Lycanthromancer
The Arcane Fuzz
- Location
- USA
You're already a master of arcane secrets. Why couldn't these be among the arcane secrets you're master of?
Anime Adjacent (90's anime megacross!)
- Thread starter Mister Ficser
- Start date
- Crossover
Thozmp
Gets my kicks above the waistline, Sunshine.
Could make it a Paycheck kind of situation, where the character starts with all these esoteric reagents, components, and foci and their journey is to backtrack and figure out how they learned about all of this (and potentially send a message back in time).
Bailey Matutine
(Verified Pooka)
- Location
- Pelican Town
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Which is bizarre because "an alien repository of information shoved itself into my head and is slowly killing me, which I am on a quest to solve" is *right there* and adds all kinds of hooks like "whose notes did you accidentally steal and are they coming to get them back"?
Thozmp
Gets my kicks above the waistline, Sunshine.
That could be interesting. Your character pulls some arcane trick (say 1's on damage dice now count as 2's) but in exchange, their constitution score ticks down. Alien knowledge is extremely useful, but it is killing you.
Entry 046
New
Project: Gamer Ver. Error, File Not Found
Anime Adjacent Entry: 046
Disclaimer Me Do: I own nothing you recognize. And most of what you don't recognize, I still don't own.
_________________________________________________________________________
30/6/1993
Konoe Konoemon was an old man. A very old man, by just about anyone's reckoning. His back was bent, his knees bowed and he was largely bald but for a single patch of long, white hair that he worked tirelessly to retain.
He'd been old when his daughter was finally wed. He'd been older when his granddaughter was born. He'd be even older still when the girl was finally of the age to come to his school.
Konoe Konoemon was an old man and the Dean of Mahora Academy. A job title that carried far, far too many responsibilities. One of the least of which was his role in the governance of the Kanto Magic Association.
And he did mean that it was among the least of his responsibilities. He delegated as much as he could but his academy, servicing students from primary school all the way up to their university education meant that he had to review the paperwork of nearly thirty-thousand individuals.
Not alone, most definitely not. But even if he were only expected to deal with unusual or concerning documents as his various subordinates handled the rather more normal ones? It was still a daunting task.
His role as the leadership for the Kanto Magic Association was much less demanding, thankfully.
Normally, anyway.
Among the classes offered at Mahora, magic was but one of many. An exclusive secret, meant for only a handful of old families and some rare, few talents that were scouted from fresh blood. But still, for all of its mystique and secrecy, just classes.
Among those classes, Divination was actually quite popular.
Konoemon gazed out the window of his office, the streets of his small city lit aglow by the streetlights, and sighed.
Ah, to be young and foolish again. So concerned with the illusion of finding his true love...
A few hours earlier, the students who were tasked with learning to monitor the various scrying and detection spells throughout Tokyo had their spells fail on them. At the same time.
Just one or two would be no cause for concern. Divination magics could be finicky at the best of times. It was a rare gift to find a form of divination that just 'agreed' with a particular sorcerer.
But this happened to every single student that had been learning at the time. And their teachers. The spells hadn't even registered anything special before failing, they'd just cut off entirely.
It was concerning in the extreme.
More baffling, however, was the fact that everyone had been able to get their magics back up and functional without any issue. It... well, if someone was trying to hide something, like the summoning of a great demon or the like? There were places that were well shielded and hidden, even in Tokyo.
Cutting everything off all at once, effectively making the Kanto Magic Association 'blink'? It was either some kind of grand, uncontrolled power or...
Or someone wanted them to be aware.
Konoemon didn't know which, and that worried him immensely. Enough so that he'd cancelled all of the magic courses for the day so he could drum up enough manpower to send out to all of the known, and suspected, magical hotspots that they could reasonably reach.
Some had reported back already, calling to inform his secretary that the various sealed demons and cursed graves were still intact. One, a young man that taught physical education at the girl's high school portion of Mahora, had just come back with his report from the Furinkan city of the Nerima ward of Tokyo.
