and determination to fulfill her dreams of becoming a witch. It also serves the crucial narrative purpose of setting up [[spoiler:[[TheRival Diana]] to re-inspire her after she hits a bad spell of HeroicBSOD, and additionally, the fact that the phrase originated from Croix, Chariot's EvilFormerFriend and the BigBad, establishes the importance and sincerity of their past bond, suggesting that Croix is not completely beyond [[HeelFaceTurn redemption]].]]
* ArtifactOfHope: The Claiomh Solais (better known as the "Shiny Wand") is a MagicWand designed to break a series of magic seals called the Grand Triskellion and unleash an unfathomable reservoir of magical power in a world where TheMagicGoesAway. OnlyTheChosenMayWield the Shiny Wand and it has routinely swapped hands throughout the years, each learning a few of the Seven Words of Arcturus meant to break the seal but never managing to learn all of them. By the end of the series, the show's protagonist [[TheChosenOne Akko]] is the one who figures out how to wield the Shiny Wand for its intended purpose.
* BespectacledCutie: Both Lotte and Professor Ursula wear glasses.
* BilingualBonus: Most visible text in the franchise is in English, it being set in the UK, so the native Japanese viewers would have to know the language to be able to read it.
* BigThinShortTrio: Jasminka (Big), Amanda (thin), & Constanze (short) are the secondary trio in ''The Enchanted Parade''.
* BlackBeadEyes: A few of the student extras have them.
* BlondeBrunetteRedhead: Diana (blonde), Barbara (brunette), and Hannah (redhead) are the most obvious. The two main Trios, meanwhile, have Sucy/Jasminka (light purplish hair), Akko/Constanze (brunette), and Lotte/Amanda (redhead).
* BoardingSchool: Luna Nova is an magical all-girls boarding school.
* BrickJoke:
** Why, in "Starting Over", is there a fishbowl—complete with what appears to be a fish wearing a witch's hat—up on stage with all the professors? Well, as it's revealed in "Orange Submariner", ''she's one of the professors'' and speaks only [[StarfishLanguage inscrutable fish-ese]].
** In ''Chamber of Time'', when searching for magic keys, Akko stumbles upon Sucy and asks her if she found any of them. Sucy answers that she'll keep an eye open when hunting for mushrooms. A bit later, when a troll blocks Akko's way, Sucy gives her a spell to put them to sleep... Along with a magic key.
* CastOfSnowflakes: Each of Akko's classmates are individually recognizable, even from a distance.
* CastingGag:
** Japanese version:
*** Professor Ursula is voiced by Creator/NorikoHidaka, who also voiced a certain female from ''Anime/{{Gunbuster}}'' who often struggled with her own skills and worked hard to achieve them.
*** Professor Finnelan is voiced by Rurika Yamamoto, who voiced Melissa in ''Anime/TweenyWitches''.
*** Broom Flight teacher Nelson is voiced by Creator/MinamiTakayama, who also played the little witch Kiki in ''Anime/KikisDeliveryService''.
*** Woodward, one of the Nine Old Witches who appears in episode 11, is voiced by veteran voice actress and singer Creator/MitsukoHorie. She also voiced the 1988 incarnation of [[Manga/HimitsuNoAkkochan Atsuko "Akko" Kagami]], whom Akko Kagari is named after.
*** Daryl Cavendish is voiced by Creator/ShinobuAdachi, who voiced Menow in ''Tweeny Witches''.
*** Diana's narcissism in episode 10 is a reminder that her voice actress, Creator/YokoHikasa, also has been [[LightNovel/NoGameNoLife narcissistic before]].
*** Arisa Shida, Amanda's Japanese voice actress, already voiced a girl whose last name is [[WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2012 O'Neill]].
** English version:
*** Creator/MarianneMiller, Amanda's English voice actress, already voiced the three witches named Magna, Qoo, and Popo in ''Tweeny Witches'', another anime where an ordinary Japanese girl ventures into the witches' world with the two native witches.
* CensorShadow: During the "flying lesson" sequence, a character's underwear should be visible, but the particular character's legs don't appear to attach to anything under her skirt.
%%* ChekhovsGun: The Shiny Rod.
* ChekhovsGunman:
** ''Extremely'' subtle, to the point where it's more of a RewatchBonus. At the end of the first film and the series, Akko asks Diana [[spoiler:how she knows about Shiny Chariot's attack, the Shiny Arc]]. Now go back to the very beginning [[spoiler:and look closely at the first crowd shot. A young Diana is seen in the audience for Shiny Chariot's show.]]
** Professor Ursula. She's first shown to be listening in when Akko and Diana are arguing about Shiny Chariot. In the end, she's revealed to be Shiny Chariot herself.
* ChromosomeCasting: The original short film had no human male characters unless you count the extras in the prologue. This is {{justified|Trope}} since after that scene the whole thing is set at an all-girls WizardingSchool. This is {{averted|Trope}} in ''The Enchanted Parade'', but even there only one male character is important enough to get a name. This is averted in the TV series as well, where there are multiple male characters seen, named, and mentioned.
* ColorMotif: Green is often used to symbolize magic as a whole throughout the franchise, representing it's connection to nature in the setting.
* CreatorProvincialism: The main heroine, Akko, is the ''only thing'' linking this series with Japan, as the whole plot takes place in England. Curiously though, the titular Luna Nova Academy seems to follow the Japanese school year, with first term picking up in April.
* CuteWitch: This is justified since the series is centered around a school for witches.
* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness:
** The first film has some adult characters involved in the plot, and the teachers seem reasonably competent. The TV series, however, goes deep into AdultsAreUseless territory. Other than Ursula and Croix, who are sort of honorary children thanks to flashbacks, the teachers seem less talented than their students—especially Diana, who, in "Pact of the Dragon", resolves conflict through knowledge of an ancient language the professors couldn't understand.
** The first film features a modern day laptop on Lotte's desk and Akko and Diana both use them in the library in Chapter 3 of the Teri Terio manga, which contrasts with later works such as ''The Enchanted Parade'' and the TV Series, which portrays modern technology as being restricted on campus (prior to Croix's arrival in the latter) with Constanze and Croix being the only two witches out of the main cast to actively use modern technology, with the others such as Chariot and Lotte using magical alternatives to provide much of the same functions.
** Diana was far more of an AlphaBitch and a {{Jerkass}} to Akko in the short films and the Teri Terio manga than the TV Series and onwards, which toned down those traits significantly. Diana was also more aggressive, emotive and reactive in the short films compared to the TV Series and onwards, which made her more aloof and coolheaded.
** While Akko has always been an IneptMage from the offset, she can do magic somewhat competently from the beginning in the short films and Teri Terio's manga, even if much of it wasn't great. This comes in contrast with later works such as the TV series and Keisuke Satō's manga, which has her as being unable to do any magic at all from the start (bar the Shiny Rod's magic) and having to slowly develop her abilities over time.
** In the films, the Shiny Rod's abilities weren't activated by separate words, as "Makmur Mikmur Mektoral" was the incantation spell used for both the Shiny Rod's Shiny Arc and the Shiny Ballista forms. Beginning with the TV series, the incantations for the Shiny Rod became unique to each form as the Seven Words of Arcturus were established, with "Noctu Orfei Aude Fraetor" becoming the incantation for Shiny Arc, while "Makmur Mikmur Mektoral" became the incantation used for the Shiny Ballista in ''Chamber of Time''.
* EmeraldPower: [[PureEnergy Spell-energy]] is usually green, and so is the Sorcerer's Stone that powers all of their magic.
