Usagi Tsukino

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Sailor Moon character

Sailor Moon
Name:	Usagi Tsukino(月野うさぎ[1])
English:	Serena/Bunny Tsukino
Birthday:	June 30 (Cancer)[1]
Age range:	14-16[2]
Aliases:	Princess Serenity, Neo-Queen Serenity, The Messiah, Sovereign of Earth
Affiliations:	Sailor Team
Powers:	Attacks related to light and love. Healing abilities.
Debut:
(Manga)	Act 1
(Anime)	Episode 1
(Live-action)	Act 1
Performers:	(See below)

Usagi Tsukino (月野うさぎ, Tsukino Usagi^?) is the protagonist and title character of the metaseries known as Sailor Moon. In the English anime she is known as Serena Tsukino, and in the English manga she is called Bunny Tsukino (which is the literal meaning of usagi).

Due to the series' widespread broadcast in many countries, as well as her distinctive and oft-copied odango hairstyle (a.k.a. "spaghetti and meatballs" ), she is one of the most immediately recognizable and iconic anime characters worldwide. She is the only character to appear in all 200 episodes of the anime. She is also in all 52 acts of the manga, and all 51 acts of the live-action series.

Contents 1 Sailor Moon 2 Profile 3 Other forms 3.1 Princess Serenity 3.2 Neo-Queen Serenity 3.2.1 Princess Sailor Moon 3.3 Eternal Sailor Moon 4 Statistics 5 Senshi powers 5.1 Transformations 5.2 Attacks 5.2.1 Series 1: Sailor Moon / PGSM 5.2.2 Series 2: Sailor Moon R 5.2.3 Series 3: Sailor Moon S 5.2.4 Series 4: Sailor Moon SuperS 5.2.5 Series 5: Sailor Moon Sailor Stars 6 Variations 7 Actresses 8 Music 8.1 Anime 8.2 Musicals 8.3 Live Action 9 See also 10 References

[edit] Sailor Moon

As Sailor Moon, she is the de jure leader of the group known as the Sailor Senshi. Her attack names center around the moon, love, mystery and light. She starts out as a frightened, reluctant girl, but gradually comes to accept who she is. She starts out being the weakest soldier but then becomes the most powerful Senshi in the Sailor Moon universe, but her capacity for caring about other people is frequently shown to be more powerful still. Her Senshi uniform, which takes three distinct forms throughout the series, is generally colored in red, blue, yellow, and pink. She also wears knee-length boots and ornaments in her hair, with a motif of small crescent moons on various parts of her uniform.

[edit] Profile

Usagi Tsukino lives as a schoolgirl in 20th century Tokyo. As the story begins, she is a well-intentioned but underachieving crybaby who prefers the life of a normal teenaged Earth girl. However, she continues to fight the evils of her past life and protects the Earth with the Silver Crystal, as the Champion of Justice, Sailor Moon.

Her journey begins when, while running to school, she sees some neighborhood kids abusing a cat and rescues it. Later, the cat reveals herself as a talking cat named Luna, gives her a magical brooch which helps her transform into the "soldier for love and justice", Sailor Moon and tells her that she is the chosen one to fight for the moon. She also tells her that she must find the rest of the chosen ones to help her fight for justice. Though at first she is a "reluctant heroine" (she often is rescued by Tuxedo Mask) as time goes on she grows more confident and mature because of the love of her friends. However, she still has her "crybaby" moments late into the metaseries.

Usagi lives in Azabu Jūban (which is a real district of Tokyo) with her mother Ikuko Tsukino, her father Kenji Tsukino, and her brother Shingo Tsukino. Usagi's family is named after the family members of the metaseries' creator, Naoko Takeuchi's real family. ^[3] Out of the Sailor Senshi, Usagi and Minako Aino are the only characters with a conventional nuclear family. Usagi is also the only one known to have a sibling.

She is a poor student, and often comes off as dumb (especially in the anime), though this is generally played off as being due to naïveté and laziness rather than actual stupidity. This is because she spends her time eating, playing video games and reading comics rather than studying. She is often portrayed as a character that is better at art than science.

Usagi's boyfriend is Mamoru Chiba. Mamoru and Usagi's relationship is a large part of Usagi's life. The love they share helps Usagi make it through many challenges. Mamoru becomes Usagi's boyfriend after many trials and they date for a long time during the series. Mamoru proposes to Usagi at an airport, and they ultimately get married.

