In 1995, The Slayers anime aired on Japanese television. While protagonist Lina Inverse and her companions had been popular thanks to the series of light novels that inspired the anime, The Slayers became one of the most iconic anime of the '90s, turning its heroine into one of the decade's most beloved. However, she had competition. Airing simultaneously was the undisputed anime masterpiece Sailor Moon. Its heroine, Usagi Tsukino, had already become an icon of the genre long before Lina burst on the scene.
When comparing the two characters, there's a big question that remains: Who is the better hero?
Power
Both heroines are surprisingly powerful. Lina Inverse can unleash spells powerful enough to destroy planets. While her Dragon Slave spell is able to level entire cities with minimal effort, her Giga Slave spell can eradicate entities of insurmountable power. If Lina lost control of the spell and let it rage uncontrollably, it could destroy entire planets.
However, while that sounds absurdly powerful, Usagi easily outdoes her. With the power of the Silver Crystal, Usagi can also take out planets -- and that's just at the end of the first season. Towards the end of the franchise, Sailor Moon can travel faster than light, fight galaxy-eradicating enemies and ultimately choose whether or not the universe lives or dies.
In terms of raw power, there is no contest. Sailor Moon is superior.
The Crew
Gourry, Amelia and Zelgadis are on the surface a typical knight, white mage and druid, respectfully. Gourry is a complete dunce with a good heart, Amelia is a sometimes too-good-for-this-sinful-earth pure hero of justice and Zelgadis is everyone's first edgelord Dungeons & Dragon character. In fact, they act more in line with a party of Dungeons & Dragons players, often making counter-productive or incredibly destructive decisions that are entirely self-driven, with Lina not necessarily as their leader but often as the catalyst that gets them further into trouble.
Conversely, the Sailor Guardians are the reincarnation of the Princess Serenity's Guardians. They're destined to be together. So it's also a good thing Usagi, Ami, Rei, Makoto and Minako all happen to be best of friends who support and love one another. The sheer positive energy spread between the Sailor Guardians is enough to make them some of the most widely beloved anime characters of all time.
While Lina's crew are charming and delightful characters, Sailor Moon has the superior crew.
Adversity
No hero is complete without a villain to overcome. Lina Inverse regularly deals with interdimensional demons, insidious schemers and eldritch abominations that defy the realms of reality. Xellos may or may not be an ally to Lina, but he's certainly caused the Black Mage more than enough trouble. Add to that the various rogues and governments that want Lina and friends dead, and there are no shortage of adversaries she faces.
By contrast, Usagi has some truly dangerous foes. Queen Beryl's forces managed to destroy Usagi's entire squad. Queen Galaxia threatened to annihilate all life in the universe. However, the majority of the foes Usagi faces, especially in the original anime, are minor monsters conjured by the real villains. These monsters and schemes are usually hindrances on Usagi's episodic conflicts, never really posing a real danger to her. Sure, when danger gets real, Usagi is pushed to the brink, but most often, she's not pushed to her limits.
The winner here, by far, is Lina Inverse.
Personality
While on the outside, Usagi and Lina have a lot in common, they're completely different people.
Lina is ultimately a fairly selfish person, driven by the desire for treasure and glory. Lina is feared mainly because she uses overly destructive magic without a hint of regret. She doesn't care who gets blown up during her quests, which has resulted in many seeing her as either a walking force of destruction or a force of great evil. However, Lina sees herself, despite these negative aspects, as an ultimately good, beautiful and powerful black mage.
By contrast, Usagi is often dismissed as stupid and greedy, but she is truly a selfless person. Usagi has the ability to blow up planets, but never uses her true destructive power for the wrong reasons. She has gone out of her way to avoid bringing harm to her opponents. In the original anime, Usagi only killed two of the five main big villains: Queen Beryl and Wiseman. With most of her adversaries, she tries healing them of evil influence. Even in the manga, where Usagi is more destructive, she still believes in the best of humanity, trying her best to protect her friends.
In regards to who is the better hero in a traditional sense, Sailor Moon wins.
The Ultimate Winner?
Though Sailor Moon wins more categories than not, it's undeniable that the two characters rank among the most iconic figures in anime fandom. Usagi is a beautiful heroine who is pure of heart and loves her friends. Lina Inverse is totally selfish and totally badass. Both are iconic heroes in drastically different ways. Lina simply isn't as good a hero as Usagi, but she's every bit as iconic a character.
In the end, though, anime fans are the winners of this competition, because we were given two fantastic characters who have remained popular and iconic for decades. So many other heroes fade into obscurity, but Usagi and Lina survive due to the quality of their writing, their emblematic designs and personalities, and how, after struggling through intense adversity, they beat the odds.