Fantasy anime have become quite popular in recent times, especially after the release of Demon Slayer, Jujutsu Kaisen, and the famous in the anime fandom Frieren: Beyond Journey's End. While Naruto and Dragon Ball Z built the foundation for it. A similar anime might have gone under the radar for many fans, especially on Crunchyroll, namely, Wistori: Wand and Sword

Wistoria: Wand and Sword, released in 2024 is a fantasy anime set in a world of magic. This year, Wistoria comes back on Crunchyroll for its second season in April. Being one of the highest-rated anime with 4.8 on Crunchyroll and 7.5 on IMDb, it has a fairly strong reception from the viewers.

Created by Namco Pictures and Actas, the anime is rich in animation, with a lush color palette and great action sequences, some of which were even the best of the year.

Wistoria started publication in the monthly Bessatsu Shonen Magazine in December 2020. Written by Fujino Omori, best known for his work on the also-successful Danmachi, or Is It Wrong To Try To Pick Up Girls In A Dungeon?. The manga is drawn by illustrator Toshi Aoi. The first season ended after adapting only twenty-one chapters, and the manga is already over sixty chapters. So there will be multiple seasons before it ends.

What Wistoria: Wand and Sword has for Otakus

Written by Fujino Omori, the creator of Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?, creates a surrounding inWistoria: Wand and Sword with his signature fantasy elements; dungeons, towering ambitions, and powerful female magical figures shaping the world around the protagonist. The series builds a layered fantasy setting where growth is earned through struggle rather than destiny.

This series could be a promising watch for Naruto fans for its similarity in the underdog struggles and the emotional drive in it. The character also carries some of the swordsmanship like Tanjiro from Demon Slayer.

There is also a striking resemblance between the name of the protagonist and his passion to be a mage with Will Byers from Stranger Things, for he was the underdog character too, until the final season, when he turns into a mage.

In terms of structure, the anime is closest to Black Clover. Both feature a magic academy and a protagonist born without magical ability. However, what sets Wistoria apart is that Will remains grounded in pure sword skill and effort unlike Asta, who eventually gains anti-magic powers that disrupt the system.

Ultimately, Wistoria: Wand and Sword blends Omori’s dungeon-fantasy style with a classic underdog academy arc, with a story of effort, determination, and proving one's worth without relying on inherited power.

Have you watched Wistoria: Wand and Sword? Let us know in the comments.

Written by

Sreelaxmi Nair

Edited by

Aliza Siddiqui