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* RecycledSoundtrack: While it has a new original soundtrack made exclusively for it, outside of Chariot's theme, the TV Series does rearrange and reuse a couple of tracks directly from the original short film. Most notably the fight theme against the dragon, in which it plays in both "Starting Over" during the fight against the cockatrice and in "Changing at the Edge of the World" [[spoiler: during Akko and Diana's fight against the Noir Rod]].
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* RecycledSoundtrack: While it has a new original soundtrack made exclusively for it, outside of Chariot's theme, the TV Series does rearrange and reuse a couple of tracks directly from the original short film.films. Most notably the fight theme against the dragon, in which it plays in both "Starting Over" during the fight against the cockatrice and in "Changing at the Edge of the World" [[spoiler: during Akko and Diana's fight against the Noir Rod]].
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* RecycledSoundtrack: While it has a new original soundtrack made exclusively for it, outside of Chariot's theme, the TV Series does rearrange and reuse a couple of tracks directly from the original short film. Most notably the fight theme against the dragon, in which it plays in both "Starting Over" during the fight against the cockatrice and in "Changing at the Edge of the World" [[spoiler: during Akko and Diana's fight against the Noir Rod]].
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Ursula being Shiny Chariot isn't a spoiler.
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* PuttingThePalInPrincipal: Headmistress Miranda Holbrooke (next to Professor Ursula/[[spoiler:Shiny Chariot]]) is the most reasonable staff member of Luna Nova, supporting Akko's desire to learn magic without giving her a hard time and dealing out stern but fair punishments whenever they are needed.
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* PuttingThePalInPrincipal: Headmistress Miranda Holbrooke (next to Professor Ursula/[[spoiler:Shiny Chariot]]) Ursula/Chariot) is the most reasonable staff member of Luna Nova, supporting Akko's desire to learn magic without giving her a hard time and dealing out stern but fair punishments whenever they are needed.
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The series does [[AlternateContinuity things a bit differently from the films]], but the overarching premise is similar. As a young girl, Atsuko "Akko" Kagari attended a magic show by the witch Shiny Chariot and became enamored with Chariot's ability to spark joy in her audience. Some years later, Akko arrives at Luna Nova, a prestigious [[WizardingSchool academy for witches]], in an attempt to follow in her idol's footsteps. But because she was [[MageBornOfMuggles raised in a non-magical family]], Akko is out of place in wizarding society and has very little natural aptitude for magic. Also, her idol Chariot is not regarded highly in the magical world, which considered her magic cheap party tricks.
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The series acts as an ContinuityReboot for the franchise and does [[AlternateContinuity things a bit differently from the films]], films, but the overarching premise is similar. As a young girl, Atsuko "Akko" Kagari attended a magic show by the witch Shiny Chariot and became enamored with Chariot's ability to spark joy in her audience. Some years later, Akko arrives at Luna Nova, a prestigious [[WizardingSchool academy for witches]], in an attempt to follow in her idol's footsteps. But because she was [[MageBornOfMuggles raised in a non-magical family]], Akko is out of place in wizarding society and has very little natural aptitude for magic. Also, her idol Chariot is not regarded highly in the magical world, which considered her magic cheap party tricks.
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* ContinuityReboot: Is one for the ''Anime/LittleWitchAcademia'' franchise, disregarding the continuity of the previous two short films entirely in favor of starting over from the very beginning (The first episode even subtly lampshades this in it's title as it's titled "Starting Over").
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* ContinuityReboot: Is one for the ''Anime/LittleWitchAcademia'' franchise, disregarding the continuity of the previous two short films entirely in favor of starting over from the very beginning (The beginning. This was even subtly acknowledged in the title of the first episode even subtly lampshades this in it's title as it's titled "Starting Over").Over".
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* ContinuityReboot: Is one for the ''Anime/LittleWitchAcademia'' franchise, disregarding the continuity of the short films that came before it entirely in favor of starting over from the very beginning (The first episode even subtly lampshades this in it's title as it's titled "Starting Over").
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* ContinuityReboot: Is one for the ''Anime/LittleWitchAcademia'' franchise, disregarding the continuity of the previous two short films that came before it entirely in favor of starting over from the very beginning (The first episode even subtly lampshades this in it's title as it's titled "Starting Over").
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* ContinuityReboot: Is one for the ''Anime/LittleWitchAcademia'' franchise, disregarding the continuity of the short films that came before it entirely in favor of starting over from the very beginning (The first episode even subtly lampshades this by having it be titled ''A New Beginning'' and on Netflix, ''Starting Over'').
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* ContinuityReboot: Is one for the ''Anime/LittleWitchAcademia'' franchise, disregarding the continuity of the short films that came before it entirely in favor of starting over from the very beginning (The first episode even subtly lampshades this by having it be in it's title as it's titled ''A New Beginning'' and on Netflix, ''Starting Over'')."Starting Over").
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* ContinuityReboot: Is one for the ''Anime/LittleWitchAcademia'' franchise, disregarding the continuity of the short films that came before it entirely in favor of starting over from the very beginning (The first episode even subtly lampshades this by having it be titled ''A New Beginning'').
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* ContinuityReboot: Is one for the ''Anime/LittleWitchAcademia'' franchise, disregarding the continuity of the short films that came before it entirely in favor of starting over from the very beginning (The first episode even subtly lampshades this by having it be titled ''A New Beginning'').Beginning'' and on Netflix, ''Starting Over'').
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* ContinuityReboot: Is one for the ''Anime/LittleWitchAcademia'' franchise, disregarding the continuity of the short films that came before it entirely in favor of starting over from the very beginning (The first episode even subtly acknowledges this by having it be titled "A New Beginning").
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* ContinuityReboot: Is one for the ''Anime/LittleWitchAcademia'' franchise, disregarding the continuity of the short films that came before it entirely in favor of starting over from the very beginning (The first episode even subtly acknowledges lampshades this by having it be titled "A ''A New Beginning").Beginning'').
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* ContinuityReboot: Is one for the ''Anime/LittleWitchAcademia'' franchise, disregarding the continuity of the short films that came before it entirely in favor of starting over from the very beginning (The first episode even subtly acknowledges this by having it be titled "A New Beginning").
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* ContinuityReboot: Is one for the ''Anime/LittleWitchAcademia'' franchise, disregarding the continuity of the short films that came prior entirely in favor of starting over from the very beginning.
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* ContinuityReboot: Is one for the ''Anime/LittleWitchAcademia'' franchise, disregarding the continuity of the short films that came prior entirely in favor of starting over from the very beginning.
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[[AC:If you are looking for the 2013 short film or its 2015 sequel, see [[Anime/LittleWitchAcademia2013 this page.]]]]
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[[AC:If you are looking for the 2013 short film or its 2015 sequel, film, see [[Anime/LittleWitchAcademia2013 this page.]]]]
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Following the success of ''Anime/{{Little Witch Academia|2013}}'' and its sequel, ''The Enchanted Parade'', Creator/StudioTrigger [[https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2016-06-24/trigger-little-witch-academia-gets-tv-anime-series/.103587 announced]] the production of a full-length anime series based on the short films directed by Yoh Yoshinari. ''Little Witch Academia'' aired from January 8 to June 25, 2017 for a total of 25 episodes.
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Following the success of ''Anime/{{Little Witch Academia|2013}}'' and its sequel, ''The ''[[Anime/LittleWitchAcademiaTheEnchantedParade The Enchanted Parade'', Parade]]'', Creator/StudioTrigger [[https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2016-06-24/trigger-little-witch-academia-gets-tv-anime-series/.103587 announced]] the production of a full-length anime series based on the short films directed by Yoh Yoshinari. ''Little Witch Academia'' aired from January 8 to June 25, 2017 for a total of 25 episodes.
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* ProductionForeshadowing: "SSSS.Next" appears on a billboard near the end of Episode 25. Following a [[Anime/DarlingInTheFranxx co-production]] with A-1 Pictures a year later, ''Anime/SSSSGRIDMAN'' would be released.
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* ProductionForeshadowing: "SSSS.Next" appears on a billboard near the end of Episode 25. Following a [[Anime/DarlingInTheFranxx co-production]] with A-1 Pictures a year later, ''Anime/SSSSGRIDMAN'' ''Anime/SSSSGridman'' would be released.
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* ProductionForeshadowing: "SSSS.Next" appears on a billboard near the end of Episode 25. Following a [[Anime/DarlingInTheFranxx co-production]] with A-1 Pictures a year later, ''Anime/SSSSGRIDMAN'' would be released.
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* TheAlternet: At the beginning of episode 21, Frank states that witches have their own communication networks that are separate from the one other humans use.
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* TheAlternet: At the beginning of episode 21, "Wagandea", Frank states that witches have their own communication networks that are separate from the one other humans use.
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* AnimatedArmour: [[spoiler:Croix]] animates a suit of armour in "Amanda O'Neill and the Holy Grail". Said armour promptly attaches itself to a hapless Appleton Academy student and goes on a rampage until Amanda manages to defeat it.
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* ArtEvolution: Inverted from the film to the TV series. Compared to the first films, the series has a lot less fluid animation, less detail in the character drawings, much flatter shading, and the backgrounds (done by Creator/StudioBihou, as opposed to Studio Pablo, who did the original films) are a considerable downgrade. All of this, of course, is to be expected when you're going from individual high-budgeted short films to the monetary and scheduling realities of TV production.
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* AnimatedArmour: [[spoiler:Croix]] animates a suit of armor in "Amanda O'Neill and the Holy Grail". Said armor promptly attaches itself to a hapless Appleton Academy student and goes on a rampage until Amanda manages to defeat it.
* ArtEvolution: Inverted from the film to the TV series. Compared to the first short films, the series has a lot less fluid animation, less detail in the character drawings, much flatter shading, and the backgrounds (done by Creator/StudioBihou, as opposed to Studio Pablo, who did the original short films) are a considerable downgrade. All of this, of course, is to be expected when you're going from individual high-budgeted short films to the monetary and scheduling realities of TV production.
* ArtEvolution: Inverted from the film to the TV series. Compared to the first short films, the series has a lot less fluid animation, less detail in the character drawings, much flatter shading, and the backgrounds (done by Creator/StudioBihou, as opposed to Studio Pablo, who did the original short films) are a considerable downgrade. All of this, of course, is to be expected when you're going from individual high-budgeted short films to the monetary and scheduling realities of TV production.
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* ArtEvolution: Inverted from the film to the TV series. Compared to the first films, the series has a lot less fluid animation, less detail in the character drawings, much flatter shading, and the backgrounds (done by Creator/StudioBihou, as opposed to Studio Pablo, who did the original OVA movies) are a considerable downgrade. All of this, of course, is to be expected when you're going from individual high-budgeted short films to the monetary and scheduling realities of TV production.
* ArtisticLicense: The show's grasp of contemporary English politics. For starters, it seems to think being a hereditary aristocrat is a shoo-in for a political career, including the Earl of Hanbridge inviting his son to a [=COBR=] meeting in the finale. It also misuses the term "Minister of [=[X]=]" to mean essentially a Cabinet position, whereas actual Cabinet positions are officially called "Secretary of State for [=[X]=]", which multiple Ministers of State working under them. There's also an unspecified European country they're close to war with, even before [[spoiler:Croix's hatemongering smartphone app starts spreading discord.]]
* ArtisticLicense: The show's grasp of contemporary English politics. For starters, it seems to think being a hereditary aristocrat is a shoo-in for a political career, including the Earl of Hanbridge inviting his son to a [=COBR=] meeting in the finale. It also misuses the term "Minister of [=[X]=]" to mean essentially a Cabinet position, whereas actual Cabinet positions are officially called "Secretary of State for [=[X]=]", which multiple Ministers of State working under them. There's also an unspecified European country they're close to war with, even before [[spoiler:Croix's hatemongering smartphone app starts spreading discord.]]
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* ArtEvolution: Inverted from the film to the TV series. Compared to the first films, the series has a lot less fluid animation, less detail in the character drawings, much flatter shading, and the backgrounds (done by Creator/StudioBihou, as opposed to Studio Pablo, who did the original OVA movies) films) are a considerable downgrade. All of this, of course, is to be expected when you're going from individual high-budgeted short films to the monetary and scheduling realities of TV production.
* ArtisticLicense: The show's grasp of contemporary English politics. For starters, it seems to think being a hereditary aristocrat is a shoo-in for a political career, including the Earl of Hanbridge inviting his son to a [=COBR=] meeting in the finale. It also misuses the term "Minister of [=[X]=]" to mean essentially a Cabinet position, whereas actual Cabinet positions are officially called "Secretary of State for [=[X]=]", which multiple Ministers of State working under them. There's also an unspecified European country they're close to war with, even before [[spoiler:Croix's hatemongering smartphone app starts spreading discord.]]production.
* ArtisticLicense: The show's grasp of contemporary English politics. For starters, it seems to think being a hereditary aristocrat is a shoo-in for a political career, including the Earl of Hanbridge inviting his son to a [=COBR=] meeting in the finale. It also misuses the term "Minister of [=[X]=]" to mean essentially a Cabinet position, whereas actual Cabinet positions are officially called "Secretary of State for [=[X]=]", which multiple Ministers of State working under them. There's also an unspecified European country they're close to war with, even before [[spoiler:Croix's hatemongering smartphone app starts spreading discord.]]
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* AshFace: Has happened to Akko more than once.
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* ArtisticLicense: The series' grasp of contemporary English politics. For starters, it seems to think being a hereditary aristocrat is a shoo-in for a political career, including the Earl of Hanbridge inviting his son to a [=COBR=] meeting in the finale. It also misuses the term "Minister of [=[X]=]" to mean essentially a Cabinet position, whereas actual Cabinet positions are officially called "Secretary of State for [=[X]=]", which multiple Ministers of State working under them. There's also an unspecified European country they're close to war with, even before [[spoiler:Croix's hatemongering smartphone app starts spreading discord.]]
* AsLongAsItSoundsForeign: The series is peppered with faux-Latin spells that are largely nonsense, but presumably sound catchy to a Japanese-speaking audience.
* AshFace: Has happened to Akko more thanonce.once:
* AsLongAsItSoundsForeign: The series is peppered with faux-Latin spells that are largely nonsense, but presumably sound catchy to a Japanese-speaking audience.
* AshFace: Has happened to Akko more than
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* AsLongAsItSoundsForeign: The show is peppered with faux-Latin spells that are largely nonsense, but presumably sound catchy to a Japanese-speaking audience.
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* WhiteAndGreyMorality: The series goes this way as well. Akko is an AllLovingHero who uses her magic to make her friends safe and happy; in fact, her magic is created by her [[ForHappiness desire to make others happy]]. Virtually no character is truly evil or even a complete {{Jerkass}}. [[spoiler:Even Croix, the BigBad, winds up undergoing a HeelFaceTurn by the end.]]
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!!''Little Witch Academia'' television series provides examples of:
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[[AC:If you are looking for the 2013 short film, see [[Anime/LittleWitchAcademia2013 this page.]]]]
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[[AC:If you are looking for the 2013 short film, film or its 2015 sequel, see [[Anime/LittleWitchAcademia2013 this page.]]]]
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** Chariot has a despairing moment. The Grand Triskellion ruined her life and now learns that it cannot be used by anyone but Akko. The Witches are too stubborn and foolish to ever comprehend this, most of the children are either fully committed in traditions or have lost faith in magic and Akko left because of what Chariot did to her childhood. To Chariot, that Grand Triskellion '''is''' a worthless stick. Had Chariot just followed Diana's advice to be with Akko, she could have redeemed herself.
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** Chariot has a despairing moment. The Grand Triskellion ruined her life and now learns that it cannot be used by anyone but Akko. The Witches are too stubborn and foolish to ever comprehend this, most of the children are either fully committed in traditions or have lost faith in magic and Akko left because of what Chariot did to her childhood. To Chariot, that Grand Triskellion '''is''' ''is'' a worthless stick. Had Chariot just followed Diana's advice to be with Akko, she could have redeemed herself.
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* TheAlternet: At the beginning of episode #21, Frank said that witches have their own communication networks that are separate from the one other humans use.
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* TheAlternet: At the beginning of episode #21, 21, Frank said states that witches have their own communication networks that are separate from the one other humans use.
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Following the success of ''Anime/{{Little Witch Academia|2013}}'' and its sequel, ''The Enchanted Parade'', Creator/StudioTrigger [[https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2016-06-24/trigger-little-witch-academia-gets-tv-anime-series/.103587 announced]] the production of a full-length anime series based on the short films directed by Yoh Yoshinari. ''Little Witch Academia'' aired from to January 8 to June 25, 2017 for a total of 25 episodes.
to:
Following the success of ''Anime/{{Little Witch Academia|2013}}'' and its sequel, ''The Enchanted Parade'', Creator/StudioTrigger [[https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2016-06-24/trigger-little-witch-academia-gets-tv-anime-series/.103587 announced]] the production of a full-length anime series based on the short films directed by Yoh Yoshinari. ''Little Witch Academia'' aired from to January 8 to June 25, 2017 for a total of 25 episodes.
* EyePoke: Akko's stuffed bird immediately pecks her in the eye after being brought to life by Sucy.
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* EyePoke: Akko's stuffed bird immediately pecks her in the eye after being brought to life by Sucy.
* ForWantOfANail: If it wasn't for [[spoiler:the [[TrademarkFavoriteFood pickled plums]]]] that Akko tried to bring on her debut, her arrival on Luna Nova would have been a quick ride, but at a cost not finding the Shiny Rod sooner, in which could have made her first few months in school a living hell until then.
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* ForWantOfANail: If it wasn't for [[spoiler:the [[TrademarkFavoriteFood pickled plums]]]] that Akko tried to bring on her debut, her arrival on Luna Nova would have been a quick ride, but at a cost not finding the Shiny Rod sooner, in which could have made her first few months in school a living hell until then.
* FunWithSubtitles: The Asenshi Sub-Group likes to get creative on occasion, such as applying subtitles to ''every screen'' displaying the same image on a wall of OminousMultipleScreens, or color-coding the words as Croix reads off a list on her ColourCodedEmotions app.
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* FunWithSubtitles: The Asenshi Sub-Group likes to get creative on occasion, such as applying subtitles to ''every screen'' displaying the same image on a wall of OminousMultipleScreens, or color-coding the words as Croix reads off a list on her ColourCodedEmotions app.
* IKissYourHand: Andrew plants a kiss on Akko's hand after being stung by the [[LoveAtFirstSight Lovelove Bee]] in "Bee Affection". Cue Akko [[BlueWithShock freaking out]].
* ITakeOffenseToThatLastOne: "Night Fall" sees the lead trio being scolded for stealing a pie from the kitchen. Akko objects- because they didn't steal a pie, they stole a ''tart''.
* ITakeOffenseToThatLastOne: "Night Fall" sees the lead trio being scolded for stealing a pie from the kitchen. Akko objects- because they didn't steal a pie, they stole a ''tart''.
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* IKissYourHand: Andrew plants a kiss on Akko's hand after being stung by the [[LoveAtFirstSight Lovelove Bee]] in "Bee Affection". Cue Akko [[BlueWithShock freaking out]].
* ITakeOffenseToThatLastOne: "Night Fall" sees the lead trio being scolded for stealing a pie from the kitchen. Akko objects- because they didn't steal a pie, they stole a ''tart''.
* ITakeOffenseToThatLastOne: "Night Fall" sees the lead trio being scolded for stealing a pie from the kitchen. Akko objects- because they didn't steal a pie, they stole a ''tart''.
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* JustFriends: Akko and Andrew's relationship is ultimately confirmed to be this via WordOfGod, with Yoh Yoshinari calling it a "playful guy-guy relationship".
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* JustFriends: Akko and Andrew's relationship is ultimately confirmed to be this via WordOfGod, this, with Yoh Yoshinari calling it a "playful guy-guy relationship".
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* OutOfCharacterMoment: Sucy is unusually polite and mostly snark-free in "Pohjola's Ordeal", another of the reasons why it's regarded as one of the strangest, bordering on BizarroEpisode.
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* OutOfCharacterMoment: Sucy is unusually polite and mostly snark-free in "Pohjola's Ordeal", another of the reasons why it's regarded as one of the strangest, bordering on BizarroEpisode.strangest.
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** Parodied in "Bee Affection", where a bee causes anyone it stings to fall in love with whomever they see immediately afterward. The bee stings two characters (Andrew Hanbridge and [[LesYay Diana Cavendish]]), causing them to fall for the protagonist, Akko, until the bee's spell is broken. It also stings Andrew's friend, Frank, [[BetaCouple who falls for Akko's friend]], Lotte, and for added hilarity stings Diana again so that she ends up [[AcquiredSituationalNarcissism falling in love with her own reflection]]. In keeping with the true spirit of the trope, though, both Andrew and Frank have some lingering affection for their respective love target after the spell is broken.
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** Parodied in "Bee Affection", where a bee causes anyone it stings to fall in love with whomever they see immediately afterward. The bee stings two characters (Andrew Hanbridge and [[LesYay Diana Cavendish]]), Diana), causing them to fall for the protagonist, Akko, until the bee's spell is broken. It also stings Andrew's friend, Frank, [[BetaCouple who falls for Akko's friend]], Lotte, and for added hilarity stings Diana again so that she ends up [[AcquiredSituationalNarcissism falling in love with her own reflection]]. In keeping with the true spirit of the trope, though, both Andrew and Frank have some lingering affection for their respective love target after the spell is broken.
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[[AC:If you are looking for the 2013 short film, see [[Anime/LittleWitchAcademia2013 this page.]]]]
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Following the success of ''Anime/LittleWitchAcademia2013'' and its sequels, Creator/StudioTrigger [[https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2016-06-24/trigger-little-witch-academia-gets-tv-anime-series/.103587 announced]] the production of a full-length anime series based on the short films directed by Yoh Yoshinari. ''Little Witch Academia'' began airing on January 8, 2017, and ended on June 25, 2017, after 25 episodes.
The show does [[AlternateContinuity things a bit differently from the films]], but the overarching premise is similar. As a young girl, Atsuko "Akko" Kagari attended a magic show by the witch Shiny Chariot and became enamored with Chariot's ability to spark joy in her audience. Some years later, Akko arrives at Luna Nova, a prestigious [[WizardingSchool academy for witches]], in an attempt to follow in her idol's footsteps. But because she was [[MageBornOfMuggles raised in a non-magical family]], Akko is out of place in wizarding society and has very little natural aptitude for magic. Also, her idol Chariot is not regarded highly in the magical world, which considered her magic cheap party tricks.
