Inept Mage: Difference between revisions

The Inept Mage is not a charlatan or fraud; he actually does have the ability to do Real Magic. However, he lacks finesse. His spells [[Magic Misfire|frequently backfire, producing an effect other than he intended]]. This can be a source of comedy.

 

 

== Anime & Manga ==

* Chacha from the manga and anime ''[[Akazukin Chacha]]''.

* Louie of ''[[Rune Soldier Louie]]''.

** Negi's father is an interesting case in that he is considered one of the most powerful mages of all times, but he just needed to bring spark notes into battle to remember how to do his spells.

* ''[[Ojamajo Doremi]]''. "Ojamajo" is a [[Portmanteau]] of the words for "clumsy" and "[[Cute Witch|witch]]".

* In ''[[The Slayers]]'', the abundantly competent white-magic user Shilfiel tries her hand at black magic to balance out her repetoire and be more useful in combat. She's so woefully incompetent at this (her spell creates a {{spoiler|magic carrot}}) that Zelgadis later asks her to cast the spell for him, relying on her inability to make it harmful, since he wants to use it to snap a teammate out of their trance.

** Subverted in the second season, when {{spoiler|she uses the Dragon Slave against Phibrizzo, and later says she learned it to be more like Lina so she could travel with Gourry}} proving that she has no inherent weakness in offensive magic, is just unpracticed at it.

* England from ''[[Axis Powers Hetalia (Manga)|Axis Powers Hetalia]]''.

 

** Rincewind is a borderline case. By all rights he is a proper wizard: he can see octarine, see Death, detect magic, and act as a magical lightning rod just like all other wizards. Thing is, he can't actually preform any spells, because during his short time at Unseen University he read one of the eight spells that created the universe, which made itself at home in his head and ruined his chances of ever learning any other spells. He actually does say it (along with the other seven) at the end of the second book, but apparently his ineptitude for magic was permanent.

** Magrat Garlick's magical skill can impress even Granny Weatherwax, but she tends to have problems getting it to do what she wants, because she's caught up in the romantic image of magic, with the mystical runes and what not.

** Ditto his [[Expy]], Zifnab, in ''[[The Death Gate Cycle]]'' by the same authors. For that matter, Alfred too, through a case of [[Becoming the Mask]] of his [[Obfuscating Stupidity]].

* Geraden, from the ''[[The Mirror of Her Dreams|Mordant's Need]]'' duology.

* Merlin in the French series ''[[Kaamelott (TV)|Kaamelott]]''. He once tried to cast a spell to make plants grow, and ended up giving Arthur and Léodagan brightly glowing eyes.

* Lisa from ''[[Weird Science (TV)|Weird Science]]'', in that her own powers constantly play the [[Jerkass Genie]] to her. Usually she can make anything happen with a snap of her fingers, but if it's something important, it'll typically turn out sooner or later it's [[Gone Horribly Wrong]].

* Marnie Stonebrook from ''[[True Blood]]'' doesn't have a clue on her spells. But, whenever she gets possessed by the ghost of the witch, Antonia Gavilán, she becomes one of the most powerful villains in the show.