As the years continue to pass, it has become more common for the magical girl genre as a whole to be associated with the subversion of typical tropes, violence, and dark themes. This trend started with Puella Magi Madoka Magica and has become increasingly popular since. However, there are still a ton of magical girl anime out there that stick to the lighter side of things, emphasizing lighthearted yet important themes like friendship and finding oneself.
The darker and more lighthearted sides of the magical girl genre feature downright cute characters. Many of the cutest magical girls make liberal use of pink and other bright colors, but this isn't always the case.
Updated on April 5, 2023, by Alexandra Locke: Whether magical girl anime are lighthearted or dark, there is never a shortage of adorable magical girls between them. These girls are not only vibrant and full of life but also determined and unrelenting when it comes to achieving their goals. They may face varying degrees of challenges, but these magical girls are up to the tasks at hand — all while being cute in the process.
20 Leafa (Sword Art Online)
Leafa is the video game avatar of Suguha Kirigaya in Sword Art Online. Despite her cousin, Kazuto (Kirito) getting trapped in a full-dive Virtual Reality video game, Suguha spends a lot of her time as Leafa, demonstrating her magical prowess time and again.
As a mage, Leafa proves herself more than capable. Yet, she also has moments where her feelings of unrequited love get the better of her. Leafa is a beloved magical girl due to her determination and down-to-earth personality — even though she loves to fly.
19 Yukari Sendou (Rosario + Vampire)
Yukari Sendou is an endearing witch from the anime Rosario + Vampire. Though she is the youngest at Yokai Academy, she is also one of the smartest, almost always scoring at the top of her class. Yukari can be prickly sometimes, but her love for Tsukune and Moka always trumps her other emotions.
While she did not always appreciate Tsukune, Yukari falls for him when he and Moka save her from their ne'er-do-well classmates. As she is the youngest, Yukari is often bullied. Thankfully, she now has her group of friends to protect her, allowing her the freedom to be her loud-and-cute self.
18 Himeno Awayuki (Prétear)
Himeno Awayuki's first brush with the Leafe Knights was less than ideal, but she soon becomes an eager Prétear-in-training to help defeat the Princess of Disaster. Although Himeno is adorably clumsy, she works as hard as she can to improve so as not to let the Knights down.
Himeno has a bright and bubbly spirit that makes those around her smile. She even endears herself to her cold new stepsisters — eventually. Himeno's personality is a light in the darkness that begins to creep into the world of Prétear.
17 Chibiusa (Sailor Moon)
Usagi and Mamoru's child, Chibiusa, is sent to the past to find Sailor Moon after being instructed by Sailor Pluto that it is the only way to save Neo-Queen Serenity. While Chibiusa certainly has the most adorable appearance out of Sailor Moon's senshi, she also has one of the worst personalities.
Fitting for someone so young, Chibiusa is presented as bratty and hot-tempered, constantly getting into fights with her mother, Usagi. While she is written to be judgmental and does not mature much in the anime, Chibiusa's manga counterpart softens and matures over time.
16 Sheeta (Castle In The Sky)
For most of her life, Sheeta has lived in relative peace, until a malicious man named Muska comes along. He believes she is descended from a magical race of people and kidnaps her to find the lost city, Laputa.
Thankfully Sheeta escapes and falls into the arms of a young man named Patsu. Together, Patsu and Sheeta try to evade her pursuers and discover if there is any truth to the myth of Laputa. Sheeta is a sweet character. She is extremely polite and does whatever she can to protect the floating castle and its power in Castle in the Sky.
15 Nanoha Takemachi (Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha)
Nanoha Takemachi grew up not knowing her true power as an exceptional Earthling. When a catastrophic event occurs, it is up to Nanoha and her fellow mages to recover the Jewel Seeds and save Earth and the other dimensions in Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha.
Nanoha's indomitable spirit and eagerness to learn makes her one of the cutest and most endearing magical girls. She has a unique verve for life and never lets anything get her down for long. She may only be nine years old at the beginning of the series, but she proves that anyone can be a hero with the right support and fighting spirit.