One of the biggest secrets about Sailor Moon is revealed in a number of connecting episodes in the end of the first series, when she realizes that she is Princess Serenity (the "crown princess" of the Silver Millennium) reborn. In the second series, Usagi learns that she will give birth to a daughter by her boyfriend and future husband Mamoru Chiba (Chibiusa), and Usagi will become a "sovereign of the Earth," known as Neo-Queen Serenity, by the 30th century.

Usagi's name is a pun on the phrase "the rabbit of the moon" (月の兎 tsuki no usagi). This derives from a Japanese children's story about the rabbit that is said to be visible in the Moon's face, much like the Western Man in the Moon.

The manga translation, which otherwise uses the standard American names for the five Inner Senshi, gives her the nickname Bunny to partially preserve the pun; many other localizations, such as the German, Polish, and Spanish versions give her name as "Bunny" in both the anime and manga.

Similarly for the Anime dub, "Serena" is probably at least in part a play on the word Selene, a moon goddess in Greek mythology who fell in love with a shepherd named Endymion. It also derives from the name of the moon princess, which is alternately either "Selenity" (from Selene) or "Serenity" (from the Sea of Serenity on the moon), both of which would be rendered in Japanese as /seɺeneti/.

(In an early DiC promotional tape that advertised Sailor Moon to television stations, Usagi was called Victoria. ^[4]Another preliminary name, that appeared on Kodansha's English website in an advertisement for the series, was said to be Celeste.^{[citation needed]})

[edit] Other forms

As a character with different incarnations, special powers, transformations and a long lifetime virtually spanned between the Silver Millennium era and the 30th century, Usagi gains multiple aspects and aliases such as Princess Serenity, Sailor Moon, Super Sailor Moon, Eternal Sailor Moon, and Neo-Queen Serenity.

[edit] Princess Serenity

Princess Serenity (プリンセス・セレニティ, Princess Serenity^?) lived in the Moon Kingdom during the age of the Silver Millennium. She was the daughter of Queen Serenity, who ruled the Silver Millennium and watched over the Earth. Princess Serenity's guardians and closest friends were Sailor Mercury, Sailor Mars, Sailor Jupiter, and Sailor Venus, who lived on the moon with her.

Princess Serenity often explored Earth to see real greenery, even though it had been forbidden (manga Act 10). On one of her visits, she met the crown prince of the Earth, Endymion, and they fell in love.

During the attack which caused the Moon Kingdom's downfall, Prince Endymion died protecting Serenity. In her grief, she commited suicide at his side. Her mother, the Queen, was able to seal away the evil which had inspired the attack, but everyone involved was killed. Before her own death, the Queen used the Mystical Silver Crystal to give her daughter and others another chance at life, hoping in particular that, this time, Serenity and Endymion could find happiness together.

Eventually, Serenity was reincarnated as Usagi Tsukino in the 20th century. Usagi occasionally takes the form of Princess Serenity during the metaseries, often at climactic moments when more strength is needed than Sailor Moon can access.

In the DiC English dub, Princess Serenity is known as Princess Serena.

[edit] Neo-Queen Serenity

After certain, yet unknown, events unfold, Usagi is given the title "Sovereign of Earth" and becomes Queen of the planet by the 30th century. Mamoru becomes King Endymion alongside her. This incarnation is shown to be more mature than the present day Usagi, though she still has her moments—in Episode 104, Chibiusa gives the Senshi a letter from the future, in which the Queen asks them to train her--the letter is simplistic and contains almost no kanji. Also, in Episode 146, Diana says that the king and queen play sick to get out of things. Neo-Queen Serenity is probably Usagi's most powerful form, though it is unknown whether she can become Sailor Moon anymore. This is also the form that Chibiusa identifies as her mother.

[edit] Princess Sailor Moon

In PGSM, Sailor Moon and Princess Serenity were separate entities. Princess Sailor Moon was actually introduced when Sailor Moon was "possessed" by the spirit of her former self. Her appearance was a mix between that of Sailor Moon and and that of Princess Serenity. Twisted by the loss of Endymion, Princess Sailor Moon states to Usagi during inner dialogue that she has no qualms about destroying Earth if Endymion was ever taken from her again. She later summons demons to fight her friends, all bearing moon-shaped signs similar to hers.

Princess Sailor Moon later went on to be a major plot point, often showing Usagi trying to suppress her power in fear that she would eventually destroy the world. Her internal conflict would be the major conflict for the rest of the series.

