Become Charmed By Other Magical Series
Sailor Moon may not have been the first magical girl anime, but it’s known as the one that paved the way for many series like it. With its iconic soundtrack and memorable female cast alongside its supernatural powers, many fans desired to fend off evil by moonlight alongside her. Sailor Moon follows Usagi Tsukino, a klutzy female who saves the life of a mysterious cat named Luna.
Luna unveils to Usagi that she’s destined to become Earth’s sworn protector and grants her a magical brooch. This brooch allows Usagi to become the Sailor Moon. As Sailor Moon, she must protect her city from monsters, search for the other Sailor Guardians, and find the Legendary Silver Crystal to save her planet from certain doom.
If you’re having trouble finding anime similar to Sailor Moon, fear not! We’ve discovered 10 alternate shows that’ll give you a similar experience as Sailor Moon. For your reading pleasure, we have included the similarities they all share.
Additionally, for each anime we’ve reviewed, we’ve included a link that allows you to view our full thoughts about the series to see if it’s worth your time.
So without further ado, we present 10 TV shows that should whet the appetite when you’ve finished streaming Sailor Moon!
Tokyo Mew Mew
Similarities – Magical Girls & Adventure
If Sailor Moon’s strong female cast with unique superpowers excited you, then Tokyo Mew Mew promises viewers a similar experience. Tokyo Mew Mew features a dominant female cast with incredible personalities and magical abilities.
Like the heroines in Sailor Moon, the females in Tokyo Mew Mew morph into more powerful individuals to defend their planet from evil demons and villains. Most of their power stems from love and various elemental properties. It’s a series with great action and emotional scenes that will keep you entertained.
Tokyo Mew Mew follows Ichigo Momomiya, who wakes up after a terrible date with her crush. Upon awakening, she starts displaying cat-like mannerisms. She learns that she can transform into a cat-like magical girl named Mew Ichigo after she saves her love interest from harm.
She meets a group of researchers who injected her with Iriomote Cat DNA. They did so because they need her to defend the planet against aliens. Although she’s overwhelmed by their offer, they inform her that she’s not the only girl they injected with this DNA. Thus, the anime follows Ichigo and her quest to gather the remaining magical girls before it’s too late.
Cardcaptor Sakura
Similarities – Romance & Adventure
Cardcaptor Sakura feels like the younger sister series to Sailor Moon in many ways. Both anime features girls needing to find an item of some kind to maintain their world’s peace. Furthermore, Cardcaptor Sakura’s main character, Sakura Kinomoto establishes new friendships and meets mythical beings with astronomic power. The transformation sequences in both anime are spectacles to behold.
Cardcaptor Sakura doesn’t have a large cast of magical girls, though. The allies Sakura teams up with don’t carry the same mystical abilities as she does in terms of concept and design. However, Sakura’s allies are just as fleshed-out and likable as the sailor scouts Sailor Moon meets on her journey.
Cardcaptor Sakura follows Sakura Kinomoto, who stumbles upon a strange book called “The Clow” that’s filled with Clow Cards. During her investigation, she accidentally causes the book to malfunction as all the cards scatter over her hometown. This instance also awakens the book’s beast guardian, Keroberos.
He tells Sakura that she must gather all the Clow Cards back, as they pose a major threat to the world. He appoints Sakura as the new Cardcaptor and gives her the Sealed Key, a weapon that’ll allow her to seal the beasts back into the cards they came from. With the help of Keroberos and her best friend, Tomoyo, Sakura must find all Clow Card beasts and seal them back into their cards before it’s too late.
Puella Magi Madoka Magica
Similarities – Challenged Female Roles In Anime
Puella Magi Madoka Magica and Sailor Moon changed the game for magical girls in anime. While Sailor Moon helped solicit the notion of girls in action roles, Puella Magi Madoka Magica aimed to change viewers’ perception of magical girls. Both series engaging action scenes, an enticing storyline, and a memorable soundtrack that echos the impact they had on the sub-genre.
Madoka Magica is darker than Sailor Moon, though. It chooses to showcase the cruelties of becoming a magical girl by zoning in on the character’s mental health and awareness. Madoka Magica’s cutesy art style clashes well with the darker atmosphere it develops as the anime progresses. Outside its darker aesthetic, it captures the same charm and action one would expect from a magical girl show.
Madoka Magica follows Madoka Kaname and her friend Sayaka Miki who meet a mysterious cat-like being called Kyubey. Kyubey offers them a chance to fulfill their deepest wish in exchange for becoming magical girls. A girl named Homura Akemi warns them not to accept the offer. Madoka and Sayaka ignore her and the deal is made.