The show does [[AlternateContinuity things a bit differently from the films]], but the overarching premise is similar. As a young girl, Atsuko "Akko" Kagari attended a magic show by the witch Shiny Chariot and became enamored with Chariot's ability to spark joy in her audience. Some years later, Akko arrives at Luna Nova, a prestigious [[WizardingSchool academy for witches]], in an attempt to follow in her idol's footsteps. But because she was [[MageBornOfMuggles raised in a non-magical family]], Akko is out of place in wizarding society and has very little natural aptitude for magic. Also, her idol Chariot is not regarded highly in the magical world, which considered her magic cheap party tricks.
to:
Following the success of ''Anime/LittleWitchAcademia2013'' ''Anime/{{Little Witch Academia|2013}}'' and its sequels, sequel, ''The Enchanted Parade'', Creator/StudioTrigger [[https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2016-06-24/trigger-little-witch-academia-gets-tv-anime-series/.103587 announced]] the production of a full-length anime series based on the short films directed by Yoh Yoshinari. ''Little Witch Academia'' began airing on aired from to January 8, 2017, and ended on 8 to June 25, 2017, after 2017 for a total of 25 episodes.
Theshow series does [[AlternateContinuity things a bit differently from the films]], but the overarching premise is similar. As a young girl, Atsuko "Akko" Kagari attended a magic show by the witch Shiny Chariot and became enamored with Chariot's ability to spark joy in her audience. Some years later, Akko arrives at Luna Nova, a prestigious [[WizardingSchool academy for witches]], in an attempt to follow in her idol's footsteps. But because she was [[MageBornOfMuggles raised in a non-magical family]], Akko is out of place in wizarding society and has very little natural aptitude for magic. Also, her idol Chariot is not regarded highly in the magical world, which considered her magic cheap party tricks.
The
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* AbsenteeActor: Sucy does not appear at all in "Chariot of Fire" of the anime. Some Studio Trigger employees mentioned that the next episode would have given a clue for the reason why, but it didn't happen. Fan speculation is that she was [[Anime/SpacePatrolLuluco busy dealing with two intruders at the Sorcerer's Stone]].
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* AbsenteeActor: Sucy does not appear at all in "Chariot of Fire" of the anime.Fire". Some Studio Trigger employees mentioned that the next episode would have given a clue for the reason why, but it didn't happen. Fan speculation is that she was [[Anime/SpacePatrolLuluco busy dealing with two intruders at the Sorcerer's Stone]].
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* ActorAllusion: After Croix appears, she's seen eating instant noodles all alone several times, most likely also to remind that her voice actress, Creator/JunkoTakeuchi, also voiced Manga/{{Naruto}}.
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* ActorAllusion: After Croix appears, she's seen eating instant noodles all alone several times, most likely to also to remind that her Japanese voice actress, Creator/JunkoTakeuchi, also voiced Manga/{{Naruto}}.
* AnAesop:
** The core message of the series is that it takes more than just passion to succeed; it takes hard work, dedication, and constant practice in order to achieve your dream. Akko is passionate about magic, but her complete and total lack of skill makes her one of the worst students at Luna Nova. [[spoiler:That's before TheReveal that Shiny Chariot drained her magic at the magic show Akko went to as a child. Even so, Akko vows to press on.]]
** Akko was meant to express this as Yoh Yoshinari made her as a representation of animators who thought that raw passion made up for a lack of technique.
** The core message of the series is that it takes more than just passion to succeed; it takes hard work, dedication, and constant practice in order to achieve your dream. Akko is passionate about magic, but her complete and total lack of skill makes her one of the worst students at Luna Nova. [[spoiler:That's before TheReveal that Shiny Chariot drained her magic at the magic show Akko went to as a child. Even so, Akko vows to press on.]]
** Akko was meant to express this as Yoh Yoshinari made her as a representation of animators who thought that raw passion made up for a lack of technique.
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* AllForNothing: Two cases in "A Road to Arcturus".
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* AllForNothing: Two cases in "A Road to Arcturus".Arcturus":
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* TheAlternet: At the beginning of episode #21 Frank said that witches have their own communication networks that are separate from the one other humans use.
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* TheAlternet: At the beginning of episode #21 #21, Frank said that witches have their own communication networks that are separate from the one other humans use.
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** Hannah is one of the students fawning over Andrew in his introduction, but in the game adaptation, mentions attraction to Amanda in her male Appleton student disguise, even when she learns about her gender in the photo.
to:
** Hannah is one of the students fawning over Andrew in his introduction, but introduction. However, in the game adaptation, mentions attraction ''[[VideoGame/LittleWitchAcademiaChamberOfTime Chamber of Time]]'', she's attracted to Amanda in her male Appleton student disguise, even when she learns about her gender in the photo.
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** Diana, especially as her relationship with Akko mirrors that of their teachers. Her [[http://imgur.com/a/kQsAE official artwork]] and interactions with Akko in the show play into her acting as a flustered tsundere to Akko. When the rest of her classmates are fawning over Andrew Hanbridge, she just looks completely disinterested, but it's hinted later that it's likely due to their previous frosty history and their interactions are more playful later on. In episode 10, she imagines Akko in the art style of a ''yuri'' manga, the ''Rose Of Versailles'' when she's struck by the love bee. In that same episode she also laughs off the idea of her and Andrew being in a relationship, but due to conflicting views on magic as opposed to her supposed sexuality would permanently shut down the idea. She also never pays any mind to males like Thomas and Frank that fawn over her, but also never brings up her sexuality that could shut them down as well.
** Sucy falls into this too. When Akko is about to kiss Sucy awake inside her mindscape, Dragon!Sucy (which is made up of all of her stray thoughts and inner desires) gets hearts in its eyes and becomes very sad when the Original Sucy denies Akko the kiss. It should also be noted that out of the main trio, Sucy is the only one who doesn't get Ship Tease with male characters.
** Sucy falls into this too. When Akko is about to kiss Sucy awake inside her mindscape, Dragon!Sucy (which is made up of all of her stray thoughts and inner desires) gets hearts in its eyes and becomes very sad when the Original Sucy denies Akko the kiss. It should also be noted that out of the main trio, Sucy is the only one who doesn't get Ship Tease with male characters.
to:
** Diana, especially as her relationship with Akko mirrors that of their teachers. Her [[http://imgur.com/a/kQsAE official artwork]] and interactions with Akko in the show play into her acting as a flustered tsundere to Akko. When the rest of her classmates are fawning over Andrew Hanbridge, Andrew, she just looks completely disinterested, but it's hinted later that it's likely due to their previous frosty history and their interactions are more playful later on. In episode 10, she imagines Akko in the art style of a ''yuri'' manga, the ''Rose Of Versailles'' ''Manga/RoseOfVersailles'', when she's struck by the love bee. In that same episode she also laughs off the idea of her and Andrew being in a relationship, but due to conflicting views on magic as opposed to her supposed sexuality would permanently shut down the idea. She also never pays any mind to males like Thomas and Frank that fawn over her, but also never brings up her sexuality that could shut them down as well.
**Sucy falls into this too.Sucy. When Akko is about to kiss Sucy awake inside her mindscape, Dragon!Sucy (which is made up of all of her stray thoughts and inner desires) gets hearts in its eyes and becomes very sad when the Original Sucy denies Akko the kiss. It should also be noted that out of the main trio, Sucy is the only one who doesn't get Ship Tease with male characters.
**
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* AnAesop:
** The core message of the series is that it takes more than just passion to succeed; it takes hard work, dedication, and constant practice in order to achieve your dream. Akko is passionate about magic, but her complete and total lack of skill makes her one of the worst students at Luna Nova. [[spoiler:That's before TheReveal that Shiny Chariot drained her magic at the magic show Akko went to as a child. Even so, Akko vows to press on.]]
** [[invoked]]Akko was meant to express this via WordOfGod, as Yoh Yoshinari made Akko as a representation of animators who thought that raw passion made up for a lack of technique.
** The core message of the series is that it takes more than just passion to succeed; it takes hard work, dedication, and constant practice in order to achieve your dream. Akko is passionate about magic, but her complete and total lack of skill makes her one of the worst students at Luna Nova. [[spoiler:That's before TheReveal that Shiny Chariot drained her magic at the magic show Akko went to as a child. Even so, Akko vows to press on.]]
** [[invoked]]Akko was meant to express this via WordOfGod, as Yoh Yoshinari made Akko as a representation of animators who thought that raw passion made up for a lack of technique.
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* {{Unicorn}}: A mythical creature associated with the Cavendish family, which ties into their long history and tendency towards healing magic.
* VacationEpisode: "Pohjola's Ordeal" has Akko, Sucy, and Lotte visiting Lotte's parents in her Finnish hometown. While there, Akko still manages to get herself into zany adventures, thwart a dangerous disease and unlock one of the seven Words.
* VoicesAreNotMental: Akko finds herself turned into a duplicate of Diana, complete with Diana's voice.
* VacationEpisode: "Pohjola's Ordeal" has Akko, Sucy, and Lotte visiting Lotte's parents in her Finnish hometown. While there, Akko still manages to get herself into zany adventures, thwart a dangerous disease and unlock one of the seven Words.
* VoicesAreNotMental: Akko finds herself turned into a duplicate of Diana, complete with Diana's voice.
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* {{Unicorn}}: A mythical creature associated with the Cavendish family, which ties into their long history and tendency towards healing magic.
* VacationEpisode: "Pohjola's Ordeal" has Akko, Sucy, and Lotte visiting Lotte's parents in her Finnish hometown. While there, Akko still manages to get herself into zany adventures, thwart a dangerous disease and unlock one of the seven Words.
* VoicesAreNotMental: Akko finds herself turned into a duplicate of Diana, complete with Diana's voice.
[[/folder]]
* {{Unicorn}}: A mythical creature associated with the Cavendish family, which ties into their long history and tendency towards healing magic.
* VacationEpisode: "Pohjola's Ordeal" has Akko, Sucy, and Lotte visiting Lotte's parents in her Finnish hometown. While there, Akko still manages to get herself into zany adventures, thwart a dangerous disease and unlock one of the seven Words.
* VoicesAreNotMental: Akko finds herself turned into a duplicate of Diana, complete with Diana's voice.
[[/folder]]
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Changed line(s) 5,6 (click to see context) from:
The show does [[AlternateContinuity things a bit differently from the films]], but the overarching premise is similar. As a young girl, Atsuko "Akko" Kagari attended a magic show by the witch Shiny Chariot, and became enamored with Chariot's ability to spark joy in her audience. Some years later, Akko arrives at Luna Nova, a prestigious [[WizardingSchool academy for witches]], in an attempt to follow in her idol's footsteps. But because she was [[MageBornOfMuggles raised in a non-magical family]], Akko is out of place in wizarding society and has very little natural aptitude for magic. Also, her idol Chariot is not regarded highly in the magical world, which considered her magic cheap party tricks.
to:
The show does [[AlternateContinuity things a bit differently from the films]], but the overarching premise is similar. As a young girl, Atsuko "Akko" Kagari attended a magic show by the witch Shiny Chariot, Chariot and became enamored with Chariot's ability to spark joy in her audience. Some years later, Akko arrives at Luna Nova, a prestigious [[WizardingSchool academy for witches]], in an attempt to follow in her idol's footsteps. But because she was [[MageBornOfMuggles raised in a non-magical family]], Akko is out of place in wizarding society and has very little natural aptitude for magic. Also, her idol Chariot is not regarded highly in the magical world, which considered her magic cheap party tricks.
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Changed line(s) 5,8 (click to see context) from:
The show does [[AlternateContinuity things a bit differently from the films]], but the overarching premise is similar. As a young girl, Atsuko "Akko" Kagari attended a magic show by the witch Shiny Chariot, and became enamored with Chariot's ability to spark joy in her audience. Fast forward to her teens: where Akko, wanting to follow in the footsteps of her idol, arrives at Luna Nova, a prestigious [[WizardingSchool academy for witches]]. But because she was [[MageBornOfMuggles raised in a non-magical family]], Akko is out of place in wizarding society and has very little natural aptitude for magic. Also, her idol Chariot is not regarded highly in the magical world, as her magic was seen as cheap party tricks.
But in true PluckyGirl fashion, Akko doesn't give up -- even if her haughty classmate Diana disapproves, Akko still has her friends Lotte and Sucy and her CoolTeacher Ursula by her side. Things begin to change, however, when Akko discovers Chariot's old wand, the Shiny Rod, which she can use with surprising aptitude even as [[TheMagicGoesAway magic everywhere begins to decline]]...
But in true PluckyGirl fashion, Akko doesn't give up -- even if her haughty classmate Diana disapproves, Akko still has her friends Lotte and Sucy and her CoolTeacher Ursula by her side. Things begin to change, however, when Akko discovers Chariot's old wand, the Shiny Rod, which she can use with surprising aptitude even as [[TheMagicGoesAway magic everywhere begins to decline]]...
to:
The show does [[AlternateContinuity things a bit differently from the films]], but the overarching premise is similar. As a young girl, Atsuko "Akko" Kagari attended a magic show by the witch Shiny Chariot, and became enamored with Chariot's ability to spark joy in her audience. Fast forward to her teens: where Akko, wanting to follow in the footsteps of her idol, Some years later, Akko arrives at Luna Nova, a prestigious [[WizardingSchool academy for witches]].witches]], in an attempt to follow in her idol's footsteps. But because she was [[MageBornOfMuggles raised in a non-magical family]], Akko is out of place in wizarding society and has very little natural aptitude for magic. Also, her idol Chariot is not regarded highly in the magical world, as which considered her magic was seen as cheap party tricks.
But in true PluckyGirl fashion, Akko doesn'tgive up let these deter her -- even if her haughty classmate Diana disapproves, Akko still has her friends Lotte and Sucy and her CoolTeacher Ursula by her side. Things begin to change, however, when Akko discovers Chariot's old wand, the Shiny Rod, which she can use with surprising aptitude even as [[TheMagicGoesAway magic everywhere begins to decline]]...
But in true PluckyGirl fashion, Akko doesn't
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Changed line(s) 5,6 (click to see context) from:
The show does [[AlternateContinuity things a bit differently from the films]], but the overarching premise is similar. As a young girl, Atsuko "Akko" Kagari attended a show by the witch Shiny Chariot, and becomes enamored with her ability to spark joy in her audience. Fast forward to her teens: where Akko, wanting to follow in the footsteps of her idol, arrives at Luna Nova, a prestigious [[WizardingSchool academy for witches]]. However, she quickly discovers a couple of things: due to [[MageBornOfMuggles being raised in a non-magical family]], Akko is out of place in wizarding society and has very little natural aptitude for magic, and her idol Chariot is not regarded highly in the magical world, as her magic was seen as cheap party tricks. She doesn't give up, however -- even if her haughty classmate Diana disapproves, Akko still has her friends Lotte and Sucy and her CoolTeacher Ursula by her side. Things begin to change, however, when Akko discovers Chariot's old wand, the Shiny Rod, which she can use with surprising aptitude...
to:
The show does [[AlternateContinuity things a bit differently from the films]], but the overarching premise is similar. As a young girl, Atsuko "Akko" Kagari attended a magic show by the witch Shiny Chariot, and becomes became enamored with her Chariot's ability to spark joy in her audience. Fast forward to her teens: where Akko, wanting to follow in the footsteps of her idol, arrives at Luna Nova, a prestigious [[WizardingSchool academy for witches]]. However, But because she quickly discovers a couple of things: due to was [[MageBornOfMuggles being raised in a non-magical family]], Akko is out of place in wizarding society and has very little natural aptitude for magic, and magic. Also, her idol Chariot is not regarded highly in the magical world, as her magic was seen as cheap party tricks. She tricks.
But in true PluckyGirl fashion, Akko doesn't giveup, however up -- even if her haughty classmate Diana disapproves, Akko still has her friends Lotte and Sucy and her CoolTeacher Ursula by her side. Things begin to change, however, when Akko discovers Chariot's old wand, the Shiny Rod, which she can use with surprising aptitude...
aptitude even as [[TheMagicGoesAway magic everywhere begins to decline]]...
But in true PluckyGirl fashion, Akko doesn't give
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
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Changed line(s) 5,7 (click to see context) from:
The show does [[AlternateContinuity things a bit differently from the book]], but the overarching premise is similar. As a young girl, Atsuko "Akko" Kagari attended a show by the witch Shiny Chariot, and becomes enamored with her ability to spark joy in her audience. Fast forward to her teens: where Akko, wanting to follow in the footsteps of her idol, arrives at Luna Nova, a prestigious [[WizardingSchool academy for witches]]. However, she quickly discovers a couple of things: due to [[MageBornOfMuggles being raised in a non-magical family]], Akko is out of place in wizarding society and has very little natural aptitude for magic, and her idol Chariot is not regarded highly in the magical world, as her magic was seen as cheap party tricks. She doesn't give up, however -- even if her haughty classmate Diana disapproves, Akko still has her friends Lotte and Sucy and her CoolTeacher Ursula by her side. Things begin to change, however, when Akko discovers Chariot's old wand, the Shiny Rod, which she can use with surprising aptitude...
The series is available on Creator/{{Netflix}}.
The series is available on Creator/{{Netflix}}.
to:
The show does [[AlternateContinuity things a bit differently from the book]], films]], but the overarching premise is similar. As a young girl, Atsuko "Akko" Kagari attended a show by the witch Shiny Chariot, and becomes enamored with her ability to spark joy in her audience. Fast forward to her teens: where Akko, wanting to follow in the footsteps of her idol, arrives at Luna Nova, a prestigious [[WizardingSchool academy for witches]]. However, she quickly discovers a couple of things: due to [[MageBornOfMuggles being raised in a non-magical family]], Akko is out of place in wizarding society and has very little natural aptitude for magic, and her idol Chariot is not regarded highly in the magical world, as her magic was seen as cheap party tricks. She doesn't give up, however -- even if her haughty classmate Diana disapproves, Akko still has her friends Lotte and Sucy and her CoolTeacher Ursula by her side. Things begin to change, however, when Akko discovers Chariot's old wand, the Shiny Rod, which she can use with surprising aptitude...
The series is available on Creator/{{Netflix}}. For tropes pertaining to the franchise as a whole, see ''Anime/LittleWitchAcademia''.
The series is available on Creator/{{Netflix}}. For tropes pertaining to the franchise as a whole, see ''Anime/LittleWitchAcademia''.
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[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lwaanime.png]]
Following the success of ''Anime/LittleWitchAcademia2013'' and its sequels, Creator/StudioTrigger [[https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2016-06-24/trigger-little-witch-academia-gets-tv-anime-series/.103587 announced]] the production of a full-length anime series based on the short films directed by Yoh Yoshinari. ''Little Witch Academia'' began airing on January 8, 2017, and ended on June 25, 2017, after 25 episodes.
The show does [[AlternateContinuity things a bit differently from the book]], but the overarching premise is similar. As a young girl, Atsuko "Akko" Kagari attended a show by the witch Shiny Chariot, and becomes enamored with her ability to spark joy in her audience. Fast forward to her teens: where Akko, wanting to follow in the footsteps of her idol, arrives at Luna Nova, a prestigious [[WizardingSchool academy for witches]]. However, she quickly discovers a couple of things: due to [[MageBornOfMuggles being raised in a non-magical family]], Akko is out of place in wizarding society and has very little natural aptitude for magic, and her idol Chariot is not regarded highly in the magical world, as her magic was seen as cheap party tricks. She doesn't give up, however -- even if her haughty classmate Diana disapproves, Akko still has her friends Lotte and Sucy and her CoolTeacher Ursula by her side. Things begin to change, however, when Akko discovers Chariot's old wand, the Shiny Rod, which she can use with surprising aptitude...
The series is available on Creator/{{Netflix}}.
----
!!Tropes:
* AbortedArc: "Orange Submariner" ends with Professor Finnelan in charge of the girls as punishment for them breaking the rules. It's set up like a continuing plotline, perhaps as a {{Foil}} to Professor Calistis's more empathetic guidance, but it's never mentioned again.
* AbsenteeActor: Sucy does not appear at all in "Chariot of Fire" of the anime. Some Studio Trigger employees mentioned that the next episode would have given a clue for the reason why, but it didn't happen. Fan speculation is that she was [[Anime/SpacePatrolLuluco busy dealing with two intruders at the Sorcerer's Stone]].
* AbsurdlySharpBlade: The first thing the resurrected corpse from "Undead Travelogue" does is to cut in half a tombstone with his ''centuries-old'' sword.
* AccentAdaptation:
** In the German dub, the word "Chariot" in "Shiny Chariot" is spoken with a French pronunciation, most likely because Chariot's real name is French ("Chariot du Nord").
** The "T" in Chariot's name is not silent in the French dub.
* ActorAllusion: After Croix appears, she's seen eating instant noodles all alone several times, most likely also to remind that her voice actress, Creator/JunkoTakeuchi, also voiced Manga/{{Naruto}}.
* AddedAlliterativeAppeal: Professor Croix's "Sorcery Solution System".
* AlienBlood: The corpse in "Undead Travelogue" has ''green'' blood and tears. Probably because it was reanimated with magic, and [[EmeraldPower magic is green]].
* AllForNothing: Two cases in "A Road to Arcturus".
** Listing all the sins Croix made. She crippled hundreds of people of their magic, forsake and humiliated her best friend, terrorize humans and witches alike with her inventions, scarred the ChosenOne for life, depleted all remaining supply of magic and started a new world war. Her reward is getting world altering magic that cannot work for her, only Akko can who she drove away. NiceJobFixingItVillain barely describes Croix's terrible position who will most likely have her credentials removed, hunted down by her kind and be remembered as an embarrassment throughout history.
** Chariot has a despairing moment. The Grand Triskellion ruined her life and now learns that it cannot be used by anyone but Akko. The Witches are too stubborn and foolish to ever comprehend this, most of the children are either fully committed in traditions or have lost faith in magic and Akko left because of what Chariot did to her childhood. To Chariot, that Grand Triskellion '''is''' a worthless stick. Had Chariot just followed Diana's advice to be with Akko, she could have redeemed herself.
* AllJustADream: "Akko's Adventure in Sucyworld" seems to be one of Akko dreaming that Sucy had drank a potion she just created and went into a coma, with her having to dive into her mind to wake her. It's a dream for the fact that she sees an image of the academy being destroyed by mushrooms sprouting from Sucy's body, with Lotte supposedly being crushed to death by them. [[OrWasItADream Though at the end of the episode, a mushroom sprouts from Sucy's bed after the girls head off to class]].
* AlternateContinuity:
** The series takes place when Akko ''begins'' her time at Luna Nova and as such has her acquire the Shiny Rod a lot sooner than she did in the film.[[note]]In the series, it's found in [[TheLostWoods Arcturus Forest]], while in the film, it's [[GrailInTheGarbage found under a pile of junk stashed in a dungeon]].[[/note]] A few things though are the same, such as Diana being present at the Shiny Chariot show during the AMinorKidroduction.
** Much like in the manga companion to the films, Akko and Sucy do not get along very well at first.
* TheAlternet: At the beginning of episode #21 Frank said that witches have their own communication networks that are separate from the one other humans use.
* AlwaysABiggerFish: In "Starting Over", Akko tries to have the man-eating and tentacle-wielding mandragora and the giant cockatrice take each other out, but it only slows the cockatrice down and it almost gets the trio.
* AmbiguouslyBi:
** Akko has ShipTease moments with both Diana and Andrew, frequently speaking and thinking about them in similar ways. It helps that both have a DefrostingIceQueen dynamic with her.
