[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/heman1280x1024.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Bottom left to right - [[TheBeastmaster Beast Man]], [[EvilSorcerer Evil-Lyn]], [[BigBad Skeletor]], [[TheHero He-Man]], [[GadgeteerGenius Man-At-Arms]], [[ActionGirl Teela]], [[GuardianEntity The Sorceress]]. Flying above - [[IneptMage Orko]].]]

->''"I am Adam, Prince of Eternia, and defender of the secrets of Castle Grayskull. This is Cringer, my 'fearless' friend. Fabulous secret powers were revealed to me, the day I held aloft my magic sword and said, 'By the power of Grayskull!' '''I have the power!'''''"

This first AnimatedSeries for the ''Franchise/MastersOfTheUniverse'' franchise changed the face of children's television when it debuted in 1983. Creator/{{Filmation}} produced the show for daily syndication in conjunction with a pre-existing line of Creator/{{Mattel}} toys and action figures. Its huge success led to dozens of others MerchandiseDriven cartoons in TheEighties. It is now being rerun on RTV on Saturday mornings and Creator/MeTV on Sunday mornings.

Existing in a world that has futuristic elements alongside sword, legend and lore, the series focuses on Adam, the crown prince of Eternia, who as described in the opening monologue, has the Sword of Power. He can use it to turn into his super-strong, (nigh) invincible, heavily-abbed alter-ego, He-Man. This TransformationSequence also turned Adam's cowardly [[TalkingAnimal talking pet]] tiger Cringer into the brave and fearsome Battle Cat. Additionally, the Sword of Power was an indestructible AbsurdlySharpBlade that could cut through pretty much anything, an awesomeness made slightly redundant by the fact that He-Man's punch could break anything too.

His primary foe was the evil Skeletor, a skeleton-faced warlord who was part MagicKnight, part [[EvilLaugh cackling lunatic]]. With the help of a motley crew of heroes, including wise veteran Man-At-Arms, LadyOfWar Teela, and the bumbling comic relief sorcerer Orko, He-Man battles the forces of Skeletor and other evil enemies.

Of note is that Creator/PaulDini was a member of the writing staff (as was Creator/JMichaelStraczynski), and Creator/BruceTimm did layouts; both would later go on to be main figures in ''WesternAnimation/TinyToonAdventures'' and ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries''. (Also of note: Haim Saban and Shuki Levy were involved in the original production of the show as well,[[note]]Namely, with the show's music, although they are best remembered for their work with [[Creator/DicEntertainment a certain other company]].[[/note]] also going on to make Franchise/PowerRangers).

The show left syndication and was shown on the Creator/USANetwork, which back then was known for being the "used car" network for its reliance on reruns.

There are three further animated adaptations of the franchise (WesternAnimation/TheNewAdventuresOfHeMan, WesternAnimation/HeManAndTheMastersOfTheUniverse2002, WesternAnimation/HeManAndTheMastersOfTheUniverse2021. The first two of them were short-lived, the third is currently in limbo. ''WesternAnimation/MastersOfTheUniverseRevelation'' was designed to be [[UnReboot a direct continuation of the show]], only with more modern sensibilities.

''WesternAnimation/SheRaPrincessOfPower'' was a SpinOff, although it wasn't quite as successful. But it did get a reboot in the form of ''WesternAnimation/SheRaAndThePrincessesOfPower'', which was far better received.

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!!This cartoon contains examples of:

* AcidTripDimension: In one episode, Skeletor erases He-Man's memory and sends him to a world that looks like something out of a Creator/DrSeuss book.
* ActionGirl: ''Every'' major female character can fight, with magic, with force of arms, or both.
* AdaptationTitleChange: ''He-Man and the Masters of the Universe'' was adapted from the ''Masters of the Universe'' toyline.
* AdaptationalHeroism: In the first wave of action figures which preceded the cartoon, Zodac was clearly marketed as a villain, his package reading "Evil Cosmic Enforcer", and presenting the usual finned forearms and webbed feet of the line's Evil Warriors figures. In the series, however, he is upgraded to a sort of neutral overseer of things that is actually mostly good, and even gets to deliver the AndKnowingIsHalfTheBattle lesson in two of the episodes. Re-releases of the figure had him packaged simply as "Cosmic Enforcer".