* EyesAlwaysShut: Jasminka is almost always this combined with PerpetualSmiler.
* FamilyHonor: The reason for Diana's holier-than-thou attitude is because she comes from a prestigious clan of magicians, and feels obliged to uphold its greatness.
* FantasticRacism:
** ''The Enchanted Parade'' shows that witches and non-witches don't get along. The activities in the witch parade are recreations of things that happened during now-defunct witch hunts. Akko and the others get into a fight with witch-hating brats.
** In the series, Mr. Blackwell is against witches and magic more out of principle, whereas Earl Hambridge is against magic simply because he sees it as an obsolete practice and impractical to invest in for the future of his country. [[spoiler:The latter's opinion changes after he witnesses them save the world in the finale.]]
* FantasyKitchenSink: Slightly downplayed, but aside from the franchise's main focus on human witches, there are dragons of different kinds, a yeti, a [[BasiliskAndCockatrice cockatrice]], a [[OurMinotaursAreDifferent minotaur]], a number of energy spirits (like the ones Lotte summons for assistance in magical tasks, or the fire spirits that supply Luna Nova with heating), random formless ghosts (targets of TheWildHunt), not to mention the unnamed diversity of what look like elves, dwarves, fairies and other mythical creatures that form the corps of school staff and maintenance. There's also a number of magical flora (not counting a powerful witch who became a PlantPerson), including a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegetable_Lamb_of_Tartary sheep tree]], mandrakes, at least some of Sucy's mushrooms, and most notably [[WorldTree Yggdrasil]], the source of the series' magic at large. There are even {{Magitek}} robots, courtesy of Constanze and Professor Croix, the series' resident {{Gadgeteer Genius}}es.
* FictionalProvince:
** Blytonbury is a fictional town located in England heavily inspired by and is implied to be close to the real life Glastonbury.
** Diana's home is located in Wedinburgh, which by the name alone, could be an possible expy of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Although it's unknown if this is the case or not.
* FirstEpisodeTwist: That Professor Ursula is a retired Shiny Chariot is always revealed early on. This casts Akko's attendance at Luna Nova in a new light.
* FlyingBroomstick: Knowing how to use one of these is supposed to be an extremely basic skill that all witches learn while growing up, but since Akko's not from a wizarding family, she can't fly at all. [[spoiler:The truth behind her inability to fly one is way more tragic in the TV series.]]
* ForHappiness: This is the motivation for both Akko Kagari and her idol, Shiny Chariot. Chariot's desire became a TragicDream, discarding her performance career to become the meek Professor Ursula.
* FourTemperamentEnsemble: The main characters:
** Sanguine: Atsuko "Akko" Kagari. The optimistic, temperamental GenkiGirl.
** Phlegmatic: Lotte Jansson. The levelheaded, albeit shy, NiceGirl.
** Melancholic: Sucy Manbavaran. The aloof, apathetic DeadpanSnarker.
** Choleric: Diana Cavendish. The blunt, confident JerkWithAHeartOfGold.
** Eclectic: Ursula Callistis/Chariot du Nord. The calm, yet charismatic, BadassTeacher.
* FromZeroToHero: Akko dreams of becoming a magnificent witch who spreads happiness, but she lacks the magical prowess. She frequently goofs and looks even more incapable next to her highly skilled rival Diana. However, she goes through lots of training and manages to spread happiness with sheer positivity, even learning to master the legendary Shiny Rod [[spoiler: which comes in handy when saving the world.]]
* {{Ghostwriter}}: One episode sees Lotte trying to meet the author of her favorite book series. She learns that the books have been written by multiple ghostwriters using the same name. She ends up taking over after the current ghostwriter retires.
* GoodOldWays: The culture of the witches is shown to be steeped deep in tradition. Luna Nova Academy, in particular, is filled with various traditions, customs and ways that seem archaic by modern standards. Because of this, many of the students and staff have a bias against Akko, a regular person from a {{muggle}} family that idolizes Shiny Chariot, a witch hated by many other witches for her grandiose use of magic for entertainment.
* HandOfGlory: There's one of these on a desk in the main characters' dorm room. Suffice it to say that it most likely belongs to [[LadyOfBlackMagic Sucy]].
* TheHecateSisters:
** The main trio maps to this, even though they are all the same age (around 15 or so). Akko is the maiden (new to magic, impulsive and youthfully exuberant). Lotte is the mother (caring, nurturing, sweet disposition), and Sucy is the crone (Pale skin, jagged teeth, and more mature than the other two).
** Averted with The Diana/Hannah/Barbara trio, because Diana so outshines the other two, who are [[ThoseTwoGuys identical]].
** Luna Nova is littered with statues of the three sisters and uses a classic waxing, full, and waning moon symbol as a logo.
%%** The Amanda/Jasminka/Constanze trio could be mapped multiple ways.
* ImprobablyFemaleCast:
** Apparently, one hundred percent of magic users were female. There were male muggle characters, and even male magical creatures always around... but no wizards appeared for years outside of a self-contained Japan-only short manga with a dubious place in the canon. Wizards were at last depicted in the very last episode of the series as cameos and until then, only witches were shown. The male muggles do, however have much more prominence than female muggles in all the adaptations, and the Wild Hunters may actually be a group of all-male humans that use some type of magic distinguished from witchcraft.
** Said manga, ''Little Witch Academia: Tsukiyo no Ōkan'', has Akko meet a {{childhood friend|s}} who attended the same Shiny Chariot school she did and became a Wizard, a rather competent one at that much to her chagrin, and even gets some good old shojo ShipTease with him. However, the status of the manga as canon or being its own timeline remains dubious as its never referenced in other works.
* {{Leitmotif}}: "Chariot's Theme" gets various arrangements.
* LeyLine: The Leylines are a series of networks around the world that allow magical energy to flow and connect various geographical locations, making them both a magic power source and a form of fast transportation for witches. Additionally, they're later explained to have formed from the roots and branches of Yggdrasil, and become unstable when anti-magic objects like salt are brought into them. Later on, Professor Croix introduces what are functionally wi-fi routers that absorb magic from ley lines.
%%* LighterAndSofter: Compared to other Gainax/Trigger works. [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools This isn't a bad thing, though]].
* LivingGasbag: The monstrous whale-like leviathan conjured and then slain by Shiny Chariot as part of her show gives this impression, considering that it's very large and fat and yet somehow manages to fly with no apparent means to do so.
* MagicIsFeminine: While there are male magical creatures and {{muggle}}s in the setting, the only human magic users seen throughout the franchise are female witches. Wizards only play prominent roles in stories of dubious canonicity.
* MagicSkirt: Most noticeable when Akko plummets from the sky on a disobedient broomstick; her skirt just wiggles slightly. She ''is'' a witch, so actual magic may be involved.
