Who Rebranded Sailor Moon from Soldiers to Pretty Guardians?

Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon 10th Anniversary

Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon 10th Anniversary

When a series has been around for as long as Sailor Moon has, any change to the lore, artwork, or even terminology will invariably give rise to arguments among its fans. “Back in my day…” is probably a refrain many in the Sailor Moon fandom are quite familiar with.

The global rebranding from “Sailor Soldiers” to “Sailor Guardians” was, and continues to be, one such contentious topic among fans. What makes this even more interesting, however, is that at this point our favorite Sailor Senshi have actually been known as “Guardians” for far longer than they ever were branded as “Soldiers.”1

So what gives? Was it simply a change of heart, a retroactive change to the story, or just a matter of legal wrangling?

Today we’re going to take a deeper dive into the Sailor Guardian title and see what we can learn! Grab a cup of coffee and maybe a snack, because we might be here for awhile!

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Were the Sailor Senshi Dating Endymion’s Shitennou?

True love at last? Or something else...?

True love at last? Or something else…?

Broken down to its simplest elements, Sailor Moon is the story of a bizarrely talented totally ordinary junior high school girl who is actually the reincarnation of a princess from a long-forgotten space kingdom fighting against the forces of evil in defense of truth and love.

Though this isn’t in itself noteworthy, what is surprising is just how unlucky in love everyone else in the series tends to be. After all, outside of Haruka and Michiru’s relationship, none of the other main cast members are ever really paired off with a romantic partner.1

… except that’s not entirely true.

Today we’re going to talk about the surprisingly controversial relationship between the Sailor Senshi and the Shitennou, from its inception to where it stands in Sailor Moon canon. Whether you love it or hate the pairing, there’s something interesting to learn for everyone!

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Are the Outer Sailor Senshi More Powerful than the Inners?

Now girls, no need to fight...

Now girls, no need to fight…

As odd as it may sound, some of my favorite questions to answer on this blog are the ones that seem so obvious that they aren’t even worth asking. Take, for example, the fact that the Outer Senshi are much more powerful than their Inner counterparts. Done deal, right?

Well, kinda.

Taken in context of Sailor Moon, it’s a fair argument to make. Though, when you try to scratch below the surface, it quickly becomes apparent that there are never any specific references to back this up.

What do we mean by “more powerful”? Is this true throughout the entire series, or just when the Outers first appear? And how do the Sailor Soldiers stack up against each other, anyway?

Today we’re going to take a closer look at this issue and see if we can finally answer these questions once and for all!

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Are Phobos and Deimos Sailor Soldiers in Training?

Sailor Mars with Phobos and Deimos in the background

Sailor Mars with Phobos and Deimos in the background

From the moment that Phobos and Deimos first appeared in the series, I think that many fans got the sense that there was probably something deeper lurking within Rei’s bird companions. They had Mars-themed names, after all, and time and again we would find ourselves introduced to talking cats throughout Sailor Moon‘s run. So why not talking birds?

And yet, it took four long years before we ever learned any more about them… in the manga, at least.

Who are Phobos and Deimos really? What is their role in the series? And is it true that they’re also Sailor Soldiers in training?

Stick around, because today we’ll be taking a look at these questions and more as we discuss Sailor Mars’ feathered companions!

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What Do the Lines on the Sailor Senshi’s Collars Signify?

One of these things is not like the other...

One of these things is not like the other…

If you’re anything like me – and I’m not really sure if that’d be a good thing or a bad thing – it’s entirely possible that you didn’t even notice that there was a difference in the lines in the collar on each of the Sailor Soldiers’ uniforms. In fact, I didn’t even really notice until multiple years after I first became acquainted with Sailor Moon, and that’s only because someone pointed it out.

Today, we’re going to take a deeper look at one of the smaller details on the uniforms worn by our favorite sailor-suited soldiers of love and justice. I hope you join along!

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