In today’s post, I’ll be talking about 10 magical girl outfit cosplay ideas. As most of you know, magical girls are a huge part of Otaku fandom these days! Who doesn’t enjoy when a character transforms into someone that either has superpower or the ability to save the universe from destruction? Now you decided that you want to cosplay as a magical girl? How do you choose when there are so many options?!

A lot of these characters are different from each other, so you’ll have a variety of options to pick from. Some are popular choices, while others are more obscure.

Let’s get started on 10 magical girl outfit cosplay ideas!

DISCLAIMER: I have some affiliate links in this article if you’re looking to wear any of these cosplays. Either I myself have bought from those stores, or I truly feel they are great deals for a beginner cosplayer. If you’re buying from these sites, you’re also supporting me and my hobby so I appreciate it!

All photos used with permission.

P.s. if you want an explanation of what a magical girl is, check out this awesome video by ErynCerise below!

1. Madoka Kaname from Puella Magi Madoka Magica

Madoka from Puella Magi Madoka Magica. One of the most iconic magical girl characters!
Madoka from Puella Magi Madoka Magica, one of the most iconic magical girl characters! Cosplayer: Sweetcafeto. Photo taken by Dark Redaamor Photography.

Considered one of the best series of all time, Madoka Magica isn’t your typical magical girl show. In fact, this series is a LOT darker than you’d think it would be. And Madoka herself is a great protagonist. The show starts with Madoka as a typical schoolgirl living her life in Mitakihara, Japan. Until one day she encounters a cute-looking cat named Kyubey, who offers to give Madoka magical girl powers in exchange to fight witches. And from that point on, things get REALLY messed up! I’ll leave it there.

Overall, Madoka is a lovable character and her outfit is awesome, making her a great choice for any magical girl outfit cosplay ideas! It’s similar to a maid outfit, just a lot of pink. If you’ve been to a convention in recent years, you’ve likely seen a Madoka cosplayer. Her outfit is great!

Madoka magical girl outfit cosplay ideas: Alternatives

Arguably more popular than Madoka, Homura Akemi is another awesome character from the series. She’s the real savior of the world and tries to stop Madoka from becoming a magical girl, for various reasons. Homura is a true badass magical girl; instead of using wands to fight off evil, she uses bows and guns to defeat her enemies! She’s far less cheery than Madoka (similar to Sasuke from Naruto). If that suits your personality, then you should go for Homura instead! There also plenty of other characters in Madoka, like Mami!

2. Kiki from Kiki’s Delivery Service

Kiki from Kiki's Delivery Service. An older series but a classic magical girl worth cosplaying!
Kiki from Kiki’s Delivery Service. An older series but a classic magical girl worth cosplaying! Photo by 玄史生.

Kiki is one of the easiest magical girl outfit cosplay ideas worth doing. This Studio Ghibli film is pretty old but she is still a great and easy choice for a female magical girl. It’s really easy; a dark navy dress, a red head bow and a broom is all you need to cosplay this sweet-hearted witch.

Trying to start a new life outside of her home, Kiki moves out to setup a courier service. During this time, she matures and learns to fend for herself out in the real world. Her story is a basic coming-of-age. Kiki’s Delivery Service is a great classic film and Kiki is an easy and wonderful character to cosplay.

Alternatives

While there are other magical witches in the film, they would be hard for most to recognize at your typical convention, since this film is over 3 decades old. So I recommend sticking with Kiki.

3. Sakura Kinomoto from Cardcaptor Sakura

Sakura Kinomoto from Cardcaptor Sakura. An iconic magical girl, Sakura has several different costumes to choose from!
Sakura Kinomoto from Cardcaptor Sakura. An iconic magical girl, Sakura has several different costumes to choose from! Cosplayer: xmaple_blossom. Photo taken by smollelle.

If you’re looking for a cute/kawaii magical girl to cosplay, then Sakura Kinomoto is totally for you! Similar to how many magical girl series start off, Sakura is your ordinary 10 year old girl in school. One day, she accidentally releases a bunch of magical cards called the Clow cards. At this point, she transforms into a magical girl and goes out on an adventure to retrieve the Clow cards back by fighting them in their battle form (think Yu-Gi-Oh).

The nice thing about cosplaying Sakura is that she has a lot of different outfits to choose from. You can go for her school outfit or one of her many transformation costumes (like the one in the photo). Be sure to carry her wand when you decide to pick one!