** Hannah is one of the students fawning over Andrew in his introduction, but in the game adaptation, mentions attraction to Amanda in her male Appleton student disguise, even when she learns about her gender in the photo.
* AmbiguouslyGay:
** Chariot du Nord and Croix Meridies were ''very'' [[RomanticTwoGirlFriendship close friends]] during their Luna Nova days, had several very emotionally intimate moments together, and despite [[spoiler:Croix absolutely destroying their friendship, tricking Chariot into stealing the magical ability of her audience, Chariot still doesn't hesitate to try and save her when the Noir Rod goes berserk, while Croix quickly shifts gears to pleading with her to abandon her and save herself.]] She's also quite distressed in the epilogue when Croix has to leave, and gives a rather emotional farewell, complete with a rather wistful promise to [[IWillWaitForYou wait for her return]].
** Diana, especially as her relationship with Akko mirrors that of their teachers. Her [[http://imgur.com/a/kQsAE official artwork]] and interactions with Akko in the show play into her acting as a flustered tsundere to Akko. When the rest of her classmates are fawning over Andrew Hanbridge, she just looks completely disinterested, but it's hinted later that it's likely due to their previous frosty history and their interactions are more playful later on. In episode 10, she imagines Akko in the art style of a ''yuri'' manga, the ''Rose Of Versailles'' when she's struck by the love bee. In that same episode she also laughs off the idea of her and Andrew being in a relationship, but due to conflicting views on magic as opposed to her supposed sexuality would permanently shut down the idea. She also never pays any mind to males like Thomas and Frank that fawn over her, but also never brings up her sexuality that could shut them down as well.
** Sucy falls into this too. When Akko is about to kiss Sucy awake inside her mindscape, Dragon!Sucy (which is made up of all of her stray thoughts and inner desires) gets hearts in its eyes and becomes very sad when the Original Sucy denies Akko the kiss. It should also be noted that out of the main trio, Sucy is the only one who doesn't get Ship Tease with male characters.
* AmusingInjuries: In "Starting Over", Sucy states that witches are hard to kill. Apparently, even minimal magical training, like Akko's, is enough to shake off pain and injuries.
* AnAesop:
** The core message of the series is that it takes more than just passion to succeed; it takes hard work, dedication, and constant practice in order to achieve your dream. Akko is passionate about magic, but her complete and total lack of skill makes her one of the worst students at Luna Nova. [[spoiler:That's before TheReveal that Shiny Chariot drained her magic at the magic show Akko went to as a child. Even so, Akko vows to press on.]]
** [[invoked]]Akko was meant to express this via WordOfGod, as Yoh Yoshinari made Akko as a representation of animators who thought that raw passion made up for a lack of technique.
* AnimatedArmour: [[spoiler:Croix]] animates a suit of armour in "Amanda O'Neill and the Holy Grail". Said armour promptly attaches itself to a hapless Appleton Academy student and goes on a rampage until Amanda manages to defeat it.
* AnimateDead: In "Undead Travelogue", the combination of Akko's Restoration Magic and Sucy's graveyard mushroom winds up reviving a corpse.
* ArtEvolution: Inverted from the film to the TV series. Compared to the first films, the series has a lot less fluid animation, less detail in the character drawings, much flatter shading, and the backgrounds (done by Creator/StudioBihou, as opposed to Studio Pablo, who did the original OVA movies) are a considerable downgrade. All of this, of course, is to be expected when you're going from individual high-budgeted short films to the monetary and scheduling realities of TV production.
* ArtisticLicense: The show's grasp of contemporary English politics. For starters, it seems to think being a hereditary aristocrat is a shoo-in for a political career, including the Earl of Hanbridge inviting his son to a [=COBR=] meeting in the finale. It also misuses the term "Minister of [=[X]=]" to mean essentially a Cabinet position, whereas actual Cabinet positions are officially called "Secretary of State for [=[X]=]", which multiple Ministers of State working under them. There's also an unspecified European country they're close to war with, even before [[spoiler:Croix's hatemongering smartphone app starts spreading discord.]]
* ArtShift:
** Two incidents in "Akko's Adventure in Sucyworld":
*** Sucy's inner theater displays her memories in a InkblotCartoonStyle with much more fluid and cartoonish animation than what is standard for both the franchise.
*** As Akko prepares to give Sucy the antidote potions, there's a shift to a {{Shoujo}} style, including sharp noses that could double as letter openers.
** In "Bee Affection", those targeted by people affected by the [[LovePotion Lovelove Bee]] get an extra-wide-eyed, {{Shojo}}-like look and flowered LoveBubbles. But only to those affected by the bee:
*** The style Andrew sees Akko in [[ShoutOut parodies]] ''Manga/GlassMask'', side referencing [[PluckyGirl its]] [[BeautifulAllAlong tropes]]. Shocked characters also recreate its memetic BlankWhiteEyes outside the CrushFilter.
*** Diana sees in the style of ''Manga/TheRoseOfVersailles''. Specifically, she sees and hears Akko like [[{{Bifauxnen}} Oscar]] while seeing herself as UsefulNotes/MarieAntoinette.
*** The Count sees the flyswatter-wielding Akko and her bare shoulders like a shot from ''Manga/AimForTheAce''.
** "Stanship Take Off!" has [[http://i.imgur.com/SJH8lWr.jpg a couple of scenes]] where Akko looks older and slightly different. It's unclear whether it is all part of the Super Robot/Gurren Lagann style parody or just an animation mistake.
** The endings of the anime feature a simpler art style than the rest of the episodes, especially the second one, which is drawn in a lineless style.
* ArtistDisillusionment: [[invoked]]
** "Night Fall". Annabel Crème has become disillusioned with writing after fans vocally hate the direction she takes the ''Night Fall'' novels in. She gets better.
** Parodied in "Pohjola's Ordeal", where the yeti loses confidence in his abilities as a craftsman because of internet flaming. Akko talks him out of it.
* AshFace: Has happened to Akko more than once.
** In "Night Fall", she causes a huge explosion during her fundamental alchemy exam.
** In "New Age Magic", Croix uses a blast of stored energy to revive the Fire Fairy, which burns Akko in the process.
* AsLongAsItSoundsForeign: The show is peppered with faux-Latin spells that are largely nonsense, but presumably sound catchy to a Japanese-speaking audience.
* AstonishinglyAppropriateAppearance: In "The Fountain", Andrew [[BrutalHonesty pulls no punches]] when telling Akko exactly how little he cares for magic. Shortly after this, Akko's [[PowerIncontinence magical misfires]] fall just short of turning him into a [[LittleBitBeastly literal ass]].
* AttackOfThe50FootWhatever: Akko turns a squirrel into an enormous monstrosity to create a distraction so they can sneak into a party.
* BackForTheFinale: [[spoiler:Every minor character that has appeared throughout the series, including the Shooting Star]], return to help out in "Changing at the Edge of the World".
* {{Balloonacy}}: In "Samhain Magic Festival", Akko has trouble keeping afloat after turning into a flying elephant, so Lotte conjures some balloons to help her out.
* BarehandedBladeBlock: Akko does it with a guillotine in "Akko's Adventure in Sucyworld".
* BearsAreBadNews: Arcas, the gigantic polar bear guardian of the Polaris Fountain.
* BigFancyHouse: The Hanbridge manor is ''massive''. The Cavendish estate is nothing to sneeze at either. This is justified since both families are wealthy nobility.
* BigThinShortTrio: Jasminka (Big), Amanda (Thin), and Constanze (Short).
* BlandNameProduct:
** In "Pact of the Dragon", Jasminka eats a bag of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doritos Olitos]].
** In "Stanship Take Off!", Constanze needs a hand mixer with orichalcum (a magical metal) beaters for her newest project (a giant {{magitek}} ship to enter the Wild Hunt with), so she has a look at a bare-faced rip-off of [=eBay=] or rather [[http://imgur.com/Ad9YnhF cbay]]. The brand she's looking at is "[=KitchenHelp=]" instead of the real brand [=KitchenAid=].
** "Yesterday" has in the background of the scene with Andrew and Akko a shop named "Mark & Sponcer", a reference to [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marks_%26_Spencer Marks & Spencer]].
* BookEnds:
** [[spoiler:The series begins with Shiny Chariot using the Shiny Arc to destroy a monster created by Croix's magitek as part of her show. The final conflict of the series is resolved when Akko and Diana use the Shiny Arc to destroy the missile possessed by Croix's out-of-control magitek.]]
** Further BookEnds: The show starts with Shiny Chariot inspiring Akko and Diana. It ends with Akko and Diana inspiring the next generation of witches.
** In "Starting Over", a significant plot point is [[spoiler:Akko's inability to fly a broom]], which leads to her making friends with Lotte and Sucy ([[FireForgedFriends via perilous adventure]]). In the final scene of "Changing at the Edge of the World", with all her friends watching, she [[spoiler:floats off the ground on a broom for the first time. (Not counting the Shooting Star broom, which had a mind of its own.)]]
** Also in "Starting Over", Akko ends up being thrown off the Leyline and, in a somewhat-lengthy sequence, [[IcarusAllusion plummets head-first toward the Forest of Arcturus far below]]. In "Changing at the Edge of the World", the same thing happens again [[spoiler:when the possessed missile knocks her off the Shooting Star, just before she and the Triskelion-enhanced Shiny Rod have their HeroicSecondWind]].
* BotanicalAbomination: A benevolent version in the Great Witch, Jennifer, whose spirit fused with a tree after death, turning her into a still-sapient PlantPerson.
* BreatherEpisode: "Pohjola's Ordeal", after the SerialEscalation from 11-15, is much sillier and relaxed, though it still manages to have tension.
* CacophonyCoverUp: In "Bee Affection", Akko magics up a [[MakeMyMonsterGrow giant squirrel]] as a distraction so that she, Lotte and Sucy can sneak into a party undetected.
* CentralTheme:
** In the first cour, [[SlobsVersusSnobs "highbrow" traditionalism versus "lowbrow" populism]]. In the face of an evolving world, the magical establishment stubbornly sticks to [[TheGoodOldDays their staid old ways and studious adherence to proper studying]] despite how [[HonorBeforeReason wildly unprofitable it is]] because they believe it's the only way to preserve "the magic" of the craft. This attitude pits them against Akko, who idolizes a flashy stage magician and lugs around a CollectibleCardGame with flavor text gleaned from Luna Nova's repository of magical knowledge in lieu of any actual magical training and study.
** In the second cour, the relationship between magic and technology. Both the establishment and their former prodigy, Croix Meridies, want to bring magic back to the world; whereas the establishment shuns technology for fear it will ruin the magic irrevocably, Croix utilizes cutting-edge technology to make magic more efficient and thus solves the school's financial crisis. But this comes at a dark cost--[[spoiler:the only way she can power the Noir Rod and find the Grand Triskelion is by using technology to provoke hatemongering populism over a football game, the exact opposite of Akko's desire to bring magic back by making people laugh and smile at entertaining spectacle.]] As the meaning of "Sybilladura Lelladybura" implies, Akko and Diana must reconcile the old and the new if they hope to help magic survive in the modern world.
* CerebusSyndrome: The anime takes a more serious tone after "Samhain Magic Festival".
* CharacterNameAndTheNounPhrase: "Amanda O'Neill and the Holy Grail", "Amanda O'Neill and the Holy Grail".
* ChekhovsArmoury: Not only did Akko collect every single Shiny Chariot trading card in her childhood, save for an ultra-rare one, but also [[ChekhovsSkill memorized their flavor text by heart]]. The cards have [[CardsOfPower spells that the Shiny Rod can cast]], along with [[PlotDeviceAllAlong useful facts about magical wildlife]].
* ChekhovsGun:
** The spells Akko cast with the Shiny Rod at vital moments? [[spoiler:Turns out they are like passwords needed to unlock Arcturus, a magical prison containing the Grand Triskelion, the last magic created by the Founders of Luna Nova. Oh, and the real name for the Shiny Rod? Claíomh Solais, the key.]]
** In "Papiliodia", Akko mentions having collected all of the Shiny Chariot cards, save one ultra rare card. Come "Cavendish", [[spoiler:Diana has that card as a special treasure]].
** After its debut in "Don't Stop Me Now", the Shooting Star darts off on its own, circulating the world and [[FunnyBackgroundEvent occasionally being sighted worldwide in news reports]]. [[spoiler:It returns to save Akko during the final battle.]]
* ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve: It's heavily implied that [[spoiler:magic began declining because people stopped believing in it with the advent of technology. With the increased belief brought on by watching the protagonists deal with a missile, magical resources begin increasing]].
* ColorCodedEmotions: Croix has a color wheel of them. Notably, red corresponds to anger.
* ColourCodedForYourConvenience: Luna Nova groups its students into trios. Each trio's uniform has a different coloured ribbon around their hats, along with a matching waist sash.
* ColorFailure: Lotte at the beginning of "Night Fall".
* ContinuityNod:
** After "Don't Stop Me Now", newspapers shown on screen tend to have an article about Shooting Star sightings as it flies around the world.
** [[spoiler:How the missile is destroyed is extremely similar to how Akko blows up the dragon in the first film.]]
* ContrivedCoincidence:
** Parodied in "Pohjola's Ordeal", where the Greenman Disease works off ridiculously specific triggers. The conditions and effects of the illness make it work more like a curse than an actual pathology in practice; it only happens in a specific region of Finland when, among other things, a certain amount of [=CO2=] exhaled by humans coincides with a specific breeding rate of a specific family of fish, the release of pollen into the air, ''a freaking planetary alignment event'' and '''''the consumption of a specific traditional homemade pie when baked at a specific temperature.''''' The conditions are so stringent that [[LampshadeHanging the book detailing the disease itself points out that]] [[OneInAMillionChance it's something one could only expect to occur AT MOST once every thousand years.]] Too bad Akko and company had just arrived in Lotte's village for that specific pie...
** On top of characters just [[PoorCommunicationKills not telling other character important things]], the second half of the series also relies on a lot of these. Ursula's attempts to tell her side of the story are always conveniently interrupted. Also, while it's something [[spoiler:Croix]] might have ''hoped'' for, it's awfully convenient that Ursula was out of the plot ''exactly'' long enough to not be around to see and tell anyone that the danger that [[spoiler:Croix]] saved everyone from was clearly manufactured by her to begin with.
* CorporalPunishment: If a witch commits fraud using magic, her tongue will be branded with a hot iron. The punishment for murder is even worse.
%%* CourtroomEpisode: "Akko's Adventure in Sucyworld".
* CrisisMakesPerfect: When someone’s life ''isn’t'' in danger, Akko forgets that spells require [[MagicalIncantation Magical Incantations]]. Consequentially, using the Shiny Rod properly is a OncePerEpisode thing. In Shiny Chariot's case, [[WordsDoNotMakeTheMagic she hardly ever needed words to cast magic]].
* CrushFilter: Apparently, the Lovelove Bee's sting turns the targeted girl into an exaggerated stereotype of {{shoujo}} gorgeousness, complete with [[BishieSparkle sparkles]]. It isn't revealed what it makes guys look like.
* CryingCritters: In the episode where the fish learn transformation, they cry.
* CulturalTranslation: In the German dub, when Croix pitches her magitek, she claims that it will cost the school zero Euros, even though the UK didn't join the eurozone.
* CutAndPasteTranslation:
** "Don't Stop Me Now": In the Japanese version, when Akko is holding on to the Shooting Star broom to win a tournament, she yells that she wouldn't let go of the broom even to the very depths of hell. In the English dub, likely due to religious censorship, she yelled that she'd hang on to the broom forever.
** "Night Fall": The English dub has Lotte state she reads ''Night Fall'' for the "love triangle" between Arthur, Belle, and Edgar. However, the subtitles, which more closely follow the Japanese dialog, reveal that she's a straight-up YaoiFangirl.
* ADayInTheLimelight: Most episodes focus on Akko and her personal growth into a great witch but "Night Fall", "Akko's Adventure in Sucyworld", "Amanda O'Neill and the Holy Grail", "Stanship Take Off!", and "Cavendish" focus on other characters.
* DarkerAndEdgier: The second cour is darker than the first but [[WhamEpisode "Things We Said Today"]] takes it UpToEleven. [[spoiler:It is revealed that Chariot tried to restore the magic in the world, similarly to Croix, ten years prior, but the process had the side effect of crippling the magic potential of people. Akko and Diana turn out to have both been victims of this, though Diana's skill now suggests the damage isn't necessarily irreparable]]. Once Akko finds this out, she immediately tips into a HeroicBSOD. Compared to the mostly happy show before this, it is a huge contrast.
* DarkSkinnedRedhead: Wangari, the announcer that follows the flying broom competition in "Don't Stop Me Now".
* DeathByChildbirth: Mrs. Holbrooke died shortly after giving birth to her daughter, Headmistress Miranda Holbrooke, as revealed in "Undead Travelogue".
%%* DeclarationOfProtection: Twice, in "Chariot of Fire" and "Discipline", from Ursula [[spoiler:as Chariot]] towards Akko.
* DeconReconSwitch: The series serves to break down all the classic magical cliches and elements. But at the same time, there are silver linings that made them worthwhile:
** StockShonenHero: Akko's acts and outbursts can be seen by those as obnoxious and overwhelming and sometimes causes trouble for almost everyone which worsens having to bear heavy burdens of an epic quest when she hasn't graduated school yet. It's gotten bad that Akko at times doubts herself and wears her persona as a mask to hide it. However as Akko continues her journey, she sees the good and bad of magic and this motivates her to further push forward and strengthening her beliefs because she honestly sees making people happy with magic as the right course. Diana lampshades that what Akko does is more powerful than any words that cast spells.
** StockShonenRival: Akko has no chance in beating Diana in terms of magic prowess. At the same time while Diana wins more than her opposite, the only reason these victories happen because Diana supports the system that only benefits solely one party than all which ironically causes the very problems she wanted to end. She gets called out on several occasions when it became clear she's only helping the small party. Although, Diana doesn't mean to be cold-hearted to Akko and her friends because she had to grow up without her parents and fears for her family's legacy that is about to fade away. However as the series progresses, it becomes clear that rivals doesn't traditionally mean enemies. They are friends that while have different methods to achieve their goals, their point of views are the same which is critical when Akko and Diana comfort one another when things get rough.
** StealthMentor / ItsTheJourneyThatCounts: Just because someone like Woodward founded magic, doesn't mean she's always right and her outdated methods would bring more harm than good to the person she is claiming to help. While learning to be better about oneself is a good moral, it won't do any good if they are in too deep in problems to the point they do need compensation for everything they've been through which is something that happen when it's implied that Woodward wanted to deliver a similar speech but is too embarrassed to say it after ruining Chariot and Croix's actual lives. It also didn't help that she abandons the latter two leaving them to see her as less of a mentor.
* DefaceOfTheMoon: The moon is scarred with a giant four-pointed star-shaped crater. [[spoiler:"Yesterday" reveals that ''Shiny Chariot'' made it at her last show before disappearing; lacking resources from her previous show, she called on the Words in desperation. The resulting arrow was powerful enough to leave the moon with its present appearance.]]
* DefrostingIceQueen: Multiple characters, especially Andrew, Diana and Sucy gradually lighten up over their character arcs, thanks in no small part due to their interactions with Akko.
* DisappearsIntoLight: [[spoiler:Not a person, but the Shiny Rod, once its task is completed.]]
* DismantledMacGuffin: A variation. [[spoiler:The Shiny Rod is not ''physically'' dismantled; but to fully reactivate it, someone, i.e. Akko, must use seven different incantations. Ursula already knows the words, but they apparently only work in specific adventurous situations.]]
* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything:
** While a teacher is demonstrating potion brewing in "Papiliodia", most of the characters are shown to be bothered by the fumes. [[https://gfycat.com/MassiveSereneGyrfalcon Sucy, however, has quite a different response.]]
** Akko is hyperactive and highly impatient, gets bored with her classes to the point of falling asleep, and cannot focus on something for very long. Besides not being born to a magical family, these have been shown to be reasons why she cannot learn magic as quickly as her peers, which in turn gets her a lot of general bullying from other students and mistreatment by her professors. It's really not that much different than how a student with disabilities would probably experience at school.
* DontGoInTheWoods: The Arcturus Forest. It is said that witches trapped in there are never able to leave. [[spoiler:By "Blue Moon"'s reveal, the name of the forest ''and'' the meaning of the aforementioned saying became more important than ever.]]
* DubInducedPlotHole: In the English dub of "Night Fall", Lotte and Annabel Crème geek out over the two male leads of the eponymous novel series sharing a shoehorn. We, the English-speaking audience, are just as confused by this as Akko and Sucy are. It's actually a reference to an earlier line in the Japanese version where Lotte explains she ships the two male leads, and Annabel confirms she put Yaoi subtext in there. That line was changed to Lotte's general interest in a "love triangle" in the English localization [[GetBackInTheCloset for homophobic reasons]], rendering Lotte and Annabel's later conversation indecipherable.
* EarlyBirdCameo: All side characters, Diana, Amanda, Constanze, and Jasminka, appear during the matriculation ceremony. Andrew, who's introduced in "The Fountain", appears in the opening since "Starting Over". Diana also appears during the magic show in "Starting Over", sitting up and to the right from Akko.
* EarnYourHappyEnding: In "A Road to Arcturus", [[spoiler:Akko and Ursula spend several episodes separated and alone from one another, with Akko feeling betrayed by her idol, while Ursula despairs that Akko abandoned her. Thankfully, with help of everyone along the way, the two are able to find each other again and they express their love towards one another, saving their relationship.]]
* EasterEgg: The identity of "[=GreatBen810=]" is not explicitly revealed, but if you pay close attention near the end of "Night Fall", you may spot Professor Badcock, of all people, carrying that Big Ben costume.
* EatenAlive:
** If a witch commits murder using magic, she will be executed by being eaten alive by mice with incisors sharp as blades.
** The Samhain Festival's sacrifice exhibition is a non-lethal example.
* ElaborateUniversityHigh: Appleton Academy, which is modeled after Eton College, a real life example of this.
* EldritchAbomination: The Noir Rod after absorbing all the negative energy from humans is a sentient ShapeShifter that wants to [[OmnicidalManiac destroy the planet]]. It's true form is similar to something out of ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion''. Its shapeshifting Spider form has a laser at its bottom, its giant dragon form has [[EyesDoNotBelongThere multiple eyes]] as well as it being a skeleton body with the head, torso, right arm, and left leg made out of metal with the Noir Fuel Devices act like skin and its ICBM form can merge and change its body.
* EldritchLocation: Wagandea, an explicitly endless tree with pollen that can cause witches to lose their magic.
* EmotionEater: [[spoiler:Croix's Noir Fuel Spirit Devices absorb negative emotions and store it as magic, at the expense of the magical potential of the people whose emotions are absorbed. Her Dream Fuel Spirit Device that were used in Chariot's show did the same for positive emotions. Eventually, the Noir Fuel Spirit Devices got so overwhelmed by the negative emotions of the populace that they GrewBeyondTheirProgramming, [[TurnedAgainstTheirMasters turned on Croix]] and launched a missile in order to increase the negativity even more.]]
