ONTD Original™: Who Would Win? - 'Sailor Moon' Edition

Fighting games were the rage in the 1990s. One of the most popular anime/manga franchises ever, Sailor Moon, even partook in the trend. But what if our favorite sailor-suited warriors really were pitted against each other? Who would win? Well, here's a rather involved, detailed, and possibly unnecessary analysis that may answer that very question.

Two of the most powerful forces in the ten Sailor Soldiers are Sailor Moon and Sailor Saturn. If the two fought, someone would quickly say Saturn would be the obvious victor. But is this true? Sailor Saturn, the Soldier of Ruin, has the ability to destroy worlds with her Silence Glaive. Her appearance is usually an omen for something bad about to occur. Saturn is not the one to call for the small stuff. She is designated for doomsdays and the apocalypse. Sometimes the only way to defeat a seemingly indestructible, all-powerful evil is to obliterate the world for which it resides in. In the manga, Saturn was revealed to be the one who destroyed the Silver Millennium once it was ravaged by the Dark Kingdom. In order for rebirth to take place, the old must be removed. Of course with Saturn's "gift" of destruction comes a price - she, too, must die. And Saturn accepts that and has no qualms as she is fully aware of her duty as the Soldier of Ruin.

If Saturn has one weakness, it would be her dependence on the Silence Glaive. As far as fans know, all of her power lies inside of it. In Sailor Moon Sailor Stars (ep. 172), Queen Nehelenia knocked the Glaive out of Saturn's hands, rendering her powerless. That same season (ep. 198) , Galaxia destroyed the Silence Glaive (as well as Sailor Pluto's Garnet Rod). Some fans think Galaxia did this deliberately because she realized Saturn could not kill her without her Glaive.

Then we have the titular hero of the franchise - Sailor Moon. She's described as a clumsy crybaby by most outlets, which undermines her ability as a Sailor Soldier and as the heir of the Silver Millennium. Moon is not a born fighter. She relies on her surprising agility and quick reactions to evade danger in the average skirmish. When the battle becomes a life or death situation, though, Sailor Moon is always ready to step up and do whatever it takes. Armed with her Legendary Silver Crystal, Moon has access to awesome power. With it, she can purge enemies of evil, or she can counter and neutralize negative and destructive energy. The history of the Silver Crystal was never exactly stated in the series. Who created it and where did Sailor Moon's past-life mother, Queen Serenity, get it from? In the manga and in both anime series, it was an heirloom passed down to Moon/Princess Serenity. Yet in the live-action adaptation of the manga, Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, the Silver Crystal appeared to belong to Princess Serenity from the start. How she obtained it, though, was not explained. Since Sailor Venus was more privy to memories of the past than her comrades, she was aware of how powerful Sailor Moon is. In fact, it was Princess Serenity that destroyed the Moon Kingdom in the past. Her heartache over Prince Endymion's death caused her to unleash the power of the Silver Crystal, which consumed the planet (ep. 38). So not only did the Sailor Soldiers in the live-action drama have to fight the Dark Kingdom, they had to make sure history did not repeat itself for the sake of humanity. As Princess Sailor Moon, Serenity's sorrow -- fueled by Mamoru's death -- spurred the end of existence once again in the present (ep. 49).

Sailor Moon's reliance on tools, wands, and the Legendary Silver Crystal puts her in a similar position as Saturn. The aforementioned Sailor Soldier is likely able to exhibit innate power without weapons, but it still is not clear if Saturn can reap any damage without her Silence Glaive. So if it came down to a match between Moon and Saturn, the truth is this: either could win. Saturn could dissolve the planet with a drop of her Glaive; Moon could possibly do the same with her Silver Crystal. But only Moon can restore and heal, which some argue is a more powerful gift than ruination.

Some fans have wondered which of the two water-based Sailor Soldiers is the most powerful: Sailor Mercury or Sailor Neptune? Why do two Soldiers share the same element? Well, they actually do not. Mercury controls water while Neptune is the Soldier of the Sea.