14 Madoka Kaname (Puella Magi Madoka Magica)
Puella Magi Madoka Magica's titular protagonist, Madoka Kaname, does not believe she is anything special. In her own words, she is a plain person who does not excel at anything in particular and does not have much to offer to others — but this could not be further from the truth.
In actuality, Madoka has an unbelievably kind heart and is a constant source of support for those around her. Her kind-hearted personality, combined with her visual design, especially the few times she is seen in her poofy, pink-and-white magical attire, make her incredibly cute.
13 Ichigo Momomiya (Tokyo Mew Mew)
The leader of the Mew Mews, Ichigo Momomiya from Tokyo Mew Mew, is a strong-willed and caring leader who is always ready for anything. The pink, poofy dress that she dons upon transforming is adorable, especially in combination with the black cat ears-and-tail combo that she gains as well.
Ichigo's personality only adds to her charm, especially when she is around her crush and later boyfriend, Masaya. When she is with her friends and especially when acting as leader of the Mew Mews, Ichigo acts boldly, but she quickly becomes flustered like a typical schoolgirl when she is with her crush.
12 Urara Shiraishi (Yamada-kun & The Seven Witches)
Urarara Shiraishi is one of the seven witches of Suzaku High in Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches. As a studious and quiet girl, Urara rarely interacts with others and only joins the Supernatural Studies Club after she accidentally switches bodies with a delinquent boy named Ryu Yamada. Hoping to find out more about her swapping ability, Urara breaks out of her shell to help research the Seven Witches of Suzaku High.
Once Urara begins to open up to her peers, she shows a whole new side to herself. Her ambitions are reignited, she seems happy, and she even forms a close bond with Ryu. Urara does tend to shrink back and become jealous, but those moments are fewer and farther between thanks to her mysterious and supernatural powers.
11 Atsuko Kagari (Little Witch Academia)
Atsuko Kagari is determined to become a fantastic witch like her idol, Shiny Chariot. Unfortunately, her magical abilities are subpar. Akko does manage to get into the Luna Nova Magical Academy, but her lack of skills and renowned clumsiness wreak havoc throughout her time there in Little Witch Academia.
Akko is a quirky young witch whose only desire is to become a beloved and powerful sorcerer. With the help of her friends and a mysteriously familiar teacher, Akko is on her way to achieving her dream.
10 Megumin (KonoSuba)
Megumin is the most adorable member of the ragtag group in KonoSuba. Although she is a mage, she chooses to only know one spell — Explosion — and attempts to level it up to perfection. Megumin typically persuades Kazuma to help her train, but she has been known to train by herself. Unfortunately, it never goes well.
Nevertheless, Megumin typically keeps a positive demeanor and never gives up on her magical specialty. She perseveres through her many setbacks and is always ready to practice her spell with Kazuma in their off time. Plus, her adorable witch hat is hard to beat in terms of cuteness.
9 Sakura Kinomoto (Cardcaptor Sakura)
Cardcaptor Sakura's titular protagonist, Sakura Kinomoto, is a cheerful and athletic elementary school student. While she can come across as dense or naive, these traits are typical of someone who is still elementary school-aged. Plus, Sakura has her perceptive moments. Overall, Sakura's sweet, caring nature wins over others in the end.
Unlike many other magical girls, who primarily only have one costume associated with them, Sakura wears a new outfit in almost every single episode. Many of these costumes incorporate pink, yellow, and other bright colors, and almost all of them are adorable.
8 Amu Hinamori (Shugo Chara)
Amu Hinamori from Shugo Chara is often mistaken and misunderstood, with others around Amu perceiving her to be a cool and confident girl. In reality, this could not be further from the truth, as Amu is quite shy. This gap between her perceived and actual self gives birth to her Guardian Characters.
Each of Amu's four Guardians — Ran, Miki, Su, and Dia — correspond with one of the four suits in a playing card deck, and each represents a different facet of Amu's true personality. Depending on which Guardian is active, Amu gains one of a multitude of magical girl outfits, all of which are incredibly cute.
