Sailor Moon is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Naoko Takeuchi. The series follows the adventures of Usagi Tsukino, a girl who transforms into the titular protagonist and goes on a journey to save the universe from being annihilated. Along the way, she encounters and defeats a diverse group of enemies. The series was published in individual chapters in the monthly manga anthology Nakayoshi,[1] Several adaptations based on Sailor Moon have been made including two anime series and three feature films produced by Toei Animation, as well as a musical series, a live-action television series produced by Toei Company, and a large number of video games.
These chapters were collected by Kodansha in a series of 18 tankōbon volumes; the first released on July 6, 1992,[2] while the last one was released on April 4, 1997.[3] The manga was later rereleased in 12 shinsōban in 2003 under the title Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon to coincide with the release of the live-action series of the same name, with some corrections and updates to the dialogue and artwork.[citation needed] Volume 1 was released on September 22, 2003[4] and volume 12 released on July 23, 2004.[5]
The North America distributing company Tokyopop initially released 18 volumes from the Japanese first edition, split into five arcs; Dark Kingdom with fourteen acts, Black Moon with twelve acts, Infinity with twelve acts, Dream with eleven acts, and Stars with eleven acts. Volume 1 was released on December 1, 1998,[6] and volume 18 was released on September 18, 2001.[7] The first 10 chapters were also published in the American magazine, MixxZine then chapters 39 through 60 were published in Smile. The series was also published in thirty-five issues in traditional American comic book format. This publication was not complete, only containing chapters 11[8] through 38[9] and the extra "Lover of Princess Kaguya".[10] These were released starting in August 1998 at the San Diego ComicCon[11] through mid-2001.[10] The Mixx and Tokyopop editions of the manga went out of print in 2005.[citation needed]
In 2011, Kodansha USA began re-printing the 14 volume restored Sailor Moon manga edition (including the two short story compilations) under the title Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, as well the two volume restored Codename: Sailor V manga editions in English beginning with Volume 1 of both titles on September 13, 2011, featuring an all new translation. Subsequent volumes were published bimonthly.[12]
A lazy 14-year-old girl named Usagi Tsukino saves a cat with a crescent-shaped mark on its forehead while running late to Juban Public Middle School, later encountering the cat as it talks to her. The cat introduces herself as Luna and gives Usagi a brooch to transform into a Sailor Guardian to fight a mysterious evil plaguing Tokyo while finding the other Sailor Guardians so they can find and protect the Legendary Silver Crystal. Calling herself "Sailor Moon", Usagi survived her first encounter with a monster thanks to a tuxedo-wearing stranger who introduces himself as Tuxedo Mask who is also seeking the Silver Crystal. In time, having chance encounters with a high school student named Mamoru Chiba, Usagi is joined by fellow Sailor Guardians Ami Mizuno, Rei Hino, and Makoto Kino as they defeat Jadiete and Nephrite of the Four Kings of Heaven who serve the Dark Kingdom and its ruler Queen Beryl.
Tuxedo Mask's determination to find the Legendary Silver Crystal has him publicly reveal its existence for intel, which is exploited by the Four Kings' member Zoisite and results in Usagi and Mamoru learning of each other's identities as Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask. When Zoisite targets Sailor Moon, he is killed by Sailor V, her partner Artemis introducing her as both Minako Aino and the reincarnated moon princess Serenity. After communing with her master Queen Metaria, Beryl sends the last of Four Kings Kunzite after Minako. Despite Minako's attempts to prevent Usagi from getting involved, she and other Sailor Guardians join Minako as Tuxedo Mask sacrifices himself to protect Usagi from Kunzite's attack. It results with the dying Mamoru and Usagi awakening to their past lives as the ancient Earth Prince Endymion and the real Princess Serenity whose love resulted in their deaths during a war that occur between their kingdoms. Usagi's tears bring forth the Silver Crystal with its power entering Mamoru's body before he is spirited away by Kunzite. Minako resumes her role as Sailor Venus while revealing herself, Ami, Rei, and Mako to be Usagi's handmaidens and bodyguards reborn.
