Sailor Moon is an epic shojo anime with five seasons, based on the classic, complete manga series by Naoko Takeuchi. The series revolves around one of the most epic romances in all anime, the love story between Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask. The superhero duo fight evil aliens on Earth in modern day, and in their previous lives they had a forbidden romance.
Sailor Moon was once Princess Serenity of the Moon Kingdom, and Tuxedo Mask was once Prince Endymion of Earth. Their love in their previous lives was doomed, and things are still rather complicated in their next lives together on Earth. Takeuchi wrote a long and well thought-out love story for them.
10 Mamoru Never Breaks Up with Usagi in the Manga
Mamoru's Break Up With Usagi is Also Not Adapted in Sailor Moon Crystal
There are two different versions of the Sailor Moon anime, the '90s anime which comprises five seasons and several movies, and the more modern reboot, Sailor Moon Crystal. Most Sailor Moon fans are mainly familiar with the '90s anime which has many great filler episodes and extra mini-arcs.
So much happened to get Usagi and Mamoru in a relationship. They have to remember their past lives and love story, how they died, and they have to survive and save each other from untold evil. All that happens only for Mamoru to break up with Usagi in a misguided attempt to save her. This breakup never happens in the manga, or in Sailor Moon Crystal.
9 Prince Demande is Tuxedo Mask's Foil
Prince Demande Makes a Move on Usagi in Season 2, Episode 83, "The Shocking Future: Demande's Dark Ambition"
Tuxedo Mask may not interfere a lot with Sailor Moon's battles on average, but he saves the day when it comes to Prince Demande. Prince Demande is the opposite of Tuxedo Mask. One prince foils the other both in terms of Demande's pale character design, and his motivations.
Prince Demande loves Sailor Moon, but under Wiseman's influence, his love becomes obsessive whereas Tuxedo Mask's is selfless. Demande's similarity to Tuxedo Mask is why it's so important that Tuxedo Mask is the one to stop him trying to kiss Sailor Moon. He underlines the good parts of Tuxedo Mask, and why his love for Usagi is so pure and enduring.
8 Tuxedo Mask & Sailor Moon Are a Gender-Bent Traditional Anime Romance
Tuxedo Mask Gets Kidnapped in Season 1, Episode 9, "Serenity, Princess" of Sailor Moon Crystal
Most love interests in anime, especially classic shonen anime, are damsels in distress. Naoko Takeuchi wrote the dynamic between Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask as a purposeful trope inverse. Tuxedo Mask gets kidnapped the most out of all the Sailor Guardians and their allies, and he is a gender-bent version of a damsel in distress.
Many fans make fun of Tuxedo Mask for keeping to the sidelines, and for needing rescue so often. But this was a deliberate writing choice on Takeuchi's part. She wanted the battles to be about Sailor Moon's strength and her agency. Tuxedo Mask gives her a different kind of support--emotional support rather than battle support.
7 Rei Never Had a Crush on Tuxedo Mask in the Manga
Rei Goes on a Date With Mamoru in Season 1, Episode 15, "Usagi Is Frantic! Rei's First Date"
In the '90s anime, Rei has a crush on Tuxedo Mask practically from day one as Sailor Mars. Sailor Moon takes umbrage right away, because she's long had a crush on Tuxedo Mask, too. Unlike Usagi, though, Rei also admires Mamoru Chiba and rightly suspects that he is the true Tuxedo Mask.
Even though Usagi bickers often with Mamoru and pretends to hate him, she can't stand it when Rei goes on a date with Mamoru. Mamoru seems less interested and more polite and embarrassed by Rei's attention, though. And the date they go on is a total filler episode invention. It never happened in the manga, and manga-Sailor Mars has no interest in boys or dating whatsoever.
6 Serenity & Endymion Have a Second Daughter In an Alternate Universe
Sailor Chibi Chibi Appears in Season 5 Episode 187, "The Power of a Shining Star! Chibi Chibi's Transformation"
Neo-Queen Serenity, Sailor Moon's adult self, comes from a long matrilineal line. Each beautiful Moon Queen has one child--a daughter, normally named after herself (Chibiusa's real name is Serenity, too). But Naoko Takeuchi wrote a short story where Mamoru and Usagi have a second daughter in the far future.
