| “ | I am the heiress of the long-standing House of Cavendish, and it is my duty to protect it. | „ |
| ~ Diana Cavendish |
| “ | Witches are supposed to be feared. How can you be afraid of this place? Besides, my magic is invincible. You have absolutely nothing to fear. | „ |
| ~ Diana to Hannah and Barbara. |
Diana Cavendish is the deuteragonist of the anime Little Witch Academia, serving as the deuteragonist of the first half and the tritagonist of the second half. In spite of her odds with Atsuko "Akko" Kagari, she is also a fan of Shiny Chariot, though she hates to admit it. She comes from an ancient family of wizards in Britain and is a famous student at Luna Nova Magical Academy.
Similar to Satsuki Kiryuin from Kill la Kill, Diana originally serves as the main antagonist of the short films (original short and its sequel The Enchanted Parade) and even the first half of the series, but eventually becomes an ally as of the next half (Episode 20) following the emergence of the true main villain.
She is voiced by Yōko Hikasa in the Japanese version of the anime, and by Laura Post in the English version of the anime.
Personality[]
Diana is best described as a serious, composed and erudite girl. Being descended from a prestigious line of witches back to ancient times, she is exceptionally devoted to her magical studies and to the tradition and history of magic. Her status as Luna Nova's best student cannot be solely attributed to heredity— she has a self-discipline and maturity far surpassing the average teenage girl. Due to her pride in her own abilities and a strong sense of responsibility, she refuses to take credit for other's doings and always admits her mistakes, although she's unable to speak up to teachers due to the trust they have in her. Diana is confident in the superiority of her philosophy of magic where it differs from Akko's, one of the reasons Akko considers her to be her rival (although Diana never did). Like most students, Diana claims Shiny Chariot to be a fraud, but this merely the facade to hide the fact that she used to admire her as much as Akko was.
The extent of Diana's selfless sense of duty is revealed when she ready to leave her beloved Luna Nova Academy and give up the remainder of her childhood to preserve her family's legacy. She holds no contempt for Akko for being chosen for the role she sought to fulfill all her life and wishes her nothing but success in spite of her initial jealousy. Her behavior at Luna Nova is seen in a more noble light— she didn't brag about being descended from one of the Nine Olde Witches and kept her orphanhood secret, wanting neither unearned respect nor pity. Despite her seeming to be very prideful, she has insecurities: even with her prestige and high social standing at school, she is too embarrassed to admit anything less than contempt for Shiny Chariot. This could explain why she surrounds herself with sycophants, although she does not let Hannah and Barbara praise her excessively.
Ultimately, Diana has always had good intentions, despite coming off callous and condescending. When she chastises other students, it is not out of malice, but rather frustration; she cares about the success of others studies and not just her own. This concern contributes to her dependability, she is willing to help out other students to her best ability whenever they ask.
Appearance[]
Diana is a beautiful young girl who, as with female members of her family, possesses blue eyes and distinct light blonde hair with tea-green highlights.
Powers and Abilities[]
- Magic: Being a prodogy, Diana is the most skillful young witch in Luna Nova, able to perform impressive magical skills and possesses extensive arcane knowledge.
- Nullification Spell: Diana is capable in performing extremely complicated Nullification Spell to negate any kind of magic which is part of the powerful fusion magic, which can enhance the user's power on her spells. Although, she requires assistance from at least one of her allies.
- Revitalization Magic: As a Cavendish who dedicated their life in using magic to heal others, it came to no surprise that Diana excels in using Revitalization Magic.
- Plant Rejuvenation Spell: Diana can perform the plant rejuvenation ritual invented by and passed down through generations of her family which provides strong enough nourishment to bring dead plants back to life. In order for the spell to work, the target must be surrounded by a circle of magic stones. However, any other living being within the circle, such as parasites or insects, will also be affected.
- Summoning Magic: Diana also excels in Summoning Magic.
- Water Summoning Spell: Diana masters Water Summoning Spell, a technique passed down from ancient times. It first invokes a great mantle of water through which a beautiful creature is summoned wherein Diana's case, a beautiful unicorn, the symbol of House of Cavendish.
