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, better known as , is a Japanese
superhero A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...
ine and the main
protagonist A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a st ...
and
title character The title character in a narrative work is one who is named or referred to in the title of the work. In a performed work such as a play or film, the performer who plays the title character is said to have the title role of the piece. The title of ...
of the ''
Sailor Moon is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Naoko Takeuchi. It was originally serialized in Kodansha's ''shōjo'' manga magazine ''Nakayoshi'' from 1991 to 1997; the 52 individual chapters were published in 18 volumes. The se ...
'' manga series written by
Naoko Takeuchi is a Japanese manga artist. She is best known as the author of ''Sailor Moon'', one of the most popular manga series of all time. She has won several awards, including the 1993 Kodansha Manga Award for ''Sailor Moon''. Takeuchi is married to ...
. She is introduced in chapter #1, "Usagi – Sailor Moon" (originally published in Japan's ''
Nakayoshi is a monthly ''shōjo'' manga magazine published by Kodansha in Japan. First issued in December 1954, it is a long-running magazine with over 60 years of manga publication history. Notable titles serialized in Nakayoshi include '' Princess Kni ...
'' magazine on December 28, 1991), as a carefree Japanese schoolgirl who can transform into Sailor Moon. Initially believing herself to be an ordinary girl, she is later revealed to be the reincarnated form of the Princess of the Moon Kingdom, and she subsequently discovers her original name, . In ''Sailor Moon'', Usagi meets
Luna Luna commonly refers to: * Earth's Moon, named "Luna" in Latin * Luna (goddess), the ancient Roman personification of the Moon Luna may also refer to: Places Philippines * Luna, Apayao * Luna, Isabela * Luna, La Union * Luna, San Jose Roma ...
, a magical talking black cat that is searching for the Moon Princess. Luna reveals that Usagi is destined to save Earth from the forces of evil and gives her a brooch to transform into Sailor Moon. She asks Usagi to form the Sailor Guardians, find their princess and protect the "
Silver Crystal Silver is a chemical element with the symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical cond ...
". As Usagi matures, she becomes a powerful warrior and protects her adopted home planet, Earth, from villains who wish to harm it. Usagi is depicted as usually carefree and cheerful, but with cry-baby tendencies that show themselves when things do not go her way. As the protagonist, Usagi appears in every episode, film, video game, and television special of the anime adaptations, ''
Sailor Moon is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Naoko Takeuchi. It was originally serialized in Kodansha's ''shōjo'' manga magazine ''Nakayoshi'' from 1991 to 1997; the 52 individual chapters were published in 18 volumes. The se ...
'' and '' Sailor Moon Crystal''; as well as the live action adaptation, ''
Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Naoko Takeuchi. It was originally serialized in Kodansha's ''shōjo'' manga magazine ''Nakayoshi'' from 1991 to 1997; the 52 individual chapters were published in 18 volumes. The serie ...
''. She also cameos in the sister series '' Codename: Sailor V''. She has been the subject of parodies and has appeared in special events. Most Western audiences were introduced to Usagi appearing in the ''
Sailor Moon is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Naoko Takeuchi. It was originally serialized in Kodansha's ''shōjo'' manga magazine ''Nakayoshi'' from 1991 to 1997; the 52 individual chapters were published in 18 volumes. The se ...
'' anime, which is an adaptation of the manga series. Usagi's critical reception has been largely positive and she is recognized as one of the most important and popular female superheroes of all time.


