Anything a boy can do, a girl can do better--or so the song goes. This was very true in the case of She-Ra, the female counterpart of the popular He-Man franchise. She-Ra was the secret alter ego of Princess Adora, twin sister to He-Man's Prince Adam, who had been brought to the planet Etheria as a baby. Etheria was rule by the evil Hordak and his Evil Horde and Adora became a rebel against the villainous regime.

She-Ra: Princess of Power shared more than one similarity with He-Man and plots and characters ran parallel with each other. Just like He-Man, She-Ra had a magic sword whose power she invoked with the words, "For the honor of Greyskull!" The sword would transform Princess Adora into She-Ra, who had increased strength, speed and stamina. The sword could also morph into other objects as needed, such as a shield or a helmet.

Very few people know Adora's secret, among them Madame Razz, a ditzy witch, Kowl, She-Ra's owl sidekick and Light Hope, the incorporeal gatekeeper of Etheria's Crystal Castle. She-Ra has plenty of other friends and allies, like Bow, a young man skilled in archery who tries to woo She-Ra (without much success). There is also Queen Angella and her daughter Glimmer from the kingdom of Bright Moon who often help out the Etherian rebels. Sea Hawk is a bad boy pirate who is eventually won over to the good side by Adora's persuasive assets, erm, arguments.

Hordak commands his own army and often hangs around with Imp, a half-pig half-bat sidekick, Shadow Weaver, a dark sorceress who is planning to wrest power for herself, and Scorpia, a sorpion woman that can deliver a deadly sting. Hordak has an overlord in Horde Prime, the intergalactic ruler of many worlds though he is not seen very often. Several characters from He-Man appear in She-Ra's world, most notably the villain Skeletor who bickers with Hordak every time he comes to Etheria.

With a brave and intelligent heroine, the series gave little girls in the 80s a viable alternative to the ultra-butch He-Man. She-Ra was kind and compassionate but also fearless, clever and fun. There were plenty of female characters on both sides of the battle in Etheria, enough variety of the good-evil spectrum to satisfy good girls and bad girls alike.