Enjoy this complimentary article, previously available exclusively for Popverse members. If you like what you see, consider becoming a Popverse member.

It is no secret that we have a lot of love for Sailor Moon around here, but did you know that it was originally a very different story? Before the Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon manga we know and love, Naoko Takeuchi created a manga called Codename: Sailor V, which starred Sailor Venus as the main protagonist. In Fall 2025, publisher Kodansha will release both volumes of the Codename: Sailor V as part of the second box set of the Sailor Moon (Naoko Takeuchi Collection), which is the first time you could get every chapter of the Sailor Moon prequel in one place in the US.

If you’re scratching your head and wondering what the heck I’m talking about, let me explain. Back in August 1991, Naoko Takeuchi published Codename: Sailor V, which was originally a one-shot but soon evolved into an ongoing series. It followed Sailor Venus who acted as a lone superhero, fighting crime by moonlight in 15 chapters of adventures that were published until July 1997. All of Codename: Sailor V takes place before the adventures in the Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon manga, even though the final chapters was published several months after the conclusion of the Sailor Moon manga.

Obviously, this is very different from the Sailor Moon we know and love, so what happened? Toei Animation wanted to create an anime based on Takeuchi’s manga, but she was asked to rework it. Takeuchi combined elements of the Super Sentai series (known as Power Rangers in the West) and magical girl manga tropes to create the ensemble cast that we know and love today. Unlike most anime, which are born out of the popularity of a manga that has been running long enough to fill several volumes, Sailor Moon was created as a result of interest in its preceding manga.

Codename: Sailor V was reworked as a prequel to Sailor Moon. Instead of being a one-off story, it became an episodic story that told the origins of Sailor Venus before she joined the other Sailor Guardians. It has had a spotty release history in the West, with single volumes being published periodically over the years. The 15 chapters that were published have been collected into two volumes by Kodansha, but the upcoming Sailor Moon Box Set that is due to be released in Fall 2026 is the first time you can buy both volumes in one collection and in the smaller bunkoban format that is easier to fit on your shelf.

The big question, of course, is whether it is worth reading Codename: Sailor V. It certainly deserves a special place in the heart of all Sailor Moon fans out there, especially if are a person of excellent taste and Sailor Venus is your favorite. While the story doesn’t have the same sense of escalation that I’ve always loved about Sailor Moon, it does provide valuable insight into not just Sailor Venus but Naoko Takeuchi’s progression as a writer.

Like all prequels, Codename: Sailor V suffers from having to lead us toward a known narrative point, which removes some of the dramatic tension. We know that Minako is going to join the Sailor Guardians and have far more consequential adventures. There is also a sense that Sailor V is an early draft of Sailor Moon – both have a minor obsession with romance – which fades as the series progresses and Venus grows more into her own character and becomes the serious leader of the Sailor Guardians that we see throughout the main Sailor Moon manga. However, the humor, action, and drama that we know and love are all there, just in a slightly less refined state.

How much you enjoy Codename: Sailor V is going to depend on how much you love Sailor Moon. There is no denying that it has an important place in the manga fandom, having launched one of the most successful and popular series of all time. It has become a forgotten piece of anime history that is worth reading if you do pick up the Sailor Moon Box Set on sale later this year.

Want to know what's coming up next in pop culture? Check out Popverse's guides to:

• Upcoming movies
• Upcoming TV shows
• Upcoming comics
• Upcoming games
• Upcoming fiction books
• Upcoming comic conventions