See also: Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon#Princess Sailor Moon

[edit] Eternal Sailor Moon

Eternal Sailor Moon is a title that is received by Sailor Moon at the end of the fourth major story arc (Dream in the manga; the first part of Sailor Stars in the anime). In the anime Sailor Stars, Eternal Sailor Moon has a radically different transformation sequence and ending pose. Her uniform has been drastically altered; her gloves have increased in length as to cover her entire arm, and the design of her boots is different as well. In addition, she has also grown wings on her back. However, these are ornamental in their appearance as they don't actually enable her to fly. Her tiara is omitted, exposing a crescent moon symbol on her forehead. In the manga, Diana said that this incarnation is as powerful as Neo Queen Serenity.

In the manga, Eternal Sailor Moon uses the Silver Moon Crystal which is an evolved form of the Maboroshi no Ginzuishou (Original Volume 15, Act 41) to do her attacks. In the anime it's less clear if the crystal she is using is still called the Maboroshi no Ginzuishou (Illusion/Mystical Silver Crystal) in Sailor Stars. The names of the attacks are congruent with the manga which uses the name of the new crystal, but the crystal is not clearly given a new name.

[edit] Statistics

• Blood Type: O^[1]
• Favorite colors: White and pink^[1]
• Hobbies: Eating cake (manga)^[1]
• Favorite food: cake (manga)^[1] Ice cream (anime)
• Least favorite food: Carrots^[1]
• Favorite subject: Home Economics^[1]
• Worst subject: Math, English
• Has trouble with: dentists and ghosts^[1] thunder and lightning
• Strong point: brown nosing, crying^[1]
• Dream: To be a bride^[1]
• Soldier title: Soldier of Mystery^[5], Soldier of Love and Justice
• Element: Moon
• Height: 150 cm / 4'11"^[6]
• Favorite animals: Rabbit^[7]
• Image gemstone: Diamond^[8]
• School club: Manga Drawing Club^[9]

[edit] Senshi powers

[edit] Transformations

(Note: In the English dub, she transforms without saying "Make-up" at the end.)

• Moon Prism Power, Make-up! — Used to transform into Sailor Moon in the Dark Kingdom saga. .
• Moon Power! — Used with the Disguise Pen to change forms. Adds the phrase ni nare in the anime. Called Disguise Power in the English dub.
• Moon Crystal Power, Make-up! — Used to transform into Sailor Moon in the Makaiju and Black Moon sagas. In three episodes of the English version, the phrase Moon Star Power was used instead.
• Moon Cosmic Power, Make-up! — Used to transform into Sailor Moon in the Infinite saga.
• Crisis, Make-up! — Used to transform into Super Sailor Moon in the Infinite saga. She does this by using the holy grail. In the English anime, she says Moon Crisis Power! or Moon Crisis Power Transform!
• Moon Crisis, Make-up! — Used to transform into Super Sailor Moon in the Dreams saga. In the anime, she transforms together with Sailor Chibi Moon. The English dub uses the phrase Moon Cosmic Dream Action (or Super Moon Crisis Power in the dubbed version of the SuperS movie).
• Silver Moon Crystal Power, Make-Up! — The transformation phrase in the manga, used to transform into Eternal Sailor Moon in STARS saga.
• Moon Eternal, Make-Up! — The transformation phrase in the anime series Sailor Stars (and also her first transformation of equivalent manga arcs). It is used to transform into Eternal Sailor Moon.

Most of Usagi's anime transformations involve the use of shiny red or pink ribbons that form the leotard, boots, and gloves. These ribbons come out of her brooch. When her detransformation is shown (such as in Episode 90), these ribbons unravel from around her body and go back into the brooch, leaving her in the clothes she was wearing before she transformed. The one exception is her transformation to Eternal Sailor Moon, in which feathers are substituted for the ribbons. (Feathers and wings also figure briefly in other transformations.)