* EverythingsBetterWithRainbows: They appear during [[spoiler:the WorldHealingWave brought on by the Grand Triskelion]].
* ExplosiveStupidity: Akko causes a big ass explosion during her fundamental alchemy exam, destroying a window, a part of the wall around the window, and giving her an [[AshFace unwanted makeover]].
* EyelidPullTaunt:
** Diana's reflection in the mischievous mirror from "What You Will" does this to her.
** In "Intellect and Sensibility", after Akko manages to dodge some attacks from a bunch of snakes, she does this to them while in her mouse form.
* EyePoke: Akko's stuffed bird immediately pecks her in the eye after being brought to life by Sucy.
* FamousAncestor: The Cavendish family claims direct descent from Beatrix, one of the Nine Olde Witches.
* FateWorseThanDeath:
** The punishment for a witch trying to resurrect the dead is said to be hundred times worse than death.
** When Akko accidentally revives an amnesiac pirate, who was also the father of Luna Nova's headmistress, the punishment is commuted to having to repair a room full of broken flying brooms by hand, presumably because it was an accident.
* FetchQuest: "Pohjola's Ordeal", where Akko, Sucy, and Lotte have to find the five ingredients needed to make a cure for the Greenman disease.
* FigureItOutYourself: The Seven Words of Arcturus work in this way. As Ursula explains, simply knowing the words means nothing. To truly revive a Word, one must understand what it truly means and represents. The only way to do ''that'' is experience. For this reason, Ursula doesn't tell Akko how to revive the Words but instead helps by pointing her in directions to help her discover them naturally.
* FiveSecondForeshadowing: Sucy is reading about the Arcturus Forest right before Akko gets her and Lotte pushed out of the Ley Line and into said forest. Before that, the pamphlet Akko was using to find the "bus" terminal also mentions to be careful when travelling do to Luna Nova being surrounded by a forest filled with "...Mandrakes, Cockatrices, and other colorful creatures."
* ForbiddenZone: The "Arcturus Forest" is full of deadly magical creatures such as at least one cockatrice and giant and deadly mandragoras with lotsa [[CombatTentacles tentacles]].
* {{Foreshadowing}}:
** In "Starting Over", the dragon at Chariot's show appears out of a set of cubes. Come "Blue Moon", and one of Akko's visions is a similar set of cubes forming a serpent, and a set of yellow cubes at the very end of "Samhain Magic Festival" also appear and form a larger cube, just like what the dragon appeared from.
** Whenever an episode opens with Akko, Sucy, and Lotte talking together in their dorm room, something in the conversation will either be related to the conflict of the episode (such as in "Samhain Magic Festival") or outright foreshadowing (such as in "Blue Moon").
** In the wormhole on the way to the school, there are brief flashes that offer hints to later episodes. Among the seen objects are Diana Cavendish, the magical butterflies, the Shooting Star broom, the ''Night Fall'' book, the guy from the opening, a wistful Shiny Chariot, a [[spoiler:contract in dragon language]], the ghost of Vajarois, fairies, Croix Meridies and a [[spoiler:nuclear explosion]].
** Pretty much every newspaper in the series has a story about the Shooting Star being seen around the world, implying we haven't seen the last of it. [[spoiler:We haven't.]]
** "Orange Submariner" features two posters of a film series featuring a Gillman-like amphibian creature. Later in the episode, Akko becomes a fish person herself.
** "Chariot of Fire": In the cafeteria, Constanze and Jasminka are staring at posters for the Wild Hunt.
** "Pohjola's Ordeal" has Akko's hallucinations, one of which features an evil-looking Shiny Chariot. [[spoiler:While Chariot is definitely not evil, she was the cause of most of Akko's grief, when it was revealed she absorbed Akko's magic potential during her show at the beginning of the series.]]
* ForWantOfANail: If it wasn't for [[spoiler:the [[TrademarkFavoriteFood pickled plums]]]] that Akko tried to bring on her debut, her arrival on Luna Nova would have been a quick ride, but at a cost not finding the Shiny Rod sooner, in which could have made her first few months in school a living hell until then.
* FriendOrIdolDecision: In "Blue Moon", the moon spirit offers Akko an ideal future where she succeeds in following Chariot's footsteps...but demands that she give up her memories of her time in Luna Nova in exchange. Akko's refusal to do so causes her to pass the spirit's SecretTestOfCharacter, which unlocks the second Arcturus word of the Shiny Rod.
* FunnyBackgroundEvent: While every single one of the young witches at Luna Nova is fawning over how handsome Andrew is when he enters the room, instead of her usual dignified demeanor, Diana looks ''[[http://little-witch-academia.wikia.com/wiki/File:Dianabored.png bored]]'' out of her mind.
* FunWithSubtitles: The Asenshi Sub-Group likes to get creative on occasion, such as applying subtitles to ''every screen'' displaying the same image on a wall of OminousMultipleScreens, or color-coding the words as Croix reads off a list on her ColourCodedEmotions app.
* GenericDoomsdayVillain: The Noir Rod after exposure to negative energy wants to destroy humanity. That's all there is to it and it possesses no personality or reason why it's doing this. It's more of an [[EldritchAbomination Eldritch Force]].
* GettingCrapPastTheRadar:
** During "Papiliodia", we see several of the classes the girls attend which includes potions. Most of the students are bothered by the fumes, but Sucy seems to enjoy them [[https://gfycat.com/MassiveSereneGyrfalcon a bit too much.]]
** Lotte references the OedipusComplex by name in "Night Fall". She also references gay slash fiction in the same episode.
** In "Bee Affection", when Akko's looking for a dress, she pulls out a Playboy bunny outfit.
** Sucy gets thrilled at the thought of getting sacrificed, that is, eaten and expelled by the Vajarois apparition. She also has a look of bliss when it actually happens. In other words, she's into vore.
** In "Discipline", there's a picture of comments on a website with a design similar to [[Website/{{Tumblr}} Tumblr]]. One of the comments on the website is "Piece of shit game, piece of shit referee." Also, one of the comments Croix was looking at related to the Wild Hunt in "Stanship Take Off!" said, "Wow! people actually believe in this bullshit".
** Netflix actually rates this show as ''Y7''.
* GiantFlyer: The cockatrice. Sure, it looks like a chicken with a snake tail, but it's the size of a ''T. rex'' and is perfectly capable of chasing you from the air.
* GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere: Who'd have expected "A Road to Arcturus" to end with [[spoiler:a goddamn Magitek ICBM]], of all things?
* GoldColoredSuperiority: The Shiny Rod is a transforming golden wand which doesn't need to be near a Sorcerer's Stone to work. One of its forms includes an unique broom, the Shiny Volley, with extra bristle segments. It fast enough that it can easily out pace spells fired from a wand, but not quite fast enough to out-maneuver [[spoiler:a magic enhanced ballistic missile]].
* GoneHorriblyRight: [[spoiler:The Noir Rod was designed to absorb negative emotions to fuel it, primarily through the use of a cellphone app. By the time it absorbs a certain amount, it becomes sentient and stops needing the app, to the point that Croix herself can't shut it off.]]
* GoodAngelBadAngel: In "Akko's Adventure in Sucyworld", Akko dives into Sucy's head, where she meets personifications of Sucy's personality traits, including her consciences, which manifests as this trope. [[TokenEvilTeammate Sucy being Sucy]], neither one of them is exactly pleasant.
* GorgeousGarmentGeneration: The ability of the Cinderella dress up set in "Bee Affection". But its effects end after two hours, rather than at [[WhenTheClockStrikesTwelve midnight]].
* GreenThumb: Technically, all magic in the setting is this, being drawn from [[WorldTree Yggdrasil]]. One effect of this nature is that, similar to a tree, witches are quite LongLived [[spoiler:but when they do pass particularly powerful witches actually [[PlantPerson become trees]]. Woodward and Beatrix being the most prominent examples]].
* HalloweenEpisode: "What You Will" and "Samhain Magic Festival" focus on the Samhain Festival.
* HardWorkHardlyWorks: {{Subverted|Trope}}. Akko goes in thinking this will be in effect, and because of it, she fails constantly, and it's even explicitly pointed out in epidode 6 that she might be TheChosenOne, but the power will be denied until she is properly trained and knows her stuff by putting in the necessary hard work. It's later revealed that both Akko and Diana [[spoiler:had their magic potential stolen at a young age]], so the only reason Diana is better at magic than TheChosenOne is because hard work ''actually'' worked.
* HouseFey: Various fairies maintains Luna Nova Academy, including a Cyclops and a minotaur doing maintenance and a fire fairy that heats the water. "New Age Magic" kicks off with them all going on strike due to not getting enough magical energy from the Sorcerer's Stone.
* HugeGuyTinyGirl: Lotte's parents, as seen in "Pohjola's Ordeal".
* HumiliationConga: [[spoiler:Croix in "A Road to Arcturus". Not only she has a massive breakdown when she is shown that the World Restoration Magic is nothing like she expected it to be, but her Noir Rod TransformingMecha goes haywire, her despised rival Chariot saves her from it (looking heroic in the meantime), and Akko unlocks the seventh and final Word and destroys the Noir Rod with it, leaving Croix alone and impotent.]]
* IcarusAllusion: The second end credits revolve around this.
* TheIdolsBlessing: Despite being massively incompetent, series protagonist Akko manages to summon the Shiny Rod, a staff once wielded by her lifetime idol, Shiny Chariot.
* IKissYourHand: Andrew plants a kiss on Akko's hand after being stung by the [[LoveAtFirstSight Lovelove Bee]] in "Bee Affection". Cue Akko [[BlueWithShock freaking out]].
* ITakeOffenseToThatLastOne: "Night Fall" sees the lead trio being scolded for stealing a pie from the kitchen. Akko objects- because they didn't steal a pie, they stole a ''tart''.
* ImpactSilhouette: In "Pohjola's Ordeal", a yeti does this to his home's door after being driven crazy by Akko and her constant demands for a perfect magical ingredient. ItMakesSenseInContext.
* ImpoverishedPatrician: In the present day, the Cavendish family is nearing bankruptcy because the acting head of the family, Diana's aunt, is pawning off the family's assets to fund her own lifestyle.
* InkblotCartoonStyle: In episode 8, Sucy's memories are drawn in [[https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMDIxNGJkYTEtY2RkMi00MmQ0LTgyZjItMWRkMzk5MjI4ZGQwXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNjMxNzQ2NTQ@._V1_.jpg an old-timey cartoon way]], with monochrome characters drawn with simplistic shapes, [[PieEyed pie eyes]], and RubberHoseLimbs. To drive the {{Retraux}} home, they are framed with film reel borders, and are overall a lot less complex than the series' normal art style.
* InterclassFriendship:
** {{Muggle}}-born witch Atsuko Kagari becoming friends with {{Blue Blood}}ed witch Diana Cavendish during Diana's trial to be the head of her family. Though, the two butted heads over their opposing ideals of magic before becoming friends.
** There's Akko and aristocrat Lord Andrew Hanbridge. And like Diana, the two had their fair shares of arguments before becoming friends.
* JourneyToTheCenterOfTheMind: Basically Akko going into Sucy's mind in "Akko's Adventure in Sucyworld".
* JustFriends: Akko and Andrew's relationship is ultimately confirmed to be this via WordOfGod, with Yoh Yoshinari calling it a "playful guy-guy relationship".
* KangarooCourt: In "Akko's Adventure in Sucyworld", while Akko is traveling through Sucy's mind, she comes across different types of Sucys with their own personalities who want to be part of the real Sucy that are arrested by police versions of Sucy and taken to court. The judge and jury are all Sucys and judged every one of them guilty. When Akko points out that the entire trial is unfair to all the Sucys and their desire to be part of Sucy isn't a crime, she is pronounced guilty and sentenced to death.
* LargeHam: The corpse Akko accidentally revives spends almost the entirety of "Undead Travelogue" over-dramatizing every trivial step in his frantic RoaringRampageOfRevenge.
* LaserGuidedKarma: For defending and supporting them during their strike, the Faeries spare Akko and her roommates when they rampage across the campus.
* LastEpisodeThemeReprise: The first opening theme, "Shiny Ray", starts playing in "Changing at the Edge of the World" when [[spoiler:Akko rescues Diana from her fall]].
* LateArrivalSpoiler: The series doesn't even bother hiding the fact that [[spoiler:Professor Ursula is Shiny Chariot.]]
* LeaveYourQuestTest: The "blue moon apparition" offers to [[YourHeartsDesire make Akko just like her hero, Shiny Chariot]], at the cost of [[RetGone her past]]. She rejects the offer to work towards that goal on her own, gaining another Arcturus word for Shiny Rod in the process. Chariot herself was given a similar test many years ago.
* LegacyCharacter: In "Night Fall", it's revealed that [[spoiler:the name Annabel Crème is actually shared between thirteen different people who wrote the ''Night Fall'' series.]]
%%* LiteraryAllusionTitle: "Sense and Sensibility".
* LongRunner: [[invoked]] Exaggerated with ''Night Fall'', an obvious parody of ''Literature/{{Twilight}}'' which has 365 books written over the span of 120 years.
* LordCountry: {{Implied|Trope}}. Judging by the fact that Paul is the Earl of Hanbridge, it is safe to assume that Paul and Andrew Hanbridge share their surname with the name of the country their family rules over.
* LovePotion: The Lovelove Bee. Its sting forces LoveAtFirstSight, but its effect [[WorldHealingWave ends when it dies.]] It's ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin, save for it's obviously a wasp with FunnyAnimalAnatomy.
* TheMagicComesBack: [[spoiler:Ultimately, the result of the main characters inspiring people the world over to believe in them as they battle the [=ICBM=] -- magical resources are implied to increase, and Yggdrasil even appears!]]
* TheMagicGoesAway:
** Implied by the conversation between Fafnir the dragon and Luna Nova's faculty in "Pact of the Dragon". The academy is under-funded because the new students are one tenth of what they were during magic users' golden age, and now that technology is widespread normal people don't care about magic that much. In fact, the dragon himself does online trading on his computer, instead of hoarding a traditional kind of treasure.
** Related. In "The Fountain", it is shown that Student!Chariot was able to do significant magic in the same town where magic is now useless. And that was only 12-15 years ago, at most.
** In "New Age Magic", a graph shows a steady decline in available magic resources since the mid 1600s. Interestingly, the sharpest decline was from the 1780s into the early 19th century, corresponding to the 1st Industrial Revolution in England and the Napoleonic Wars.
* MeaningfulEcho:
** Ursula ("Blue Moon"): That which is dreamed cannot be grasped. But work towards it, day after day and you will find it in your hands.
** Akko ("A Road to Arcturus"): Professor, I'll keep working even harder! I'll work hard to become a witch who can make everyone smile.
* MentorOccupationalHazard: [[spoiler:Subverted. After pinning several obvious character death flags on Ursula/Chariot, from her "dead anime mother" hairstyle, to promises to protect Akko no matter her loss in power, to being ''eaten by the monster'' in front of Akko in "A Road to Arcturus", she ends up surviving.]]
* MilitariesAreUseless: In the finale, [[spoiler:they do send interceptor missiles after the ICBM. Not that it actually does anything to stop it]].
* MinorMajorCharacter: The Nine Olde Witches, the founders of [[WizardingSchool Luna Nova Academy]] and some of the most powerful witches ever. Only two of them are named and are involved in the plot to varying degrees, but nothing is known about the other seven (except for, of all things, their [[NiceHat hats]]).
* MoodWhiplash: At the end of "A Road to Arcturus", [[spoiler:Akko discovers the final word, unlocks the Grand Triskelion and rainbows, stars, flowers, and bright colors begin shooting over the gloomy Arcturus forest. Then, a klaxon sound starts overtaking the background music and then a launched ICBM comes into view...]]
* MorphWeapon: The Shining Rod transforms into seven different weapons, depending on the spell that’s cast:
** SacredBowAndArrows: Noctu Orfei Aude Fraetor.
** AnAxeToGrind: Phaidoari Afairynghor.
** InstantKnots: Arae Aryrha.
* MushroomSamba: The entirety of "Akko's Adventure in Sucyworld" is this after Sucy drinks a mushroom poison.
* MythologyGag: Like in the first film, when Akko teases Diana about her being embarrassed in "Intellect and Sensibility", Diana threatens to drop Akko off the broom.
* NaiveNewcomer: Akko, even more than in the film, as she is first entering not only Luna Nova, but also the witch world as a whole.
* NoCartoonFish: Subverted. Fish are drawn very realistically and don't have any anthropomorphized traits [[note]]unless they're a human in magical disguise[[/note]], but they ''can'' speak (if only in their own language) and can wear accessories, like hair bows or tiny witch hats.
* NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished: In "Samhain Magic Festival", instead of allowing themselves to be eaten by Vajarois as a sacrifice for the Samhain Magic Festival like volunteers before them, the trio instead try to exorcise the spirit and absolve her of her eternal misery. After succeeding in doing so, freeing Vajarois of her tortured existence while entertaining the audience more than everybody else in the show, they end up getting disqualified from the contest for not following the rules.
* NoNameGiven: The proprietor of "Last Wednesday", a curio shop full of magical artifacts, is never called by name.[[note]]Fans nicknamed him "Chumlee".[[/note]] Another example is the country England is about to go to war with near the end of the series, because of a contested goal during a soccer match (and Croix' intervention to harvest magical fuel from the rioters' rage). The name is never said and considering [[UsefulNotes/TheBritishEmpire England's history]], there are a lot of candidates on the table.
* NoodleIncident: The first cour's ending teases a wayward RoadTrip with Akko, Lotte, Sucy, and Professor Ursula, but it's never seen in those first thirteen episodes.
* NoOSHACompliance: Students of Appleton Academy apparently settle any disputes by having a fencing duel on an extremely narrow, elevated stone bridge with no railings in sight. When Amanda is forced into a duel in "Amanda O'Neill and the Holy Grail", she nearly falls mutiple times.
* NotEvenBotheringWithTheAccent: Much like TranslationConvention below, the English dub of the show has no one with any sort of accent despite most students being from different parts of the world and given their ages are unlikely to have lost their regional accents. It is especially strange in the case of Diana who is a natural born Brit and the school is located in Britain but does not have a British accent of any kind.
* NotSoDifferent:
** Diana and Akko are complete opposites in terms of temperament, popularity, and skill level, but [[spoiler:they were both big fans of Shiny Chariot in their childhood, and both believe in using magic to change people's hearts. It's this fact that lets Diana reach out to Akko in the middle of her HeroicBSOD in "Yesterday"]].
** Croix and Chariot, despite their differences in the present, both [[spoiler:dreamed of reviving magic back in their school days]]. Also, both have [[spoiler:some serious self-esteem issues which drive a lot of their problems]].
** All four characters have very similar builds and facial shapes compared to their counterpart, and when they were students, Croix and Chariot looked a lot like Diana and Akko. This is [[{{Symbolism}} emphasized]] during the second opening song when Akko and Diana stride past each other down the line of Luna Nova students, only to clasp hands and change into Croix and Chariot.
* NumberOfTheBeast: In "Akko's Adventure in Sucyworld", when Akko goes into Sucy's mind trying to find her original personality to wake her up (in hopes of waking up the real world Sucy, who has fallen into a deep sleep), that personality lives in room 666 of the "mushroom building" in which all her personalities live.
* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: In "Bee Affection", Akko realizes something is up when Andrew goes from vocally wanting to eject her from his party to professing his undying love for her in the span of a sentence.
* OffModel: Luna Nova's landscapes and architecture are huge and intricately detailed, and Trigger shows as much of the background as possible. It's common to see characters shown from a distance while they're outside. And when characters are shown from a distance, their details suffer.
* OnlyTheChosenMayWield: Zigzagged concerning the Shiny Rod. It's clear from the beginning that only the Rod's chosen wielder (Akko) can unlock the words of power, but aside from that, it seems to vary a bit. [[spoiler:Croix has never been able to so much as ''touch'' the Rod without getting a nasty zap (even as a child), while Akko's friends can carry the Rod around without any problems. Diana has also been able to use the Rod's broom form without difficulty, even when Akko isn't even on the broom with her.]]
* OurDragonsAreDifferent: In this case, the dragon is a [[http://i.imgur.com/FYEVU3U.jpg daytrader and loan shark in a robe and slippers]].
* OurFounder: Luna Nova gets nine, in the form of the Nine Olde Witches -- the best witches of their time, who were also responsible for creating the Grand Triskelion. Two are seen -- Woodward, who was something of a mentor to Chariot, and Beatrix, the ancestor of the Cavendish family.
* OutOfCharacterMoment: Sucy is unusually polite and mostly snark-free in "Pohjola's Ordeal", another of the reasons why it's regarded as one of the strangest, bordering on BizarroEpisode.
* OutOfGenreExperience: The last few minutes (barring the ending) of "Stanship Take Off!" turn into a mecha anime, complete with CallingYourAttacks and FinishingMove, thanks to Constanze's mechanical genius and Akko's stubbornness.
* PassingTheTorch: [[spoiler:At the end of "Changing at the Edge of the World", Yggdrasil is reborn and it is spreading magic and happiness all over the world, in a scene reminiscent of Chariot's magic show at the beginning of "Starting Over". Several people around the globe can be seen in a montage, but special attention is given to a little Slavic blonde girl and a little American brunette girl. They are heavily implied to be the next Diana and Akko.]]
* PoliceAreUseless: In "Undead Travelogue". They spot a reanimated skeleton in period attire rummaging in the trash; Lotte says he's his grandfather who is also a pirate and who needs to look in everything that resembles a treasure chest. They buy it and go away without doing anything.
* PoorCommunicationKills: Pretty much the entire second half of the series happens because Ursula refuses to tell anyone else about what she knows about [[spoiler:Croix]] and all the really sketchy stuff going on. Some of the guilt she has explains why it takes her so much effort to try to admit things to Akko (just in time to always get interrupted), but considering that her guilt involves the consequences of what might be happening again, it really stands out that she never bothers to say anything until [[spoiler:it's too late to make a difference]].
* PoweredByAForsakenChild: Shiny Chariot learns a spell from her best friend, Croix, that uses dreams and emotions to allow for greater spectacles at her stage shows. [[spoiler:What Croix doesn't tell her is that this spell uses a person's dreams and converts it into magical energy, depriving the target of their magical ability. The main characters, Akko and Diana, were at one of Chariot's shows when they were young children. Yet when they meet again years later, Diana eventually regained her magical ability after discovering she had lost it, while Akko is left unable to even [[FlyingBroomstick fly on a broom]], the simplest of witch skills.]]
* PowerIncontinence: Akko's transformation magic assignment in "The Fountain" keeps backfiring. Instead of changing a rat into a bunny, she keeps getting bunny ears herself.