* MagicWand: The series has more modernized wands, with a folding/extension ability, [[WaveMotionTuningFork a forked tip to discharge the magical energy]], and a [[ManaMeter magical battery indicator]]. Most wands in the series look identical, meaning they're clearly school-issued, but other wand models are seen, for instance, in Lotte's parents' magic tool shop. The Cavendishes also traditionally use another type of wand, one that appears to be made of wood, with a length of ivory snaking around it. Then there's the Shiny Rod, which is in a class on its own and seems more to be a hybrid of this and MagicStaff.
%%* MagicalGirl: Shiny Chariot has elements of this. Interestingly, while loved by the {{Muggles}} of the setting, she and this archetype are absolutely reviled by most of the magic community who think she is nothing but a fraud. Apparently, she's not as much of a fraud as they think.
* MagiciansAreWizards: Shiny Chariot is hated by most magic practitioners for spreading "the wrong idea about magic", namely grandiose "stage magic" augmented by many special effects to please the crowds.
* {{Magitek}}: Magic-powered technology is rare because it's frowned upon by [[AppealToTradition traditionalist witches]], but there are some people who utilize it. Constanze Braunschbank Albrechtsburger is a witch student who mixes magic with technology like a [[Webcomic/GirlGenius Spark]]. She made a RobotBuddy out of a Playstation-like console, flies a broom with a propeller-driven engine, made a manabolt firing shotgun, and magic powered microwave ovens, among other tricks. Later on, Professor Croix is introduced as a witch who uses advanced technology in conjunction with magic such as a smartphone as a wand and wifi routers that picks up magic from {{Ley Line}}s.
* MasterPoisoner: Technically, Sucy's specialty is potions in general, but the way she's able to instantly kill a huge minotaur in the first film with one of her concoctions has her border on this. In ''The Enchanted Parade'', she keeps reminding Akko that the difference between a medicine and a poison is proportion, [[AnAesop something Akko needs to pay more attention to]].
* MeaningfulBackgroundEvent: You probably won't notice it unless you're looking for it, but take a close look at the crowd shot at the beginning of the first film and the series. [[spoiler:Notice the blond girl in a witch's hat.]]
* AMinorKidroduction: The first short film and TV series starts with a young Akko watching Shiny Chariot's stage show. Diana can also be spotted in the very first crowd shot swaying back and forth.
* MorphWeapon: Shiny Chariot's Shiny Rod can be a MagicStaff, a FlyingBroomstick, and an EnergyBow. In the first film, Akko finds it in the dungeons and is able to use its EnergyBow form to defeat the dragon. The normal wands used by the students and staff also double as broomsticks.
* MultinationalTeam: The series takes place at a British WizardingSchool with a lot of international students. The main trio consists of Atsuko "Akko" Kagari (from Japan), Lotte Yanson (from Finland), and Sucy Manbavaran (from the Philippines). Other prominent characters include Diana Cavendish (from England), Amanda O'Neill (from the USA), Constanze Amalie von Braunschbank-Albrechtsberger (from Germany), and Jasminka Antonenko (from Russia), plus teachers Ursula/Chariot (from France) and Croix (From Italy).
* MultipleDemographicAppeal: The manga spinoffs have run in shonen, seinen, ''and'' shojo magazines, proving the series' appeal transcends age and gender. Also, while it's technically not a [[{{Kodomomuke}} kodomomuke]] series, it is still pretty kid-friendly and is marketed towards children on Netflix US.
* NiceMeanAndInBetween: The main trio of Akko, Lotte and Sucy all form this dynamic. Lotte is mild-mannered, kind to others and quiet to the point of being an occasional doormat, Sucy is an aloof and sarcastic JerkWithAHeartOfGold who isn’t afraid to [[BrutalHonesty speak her mind]] and has a tendency to subject Akko to her experiments, and Akko is a good-hearted and caring person to her friends, but has a tendency to cause trouble and is prone to being impulsive, arrogant, childish and selfish.
* NobodyCanDie: The series has its fair share of perilous situations—including a [[TakenForGranite stone-breathing cockatrice]] in "Starting Over" and a magical illness that turns people into moss—but other than the dragon in the first film and a [[LovePotion love-inducing]] bee in the TV series, no living creatures ever die in it. This is partially [[HandWave brushed off]] by a comment that witches are [[MadeOfIron notoriously difficult to kill]], but not all of the characters are witches. It does acknowledge that humans can die when the heroes visit a cemetery and accidentally reanimate a corpse, but no one dies during the course of the story.
* NotEvenBotheringWithTheAccent: The series is set at a WizardingSchool in the south of England, with characters from all over the world including Japan, Britain, Finland, America and the Philippines. The English dub has everyone, including the British Diana, sounding American regardless.
* OneGenderSchool: The series is set in Luna Nova, a school for witches and only witches. In the TV series, there is also Appleton Academy, a school for male {{muggles}} [[ElaborateUniversityHigh patterned after Eton]]. Both of them are private boarding schools.
* OohMeAccentsSlipping: The Chilean Spanish dub has many instances when the Chilean accents are very notable, especially with Akko, Diana and the Professor.
* PhenotypeStereotype: Zigzagged. This applies to some characters:
** Irish-American Amanda has green eyes and red hair and British Diana is a blue-eyed blonde. However, the show does a good job of averting the usual traits kids from different nationalities may have, somewhat helped by the fact that the series takes place in a European witch school. For example, the Russian/Ukrainian Jasminka doesn't have the nose that regular Russian and other Slavic characters would have, the German/Austrian Constanze is a short, adorable brunette, and ashen-skinned, purple-haired Sucy doesn't look very Filipino.
** As for the male muggles, Andrew fits the trope of British men being TallDarkAndHandsome, while a lot of the other male characters are blond, which has been a rarer stereotype for British men these days, and "Chumlee" has a universally portly look[[note]]Although that's because he was the CaptainErsatz of a [[Series/PawnStars real person]][[/note]].
** Zigzagged to a further extent with the minor (background) students of Luna Nova. Most of them averts this trope by not being depicted with any features that will immediately identify them as any particular nationality, but some plays it straight by having features that leaves no doubt to their origins [[labelnote:example]]Rajani and Rashmi being Hindu, Wangari being African, etc.)[[/labelnote]], while some are odd cases where they're depicted with one race's features but are revealed by [[AllThereInTheManual supplementary materials]] to be [[{{Mukokuseki}} another race entirely]] [[labelnote:example]]Avery and Gaelle (the student Akko briefly talks to in episode 7 of the anime) are stated by supplementary materials to be Russian-Canadian and German respectively, yet could easily pass off as East Asians with the way they are depicted[[/labelnote]].
* PostModernMagik: A recurring element in the series involves magical people and creatures using modern conveniences. There's a dragon who uses the internet to trade on the stock market, the yeti who's depressed because he's being cyber-bullied, Constanze's constant construction of {{Magitek}}, Lotte's crystal ball that can connect to the internet, and of course Professor Croix's own heavy usage of sleek-looking {{magitek}} that wouldn't be out of place in an Apple store. All this in contrast with the otherwise extremely [[Franchise/HarryPotter Hogwarts-like]] setting.
* PowerGlows: Chariot's Shiny Rod.
* {{Reconstruction}}: Of the CuteWitch genre.