Cardcaptor Sakura magical girl outfit cosplay ideas: Alternatives

While technically not a magical girl because she can’t transform, Tomoyo is a good alternative to do alongside Sakura. She’s is Sakura’s best friend and sidekick during her adventures who not only provides her with special outfits during battle, but also records them using her video camera. Tomoyo makes a great duo cosplay with Sakura!

4. Princess Tutu (or Duck) from Princess Tutu

You’ve heard of the story about the Ugly Duckling, right? Well this series takes that story to a whole new level. Princess Tutu is about a duck that’s been given an amulet, allowing the duck to transform into a girl who becomes Princess Tutu. She sets out on a quest to regain a prince’s shattered heart in order to save him.

Overall, she is a cute character to cosplay. If you’re into dresses or ballerina, Princess Tutu is perfect for one of your magical girl outfit cosplay ideas!

Princess Tutu magical girl outfit cosplay ideas: Alternatives

You can also cosplay Princess Kraehe, who is the arch nemesis of Princess Tutu. If you love dark colours, then you’ll love Kraehe’s black outfit. But her cosplay is fairly revealing, so keep that in mind. You can also cosplay Edel, whose outfit is pretty cool looking but her hair is very difficult to do!

5. Illya from Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya

Here’s #5 with our magical girl outfit cosplay ideas. Taking place in an alternate universe of the popular Fate series, Illya is an ordinary girl who gets dragged out into becoming a magical girl by a kaleidostick/wand named Ruby. Illya sets out on an adventure on to collect the seven legendary Class Cards while being supervised by Ruby’s former master, Rin Tohsaka.

The cool thing about Illya is that her character combines the universes of magical girl and the Fate universe. So it actually fits together when you’re wearing your magical girl costume alongside Fate characters. There are many different versions of her costume you can wear, from the more casual schoolgirl outfit, the typical magical girl outfit, to the sexier cat costume!

Alternatives

Miyu Edelfelt is Illya’s sidekick and the cold and unfriendly magical girl counterpart. Or you can go for the legendary Tsundere character, Rin Tohsaka!

6. Ryuko Matoi from Kill La Kill

I included Ryuko because she’s a stretch as a magical girl character, but still technically fits the category and definitely worth including in this list of magical girl cosplay ideas! Ryuko joins the school of Honnouji Academy in Japan and trains with high school president Satsuki. She is on a quest to find who murdered her father. While initially not having powers in the beginning, later on she is able to transform into a super demon while wielding her scissor blade.

Because Kill La Kill is a highly popular series, Ryuko is easily recognizable and fairly simple to cosplay; a navy blue high school outfit with a scissor blade. You can also go for her scantily-clad transformation outfit as well!

Alternatives

Satsuki is another popular option from Kill La Kill. She wears white instead of Ryuko’s blue, and she got thick eyebrows! Satsuki’s transformation outfit is just as sexy!

7. Yuu Morisawa from Creamy Mami

Yuu Morisawa from Creamy Mami.
Yuu Morisawa from Creamy Mami. Do any of you guys know who she is? 😉 Cosplayer: Erileez.

This one is from way back in the 80s! Creamy Mami is a classic series that’s completely different from the magical series today. Because unlike many magical girls these days that fight monsters and evil, there are no monsters to fight in Creamy Mami! In this series, 10-year old Yuu Morisawa encounters an alien that gives her a wand to do whatever she wants with it. And with that power, she turns herself into a 16-year old pop star singer. Yuu wants to make a career as an idol, while also finishing her homework at school. Yuu Morisawa is more of a slice-of-life heroine than fighting true evil, and her costume is not that complicated; it’s basically a puffy dress with purple hair while wearing heels!

Alternatives

She’s probably not too well-known because Creamy Mami is an older series. But Megumi Ayase is a good alternative to Yuu. Megumi is her rival and she would make a good duo cosplay with a Yuu cosplayer!

8. Neptune from Hyperdimension Neptunia

Purple Heart/Neptune from Hyperdimension Neptunia
Purple Heart/Neptune from Hyperdimension Neptunia. Neptune’s normal form is completely different from her goddess form! Cosplayer: Ekkokia. Photo taken by midoucloud_photo.

