There are few forms of entertainment that offer up as much endless imagination and versatility as anime does—and it’s incredible how it’s able to fit in so many different genres. There’s usually one brand of anime that will connect with someone, but the magical girl genre has become one of the most prominent and female-centered styles of content.
There’s a lot of variety within magical girl anime—and there are just as many shows that deconstruct it with interesting and strong protagonists as there are series that embrace stereotypes. Magical girl anime can definitely feel silly at times, but they can be a source for incredibly realistic and grounded characters.
10 Sakura Kinomoto In Cardcaptor Sakura Is The Perfect Audience Surrogate
Cardcaptor Sakura is one of the most popular anime to emerge from the magical girl genre, and a lot of its success has to do with the affable nature of the series’ protagonist, Sakura Kinomoto. Sakura finds herself wrapped up in an incredible adventure when she inadvertently opens a special book and unleashes Clow Cards on the world.
Sakura is blessed with magical powers, but she still needs to come up with clever strategies to put them into action. She begins as a ten-year-old that’s without certain luxuries and her response to this ordeal feels genuine.
9 Princess Tutu’s Ahiru Arima Is An Ungraceful Girl With Lots Of Heart
Princess Tutu is an underrated magical girl anime series that's set within a prestigious ballet school and uses the stress and commitment to the craft as the conduit for its protagonist's transformation.
Ahiru Arima longs to be a famous ballet dancer after she sees the so-called "Prince" from her lake when she was an ordinary duck. Her transformation into Princess Tutu helps her actualize the goal to save her prince, as well as turn into a normal girl. What makes Ahiru so relatable is that she's a very clumsy and uncoordinated character, and she isn't a prodigy—just a normal, flawed girl with a passion for dancing.
8 Madoka Kaname Is The Whole Package In Puella Magi Madoka Magica
Puella Magi Madoka Magica has grown into quite the robust magical girl series that faithfully embraces the tropes of the genre, yet also deconstructs the form and characters to try and do something unique. Madoka Kaname seems like the typical magical girl heroine, but it's impressive how the 14-year-old doesn't let the severity of her responsibility infect her life.
Madoka thrives around her friends, is decent in school, and doesn't get distracted over some unreciprocated love. Madoka is charismatic, in control, and figures out how to become better adjusted in real life as she refines her magical girl skills.
7 Komugi Nakahara Is A Cosplayer Propelled Into Greatness In Nurse Witch Komugi
Nurse Witch Komugi is exactly the right kind of hyperbolized magical girl madness that works. Komugi Nakahara is appointed with the power to turn into a magical nurse by the Goddess of Vaccine in an effort to take down the escaped King of Viruses.
The medical angle in Nurse Witch Komugi is an entertaining change of pace, but Komugi feels like an especially grounded protagonist since she spends her time as a cosplayer and actress. Komugi is infinitely clumsier than the elegant roles that she portrays, but this passion for fantasy makes her very approachable.
6 Jewelpet’s Rinko Is So Normal She Doesn’t Even Have A Conventional Transformation
It's possible that Rinko Kougyoku from Jewelpet is one of the most relatable magical girl protagonists of all time. Rinko's larger goal doesn't revolve around some ultimate evil, but merely the desire to find her missing friends.
Rinko will do anything for her friends, but she's hardly a paradigm of confidence and courage. Rinko is shy, introverted, and even has a lofty fear of heights. Rinko does mature and change, but she doesn't experience the same magical girl transformation sequence that everyone else does. She's an incredibly normal character that's motivated by her friends.
5 Nagisa And Honoka’s Friendship Is Turned Into A Super Power In Pretty Cure
Pretty Cure's Nagisa Misumi and Honoka Yukishiro are technically two magical girls, but their powers are activated in tandem with one another and require them to work together. Nagisa and Honoka are great friends, but Nagisa is the athletic type while Honoka is more concerned with her studies.
This dynamic feels realistic and Nagisa and Honoka learn how to depend on each other without it turning into a codependent relationship. This carries over to their magical girl roles where their friendship literally becomes weaponized and a destructive representation of their commitment to each other.
4 Nagisa Momoe Reflects Innocence And Purity In Magia Record
Magia Record is a spin-off of the Puella Magi Madoka Magica anime that looks to the series' video games for inspiration. Nagisa Momoe is one of the later magical girls to get introduced to the story and she's easily one of the more innocent and childish characters.
Nagisa wields an adorable bubble trumpet and her transformation is just as endearing. Despite her abilities, Nagisa stands out because she's more content to be comic relief for the group than head into danger. Her ultimate goal is also to just enjoy some cheesecake, which is far too relatable of a mission.
3 Arusu's Humble Humanity Is What Makes Her Special In Tweeny Witches
Arusu from Tweeny Witches is easy to connect with since she's the sole human character that's whisked away to a world full of witches. Often magical girl series have a normal person gain fantastical powers in the regular world, but Tweeny Witches further removes Arusu from her comfort zone.
Arusu's human ideals brush up against the witch lifestyle and she occasionally feels like an outcast. Arusu is more of a wild and rebellious girl, but her differences begin to inform and improve the witches around her. It's a soothing story where Arusu's flawed humanity becomes affectionately amplified rather than erased.
2 Kill La Kill’s Ryuko Matoi Shows That Magical Girls Don’t Need To Be Cute And Cheerful
Kill la Kill doesn’t immediately register as a magical girl anime due to its aggressive action and male demographic, but all of this just turns to the series and its characters into a challenging reinvention of the flailing genre. Kill la Kill's protagonist, Ryuko Matoi, is the type of character that would make fun of a magical girl anime.
However, she reluctantly gets wrapped up in an intergalactic conflict at Honnoji Academy. Everything about Ryuko goes against the grain of conventional magical girl anime series, but she proves that magical girls can also be rough tomboys.
1 Sailor Moon’s Usagi Is The Perfect Mix Of Courage And Klutzy
It'd be impossible to talk about relatable magical girl protagonists and not touch upon Usagi from the iconic Sailor Moon. Usagi is thrust into a role of responsibility and she's forced to handle progressively bigger problems.
Usagi evolves in incredible ways, but her humanity never leaves her and it's actively an important part of her development. Usagi's strength is admirable, but the fact that she can save the world and still struggles in school or with romantic endeavors makes her the perfect figure for teen girls to aspire towards.