Magic guns, also called spellguns or casters (presumably short for "spellcaster

Spellcaster

A spellcaster in role-playing games refers to a creature capable of casting magic spells.See also:*Mage *Magician , a practitioner of magic as portrayed in works of fiction...

"), are an element of science fantasy

Science fantasy

Science fantasy is a mixed genre within speculative fiction drawing elements from both science fiction and fantasy. Although in some terms of its portrayal in recent media products it can be defined as instead of being a mixed genre of science fiction and fantasy it is instead a mixing of the...

 (fantasy

Fantasy

Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...

/science fiction

Science fiction

Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...

) that combines firearm

Firearm

A firearm is a weapon that launches one, or many, projectile at high velocity through confined burning of a propellant. This subsonic burning process is technically known as deflagration, as opposed to supersonic combustion known as a detonation. In older firearms, the propellant was typically...

s and magic

Magic (paranormal)

Magic is the claimed art of manipulating aspects of reality either by supernatural means or through knowledge of occult laws unknown to science. It is in contrast to science, in that science does not accept anything not subject to either direct or indirect observation, and subject to logical...

 (or some other supernatural

Supernatural

The supernatural or is that which is not subject to the laws of nature, or more figuratively, that which is said to exist above and beyond nature...

 power) to create a weapon

Weapon

A weapon, arm, or armament is a tool or instrument used with the aim of causing damage or harm to living beings or artificial structures or systems...

 with properties of both. In many fantasy settings, magic and technology are seen as distinct, separate entities, if not unmixable/incompatible, while spellguns serve as an unusual melange of both. Magic guns are popular in many anime

Anime

is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....

, manga

Manga

Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...

, and game series.

Typical form

Magic guns typically take the form of a handgun

Handgun

A handgun is a firearm designed to be held and operated by one hand. This characteristic differentiates handguns as a general class of firearms from long guns such as rifles and shotguns ....

 or carbine

Carbine

A carbine , from French carabine, is a longarm similar to but shorter than a rifle or musket. Many carbines are shortened versions of full rifles, firing the same ammunition at a lower velocity due to a shorter barrel length....

 that either fires magical energy or ammunition

Ammunition

Ammunition is a generic term derived from the French language la munition which embraced all material used for war , but which in time came to refer specifically to gunpowder and artillery. The collective term for all types of ammunition is munitions...

 that is otherwise enchanted

Enchantment

Enchantment may refer to:*Incantation or enchantment, a magical spell, charm or bewitchment, in traditional fairy tales or fantasy*the sense of Wonder or Delight**for the usage by J.R.R. Tolkien, see "On Fairy Stories"titles and proper names...

 so as to enhance its normal properties. Some magic guns work on special cartridges or magical ammunition, and thus need to be normally reloaded, while others have inherent power or draw power from their user, their enemy or the environment. They range in power from weapons that are virtually ordinary pistols to weapons of mass destruction

Weapons of mass destruction

A weapon of mass destruction is a weapon that can kill and bring significant harm to a large number of humans and/or cause great damage to man-made structures , natural structures , or the biosphere in general...

.

Some weapons are magically created, but powered by psionics

Psionics

Psionics refers to the practice, study, or psychic ability of using the mind to induce paranormal phenomena. Examples of this include telepathy, telekinesis, and other workings of the outside world through the psyche.-History and terminology:...

.

Story purpose and common elements

Magic guns are typically rare items within the stories that features them. Often, they are antiques or items of lost technology that were made either by hand or in extremely small numbers. Most magic guns do not require a character to be skilled in ordinary (non-gun-derived) magic to use one, so they may be used by people without magical properties as a force multiplier against enemy magic users. This idea may be extended so that "mage hunters", characters who act as bounty hunter

Bounty hunter

A bounty hunter captures fugitives for a monetary reward . Other names, mainly used in the United States, include bail enforcement agent and fugitive recovery agent.-Laws in the U.S.:...

s to magic users, might see them as a weapon of choice. Other times, a character quite capable of using ordinary magic might use a magic gun to supplement his or her abilities, fire a spell without the time consuming creation of it, or to conserve his magical energies for other purposes.

In video games

• Boktai: The Sun is in Your Hand
  Boktai: The Sun is in Your Hand
  , is a video game released on the Game Boy Advance in 2003 by Konami. Produced by Hideo Kojima.The player takes the role of Django, a vampire hunter, who uses a weapon called the "Gun Del Sol" , that fires bolts of sunlight at enemies. Boktais game cartridge includes a photometric light sensor...
  
