TV-Series
Description
The character known as Head Teacher, whose real name is Ariel and who is also referred to as Dai-sensei or Great Teacher, is a figure from the magical world of Villiers who serves as an instructor at the Matellis school for Masou Shoujo, or magical garment girls. She is best known as the teacher of the magical girl Haruna, one of the main characters living with the protagonist Ayumu Aikawa.
On the surface, Head Teacher presents a deceptively simple and even comical personality. She has a notable fondness for a specific type of tofu from Kyoto, so much so that she frequently sends her student Haruna on errands to procure it for her, often citing issues like her credit cards being overcharged. This seemingly carefree and indulgent request, which is the original reason Haruna traveled to Tokyo where the main story takes place, belies a much more formidable and fearsome nature.
Her true, underlying motivation and personality are centered on an intense and unwavering protectiveness over her students. Head Teacher holds a zero-tolerance policy for anyone who harms those under her tutelage. She is described as being willing to kill anyone who injures or endangers a student, even if that person has committed a terrible crime. This ruthless devotion reveals that beneath her quirky exterior lies a powerful and dangerous individual who operates on her own strict moral code.
The character has a complex and deep backstory that provides context for her current position. It is revealed that she was not always merely a teacher. A century before the events of the series, Ariel was the second-in-command of Villiers and orchestrated a coup with the intent of overthrowing the Queen of Villiers, Lilia Lilith. She appointed her own mentor, a powerful Masou Shoujo named Chris, as the figurehead leader of the uprising. The coup ultimately failed. While Chris and many of the other conspirators took the full punishment, with Chris being cursed into the form of a middle-aged man, Ariel herself managed to avoid severe retribution and was instead demoted to her current role as a teacher.
In the immediate narrative of the anime, Head Teacher serves as a distant but influential authority figure. Her most direct role is in relation to Haruna, giving her orders and assignments that drive parts of the plot. In the second season, Of the Dead, she is shown to be in contact with the protagonist Ayumu, such as when she calls him with news about the return of Haruna’s magical chainsaw, Mystletainn. This indicates that while she may remain off-stage for much of the action, she is well-informed about the events involving her student and is actively managing the situation from afar.
Her key relationship is undoubtedly with her student, Haruna. Despite her stern and potentially dangerous nature, she is genuinely protective of Haruna, though her methods of assigning simple errands like tofu shopping are a stark contrast to her dramatic past as a would-be revolutionary. Another crucial, though largely backstory-based, relationship is with her former mentor, Chris. Head Teacher’s betrayal of Chris, using her as a pawn in the failed coup and leaving her to suffer a terrible curse, establishes a deep and antagonistic history between the two characters.
While exact details of her combat prowess are not exhaustively listed, her willingness to personally kill anyone who harms her students, coupled with her history as the high-ranking second-in-command of Villiers, establishes her as an individual of immense power and capability. Her abilities are such that she is clearly a force to be reckoned with within the magical world, commanding respect and fear despite her demoted status. Her development throughout the story comes primarily through the revelation of this hidden past, which recontextualizes her actions and positions her as a far more significant player than her initial role as a simple teacher might suggest.
On the surface, Head Teacher presents a deceptively simple and even comical personality. She has a notable fondness for a specific type of tofu from Kyoto, so much so that she frequently sends her student Haruna on errands to procure it for her, often citing issues like her credit cards being overcharged. This seemingly carefree and indulgent request, which is the original reason Haruna traveled to Tokyo where the main story takes place, belies a much more formidable and fearsome nature.
Her true, underlying motivation and personality are centered on an intense and unwavering protectiveness over her students. Head Teacher holds a zero-tolerance policy for anyone who harms those under her tutelage. She is described as being willing to kill anyone who injures or endangers a student, even if that person has committed a terrible crime. This ruthless devotion reveals that beneath her quirky exterior lies a powerful and dangerous individual who operates on her own strict moral code.
The character has a complex and deep backstory that provides context for her current position. It is revealed that she was not always merely a teacher. A century before the events of the series, Ariel was the second-in-command of Villiers and orchestrated a coup with the intent of overthrowing the Queen of Villiers, Lilia Lilith. She appointed her own mentor, a powerful Masou Shoujo named Chris, as the figurehead leader of the uprising. The coup ultimately failed. While Chris and many of the other conspirators took the full punishment, with Chris being cursed into the form of a middle-aged man, Ariel herself managed to avoid severe retribution and was instead demoted to her current role as a teacher.
In the immediate narrative of the anime, Head Teacher serves as a distant but influential authority figure. Her most direct role is in relation to Haruna, giving her orders and assignments that drive parts of the plot. In the second season, Of the Dead, she is shown to be in contact with the protagonist Ayumu, such as when she calls him with news about the return of Haruna’s magical chainsaw, Mystletainn. This indicates that while she may remain off-stage for much of the action, she is well-informed about the events involving her student and is actively managing the situation from afar.
Her key relationship is undoubtedly with her student, Haruna. Despite her stern and potentially dangerous nature, she is genuinely protective of Haruna, though her methods of assigning simple errands like tofu shopping are a stark contrast to her dramatic past as a would-be revolutionary. Another crucial, though largely backstory-based, relationship is with her former mentor, Chris. Head Teacher’s betrayal of Chris, using her as a pawn in the failed coup and leaving her to suffer a terrible curse, establishes a deep and antagonistic history between the two characters.
While exact details of her combat prowess are not exhaustively listed, her willingness to personally kill anyone who harms her students, coupled with her history as the high-ranking second-in-command of Villiers, establishes her as an individual of immense power and capability. Her abilities are such that she is clearly a force to be reckoned with within the magical world, commanding respect and fear despite her demoted status. Her development throughout the story comes primarily through the revelation of this hidden past, which recontextualizes her actions and positions her as a far more significant player than her initial role as a simple teacher might suggest.