A Returner's Magic Should Be Special

Kikansha no Mahou wa Tokubetsu desu

帰還者の魔法は特別です

Other names 3

Chinese: 归还者的魔法要特别
Also known as: Gwihwanjaui Mabeobeun Teukbyeolhaeya Hamnida
Also known as: 귀환자의 마법은 특별해야 합니다

Overall score 6.7/10

Fall 2023#3

Overall score Rating & Reviews

12 eps · Finished

Arvo AnimationWeb novel adaptationPremiered Oct 8, 202324 min per episodeSee series

Where to Watch

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Where to Watch

A Returner's Magic Should Be Special6.7Where to Watch

Overview

Spoiler-free synopsis

Another dimension that continues to taint our world, the Shadow World. Humanity is faced with the worst calamity, known as the Shadow Labyrinth. In spite of their desperate attacks, Desir Herrman and his friends lose their battle to the Destruction Dragon, Boromir Napolitan, and the world comes to an end. When Desir is convinced of his end, he opens his eyes... to find himself 13 years in the past. Desir has gone back in time to the enrollment ceremony of Hebrion Academy, the top school for mages in the Empire. To change the future of impending doom, Desir reassembles his friends once again to save the world!

The percentage after a tag is its relevance to this title. 1 more tag that may contain spoilers is hidden; you can reveal them under Viewing notes.

Details

Format: TV · 12 episodes · 24 min per episode
Status: Finished
Aired: Oct 8, 2023 – Dec 24, 2023
Studio: Arvo Animation
Source: Web novel adaptation
Season: Fall 2023
Categories: Fantasy Battle School Adventure
Official site: returners-magic.com (opens in a new window)

Ranking positions

Fall 2023 ranking →

Rank in each ranking
Ranking	Overall	Fantasy	Battle	School	Adventure
Fall 2023	#3	#1	#1	#1	#1
2023	#4	#1	#1	#1	#1
All-time	#226	#81	#88	#58	#66

Rating & Reviews

Overall score6.7/10Used for ranking

Positive24%130 analyzed comments

The overall score combines site ratings, comment sentiment and AniRanking votes. The positive rate is the share of analyzed comments classified as positive.

Very positive 2
Positive 29
Mixed 46
Negative 46
Very negative 7

130 comments analyzed: Bangumi 39 · MyAnimeList Forum 39 · AniList Forum 30 · Kitsu 18 · AniList 4

Rating sources & calculation

Updated Oct 12, 2026, 05:59 · About scores

The sentiment score is 5.6/10: AI analyzes comment sentiment, with a conservative adjustment for small samples. It is neither a direct audience rating nor the ranking score. The overall score uses the calibrated raw comment mean; its share is shown below.

Score breakdown

Site scores6.7974%Consensus of 113.6K site votes (calibrated to one scale and shrunk toward the global baseline by vote count)
Fan sentiment6.3226%95.5 comments, average 5.04 (the sentiment score shown, 5.6, is also shrunk toward neutral), calibrated against comparable titles to 6.32
CommunityNot counted0%No ratings yet (each rating counts as one vote)

Site scores

Raw → calibrated to one scale

Site scores: raw score, votes, calibrated score
Site	Raw score	Votes	Calibrated
AniList (external link, opens in a new window)Reference site	69/100	22.8K votes	6.9
MyAnimeList (external link, opens in a new window)Calibrated to the AniList scale	7.0/10	89.8K votes	6.8
Bangumi (external link, opens in a new window)Calibrated to the AniList scale	5.2/10	978 votes	6.5
bilibiliNo data	—	—	Not counted