* AdaptationalNiceGuy: Skeletor in most continuities is a truly malevolent warlord with several hundreds of atrocities under his belt and generally shows no redeeming qualities of any kind. This Skeletor, on the other hand, is still an ambitious warlord but never quite goes as far as his other counterparts have gone, shows a lot of standards such as caring for children and is generally shown to have the capacity to be a good guy deep down.
* AddedAlliterativeAppeal: In "The Rainbow Warrior", at one point, Skeletor refers to both Beast Man and Trap Jaw as "pathetic pitiful pinheads".
* AdorableAbomination: The episode "Daimar the Demon" features Orko summoning a new friend to play with named Daimar, who is an adorable little demon creature. That is, [[OneWingedAngel until he emerges out of his cocoon.]]
* AllThereInTheManual: Evil-Lyn was an astronaut from Earth named Evelyn. This is only mentioned in the series' bible.
* AlwaysNeedWhatYouGaveUp: In "The Problem with Power", He-Man (who's been tricked into thinking [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone he killed someone]]) surrenders The Power of Grayskull. Then he learns what's really going on ''and'' he needs to regain the power to save Teela, so he goes on a quest to get it back.
* AndKnowingIsHalfTheBattle: Every episode has a PublicServiceAnnouncement at the end to emphasize its moral. One notable bit had He-Man and She-Ra address the problem of sexual abuse. After the episode ran, at least one kid was able to come forward and admit to his or her parents about being sexually abused.
* AnimationBump: Various scenes animated by storyboard artist Tom Sito[[note]]Not to be confused with Tom '''Z'''ito, the founder of Creator/DigitalPictures.[[/note]], including Evilseed's death in "Evilseed" and He-Man's gate ripping scene from "Castle of Heroes". Which look ''really'' out of place in a series that otherwise relied heavily on StockFootage and still frames.
* AntiMagic: The Sword of Power deflects and dispels magic attacks.
* ArmCannon: Many characters (such as Man-At-Arms, Teela and Stratos) use wrist-mounted lasers.
* BigBad: Skeletor, for the most part, obviously, but some individual episodes have shown some of the other Evil Warriors to be one in their own right, such as Mer-Man in "City Beneath the Sea". Count Marzo has also filled this role from time to time.
* Bat Signal: The Widgets use a mortar that shoots a signal flare in the shape of He-Man's symbol that they use to call for his aid.
* BlessedWithSuck: The Sorceress in the Filmation series. Blessed with the ability to discern almost all the things happening on Eternia, having extremely powerful magic at her command... and yet, she was unable to leave the Castle without being reduced to flying around as Zoar the Falcon with very low-level telepathy. One imagines the limitations got quite frustrating. The very few times she ''was'' able to overcome these limitations were explicitly stated to be special circumstances.
* BorrowedCatchphrase: In "Evil-Lyn's Plot", Skeletor uses an amulet of Coridite to become just as strong as He-Man. When he powers up, he borrows He-Man's phrase with, "Now, ''I'' have the power!"
* BrainwashedAndCrazy: Guest villain Sh'Gora turns the Sorceress into his cackling [[HarpingOnAboutHarpies harpy-like]] minion and sics her on the heroes.
* BreakOutTheMuseumPiece: In "The Rainbow Warrior," Queen Marlena breaks her former ship (and her uniform) out of the castle display room to engage Skeletor's forces.
* BridalCarry: He-Man does this to Teela near the end of "The Problem with Power" just after saving her from [[spoiler:the mesotronic bomb that she was going to use to blow up the dimensional gate, which ended up being blown up by the bomb anyway.]]
* ButNowIMustGo:
** The Sorceress does this in her origin episode after she drives both The Evil Horde[[note]]Or rather an early prototype version of them. Also, they aren't actually called the Horde, and none of the main Horde characters (Hordak, Leech, Mantenna, and Grizzlor) appear.[[/note]] and the evil wizard Morgoth out of Eternia. Justified, since she has to return to Castle Grayskull in order to take over for the previous Sorceress.