Fans debate whether Chibi Chibi Moon is canon because she's only explicitly stated as their second daughter in an alternate universe short story (Parallel Sailor Moon, 1999). In the anime, Sailor Chibi Chibi Moon plays a different role as Sailor Galaxia's Star Seed, but her name and resemblance to Usagi and Chibiusa is uncanny.
5 Serenity & Endymion's Love Story Is Inspired by Myth
Season 1, Episde 35, "Returning Memories: Usagi and Mamoru's Past" Explores This
Greek myth enthusiasts may recognize many of the names in Sailor Moon, especially Endymion. Endymion is the human shepherd who fell in love with the Titan goddess of the moon, Selene. Like with Princess Serenity of the Moon Kingdom and Prince Endymion of Earth, Selene and the shepherd Endymion's love was forbidden.
Serenity and Endymion's love inadvertently brought about the Moon Kingdom's ruin. Selene and the shepherd's interlude caused a lunar eclipse that lasted several days. Many aspects of Sailor Moon are inspired by folklore and Japanese, Greek, and Roman mythology, but the romance between a human and a moon goddess is the story's main foundation.
4 Naoko Describes Tuxedo Mask as Her "Ideal Man"
Naoko Takeuchi is married to Yoshihiro Togashi, author of YuYu Hakusho.
Fans love to make fun of Tuxedo Mask for being useless, and they're not totally barking up the wrong tree. Naoko Takeuchi wrote Tuxedo Mask to be her "ideal man." And to her, an ideal man is one who is fairly useless. She's obviously being a bit wry when she describes him as completely useless, because Tuxedo Mask does contribute to the plot and does have some powers.
It seems like the intent is to write a pretty man who doesn't stand in his partner's way, and acts more like a cheerleader. The term "himbo" wasn't popularized yet when Naoko envisioned Sailor Moon's love interest, but her description of Tuxedo Mask definitely fits the himbo bill.
3 Mamoru Had a First Love Before Usagi
A Love Story Between Mamoru and Fiore is Discussed in Sailor Moon R: Promise of the Rose
Fans who only read the manga, only watch Sailor Moon Crystal, or skipped the '90s anime movies may not know that Mamoru had a childhood first love. That first love was the lonely, sweet alien, Fiore.
Mamoru and Fiore met when they were both lost children, and they still care for each other as adults. Their story takes place in the first Sailor Moon movie, Sailor Moon R The Movie: The Promise of the Rose.
Mamoru moved on after years of separation, but Fiore's heart still wished for Mamoru. It's a very sad situation, especially for Fiore, and especially because the evil Kisenian flower alien takes over Fiore and warps his love for Mamoru into something evil. Fiore only exists in the story line in the one movie, and unfortunately, he doesn't exist in the anime episodes.
2 Usagi & Mamoru Have a Much More Conservative Age Gap
Mamoru is Canonically Only a Few Years Older Than Usagi
One of the worst missteps the '90s anime ever made was aging up Mamoru so much, compared to Usagi. In the anime, Mamoru attends college and works a real job while Usagi is still in middle school. They start dating around when Usagi enters high school, and it's quite understandable that fans have a great distaste for it.
Mamoru is far closer to Usagi's age in the manga, though. He's canonically only a couple of years older than Usagi, which is a far more acceptable age gap. Luckily, Sailor Moon Crystal didn't follow in the '90s anime steps and keeps closer to the manga source material when it comes to their ages.
1 Tuxedo Mask Has Powers
Tuxedo Mask's Powers Appear in Season 1, Episode 46, "Usagi's Eternal Wish: A Brand New Life"
Sailor Moon and the Sailor Guardians all have immense powers, often thematically tied to their home planets and moons. Tuxedo Mask is a bit of an outlier, because aside from throwing roses as darts, he doesn't seem to have his own powers. Tuxedo Mask does indeed have abilities and supernatural strength, though...it's just a bit more subtle.
Tuxedo Mask's powers are directly related to his future wife, Sailor Moon, and daughter, Sailor Chibi Moon. He acts as a power battery to Sailor Moon, lending her his strength when she needs it to access her full powers, especially in Sailor Moon R The Movie: The Promise of the Rose.
He also has a strong battle attack he summons together with Sailor Chibi Moon, Pink Sugar Tuxedo Mask Attack. And in the season one finale, Tuxedo Mask's rose dart helps shatter Queen Beryl's attack before it kills Sailor Moon.
