Sailor Moon is the Champion of Love and Justice, and she fights evil "in the name of the Moon." Her fellow Sailor Scouts, or Sailor Guardians, aid her in fighting evil with their own powers. Sailor Moon's powers come from a strong matrilineal line of Moon Queen, and her fellow Sailor Scouts have similar magical power legacies.
The other Sailor Scouts derive their powers from the planets they come from. Each of the Sailor Scouts is a princess in her own right; Sailor Mars is the Princess of Mars, Sailor Jupiter is Princess Jupiter, and so on. Their powers have thematic ties with their planets, and the folklore associated with their planets.
What Makes a Sailor Scout?
Each Scout is a Princess in Her Own Right
The Sailor Scouts fulfill several different roles. They are each princesses in their own right, and oversaw their own planets before the downfall of the Moon Kingdom at the end of the Silver Millennium. Not only were they princesses, they were Princess Serenity's handmaidens and sacred guardians. The Inner Senshi (the first four Sailor Scouts), Sailor Mercury, Sailor Mars, Sailor Jupiter, and Sailor Venus all fight alongside Sailor Moon (the reborn Princess Serenity) to protect the Milky Way from evil.
Their powers are directly linked with the elements, and folklore tied to their respective planets. There is one key rule to being a Sailor Scout. Only girls can be Sailor Scouts. For instance, there technically is no Sailor Earth; Tuxedo Mask fulfills the role of Sailor Earth, but he's not technically a Sailor Scout because he's a boy, and he has limited attack and healing powers.
Sailor Moon Channels the Powers of the Moon
First Appears in Episode 1, "The Crybaby: Usagi's Beautiful Transformation"
Sailor Moon, Usagi Tsukino, awakens her superhero destiny under the guidance of the moon cat, Luna. Her powers come from a long line of Moon Queens. She will be a Moon Queen herself one day when she's grown. She pronounces often that she fights for love and justice, and that she channels her powers through "the light of the moon." Moonlight is often associated with purification, and with lovers.
Usagi's strongest attacks are themed around moonlight and love, and her best abilities are healing abilities, which tie in well with purification themes. She channels her love for the universe and her love of her friends and family to reach her strongest powers and evolutions. All versions of her name derive from moon-based folklore. Her civilian name, Usagi Tsukino, translates to "rabbit" and "moon child."
Usagi's zodiac is Cancer, also nicknamed "moon children," and her first name references the Japanese myth about the rabbit of the moon. Her previous life name was Serenity, which is also a reference to Grecian folklore; Selene was the personification of the moon, and she fell in love with a mortal named Endymion, just like Princess Serenity did. It hints strongly that Usagi's life and powers are predestined by the fates and the moon itself.
Sailor Mercury Washes Enemies Away
First Appears in Episode 8, "The Genius Girl Is a Monster: The Brainwashing Cram School of Horror"
Sailor Mercury, Ami Mizuno, is the first of the Inner Senshi to unveil her true identity. She is the first Sailor Scout with elemental powers. Where Sailor Moon's powers are all about the moon and purifying celestial light, Sailor Mercury's attacks summon water and ice, like Mercury Bubble Blast. The planet Mercury very likely has water inside North Pole and South Pole craters, and some of that water freezes over.
The planet Mercury takes its name from Mercury, the Roman god of commerce, communication, and eloquence. Sailor Mercury is an astute and excellent communicator, like the god Mercury, and she uses a Super Computer to supplement her power—the ultimate communication and information machine. The Roman god Mercury's Grecian counterpart is named Hermes. One of Sailor Mercury's greatest attacks, Mercury Aqua Rhapsody, uses her artifact, the Mercury Harp, which is very similar to a lyre. The Greek god Hermes also plays a lyre.
