To an untrained eye, the main character of Bishōjo Senshi Sailor Moon could be misinterpreted as silly and nosy at the start of the first season’s penultimate episode, Death of the Sailor Senshi: The Tragic Final Battle. Usagi Tsukino was still a long ways away from becoming the queen of the utopian future, and despite some critical hurdles in her inaugural year as a sailor-suited fighter, she was as goofy and reckless as ever. However, between making one last dinner for her family — a first for the girl who is notorious for her bad cooking — and asking best friend Rei Hino if she had given Yūichirō a kiss goodbye, Usagi was more sensitive than she let on as the five Sailor Senshi gathered for the last fight with the Dark Kingdom. Usagi was not ignorant of the possibility that she would not come back from D-Point, yet at the same time, she was more concerned about others than herself. An inarguable facet of her character.
So far in Season One of the ’90s anime adaptation, the core Sailor Senshi — Sailor Moon and the four Inner Senshi: Mercury, Mars, Jupiter and Venus — had successfully warded off various threats from the Dark Kingdom. From stopping the frequent theft of human life forces that fuel the enemy’s conquest of Earth, to saving those unfortunate souls whose bodies housed the very means to create the highly coveted Silver Crystal, the heroes of Sailor Moon were triumphant. Even if their wins were, at times, based more on luck than actual skill. So when the Sailor Senshi set off for the North Pole to put an end to the Dark Kingdom, they were not totally prepared for what would come next. Usagi was the most alert to the prospect of death, whereas Rei and the others were more optimistic. Their confidence, of course, could have been a guise for their fears. Usagi, on the other hand, has never been all that good about her hiding her feelings (well, that is, until Sailor Stars…).
The Japanese version of Episode 45 does not skirt around the outcome: as the title boldly states, the Sailor Senshi would die. It is frowned upon to spoil the ending in the title, but perhaps this choice was necessary back then. The audience, one largely made up of children, had grown to love these characters after forty-something adventures. And if they were to be killed, a warning for their sake was understandable. That did not make the results any easier to watch, though.
Sailor Moon fans watched in shock as their favorite characters were picked off, one by one, by Queen Beryl’s most powerful warriors: The D.D. Girls. Despite their sexy fairy aesthetic, these five yōma were ruthless and lethal. Unlike anyone before them. The color-coded monsters “greeted” the Dark Kingdom’s intruders with not an ounce of mercy. The episodic skirmishes between Senshi and foe tended to be puerile in this series, yet director Kōnosuke Uda and writer Shigeru Yanagawa finally took off the anime’s kid gloves. This episode pulled no punches as Beryl’s assassins systematically depleted the heroes’ numbers.
With Jupiter touted as the physically strongest of the group, it is both gutsy and clever of the D.D. Girls to take her out first. The enemies immediately displayed their illusion-based powers by manifesting their opponents’ loved ones and crushes. For laughs, Sailor Moon obviously fell for the trick not once but twice; Tuxedo Mask was strung up by the monsters’ tendrils. Then, Jupiter herself succumbed to the D.D. Girls’ deception — a bound Motoki caught the brawny Senshi off guard — and paid dearly for her mistake. All five yōma were required to tame the lightning-wielder, and they hoisted her up to the sky so her comrades could not help. What the D.D. Girls did not expect, though, was Jupiter’s willingness to sacrifice herself. If not for her dedication to the mission, the other Senshi surely would have suffered even worse fates. One devastating use of Supreme Thunder later, and the monsters were now down to three.
The loss undoubtedly left the Senshi rattled. Sailor Moon showed the most emotion after witnessing her friend die so courageously but brutally. Like a child trying to wrap her head around mortality, Sailor Moon even called the dying Jupiter a liar as the life drained from her eyes. Recounting Makoto Kino’s own sappy words, teary-eyed Sailor Moon reminded fans that the Senshi of Thunder was a severe romantic at her core. Someone who hoped to finally find love once this Dark Kingdom business was over and done with. The first major death in the anime series — Tuxedo Mask came close, yet he technically never died after his impalement — left everyone, especially fans, stupefied. How was anyone to go on after this?
There was no time for mourning, though. Three D.D. Girls still remained, and the Senshi were missing their mighty protector. The situation had forced everyone to recalculate based on the change in plans, and there was no better Senshi to handle the logistics than Mercury. Being the pragmatic one of the group, Mercury understood what needed to be done. And it had to have felt sad to hear Mercury admit her own shortcomings — ones often used against her by the fandom — before she sent Moon, Mars and Venus on their way. It was like throwing a lamb to the wolves. Mercury, however, would not go down so easily.