Act 13: "Final Battle - Reincarnation" (決戦—REINCARNATION, "Kessen REINCARNATION")
The Sailor Guardians teleport to the ruins
of Silver Millennium on the Moon for answers and are greeted by the sentient hologram of Queen Serenity: Usagi's mother from her past life. They learn their former home's destruction was caused by the entity Queen Metaria warping the minds of the Earth populace save Endymion who died protecting Serenity. The queen assures Usagi that Mamoru is still alive as she had willed the Legendary Silver Crystal to save him and asks her to consider its true power. Meanwhile, following the revelation that he and the other Four Kings were once Endymion's protectors in their past lives, Kunzite ends up back under Beryl's control and it sent to his death in an attempt to take Silver Crystal. But Beryl uses Metaria's power to revive Mamoru as a thrall to infiltrate the Sailors' command center and steal the Silver Crystal. Beryl reveals herself to be the reincarnation of a woman who loved Endymion and killed him in jealous rage after willingly swore loyalty to Metaria. Though Beryl is killed by the Sailors using the sacred stone sword that brought with them from the moon, Mamoru steals the weapon and falls back to the Dark Kingdom's base with D-Point in the Arctic with Usagi following. When Usagi realizes she cannot heal Mamoru while learning that a fragment of the Silver Crystal is still inside his body, she is forced to commit murder-suicide to restore the Silver Crystal as the Guardians arrive. The restored Silver Crystal envelops Mamoru and Usagi as Metaria consumes them and overwhelms the Guardians while spreading her evil across the planet as Luna and Artemis travel back to the moon to pray for Queen Serenity's help. Despite the seemingly hopeless situation as the Guardians sacrifice themselves to revive her, Usagi and Mamoru are revealed to be alive as the latter learns from the spirits of the Four Kings that Metaria's forehead is a weak point. He relays this to Usagi after their escape from Metaria's body, with Sailor Moon intending to finish their enemy for good.
With the help of Tuxedo Mask, her friends' spirits, and the restored Crystal Tower, Sailor Moon destroys Metaria at the cost of her transformation brooch while Silver Millennium is restored to its former glory. Rather than becoming the new queen, realizing why she was reborn on Earth, Usagi states that she wants to live her life out there with her friends. Queen Serenity accepts her daughter's wish and gives her a new transformation brooch so she can become Sailor Moon once more and use Moon Healing Escalation to restore the planet and other Guardians to life. But as it seem things are returning to normal, her new brooch allowing her to conceal the Legendary Silver Crystal, Usagi's date with Mamoru's private time is suddenly interrupted when a pink-haired girl suddenly falls out from a portal in the sky. Introducing herself as Usagi, called Chibiusa and wanting Usagi's Silver Crystal despite appearing to have her own, the girl's presence brings in a new enemy in the Specter Sisters of the Black Moon Clan with their commander Crimson Rubeus abducting Rei, Ami, and Makoto.
As the Guardians analyzes one of crystal earrings left behind by one of the Specter Sisters, attempting to talk Chibiusa into revealing what she knows of the Black Moon, they find themselves in a two-pronged attack by Rubeus and the remaining Specter Sister Calaveras. Chibiusa confesses to come from 30th century Earth to seek Usagi's help in saving her time, meeting the Guardian of Time and Chibiusa's friend Sailor Pluto that arrived to the ruins of the future city of Crystal Tokyo in ruins. Meeting with a astral projection of Mamoru's future self King Endymion, Sailor Moon learns that she will become Neo-Queen Serenity in the future with Chibiusa as her daughter with Endymion. Endymion explains the Black Moon are extremists who acquired the time distorting Malefic Black Crystal on planet Nemesis which they used to lay waste on Crystal Tower with Neo-Queen Serenity ending up in a comatose state, adding that Usagi is unable to use her Silver Crystal in the future period. Following Endymion helping his past self destroy the Black Moon member Emeraude, Usagi is abducted by Black Moon's leader Prince Demand.
