Sailor Moon Wiki
Register
Advertisement
Sailor Moon Wiki

The Sailor Moon manga fully titled "Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon"' (美少女戦士セーラームーン; Bishojo Senshi Seera Muun) is the story written and illustrated by Naoko Takeuchi and published by Kodansha. It stars the young middle-school student Usagi Tsukino who discovers the power within herself alongside her friends as they save the world from destruction. The English title of the manga was originally "Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon" before the franchise was rebranded.

Sailor Moon manga all colour complete group art

Sailor Moon, Sailor Mercury, Sailor Venus, Sailor Jupiter, and Sailor Mars.

Chapters[]

The Sailor Moon manga is comprised of 5 main story arcs covering 60 chapters with an additional 10 short-story chapters adding to 70 total. This increases to 86 chapters when Codename: Sailor V is included which acts as an additional prequel-arc.

For a list of all chapters, see Manga Chapters

Dark Kingdom arc[]

Starting with Act 1, comprises 14 chapters.

Black Moon arc[]

Starting with Act 15, comprises 12 chapters.

Infinity arc[]

Starting with Act 27, comprises 12 chapters.

Dream arc[]

Starting with Act 39, comprises 11 chapters.

Stars arc[]

Starting with Act 50, comprises 11 chapters.

Short Stories[]

Chibiusa's Picture Diaries[]

Exam Battle stories[]

Other Side Stories[]

Releases[]

Magazines[]

Nakayoshi February 1992 Sailor Moon

Nakayoshi Cover where Act 1 was first published

Like many comics, Sailor Moon was originally released in monthly magazines in Japan. The main story was released in Kodansha's Nakayoshi magazine from December 28, 1991, to February 3, 1997. The short-stories were published in RunRun within this timeframe which is the same magazine Codename: Sailor V was released on. The final short story, Parallel Sailor Moon, was not released this way. In 1999, after the series was completed, it was released through the Materials Collection Artbook.

This was serialized in English in Mixx magazine starting in 1997. More information about this release can be found on this page.

Original Release[]

TankoubonVol1Cover

Tankoubon Vol. 1 Cover

This original release of the collected "Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon" manga outside of magazines is known as the "Tankoubon" and its volumes released from 1992 to 1997 collecting chapters not long after their publication in magazines. It consisted of 18 volumes covering 52 acts of the main story and with 9 short stories interspersed between the volumes. Each volume is novel sized and smaller than the magazines the story was originally published in. There were many updates made to the manga from the original magazine release to this first collected release. This included removing the side panel mid-chapter advertisements and replacing them with author notes and removing the half page summary on the first page of almost every act and reworking those pages to use the additional space. There are also instances of pages being added to show a 2 page spread artwork, slightly elongating a scene, or sometimes even adding characters who were not previously present. There are many panels tweaked where, for example, characers are redrawn. For example, Luna is redrawn in most panels in the first few acts. Many of the volumes contain behind the scenes type notes and stories from Naoko Takeuchi. As it was released later in 1999, Parallel Sailor Moon is not part of the Tankoubon release. Codename: Sailor V was also released in this run with 3 additional volumes covering its 15 chapters.

An English translated version of this edition was produced by TokyoPop a few years after the Japanese release. It finished its run of all 18 volumes in 2001. TokyoPop did not localize the original edition of Codename: Sailor V and that manga was not released in English until the next edition.

Re-Release[]