  , Boktai 2: Solar Boy Django
  Boktai 2: Solar Boy Django
  , also known as Zoktai, is a video game that was developed and published by Konami for the Game Boy Advance. Released in North America and Japan in 2004 and in Europe in 2005, it is the sequel to Boktai: The Sun Is in Your Hand.-Plot:...
  
  , and Shin Bokura no Taiyō Gyakushū no Sabata (Boktai 3), the player character
  Player character
  A player character or playable character is a character in a video game or role playing game who is controlled or controllable by a player, and is typically a protagonist of the story told in the course of the game. A player character is a persona of the player who controls it. Player characters...
  
  , uses a "magic machine" (an artifact) known as the Gun del Sol (a.k.a. the Solar Gun), that was manufactured by a now-extinct race of demi-gods known as the Solar Children. The Gun del Sol is a battery-operated pistol with the power to store pure sunlight (this is a major game element, since there is a photometric
  Photometry (optics)
  Photometry is the science of the measurement of light, in terms of its perceived brightness to the human eye. It is distinct from radiometry, which is the science of measurement of radiant energy in terms of absolute power; rather, in photometry, the radiant power at each wavelength is weighted by...
  
   light sensor on the game pak itself) and then magically recreate it as bolts of light using a lens
  Lens (optics)
  A lens is an optical device with perfect or approximate axial symmetry which transmits and refracts light, converging or diverging the beam. A simple lens consists of a single optical element...
  
  . Thus, the gun is a weapon that can be used against monsters that are damaged by sunlight, such as vampire
  Vampire
  Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...
  
  s and the undead
  Undead
  Undead is a collective name for fictional, mythological, or legendary beings that are deceased and yet behave as if alive. Undead may be incorporeal, such as ghosts, or corporeal, such as vampires and zombies...
  
  . Later in the game, Django can find additional lenses that convert the sunlight to elemental
  Classical element
  Many philosophies and worldviews have a set of classical elements believed to reflect the simplest essential parts and principles of which anything consists or upon which the constitution and fundamental powers of anything are based. Most frequently, classical elements refer to ancient beliefs...
  
   attacks. The antagonist
  Antagonist
  An antagonist is a character, group of characters, or institution, that represents the opposition against which the protagonist must contend...
  
   and later antihero Sabata uses the Gun del Hel (a.k.a. the Dark Gun), a copy of the Gun del Sol that fires bolts of darkness, and works in a similar fashion, although it can only be recharged while standing in shadows or at night, whereas the Gun del Sol can only be recharged in natural sunlight. In Boktai 2, though, the Gun Del Sol is stolen and later breaks. After it is repaired by Smith, it is only able to fire charged shots with the solar element for the rest of the game.

• Devil May Cry
  Devil May Cry
  is an action game developed and published by Capcom, released in 2001 for the PlayStation 2. Although it is the first game in the series of the same name, the events in Devil May Cry are second in the series storyline's chronological order, taking place after Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening and...
  
  : Dante
  Dante (Devil May Cry)
  is the primary fictional protagonist of the Devil May Cry video game series published by Capcom. The character and Devil May Cry are one of Capcom's flagship game franchises, which has sold over nine million copies worldwide as of 2008 and currently spans four video games...
  
   uses a number of magical guns that never run out of ammo throughout the series. In the first game all of his standard guns such as the shotgun and his dual pistols, Ebony and Ivory, may be charged with the fire of Ifrit and lightning of Alastor. Trish uses the Luce & Ombra revolvers to similar effect. The Nightmare-Beta is a magical gun of demonic origin that fires energy powered by your devil trigger gauge (this demonic bio-weapon is related to the Nightmare boss within the game). In Devil May Cry 3 (a prequel), Artemis is a weapon that fires concentrated demonic energy beams that can target several enemies at once as well as bring a rain of demonic lasers from the sky.

Also, in Devil May Cry 4 after beating Dagon(a giant ice demon frog), Dante acquires a suitcase called Pandora that can create deadly weapons to quickly dispatch enemies with the help of the Disaster Gauge.

• Final Fantasy Tactics
  Final Fantasy Tactics
  is a tactical role-playing game developed and published by Square for the Sony PlayStation video game console. It is the first game of the Final Fantasy Tactics series and was released in Japan in June 1997 and in the United States in January 1998...
  
  has four elemental guns - a "Glacier Gun" that, despite the name, casts fire spells, a "Blaze Gun" that similarly casts ice spells (the names were properly reversed in the PSP remake), a "Blast Gun" that casts lightning spells, and a "Stone Gun" that petrifies the wielder. Unusable treasures include a Magic Gun and Magic Machinegun.
• Final Fantasy: Unlimited
  Final Fantasy: Unlimited
  was an anime television series based on Square Enix's popular Final Fantasy role-playing game franchise.Final Fantasy: Unlimited incorporates both 2D animation and 3D graphics, and takes elements from the Final Fantasy games with quite a few easter eggs, some obvious, others obscure...
  
