Sailor Moon (TV series) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Sailor Moon |
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English logo used since 2011
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| 美少女戦士セーラームーン | |
| Genre | Magical girl |
| Developed by |
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| Directed by |
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| Music by | Takanori Arisawa |
| Country of origin | Japan |
| Original language(s) | Japanese |
| No. of seasons | 5 |
| No. of episodes | 200 + 3 TV specials (list of episodes) |
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| Release | |
| Original network | ANN (TV Asahi) |
| Original release | March 7, 1992 – February 8, 1997 |
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Sailor Moon is a super popular Japanese animated TV show about a group of magical girls! It's also known as Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon or Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon. This exciting series was made by Toei Animation and is based on a famous comic book series (manga) by Naoko Takeuchi. It first aired in Japan from 1992 to 1997 and quickly became a worldwide hit.
The story is set in the 1990s and follows a regular middle school student named Usagi Tsukino. Her life changes when she gains the power to become Sailor Moon, a powerful hero! Along with her friends, who are also Sailor Soldiers, she protects Earth from many evil villains. The show also tells the story of Usagi growing from an emotional girl into a responsible young hero.
Sailor Moon's huge success led to many other things like movies, video games, and music. A newer animated version, Sailor Moon Crystal, started in 2014. This version follows the original manga story even more closely.
Contents
The Magical World of Sailor Moon
Usagi's First Adventures (Season 1)
In 1990s Tokyo, we meet 14-year-old Usagi Tsukino. She's a normal schoolgirl until she meets Luna, a magical talking cat! Luna gives Usagi the power to transform into the hero, Sailor Moon. Her mission is to find the mysterious Moon Princess and fight the evil Dark Kingdom. At first, Usagi is a bit scared and unsure, but she soon learns the importance of her new role.
The Dark Kingdom, led by Queen Beryl, sends out monsters called Youma. These monsters try to steal energy from humans to feed their supreme ruler, Queen Metaria. They also want the powerful Silver Crystal, a gem with endless magic. As Sailor Moon fights, she gains new friends who are also awakening as Sailor Soldiers:
- Ami Mizuno, the smart and shy Sailor Mercury.
- Rei Hino, the fiery shrine maiden Sailor Mars.
- Makoto Kino, the strong and kind Sailor Jupiter.
- Minako Aino, the cheerful idol Sailor Venus, who has her own cat advisor, Artemis.
The mysterious Tuxedo Mask often helps the Sailor Soldiers. He is secretly Mamoru Chiba, a college student who becomes very important to Usagi.
The Sailor Soldiers discover their past lives on the Moon, where they were guardians of Princess Serenity (Usagi's past self). Serenity was in love with Prince Endymion (Mamoru's past self) from Earth. The Dark Kingdom destroyed their kingdom, but Serenity's mother, Queen Serenity, used the Silver Crystal to send them to the future to be reborn.
The heroes travel to the Dark Kingdom's base at the North Pole. Usagi's friends bravely protect her but are defeated. Usagi faces a brainwashed Mamoru and frees him, but he is hurt protecting her. Usagi, as Princess Serenity, uses the Silver Crystal and the spirits of her friends to defeat Queen Beryl and Queen Metaria. With the last of the crystal's power, Usagi wishes for everyone to live normal lives again. All her friends and Mamoru are brought back, and they forget their adventures, except for Luna and Artemis.
New Friends and Future Secrets (Season 2)
Later, two aliens named Ail and An arrive on Earth with a magical tree that feeds on human energy. Luna restores the Sailor Soldiers' memories so they can fight again. After defeating Ail and An, Mamoru also remembers his past and he and Usagi become a couple.
Soon after, a pink-haired girl named Chibiusa falls from the sky! She came from the future to find the Silver Crystal and save her parents. The evil Black Moon Clan follows her, trying to change the past. The Sailor Soldiers and Tuxedo Mask travel with Chibiusa to the future. There, they learn that Usagi rules as Neo-Queen Serenity, and Chibiusa is her future daughter with Mamoru! They also meet Sailor Pluto, who guards the Door of Space-Time.
