Sailor Moon Overview

Plot

The series begins with a 14-year-old schoolgirl named Usagi Tsukino befriending Luna, a talking cat who reveals Usagi's identity as Sailor Moon, a magical "pretty soldier in a sailor suit" destined to save Earth from the forces of evil. Luna accompanies Usagi to assemble a team of fellow Sailor Soldiers, find Princess Serenity and the "Legendary Silver Crystal" (Maboroshi no Ginzuishō, lit. "Phantom Silver Crystal"). The journey leads them to the studious Ami Mizuno, who awakens as Sailor Mercury; Rei Hino, a local shrine maiden who awakens as Sailor Mars; Makoto Kino, who awakens as Sailor Jupiter; and Mamoru Chiba, a young man who also assists them as Tuxedo Mask. A young aspiring idol named Minako Aino, who also operates as Sailor Venus, also joins them, accompanied by her feline companion Artemis.

In the first arc, the group battles the Dark Kingdom. Led by Queen Beryl, a team of generals — the Four Kings of Heaven (Shiten'ō, lit. "Four Heavenly Kings") — attempt to find the Silver Crystal to free an imprisoned evil entity called Queen Metaria. Usagi and her team eventually discover that in their previous lives, they were members of the ancient moon kingdom called Silver Millennium. The Dark Kingdom waged war against them, resulting in the moon kingdom's destruction. Its ruler, Queen Serenity, later sent her daughter, Princess Serenity, her guardians, their feline advisers and the princess's true love, Prince Endymion, into the future to be reborn through the power of the Silver Crystal. They also realize that Usagi is the reincarnated Serenity and that Mamoru is Endymion. The Four Kings are single-handedly killed by each of the Soldiers; they are also revealed to have been Endymion's guardians who defected in their past lives. In the final confrontation with the Dark Kingdom, Minako kills Queen Beryl; after she and the other Soldiers sacrifice their lives to no avail, Usagi uses the Silver Crystal to destroy Queen Metaria. She then uses the crystal to resurrect her friends.

Usagi and Mamoru's daughter Chibiusa arrives from the future in search of the Silver Crystal at the beginning of the second arc. As a result, the Soldiers encounter Wiseman and his Black Moon Clan, who are pursuing her. Chibiusa eventually brings the Soldiers to the future city Neo-Tokyo, where her parents rule as Neo-Queen Serenity and King Endymion. Along the way, they meet Sailor Pluto, guardian of the Time-Space Door. She sacrifices her life to prevent the Clan's ruler Prince Demand from destroying the time-space continuum. Chibiusa later awakens as a Soldier — Sailor Chibi Moon — and assists Usagi in killing Wiseman's true form: Death Phantom.

The third arc revolves around a group of lifeforms created by Professor Soichi Tomoe called the Death Busters, seeking to resurrect the entity Pharaoh 90 and kill all life on Earth. Tomoe's daughter Hotaru is possessed by the entity Mistress 9, who must open the dimensional gateway through which Pharaoh 90 must travel. Auto racer Haruka Tenoh and violinist Michiru Kaioh appear as Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune, who guard the outer rim of the Solar System from external threats. They are joined by Setsuna Meioh, Sailor Pluto's reincarnation. After obtaining the Holy Grail and transforming into Super Sailor Moon, Usagi attempts to use the power of the Grail and the Silver Crystal to destroy Pharaoh 90 from within. This causes Hotaru to awaken as Sailor Saturn, who is initially perceived as a threat by Haruka, Michiru and Setsuna. As the harbinger of death, Hotaru uses her power of destruction to sever Pharaoh 90 from the Earth and instructs Setsuna to use her power over time-space to close the dimensional gateway. Usagi (as Serenity) then uses her power to revive the planet.

The next arc subsequently introduces the Dead Moon Circus, led by Queen Nehelenia. The self-proclaimed "rightful ruler" of both Silver Millennium and Earth, Nehelenia first invades Elysion, which hosts the Earth's Golden Kingdom. She captures its High Priest, Helios, then instructs her followers to steal the Silver Crystal. As Prince Endymion, Mamoru is revealed to be the owner of the Golden Crystal, the sacred stone of the Golden Kingdom. When Mamoru and the Soldiers combine their power with the Holy Grail, it enables Usagi to transform into Eternal Sailor Moon and kill Nehelenia. Additionally, four of Nehelenia's henchmen, the Amazoness Quartet, are revealed to actually be Soldiers called the Sailor Quartet, destined to become Chibiusa's guardians; they had been awakened prematurely and corrupted by Nehelenia.

In the final arc, Usagi and her allies are later drawn into a battle against Shadow Galactica, which consists of a group of false Soldiers known as the Sailor Animamates. Sailor Galaxia, the group's leader, plans to steal the Sailor Crystals of the true Soldiers in an attempt to overthrow the galaxy and kill an evil life form known as Chaos. To defeat Galaxia, Usagi travels to the Galaxy Cauldron, joined by the Sailor Starlights, their ruler Princess Kakyuu and the infant Sailor Chibichibi, who came from a distant future. After numerous battles, Sailor Chibichibi revealing her true form as Sailor Cosmos, the death and revival of Usagi's fellow Soldiers — and Galaxia's own death — Usagi destroys Chaos with the Silver Crystal. After returning to Earth, the story concludes with the wedding of Usagi and Mamoru.