  : Kaze, an amnesiac traveler, wields the Magun, a magic gun in the form of an enormous, gold-colored dragoon
  Dragoon
  The word dragoon originally meant mounted infantry, who were trained in horse riding as well as infantry fighting skills. However, usage altered over time and during the 18th century, dragoons evolved into conventional light cavalry units and personnel...
  
  's revolver
  Revolver
  A revolver is a repeating firearm that has a cylinder containing multiple chambers and at least one barrel for firing. The first revolver ever made was built by Elisha Collier in 1818. The percussion cap revolver was invented by Samuel Colt in 1836. This weapon became known as the Colt Paterson...
  
   with three chambers. When the chambers are filled with various magical elements and the gun is fired, it summons creatures that are combinations of the magical elements used.
• Final Fantasy X-2
  Final Fantasy X-2
  is a console role-playing game developed and published by Square for Sony's PlayStation 2. It was released in 2003 and is the sequel to the best-selling 2001 game Final Fantasy X...
  
  has the Gun Mage dressphere, which fire the Blue Bullet, magical attacks learned from enemies.
• Final Fantasy VII
  Final Fantasy VII
  is a role-playing video game developed by Square and published by Sony Computer Entertainment as the seventh installment in the Final Fantasy series. It was originally released in 1997 for the Sony PlayStation and was re-released in 1998 for Microsoft Windows-based personal computers and in 2009...
  
  : A boss character named Palmer used a gun called the Mako Gun, which was capable of shooting Fire2, Ice2 and Bolt2.
• Final Fantasy VII Advent Children featured several guns with seemingly (magically) unlimited ammunition. Kadaj, Yazoo, and Loz each had a long pistol which also functioned as a short sword. Barret's new triple-chaingun arm not only seems to have unlimited ammunition, but has no logical place to store ammunition if it used it.
• Shadow Man
  Shadow Man (video game)
  Shadow Man is a video game developed by Acclaim Studios Teesside and published by Acclaim Entertainment. It was designed by Guy Miller and Simon Phipps and is loosely based on the Shadowman comic book series published by Valiant Comics. The game was released in 1999 for the Nintendo 64,...
  
  : When Mike LeRoi becomes Shadowman his .45 pistol becomes the Shadowgun, which can drain the souls from enemies.
• Wild Arms
  Wild Arms
  is a role-playing game developed by software company Media.Vision and originally released in Japan in 1996 for the Sony PlayStation video game console and was later translated and released in North America in 1997 and Europe in 1998 by Sony Computer Entertainment...
  
  : In the first game, the weapons known as ARMs were created using alchemy and living metal based on the Metal Demons. One must be able to synchronize the ARMs in order use it. Few humans have the ability to use ARMs, but most Metal Demons are able to. Rudy Roughknight, the game's protagonist, can use practically any ARM.
• Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams
  Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams
  Onimusha: Dawn Of Dreams, released in Japan as , is the fourth canonical installment of Capcom's Onimusha series, released in March 2006. Dawn of Dreams focuses on a new protagonist, Soki Onimusha: Dawn Of Dreams, released in Japan as , is the fourth canonical installment of Capcom's Onimusha...
  
  : The character Ohatsu has access to many magical guns of various elements. The most notable being Tanegashima, a musket of the element fire.
• Fable 2
  Fable 2
  Fable II is an action role-playing game in the Fable game series developed by Lionhead Studios and published by Microsoft Game Studios for Xbox 360. It is the sequel to Fable and Fable: The Lost Chapters, it was originally announced in 2006 and released in October 2008...
  
  : Includes a variety of legendary enchanted guns including The Enforcer, The Perforator, and The Red Dragon.
• "Darksiders": The protagonist: War, acquires a four-barrelled pistol known as "Mercy". It has the ability to generate ammunition ceaselessly. Firing only as fast as the owner can pull the trigger.