Mercury’s character is explored throughout her selfless act. Going it alone came natural for Ami Mizuno, the genius whose IQ alienated her from most people. Even her own friends did not quite understand Ami most of the time. Knowing this, Ami still managed to surprise them on occasion. Usagi and the others certainly did not miss Ami expressing her desire to also experience love earlier in the episode. The same blushing moment was referenced later once the D.D. Girls plumbed Mercury’s psyche and created her tailor-made illusion: Ryō Urawa, the psychic boy who crushed on Ami. Mercury’s pathos is visible as she smiled glumly and said to herself, “So, even I get to have these kinds of illusions.” The bittersweetness of this scene not only emphasized how much Ami cared for Ryō — a character never seen or heard from again, sadly — but it also made her feel less like a loner. The illusion, in a way, brought out the truth.
Mercury’s intelligence made it possible for the other Senshi to overcome the D.D. Girls. Obviously bubbles would not do any harm to these three yōma; Mercury, however, was the only Senshi who knew the ins and outs of her elemental power. Combining her resourceful nature with her strategizing skills, Mercury put up more of a fight than the D.D. Girls anticipated. The very device that often exposed an enemy’s weakness or a deathtrap’s exit, the Supercomputer, could not save her this time, but it did provide Mercury a means to feel useful. Never seen as a formidable warrior, Mercury admirably held her own and ensured her friends a better chance of survival.
Mars and Venus understood Mercury was going to die as they left with Sailor Moon, who herself did not come to the same realization until it was too late to do anything about it. As Sailor Moon fell to her knees, sobbing over another friend’s passing, the ground beneath her emanated an ominous glow. The next execution was right on cue, and Venus stepped into harm’s way as she pushed Sailor Moon to safety. Admittedly, this scene is memorable not necessarily because of its emotional impact. Introduced too late into the game, Minako Aino did not have the luxury of multiple episodes to flesh out her personality and relationships with everyone. Even her own character-centric episode in Season One is divisive among fans. Still and all, Venus delivering a point-blank Crescent Beam to a D.D. Girl’s face is an all-time set-piece in the series. The ’90s anime erased the manga subplot where Venus posed as the Moon Princess, but this moment cemented Venus’ unquestioning allegiance to Sailor Moon and forever endeared fans to her character.
It was fitting how Mars was the last Senshi to protect Sailor Moon. After all, their relationship had evolved the most over the course of Season One. Once bickering allies who butted heads over everything, the dial shifted as soon as Princess Serenity and Prince Endymion’s intertwined past was revealed. Rei, who dated Mamoru before then, was given no choice but to set her own feelings aside. As Sailor Moon grieved over Tuxedo Mask, so did Mars. However, Rei suffered quietly with only Makoto taking notice at first. Eventually, Usagi and Rei did come to an understanding about their shared feelings for Mamoru. Rei’s schoolgirl crush became a thing of the past, only to then be replaced by her fierce loyalty to Usagi.
Rei had a tendency to be poignant whenever Senshi matters became dire. It seemed like the only time she could be honest with everyone. Especially Usagi. With just herself to protect the Princess, Mars told Sailor Moon, “It was fun arguing with you.” This statement encapsulated their bumpy history all while sealing Mars’ next move. The friendship was not one-way, either — Sailor Moon pleaded with Mars to instead go home. No, this was always going to be the outcome, ever since Usagi turned out to be the Moon Princess. Mars grew up up quickly between the Silver Crystal’s first appearance and now. And to follow through on that character growth, Mars showed Sailor Moon just how much she loved her.
Mars’ passion was unmistakable as she took down the final two D.D. Girls. First, a surprise blast of Fire Soul — an obstructed shot delivered through thick ice, mind you — consumed one yōma whole, and then, even more brilliantly, a kamikaze-style maneuver eliminated the other. From here on out, Mars was not to be underestimated as either a Senshi or a friend. And making her departure more heart-rending, Mars left this world with a regretful message: yeah, maybe she should have kissed Yūichirō. Usagi knew Rei’s heart better than most.
So much loss in so little time. How on earth was Sailor Moon supposed to keep fighting after all this? How could fans cope? As everyone knows now, this was not the end of the Sailor Senshi; they would be back to fight for love and justice in due time. In this moment, however, everything was futile and bleak. Sailor Moon alone with her grief and without anyone to help her — it is near unbearable to watch. The ray of hope could not have come any sooner, though, as a translucent hand tapped Sailor Moon on her shoulder. The four spirits of Mercury, Mars, Jupiter and Venus, each one drawn to look like a pastel memory, came to remind both Sailor Moon and everyone watching: all is not lost. They would always be there even when they were not.
Sailor Moon would come face to face with darkness again in future seasons. Yet this first bid at grave seriousness is unmatched, even to this day and after other adaptations. The risk-taking here is applauded, and the direction is some of the best in the series. The actual finale is maybe more iconic, just in terms of imagery alone, but this episode’s writing and animation, not to mention its high stakes, established a benchmark for the seminal anime series. ☾
This episode and others can be watched on streaming sites like Pluto TV.
Tales from the Paulside 
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