Saya

**Saya** (サヤ *Saya*) is one of the recurring characters introduced in *Wandering Witch* series. She is an apprentice witch whom Elaina meets in the Land of Mages as a novice.

## Appearance

Saya has black hair tied back in a small tassel on the left side, and blue eyes. She initially wears a charcoal-grey outfit, black stockings, and white boots.

## Personality

Saya is a person with a kind, helpful, and justice-loving personality on the outside, but is slightly manipulative in her thinking as shown when she asked Elaina to stay with her for a while.

She also has a desire to have company and friends, which mostly stemmed from her younger sister returning back to her homeland without her.

She loves Elaina, and begins to see her in many of her travels. Saya takes her name as the *Charcoal Witch* as a similar name to the *Ashen Witch* after Elaina, signifying their closeness. Even exchanging matching necklaces in hopes of seeing each other again. She later tells Elaina that she wants to be her bride.

## Plot

### Past Events

Saya's hometown is a country to the far east. Because it didn't have any organizations offering the magic exams, she and her younger sister were forced to travel to the Land of Mages to take them. For several years, the two worked at an inn while they studied for the exams. However, only her younger sister was able to pass the latest round of exams, and subsequently went home without her.

### Story Events

Saya wants to learn how to be a fine witch, but does not have a teacher to guide her. She finds Elaina and they begin to work together until her secret is revealed. After Elaina realizes why she was forced to teach her magic, Elaina confronts Saya. Soon after, they make up and become friends.

Six months after Elaina leaves the country, Saya is able to pass the exams and become an apprentice witch. In Saya's note, she stated she wants to meet Elaina, a traveler whom she loves, again in their travels.

Saya later became a apprentice to Sheila, whom passed her as a full witch and gave her the title of her choice "Charcoal witch". She then began working for her at the government. Upon the Ripper being arrested, Saya flys into a violent rage after hearing the psycho ruined Elaina's hair; punishing her with Sheila's permission.

## Appearance in Other Media

### Academy of Wandering Witches

Saya appears in the spin-off *Academy of Wandering Witches*.

## Abilities

**Magical Talent:** She possessed enough talent to pass the magic exams and get her brooch. According to Elaina, Saya was already a very powerful mage, but her lack of self-confidence held her back.

**Fire Magic:** Saya can use fire-related spells.

**Water Magic:** Saya can use water-related spells.

**Lightning Magic:** Saya can use electricity-related spells.

## Trivia

* According to the author, he always gets a lot of fun from writing scenes and dialogues with Saya, since their interactions with Elaina are similar to a manzai duet.
* Saya's birthday is March 8.
	+ Saya's name is supposed to be a pun on "sa" (3) and "ya" (8) in Japanese, reflecting that her birthday is March 8th.
* Originally, Saya was supposed to be a minor character that only appears in a single volume. However, Jouji Shiraishi later changed his mind and Saya became one of the recurring characters of the series instead.

## References

1. ↑ *Wandering Witch* Light Novel Volume 1, Chapter 1
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Jouji Shiraishi (author) Talks *Wandering Witch* and More