The heroes fight Death Phantom, who controls the Black Moon Clan. Death Phantom tricks Chibiusa into becoming Black Lady, but the Sailor Soldiers free her. Chibiusa uses the future's Silver Crystal to help destroy Death Phantom. After this, Chibiusa returns to her own time, now safe from the Black Moon Clan.
Powerful Guardians and New Threats (Season 3)
The Sailor Soldiers soon face the Death Busters, a new evil group from Mugen Academy. They summon monsters called Daimons to steal "Heart Crystals" from people. The Death Busters want three special Pure Heart Crystals that hold powerful Talismans.
New Sailor Soldiers appear: Haruka Tenoh as Sailor Uranus and Michiru Kaioh as Sailor Neptune. They are also looking for the Talismans and sometimes clash with Usagi's group. Sailor Pluto returns, and Chibiusa comes back, now as Sailor Chibi Moon!
The Death Busters find the Talismans, and they create the Holy Grail. This allows Usagi to transform into a stronger form: Super Sailor Moon! The Death Busters want to gather many Pure Heart Crystals to bring back a powerful evil being called Mistress 9. Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto search for a "Messiah" who can use the Holy Grail to stop the Death Busters.
Chibiusa becomes friends with a sick girl named Hotaru. She doesn't know that Hotaru is the daughter of the Death Busters' leader, Professor Tomoe. Hotaru is also secretly Sailor Saturn, a Sailor Soldier with the power to destroy planets. Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto worry that Saturn's awakening will destroy Earth, but Usagi refuses to harm Hotaru.
Mistress 9 awakens inside Hotaru after stealing Chibiusa's Heart Crystal. The Sailor Soldiers go to Mugen Academy to stop the Death Busters. Pluto sacrifices herself to help Uranus and Neptune get inside. The other Sailor Soldiers create a shield to protect the city. Mistress 9 tricks Usagi into giving her the Holy Grail, which summons Pharaoh 90 to destroy Earth. Hotaru awakens as Sailor Saturn, defeats Mistress 9, and plans to sacrifice herself to stop Pharaoh 90. Usagi uses her Super form to help Saturn and save her.
Hotaru is reborn as a baby and returned to her father, now free from evil. Uranus and Neptune recognize Sailor Moon as the true hero and future Queen. Chibiusa decides to stay in the present a bit longer.
Dreams, Unicorns, and a Circus (Season 4)
Chibiusa meets a winged unicorn named Pegasus who hides in dreams. Pegasus helps the Sailor Soldiers become Super Sailor Soldiers and lends his power when Chibiusa calls him. They use these new powers to fight the Dead Moon Circus. This mysterious circus group targets people with beautiful dreams.
The Dead Moon Circus, led by Zirconia and her team, searches for Pegasus in people's Dream Mirrors. They believe Pegasus holds the Golden Crystal, which can free their ruler, Queen Nehelenia, from a mirror she is trapped in.
Queen Nehelenia was a queen who loved her beauty too much. She consumed dreams to stay young. Queen Serenity sealed her in a mirror because she tried to steal the Golden Crystal from Helios (Pegasus's true form). The Dead Moon Circus was formed to find Pegasus. Even though Nehelenia gets the Golden Crystal, her own minions, the Amazoness Quartet, betray her and give it to Chibiusa. With the crystal, Queen Nehelenia is defeated and sealed back in her mirror. Helios returns to his home.
Final Battles and Star Seeds (Season 5)
The Dead Moon Circus story continues when Sailor Galaxia frees Queen Nehelenia, encouraging her to get revenge. The Outer Sailor Soldiers (Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, and Saturn) return with even stronger Super forms to help. Queen Nehelenia curses all mirrors, trapping people. She captures Mamoru, threatening the future and Chibiusa's existence. The Sailor Soldiers enter Nehelenia's nightmare world. Usagi feels pity for Nehelenia and purifies her using her most powerful form, Eternal Sailor Moon.
After this, Mamoru goes to the United States to study, and Usagi and her friends start high school. Chibiusa returns to her own time. A new group of enemies, the Sailor Animamates, led by Sailor Galaxia, start stealing "Star Seeds" (people's life force). Usagi gets help from the Sailor Starlights—Kou Seiya, Kou Taiki, and Kou Yaten—who pretend to be an idol group called the Three Lights. The Starlights are searching for their ruler, Princess Kakyuu. A little girl nicknamed Chibi Chibi also appears and lives with Usagi.