* ThePowerOfFriendship: The basic gist of the Shiny Rod's Final Word, [[spoiler:specifically by the wielder acknowledging how much others have helped her. It seems to actually require another person to be present, as when Akko confessed to Chariot how thankful she was for all that Chariot/Urusla had done for her. Additionally, the Grand Triskellion's full power is only unleashed when Akko and Diana wield the Shiny Rod together.]]
* ThePowerOfHate: When determining which emotions to harvest with her Noir Fuel Spirit system, Croix finds that anger and hatred are the most potent and easily attained as an energy source.
* PublicDomainArtifact:
** In "Blue Moon", it's revealed that the original name of Shiny Rod is Claíomh Solais, the Sword of Light from Myth/CelticMythology.
** "Amanda O'Neill and the Holy Grail" features the Holy Grail. [[spoiler:In actuality, it was a fake Grail put in Appleton Academy by Croix to test some of her experiments and possibly get Akko and Amanda killed by the anti-witch students at Appleton.]]
* PunctuatedForEmphasis: Out of all the Seven Words, the first one is most often spoken with emphasis on each word when ever its user(s) are about to shoot something.
* PuttingThePalInPrincipal: Headmistress Miranda Holbrooke (next to Professor Ursula/[[spoiler:Shiny Chariot]]) is the most reasonable staff member of Luna Nova, supporting Akko's desire to learn magic without giving her a hard time and dealing out stern but fair punishments whenever they are needed.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: At the climax, the prime minister realizes that [[spoiler:placing their trust on the witches who are already on the way to stop the missile is the best option they have and instead of actively trying to hamper their efforts they should instead work towards helping them]].
* RealityEnsues:
** A school that only focuses on honing magic skills will never know how to budget their finances and resources. And without magic, they are left severely vulnerable to the more powerful Faeries.
* RecurringExtra: There are several students who appear in the background on a fairly regular basis.
* RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver: Professor Croix's inventions have a lot to do with this color scheme, culminating in [[spoiler:the giant weapon which she tries to unlock the Grand Triskelion with, which is black with sickly red lights all over]]. This is mostly because she dabbles in ThePowerOfHate, which is [[ColorCodedEmotions represented by red]].
* RedOnesGoFaster: Shooting Star is a sentient broom with an arrow/phoenix motif and it can out fly [[spoiler:an ICBM]], a feat which not even the Shiny Volley could do.
* RewatchBonus: [[spoiler:Croix's shapeshifting cubes]] are first seen briefly as a FreezeFrameBonus in "Blue Moon", converging into a ball in her hand at the tail end of "Samhain Magic Festival" and in "New Age Magic" transforming from [[spoiler:an artificial faerie into a bigger monster]]. Now, watch Chariot's magic show from "Starting Over" again [[spoiler:and do it again after watching "Things We Said Today"]].
* RuleOfSeven: Seven points in the Shiny Rod corresponding to seven points in the Big Dipper as well as seven Words needed to unlock the Grand Triskelion. Notably, there are also seven girls in Akko's friend group by the end of the series.[[note]]Lotte, Sucy, Amanada, Jasminka, Constanze, Diana, and Akko herself.[[/note]] Also, the flavor text on the Shiny Chariot trading card mentions a "septahedron" and the Pleiades (another constellation with seven stars, named for seven sisters from [[Myth/ClassicalMythology Greek mythology]]).
* RunningGag: Every time a newspaper is shown, one of the stories is the Shooting Star showing up in various places around the world.
* SaveTheWorldClimax: ''Little Witch Academia'' is from the same people that made ''Anime/KillLaKill'', and the television series has a similar structure: the first half is mostly episodic adventures in an enclosed space (an academy in both cases), then the BigBad is revealed in the second half and the threat rapidly escalates. In this case, Akko the witch goes from attending magic lessons to saving the world from being blown up by a literal magic missile, i.e. an ICBM possessed by dark energy as a result of one of the BigBad's experiments gone haywire.
* SayMyName: Although not as intense as [[Anime/KillLaKill a certain other Trigger series]], this happens most prominently with Croix and Chariot. Most of their early interactions involve low ominous exchanges of "Croix," and "Chariot Du Nord," but this is ramped up in "Discipline" with [[spoiler:Croix screaming "CHAAARIOT!!!" over and over again as Chariot nearly plummets to her death]] and in "A Road to Arcturus" when they're fighting [[spoiler:Croix's out-of-control cube beast, and doing a lot of desperate screaming of each other's name while they're at it.]] Diana and Akko occasionally get in on this too, most notably with Diana repeatedly screaming, "AKKO!" when she thinks that [[spoiler:Akko's dying, in "Intellect and Sensibility" and "Changing at the Edge of the World".]]
* SecretTestOfCharacter: Akko is put through this in the climax of "Blue Moon", given the choice to become a witch like Chariot at the cost of her memories. She refuses by stating she'll become like Chariot on her own.
* SerialEscalation: Not the show itself, but the fact that in "Night Fall", it's mentioned that one character in the ''Night Fall'' novels caught a nuke with their bare hands is a pretty strong indicator that the series was subjected to this.
* ShipperOnDeck:
** Frank, Lotte and Sucy appear to ship Akko x Andrew.
** In Episode 10, a crowd of party goers upon notcing Andrew and Diana's playful expressions while the two were snarking at each other comment that they would make a cute couple. Andrew and Diana laugh off the idea, due to conflicting views on magic.
* ShipTease:
** PlayedForLaughs at the end of "Akko's Adventure in Sucyworld". It teases Akko/Sucy when Akko decides to revive/wake Sucy up by drinking all the potions and giving them to Sucy via mouth-to-mouth. Akko wonders about giving Sucy her first kiss but shrugs it off, saying it won't count because they're friends.[[note]]Not to mention the way the background threat reacts to this sight.[[/note]]
** Parodied in "Bee Affection", where a bee causes anyone it stings to fall in love with whomever they see immediately afterward. The bee stings two characters (Andrew Hanbridge and [[LesYay Diana Cavendish]]), causing them to fall for the protagonist, Akko, until the bee's spell is broken. It also stings Andrew's friend, Frank, [[BetaCouple who falls for Akko's friend]], Lotte, and for added hilarity stings Diana again so that she ends up [[AcquiredSituationalNarcissism falling in love with her own reflection]]. In keeping with the true spirit of the trope, though, both Andrew and Frank have some lingering affection for their respective love target after the spell is broken.
** In the second opening song, Akko and Diana walk past each other but end up holding hands.
** In "Intellect and Sensibility", Diana acts like a {{Tsundere}} to Akko during the broom ride. The [[http://imgur.com/a/kQsAE official art from staff members detailing this moment]] shows Diana [[LuminescentBlush blushing immensely]] due to Akko hugging her during said broom ride.
** In "Changing at the Edge of the World", both Akko and Diana work together against the Magic Missile. At one point, Akko starts to fall back to Earth and Diana is crying fearing she may die. Just before they defeat the {{Magitek}} ICBM, they both hold hands and smile at another before destroying it by firing Shiny Rod's arrow.
** In the final few minutes of the show, as [[spoiler:Croix is about to sent off to magic jail, she promises to find a cure for Wagandea's curse before she returns to Luna Nova. Chariot spends the entire scene looking rather distressed that Croix is about to leave, and ends up calling after her that [[IWillWaitForYou she will wait for Croix's return]], before wistfully repeating it to herself afterwards.]]
* ShooOutTheClowns: After Croix enters and CerebusSyndrome hits, Lotte and Sucy drop into the background and rarely even get to hang out with Akko.
* ShownTheirWork:
** Many have noticed that Sucy's broom is a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broom#/media/File:Banaue_Philippines_Handmade-brooms-01.jpg walis-tambo]], a broom that's found in many Filipino households. She also fits the mold for the traditional trickster hex witch (a [[MeaningfulName Mambabarang]], or a Mamalarang in her case).
** In "Pohjola's Ordeal", the research on Finland shows well in the food, architecture, and costumes worn by the people we meet.
** In "Stanship Take Off!", all of Constanze's tools are German models.
** The teddy bear seen in Diana's room when Akko goes to the Cavendish manor in "Cavendish" and "Intellect and Sensibility" is based on [[http://www.steiff.com/en-gb/teddy-bears-cuddly-toys/teddy-bears.html Steiff teddy bears]]. They're a very expensive line of toys that exists since the 1880s, so the perfect gift for a little girl from an ancient and noble household.
** The small frame of a typical 4chan thread from "Changing at the Edge of the World" pays attention to detail. The format is on a blue (relatively SFW) board and they even keep the at-current janitorial notices accurate.
** Whenever a shot of a [[BlandNameProduct UKN News]] bulletin is shown, the style is a dead ringer for [[Creator/TheBBC BBC News]] right down to the font.
* SlapstickKnowsNoGender: Especially in [[ButtMonkey Akko's case]], but the other girls are hardly free from physical comedy.
* SlapSlapKiss: Akko, Andrew and Diana generally develop this dynamic with each other, as while they're always prone to arguements, barbs and snark (especially for the latter two), their interactions become more friendly and playful as they come to care for each other and their worldviews.
* SlidingScaleOfMuggleInvolvement: Initially on the lower end, with the Hanbridges and company being the major recurring muggles and the plot entirely about the supernatural shenanigans at Luna Nova. Increases by the end when it's revealed that [[spoiler:the decline of muggle belief in magic is responsible for the decline of magic in general, and muggles the world over lend their belief to defeat the series' FinalBoss]].
* SlidingScaleOfSillinessVersusSeriousness: The TV series starts off relatively silly with it mostly being a SliceOfLife comedy. That deeply changes after "Blue Moon" where the plot kicks in and gets more serious. It gets even more serious in "Chariot of Fire" when Croix shows up and "Things We Said Today" gets the character to go into the DespairEventHorizon.
* SpaceBattle: The final battle is this. It takes place in space where the heroes (Akko and Diana) are fighting [[spoiler:a giant nuke]] and they have difficulty fighting it. The allies help the fight for a bit to get them in space and [[spoiler:the Shiny Rod]] makes a HeroicSacrifice as it disappears from the world and there's a time limit until the world gets destroyed. Fitting considering the [[StarPower big theme of the show is stars]].
* SpecialPersonNormalName: The most powerful witch in history, in whose memory the Luna Nova academy was founded, is named... Jennifer.
* SpellMyNameWithAnS: In "What You Will", the fansubbers transliterated the ghost's name as "Bahalowa", but the actual name, revealed in "Samhain Magic Festival" is "Vajarois".
* StarPower:
** Anything related to the Shiny Rod, which has its gemstones positioned in the shape of Ursa Major right from the start:
*** The previous owner has a StellarName and teaches astrology, but the rest of that goes in her character page.
*** It was kept in the Fountain of Polaris, and guarded by a polar bear named Arcas. Arcas is the hero in Myth/ClassicalMythology that became Ursa Minor, and Polaris is a star in that constellation.
*** Each gemstone can perform one of the Seven Words of Arcturus. Arcturus is the fourth-brightest star in the sky and forms the constellation Boötes.
** Professor Croix's name is a reference to the constellation known as the Southern Cross, or ''Croix du Sud'' in French.
** Luna Nova's name is [[StellarName heavily space-themed]], and [[https://translate.google.com/#la/en/luna%20nova translates]] to [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_moon "New Moon."]] The moon [[{{Lunacy}} has more direct effects]] with a literal Blue Moon causing various strange happenings, and the prestigious "Moonlit Witch" award.
** The ArcSymbol is a four-pointed star.[[note]]But that's been a motif for Studio Trigger itself seen in ''all'' their shows.[[/note]]
** If Akko and company need to sneak out at night, it’s usually to meet a CelestialDeadline.
** The world’s fastest broom is named the Shooting Star.
** Horoscope reading is a magic one can study, allowing you [[{{Seers}} to see into the future.]]
** Professor [[WesternZodiac Pisces]]. She's a fish.
* StealthPun: "A Road to Arcturus" ends with a shot of [[spoiler:a ''literal'' magic missile]].
* TheStinger:
** Occasionally, one of the still images in the first cour's ending sequence will be replaced by a plot-relevant gag, such as the reveal of what was inside Professor Lucik's "prize" in "Don't Stop Me Now". [[spoiler:It's a magical snake nut can. Sucy would've loved it.]]
** "What You Will" ends with [[BrickJoke Hannah and Barbara still standing outside in the middle of the night]], as instructed by Akko in Diana's form. Barbara sneezes.
* StrikeEpisode: In "New Age Magic", the fairies that work at Luna Nova go on strike demanding for more magic allowance. Without their contributions, the castle's technology becomes unusable to the students and teachers. Akko tries to mediate between the school and the union, but winds up sympathizing with them.
* StupidStatementDanceMix: Tumbling Orange created [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvKbRuXwkRw "Yay"]].
* SurprisinglyGoodEnglish: All of the text in the series is in perfect English, even getting things such as Internet slang right.
* TakeThat: Mild ones during "Akko's Adventure in Sucyworld". Among the several facets of Sucy's personality that appear just for a few seconds, there are "easily influenced Sucy", "quick-to-imitate Sucky" and "instant copycat Sucy". They are referencing ''Franchise/StarWars'', ''Film/ShinGodzilla'', and ''Anime/YourName'', respectively, as if to imply that these films were huge successes just because the filmgoers were following mob mentality and not because they are good in and of themselves.
* TheTeaser: The TV series usually uses cold openings, aside from "Pact of the Dragon" and "A Road to Arcturus", where the opening sequence starts before any preceding clip.
* TechnicianVersusPerformer: Diana and Akko fit this perfectly and before them, there was Croix and Chariot from the previous generation.
* TertiarySexualCharacteristics: All the sisters of the talking fish that Akko helps in "Orange Submariner" wear little pink bows.
* TheTimeOfMyths: There are multiple mentions [[EndOfAnEra an era that ended]] about 200 years ago and holds the title of the Golden Age of Magic. Since then, [[TheMagicGoesAway witches are dwindling in numbers.]] Highlights of this time include:
** Witches could cast magic without the help of the Sorcerer’s Stone.
** Magic was more capable than any technology at the time, [[MundaneUtility so witches pretty much solved every problem]].
** There was this super important council of [[TheArchmage Archmages]] called the Nine Olde Witches that [[OurFounder founded]] Luna Nova.
** A DangerousForbiddenTechnique called the Grand Triskellion was created, but then said council [[CosmicKeystone sealed it away]].
* TomatoInTheMirror: The "evil" man who the revived corpse is searching for in "Undead Travelogue" is none other than... himself.
* TogetherInDeath: Headmistress Holbrooke's parents in the ending of "Undead Travelogue".
* TranslationConvention:
** Spoofed when Akko introduces herself to Andrew in "The Fountain". She first gives her name according to Japanese naming conventions (last name first) before remembering that they're in England and switching to the Western method of introduction (first name first).
** Oddly enough, in "Papiliodia", Akko is seen playing with her personal set of cards with Sucy and Lotte, despite the text of the cards are in Japanese and the later two aren't from Japan.
* {{Unicorn}}: A mythical creature associated with the Cavendish family, which ties into their long history and tendency towards healing magic.
* VacationEpisode: "Pohjola's Ordeal" has Akko, Sucy, and Lotte visiting Lotte's parents in her Finnish hometown. While there, Akko still manages to get herself into zany adventures, thwart a dangerous disease and unlock one of the seven Words.
* VoicesAreNotMental: Akko finds herself turned into a duplicate of Diana, complete with Diana's voice.
%%* {{Wackyland}}: "Akko's Adventure in Sucyworld" consists of this.
* WallPinOfLove: Played with in "Bee Affection". When Andrew pins Akko while under the influence of [[LovePotion the Lovelove Bee]], Akko freaks out and runs away instead of being charmed.
* WaterfallPuke: The reaction of the teacher at the culinary magic exam, when she examined an apple bewitched by Akko through eating.
* WeUsedToBeFriends: [[spoiler:Croix and Chariot were the best of friends in their school days. Their relationship soured after Croix was consumed by jealousy and Chariot was distracted by her magic shows.]]
* WeirdMoon: Has a giant four-pointed star carved into it, [[spoiler:caused during Chariot's last magic show]].
* WeirdTradeUnion: The fairy laborers of Luna Nova School form a union in "New Age Magic" and go on strike to gain a greater share of the energy output of the Sorcerer's Stone, they install magic reflecting boards around it stopping all magic on campus. Akko tries to berate them out of it... and winds up not only switching to their side but ends up becoming their General Secretary. When Diana tries to do the same thing Akko was aiming to do, Akko calls her a member of the bourgeoisie.
* WhamEpisode:
** "What You Will" reveals that [[spoiler:Akko's desire to become the next Shiny Chariot may be doomed to failure, as her constant violations of Luna Nova's current traditions means that she's been outright ''banned'' from even ''participating'' in the competition for the title of Moonlight Witch, unless there's some change.]]
** "Chariot of Fire": [[spoiler:Croix reveals her as the BigBad by manipulating Luna Nova's magical creatures into a mass strike, crippling the school and effectively allowing her to take control with her machines. Also, Ursula [[TheReveal tells the true nature of the Shiny Rod and Grand Triskelion]] to Akko.]]
** "Cavendish": [[spoiler:Diana drops out of Luna Nova in order to stop her aunt from destroying her family's name, forfeiting her claim to the Moonlight Witch title and leaving the title's future uncertain.]]
** "Things We Said Today" basically turns the entire series on its head. [[spoiler:Shiny Chariot's magical show, the thing that made Akko want to be a witch in the first place, was also the reason why she is unable to perform magic properly. Croix tricked Chariot into absorbing the magic potential from her audience in order to use it as magical fuel to save the magic world, but this backfired and, for reasons yet unexplained, Chariot blew up the moon's surface. Croix then [[LaserGuidedAmnesia wiped the audience's minds]] and Chariot assumed the identity of the meek Professor Ursula to atone for what she'd done. If all that wasn't enough, Croix is about to get a war started for the sole purpose of harvesting anger from the people and using it as magical fuel of the Noir Rod, basically repeating what Chariot did 10 years before, but with much harsher consequences. Akko, who idolized both Chariot/Ursula and Croix before learning all this, [[BreakTheCutie takes it about as well as the audience]].]]
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: What happened to the giant squirrel in "Bee Affection"?
* WhenThePlanetsAlign: A ceremony to crown the head of the Cavendishes and grant her access to the family's ancestral magic can only occur during a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occultation lunar occultation of Venus]] (Venus passing behind the moon).
* TheWildHunt: The TV series' AffectionateParody version makes the Wild Hunt into a sports event, apparently the magical equivalent of the Super Bowl. The hunters ride around on wolves destroying "ghosts," i.e. vaguely human-shaped blobs of unclear origin. None of the main characters is officially part of the Hunt, but Constanze and Akko help attack the phantoms with the former's {{magitek}} airship, while Croix sneakily boosts the enemies' power with her own technology.
* WizardsLiveLonger: The witches are implied to live very long lives. After relatively normal schooling in their teens, they can live hundreds of years. Headmistress Holbrooke looks like she's in her early 50s at most and is well over 200 years old—one hint of this is that her late father ([[spoiler:whom Akko and her friends accidentally bring BackFromTheDead]]) was buried in what looks like a bright red, Napoleonic-era military uniform.
* WombLevel: The climax of "Samhain Magic Festival" takes place in the belly of Vajarois after Akko, Lotte, and Sucy are SwallowedWhole.
* WordsCanBreakMyBones: The seven Arcturus words, when spoken by a wielder of the Shiny Rod, can undo the seal on the Grand Triskelion.
* WorldTree: Yggdrasil is the source of all magic fueled by people's [[ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve belief]]. It thrived in [[TheTimeOfMyths the Golden Age of Magic]] but has largely disappeared in the Modern Era. [[spoiler:In the GrandFinale, Akko and Diana using the World Reconstruction Magic to destroy the Noir Fuel Spirit Missile, combined with their inspiring people around the globe with the act, is implied to have revived it.]]
* YouAreNotAlone: [[spoiler:The elusive seventh and final word to awaken Claíomh Solais is found by realizing this. Chariot ''and'' Croix never found it because they thought obtaining the World Reconstruction Magic was something to be done on their own, but when Akko has the humility to admit it was help and inspiration from others that made her stronger, she is acknowledged by the Grand Triskelion and given the magic. After all, [[AnAesop one person can't change the world. They can only inspire the world to change]].]]
* YourPrincessIsInAnotherCastle: "A Road to Arcturus" ends with [[spoiler:Croix surrendering and Akko finding the seventh word and discovering the restoration magic]]. However, there's the looming threat of a [[spoiler:{{Magitek}} nuke]].
----
Following the success of ''Anime/LittleWitchAcademia2013'' and its sequels, Creator/StudioTrigger [[https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2016-06-24/trigger-little-witch-academia-gets-tv-anime-series/.103587 announced]] the production of a full-length anime series based on the short films directed by Yoh Yoshinari. ''Little Witch Academia'' began airing on January 8, 2017, and ended on June 25, 2017, after 25 episodes.
The show does [[AlternateContinuity things a bit differently from the book]], but the overarching premise is similar. As a young girl, Atsuko "Akko" Kagari attended a show by the witch Shiny Chariot, and becomes enamored with her ability to spark joy in her audience. Fast forward to her teens: where Akko, wanting to follow in the footsteps of her idol, arrives at Luna Nova, a prestigious [[WizardingSchool academy for witches]]. However, she quickly discovers a couple of things: due to [[MageBornOfMuggles being raised in a non-magical family]], Akko is out of place in wizarding society and has very little natural aptitude for magic, and her idol Chariot is not regarded highly in the magical world, as her magic was seen as cheap party tricks. She doesn't give up, however -- even if her haughty classmate Diana disapproves, Akko still has her friends Lotte and Sucy and her CoolTeacher Ursula by her side. Things begin to change, however, when Akko discovers Chariot's old wand, the Shiny Rod, which she can use with surprising aptitude...
The series is available on Creator/{{Netflix}}.
----
!!Tropes:
* AbortedArc: "Orange Submariner" ends with Professor Finnelan in charge of the girls as punishment for them breaking the rules. It's set up like a continuing plotline, perhaps as a {{Foil}} to Professor Calistis's more empathetic guidance, but it's never mentioned again.
* AbsenteeActor: Sucy does not appear at all in "Chariot of Fire" of the anime. Some Studio Trigger employees mentioned that the next episode would have given a clue for the reason why, but it didn't happen. Fan speculation is that she was [[Anime/SpacePatrolLuluco busy dealing with two intruders at the Sorcerer's Stone]].
* AbsurdlySharpBlade: The first thing the resurrected corpse from "Undead Travelogue" does is to cut in half a tombstone with his ''centuries-old'' sword.
* AccentAdaptation:
** In the German dub, the word "Chariot" in "Shiny Chariot" is spoken with a French pronunciation, most likely because Chariot's real name is French ("Chariot du Nord").
** The "T" in Chariot's name is not silent in the French dub.
* ActorAllusion: After Croix appears, she's seen eating instant noodles all alone several times, most likely also to remind that her voice actress, Creator/JunkoTakeuchi, also voiced Manga/{{Naruto}}.