* SeriousBusiness: Many witches (particularly those who are older and/or conservative) treat magic this way. Seeing magic as a powerful and serious force that demands respect and/or fear. Witches who see magic as being anything otherwise tend to be ostracized and/or treated poorly by others.
* ShoutOut: The [[Anime/LittleWitchAcademia2013 short films]] and [[Anime/LittleWitchAcademia2017 anime]] have their own pages.
* ShoutOutThemeNaming: On top of the several references to [[StellarName stars]] and witchcraft, the series features a surprising number of references to the world of animation. Diana's GirlPosse, Hannah and Barbara, are named after Creator/HannaBarbera, background characters, Avery, Mary and Blair, are referencing Creator/TexAvery and [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Blair Mary Blair]], and apparently Akko (in addition to her full name being a reference to Atsuko Kagami in ''Manga/HimitsuNoAkkoChan'') was a common name among several Japanese animators.
* SpiritualSuccessor: Of ''Anime/TweenyWitches'', since the premise of both series is basically the same: a young GenkiGirl human loving magic so much she wants to become a witch herself, to the point she ends up living with actual witches who at first they don't trust her because she goes against tradition.
* SternTeacher: Aside from Ursula, Pisces and Croix, most of the professors are shown to be this type. While not entirely unreasonable and can be fair, they are incredibly strict, perfectionist and have a low tolerance to antics. Finnelan being the most strict of them all.
* SuperWeight:
** Type -1: Diana's sick mother.
** Type 0: Most Muggles, Diana as a child, possibly Andrew, and the politicians like Paul.
** Type 1: Akko at the start [[note]]Implied she has some sort of ability right from the start that hasn't been unlocked yet, making her better than a Tier 0[[/note]], Chumlee with his access to magical items, and arguably one can make a case for Andrew and the sword versed Louis given that they appear to be more athletic than the average human.
** Type 2: Amanda, Constanze, Jasminka, Lotte, Sucy, Fafnir, Hannah, Barbara, Akko with the Shiny Rod before its true power is released.
** Type 3: Diana, Most teachers, Ursula as a child, Croix as a child, Croix's {{Magitek}} minions and the Wild Hunters with their more specialized type of magic.
** Type 4: Ursula now, Croix now.
** Type 5: Ursula as Shiny Chariot [[note]]Able to do heavy damage to the moon[[/note]], Croix with the [[EvilCounterpart Noir Rod]], [[spoiler:The Noir Rod in its nuke form]], [[spoiler:Akko after obtaining the full power of the Shiny Rod]] [[note]][[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu Able to defeat the Noir Rod]] by [[OneHitKill killing it in a single blow]][[/note]], [[spoiler:Akko and Diana's GoldenSuperMode]].
** Type 6: [[RealityWarper The Grand Triskelion]].
* TamerAndChaster: Compared to other Gainax/Trigger works, the series contains little to no {{Fanservice}}, Shiny Chariot's HotWitch outfit being the sole exception and even then it's hardly framed as fanservice.
* TenderTomboyishnessFoulFemininity: Among the main trio, the outgoing Akko is a tomboy in personality, and the bookish introvert Lotte can be considered a tomboy in looks. The former is an AllLovingHero, while the latter is [[NiceGirl a gentle soul]]. Their friend, Sucy, on the other hand, is pretty feminine in looks...and [[TheGadfly really, really loves]] [[CreepyChild her poisons]]. It's to the point of HeroicComedicSociopath antics, in the anime.
* TranslationConvention:
** All the on-screen text is in English, heavily implying all the characters, Akko included, speak it. Given the clearly international student body, English fluency could be an entrance requirement (or TranslatorMicrobes are in full effect). This is enforced with the fact ''none'' of the characters, including Akko, use [[UsefulNotes/JapaneseHonorifics honorifics]] with the obvious exception of ''sensei'' (Professor).
** The chalkboard map seen in Akko's Magic History class (about 2:50 in) shows the location of Luna Nova Academy to be roughly in or near Bath, Somerset; Akko uses a Union Flag as an improvised parachute in ''The Enchanted Parade''; a tie-in comic name-drops Glastonbury as Luna Nova's mailing address.
** It is heavily implied that Akko had to learn English to enter the academy, as she also writes in that language, even for herself. While this could sound like a very trivial thing to do, for a Japanese person, or any East Asian person for that matter, learning English is ''quite a challenge'' by itself, making Akko's {{Determinator}} personality more evident, especially for the Japanese audience.[[note]]Curiously enough, Akko mentions in "Papiliodia" that she still struggles with the pronunciation of some spells. However, a lot of the spells aren't in English.[[/note]] To take this even further, Akko is only a ''teenager''. If you're familiar with Japanese school systems, their English classes don't really teach their students how to speak English more so than reading and writing it. The fact that Akko not only has fluency in reading and writing English, but can also converse with native speakers like Diana and Amanda in a colloquial sense goes to show just how determined she was to go to the same school Chariot was at.
** There's also the fact the German Constanze does not speak, implying she doesn't know "English" in-universe. and Jasminka speaks in a simpleton tone of voice, probably implying she's not very fluent on English either.
* TrickArrow: Shiny Chariot's signature spell "Shiny Arc" is an arrow that, when fired into a monster's maw, makes the creature bloat and spectacularly explode in a shower of fireworks. It works on otherwise magic-proof dragons.
* VitriolicBestBuds: While Sucy and Akko are friends, Akko's HotBlooded-ness annoys Sucy, who likewise uses Akko as an ill-fated guinea pig for her potions.
* WaveMotionTuningFork: [[http://i.imgur.com/KJ87V6a.png Luna Nova's wands have this appearance]], with spells coming out from between the prongs.
* WeAllLiveInAmerica: The series is set in the United Kingdom and, for the most part, the writers did [[ShownTheirWork do their research]]. However, "Pohjola's Ordeal" shows Lotte's Finnish family have very typical Japanese traits, such as bowing and saying "Itadakimasu" before the meal. Also, in what may or may not be a parody of this kind of thing, the same episode shows that the lone Japanese character, Akko, strongly dislikes the typical Japanese tradition of having long, hot baths. In ''Chamber of Time'', Luna Nova inexplicably follows the Japanese school calendar, which is why summer vacation happens in the middle of the school year rather than after it.
* TheWeirdSisters: Witches at Luna Nova seem to ''always'' be teamed up in groups of three roommates who do almost everything together: Akko, Lotte, Sucy; Diana, Hannah, Barbara; Amanda, Constanze, Jasminka; Wanagari and her unnamed fellow reporters. Even various background characters tend to appear in recurring trios.
* WickedWitch: Lukic and Sucy have this aesthetic while the rest tend towards CuteWitch or in the case of Shiny Chariot, HotWitch.
* WitchClassic: Luna Nova's student uniform includes the pointy hats and black (or purple) dresses. Among the subjects taught are broom riding and potion brewing. Akko is a part of a trio of friends (who are also witches) and her rival, Diana, is also in a group of three as her GirlPosse. In fact, this seems to be invoked by Luna Nova given that roommates are in teams of three.
* WizardingSchool: Luna Nova, an all-girls witch school.
* YourMagicsNoGoodHere: The characters note that their magic only really works in Luna Nova due to the Sorcerer's Stone collectively powering all magical items. Although it is possible to use magic outside of school grounds, regular magic wands lack the capacity to be used for prolonged periods of time. Akko puts two and two together and decides to use the Shiny Rod as a battery in ''The Enchanted Parade''.

