As the shepherds of the magical girl genre, it’s a surprise to no one that Japanese animation and manga boast the finest and most prominent collection of magical girl productions. From the revolutionarySailor Moonwhich established many current magical girl tropes toPuella Magi Madoka Magicathat subverted them, anime has no shortage of phenomenal magical girl tales.
Related:Best Magical Girl Anime, RankedThat doesn’t mean one should forget about the brilliant magical girl shows that have been developed internationally, a multitude of which have drawn inspiration from not only anime’s magical girl icons but the medium as a whole.
8Winx Club
Just as magical as it is fashionable,Winx Clubis considered by many to be the most iconic magical girl series to be produced outside of the anime realm. The show’s incredible success is undeniable, garnering eight seasons, an assortment of games and movies, a comic book series, and a (lackluster)live-action adaptation.
Winx Club’s position in the magical girls' hall of fame can be attributed to its diverse (both in race and personality) cast of characters, thrilling and empowering action sequences, inviting premise, and adedication to designthat took full advantage of the transformation trope.
7W.I.T.C.H.
In spite of what the title implies, this show’s magical girls aren’tconsidered witchesbut “Guardians” that are bestowed with supernatural abilities that they must use to protect the different worlds of the universe and maintain the balance between them. The title comprises the Guardians’ first initials and reflects the nature of their powers. The Guardians each possess the power of a natural element, similar to how witches typically utilize nature as a conduit for magic.
W.I.T.C.H. only lasted two seasons so until a reboot is announced, fans will have to follow the Guardians’ exploits in the eponymous comic book series the show is based on.
6Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir
One of the rare instances of a male character functioning as one of the “magical girls”, this French series illustrates the adventures of the superhero duo, Ladybug and Cat Noir, alongside their everyday lives as Marinette and Adrian, two Parsian teenagers that have no clue about each other’s crime-fighting alter ego.
Related:Magical Girl Anime Everyone Should WatchThe series creator, Thomas Astruc, was actually one of the animators ofW.I.T.CH.and drew inspiration from his time on the show along with Western superhero comics and the holy grail of the magical girl genre,Sailor Moon,to createMiraculous.
5H2O: Just Add Water
There are very few live-action magical girl shows, and for good reason. It’s difficult to depict the entrancing transformations and flashy powers that define the genre in a live-action format without a sizable budget, the likes of which are rarely allocated to productions targeted toward younger audiences.
Yet with intricate, custom-made tails, stunning underwater shots courtesy of the Gold Coast’s Sea World, and simply knowing when not to go overboard with CGI,H2O: Just Add Waterbecame a modern mermaid classic that viewers still revere today. The Australian series revolves around three girls who, after an accidental moonlight swim, suddenlybecome mermaidsat the touch of water.
4Totally Spies!
There’s no actual magic in this lighthearted series about three Beverly Hill teens balancing the struggles of high school life with an internationalspy side gig, but it encompasses several defining characteristics of magical girl stories. The trio maintains secret identities, fights crime, and even undergoes the beloved transformation sequence. And their frequently employedspy gadgetsair more on the side of the fantastical than the scientific.
The charming, genre-bending series is still looked fondly back on by its fans, so fondly that aTotally Spies!seventh season has been announced nearly ten years after its sixth season’s finale.
3She-Ra And The Princesses Of Power
A reboot of theHe-Manspin-off series,She-Ra: Princess of Power, this show was acclaimed for featuring groundbreakingLGBTQ+ representationin children’s television. While clearly taking its premise and the foundation of its lore from its predecessor,She-Ra And The Princesses Of Powertruly makes the characters its own.
Related:She-Ra: Which Character Are You Based On Your Zodiac?While some purists may be disappointed with the drastic changes, there is room for both shows to be appreciated for what they are. They need not be in competition with one another but should be enjoyed as two completely different takes on a compelling concept.
2Mysticons
This Nickelodeon series centers on four teenage girls that are chosen to become the Mysticons, a league of heroes this is formed once every thousand years and are responsible for the safety of the world. Each Mysticon bears the totem of an animal that represents her individual power.Mysticonscreator, Sean Jara, affirmed on social media that one of the protagonists and her female childhood friend are intended to have a romantic relationship.
Sadly, the pair’s planned onscreen kiss was scrapped due to backlash from a production partner, but the show’s team continued to develop the two as a couple even if their romance had to be implicit rather than explicit.
1She-Ra: Princess of Power
Although its reboot has dominated current pop culture discussion, it would be remiss to not acknowledge the first incarnation of She-Ra and the series she headlined. Making her entrance in 1985, She-Ra predates even the princess of magical girls herself, Sailor Moon.
While She-Ra did not have nearly the impact Sailor Moon did on the genre, she most certainly is one of the most notable and earliest examples of a magical girl heroine in Western media. She-Ra will be receiving her third manifestation in a standalone live-action series on Amazon Prime Video.
