14 Reasons Why "Harry Potter" Will Always Be Superior To "Twilight"

Harry > Bella. I said what I said.

Hi there! Huge Potterhead here. Let me start out by saying I have nothing against Twilight. I even had a cardboard cutout of Edward Cullen in my room in middle school, but we don't need to dwell on that.

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Now, I believe there's more than enough room in our hearts for us to love both Harry Potter and Twilight. But I CANNOT STAND when someone tries to tell me that the Twilight saga is the better series. So let's settle this once and for all by taking a look at all the reasons why Harry Potter is superior:

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1. The friendships are SO MUCH stronger.

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Sure, Bella is fond of Angela and becomes pretty good friends with Alice. But Bella doesn't experience anything CLOSE to the bonds that Harry shares with Ron and Hermione. They are Harry's ride or dies who will legit do anything for him. Remember when Ron sacrifices himself as the knight so Harry can confront Quirrell? Or when Hermione erases her parents' memories so she can help Harry save the wizarding world? Sorry, but the most that Alice does for Bella is drive her around Italy in a stolen Porsche.

2. The world-building is freaking incredible.

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Harry Potter takes full advantage of the fantasy genre in modern times. Take Hogwarts, a school so embedded in our culture that just about every person in the world knows which house they'd be sorted into. The books offer us a glimpse into an entire underground society from the Ministry of Magic to Diagon Alley to the Order of the Pheonix. Twilight, on the other hand, is set in the modern human world, but with sparkling vampires who stay secret mostly due to the Volturi's insistence. Fun, but obviously not as cool.

3. The villains are super complex and three-dimensional.

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In Twilight, we get a few interesting villains: James, who enjoys the thrill of the hunt; Victoria, who wants to avenge him; and the Volturi, the corrupt ruling family with an agenda. But they ~pale~ in comparison to the evildoers of Harry Potter: Voldemort, a powerful, orphaned wizard who doesn't understand love and seeks immortality instead; Lucius, who aligns himself with the bad guys until his son is at stake; and Professor Umbridge, who sees herself as a hero but pursues order by any means necessary.

4. Harry is a wayyyy better role model than Bella.

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Harry does what's right and has fun along the way. While nobody is saying that he's perfect, I am saying that young girls shouldn't look up to Bella. In New Moon, Edward leaves Bella, and she completely loses her will to live. She only begins to find herself once she grows closer to Jacob. What kind of message does that send to impressionable teens?! A woman's self-worth should not stem from her relationships with hot guys.

5. The main characters have distinct, lovable personalities.

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Our favorite trio is very different from one another. Harry's a humble, curious boy with a wonderful sense of right and wrong from growing up with the Dursleys. Hermione's a brilliant, stubborn girl who throws herself into her studies. And Ron's a funny slacker who struggles with his low socio-economic status and being the youngest son. In Twilight, Bella and Angela are both quiet, shy girls. And Edward's very similar to Carlisle and the other vampires (except for his brooding, which isn't an impressive personality trait if you ask me).

6. Harry understands that sacrifices need to be made to triumph over evil.

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Bella gets pretty much everything she's ever wanted by the conclusion of the series: Edward, Jacob, becoming a vampire, and even keeping her human father Charlie in her life. Honestly, it feels like a fairy tale ending for a children's book. In comparison, Harry has lost his parents, Sirius, Dumbledore, Remus, Tonks, Dobby, and Fred. He even walks into the forest to sacrifice himself so they can defeat Voldemort. There's a heavy price to pay for defeating evil, and that's way more realistic.

7. There are so many inspiring heroines! You can take your pick.

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When I was a little girl, Hermione Granger was my role model (and she still is, TBH). She's intelligent, brave, and sassy — everything I wanted to be when I grew up. But there are so many other strong women to look up to: Ginny and her badass hexes, Luna and her quirky independence, hell, even Professor McGonagall! In Twilight, we've already established that Bella inspires no one. That really just leaves Alice — who is a wonderful character and all, but how does a woman author write a whole series without lots of strong, vibrant women in it?!

8. The characters are nuanced just like people are in real life.

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In Twilight, you've got the bad guys, and you've got the good guys, who are pretty much perfect. In Harry Potter, we see the full scope of humanity. Sirius wisely tells Harry, "The world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters." Even our heroes are flawed! Just look at Ron: though he abandons his friends when the going gets tough, he makes a valiant return and proves his loyalty in the end.

9. There are so many captivating magical creatures.

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In Twilight, we have vampires and werewolves, which are always fun. But in Harry Potter, we get so much more! We have the traditional fantasy creatures like dragons, mermaids, and giants, plus completely new creatures like boggarts, thestrals, and dementors. There's creativity on every freaking page.

10. The supporting characters have fascinating backstories.

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Honestly, some of the secondary characters in Twilight are a total snooze fest. Mike, Eric, and Tyler blur together in their lameness. Compare them with Ludo Bagman, the hilarious ex-athlete with a gambling problem, or Dobby, a helpful house elf who rejects society's enslavement of his race and longs for freedom.

11. The plot twists are wild and unpredictable.

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Okay, Renesmee was a huge surprise considering we were led to believe vampires couldn't have babies. Other than that, the series is pretty predictable. We all knew Bella would end up with Edward from the first book. But I certainly wasn't expecting Dumbledore's death (RIP). And NOBODY could see Snape's twist coming. A seemingly hateful professor, who was once Death Eater, switching sides for the woman he's loved since childhood and remaining a double agent until he himself is double crossed?! GENIUS.

12. The character development makes me so damn proud.

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Aside from turning into a vampire, Bella is pretty much the same girl from the beginning of the series. Now, it's not really fair to judge Harry and Bella by the same standards since Harry obviously grows up a ton from 11 to 17. But the other Harry Potter characters experience so much development, too! Remus grows to accept his werewolf self enough to find happiness in his marriage, Regulus dies in an attempt to thwart the Dark Lord, and even Percy abandons his Ministry-loving ways to reunite with his family. We don't get such satisfying character arcs from Twilight minor characters.

13. Relationships are built on connection and not just looks.

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Bella mentions Edward's beauty like, every other page. We get it. He's gorgeous. In comparison, Harry thinks Ginny is pretty, sure, but she's also fierce, smart, and spirited. Most importantly, she and Harry really get each other. When Harry breaks up with her to pursue the Horcruxes, she gets that it's for a "stupid, noble reason." Their bond is built on friendship and understanding, not just attraction.

14. And finally, it's just better written.

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Twilight is for sure a fun read, and I've gone back to enjoy the series again several times. But you gotta admit that the prose is a little...lacking. If you compare the writing style to Harry Potter, it's clear which one is superior. There's a reason why it's still studied in colleges around the world!

Why do you think the Harry Potter series is better than the Twilight saga? Let me know in the comments below!

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