In role-playing games

• Dungeons & Dragons
  Dungeons & Dragons
  Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
  
  : Though not a common element, some DMs
  Gamemaster
  A gamemaster is a person who acts as an organizer, officiant for questions regarding rules, arbitrator, and moderator for a multiplayer game...
  
   elect to include magical firearms in their campaigns, either as described above or as ordinary black powder firearms enchanted by magic.
• Rifts
  Rifts (role-playing game)
  Rifts is a multi-genre role-playing game created by Kevin Siembieda in 1990 and published continuously by Palladium Books since then. Rifts takes place in a post-apocalyptic future, deriving elements from cyberpunk, science fiction, fantasy, horror, western, mythology and many other genres.Rifts...
  
  : the techno-wizard class makes a number of magically powered, and/or magically modified guns, among them the TK machine-gun which powered by telekinesis (either spell or psionic power), Lightning Blasters, etc.
• Iron Kingdoms: The Privateer Press
  Privateer Press
  Privateer Press is an award-winning role-playing game and miniature wargame production and publishing studio founded in 2000 by Brian Snōddy, Matt Staroscik and Matt Wilson. Mike McVey joined the partnership early on as Miniatures Director...
  
   d20
  D20 System
  The d20 System is a role-playing game system published in 2000 by Wizards of the Coast originally developed for the third edition of Dungeons & Dragons...
  
   role-playing setting and associated Warmachine
  Warmachine
  Warmachine is a tabletop steampunk wargame produced by Privateer Press.The game is played with white metal and plastic miniatures manufactured by Privateer Press representing military characters from the Iron Kingdoms D20 Role Playing Game setting...
  
   and Hordes
  Hordes (war game)
  Hordes is the name of a 30mm tabletop miniature wargame produced by Privateer Press, announced at Gen Con 2005 and released on April 22, 2006. Although a completely standalone game in its own right, Hordes was designed as a companion to Warmachine, Privateer Press' flagship miniatures game...
  
   miniatures games commonly feature magic-enhanced firearms known as mechanika. Such firearms are prominent features of models such as warcaster Lt. Caine and units such as the Arcane Tempest Gun Mages.
• Castle Falkenstein (role-playing game)
  Castle Falkenstein (role-playing game)
  Castle Falkenstein is a steampunk-themed fantasy role-playing game designed by Mike Pondsmith and originally published by R. Talsorian Games. A GURPS version and several supplements were later published by Steve Jackson Games. The game is named for a legendary unbuilt castle in the Bavarian Alps...
  
  : In the sourcebook "Sixguns and Sorcery," the "Spellslinger" class is introduced and this class makes exclusive use of "spellguns" that are powered by sorcery. The historical character Doc Holliday
  Doc Holliday
  John Henry "Doc" Holliday was an American gambler, gunfighter and dentist of the American Old West, who is usually remembered for his friendship with Wyatt Earp and his involvement in the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral...
  
   is a NPC in the Castle Falkenstein
  Castle Falkenstein
  Falkenstein Castle or Castrum Pfronten is a High Middle Ages castle ruin in the Bavarian Alps, near Pfronten, a town in southern Germany. The ruin's German name is Burg Falkenstein...
  
   universe and he carries a particular type of spellgun known as a "widowmaker" that compels the wielder to kill so that it may drain the lifeforce of its victims. In the game universe, it attributes Holliday's poor health to the fact that the gun feeds on him due to his refusal to kill as frequently as the pistol would like.

In film and television

• Supernatural
  Supernatural (TV series)
  Supernatural is an American supernatural and horror television series created by Eric Kripke, which debuted on September 13, 2005 on The WB, and is now part of The CW's lineup. Starring Jared Padalecki as Sam Winchester and Jensen Ackles as Dean Winchester, the series follows the brothers as they...
  
  : This The CW Television Network
  The CW Television Network
  The CW Television Network is a television network in the United States launched at the beginning of the 2006–2007 television season. It is a joint venture between CBS Corporation, the former owners of United Paramount Network , and Time Warner's Warner Bros., former majority owner of The WB...
  
   show includes a Colt model revolver with magic bullets, made by Samuel Colt
  Samuel Colt
  Samuel Colt was an American inventor and industrialist. He was the founder of Colt's Patent Fire-Arms Manufacturing Company , and is widely credited with popularizing the revolver. Colt's innovative contributions to the weapons industry have been described by arms historian James E...
  
   himself, used by the Winchester brothers and their father to kill demons. Originally, legend said the gun could kill anything, however they Winchesters learn from Lucifer that there are five things it cannot kill; Lucifer is one, but the other four are unknown.

Only magic bullets combined with the magical gun can elicit the desired effect. Colt made the gun with 13 bullets originally, but the demon Ruby used magic to create more after the originals were depleted.