Appearances

Usagi is first introduced as living the life of a normal teenage schoolgirl in 20th-century
Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.46 ...
. Although well-meaning, she is an underachieving, accident-prone crybaby. One day, Usagi encounters a mysterious cat with a crescent moon on its forehead, who later reveals herself to be
Luna Luna commonly refers to: * Earth's Moon, named "Luna" in Latin * Luna (goddess), the ancient Roman personification of the Moon Luna may also refer to: Places Philippines * Luna, Apayao * Luna, Isabela * Luna, La Union * Luna, San Jose Roma ...
, a mentor archetype who introduces Usagi to her new heroic role. Luna gives Usagi a magical brooch and explains how to use it to transform into Sailor Moon (the Guardian of Love and Justice); she tells Usagi that she is a Sailor Guardian who must fight for peace and find the rest of the Sailor Guardians, as well as their princess. Usagi is a reluctant heroine at first, she grows more confident and mature over time. As Sailor Moon, she sets out to fight the villains from her past life and to protect the Earth using the legendary Silver Crystal. This provides most of the conflict and drama in both the manga and the anime. Usagi lives in Azabu Jūban with her mother, Ikuko Tsukino; her father, Kenji Tsukino; and her brother, Shingo Tsukino. These names reflect those of
Naoko Takeuchi is a Japanese manga artist. She is best known as the author of ''Sailor Moon'', one of the most popular manga series of all time. She has won several awards, including the 1993 Kodansha Manga Award for ''Sailor Moon''. Takeuchi is married to ...
's real-life family members. Out of all the Sailor Guardians, only Usagi and Minako Aino live in a conventional
nuclear family A nuclear family, elementary family, cereal-packet family or conjugal family is a family group consisting of parents and their children (one or more), typically living in one home residence. It is in contrast to a single-parent family, the larg ...
, and Usagi is the only one known to have a sibling. Usagi has a boyfriend named
Mamoru Chiba Mamoru (まもる, マモル) is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: * Marcus Mamoru Toji (born 1984), American actor *, Japanese composer *, Japanese composer best known for his work with animator Hayao Miyazaki ...
(also known as Tuxedo Mask). Mamoru and Usagi's relationship is a significant part of Usagi's
personal life Personal life is the course or state of an individual's life, especially when viewed as the sum of personal choices contributing to one's personal identity. Apart from hunter-gatherers, most pre-modern peoples' time was limited by the need to ...
, as well as the series as a whole. Mamoru and Usagi date for a long time in the series and the love they share helps her through many challenges. In the anime adaptation, Mamoru gives Usagi a heart-shaped promise ring just before he leaves for America. The ring represents a promise to Usagi that they will eventually marry. Once she forms the Sailor Guardians, Usagi learns that she comes from a race belonging to the Silver Millennium, and that her mother sent her to Earth to be reincarnated. In the second series, Usagi learns that she will give birth to a daughter (
Chibiusa is a fictional main character from the ''Sailor Moon'' manga series created by Naoko Takeuchi. She is one of the main characters of the series. She is introduced in Chapter 14, "Conclusion and Commencement, Petite Étrangere", first published in ...
) by her boyfriend and future husband. She also discovers that she will become a "Sovereign of the Earth", known as Neo-Queen Serenity, by the 30th century. Usagi loves sweet foods and they easily distract her. She also loves playing
video games Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This feedbac ...
, and
cake Cake is a flour confection made from flour, sugar, and other ingredients, and is usually baked. In their oldest forms, cakes were modifications of bread, but cakes now cover a wide range of preparations that can be simple or elaborate ...
is listed as one of her favorite foods in the
manga Manga ( Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is ...
. Her favorite subject is listed as
home economics Home economics, also called domestic science or family and consumer sciences, is a subject concerning human development, personal and family finances, consumer issues, housing and interior design, nutrition and food preparation, as well as texti ...
. She is said to dislike
carrot The carrot ('' Daucus carota'' subsp. ''sativus'') is a root vegetable, typically orange in color, though purple, black, red, white, and yellow cultivars exist, all of which are domesticated forms of the wild carrot, ''Daucus carota'', na ...
s, and is a poor student in both English and
mathematics Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...
. She is afraid of dentists,
ghosts A ghost is the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that is believed to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to re ...
, and
lightning Lightning is a naturally occurring electrostatic discharge during which two electrically charged regions, both in the atmosphere or with one on the ground, temporarily neutralize themselves, causing the instantaneous release of an average ...
, and her greatest dream is to someday be a
bride A bride is a woman who is about to be married or who is newlywed. When marrying, the bride's future spouse, (if male) is usually referred to as the '' bridegroom'' or just ''groom''. In Western culture, a bride may be attended by a maid, bri ...
. She is apparently a member of the Manga Drawing Club at her school, though her skill level varies widely when shown in the anime.The other characters are unable to make out her drawing of Luna in ''Stars'', but her drawings of Serenity and Endymion in ''R'' are clearly evident (though childlike). She stands tall. In the manga and anime, Mamoru refers to her as '' odango'' (a kind of rice dumpling), based on her distinctive hairstyle. At first, this is always accompanied with the suffix ''atama'', meaning "head", but this is gradually dropped. Usagi hates the name at first, but it develops into a sign of affection as they become close. Later in the series, Haruka and Seiya, other important figures in her life, adopt the name as well. Since there is no North American equivalent to ''odango'', the original English anime adaptation almost always used the phrases "meatball head" or "moon face". In the Tokyopop Manga adaptation, Mamoru calls Usagi "buns", which is an approximation of '' odango'' and is short for "bunny". In the Viz Media English adaptation, she is referred to as "bunhead".


Variations

Usagi's character is inconsistent between versions of the series. In the manga, she starts out as a crybaby, but quickly matures and learns to make decisions for herself. The series often portrays Usagi as lazy or unmotivated in applying herself, rather than lacking intelligence, such as when she passes her high school exams without trouble when threatened with separation from her friends. The original anime often portrays Usagi as being more childlike. She often gets into arguments with one of her friends primarily with rei and Chibiusa to the point of developing a friendly rivalry with them and she sometimes frenquently squabbles and bickers with her little brother shingo tsukino (whom usagi doesn't shown getting along and shared a typical sibling rivalry with), but she can show just as much caring as her manga counterpart. She does evolve during the course of the series, but other than the last few episodes of each story arc, she generally lacks the maturity she has in the manga. In the live-action series, Usagi differs slightly from her manga and anime counterparts. She is more outgoing and extroverted, and makes friends very easily. This immediately puts her personality in conflict with the other Sailor Guardians, each of whom is solitary to some degree. She rarely uses formal speech with those of her age (though she does with adults), and refers to everyone as "''given name''-chan" (which is very informal and a way of expressing closeness). She teases Ami when Ami continues calling her "Tsukino-san" (a formal way of speaking to classmates), saying that it is like they are not friends. Every time a new Sailor Guardian appears, Usagi immediately tries to befriend them, even though almost all of them resist. However, Usagi eventually makes the other Sailor Guardians realize that they are stronger together than alone. Usagi also has a habit of forcing her interests on her new friends. This is prominent in her relationship with Rei, where Usagi repeatedly tries to get Rei to sing.


Aspects and forms

Being a character with a long lifetime (spanning the ancient Silver Millennium era and 30th century), as well as multiple incarnations, special powers and transformations, Usagi has various aliases such as Princess Serenity, Sailor Moon, Princess Sailor Moon, Super Sailor Moon, Eternal Sailor Moon, and Neo-Queen Serenity. In all of her incarnations (barring
disguise A disguise can be anything which conceals or changes a person's physical appearance, including a wig, glasses, makeup, fake moustache, costume or other items. Camouflage is a type of disguise for people, animals and objects. Hats, glasses, ch ...
s), Usagi is always depicted with her hair up in twin buns with twin
pigtail A woman with long pigtails and braids. In the context of hairstyles, the usage of the term pigtail (or twin tail or twintail) shows considerable variation. The term may refer to a single braid, but is more frequently used in the plural ("pi ...
s.


