Mana

Mana
Japanese	魔（マナ）
Rōmaji	Mana
Official English	Mana (VIZ, Funimation)

Mana 「魔（マナ）」 is a form of energy that exists in nature and within people. It is the source of all magic spells.

Overview

Flow of mana.

Mana is an important aspect of every mage that has ever lived, as it is their source of magic power 「魔力 maryoku」, which is used to activate various magic spells. This energy is naturally existing and flowing in the environment and within everyone. Due to this, it is common knowledge that everyone is able to use magic to some extent. Individuals born with strong affinity for mana and with exceptional magic power are said to be "loved by mana". At the same time, people who do not possess any mana and are unable to use magic at all are an extremly rare occurrence and are said to be "hated by mana".

Furthermore, when someone uses all of their mana, it could cause them severe exhaustion, render them unconscious, and, in extreme cases, lead to death.

In nature, the density of mana can be different from place to place. Usually, a location with high mana density would have a penchant for having a distorted environment. One example of such place is a dungeon where strange creatures and gravitational forces could occur within it.

Moreover, mana can also be used as materials to mold objects, such as using it to create a huge door within a dungeon.

Magic Forms

For a full list of known magic forms, see Category:Magic.

When mana is used to cast a spell, the spell can be categorized as one of a number of different forms 「形態 keitai」 of magic. The classification is dependent on the spells nature.

For example, a spell that can repair physical damage and/or relieve exhaustion is classified as Healing Magic. Another example would be Curse Magic, a magic form that has long-term disadvantageous effects on the victim.

Attribute Affinity

For a full list of known magic attributes, see Category:Magic Attribute.

Unlike mana that exists in nature, the mana that is situated within mages has a specific nature to it, known as attributes 「属性 zokusei」. These attributes are one of the aspects that differentiate one mage from another.

The attribute that a mage possesses is the one that they are born with.

Mana attributes.

There are four major elements 「四大元素 yondaigenso」 in the world: fire, water, wind, and earth. All other magical attributes are derived from these four. For example, Smoke Magic is a branch of the wind attribute, and ice from the water attribute.

Some magic attributes are very common, such as fire and water, whereas some other magic attributes are exceptionally rare, such as light and space.

A mage can only have one magical attribute, and are unable to use magic of any other nature. For example, a mage who was born with the attribute of fire magic is unable to use spells from other types of magic, such as wind or water.

While the average mage cannot use multiple attributes, there is nothing stopping them from using their own attribute to preform different forms of magic, such as wind-based Creation Magic or fire-based Healing Magic. The average mage normally only uses one or two forms of magic, but incredibly powerful mages can use multiple magic forms without a problem.

Furthermore, mages can have different latent abilities corresponding to the element that their attribute is derived from. One example would be mages with an affinity towards wind-based elements having the latent ability of mana sensory. This resulted from those mages having a higher sensitivity towards the flow of mana.

Dual Affinity

While the average person can only have one attribute, someone who is born a hybrid of two different races could be born with a second magic attribute, more commonly referred to as a dual affinity. An example of this is Charmy Pappitson, a dwarf-human hybrid who possesses a dual affinity for Cotton Magic and Food Magic.

On unique occasions, it has been proven through scientific endeavor that a mage could be artificially enhanced to possess more than one attribute. Successful byproducts of this experiment are Mars and Fana, who share a dual affinity for Crystal Magic and Fire Magic.

Heredity

The magic form and magic attribute that a mage utilizes tends to be heavily influenced by that of their parents. Examples of this include:

• Zara Ideale used fire attribute Trap Magic, while his son, Zora Ideale, uses ash attribute Trap Magic.
• Acier Silva used Steel Magic to create a suit of magic armor for herself, while her son, Nozel Silva, uses a liquid metal magic attribute, and her daughter, Noelle Silva, creates a suit of magic armor out of Water Magic.
• Yuno, the human vessel for the reincarnation of the child of the Sword Magic user, Licht, and the Wind Magic user, Tetia, uses his Wind Magic to create a sword.

Grimoires

Upon turning the age of fifteen years old, mages can attend an annual ceremony where they receive a special book, known as a grimoire. This book enhances the user's magical abilities and gives them the ability to cast specific spells that are far in advance to their own natural magical abilities. At first, a grimoire is mostly empty, but as the user grows as a person, new spells are inscribed on the blank pages.

Spells

For a full list of known magic spells, see Category:Spells.

A magic spell is the use of magic to give the user mana attribute a specific shape and, in some cases, give the mana special properties and abilities. Once a mage has their grimoire, they are able to cast specific spells at an advanced level that they would not be able to achieve otherwise. When a grimoire owner grows as a person, new spells are inscribed within the grimoire.

There are three ways that a mage can develop their magical abilities; natural talent, hard work, and/or experiencing a life-or-death situation.

When a new spell appears, it corresponds to the situation that caused the mage's character development. For example, Gauche Adlai acquired a new spell that allows him to make duplicates of other people after he learns to trust someone after years of only having faith in himself.

The names and nature of a mage's spells often follow a theme. For example, Magna Swing uses spells that bear a strong likeness to baseball.

Magic Tools

Magic tools are objects infused with magic in order to preform specific functions. Often they are used to lessen the amount of magic power expended, like the simple flight of brooms, or to utilize forms of magic outside of some mages' skills, like Communication Magic or Healing Magic.

Significance

Mages who possess an enormous amount of mana.

The amount of mana that a mage possess within them has huge significance. It is because the fundamental strength of a mage is measured through it. When a mage possesses a high amount of mana, any tasks which involve the use of magic would become easier. Additionally, mages with a high amount of mana have a higher chance accessing high-level magic spells rather than mages with a low amount of mana.

Learning to control the mana within them is an important lesson for every mage. It is because mana control is the second parameter that is used to measure the strength of a mage. Even if a mage possesses a high amount of mana, the mage would be considered weak if they lack control over it. An example would be Noelle Silva who is considered a "defect" by her family because she was unable to properly control her mana even though she possesses an above average amount of it.

Hierarchy

Mages born of noble lineage are very likely to possess a very high level of magic power, while mages born of commoner lineage are likely to possess low magic power. This is due to magic being a hereditary trait. It is not an absolute rule, however, as even a noble born from two powerful mages could be born with little magic power and a commoner born from two weak mages could be born with high magic power.

One's level of magical abilities can often, but not always, cause them to receive treatment that is in opposition with their birth status. A noble with poor magical abilities could be looked down on, while a commoner with high level magic could be admired.

Magic Stages

A mage's magical power and skill can be ranked on a ten-level scale, referred to as Magic Stages 「魔導階域 Madō-kaiiki」, with Stage Zero being the highest and Stage Nine the lowest. The idea behind Magic Stages is that a single high-level mage is worth more on the battlefield than many low-level mages.

Mages with magic that defies standard conventions, such as Secre's corrupted Sealing Magic and Asta's Anti Magic, are considered Arcane Stage 「冥域 Meiiki」.

This system of measurement was initially used by the Heart Kingdom exclusively; however, 6 months after the formation the Clover-Heart alliance, the usage of Magic Stages has been adopted by Clover Kingdom's Magic Knights as well. The Spade Kingdom's Dark Triad also use this Stage system.

Trivia

• The appearance of mana as birds highly resembles the concept of rukh from the Magi series.