What people sayAI sentiment analysis

English audience score 6.8 · 112,700 samples

PositiveAuthor's score 8.06 found this helpful
A rocky start, but the characters really pulled me in! A Returner's Magic Should Be Special starts a little rough around the edges, but as…
lavlem0nAniListNov 4, 2025Original (AniList, opens in a new window)
NegativeAuthor's score 5.529 found this helpful
A rather disappointing 1 to 1 adaptation of the web comic... What a weird show.... Seriously, it refuses to adhere to things such as…
oliveirafreAniListDec 29, 2023Original (AniList, opens in a new window)
Very positive3 found this helpful
i loved reading the story and its awesome to get to see it come to life for me
RockweaverKitsuJan 14, 2024Original (Kitsu, opens in a new window)
Very negative15 found this helpful
That has got to be the ugliest dragon I've ever had the misfortune of laying my eyes on
TehReiKitsuPre-airOct 8, 2023Original (Kitsu, opens in a new window)
PositiveAuthor's score 7.53 found this helpful
Slow start, mid-season dips, but a strong finale with a cliffhanger that leaves you wanting more. When I first started watching A…
QewiyAniListAug 10, 2025Original (AniList, opens in a new window)
Negative8 found this helpful
It definitely didn't leave the same impressions as when reading the Manhwa. I'm a bit disappointed in the first episode for sure. I hope…
KaruhainAniList ForumPre-airOct 8, 2023Original (AniList Forum, opens in a new window)

Production

AniList · Wikidata

Source: Web novel adaptation
Studio: Arvo Animation

Sequels

Sequel
A Returner's Magic Should be Special Season 2
Genres: ActionAdventure
Overall score: 7.0

Official & News

Official links · Anime News Network

Official links

Official sitereturners-magic.com
Official X (Twitter)@returners_magic

Mood & content

Source: No data yetConfidence: no data yet

0 = barely any, 10 = very pronounced. Values measure how much, not how good, and different viewers feel the same show differently. “No data yet” means the item hasn't been assessed yet, not that it's absent.

Mood

Light
Exciting
Heavy

No mood profile yet

Light

RelaxingNo data yet. Easy to watch, low effort
HealingNo data yet. Gentle and comforting
FunnyNo data yet. Density of laughs
HeartwarmingNo data yet. Warmth from relationships

Exciting

HypeNo data yet. Adrenaline and excitement
TenseNo data yet. Suspense and tension

Heavy

OppressiveNo data yet. Heavy, stifling atmosphere
DarkNo data yet. Darkness of setting and themes
SadNo data yet. Share of sad moments
BleakNo data yet. Likelihood of a lingering low mood

Emotional intensityNo data yet

Emotional intensity measures how strong the ups and downs are, happy or sad.

Content

Higher = more of it

Themes

Action
No data yet. Share of fights and action
Romance
No data yet. Weight of romance plotlines
Slice of life
No data yet. Share of everyday-life episodes
Harem
No data yet. Harem dynamics around the lead

Sensitive content· may be upsetting; judge by your own comfort level

Fan service
No data yet. Suggestive shots and fan service
Violence
No data yet. Intensity of violence
Gore
No data yet. Blood and graphic injury
Character death
No data yet. Likelihood of major character deaths
Horror
No data yet. Scares and horror
Psychological stress
No data yet. Mental torment and anxiety
Betrayal
No data yet. Betrayal plotlines
Heartbreak
No data yet. Deliberately heart-wrenching arcs

Style

ComplexityNo data yet
(0 = Easy to follow, 10 = Mind-bending). Plot complexity and density
PacingNo data yet
(0 = Slow burn, 10 = Fast-paced). 0 = slow burn, 10 = fast-paced
World-buildingNo data yet
(0 = Simple, 10 = Vast and deep). Depth of the setting

Viewing notes

Spoiler-free by default

No spoiler-free viewing notes yet.

A Returner's Magic Should Be Special

Overview

Genres & tags

Details

Ranking positions

Rating & Reviews

Score breakdowniThe three parts are weighted in “virtual votes”: the more site votes and analyzed comments, the more weight that part gets. Fan sentiment is capped at 35%, and each AniRanking rating counts as one vote. Full rules

What people sayAI sentiment analysis

Production

Sequels

Official & News

Official links

Mood & content

Mood

Light

Exciting

Heavy

Content

Themes

Sensitive content· may be upsetting; judge by your own comfort level

Style

Viewing notes

Related

🐉 Fantasy ranking · Fall 2023

A Returner's Magic Should Be Special

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Score breakdown

Fantasy ranking · Fall 2023