One of the most notable things about Witch Hat Atelier at first is how pretty Master Qifrey is. He’s a classic, white-haired anime pretty boy. Brilliant blue eyes (well, eye…) and the kind of outward confidence normal people envy, Qifrey gives Satoru Gojo a run for his money. And that’s saying a lot, coming from your resident Gojo fan-girly.
Anime and manga mentors are an honest-to-goodness staple, regardless of the demographic. An important part of any coming-of-age story, it’s the mentor’s job to give the protagonist a proper introduction to their world. Coco’s magical journey into the imperfect world of magic requires an imperfect mentor, and Qifrey fits the bill perfectly. In fact, it’s Qifrey’s imperfections that make him a perfect mentor. Contradictory, yes? That’s what makes it fun!
Master Qifrey Is Too Pretty To Be True
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One of the earliest things fans learn in both the Witch Hat Atelier manga and anime is that Qifrey cares intensely. After Coco’s tragic magical mistake, he explains the consequences that come with dabbling in dark magic. The mere prospect of losing her memories of her love of magic is devastating. While that’s not entirely Qifrey’s reason for taking her into his Atelier, it is a motivating factor.
Early on, we are given the impression he has ulterior motives for taking her on as an apprentice. Those hidden motives are affirmed by Olruggio shortly after he’s introduced at the Atelier. With those first seeds of doubt planted, it’s impossible not to wonder the obvious. Is Qifrey too pretty to be true?
You bet he is! But that doesn’t make him unworthy of being Coco’s mentor. If anything, it actually makes him the perfect candidate for mentoring the girl who came to magic in the worst way imaginable.
Olruggio Set Us Up for Qifrey’s First Dark Turn Early
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When Watchful Eye Olruggio first appears in Witch Hat Atelier, Qifrey has not just taken on a non-magic apprentice, but it’s after she’s already passed her first trial. Before he can whisk her off to the Knights Moralis, however, Qifrey explains. Had he erased Coco’s memories straight away, not only would there be no chance to save her mother, but the forbidden magic picture book would be lost forever.
Taking Coco on as an apprentice means he can track the Brimmed Caps through the book. Olruggio may not say it out loud at this point, but it’s definitely intentional for the reader/viewer to wonder about Qifrey’s intentions. Is he using this little girl to achieve his own ends?
Before the thought sweeps you too deeply away, Qifrey reaffirms himself as Coco’s master. He tells her he’s proud of her, that she’s passed her first test on her own merits. She deserves to be his apprentice, and nothing Olruggio said should make her doubt that.
That being said, the first little fire has been lit inside us. We’re definitely starting to think a little differently about Qifrey, now that we’ve seen him through Olruggio’s eyes for the first time.
One Dark Turn Precedes Another
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Other than Olruggio’s tiny seeds of doubt, Qifrey appears as little more than a kind and caring mentor to the little witches in his Atelier. Even as we approach his first dark turn in both the manga (Chapter 13) and the anime (Chapter 8), it’s all too easy to think poorly of Qifrey. Obviously, he’s a bad guy… right?
After all, he wiped Mr. Nolnoa’s memory to avoid word of the cursed ink Qifrey confiscated from Coco reaching the Knights Moralis. That clearly makes him some kind of monster, especially given everything fans have come to know about the Brimmed Caps at that point.
It’s kind of funny, not in a ha-ha way, but in an ironic way. It’s so easy it is to fall back into that false sense of Qifrey-security after the Mr. Nolnoa incident. Watching Qifrey protect Coco and Tetia as if his own life depends on it during the Brimmed Cap attack at the Second Pentagram Test incident endears him to us all over again.
He’s injured so badly during this attack, they all go to the Great Hall for healing and to report the incident to Master Beldaruit, the Wise In Teachings. During this time, we get delightfully distracted by Beldaruit and the magic of the Great Hall itself. Wrapped up in the apprentices attempt to impress Beldaruit and pass the Second Test, sitting by Olruggio’s side as he worries, Qifrey’s injuries almost make us forget.
And then the betrayal happens again in the most unexpected scenario of them all.
Qifrey Seems Like He’ll Brainwash Anyone To Protect Himself
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When Olruggio confronts Qifrey about his reckless pursuit of the Brimmed Caps, it comes with a momentary breath of relief. Finally, we’re going to understand what drives the obsession, maybe even get a little honesty. As Olruggio berates him for keeping it a secret that he’s losing his vision in his one good eye, Qifrey has no choice but to confide in his friend.
He sort of does, but then he does the completely unexpected and unthinkable. He apologizes to Olly after their conversation, then wipes the entire conversation from his memory. Seriously, Qifrey? Seriously? It made me feel sick to my stomach when he did it to Mr. Nolnoa, but turning that horrible bit of magic on his best friend felt like the ultimate betrayal.
Following that, trusting Qifrey in any scenario felt impossible, and it just got worse across the next three dozen or so chapters. It began to dawn on me as a reader that he’s suffering from an extreme case of Harry Potter syndrome (carrying the burden alone because he feels he has no choice if he wants to protect the people he loves).
And yeah, lots of characters have had that malady, even long before Harry Potter. It’s a popular trope in storytelling that helps add layers to character development, but Qifrey… no.
The Tragic Truth About Qifrey Doesn’t Bring Any Comfort At All
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It isn’t until after the Silver Eve Disaster that we discover the real truth behind Qifrey’s quick use of memory enhancement against his best friend. In light of the Silver Wood tree taking up residence inside Custas, a flashback to Qifrey’s childhood gives us the information we’ve all been missing. Not only do we see the circumstances under which Olly and Qifrey became friends, but we learn about the measures Olruggio suggested they take to prevent Qifrey’s Silver Wood from completely overtaking him.
Discovering that Olruggio wasn’t just a willing participant, but the instigator of his own memory wipes, doesn’t do much to ease the blow. If anything, it makes us all love Master Olly even more than we already did. Additionally, that secret only Qifrey carries serves to enhance the intense bond we all felt between the pair leading up to this point.
Olruggio sacrifices his memories to keep Qifrey alive. The burden of his secret is so heavy, he can’t feel any of the joy or safety the Silver Wood tree needs in order to grow. It’s freaking tragic, ya’ll. It ramps up the moral ambiguity that drives Witch Hat Atelier at its very core.
Shirahama-sensei is a genius. She’s a fate-twisting virtuoso who has us all wrapped around her little finger as we breathlessly wait for new chapters to drop that we already know are going to break our hearts. Don’t tell Gojo, but Qifrey’s torment makes him infinitely stronger. But, I’ve rambled enough for one day, so that’s a musing for another day.
