History Main / MageKiller

* ''LightNovel/ACertainMagicalIndex'' basically revolves around this trope: Touma has the "Imagine Breaker", both a PowerNullifier and an AntiMagic, which he uses in one way: fist to face. The magicians of the story consider him to be TheDreaded, though in later installments they start to wise up and use more conventional weaponry against him (like guns), which he has no defense against.

** [[GeodesicCast Each of the titular houses]] from ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses'' features one character who is physically inclined but also has high magical resistance, so spells often do little to no damage to them, while they use their weapons to cut the lightly armored mages with low physical defense to pieces. Special notice goes to Ingrid, whose class and abilities lead her towards the aforementioned Pegasus Knight class and its upgrade, the Falcon Knight. As a result she can be used to fly around the battlefield, bypassing natural obstacles, and has enough movement to pick off mages and then retreat to relative safety from nearby enemy units.
** The Golden Deer get Marianne, a CombatMedic who’s stat growths and skills make her a caster that specializes at killing other casters. To elaborate, Marianne has BOTH a high magic attack and magic defense. This allows her to equip swords that proc off magic attack including [[spoiler: her crest relic]]. She gains Silence from her C support. Lastly, her stats make her a natural fit for the DLC Dark Flier class, a magic based counterpart to the Pegasus Knight. Needless to say, she makes the final act of the Blue Lions route much easier if recruited.

* In ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars'', Cad Bane claims to specialise in hunting Jedi, and carries a wide variety of equipment designed specifically for counteracting them, such as [[DepletedPhlebotinumShells cortosis]] bullets that short out lightsabers, jet boots to prevent him from being Force-thrown, sniper rifles for taking Jedi down from afar, and probably many others. He relies just as much on strategy to get the job done-- endangering innocents is probably his favorite tactic, as it takes advantage of his foes' natural altruism to unbalance them in a fight. He prepares himself for Sith, or at least Jedi who are slipping to the Dark Side, as well. For example, he has artificial breathing tubes that kick in if somebody uses the Force to choke him.

Mages (or other superpowered beings) get a big advantage against {{muggle}}s. Even the most trained fighter can be killed or incapacitated by a single spell (or superpower). Thus, to deal with mages you need these guys.

* ''VideoGame/BaldursGate2'' has 'Inquisitor' kit for Paladins and 'Wizard Slayer' kit for Fighters. The Inquisitor gets immunity to charm and hold, and the ability to use Dispel Magic and True Sight multiple times per day at double power in return for losing the paladin's (already very limited) spellcasting ability, and is a borderline GameBreaker. The Wizard Slayer gets a very low (1% per level; max fighter level is 20) magic resistance and chance of making mages miscast magic by hitting them in return for not being able to use magic items at all, apart from weapons and armor (and, following a patch, potions). To say it is ''not'' a Game Breaker would be something of an understatement.
** The miscast is automatic with any hit from any class (even a resisted magic missile causes miscasts); that's inherent to the rules of AD&D, where spellcasters always miscast if hit, no matter what.

** Ninjas in the [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyTactics original]]. Their Double Attack and High Strength will One-Round Mage Classes far more often than not.

** Blanks, humans with a negative warp presence. They are very unsettling to be around, and can hamper psychic powers and warp-based entities within their vicinity. Assassins from the Culexus Temple [[UpToEleven undermine basic human psychology, require an enormous exertion of will to even fire on, and wear devices that store and feedback warp energy, independently, for every single psyker present, with NO limit]]. Oh, they're also completely invisible to purely psychic beings like Daemons.

Mages (or other superpowered beings) get a big advantage against {{muggle}}s. Even the most trained fighter can be killed or incapacitated by a single spell. Thus, to deal with mages you need these guys.

** ''[[Franchise/StarWarsTheHighRepublic The High Republic]]'' has the Great Leveler, an [[AnimalisticAbomination enigmatic creature]] weaponized by the Nihil that can [[MindRape psychically assault]] a Jedi through the Force and severing their connection to it, either [[DespairEventHorizon traumatizing them]] at best or turning them into a [[TakenForGranite brittle petrified husk]] at worst.

* Every character in ''Anime/WitchHunterRobin'', with a couple of caveats. Only [[WitchSpecies witches]] can naturally resist each other's powers; blocking attacks and GeoEffects are perhaps the only abilities shared by all witches other than having a special ability. This is how Robin and Karasuma [[HunterOfHisOwnKind fight other witches]]. The rest of the human cast has to make do with wearing vials of Orbo and using [[WeaponizedWeakness bullets filled with the stuff]], which naturally cancels witch powers and weakens them on contact.

