The Familiar of Zero

A self-focused magician, Louise Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière (what a mouthful), is a student at the Tristain Academy. However, there is an issue: "Louise is unable to cast magic properly, earning her the nickname of 'Louise the Zero' from her classmates."¹

The first-year students perform a summoning ritual, and Louise's ends in an explosion. When everything clears, however, there is a human, Saito Hiraga. Since Louise summoned him, he is treated like her slave. They find a brand on Saito's hand which "is believed to be the mark of a powerful familiar named Gandalfr."¹

Sexual Content

In this anime, women wear short skirts, and some have exposed cleavages. There is also other sexual content,⁽²⁾⁽³⁾ such as a woman on the front of a porn magazine, people in baths, people dressing in revealing kemonomimi outfits, and a woman using her body to keep a guy warm.⁴

This alone should alert the Christian to the immorality in this show. People should wear clothing that actually covers their bodies. This is great wickedness.

"[26] My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways. [27] For a whore is a deep ditch; and a strange woman is a narrow pit." (Proverbs 23:26-27)

When we do not use our eyes to observe the ways of God, instead we let our eyes wander about, we will fall into the ditch of the whore and the narrow pit of the strange woman. Lust is a form of fornication or adultery in the heart, and when we put an immodestly dressed woman, or as the Bible puts it, "a woman with the attire of an harlot" (Proverbs 7:10), before our eyes, we will—not might—fall.

Magical Violence

As I mentioned earlier, Louise is a mage. However, this is not all. Many characters use magic,⁵ after all, their academy is called the "Tristain Academy of Magic".⁶ Saito has a magical sword known as Derfflinger.⁷ With all this magic (i.e., witchcraft), it is not surprising that there is also violence involved.²

John the Baptist told the soldiers to, "Do violence to no man" (Luke 3:14). Jehovah God does not find pleasure in violence, much less in violence involving witchcraft. The Scriptures are clear when they state:

"The LORD trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth." (Psalm 11:5)

Paul lists witchcraft as a work of the flesh (Galatians 5:20), and God calls it an abomination in His Law (Deuteronomy 18:10-12). Deuteronomy 7:26 explicitly forbids allowing an abomination into your house, yet it's somehow alright to bring magic and violence into your home? And then on top of that, it's somehow fine to enjoy the things the Lord hates?

The False Messiah

While this show does not use the term "Messiah," it does portray Saito as a figure of similar standing. Saito is Gandálfr⁸ and Lífþrasir⁹. Now, Gandálfr means "magical elf,"¹⁰ and falls in line with having supernatural powers as a Void's familiar.⁸ That's not where this ends, sadly. According to this anime, Gandálfr means "The Left Hand of God"!¹¹

It doesn't get any better with Lífþrasir. This name, like Gandálf, originates from Norse mythology.¹² It refers to "Líf's lover",¹² which fits with the fact that at the end of the series, Louise and Saito get married¹³. In the show, Lífþrasir means "The Heart of God".¹¹ The Lífþrasir, according to Norse mythology, would, alongside the Líf, repopulate the new fertile world after the events of Ragnarök.

Could it be that Saito is the one who is seen as the savior of humanity? That his supernatural power provided to him as Gandálfr places him almost, if not directly, as a Messiah-type figure?

"I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour." (Isaiah 43:11)

This anime may even be allegorical of the coming self-proclaimed god, the AntiChrist?

"[4] Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. ... [8] And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:" (2 Thessalonians 2:4, 8)

The Scriptures explicitly call the AntiChrist "that Wicked" who will oppose God Himself. We really shouldn't have anything to do with this! And if you think I am stretching, just remember that the rune on Saito's hand supposedly means "The Left Hand of God." Now, think about the end times and about how the Bible says that people will take the mark of the beast in their hand or forehead (Revelation 14:9) (another character has a rune in their forehead, and another on their right hand).

Conclusion

As I hope to have adequately shown, this anime is in direct conflict with the Scriptures. Satan is using media to propagate the AntiChrist regime, and this show is not exempt from that fact. May we, instead of watching this show (which is full of evil content), focus our gaze on Jesus, seeking to fill our minds with those things which bring Him pleasure!

Sources:

1. "Zero no Tsukaima." MyAnimeList,  myanimelist.net/anime/1195/Zero_no_Tsukaima. Accessed 7/20/2025.

2. Zero no Tsukaima. Crunchyroll, crunchyroll.com/series/G69P3DM3Y/zero-no-tsukaima. Accessed 7/20/2025.

3. Familiar of Zero F. Crunchyroll, crunchyroll.com/series/GRVND72WY/familiar-of-zero-f. Accessed 7/20/2025.

4. "The Familiar of Zero: Parents guide." IMDb, imdb.com/title/tt0978553/parentalguide. Accessed 7/20/2025.

5. "Spells." The Familiar of Zero Wiki, thefamiliarofzero.fandom.com/wiki/Category:Spells. Accessed 7/20/2025.

6. "Tristain Academy of Magic." The Familiar of Zero Wiki, thefamiliarofzero.fandom.com/wiki/Tristain_Academy_of_Magic. Accessed 7/20/2025.

7. "Derfflinger." Zero no Tsukaima Wiki, zeronotsukaima.fandom.com/wiki/Derfflinger. Accessed 7/20/2025.

8. "Gandálfr." Zero no Tsukaima Wiki, zeronotsukaima.fandom.com/wiki/Gand%C3%A1lfr. Accessed 7/20/2025.

9. "Lífþrasir." Zero no Tsukaima Wiki, zeronotsukaima.fandom.com/wiki/L%C3%ADf%C3%BErasir. Accessed 7/20/2025.

10. "Gandalf (mythology)." Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 5/10/2025, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gandalf_(mythology). Accessed 7/20/2025.

11. "Runes." Zero no Tsukaima Wiki, zeronotsukaima.fandom.com/wiki/Runes. Accessed 7/20/2025.

12. "Líf and Lífþrasir." Myth and Folklore Wiki, mythus.fandom.com/wiki/L%C3%ADf_and_L%C3%ADf%C3%BErasir. Accessed 7/20/2025.

13. "The Familiar of Zero (episode)." The Familiar of Zero Wiki, thefamiliarofzero.fandom.com/wiki/The_Familiar_of_Zero_(episode). Accessed 7/20/2025.