In the Name of the Moon, She’ll Entertain You! The 10 Best Episodes of ‘Sailor Moon’ (2024)

"A Handsome Boy? Haruka Tenoh's Secret" (“S,” Season 3, Episode 92)

“Sailor Moon S” introduced a bounty of new Sailor Soldiers, the most notable being Sailor Uranus and Neptune, two of the earliest and most famous queer characters in anime history. The episode that properly introduces them is one of the best comedy episodes of the series, with Usagi and Minako mistaking Uranus’ civilian form Haruka for a boy and making fools out of themselves as they go gaga over her, compete for her affections, and stalk Neptune (aka Michiru) in an attempt to figure out the nature of the relationship between the two. But in addition to just being a ton of fun, the episode also teases out the storylines of the season, as we witness the power Uranus and Neptune possess and get a hint at the rivalry that forms between them and the main cast of Sailor Guardians. Also, the girls fight a Daimon monster that’s essentially a naked woman inside the shell of a Formula One car, which is the show at perhaps its absolute campiest.

"The Dark Queen: Birth of Black Lady" (“R,” Season 2, Episode 85)

“Sailor Moon” fans have mixed feelings about Chibiusa, Usagi’s daughter from the future who travels back in time and inserts herself into her mother’s teenage life. For some, she’s a likable and funny addition of the cast; to others, she’s grating and insufferable. But at her best, Chibiusa’s relationship with her parents raises the stakes of the show exponentially, and nowhere is that more clear than in “The Dark Queen,” when she’s brainwashed by the season’s main villain Death Phantom and has her memories distorted into believing her mother hates her. Transformed into the evil Black Lady, Chibiusa’s confrontation with Usagi and her team is one of the more emotionally fraught fights in the show, as they try desperately to snap her out of her conditioning. Usagi’s nearly successful attempt to return Chibiusa to normal is heartbreaking when it fails, and leads perfectly into the great endgame for the show’s second season.

"Death of the Sailor Guardians: The Tragic Final Battle "(Season 1, Episode 45)

“Sailor Moon” is a mostly optimistic show, but it can go to dark places, and the series really takes off its kids gloves for the first part of its two-part season finale. The Guardians make their way to the Dark Kingdom headquarters in an effort to end their war once and for all, only to be confronted by the DD Girls, easily the most powerful enemies they’ve encountered to date. One by one, all of them end up laying down the line and sacrificing themselves so that Usagi can defeat Queen Beryl. The Guardians end up getting revived at the end of the next episode, but it’s still a genuinely upsetting sequence, and a huge moment for Usagi that finally forces her to grow up. The episode doesn’t just run off of shock value though; it effectively packs in a ton of character moments for all of the girls, from the meek Ami standing her ground to the often prickly Rei finally reaffirming her friendship with Usagi, that demonstrates how close this group has grown as a team over the course of the first story arc.

"A New Transformation: Usagi’s Power-Up" (“R,” Season 2, Episode 51)

Naoko Takeuchi originally intended for “Sailor Moon” to be a short manga that concluded after the initial story arc, extending it only after it exploded in popularity. As a result, the anime team needed to create a short anime-original arc to open the second season. Luckily, the arc, about a pair of aliens that land on earth in an energy sucking tree, absolutely rules, and provides great moments of character development for the whole cast. This episode in particular is vital for Usagi, as she’s finally forced to acknowledge how what she went through during the conclusion of the first season has affected her in order to save her friends from an attack. Queen Serenity, her mother from her past life, rewards her for her growth by upgrading her equipment, giving her a stronger wand and a new transformation brooch, complete with a new transformation sequence. Many episodes in the show are centered around the main characters getting a power-up of some kind, but few are able to ground the development in genuine emotional stakes as well as this one.

"For Love: the Endless Battle in the Dark World" (“Stars,” Season 5, Episode 171)

“Sailor Moon SuperS” is easily the worst season of the show, but it contained perhaps its best villain in the form of Nehelenia, a deliciously evil queen modeled after every fairy tale villain in the book. She was such a great villain that the anime gave her an amazing six-episode arc at the beginning of the final season modeled after the classic “Snow Queen” fable. Released from the mirror that imprisoned her at the end of “SuperS,” Nehelenia rains down broken dream mirror fragments onto earth that fall into people’s’ eyes and hypnotizes them. Determined to defeat her, the girls venture into the mirror world, only to be separated from each other and forced to battle nightmarish visions. This episode features the bulk of these battles, and they are all among the best action setpieces in the show, particularly the rickety bridge fight that pits Pluto and Venus against a horde of monsters made of glass. And the climax, in which Sailor Jupiter desperately tries to defend a hypnotized and incapacitated Usagi alone, is one of the most tense and nail-biting moments in all five seasons.