Sailor Moon

The series often refers to Usagi's Sailor Guardian identity, Sailor Moon, as the "Guardian of Love and Justice", and once as the "Guardian of Mystery". Throughout most of the series, Sailor Moon wears a white and blue ''
sailor fuku The Japanese school uniform is modeled in appearance similar to that of the European-style naval uniforms. It was first used in Japan in the late 19th century, replacing the traditional kimono. Today, school uniforms are common in many of the ...
'' uniform; white and reddishpink gloves and boots; and crescentmoon earrings. She also wears red hairpieces and white
barrette A barrette (American English), also known as a hair slide (British English), or a hair clip, is a clasp for holding hair in place. They are often made from metal or plastic and sometimes feature decorative fabric. In one type of barrette, a cla ...
s resembling feathers, both of which can be used for minor attacks. Her personality is no different from when she is a civilian, though her Sailor Moon form has certain powers. The names for Sailor Moon's attacks center around the Moon, love, mystery and light. Starting out as a frightened, reluctant girl often in need of help, she gradually accepts her full identity. She eventually becomes the most powerful Sailor Guardian in the galaxy, but her capacity for caring for others is shown to be more powerful still. Salior Moon's appearance and title change at key points when she grows stronger or gains additional powers. The first change takes place during the third major story arc – act 30 of the manga and episode 111 of the anime – when she obtains the Holy Grail and becomes ''Super Sailor Moon''. In this form, her costume becomes more ornate and her powers are increased. At first she is unable to take this form without the Grail, but she later gains this ability permanently. This happens when Pegasus grants both her and Sailor Chibi Moon new transformation brooches – in arc 34 of the manga and in episode 130 of the anime. However, in this "Super" version, her white back bow is shorter than in the Holy Grail version. Sailor Moon receives her third and final form at the end of the fourth major story arc, as the combined power of the other Sailor Guardians transforms her into ''Eternal Sailor Moon'', whom Diana says is the closest in power to Neo-Queen Serenity. Her uniform is radically altered, including the addition of two pairs of angelic wings on her back which replace her back bow. The plot of ''Sailor Moon'' contains several examples of asynchrony, including appearances of Sailor Moon from different time periods. Chibi-Chibi is a young girl from the future who turns out to be a future form of Sailor Moon. She comes back to the present to aid Eternal Sailor Moon in her fight against
Sailor Galaxia are a group of fictional characters in the ''Sailor Moon'' manga series created by Naoko Takeuchi. They are the villains of the series' fifth and final story arc, called ''Stars'' in the manga, '' Sailor Moon Sailor Stars'' in the first anime ad ...
. Like
Chibiusa is a fictional main character from the ''Sailor Moon'' manga series created by Naoko Takeuchi. She is one of the main characters of the series. She is introduced in Chapter 14, "Conclusion and Commencement, Petite Étrangere", first published in ...
, she hypnotizes Usagi's family into believing that she is part of their family. In the manga, Chibi-Chibi transforms into " Sailor Cosmos" which is implied to be Sailor Moon's ultimate form. However, Sailor Cosmos admits that she is a coward that ran away from her battles and could never match Eternal Sailor Moon's final show of courage and power. In the manga, Eternal Sailor Moon uses the Silver Moon Crystal, an evolved form of the Silver Crystal, to carry out her attacks.


Princess Serenity

] is a past incarnation of Sailor Moon that lived in the Moon Kingdom during the age of Silver Millennium. She was the daughter of List of Sailor Moon characters#Queen Serenity, Queen Serenity, who ruled Silver Millennium and watched over the Earth. Princess Serenity's guardians and closest friends were
Sailor Mercury is a fictional character in the ''Sailor Moon'' manga series created by Naoko Takeuchi. She is the alternate identity of , a teenage Japanese schoolgirl, and a member of the Sailor Guardians, supernatural female fighters who protect the Solar Sys ...
,
Sailor Mars , better known as , is a fictional character in the ''Sailor Moon'' manga series written and illustrated by Naoko Takeuchi. In the series, Rei is her sailor form's alternative human identity as part of the Sailor Soldiers, female supernatural fi ...
,
Sailor Jupiter , better known as , is a fictional character in the ''Sailor Moon'' manga series created by Naoko Takeuchi. Makoto is her sailor form's alternative human identity as part of the Sailor Soldiers, female supernatural fighters who protect the Solar ...
, and
Sailor Venus , better known as , is a fictional character in the ''Sailor Moon'' and '' Codename: Sailor V'' manga series written by Naoko Takeuchi. Minako is her sailor form's alternative human identity as part of the Sailor Soldiers, female supernatural fig ...
, who were princesses of their own respective planets that sometimes lived on the Moon. On one of her visits to Earth, she met and fell in love with
Endymion Endymion primarily refers to: * Endymion (mythology), an Ancient Greek shepherd * ''Endymion'' (poem), by John Keats Endymion may also refer to: Fictional characters * Prince Endymion, a character in the ''Sailor Moon'' anime franchise * Raul ...
, the
crown prince A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title is crown princess, which may refer either to an heiress apparent or, especially in earlier times, to the w ...
of Earth. During the attack that caused the Moon Kingdom's downfall, Prince Endymion died protecting Serenity. In the manga, she then commits suicide out of grief, while in the anime, Queen Metalia killed them both. Serenity's mother, the Moon Queen, was able to seal away the evil that had created the attack, but everyone involved was killed. Before her own death, the Queen used the Silver Crystal to give her daughter (and others) another chance at life, hoping that Endymion and Serenity would be able to find happiness together in their new lives. In the live-action series, it is Princess Serenity herself who destroys the Moon Kingdom when Endymion was killed during the war against them in the past. Serenity reincarnates as Usagi Tsukino in the 20th century. Usagi occasionally takes the form of Princess Serenity during the series, often at climactic moments when more strength is needed than Sailor Moon can usually access. Usagi discovers her identity as a princess in act 9 of the manga, episode 34 of the anime, and act 25 of the
live action Live action (or live-action) is a form of cinematography or videography that uses photography instead of animation. Some works combine live-action with animation to create a live-action animated film. Live-action is used to define film, video ...
series. While Takeuchi draws Usagi with white, yellow, and even pink hair, Serenity almost always has white hair. In the anime, both characters are always blond. In the live-action series, Serenity has black hair and brown eyes, just like Usagi, and she wears her hair straight down rather than in pigtails. This makes her identity more ambiguous before the storyline reveals her to be Usagi. At climactic moments, Serenity sometimes gains a pair of functioning angelic wings. She does this during the final battles of ''SuperS'', after she jumps off a tower to save Chibiusa and the two of them collide with Pegasus while falling. It also happens in ''Sailor Stars'' during the fight with the fully possessed Galaxia when she grabs the Sword of Sealing. It remains unclear if this power comes from her past life, if it belongs to Usagi herself, or if it came from Pegasus and the Sword of Sealing.


