The Familiar of Zero

The Familiar of Zero (ゼロの使い魔, Zero no Tsukaima) is a multimedia franchise of anime, manga, and light novels created by Noboru Yamaguchi.

Anime

 * See also: List of The Familiar of Zero episodes

The Familiar of Zero is an anime series which consists of four seasons produced by J.C. Staff, Genco, FUNimation EntertainmentL, Media Factory, Shochiku, Bushiroad Inc., and Happinet Pictures and directed by Yoshiaki Iwasaki and Yū Kō. It began airing on July 3, 2006 for the first season; July 9, 2007 for the second season; July 6, 2008 for the third season; and January 7, 2012 for the fourth and final season.

Plot Summary
Louise de la Vallière is a mage at Tristain Academy of Magic, dubbed with the nickname "Louise the Zero" due to her inability to use her magic properly, resulting in zero successes. An upcoming test at her academy requires to summon a familiar spirit, a servant and partner to support oneself as a mage. Despite desiring a familiar that would be superior to her constantly mocking classmates, Louise ends up summoning Saito Hiraga, an average Japanese boy. Even with Louise and Saito unwilling to accept each other, they have no choice. Louise cannot attempt another summoning and Saito cannot return to Japan, and so their life together begins.

Main Characters

 * Louise de la Vallière
 * She comes from a noble family of mages and is often insulted by her schoolmates as "Louise the Zero" due to her inability to properly perform magic and spells. She summoned a human from another world named Saito Hiraga as her familiar spirit, leaving her totally humiliated. Though very irritated with him at first, she gets to fall in love with Saito gradually. She and the others eventually learn the truth behind Louise's inabilities.


 * Saito Hiraga
 * He is a mediocre Japanese boy who is introduced as a lad finding a job. He is summoned by Louise de la Vallière as her master. At first, Louise and Saito did not get along, as Louise treated him quite poorly, calling and treating him like a dog, though he falls in love with her as the series proceeds. Saito tries to find a way to get back to Japan, but he also has a mysterious power like Louise that allows him to wield swords and other weapons to perform heroic moves.


 * Charlotte "Tabitha" de Gallia
 * An intelligent and quiet girl in Louise's class who is a close friend of Kirche. She is a triangle mage who specializes in Wind magic, and her familiar spirit is Sylphid, a wind dragon. Usually focused on books and holding her curved staff, Tabitha has a poker face and gives incomplete answers.


 * Kirche von Anhalt Zerbst
 * A seductive classmate and rival of Louise and a close friend of Tabitha. She favors Saito which leaves Louise very ill-tempered at her. She specializes in Fire magic, and her familiar spirit is Flame, a red salamander whom Saito had mistaken as "a red crocodile".


 * Guiche de Gramont
 * A playboy who flirts on other women despite being in love with Montmorency. He specializes in Earth magic and his familiar spirit is Verdante, a mole who likes jewelries. A long-stemmed red rose serves as his wand.


 * Montmorency de Montmorency
 * The girlfriend of Guiche and is usually envious and mad at him due to his flirting habits. She specializes in Water magic and has a familiar spirit named Robin, an orange-coloured frog. Montmorency made a contract with the Water Spirit, and she likes creating potions, though some of them are considered illegal.

Zero no Tsukaima
Zero no Tsukaima is drawn by Nana Mochizuki produced by Media Factory. It originally ran on August 2006 and had seven volumes. The manga is licensed in North America by Seven Seas Entertainment under the title Zero's Familiar.

Plot Summary
In the continent known as Halkeginia lies a small but important kingdom, Tristain. The most notable fact about this kingdom is the Tristain Academy of Magic where aristocrat students come to study the art of magic to gain the title of a mage. At this school, Louise de la Vallière is known to be quite a screw up when it comes to performing magic. One day, a ceremony takes place wherein each student must call forth an entity called as a familiar spirit. With Louise, hers comes in the form of an average boy named Saito Hiraga. He was transported from his world to Louise's, and, as her familiar spirit, he must live with her as his master.

Zero no Tsukaima Chevalier
Zero no Tsukaima Chevalier is a spin-off series illustrated by Higa Yukari. It began serialization in the March 2010 issue of Comic Alive.

Plot Summary
After being summoned to the world of Halkeginia, Saito Hiraga begins a new life as a familiar spirit to a beautiful yet rude aristocrat, Louise de la Vallière. After being a loyal mage for the Princess of Tristain, Louise embarks on an adventure full of fun, romance, and mischief.

Zero no Tsukaima Light Novel
Zero no Tsukaima Light Novel is a series written by Noboru Yamaguchi and illustrated by Eiji Usatsuka. Twenty volumes have been published by Media Factory in Japan between June 2004 and February 2011. Publications had been threatened due to Yamaguchi's illness, leaving the series unfinished, though he planned to make the series to end with twenty-two volumes.

