In this particular entry, I will try to better explain the defining characteristics of each of the varying schools of magic theory within Negima: The classical Western Magic, the ancient Ki styles, and the modern variations of magic in Magicus Mundus.

Western Magic

"The style of magic based around the Europe’s cultural sphere of influence. With the spread of European culture and Christianity during the Age of Discovery, western-style magic has also spread throughout the world, with magical academies and similar institutions in many countries.

Closely conforming to the classic image of magicians, a western mage uses mana as energy, and requires spells, incantations, and catalysts to activate magic."

The unique system, the Pactio was created due to the tendency of many mages to focus on the "squishy" ideal, that is, the affinity to focus on magic rather than train there bodies, lead to establishment of the Magister/Minister partnership. Another contributing factor is the noticeable lack of manpower within the secret societies of mages, they ability to recruit and raise a group of people to protect the mage is essential. The lack of Reinforcement magic within secluded mage societies, as well as consistent firepower are what made the Pactio System a paradigm of Western Magic.

Eastern Magic and Ki

"Ki is one of the pillars of the ancient Chinese magic system. It is both the element which composes all things in existence, and the energy which moves them. It is extremely close to the Western magic concept of prime essences; however, there is a greater emphasis on it being an energy. Qi, as an energy, is similar to the concept of Prana found in Indian philosophy. Qi was born from the chaos before Creation; when Qi and the chaos mixed, ‘time’ was born. Over time, the Qi began to divide. Heavier Qi sunk and formed the ‘Earth’, while lighter Qi rose and formed the ‘Sky’; in other words, On and Myou."

Ki in an of itself, is a rare ability, unique to Mundus Vetus, the lack of magic, as well as the establishment of Eastern religion and martial art lead to the discovery of Ki, the ability to release magic power from inside of your body through training and physical exertion allowed for an easy transition into martial arts, where the two become intertwined. As well as martial arts, Ki found it's way into the esoteric ways of buddhism through various sects, mainly Vajrayana Buddhism, whose bestowed powers onto their acolytes, which eventually spread through to Eastern Magic and Martial arts by endowing them with special abilities on the level of super-humans. All manor of Japanese and Chinese martial arts rely of the fundamental basis of exerting Ki to perform duties, much like the magic of western societies today.


Magicus Mundus: Magic Meets Science


Compared to the ecclesiastical roots of Western Magic and the ritualistic and power honed roots of Eastern Magic, one cannot completely define Magic of the Magicus Mundus through simple stereotypes and examples; the basis of the magic world itself allowed for thousands of years of magic and man merging together into common use, while Western Magic uses its power to perform miracles beyond the capabilities of the regular citizen, the average Magicus Mundus citizen is well-accustomed to magic and uses it in everyday life. The common nature of magic allowed it to be developed far beyond that of the Western of Eastern Magic, while it does not maintain the ancient lineage of either schools, it has evolved beyond the occult nature of said styles and merged with technology, allowing from incredibly feats of engineering and architecture.

Rather than the select few spells found in magic books or scrolls passed through Mundus Vetus, there are entire libraries on the study of magic throughout the world. Research into offensive and defensive magic have allowed Magicus Mundus to far surpass the potential of Mundus Vetus. Entirely new archetypes of magic have been established in the separation gap between the two worlds, the noticeable lack of Ki is frequent in the Magic World, but the centuries of improvement into magic close combat allowed the basic Reinforcement magic to far excel that of the Eastern Schools, where even a novice mage with even tiny skill in Reinforcement magic can fight toe-to-toe with the Old World's Ki masters.

So the next time your inventing a character, i would like for you to remember the Styles of Magic in use today, allowing you to maintain a standard but practical knowledge of the power that is magic in your further adventures