Sailor Moon ＞ Cards ＞ Sailor Moon

Naoko Takeuchi redeveloped Sailor Moon from her 1991 manga serial Codename: Sailor V, which was first published in August 1991 and featured Sailor Venus as the main protagonist. Takeuchi wanted to create a story themed around girls in outer space. Her editor, Fumio Osano, is the one who suggested the incorporation of Japanese school uniforms, or "sailor fuku." The resulting manga series became a fusion of the popular magical girl genre and the Super Sentai series, of which Takeuchi was a fan. Recurring motifs include astronomy, astrology, gemology, Greek and Roman mythology, Japanese elemental themes, teen fashion and schoolgirl antics.

In Sailor Moon, Usagi Tsukino meets Luna, a talking black cat that is searching for the Moon Princess. Luna reveals that Usagi is destined to save Earth from the forces of evil and gives her a brooch that allows her to transform into Sailor Moon. Luna asks Sailor Moon to find the other Sailor Scouts (also called Sailor Soldiers), the Silver Crystal and the Moon Princess, Crystal Tokyo's Neo Queen Serenity (who ends up being a future version of Sailor Moon herself). The other Sailor Scouts are Sailor Mercury, Sailor Venus, Sailor Mars, Sailor Jupiter (who make up the Inner Senshi), Sailor Saturn, Sailor Uranus, Sailor Neptune and Sailor Pluto (who are the Outer Senshi). As Sailor Moon matures, she becomes a powerful warrior that protects her adopted home planet from villains who wish to harm it. Sailor Moon is depicted as carefree and cheerful when at ease but promptly serious and strategic when fighting. Being a character with a long lifetime (spanning the ancient Silver Millennium era and the 30th century) as well as multiple incarnations, special powers and transformations, Sailor Moon has various aliases which include Princess Serenity, Princess Sailor Moon, Super Sailor Moon, Eternal Sailor Moon, Serena Tsukino, and Neo-Queen Serenity.

Sailor Moon's love interest throughout the series is fellow superhero Tuxedo Mask who is also known by numerous aliases including Mamoru Chiba, Darien Shields, Darien Chiba, Prince Darien of Earth, Prince Endymion and King Darien. At first, Mamoru teases Usagi mercilessly for her clumsiness and calls her "dumpling head" (also "meatball head" or "bun head" in some translations). However, as Tuxedo Mask, he often shows up in times of trouble to help Sailor Moon fight the Negamonsters. He makes his presence known each time by throwing his signature red rose. The pair eventually fall in love, marry and have a pink-haired daughter who goes by the many names Rini, Chibiusa, Sailor Chibi Moon and Usagi Small Lady Serenity.