The Sailor Guardians from Sailor Moon are some of the most recognizable magical girls in all anime. Each one of them has distinct personalities and designs that make them instantly recognizable to most anime fans. However, most people forget that the versions of the Sailor Guardians most are familiar with aren’t the first versions of the team. The original incarnations of the Guardians mostly looked the same but had far different roles than their current incarnations.
The original version of the Sailor Guardians operated during the time of the Silver Millenium. Most of the Guardians served under Queen Serenity, and each of them had a duty to protect the Moon Kingdom against invading threats. While fans of Sailor Moon are still aware of their existence, the original Guardians still receive little attention. However, understanding the history behind the original Guardians and the full impact of their actions is vital to understanding the threats in Sailor Moon‘s various arcs.
The Inner Guardians Valiantly Defended the Moon Kingdom
Each of the Guardians Were Closely Connected to Queen Serenity
The Inner Sailor Guardians protected the Moon Kingdom, being the personal protectors of Queen Serenity. Their leader was Sailor Venus, and each Guardian presided over the planet they were named after. The Guardians would all choose to live on the Moon, mainly to watch over their kingdom’s queen and princess.
Each of the Guardians still has the same personalities most fans know them for. Sailor Mercury is still the most analytical of the Guardians. Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Mars both wield powers over lightning and fire. Venus is the most different between the incarnations, however. The original version of Venus was dedicated to protecting her princess and would do anything to ensure her safety.
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Her present incarnation is far more carefree by comparison. Artemis constantly needs to remind Minako to study for tests, and she’s always chasing after love interests when she isn’t fighting monsters. However, the Dream Arc still clarifies that Minako feels insecure about failing her duties as the original leader of the Guardians. She even acts as a body double to Usagi early in the series, trying to throw off the Dark Kingdom from tracking her whereabouts.
All the Inner Guardians would dutifully serve Princess Serenity in the Silver Millenium. However, it wasn’t long for several threats to come along that exhausted them. Curses from Queen Nehelenia and attacks from the Dark Kingdom would eventually overwhelm the Inner Guardians. It wasn’t until Queen Serenity allowed them to be reincarnated into present-day Japan that any of them would lead normal lives.
Pluto, Neptune, and Uranus Defended the Moon Against Distant Threats
The Three Outer Guardians Kept Their Distance From the Moon Kingdom
The Original Outer Guardians were Sailor Pluto, Neptune, and Uranus. Instead of protecting the Moon Kingdom and its rulers like the Inner Guardians, the Outers would monitor their respective planets. If the three saw any threats that might threaten the kingdom’s safety, they would seek and destroy them. These roles would usually isolate the Outer Guardians from their other Guardian peers and the people of the Moon Kingdom. But for them, it was all worth it if it meant protecting their home.
Each Outer Guardian has a special talisman that grants them unique abilities. Sailor Uranus wields the Space Sword, which can cleave powerful monsters in two with a single strike. Neptune possesses the Deep Aqua Mirror, allowing her to target an enemy’s location and create defensive barriers. Lastly, the Garnet Orb that Pluto uses is channeled into her rod to devastate enemies with waves of purple energy.
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The Talismans aren’t just to help the Outer Guardians defeat enemies. When their powers are combined, the talismans grant the Outer Guardians the ability to summon the Holy Grail. The Grail is a powerful artifact that’s used to help Usagi become Super Sailor Moon in the Infinity arc. Interestingly, Chibi-Usa is the first person to mention the overwhelming power the Grail grants her mother, suggesting it was used in the future she hails from.
The Talismans and the Outer Guardians serve another crucial purpose outside their duties. Near the end of the Silver Millenium, the Dark Kingdom would destroy the Moon Kingdom in an invasion. This caused the Outer Guardians’ talismans to resonate together. The resonance would awaken the final Sailor Guardian from this period, Sailor Saturn.
Sailor Saturn’s Awakening Heralds the Death & Rebirth of All Life
The Final Sailor Guardian to be Awakened Resets the Entire Universe
Sailor Saturn’s awakening is a pivotal event in the series, for better or worse. Sailor Saturn is the Sailor Guardian that represents death and rebirth, and many fear her ability to herald the former rather than the latter. Upon her first awakening, a simple swing of her silence was all it took to end all life in the universe and completely reset it. While all the Guardians could reincarnate into a new timeline, the Outer Guardians still feared what Saturn’s abilities could do if she were to awaken again.
In Sailor Moon‘s Infinity arc, the Sailor Guardians were split on what to do once Hotaru was revealed to be Sailor Saturn’s reincarnation. The Outer Guardians feared her power to destroy life, while the Inner Guardians only wanted to preserve the life of Hotaru. Despite both parties’ efforts, Sailor Saturn is reawakened anyway and is crucial to defeating the Death Busters. Sailor Saturn then becomes a crucial ally, helping the other Outer Guardians reawaken their powers during the Dream arc. Despite her destructive abilities, Saturn’s actions set the stage for the Inner Guardians to finally defeat their greatest enemies.
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The Moon Kingdom’s Collapse Triggers the Reincarnation of All the Guardians
The Dark Kingdom’s Takeover Only Signals the Beginning of a Longer Struggle
Sailor Saturn may have been the one to reset the universe, but Queen Beryl and the forces of the Dark Kingdom truly triggered the beginning of the end. Beryl’s hostile takeover and destruction of the Moon Kingdom signaled the end of the Silver Millenium’s era of peace. Initially, Beryl’s revolt was done out of jealousy of Prince Endiymon, not requiring her love for him and instead choosing to be with Princess Serenity. Little did Beryl know that her actions would have long-lasting consequences.
Beryl got the upper hand in the short term. Her revolt against the Moon Kingdom was a success and shattered the prosperity that the kingdom had experienced until then. However, she didn’t expect that Queen Serenity would give her life to seal the Dark Kingdom away. Serenity’s sacrifice would lead to Saturn’s awakening and the rebirth of the universe that comes with it. Ironically, this means that Beryl’s revolt is the main reason the Sailor Guardians can repel so many threats to Earth in the modern day. Without it, it’s difficult to say what the series would be like.
- Release Date
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2014 – 2020
- Network
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Tokyo MX, Niconico
- Directors
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Chiaki Kon
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Kotono Mitsuishi
Usagi Tsukino / Sailor Moon (voice)
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Hisako Kanemoto
Ami Mizuno / Sailor Mercury (voice)
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Rina Sato
Rei Hino / Sailor Mars (voice)
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Ami Koshimizu
Makoto Kino / Sailor Jupiter (voice)