A hotspot of activity that they... just couldn't get a handle on. At all. For a frustrating but simple reason.
Until a certain point, where someone can externally manifest their power in some way? There was no real difference between Ki and Magic. And the martial arts mecca, where the widows and orphans of the ruined samurai families had settled after the great war, was overflowing with Ki Adepts. And the countless minor magical artifacts that had been sold by those broken families.
Tetsutetsu had come back empty handed, as was expected. He'd heard rumors of some prince from that thrice-cursed valley in China but getting any hard facts about that one was about like trying to thread a needle in a hurricane.
Hopefully, they'd have something come tomorrow. Konoemon would just hate to have to talk to the Kansai Association and tell them they didn't have any answers.
Not that the Kansai Association was doing any better, according to Konoemon's daughter. They kept going on a wild goose chase to the mountains for some reason.
The old man's worries came to a stuttering halt at the sound of a quiet *clink* behind him. Turning around, he saw a steaming cup of tea had been placed on his desk. And, sitting at the other side of his desk, a cup of tea in its hand, was a shadow.
Konoemon's bushy eyebrows rose in consideration as he took in the entity, placidly sitting at the large desk. He hadn't heard them come in...
Nor had the various intruder wards detected anything.
"I believe..." the shadow started to say with the voice of a teenager. "That it's time for us to have a conversation."
"Hoh?" Konoemon said, his long beard dipping slightly as he frowned. "And who might you be?"
"A good question," the shadow said before it lifted its cup to take a small sip. "I haven't decided which name to share with you, yet."
Konoemon had to strain to fully open his eyes, his forehead crinkling over with wrinkles as he tried to look at the shadow, to penetrate its darkness...
But saw only shadows.
"I hope you like oolong," the shadow stated as it dipped its featureless face towards the cup on Konoemon's desk. "I find black tea to be a bit too bitter."
A nameless shadow creature, one that snuck through the wards and was... offering him tea. This... was still better than literally any time that the resident vampirina, sealed to the school's campus and facilities, began making demands.
"Did one of my agents insult you, spirit?" Konoemon asked as he carefully lowered himself into his chair. "If so, I can assure you that-"
"Nothing of the sort," the shadow told him as it shook its head. "I typically try and overlook such matters. If I took offense every time someone interrupted me or interfered? I'd likely never get anything done."
The creature... was not a yokai. And likely not a member of the fae courts.
Not with that attitude.
Picking up the tea, Konoemon brought it up to his face and tried not to make a show of smelling the steam coming from the cup. It... was oolong tea. Konoemon couldn't even smell any sugar in it. Sipping it revealed much the same.
"Normally, it would be considered polite to make an appointment," Konoemon eventually said, testing the waters with this creature.
"I'm not here to ask a polite question."
Konoemon frowned, the expression hidden well by his facial hair.
The creature was definitely not a yokai. Not if it could make such a blunt and straightforward statement. Konoemon motioned towards it with his own teacup, indirectly asking it to speak.
"Why is the matter of Azabu-Juban being handled by a group of teenage girls?" the creature asked. Its tone was... curious, rather than hostile. Searching for an answer rather than placing blame.
"...Because our efforts to contain the Youma saw two full teams of the best I could field being killed. Drained of their life as though by a young and eager succubus." The shadow was right. It was not a polite question. But at least Konoemon could say that he'd tried, could admit that whatever those creatures were, they were beyond the scope of what he could send to challenge them. "Our colleagues from the west lost twice as many before accepting that they could not seal or bind the creatures."
The shadow sat very, very still for a long moment before sitting back and collapsing in its chair.
Clearly, it wanted to hear something very different.
Sadly, Konoemon wished he could say something different.
The shadow raised its right hand and snapped its fingers-
Dispelling the shadows and revealing a young man, a teenager of mixed racial features with curly brown hair and curiously yellow eyes. Those same eyes stared at Konoemon for a long moment before the boy lifted his tea cup and drained it completely, then set the cup down on Konoemon's desk.
