She-Ra and the Princesses of Power cultivated a loyal following throughout its five-season run on Netflix. The series, which was a reboot of the beloved eighties cartoon, served as a fresh, modern take on the She-Ra mythology, headlined by Noelle Stevenson of Nimona and Lumberjanes fame.
Introduced in the show was updated iterations of Adora and Catra. Adora was raised as a loyal soldier in the Horde until a fateful evening results in her finding the Sword of Protection and unlocking her abilities as She-Ra. Catra was raised similarly, however instead of renouncing the Horde, after Adora defected, Catra worked her way up to a leadership position and led the Horde to several devastating victories.
10 Catra: She’s Cunning
One of the most interesting facets of Catra’s character is her strategic prowess and ability to advance herself through the ranks in the Horde. Once Adora leaves, Catra is desperate to keep her position as Force Captain and works hard to figure out a way to replace Shadow Weaver as Hordak’s right-hand woman.
Although Catra is aligned with the bad guys for most of the series, audiences see how hard Catra works and tries to climb up the ladder, and can’t help but root for her. This ambitious, hardworking side of Catra is one that has both endeared and frustrated fans.
9 Adora: She’s Kind
Despite being raised in the unforgiving Horde and groomed by Shadow Weaver, Adora has a big heart that makes her get along well with the Princess Alliance and makes her such a great hero. Adora’s empathy means that she can’t stand aside when injustices happen, which leads her to renounce the Horde in the first place.
Adora’s empathetic nature also makes her one of the most selfless characters in the series. There are multiple instances where Adora attempts to sacrifice herself for the greater good so no one else will have to. Adora will do anything to protect her friends, and it’s that love for them (and Catra) that helps her unlock her full potential as She-Ra.
8 Catra: She’s Vulnerable
This isn’t a trait that’s immediately clear with Catra, as she goes above and beyond to ensure she doesn’t come across as vulnerable. Catra refuses to show weakness in front of others and even has kept a promise to never apologize to anyone (which she breaks in the fifth season, during her redemption arc).
However, Catra proves herself to be incredibly vulnerable. Throughout the fourth season, she has moments where she breaks down (often in private), and Double Trouble is easily able to get under her skin. In the fifth season, Catra’s vulnerability really shines when she begins to feel safe around Adora and the Best Friend Squad: she bonds with Glimmer, she finally admits her feelings for Adora, and she even apologizes to Entrapta.
7 Adora: She’s Loyal
One of Adora’s defining traits throughout the series is her loyalty - whether it’s her loyalty to her respective causes (initially the Horde and then later the Princess Alliance) or to her friends, Adora’s loyal nature is often her key motivator.
Everything Adora does is to help her friends. In season one, the best idea Catra has to get Adora to return to the Horde so they can capture her is by kidnapping Bow and Glimmer, as she knows there’s nothing Adora wouldn’t do for them. And in spite of all the bad blood between them, Adora barely hesitates when it comes to making the decision to rescue Catra from Horde Prime in the fifth season.
6 Catra: She's Intuitive
One thing that stands out about Catra is how intuitive she can be. She sees potential in things people overlook. When Entrapta is accidentally left behind in the Horde, it doesn't take long for Catra to guess what happened, and quickly uses that in her favor to sway Entrapta into joining them.
It's telling that while Netossa is calling off the weaknesses of each Rebellion member, Catra is not at all surprised as she's already had most of them figured out. She's also able to help the Best Friend Squad return to Etheria by figuring out an out of the box solution of getting through Horde Prime's blockade.
5 Adora: She's Energetic
It's hard to find a scene where Adora is staying still. Adora often finds physical outlets for her emotions, whether that's pacing around when she's nervous, or training or having a fight. Glimmer and Catra even call this facet of Adora out while bonding, agreeing that Adora can never relax.
At the same time they come to this agreement, the Rebellion struggles on Etheria to get Adora to restrain herself in battle now that she doesn't have any powers. When Adora gets hurt, it takes Bow a while to get her to stay still long enough to get some rest.
4 Catra: She's Selfish
While this doesn't seem like a positive trait to have, it's a big factor in why so many fans love Catra. Having complex, flawed female characters who are allowed to be in the wrong and to be selfish is still rare to find today.
Rarer still is when those negative traits are used in a positive light that saves the day. Adora is selfless to the point of self-sacrificing and almost dies in the series finale. However, it is Catra begging her to stay just this once and finally admitting she loves Adora, which brings her back. Catra's selfishness genuinely helps Adora realize her life has more worth than being a martyr, and Adora fights to ensure she gets to live out the future she wants for herself.
3 Adora: She Sees The Good In Everyone
One trait of Adora's is her naivety, which is best on display in the first season. Due to her sheltered upbringing, Adora is a fish out of the water when it comes to the rest of Etheria. She's not aware of what a party is or what an aunt is, and it often falls on Glimmer or Bow to catch her up (Catra, it seems, doesn't have this issue).
But a strong facet of Adora's naivety is that she sees the good in everyone, which often allows her to overlook the very real possibility there are some people who simply don't have the best intentions. For the most part, however, this trait of her's falls in her favor, and many of their allies are recruits from the Horde that Adora saw the good in.
2 Catra: She Improves Herself
After Double Trouble brings to light all of Catra's insecurities and she bonds with Glimmer, Catra realizes that she wants to do one right thing in her life and sacrifices herself to save Glimmer and apologize to Adora.
But Catra's sacrifice isn't the end of her story. Adora and the others go back to rescue her, and the rest of season five has Catra tackling with her own redemption. She makes a strong effort to improve her actions, by trying to temper her own anger (aided by Meelog) and apologizing to the people she hurt.
1 Adora: She's A Good Leader
When the show begins, Adora is promoted to Force Captain by Shadow Weaver, due to her excelling at training. Later, when she joins the Rebellion, Adora also finds herself in a similar position and becomes one of their most valued leaders.
Aside from her excellent battle strategies, Adora is a good leader for another reason: her way with people. She initially tries to decline the role of Force Captain because Catra, Rogelio, Lonnie, and Kyle are being held back. It's Adora's genuine compassion and ability to inspire others that makes her a great leader.