** In "Search For the Past", right after they rescue King Randor's father King Miro from imprisonment, Randor offers his father the kingdom back. Miro declines because he has been imprisoned for so many years and doesn't know anything about the kingdom anymore. Miro says he must go on a long journey to relearn everything about the kingdom and its people.
* ByThePowerOfGrayskull: As indicated in the page quote, this is the TropeNamer.
* CallBack: While she is a supporting character in this series, Queen Marlena (AKA: Marlena Glenn) being an astronaut from Earth is one to ''WesternAnimation/{{Blackstar}}'', where the title character is also an astronaut from Earth. They even ended up on Earth the same way (well, mainly).
* CampfireCharacterExploration: In one episode, Teela and Evil-Lyn find themselves [[EnemyMine having to travel together]]. Around the campfire, Evil-Lyn reveals she has no real loyalty to Skeletor. She just wants power.
* CatchPhrase:
** "Not so fast, Skeletor!"
** "Curse you, He-Man!"
** [[SayMyName "ORKOOOOOOOOOOO!"]]
* CharacterNameAndTheNounPhrase: Several episodes had titles that followed this pattern.
* ChildhoodFriends: Adam and Teela grew up together, to the point that they're LikeBrotherAndSister. They're close enough that Teela doesn't even bother addressing Adam with anywhere near the same reverence that she shows King Randor or Queen Marlene.
** Notably, this trope is the reason Teela is so upset when in "Into The Abyss" Adam (mentally exhausted from his dual identity) curtly dismisses her with "Thank you, ''Captain'', that will be all." It's also why Cringer pulls a WhatTheHellHero on Adam. For his part, Adam realises he's been a huge jerk and immediately apologises the next time he sees her.
** ChildhoodFriendRomance: The pitched but ultimately rejected sequel series would've revealed that Adam and Teela had a child together.
* ChristmasEpisode: Yes, there was one, and it had a TrappedInAnotherWorld plot featuring a pair of young urchins from Earth. The children actually explain what Christmas is to Orko but that part gets the fade-off. [[ItWasHisSled But then, it was probably assumed that this was commonly known information that would just bore the audience.]] [[http://thatguywiththeglasses.com/videolinks/thatguywiththeglasses/nostalgia-critic/14482-hmsrch The Nostalgia Critic]] gave it a look, and in his opinion it was as cheesy as he had expected.
* ClarkKenting: The only difference between Prince Adam and his He-Man mode are a more revealing outfit and a tan[[note]]Prince Adam was supposed to have a different animation model than He-Man, but Filmation, depending on who you talk to, either ran out of time or cheaped out[[/note]].
* CoveredInMud: He-Man frequently threw his opponents into conveniently-placed mudholes or bodies of water. A soft landing, to be sure, but not very dignified. His superhero sister She-Ra did it too.
* CowardlyLion: Cringer freely admits he really doesn't like transforming into Battle-Cat and charging into battle, but he's still glad that he can since the alternative is Adam going off as He-Man on his own without his best friend Cringer at his side.
* CrystalBall: These are extremely popular with wizards. In fact, both Skeletor and Evil-Lyn have crystal balls on the ends of their MagicStaff and MagicWand respectively. Plus, Skeletor has a larger domed one set into the conference table in Snake Mountain. The Sorceress of Greyskull uses a MagicMirror instead.
* DarkestHour: "The Problem With Power" sees Skeletor arrange one of these for He-Man when he thinks he killed an innocent. He crosses the DespairEventHorizon and [[TenMinuteRetirement gives up]] being He-Man completely, a misery that is further compounded when Prince Adam learns that Teela will have to go on an extremely dangerous mission to stop Skeletor because He-Man is no longer available.
* DeadpanSnarker: Skeletor.
--> "I could write a book about what you don't know!"
* DealWithTheDevil: This is the main plot of the aptly named episode, "Bargain With Evil".
* DependingOnTheWriter: A lot of details can change between episodes, but Orko's magic almost hits ContinuitySnarl levels. In one episode, it's stated that his magic doesn't work because he lost a [[AmplifierArtifact crystal amulet he used to focus and stabilize his magic]] when he got trapped on Eternia. In another episode, his magical issues are directly linked to [[YourMagicsNoGoodHere the different physical laws between his dimension and Eternia's]]--in his own dimension, he was a master wizard, but on Eternia, he can barely make it work. In yet another episode, he's stated to have always been a bumbling and incompetent excuse for a mage, even on Trolla.
