A subgenre of Japanese anime and manga, magical girls are sparkly and usually feminine heroines that got their start all the way back in the '50s and '60s. Laying the groundwork were Series such as Osamu Tezuka's Princess Knight, Mitsuteru Yokoyama's Sally The Witch, and Fujio Akatsuka's The Secrets of Akko-chan.
While the former pioneered female action heroes, Sally The Witch and The Secrets of Akko-chan introduced staples of the genre such as the "transformation item" and the "magical girl mascot." Transformation items are special objects like wands or makeup compacts that help a magical girl change from her civilian form to her magical one, while magical girl mascots are usually fantastical creatures that grant the heroine useful items and serve as a source of guidance.
As a lifelong fan of the magical girl genre, some of the most memorable aspects of magical girl anime and manga end up being the mascots. With some exceptions, most of them end up being cute and helpful and characters I'd want to befriend in real life. Let's take a look at my personal top five magical girl mascots!
Luna from Sailor Moon
Serving as the introduction to magical girls for many '90s babies like myself, Sailor Moon tells the story of 14-year-old Usagi Tsukino, a ditzy-yet-kind young woman. While walking to school one day, she rescues a black cat named Luna from a bunch of kid bullies. Later, Usagi removes the bandage on Luna's forehead, revealing both a crescent moon and the fact that Luna can speak human language. When Usagi hears her best friend Naru scream, Luna gives Usagi a magical compact that allows Usagi to transform into Sailor Moon and rescue Naru from the evil forces of the Black Moon Kingdom.
Luna is not only an adorable cat, but she also guides Usagi as she takes her first steps as a reluctant heroine. As the other Sailor Senshi (i.e. Sailor Guardians) make their appearance in season 1 of the '90s anime and the first arc of the manga, Luna guides them as they search for the reincarnated Moon Princess. In the manga, the anime movie Sailor Moon S: Hearts In Ice, and the anime Sailor Moon Crystal, Luna also has a human form. Hearts On Ice gave Luna her own story by having her fall in love with a human astronomer named Kakeru and allowing her to briefly become human to save him.
The '90s Sailor Moon anime can be streamed on Hulu and Tubi, while Sailor Moon Crystal can be streamed on Hulu, Netflix, and Crunchyroll. Meanwhile, the movie Sailor Moon S: Hearts In Ice can be streamed dubbed and subbed on Tubi. Finally, the manga is published by Kodansha.
Laura from Tropical-Rouge! Pretty Cure
Airing in 2021, Tropical Rouge! Pretty Cure is the 18th series in the Pretty Cure magical girl franchise. It focuses on 13-year-old Manatsu Natsuumi, a young girl who loves aquatic animals. After moving to Aozora City, Manatsu meets the mermaid Laura, who is searching for legendary Precure warriors to fight the Witch of Delays. When monsters attack Aozora City, Manatsu gains the ability to become the PreCure known as Cure Summer.
Laura, a mermaid, comes from the kingdom of Grand Ocean and takes on human form after Manatsu becomes a PreCure. At first, she merely serves as a support role to Manastu and the other PreCures that join her later on. Using the item known as the Mermaid Aqua Pot, Laura can detect when monsters have stolen a person's motivation power and return that power after the PreCures defeat a monster.
Moreover, Laura also resides in the Aqua Pot in mermaid form while living with Manatsu at her house. Personality wise, she is selfish and arrogant at first but eventually softens into a kinder and inspirational person, especially once she takes on a bigger role with the PreCures and the mermaid kingdom.
Tropical Rouge! Pretty Cure can be streamed on Crunchyroll.
Miki from Shugo Chara!
Created by Peach-Pit, this 2005 manga was adapted into an anime series in 2007. It stars Amu Hinamori, a middle school student that appears to be cool and spicy to her classmates. In reality, she's a shy girl who is scared to show her true personality. One night, she wishes for the ability to show her true self and the next morning, she gets three eggs that hatch into the fairy Guardians Ran, Miki, and Su. From there, the fairy guardians help Amu discover herself and fight against others with fairy Guardians or corrupted eggs, which are the monstrous versions of people's tainted dreams.
As one of Amu's three guardians, Miki represents Amu's artistic and level-headed side. When Miki uses her powers to help Amu transform, Amu becomes Amulet Spade in order to fight corrupted egg monsters related to artistic dreams. Miki also gradually helps Amu be more creative as a person as the series progresses.
Shugo Chara! can be streamed on Crunchyroll. The manga is published by Kodansha.
Mokona from Magic Knight Rayearth
Created by manga artist group CLAMP in 1993 and adapted into an anime series in 1994, Magic Knight Rayearth is a high fantasy romp that combines elements of the magical girl genre with mecha anime (i.e. anime with giant robots), isekai (i.e. anime about being sent to another world), and Japanese role playing games. It is about three middle school girls named Hikaru, Umi, and Fuu.
While on a class trip to Tokyo Tower, the three get transported to the world of Cephiro by Princess Emeraude and are tasked with saving the world. Despite never meeting each other, the three girls must learn to work together and defeat the high priest Zagato in order to return home.
Their mascot Mokona is a mysterious, chubby, rabbit-like creature that doesn't speak human language at all (at least in part one of the series). Despite this, Mokona is able to use the jewel on its forehead to communicate with Guru Clef, a mage that grants the girls their magical abilities. Mokona can also use the jewel to conjure food, shelter, and transportation, making them a practical companion.
Magic Knight Rayearth can be streamed on YouTube, Crunchyroll, Amazon Prime, and RetroCrush. Its manga is published as two omnibuses by Dark Horse.
Finn Fish from Phantom Thief Jeanne
Also known as Divine Wind Phantom Thief Jeanne in Japan, Phantom Thief Jeanne is a manga created by Arina Tanemura in 1998. It was also adapted into an anime series in 1999, but is sadly unavailable to stream legally. Starring a sixteen-year-old girl named Maron Kusakabe, the manga tells the story of her misadventures as a phantom thief who is the reincarnation of Jeanne D' Arc. As Phantom Thief Jeanne, Maron steals paintings in order to purge them of demons hidden within and prevent the Demon Lord from ascending in the world.
Assisting Maron as a phantom thief is the magical mascot Finn Fish, a minor angel from heaven. At first, she has a motherly role to Maron since Maron lives alone while her parents work overseas. Finn does housework and attempts to protect Maron from boys. When Maron is out as a phantom thief, Finn sometimes gives her advice on how to best approach a situation.
As the series progresses and Finn's backstory as an angel is revealed, her role becomes more complicated — especially when she seemingly betrays Maron. Once things are set right, Finn's bond with Maron becomes stronger. When Finn sacrifices herself for Maron near the end of the series, Maron returns the favor and Finn is later reborn as Maron's daughter Natsuki.
Phantom Thief Jeanne is published in five omnibus volumes from Viz Media.