Vol1shinzoban

Shinsouban Vol. 1 Cover

Starting in 2003, the series was re-released in Japan in a new format known as the "Renewal Edition" or "Shinsouban" (新装版; lit. "newly bound edition"). The new edition consisted of 14 volumes total with 12 covering the main story line and 2 separate volumes covering the 10 short stories, which now include Parallel Sailor Moon. All 14 volumes in this release feature new cover art. The four "Chibiusa's Picture Diary" stories are renamed with the first three being numbered and gaining unique subtitles while the final one loses the Picture Diary title alltogether and is renamed to The Secret Hammer Price Hall. Starting in this edition, the series is now anglicized as "Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon" and the main storyline now covers 60 acts with a few chapters in the original release being split to create 8 additional chapters which are listed in the table below. This wiki uses this newer numbering of chapters when referring to the Sailor Moon storyline as this numbering is standard in this 2nd edition and all of those which follow. Slight corrections and alterations were made to dialog and art in this edition;[1] though, not as many as in the previous release. The advertising side-panels now have chibi-art of the characters rather than notes from Naoko Takeuchi. Some of the volumes have short comic strips where Naoko Takeuchi provides background information on the series. Codename: Sailor V was also released in this format in 2 volumes for 16 chapters - the final two-part chapter was recategorized as a two chapter story-line starting with this release.

Kodansha themselves re-released this edition in English starting September 13, 2011 under the new title "Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon" like the Japanese re-release[2]. This edition featured a different translation from the previous release. This also saw the first official English release of Codename: Sailor V two decades after the first chapter was published in Japan.[3] The first volume of Sailor V was released alongside the first volume of Sailor Moon with the second not long after.[4]

Original Acts Re-release Acts
Act 11 Reunion - Endymion - Act 11 Reunion - Endymion -
Act 12 Enemy - Queen Metalia -
Act 20 Complication - Nemesis Act 21 Complication - Nemesis
Act 22 Hidden Agenda - Nemesis
Act 23 Replay - Never Ending Act 25 Showdown - Death Phantom -
Act 26 Replay - Never Ending
Act 33 Infinity 10 - Infinite Act 36 Infinity 10 Infinite - Upper Atmosphere -
Act 37 Infinity 11 Infinite - Judgement -
Act 38 Infinity 12 Infinite - Journey
Act 39 Dream 6 - New Soldier Dream Act 44 Dream 6 - New Guardians Dream
Act 45 Dream 7 - Mirror Dream
Act 41 Dream 8 - Dead Moon Dream Act 47 Dream 9 - Dead Moon Dream
Act 48 Dream 10 - Princess Dream
Act 45 Stars 3 Act 52 Stars 3
Act 53 Stars 4

Eternal Edition[]

Sm.vol1cover

Kanzenban Vol. 1 Cover

In 2013, the new "Kanzenban" (完全版) or "Complete Edition" of the Sailor Moon manga was released after its covers were revealed in Nakoyoshi.[5][6] This version again had new cover art, and the inside pages were digitally remastered, with color restored to pages that had been in color in the original Nakayoshi run, but were not in colour in the subsequent tankoubon or shinsouban releases.[7] The volumes are a larger A5 sized paper - the same size as the original magazine publication. There were tweaks to manga panels and art on top of the changes made in the previous release but they were not as extensive. The kanzenban edition was released with 10 volumes total with each of the 5 main arcs taking up two volumes. Like the original release, the short stories are included within it rather than separated and are spread between volumes 4, 6, 8, and 10 - in the volumes containing the end of each arc but the first. There are also 2 volumes covering Codename: Sailor V like the shinsouban but in this larger format and additional colour pages from the original RunRun run.[8] Unlike Sailor Moon, Sailor V's kanzenban volumes do not have new cover art and reuses art from the original release. Unlike the original or re-release, this version of the manga does not contain any additional notes from Naoko Takeuchi.

The Eternal Edition is the English version of the Japanese Kanzenban release of the Sailor Moon manga and Kodansha started to release it starting on September 11, 2018.[9] It was announced during Anime Expo 2017.[10] This 3rd Eternal Edition features a completely new English translation done by Alethea Nibley and Athena Nibley and is a premium priced release where each book is large with premium paper and the size of a magazine rather than a novel emulating the Japanese release. Similarly, it has many colour pages which were not in any previous English release. Codename: Sailor V Eternal Edition was released as well after the 10 volumes of Sailor Moon were out.[11]

Starting on July 1, 2019, the Sailor Moon manga was officially released in digital format for the first time when Kodansha released the Eternal Editions digitally which were sold several digital eBook platforms such as ComiXology, Kobo and others.[12][13] They were made available in English, Japanese, and 8 other languages at first.[14] While the first four volumes were released together during the initial launch, the fifth volume's digital release was not done until October 15, 2019. However, starting from Volume 6, the release of the digital version of the Eternal Editions were not done alongside the physical releases. As of May 2022, the Eternal Editions of Codename: Sailor V have not been released digitally.

