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How to watch Sailor Moon in order

What comes first, Sailor Moon Eternal or Cosmos? What's the difference between Sailor Moon and Sailor Moon Crystal? We'll tell you, plus how to watch Sailor Moon in order, from start to finish.

Sailor Moon Cosmos Screenshot — Image credit: Toei Animation

Guides by Trent Cannon, Senior Contributing writer

Additional contributions by Latonya Pennington

Published on Fri Jun 07 2024

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In the long history of anime, few shows have given us more than Sailor Moon. The magical girl transformations; the action, adventure, and romance; the intergalactic dangers – Sailor Moon has it all. But, with such a huge legacy, it can be difficult for new fans to know exactly where to begin.

Our Sailor Moon watch order can certainly help point you in the right direction while you are navigating the original show, its remakes, or the different dubs of this iconic anime. From start to finish, here is the best way to watch every Sailor Moon anime out there.

How to watch Sailor Moon in order

Sailor Moon screenshot — Image credit: Toei Animation

There are two distinct Sailor Moon experiences out there. The original anime, which began airing in 1992, consisted of five seasons plus three movies. It had a lot of filler mixed in that hurt its pacing and got a questionable dub in the West. However, it was formative for many fans and has an important place in anime history so it is worth revisiting.

If you’re after a more streamlined viewing experience that is closer to the original manga by Naoko Takeuchi, Sailor Moon Crystal is probably the way you should go. It is a remake that started airing in 2014 and covers the entire manga with updated visuals and a more consistent dub. It serves as a great jumping-in point for fans.

The complete release order for Sailor Moon is:

Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon (1992)
Sailor Moon R (1993)
Sailor Moon R Movie: Promise of The Rose (1993)
Sailor Moon S (1994)
Sailor Moon S: The Movie (1994)
Sailor Moon Super S (1995)
Sailor Moon Sailor S: The Movie (1995)
Sailor Moon Sailor Stars (1996)
Sailor Moon Crystal (2014-2016)
Sailor Moon Eternal Part 1 (2021)
Sailor Moon Eternal Part 2 (2021)
Sailor Moon Cosmos Part 1 (2023)
Sailor Moon Cosmos Part 2 (2023)

Where can I watch Sailor Moon?

Sailor Moon Crystal screenshot — Image credit: Toei Animation

Tracking down the original Sailor Moon series is going to depend heavily on where you live. Fans in the US can watch the original Sailor Moon series – with the much-improved Viz dub – on Hulu, while fans in other territories will have to rely on physical releases.

The same is generally true of Sailor Moon Crystal, the 2014 remake of the series. It can be viewed as part of a Crunchyroll subscription or on Hulu in the US. Fans in the UK and other countries are, again, going to need to purchase one of the physical releases to watch the first three seasons of Sailor Moon Crystal.

However, things get easier with the most recent movies – Sailor Moon Eternal and Sailor Moon Cosmos are both available to stream on Netflix worldwide.

Do I watch Sailor Moon or Sailor Moon Crystal first?

Sailor Moon scouts — Image credit: Toei Animation

That is a question only you can truly answer and it will depend on how much time you have. If you have a higher tolerance for filler and don’t mind sitting through some repetitive – but beautiful – transformation sequences, the original Sailor Moon series still holds up today. There is a reason it has become one of the most popular and enduring anime properties of all time. We recommend the Viz dub over the DIC dub simply because it is more faithful to the original manga.

However, if you want a more streamlined viewing experience with less filler and repetition, Sailor Moon Crystal is the perfect place to start watching Sailor Moon. It is very close to the original manga in length and tone. Plus, it has some updated animation that fans will probably enjoy.

What’s next for Sailor Moon?

Sailor Neptune and Sailor Uranus holding hands — Image credit: Toei Animation

Technically, the Sailor Moon anime has finished twice. With the release of Sailor Moon Cosmos in 2023, the Sailor Moon Crystal series was completed. With no new manga being produced, it isn’t likely we’ll get more Sailor Moon in the future.

However, they’ve remade the series once – there is no reason to think they won’t do it again. The Sailor Moon series has generated billions of dollars in revenue over the years – anime studios aren’t known for abandoning a property when it is still profitable. We’ll just have to wait and see.

Why was episode 67 of Sailor Moon banned?

