| Hard magic system- a firm set of rules/limitations which applies to all users of the magic. Good example is FMA. aside from any philosopher stone related powers. and if you've seen Avatar the Last Airbender thats another solid example. (not an anime tho?) Pls no one else say fullmetal alchemist lol. Also try to limit spoilers if possible |
| Obligatory Nen answer from hunter x hunter. |
| easy answer is Magi, I don't consider the fmab one to be magic, it's just scientific alchemy |
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PiyushSan said: Does Nen count as a magic system though? Well, op said alchemy from FMA so I didn't think it was limited to only magic because alchemy isn't really magic. Besides, magic anime usually don't really have a system. It's just spells and making things out of thin air without many rules. |
| Finally another Hard Magic System fan!! Tokyo Ghoul - very unique supernatural/biological twist that fits perfectly with a coming of age story, similarly to the flcl forehead mecha Nen from HxH - we all know why this one is so good. The consistent rules and limitations make for amazing fights Stands - not that amazing as a whole but every stand is a hard magic system in itself, and makes for amazingly creative fights. Quirks are good for the same reason but also with societal effect of the system on society ...not anime but Mistborn’s Allomancy involving metabolizing metal to unleash unique powers for each metal, and Hemallurgy, which lets you steal powers by piercing things with spikes to steal part of its soul, and Injecting the spikes into other people to give them that piece. Trion/Triggers - very hard in its implementation if you look at Border. You know almost all of the possible triggers, and exactly what they do. It’s so hard that it made World Trigger a sci-fi story (the difference between fantasy and sci-fi is purely cosmetic an thematic). It has a level of softness once the Neighbours come in, since we don’t understand them yet, and with Side effects practically being a magic system in themselves Catalano said: easy answer is Magi, I don't consider the fmab one to be magic, it's just scientific alchemy Magi is not a hard magic system. Well not that hard, it somewhere in the middle. The vessels and Djinn are strict rules, but what powers are possible is very Soft-Magic. We don’t know what Aladdin is capable of until we see it, and don’t know how much Alibaba can manipulate Amon until we see it. It’s really good though. And yeah, FMA is magic. You can't do that in real life so it's technically magic just with a different coat of paint. edit: merged posts |
BlossomBurstJun 16, 2021 8:07 AM
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| mmmmhhh not sure if it applies but somehow I think the "magic" system in the irregular at magic high school is quite fitting of a strict set of rules but it's not really magic, it's more like technology I guess |
| That definition is not entirely correct. Actually, it is: Hard magic systems follow specific rules, the magic is controlled and explained to the reader in the narrative detailing the mechanics behind the way the magic 'works', and can be used for building interesting worlds that revolve around the magic system. Emphasis on interesting, which invalidates basically everything that has been suggested in this thread so far. |
| Well I for one already loved Lain. |
| "Best Hard Magic Systems in anime?" The one from Mahou Sensei Negima. Not sure if it even has a name but it's quite complex and has different styles. Here some info - https://negima.fandom.com/wiki/Magic |
alshuJun 17, 2021 4:14 AM
Thigh_Tide said: That definition is not entirely correct. Actually, it is: Hard magic systems follow specific rules, the magic is controlled and explained to the reader in the narrative detailing the mechanics behind the way the magic 'works', and can be used for building interesting worlds that revolve around the magic system. Emphasis on interesting, which invalidates basically everything that has been suggested in this thread so far. calm down and go rate some more legendary shows a 1 |
| If we are talking hard magic systems, I would have to recommend Witch Hat Atelier. It uses glyphs for all of its magic, and the system is explained to the point that fans have managed to understand it to the point of making their own spells following the rules of the system. If you would like to see an explanation on how it works, the wiki goes extremely in depth. https://witch-hat-atelier.fandom.com/wiki/Magic |
| According to the Wiki of Toaru Majutsu no Index Magic is a complex system of arts, disciplines, and traditions that are firmly grounded in laws and knowledge that are wholly unknown and beyond the grasp of human sciences, which sought to manipulate and distort certain aspects of reality.  |
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| Nen - Hunter X Hunter: Here’s the real beauty of Nen in Hunter X Hunter: No matter how good you are with it, it’s never going to be a golden ticket to win every single battle in front of you. In fact, Nen is a reflection of its user and their flexibility in battle. That makes for more interesting battles that are rarely won by a huge margin in experience or power. Rather, it’s creativity and guts when used in conjunction with Nen and its various sub-systems that prove to be the key to victory in any encounter. Trion/Triggers: The power system is quite interesting for the series. Fighting series are defined and remembered by their power systems. World Trigger is no different. Jojo, One Piece, DBZ, and Hakusho are all examples of this done positively. Usually, most shonen series which involve abilities center around everyone having their unique ability, but