Wistoria: Wand and Sword follows the journey of Will Serfort as he attempts to graduate from Rigarden Magical Academy and ascend the mage’s tower to become a Magia Vander like his childhood friend, Elfaria Albis Serfort. However, in a world run by magic, Will lacks any sort of magical aptitude, making him a blight upon his campus and scorned by the other mages around him. Despite the seemingly insurmountable odds standing against him, Will intends to prove them all wrong and join Elfaria at the top of the tower.
While an original work written by Fujino Ōmori, Wistoria: Wand and Sword contains many characters with similar design, aesthetics and mannerisms to characters from the Harry Potter franchise. From the charismatic sports commentating of Mike Maius and Lee Jordan to the broody, cruel professors Edward Serfence and Severus Snape, both franchises include characters that mirror the other quite strongly.
10 Gordon Baret and Cyril Marze Bootlick Are Like Crabbe & Goyle
First Appearance: Season 1, Episode 1, “Like a Lone Sword”
Within Wistoria: Wand and Sword, Gordon Baret and Lyril Marze whittle away their school days traipsing after Sion Ulster, a son of House Ulster and one of Will Serfort’s primary bullies. Their dedication to Sion leads them to bully Sion’s victims, talk up his skills and magical aptitude to anyone who will listen, and to join him in his more questionable pursuits, such as entering a dangerous dungeon unsanctioned with the purpose of harming Will’s credit-collection raid.
Their blind loyalty and constant hovering around Sion mirror Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle’s connection with Draco Malfoy from the Harry Potter franchise. Crabbe and Goyle, throughout much of Draco’s time at Hogwarts, swarm around Draco, bolstering up his ego and carrying out his dirty work in a manner remarkably reminiscent of Gordon and Lyril from Wistoria: Wand and Sword. And while not intentionally made to be carbon copies of each other, the similarities are striking nonetheless.
9 The Dwarves’ Plight Mirrors That of the House Elves
First Mentioned: Season 1, Episode 2, “As Though Undaunted”
The Harry Potter universe treats House Elves rather poorly, with the magical creatures conscripted into servitude and ridiculed constantly. Hermione Granger even has a subplot during one of the novels, where she attempts to liberate House Elves from their dismal fates and grant them freedoms and liberties enjoyed by the more “superior” magic casters. And fans across the world wept over Dobby’s treatment courtesy of the Malfoys.
The Dwarves from Wistoria: Wand and Sword likewise suffer from such detriments and prejudices, with many mages viewing them as nothing more than dim-witted, magicless laborers, even though they’re absolutely crucial to the story. In a particularly disquieting scene involving ice mage elite Julius, the mages berate the Dwarves in one of their taverns. The powerlessness the collective people feel at being forced to endure the insults because they’re second-class citizens calls back to the House Elves’ treatment within the Harry Potter story.
8 Colette Loire’s Loyalty Echoes Hermione Granger’s
First Appearance: Season 1, Episode 1, “Like a Lone Sword”
Will Serfort endures a fair share of bullying at the Rigarden Magical Academy, as he’s a magicless student in a school focused on training mages. Colette Loire, the nicknamed “Earth Princess,” stands fast beside Will despite the constant barrage of insults, revealing the depth of her character and the loyalty she harbors for friends. She even goes so far as to enroll in the dangerous Grand Magic Festival, showing up as Will’s teammate so that he can achieve his own goals.
In a similar vein, Hermione Granger refuses to leave Harry Potter’s side, even when logic and self-preservation scream at her to find safer friends. Her refusal to let her friend face his numerous hardships alone, her fierce resolve to stand up for those unable to speak for themselves and her magical aptitude reflect Colette’s own character traits, making them remarkably similar.
First Appearance: Season 1, Episode 5, “Raise the Starting Pistol”
The Grand Magic Festival offers an opportunity for mages to participate in a number of games and trials, all designed to showcase their talents, skill and magical abilities to the scouts in attendance. These scouts work for the mage’s tower and the ruling Magia Vander, searching for unexpected talent or genius among those participating in the games. And as the Grand Magic Festival is styled like a sporting event, the attending spectators require a charismatic announcer.
Mike Maius fills the role, making jokes, zingers and tossing good-natured barbs at professors and students alike. His antics echo the similarly humorous announcing of Lee Jordan during Quidditch matches at Hogwarts — until he graduated and began hosting a radio show. Both commentators boasted a similar style, full of flair, fun and a frivolousness that ignited the students while causing the professors to shake their heads.
6 Sion Ulster and Draco Malfoy Bully Their Respective Main Characters
First Appearance: Season 1, Episode 1, “Like a Lone Sword”
Sion Ulster spends his days belittling and bullying Will Serfort for his lack of magic aided by his twin cronies, Gordon Baret and Lyril Marze. As a scion of House Ulster, Sion wields exceptionally powerful fire magic and is capable of summoning a firebird made of flames called Halcon Gardinas. His family lineage and magical skills place him near the top of Rigarden Magical Academy’s top mages, though his work is eclipsed by Julius, Wignall and Lihanna.
Sion’s treatment of Will mimics Draco’s attitude toward Harry. They even share a similar meeting, with Sion extending a hand of friendship toward Will at their first meeting just as Draco attempted to with Harry. Both Harry and Will rebuffed the hand, not fully understanding the offer of friendship behind it, leading to a rivalry wrought with bullying and cruelty. But true friendship might be on the horizon for Will and Sion, just as Harry and Draco found their uneasy alliance in perhaps one of the most predictable Harry Potter plot points.