- Statue Animation Spell: Diana can animate a statue which she controls via this puppet magic.
- Metamorphosis Magic: Diana has a proficient skill in Metamorphosis Magic.
- Transformation Spell: Diana has an astonishing skill in using Transformation Spell (be it giving herself or others a desired animal form or assuming a disguise) as shown through her ability in turning a mouse into a strong and beautiful white horse.
- Time Magic: Diana is skillful in low-tier Time Magic which usage still legal by standards of magic community.
- Time Delaying Spell: Diana can briefly delay the flow of time over innorganic matter with this spell.
- Rewind Spell: Diana can rewind a short period of time over innorganic matter and return the situation to a previous state with this spell.
- Flying Spell: Diana's abilities in broom flight is considered to be exemplary compared to the majority of the students in Luna Nova as well, even surpassing to Amanda O'Neill when it comes to speed.
- Illusory Magic: Diana can create very powerful illusions and determine who is affected by the illusion and who does not.
- Object Control Magic: Diana can impressively move objects without touching them with her wand.
- Heat Blast Spell: Diana can conjure a concentrated bolt of heat radiation that can be used to either obliterate weak creatures and cripple larger targets (human-sized target at minimum) as a form of combat magic or provide radiation treatment on injured ally with this spell.
- Magic Energy Manipulation: Diana can manipulate magic energy to perform various feats such as projecting beams and/or blasts, illuminating her surroundings, simulating telekinetic force as a form of object control magic, and generating solid constructs out of the energy's tangible form.
- Barrier: Diana can conjure energy barrier around herself and/or others as means of defense against attacks.
- Illumination: Diana can generate light from the tip of her wand to illuminate area like a flashlight.
- Magic Astrology: Diana is very skilled at Magic Astrology. Using a conjured 3D projection of astronomical bodies such as the stars, constellations, and planets which move in the same manner as their real counterparts in real time, she can see the future usually accurately through observing and reading their movements as sort of horoscope.
- Magical Expertise and Bilingualism: Diana is well-versed in magic-related knowledge including its history and some, if not all of languages involved such as Dragonese and Luna Alphabet.
- Talented Physician: As expected from being a Cavendish, Diana is well-versed in the field of health and healing which, in conjunction of Revitalization Magic, enables her to become an accomplished healer like her mother and predecessors.
Etymology[]
- "Diana" is probably derived from an old Indo-European root meaning "heavenly, divine".
- The meaning of the name "Cavendish" is "Cafna's pasture", derived from the Old English pre 7th Century personal name "Cafna", itself from "Caf", meaning "bold, daring", plus "edisc", meaning "enclosure or pasture".
- "Cavendish" can also be interpreted as a joke on her characteristic blonde hair, as Cavendish is a common strain of Bananas that were popularized in Britain.
Reception[]
WatchMojo.com listed Diana Cavendish as #4 on their "Top 10 Annoyingly Overpowered Anime Characters" list.
Trivia[]
- Diana's English voice actress, Laura Post, also voices Ragyō Kiryūin in Kill la Kill, another Trigger production. Similarly, Akko's English voice actress, Erica Mendez, also voices Ryūko Matoi in the same series.
- Diana's personality in short films continuity contrasted to what later established in anime, as she is shown more snobbish and arrogant. In fact, she called Akko names and belittled her for being Chariot's fan and even made fun of her alongside Hannah and Barbara. Though not confirmed, said change is likely done to so she and Akko can gradually become close friends, making the character's anime iteration much more likable.
- Appearance-wise, the design of Diana's hairstyle is similar to that of Sunset Shimmer from the My Little Pony Equestria Girls series albeit with different color scheme (Diana has blonde and tea-green hair whereas Sunset Shimmer's yellow and red).
- Thanks to their dynamics throughout both continuities of the franchise (notably Akko's obsessive rivalry with Diana and later, their full-fledged friendship after Episode 20 of the anime series), Diana and Akko's pairing quickly became the most popular in fandom, more than Akko and Andrew.
Gallery[]
