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There are shown to be male mages in _Wandering Witch: Journey of Elaina_ , and
Elaina indicates that mage and witch denote rankings of magic users, with
mages progressing into witches by taking the exam and then completing an
apprenticeship with a witch. There would seem to be no reason a male mage
couldn't become a witch, but is that the case in this world? I certainly
didn't see any show up in the anime.

The term witch historically was not entirely exclusive to females (males were
accused and executed during the Salem Witchcraft Trials, for instance), but in
modern times witches are almost predominantly female, and is often used as the
female equivalent of the male wizard, in spite of terms such as sorceress and
wizardess existing that contain much less negative connotations. Some fantasy
settings will, of course, make distinctions between all of these labels and
have them mean different things, which can be quite cool. And there are some
cases, such as the masterful manga _Witch Hat Atelier_ , which do indeed have
male witches.

So, what is the case in _Wandering Witch_?


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Can males become witches?


Though I haven't checked the light novels, the manga has an answer. From
volume 1, chapter 1, we get this narration (it isn't 100% clear, but it seems
to be Elaina narrating, and it is narration irregardless):

> Mages are people who can use magic. Nearly all factors are hereditary. When
> it comes to magical ability, the genders aren't equal. For female mages,
> there are two ranks above "novice". Those are "apprentice" and "witch".

This is elaborated on slightly in the second volume, chapter 5. When the
character Emil appears, Elaina internally comments that it is rare for boys to
be mages and also:

> Magical ability tends to be stronger in women than in men.

So the answer is no, males cannot become witches, because they lack the
magical power necessary. Though the anime neglected it, it is explicitly
established as a world-building point in the manga. And though the light
novels would be a preferable source, I have no reason to think that the manga
would make this up on its own, so I suspect it is also stated in the light
novels.


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