Princess Sailor Moon

Princess Sailor Moon is a powerful combination of Sailor Moon and Princess Serenity that only exists in the live-action series. She is introduced when Usagi is possessed by the spirit of her former self. She originally appears after Queen Beryl takes the shitennou hostage in exchange for Mamoru. Sailor Moon transforms into Princess Sailor Moon and stops Queen Beryl using her sword. Princess Sailor Moon is not the same person as Usagi and they have completely different personalities. Princess Sailor Moon shows no remorse for the fate of the Four Kings of Heaven and she refers to Mamoru as "Endymion" rather than his civilian name. She is always angry, and has no misgivings about causing death or destruction. In one act, Usagi's friend Naru accidentally gets too close to Princess Sailor Moon and has to be hospitalized as a result. It is also shown that Princess Serenity has full control of the upgrade. Though smiling in most promotional material for the series, Princess Sailor Moon does not smile in the series itself until the end, after reconciling with Usagi. During a confrontation with her current self as Princess Sailor Moon, Serenity tells Usagi that she would have no qualms about destroying the earth if Endymion were taken from her again. Usagi pleads with Serenity not to overuse her powers, but Serenity refuses. Afraid that she will eventually destroy the world, Usagi tries to suppress her powers. Usagi's internal conflict forces her to undergo endurance training to keep her powers and Princess Serenity persona at bay. Usagi initially succeeds but avoiding negative thoughts. However, when she is forced to kill a possessed Mamoru, Serenity overcomes Usagi's resistance and transforms into Princess Sailor Moon. Serenity even summons her own minions to fight the other Sailor Guardians to prevent them from stopping her. Princess Sailor Moon successfully destroys the world once again, but Serenity eventually realizes the extent to which she is responsible for this and uses the Silver Crystal to undo the harm she has done. Princess Sailor Moon has a sword that can deflect enemy attacks or unleash devastating projectiles. The sword also doubles as a harp with invisible strings that Princess Sailor Moon plays while mourning her lost prince. The harp's main power is the ability to heal people and the land. Other than the healing powers, the exact effect of playing the harp is unclear, but it often causes her Silver Crystal to feed the power of Queen Metaria, accelerating the devastation of the planet. As with other characters unique to the live-action series, Takeuchi designed Princess Sailor Moon's outfit. Her sailor outfit is considerably more elaborate than Sailor Moon's, and included pearls on her gloves and lace on her skirt. In fact, there is a very similar design on the back cover of ''Sailor Moon: Short Stories'' volume 1.


Neo-Queen Serenity

During the second major
story arc A story arc (also narrative arc) is the chronological construction of plot in a novel or story. It can also mean an extended or continuing storyline in episodic storytelling media such as television, comic books, comic strips, board games, vid ...
, it is revealed that Usagi, as Serenity, will eventually become the
queen regnant A queen regnant (plural: queens regnant) is a female monarch, equivalent in rank and title to a king, who reigns '' suo jure'' (in her own right) over a realm known as a "kingdom"; as opposed to a queen consort, who is the wife of a reigni ...
of a new Silver Millennium called Crystal Tokyo, in the 30th century. She is first seen in this future form in act 16 of the manga and episode 68 of the anime. Usagi learns that she will be given the title "Sovereign of
Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's sur ...
", and Mamoru will become
King Endymion King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the ti ...
alongside her. It is stated in the anime that she becomes Neo-Queen Serenity after warding off a second Ice Age, though the specifics of this are never discussed. This incarnation is shown to be more mature than the present day Usagi, though she is still childish in some ways. For example, in episode 104, Chibiusa gives the Sailor Soldiers a letter from the future, in which the Queen asks them to train her, but the letter is simplistic and contains almost no
kanji are the logographic Chinese characters taken from the Chinese script and used in the writing of Japanese. They were made a major part of the Japanese writing system during the time of Old Japanese and are still used, along with the subsequ ...
. In episode 146, Diana says that the King and Queen would sometimes play sick to get out of things. Letters she sends through the Door of Space-Time to Chibiusa are sometimes signed with a drawing of herself (and sometimes King Endymion) instead of a name. In the manga, Neo-Queen Serenity tells the present-day Sailor Soldiers that after she became queen, she lost her power as a Sailor Soldier. In the second arc of the anime she does not transform (into Sailor Moon) even when the others do. However, she is seen showing great powers in a flashback when the King Endymion of the future describes the great feats of Neo-Queen Serenity during the time she brought about peace. She wears an altered version of the dress she wore as a princess. The shoulder pieces are omitted and a large, wing-shaped bow replaces the smaller one of the princess outfit. In the manga, Neo-Queen Serenity's dress is similar to her past form's outfit. She also wears a crown and new earrings. The crescent moon is always visible on her forehead, just as it is with her princess form. Her face and facial expressions are drawn to look more mature than the 20th century Usagi, but her iconic hairstyle is retained. This form is the one that Chibiusa considers as truly being her mother, while she sees the Usagi of the past as a sister figure.