* DespairEventHorizon: "The Problem With Power", where He-Man makes the decision to give up being He-Man and throw his sword into the bottomless abyss of Greyskull because he thinks he's killed an innocent while fighting Skeletor, resulting in the forces of good being left to fight a battle they can't win except through an extremely dangerous mission by one soldier (Teela).
* [[DoABarrelRoll Do An Immelmann Turn]]: Queen Marlena gets to show off her Top Gun skills in "The Rainbow Warrior".
* DontTryThisAtHome: One episode's AndKnowingIsHalfTheBattle segment features Ram-Man advising kids to never use their heads to hit things like he does.
* TheDreaded: Skeletor himself, despite his reputation out of universe as being an ineffectual villain. This was par for the course for 80s villains.
* EarlyBirdCameo:
** In "Origin of the Sorceress", the flashback shows an evil group of conquerors who are clearly meant to be the Evil Horde; their distinctive "bat" symbol can be seen. The episode also mentions two Swords of Power, one of them being She-Ra's Sword of Protection.
** "The Time Wheel" features an early bird musical cameo. A music cue from She-Ra's series can be heard in one scene. This later happens in a few other later second season episodes.
* TheEchoer: Subverted with Hollywog. He is a "bird" (for the Etherians, although he is furry and with bat wings) that repeats whatever other people say, frequently using this to communicate himself. He seems unable to say anything on his own excepting "holy", until near the end, when the Sorceress offers him the chance to be free instead of returning to Beast Man. Surprisingly, Holly speaks with his own voice for the first time: "Do you take me for a dunce? I want to stay with you," making everybody laugh.
* EldritchAbomination: One-shot guest-villain Sh'Gora is a one-eyed tentacled blob who easily overpowers both his summoner Skeletor and the Sorceress, takes over Grayskull and plots to drag all of Eternia back to his home dimension.
* EnemyMine: Aside from the times Skeletor and He-Man would have to work together to defeat a bigger threat, one episode ("The Witch and the Warrior") ended up with a [[BroughtDownToNormal de-powered]] Evil-Lyn trapped in the desert with Teela and having to work with her to get back to the villain who had her powers and was threatening Eternia. The two work surprisingly well together (lampshaded by ''both'' the women at different points in the episode), and it's one of the better episodes of the series because of it. When the villain captures He-Man in another episode and offers him to Skeletor if the latter gives Evil-Lyn in exchange, He-Man offers to rescue her if she helps him. She accepts the deal.
* EpisodeTitleCard
* EverybodyDoTheEndlessLoop: Constantly in this, and other Filmation series, making the animation seem extremely robotic most of the time. Worst of all in the first season, where the budget was limited even by Filmation's standards.
* EverybodyLaughsEnding: Just about every episode ended with Orko screwing up a magic spell and making someone (usually Man-At-Arms) angry, while everybody else laughs.
* EverythingTryingToKillYou: The Vine Jungle.
* EvilCannotComprehendGood: Skeletor has had to deal with this problem at least twice:
** In an episode where He-Man and Skeletor are forced into an EnemyMine situation in order to save Eternia, Skeletor tries in vain to comprehend doing something good for a change. He asks He-Man, "Don't you ever feel like doing something evil?" He-Man answers, "Don't you ever feel like doing something good?"
** Another example would be Skeletor trying to understand what Christmas is in the Christmas Special, and then coming down with the Christmas spirit.
--->"But I don't want to feel good! I want to feel ''evil''!"
** Evil-Lyn averts this when she and He-Man are each other's only hope. She's very aware that He-Man remains true to his word even when he gives it to an enemy.
* EvilIsNotAToy: A recurring motif throughout the series. The heroes ''and'' the villains occasionally fall victim to power they thought they could control, only to find it controlling them.
* TheExactCenterOfEverything: Eternia is the location where the Big Bang occurred. As a result, it still contains part of its power in the form of the Starseed, an artifact granting omnipotence to its holder.