"The Death of Uranus and Neptune: The Talisman Appears" (“S,” Season 3, Episode 110)

“Sailor Moon” often operates on the highest level of melodrama in order to evoke a reaction from its audience. A case in point is this episode, in which Uranus and Neptune receive a threatening message from Death Buster Eudial telling them to confront her and respond by meeting with Usagi, dramatically stealing her transformation brooch and board a helicopter to fight Eudial in a secret castle on the sea. There, Eudial captures Neptune and detains her while playing a menacing song on an organ. On paper, it sounds over-the-top, and it is, but the episode fully commits to the emotion of the characters in a way that makes the situation riveting, and when the episode ends with Neptune and Uranus seemingly dead and Usagi distraught, genuinely heartbreaking.

"The Shining Silver Crystal: The Moon Princess Appears" (Season 1, Episode 34)

The first season of “Sailor Moon” is perfectly enjoyable, but it can be more than a little slow. The show takes its sweet time to introduce the mythology of the world and the rest of the Sailor Guardian team, instead padding out the mammoth 46 episode count with samey monster-of-the-week episodes. The show really gets going when Sailor Venus joins the team in Episode 33, and the first great episode happens right after. “The Shining Silver Crystal” sees Zoisite, a general underneath the evil Queen Beryl, kidnap Usagi and her love-interest Mamoru, in a bid to collect the rainbow crystals and obtain the legendary silver crystal the Dark Kingdom has spent half the season chasing. The ensuing battle sees Mamoru and Usagi reveal their secret identities as Tuxedo Mask and Sailor Moon to each other, Tuxedo Mask dying, and ends with the bombshell reveal that Usagi is the reincarnation of the legendary princess the Guardians have been looking for. It’s a well-paced, action-packed episode that also has some room for a quiet, contemplative, romantic moment between Usagi and Mamoru that successfully molds the previously bickering pair into a romance worth rooting for.

"A Night Alone Together: Usagi in Danger" (“Stars,” Season 5, Episode 184)

Maybe the straight-up funniest episode in the entire series, “A Night Alone Together” focuses on Seiya, a teen idol and leader of the genderbending Sailor Starlight team from beyond the galaxy, inviting herself over to Usagi’s house while in her male form. The other Guardians, determined to make sure Usagi doesn’t cheat on Mamoru, crash their hangout, and the enemies send a monster to attack not long after. It’s all silly fun and a recipe for both character and physical comedy, from the girls walking in on Seiya naked to the Guardians struggling to fight the monster properly in the small confines of Usagi’s kitchen. Many of the best “Sailor Moon” episodes bring the drama, but few are as consistently rewatchable as this perfect slice of life story.

"Usagi's Love: The Moonlight Illuminates the Galaxy" (“Stars,” Season 5, Episode 200)

Above all, “Sailor Moon” is a coming-of-age story, and a very satisfying one. When the show begins, Usagi isn’t anyone’s definition of a hero: She’s a whiny, spoiled, lazy, cowardly crybaby incapable of handling any real responsibility. And while she always remains a bit goofy, the main arc of the show sees her grow into a mature, loving leader. It all culminates beautifully in the final episode, which sees Usagi, at the end of her ropes against the conquering, possessed Galaxia, is given a saving grace when the mysterious Chibi Chibi transforms into a sword capable of killing her foe. But rather than using it, Usagi refuses to give up on Galaxia, and instead uses her power to expel Chaos from her body and heal her for once and for all. Her bravery and determination in the moment is beautifully done, a final statement about how far she’s come and a demonstration of the pacifistic message at the core of the show. Top it all off with a gorgeous scene of Usagi and Mamoru kissing underneath the moon, a callback to the narration of the very first episode of the show and a final reprise of the iconic “Moonlight Densetsu” theme song, and you have an ending that sticks the landing.

"The Shining Shooting Star: Saturn and the Messiah" (“S,” Season 3, Episode 125)