Naoko Takeuchi Collection[]

Bunkoban 1

Bunkoban Vol. 1 Cover

Starting in September 2018, the "Bunkoban" or "Takeuchi Naoko Bunko Collection" version of the manga started to release.[15] It is largely the same as the previous "Kanzenban" edition with the same volume count and chapter distribution but each volume is smaller (A6 size) and cheaper. Each volume only had a single colour page and is generally a budget release of the manga which replaces the shinsouban. The covers are modified versions of the previous edition as well rather than being completely new art. This treatment extends to Codename: Sailor V.

The Naoko Takeuchi Collection is the English version of the Japanese 4th edition of the Sailor Moon manga. It started to release in May 2022. It is novel sized, like the re-release, and is similarly cheaper than the Eternal Edition just like the Japanese releases. It similarly also has the smaller volume count of the Eternal Edition but with only a single colour page in each of its 10 volumes. This is the first English release which does not completely redo the translation and instead tweaks the Eternal Edition translation by the Nibley twins. For example, Rei's attack Akuryo Taisan uses its original Japanese name rather than the localized "Evil Spirit, Begone" and there are other similar terminology tweaks throughout. In early 2023, a special edition of Vol.1 was released which included an exclusive figure.[16]

All-Colour Kanzenban[]

Colour Complete 1

All-Colour Kanzenban Vol. 1 Cover

In 2019, a 5th edition of the manga was announced for Japanese release: オールカラー完全版 or "All-Colour Complete." This edition is, as the name implies, fully coloured. Every page is no longer black and white but in full colour and the colouring process was supervised by Naoko Takeuchi herself. This is the biggest update to the manga since the original collected release. Even the pages previously released in colour were re-coloured in for this new edition to match the new colouring style. Aside from the colouring, this edition has new covers with new art by Naoko Takeuchi and the chapter makeup follows the previous Kanzenban (Complete) edition of the manga with each of the 5 story arcs spanning 2 volumes. The first two volumes released simultaneously on June 29, 2020 but in a departure from previous editions: only digitally. In another departure, the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th editions of the manga had their volumes released in rapid succession in Japan. There was no word regarding the following volumes until August 10, 2022 when the Official Sailor Moon Website made a post announcing Volumes 3 and 4 would release together soon after on the 12th.[17]

No further announcements have been made about volume 5 and beyond, Codename: Sailor V, a physical release, or translations to other languages.

Volume List[]