* ExpandedUniverse: Of a sort. There were a number of storybooks published by Western Publishing under the Golden label (which is now owned by Random House)[[note]]Although the hardcover books (save one; see he-man.org for details) are implied to be an AlternateContinuity. Additionally, the first six paperback stories, along with six newer stories (plus four Princess of Power stories) were published as part of the "Golden Super Adventure" line.[[/note]] which tell original stories not featured in the show.
* ExposedToTheElements: Everyone in "The Region of Ice", but especially Teela. Snowflake's skimpy outfit is justified as she has AnIcePerson powers and cannot stand heat.
* ExpositoryThemeTune: The Spanish opening song's lyrics sang by Chilean rockstar Capitán Nemo pretty much explains the general plot.
* {{Expy}}: Prankster the Trollan is a magic-wielding troublemaker who will be forced to return to his home dimension if he says his hard-to-pronounce name (Wokrapanwooki) aloud - similar to [[Franchise/{{Superman}} Mr. Mxyzptlk]].
* FlowerFromTheMountainTop: In "The Bitter Rose", Orko does this to [[GrandRomanticGesture prove his love]] for Dree'Elle. Initially it causes problems for everyone until it's revealed he did something unexpectedly beneficial, after all.
* {{Foreshadowing}}: In "Origin of the Sorceress", the background of a flashback scene features [[WesternAnimation/SheRaPrincessOfPower She-ra's sword]]. It also features the first arrival of Horde scouts on Etheria, who were summoned by the evil wizard Morgoth. It was from these events that eventually led to Hordak's invasion years later, along with Princess Adora's kidnapping as an infant.[[note]]The episode features the Horde's distinctive "bat" insignia.[[/note]]
* ForgottenBirthday: In one episode everyone ''seems'' to have forgotten Orko's birthday, and Orko decides to run away. In the end, Orko is told that he should have known that everyone would remember his birthday.
* FriendOfMaskedSelf: Prince Adam claims to know He-Man, and often pretends to cowardly flee from a dangerous situation to tell He-Man that everyone else needs help. In reality, he's going for [[SecretIdentityChangeTrick a secluded place to transform.]]
* GoldenSnitch: In "The Games", Fisto and Spikor enter a game where they can win points by pressing the buttons on spheres hidden by the Bendari. Each one of the yellow spheres gives 100 points and the red one gives 2000 points. After He-Man takes Fisto's place, he finds the red one, turning the last yellow one into a tie-breaker.
* GrandRomanticGesture: Orko does this in the episode "The Bitter Rose" using the FlowerFromTheMountainTop method.
* GreenAesop: Zodac's end-of-episode message in "Quest for He-Man". Adam and Teela also give one at the end of "Island of Fear".
* GreenThumb: Moss Man, who can turn into whatever plants are nearby. Plus, when shaking hands with Melaktha in ''The Ancient Mirror of Avathar'', he accidentally gives him plant seeds[[note]]Which Moss Man then calls back using his powers.[[/note]].
* {{Hammerspace}}: Adam's sword is frequently nowhere to be seen until he pulls it out from his back to transform.
* {{Hell}}: The Realm of Demons mentioned in a couple episodes. Granamyr tends to send people who annoy him there to get rid of them.
* HeroicBuild: The adult male characters, not counting a few monsters or cyborgs. The adult female characters have {{Impossible Hourglass Figure}}s.
* HypocriticalHumor: A perfect, albeit, likely unintentional example is in the [[ChristmasEpisode Christmas Special with She-Ra]] when [[TakeThat they take a jab]] at Franchise/{{Transformers}}.
-->''Swiftwind: "They're changing into other forms! What evil robots!"''[[note]]In the Transformers franchise, the Decepticons are the "evil robots" that the Autobots (the good robots) must fight against to protect the Earth and the universe.[[/note]]
* ImpliedLoveInterest: In several episodes, it was shown that both He-Man and Teela have a bit of a mutual attraction. One example is in the episode "The Problem With Power", where He-Man expresses enough concern for Teela that she flitratiously observes, "Why, He-Man, I didn't know you cared!" before he picks her up in a BridalCarry and offers to carry her home. The episode ends with a bemused Teela claiming she's fine, and when He-Man suggests carrying her part of the way home, she points out what good that would do as He-Man continues making excuses.