We’ve covered some of the heavy, sometimes baffling, censorship that Sailor Moon has had to endure over the years. DiC, the company that did the original English dub of Sailor Moon, changed episodes and scripts, including the order that episodes aired in, for various reasons, but there was one episode that they cut entirely. Sailor Moon episode 67 was notorious among anime fans for years for being cut from the original airing, but why?

Titled “The Beach, the Island and a Vacation: The Guardian’s Break,” this episode would not be aired or streamed in the US for almost 20 years after the initial broadcast. The reason it was originally cut is surprisingly benign – DiC wanted to do just enough to make Sailor Moon eligible for syndication, which required 65 episodes. Because episode 67 was a pure filler episode, it was easy to cut from the broadcast. The episode was not included in subsequent broadcasts or DVD releases because DiC lost the original master tape, and Toei reportedly wouldn’t provide them with a new one. So, Sailor Moon episode 67 remained a mystery for almost two decades until Viz got the rights and redubbed the series.

What's the difference between Sailor Moon and Sailor Moon Crystal?

The original Sailor Moon anime, titled simply Sailor Moon, remains a highly watchable product of its time. Because it was airing as the original manga was still being published, it relied on filler to avoid overtaking the source material. That means there are some serious issues with the pacing of the anime. Sailor Moon Crystal, however, is a remake that was much closer to the original manga in terms of tone and length, meaning that it doesn't have nearly as much filler. Both tell the same story and have most of the same characters; Sailor Moon Crystal is just a bit more focused.

Is Sailor Moon LGBTQ?

This is a slightly difficult question to answer. If you're talking about the character, then no. Usagi is very much straight in most adaptations. If you're talking about the show, then yes. Sailor Moon's portrayal of LGBTQ+ characters was very much ahead of its time and remains a strong point of the show. Despite the original dub editing out most instances of gay characters, it has long remained clear that the series has had plenty of strong LGBTQ+ representation.

Is Sailor V a prequel to Sailor Moon?

Before she wrote Sailor Moon, Naoko Takeuchi published a manga called Codename: Sailor V. It starred Sailor Venus as the heroic Sailor V, who fought crime with a superhero alter ego. The manga was originally intended to be a one-shot, but it proved popular enough to become an ongoing series and eventually an anime adaptation was created. However, Takeuchi wanted to rework the series before it was animated. She made it about a group of young girls and the Sailor Moon manga was born. Codename: Sailor V was then retconned into a prequel of the main series.

Does Sailor Moon Cosmos or Eternal come first?

To cap off the Sailor Moon Crystal series, Toei created two films to cover the final arcs of the manga. The first of these was Sailor Moon Eternal Part 1 and Part 2. After that, they made another movie, titled Sailor Moon Cosmos Part 1 and Part 2. So Sailor Moon Eternal comes before Sailor Moon Cosmos. Both films are available to stream on Netflix.

Is Sailor Moon Crystal a remake?

Simply put, yes. Sailor Moon Crystal is a remake of the original Sailor Moon anime. It follows the story of the original manga much closer, which means there is less filler and better pacing, along with more modern animation. While we love the original anime with the strongest of rose-tinted glasses, have to admit that Sailor Moon Crystal is a far easier to show to watch for new fans.

Why did they change Sailor Moon's name?

You can kind of tell when someone got into Sailor Moon based on what they call the main character. Newer fans are more likely to call her Usagi, which is her name in the original manga and how they refer to her in Sailor Moon Crystal as well as the newer Viz dub of the original anime. However, older fans who grew up with the original DiC dub are more likely to call her Serena, which is the new name they gave Sailor Moon when the show first aired.

So why did they change Sailor Moon's name in the original dub? Primarily it was an attempt to make the show easier for young kids to get into. Giving her a familiar, English name removed the language barrier, which was also why they removed most instances of Japanese food or even Japanese language from billboards in the original broadcast. Of course, this isn't done as often now, but it was very common at the time.

Where can I watch Sailor Moon?

As usual, this answer depends on where you live. If you want to watch the original anime, Hulu has the whole series with the (much improved) Viz dub for you to watch. They also have the first three seasons of Sailor Moon Crystal available in both the original Japanese and English dub. However, if you want to complete your Sailor Moon Crystal viewing experience, you'll need to watch Sailor Moon Eternal and Sailor Moon Cosmos on Netflix.

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