Vol. Edition Chapters Release Date
1 Japanese (Original Release) Act 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 July 6, 1992
Japanese (Shinsouban) Act 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 September 22, 2003
Japanese (Kanzenban) Act 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 November 29, 2013
Japanese (Bunkoban) Act 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 September 28, 2018
Japanese (Colour Kanzenban) Act 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 June 29, 2020
English (Original Release) Act 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 December 1, 1998
English (Re-release) Act 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 September 13, 2011
English (Eternal Edition) Act 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 September 11, 2018
English (Naoko Takeuchi Collection) Act 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 May 3, 2022
2 Japanese (Original Release) Act 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 October 6, 1992
Japanese (Shinsouban) Act 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 September 22, 2003
Japanese (Kanzenban) Act 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 November 29, 2013
Japanese (Bunkoban) Act 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 September 28, 2018
Japanese (Colour Kanzenban) Act 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 June 29, 2020
English (Original Release) Act 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 December 24, 1998
English (Re-release) Act 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 November 15, 2011
English (Eternal Edition) Act 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 September 11, 2018
English (Naoko Takeuchi Collection) Act 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 June 7, 2022
3 Japanese (Original Release) Act 10 • 11 • 12 April 6, 1993
Japanese (Shinsouban) Act 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 October 23, 2003
Japanese (Kanzenban) Act 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 December 26, 2013
Japanese (Bunkoban) Act 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 October 31, 2018
Japanese (Colour Kanzenban) Act 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 August 12, 2022
English (Original Release) Act 10 • 11 • 12 May 21, 1999
English (Re-release) Act 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 January 17, 2012
English (Eternal Edition) Act 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 March 19, 2019
English (Naoko Takeuchi Collection) Act 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 August 2, 2022
4 Japanese (Original Release) Act 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 July 6, 1993
Japanese (Shinsouban) Act 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 November 21, 2003
Japanese (Kanzenban) Act 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 • Chibiusa's Picture Diary 1 • Casablanca Memory December 26, 2013
Japanese (Bunkoban) Act 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 • Chibiusa's Picture Diary 1 • Casablanca Memory October 31, 2018
Japanese (Colour Kanzenban) Act 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 • Chibiusa's Picture Diary 1 • Casablanca Memory August 12, 2022
English (Original Release) Act 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 September 14, 1999
English (Re-release) Act 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 March 13, 2012
English (Eternal Edition) Act 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 • Chibiusa's Picture Diary 1 • Casablanca Memory May 14, 2019
English (Naoko Takeuchi Collection) Act 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 • Chibiusa's Picture Diary 1 • Casablanca Memory
5 Japanese (Original Release) Act 17 • 18 • 19 • Chibiusa's Picture Diary 1 November 6, 1993
Japanese (Shinsouban) Act 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 December 22, 2003
Japanese (Kanzenban) Act 27 • 28 • 29 • 30 • 31 • 32 • 33 January 25, 2014
Japanese (Bunkoban) Act 27 • 28 • 29 • 30 • 31 • 32 • 33 November 30, 2018
English (Original Release) Act 17 • 18 • 19 • Chibiusa's Picture Diary 1 September 28, 1999
English (Re-release) Act 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 May 8, 2012
English (Eternal Edition) Act 27 • 28 • 29 • 30 • 31 • 32 • 33 June 25, 2019
English (Naoko Takeuchi Collection) Act 27 • 28 • 29 • 30 • 31 • 32 • 33
6 Japanese (Original Release) Act 20 • 21 • 22 March 15, 1994
Japanese (Shinsouban) Act 27 • 28 • 29 • 30 January 22, 2004
Japanese (Kanzenban) Act 34 - 38 • Chibiusa's Picture Diary 2 • Lover of Princess Kaguya January 25, 2014
Japanese (Bunkoban) Act 34 - 38 • Chibiusa's Picture Diary 2 • Lover of Princess Kaguya November 30, 2018