* AddedAlliterativeAppeal: Professor Croix's "Sorcery Solution System".
* AlienBlood: The corpse in "Undead Travelogue" has ''green'' blood and tears. Probably because it was reanimated with magic, and [[EmeraldPower magic is green]].
* AllForNothing: Two cases in "A Road to Arcturus".
** Listing all the sins Croix made. She crippled hundreds of people of their magic, forsake and humiliated her best friend, terrorize humans and witches alike with her inventions, scarred the ChosenOne for life, depleted all remaining supply of magic and started a new world war. Her reward is getting world altering magic that cannot work for her, only Akko can who she drove away. NiceJobFixingItVillain barely describes Croix's terrible position who will most likely have her credentials removed, hunted down by her kind and be remembered as an embarrassment throughout history.
** Chariot has a despairing moment. The Grand Triskellion ruined her life and now learns that it cannot be used by anyone but Akko. The Witches are too stubborn and foolish to ever comprehend this, most of the children are either fully committed in traditions or have lost faith in magic and Akko left because of what Chariot did to her childhood. To Chariot, that Grand Triskellion '''is''' a worthless stick. Had Chariot just followed Diana's advice to be with Akko, she could have redeemed herself.
* AllJustADream: "Akko's Adventure in Sucyworld" seems to be one of Akko dreaming that Sucy had drank a potion she just created and went into a coma, with her having to dive into her mind to wake her. It's a dream for the fact that she sees an image of the academy being destroyed by mushrooms sprouting from Sucy's body, with Lotte supposedly being crushed to death by them. [[OrWasItADream Though at the end of the episode, a mushroom sprouts from Sucy's bed after the girls head off to class]].
* AlternateContinuity:
** The series takes place when Akko ''begins'' her time at Luna Nova and as such has her acquire the Shiny Rod a lot sooner than she did in the film.[[note]]In the series, it's found in [[TheLostWoods Arcturus Forest]], while in the film, it's [[GrailInTheGarbage found under a pile of junk stashed in a dungeon]].[[/note]] A few things though are the same, such as Diana being present at the Shiny Chariot show during the AMinorKidroduction.
** Much like in the manga companion to the films, Akko and Sucy do not get along very well at first.
* TheAlternet: At the beginning of episode #21 Frank said that witches have their own communication networks that are separate from the one other humans use.
* AlwaysABiggerFish: In "Starting Over", Akko tries to have the man-eating and tentacle-wielding mandragora and the giant cockatrice take each other out, but it only slows the cockatrice down and it almost gets the trio.
* AmbiguouslyBi:
** Akko has ShipTease moments with both Diana and Andrew, frequently speaking and thinking about them in similar ways. It helps that both have a DefrostingIceQueen dynamic with her.
** Hannah is one of the students fawning over Andrew in his introduction, but in the game adaptation, mentions attraction to Amanda in her male Appleton student disguise, even when she learns about her gender in the photo.
* AmbiguouslyGay:
** Chariot du Nord and Croix Meridies were ''very'' [[RomanticTwoGirlFriendship close friends]] during their Luna Nova days, had several very emotionally intimate moments together, and despite [[spoiler:Croix absolutely destroying their friendship, tricking Chariot into stealing the magical ability of her audience, Chariot still doesn't hesitate to try and save her when the Noir Rod goes berserk, while Croix quickly shifts gears to pleading with her to abandon her and save herself.]] She's also quite distressed in the epilogue when Croix has to leave, and gives a rather emotional farewell, complete with a rather wistful promise to [[IWillWaitForYou wait for her return]].
** Diana, especially as her relationship with Akko mirrors that of their teachers. Her [[http://imgur.com/a/kQsAE official artwork]] and interactions with Akko in the show play into her acting as a flustered tsundere to Akko. When the rest of her classmates are fawning over Andrew Hanbridge, she just looks completely disinterested, but it's hinted later that it's likely due to their previous frosty history and their interactions are more playful later on. In episode 10, she imagines Akko in the art style of a ''yuri'' manga, the ''Rose Of Versailles'' when she's struck by the love bee. In that same episode she also laughs off the idea of her and Andrew being in a relationship, but due to conflicting views on magic as opposed to her supposed sexuality would permanently shut down the idea. She also never pays any mind to males like Thomas and Frank that fawn over her, but also never brings up her sexuality that could shut them down as well.
** Sucy falls into this too. When Akko is about to kiss Sucy awake inside her mindscape, Dragon!Sucy (which is made up of all of her stray thoughts and inner desires) gets hearts in its eyes and becomes very sad when the Original Sucy denies Akko the kiss. It should also be noted that out of the main trio, Sucy is the only one who doesn't get Ship Tease with male characters.
* AmusingInjuries: In "Starting Over", Sucy states that witches are hard to kill. Apparently, even minimal magical training, like Akko's, is enough to shake off pain and injuries.
* AnAesop:
** The core message of the series is that it takes more than just passion to succeed; it takes hard work, dedication, and constant practice in order to achieve your dream. Akko is passionate about magic, but her complete and total lack of skill makes her one of the worst students at Luna Nova. [[spoiler:That's before TheReveal that Shiny Chariot drained her magic at the magic show Akko went to as a child. Even so, Akko vows to press on.]]
** [[invoked]]Akko was meant to express this via WordOfGod, as Yoh Yoshinari made Akko as a representation of animators who thought that raw passion made up for a lack of technique.
* AnimatedArmour: [[spoiler:Croix]] animates a suit of armour in "Amanda O'Neill and the Holy Grail". Said armour promptly attaches itself to a hapless Appleton Academy student and goes on a rampage until Amanda manages to defeat it.
* AnimateDead: In "Undead Travelogue", the combination of Akko's Restoration Magic and Sucy's graveyard mushroom winds up reviving a corpse.
* ArtEvolution: Inverted from the film to the TV series. Compared to the first films, the series has a lot less fluid animation, less detail in the character drawings, much flatter shading, and the backgrounds (done by Creator/StudioBihou, as opposed to Studio Pablo, who did the original OVA movies) are a considerable downgrade. All of this, of course, is to be expected when you're going from individual high-budgeted short films to the monetary and scheduling realities of TV production.
* ArtisticLicense: The show's grasp of contemporary English politics. For starters, it seems to think being a hereditary aristocrat is a shoo-in for a political career, including the Earl of Hanbridge inviting his son to a [=COBR=] meeting in the finale. It also misuses the term "Minister of [=[X]=]" to mean essentially a Cabinet position, whereas actual Cabinet positions are officially called "Secretary of State for [=[X]=]", which multiple Ministers of State working under them. There's also an unspecified European country they're close to war with, even before [[spoiler:Croix's hatemongering smartphone app starts spreading discord.]]
* ArtShift:
** Two incidents in "Akko's Adventure in Sucyworld":
*** Sucy's inner theater displays her memories in a InkblotCartoonStyle with much more fluid and cartoonish animation than what is standard for both the franchise.
*** As Akko prepares to give Sucy the antidote potions, there's a shift to a {{Shoujo}} style, including sharp noses that could double as letter openers.
** In "Bee Affection", those targeted by people affected by the [[LovePotion Lovelove Bee]] get an extra-wide-eyed, {{Shojo}}-like look and flowered LoveBubbles. But only to those affected by the bee:
*** The style Andrew sees Akko in [[ShoutOut parodies]] ''Manga/GlassMask'', side referencing [[PluckyGirl its]] [[BeautifulAllAlong tropes]]. Shocked characters also recreate its memetic BlankWhiteEyes outside the CrushFilter.
*** Diana sees in the style of ''Manga/TheRoseOfVersailles''. Specifically, she sees and hears Akko like [[{{Bifauxnen}} Oscar]] while seeing herself as UsefulNotes/MarieAntoinette.
*** The Count sees the flyswatter-wielding Akko and her bare shoulders like a shot from ''Manga/AimForTheAce''.
** "Stanship Take Off!" has [[http://i.imgur.com/SJH8lWr.jpg a couple of scenes]] where Akko looks older and slightly different. It's unclear whether it is all part of the Super Robot/Gurren Lagann style parody or just an animation mistake.
** The endings of the anime feature a simpler art style than the rest of the episodes, especially the second one, which is drawn in a lineless style.
* ArtistDisillusionment: [[invoked]]
** "Night Fall". Annabel Crème has become disillusioned with writing after fans vocally hate the direction she takes the ''Night Fall'' novels in. She gets better.
** Parodied in "Pohjola's Ordeal", where the yeti loses confidence in his abilities as a craftsman because of internet flaming. Akko talks him out of it.
* AshFace: Has happened to Akko more than once.
** In "Night Fall", she causes a huge explosion during her fundamental alchemy exam.
** In "New Age Magic", Croix uses a blast of stored energy to revive the Fire Fairy, which burns Akko in the process.
* AsLongAsItSoundsForeign: The show is peppered with faux-Latin spells that are largely nonsense, but presumably sound catchy to a Japanese-speaking audience.
* AstonishinglyAppropriateAppearance: In "The Fountain", Andrew [[BrutalHonesty pulls no punches]] when telling Akko exactly how little he cares for magic. Shortly after this, Akko's [[PowerIncontinence magical misfires]] fall just short of turning him into a [[LittleBitBeastly literal ass]].
* AttackOfThe50FootWhatever: Akko turns a squirrel into an enormous monstrosity to create a distraction so they can sneak into a party.
* BackForTheFinale: [[spoiler:Every minor character that has appeared throughout the series, including the Shooting Star]], return to help out in "Changing at the Edge of the World".
* {{Balloonacy}}: In "Samhain Magic Festival", Akko has trouble keeping afloat after turning into a flying elephant, so Lotte conjures some balloons to help her out.
* BarehandedBladeBlock: Akko does it with a guillotine in "Akko's Adventure in Sucyworld".
* BearsAreBadNews: Arcas, the gigantic polar bear guardian of the Polaris Fountain.
* BigFancyHouse: The Hanbridge manor is ''massive''. The Cavendish estate is nothing to sneeze at either. This is justified since both families are wealthy nobility.
* BigThinShortTrio: Jasminka (Big), Amanda (Thin), and Constanze (Short).
* BlandNameProduct:
** In "Pact of the Dragon", Jasminka eats a bag of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doritos Olitos]].
** In "Stanship Take Off!", Constanze needs a hand mixer with orichalcum (a magical metal) beaters for her newest project (a giant {{magitek}} ship to enter the Wild Hunt with), so she has a look at a bare-faced rip-off of [=eBay=] or rather [[http://imgur.com/Ad9YnhF cbay]]. The brand she's looking at is "[=KitchenHelp=]" instead of the real brand [=KitchenAid=].
** "Yesterday" has in the background of the scene with Andrew and Akko a shop named "Mark & Sponcer", a reference to [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marks_%26_Spencer Marks & Spencer]].
* BookEnds:
** [[spoiler:The series begins with Shiny Chariot using the Shiny Arc to destroy a monster created by Croix's magitek as part of her show. The final conflict of the series is resolved when Akko and Diana use the Shiny Arc to destroy the missile possessed by Croix's out-of-control magitek.]]
** Further BookEnds: The show starts with Shiny Chariot inspiring Akko and Diana. It ends with Akko and Diana inspiring the next generation of witches.
** In "Starting Over", a significant plot point is [[spoiler:Akko's inability to fly a broom]], which leads to her making friends with Lotte and Sucy ([[FireForgedFriends via perilous adventure]]). In the final scene of "Changing at the Edge of the World", with all her friends watching, she [[spoiler:floats off the ground on a broom for the first time. (Not counting the Shooting Star broom, which had a mind of its own.)]]
** Also in "Starting Over", Akko ends up being thrown off the Leyline and, in a somewhat-lengthy sequence, [[IcarusAllusion plummets head-first toward the Forest of Arcturus far below]]. In "Changing at the Edge of the World", the same thing happens again [[spoiler:when the possessed missile knocks her off the Shooting Star, just before she and the Triskelion-enhanced Shiny Rod have their HeroicSecondWind]].
* BotanicalAbomination: A benevolent version in the Great Witch, Jennifer, whose spirit fused with a tree after death, turning her into a still-sapient PlantPerson.
* BreatherEpisode: "Pohjola's Ordeal", after the SerialEscalation from 11-15, is much sillier and relaxed, though it still manages to have tension.
* CacophonyCoverUp: In "Bee Affection", Akko magics up a [[MakeMyMonsterGrow giant squirrel]] as a distraction so that she, Lotte and Sucy can sneak into a party undetected.
* CentralTheme:
** In the first cour, [[SlobsVersusSnobs "highbrow" traditionalism versus "lowbrow" populism]]. In the face of an evolving world, the magical establishment stubbornly sticks to [[TheGoodOldDays their staid old ways and studious adherence to proper studying]] despite how [[HonorBeforeReason wildly unprofitable it is]] because they believe it's the only way to preserve "the magic" of the craft. This attitude pits them against Akko, who idolizes a flashy stage magician and lugs around a CollectibleCardGame with flavor text gleaned from Luna Nova's repository of magical knowledge in lieu of any actual magical training and study.
** In the second cour, the relationship between magic and technology. Both the establishment and their former prodigy, Croix Meridies, want to bring magic back to the world; whereas the establishment shuns technology for fear it will ruin the magic irrevocably, Croix utilizes cutting-edge technology to make magic more efficient and thus solves the school's financial crisis. But this comes at a dark cost--[[spoiler:the only way she can power the Noir Rod and find the Grand Triskelion is by using technology to provoke hatemongering populism over a football game, the exact opposite of Akko's desire to bring magic back by making people laugh and smile at entertaining spectacle.]] As the meaning of "Sybilladura Lelladybura" implies, Akko and Diana must reconcile the old and the new if they hope to help magic survive in the modern world.
* CerebusSyndrome: The anime takes a more serious tone after "Samhain Magic Festival".
* CharacterNameAndTheNounPhrase: "Amanda O'Neill and the Holy Grail", "Amanda O'Neill and the Holy Grail".
* ChekhovsArmoury: Not only did Akko collect every single Shiny Chariot trading card in her childhood, save for an ultra-rare one, but also [[ChekhovsSkill memorized their flavor text by heart]]. The cards have [[CardsOfPower spells that the Shiny Rod can cast]], along with [[PlotDeviceAllAlong useful facts about magical wildlife]].
* ChekhovsGun:
** The spells Akko cast with the Shiny Rod at vital moments? [[spoiler:Turns out they are like passwords needed to unlock Arcturus, a magical prison containing the Grand Triskelion, the last magic created by the Founders of Luna Nova. Oh, and the real name for the Shiny Rod? Claíomh Solais, the key.]]
** In "Papiliodia", Akko mentions having collected all of the Shiny Chariot cards, save one ultra rare card. Come "Cavendish", [[spoiler:Diana has that card as a special treasure]].
** After its debut in "Don't Stop Me Now", the Shooting Star darts off on its own, circulating the world and [[FunnyBackgroundEvent occasionally being sighted worldwide in news reports]]. [[spoiler:It returns to save Akko during the final battle.]]
* ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve: It's heavily implied that [[spoiler:magic began declining because people stopped believing in it with the advent of technology. With the increased belief brought on by watching the protagonists deal with a missile, magical resources begin increasing]].
* ColorCodedEmotions: Croix has a color wheel of them. Notably, red corresponds to anger.
* ColourCodedForYourConvenience: Luna Nova groups its students into trios. Each trio's uniform has a different coloured ribbon around their hats, along with a matching waist sash.
* ColorFailure: Lotte at the beginning of "Night Fall".
* ContinuityNod:
** After "Don't Stop Me Now", newspapers shown on screen tend to have an article about Shooting Star sightings as it flies around the world.
** [[spoiler:How the missile is destroyed is extremely similar to how Akko blows up the dragon in the first film.]]
* ContrivedCoincidence:
** Parodied in "Pohjola's Ordeal", where the Greenman Disease works off ridiculously specific triggers. The conditions and effects of the illness make it work more like a curse than an actual pathology in practice; it only happens in a specific region of Finland when, among other things, a certain amount of [=CO2=] exhaled by humans coincides with a specific breeding rate of a specific family of fish, the release of pollen into the air, ''a freaking planetary alignment event'' and '''''the consumption of a specific traditional homemade pie when baked at a specific temperature.''''' The conditions are so stringent that [[LampshadeHanging the book detailing the disease itself points out that]] [[OneInAMillionChance it's something one could only expect to occur AT MOST once every thousand years.]] Too bad Akko and company had just arrived in Lotte's village for that specific pie...
** On top of characters just [[PoorCommunicationKills not telling other character important things]], the second half of the series also relies on a lot of these. Ursula's attempts to tell her side of the story are always conveniently interrupted. Also, while it's something [[spoiler:Croix]] might have ''hoped'' for, it's awfully convenient that Ursula was out of the plot ''exactly'' long enough to not be around to see and tell anyone that the danger that [[spoiler:Croix]] saved everyone from was clearly manufactured by her to begin with.
* CorporalPunishment: If a witch commits fraud using magic, her tongue will be branded with a hot iron. The punishment for murder is even worse.
%%* CourtroomEpisode: "Akko's Adventure in Sucyworld".
* CrisisMakesPerfect: When someone’s life ''isn’t'' in danger, Akko forgets that spells require [[MagicalIncantation Magical Incantations]]. Consequentially, using the Shiny Rod properly is a OncePerEpisode thing. In Shiny Chariot's case, [[WordsDoNotMakeTheMagic she hardly ever needed words to cast magic]].
* CrushFilter: Apparently, the Lovelove Bee's sting turns the targeted girl into an exaggerated stereotype of {{shoujo}} gorgeousness, complete with [[BishieSparkle sparkles]]. It isn't revealed what it makes guys look like.
* CryingCritters: In the episode where the fish learn transformation, they cry.
* CulturalTranslation: In the German dub, when Croix pitches her magitek, she claims that it will cost the school zero Euros, even though the UK didn't join the eurozone.
* CutAndPasteTranslation:
** "Don't Stop Me Now": In the Japanese version, when Akko is holding on to the Shooting Star broom to win a tournament, she yells that she wouldn't let go of the broom even to the very depths of hell. In the English dub, likely due to religious censorship, she yelled that she'd hang on to the broom forever.
** "Night Fall": The English dub has Lotte state she reads ''Night Fall'' for the "love triangle" between Arthur, Belle, and Edgar. However, the subtitles, which more closely follow the Japanese dialog, reveal that she's a straight-up YaoiFangirl.
* ADayInTheLimelight: Most episodes focus on Akko and her personal growth into a great witch but "Night Fall", "Akko's Adventure in Sucyworld", "Amanda O'Neill and the Holy Grail", "Stanship Take Off!", and "Cavendish" focus on other characters.
* DarkerAndEdgier: The second cour is darker than the first but [[WhamEpisode "Things We Said Today"]] takes it UpToEleven. [[spoiler:It is revealed that Chariot tried to restore the magic in the world, similarly to Croix, ten years prior, but the process had the side effect of crippling the magic potential of people. Akko and Diana turn out to have both been victims of this, though Diana's skill now suggests the damage isn't necessarily irreparable]]. Once Akko finds this out, she immediately tips into a HeroicBSOD. Compared to the mostly happy show before this, it is a huge contrast.
* DarkSkinnedRedhead: Wangari, the announcer that follows the flying broom competition in "Don't Stop Me Now".
* DeathByChildbirth: Mrs. Holbrooke died shortly after giving birth to her daughter, Headmistress Miranda Holbrooke, as revealed in "Undead Travelogue".
%%* DeclarationOfProtection: Twice, in "Chariot of Fire" and "Discipline", from Ursula [[spoiler:as Chariot]] towards Akko.
* DeconReconSwitch: The series serves to break down all the classic magical cliches and elements. But at the same time, there are silver linings that made them worthwhile:
** StockShonenHero: Akko's acts and outbursts can be seen by those as obnoxious and overwhelming and sometimes causes trouble for almost everyone which worsens having to bear heavy burdens of an epic quest when she hasn't graduated school yet. It's gotten bad that Akko at times doubts herself and wears her persona as a mask to hide it. However as Akko continues her journey, she sees the good and bad of magic and this motivates her to further push forward and strengthening her beliefs because she honestly sees making people happy with magic as the right course. Diana lampshades that what Akko does is more powerful than any words that cast spells.
** StockShonenRival: Akko has no chance in beating Diana in terms of magic prowess. At the same time while Diana wins more than her opposite, the only reason these victories happen because Diana supports the system that only benefits solely one party than all which ironically causes the very problems she wanted to end. She gets called out on several occasions when it became clear she's only helping the small party. Although, Diana doesn't mean to be cold-hearted to Akko and her friends because she had to grow up without her parents and fears for her family's legacy that is about to fade away. However as the series progresses, it becomes clear that rivals doesn't traditionally mean enemies. They are friends that while have different methods to achieve their goals, their point of views are the same which is critical when Akko and Diana comfort one another when things get rough.
** StealthMentor / ItsTheJourneyThatCounts: Just because someone like Woodward founded magic, doesn't mean she's always right and her outdated methods would bring more harm than good to the person she is claiming to help. While learning to be better about oneself is a good moral, it won't do any good if they are in too deep in problems to the point they do need compensation for everything they've been through which is something that happen when it's implied that Woodward wanted to deliver a similar speech but is too embarrassed to say it after ruining Chariot and Croix's actual lives. It also didn't help that she abandons the latter two leaving them to see her as less of a mentor.
* DefaceOfTheMoon: The moon is scarred with a giant four-pointed star-shaped crater. [[spoiler:"Yesterday" reveals that ''Shiny Chariot'' made it at her last show before disappearing; lacking resources from her previous show, she called on the Words in desperation. The resulting arrow was powerful enough to leave the moon with its present appearance.]]
* DefrostingIceQueen: Multiple characters, especially Andrew, Diana and Sucy gradually lighten up over their character arcs, thanks in no small part due to their interactions with Akko.
* DisappearsIntoLight: [[spoiler:Not a person, but the Shiny Rod, once its task is completed.]]
* DismantledMacGuffin: A variation. [[spoiler:The Shiny Rod is not ''physically'' dismantled; but to fully reactivate it, someone, i.e. Akko, must use seven different incantations. Ursula already knows the words, but they apparently only work in specific adventurous situations.]]
* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything:
** While a teacher is demonstrating potion brewing in "Papiliodia", most of the characters are shown to be bothered by the fumes. [[https://gfycat.com/MassiveSereneGyrfalcon Sucy, however, has quite a different response.]]
** Akko is hyperactive and highly impatient, gets bored with her classes to the point of falling asleep, and cannot focus on something for very long. Besides not being born to a magical family, these have been shown to be reasons why she cannot learn magic as quickly as her peers, which in turn gets her a lot of general bullying from other students and mistreatment by her professors. It's really not that much different than how a student with disabilities would probably experience at school.
* DontGoInTheWoods: The Arcturus Forest. It is said that witches trapped in there are never able to leave. [[spoiler:By "Blue Moon"'s reveal, the name of the forest ''and'' the meaning of the aforementioned saying became more important than ever.]]