"Ginji," the boy said before tilting his head in what could barely be considered a bow.
As far as introductions went?
It was still significantly better than when Konoemon had met Evangeline.
Anime Adjacent Entry: 046
Disclaimer Me Do: I own nothing you recognize. And most of what you don't recognize, I still don't own.
_________________________________________________________________________
30/6/1993
Konoe Konoemon was an old man. A very old man, by just about anyone's reckoning. His back was bent, his knees bowed and he was largely bald but for a single patch of long, white hair that he worked tirelessly to retain.
He'd been old when his daughter was finally wed. He'd been older when his granddaughter was born. He'd be even older still when the girl was finally of the age to come to his school.
Konoe Konoemon was an old man and the Dean of Mahora Academy. A job title that carried far, far too many responsibilities. One of the least of which was his role in the governance of the Kanto Magic Association.
And he did mean that it was among the least of his responsibilities. He delegated as much as he could but his academy, servicing students from primary school all the way up to their university education meant that he had to review the paperwork of nearly thirty-thousand individuals.
Not alone, most definitely not. But even if he were only expected to deal with unusual or concerning documents as his various subordinates handled the rather more normal ones? It was still a daunting task.
His role as the leadership for the Kanto Magic Association was much less demanding, thankfully.
Normally, anyway.
Among the classes offered at Mahora, magic was but one of many. An exclusive secret, meant for only a handful of old families and some rare, few talents that were scouted from fresh blood. But still, for all of its mystique and secrecy, just classes.
Among those classes, Divination was actually quite popular.
Konoemon gazed out the window of his office, the streets of his small city lit aglow by the streetlights, and sighed.
Ah, to be young and foolish again. So concerned with the illusion of finding his true love...
A few hours earlier, the students who were tasked with learning to monitor the various scrying and detection spells throughout Tokyo had their spells fail on them. At the same time.
Just one or two would be no cause for concern. Divination magics could be finicky at the best of times. It was a rare gift to find a form of divination that just 'agreed' with a particular sorcerer.
But this happened to every single student that had been learning at the time. And their teachers. The spells hadn't even registered anything special before failing, they'd just cut off entirely.
It was concerning in the extreme.
More baffling, however, was the fact that everyone had been able to get their magics back up and functional without any issue. It... well, if someone was trying to hide something, like the summoning of a great demon or the like? There were places that were well shielded and hidden, even in Tokyo.
Cutting everything off all at once, effectively making the Kanto Magic Association 'blink'? It was either some kind of grand, uncontrolled power or...
Or someone wanted them to be aware.
Konoemon didn't know which, and that worried him immensely. Enough so that he'd cancelled all of the magic courses for the day so he could drum up enough manpower to send out to all of the known, and suspected, magical hotspots that they could reasonably reach.
Some had reported back already, calling to inform his secretary that the various sealed demons and cursed graves were still intact. One, a young man that taught physical education at the girl's high school portion of Mahora, had just come back with his report from the Furinkan city of the Nerima ward of Tokyo.
A hotspot of activity that they... just couldn't get a handle on. At all. For a frustrating but simple reason.
Until a certain point, where someone can externally manifest their power in some way? There was no real difference between Ki and Magic. And the martial arts mecca, where the widows and orphans of the ruined samurai families had settled after the great war, was overflowing with Ki Adepts. And the countless minor magical artifacts that had been sold by those broken families.
Tetsutetsu had come back empty handed, as was expected. He'd heard rumors of some prince from that thrice-cursed valley in China but getting any hard facts about that one was about like trying to thread a needle in a hurricane.
Hopefully, they'd have something come tomorrow. Konoemon would just hate to have to talk to the Kansai Association and tell them they didn't have any answers.
Not that the Kansai Association was doing any better, according to Konoemon's daughter. They kept going on a wild goose chase to the mountains for some reason.