that's not the case. The system is simple, but the way it's implemented makes it a great system as it still allows creativity but does away with individual gimmicks of one character having a silly overpowered ability, or powering up until he has one. World Trigger’s trion system resembles a video game in its use. The show places tangible importance on the skills of the individual user, how they use what they have, the situation they are in, and how they fight with those around them. This is what makes the battles truly exciting in World Trigger. They rely more on strategy and rarely if ever is there an outright power battle between two characters. It is enticing to see how each character uses the weapons along with their skills. And even if you're stronger, it's possible to lose in a way that's not an asspull designed just so the protagonist can win. Devil Fruits – One Piece: Speaking of bizarre, you don’t get much sillier than One Piece and the Devil Fruits. While ordinary people can train their minds and bodies to utilize Haki in that universe, Devil Fruits still reign supreme. They taste worse than my dad's cooking, their power is offset by a deadly allergy to the ocean and they’re got so much variety within them that the oceans of One Piece are crawling with pirates whose abilities border between mad and comical, as well as everything between. Quirks – My Hero Academia: Some people love it some people hate it though it can't be denied that MHA has a pretty good power system. Many an anime system has rules attached to their ideas behind power. Whether it’s a grounded approach to science, occult limits, or even internal factors, there’s always some limit to the variety of power on display. In My Hero Academia, that idea isn’t just thrown out of the window, it’s launched into space and easily achieves orbit. Stands – Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Needing a new system to gauge power within the mega-popular Jojo universe, creator and manga artist Hirohiko Araki came up with something utterly unique at the time: Stands! Essentially spiritual bodyguards, Stands evolved over the years to feature powers that were far beyond the perception of mortal man. Invisible to everyone but other Stand users, these spirits were the manifestations of ego and personality from their master as their powers grew wilder and more interesting with each chapter that they were introduced. Some Stands could stop time, others could heal anything they touched and even more mental abilities were revealed as this rock ‘n roll spirit grew in popularity. No single stand was invincible, but when their powers were used in unique ways? They were damn close to being unstoppable. The exercise routine – One Punch Man: ONE HUNDRED PUSH-UPS! ONE HUNDRED SIT-UPS! ONE HUNDRED SQUATS!!! AND A TEN-KILOMETER RUN!!! EVERY SINGLE DAY UNTIL YOUR HAIR FALLS OFF!!! Can’t argue with those results lol 🤣🤣 |
NineO7Apr 24, 2022 6:54 AM
ChikiRotta said: BlossomBurst said: Stands - not that amazing as a whole but every stand is a hard magic system in itself, and makes for amazingly creative fights. Quirks are good for the same reason but also with societal effect of the system on society Stands are most definitely not a hard magic system tho. Yes, they are (to varying degrees). Each stand has its own defined ruleset of things they can or cannot do, I.e. Stone Free can divide Jolyne into strings but only so much before it hurts her, Jailhouse Lock can impose a three-memory limit. Some stands have softer rulesets, like Star Platinum, since it's rules change twice (star finger and its lategame spoiler ability). As a system, Stands themselves have a decently hard ruleset, i.e. you get hurt where your stand does, they get weaker with range unless they're a Remote stand, etc. |
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| I see that technology vs magic is a hot topic here. I like the philosophy that they are one and the same, and in stories where there is no technological element, science has just not progressed far enough to understand how living creatures evolved to use certain laws of physics of the world. For example I like the way Mahouka Koukou explored the symbiosis of the technological aspect of it, even if the rules in general didn't need to be very consistent otherwise. As for what I could count as "hard magic", I'm a bit conflicted about one aspect of it. Namely, whether there needs to exist a source for the energy used for magic. I liked the twist in the end of the first FMA adaptation (which didn't follow the source in the end as it wasn't finished), where the energy was harnessed from a parallel universe, which is the logic used in various sci-fi movies and series over the years as well. |
| My personal favorite is Nen from Hunter x Hunter. The core idea of it is relatively simple, but there's enough complexity to it that it allows for near limitless possibilities while always maintaining a firm grounding to its core rules (which is an area most shonen magic systems slip up in). When it comes to showcasing a great example of a clear-cut hard magic in anime—right next to FMA—is Death Note. |
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OGesus said: Best Hard Magic Systems in anime? I agree with @TangAce "The Irregular at Magic High School' is basically the fucking poster child for a hard magic system. The Lore in this universe treats magic less like mysticism and more like applied physics. Every spell runs on defined calculations, energy conversions, and hardware limitations. Even the most overpowered characters still have to play by the same fucking rulebook. They just understand the system better than everyone else. lol |
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