Mage

Mage
Japanese	魔 (ま) 法 (ほう) 使 (つか) い
Romaji	Mahōtsukai
Class Information
Combat Style	Magic
Affiliation	Continental Magic Association
Series Information
Manga Debut	Chapter 1 (Frieren)
Anime Debut	Episode 1 (Frieren)

Mages ｢魔 (ま) 法 (ほう) 使 (つか) い, Mahōtsukai^?｣ are the magic-wielding class in the world of Frieren: Beyond Journey's End.

Overview

Übel's unique ability to use the spells of mages she empathizes with as a result of her character.

Mages dedicate themselves to learning how to focus, control, and develop their mana in order to wield magic and cast spells. A mage's abilities vary based on their training and inner nature, but all rely on visualization. In order to successfully cast a spell, a mage must have knowledge of the spell via a grimoire or teacher, a strong image in mind of the spell's effect and outcome, and enough mana to cast it. Many mages are often seen using a staff when using magic, however, some spells can be cast without the assistance of one. While a mage's education can shape the magic they cast, their inner nature and mentality shapes each mage's unique strength, skill, abilities, limitations, and weaknesses with magic.

Mages are formally defined as the classes of individuals certified by the current Continental Magic Association. Subclasses are assigned to them based on their capabilities, with fifth-class mages generally being considered full-fledged mages. To receive certification, mages must pass a class exam.

Some towns have mages' guilds, which may serve as a congregation point for traveling mages to rest and distribute information.

Abilities

Humans

Human mages developing defense magic.

Human mages are known for their imagination and flexibility with magic.^{[citation needed]} In the mythical era, human mages were known for developing truly fantastical spells that did not rely on logic and understanding but perception, emotion, and faith, highlighting human imagination and ingenuity in the world of magic. For the variety of spells a human mage can learn and develop, most magical institutions practice what is called "basic magic", which has been developed and refined over decades of study. Most modern-day mages learn to sense the mana around them to detect the presence and power of other mages, suppress or conceal their mana to avoid mana detection, basic attack magic in the form of the Zoltraak spell, defensive magic via creating magical barriers to deflect physical and magical attacks, and flight magic which allows mages to float and soar through the sky.

The main limitation of human mages is their lifespan and the amount of mana they can achieve, as mana generally increases in proportion to the number of years trained. Certain spells and magic require an amount of time and study that surpass the ordinary human lifespan, and some mages can spend their entire lives pursuing a spell or branch of magic without reaching their goal. However, among human mages, there are unparalleled geniuses whose magic possesses extraordinary longevity and enduring potency, such as Flamme, who could surpass even modern magic despite being from a period a thousand years prior.

Elves

Great Mage Serie's accumulation of magic through her longevity as an elf.

Elven mages are known to be far stronger than human mages due to their great lifespans, which can reach several thousands of years, allowing them to develop an extensive arsenal of spells and a truly immense amount of mana, which they are easily capable of controlling. Known elf mages do not appear to use a separate magic system from humans and are capable of being taught spells from humans and interchangeably teach theirs to human students as well.^{[citation needed]} Some of the greatest mages are known to be elves and have contributed greatly to the development of magical knowledge and spells throughout the ages. However, elves do have limitations in their skills and capacity with certain magics. The stunted emotions of most elves and their tendency to rely heavily on logic limits their versatility. While the magic developed by elves is exceptional, it is often rooted in reason and analysis while human magic can be rooted in emotion, faith, and perception. Therefore, human magic may be difficult for most elven mages to learn, but not impossible.^{[citation needed]}

Demons

Demon mages are considered far stronger than average human mages and rival the strength of elven mages, typically requiring mages and warriors of immense skill and strength to defeat them. They naturally possess the ability to perceive and detect mana, and unlike human and elven mages, demons will often learn only one magical discipline. They will improve and master their specific magic and spells for the rest of their lives, which can last for centuries, therefore making them incredibly powerful at the cost of a lack of variety in their magic.

Flamme explains the mana-focused hierarchy of demons.