[edit] Attacks

[edit] Series 1: Sailor Moon / PGSM

• Moon Frisbee — Sailor Moon uses her tiara as a frisbee to attack the opponent. In the anime, this is called Moon Tiara Action, and in English is called Moon Tiara Magic (Moon Tiara Vaporize in one episode). This attack is used extensively during the first series, but rarely used afterwards, and then mostly as a tool rather than an attack. In episode 184, she even uses a pizza for this attack, because she does not have a tiara as Eternal Sailor Moon, so it is assumed she can no longer use it.
• Chou Onpa (超音波, chō onpa^?, "super sound waves") — Sailor Moon uses her hairpieces to amplify sound. This attack does not have a name in the anime.
• Moon Tiara Stardust — An anime-only attack which is a variation of Moon Tiara Action, but instead of attacking the enemy it would circle over them and shed purifying dust over them. Only used once in episode 5, thus was never shown in the English dub as the episode was cut.
• Moon Tiara Boomerang — A PGSM attack, also the attack used at the very beginning of the Japanese manga series.
• Sailor Moon Kick — Sailor Moon jumps and kicks. Sometimes used by Usagi when she is not transformed, to kick doors/siblings. Later used as a dual attack with Sailor ChibiMoon.
• Moon Twilight Flash — In manga, causes a bright light to flash from her second tiara. In the live action, she uses her Moon Stick for this attack.
• Moon Healing Escalation — Used in combination with the Moon Stick/Crescent Moon Wand to turn people possessed by the Dark Kingdom into their original forms. Once she acquires the Silver Crystal this attack is powered up. In the Japanese anime, it causes the monster to yell "Refresh!" before returning to normal. In the English anime, the attack is called Moon Healing Activation, and occassionaly Cosmic Moon Power when Sailor Moon uses the Crystal to attack enemies.
• Unnamed beam attack — Used in PGSM to break down a barrier along side the other Senshi. Used in Act 16.
• Unnamed healing move — Used occasionally in PGSM to restore energy to those who have had theirs drained, whether by youma or otherwise. She can do this either with the Moon Stick or without, depending on how many people are hurt or how badly they need healing. This power first appears in Act 16 with the Moon Stick, and Act 18 without.

[edit] Series 2: Sailor Moon R

• Moon Princess Halation — Used in combination with the Cutie Moon Rod to attack enemies. It is called Moon Scepter Elimination or Moon Scepter Activation in the English television series, and Moon Princess Elimination in the dubbed movie and various subtitled episodes. The attack causes the Cardians to yell "Cleansing!" before transforming back into cards.
• Moon Crystal Power — This is not really an attack, as it is only used to transform the Ayakashi Sisters into normal women. It causes them to say 'Refresh!' in a more pleasant tone than when 'healing' a monster. It simply involves holding up the Crystal Compact, and uses the same animation as the start of Moon Crystal Power Make-Up, albeit with a gloved hand instead of a bare hand. In the dub this is referred to as Moon Crystal Healing Activation and Moon Crystal Healing Power.
• Sailor Moon Body Attack — Sailor Moon slams her body against her opponent. Used only in Episode 61.

[edit] Series 3: Sailor Moon S

• Moon Spiral Heart Attack — Used with the Spiral Heart Moon Rod to attack enemies. In the anime (original Japanese), it usually causes the monster to yell "Lovely!" before returning to normal.
• Double Sailor Moon Kick! — A physical attack combo with Sailor Chibi Moon, unsuccessfully attempted in episode 107.
• Rainbow Moon Heart Ache — An upgrade of the above attack that can only be used as Super Sailor Moon. It causes the monster to yell "Love-lovely!" In the English version of "Sailor Moon S: The Movie", it was called Rainbow Moon Heartache Reform.
• Rainbow Double Moon Heart Ache — A manga-only attack used by Sailor Moon and Sailor Chibi Moon.

[edit] Series 4: Sailor Moon SuperS

• Moon Gorgeous Meditation — In the manga, this was an attack used by Sailor Moon and Sailor Chibi Moon. In the anime (SuperS), Chibi Moon would summon Pegasus after which Sailor Moon would use this attack. The lemures ("monster-of-the-day" for this series) would scream "Stage out!" before being destroyed by rainbow light-flashing, shattered mirrors rapidly fired at their direction from Super Sailor Moon's Kaleido Moon Scope. In the SuperS movie, both Moon and Chibi Moon used this attack to kill Badiane, who had merged with her Black Dream Hole. In the SuperS dub, it was referred to as Moon Super Moon Target, in the first episode and Super Moon Target in the second episode.

[edit] Series 5: Sailor Moon Sailor Stars

• Starlight Honeymoon Therapy Kiss — Her first attack as Eternal Sailor Moon. In the manga, it is used to defeat Queen Nehellenia. In the anime, she uses it to return phage to their original forms (they yell "Beautiful!" before returning to normal).
• Silver Moon Crystal Power Therapy Kiss — In the manga, Eternal Sailor Moon uses this attack to destroy the zombified Sailor Soldiers.
• Silver Moon Crystal Power Kiss — In the anime only, this is an upgraded version of "Starlight Honeymoon Therapy Kiss," the result of Chibichibi lending Eternal Sailor Moon additional power. It is used to return phage to their original forms (they still yell "Beautiful!").
• Silver Moon Crystal Eternal Power — A manga-only attack that destroys Chaos.