** The [[UnevenHybrid Breton]] race is renowned not only for their own [[WitchSpecies inherent magical abilities]], but for the AntiMagic traits the [[BreedingSlave elven blood flowing through their veins]] gives them. They are extremely magic-resistant, bordering on immunity with their racial power. They are especially strong against the [[OurElvesAreDifferent Altmer (High Elves)]], who bias towards Destruction magic. While they [[SquishyWizard lack the physical durability]] of their [[HumansAreWarriors fellow races of Men]], Bretons are the bane of opposing mages everywhere.

** Any warrior [[GenderRestrictedGear woman]] carrying Need becomes this, not just Kero. In the ''Oathbound'' books, the few times Tarma takes Need up, even the most powerful mages have no defense or recourse against her. Then in the ''Mage Winds'' books Need wakes up and reveals that she's an ancient mage of unusual skill, who can take attacks from the BigBad and transmute their energy to use for her own purposes.

* In the ''Literature/HeraldsOfValdemar'' series, true magic was almost completely forgotten in Valdemar for generations until an enemy country began fielding mages against them. Because it's such an OutsideContextProblem, they struggle to defend themselves against magic, and the average Valdemaran citizen views magic and mages as a terrifying and nigh-unbeatable threat. Enter Kerowyn and her mercenary company, the Skybolts, who are well-versed in dealing with magic - Kero herself is the granddaughter of a powerful mage - and astonish the Valdemarans with how casual they are about the prospect of fighting and killing mages.

** A particularly {{Jerkass}} example is Baral, a KnightTemplar from Kaladesh who [[FantasticRacism hates all mages]] [[note]] on Kaladesh, any form of magic other than Artifact-based is so rare most people don't even know it ''exists'' [[/note]], and uses AntiMagic to hunt them.%%This guy is the reason Chandra's [[TraumaticSuperPowerAwakening spark ignited]] when she was only [[WouldHurtAChild ten]].%%Which is relevant to this trope because...?

See also CapeBusters, for the anti-superpower (rather than anti-magic) version, DemonSlaying for someone who hunts demons instead of mages, and MugglesDoItBetter, which is about technology beating out magic. Contast WeakToMagic.

* The Mesmer in ''VideoGame/GuildWars'' is often played in such a role by interrupting an enemies spells or draining them of the energy needed to cast spells.

* In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTacticsAdvance'', the [[KnightTemplar Templar]] class, unique to the very non-magical Bangaa, specializes in killing mages, with abilities such as [[StandardStatusEffects Silence]], [[ManaBurn Soul Sphere]], and high attack and magic resistance.

** In ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIDaggerfall Daggerfall]]'', this is a trait of the Daedroths, a [[NeverSmileAtACrocodile crocodilian]] form of [[OurDemonsAreDifferent lesser Daedra]]. They are capable of casting a [[AntiMagic Magic Shield]] spell and a [[StandardStatusEffects Silence]] spell, making them extremely tough opponents for magic oriented players.

-->When someone managed to find a Skybolt who knew either trade-tongue or had a sketchy grasp of Valdemaran, and managed to ask through a medium of painfully slow pantomime anout fighting against mages, the answer always surprised the questioner, for it was invariably a shrug, and a reply of, "they die."

* ''[[TabletopGame/IronKingdoms Warmachine]]'' has the Mage Hunters of Ios, a group of elves specializing in assassinating enemy magic users. Most of them don't actually have anti-magic powers, but they are highly trained to fight against mages.
* ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'':
** Blanks, humans with a negative warp presence. They are very unsettling to be around, and can hamper psychic powers and warp-based entities within their vicinity. Assassins from the Culexus Temple [[UpToEleven undermine basic human psychology, require an enormous exertion of will to even fire on, and wear devices that store and feedback warp energy, independently, for every single psyker present, with NO limit]]. Oh, they're also completely invisible to purely psychic beings like Daemons.
** The Sisters of Silence are an ancient, [[AmazonBrigade all female]] order of Blanks whose role is to eliminate the greatest psychic threats that the Imperium faces. The Null-Maidens of the Silent Sisterhood are highly trained in the elimination of those who use PsychicPowers and are equipped with special anti-psyker weaponry. The 8th Edition rules represent this specialisation by giving every Sister of Silence psyk-out grenades (which have a chance of dealing [[UnblockableAttack mortal wounds]] against psykers and Daemons) and the 'Witch Hunters' special rule (allowing them to re-roll wound rolls against psykers they are fighting). The rank and file Prosecutor Sisters are also able to ignore the usual targeting restrictions when firing at psychic characters.
** Daemons and mortal champions of Khorne are often blessed by their patron with resistance or immunity to psychic powers, as Khorne loathes sorcery; Flesh Hounds (daemonic beasts of Khorne) always wear collars blessed this way, and Khorne often sends them to hunt for psykers.
** The Tyranids specifically engineered Hive Fleet Kronos to hunt down and destroy the forces of Chaos, as they tend to corrupt biomatter into a state that cannot be consumed and daemons are completely inedible. Kronos specializes in amplifying the Tyranids' "shadow in the warp" to suppress warp magics and banish Chaos daemons, and they also fight at extremely long range with artillery bioforms to destroy Chaos forces at a safe distance from their corrupting effects and deadly close-range combat abilities.