Sailor Mercury's intial ability was to generate mist or fog. In the classic anime, Mercury disarmed explosives in mid-air with her bubbles (ep. 24) and quelled feral animals under a Youma's thrall (ep. 15). She also amplified the voltage of Sailor Jupiter's "Supreme Thunder" (ep. 41, 53) on two occasions. Water is not a great conductor of electricity, but the minerals within water are. In the face of an onslaught of lava (ep.45), Mercury sealed herself inside a giant bubble. This offered her some protection amid the searing heat. In Sailor Moon Crystal, Mercury transformed droplets into a barrage of raging water, thus catching Zoisite completely off-guard (ep. 6). She did this again when Cyprine turned the Sailor Soldiers against each other (ep. 33): Mercury changed her mist into a stream, which she used against Uranus and Neptune. Basically, Mercury knows how to work her attacks. The other Soldiers are not as proficient with theirs.

Furthermore, Mercury has sway over temperature of water. Neptune does not. Even when her powers were new to her, Sailor Mercury could simply alter the coldness of her mist as a way to confuse the enemy. She advanced to a level where she could then create ice (and snow in Crystal).

Sailor Neptune's totem deity is the Roman god of the sea, but her powers are not really watery. That is not to say there is no trait of water to her "Deep Submerge" technique. In the classic anime, Neptune hit a Daimon (ep. 113) with said maneuver, and as a result, the monster was sprayed by a blast of water. Could Mercury manipulate Neptune's attacks then?

Neptune has good control over her powers, and she exhibits quiet strength as well as confidence in battle. Neptune wields the Deep Aqua Mirror, but she is not reliant on it during combat.

So if the two Sailor Soldiers that govern water were put against each other, who would win? Mercury is resourceful and also a literal genius. So she could possibly figure out a way to defeat Neptune sooner or later. Or turn Neptune's attacks into ice. On the other hand, Neptune's powers are considered to be stronger because she and her Outer peers were blessed with greater abilities so that they could protect the Moon and Earth from invaders. And as already evident in her history as a Sailor Soldier, Neptune has no qualms with sacrifice for the greater good. Mercury, much like Moon, is not as readily able to do the same. At least not without good logical reasoning. Sailor Neptune may be the better-trained warrior, but Sailor Mercury is ingenious.

Here are two Sailor Soldiers that rarely interact with one another - Sailor Mars and Sailor Pluto. So who would win - the Soldier of Flame or the Soldier of Time?

Sailor Mars is known to be passionate as well as aggressive, even more so depending on the adaptation. She has limited clairvoyance and is also a trained miko (Shinto priestess) with some skill in archery. She is capable of hand-to-hand combat, but not like Jupiter or Uranus are.

Sailor Pluto is the keeper of the Space-Time Door. As such, Pluto can manipulate time and control mystical doorways. As seen in both anime, Sailor Pluto will not shy away from physical fights. Her Garnet Rod doubles as a staff that she can use to block attacks or strike down opponents. It is also the source of her power as she uses it in every one her techniques. Since the Rod is adorned by her sacred Talisman, the Garnet Orb, Pluto is imbued with even more power.

Rei's live-action persona, which is arguably the most perfect on-screen adaptation of Rei/SailorMars to date, was a good interpretation of manga Rei - minus the boring parts. She and Usagi did not always get along, but it was not a constant bickering feud between them either like in the classic anime. Live-action Sailor Mars often reined in her emotions, much to the detriment of her potential strength. Once she tapped into those emotions, she fully awakened as a Sailor Soldier, and she was able to defeat Nephrite singlehandedly (ep.23). The death of a fellow Sailor Soldier also gave her a power boost (ep. 47).

Now, Sailor Pluto is an enigmatic person in many regards. Very little is known about her in comparison to her peers. Unlike the rest of the Sailor Soldiers, she was likely not born into a modern-age family, and she was not shown going to grade school or hanging out with her friends. As far as fans know, Pluto was always a lonely Sailor Soldier (though it is speculated that she is the daughter of Chronos). She stood at the Space-Time Door for a number of years, preventing anyone from exiting or entering. So Pluto has way more experience than Mars.