[edit] Variations

Usagi in the series is often inconsistent from version to version. In the manga, while she starts out as a crybaby, she quickly matures and learns to make decisions for herself.^[10][11] She is often portrayed as just lazy rather than lacking intelligence as was shown when she passed her high school exams without trouble and was threatened with being separated from her friends.^[12] However the anime often portrays her as more flaky and not as serious. She often bickers with Chibiusa, begs Mamoru to buy her things, but is equally caring as her manga counterpart. She does evolve during the course of the series, but it lacks the adult maturity that Usagi of the manga gains.^[11] Lastly, the dubbed version made Serena more of a ditz than Usagi--airheaded and often annoying. The script for the dub was changed to reflect this change such as Serena saying in episode #103, "Hi, you look like da bomb in those kimonos", which is explicitly trying to emulate a stereotypical valley girl dialect. In contrast, in the following episode, Neo-Queen Serenity talks without this pseudo-valley girl dialect, showing this was intentional.^[13] She whined far more than she did in the original anime version. This altered the perception many fans had of ther character.^[13]

Usagi in the live-action series is a rather different person than both her manga or anime counterparts. She is much more outgoing and extroverted, and seems to make friends very easily, which immediately puts her personality in conflict with her fellow Senshi, all of whom are loners to varying degrees. She rarely uses formal grammar with those of her age (of course she does use it with adults), and refers to everyone as [given name]-chan, which is a very informal way of speaking, reflecting her outgoing nature. She even teases Ami when Ami continues calling her Tsukino-san, a formal way of speaking to classmates, saying that it's as if they aren't friends. Rei herself comments that Usagi "calls everyone by their [first] name." Every time a new senshi appears, Usagi immediately tries to make them her friend, even though almost all of them resist. However, through Usagi's influence, the other senshi begin to realize that they are stronger together than they are alone.

[edit] Actresses

• In the Japanese animated version, Usagi is played by Kotono Mitsuishi. While she had her appendix removed during the final episodes of series one, Kae Araki played her character. ^[14]
• In the English dubbed version, Serena is played by Tracey Moore (episodes 1-11, 15 and 21), Terri Hawkes (episodes 12, 14-20, 22-82, and movies) and Linda Ballantyne (episodes 90-166). ^[15]
• In the musical version, Usagi has been played by four actresses: Anza Oyama, Fumina Hara, Miyuki Kanbe, and Marina Kuroki.
• In Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Usagi is played by Miyū Sawai. ^[16]

[edit] Music

[edit] Anime

• "Yume Miru Dakeja Dame" (Don't Just Dream) - First Series image song for the anime, sung by Kotono Mitsuishi.^[17]
• "Ai no Enaji" (Love Energy) - Second series image song, sung by Kotono Mitsuishi.^[17]
• "I am Sailor Moon" - Performed by Kotono Mitsuishi, was also later performed by Peach Hips for the R movie.^[17]
• "Ai wo Shinjiteru" (I Believe In Love) - The image song for Sailor Stars, sung by Kotono Mitsuishi.^[17]
• "You're Just My Love" - Done for a short drama named In Another Dream, performed by Kotono Mitsushi and Tōru Furuya.^[17]

[edit] Musicals

• "The Last Change" - Sailor Moon's character song in the musicals, first performed by Miyuki Kanbe in Translvania no Mori.

[edit] Live Action

• "Over Rainbow Tour" - PGSM song, sung by Miyū Sawai.^[18]
• "Here We Go" - PGSM character song, sung by Miyū Sawai.^[18]

[edit] See also

• Moon
• Selene
• Sailor Cosmos

[edit] References

Sailor Moon series v • d • e
Codename: Sailor V | Manga | Anime | Episode list | English adaptations | Musicals | Video games | Live action Actors | Story locations | Sailor Moon R movie | Sailor Moon S movie | Sailor Moon SuperS movie | Parallel Sailor Moon
Protagonists (including Sailor Senshi) Usagi Tsukino | Chibiusa | Mamoru Chiba Ami Mizuno | Rei Hino | Makoto Kino | Minako Aino Setsuna Meioh | Michiru Kaioh | Haruka Tenoh | Hotaru Tomoe Luna | Artemis | Diana | ChibiChibi | Sailor Starlights Princess Kakyuu | Queen Serenity | Sailor Cosmos Supporting cast Tsukino Family | Other humans | Other	Antagonists Dark Kingdom | (Shitennou/Generals) Makaiju Aliens Black Moon Clan | (Ayakashi Sisters) Death Busters | (Witches 5) Dead Moon Circus | (Amazon Trio | Amazoness Quartet) Shadow Galactica | (Sailor Galaxia | Sailor Animamates) Chaos