English (Original Release) Act 20 • 21 • 22 February 8, 2000
English (Re-release) Act 27 • 28 • 29 • 30 July 10, 2012
English (Eternal Edition) Act 34 - 38 • Chibiusa's Picture Diary 2 • Lover of Princess Kaguya November 12, 2019
English (Naoko Takeuchi Collection) Act 34 - 38 • Chibiusa's Picture Diary 2 • Lover of Princess Kaguya
7 Japanese (Original Release) Act 23 • 24 June 7, 1994
Japanese (Shinsouban) Act 31 • 32 • 33 • 34 • 35 February 23, 2004
Japanese (Kanzenban) Act 39 • 40 • 41 • 42 • 43 • 44 February 26, 2014
Japanese (Bunkoban) Act 39 • 40 • 41 • 42 • 43 • 44 December 28, 2018
English (Original Release) Act 23 • 24 June 6, 2000
English (Re-release) Act 31 • 32 • 33 • 34 • 35 September 11, 2012
English (Eternal Edition) Act 39 • 40 • 41 • 42 • 43 • 44 January 21, 2020
English (Naoko Takeuchi Collection) Act 39 • 40 • 41 • 42 • 43 • 44
8 Japanese (Original Release) Act 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 November 2, 1994
Japanese (Shinsouban) Act 36 • 37 • 38 • 39 March 23, 2004
Japanese (Kanzenban) Act 44 - 49 • Chibiusa's Picture Diary 3 • Entrance Exam Wars 1, 2, 3 February 26, 2014
Japanese (Bunkoban) Act 44 - 49 • Chibiusa's Picture Diary 3 • Entrance Exam Wars 1, 2, 3 December 28, 2018
English (Original Release) Act 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 December 5, 2000
English (Re-release) Act 36 • 37 • 38 • 39 October 30, 2012
English (Eternal Edition) Act 44 - 49 • Chibiusa's Picture Diary 3 • Entrance Exam Wars 1, 2, 3 March 23, 2020
English (Naoko Takeuchi Collection) Act 44 - 49 • Chibiusa's Picture Diary 3 • Entrance Exam Wars 1, 2, 3
9 Japanese (Original Release) Act 29 • 30 • 31 • 32 February 6, 1995
Japanese (Shinsouban) Act 40 • 41 • 42 • 43 • 44 April 23, 2004
Japanese (Kanzenban) Act 50 • 51 • 52 • 53 • 54 • 55 March 28, 2014
Japanese (Bunkoban) Act 50 • 51 • 52 • 53 • 54 • 55 January 31, 2019
English (Original Release) Act 29 • 30 • 31 • 32 April 17, 2001
English (Re-release) Act 40 • 41 • 42 • 43 • 44 January 29, 2013
English (Eternal Edition) Act 50 • 51 • 52 • 53 • 54 • 55 September 8, 2020
English (Naoko Takeuchi Collection) Act 50 • 51 • 52 • 53 • 54 • 55
10 Japanese (Original Release) Act 33 • Chibiusa's Picture Diary 2 June 6, 1995
Japanese (Shinsouban) Act 45 • 46 • 47 • 48 • 49 May 21, 2004
Japanese (Kanzenban) Act 56 • 57 • 58 • 59 • 60 • Secret Hammer Price Hall • Parallel Sailor Moon March 28, 2014
Japanese (Bunkoban) Act 56 • 57 • 58 • 59 • 60 • Secret Hammer Price Hall • Parallel Sailor Moon January 31, 2019
English (Original Release) Act 33 • Chibiusa's Picture Diary 2 July 10, 2001
English (Re-release) Act 45 • 46 • 47 • 48 • 49 March 26, 2013
English (Eternal Edition) Act 56 • 57 • 58 • 59 • 60 • Secret Hammer Price Hall • Parallel Sailor Moon October 20, 2020
English (Naoko Takeuchi Collection) Act 56 • 57 • 58 • 59 • 60 • Secret Hammer Price Hall • Parallel Sailor Moon
11 Japanese (Original Release) Lover of Princess Kaguya • Casablanca Memory July 6, 1995
Japanese (Shinsouban) Act 50 • 51 • 52 • 53 • 54 June 23, 2004
English (Original Release) Lover of Princess Kaguya • Casablanca Memory October 15, 2001
English (Re-release) Act 50 • 51 • 52 • 53 • 54 May 21, 2013
12 Japanese (Original Release) Act 34 • 35 • 36 September 6, 1995
Japanese (Shinsouban) Act 55 • 56 • 57 • 58 • 59 • 60 July 23, 2004
English (Original Release) Act 34 • 35 • 36 March 16, 1999
English (Re-release) Act 55 • 56 • 57 • 58 • 59 • 60 July 16, 2013
13 Japanese (Original Release) Act 37 • 38 • Exam Battles 1, 2, 3 December 6, 1995
Japanese (Shinsouban) Chibiusa's Picture Diary 1, 2, 3 • Exam Battles 1, 2, 3 • Secret Hammer Price Hall August 23, 2004
English (Original Release) Act 37 • 38 • Exam Battles 1, 2, 3 September 21, 1999
English (Re-release) Chibiusa's Picture Diary 1, 2, 3 • Exam Battles 1, 2, 3 • Secret Hammer Price Hall September 10, 2013
14 Japanese (Original Release) Act 39 • 40 March 6, 1996
Japanese (Shinsouban) Lover of Princess Kaguya • Casablanca Memory • Parallel Sailor Moon September 22, 2004
English (Original Release) Act 39 • 40 January 11, 2000
English (Re-release) Lover of Princess Kaguya • Casablanca Memory • Parallel Sailor Moon November 26, 2013
15 Japanese (Original Release) Act 41 • 42 • Chibiusa's Picture Diary 3 July 5, 1996
English (Original Release) Act 41 • 42 • Chibiusa's Picture Diary 3 August 15, 2000
16 Japanese (Original Release) Act 43 • 44 • 45 September 6, 1996
English (Original Release) Act 43 • 44 • 45 March 13, 2001
17 Japanese (Original Release) Act 46 • 47 • 48 • Chibiusa's Picture Diary 4 December 6, 1996
English (Original Release) Act 46 • 47 • 48 • Chibiusa's Picture Diary 4 June 19, 2001
18 Japanese (Original Release) Act 49 • 50 • 51 • 52 April 4, 1997
English (Original Release) Act 49 • 50 • 51 • 52 September 18, 2001