They receive all the perks as Kyubey promised, and everything seems to go off without a hitch. Unfortunately for Madoka and Sayaka, they’ll later discover the deeper and darker truth behind Kyubey’s offer. Therefore, the anime follows their lives as magical girls and the despair that comes with the job.
Princess Tutu
Similarities – Characters & Themes
Like Madoka Magica and Sailor Moon, Princess Tutu changed the game for magical girl anime. It takes the iconic Ugly Duckling fairy tale and mixes in iconic magical girl tropes to form something that’s fresh and unique. Like Sailor Moon, Princess Tutu is a clumsy girl who makes silly mistakes despite being gifted with magic powers.
The characters also struggle with balancing school and magical lives. At the same time, each series raises the stakes bit by bit, making it difficult for them to do so. Furthermore, both series aren’t afraid to tell darker story arcs but tend to lean toward harmonious story beats. Although you won’t find any other magical girls besides Princess Tutu in her series, she’s sure to give you the same charm and charisma you’d expect from Sailor Moon and the other scouts.
Princess Tutu follows a female duck named Ahiru, who lives the most mundane life as any duck would. One day, she meets a mysterious being named Drosselmeyer, who transforms her into a human girl. He also grants Ahiru the power to turn into Princess Tutu, a talented ballet dancer.
As Princess Tutu, Ahiru can relieve people of the pain in their hearts, by performing ballet. Drosselmeyer tasks her with the said mission, to which Ahiru accepts. He also informs her that she must find the lost shards of a prince’s heart. This is because he sacrificed his life to prevent an evil raven from causing mayhem. This journey will lead Ahiru down paths of hardship as she struggles to help the prince forge his own “happily ever after.”
Pretty Cure
Similarities – Magical Girls Fighting Crime
Pretty Cure follows two middle school girls named Nagisa Misumi and Honoka Yukishiro. Despite being paired with each other, both live strikingly different lives. Nagisa is her school’s popular star lacrosse player, while Honoka is simply regarded as the soft-spoken intelligent girl in her school. What brings them together is the fact that both girls live double lives as magical girls.
Going by the aliases Cure Black and Cure White of Pretty Cure, Nagisa and Honoka team up with their fairy companions, Mipple and Mepple, to fight off the Dotsuku Zone. Alongside stopping this evil force, Nagisa and Honoka must find seven Prism Stones and restore the Prism Hopish before the Dotsuku Zone forces cause mass destruction.
Like Sailor Moon, Pretty Cure features fantastical transformation and action scenes. The plot structure is similar to Sailor Moon, as Nagisa and Honoka go on a search quest to prevent an evil force from causing any trouble. Furthermore, the characters in Pretty Cure learn the value of teamwork and have magical companions to assist them on their adventure.
Pretty Cure also follows the “villain of the week” formula at times. Each of the enemies they encounter tends to be stronger than the last. This allows them to grow and develop their powers and character over time. If you’re looking for a more action-packed magical girl series, check out Pretty Cure.
Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt
Similarities – Action
Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt feels like a parody of the magical girl genre. From its highly sensual characters and dialogue to its over-the-top fight scenes, Panty & Stocking with Gartbelt delivers a thrill ride of epic proportions. Its art style is rather unique compared to Sailor Moon as it’s more in line with cartoons you’d find on CartoonNetwork or Nickelodeon. At the same time, its animation feels more stylized and vibrant.
Despite these differences, Panty & Stocking has a lot in common with Sailor Moon. Panty & Stocking spend time fleshing out its world and characters. There are some episodes dedicated to developing these characters outside of portraying them as irresistible females. The transformation sequences feel in line with what you’d expect from Sailor Moon, despite leaning more on the raunchy side.
The girls also gain special weapons that are tailored to their personalities and identities. The villains they encounter also scale from low to high from a power standpoint. Furthermore, the show does offer a few likable side characters that develop alongside its female stars.
Panty & Stocking with Gartbelt follows the fallen angel sisters Panty and Stocking Anarchy, who’ve been kicked out of heaven for their poor behavior. To get back into heaven, they must exterminate every ghost in Daten City. Unfortunately, neither girl takes their duties seriously, as Panty prefers to sleep with any male she meets while Stocking likes to sit at home and eat her favorite desserts. Therefore, the anime follows these unruly angels’ daily lives and their nonstop battles with Daten City’s ghosts.
Magical Doremi
Similarities – Characters & Adventure
Magical Doremi is another magical girl series featuring an unlucky female protagonist obtaining magical powers. While its plot lacks complexity and depth, it offers likable characters, cutesy visuals, and a favorable narrative. You’ll get to see Magical Doremi’s characters struggle to master their powers.