The old man's worries came to a stuttering halt at the sound of a quiet *clink* behind him. Turning around, he saw a steaming cup of tea had been placed on his desk. And, sitting at the other side of his desk, a cup of tea in its hand, was a shadow.
Konoemon's bushy eyebrows rose in consideration as he took in the entity, placidly sitting at the large desk. He hadn't heard them come in...
Nor had the various intruder wards detected anything.
"I believe..." the shadow started to say with the voice of a teenager. "That it's time for us to have a conversation."
"Hoh?" Konoemon said, his long beard dipping slightly as he frowned. "And who might you be?"
"A good question," the shadow said before it lifted its cup to take a small sip. "I haven't decided which name to share with you, yet."
Konoemon had to strain to fully open his eyes, his forehead crinkling over with wrinkles as he tried to look at the shadow, to penetrate its darkness...
But saw only shadows.
"I hope you like oolong," the shadow stated as it dipped its featureless face towards the cup on Konoemon's desk. "I find black tea to be a bit too bitter."
A nameless shadow creature, one that snuck through the wards and was... offering him tea. This... was still better than literally any time that the resident vampirina, sealed to the school's campus and facilities, began making demands.
"Did one of my agents insult you, spirit?" Konoemon asked as he carefully lowered himself into his chair. "If so, I can assure you that-"
"Nothing of the sort," the shadow told him as it shook its head. "I typically try and overlook such matters. If I took offense every time someone interrupted me or interfered? I'd likely never get anything done."
The creature... was not a yokai. And likely not a member of the fae courts.
Not with that attitude.
Picking up the tea, Konoemon brought it up to his face and tried not to make a show of smelling the steam coming from the cup. It... was oolong tea. Konoemon couldn't even smell any sugar in it. Sipping it revealed much the same.
"Normally, it would be considered polite to make an appointment," Konoemon eventually said, testing the waters with this creature.
"I'm not here to ask a polite question."
Konoemon frowned, the expression hidden well by his facial hair.
The creature was definitely not a yokai. Not if it could make such a blunt and straightforward statement. Konoemon motioned towards it with his own teacup, indirectly asking it to speak.
"Why is the matter of Azabu-Juban being handled by a group of teenage girls?" the creature asked. Its tone was... curious, rather than hostile. Searching for an answer rather than placing blame.
"...Because our efforts to contain the Youma saw two full teams of the best I could field being killed. Drained of their life as though by a young and eager succubus." The shadow was right. It was not a polite question. But at least Konoemon could say that he'd tried, could admit that whatever those creatures were, they were beyond the scope of what he could send to challenge them. "Our colleagues from the west lost twice as many before accepting that they could not seal or bind the creatures."
The shadow sat very, very still for a long moment before sitting back and collapsing in its chair.
Clearly, it wanted to hear something very different.
Sadly, Konoemon wished he could say something different.
The shadow raised its right hand and snapped its fingers-
Dispelling the shadows and revealing a young man, a teenager of mixed racial features with curly brown hair and curiously yellow eyes. Those same eyes stared at Konoemon for a long moment before the boy lifted his tea cup and drained it completely, then set the cup down on Konoemon's desk.
"Ginji," the boy said before tilting his head in what could barely be considered a bow.
As far as introductions went?
It was still significantly better than when Konoemon had met Evangeline.
Wow, either the local mages are a lot weaker than the normal youma ranks or all those teams ended up running into those in the higher ranks.
Though considering the powers involved, I'm betting that the local mages are just weaker. That track for those who know more about the setting?
Still, the continued trend of adults being good for fuck all in anime continues I see. Wonder if we will see any counter to that logic later?
Though considering the powers involved, I'm betting that the local mages are just weaker. That track for those who know more about the setting?
Still, the continued trend of adults being good for fuck all in anime continues I see. Wonder if we will see any counter to that logic later?
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ThaTrueRealmWalk
A blob of Galaxy, watching you through the Screen.