5 Caldron Anouve and Albus Dumbledore Serve as Magical Academy Headmasters
First Mentioned: Season 1, Episode 2, “As Though Undaunted”
As the headmaster of Rigarden Magical Academy, Caldron Anouve governs all the students and professors underneath her, ruling with a fair — if somewhat enigmatic — set of guiding principles and philosophies. She permits Will to remain at school for years, despite his apparent lack of magical ability, due to his excelling in other academic areas and earning enough credits to continue moving upward in the ranks. A tad on the older side, Caldron can use her magic to appear younger than her sixty-four years would suggest.
Caldron Anouve and Albus Dumbledore draw many parallels in their strive for balance and fairness, such as Albus allowing Severus to remain at Hogwarts in spite of his previous Death Eater affiliation and Caldron permitting Will to remain a student in spite of his lack of magic. Each character likewise plays their true intentions and purposes close to the chest, only sharing bits and pieces with the professors and students around them.
4 Kiki and Hedwig Both Provide Animal Support
First Appearance: Season 1, Episode 1, “Like a Lone Sword”
Kiki serves as Will Serfort’s black cat familiar, often accompanying him into dungeons and helping him detect monsters and creatures through physical means — such as reading Frost Walker tracks, one of the coolest monsters in the series, for example — rather than magical ones. A constant companion, Kiki can be seen lounging on Will’s desk during class times or following him through the hallways of Rigarden Magical Academy. She’s fiercely loyal to Will, as seen when she dragged her bloodied and bruised body to Will’s locker to retrieve his sword during a surprise fight.
In many aspects, Kiki and Hedwig match each other. Both animal companions serve as close friends and confidants to their otherwise lonely owners, both value the wellbeing of their owners and both animal companions provide useful services to Will and Harry, respectively. Plus they’re both incredibly cute, making them a delightful inclusion into both franchises.
3 Workner Norgram and Minerva McGonagall Both Look out for Their Young Students
First Appearance: Season 1, Episode 1, “Like a Lone Sword”
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Workner Norgram teaches at Rigarden Magical Academy, specializing in the handling of magical familiars, as seen when Professor Serfence rushes to Workner’s office to request his familiar’s aide after learning that Sion and his friends entered a dungeon unsanctioned. In spite of Will’s lack of magical talent, Workner believes in his potential and does what he can to assist Will, such as offering him dungeon missions or granting him extra class sessions.
His belief in Will — and his desire to see Will succeed while still forcing Will to conform to the rules and regulations established in the school — echo back to Professor Minerva McGonagall from Hogwarts. Just like Workner, Professor McGonagall believes in great things from Harry, despite his rule-breaking and antics. She holds Harry accountable for his actions, not above reprimanding him when he puts himself or his fellow students in danger, though audiences can tell that she’s rooting for Harry’s success, just as Workner roots for Will’s.
2 Edward Serfence and Severus Snape Share the Same Aesthetics
First Appearance: Season 1, Episode 1, “Like a Lone Sword”
Edward Serfence, like Workner Norgram, serves as a teacher at Rigarden Magical Academy and specializes in dark magic, utilizing spells such as Darge and Dax Darbicans. One of the strongest characters in the series and a previous Magia Vander hopeful, he placed the title and its prestige on a pedestal, believing such powerful mages shouldn’t be sullied by having a magicless sword among their ranks. To that end, he constantly seeks out opportunities to single out and sabotage Will.
In one of the most on-the-nose pairings, Edward Serfence mirrors Severus Snape. Their physical appearance, their broody and dark aesthetics in both design and spellcasting, and their blatant dislike for main characters Will Serfort and Harry Potter make their parallels noticeable, obvious and readily evident. While Edward despises Will because he views his magicless talent as an affront to the Magia Vander, Severus loathes Harry because he views him as a carbon copy of James Potter. And while these motivations might make them a smidgen different, at this point, it might be the only difference between these two characters.
1 Will Serfort & Harry Potter Both Sport Round Eyewear and Live a Hard Life
First Appearance: Season 1, Episode 1, “Like a Lone Sword”
Will Serfort is the main character of Wistoria: Wand and Sword. Orphaned as a young boy, Will met Elfaria Albis Serfort at their orphanage, with the two becoming close friends. While Elfaria showed tremendous talent in magical skills, Will possessed none, though this didn’t stop the two from forming an incredibly close relationship. After Elfaria ascended the mage’s tower as a member of the Magia Vander, Will swore to follow her, which prompted him to continue through the Rigarden Magical Academy, despite being shunned by his fellow students.
Will feels like an outsider at Rigarden Magical Academy, just as Harry did upon his arrival and then in subsequent years, as his connection to Voldemort and his destiny as the Chosen One took hold. They’re also both bullied by a cruel teacher, have an animal companion, have another teacher looking out for them, and have a few close friends. Both characters also share a similar design, with dark hair, noteworthy eyes and the use round eyewear — Will’s trademark circle goggles look suspiciously like the iconic Harry Potter glasses. Not to mention, both boys serve as the primary protagonists in their respective stories, with the Hero’s Journey likely for Will just as it was for Harry.