Abilities

Usagi can
transform Transform may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Transform (scratch), a type of scratch used by turntablists * ''Transform'' (Alva Noto album), 2001 * ''Transform'' (Howard Jones album) or the title song, 2019 * ''Transform'' (Powerman 5000 album ...
into a "Sailor Guardian" by wearing a special device (usually a brooch) and shouting a special command that activates the device. Her original transformation command is . She gains a new basic transformation sequence for each of the five major story arcs. In the fifth arc she becomes Eternal Sailor Moon with "Silver Moon Crystal Power" in the manga, or "" in the anime adaptation (and once in the manga).Act 42 and episode 168, respectively. This requires an unnamed object in the manga and the Holy Moon Chalice in the anime. At first, she is required to be in her Super Sailor Moon form to become Eternal Sailor Moon, as the upgrade to her brooch is temporary. When facing off with Nehelenia for the final time, the brooch is permanently upgraded allowing her to become Eternal Sailor Moon directly. Most of the anime adaptations' transformation sequences involve the use of shiny red or pink ribbons that fly out of her brooch and form her uniform. Feathers and wings also figure prominently in some sequences, particularly the transformation into Eternal Sailor Moon. As the protagonist, Usagi has the most special powers of any character in the series. Her physical attacks, usually one-offs and not always successful, include the occasional use of her hair pins as projectile weapons. One of her techniques is the , which involves using her red hair pieces to amplify her screams.In the manga, this is noted as and is used again in episode 153, this time in tandem with Sailor Chibi Moon.


Silver Crystal

The is a magical crystal that only the members of the Moon dynasty can use. The first English-dubbed anime sometimes calls it the ''Imperium Silver Crystal'' as well as various other names. The Crystal possesses tremendous power, capable of reviving an entire world from ruin. However, the strain of using such power often costs the user her life, as the power derives from the
life force Life force or lifeforce may refer to: * Spirit (vital essence), in folk belief, the vital principle or animating force within all living things * Vitality, ability to live or exist * Vitalism, the belief in the existence of vital energy ** Energ ...
of the Moon dynasty. The anime shows this happening three times. The first time is in a flashback with Queen Serenity; the second time when Usagi defeats Queen Metaria at the end of season one; and finally in the ''R'' movie. It is shown as the source of Queen Serenity's power during the age of Silver Millennium, with Usagi Tsukino and Chibiusa each going on to inherit the Crystal in some form. However, it is also shown in the ''S'' movie that the power of all the Senshi working in unison allows Sailor Moon to use the Crystal's full strength without the result being fatal (although she was still exhausted afterwards from using it). Both the anime, manga and second anime series commonly portray the Silver Crystal as possibly the single most powerful artifact in the universe, able to focus the energy of its wielder to perform magnificent feats. However, several artifacts rival it in strength, including the Black Crystal of the
Death Phantom The is a group of fictional characters in the ''Sailor Moon'' manga series by Naoko Takeuchi. It comprises the main villains of the second major story arc, which is called the ''Black Moon'' in the manga and ''Sailor Moon Crystal'', and which fil ...
, and the Saffer Crystal of
Sailor Galaxia are a group of fictional characters in the ''Sailor Moon'' manga series created by Naoko Takeuchi. They are the villains of the series' fifth and final story arc, called ''Stars'' in the manga, '' Sailor Moon Sailor Stars'' in the first anime ad ...
. In the fifth series of the anime, the crystal also appears to double as the Star Seed of Sailor Moon, which was hinted at in the ''R'' movie, and the manga implies that it is her Sailor Crystal. It takes on a multitude of shapes, including round, diamond, rose, heart, star, and lotus, and it turns pink while stored within the brooches of Sailor Moon and Sailor Chibi Moon. Because Chibiusa comes from the future – having eventually inherited the Silver Crystal from Usagi – two versions of it exist in the series. After the first and second story arcs, the owners of the crystals keep them in their respective transformation brooches and only remove them in times of urgent need. The original anime features seven
rainbow A rainbow is a meteorological phenomenon that is caused by reflection, refraction and dispersion of light in water droplets resulting in a spectrum of light appearing in the sky. It takes the form of a multicoloured circular arc. Rainbows c ...
crystals that had the Seven Great Monsters (the most powerful monsters in the
Dark Kingdom The is a group of fictional characters in the ''Sailor Moon'' manga series by Naoko Takeuchi. They are the chief villains of the first story arc in every version of the series, and were first introduced in the first chapter of the manga, "Usagi ...
) sealed into them. They were sealed within seven separate shards of the Silver Crystal using Queen Serenity's power. They were then carried to Earth where they were reincarnated centuries later, with no memories of their prior existences. All seven rainbow crystals (and, as in the manga, one of Usagi's tears) are needed to recombine to form the Silver Crystal. Later in the show getting a glimpse of future Usagi and how she turns to be Sailor Cosmos who is just a far-far-future version of Usagi Tsukino herself, Sailor Moon. Since Sailor Moon takes place over the course of thousands of years. However, in the even more distant future, Usagi is either reincarnated or evolves into Sailor Cosmos, her final and most powerful incarnation in the manga. In the anime Sailor Cosmos was a character who played an important part in the Stars arc of the Sailor Moon manga, where she was revealed to be the true form of Chibi-Chibi (who had very different origins in the anime). After Sailor Galaxia's death, Chibi-Chibi revealed to Sailor Moon that her true form was in fact Sailor Cosmos.


