The Familiar of Zero Season 1 Episode 1

Ep 1. Zero Louise

  • TV14
  • July 2, 2006
  • 23 min

In the world of Halkeginia, magic is not only alive and well, it is taught as a skill at the Tristain Academy of Magic. Louise Francoise Le Blanc de La Vallière, a student at this academy, has been nicknamed "Zero Louise" due to her inability to properly use magic. Louise is a member of the noble La Vallière family, who have a reputation for producing powerful magicians, making her own ineptitude all the more embarrassing for her. She has ambitions of becoming a great magician, but constantly finds herself failing in her endeavors. The first episode of The Familiar of Zero, titled "Zero Louise," begins with her most recent failure in a class demonstration that ended with her summoning a commoner from Earth as her familiar.

Summoning a familiar is a mage's rite of passage. It is a contract made between the caster and a magical creature that binds them together. The familiar obediently serves their master, acting as a source of magical power as well as providing physical aid when needed. Louises's classmates have all successfully performed this rite, and she is determined to do the same - even if it means breaking all the rules. The ritual requires the caster to chant an incantation that calls out for their familiar. Louise's incantation is not quite up to snuff, but she powers through it regardless and magic spills out of her body uncontrollably. In a flash of light, Louise appears to have summoned nothing at all. Her classmates including at first one of the teachers, Mr. Colbert, laugh at her, mocking her for her lack of skill.

But then they notice a boy lying naked in the middle of the summoning circle. He appears to be confused and disoriented, eventually getting up and asking where he is. The boy, later identified as Saito Hiraga, had been living in Tokyo, Japan, before being literally dragged into Halkeginia as Louise's familiar. Louise, horrified at the idea that she has summoned a mere human in place of some powerful magic creature, tries to send Saito back to Earth to undo the spell. Despite her many attempts, she is unsuccessful and Saito remains her familiar.

Saito, confused and overwhelmed, doesn't understand any of the language or customs of Halkeginia. The only word he's able to get out is "Hentai," which he has picked up from the anime he used to watch and which he uses to describe the surreal scenario around him. Louise reacts to Saito with a mixture of indifference and annoyance, believing him to be worthless and a lowly creature to be in her service. Saito, meanwhile, is trapped in a world he doesn't understand with no way to go back home, no clothes except for a cape, and no idea what his new life is going to be like.

The contrast between the two characters is stark. Louise is a member of a prestigious family of sorcerers, dreams of being the strongest mage in the kingdom and has a haughty facade that makes her feel superior to everyone else in the academy. Saito is an average Japanese teenager, a fan of anime and video games, with no particular aspiration in life. They come from completely different worlds and have nothing in common except for the fact that one of them has accidentally become the servant of the other.

Louise attempts to take Saito to the palace to have him examined by the princess of Tristain, to confirm he is a void or not. We learn that a void is similar to a golem, created by magic or elementals and bound to the contracter forever. They are a rare marvel of magic in Halkeginia, causing much monetary value, and that obtaining one is considered a massive accomplishment. But before she can reach the palace, Louise is cornered by a group of bandits seeking to rob her. Seeing his master in danger, Saito instinctively springs to her defense, managing to fight off the bandits with only a broken sword he finds on the ground and his own physical strength. He reveals to Louise that he's not the type to take orders lightly and he'll do what it takes to survive - potentially putting him at odds with Louise's usual way of handling things relying on her use of magic.

Zero Louise is the first episode of The Familiar of Zero, intriguing and engaging viewers right away. It introduces the main characters and the setting, while also setting up a potential power struggle between Saito and Louise. The series then goes on to develop these characters and their relationship, building their background and lore, and eventually diving into the epic and heroic adventures they to embark on.

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Description
  • First Aired
    July 2, 2006
  • Content Rating
    TV14
  • Runtime
    23 min
  • Language
    English