Neptune is actually from a video game series, and all the more reason to include her in this list of magical girl cosplay ideas! Set into the fictional universe of Gamindustri (how creative), the show is a play on the console wars, where four goddesses that represent each video game console fight to stay alive and win the console war. Neptune is one of these four original goddesses/consoles. Hyperdimension Neptunia sounds like a pretty serious plot but it’s actually pretty light-hearted. When Neptune is in her normal form, she’s one of those girls you just want to PROTECC. But when she transforms, she looks like your sexy Waifu goddess! Both outfits look great, so take your choice in which version of Neptune you want to cosplay!

Alternatives

There are so many characters/goddesses in Hyperdimension Neptunia, so you don’t have to cosplay Neptune (although she’s the most recognizable). You can opt to cosplay the other 3 “console” characters: Blanc, Noire or Vert. Or you can cosplay Neptune’s sidekick, Plutia!

9. Asa from Magical Girl Site

Twisted and dark like Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Magical Girl Site follows Aya Asagiri, a shy and depressed middle school girl who gains magical powers through a mysterious website. Little does she know that the website managers have something sinister planned for the world! Aya Asagiri is fairly easy to cosplay; a basic schoolgirl Seifuku uniform. Just add long black hair and red makeup to make your eyes look bloody and you’re done!

10. Bloom from Winx Club

Bloom from Winx Club
Bloom from Winx Club, a show you’ve probably never heard of. But she’s a great choice for a magical girl cosplay! Cosplayer: dolls_collector_. Photo taken and edited by katyrina.official.

You may or may not know the series Winx Club. The show originated from Italy, so the characters have a more Westernized look to them. However, the main character, Bloom, is a great magical girl to cosplay. The show is mainly about fairy warriors who use their magical abilities to fight the villainous witches. Bloom is all about fire! So she transforms into a blue fairy with the ability to use flames from a dragon. Being the main character, she’s definitely the strongest out of all the fairies.

Bloom’s outfit is fairly straightforward; a blue dress outfit with fairy wings and red hair.

Alternatives

You don’t have to cosplay Bloom; there are lots of other characters in the series worth cosplaying, such as the other fairies such like Stella and Roxy. You can also cosplay the bad guys like Stormy and Icy!

If you’re a regular reader of my blog, you know that I’m not finished at #10! Here are some…

BONUS CHARACTERS!

Anyone from Tokyo Mew Mew

If you love magical girls and animals, then you’ll love Tokyo Mew Mew! While attending a zoo exhibit one day, the main character Ichigo runs into a cat (sound familiar?) and suddenly finds herself acting like one. Ichigo finds out that her DNA has been merged with a cat, giving her magical cat girl powers! From there, she and the other magical cat girls fight Chimera Animas, a group who turn animals into evil monsters. If you’re looking for a magical girl cosplay with a bit of furry mixed in, then Tokyo Mew Mew is for you.

Anyone from Sailor Moon

Of course I had to include Sailor Moon, which is by far the most well-known magical girl series. If you don’t know Sailor Moon, then you’ve been hiding under a rock for the past 20 years! In any case, Sailor Moon is still popular to this day. And if you decide to cosplay one of the Sailor Scouts, almost everyone will know who you’re cosplaying from. Especially if you decide to cosplay Usagi, the main character of the series. But you can also cosplay other Sailor Scouts like Sailor Uranus, like my friend Rae 小雷 Cosplay has done here.

Sailor Uranus from Sailor Moon.
Sailor Uranus from Sailor Moon. I saved the most well-known magical girl series for last! Cosplayer: Rae 小雷 Cosplay. Photo taken by Herbiecide.

Summary

To summarize, here are 10 Magical girl outfits you should try:

  1. Madoka Kaname from Puella Magi Madoka Magica
  2. Kiki from Kiki’s Delivery Service
  3. Sakura Kinomoto from Cardcaptor Sakura
  4. Princess Tutu (or Duck) from Princess Tutu
  5. Illya from Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya
  6. Ryuko Matoi from Kill La Kill
  7. Yuu Morisawa from Creamy Mami
  8. Neptune from Hyperdimension Neptunia
  9. Asa from Magical Girl Site
  10. Bloom from Winx Club

There we go; 10 magical girl oufit cosplay ideas! I hope you found this post useful.

If you’re interested in more cosplay ideas, here are some of my other posts you’ll enjoy:

And as always, if you have any questions, leave them in the comments!

Magical Girl Cosplay Ideas
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