The Strongest Sage with the Weakest Crest
The Strongest Sage with the Weakest Crest, also known as Shikkakumon no Saikyō Kenja or simply Shikkakumon, is a Japanese light novel series, written by Shinkoshoto and illustrated by Huuka Kazabana. It was serialized online from December 2016 to April 2020 on the user-generated novel publishing website Shōsetsuka ni Narō. It was later acquired by SB Creative, who have published seventeen volumes since May 2017 under their GA Novel imprint. A manga adaptation with art by LIVER JAM&POPO has been serialized online since June 2017 via Square Enix's online manga magazine Manga Up!. It has been collected in twenty-two tankōbon volumes. The manga is licensed in North America by Square Enix. An anime television series adaptation by J.C.Staff aired from January to March 2022.
A side story light novel series titled Senmetsu Madō no Saikyō Kenja: Musai no Kenja, Madō wo Kiwame Saikyō e Itaru has been published by SB Creative since September 2020 under their GA Bunko imprint with two volumes as of December 2020. A manga adaptation of the side story by Yue Ling and Ponjea was also launched at the same time on Manga UP!. It has been collected in six tankōbon volumes as of March 2022.
Synopsis
In a world of magic, the powers and future of a mage are predetermined at birth through so-called "Crests", four symbols that categorize a human's aptitude for magic. Lamenting the fact that his crest was considered ill-suited for combat and only useful for magic augmentation, an incredibly skilled sage decided to reincarnate thousands of years in the future.The sage is reborn as Mathias Hildesheimr, a six-year-old boy and the third son of a duke's family. Matthias attains the crest of close combat which he always desired. Unfortunately, it is also discovered that mankind's knowledge of magic and swordsmanship has drastically deteriorated in this era; only shoddy magic equipment can be sporadically found, while even the most basic spells have been forgotten. To add insult to injury, his current crest, once hailed as the most powerful, is now viewed as the worst.
When Mathias becomes 12 years old, his unrivaled swordsmanship lands him in the Second Royal Academy. Shattering prejudices, he promptly makes ripples in the academy and beyond. However, the former sage uncovers signs of dark forces working in the shadows, and with humanity weaker than ever, it is up to Mathias to thwart their evil plans.
Characters
; Matthias Hildesheimer; Lurie Abendroth
; Alma Lepucius
; Iris
Media
Light novels
Shinkoshoto began serializing the series on the user-generated novel publishing website Shōsetsuka ni Narō in December 2016. In May 2017, it was acquired by SB Creative, who published the series with illustrations by Huuka Kazabana under their GA Novel imprint.Manga
A manga adaptation of the light novel series by LIVER JAM&POPO began serialization in Square Enix's Manga Up! magazine on June 27, 2017. Square Enix Manga & Books licensed the manga for a North American release.Anime
At the "GA Fes 2021" event livestream, it was announced that the series would be receiving an anime television series adaptation produced by NBCUniversal Entertainment Japan and animated by J.C.Staff. The series is directed by Noriaki Akitaya, with Hiroki Uchida overseeing the series' scripts. It aired from January 8 to March 26, 2022, on Tokyo MX, BS11, SUN, and AT-X. The opening theme is "Leap of faith" by fripSide, while the ending theme is "Day of Bright Sunshine" by Yuki Nakashima. Crunchyroll streamed the series in select territories. Medialink licensed the series in South Asia, Southeast Asia, Oceania minus Australia and New Zealand.On January 13, 2022, Crunchyroll announced that the series will receive an English dub, which premiered on February 19.