Demon society has a hierarchy established through mana, which creates a necessary tie between a demon's mana and the demon's status and pride. The magic a demon mage develops is unique and some demons, such as the Seven Sages of Destruction, utilize magic that is considered beyond human or elven comprehension and do not abide by the laws of nature due to the differences in human and demon physiology. This results in demon magic being considered a vastly different magic system compared to the ones used by humans and elves. However, with time, research and dedication, mages can learn certain aspects of demon magic in order to adopt or even counteract the spells used by demons, such as Frieren did with Aura the Guillotine's Auserlese spell. Flight magic, which humans only recently incorporated into their magic system, was reverse engineered from a magic that comes naturally to demon mages and is still not fully understood. Additionally, Zoltraak was originally a piercing spell, a killing magic developed by the Elder Sage of Corruption Qual. Through extensive human research, it was deciphered and integrated into basic mage training, alongside powerful defensive barrier magic designed to counteract it.

Frieren manages to dispel Aura's demon magic.

There do exist outliers among demon mages who are so skilled, they are capable of successfully incorporating human spells into their magic. Such demons include Macht and Solitär, a Sage of Destruction and a Greater Demon respectively, who were capable of using human spells like defensive barriers and Zoltraak.

Monsters

Monsters, which include demons, are capable of using curse magic, a unique type of magic that can sedate, petrify, or transform the state of living or nonliving matter, and humans have yet to learn their principles or how to lift them with human magic techniques. Thus, dealing with curses requires a Priest that can use the Goddess's Magic, and devout priests have a level of natural resistance to curses. Mages are unable to recognize or sense curses directly, however, they can be sensitive to the presence of one, which may result in side effects such as errors in mana detection.

Known Spells and Magic

Main article: Spells

CMA Classification

Within the mage class are various tiers of mages, which are bestowed through exams held by the Continental Magic Association. The tiers are, from lowest to highest, ninth to first-class.

First-class

The monstrous power of modern first-class mages.

Mages who have undergone and passed the perilous First-Class Mage Exam are granted the title of first-class mage. The exam itself has a high failure and mortality rate, and only a couple dozen first-class mage titles have been granted in the fifty years the Continental Magic Association has existed. Prior to the First-Class Mage Exam taken by Frieren and Fern, there were 45 first-class mages, and after the exam's conclusion, six more titles were granted, bumping the number up to 51 by the end of the exam.

Being granted first-class status comes with privileges many mages consider worth the risk. These include travel access to areas safeguarded by the association, resources and knowledge unavailable to the public, and a single spell of the mage's choosing, including lost and forgotten spells from the mythical era that modern mages could never hope to learn under normal circumstances. The last privilege is granted by the founder of the association, the Great Mage Serie, one of the oldest and most powerful mages in the world.

Second-class

A group of second-class mages, tasked by Lernen to perform a preliminary examination of the Golden Land.

Second-class mages undergo a second-class mage selection exam to obtain the title of second-class mage. Some of them attempt the First-Class Mage Exam to receive the privileges or prestige it encompasses. Many mages in this class are generally skillful and some specialize in particular niches of magic. A portion of these mages are colleagues in the Continental Magic Association and may be commanded by first-class mages. Many of them have prior combat experience, which might even exceed the experience of first-class mages. Others are more independent, but when requested, they may help out in specific missions. For example, second-class mage Edel supports first-class mage Lernen on a mission to investigate the Stone Bracelet of Servitude by accompanying him to the Golden Land, where she is able to read the memories of Macht.

Third-class

Not much is known about details surrounding third-class mages. Fern has maintained the title of the youngest mage to pass with the highest score on the third-class exam ever since she took it at the Holy City of Strahl before starting her journey with Frieren.

Fifth-class

Mages that become certified as fifth-class mages are considered full-fledged mages. This is the minimum required tier a mage must have before they can take the First-Class Mage Exam. Approximately six-hundred mages currently hold at least a fifth-class mage status.

Ninth to sixth-class

Ninth to sixth-class mages are generally considered in the apprentice stage. Approximately two-thousand mages currently hold at least a ninth-class mage status.

Known Mages

Great Mages

Frieren

Flamme

Serie

Minus

First Class

Fern

Übel

Land

Wirbel

Denken

Methode

Genau

Sense

Lernen

Falsch

Burg

Tau

Lineal

Genau's previous partner

Second Class

Ehre

Richter

Edel

Früh

Third Class

Kanne

Lawine

Scharf

Laufen

Magic Special Forces

Fräse

Kanone

Neu

Weg

Other/Unknown

Blei

Dünste

Ton

Länge

Demons

Qual

Aura

Lügner

Linie

Draht

Macht

Solitär

Schlacht

Grausam

Böse

Tot

Rivale