Conception and creation

Usagi and ''Sailor Moon'' series evolved from Naoko Takeuchi's earlier one-shot series called ''Codename: Sailor V''. In Takeuchi's first proposal for the ''Sailor Moon'' series, each of the five heroines had a completely unique outfit. It was eventually decided that they would instead wear uniforms based on a single theme, whose design was closest to Sailor Moon's original costume concept. Sailor Moon's original had some small differences, including color changes, an exposed midriff, and ribbons around the gloves and boots. She also had a mask, which did appear in a few chapters of the manga before being discarded. These aspects of Sailor Moon's costume are shown in multiple pieces of early artwork, along with a gun and cloak, which were also parts of the original concept. (translated by Michelle Bacon of Manga Style) Takeuchi based Usagi's signature hairstyle on a "good luck charm" she had during her studies as a university student. Takeuchi would put her own hair up in ''odango'' before difficult classes or exams. Sailor Moon has pink hair in the initial sketches, but by the intermediate stages of development, Takeuchi planned to have the character's hair be blond in civilian form and change to silver when she transformed. Her editor, Fumio Osano, told her that silver hair would be too plain for cover art. Despite this, stylistic use of differently colored hair does sometimes appear in later artwork, and the concept of the heroines' hair changing color when transformed is used in ''
Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Naoko Takeuchi. It was originally serialized in Kodansha's ''shōjo'' manga magazine ''Nakayoshi'' from 1991 to 1997; the 52 individual chapters were published in 18 volumes. The serie ...
''. Of all the Sailor Soldiers, Usagi's personality is closest to Takeuchi's own personality at the time ''Sailor Moon'' was created. The
kanji are the logographic Chinese characters taken from the Chinese script and used in the writing of Japanese. They were made a major part of the Japanese writing system during the time of Old Japanese and are still used, along with the subsequ ...
of Usagi's surname translate as and . Her given name is in
hiragana is a Japanese syllabary, part of the Japanese writing system, along with ''katakana'' as well as ''kanji''. It is a phonetic lettering system. The word ''hiragana'' literally means "flowing" or "simple" kana ("simple" originally as contras ...
and so its meaning is not inherent, but the word means "rabbit" and this is used as a pun frequently throughout the series, including her
hairstyle A hairstyle, hairdo, haircut or coiffure refers to the styling of hair, usually on the human scalp. Sometimes, this could also mean an editing of facial or body hair. The fashioning of hair can be considered an aspect of personal groomi ...
and possessions. Her name is structured as a
pun A pun, also known as paronomasia, is a form of word play that exploits multiple meanings of a term, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from the intentional use of homophoni ...
, as the syllable "no" indicates a
possessive A possessive or ktetic form ( abbreviated or ; from la, possessivus; grc, κτητικός, translit=ktētikós) is a word or grammatical construction used to indicate a relationship of possession in a broad sense. This can include strict ow ...
, so her name can also be understood as "Rabbit of the Moon". This derives from a Chinese folktale, popular in Japan, about the
rabbit Rabbits, also known as bunnies or bunny rabbits, are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also contains the hares) of the order Lagomorpha (which also contains the pikas). ''Oryctolagus cuniculus'' includes the European rabbit sp ...
which is said to be visible in the
Moon The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It is the fifth largest satellite in the Solar System and the largest and most massive relative to its parent planet, with a diameter about one-quarter that of Earth (comparable to the width of ...
's face, much like the Western
Man in the Moon In many cultures, several pareidolic images of a human face, head or body are recognized in the disc of the full moon; they are generally known as the Man in the Moon. The images are based on the appearance of the dark areas (known as lunar ma ...
. The English-language manga – along with other localisations – gives her the nickname "Bunny" to partially preserve this pun. "Usagi" is not a common given name in Japan.