- Location
- Inside this TV
Oh wow, this went well! Good to see Areru not having to deal with someone throwing spells around just because someone unknown showed up
Let us hope this ends with Konoemon being a sort of friend! Thank you for the chapter!
Let us hope this ends with Konoemon being a sort of friend! Thank you for the chapter!
Shadow Archon
Protoss Preserver
- Location
- Louisiana
Oof.
Sucks that the youma are out of their league, but it makes sense.
I wonder if the only reason they haven't approached the Senshi is how strong the disguise field is.
I'd like to imagine the Senshi could do better with actual magic training, but in D&D terms, they may be Sorcerers/Warlocks compared to the Mahora Mages being Wizards, and thus can't exactly help with training.
Sucks that the youma are out of their league, but it makes sense.
I wonder if the only reason they haven't approached the Senshi is how strong the disguise field is.
I'd like to imagine the Senshi could do better with actual magic training, but in D&D terms, they may be Sorcerers/Warlocks compared to the Mahora Mages being Wizards, and thus can't exactly help with training.
Thozmp
Gets my kicks above the waistline, Sunshine.
Despite their seemingly silly nature, youma are strong, and the sailor senshi stronger still.
A bit like Spider-Man villains who can seem like chumps getting their asses handed to them by a teen, but they are putting up a fight against a precognitive super powered ninja, who has overcome a number of people supposedly higher up the food chain then him.
Edit: Another example: Team Rocket (Jesse, James, and Meowth) seem silly and incompetent when facing off against a kid. Said kid is basically the Creator's problem solver. Team Rocket are monsters when they aren't trying to steal from Arceus' Fixit button.
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- Location
- California
And just like that, the Old Man acquire Dragon assist for the War Effort Youma Sealing.
- Location
- England
Sailor Moon and Co. are super overpowered in a pinch, but it could be a case of Rock Paper Scissors. i.e. Whatever stuff Youma do is strong against their magic tradition, and their magic is weak against youma.
Sailor Moon doesn't seem like it at a glance, but the power levels there are actually quite high. Dunk on mortal mages? Absolutely. They're all Planetary Avatars.
Transformed they've all got supernatural strength, toughness, and speed. The elemental attacks they toss around are more like 'baby planeswalker' in level than 'magical highschool anime'.
And even then, its usually Moon finishing off the monster of the week, because her particular element is a direct counter to the monsters nature.
They look an act goofy, but Youma are beasts. They're basically all life sucking Outsiders empowered by a Dark God. FAFO levels are high.
- Location
- usa
each senshi is princess of their own planet which they can tap into for power, the amount of magical power they have access to is just that overpowered. the only reason they don't look that impressive is because they are a bunch of 14 year old teenagers with no access to their magical training and education from their previous life.
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Plus a think a bit about getting used to channeling the power of whole planets taking… a while no?
I think it's probably a mix of Youma being resistant to magic meant for just demons, spirits, and yokai (as they are Eldritch Abominations), and the mages being in turn weak to their exotic powers.
AND the fact that the Senshi are that powerful. Overall, right now, mostly powerful in terms of their passive defenses and little bit their firepower.
The thing is, Ficser likened them to Planeswalkers earlier, and that strikes me as quite apt. At their peak, the Sailors, their foes, and ESPECIALLY Usagi channeling the Silver Crystal/Sailor Galaxia, are absolutely top tier powers. Well beyond anything Alchemist in the main story has fought or considered fighting. Probably the true Lucifer, Gaia, Hellenic Chaos, and Tiamat are 'superior'. And that's only probably. Sailor Galaxia squared off, successfully, with Chaos itself in her story mind...and in this melting-pot that means Tokimi.
BUT. But. Even in their own story, the end-game Senshi are outliers. The Planeswalker analogy is apt because at the beginning? They aren't nearly that powerful, and can in fact be dumpstered by and number of natural or unnatural beings. The potential, and the tiniest spark of power is their sure, but the starting Sailors are not especially powerful by Alchemists experience (y'know, as long as he doesn't swallow bombs while lacking most of his protections).