** It should be pointed out that in the [[WhatCouldHaveBeen pitched sequel series]], the main character He-Ro would've been Adam and Teela's son.
* IWasBeatenByAGirl: Skeletor in ''Secret of the Sword''.
-->"A female He-Man! This is the worst day of my life!"
* ItsAWonderfulPlot: This happens to Orko in "The Rarest Gift of All".
* KnowWhenToFoldEm: Skeletor generally cut and run the moment he realised he'd lost his advantage.
* LegionOfDoom: The Evil Warriors are led by Skeletor, but they are more or less distinct and independent in their agendas.
* LighterAndSofter: In comparison to the earlier comics, which were pretty much "[[Franchise/ConanTheBarbarian Conan]]-lite" stories with actual physical confrontations, devoid of comic relief characters, and with villains that were fairly competent and imposing.
* LimitedAnimation: This '''''was''''' made by Filmation after all, so this shouldn't be unexpected.
* LivingMacGuffin: "The Starchild."
* LoudGulp: In the very first (chronological) ''Masters Of The Universe'' episode, "Diamond Ray of Disappearance", Teela is confronted by the villain and does a '''very''' deep gulp that sounds rather mannish!
* LyingFingerCross:
** Orko in "Disappearing Act" when he promised He-Man, Man-At-Arms and Battlecat he'd clean up his room without magic.
** Dree Elle's brother [[MeaningfulName Yuckers]] in "Dree Elle's Return" when he promised her he'd not play pranks during their stay in Eternia.
* MagicFire: Granamyr, Oldest and Wisest of Dragons, draws his immense magical power from his firepit. Notably the fire in the pit cannot simply be put out to depower him, an enemy has to use a shard of infinite ice to do so. Likewise starting it up again requires a piece of first fire to do so, though apparently it can be stoked with normal wood like any other flame.
* MagicStaff:
** Skeletor's weapon is his Havoc Staff, which seems to be an AmplifierArtifact for his magic, as well as containing a small CrystalBall in the back of the ram's skull at the head of the staff, which Skeletor uses to scry on people.
** The titular staff in "The Shaping Staff", which can be used to inflict ForcedTransformation on people.
* MesACrowd: In the episode, "Here, There, Skeletors everywhere", Skeletor creates an army of clones which he calls "Skeletoids" who were like him except smaller. Realizing each clone must be just as greedy as the original, He-Man turned the tables on Skeletor by asking the clones what they'd get from helping Skeletor becoming the ruler of Eternia. As each clone wanted to rule Eternia as much as the original Skeletor wants, they fought among themselves.
* ModestRoyalty: Prince Adam wears no RequisiteRoyalRegalia of any kind, and his parents wear only simple crowns.
* MoralGuardians: Like just about every bit of Western (especially American) animation during the 80s, this is the reason why despite his power and abilities Skeletor is defeated by He-Man episode after episode. Like his contemporaries he couldn't even achieve temporary victories unless pulling an EnemyMine with He-Man or in EvilVSEvil scenarios.
* MusicSoothesTheSavageBeast: "Song of Celice" is all about this, involving a monster in the caverns deep beneath a city which must be kept asleep with Celice's song or else it will destroy the city with earthquakes. He-Man has to face it on his own when Skeletor and Evil-Lyn kidnap and hypnotize Celice to get her to use her powers on the Sorceress.
* NamedByTheAdaptation: King Randor and Queen Marlena originally appeared in the pre-Filmation minicomics, but originally didn't have specific names.
* NoAntagonist: The episode "Not So Blind", about He-Man and Ram-Man taking a blind child on an adventure, features no villains at all.
* NotMeThisTime:
** Played straight in "Evilseed", in which the eponymous villain was responsible for the trouble but He-Man initially thought it was Skeletor.
** Subverted in "Teela's Triumph". Skeletor developed a ray that sends people to another dimension and tested it on a falcon. Unbeknownst to him, the falcon was the Sorceress so, when He-Man accused Skeletor of being responsible for her disappearance, He-Man was right but Skeletor didn't know.