Act 24: "Attack - Black Lady" (攻撃—BLACK LADY, "Kōgeki BLACK LADY")
Usagi awakens on Nemesis and learns from Prince Demand that the Black Moon consider the Legendary Silver Crystal's life extending effect on humanity as unforgivable and intended to eliminate the past selves of Neo-Queen Serenity and her court. Meanwhile, Endymion revealing that Chibiusa has not aged for 900 years because she has yet to awakened as a Sailor Guardian, Chibiusa runs off into a time storm after seeing Pluto acting differently around her father made her feel lonely and confused. This resulted with Mamoru attempting to follow after Chibiusa as she was found by the Black Moon's benefactor Wiseman. Meanwhile, with Neo-Queen Serenity giving her power to become Sailor Moon, Usagi frees her friends as they escape when the reactor leading Nemesis' core undergoes a planetary meltdown. Rubeus later revealed to be killed by Wiseman during the chaos, Demand and his brother Saphir are saved by Wiseman's new right hand Black Lady: a transformed Chibiusa. With Saphir and Tuxedo Mask under her control, Black Lady confronts the Sailor Guardians while Demande feigned being under Wiseman's control to make attempt on his life after reluctantly killing Saphir. But Wiseman reveals the exposed husk to be his former body before revealing himself as Nemesis while descending. As Luna's and Artemis' future daughter Diana convinces Pluto to help the Guardians, a maddened Demand steals both Silver Crystals with his intent to have them touch could result in the destruction of entire Universe.
Sailor Pluto stops time to prevent Prince Demand from having the past and present Legendary Silver Crystals to touch each other, taboo act resulting in her death as consequence. Seeing Pluto die breaks Wiseman's hold over Chibiusa as she reverts to her original self while awakening as Sailor Chibi Moon, causing Neo-Queen Serenity to awaken from her slumber. With Prince Demand killed, Wiseman reveals himself as the terrorist Death Phantom whom Neo-Queen Serenity exiled to Nemesis which became a vessel for hateful soul after he died. After Usagi and Mamoru are transported to Death Phantom's actual location, they are joined by Chibiusa as they destroy Death Phantom together while Crystal Tokyo is restored to its former glory. Neo-Queen Serenity gives the Sailor Guardians new devices and the Spiral Heart Moon Rod as they and Usagi return to their time, with Chibiusa later arriving to be train by them. But the group soon find themselves plagued by a disturbing vision about three shadowed Sailor Guardians, accompanied by a voice that calls for the girl's awakening and "the beginning of doom." While investigating the prestigious Mugen Academy due to its students suddenly turning into "Reversionized" monsters, the Guardians encounter two of the school's elite students: talented violinist Michiru Kaioh and famed auto racer Haruka Tenno. The event results with the Guardians encountering a monsterous entity known as a Daimon, meeting a myserious girl who witnessed their transformation while healing Chibiusa's wound, and two unidentified Sailor Guardians who observed the fight.
Kaolinite of the Death Busters instructs her servants, the Witches 5, to gather more souls to prolong the Tairon Crystal which their power derived while eliminating the Sailor Guardians. After defeating the witch Eudial, Sailor Moon encounters one of the mysterious Guardians who warns her to stay out of their way while kissing her. Chibiusa befriends Hotaru Tomoe, the girl that healed her wound, who happens to be the daughter of Mugen Academy's founder, Professor Tomoe. The two new Guardians destroy the second Witches, Mimete, and finally introduce themselves as Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune. The duo are revealed to be Haruka and Michiru as they save Ami from third Witch Viluy. A university student named Setsuna Meioh investigates spatial disruptions near Infinity Academy, later awakening as the revived Sailor Pluto to save the Sailors from the fourth Witch Tellu.