%%[[folder:Unknown source]]
%%* JapaneseRanguage: One member of the main trio is a Finnish girl named Lotte. While the Japanese actors themselves actually do a very good job of properly enunciating the L in her name, there's one instance where it was mistakenly written out as "Rotte".
%%[[/folder]]
----

Off we go to the land of magic!''[[labelnote:Characters]]Clockwise from top right: Shiny Chariot, Diana Cavendish, Sucy Manbavaran, Constanze Amalie von Braunschbank-Albrechtsberger, Amanda O'Neil, Jasminka Antonenko, Lotte Jansson, Ursula Callistis. Center: Atsuko "Akko" Kagari.[[/labelnote]]]]

Off we go to the land of magic!''[[labelnote:Characters]]Clockwise from top left: Shiny Chariot, Diana Cavendish, Sucy Manbavaran, Constanze Amalie von Braunschbank-Albrechtsberger, Amanda O'Neil, Jasminka Antonenko, Lotte Jansson, Ursula Callistis. Center: Atsuko "Akko" Kagari.[[/labelnote]]]]

Off we go to the land of magic!'']]

* [[Manga/LittleWitchAcademiaKeisukeSato Keisuke Satō's manga]], ran on ''Monthly Shōnen Ace'' from December 26, 2016 to August 25, 2018.

* [[Manga/LittleWitchAcademiaKeisukeSato Keisuke Satō's manga]], ran on ''Monthly Shōnen Ace'' from 2017 to 2018.

* Terio Teri's five-chapter manga, ran on ''[[Magazine/ShonenJump Ultra Jump]]'' from 2013 to 2015.

* Keisuke Satō's manga, ran on ''Monthly Shōnen Ace'' from 2017 to 2018.

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:The franchise in general]]