* OneManArmy: He-Man, of course. He isn't The Most Powerful Man in the Universe for nothing. In fact, even King Miro (from "Search for the Past") describes him this way:
-->"By the ancients! He fights like an entire army!"
* OscarBait: Or, in this case, Emmy Bait. Animator Tom Tataranowicz, who came up with the idea for the UnexpectedlyDarkEpisode "The Problem With Power", openly admitted in the DVD commentary that he did so to enforce this trope, as episodes in which someone died always won Emmys. It didn't work, though the episode is considered to be one of the very best of the show.
* PokeThePoodle: In a break from the show's usual formula of Skeletor's elaborate schemes of trying to take over Eternia, Skeletor plots to ruin a circus in "The Greatest Show On Eternia".
* PowerEchoes: As He-Man, Adam's voice gains a booming echoing effect, even when speaking softly.
* RedemptionPromotion: '''NOTHING''' ever goes right for Skeletor, unless he's in an EnemyMine with He-Man, or when he actually does decide to some good in the Christmas Special.
* RoyalBrat: Prince Adam's visiting cousin Lady Edwina is a stuck-up young woman who drops {{Stealth Insult}}s about her uncle's kingdom the second she arrives, refers to Man-At-Arms and Teela as "the help", and brushes off Orko until she learns he once had a magical medallion that helped him cast much more effective spells, which piques her interest. After that, she friendlies up to him so she can try to sway him into selfishly using the medallion to wish the two of the out of the castle so they can use the amulet together--and abandon He-Man in the middle of a fight. Orko doesn't bite, realizing that all she cares about is what the medallion can do, which she'd likely take for herself once they were gone. By the end of the episode, Randor's banished her from the kingdom until she shapes up.
* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: King Randor judges disputes and otherwise governs his realm. He is also [[RankScalesWithAsskicking quite competent in a fight]]. Queen Marlena is a former astronaut from Earth who also presumably had prior military fighter training, as she is an AcePilot who mops the floor with Skeletor and his fleet of robot drones.
** In the flashback sequence of ''Secret Of The Sword'', she shows she doesn't even need a fighter to be a badass, and gets to inflict a judo flip on Skeletor.
** Prince Adam is a subversion. ''He-Man'' is a Badass, but his cover identity verges on NonActionGuy. However, this is likely part of his ClarkKenting; in "Secret of the Sword", he gets into a fight with Horde Warriors on Etheria, and performs an expert martial arts throw on one of them, stating he's glad Teela taught him the move.
* SamusIsAGirl: Subverted. No one seems surprised that the AcePilot in "The Rainbow Warrior" is a woman -- this is a world of {{Action Girl}}s, after all -- but only her husband expects it to be the queen.
* SchizoTech: While technology on Eternia is very advanced, it does not seem to be universally available. Common people often live in communities that look like they are in MedievalStasis, while places like the Royal Palace and Snake Mountain are high-tech enclaves.
* ScienceFantasy: Eternia is a world where advanced technology and powerful magic exist side-by-side, and many people use both.
* SdrawkcabSpeech: In "A Friend In Need," the incantation that Ileena is given to summon Jarvan through her ring is "em ot emoc."[[note]]"Come to me."[[/note]]
* SecretIdentity: Adam has to keep his identity as He-Man secret from just about everyone save Cringer, Orko, Man-At-Arms and the Sorceress. Several episodes show his unhappiness with this arrangement, since it forces Adam to come off as being lazy and/or cowardly to his loved ones. "Prince Adam No More", for example, shows how bitterly hurt he is that his own father considers him a less-than-reliable layabout and would much prefer having He-Man around.
* SecretIdentityVocalShift: He-Man, and later She-Ra, have deeper, more resonant, voices than they do as Adam and Adora.
* SecretKeeper: Cringer, Man-At-Arms and Orko know Adam is He-Man, but none of the other heroes do. Not even Adam's childhood friend and Man-At-Arms' adopted daughter Teela.
* SecretTestOfCharacter: Granamyr's initial "mistrust" of He-Man in his first appearance is {{Retcon}}ed as this by his later appearance in She-Ra's series where he [[spoiler:reads She-Ra's mind when she meets him on Eternia one thousand years before the events of either series, discovering that She-Ra is Adora and that He-Man is Adam.]]