Sailors Uranus, Neptune and Pluto reunite and explain their mission as defenders of the Outer Solar System from external threats to Usagi and her friends, blaming themselves for Death Busters reaching Earth prior to their awakening and refusing the Sailor Guardians' offer to work together out of a sense of duty dispatch both the Death Busters and their true enemy. The last of the Witches 5, Cyprine, uses her power to turn both Sailor groups against each other while she and her twin Ptilol split into two separate bodies when an unaffected Sailor Moon made an attack on them. Sailor Moon obtains the Holy Grail with the help of Tuxedo Mask and Sailor Chibimoon, which causes the Guardians to stop fighting and give their power to Sailor Moon. The Talismans carried by Uranus, Neptune and Pluto react as the newly transformed Super Sailor Moon defeats Cyprine and Ptilol. The Outer Guardians reveal the truth to Sailor Moon: the last time that the Talismans reacted caused the awakening the God of Destruction, the Guardian of Silence Sailor Saturn who wiped out the last remnants of Silver Millennium following its war with the Dark Kingdom. The trio state their intent to prevent Saturn to reawakening by sealing her soul after killing her reincarnation: Hotaru. Chibiusa tries to protect Hotaru, only to the latter to be possessed by a Daimon who fully takes over while stealing Chibiusa's soul and Silver Crystal. The entity reveals herself as Mistress 9, the partner of the Death Busters' leader, Master Pharaoh 90. The Sailor Guardians try to save Chibiusa's soul and Hotaru while defeating Kaolinite and Tomoe. But Mistress 9 has already taken the power of Chibiusa's Silver Crystal and begins to summon Pharaoh 90 so that he can consume the Earth and turn into a new haven for their kind, destroying Mugen Academy in the process.
Mistress 9 attempts to increase her powers by taking the souls of the Inner Guardians she captured, but Hotaru's soul resists while restoring the Guardians and Chibiusa prior to her body being destroyed by Mistress 9 emerging in her true form. Joining Tuxedo Mask, Chibiusa's wish to be as strong as Usagi causes the Holy Grail of the future to appear, allowing her to fight by Usagi's side as Super Sailor Guardians. Mistress 9 escapes being destroyed by the Sailor Guardians by allowing herself to be assimilated into Pharaoh 90 as a portal to their home world, the Tau Star System, appears in the sky. When Super Sailor Moon appeared to have died in an attempt to stop him, Sailor Saturn awakens and mortally wounds Pharaoh 90. She was able to bring about the annihilation of Earth to finish him off when Usagi liberates the power she amassed to deal a fatal blow on the already fatally damaged Pharaoh 90. As Pharaoh 90 attempts to escape back to Tau System, Saturn chases after him while urging Pluto to seal them both on the other side, which she regrettably does. As the Usagi restores the city, Hotaru returns to Earth as a reincarnated infant whom the Outer Guardians decide to raise as the take their leave before bidding farewell to the others and leaving to parts unknown.
A year after the Mugen Academy incident, Usagi and her friends begin their new term as high school students while Mamoru enrolls into a university and Chibiusa's training as a Sailor Guardian is nearly complete. But a mysterious ship appears during a solar eclipse, followed by a circus appearing in the middle of the Juban distract. This circus is called the Dead Moon Circus, and their goal is to get the Golden Crystal and take over Earth with nightmares. Helios, the white pegasus, addresses Chibiusa in her dreams and tells her she is the lady with the power to save the sacred land of Elysion, but Chibiusa fears this lady is Usagi. Mamoru starts feeling intense pain in the chest from time to time, and the doctors tell him there is a shadow in his lungs. Usagi and Chibusa fall under a curse that causes them to switch ages. It is until they gain their new transformation brooches and transform into their Super Sailor forms that they revert to their normal age. Ami and Rei each recall their families and dreams, and become targets by the Dead Moon. Ami gains her Sailor Crystal and new transformation and power thanks to her Sailor Power Guardian, a small sprite resembling herself, while Rei does so after her pet crows Phobos and Deimos transform into their human forms and rescue her.
