While The Legend of Korra is the more well-known and talked about animated children’s show with fantasy elements, a savior-like hero, and LGBT+ representation, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power deserve nearly as much hype.
The series clearly drew inspiration from series like Legend of Korra when rebooting the She-Ra franchise, and one of the things that make the series so great is the main character of Adora. She’s a well-written, heroic, and nuanced character that makes for a great protagonist.
Weakness: She is very intense
Adora’s intensity is one of her main traits overall, and it’s kind of a mixed bag. In some ways, it’s a good thing because it drives her to succeed and to help other people. She doesn’t ever do anything half-way, but at other moments, it can be a determinant. She can get very caught up in what she’s doing and sometimes ignore what other people around her are going through.
She can also get upset with people and isn’t necessarily a peacemaker as we see when she and Glimmer have a rift in their friendship.
Strength: Her leadership skills
One of the great things about the series is that it includes many of the typical tropes of a hero protagonist that are normally used for male characters and gives them to Adora.
There’s never any question that she is a hero and that she’s a leader. Even when she’s still a member of the Horde, she’s seen as leadership material, and she hones these skills over the course of the series.
Weakness: She has a hard time letting go
One of the problems Adora has over and over is that she can’t let things go. Whether it’s her emotions or her attachments to others, she feels things very deeply and strongly.
She’s got a strong personality, and she loves hard. However, when people hurt, namely Catra, she struggles to let go of them even when the relationship is causing her harm and stress.
Strength: Her loyalty to those she loves
Oftentimes a character’s greatest strengths and greatest weaknesses are very similar, and it’s all a matter of the situation. While Adora needed to learn how to let go of things that were toxic for her, she also had a lot of loyalty which could be very inspiring.
Adora was always going to do whatever she could to help those she loved. She would give them every opportunity to prove they were who she believed them to be, and she always tried to take care of them.
Weakness: She believes she has to be a martyr
The final season of She-Ra is powerful because it explores tropes of heroes and sacrifice. Instead of making Adora give up her life for others, she learns that her life and happiness matters, too.
This is something she really struggles to believe, and she’s been taught that her role is mostly one of self-sacrifice. While generosity and heroics can be amazing, the series is smart to flip this trope on its head and teach the importance of self-love.
Strength: She is extremely determined
One of Adora’s greatest strengths is her determination. When she believes in a cause, she will give it her best shot. She’s also able to adapt to new information, and she wants to do the right thing.
When she learns that she’s been lied to her entire life, she takes up the mantle as She-Ra and devotes herself to saving Etheria from Horde Prime.
Weakness: She can be too stubborn
While being determined and steadfast are wonderful characteristics, being too stubborn isn’t a good thing. Using stubbornness can be a virtue until it crosses the line into being a vice. Adora was very strong in her convictions, but this also meant she could sometimes be resistant to listening to others.
While she loved and valued her friends, she didn’t always listen to their input right away and had a tendency to bulldoze others.
Strength: She was forgiving and didn’t give up on people
Adora has to learn that her life and feelings matter, too, but she also never gives up on things and people. While she does struggle along the way to find the balance between her loyalty and her own self-care, she eventually finds it at the end of the series.
While she does learn she can’t let people abuse her, she also has an amazing ability to forgive people when they show they’ve changed. This is especially true with Catra, but of course, Adora has always loved her deeply.
Weakness: Not taking care of herself enough
There are many times in this series where Adora pushes herself to her emotional and physical limits. This is especially true after she destroys the Sword of Protection and keeps throwing herself into battle without giving herself any rest.
She pushes herself to exhaustion, and she doesn’t know how to rest and relax.
Strength: She’s an all-around powerful badass
Adora has special powers and strength when she becomes She-Ra, but even when she’s not She-Ra, she’s very capable. She has a lot of training, and she’s extremely strong in many ways.
Her training in battle situations and her hardcore nature make her a formidable foe even without the Sword of Protection.