• American Dad!
  American Dad!
  American Dad! is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane and owned by Underdog Productions and Fuzzy Door Productions. It is produced in association with 20th Century Fox Television...
  
  : Heaven gun. Seen in the episode The Most Adequate Christmas Ever, it can harm spiritual creatures, such as Archangel
  Archangel
  An archangel is an angel of high rank. Archangels are found in a number of religious traditions, including Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Michael and Gabriel are recognized as archangels in Judaism and by most Christians. Michael is the only archangel specifically named in the Protestant Bible...
  
  s. The gun is yellow and very ornate.
• Drive Angry
  Drive Angry
  Drive Angry is a 2011 American action film starring Nicolas Cage and directed by Patrick Lussier. It was released on February 25, 2011.- Plot :...
  
  : The Godkiller. A mythical weapon from Hell's Armory that can destroy souls and has immense destructive power.

In books

• Age of Unreason
  The Age of Unreason
  The Age of Unreason is a series of four novels written by Gregory Keyes:* Newton's Cannon , ISBN 1-56865-829-X* A Calculus of Angels , ISBN 0-7394-0260-9* Empire of Unreason , ISBN 0-345-40609-5...
  
  : The series postulates an Enlightenment
  Age of Enlightenment
  The Age of Enlightenment was an elite cultural movement of intellectuals in 18th century Europe that sought to mobilize the power of reason in order to reform society and advance knowledge. It promoted intellectual interchange and opposed intolerance and abuses in church and state...
  
   period during which Issac Newton codified a working practical system of alchemy. One of the inventions made possible by this new "science" was the kraftpistole, a device which consumed an alchemical reactant to produce directed blasts of lightning in place of traditional projectile discharge.
• The Coldfire Trilogy
  Coldfire Trilogy
  The Coldfire Trilogy is a science fiction/fantasy trilogy written by Celia S. Friedman. It includes:*Black Sun Rising *When True Night Falls *Crown of Shadows .-Synopsis:...
  
  : The very nature of the world in the Coldfire trilogy virtually necessitates that firearms be Worked (i.e. magicked) in order to work properly; an "unWorked" firearm could likely misfire, backfire, or even explode in the bearer's hand. The character Gerald Tarrant is notable in that he carries an unWorked pistol, without concern for the potentially deleterious side-effects.
• Darkness
  Harry Turtledove's Darkness
  The Darkness Series is a series of six fantasy novels by Harry Turtledove. Though a fantasy the general history, geography, and combatants are analogs of World War II, or the "Derlavai War" in this universe. Many of the characters are also the equivalents of historical people. Magic and other...
  
  : This series of books refers to weapons known as "sticks", which are a magical analog of modern firearms. They resemble guns, but they shoot beams of magical fire instead of bullets. They may be laser weapons, as targets can be protected against stick fire by reflective coatings. Also mentioned are several forms of magic artillery, such as the self-explanatory "heavy sticks" and "egg-throwers", which launch sorcerous energy-filled bombs ("eggs") at targets. All of them are used by the various warring nations throughout the series.
• Dark Tower Series
  The Dark Tower
  Dark Tower may refer to:* The Dark Tower , an unfinished novel by C. S. Lewis* Barad-dûr the fortress of Sauron in the fantasy world of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings* The Dark Tower , a 1933 comedy by George S...
  
  : Roland Deschain
  Roland Deschain
  Roland Deschain of Gilead is a fictional character, the protagonist and antihero of Stephen King's The Dark Tower series. He is the son of Steven and Gabrielle Deschain and is descended from a long line of "gunslingers", peacekeepers and diplomats of Roland's society...
  
  's revolvers are made from his world's version of Excalibur
  Excalibur
  Excalibur is the legendary sword of King Arthur, sometimes attributed with magical powers or associated with the rightful sovereignty of Great Britain. Sometimes Excalibur and the Sword in the Stone are said to be the same weapon, but in most versions they are considered separate. The sword was...
  
  . While these guns are of exceedingly high quality, their only known magical ability is to grant its owner access to the eponymous Dark Tower itself.
• Nightside (book series)
  Nightside
  Nightside may refer to:*The Canadian late-night radio talk show The Nightside, hosted by Mark Elliot*NBC Nightside, NBC's now-defunct late night news program, comparable to ABC's World News Now and CBS' Up to the Minute....
  
