“Failed mage Louise summons human Saito as her familiar, discovering his hidden power as Gandalfr.”
The Familiar of Zero
ゼロの使い魔
Would You Love or Hate This?
AI-powered analysis tailored to your taste
Based on your preference for character-driven stories with layered emotional arcs, this title's exploration of identity and belonging would deeply resonate. The pacing mirrors series you've rated highly, and its thematic depth aligns with your appreciation for nuanced storytelling...
However, the slow initial episodes might test your patience given your history of dropping shows that don't hook you early. The art style shift in the middle arc could also be a concern...
Synopsis
Failed mage Louise summons human Saito as her familiar, discovering his hidden power as Gandalfr.
Louise Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière is a self-absorbed mage in a world of wands, cloaks, and royalty. Although she studies at Tristain Academy, a prestigious school for magicians, she has a major problem: Louise is unable to cast magic properly, earning her the nickname of "Louise the Zero" from her classmates. When the first year students are required to perform a summoning ritual, Louise's summoning results in a catastrophic explosion! Everyone deems this to be yet another failure, but when the smoke clears, a boy named Saito Hiraga appears. Now Louise's familiar, Saito is treated as a slave, forced to clean her clothes and eat off the ground. But when an unfamiliar brand is found etched on Saito's hand from the summoning ritual, it is believed to be the mark of a powerful familiar named Gandalfr. Wild, adventurous, and explosive, Zero no Tsukaima follows Saito as he comes to terms with his new life and as Louise proves that there is more to her than her nickname suggests.
What people say
Community consensus
Derived from 130 sampled reviews
What 130 viewers settled on.
Polarized
σ 2.23 · split reception
5.2 pts
Recommenders 8.2 · others 3.0
↑ 0.75
Running avg · Jun 2007 → Jul 2025
- 7 “A good anime that I would definitely recomment. The story is actually pretty good as well as the art but it lacked more character developement which the anime tried to get into but didn't finish....”
- 8 “story-8 it was a really cute story. i liked it a lot and am super glad i watched it1 art-8 i thought the art was really nice and i just loved it. sound-8 very good character-8 i didnt find very...”
- 10 “If your looking for magic, comedy action with romance with just a touch of sex appeal look no further. i really find this story having it all the characters are fun and the story is exciting even...”
Watch Order & Related
Explore the The Familiar of Zero universe
Cast
See all →Trailers & videos
See all →Gallery
See all →If you stay for this, you'll stay for these
See all →The community pairs this with
See all →Made by
See all credits →Production slate
- Format 13 × 23′ eps × min
- Total runtime 4h 59m all episodes
- Aired Jul 2006 – Sep 2006 Summer 2006
- Source Tv media type
- Rated PG 13 - Teens 13 or older
- Ref. BS-1091 catalog
Produced by
- Genco Producer
- Media Factory Producer
- Shochiku Producer
- Bushiroad Producer
- Happinet Pictures Producer
Licensed by
- Sentai Filmworks Licensor
- Geneon Entertainment USA Licensor