Harry Potter is, in a lot of ways, already an anime: a boarding school, houses that hate each other, a rival in green, and an outsider who turns out to be the most important person there. Anime has been telling that story for years. Here are eight magic school anime worth your time, and who each one is for.

8 magic school anime like Harry Potter

1. Little Witch Academia (2017)

Akko Kagari has no magical family and very little talent, but she idolizes the witch Shiny Chariot and enrolls at Luna Nova Magical Academy anyway. It is the purest Hogwarts feeling in anime: a traditional school, stuffy teachers, a rich rival who looks down on her, and a lot of heart. For: anyone who loved the first three books most.

2. Mashle: Magic and Muscles (2023)

In a world where magic decides everything, Mash Burnedead was born with none, so he enrolls at Easton Magic Academy and solves every problem by being absurdly strong. Easton has houses (Adler, Orca and Lang), a ranking system, and a lot of jokes at the magic school genre's expense. For: fans who want the house rivalry and a laugh.

3. Wistoria: Wand and Sword (2024)

Will Serfort cannot cast magic at a school where magic is everything, so he fights with a sword instead, all to keep a promise to his childhood friend. The setting is Regarden Magical Academy, and the tone is a straight-faced underdog story. For:fans of Harry's years of being underestimated.

4. The Irregular at Magic High School (2014)

Tatsuya Shiba and his sister Miyuki enroll at a magic high school that splits its students into an elite first course and a second course everyone looks down on. Tatsuya is in the second course, and far stronger than anyone knows. For: fans who liked the politics of Hogwarts more than the classes.

5. Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun (2019)

Iruma Suzuki is a human boy handed over to a demon, who adopts him and enrolls him at Babyls, a school for demons, where he has to hide that he is human. Warm, funny and full of school events. For:younger viewers, and anyone who liked Hogwarts' feasts and festivals more than its dark lords.

6. The Misfit of Demon King Academy (2020)

Anos Voldigoad, a demon king reincarnated two thousand years after his death, enrolls at the academy meant to find his successor, and is rated a misfit. Overpowered, smug and very fun. For: anyone who always wanted the Slytherin to win.

7. The Ancient Magus' Bride (2017)

Chise Hatori, a lonely girl with a rare gift, is taken in as apprentice to Elias Ainsworth, a mage with a skull for a head. It is folklore, grief and slow-burn tenderness, and its second season moves to the College, a school for magic users. For: adults who want the magic without the school comedy.

8. Akashic Records of Bastard Magic Instructor (2017)

Glenn Radars is a lazy, rude substitute teacher at Alzano Imperial Magic Academy who turns out to be hiding a dangerous past. It is the school from the teachers' side, with a lot of action. For: anyone whose favorite character was a professor.

Match it to what you loved in Harry Potter

Here because of Malfoid?

The internet's gender-swapped Draco is the same instinct: drop a Hogwarts rival into an anime school story and see what happens. Read what Malfoid is and where it came from.

Where to watch them

Streaming rights for anime change hands often, so check a legal service before you start; our guide to where to watch anime free and legally covers the free, ad-supported options. And if you love the tropes but want something you can finish tonight, magic academies, secret heirs and rival romances are all over short dramas, told one minute at a time. Here is how short dramas line up with anime tropes.