  : The Speaking Gun, which appears in this series, is an intelligent malicious weapon created at the dawn of time. It finds the divine "true name" of its target, then speaks that name backwards to uncreate it. Its desire to be fired usually causes the wielder to lose their mind and soul, making its unique ability a double-edged sword. However, it is the only known weapon in Nightside capable of destroying divine or infernal beings.

In comics

• The Savage Dragon: The God Gun, which appears in this series, it is a super-powerful weapon resembling a revolver able to grant three wishes to its user.
• Crimson Avenger
  Crimson Avenger
  The Crimson Avenger is the name of three separate fictional characters, superheroes who exist in the DC Comics universe.-Lee Walter Travis:The original Crimson Avenger made his first published appearance in Detective Comics #20...
  
  : Jill Carlyle is a minor Spirit of Vengeance who possesses a pair of Colt 45 Caliber Semi-Automatic Pistols. The guns are cursed such that if the possessor were to use them out of revenge he or she would be cursed to track and kill those who have taken innocent life. The possessor gains the memory and skills of those whose deaths she is avenging.The guns never miss, never run out of ammunition, and have no triggers.
• Preacher
  Preacher
  Preacher is a term for someone who preaches sermons or gives homilies. A preacher is distinct from a theologian by focusing on the communication rather than the development of doctrine. Others see preaching and theology as being intertwined...
  
  : The Saint of Killers possesses a pair of Walker Colt revolvers, which were made from the Angel of Death's sword. Because of this, the guns are of divine nature. They possess unlimited ammunition, never need to be reloaded, never jam, always hit their target no matter what barrier, and a wound from one is always fatal. Combined with the Saint of Killers' superhuman physical power and accuracy make them extremely potent.

In anime and manga

• Bleach anime
  Bleach (manga)
  is a Japanese shōnen manga series written and illustrated by Noriaki "Tite" Kubo. Bleach follows the adventures of Ichigo Kurosaki after he obtains the powers of a —a death personification similar to the Grim Reaper—from another Soul Reaper, Rukia Kuchiki...
  
  : In episode 105 "Kariya! Countdown to the Detonation", Ran'tao attacks Kariya with a kidō gun, which looks similar to a shotgun
  Shotgun
  A shotgun is a firearm that is usually designed to be fired from the shoulder, which uses the energy of a fixed shell to fire a number of small spherical pellets called shot, or a solid projectile called a slug...
  
   but fires bolts of magical energy.
  • In his released state, Stark, one of the Espada, gains two pistol-like guns which fire rapidfire Cero blasts.

• Fairy Tail
  Fairy Tail
  is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hiro Mashima. It has been serialized in Weekly Shōnen Magazine since August 23, 2006, and has been published by Kodansha in 29 tankōbon volumes . An ongoing anime produced by A-1 Pictures and Satelight was released in Japan on October 12, 2009,...
  
  : Both Alzack Conell and Bisca Mulan use magical firearms as their main attacking method. Alzack uses normal guns, but loads them with magical bullets that produce various effects, like wind or light. Bisca instead summons magical firearms such as shotguns and sniper rifles, each one having special properties on their shots, such as scatter-shots or homing shots.
• Fullmetal Alchemist
  Fullmetal Alchemist
  , is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hiromu Arakawa. The world of Fullmetal Alchemist is styled after the European Industrial Revolution...
  
  : In Fullmetal Alchemist, most ordinary firearms used by the military of Amestris are enhanced or enchanted through use of alchemy
  Alchemy
  Alchemy is an influential philosophical tradition whose early practitioners’ claims to profound powers were known from antiquity. The defining objectives of alchemy are varied; these include the creation of the fabled philosopher's stone possessing powers including the capability of turning base...
  
  . Others are created by alchemy, usually out of nearby objects. One of the more notable ones is the array of cannons that State Alchemist Basque Grand often sprouts from his body, which he transmutes from the iron
  Iron
  Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
  
   in his blood
  Blood
  Blood is a specialized bodily fluid in animals that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells....
  
  . A minor character, the land-baron Mugwar, used alchemy-amplifying "Red Stones" and "Red Water" in conjunction with a special device to create a many-barreled machine gun
  Machine gun
  A machine gun is a fully automatic mounted or portable firearm, usually designed to fire rounds in quick succession from an ammunition belt or large-capacity magazine, typically at a rate of several hundred rounds per minute....
  
