Henshin

For many of the magically gifted, transforming into a proper costume is helpful or even necessary to use their powers. This is accomplished via the henshin. Both sides of the morality coin can require this process to tap their abilities, though it is less common for the wicked-hearted. For many of those on that side of matters, henshin provides an avenue to switch between progressively powerful forms, sometimes involving a transmogrification of their body itself.

Indeed, even for those that most would consider heroes, sometimes the costume isn't the only thing that changes in a henshin. Hair colors and length, build, height, even apparent age and, in rare cases, gender, can all change with the invocation of a key item or mantra, sometimes both. The general idea seems to be to heighten the person's alignment with the powers they wield, but at times particularly embarrassing costumes can be a constant source of pain and regret for some magical girls and boys.

Many changes of this order seem to require at least some magical power just to maintain, and it's in the realm of possibility that a careless magical combatant could use up too much and drop out of their henshin form. Fortunately, it is often the case that the clothes the transformed were wearing before the invocation re-materialize upon their bodies once it ends. However, this also means that their identity is no longer shielded by the recognition inhibition, itself a standard part of many henshins.