** D&D 3.5 has a few prestige classes suited to this: such as the Occult Slayer who can reflect {{Projectile Spell}}s back at the caster and has several abilities to protect against magic, or the Suel Archanamach, which is more like a special policeman who uses his limited AntiMagic spellcasting power and martial prowess to keep mages in line.

** The ordinary Monk, with his high saving throws, focus on dodging over armor (in a game where spells ignore armor), and Stunning abilities that require physical toughness to resist, is something of a StoneWall variant of this, if not in intention or spirit.
*** The Arcanopath Monk prestige class, on the other hand, is this in effect AND intention, recieving a host of abilities allowing them to deflect and reflect spells, as well as punching the mage in question so hard they forget how to cast spells at all.

** ''TabletopGame/AlQadim'' has Spellslayers with spell-like abilities, one of which temporarily disrupts wizards' spellcasting capability.
** The 5th edition Mage Slayer feat gives a character advantage on saves against spells cast by an adjacent spellcaster, and lets them use their reaction to attack when that adjacent caster casts a spell. It also makes it easier for the character’s attacks to disrupt a spellcaster’s concentration.
* The Banishers of ''TabletopGame/MageTheAwakening'' are mage killers who are, irony of ironies, also mages. Difference is, while most mages consider their Awakenings a wonderful trip to the higher realms of experience, they considered it a ticket to hell and a mark of damnation. So they try to make up for it by using their magic to kill other mages, usually in ways that involve polluting and tainting the magic of others.

** The Technocratic Union in ''TabletopGame/MageTheAscension'' started out as the Order of Reason, fighting their fellow mages who had gone SorcerousOverlord. In the Victorian era, they reformed into what they are now, and though they continue hunting "Reality Deviants", they now indoctrinate the lower ranks into thinking their "hypertech" is superscience rather than MagicPoweredPseudoScience.
* ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'' has more than one creature that gains strength based on spells cast by your opponent. One flavor text, on [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=175006 Manaplasm]], a creature that gains strength equal to the converted mana cost for all spells cast that turn, sums this trope up succinctly.
-->Urak froze when he heard it. That was his first mistake. He turned and cast a dramatic ward spell. That was his last.
** A particularly {{Jerkass}} example is Baral, a KnightTemplar from Kaladesh who [[FantasticRacism hates all mages]] [[note]] on Kaladesh, any form of magic other than Artifact-based is so rare most people don't even know it ''exists'' [[/note]], and uses AntiMagic to hunt them. This guy is the reason Chandra's [[TraumaticSuperPowerAwakening spark ignited]] when she was only ''[[WouldHurtAChild ten]]''
* According to the "Worlds of Freedom" sourcebook for the ''TabletopGame/MutantsAndMasterminds'' setting ''TabletopGame/FreedomCity'', one of the GoldenAge superheroes who operated out of Freedom City was The Mysterious Madame Radium, whose power over radiation allowed her to shut down any superpowers that stemmed from a genetic basis. After being brought to Erde (aka "the requisite ParallelUniverse where the Nazis won UsefulNotes/WorldWarII"), she finds this ability very handy, as the bulk of the Nazi's super-soldiers are natural-born or artificially created mutants.
* In ''TabletopGame/{{Ironclaw}}'' 1st edition's Witch Hunters are {{Bounty Hunter}}s who specialize in hunting mages, and often have a secondary career as some sort of mage themselves (no religious affiliation necessarily). While Witch Finders in 2nd edition are thaumaturgists, a school of magic that focuses on countering and reflecting other spells in combat, and who have melee combat and searching skills.
* In ''TabletopGame/{{Shadowrun}}'', character builds designed ''specifically'' to be Mage Killers are usually themself mages, as having a Magic Stat is necessary to take the [[AntiMagic Counterspell skill]]. Other good ways of hunting mages include using drones (cannot be seen with AuraVision), sniper overwatch (magic requires line-of-sight, and pinpointing a sniper from three rooftops away is hard), or just making sure that ''[[TheresNoKillLikeOverkill everyone]]'' [[TheresNoKillLikeOverkill in the team knows]] the well-known InUniverse phrase [[ShootTheMageFirst "Geek the mage first!"]]
* ''TabletopGame/{{Talislanta}}'' has the Xambrian Wizard Hunters. In the distant past, the Torquaran Wizards committed genocide against the peaceful Xambrians. The remaining descendants of the Xambrians have sworn an oath to seek out the reincarnated wizards in order to destroy them.