Although you’ll see them fail a lot, these characters will muster the courage to keep moving forward. The characters will fight magically-powered villains. These villains each have their own agenda, allowing Magical Doremi to feel fresh with each episode. Magical Doremi’s protagonist also embarks on a search quest as Sailor Moon does.
Magical Doremi follows Harukaze Doremi. She believes she’s the unluckiest person in her universe because of her terrible family. One day, she ends up bickering with a witch and ends up becoming one herself. This is all because the witch offered her a chance to become one.
Unfortunately, she’s not good at witchcraft either. Therefore, the anime follows Doremi and her friend’s journey to mastering the mystical arts.
Kill La Kill
Similarities – Super Powers & Action
Kill La Kill’s animation is highly stylized and energetic. It features strong female characters wielding power weapons to fight supernatural villains. Like Sailor Moon, Kill La Kill features a female protagonist that doesn’t have the best brain power. This character always winds up in hilarious circumstances. She’s also accompanied by humanoid and mythical beings.
What differentiates Kill La Kill from Sailor Moon would be its sexualization of its female and male characters. There isn’t any full-on nudity in the series, though. It does portray its characters performing rather crude gestures and wearing indecent attire at times. However, if you can overlook this small setback, you’re in for an exciting time.
Kill La Kill follows Ryuko Matoi, a girl who’s looking for her father’s killer. This outing leads her to the esteemed Honnouji Academy run by Satsuki Kiryuin. Although Ryuko fights Satsuki, she ends up getting a brutal thrashing. Before anything worse occurs, Ryuko flees the fight and heads home.
Once home, Ryuko stumbles upon an article of clothing. This article of clothing comes to life once it makes contact with Ryuko’s blood. It introduces itself as Senketsu and attaches itself to Ryuko’s body. Although Ryukjo’s weirded out at first, she senses immense power coursing through her body.
Now armed with Senketsu and her father’s old Scissor Blade, Ryuko plans to confront Satsuki. However, she’ll need to defeat her four powerful lieutenants if she plans on doing so.
Little Witch Academia
Similarities – Magic & Light-Comedy
Little Witch Academia is a phenomenal magical anime. Like Sailor Moon, it’ll offer you enough laughs and wholesome moments to keep you smiling. The characters are quirky, but offer likable and memorable personalities that will resonate with you. It’s another anime with a female main cast, and each character contributes something fresh and exciting.
Little Witch Academia’s main character, Atsuko Kagari (Akko for short) is a lot like Usagi in many ways. She’s a clumsy girl who doesn’t understand how to wield magic. She’ll later learn to control her powers and become a better witch because of her training. Like Usagi, you’ll see all of Akko’s failures unfold before your eyes. This will allow you to connect with her till the anime’s conclusion.
Little Witch Academia offers better visuals and animation than Sailor Moon. Studio Trigger likes to exaggerate it’s characters facial reactions in each of their productions. These facial reactions allow for the anime to generate profound slapstick humor. It’s also reminiscent to the quick visual gags you’d see from Usagi and the other sailor scouts.
If you’re looking for another comforting magical anime with a clumsy protagonist, check out Little Witch Academia.
Yuki Yuna is a Hero
Similarities – Action & Super Heroes
Yuki Yuna is a Hero follows the daily life of a middle school’s Hero Club. At the helm, is Yuuna Yuuki who believes she’s a hero because she helps others and leaves them with a smile on their face. One day, mysterious forces called Vertexes arrive, threatening the world she holds dear. Her and the rest of the Hero Club members are called upon by a mysterious phone app to save it.
They’re all transported to an alternate supernatural world. During this time, they receive the power to transform in full-fledged magical girl super heroes. Each of their powers are different and feature their own special set of abilities. This world’s overlord also informs them of their mission, which is to defeat every Vertex they come across.
Like Sailor Moon, Yuki Yuna is a Hero features a female-driven narrative where heroic females must battle supernatural entities to maintain peace in their world. As expected, both groups will face dilemnas with balancing their heroic and mundane lives. Both anime also feature spectacular and fantastical transformation scenes that will leave viewers mesmerized.
Yuki Yuna is a Hero is a tad darker than Sailor Moon. This anime depicts magical girls in a horrific light and showcases the inner and outer consequences that come with the position. Yuki Yuna is a Hero features more gruesome fights that tie into its darker themes. Essentially, the girls will bear grave wounds from their battles with the Vertexes.
If you have no worries sitting through a series that depicts females in wholesome and grittier situations, Yuki Yuna is a Hero’s worth checking out.
So there we have it, our 10 anime/TV show alternatives to watch when you’ve completed Sailor Moon!
What do you think of our picks? Do you agree? Are there any notable omissions? Let us know in the comments below!
Also there’s the ultimate Sailor Moon copy-off called “Wedding Peach.”