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Teri Terio's manga]]
* AcquiredPoisonImmunity: This seems to run in the Manbavaran family. [[spoiler:The fact that Garie and Sabi have not been immunized yet would be used to punish them for the troubles they caused.]]
* AdaptationalJerkass: Downplayed with Diana. While she was already an {{Jerkass}} in the short films, [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold it's made clear she isn't all bad in spite of her attitude and that she has her good qualities, which she showcases in both films]]. In the manga though, she is much more openly mocking and cruel towards Akko in general (even outright harming her with a FauxFlame spell while laughing) and most of her good qualities are never showcased at any point across the manga.
* AlternateContinuity: While speculated to be set in the same universe as the [[Anime/LittleWitchAcademia2013 short]] [[Anime/LittleWitchAcademiaTheEnchantedParade films]] but before their events, nothing within the manga itself indicates this.
* AnnoyingYoungerSibling: Sucy sees Sabi and Garie as this. She does care for them nevertheless and saves them from Fluffy after the two have merged with it.
* ArtisticLicense: Somehow, the gunpowder cannons of a pirate ship that has been underwater for hundreds of years can fire just fine as soon as the ship is brought to the surface. Then again, this is a pirate ship that's brought back to life by [[AWizardDidIt magic]].
* {{Bathos}}: Professor Ursula, a.k.a. Shiny Chariot, reacts with shock to the news from her equally-shocked showbiz manager that the pattern papers to her iconic costume have been stolen, causing her to realize that the Shiny Chariot costume that was put on an online auction is a fake... and then a split second later, the belt of her genuine costume snaps because it no longer fits due to the weight she has gained over the years, causing her to realize that she needs to [[WeightWoe go on a diet]].
* BatmanGambit: Sucy willingly lets the snake she came across earlier bite her and lets her two sisters and Fluffy merge with her, in order to poison Fluffy and free her sisters. It pays off. It helps that she has AcquiredPoisonImmunity, so she's not affected by the snake's venom.
* ChekhovsGunman: The ordinary snake that is showcased at Marito's auction in Chapter 4 gets dismissed by Garie and Sabi as lame, but turned out useful later. [[spoiler:It ended up becoming Sucy's familiar.]]
* CoolAirship: Lotte and Sucy travel to the Philippines via one in chapter 4.
* CurbStompBattle:
** In chapter 1, Akko challenges Diana to a magic duel between them. Unsurprising though, considering [[TheAce who she's facing]], Diana wins the duel and defeats Akko with utter ease.
** Happens again in Chapter 2, Diana's golem casually destroys Akko's first, poorly made one with a single punch. The latter didn't even get to ''do anything''.
* ADayInTheLimelight: Chapter 4 focuses entirely on Sucy and Lotte going to the former's hometown to obtain a familiar, with Akko only appearing at the beginning and ending of the chapter.
* DemotedToExtra:
** The Shiny Rod only appears in flashbacks and does not get named at any point here.
** Happens to Akko in Chapter 4 where she only appears in the beginning and end of it.
* DirtyOldMan: The conman who tries to make a quick buck with forged Shiny Chariot costumes takes an opportunity to grope Diana and even ''taunts her for it''.
* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: The scene in which Gora-chan (a five years old Mandrake) gets pulled out and is hanging by a rope ''kind of'' looks like someone just got hanged. Lotte even [[LampshadeHanging remarks upon it]].
* EyesOutOfSight: Mrs. Manbavaran's eyes are completely hidden behind her hair and are never shown once.
* FauxFlame: It’s quickly revealed after Akko got seemingly burnt by Diana with a flame spell that the flame spell was actually an illusion spell that gave off the impression of being burnt, with Akko’s burns fading away after a few minutes.
* IDoNotLikeGreenEggsAndHam: Subverted in chapter 5. Lotte originally starts off disliking fish due to having a fear of them stemming back from an encounter with dead fish as a child. However, she ends up reconsidering her stance on Fish upon eating Akko's sushi, which she ends up liking, only to end up disliking Fish again shortly after Akko gives Lotte the rest of the massive piles of sushi to eat after the former and Sucy ended up hating it.
* ImagineSpot: Akko has one imagining herself in various scenerios in the Philippines in Chapter 4, such as swimming the emerald green waters, eating a ton of food and a romantic encounter with a guy.
* ItCanThink: Lemmy the golem, unlike other golems, is smart enough to deduct on his own that [[spoiler:Akko won't be able to use any magic for as long as he exists. He rectifies this problem by deliberately attacking Diana and her clique, [[SuicideByCop forcing Akko to destroy him]].]]
* KickTheDog: After Diana finds Akko in chapter 2 after the latter ran away with Lemmy, she openly states to Akko that there is truly no hope for her and that she should give up on her dreams and go back home to Japan, which brings an already dejected Akko into downright tears, which Hannah and Barbara mock her for after locating the two.
* LikeMotherUnlikeDaughter: While Sucy and her mother do share some similarities (such as being incredibly creepy), their personalities are incredibly different, with Mrs. Manbavaran being a far more serious and easily angered person compared to Sucy, who is a mischievous DeadpanSnarker. This was even brought up when asked by Lotte if her mom would get angry by her snake familiar, stating that while her mom is mom, she is her.
* LooseCanon: The manga has this status in regards to the short films. While the manga can be enjoyed without watching the films and the events of the manga aren't acknowledged in the films. There's nothing in them that contradict the films or vice versa and they can be fitted into the film's canon without issue.
* MushroomSamba: Happens to Akko after sniffing a poisonous mushroom in Chapter 5.
* NoblewomansLaugh: Diana does one after performing an FauxFlame spell on Akko in chapter 1.
* OneHitKill: Diana's golem casually destroys Akko's first golem with a single punch.
* OutOfFocus: Diana, Hannah, and Barbara don't appear at all in Chapters 4 and 5.
* PetTheDog: Sucy compliments Akko and admits she's got potential at the end of Chapter 1.
* RivalsTeamUp: Akko and Diana ended up temporarily teaming up in chapter 3 to defeat an old conman from selling fake Shiny Chariot outfits.
* StiffUpperLip: Diana, Hannah, and Barbara's reaction to Akko blowing up the dormitory by accident is to simply remark upon it while watching from a distance and having tea.
* StrongFamilyResemblance: Sucy, her mother and her sisters all look identical to each other and all of them have the same pale skin and pink hair.
* StuffBlowingUp: Akko, upon gaining a huge but temporary power boost, accidentally causes a huge explosion that burns down much of the dormitory.
* SuicideByCop: [[spoiler:Lemmy the golem, upon realizing that his existence prevents Akko from being able to use magic at all, attacks Diana, Hannah, and Barbara against Akko's command to stand down, forcing her to destroy him by breaking the rune on his forehead.]]
* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: Akko resurrects a dog in order to get it to pull out a Mandrake while she and Lotte are at a safe distance. It being an already rotten carcass, the zombie dog falls apart almost immediately.
* UncannyValley: InUniverse. This is why Lotte is afraid of fishes.
* VacationEpisode: Chapter 4 has Lotte and Sucy travel to the Philippines for family matters, with Akko staying behind due to having to make up for her poor grades.
* WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes: Lotte has an innate fear of fishes.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Keisuke Satō's manga]]
* AdaptationInducedPlotHole: Despite being an AlternateContinuity, watching the TV series (at least, the first half, as the manga doesn't adapt the events of the second half) is pretty much required if you want to properly understand several stories and how characters act in them since the manga frequently acknowledges events from and even has several sequel stories to past episodes that were not adapted in the manga.
* AdaptationalJerkass: Downplayed with Diana. While she still largely retains her TV series personality and background, some of her less pleasent and immature traits are made a bit more prominent here compared to the TV series, which [[AdaptationalNiceGuy toned them down]] from the films, and she is shown to antagonize and belittle Akko a bit more compared to the TV series. It's still largely toned down from how she acted towards her in the films, however.
* AffectionateNickname: Constanze is referred to as "Consey" by Amanda and later the other girls.
