Fantasy anime Witch Hat Atelier, originally scheduled for a 2025 release, ignited a whirlwind of excitement among anime fans this season. Audiences have become obsessed with its intricate worldbuilding, hard magic system revolving around runes and sigils, and, of course, a wonderful cast of characters.
Witch Hat Atelier takes place in a high-fantasy world inspired by medieval Europe, similar to Frieren: Beyond Journey's End. However, there is a more detailed magic system in place, in which witches use ink and quills to draw complex, circular spells in ateliers. In them, witches can teach students of the craft the skills and attitude necessary to help non-witches in everyday life.
Two of these full-fledged witches are Qifrey and Olruggio. New fans of the anime are already curious about the ages of these two, with Qifrey's white hair and youthful appearance and Olruggio's misleading beard.
Age Range of Witch Hat Atelier Characters
During a 2021 Twitter Space with manga author Kamome Shirahama, before Studio Bug Films announced the Witch Hat Atelier anime adaptation, fans were adamant that she had said both Qifrey and Olruggio were somewhere between their "late twenties to early thirties."
Predating fellow anime white-haired pretty boy Satoru Gojo from the acclaimed urban fantasy Jujutsu Kaisen by several years, Qifrey in Witch Hat Atelier, voiced by Natsuki Hanae of Tokoyo Ghoul fame, is also a mentor to the next generation.
While an exact age was never confirmed, not even in the manga as of writing, fans have estimated, based on context throughout the story and Shirahama's own words, that he's possibly between 28 and 30 years old.
However, thanks to a 2021 edition calendar that came with Volume 7 of the Witch Hat Atelier manga, fans learned the birthdays of most of the primary cast, including Qifrey, which is November 19—something he considered unimportant, even as a child.
As for Olruggio, voiced in the English dub by Reagan Murdock (who also voices Aki in Chainsaw Man), he's the Watchful Eye for Qifrey's atelier. He reports directly to the Knights Moralis for any rule-breaking involving the use of magic.
While his beard and tired eyes might have fans believe he's older than Qifrey, the two are relatively the same age, having grown up together while training under the witch Beldaruit. As for Olruggio's birthday, it's September 20, just two months before Qifrey's.
Specializing in fire magic, Olruggio makes sure Qifrey and his atelier don't get in trouble with the Knights Moralis and risk having their minds erased of magic. But it's becoming harder with Qifrey's young apprentice witches.
Speaking of Qifrey's apprentices, Agott, Richeh, Tetia, and Coco, while Shirahama confirmed their ages to be between 10 and 12 years old, some context within the story could suggest which among them is the youngest and oldest.
Kamome Shirahama confirmed in an interview in 2025 that Agott, whose birthday is July 8, was Qifrey's first student, suggesting that she is the oldest in the group. It would make sense given her superior attitude and her assuming a leadership role during the dragon attack in Season 1, Episode 4, "Meetings in Kalhn."
Richeh also showed herself to be a calm and collected little witch in the face of danger, coming up with an alternate escape plan while Argott argued with Coco. Born on March 15, through either her age or experience, Richeh has already proven herself to be a capable witch.
In contrast, Tetia, whose birthday is on October 9, was shown panicking and inexperienced in the same episode when faced with the dragon, suggesting she may be the youngest.
It's anyone's guess how old the rest of the girls are, but with Coco being an unusual case of skipping many steps to become an apprentice, she may be closer in age to Agott. At the very least, their birthdays are close to each other; Coco's is on May 25, which is a two-month difference, the same as Qifrey and Olruggio.
