‘She-Ra and the Princesses of Power’ Is Coming at a Perfect Time for Animated Heroines

For years, fighting evil in kid’s shows has almost exclusively been a boys game. Sure, action series like Danny Phantom and Pokemon would always have one or two female characters willing to put up their dukes, but they were almost always secondary thoughts. Either their story wasn’t as important as their male lead or their particular brand of busting heads was more sweet than savage. On their own, there was nothing wrong with these stories. A good hero’s journey is something that should be relatable to anyone, and from Batman: The Animated Series all the way to Regular Show there have been a plethora of excellent ones. But at a certain point it becomes draining to see the boys experience all the fun and frustration that comes from a well-constructed journey of self-examination.

That’s why some of the biggest cartoons of the today feel like a breath of fresh air. If they don’t star fierce female characters then they use them in a way that’s focuses on their humanity rather than their ability to advance the plot. Avatar: The Last Airbender‘s spinoff series The Legend of Korra, Netflix’s sweet Hilda, and the truly magnificent and underrated Star vs. the Forces of Evil all star young women who are forced to go on journeys that are just as important, dangerous, and transformative as their male counterparts. That’s especially true of Star vs. the Forces of Evil. What starts as a silly and lighthearted show about magic and fitting in on Earth slowly develops into a complicated and heartfelt story about one young woman grappling with the implications of a throne she’s not ready to inherit.

Likewise, shows like the wonderfully odd Adventure Time and the ever-feminist and inclusive Steven Universe largely focus on male heroes. But the women around those heroes are handled with such care, they avoid the trap of ever feeling like an extension to their friend’s story. Princess Bubblegum, Marceline the Vampire Queen and certainly the gems in Steven Universe all have their own distinct arcs, some of which play out during the B-stories of expansive episodes and some that are so important to the overarching narrative it’s possible to momentarily forget who is leading these series. The magnificently bizarre and well-paced takes that equality a step even further, extending the coveted role of protagonist to the brother-sister twin pair of Dipper and Mabel Pines.

All of this is to say that super-powered cartoon heroines are nothing new. But there’s something uniquely great about She-Ra and the Princesses of Power. Originally based on the He-Man spin-off series She-Ra: Princess of Power, Netflix’s adaptation takes the epic battle scene and dense mythology of the 1980s series and infuses it with modern animation’s emotional charms. It’s more than a reboot of the original He-Man spinoff, Noelle Stevenson’s show is an empowering and often emotional story about loss, betrayal, changing expectations, and struggle of rising to become the best version of yourself.

Raised in the evil organization she later spends her whole life fighting, no version of Adora has ever been completely in control of her powers and destiny. That’s played to full effect in The Princesses of Power, giving this warrior princess a level of empathy and vulnerability that’s truly extraordinary. From the moment the series introduces Adora (voiced by Aimee Carrero) she’s a well-trained mess. She can fight and command troops without breaking a sweat, but as soon as those around her ask to be less jaded and more understanding, she crumbles. It’s a brilliant inverse of the gradual hero arc we’ve seen a million times before. Adora and ultimately She-Ra are already warriors. They just need help with the human side of life to turn them into heroes.

As a result the series never feels unapproachable or intimidating — an impressive feat given the franchise’s long history. It’s warm. Adora makes mistakes that feel wholly organic to her character, from being overly optimistic in her control of She-Ra to failing to understand basic tenants of etiquette. Watching the many ways she navigates these awkward faux pas places Adora on the same highly relatable podium as characters like Star Butterfly or even Powerpuff Girls’ Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup. No matter how skilled she is with a weapon, she’s far from perfect, and seeing her evolve only makes her more lovable.

Adora’s friends and enemies go a long way toward transforming her prominent flaws into an actual hero’s journey. The ever-optimistic Princess Glimmer (voiced by Karen Fukuhara) and Bow (voiced by Marcus Scribner) hold a rose-colored mirror to their friend, constantly showing Adora what She-Ra should be and what she’s not. Unsurprisingly the series does a good job of using these two as more than merely set pieces. Glimmer’s constant need to impress her mother goes a long way in smoothing the character’s more obnoxious edges, and Bow’s quiet quest to find his own identity among his demanding friends is one of the more interesting subplots of this first season. But it’s Adora’s relationship with the complicated Catra (voiced by AJ Michalka) that gives the series its most emotional weight. Throughout the season Adora and Catra’s relationship shifts constantly, position the pair as best friends one minute and cutthroat enemies the next. But even though every tonal switch is explained, there’s always an air of mystery to their rivalry. They’re not family and they’re not enemies, though they’re close to both. Seeing Adora navigate these murky waters with someone she clearly used to love sees her at her most painfully sincere.

There’s a clear line between characters like Katara, Princess Bubblegum, and Adora. But ultimately Adora expands the trend of the fearless heroine, embodying a hero who is defined as much by what she can do as the complex emotional hurdles that change who she is. It’s cool to see She-Ra kicking evil’s butt mostly because it’s cool to see any hero being a hero. But She-Ra and the Princesses of Power follows one of the best trends in modern animation. It uses its earned emotional weight to launch its hero’s journey into something more. What makes She-Ra a hero is primarily the bad guys she defeats and the good she brings to the world. But what turns her into a character who deserves to be idolized are the messy and distressingly human mistakes she makes along the way.

Watch She-Ra and the Princesses of Power on Netflix