* DubInducedPlotHole: In the English dub of "Night Fall", Lotte and Annabel Crème geek out over the two male leads of the eponymous novel series sharing a shoehorn. We, the English-speaking audience, are just as confused by this as Akko and Sucy are. It's actually a reference to an earlier line in the Japanese version where Lotte explains she ships the two male leads, and Annabel confirms she put Yaoi subtext in there. That line was changed to Lotte's general interest in a "love triangle" in the English localization [[GetBackInTheCloset for homophobic reasons]], rendering Lotte and Annabel's later conversation indecipherable.
* EarlyBirdCameo: All side characters, Diana, Amanda, Constanze, and Jasminka, appear during the matriculation ceremony. Andrew, who's introduced in "The Fountain", appears in the opening since "Starting Over". Diana also appears during the magic show in "Starting Over", sitting up and to the right from Akko.
* EarnYourHappyEnding: In "A Road to Arcturus", [[spoiler:Akko and Ursula spend several episodes separated and alone from one another, with Akko feeling betrayed by her idol, while Ursula despairs that Akko abandoned her. Thankfully, with help of everyone along the way, the two are able to find each other again and they express their love towards one another, saving their relationship.]]
* EasterEgg: The identity of "[=GreatBen810=]" is not explicitly revealed, but if you pay close attention near the end of "Night Fall", you may spot Professor Badcock, of all people, carrying that Big Ben costume.
* EatenAlive:
** If a witch commits murder using magic, she will be executed by being eaten alive by mice with incisors sharp as blades.
** The Samhain Festival's sacrifice exhibition is a non-lethal example.
* ElaborateUniversityHigh: Appleton Academy, which is modeled after Eton College, a real life example of this.
* EldritchAbomination: The Noir Rod after absorbing all the negative energy from humans is a sentient ShapeShifter that wants to [[OmnicidalManiac destroy the planet]]. It's true form is similar to something out of ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion''. Its shapeshifting Spider form has a laser at its bottom, its giant dragon form has [[EyesDoNotBelongThere multiple eyes]] as well as it being a skeleton body with the head, torso, right arm, and left leg made out of metal with the Noir Fuel Devices act like skin and its ICBM form can merge and change its body.
* EldritchLocation: Wagandea, an explicitly endless tree with pollen that can cause witches to lose their magic.
* EmotionEater: [[spoiler:Croix's Noir Fuel Spirit Devices absorb negative emotions and store it as magic, at the expense of the magical potential of the people whose emotions are absorbed. Her Dream Fuel Spirit Device that were used in Chariot's show did the same for positive emotions. Eventually, the Noir Fuel Spirit Devices got so overwhelmed by the negative emotions of the populace that they GrewBeyondTheirProgramming, [[TurnedAgainstTheirMasters turned on Croix]] and launched a missile in order to increase the negativity even more.]]
* EverythingsBetterWithRainbows: They appear during [[spoiler:the WorldHealingWave brought on by the Grand Triskelion]].
* ExplosiveStupidity: Akko causes a big ass explosion during her fundamental alchemy exam, destroying a window, a part of the wall around the window, and giving her an [[AshFace unwanted makeover]].
* EyelidPullTaunt:
** Diana's reflection in the mischievous mirror from "What You Will" does this to her.
** In "Intellect and Sensibility", after Akko manages to dodge some attacks from a bunch of snakes, she does this to them while in her mouse form.
* EyePoke: Akko's stuffed bird immediately pecks her in the eye after being brought to life by Sucy.
* FamousAncestor: The Cavendish family claims direct descent from Beatrix, one of the Nine Olde Witches.
* FateWorseThanDeath:
** The punishment for a witch trying to resurrect the dead is said to be hundred times worse than death.
** When Akko accidentally revives an amnesiac pirate, who was also the father of Luna Nova's headmistress, the punishment is commuted to having to repair a room full of broken flying brooms by hand, presumably because it was an accident.
* FetchQuest: "Pohjola's Ordeal", where Akko, Sucy, and Lotte have to find the five ingredients needed to make a cure for the Greenman disease.
* FigureItOutYourself: The Seven Words of Arcturus work in this way. As Ursula explains, simply knowing the words means nothing. To truly revive a Word, one must understand what it truly means and represents. The only way to do ''that'' is experience. For this reason, Ursula doesn't tell Akko how to revive the Words but instead helps by pointing her in directions to help her discover them naturally.
* FiveSecondForeshadowing: Sucy is reading about the Arcturus Forest right before Akko gets her and Lotte pushed out of the Ley Line and into said forest. Before that, the pamphlet Akko was using to find the "bus" terminal also mentions to be careful when travelling do to Luna Nova being surrounded by a forest filled with "...Mandrakes, Cockatrices, and other colorful creatures."
* ForbiddenZone: The "Arcturus Forest" is full of deadly magical creatures such as at least one cockatrice and giant and deadly mandragoras with lotsa [[CombatTentacles tentacles]].
* {{Foreshadowing}}:
** In "Starting Over", the dragon at Chariot's show appears out of a set of cubes. Come "Blue Moon", and one of Akko's visions is a similar set of cubes forming a serpent, and a set of yellow cubes at the very end of "Samhain Magic Festival" also appear and form a larger cube, just like what the dragon appeared from.
** Whenever an episode opens with Akko, Sucy, and Lotte talking together in their dorm room, something in the conversation will either be related to the conflict of the episode (such as in "Samhain Magic Festival") or outright foreshadowing (such as in "Blue Moon").
** In the wormhole on the way to the school, there are brief flashes that offer hints to later episodes. Among the seen objects are Diana Cavendish, the magical butterflies, the Shooting Star broom, the ''Night Fall'' book, the guy from the opening, a wistful Shiny Chariot, a [[spoiler:contract in dragon language]], the ghost of Vajarois, fairies, Croix Meridies and a [[spoiler:nuclear explosion]].
** Pretty much every newspaper in the series has a story about the Shooting Star being seen around the world, implying we haven't seen the last of it. [[spoiler:We haven't.]]
** "Orange Submariner" features two posters of a film series featuring a Gillman-like amphibian creature. Later in the episode, Akko becomes a fish person herself.
** "Chariot of Fire": In the cafeteria, Constanze and Jasminka are staring at posters for the Wild Hunt.
** "Pohjola's Ordeal" has Akko's hallucinations, one of which features an evil-looking Shiny Chariot. [[spoiler:While Chariot is definitely not evil, she was the cause of most of Akko's grief, when it was revealed she absorbed Akko's magic potential during her show at the beginning of the series.]]
* ForWantOfANail: If it wasn't for [[spoiler:the [[TrademarkFavoriteFood pickled plums]]]] that Akko tried to bring on her debut, her arrival on Luna Nova would have been a quick ride, but at a cost not finding the Shiny Rod sooner, in which could have made her first few months in school a living hell until then.
* FriendOrIdolDecision: In "Blue Moon", the moon spirit offers Akko an ideal future where she succeeds in following Chariot's footsteps...but demands that she give up her memories of her time in Luna Nova in exchange. Akko's refusal to do so causes her to pass the spirit's SecretTestOfCharacter, which unlocks the second Arcturus word of the Shiny Rod.
* FunnyBackgroundEvent: While every single one of the young witches at Luna Nova is fawning over how handsome Andrew is when he enters the room, instead of her usual dignified demeanor, Diana looks ''[[http://little-witch-academia.wikia.com/wiki/File:Dianabored.png bored]]'' out of her mind.
* FunWithSubtitles: The Asenshi Sub-Group likes to get creative on occasion, such as applying subtitles to ''every screen'' displaying the same image on a wall of OminousMultipleScreens, or color-coding the words as Croix reads off a list on her ColourCodedEmotions app.
* GenericDoomsdayVillain: The Noir Rod after exposure to negative energy wants to destroy humanity. That's all there is to it and it possesses no personality or reason why it's doing this. It's more of an [[EldritchAbomination Eldritch Force]].
* GettingCrapPastTheRadar:
** During "Papiliodia", we see several of the classes the girls attend which includes potions. Most of the students are bothered by the fumes, but Sucy seems to enjoy them [[https://gfycat.com/MassiveSereneGyrfalcon a bit too much.]]
** Lotte references the OedipusComplex by name in "Night Fall". She also references gay slash fiction in the same episode.
** In "Bee Affection", when Akko's looking for a dress, she pulls out a Playboy bunny outfit.
** Sucy gets thrilled at the thought of getting sacrificed, that is, eaten and expelled by the Vajarois apparition. She also has a look of bliss when it actually happens. In other words, she's into vore.
** In "Discipline", there's a picture of comments on a website with a design similar to [[Website/{{Tumblr}} Tumblr]]. One of the comments on the website is "Piece of shit game, piece of shit referee." Also, one of the comments Croix was looking at related to the Wild Hunt in "Stanship Take Off!" said, "Wow! people actually believe in this bullshit".
** Netflix actually rates this show as ''Y7''.
* GiantFlyer: The cockatrice. Sure, it looks like a chicken with a snake tail, but it's the size of a ''T. rex'' and is perfectly capable of chasing you from the air.
* GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere: Who'd have expected "A Road to Arcturus" to end with [[spoiler:a goddamn Magitek ICBM]], of all things?
* GoldColoredSuperiority: The Shiny Rod is a transforming golden wand which doesn't need to be near a Sorcerer's Stone to work. One of its forms includes an unique broom, the Shiny Volley, with extra bristle segments. It fast enough that it can easily out pace spells fired from a wand, but not quite fast enough to out-maneuver [[spoiler:a magic enhanced ballistic missile]].
* GoneHorriblyRight: [[spoiler:The Noir Rod was designed to absorb negative emotions to fuel it, primarily through the use of a cellphone app. By the time it absorbs a certain amount, it becomes sentient and stops needing the app, to the point that Croix herself can't shut it off.]]
* GoodAngelBadAngel: In "Akko's Adventure in Sucyworld", Akko dives into Sucy's head, where she meets personifications of Sucy's personality traits, including her consciences, which manifests as this trope. [[TokenEvilTeammate Sucy being Sucy]], neither one of them is exactly pleasant.
* GorgeousGarmentGeneration: The ability of the Cinderella dress up set in "Bee Affection". But its effects end after two hours, rather than at [[WhenTheClockStrikesTwelve midnight]].
* GreenThumb: Technically, all magic in the setting is this, being drawn from [[WorldTree Yggdrasil]]. One effect of this nature is that, similar to a tree, witches are quite LongLived [[spoiler:but when they do pass particularly powerful witches actually [[PlantPerson become trees]]. Woodward and Beatrix being the most prominent examples]].
* HalloweenEpisode: "What You Will" and "Samhain Magic Festival" focus on the Samhain Festival.
* HardWorkHardlyWorks: {{Subverted|Trope}}. Akko goes in thinking this will be in effect, and because of it, she fails constantly, and it's even explicitly pointed out in epidode 6 that she might be TheChosenOne, but the power will be denied until she is properly trained and knows her stuff by putting in the necessary hard work. It's later revealed that both Akko and Diana [[spoiler:had their magic potential stolen at a young age]], so the only reason Diana is better at magic than TheChosenOne is because hard work ''actually'' worked.
* HouseFey: Various fairies maintains Luna Nova Academy, including a Cyclops and a minotaur doing maintenance and a fire fairy that heats the water. "New Age Magic" kicks off with them all going on strike due to not getting enough magical energy from the Sorcerer's Stone.
* HugeGuyTinyGirl: Lotte's parents, as seen in "Pohjola's Ordeal".
* HumiliationConga: [[spoiler:Croix in "A Road to Arcturus". Not only she has a massive breakdown when she is shown that the World Restoration Magic is nothing like she expected it to be, but her Noir Rod TransformingMecha goes haywire, her despised rival Chariot saves her from it (looking heroic in the meantime), and Akko unlocks the seventh and final Word and destroys the Noir Rod with it, leaving Croix alone and impotent.]]
* IcarusAllusion: The second end credits revolve around this.
* TheIdolsBlessing: Despite being massively incompetent, series protagonist Akko manages to summon the Shiny Rod, a staff once wielded by her lifetime idol, Shiny Chariot.
* IKissYourHand: Andrew plants a kiss on Akko's hand after being stung by the [[LoveAtFirstSight Lovelove Bee]] in "Bee Affection". Cue Akko [[BlueWithShock freaking out]].
* ITakeOffenseToThatLastOne: "Night Fall" sees the lead trio being scolded for stealing a pie from the kitchen. Akko objects- because they didn't steal a pie, they stole a ''tart''.
* ImpactSilhouette: In "Pohjola's Ordeal", a yeti does this to his home's door after being driven crazy by Akko and her constant demands for a perfect magical ingredient. ItMakesSenseInContext.
* ImpoverishedPatrician: In the present day, the Cavendish family is nearing bankruptcy because the acting head of the family, Diana's aunt, is pawning off the family's assets to fund her own lifestyle.
* InkblotCartoonStyle: In episode 8, Sucy's memories are drawn in [[https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMDIxNGJkYTEtY2RkMi00MmQ0LTgyZjItMWRkMzk5MjI4ZGQwXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNjMxNzQ2NTQ@._V1_.jpg an old-timey cartoon way]], with monochrome characters drawn with simplistic shapes, [[PieEyed pie eyes]], and RubberHoseLimbs. To drive the {{Retraux}} home, they are framed with film reel borders, and are overall a lot less complex than the series' normal art style.
* InterclassFriendship:
** {{Muggle}}-born witch Atsuko Kagari becoming friends with {{Blue Blood}}ed witch Diana Cavendish during Diana's trial to be the head of her family. Though, the two butted heads over their opposing ideals of magic before becoming friends.
** There's Akko and aristocrat Lord Andrew Hanbridge. And like Diana, the two had their fair shares of arguments before becoming friends.
* JourneyToTheCenterOfTheMind: Basically Akko going into Sucy's mind in "Akko's Adventure in Sucyworld".
* JustFriends: Akko and Andrew's relationship is ultimately confirmed to be this via WordOfGod, with Yoh Yoshinari calling it a "playful guy-guy relationship".
* KangarooCourt: In "Akko's Adventure in Sucyworld", while Akko is traveling through Sucy's mind, she comes across different types of Sucys with their own personalities who want to be part of the real Sucy that are arrested by police versions of Sucy and taken to court. The judge and jury are all Sucys and judged every one of them guilty. When Akko points out that the entire trial is unfair to all the Sucys and their desire to be part of Sucy isn't a crime, she is pronounced guilty and sentenced to death.
* LargeHam: The corpse Akko accidentally revives spends almost the entirety of "Undead Travelogue" over-dramatizing every trivial step in his frantic RoaringRampageOfRevenge.
* LaserGuidedKarma: For defending and supporting them during their strike, the Faeries spare Akko and her roommates when they rampage across the campus.
* LastEpisodeThemeReprise: The first opening theme, "Shiny Ray", starts playing in "Changing at the Edge of the World" when [[spoiler:Akko rescues Diana from her fall]].
* LateArrivalSpoiler: The series doesn't even bother hiding the fact that [[spoiler:Professor Ursula is Shiny Chariot.]]
* LeaveYourQuestTest: The "blue moon apparition" offers to [[YourHeartsDesire make Akko just like her hero, Shiny Chariot]], at the cost of [[RetGone her past]]. She rejects the offer to work towards that goal on her own, gaining another Arcturus word for Shiny Rod in the process. Chariot herself was given a similar test many years ago.
* LegacyCharacter: In "Night Fall", it's revealed that [[spoiler:the name Annabel Crème is actually shared between thirteen different people who wrote the ''Night Fall'' series.]]
%%* LiteraryAllusionTitle: "Sense and Sensibility".
* LongRunner: [[invoked]] Exaggerated with ''Night Fall'', an obvious parody of ''Literature/{{Twilight}}'' which has 365 books written over the span of 120 years.
* LordCountry: {{Implied|Trope}}. Judging by the fact that Paul is the Earl of Hanbridge, it is safe to assume that Paul and Andrew Hanbridge share their surname with the name of the country their family rules over.
* LovePotion: The Lovelove Bee. Its sting forces LoveAtFirstSight, but its effect [[WorldHealingWave ends when it dies.]] It's ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin, save for it's obviously a wasp with FunnyAnimalAnatomy.
* TheMagicComesBack: [[spoiler:Ultimately, the result of the main characters inspiring people the world over to believe in them as they battle the [=ICBM=] -- magical resources are implied to increase, and Yggdrasil even appears!]]
* TheMagicGoesAway:
** Implied by the conversation between Fafnir the dragon and Luna Nova's faculty in "Pact of the Dragon". The academy is under-funded because the new students are one tenth of what they were during magic users' golden age, and now that technology is widespread normal people don't care about magic that much. In fact, the dragon himself does online trading on his computer, instead of hoarding a traditional kind of treasure.
** Related. In "The Fountain", it is shown that Student!Chariot was able to do significant magic in the same town where magic is now useless. And that was only 12-15 years ago, at most.
** In "New Age Magic", a graph shows a steady decline in available magic resources since the mid 1600s. Interestingly, the sharpest decline was from the 1780s into the early 19th century, corresponding to the 1st Industrial Revolution in England and the Napoleonic Wars.
* MeaningfulEcho:
** Ursula ("Blue Moon"): That which is dreamed cannot be grasped. But work towards it, day after day and you will find it in your hands.
** Akko ("A Road to Arcturus"): Professor, I'll keep working even harder! I'll work hard to become a witch who can make everyone smile.
* MentorOccupationalHazard: [[spoiler:Subverted. After pinning several obvious character death flags on Ursula/Chariot, from her "dead anime mother" hairstyle, to promises to protect Akko no matter her loss in power, to being ''eaten by the monster'' in front of Akko in "A Road to Arcturus", she ends up surviving.]]
* MilitariesAreUseless: In the finale, [[spoiler:they do send interceptor missiles after the ICBM. Not that it actually does anything to stop it]].
* MinorMajorCharacter: The Nine Olde Witches, the founders of [[WizardingSchool Luna Nova Academy]] and some of the most powerful witches ever. Only two of them are named and are involved in the plot to varying degrees, but nothing is known about the other seven (except for, of all things, their [[NiceHat hats]]).
* MoodWhiplash: At the end of "A Road to Arcturus", [[spoiler:Akko discovers the final word, unlocks the Grand Triskelion and rainbows, stars, flowers, and bright colors begin shooting over the gloomy Arcturus forest. Then, a klaxon sound starts overtaking the background music and then a launched ICBM comes into view...]]
* MorphWeapon: The Shining Rod transforms into seven different weapons, depending on the spell that’s cast:
** SacredBowAndArrows: Noctu Orfei Aude Fraetor.
** AnAxeToGrind: Phaidoari Afairynghor.
** InstantKnots: Arae Aryrha.
* MushroomSamba: The entirety of "Akko's Adventure in Sucyworld" is this after Sucy drinks a mushroom poison.
* MythologyGag: Like in the first film, when Akko teases Diana about her being embarrassed in "Intellect and Sensibility", Diana threatens to drop Akko off the broom.
* NaiveNewcomer: Akko, even more than in the film, as she is first entering not only Luna Nova, but also the witch world as a whole.
* NoCartoonFish: Subverted. Fish are drawn very realistically and don't have any anthropomorphized traits [[note]]unless they're a human in magical disguise[[/note]], but they ''can'' speak (if only in their own language) and can wear accessories, like hair bows or tiny witch hats.
* NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished: In "Samhain Magic Festival", instead of allowing themselves to be eaten by Vajarois as a sacrifice for the Samhain Magic Festival like volunteers before them, the trio instead try to exorcise the spirit and absolve her of her eternal misery. After succeeding in doing so, freeing Vajarois of her tortured existence while entertaining the audience more than everybody else in the show, they end up getting disqualified from the contest for not following the rules.
* NoNameGiven: The proprietor of "Last Wednesday", a curio shop full of magical artifacts, is never called by name.[[note]]Fans nicknamed him "Chumlee".[[/note]] Another example is the country England is about to go to war with near the end of the series, because of a contested goal during a soccer match (and Croix' intervention to harvest magical fuel from the rioters' rage). The name is never said and considering [[UsefulNotes/TheBritishEmpire England's history]], there are a lot of candidates on the table.
* NoodleIncident: The first cour's ending teases a wayward RoadTrip with Akko, Lotte, Sucy, and Professor Ursula, but it's never seen in those first thirteen episodes.
* NoOSHACompliance: Students of Appleton Academy apparently settle any disputes by having a fencing duel on an extremely narrow, elevated stone bridge with no railings in sight. When Amanda is forced into a duel in "Amanda O'Neill and the Holy Grail", she nearly falls mutiple times.
* NotEvenBotheringWithTheAccent: Much like TranslationConvention below, the English dub of the show has no one with any sort of accent despite most students being from different parts of the world and given their ages are unlikely to have lost their regional accents. It is especially strange in the case of Diana who is a natural born Brit and the school is located in Britain but does not have a British accent of any kind.
* NotSoDifferent:
** Diana and Akko are complete opposites in terms of temperament, popularity, and skill level, but [[spoiler:they were both big fans of Shiny Chariot in their childhood, and both believe in using magic to change people's hearts. It's this fact that lets Diana reach out to Akko in the middle of her HeroicBSOD in "Yesterday"]].
** Croix and Chariot, despite their differences in the present, both [[spoiler:dreamed of reviving magic back in their school days]]. Also, both have [[spoiler:some serious self-esteem issues which drive a lot of their problems]].
** All four characters have very similar builds and facial shapes compared to their counterpart, and when they were students, Croix and Chariot looked a lot like Diana and Akko. This is [[{{Symbolism}} emphasized]] during the second opening song when Akko and Diana stride past each other down the line of Luna Nova students, only to clasp hands and change into Croix and Chariot.
* NumberOfTheBeast: In "Akko's Adventure in Sucyworld", when Akko goes into Sucy's mind trying to find her original personality to wake her up (in hopes of waking up the real world Sucy, who has fallen into a deep sleep), that personality lives in room 666 of the "mushroom building" in which all her personalities live.
* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: In "Bee Affection", Akko realizes something is up when Andrew goes from vocally wanting to eject her from his party to professing his undying love for her in the span of a sentence.
* OffModel: Luna Nova's landscapes and architecture are huge and intricately detailed, and Trigger shows as much of the background as possible. It's common to see characters shown from a distance while they're outside. And when characters are shown from a distance, their details suffer.
* OnlyTheChosenMayWield: Zigzagged concerning the Shiny Rod. It's clear from the beginning that only the Rod's chosen wielder (Akko) can unlock the words of power, but aside from that, it seems to vary a bit. [[spoiler:Croix has never been able to so much as ''touch'' the Rod without getting a nasty zap (even as a child), while Akko's friends can carry the Rod around without any problems. Diana has also been able to use the Rod's broom form without difficulty, even when Akko isn't even on the broom with her.]]
* OurDragonsAreDifferent: In this case, the dragon is a [[http://i.imgur.com/FYEVU3U.jpg daytrader and loan shark in a robe and slippers]].