Sailor Galaxia's past is revealed: she once sealed Chaos, the source of all evil, inside herself. Unable to control Chaos, she sent her own Star Seed away, which became Chibi Chibi. Sailor Galaxia steals the Star Seeds of Princess Kakyuu and all of Usagi's friends, causing their defeat. Mamoru was also targeted and defeated before he reached the United States. Chibi Chibi transforms into a powerful sword, urging Usagi to defeat Sailor Galaxia. However, Usagi uses her kindness to free Sailor Galaxia from Chaos's control. Chaos then returns to the universe, and all the fallen Sailor Soldiers and others whose Star Seeds were stolen are brought back. Everything returns to normal, and Usagi, as Sailor Moon, shares a happy moment with Mamoru.
How Sailor Moon Was Made
Creating the Anime Series
Naoko Takeuchi, the creator of the Sailor Moon manga (comic book), first planned for both the manga and anime to last only one season. But because the show was so popular, Toei Animation asked her to continue the story! Takeuchi worked hard to create new adventures.
The Sailor Moon anime was adapted from 52 chapters of the manga, published from 1992 to 1997. The series had different directors and character designers over its five seasons. It first aired in Japan on TV Asahi on March 7, 1992, and ran for 200 episodes until February 8, 1997. The anime often followed the manga's story very closely, even though the manga was still being written at the same time.
The Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon anime has five main seasons: Sailor Moon, Sailor Moon R, Sailor Moon S, Sailor Moon SuperS, and Sailor Moon Sailor Stars. Each season generally matches one of the manga's big story arcs.
Sailor Moon Around the World
In 1995, the first two seasons of Sailor Moon were brought to North America with an English voice cast. This version was made by DIC Productions and dubbed in Canada. Some parts of the show were changed or shortened to fit the new audience.
The series first aired in Canada in August 1995 and in the U.S. in September 1995. It faced some challenges with broadcast times in the U.S. but became very popular in Canada. After a break, fans successfully campaigned to bring the show back! In 1997, reruns started on USA Network, and later on Cartoon Network's Toonami block, which helped it gain a huge following.
Later, in 1999, more seasons were dubbed into English, with fewer changes than before. The show's popularity grew worldwide. In 2014, Viz Media acquired the rights to release the entire Sailor Moon anime series in North America. They created a brand-new English dub that kept all the original content, including scenes that were cut before. This new version started streaming in the U.S. in May 2014 and was also released on Blu-ray and DVD. As of May 31, 2024, the Viz dub began airing on Adult Swim as part of the Toonami Rewind block, bringing Sailor Moon back to American television after many years.
Changes in Different Versions
When Sailor Moon was first released in North America, it had many edits. These changes included character names, clothes, and dialogue.
Different countries sometimes made changes to the show. For example, some versions altered characters or relationships to fit local customs.
The Music of Sailor Moon
Takanori Arisawa composed the amazing music for Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon. His work was so good that he won the Golden Disk Grand Prize in 1993 for the first soundtrack! He also won several international awards because Sailor Moon's music was loved all over the world.
The most famous opening song is Moonlight Densetsu (which means "Moonlight Legend"). It was used for most of the episodes. The English version of the theme song used the same melody but had different lyrics. The Japanese song is a love song, while the English one sounds more like a superhero anthem. "Moonlight Densetsu" was a huge hit when it was released as a single in 1992.
More Sailor Moon Adventures
Sailor Moon Movies
During the TV show's run, three animated Sailor Moon movies were made:
- Sailor Moon R: The Movie (1993)
- Sailor Moon S: The Movie (1994)
- Sailor Moon SuperS: The Movie (1995)
These movies were released in December, often alongside other anime films. Each movie tells a new story that fits into the season it's based on.
Watching Sailor Moon at Home
In Japan, Sailor Moon was first available on VHS tapes. Later, in 2002, it was released on DVD. More recently, in 2017, Blu-ray collections of the series became available to celebrate the franchise's 25th anniversary.
In North America, Viz Media released the series on both Blu-ray and DVD starting in 2014. The final part of the anime series was released in November 2019. A complete box-set with all 200 episodes, three films, and specials is planned for release in 2026.
