Ask John: Why Are Clumsy Girls The Most Pure Hearted?

Question:
Why is the klutzy, clueless, mostly-useless girl main character always the one that has the purest heart? Tsukino Usagi (Sailor Moon) is a classic example of this. She can’t seem to do anything without messing up. She’s lazy, always hungry, and sometimes she’s selfish. She’s awful at school. At the beginning of the series, she’s unpopular, yet as the series goes on, she seems to have no trouble making friends. I’ve seen this with other characters like Sawanoguchi Sae (Magic User’s Club) and Doremi (Ojamajo Doremi). The girl’s “teammates” are good at things. A few of them can also be as kind, if not kinder, than the main character. Yet the main character is the most pure hearted. Is it just because she’s the main character, or is it something else?

Answer:
My theory is that the most innocent, trusting, compassionate, and kind hearted protagonist in particularly magical girl anime is often the most incompetent and uncoordinated because inexperience and poor coordination are signs of childishness. The best example of a bumbling but pure hearted protagonist is Usagi Tsukino of Sailor Moon. She’s the most childish of the sailor senshi, meaning that she is the one who has been the least corrupted by the influences of adulthood. Her depiction recalls a clumsy but completely innocent and trusting baby. Like a child, Usagi can be sometimes cruel or thoughtless, but she’s not spiteful or malicious. She’s selfish because she’s literally a child. She attracts friends in the same way adoring adults are drawn to a baby. Her innocence and childlike nature attract others, and make others want to coddle and protect her. In fact, Usagi is surrounded by wiser and more experienced compatriots who literally protect her in an effort to preserve goodness and innocence.

The strength of young shoujo heroines like Usagi Tsukino, Kirarin Tsukishima from Kirarin Revolution, and Sakura Kinomoto from Card Captor Sakura is that they retain the uncompromised optimism and faith of childhood. Their depiction as being uncoordinated, selfish, or ignorant enhances the perception that they are pure, innocent, child-like characters. Maturation brings greater competence and coordination, but also less trust, hope, and unconditional faith.