Any mention of a world where magic rules, instantly takes us back to our childhood shaped by Harry Potter and Hogwarts. Even the world of anime and manga isn’t immune to the influence of the popular franchise, and anime series like Black Clover and Mashle are proof of that.
Magic reigns supreme and is the primary source of power in both these titles. However, long before both Black Clover and Mashle began their run, there was already an anime working on the same laws as Harry Potter. Released in 2008 for the first time, Soul Eater anime bears a striking resemblance with many plotlines from the Harry Potter series.
From the characters to the setting, it’s hard to miss the similarities. An exploration of these similarities would instantly make one think about why Soul Eater isn’t more popular as the spiritual twin of Harry Potter.
The similarities between Harry Potter and Soul Eater
Soul Eater is the story of Maka Albarn, who has started her life at the Death Weapon Meister Academy. An academy that trains its students to find partners who can turn into strong weapons. Maka’s goal is to become the strongest Death Scythe, alongside her friends Black Star and Death the Kid, who have their own goals.
The first parallel can be drawn between the cast of three central characters. The story of Harry Potter also revolves primarily around Harry, Hermione, and Ron. The way these three set out on their journey to become great wizards at Hogwarts, the young trio of Soul Eater have come to the Academy with a similar ambition.
Not just these three characters, but Soul Eater has its own version of Professor Dumbledore. The headmaster of the Death Weapon Meister Academy, Lord Death, is a peculiar character. He’s nice, noble, serious, and somewhat eccentric. However, he serves as the guiding force for the young students at the academy.
As the story progresses in Soul Eater, the theme of the ‘chosen one’ also comes into play through Death and his connections. The teachers at the Meister Academy and Hogwarts play similar roles, as some of them are stern while others are more friendly with the students. All in all, the similarities between these two works of fiction are too evident to be missed or brushed off as mere coincidence.
Soul Eater has so much more to offer beyond these similarities
Soul Eater is fairly popular among anime fans, which is no surprise given how interesting the plot and themes are. The character designs are also quite unique and interesting. However, the highlight of the show is clearly its power system as it seamlessly expands the cast of characters, and leads to fun combinations.
All the characters are well-written, and some of them are even more interesting than the protagonist, Soul Evans, for example. The anime strays off to an original path, which makes the manga a better option for those who like the story and experience beyond its visual appeal. For any fan, who enjoys dark, eerie settings with quirky characters, Soul Eater is a must-watch, of course, that includes Potterheads as well.
Soul Eater is available to stream on Crunchyroll.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