* OurFounder: Luna Nova gets nine, in the form of the Nine Olde Witches -- the best witches of their time, who were also responsible for creating the Grand Triskelion. Two are seen -- Woodward, who was something of a mentor to Chariot, and Beatrix, the ancestor of the Cavendish family.
* OutOfCharacterMoment: Sucy is unusually polite and mostly snark-free in "Pohjola's Ordeal", another of the reasons why it's regarded as one of the strangest, bordering on BizarroEpisode.
* OutOfGenreExperience: The last few minutes (barring the ending) of "Stanship Take Off!" turn into a mecha anime, complete with CallingYourAttacks and FinishingMove, thanks to Constanze's mechanical genius and Akko's stubbornness.
* PassingTheTorch: [[spoiler:At the end of "Changing at the Edge of the World", Yggdrasil is reborn and it is spreading magic and happiness all over the world, in a scene reminiscent of Chariot's magic show at the beginning of "Starting Over". Several people around the globe can be seen in a montage, but special attention is given to a little Slavic blonde girl and a little American brunette girl. They are heavily implied to be the next Diana and Akko.]]
* PoliceAreUseless: In "Undead Travelogue". They spot a reanimated skeleton in period attire rummaging in the trash; Lotte says he's his grandfather who is also a pirate and who needs to look in everything that resembles a treasure chest. They buy it and go away without doing anything.
* PoorCommunicationKills: Pretty much the entire second half of the series happens because Ursula refuses to tell anyone else about what she knows about [[spoiler:Croix]] and all the really sketchy stuff going on. Some of the guilt she has explains why it takes her so much effort to try to admit things to Akko (just in time to always get interrupted), but considering that her guilt involves the consequences of what might be happening again, it really stands out that she never bothers to say anything until [[spoiler:it's too late to make a difference]].
* PoweredByAForsakenChild: Shiny Chariot learns a spell from her best friend, Croix, that uses dreams and emotions to allow for greater spectacles at her stage shows. [[spoiler:What Croix doesn't tell her is that this spell uses a person's dreams and converts it into magical energy, depriving the target of their magical ability. The main characters, Akko and Diana, were at one of Chariot's shows when they were young children. Yet when they meet again years later, Diana eventually regained her magical ability after discovering she had lost it, while Akko is left unable to even [[FlyingBroomstick fly on a broom]], the simplest of witch skills.]]
* PowerIncontinence: Akko's transformation magic assignment in "The Fountain" keeps backfiring. Instead of changing a rat into a bunny, she keeps getting bunny ears herself.
* ThePowerOfFriendship: The basic gist of the Shiny Rod's Final Word, [[spoiler:specifically by the wielder acknowledging how much others have helped her. It seems to actually require another person to be present, as when Akko confessed to Chariot how thankful she was for all that Chariot/Urusla had done for her. Additionally, the Grand Triskellion's full power is only unleashed when Akko and Diana wield the Shiny Rod together.]]
* ThePowerOfHate: When determining which emotions to harvest with her Noir Fuel Spirit system, Croix finds that anger and hatred are the most potent and easily attained as an energy source.
* PublicDomainArtifact:
** In "Blue Moon", it's revealed that the original name of Shiny Rod is Claíomh Solais, the Sword of Light from Myth/CelticMythology.
** "Amanda O'Neill and the Holy Grail" features the Holy Grail. [[spoiler:In actuality, it was a fake Grail put in Appleton Academy by Croix to test some of her experiments and possibly get Akko and Amanda killed by the anti-witch students at Appleton.]]
* PunctuatedForEmphasis: Out of all the Seven Words, the first one is most often spoken with emphasis on each word when ever its user(s) are about to shoot something.
* PuttingThePalInPrincipal: Headmistress Miranda Holbrooke (next to Professor Ursula/[[spoiler:Shiny Chariot]]) is the most reasonable staff member of Luna Nova, supporting Akko's desire to learn magic without giving her a hard time and dealing out stern but fair punishments whenever they are needed.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: At the climax, the prime minister realizes that [[spoiler:placing their trust on the witches who are already on the way to stop the missile is the best option they have and instead of actively trying to hamper their efforts they should instead work towards helping them]].
* RealityEnsues:
** A school that only focuses on honing magic skills will never know how to budget their finances and resources. And without magic, they are left severely vulnerable to the more powerful Faeries.
* RecurringExtra: There are several students who appear in the background on a fairly regular basis.
* RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver: Professor Croix's inventions have a lot to do with this color scheme, culminating in [[spoiler:the giant weapon which she tries to unlock the Grand Triskelion with, which is black with sickly red lights all over]]. This is mostly because she dabbles in ThePowerOfHate, which is [[ColorCodedEmotions represented by red]].
* RedOnesGoFaster: Shooting Star is a sentient broom with an arrow/phoenix motif and it can out fly [[spoiler:an ICBM]], a feat which not even the Shiny Volley could do.
* RewatchBonus: [[spoiler:Croix's shapeshifting cubes]] are first seen briefly as a FreezeFrameBonus in "Blue Moon", converging into a ball in her hand at the tail end of "Samhain Magic Festival" and in "New Age Magic" transforming from [[spoiler:an artificial faerie into a bigger monster]]. Now, watch Chariot's magic show from "Starting Over" again [[spoiler:and do it again after watching "Things We Said Today"]].
* RuleOfSeven: Seven points in the Shiny Rod corresponding to seven points in the Big Dipper as well as seven Words needed to unlock the Grand Triskelion. Notably, there are also seven girls in Akko's friend group by the end of the series.[[note]]Lotte, Sucy, Amanada, Jasminka, Constanze, Diana, and Akko herself.[[/note]] Also, the flavor text on the Shiny Chariot trading card mentions a "septahedron" and the Pleiades (another constellation with seven stars, named for seven sisters from [[Myth/ClassicalMythology Greek mythology]]).
* RunningGag: Every time a newspaper is shown, one of the stories is the Shooting Star showing up in various places around the world.
* SaveTheWorldClimax: ''Little Witch Academia'' is from the same people that made ''Anime/KillLaKill'', and the television series has a similar structure: the first half is mostly episodic adventures in an enclosed space (an academy in both cases), then the BigBad is revealed in the second half and the threat rapidly escalates. In this case, Akko the witch goes from attending magic lessons to saving the world from being blown up by a literal magic missile, i.e. an ICBM possessed by dark energy as a result of one of the BigBad's experiments gone haywire.
* SayMyName: Although not as intense as [[Anime/KillLaKill a certain other Trigger series]], this happens most prominently with Croix and Chariot. Most of their early interactions involve low ominous exchanges of "Croix," and "Chariot Du Nord," but this is ramped up in "Discipline" with [[spoiler:Croix screaming "CHAAARIOT!!!" over and over again as Chariot nearly plummets to her death]] and in "A Road to Arcturus" when they're fighting [[spoiler:Croix's out-of-control cube beast, and doing a lot of desperate screaming of each other's name while they're at it.]] Diana and Akko occasionally get in on this too, most notably with Diana repeatedly screaming, "AKKO!" when she thinks that [[spoiler:Akko's dying, in "Intellect and Sensibility" and "Changing at the Edge of the World".]]
* SecretTestOfCharacter: Akko is put through this in the climax of "Blue Moon", given the choice to become a witch like Chariot at the cost of her memories. She refuses by stating she'll become like Chariot on her own.
* SerialEscalation: Not the show itself, but the fact that in "Night Fall", it's mentioned that one character in the ''Night Fall'' novels caught a nuke with their bare hands is a pretty strong indicator that the series was subjected to this.
* ShipperOnDeck:
** Frank, Lotte and Sucy appear to ship Akko x Andrew.
** In Episode 10, a crowd of party goers upon notcing Andrew and Diana's playful expressions while the two were snarking at each other comment that they would make a cute couple. Andrew and Diana laugh off the idea, due to conflicting views on magic.
* ShipTease:
** PlayedForLaughs at the end of "Akko's Adventure in Sucyworld". It teases Akko/Sucy when Akko decides to revive/wake Sucy up by drinking all the potions and giving them to Sucy via mouth-to-mouth. Akko wonders about giving Sucy her first kiss but shrugs it off, saying it won't count because they're friends.[[note]]Not to mention the way the background threat reacts to this sight.[[/note]]
** Parodied in "Bee Affection", where a bee causes anyone it stings to fall in love with whomever they see immediately afterward. The bee stings two characters (Andrew Hanbridge and [[LesYay Diana Cavendish]]), causing them to fall for the protagonist, Akko, until the bee's spell is broken. It also stings Andrew's friend, Frank, [[BetaCouple who falls for Akko's friend]], Lotte, and for added hilarity stings Diana again so that she ends up [[AcquiredSituationalNarcissism falling in love with her own reflection]]. In keeping with the true spirit of the trope, though, both Andrew and Frank have some lingering affection for their respective love target after the spell is broken.
** In the second opening song, Akko and Diana walk past each other but end up holding hands.
** In "Intellect and Sensibility", Diana acts like a {{Tsundere}} to Akko during the broom ride. The [[http://imgur.com/a/kQsAE official art from staff members detailing this moment]] shows Diana [[LuminescentBlush blushing immensely]] due to Akko hugging her during said broom ride.
** In "Changing at the Edge of the World", both Akko and Diana work together against the Magic Missile. At one point, Akko starts to fall back to Earth and Diana is crying fearing she may die. Just before they defeat the {{Magitek}} ICBM, they both hold hands and smile at another before destroying it by firing Shiny Rod's arrow.
** In the final few minutes of the show, as [[spoiler:Croix is about to sent off to magic jail, she promises to find a cure for Wagandea's curse before she returns to Luna Nova. Chariot spends the entire scene looking rather distressed that Croix is about to leave, and ends up calling after her that [[IWillWaitForYou she will wait for Croix's return]], before wistfully repeating it to herself afterwards.]]
* ShooOutTheClowns: After Croix enters and CerebusSyndrome hits, Lotte and Sucy drop into the background and rarely even get to hang out with Akko.
* ShownTheirWork:
** Many have noticed that Sucy's broom is a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broom#/media/File:Banaue_Philippines_Handmade-brooms-01.jpg walis-tambo]], a broom that's found in many Filipino households. She also fits the mold for the traditional trickster hex witch (a [[MeaningfulName Mambabarang]], or a Mamalarang in her case).
** In "Pohjola's Ordeal", the research on Finland shows well in the food, architecture, and costumes worn by the people we meet.
** In "Stanship Take Off!", all of Constanze's tools are German models.
** The teddy bear seen in Diana's room when Akko goes to the Cavendish manor in "Cavendish" and "Intellect and Sensibility" is based on [[http://www.steiff.com/en-gb/teddy-bears-cuddly-toys/teddy-bears.html Steiff teddy bears]]. They're a very expensive line of toys that exists since the 1880s, so the perfect gift for a little girl from an ancient and noble household.
** The small frame of a typical 4chan thread from "Changing at the Edge of the World" pays attention to detail. The format is on a blue (relatively SFW) board and they even keep the at-current janitorial notices accurate.
** Whenever a shot of a [[BlandNameProduct UKN News]] bulletin is shown, the style is a dead ringer for [[Creator/TheBBC BBC News]] right down to the font.
* SlapstickKnowsNoGender: Especially in [[ButtMonkey Akko's case]], but the other girls are hardly free from physical comedy.
* SlapSlapKiss: Akko, Andrew and Diana generally develop this dynamic with each other, as while they're always prone to arguements, barbs and snark (especially for the latter two), their interactions become more friendly and playful as they come to care for each other and their worldviews.
* SlidingScaleOfMuggleInvolvement: Initially on the lower end, with the Hanbridges and company being the major recurring muggles and the plot entirely about the supernatural shenanigans at Luna Nova. Increases by the end when it's revealed that [[spoiler:the decline of muggle belief in magic is responsible for the decline of magic in general, and muggles the world over lend their belief to defeat the series' FinalBoss]].
* SlidingScaleOfSillinessVersusSeriousness: The TV series starts off relatively silly with it mostly being a SliceOfLife comedy. That deeply changes after "Blue Moon" where the plot kicks in and gets more serious. It gets even more serious in "Chariot of Fire" when Croix shows up and "Things We Said Today" gets the character to go into the DespairEventHorizon.
* SpaceBattle: The final battle is this. It takes place in space where the heroes (Akko and Diana) are fighting [[spoiler:a giant nuke]] and they have difficulty fighting it. The allies help the fight for a bit to get them in space and [[spoiler:the Shiny Rod]] makes a HeroicSacrifice as it disappears from the world and there's a time limit until the world gets destroyed. Fitting considering the [[StarPower big theme of the show is stars]].
* SpecialPersonNormalName: The most powerful witch in history, in whose memory the Luna Nova academy was founded, is named... Jennifer.
* SpellMyNameWithAnS: In "What You Will", the fansubbers transliterated the ghost's name as "Bahalowa", but the actual name, revealed in "Samhain Magic Festival" is "Vajarois".
* StarPower:
** Anything related to the Shiny Rod, which has its gemstones positioned in the shape of Ursa Major right from the start:
*** The previous owner has a StellarName and teaches astrology, but the rest of that goes in her character page.
*** It was kept in the Fountain of Polaris, and guarded by a polar bear named Arcas. Arcas is the hero in Myth/ClassicalMythology that became Ursa Minor, and Polaris is a star in that constellation.
*** Each gemstone can perform one of the Seven Words of Arcturus. Arcturus is the fourth-brightest star in the sky and forms the constellation Boötes.
** Professor Croix's name is a reference to the constellation known as the Southern Cross, or ''Croix du Sud'' in French.
** Luna Nova's name is [[StellarName heavily space-themed]], and [[https://translate.google.com/#la/en/luna%20nova translates]] to [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_moon "New Moon."]] The moon [[{{Lunacy}} has more direct effects]] with a literal Blue Moon causing various strange happenings, and the prestigious "Moonlit Witch" award.
** The ArcSymbol is a four-pointed star.[[note]]But that's been a motif for Studio Trigger itself seen in ''all'' their shows.[[/note]]
** If Akko and company need to sneak out at night, it’s usually to meet a CelestialDeadline.
** The world’s fastest broom is named the Shooting Star.
** Horoscope reading is a magic one can study, allowing you [[{{Seers}} to see into the future.]]
** Professor [[WesternZodiac Pisces]]. She's a fish.
* StealthPun: "A Road to Arcturus" ends with a shot of [[spoiler:a ''literal'' magic missile]].
* TheStinger:
** Occasionally, one of the still images in the first cour's ending sequence will be replaced by a plot-relevant gag, such as the reveal of what was inside Professor Lucik's "prize" in "Don't Stop Me Now". [[spoiler:It's a magical snake nut can. Sucy would've loved it.]]
** "What You Will" ends with [[BrickJoke Hannah and Barbara still standing outside in the middle of the night]], as instructed by Akko in Diana's form. Barbara sneezes.
* StrikeEpisode: In "New Age Magic", the fairies that work at Luna Nova go on strike demanding for more magic allowance. Without their contributions, the castle's technology becomes unusable to the students and teachers. Akko tries to mediate between the school and the union, but winds up sympathizing with them.
* StupidStatementDanceMix: Tumbling Orange created [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvKbRuXwkRw "Yay"]].
* SurprisinglyGoodEnglish: All of the text in the series is in perfect English, even getting things such as Internet slang right.
* TakeThat: Mild ones during "Akko's Adventure in Sucyworld". Among the several facets of Sucy's personality that appear just for a few seconds, there are "easily influenced Sucy", "quick-to-imitate Sucky" and "instant copycat Sucy". They are referencing ''Franchise/StarWars'', ''Film/ShinGodzilla'', and ''Anime/YourName'', respectively, as if to imply that these films were huge successes just because the filmgoers were following mob mentality and not because they are good in and of themselves.
* TheTeaser: The TV series usually uses cold openings, aside from "Pact of the Dragon" and "A Road to Arcturus", where the opening sequence starts before any preceding clip.
* TechnicianVersusPerformer: Diana and Akko fit this perfectly and before them, there was Croix and Chariot from the previous generation.
* TertiarySexualCharacteristics: All the sisters of the talking fish that Akko helps in "Orange Submariner" wear little pink bows.
* TheTimeOfMyths: There are multiple mentions [[EndOfAnEra an era that ended]] about 200 years ago and holds the title of the Golden Age of Magic. Since then, [[TheMagicGoesAway witches are dwindling in numbers.]] Highlights of this time include:
** Witches could cast magic without the help of the Sorcerer’s Stone.
** Magic was more capable than any technology at the time, [[MundaneUtility so witches pretty much solved every problem]].
** There was this super important council of [[TheArchmage Archmages]] called the Nine Olde Witches that [[OurFounder founded]] Luna Nova.
** A DangerousForbiddenTechnique called the Grand Triskellion was created, but then said council [[CosmicKeystone sealed it away]].
* TomatoInTheMirror: The "evil" man who the revived corpse is searching for in "Undead Travelogue" is none other than... himself.
* TogetherInDeath: Headmistress Holbrooke's parents in the ending of "Undead Travelogue".
* TranslationConvention:
** Spoofed when Akko introduces herself to Andrew in "The Fountain". She first gives her name according to Japanese naming conventions (last name first) before remembering that they're in England and switching to the Western method of introduction (first name first).
** Oddly enough, in "Papiliodia", Akko is seen playing with her personal set of cards with Sucy and Lotte, despite the text of the cards are in Japanese and the later two aren't from Japan.
* {{Unicorn}}: A mythical creature associated with the Cavendish family, which ties into their long history and tendency towards healing magic.
* VacationEpisode: "Pohjola's Ordeal" has Akko, Sucy, and Lotte visiting Lotte's parents in her Finnish hometown. While there, Akko still manages to get herself into zany adventures, thwart a dangerous disease and unlock one of the seven Words.
* VoicesAreNotMental: Akko finds herself turned into a duplicate of Diana, complete with Diana's voice.
%%* {{Wackyland}}: "Akko's Adventure in Sucyworld" consists of this.
* WallPinOfLove: Played with in "Bee Affection". When Andrew pins Akko while under the influence of [[LovePotion the Lovelove Bee]], Akko freaks out and runs away instead of being charmed.
* WaterfallPuke: The reaction of the teacher at the culinary magic exam, when she examined an apple bewitched by Akko through eating.
* WeUsedToBeFriends: [[spoiler:Croix and Chariot were the best of friends in their school days. Their relationship soured after Croix was consumed by jealousy and Chariot was distracted by her magic shows.]]
* WeirdMoon: Has a giant four-pointed star carved into it, [[spoiler:caused during Chariot's last magic show]].
* WeirdTradeUnion: The fairy laborers of Luna Nova School form a union in "New Age Magic" and go on strike to gain a greater share of the energy output of the Sorcerer's Stone, they install magic reflecting boards around it stopping all magic on campus. Akko tries to berate them out of it... and winds up not only switching to their side but ends up becoming their General Secretary. When Diana tries to do the same thing Akko was aiming to do, Akko calls her a member of the bourgeoisie.
* WhamEpisode:
** "What You Will" reveals that [[spoiler:Akko's desire to become the next Shiny Chariot may be doomed to failure, as her constant violations of Luna Nova's current traditions means that she's been outright ''banned'' from even ''participating'' in the competition for the title of Moonlight Witch, unless there's some change.]]
** "Chariot of Fire": [[spoiler:Croix reveals her as the BigBad by manipulating Luna Nova's magical creatures into a mass strike, crippling the school and effectively allowing her to take control with her machines. Also, Ursula [[TheReveal tells the true nature of the Shiny Rod and Grand Triskelion]] to Akko.]]
** "Cavendish": [[spoiler:Diana drops out of Luna Nova in order to stop her aunt from destroying her family's name, forfeiting her claim to the Moonlight Witch title and leaving the title's future uncertain.]]
** "Things We Said Today" basically turns the entire series on its head. [[spoiler:Shiny Chariot's magical show, the thing that made Akko want to be a witch in the first place, was also the reason why she is unable to perform magic properly. Croix tricked Chariot into absorbing the magic potential from her audience in order to use it as magical fuel to save the magic world, but this backfired and, for reasons yet unexplained, Chariot blew up the moon's surface. Croix then [[LaserGuidedAmnesia wiped the audience's minds]] and Chariot assumed the identity of the meek Professor Ursula to atone for what she'd done. If all that wasn't enough, Croix is about to get a war started for the sole purpose of harvesting anger from the people and using it as magical fuel of the Noir Rod, basically repeating what Chariot did 10 years before, but with much harsher consequences. Akko, who idolized both Chariot/Ursula and Croix before learning all this, [[BreakTheCutie takes it about as well as the audience]].]]
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: What happened to the giant squirrel in "Bee Affection"?
* WhenThePlanetsAlign: A ceremony to crown the head of the Cavendishes and grant her access to the family's ancestral magic can only occur during a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occultation lunar occultation of Venus]] (Venus passing behind the moon).
* TheWildHunt: The TV series' AffectionateParody version makes the Wild Hunt into a sports event, apparently the magical equivalent of the Super Bowl. The hunters ride around on wolves destroying "ghosts," i.e. vaguely human-shaped blobs of unclear origin. None of the main characters is officially part of the Hunt, but Constanze and Akko help attack the phantoms with the former's {{magitek}} airship, while Croix sneakily boosts the enemies' power with her own technology.
* WizardsLiveLonger: The witches are implied to live very long lives. After relatively normal schooling in their teens, they can live hundreds of years. Headmistress Holbrooke looks like she's in her early 50s at most and is well over 200 years old—one hint of this is that her late father ([[spoiler:whom Akko and her friends accidentally bring BackFromTheDead]]) was buried in what looks like a bright red, Napoleonic-era military uniform.
* WombLevel: The climax of "Samhain Magic Festival" takes place in the belly of Vajarois after Akko, Lotte, and Sucy are SwallowedWhole.
* WordsCanBreakMyBones: The seven Arcturus words, when spoken by a wielder of the Shiny Rod, can undo the seal on the Grand Triskelion.
* WorldTree: Yggdrasil is the source of all magic fueled by people's [[ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve belief]]. It thrived in [[TheTimeOfMyths the Golden Age of Magic]] but has largely disappeared in the Modern Era. [[spoiler:In the GrandFinale, Akko and Diana using the World Reconstruction Magic to destroy the Noir Fuel Spirit Missile, combined with their inspiring people around the globe with the act, is implied to have revived it.]]
* YouAreNotAlone: [[spoiler:The elusive seventh and final word to awaken Claíomh Solais is found by realizing this. Chariot ''and'' Croix never found it because they thought obtaining the World Reconstruction Magic was something to be done on their own, but when Akko has the humility to admit it was help and inspiration from others that made her stronger, she is acknowledged by the Grand Triskelion and given the magic. After all, [[AnAesop one person can't change the world. They can only inspire the world to change]].]]
* YourPrincessIsInAnotherCastle: "A Road to Arcturus" ends with [[spoiler:Croix surrendering and Akko finding the seventh word and discovering the restoration magic]]. However, there's the looming threat of a [[spoiler:{{Magitek}} nuke]].
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