I loved that the girls weren’t just fighting with magic (although, that too), they were using swords and bows and arrows to cut monsters in half. Because of that I gravitated toward anime - I was obsessed with Magic Knight Rayearth as a kid, and I think a large part of that was the fact that they were an all-female friend group that kicked ass and took care of each other. I know it sounds simple (because it is!), but when I was growing up it felt like there were very few shows that fit that criteria in American cartoons. A big part of why I created HGS was because I wanted to make a show centering around 4 normal girls who aren’t chosen ones or princesses, who go on adventures and become heroes, all while being supportive friends to each other.