Actresses

In the Japanese version of every ''Sailor Moon'' anime series and subsequent related media, Usagi has been voiced by Kotono Mitsuishi. For this role, Mitsuishi used a higher voice than her natural one. During recording sessions of the early episodes, Mitsuishi had to mentally prepare herself to play Usagi. While Mitsuishi was away during production of episodes 44–50,
Kae Araki is a Japanese voice actress from Osaka, Japan. After standing in for Kotono Mitsuishi, the voice of Usagi Tsukino in the series ''Sailor Moon'', when she had appendicitis, Araki was given the role of Chibiusa in the same series. While training a ...
(who would later voice Usagi's own future daughter, Chibiusa) voiced Usagi as a
stand-in A stand-in for film and television is a person who substitutes for the actor before filming, for technical purposes such as lighting and camera setup. Stand-ins are helpful in the initial processes of film and television production. Stand-ins ...
. Mitsuishi would later reprise her role in ''Sailor Moon Crystal'', the only actress from the original cast to do so. In
DIC Entertainment DIC Entertainment Corporation (; also known as DIC Audiovisuel, DIC Enterprises, DIC Animation City, DIC Entertainment, L.P., and DIC Productions), branded as The Incredible World of DIC, was an international film and television production com ...
's English dub of ''Sailor Moon'' (produced in association with Optimum Productions), Sailor Moon was voiced by Tracey Moore for the first 14 episodes (edited down to 11) after which
Terri Hawkes Terri Hawkes (born ) is a Canadian actress and writer, known for playing Kelly Hennenlotter in the horror film, '' Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II'', Adrienne in ''Beverly Hills 90210'', Wendy Masters in ''General Hospital'', and for being the secon ...
took over as the voice for the remaining episodes of the DiC produced dub, as well as Pioneer's dub for the three films, though Moore would return to voice the character in two more episodes later on in the first season.
Linda Ballantyne Linda Anne Ballantyne (born October 24, 1964) is a Canadian voice actress, who is best known for voicing the title role of Serena Tsukino/Sailor Moon in the second half of the original English version of ''Sailor Moon''. Early life Ballantyne ...
was the voice of Sailor Moon in
Cloverway Cloverway Inc. (abbreviated as CWi, also branded as Cloverway) was a media licensing agency based in Long Beach, California which specialized in Japanese animation and Manga licensing, and they were best known for being the representative office ...
's dub of episodes 83–159 of Sailor Moon (produced in association with Optimum Productions). When Ballantyne first recorded the series, Ballantyne attempted to emulate Hawkes, but soon found it difficult to perform. She wanted the character to "have a lot more fun and just be a goofy teenager." Ballantyne cited her performance as "just more flighty.... Until of course the world needed to be saved." American singer
Jennifer Cihi Jennifer Cihi (born April 2, 1966) is an American singer/actress who performed on Broadway, television, commercial jingles and provided several songs for animated series and films. She is best known for being the original English dub singer of ...
provided the English vocals for Serena's songs in the first English adaptation.
Stephanie Sheh Stephanie Sheh is an American voice actress, ADR director, writer and producer who has worked for several major companies, including Cartoon Network and Sony. She is often involved with work in English dubs of anime, cartoons, video games and fi ...
provides the voice in
Viz Media VIZ Media LLC is an American manga publisher, anime distributor and entertainment company headquartered in San Francisco, California. It was founded in 1986 as VIZ LLC. In 2005, VIZ LLC and ShoPro Entertainment merged to form the current VIZ M ...
's dub of the entire original ''Sailor Moon'' series (produced in association with Studiopolis), and also '' Sailor Moon Crystal''. In the stage musicals, Usagi was portrayed by Anza Ohyama,
Fumina Hara is a Japanese actress and gravure idol. Biography History She has played the role of Usagi Tsukino in the Sailor Moon musicals, and has gone on to a varied career. She has played the love interest in ''Aishiteruze Baby''. Personal life She wa ...
,
Miyuki Kanbe (7 May 1984 – 18 June 2008) was a Japanese actress, model and singer. Throughout her career, she starred as Sailor Moon in the ''Sailor Moon'' musicals, as well as portraying Hinaka Tachibana in ''Kamen Rider Hibiki'' and Kyouko Kakehi in '' ...
(who played the character with a "cute and high voice"),
Marina Kuroki is a Japanese actress, singer and model best known for her appearances in the ''Sailor Moon'' musicals series. Career She starred in the ''Sailor Moon'' musicals as the lead role of Usagi Tsukino at the age of 12 and finished her ''Sailor Mo ...
, , Hotaru Nomoto, Sayuri Inoue,
Mizuki Yamashita is a Japanese idol singer, model, and actress. She is a member of Nogizaka46 and an exclusive model for ''CanCam'' magazine. Her acting roles include the supporting role of Mami Ichinose in the BS TV Tokyo series ''Cheers to Miki Clinic'', the ...
, Kanae Yumemiya, Natsuki Koga and
Tomomi Kasai is a Japanese singer, actress and a former member of the idol group AKB48, belonging to Team A. She had a recurring role on ''Kamen Rider W'' as Elizabeth, alongside group member Tomomi Itano. Together, they make up the sub-unit Queen & Elizab ...
. In the ''SuperS'' Musicals, Sanae Kimura, who played Sailor Uranus, provided the voice of Neo-Queen Serenity during ''Over the Moon'', a duet between Sailor Moon and Neo-Queen Serenity. A third, unknown person, was on stage in Serenity's costume while both Sailor Moon and Uranus were onstage. Uncredited body doubles are common in the musicals to allow the character to appear to transform instantly. In ''
Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Naoko Takeuchi. It was originally serialized in Kodansha's ''shōjo'' manga magazine ''Nakayoshi'' from 1991 to 1997; the 52 individual chapters were published in 18 volumes. The serie ...
'', Usagi was portrayed by
Miyuu Sawai is a Japanese actress, model, and gravure idol.http://www.box-corporation.com/?portfolios=沢井美優 Her best-known role was Usagi Tsukino/Sailor Moon in the live-action adaptation of ''Sailor Moon'' which ran from 2003 to 2004. Personal ...
.


