Sailor Moon Is Actually Darker Than It Looks

WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Sailor Moon.

Summary

• Sailor Moon manga explores dark themes like suicide and abuse, setting it apart from typical magical girl series.
• Characters in Sailor Moon face tragic deaths and make complicated choices, showing their flaws and complexity.
• The series pushes boundaries with disturbing scenes of abuse and non-consent, adding depth and realism to the characters.

On the surface, Sailor Moon appears to be your average magical girls series, but in reality, it’s so much more than that. The anime touches on dark themes at some points, but it’s the manga that takes it many steps ahead. Naoko Takeuchi’s masterpiece Sailor Moon is full of scenes that involve loss, sacrifice, and tragedy.

Aside from defeating the forces of evil, the sailor scouts are often faced with extremely difficult situations and are forced to make impossible choices. Every version and adaptation of the series has its own comedic and cute moments, but there are also plenty of terrifying and dark elements that often get overlooked.

Manga Moments That Are Truly Terrifying

The Original Source Will Leave You In A Shock

In the Sailor Moon manga, we see many arcs, such as Dark Kingdom, Black Moon, and Infinity, that explore dark themes. The magical girl anime, full of colorful transformations and cute poses, takes on a dark turn as it progresses. Sailor Moon is much different from other titles in the same genre as it is not afraid to show off how flawed the characters are.

None of the protagonists we see are portrayed as typical heroes. The sailor guardians make mistakes and are faced with complicated choices, which is what sets Sailor Moon apart. This is especially apparent in the manga, where Naoko Takeuchi does not shy away from exploring themes like suicide, incest, and abuse.

Themes Of Death And Suicide

In the Sailor Moon manga, death is especially ever-present. Perhaps the most heartbreaking moment was in the Dark Kingdom arc, where Sailor Moon’s past self, Princess Serenity and Mamoru’s past self, Prince Endymion, die in a tragic way. Prince Endymion gets stabbed to death after Queen Metalia influences Queen Beryl. The Moon Kingdom falls after the invasion of the people of Earth, and witnessing all this, Princess Serenity gets heartbroken and ends up taking her own life by falling on a sword.

In the name of the moon, I’ll punish you – Sailor Moon

In the Black Moon arc, we get to witness more death and destruction. The Black Moon Clan is a rebellious group led by Prince Demande against the White Moon Kingdom and Neo Queen Serenity. With the help and influence of another villain called the Wise Man, this clan causes irreparable chaos and destruction in both the past and the future. One of the most notable members of this clan was the four Ayakashi sisters.

They arrive in the present timeline from the future to ensure the Black Moon’s dominance through destruction. The youngest of them, Koan, with her ability to spread fire, attacks a group of nuns, burning them alive. This was just one of the many cruel actions of the black moon clan that resulted in the loss of thousands of lives.

The anime also featured some tragic deaths, Including Sailor Saturn’s sacrifice. Hotaru Tomoe, the Sailor Saturn, is regarded as one of the most powerful sailor guardians and in the Sailor Moon S anime, she is revealed to be a vessel to Mistress 9, who is working with Pharaoh 90 to destroy Earth. Later on, she sacrifices herself in order to stop Pharaoh 90 by using all of the power her weapon, the Silence Glaive, yields. Hotaru gets reborn as a baby after Sailor Moon uses the Silver Crystal, but her sacrifice remains one of the most painful moments in Sailor Moon.

You’ve got meatballs on the sides of your head to go with the spaghetti inside! – Sailor Mercury

We also see the tragic deaths of the Inner Sailor Senshi Sailor Mercury, Sailor Mars, Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Venus, who get killed one by one by the Doom And Gloom Girls in the Dark Kingdom arc. Each of their deaths was painful to watch as they gladly accepted their tragic fate in order to protect Sailor Moon. Thankfully, they were resurrected after Beryl’s defeat.

Abuse And Incest

Takeuchi Is Not Afraid Of Pushing Boundaries

In the infinity arc, we are introduced to Souichi Tomoe, the father of Sailor Saturn, Hotaru Tomoe. The esteemed scientist, while brilliant in his profession, failed as a father. His cruel experiments on his daughter were extremely unsettling to watch. Hotaru was treated no less than just a vessel for Mistress 9 by her father, which led to more emotional turmoil for sailor Saturn.

My father is hurting me… but I can’t escape him. He says it’s for my own good – Sailor Saturn

Next, we have Chibi-Usa and her Electra complex, which was present throughout the show but was toned down as a running joke in the anime. But in the manga, it is actually much more intense. One particular scene where a villainized version of Chibi-Usa and a brainwashed Mamoru share a kiss that garnered a lot of controversy. This happened when the Wise man corrupted Chibi Usa, turning her into a black lady. Keeping in mind that Mamoru is her future father, this scene is perhaps the most disturbing part of the whole series. The black lady’s act of kissing Mamoru in order to torment Usagi was indeed very questionable. This is a testament that Sailor Moon pushes the boundaries outside of the magical girl genre in the way no other 90s anime does.

The Portrayal Of Non Consensual Scenes

It gets a lot worse, as in the black moon arc, where the leader of the clan, Prince Demande, is obsessed with the Neo Queen Serenity. This infatuation with the Neo Queen Serenity and Usagi’s resemblance with her leads Prince Demande to kidnap her and force himself on her, kissing her without consent. This was definitely a very triggering scene for the audience, and the show was criticized for romanticizing sexual assault.

You are the one I desire. You are my future, my queen. I will make you mine – Prince Demande

Another such scene is seen in season 3 of Sailor Moon Crystal in episode 3. This is when Sailor Uranus kisses Sailor Moon at the end of the episode without her consent. While Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune are considered LGBT icons, this scene did not sit right with the audience.

The dark themes lying within the depth of Sailor Moon are what makes it stand out, as it is not afraid of giving us characters who feel more human than ever, given their complicated personalities and the decisions they make. Alongside the grim tones, we also find inspiration and hope from the battles sailor guardians go through and how they persist against forces of evil, even if it means sacrificing themselves.