* ''VideoGame/AdventureQuestWorlds'' has The Inquisitors, an order that hunts down mages.
** There is also The Paladin Slayer Class which slays paladins and the class is obtained only by buying [[http://cms.battleon.com/aqw/images/AQWorlds-CardGame-ModPack.jpg The AQW Card game: Chaos and Doomwood Expansion Packs]]

* The Spell Breakers and Faerie Dragons in ''VideoGame/WarcraftIII''.
** Felhunters in ''VideoGame/{{Warcraft}}'' are demonic beasts that feed on magic and hunt magic users. They are highly resistant to spells and can drain a mages mana and prevent his spellcasting.

* In ''VideoGame/HeroesOfTheStorm'' some of the ''Assassin'' heroes qualify, due to mage heroes in the game being {{Squishy Wizard}}s:

* From ''VideoGame/DefenseOfTheAncients'' and ''VideoGame/Dota2'':

* ''TabletopGame/{{Talislanta}}'' has the Xambrian Wizard Hunters. In the distant past, the Torquaran Wizards committed genocide against the peaceful Xambrians. The remaining descendants of the Xambrians seek out the reincarnated wizards in order to destroy them.

** Yet ''another'' good Mage Killer is Lucifer The Doom. He has high hp, which while lowered in use against physical damage thanks to his low armor, doesn't affect it's ability to absorb magical attacks. His ultimate ''Doom'' shuts down both spells and items, which often are other spells that could otherwise be used. After he has nullified everything a caster has in their aresenal, he just [[BoringYetPractical walks up to them and beats them to death with his burning sword]].

[[folder:Fan Fiction]]

** The {{Franchise/Nasuverse}} also features the Black Barrel, a Conceptual Weapon which annihilates any magic it shoots. The more magic someone (or something) has, the more powerful the Black Barrel becomes, to the point that it can OneHitKill ''[[EldritchAbomination the Ultimate Ones]]''. Also, it can only be used by an ordinary, non-magical human being, making it the ultimate weapon for a Mage Killer. Problem is, in every story except ''Literature/AngelNotes'' (which takes place in the far distant future), the thing's been lost for ages, though (much less powerful) replicas of it will pop up here and there.

* In ''VideoGame/HeroesOfTheStorm'' some of the ''Assassin'' heroes qualify, due to mage heroes in the game being [[Main/SquishyWizard Squishy Wizards]]:

** Magina the Anti-Mage. While he can be and often is built simply as a DPS machine, his passive ManaBurn attack bonus, added resistance to magic damage, and ability to damage a target based on its lack of mana all point to this trope. In Dota 2, his backstory and voice responses also reveal that he's a WitchHunter of the FantasticRacism variety (whether he really uses modified "techniques" that he learned from his old masters to supplement his mage-killing power, or if he's just a straight-up hypocrite, remains unclear). His backstory even states that after an undead army wiped out the monastery that he lived in, he "[swore] to obliterate not only the Dead God's magic users--but to put an end to magic altogether."

* ''VideoGame/BaldursGate 2'' has 'Inquisitor' kit for Paladins and 'Wizard Slayer' kit for Fighters. The Inquisitor gets immunity to charm and hold, and the ability to use Dispel Magic and True Sight multiple times per day at double power in return for losing the paladin's (already very limited) spellcasting ability, and is a borderline GameBreaker. The Wizard Slayer gets a very low (1% per level; max fighter level is 20) magic resistance and chance of making mages miscast magic by hitting them in return for not being able to use magic items at all, apart from weapons and armor (and, following a patch, potions). To say it is ''not'' a Game Breaker would be something of an understatement.