Artbooks[]

PGSM MC - Cover

Materials Collection artbook cover.

Naoko Takeuchi also released seven art-books containing art from the manga series including the cover illustrations, pictures from the magazines, and other images of the characters.

It was announced during a panel at New York Comic Con 2012 that a new art book would be released.[18] Kodansha USA made a press release about the artbook and the panel included a message from Naoko Takeuchi about it.[19] After over a decade this artbook has not materialized.

References[]

  1. Old vs New Manga Comparison
  2. AnimeNewsNetwork - Kodansha USA to Publish Sailor Moon, Sailor V Manga
  3. Kodansha - KODANSHA USA ANNOUNCES THE RETURN OF SAILOR MOON
  4. Kodansha - SAILOR MOON VOLUME 1 GOES BACK FOR SECOND PRINT FOUR WEEKS AFTER RELEASE
  5. ComicNatalie - セーラームーン完全版、武内直子の描き下ろしイラスト公開
  6. ComicNatalie - 「セーラームーン」完全版が刊行開始!美麗カラーも収録
  7. ComicNatalie - [「セーラームーン」完全版7・8巻本日発売、プレゼントも
  8. ComicNatalie - 【5月28日付】本日発売の単行本リスト
  9. Kodansha - 10 Years of Kodansha Comics—March Spotlight: Sailor Moon
  10. Kodansha - Anime Expo 2017 Kodansha Comics announcements
  11. AnimeNewsNetwork - Kodansha USA Announces Codename: Sailor V Eternal Edition... for Print
  12. Kodansha - Sailor Moon Eternal Edition digital editions: available now!
  13. AnimeNewsNetwork - ComiXology, Kodansha Comics Release Sailor Moon Manga Digitally in English
  14. AnimeNewsNetwork - Sailor Moon Manga Gets Worldwide Digital Release in 10 Languages Starting on July 1
  15. ComicNatalie -「武内直子文庫コレクション」刊行開始、「セーラームーン」1、2巻が本日発売
  16. AnimeNewsNetwork - Exclusive Limited Quantity Sailor Moon Naoko Takuchi Collection Bundle With Q Posket Figure Arrives January 2023
  17. Sailor Moon Official - Colour Complete Vol 3 and 4 Announcement
  18. SailorMoonNews - Kodansha announces a Sailor Moon art book at New York Comic Con
  19. KodanshaComics - KODANSHA ANNOUNCES 2013 WORLDWIDE RELEASE OF SAILOR MOON ART BOOK
Advertisement