Wandering Witch: The Journey of Elaina
Wandering Witch: The Journey of Elaina, or simply Wandering Witch, is a Japanese light novel series written by Jōgi Shiraishi and illustrated by Azure. SB Creative have released twenty-four volumes since April 2016 under their GA Novel label. A manga adaptation with art by Itsuki Nanao was serialized online from November 2018 to March 2024 via Square Enix's online manga magazine Manga Up!. It has been collected in six volumes. The light novel is licensed in North America by Yen Press, and the manga is licensed by Square Enix. An anime television series adaptation produced by C2C aired from October to December 2020. A new anime film has been announced.
Plot
Fascinated by the stories of Niké, a witch who traveled around the world, Elaina aspires to take the same course. Her determination of studying books and magic leads to her becoming the youngest apprentice witch to pass the sorcery exam. However, when Elaina attempts to receive training in order to become a full-fledged witch, she is rejected due to her extraordinary talents until she finds Fran, the "Stardust Witch", who accepts her. After earning her title, the "Ashen Witch", Elaina begins her exploration around the world, visiting and facing all kinds of people and places.Characters
;Elaina;Fran
;Saya
;Sheila
;Mina
Production
At one point, Jōgi Shiraishi was disappointed at the prospect that he would not become a professional writer. It was around this time when he discovered that it was possible to self-publish books on Amazon's Kindle service. Thanks to this opportunity, the series debuted as an e-book in 2014. Shiraishi professes that in terms of inspiration, he comes across various stories and material from other genres and formats. He also cites National Geographic and the ecology of animals and plants as the inspiration for the various countries and creatures featured in the series. When he thinks about the story, Shiraishi states that he focuses on the setting and world first.After the anime adaptation was announced, the only major request Shiraishi had for the production staff was for them not to show any panties, in order to broaden the age range of the audience.
Media
Light novels
The series was acquired by SB Creative, who began publishing it in light novel format through its GA Novel imprint with illustrations by Azure on April 15, 2016. Twenty-four volumes have been released as of March 15, 2025. Yen Press has licensed the series in North America and the first volume was published on January 28, 2020.A spin-off light novel series titled Riviere and the Land of Prayer began publication on January 14, 2022. Three volumes have been published as of June 15, 2023. During their panel at New York Comic Con 2023, Yen Press announced that they had licensed the spin-off for English publication.
Volumes
''Wandering Witch: The Journey of Elaina''
''Riviere and the Land of Prayer''
Manga
A manga adaptation by Itsuki Nanao was serialized on Square Enix's smartphone app and website Manga Up! from November 29, 2018, to March 28, 2024. Square Enix collected its chapters in six volumes, released from April 12, 2019, to July 5, 2024. The manga is published in English by Square Enix.A manga adaptation of the spin-off light novel Riviere and the Land of Prayer was serialized on the Piccoma website under SB Creative's GA Comic brand from December 17, 2021, to January 26, 2024. The manga's chapters have been collected into three volumes as of March 2024. The manga is also licensed in English by Yen Press.
Volumes
''Wandering Witch: The Journey of Elaina''
''Riviere and the Land of Prayer''
Anime
An anime television series adaptation was announced during a livestream for the "GA Fes 2019" event on October 19, 2019. The series was animated by C2C and directed by Toshiyuki Kubooka, with Kazuyuki Fudeyasu handling series composition, and Takeshi Oda adapting Azure's character designs. AstroNotes composed the soundtrack for the anime, which was later released in an album on January 27, 2021. The series aired for 12 episodes from October 2 to December 18, 2020, on AT-X and other channels. The opening theme is "Literature" performed by Reina Ueda, while the ending theme is "Haiiro no Saga" performed by ChouCho.Funimation acquired the series and streamed it on its website in North America and the British Isles. AnimeLab simulcasted the series in Australia and New Zealand. Wakanim streamed the series in select European territories. On December 3, 2020, Funimation announced that the series would receive an English dub, which premiered the following day. Following Sony's acquisition of Crunchyroll, the series was moved to Crunchyroll. Muse Communication has licensed the series in Southeast Asia and South Asia and they streamed it on their Muse Asia YouTube channel.
A new anime film was announced during the "GA Fes 2026: GA 20th Anniversary" livestream event on January 4, 2026.