7 Ahiru/Princess Tutu (Princess Tutu)
Ahiru is one of the cutest magical girls not only because she is spritely and determined but also because she is really an adorable duck. After she finally gets a chance to pursue her human love, Ahiru discovers that she can become the ethereal Princess Tutu to dance people's troubles away.
Unfortunately, her prince's heart is shattered, and she must do what she can to capture the pieces before someone else does. Thankfully, though, Ahiru has her abilities and her charms to live up to the task of making things right and finding out who she truly wants to be.
6 Koyuki Himekawa (Magical Girl Raising Project)
The world of Magical Girl Raising Project is unbelievably dark, but this does not mean there are no magical girls who try to stay true to their naive, wholesome beliefs. Koyuki Himekawa, otherwise known as her alias, Snow White, is one such magical girl.
Having been inspired by magical girl shows since she was young, Koyuki has always dreamed of becoming one herself. Even after becoming exposed to the true, dark nature of Magical Girl Raising Project's world, she tries to stay true to her ideals and avoids fighting other magical girls.
5 Sana Futaba (Magia Record)
Record is a spin-off series of Puella Magi Madoka Magica, and in some cases, it deals with subjects even heavier than the original series. Sana Futaba is a shy and sweet young girl who is constantly made to feel like she does not exist by those around her. Sana makes a wish to simply disappear.
This causes her to become invisible to anyone who is not a fellow magical girl, but things thankfully begin to brighten for Sana after the protagonist befriends her. Despite all the hardships she has endured, Sana has a surprisingly cute side, as shown when she befriends a stray cat, naming it after one of her favorite characters.
4 Nagomi Yui (Delicious Party Pretty Cure)
Delicious Party Pretty Cure is only one of a whopping 19 series in the PreCure franchise, with Nagomi Yui being one of Delicious Party's four main characters. Nagomi's parents own a diner. Since she grew up in such an environment, Nagomi's main trait is her ravenous love of food.
In Nagomi's everyday attire, Nagomi has shoulder-length brown hair and wears a modest, pale pink sweater vest atop a darker pink dress. In contrast to this, Nagomi's magical girl outfit is incredibly flashy, making use of brighter pinks alongside pops of yellow and bright blue.
3 Utena Tenjou (Revolutionary Girl Utena)
The titular protagonist of Revolutionary Girl Utena, Utena Tenjou, manages to be cute while breaking typical magical girl protagonist tropes. For one, rather than donning an adorable, puffy magical girl uniform, Utena dons a male uniform to be more like the Prince she idolizes.
Unlike many other magical girl protagonists, Utena has a much more tomboyish nature and fights for the hand of Anthy. She then continues to fight after emerging victorious to protect her from other contestants, and Utena's drive is incredibly charming.
2 Kiki (Kiki's Delivery Service)
Kiki is a young witch in training who moves to a new town to discover her particular life path. She settles in a bakery and begins a delivery business. Her business starts booming until her confidence is torn down by a rude customer. Kiki then has to find a way to get her magic back by learning how to let herself rest.
Kiki's Delivery Service is one of Studio Ghibli's most beloved films. Kiki is not only an adorable but lovable protagonist. She works hard to do what she loves and is unapologetically herself. For fans looking for a lighthearted, fun magical girl, Kiki delivers.
1 Mahiru Tsuyuzaki (Shoujo Kageki Revue Starlight)
Kageki Revue Starlight's Mahiru Tsuyuzaki has loved baton twirling, singing, and stage plays since she was young - inspired by her grandmother. She shines on stage, but after entering Seisho Academy, Mahiru loses what little self-confidence she has after seeing how brightly the other girls shine.
Thankfully, Mahiru is inspired by her friendship with protagonist Karen Aijou, who assures Mahiru that she has a shine of her own. After overcoming her personal struggles, Mahiru is characterized as a sweet, kind-hearted girl who loves making those around her smile.