* SeriesContinuityError: In "Castle of Heroes", Skeletor refers to Clawful as his "right-hand man", even though it's usually Beast Man who has this role. Another episode, "Revenge is Never Sweet", has Skeletor referring to Evil-Lyn as his "right hand of evil".
* ShoutOut:
** Queen Marlena's last name Glenn is likely one to real life astronaut John Glenn.
** One episode of the show is called "Fraidy Cat" (the name of a previous Filmation series[[note]]As well as one of the company's few original productions. Also counts as HilariousInHindsight since the title character was voiced by Alan Oppenheimer, who also voices Cringer, the "fraidy cat" of this series.[[/note]])
** One episode features an attempt by an ancient sorcerer named [[Literature/TheSilmarillion Morgoth]] to escape his dimensional prison.
* StockFootage: ''All the time.'' Following Filmation's SignatureStyle, a catalog of animation was created first with stories written around what actions they had.
* StrawFeminist: One of the kingdoms outside of Eternia's borders was run by a queen that hated men and imprisoned every male in the kingdom in the underground mines. Adam is captured and sent into slavery. Teela is ''not'' thrilled by this in the least.
* {{Sucksessor}}: Several episodes have King Randor fear that Adam will wind up like this, since he seems to not really care for any of his training or lessons.
* TookALevelInJerkass: In episode "Into the Abyss", Adam, fed up with Teela's snarky pushing for training and the demands of a double identity, cuts her off sharply and dismisses her like any other servant of the kingdom talking snap to the heir to the throne. She even lampshades this to her father, to which Duncan reminds her he is the Prince of Eternia. Cringer of all people lets Adam know how little he thinks of Adam doing this, and Adam admits it wasn't his best moment. Teela for her part felt especially betrayed, feeling they'd been raised like brother and sister. This turns out to be the solution to the argument, but seeing any member of the royal family assert privilege was kind of jarring.
* TransformationSequence: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zIoElk3r2c "BY THE POWER OF GRAYSKULL!!!"]]
* UnexpectedlyDarkEpisode: The majority of the show is campy and hard to take seriously even in its more serious moments, and then "The Problem With Power" revolves around Skeletor tricking He-Man into thinking he killed an innocent man during a fight, causing Adam to give up his power until he learned what happened. Originally the episode would've been even darker, with He-Man actually killing an innocent bystander by accident.
* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: Several plots involve Orko (or another innocent soul) trying to do something and accidentally touching off a catastrophe.
* VerySpecialEpisode:
** "Not So Blind", which features a [[LongLostUncleAesop one time character]] named Loos, who is blind. At one point, He-Man and Ram Man become blind while taking Loos on an adventure. At one point, Loos talks about how blind people aren't that much different from people who can see.
** "A Friend in Need" is the obligatory "Drugs are bad, m'kay?" one. A friend of Teela regrets not being strong enough, so she starts taking a potion from a villain disguised as an old woman, which increases her strength. Of course, she finds herself hooked to taking the potion, while the villain keeps raising the price of the doses...
* VillainExclusivityClause: Skeletor is the villain in almost every episode of the series (not counting crossovers and EnemyMine situations).
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: There were several Evil Warriors (Strongarm, Jitsu and Fang Man) who each appeared in one episode early in the series and were then never seen again.
* WhatMeasureIsANonHuman: The heroes smash apart the obviously sentient Monstroids in the Christmas special.
* WhatYearIsThis: It is apparently sometime in the future, as Earth has interstellar spaceships which seem to match Eternian equivalents based on the Rainbow Explorer's effectiveness in combat against Skeletor's ships. However, the Christmas Episode left some confusion as to this point.
* WholePlotReference:
** The aptly named second season episode "Literature/BeautyAndTheBeast".
** Ditto for the equally aptly named second season episode "The [[Recap/StarTrekS1E18Arena Arena]]".
* WorldOfMuscleMen: Even many of the SquishyWizard types look like they live in the gym.
* YouAreNotReady: In "Teela's Quest", Teela finds out that [[spoiler:the Sorceress is her mother]] but had to have this wiped from her memory as it wasn't the right time for her to find this out.
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