So, ultimately, Youma versus mages? There's probably some type disadvantages (or at least, the sort of rituals/prep that mages normally use to punch above their weight with the supernatural don't apply to the Youma as well, and that fatally throws them off), but it's also a bit of them just being that comparatively weak. Because the Senshi might be like Planeswalkers, but they are specifically the baby ones right now with a couple useful abilities each. Not even city-breakers yet.
AND the fact that the Senshi are that powerful. Overall, right now, mostly powerful in terms of their passive defenses and little bit their firepower.
The thing is, Ficser likened them to Planeswalkers earlier, and that strikes me as quite apt. At their peak, the Sailors, their foes, and ESPECIALLY Usagi channeling the Silver Crystal/Sailor Galaxia, are absolutely top tier powers. Well beyond anything Alchemist in the main story has fought or considered fighting. Probably the true Lucifer, Gaia, Hellenic Chaos, and Tiamat are 'superior'. And that's only probably. Sailor Galaxia squared off, successfully, with Chaos itself in her story mind...and in this melting-pot that means Tokimi.
BUT. But. Even in their own story, the end-game Senshi are outliers. The Planeswalker analogy is apt because at the beginning? They aren't nearly that powerful, and can in fact be dumpstered by and number of natural or unnatural beings. The potential, and the tiniest spark of power is their sure, but the starting Sailors are not especially powerful by Alchemists experience (y'know, as long as he doesn't swallow bombs while lacking most of his protections).
So, ultimately, Youma versus mages? There's probably some type disadvantages (or at least, the sort of rituals/prep that mages normally use to punch above their weight with the supernatural don't apply to the Youma as well, and that fatally throws them off), but it's also a bit of them just being that comparatively weak. Because the Senshi might be like Planeswalkers, but they are specifically the baby ones right now with a couple useful abilities each. Not even city-breakers yet.
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- Location
- usa
nah in my opinion their senshi transformation is probably locked in their child safe mode because other wise they would just be releasing city destroying attacks each time they use their abilities or maybe it is like in touhou, where none of the attacks are nonlethal to humans and causes no damage to solid objects.
- Location
- United States
I think that rock paper scissors might be accurate.
He said that until a certain point it's impossible to tell the difference between ki and magic. We know ki is a form of life energy and so can assume their magic is also some relation to life energy. Youma are entirely designed to steal and eat life energy. Ki, magic, and other forms of life energy are probably just different flavors of meat, potatoes, and veggies to them. A magician's only option is to either luck out and find what vegetable is toxic to them or have enough power that the youma can't keep up and their stomach explodes.
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Possibly this, though I feel like the caveat that they probably can't eat active spell effects is also true? Like, even if it's powered by mana, the Youma aren't going to be munching on fireballs
Negima magic can be extremely powerful. Like seriously, very much up there. Time manipulation stuff with going back in time when taping into magical nexus points, complete stasis, fast as lightning movement combined with near-instant regeneration etc.
The thing is, that upper limit stuff is restricted to only a fragment of the most elite of individuals. Your average practitioner is only slightly above your average normie. A decent martial artist (not Ranma level, I'm talking sports anime level martial artist level, wink only at peak physique with excellent reflexes stuff) can put up a fight against a Negima magician after they've decided to open up a book on offensive spells.
Then when they do decide to train up to the level where they're entrusted with some authority to maintain and handle your average criminal or magical accident (think magic cop) and become their standard problem solver, you've got them at a level that's probably comparable to the combat skills of candidate aurors, without teleportation skills. Less versatile, no transfiguration or stuff like that, but capable of equal amounts of damage or stuns. But where the difference in Harry Potter magic is far less drastic, the ceiling for Negima Magic is, as I said, sky high. Also rather specialised and while the very basics are similar, the upper echelons of skills is practically unique. It's also often divided into glass canon casters and muscle magic, where it splits off early on, but when you get much higher it joins again where muscle magic let's you expel eneregy beams, explosions and wind blasts and the casters amplify themselves to a ridiculous degree to run around at the speed of sound casting their epic spells while tanking their opponents.
