Mashle: Magic And Muscles, with its catchy opening and its comical characters, is one anime the world isn't missing out on. What's not to like about a guy with a mushroom cut, and absolutely no magical powers, somehow getting his way into the Magic Realm's greatest, most prestigious magic academy?
Mash Burnedead is an unlucky guy. In a world where everything is defined by a person's affinity for magic, he's born devoid of any. This led to him being abandoned as a child, only to be adopted by Regro Burnedead, who himself wasn't the strongest of magicians and could sympathize with Mash's situation. Unfortunately for him, but fortunately for the fans, the most comically unexpected events land Mash deep in enemy territory: the central hub for all things magic, Easton Magic Academy. Despite the anime's comical setting, this school is very distinguished, and it takes its academic aspects very seriously. That's why Mashle: Magic And Muscles has no shortage of smart characters.
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Warning! Spoilers ahead.
5 Wahlberg Baigan
An Old, Wise Man with a Long Beard
Wahlberg Baigan shows his intellectual acumen throughout the series. He's very observant, and takes a liking to Mash because of his straightforward moral compass. Throughout the series, he places his bets on Mash in the hopes of shaping him up to be the first non-magician to become a Divine Visionary, thus working to diminish discrimination against those without magic. Wahlberg isn't impulsive either. When Mash's identity as a non-magician is revealed, he suggests postponing his sentencing to bring out Innocent Zero. He recognizes that openly opposing the verdict might do more harm than good.
Wahlberg is essentially the Dumbledore of Mashle: Magic and Muscles, with his wisdom, wit, and ultra-superior magical prowess. Wahlberg is also one of the biggest defenders of justice in the Mashle world, and isn't scared to use his authority to protect that. His age, combined with his experience as the headmaster of Easton Magic Academy, show how smart he is.
4 Cell War
Clever, Unhinged, and Cruel
Cell War is a part of Innocent Zero, one of the latecomers of the series. He is not the most pleasant person, given his role as a primary antagonist in some of the major story arcs. He is a master manipulator, and many of the confrontational events in the latter half of the first season stem from his schemes.
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Cell War's sadistic and violent tendencies come out when he reveals himself to have 'sponsored' all of Abel Walker's plans: the morally ambiguous puppeteering and the stealing of gold coins from Mash and Co. When Abel refuses to carry out his plans after getting properly acquainted with Mash, Cell War doesn't hesitate to dispose of him. In fact, he does this in the most malicious way — by making Abel choke himself.
3 Abel Walker
Ambitious, Strong, and Desperate for Power
Abel Walker is the prefect of the Lang dorm and is the leader of Magia Lupus, a power-hungry group of students who are willing to do anything to achieve the Divine Visionary status. Heading such an intense group of people is not an easy task, yet Abel, with his strength and intelligence, handles it with ease. Abel also has some questionable philosophies about humanity.
Abel's magical powers are among the greatest at the academy, and his combat intelligence is just as good. His fight against Mash is quite equal in the beginning, and he has a bunch of tricks and backup plans up his sleeve in case of a defeat. He has also used his ambition to his advantage by making Innocent Zero give him a third mark, which is extremely rare even in the Magic Realm.
2 Rayne Ames
A Strong, Smart Divine Visionary
Rayne is Adler's prefect, and is the newest Divine Visionary to come out of the Academy. Although Rayne makes his appearance relatively late in the series, glimpses of him are seen early on during his induction as the Divine Visionary. This establishes a somewhat mysterious aura around his character.
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He's a divine visionary at only 18 years old, and has worked his way from the bottom to attain his current status. His position demonstrates his intellectual capability. He's also unforgiving — even outright cruel — during battles. After his confrontation with Mash, he comes across Cell War disguised as an almost identical copy of Lance Crown. Despite that, Rayne realizes that he's not facing Lance, even tossing in a cheesy line about how everyone is guilty until proven innocent.
1 Mash Burnedead
Unrivaled in Battle, but Loses His Wits in Social Interactions
Mash Burnedead, the celebrated protagonist of Mashle, isn't exactly the sharpest tool in the shed. In fact, he's pretty dumb and timid when it comes to social interactions, and ends up putting himself in awkward situations with others. These moments set the stage for hilarious slapstick comedy sequences, establishing Mash as a slow kid.
Having said that, Mash's battle IQ is off the charts. For a person with no magic, he's strong and witty with his face-offs and finds the most absurd ways to fight himself to victory. And the funniest part is, he barely loses. Most of his ridiculous antics end up being smart in the long run. Every time he wins, he gets one step closer to being a Divine Visionary, which he is determined to achieve in order to live a peaceful life with his father.
Mashle: Magic And Muscles
- Release Date
- April 8, 2023
- Creator
- Hajime Kōmoto
- Studio
- A-1 Pictures
- Streaming Service(s)
- Crunchyroll