Winx Club has a very interesting and diverse fandom. I'm not talking skin color, religion, or nationality here: I'm talking about the fact that Winx has not one, not two, but THREE English dubs (four if you include the translated comic series). This can be confusing for Winxies and non-Winxies alike, but it is especially befuddling to people who are trying to figure out how to get into the show. Which dub to watch (or read)? Check out this quick guide to figure out what Winx you should watch!

Rainbow Dub
Also Called: Rai Dub, Cinelume Dub, Original English Dub
Target Age: 10-15 years old
What's Dubbed: Seasons 1-4, Secret of the Lost Kingdom, Magical Adventure
Controversial Terminology: Alfea is a college for girls studying magic; Winx is a nonsense word made up by Bloom; Charmix is a power-up earned in Season 2. Character names and place names are mainly loyal to the Italian.
Fans of this dub are generally: older than the average fan. Unlike the other two television dubs, the Rainbow Dub touches on controversial topics, whether forthright or implied. These grow increasingly serious as the show goes on, but mostly manages to do this without becoming preachy. Topics range from what the limits of a relationship is, to finding your place in the world after college, to feminism, to sex.
Trivia: Despite being considered identical to the Italian show in most aspects, the Rainbow dub changed Aisha's name to Layla. This change is also shown in the 4kids dub.

4kids Dub
Also Called: American Dub
Target Age: 5-10 years old
What's Dubbed: Seasons 1-3
Controversial Terminology: Alfea is a high school level boarding school for girls studying magic; Winx is the word used in magical society that references both the magic that fairies have and a fairy's magical girl alias; Charmix is a power-up earned in Season 2. Character names and place names are greatly changed to be more Americanized (ie, the character Miele's name was changed to Rose; the realm of Zenith became the Third Vector of the Binary Galaxy)
Fans of this dub are generally: teenagers who grew up with the 4kids dub, fans inactive in the fandom, and people who prefer Western dubbings and references. Though the show is "dumbed down" in this dub, it is also considered to have the best voices and individual lines out of each dub. Fans who grew up with this dub can be stubborn and convinced that it is the "correct" dub, which makes the rest of the fandom look down on them, but many 4kids fans are respected and offer an interesting view.
Trivia: 4kids is the only dub that gave Bloom a last name: she and her adoptive parents are the Peters family.

Nickelodeon Dub
Also Called: The New Dub
Target Age: 8-13 years old
What's Dubbed: the four TV specials (Winx Club; Revenge of the Trix; Battle for Magix; The Shadow Phoenix), Season 3. Seasons 4-6 and both movies are in production and are promised to be aired.
Controversial Terminology: Alfea College is a university for girls studying magic; Winx is a nonsense word made up by Bloom; Charmix is the name of a fairy's magic and identity in magical girl form. Character names and place names are mainly loyal to the Italian.
Fans of this dub are generally: returning fans who used to watch 4kids or Rainbow, or brand new fans who want to get into the show without watching seasons 1 and 2. Though many previosuly loyal to the other dubs are disappointed, the dub is known to grow on them. New fans tend to be less in number than returning fans and not usually part of the fandom because they are generally younger than most Winx Club fans.
Trivia: This dub has an all-star voice cast with stars such as Molly Quinn, Keke Palmer, Will Blagrove, Rachel McFarlene, and Larisa Oleynik.

The Comics
Also Called: n/a
Target Age: 15+ years old
What's Dubbed: All of the comics, the number increasing as more come out.
Controversial Terminology: n/a
Fans of this dub are generally: avid readers, hugely loyal fans, and older than most of the other English-speaking fans. Similar to the Rainbow dub, the comic series touches on controversial issues, but they tend to be much more forthright and much worse. There's drugs, blackmail, illegal parties and drinking, teenage lies and rebellion, sexual frustration. The characters seem to have a generally looser moral code, not to mention the fact that they swear like sailors. However, the story is considered to be more lifelike, more clear-cut, and easier to get into.
Trivia: Though basic plot and characterization is much the same, the story is told in what most fans believe to be an Alternate Universe because of how scenes are depicted differently, different choices are made, and characters that appear in the comic may not appear in the show, or vice versa (such as Flora's spring break fling, the werewolf boy Karel). Both universes are considered canon, however.

Theme Songs:

Rai theme song 1 (Under The Sign Of Winx)


Rai theme song 2 (Winx Are Back)


4kids theme (We Are The Winx)


Nickelodeon theme (You're Magic Now)

For your enjoyment, here's the scene where Bloom discovers her powers.

Rainbow version, from "An Unexpected Event."


4kids version, from "It Feels Like Magic." (Start the video at 2:50)


Nick version, from "Winx Club Premier Special." (Start the video at 1:01)