"Makoto's Melancholy" (まこちゃんのユーウツ, "Mako chan no Yūutsu")
"Ami's First Love" (亜美ちゃんの初恋, "Ami chan no Hatsukoi")
"Rei and Minako's Girls School Battle" (レイと美奈子の女子高バトル, "Rei to Minako no Joshikō Batoru")
Makoto becomes the new target of Dead Moon, but soon gets her Sailor Crystal and new transformation and power too. Mamoru's condition is getting worse. Helios transforms into his human form and formally introduces himself to Mamoru, Usagi, and Makoto, and explains that Dead Moon has attacked Elysion, the land that protects Earth from within, and that he is experiencing the same pain as Mamoru, since Elysion has already been taken over and the same may happen to Earth if Usagi and the others do not find the Golden Crystal. Minako is worried because she is the only one of her friends that is unable to transform. She attends an idol audition set up by Dead Moon to investigate them, but is ambushed by the Amazoness Quartet. Artemis tries to save Minako but they are both attacked by the Quartet.
Haruka, Michiru, Setsuna and a grown-up Hotaru are shown living a happy life, but the latter sees a premonition in which Usagi and Mamoru are in danger. Hotaru alerts the others, and gives them their Sailor Crystals and new transformations and powers. Artemis transforms into a human and saves Minako, who gains her Sailor Crystal and new transformation and power too. The Outer Guardians return to Tokyo and save the other Guardians from an assault by the Amazoness Quartet. Usagi and Mamoru are hit by Zirconia's curse and transform into children, and then disappear. Chibiusa and Hotaru chase the Quartet, and Hotaru tells the four of them to stop using nightmares or else nightmares will consume them, but they are all trapped by Zirconia. Usagi and Mamoru appear in Elysion, which is covered by darkness. Helios urges them both to find the Golden Crystal, which Usagi guesses is sealed within Mamoru. Queen Nehelenia, the leader of the Dead Moon Circus, appears and nearly kills Usagi and Mamoru, but Helios takes them to where the Guardians are. Helios seemingly sacrifices himself to purify Earth. Zirconia attacks everyone with her nightmare.
While under Zirconia's nightmare, the Guardians believe Usagi and Mamoru have died, while Usagi thinks her friends were killed, but Mamoru manages to get everyone out of the curse. The Guardians simultaneously attack Zirconia, forcing her to escape into Nehelenia's mirror. Usagi chases after her but instead of finding Zirconia, she is greeted by Nehelenia herself. While Usagi frees Chibiusa and Hotaru, Makoto manages to break the mirror, and Nehelenia transforms into an ugly, old woman. The protagonists reunite and teleport to Elysion, where the Dead Moon ship arrives. A young Nehelenia reappears and tells the heroes that she cursed Princess Serenity during the Silver Millennium to prevent her from becoming queen of the Moon, bringing about the Dark Kingdom's attack on the Moon Kingdom as a result. Usagi resolves to finish Nehelenia, and the Sailor Power Guardians appear before the Guardians, and all of them transform into princesses, while Luna, Artemis and Diana appear and transform into their human forms. With the powers of everyone, Usagi transforms into Eternal Sailor Moon and defeats Nehelenia. The Amazoness Quartet appear and transform into Sailor Guardians: the Sailor Quartet, who are the future guardians of Sailor Chibi Moon. Helios finally recognizes Chibiusa as his princess.
Mamoru is about to leave to study in the United States but, as he is saying goodbye to Usagi, he is attacked and his body crumbles away, leaving only the Golden Crystal in its place, which is taken by Sailor Galaxia, the leader of a new group of villains known as Shadow Galactica. Usagi is shocked to see this and faints, but later blocks this memory and thinks Mamoru has arrived safely to the U.S. A new group of idols called the Three Lights comes to Tokyo and become students at Usagi's high school. Chibiusa returns to Crystal Tokyo, but days later, a little girl named ChibiChibi arrives to the Tsukino house and tricks Usagi's mother to believe she is Usagi's younger sister. Sailor Galaxia and her servants, the Sailor Animamates, destroy the eight Solar System Sailor Guardians as well as Phobos and Deimos, one by one, taking their Sailor Crystals. Two Animamates are killed by the Sailor Starlights, who are revealed to be the true identity of the Three Lights, while a third Animamate is defeated by Eternal Sailor Moon. Usagi remembers what happened to Mamoru with the help of the Starlights. In the future, Chibiusa overhears and conversation between Neo-Queen Serenity and Sailor Pluto about a disruptance in the past. A new student named Nyanko Suzu arrives to Usagi's high school and tries to befriend her, but Luna and Artemis sense in her a power similar to theirs. Princess Kakyuu, the leader of the Starlights, emerges from an incense burner that ChibiChibi has been taking care of.
