<p>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):</p>
<blockquote>
<p>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 &quot;novice&quot;. Those are &quot;apprentice&quot; and &quot;witch&quot;.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>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:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Magical ability tends to be stronger in women than in men.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>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.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-02-05T22:42:13.360Z
@JoeW "For female mages, there are two ranks above novice. Those are apprentice and witch." This is an exclusionary statement. Males cannot achieve these ranks.
Shaymin Gratitude
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-02-05T22:58:11.190Z
And your focus seems to be on the fact that it says women tend to be stronger than men but that does not rule out the possibility of a strong male having similar abilities to a witch. They might not be able to become a witch because the rules prohibit it but that doesn't mean that there are not men out there that are strong with magic.
Joe W
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-02-06T02:39:41.210Z
My answer is focused on two statements in the source material that literally answer the question asked. These statements literally say nothing about men being prohibited from becoming witches because of social rules. What they do say, when combined, is that men cannot become witches because they do not have enough magical power. These statements literally say that women have more magical ability and that the ranks of apprentice and witch are only available to women.
Shaymin Gratitude
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-02-06T03:11:18.257Z
And the second part doesn’t suggest that men can’t be powerful enough to become a witch
Joe W
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-02-06T03:25:55.487Z
The first quote does imply that though. The second quote merely clarifies this.
Shaymin Gratitude
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-02-06T03:29:14.917Z
And the second quote doesn’t prevent men from becoming witches. It only means on average that they are less powerful.
Joe W
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-02-06T18:16:11.087Z
Let us [continue this discussion in chat](https://chat.stackexchange.com/rooms/142661/discussion-between-shaymin-gratitude-and-joe-w).
Shaymin Gratitude
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-02-04T14:47:25.570Z
2023-02-06T18:36:31.713Z
2023-02-06T18:36:31.713Z
Shaymin Gratitude
<p>There are shown to be male mages in <em>Wandering Witch: Journey of Elaina</em>, 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.</p>
<p>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 <em>Witch Hat Atelier</em>, which do indeed have male witches.</p>
<p>So, what is the case in <em>Wandering Witch</em>?</p>

<wandering-witch-journey-of-elaina>
Can males become witches?
# Can males become witches?
Posted by: username_0 on 2022-04-11
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*?
**Tags:** wandering-witch-journey-of-elaina
---
## 1 answers
### Answer by username_0 on 2023-02-04. Score: 1 | Accepted answer
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.
> **Comments:**
> **username_0** (2023-02-05): @JoeW "For female mages, there are two ranks above novice. Those are apprentice and witch." This is an exclusionary statement. Males cannot achieve these ranks.  
> **username_1** (2023-02-05): And your focus seems to be on the fact that it says women tend to be stronger than men but that does not rule out the possibility of a strong male having similar abilities to a witch. They might not be able to become a witch because the rules prohibit it but that doesn't mean that there are not men out there that are strong with magic.  
> **username_0** (2023-02-06): My answer is focused on two statements in the source material that literally answer the question asked. These statements literally say nothing about men being prohibited from becoming witches because of social rules. What they do say, when combined, is that men cannot become witches because they do not have enough magical power. These statements literally say that women have more magical ability and that the ranks of apprentice and witch are only available to women.  
> **username_1** (2023-02-06): And the second part doesn’t suggest that men can’t be powerful enough to become a witch  
> **username_0** (2023-02-06): The first quote does imply that though. The second quote merely clarifies this.  
> **username_1** (2023-02-06): And the second quote doesn’t prevent men from becoming witches. It only means on average that they are less powerful.  
> **username_0** (2023-02-06): Let us [continue this discussion in chat](https://chat.stackexchange.com/rooms/142661/discussion-between-shaymin-gratitude-and-joe-w).  
---