And of course, other than a sparse few relatively high-up in strength individuals (some of whom are sealed and cannot leave), most of the mages on earth are low level scrubs. Most of the magic users (including many, many more of said scrubs) live in a sub dimension overlaying the planet mars.
With all that I said about high-tier magic being heavily individualised, and those top-tier scant few individuals mostly having mastered a handfull of spells and just using them to accomplish a lot by being relatively flexible with them...I believe the Sailor Scouts are even more specialized. They've only got a handful of spells for damage, it just happens to be rather damaging especially for Youma. What they have for defense though, is insane. You always see them tank stuff left and right, clumsily try to dodge attacks only to take a hit but suffer only scuff marks. Hits that would put down just about any other fighter.
I might be biased, and when talking about rituals the Silver Millenium magic might beat out even Negima Rituals. But strictly speaking combat I'd say that the Sailor Scouts, once they have their magic more under control (so not at the start of their journey) are high on the list of Negima tier, just beneath the absolute top. Which, incidentally, only get's touched on near the last real arc of that series as well. I could be wrong, since it's been a while since I've spent time reading Negima and it's spin-off pseudo sequal (the future in an alternate line where the protagonist half-failed and only managed to stave off the final evil) and I'm not too familliar with the later arcs of Sailor Moon.
The thing is, that upper limit stuff is restricted to only a fragment of the most elite of individuals. Your average practitioner is only slightly above your average normie. A decent martial artist (not Ranma level, I'm talking sports anime level martial artist level, wink only at peak physique with excellent reflexes stuff) can put up a fight against a Negima magician after they've decided to open up a book on offensive spells.
Then when they do decide to train up to the level where they're entrusted with some authority to maintain and handle your average criminal or magical accident (think magic cop) and become their standard problem solver, you've got them at a level that's probably comparable to the combat skills of candidate aurors, without teleportation skills. Less versatile, no transfiguration or stuff like that, but capable of equal amounts of damage or stuns. But where the difference in Harry Potter magic is far less drastic, the ceiling for Negima Magic is, as I said, sky high. Also rather specialised and while the very basics are similar, the upper echelons of skills is practically unique. It's also often divided into glass canon casters and muscle magic, where it splits off early on, but when you get much higher it joins again where muscle magic let's you expel eneregy beams, explosions and wind blasts and the casters amplify themselves to a ridiculous degree to run around at the speed of sound casting their epic spells while tanking their opponents.
And of course, other than a sparse few relatively high-up in strength individuals (some of whom are sealed and cannot leave), most of the mages on earth are low level scrubs. Most of the magic users (including many, many more of said scrubs) live in a sub dimension overlaying the planet mars.
With all that I said about high-tier magic being heavily individualised, and those top-tier scant few individuals mostly having mastered a handfull of spells and just using them to accomplish a lot by being relatively flexible with them...I believe the Sailor Scouts are even more specialized. They've only got a handful of spells for damage, it just happens to be rather damaging especially for Youma. What they have for defense though, is insane. You always see them tank stuff left and right, clumsily try to dodge attacks only to take a hit but suffer only scuff marks. Hits that would put down just about any other fighter.
I might be biased, and when talking about rituals the Silver Millenium magic might beat out even Negima Rituals. But strictly speaking combat I'd say that the Sailor Scouts, once they have their magic more under control (so not at the start of their journey) are high on the list of Negima tier, just beneath the absolute top. Which, incidentally, only get's touched on near the last real arc of that series as well. I could be wrong, since it's been a while since I've spent time reading Negima and it's spin-off pseudo sequal (the future in an alternate line where the protagonist half-failed and only managed to stave off the final evil) and I'm not too familliar with the later arcs of Sailor Moon.
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