  .
• Negima: In the anime
  Anime
  is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
  
  , Negi Springfield briefly draws and fires a magic gun (resembling an antique pistol) while flying on his staff. It is briefly mentioned that this is not surprising, coming from a boy who is both a magician and a collector of antiques. In later chapters it can be seen hanging on a wall for display in Asuna's and Konoka's room. Later in the story, During the fight in Kyoto in order to rescue Konoka Konoe, Mana Tatsumiya helps Asuna Kagurazaka and Setsuna Sakurazaki by shooting down Demons using a sniper rifle and two Handguns, all three which are loaded with bullets that have spells cast on them. Also, during the "Mahora Mage Order vs. Mars" mock battle, Mahora participants were supplied with a variety of magical weapons - ranging from staves to guns and bazookas - specially designed to disable the magically-powered robots that made up the opposing army.
• Outlaw Star
  Outlaw Star
  is a seinen manga series written and illustrated by Takehiko Itō and his affiliated Morning Star Studio. The series is a space opera/Space Western that takes place in the "Toward Stars Era" universe in which spacecraft are capable of traveling faster than the speed of light...
  
  : The characters Gene Starwind and Ronald MacDougall both use magical guns known as "Casters". "Casters" in the world of Outlaw Star utilize a lost form of technology and magic and are considered rare antiques. Their ammunition, caster shells, come in 20 numbered varieties, the numbers connoting the varied effects; #4, #9, and #13 are the rarest kinds, as they could only be made by the wizards of Tenrei and the magical power of the shell draws upon the life force of the user. The caster shells are actually pre-made spells loaded into cartridges, which can be used even by people with no magical affinities. Casters in Outlaw Star use a form of magic that is extremely effective against Tao magic, the magic used by the majority of the show's antagonists.
• Hellsing: The main character Alucard used two specially made pistols (which actually have the dimension of carbines, but are shaped like pistols: as a vampire, Alucard is strong enough to wield them one-handed). Though neither gun is strictly 'magical', both use custom anti-supernatural ammunition that have either been baptised or alloyed with silver from a blessed crucifix (in the world of Hellsing such methods are effective enough to almost count as magic).
  • The first one he used is the Hellsing ARMS .454 Casull Auto, which is crafted from the melted silver cross of the Lanchester cathedral. This gun fires custom made .454 Casull
    .454 Casull
    The .454 Casull is a firearm cartridge, developed in 1957 by Dick Casull and Jack Fulmer. It was first announced in November 1959 by Guns & Ammo magazine. The basic design was a lengthened and structurally improved .45 Colt case...
    
     rounds containing an explosive silver core. The weapon is 39 cm in length, making it unfeasibly heavy and unwieldy for a human to use, but a perfect match for Alucard's heightened strength. It holds an as yet undetermined number of rounds in a magazine in the handle.
  • Later on he also has the Hellsing ARMS 13 mm Auto "Jackal". It has a length of 39 cm and weighing at 16 kg, making this gun - made of black gunmetal
    Gunmetal
    Gunmetal, also known as yellow brass in the United States, is a type of bronze – an alloy of copper, tin, and zinc. Originally used chiefly for making guns, gunmetal was eventually superseded by steel...
    
     - not a weapon a normal man could even hope to wield, but as its designer says, "It was never meant for a man." It fires custom 13 mm armor-piercing, explosive, blessed and baptized mercury-core bullets (with casings of Macedonian
    Macedonia (region)
    Macedonia is a geographical and historical region of the Balkan peninsula in southeastern Europe. Its boundaries have changed considerably over time, but nowadays the region is considered to include parts of five Balkan countries: Greece, the Republic of Macedonia, Bulgaria, Albania, Serbia, as...
    
     silver), powered by N.N.A.9 gunpowder, and is designed almost exclusively as a weapon to use against Iscariot's Alexander Anderson, who shrugged off the Casull's rounds with ease. The words "Jesus Christ is in Heaven now" are engraved upon it in mockery of a similar statement on Anderson's gloves.
  • The character Rip Van Winkle
    Rip van Winkle (Hellsing)
    is a fictional character in the manga Hellsing and a member of the Millennium forces. She is voiced by Maaya Sakamoto and in English by Kari Wahlgren....
    
     also wields a musket which fires magic bullets. These bullets, while unable to be reloaded effectively for active combat, are psychically controlled by Van Winkle, often changing trajectory in midair and repeatedly peppering the same target with continuous hits or killing rows of opponents with a single bullet. Additionally, they appear to have been reinforced (magically or otherwise) to the point of being capable of penetrating and destroying missile casings and helicopter machinery.
• Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha
  Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha
  is an anime television series directed by Akiyuki Shinbo, with screenplay written by Masaki Tsuzuki, and produced by Seven Arcs. It forms part of the Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha series. The Japanese Association of Independent Television Stations broadcast thirteen episodes between October and...
  
  and Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha A's
  Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha A's
  is a thirteen episode sequel to Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha, a magical girl alternate universe spinoff of the Triangle Heart series of games and OVAs. A third series, Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS, was released in 2007...
  
