Fans of the classic Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon anime love the show's monsters and villains. There's no denying that. One of several things the '90s anime did so well was how it depicted the antagonists. The upper-level villains had more screen time, and almost every episode had a new monster for the Sailor Guardians to tangle with.
Although Sailor Moon is considered a children's anime, there were times where the bad guys scared us. Whether it was how they looked or how they made us feel, some of the enemies were plain frightening. So, in the name of the moon, let's check out ten of the creepiest villains in Sailor Moon!
10 Mister Magic Pierrot
When Zirconia realizes the Amazon Trio is no longer of use to the Dead Moon, she allows the Amazoness Quartet to deal with them accordingly. By that, PallaPalla unleashes a lemures named Mister Magic Pierrot. This clown-themed monster has some feline qualities, too. The lemures catches up to the Trio, who are arguing over the latest Dream Mirror target — Usagi! Thankfully, Sailor Moon is able to defeat the clown and save the Trio.
Mister Magic Pierrot undoubtedly incites discomfort in anyone who cannot stand clowns. Unlike actual clowns, though, Pierrot means harm.
9 Dummy
As the other Sailor Guardians deal with the Dead Moon, Haruka and Michiru go on a vacation. They reside at a cliffside hotel where the entertainment includes a ventriloquist. As Haruka nurses a cold, Michiru is caught off guard by a violent maid. It appears the hotel is under an evil force's control. But who's the mastermind? Sailor Neptune faces off with the ventriloquist but then realizes it's the Dummy that's pulling the strings.
This monster only appeared in a special episode that isn't important to the '90s anime's main story. In fact, it's an anthology made up of three segments. One of which is a Haruka and Michiru focused vignette. Seeing as dolls like Dummy are commonly associated with dark magic, it's no wonder this scurrying miscreant bothers us.
8 Reci
During a picnic that celebrates the blooming of the local sakura, Ail and An deploy a cardian called Reci to sap energy from the attendees. This includes the Sailor Guardians. When Sailor Moon shows up, she finds her four friends being sucked dry of their life force by this tree-like entity. In her current state, Sailor Moon is no match, and her transformation brooch is destroyed.
At first, Reci resembles a demure Heian Period woman. Appearances are deceiving, though. When she's doing battle, Reci's face changes from human to purely demonic. She is an unsettling foe who nearly defeated Sailor Moon.
7 Jumeau
Nephrite targeted a friend of Usagi's brother Shingo. The girl was a doll maker whose show was held at a local gallery. When Usagi and the others attended, they stumbled upon Nephrite's plan to steal the young artist's energy. From the darkness then emerged Nephrite's latest minion, yōma Jumeau. This living, life-sized doll creature proved to be a difficult adversary.
Named after the French company that made premium bisque dolls, Jumeau is a yōma whose body parts can operate in tandem or separately. She was nearly invulnerable as her razor sharp limbs regenerated, too. Fortunately, Sailor Mercury detected Jumeau's weak spot in her foot.
6 Yasha
Upset over Nephrite's ability to stay in Queen Beryl's good graces despite his many failures, Zoisite sics his yōma Yasha on him. This shrouded monster follows Nephrite to his rendezvous with Naru, who Nephrite believes is the key to finding elusive Silver Crystal. When the moment strikes, Yasha attacks Nephrite. She then sets her sights on Naru. To everyone's surprise, Nephrite instinctively stops the yōma. This is when Yasha's kabuki mask breaks, revealing her true visage.
Yasha was one of many monsters in the series based on folklore. She's named after a mythological Asian creature called a yaksha.
5 Cameran
The initial tone of episode 17 — when Usagi goes to a modeling photoshoot at a hotel — is considerably lighthearted. That is, until the enemy exposes herself. Nephrite latest creation is the yōma Cameran. As her name implies, her motif has to do with cameras. She doesn't use an actual camera, though. No, this yōma has an eyeball in her palm that doubles as an instant camera. Gross!
Cameran is creepy because she upsets an otherwise silly filler episode. She's a ruthless creature who rattles Sailor Moon after turning Luna and the other Sailor Guardians into snapshots. Luckily, Sailor Moon pulls through and outwits the enemy. This results in Cameran melting in some kind of body horror-esque fashion.
4 PeroPero
When Sailor Moon and Sailor Chibi-Moon confront PallaPalla — who was rounding up Dream Mirrors en masse — in episode 158, the blue-haired Amazon casts a spell on the two Guardians. This caused them to swap ages so Sailor Moon was now Chibi-Moon's age and vice versa. This was a problem because Chibi-Moon could not summon Pegasus or his power in her teenage state.
PeroPero didn't appear until later once PallaPalla's spell was undone. This lemures started off as an adorable, large piece of candy before turning rabid. She also spat sentient gumballs that were unaffected by the Sailor Guardians' attacks. In fact, their techniques only caused them to become gooey and massive like something out of The Blob.
3 Morga
At Naru's mother's jewelry store, a yōma named Morga glamoured herself to look like the girl's mother. She then reveals her true form, which is zombie-like. Sailor Moon comes to Naru's aid, but she's understandably overwhelmed by the enemy. With some help from Tuxedo Mask, Sailor Moon finally musters up the courage to vanquish her first yōma.
Morga has the honor of being one of the few monsters to appear in the manga as well as both anime adaptations. She's only given a name in the '90s anime, though. That classic version of Morga is effective because of her ghoulish nature.
2 Zirconia
It seemed like Zirconia was in charge of the Dead Moon, but as we learned later, she was only an emissary for the true leader — Queen Nehalennia. Due to her inability to cross over into our world, Nehalennia relied on Zirconia to carry out her mission. Which was finding Pegasus, the keeper of the Golden Crystal that could free Nehalennia.
Zirconia is possibly the most enigmatic subordinate in the series. She resembles a decayed insect, and she has no discernible personality other than being curmudgeonly. In the final episode of the fourth season, Sailor Moon makes a stand against the now decrepit Nehalennia. In a surprising moment, the thought-to-be deceased Zirconia emerges from Nehalennia's abdomen like the Freddy Krueger "snake" from A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors. Horrifying.
1 Proto-Daimon
In episode 106, we finally learned the origins of Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune. Essentially, fate brought Haruka and Michiru together. When Haruka was attacked by a mysterious monster, Michiru saved her. She actually didn't want Haruka to accept her destiny of becoming a Sailor Guardian. In doing so, Haruka's life would never be the same again. Neptune defeated the monster, which turned back into a human.
The monster here is the Proto-Daimon. In the third season, the Death Busters' monsters are daimons, whose name comes from the daemons of Greek mythology. The creatures seen in the manga resemble the Proto-Daimon, which is a primitive precursor of the standard daimons used in the '90s anime. This limbless, toothy beast is an embodiment of all things nightmarish.