Fighting evil by moonlight’s important, but why win love by daylight when you can eat cake and open presents instead? Everybody’s got a birthday, and Sailor Moon & her fellow Scouts are no different.
Unlike many television shows (or even works of fiction in general), the birthday of each Sailor Scout has been explicitly stated at some point, and were all deliberately chosen by series creator Naoko Takeuchi to correspond with the Zodiac dates related to the planets their powers hail from. Yet there are also other factors outside astrology, either by coincidence or design, that make each Sailor Scout’s birthday a perfect fit.
10 Sailor Moon– June 30
The franchise’s lead has a birthday that falls right at the tail-end of June, during Japan’s summertime. Given Usagi Tsukino’s love of sunny weather (as seen in episodes like “The Summer, the Beach, Youth and Ghosts,”) she must be pleased! Usagi, in fact, was shown celebrating her birthday in the series, namely in the 101st episode of the first Sailor Moon anime. June 30th has actually been declared International Sailor Moon Day by the series’ fans, who have been known to commemorate Usagi’s birthday with fan art, cosplay, and more. Even Toei Animation and Sailor Moon’s current U.S. licensor, Viz Media, have been known to join in the celebration.
9 Sailor Mars– April 17
Naturally, Rei Hino being an Aries is a Zodiac reference, as the astrology sign’s ruling planet is Mars. It also makes a lot of sense that the fire-wielder’s birthday would land in late April, as that’s often just when the weather starts heating up in Japan. The general lukewarm weather of the month could even be seen as a “compromise” between Rei’s more level-headed personality in the manga versus the wilder version in the anime. Rei’s birthday is another of the few celebrated within one of the series, specifically in Sailor Moon Crystal.
8 Sailor Venus– October 22
Minako Aino is quite special among the Sailor Moon cast, as she was not only the first Sailor Scout in operation, but she even had her own manga, Codename: Sailor V. It’s also quite fitting that she have a birthday so close to Halloween: not only do the Sailor Scouts fight monsters, witches, and warlocks on a regular basis, but Minako even wore a domino mask originally, making her uniform more of a disguise than her comrades’.
Despite being active longer than the others, Sailor Venus was actually the last person to join the Sailor Scouts team, although her existence was heavily teased at long before her first appearance in the Sailor Moon anime.
7 Sailor Mercury– September 10
Given Ami Mizuno’s studious nature, it’s fairly fitting that she would be born in early September, which is when the school year starts for many parts of the world in the Northern Hemisphere. She also shares a birthday with a real world figure in Japan who shares her love of technology, namely Gunpei Yokoi, the man who designed the Game Boy— a coincidence that would surely make at least some of her video game loving Sailor Scout friends jealous. September also tends to be a rainier month for Japan, which perfectly suits for Ami’s water-based attacks.
6 Sailor Jupiter– December 5
The brawn of the Sailor Scouts and defender of the helpless was born on the same day as the British Bulldog himself, the highly influential wrestler known as Dynamite Kid. December is also when Japan starts to experience the cold of winter, which is the kind of tough weather that suits Makoto Kino’s personality fairly well. Sailor Jupiter also shares a birthday with Pegasus Tenma of the Saint Seiya franchise, as well as a birth month with Tenma’s next incarnation, Pegasus Seiya himself. December just seems to breed strong manga and anime characters!
5 Sailor Chibi Moon– June 30
Being Sailor Moon’s daughter, it’s only natural for Sailor Chibi Moon to have at least some things in common with her mother. Yet it’s still quite the coincidence that they share the same birthday! Being born on the last day in June, Chibiusa Tsukino and her mother both qualify as Cancer, whose ruling celestial body is, you guessed it, the moon. While Sailor Chibi Moon could have been born on any other day the Zodiac sign falls other, being born on the same day as her mother is a strong reminder of how in the Sailor Moon franchise, few things are mere coincidence.
4 Sailor Neptune– March 6
Michiru Kaiou’s birthday is actually the closest to that of series creator Naoko Takeuchi, who was born on March 15th. It’s also one day before the first Sailor Moon anime debuted in Japan in 1992! Is it any surprise then that she is as artistically inclined as her creator?
Michiru also shares a birthday with one of the greatest painters in history, Michelangelo, and violinist Lorin Maazel, who, by eight years old, was already a music conductor. They’re certainly two people Michiru would be likely to emulate! March is also a month in which Japan celebrates several festivals associated with water, which a water wielder like Michiru would surely appreciate.
3 Sailor Uranus– January 27
The lover of Sailor Neptune, the trailblazing Sailor Uranus has always been famous for challenging gender norms, even questioning the importance of gender altogether in the Sailor Moon manga and Sailor Moon Crystal. Is it any shock, then, that Haruka Tenou’s birthday falls on the month named after Janus, the Roman two-headed god of duality? Also known for possessing several powers related to wind and air (as Uranus was the Greek god of the sky), Haruka shares a birthday with one of Japan’s most victorious pilots of the Second World War, Hiroyoshi Nishizawa.
2 Sailor Pluto– October 29
With a birthday even closer to Halloween’s than Sailor Venus’, the date suits Setsuna Meiou quite well, given how Pluto is the god who rules the underworld in Roman myth. Setsuna has various powers related to time control, being the guardian of the Door of Space-time… a trait that also ties in very well with her birthday, as Daylight Savings Time ends around that date in various parts of the world. Interestingly, Japan doesn’t practice Daylight Savings Time, sticking with Japan Standard Time year-round. Although a Sailor Scout with the power to manipulate time might be able to do something about that!
1 Sailor Saturn– January 6
Born so soon after the New Year, it makes a certain sense for Sailor Saturn to wield the Silence Glaive, which somewhat resembles Father Time’s scythe. Yet those who run into Hotaru Tomoe’s Sailor form would be greatly mistaken to assume she’s come to bring new beginnings. Hotaru is the Guardian of Ruin, capable of turning planets into nothing, and at one point was even possessed by a Daimon, Mistress 9. Interestingly, January 6 is generally seen as a positive day in Japanese culture, as that day and January 7 are when people visit the Sorinzan Drama Temple in Takasaki to pray for a year of good fortune.