Sailor Mars Has a Fiery Temper & Prophetic Powers
First Appears in Episode 10, "The Cursed Bus: Enter Mars, the Guardian of Fire"
Sailor Mars, Rei Hino, is the Guardian of Fire. She was the Princess of Mars until the end of the Silver Millennium. Mars is also called the Red Planet, hence Sailor Mars' fire-based attacks, like Mars Flame Sniper. She also wears shades of red in her daily dress and Scout uniform, a color that's sacred to the god Mars. Sailor Mars' powers are so strong that they manifested long before she realized that she was the second of the Inner Senshi. Rei Hino has psychic powers and interprets visions when she scries in her sacred fires.
Sailor Mars' attacks also have war imagery, like her fiery Mars Arrow. The planet Mars takes its name from the Roman god of war (whose Grecian counterpart is Ares). And just like Sailor Mercury has an extra artifact, her Super Computer, Sailor Mars also has an extra helper or two. Sailor Mars is assisted by two crows, Phobos and Deimos, who are the personifications of the planet Mars' moons.
Sailor Jupiter Has Stormy Powers
First Appears in Episode 25, "Jupiter, the Powerful Girl in Love"
Sailor Jupiter, Makoto Kino, is the third Inner Senshi that Sailor Moon and her mentor cat Luna discover. Makoto is a transfer student at Usagi (Sailor Moon's) school, and she already impresses Usagi with her karate and culinary skills. She also mentions that she had a lost love, who she still obviously pines over. Both her personality and her Sailor Scout powers derive from Jupiter's planetary and folkloric themes.
Sailor Jupiter was the Princess of Jupiter, the planet named after the Roman god of thunder. The god Jupiter also fell in love quite easily, and would often pursue one paramour after another. Sailor Jupiter is a bit more judicious with her heart, but she's still rather love-driven. She, like the god Jupiter, can also be quite intimidating. The planet Jupiter has an extreme weather pattern and endures many storms. Sailor Jupiter's very first attack, Supreme Thunder, channels the planet and god's stormy nature. Jupiter's strongest power, Jupiter Oak Evolution is a plant-based attack, which may seem random, but oak trees are an homage to the god, Jupiter.
Sailor Venus Resembles the Goddess of Love
First Appears in Episode 33, "Enter Venus, the Last Sailor Guardian"
Sailor Venus, Minako Aino, enters the scene as the last of the Inner Senshi, but her reputation precedes her. She was actually a working Sailor Scout before Luna even found Sailor Moon. Sailor Venus is guided by her own moon cat mentor, Artemis, and she is the leader of the Inner Senshi, and Princess Serenity's most sacred knight. She has many planetary gifts, but she also wields two artifacts, the Sword of the Silver Crystal and her Venus Chain.
The Sword of the Silver Crystal has direct ties to the Moon Kingdom, and the Venus Chain relates to Sailor Venus' home planet. The planet Venus is named after the Roman goddess of love and beauty. The goddess Venus famously wore a girdle that fueled her love powers, and Sailor Venus' chain and her attack, Venus Love Me Chain, derive from that bit of folklore.
The Nature of the Sailor Scout Powers & Powerups
Sailor Moon Powers are Cyclical & Evolve Over Time
It's tradition for magical girls to work as a team and go through several power-ups throughout the series. These events are triggered by different factors. Sailor Moon tends to have the most personal reasons for her power-ups. She goes from being Sailor Moon to evolving into Super Sailor Moon to Eternal Sailor Moon, often in response to her heartbreaking, or wanting to heal someone. Overall, though, Sailor Moon and the rest of the Sailor Scouts evolve and transform in response to the strength of their enemies.
The Sailor Moon power evolutions are cyclical. As the Sailor Scouts gain strength and experience, it attracts more entities to Earth who want to challenge them and harvest their energy. They have to transform so that they can keep up with their enemies, but the transformations are hardwon. Naoko Takeuchi studied science before she became a professional mangaka, and her most prized characters, the Sailor Scouts, retell the theory of evolution, as they adapt over time to their changing environment and challenges.