* AlternateContinuity: While it's based off of the TV series continuity and follows the main beats of it for the most part (and even has a few chapters that serve as direct sequels to certain episodes in the series), the manga is primarily in its own continuity with [[BroadStrokes several events heavily differing from how they occurred in the TV series]].
* BigCreepyCrawlies: The cockroach that chases Akko (and is in turn chased by two fairy workers) in Chapter 11 is technically a normal-sized cockroach, but it appears this way due to Akko being shrunken at the moment.
* TheBigRace: The last three chapters revolves around one of these with the aforementioned race being a large relay race between two different schools, [[spoiler:or more accurately, between Luna Nova and Woodward]].
* BirthdayHater: Sucy. Given how many members of her family there are, she grew sick and tired of birthdays. That only makes [[{{Determinator}} Akko more determined]] to get her the perfect birthday present.
* BitchInSheepsClothing: Mirage initially comes off as friendly and her and Akko hit it off immediately over their shared fondness over Shiny Chariot, however her true colors begin to show once she demands the Shiny Rod in exchange of showing Akko how to fly, culminating in her pushing Akko off the ledge and stealing the rod. Luckily [[spoiler: Diana]] was there to save her in time. This however, could be a facade as well as [[spoiler: Mirage was revealed to be a dryad working under Woodward]].
* BroadStrokes: While the events of the TV series are shown to be canon to the manga, with a few episodes even getting adapted into the manga, a few events are shown to transpire pretty differently from how they went in the TV series.
* CanonForeigner: Mirage and the witches who raced against Luna Nova in the last couple of chapters are characters made exclusively for the manga and don't appear anywhere else in the franchise.
* CheatersNeverProsper: Discussed in Chapter 11 and is the reason why Akko doesn't use the answer sheet Amanda gave her, as thanks to her experiences in "The Fountain" and especially in "Orange Submariner", [[CharacterDevelopment she knows that cheating will get her nowhere and that she won't become a great witch by doing so]].
* CurbStompBattle: Diana’s team quickly and utterly annihilated Akko’s team in the volleyball match as soon as magic got thrown into the mix, with the former scoring 25 points and the latter only scoring a measly ''2''.
* ADayInTheLimelight:
** Chapter 8 shifts the focus from Luna Nova entirely to the students of Appleton Academy, with the only appearance of the main trio being at the very end.
** Chapter 14 focuses primarily on Lotte, Annabel and Barbara.
** Chapter 12.5 focuses entirely on Finnelan and the Luna Nova staff, with Akko and co being absent entirely.
* DemotedToExtra: Croix, the BigBad of the TV series, is largely reduced to a cameo at the end of chapter 12.5 and is mostly absent otherwise. It is [[JustifiedTrope justified]] in this case, as the manga chronologically takes place before her first proper appearance in the TV series.
* DoesNotLikeMagic: Amanda is revealed to not like magic in Chapter 11, finding it to be useless and feeling that people only use it for scummy stuff.
* FallenOnHardTimesJob: Akko's grades are so bad her stipend is cut off and has to work for the school. They make her clean rooms in a (chaste) French Maid Outfit. To her eternal embarrassment, one of those rooms belongs to Diana.
* FictionalDisability: [[spoiler: In Chapter 15, Diana catches one in the form of immolation disease, a rare disease that according to Lukic, can only affect magic-users and can rise their temperatures to where it can feel like they're being burnt at the stake, luckily, the disease is easily cured with medicine and thanks to Sucy making an antidote, Diana is quickly cured of the disease.]]
* ForeignQueasine: While acting as Diana's maid, Akko makes her a cup of plum seaweed tea. Diana is thoroughly disgusted by the smell until she tries it—behind Akko's back, of course—and [[IDoNotLikeGreenEggsAndHam discovers she likes it]].
* {{Foreshadowing}}: During the final stretch between Mirage, Akko and [[spoiler: Diana]], Mirage spawns leaves and trees to interfere with the duo's efforts, both of which foreshadow the fact that [[spoiler: she's not actually human, but a dryad]].
* FrameUp: While Amanda is the one that stole the Shooting Star, it was Akko that got falsely blamed for it and had to face the punishment for doing so, despite being innocent. Luckily for her though, the punishment wasn't bad as the punishment for doing so was simply to bring it back to the magic cafe, in the case that it was displayed in.
%%* GettingCrapPastThe Radar: Due to overwhelming and persistent misuse, GCPTR is on-page examples only until 01 June 2021. If you are reading this in the future, please check the trope page to make sure your example fits the current definition.
* GracefulLoser: Mirage doesn't appear to take it too hard after losing to Akko as she smiles at the end after Akko celebrates her victory and the fact she finally used magic.
* TheInfiltration: Chapter 16 focuses on Annabel Creme sneaking into Luna Nova in order to do research for the newest ''Night Fall'' book.
* JawDrop: Headmistress Holbrooke and, of all people, Professor Finneran does this when finding out that [[spoiler:Diana has fallen ill and thus cannot represent Luna Nova in the coming inter-school Broom Relay Race.]]
* MeaningfulName: Mirage's name alludes to the fact that she's [[spoiler:not actually a human, but a dryad posing as one]].
* MouseWorld: Akko stumbles into one of these while in mouse form in Chapter 7.
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Diana has a subtle one when she realized in shock that the rat the worker was referring to was actually Akko.
* NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished: Akko's attempt to return the cheat sheet that was given to her by Amanda results in her nearly getting expelled (again) due to Finnelan initially not trusting and believing her. Fortunately, she was able to avoid this fate (again) thanks to Amanda, who is able to successfully convince Finnelan that Akko was telling the truth. That said, she still punishes Akko (alongside her friends) anyway for being up and outside of her room at night during curfew.
* NotSoAboveItAll:
** Even the normally unexpressive Professor Finneran suffers an OhCrap-induced JawDrop when hearing that [[spoiler:Diana cannot take part in the inter-school Broom Relay Race due to having fallen ill.]]
** Chapter 11.5 ends with the usually prim and proper Diana getting in trouble alongside Akko and friends by Finnelan, after she partook in a race with them for a special desert.
* PlantPeople: [[spoiler: Mirage and the contestants who raced against Luna Nova in the last few chapters are revealed to be Dryads, who, true to the myth they're based off of, are this.]]
* SecretTestOfCharacter: [[spoiler: It's revealed the broom relay race is one of these by Woodward, as a way to see if Akko is worthy being the wielder of the Rod.]]
* SneezeCut: Subverted. It looks like Diana sneezed because someone mentioned her, but it turns out to be a sign that [[spoiler: she's about to fall ill.]]
* TakeMeInstead: In Chapter 11, when Akko and the others are at risk of getting expelled from Luna Nova despite being innocent, Amanda steps forward and pleads their innocence and admits the whole situation was her fault, asking Finnelan to let the others go, which she does (but not without punishment of course). This, however, is precisely why Amanda didn't get expelled despite it, as Finnelan approves the act of maturity from her and decides to give her another chance.
* TruerToTheText: Teri Terio's manga and the Midnight Crown, while not entirely unfaithful, had very little material to work off of (given there were only the two short films at the time), meaning plenty of creative liberties were taken and a lot of original material was created for both manga (resulting in some EarlyAdaptationWeirdness). Keisuke Satō's manga on the other hand, had the more refined and fleshed out TV series to work off of, meaning it takes less creative liberties than the other two manga, making it more faithful to the source as a result. Keisuke Satō's manga is also the only ''LWA'' manga to adapt the stories of its source material to manga form (while sprinkling in original stories), whereas the other two manga stuck to only telling original stories.
* WhatTheHellHero:
** After Diana comes in to rescue Akko from the MouseWorld in Chapter 7 after realizing what she had done, Akko promptly calls her out for being the one that kickstarted the events in the first place due to transforming her into a mouse and not changing her back.
** Lotte calls out Sucy for being mean and refusing to help a desperate Hannah and Barbara cure [[spoiler: Diana]] unless she's being charged for it, this ends up making Sucy relent, albeit reluctantly.
[[/folder]]

