magical girl

Noun

magical girl (plural magical girls)

1. In Japanese anime and manga, a young girl with superhuman abilities who is called upon to fight evil.
   • The magical girl starts out as a typical schoolgirl. Her transformation—via a glamorous costume, and amplified by special powers—gives her a new identity.2013, Christopher Hart, Magical Characters, Watson-Guptill Publications, →ISBN, page 17
   • Contrary to conventional magical girl anime, in which protagonists happily accept their superpower, shōjo heroines are reluctant to become Magical Girls in Puella Magi Madoka Magica.2014, Lien Fan Shen, “The Dark, Twisted Magical Girls: Shōjo Heroines in Puella Magi Madoka Magica”, in Norma Jones, Maja Bajac-Carter, Bob Batchelor, editors, Heroines of Film and Television...