As Kakyuu reunites with the Starlights, ChibiChibi is revealed to be a Sailor Guardian too. Suzu reveals she is a Sailor Animamate from the same planet as Luna and Artemis, Sailor Tin Nyanko, and Luna and Artemis transform into their human forms. Tin Nyanko attacks both of them as well as human Diana, who has just arrived from the future, damaging the crescent moons on their foreheads and reverting them to their cat forms, which render them speechless. However, before Tin Nyanko causes more damage, the Starlights appear and force her to retreat. Usagi meets Kakyuu, who explains that Galaxia has been destroying planets and stealing Sailor Crystals before reaching Earth and the Silver Crystal. Tin Nyanko appears before Galaxia and asks for forgiveness, but Galaxia kills her. Usagi, ChibiChibi, Kakyuu, and the Starlights travel to the Galaxy Cauldron, the birthplace of all life and stars in the Milky Way, located at the center of the galaxy, to get Mamoru and the Guardians' Sailor Crystals and revive them. Upon arriving, they meet Sailor Lethe, who kill Luna, Artemis, and Diana take their Star Seeds, which are as powerful as Sailor Crystals. Lethe attacks Usagi and the others but is stopped by her twin sister, Sailor Mnemosyne. Usagi realizes her Crystal is the source of all wars and asks Lethe and Mnemosyne to kill her, but the twins are moved by Usagi's sacrifice and let her go to Galaxia. However, Sailor Chi and Sailor Phi, Galaxia's closest servants and leaders of the Animamates, appear and kill Lethe and Mnemosyne with their powers, and take their Sailor Crystals. ChibiChibi shields herself, as well as Usagi and Kakyuu, but cannot protect the Starlights, who are still unconscious in the ground from Lethe's previous attack.
The Starlights die as a result of Sailor Phi and Sailor Chi's attack, and their Sailor Crystals are taken too. Chibiusa and the Sailor Quartet arrive from the future to help. As they make their way to Galactica Palace, Usagi and the others destroy one last Animamate, as well as Phi, Chi, and the eight Solar System Guardians, who are under Galaxia's control; however, Kakyuu is killed in action. Once inside the Palace, the battle between Usagi and Galaxia takes place. Usagi finally meets Chaos, the being who failed to become a star and who has sent incarnations in the forms of Metaria, Wiseman, Pharaoh 90 and Nehelenia to reach Usagi and her Silver Crystal. Galaxia intends Usagi and Chaos to destroy each other so that she alone remains as the most powerful being in the Milky Way, but she is killed by Chaos. ChibiChibi states that the only way to defeat Chaos is to destroy the Cauldron, but Usagi tells her that she will not end the cycle of life of the galaxy and encourages ChibiChibi to never give up. ChibiChibi reveals her true self: Sailor Cosmos, Sailor Moon's ultimate form from a distant future. Usagi uses all her power and throws herself into the Cauldron to seal Chaos. Usagi's courage reminds Cosmos of the strength she needs to keep fighting and Cosmos returns to her own future. Within the Cauldron, Usagi meets Mamoru and her friends, and asks Guardian Cosmos, the guardian of the Cauldron, to send them all back to Earth and their normal lives. The series concludes with Usagi and Mamoru's wedding, while the construction of Crystal Tokyo is taking place.