  : The mages in Lyrical Nanoha use magic mediated by technology. In addition to semi-sentient staves
  Quarterstaff
  A quarterstaff , also short staff or simply staff is a traditional European pole weapon and a technique of stick fighting, especially as in use in England during the Early Modern period....
  
   (Intelligent devices) used by the majority of Mid-childean mages (along with Nanoha Takamachi
  Nanoha Takamachi
  is the main and title character of the Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha series and also appears in Triangle Heart. Minami Hokuto plays her in Triangle Heart, and Yukari Tamura in Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha. She has a strong aptitude in magic, a rarity for those born on Earth, amongst these numbered few...
  
  ), the sequel's antagonists, the Wolkenritter, use magical devices that can be temporarily empowered through the use of magic-containing metallic cartridges. The power boost from a cartridge is enough to allow a mage to actually damage or destroy an opponent's magical device. Later in the series, Nanoha and Fate
  Fate Testarossa
  , also known as in A's epilogue and StrikerS, is a fictional character in the anime series Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha. She is voiced by Nana Mizuki....
  
   upgrade their weapons, the Raising Heart and the Bardiche
  Bardiche
  A bardiche or berdiche is a type of glaive polearm known in the 16th and 17th centuries in Eastern Europe and Russia. Ultimately a descendant of the medieval sparth , the bardiche proper appears after 1500, but there are numerous medieval manuscripts that depict very similar weapons beginning ca....
  
  , to make use of the cartridges.
• Orion
  Orion (manga)
  is a science fiction/fantasy manga by Masamune Shirow, first published in 1991 by Seishinsha.- Summary :The magic/technology described in the story draws upon ideas from Buddhism, Taoism, ancient Japanese myth, element of cyberpunk, Yin/Yang mysticism, and particle physics, with a heavy dose of...
  
  : The imperial soldiers in Masamune Shirow
  Masamune Shirow
  is an internationally renowned manga artist, born on November 23, 1961.Masamune Shirow is a pen name, based on a famous swordsmith, Masamune. He is best known for the manga Ghost in the Shell, which has since been turned into two theatrical anime movies, two anime TV series, an anime TV movie, and...
  
  's manga use a variety of magical guns, ranging from man-portable cannons to large artillery pieces.
• Trigun
  Trigun
  is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yasuhiro Nightow, published from 1996 to 2008 and spanning 17 collected volumes....
  
  : Vash the Stampede uses a gun which apparently bestows him the power of god.
• Tokyo Underground
  Tokyo Underground
  is a manga series by Akinobu Uraka and published by Enix. It became an anime series, produced by Studio Pierrot and shown on the TV Tokyo Network from April 2 until September 24, 2002....
  
  : Sui, an exiled young inventor in the series uses a magic gun (called a "Spirit gun" in the anime
  Anime
  is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
  
   and an "Aero gun" in the manga) as his primary weapon, as does Ginnosuke, who learns how to build the device from Sui. The weapon allows Sui and Ginnosuke, who have no "elemental" powers, the ability to fight on equal terms with the show's superpowered cast. He based the design on a prototype left by the researchers who created the Tokyo Underground, and can be seen throughout the series refining the design. At first, each shell is the equivalent of only one spell, but he later improves this to three shots per cartridge.

Of note is the fact that Sui's initial gun looks a lot like Gene Starwind's Caster gun and is called the "Sprit Gun" in reference to YuYu Hakusho

YuYu Hakusho

is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yoshihiro Togashi. The name of the series is spelled YuYu Hakusho in the Viz Media manga and Yu Yu Hakusho in other English distributions of the franchise. The series tells the story of Yusuke Urameshi, a teenage delinquent who is struck and...

.

• Et Cetera
  Et Cetera
  is an action, adventure, comedy manga written and illustrated by . It is licensed in English by Tokyopop. The first volume was released on August 2004; the final volume was published in April 2007.-Story:...
  
  : The protagonist Mingchao carries the Eto Gun, which was invented by her late grandfather. The Gun itself requires the essence of one of the 12 Chinese Zodiac animals in order to fire bullets, which will mimic the behaviour of that particular animal.
• ampfer]: Akane Mishima posesses a springfield 1911 with seemingly infinite ammunition