Anyone who's ever watched anime long enough will encounter a random girl tasked to save the world with magical powers. At their core, magical girl anime depicts seemingly ordinary schoolgirls balancing their daily activities at school and shenanigans with friends with the impending doom of the world as they know it.
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However, just because the magical girl genre has a few tropes and clichés doesn't mean each show is exactly the same. Some of the best shows in the genre expand these concepts further, subvert expectations, and tell some incredibly gripping stories.
10 Ojamajo Doremi
When anime fans hear magical girls, they often think of a trio of superpowered schoolgirls and Ojamajo Doremi fits that description perfectly. Doremi Harukaze, a third-grader living in the fictional town of Misora, stumbles upon the magic shop named Mahodo. After she discovers that its owner Majo Rika, is a witch frog, the latter makes Doremi her apprentice to help her return to human form.
Doremi finds companions in the form of her best friends who also become witch apprentices. At first, the trio need to pass nine different tests to become a full witch and break the curse on Majo Rika. However, the trio eventually faces various threats, including an evil witch apprentice, with the fate of the world at stake.
9 Shugo Chara!
Amu Hinamori of Shugo Chara! easily becomes recognizable for her iconic pink hair and punk-ish attitude. What her classmates think is a "cool and spicy" look hides her rather introverted self. When she wishes to gain the confidence needed to fulfill her popular exterior, she finds three eggs that hatch as three Guardian Characters — Ran, Miki, and Su. As a Guardian, Amu can beseech the help of Ran, Miki, and Su to help her discover her true self.
As the anime evolves, Amu also encounters other Guardians, each with their own Guardian Characters and abilities. And while Shugo Chara! has its own blend of unique action, its greatest strength lies in its story about discovering the self.
8 My-HiME
What if there existed a school that teaches girls how to become magical girls? My-HiME explores this concept in detail. The story centers are HiMEs, or girls with the ability to materialize photons, that reside in Fuka Academy for a secret purpose. Protagonist Mai Tokiha soon discovers she's a HiME and bonds with a Child, a mecha with spiritual properties. Mai, alongside 11 others, are tasked to save the world from Orphans, creatures with abilities similar to the HiME's children.
My-HiME has a lot to do with the complex personalities of each character. As other HiMEs manifest around Mai, their various goals affect their desire to protect their world. In the end, Mai and the others become entangled in a fate tied to their very nature as HiMEs.
7 Full Moon O Sagashite
Unlike other magical girl series, Full Moon o Sagashite is a rather straightforward take on the genre. The anime stars Mitsuki Koyama, a 12-year-old who wants to become a singer. Sadly, her sarcoma makes her dream impossible. To make things worse, two Shinigami tell Mitsuki she has only a year left to live.
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Seeing her wishes, the two Shinigami strike a deal with her. If she agrees to die peacefully after a year, she can become a 16-year-old to partake in the auditions to become an idol. In turn, Mitsuki begins wowing her audiences as the mysterious Fullmoon. This is only the beginning of a rather sad and heart-wrenching tale that is sure to keep fans watching until the end.
6 Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha
When elementary schoolgirl Nanoha Takamichi rescues an injured ferret, she's soon thrust into a world of mystery and magic. This ferret reveals himself to be Yuno Scrya, an archaeologist-mage from the parallel universe of Midchilda. Yuno seeks Nanoha's help in retrieve 21 Jewel Seeds that can turn their hosts into monsters upon contact.
While Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha indeed has some similar elements with Cardcaptor Sakura, the former's story evolves into something else entirely. What begins as a cheerful premise soon evolves into a more complicated story with plot twists and darker elements.
5 Cardcaptor Sakura
In Cardcaptor Sakura, elementary schoolgirl Sakura Kinomoto accidentally unleashes powerful magical cards into the world. After a scolding from cutesy card guardian Kero (Cerberus), he enlists Sakura's help in retrieving the missing cards.
In turn, Sakura spends every episode investigating supernatural phenomena that may tie to one of the many Clow Cards. With the support of her best friend Tomoyo Daidouji and her rival Syaoran Li, Sakura uses various sealing magics to retrieve new Clow Cards. Sometimes, she even beseeches their help to mitigate the threats of other violent Cards.
4 Revolutionary Girl Utena
Revolutionary Girl Utena explores the adventures of Utena Tenjou, a teenage orphan who wants to fulfill her childhood desire of becoming a prince. Her skills with the sword and her strong will bring her to a world filled with rivals and fierce sword duels. She embarks on a journey to win the hand of Anthy Himemiya, the "Rose Bride" who apparently can revolutionize the world.
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As with other unique magical girl anime of the time, Utena gains praise from critics with its exploration of various tropes. The anime is particularly known for deconstructing the prince fairytale genre and even tackles queer topics and feminism in a unique manner.
3 Puella Magi Madoka Magica
What would someone sacrifice in the name of saving the world? In Puella Magi Madoka Magica, fans of the magical girl genre will see quite a typical premise of adventure. Schoolgirl Madoka Kaname and her friends in middle school make a supernatural contract to gain magical abilities. In turn, they're tasked to hunt down Witches and save the world. But not all is as it seems.
Madoka Magica gained critical acclaim for subverting almost every trope the magical girl anime has to offer. In particular, Madoka Magica explores the untold dangers and sacrifices magical girls have to take in exchange for the powers they seek. Viewers will quickly find that the show is a far more heartbreaking tale than they initially imagined.
2 Magic Knight Rayearth
Magic Knight Rayearth begins as ordinary as other magical girl anime would. Three friends in eighth grade — Hikaru, Umi, and Fuu — get embroidered in the affairs of Cephiro, an alternate world influenced by one's will. The creature Mokona asks for their help in saving Princess Emeraude, the Pillar and guardian of Cephiro, from the evil Zagato.
Through Mokona's help, the trio gains to access unique element-based magic to awaken the Rune-Gods which are mecha they pilot to pursue their path to saving Cephiro and the world. Rayearth's blending of elements from the magical girl and the mecha genre help it stand out from the pack as one of the greats.
1 Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon
Anyone who imagines a magical girl and thinks of a superpowered girl in a sailor uniform should perhaps credit this trope to Sailor Moon. In this series, schoolgirl Usagi Tsukino becomes Sailor Moon, while her friends become Sailor Soldiers associated with other planets. Usagi and the Sailor Soldiers fight various intergalactic threats as they protect the coveted Silver Crystal.
Perhaps the most popular magical girl anime ever, Sailor Moon pretty much defined a ton of tropes associated with the genre. Aside from cute uniforms, Sailor Moon started the trend towards awesome transformation sequences too. Fans can only wait to see what the series has in store when the new Sailor Moon movie releases.