With all of that in mind, it probably will not be surprising to say that Sailor Pluto would beat Sailor Mars in a 1-on-1 duel. Pluto has more powers at her disposal, some of which include time manipulation. In theory, Pluto could temporally stop Mars in her tracks before she ever makes a move. This is if fans are ignoring the fact that Sailor Pluto's "Time Stop" technique is taboo and not meant for trivial matters. Now, if Mars knocked the Garnet Rod away from Pluto, the fight would be more fair; Pluto could not use any of her offensive attacks ("Dead Scream," "Chronos Typhoon"). With the exception of using her ofuda with "Evil Spirits - Begone," Mars needs no items to project fire. So as long as Mars can get Pluto's Garnet Rod away from her, she might stand a chance against the formiddable Solder of Time. Especially if she lives up to her alias of "Soldier of Passion" and just lays into Pluto.

This is a match that every fan would want to see - the two physically strongest Sailor Soldiers going toe to toe. In one corner, you have Sailor Moon's loyal and brawny best friend with a penchant for cooking - Sailor Jupiter. And in the other corner is the alluring and mighty leader of the Outers - Sailor Uranus. These two have long since made peace over their differences, but forget about that momentarily. Who would win if Jupiter and Uranus finally threw down?

Before Uranus showed up, Jupiter was considered the powerhouse of the core five. When the D.D. Girls were sent to kill the Sailor Soldiers in the classic anime (ep. 45), they knew to take out Jupiter first. And when it came to protecting her princess from one of Queen Nehelenia's minions (ep. 171), Jupiter proved to be very resilient. Makoto does not have the judo training that Haruka does, but she can fight when the need calls for it. She is too stubborn to back down if challenged.

Sailor Uranus is considerably the fastest of the ten Soldiers. It would make sense since her element is technically air. She can move faster than Sailor Jupiter can probably throw a punch. When the two clashed in Sailor Moon S (ep. 96), Uranus won the spar, but she did not leave unscathed. And in Sailor Moon Crystal, Jupiter held her own against Uranus, even when the latter was wielding her Space Sword (ep.33).

When it comes to offensive attacks, Sailor Uranus has an advantage because she and her Outer comrades were given stronger attacks to begin with. Sailor Jupiter can still do some damage. She took down a dragon with one shot of "Sparkling Wide Pressure" in Sailor Moon R (ep. 84), and she destroyed a Daimon all by herself in Sailor Moon S (ep. 105). It goes to show that a guardian Sailor Soldier can defeat a bad guy by herself as long as she aims to do it. Would that determination be enough to overpower Uranus? Maybe not since Uranus has taken out enemies with little effort on her part.

Sailor Jupiter probably will not be beating Sailor Uranus any time soon, but she would definitely make Uranus work for her win.

Fans may already know the answer to this query: could Sailor Chibimoon, daughter of Sailor Moon, defeat the Soldier of Love, Sailor Venus? Well, humor the idea that the petite, pink menace could be a challenge of some kind for Venus.

Despite popular belief, Sailor Moon is not the leader of the Inner Sailor Team - Sailor Venus is. Venus has the most experience of the main five Sailor Soldiers in the series, seeing as she "awoke" first. And in most continuities, she has the most knowledge of their past lives.

In the manga and in every other adaptation of it (excluding the classic anime), Sailor Venus wears a chain around her waist. She skillfully uses this in most of her attacks. Additionally, Venus is agile from a combination of volleyball and fighting as a Sailor Soldier.

Chibiusa did not become a Sailor Soldier until later in the series. She was also considerably younger than when Usagi and the others became Soldiers. Sailor Chibimoon had to catch up quickly. In the '90s anime, Chibimoon only ever had one offensive active attack ("Pink Sugar Heart Attack"). She rarely performed it well either, possibly because it was new or experimental magic. Chibimoon did not exist in the original Silver Millennium after all so her newfound powers had to come from somehwere else. As for her portrayal in Crystal, Chibimoon was more capable as a Sailor Soldier. She was able to knock Mistress 9's true form down when the other Soldiers failed to (ep. 37). As Super Sailor Chibimoon, she and Super Sailor Moon combined their wands to perform "Double Rainbow Moon Heart Ache" together (ep. 38). They did something similar in the Sailor Moon SuperS movie, too. It should also be noted that Sailor Chibimoon possesses the future's Silver Crystal in the manga and in Crystal. She does not have the same control over it like her mother (past or future), but with practice, she could.

In her current state, Sailor Chibimoon probably would not be much of a challenge for Sailor Venus. She has never even defeated an enemy by herself. Everything considered, a few more years of experience would do Chibimoon some good.