Reception and legacy

Sheila Rose Browning describes Sailor Moon as "one of the most popular and well-known manga characters in Japan". Usagi influenced the hairstyle and personality of Misato Katsuragi from ''
Neon Genesis Evangelion , also known simply as ''Evangelion'' or ''Eva'', is a Japanese mecha anime television series produced by Gainax and animated by Tatsunoko, directed by Hideaki Anno and broadcast on TV Tokyo from October 1995 to March 1996. ''Evangelion ...
'', and of Gruier Serenity's anime version from '' Bodacious Space Pirates''. Sailor Moon was ranked 9th on IGN's "Top 25 Anime Characters of All Time", being the highest-ranking female character in the list. Rebecca Silverman, writing about the 2011 re-release of the ''Sailor Moon'' manga, felt that Usagi's initial hesitancy about whether she is good enough to be Sailor Moon added authenticity to her claim of being an "ordinary girl". Silverman states that along with
Itazura na Kiss is a Japanese '' shōjo'' manga series written and illustrated by Kaoru Tada. ''Itazura na Kiss'' was first serialized and published in 1990 by Shueisha through ''Bessatsu Margaret'' magazine. It became successful very quickly and beca ...
and
Marmalade Boy is a shōjo manga series by Wataru Yoshizumi. It was published by Shueisha in the magazine ''Ribon'' from May 1992 to October 1995 and collected in eight ''tankōbon'' volumes. The series was adapted by Toei Animation as a 76-episode an ...
, Usagi gave rise to an "unintelligent heroine" character type, but feels that even in the first volume, Usagi's determination sets her apart.


In popular culture

Comedian
Samantha Bee Samantha Anne Bee (born October 25, 1969) is a Canadian-American comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actress, and television host. Bee rose to fame as a correspondent on '' The Daily Show with Jon Stewart'', where she became th ...
portrayed Sailor Moon in a live-action production at the
Canadian National Exhibition The Canadian National Exhibition (CNE), also known as The Exhibition or The Ex, is an annual event that takes place at Exhibition Place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on the third Friday of August leading up to and including Canadian Labour Day ...
. The ''
Shopkins Real Littles, formerly and also called Shopkins, are a range of tiny, collectable toys manufactured by Moose Toys. Based on grocery store items, each plastic figure has a recognisable face and unique name. They also have special finishes like t ...
'' episode, “Look Within”, features a reference to Sailor Moon’s original transformation scene with Lippy Lips (shown to transform into her 'Wild Style'.) At the 2022 WWE
Royal Rumble The Royal Rumble is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming List of WWE pay-per-view and WWE Network events, event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. It is named afte ...
,
Sasha Banks Mercedes Justine Kaestner-Varnado (born January 26, 1992) is an American professional wrestler and actress. She is currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Sasha Banks. Banks previously wrestled on ...
entered in an outfit inspired by Sailor Moon. In the mobile online shooter
Pixel Gun 3D ''Pixel Gun 3D'' is a first-person shooter video game released in 2013 for iOS and Android.the DC Comics hero. In addition, she is getting another skin based on her in the upcoming Anime season, this time being called “Moon Princess”, and her own weapon.


Internet memes

A social media challenge on Twitter called the #sailormoonredraw gained popularity in May 2020. Artists use a still frame of Sailor Moon taken during the episode "A Bright Shooting Star! Saturn, and the Messiah" from the third season of the original Sailor Moon television series, ''
Sailor Moon S The third season of the ''Sailor Moon'' anime series, ''Sailor Moon S'' (originally released in Japan as , and later as ''Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon S''), was produced by Toei Animation and directed by Kunihiko Ikuhara. It began broadcasting on ...
'', and redraw it in different styles or have another fictional character take her place. A similar phenomenon occurred back in April 2014 six years prior, in the form a humorous online comic with scenes the series premiere of the original television series, "The Crybaby Usagi's Magnificent Transformation!", set right after Sailor Moon's first battle with the Youma Morga and Tuxedo Mask's first intervention which originated from
Tumblr Tumblr (stylized as tumblr; pronounced "tumbler") is an American microblogging and social networking website founded by David Karp in 2007 and currently owned by Automattic. The service allows users to post multimedia and other content to ...
.


See also

*
List of superheroines The following is a list of superheroines (female superheroes) in comic books, television, film, and other media. Each character's name is followed by the publisher's name in parentheses; those from television or movies have their program listed i ...
*
Moon in art and literature The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It is the fifth largest satellite in the Solar System and the largest and most massive relative to its parent planet, with a diameter about one-quarter that of Earth (comparable to the width of ...
*
Selene In ancient Greek mythology and religion, Selene (; grc-gre, Σελήνη , meaning "Moon"''A Greek–English Lexicon's.v. σελήνη) is the goddess and the personification of the Moon. Also known as Mene, she is traditionally the daughter of ...
*
Portrayal of women in comics The portrayal of women in American comic books has often been the subject of controversy since the medium's beginning. Critics have noted the roles of women as both supporting characters and lead characters are substantially more subjected to gen ...
* Women warriors in literature and culture *
Miyamoto Usagi is a fictional character, who appears in the American comic book '' Usagi Yojimbo'', a Dark Horse Comics book created by Stan Sakai. Usagi is an anthropomorphic rabbit (''Usagi'' is Japanese for "rabbit") and a ronin now walking the '' musha s ...


Notes


References


External links


''Sailor Moon''
at
Don Markstein's Toonopedia Don Markstein's Toonopedia (subtitled A Vast Repository of Toonological Knowledge) is an online encyclopedia of print cartoons, comic strips and animation, initiated February 13, 2001. Donald D. Markstein, the sole writer and editor of Toonopedi ...

Archived
from the original on February 10, 2017. {{DEFAULTSORT:Sailor Moon (Character) Anime and manga characters who can move at superhuman speeds Comics characters introduced in 1991 Fiction set on the Moon Fictional characters with healing abilities Fictional cryonically preserved characters in comics Fictional high school students Fictional middle school students Fictional pacifists Fictional queens Fictional wandfighters Film and television memes
Moon The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It is the fifth largest satellite in the Solar System and the largest and most massive relative to its parent planet, with a diameter about one-quarter that of Earth (comparable to the width of ...
Teenage characters in anime and manga