Zero no Tsukaima Side Story: Adventures of Tabitha
Zero no Tsukaima Side Story: Adventures of Tabitha is a side story initially a cellular-phone online serial. It was released with three volumes between October 2006 and March 2009. Seven Seas Entertainment licensed the series in 2007, but later cancelled the release of the novel. This novel features the adventures of Tabitha as a knight of Gallia.

Zero no Tsukaima Spin-Off: Heavy Wind, the Female Knight Captain
Zero no Tsukaima Spin-Off: Heavy Wind, the Female Knight Captain is a spin-off novel which tells the childhood of Duchess Karin de la Vallière. This novel consists of two volumes.

Zero no Tsukaima Single Side Stories
Zero no Tsukaima Single Side Stories are a compilation of light novels which serve as a prequel of the anime series.

Zero no Tsukaima: Shōakuma to Shunpū Concerto
Zero no Tsukaima: Shōakuma to Shunpū Concerto is a game wherein Saito Hiraga is summoned to another world, Halkeginia, and gets involved in love and adventure. Staged on the Tristain Academy of Magic, he is teased and loved by his master, Louise de la Vallière. In this game, Louise has the likeability parameter and dislikeability parameter. If you hang around with other girls, her dislikeability parameter rises. And if it hits the limit, a horrible event happens to you. Thus, keep an eye on them all the time, and have a love life with Louise.

Zero no Tsukaima: Muma ga Tsumugu Yokaze no Fantasy
Zero no Tsukaima: Muma ga Tsumugu Yokaze no Fantasy is a game prequel to Zero no Tsukaima: Shōakuma to Shunpū Concerto. Saito Hiraga gradually gets used to the life in Halkeginia. But he has a strange dream every night. That is about his life in the world he used to belong, enjoying his school life with Louise and Siesta. When he wakes up, he is still in Halkeginia. One day, a treasure storage box is broken by Louise's poorly used magic and find something valuable.

Zero no Tsukaima: Maigo no Period to Ikusen no Symphony
Zero no Tsukaima: Maigo no Period to Ikusen no Symphony is a game prequel to Zero no Tsukaima: Muma ga Tsumugu Yokaze no Fantasy. Louise and her friends are taken to a big library. It seems some ghosts often appear these days and they are asked to examine it. However, while they do examination, Louise suddenly disappears. She comes back a while later, but she becomes just a shy girl without a heart. According to the caretaker, they need to go into books and collect fragments of her broken heart. To save her, they decide to enter the book world.

Seductive Beach
Seductive Beach is the title of the original video animation (OVA) of the series. It is considered as the half of the sixth episode of the third season.

Plot Summary
Saito and Osmond examine a chest of Earth items. The Academy students go to a beach for their summer trip, along with Siesta, Henrietta, and Agnès. While enjoying their trip, unexpected things happen along.

Music
All four anime seasons have two pieces of music theme each; one opening theme (all are sung by ICHIKO) and one ending theme (all are sung by Rie Kugimiya). The first season's opening theme is First Kiss, and the ending theme is The Real Feeling. The second season's opening theme is I Say Yes, and the ending theme is Suki!? Kirai!? Suki!!!. The third season's opening theme is You're The One, and the ending theme is Gomen. The fourth season's opening theme is I'll Be There For You, and the ending theme is Kiss Shite Agenai.

Audio CDs
The first and second seasons released four character song albums each. The first CD is for Saito and Louise, sung by Satoshi Hino and Rie Kugimiya. The second CD is for Guiche and Montmorency, sung by Takahiro Sakurai and Mikako Takahashi. The third CD is for Kirche and Tabitha, sung by Nanako Inoue and Yuka Inokuchi. The fourth CD is for Henrietta and Siesta, sung by Ayako Kawasumi and Yui Horie.

For the second season, the first CD is for Louise by Rie Kugimiya. The second CD is for Henrietta by Ayako Kawasumi. The third CD is for Siesta by Yui Horie. The fourth is for Éléonore and Cattleya by Kikuko Inoue and Kotomi Yamakawa.

Audio Drama
Two audio dramas were released for the second season. The first is a compilation of radio drama episodes from The Familiar of Zero Internet radio show, Zero no Tsukaima on the radio: Tristain Mahō Gakuin e Yōkoso. The second album is a drama CD featuring Louise, Kirche, and Tabitha, by Rie Kugimiya, Nanako Inoue, and Yuka Inokuchi respectively.

Official Websites

 * The Familiar of Zero Official Website (Japanese)
 * Official J.C. Staff's The Familiar of Zero Website (Japanese)
 * Zero no Tsukaima: Shōakuma to Shunpū Concerto Official Website (Japanese)
 * Zero no Tsukaima: Muma ga Tsumugu Yokaze no Fantasy Official Website (Japanese)
 * Zero no Tsukaima: Maigo no Period to Ikusen no Symphony Official Website (Japanese)
 * The Familiar of Zero anime at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia (English)