* BlindingBangs: Mrs. Manbavaran's eyes are completely hidden behind her hair and are never shown once.

* ''Little Witch Academia: The Midnight Crown'', written by Yuka Fujiwara and ran in ''Magazine/{{Ribon}}'' through 2015.

[[folder:''The Midnight Crown'']]
* AdaptationalSuperpowerChange: In most ''LWA'' works, Akko is an IneptMage who can barely do even basic magic, but can use the Shiny Rod very well. In this adaptation though, the Shiny Rod doesn't appear bar a flashback to Chariot's show and Akko, unlike other incarnations of the character, can use a special type of magic with her bare hands called Light Magic. She's still not great with it though.
* AlphaBitch: Diana is ironically ''[[SubvertedTrope not]]'' one this time around.
* AlternateContinuity: It's safe to say this manga does not share a universe with the [[Anime/LittleWitchAcademia2013 short]] [[Anime/LittleWitchAcademiaTheEnchantedParade films]], the [[Anime/LittleWitchAcademia2017 TV series]], or the other two mangas, due to its depiction of magic being one that uses a completely different system.
* ArtShiftedSequel: The manga mostly ditches the franchise's western animation influenced artstyle in favor of a more traditional shoujo artstyle courtesy of Yuka Fujiwara. Though there are a couple of points throughout the manga where characters would shift to a style that is closer to the franchise's typical artstyle.
* AttackOfThe50FootWhatever: [[spoiler:The final challenge in the contest for the Midnight Crown has the finalists fight a huge witch-like apparition summoned by the Midnight Crown itself.]]
* TheCameo: Amanda, Constanze and Jasminka make a brief cameo during a crowd shot at one point.
* CanonForeigner: Yuuto is a wizard exclusive to this manga and is one of the few wizards shown in the franchise.
* ChildhoodFriends: The manga introduces Yuuto, who is a childhood friend of Akko's and like her, is a fan of Shiny Chariot who took up magic to become a wizard.
* CoolCrown: The titular Midnight Crown is one and is said to temporarily increase one's powers.
* DemotedToExtra: Just like Teri Terio's manga, the Shiny Rod only appears in a flashback to Chariot's show and is absent in the story proper.
* FairyCompanion: Both Lotte and Sucy become this, as both turn into fairies in order to secretly help Akko win the contest.
* ForTheEvulz: Sucy (no surprises there) releases a swarm of venomous bees during a magic-demonstration class, which then goes on to attack the other students. She eventually relents, and recaptures all of them, but missed one...
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Yuuto is standoffish and aloof, with him coldly telling his ChildhoodFriend Akko that he doesn't want to see her again after they reunite for the first time in years, but he is shown to care about her still.
* GlassSmackAndSlide: Akko does this after her attempt to fly a broom has her fly into a window in chapter 1.
* MacGuffinTitle: The titular Midnight Crown.
* ShoutOut: The cover for the third chapter is one towards ''Literature/TheWonderfulWizardOfOz'' as it depicts Akko holding a ruby slipper, and has palm-sized figures of the Tin Man, Scarecrow, and Cowardly Lion floating around her.
* SpearCounterpart: The manga features one to Luna Nova itself in the form of Solpatel Magical Institute, which is depicted as being an all-boys magic school in contrast to Luna Nova being an all-girls magic school.
* TakingTheBullet: [[spoiler:Yuuto uses his own body to shield Akko from a shower of shards. Thankfully he survives.]]
* TertiarySexualCharacteristics: Akko and Diana both don ribbons on their hair.
* UsedToBeASweetKid: Akko notes how Yuuto used to be a rather sweet kid back when they were children, as opposed to the aloof jerk he is now.
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Aside from Akko and Diana, a third Luna Nova student managed to make it to the final round of the contest for the titular Crown. However, she wasn't seen again once [[spoiler:the giant witch-like apparition showed up to attack the contestants]].
[[/folder]]

* AdaptationalSuperpowerChange: In most ''LWA'' works, Akko is an IneptMage who can barely do even basic magic, but can use the Shiny Rod very well. In this adaptation though, the Shiny Rod doesn't appear bar a flashback to Chariot's show and Akko, unlike other incarnations of the character, can use magic with her bare hands. She's still not great with magic though.

* WitchClassic: The witches wear the pointy hats, ride brooms, wear black (or purple) dresses and brew potions. Akko is a part of a trio of friends (who are also witches) and her rival, Diana, is also in a group of three as her GirlPosse. In fact, this seems to be invoked by Luna Nova given that roommates are in teams of three.

However, in spite of the insane odds placed against her, she isn't gonna let them stop her and with the help of her best friends and roommates, Lotte Jansson, a shy but kindhearted bookworm who can communicate with spirits and Sucy Manbavaran, a highly mischievous DeadpanSnarker who loves mushrooms and potions as well as Amanda O'Neil, a rebellious and tomboyish delinquent, Constanze Amalie von Braunschbank-Albrechtsberger, a slient student who tends to [[Main/{{Magitek}} combine magic with technology]], Jasminka Antonenko, a sweet girl who tends to be a BigEater, her mentor Ursula Callistis, who unbeknownst to Akko, is actually her very idol in disguise, and finally, the Shiny Rod, a mysterious and powerful wand that her idol used in her shows and chose Akko as its wielder, Akko will stop at nothing to become the witch she dreams of becoming.

* PantyShot: Averted, despite the "flying lesson" sequence and [[{{Fanservice}} being a Trigger show]]. In the moments where they ''should'' be visible, the particular character's legs [[CensorShadow don't appear to attach to anything under her skirt]].

[[caption-width-right:350:''Off we go to the land of magic!'']]

[[caption-width-right:350:''Ladies and Gentleman! Welcome to the show!\\
Off we go to the land of magic!'']]

[[caption-width-right:350:''Ladies and Gentleman! Welcome to the show! Off we go to the land of magic!'']]

* AllThereInTheManual: ''Little Witch Academia: Chronicle'' contains additional information and lore regarding the main characters and world that isn't presented otherwise (alongside various interviews and concept art). Sadly though, the book [[NoExportForYou never saw a release outside of Japan]] [[invoked]].

** In ''The Enchanted Parade'', a combination of factors releases a magical rock giant during [[AttackOfTheTownFestival the town festival]]. [[CoolTeacher Professor Ursula]] plays it off like this a show that the WizardingSchool is putting on, and has them cheer encouragement as [[AscendedFangirl Akko]], Lotte and [[CreepyGood Sucy]] defeat it. Funnily enough, Akko ''did'' want to put on a show like this earlier, but it fell through.