As many people who are familiar with both the Sailor Moon manga and the 90s anime know, the stories told in the two of them are quite different. In fact, even the main romantic relationship in the series, that between Mamoru and Usagi, or Tuxedo Mask and Sailor Moon, is vastly different from that shown in the manga.
While many of the story details remain the same, there are details of the way they met and the interactions between them that subtly change the sense fans have of their relationship and affect how they appear as a couple on the page.
10 They Sleep In The Same Bed
Usagi and Mamoru are teenagers, and in the anime, the focus is really on the magical girl aspect of the series, making it more appropriate for children. But in the manga, they’re in a romantic relationship, and that relationship is pretty intense. While it’s never explicit on the page, they’re clearly intimate to the point of practically living together. On more than one occasion, they’re seen going to sleep or waking up in the same bed.
9 Mamoru Gets Brainwashed A Lot
This happens in the anime as well, but it happens even more often in the manga. Mamoru is often the target of brainwashing attempts and kidnapping schemes. This is partial to keep the focus on the girls so they can rescue him. But it definitely helps that Sailor Moon is so attached to Tuxedo Mask. This gives her a very personal reason to want to defeat the bad guy and get her lover back to safety.
8 They Call Each Other By Nicknames Only After They Know Each Other’s Identities
Usagi and Mamoru don’t particularly like each other through much of the Dark Kingdom arc of Sailor Moon. They’re constantly butting heads, particularly because Mamoru loves to tease Usagi about everything from her hair to her grades. But once they’re revealed to each other as Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask, they also become much more affectionate toward each other. The first hint of this is their use of the nicknames they’ll call each other by for the rest of the series: Usako and Mamo-chan.
7 Mamoru Leaves To Go To America
The Sailor Moon manga is long-running, so it’s no surprise that time passes. This is especially apparent in the fact that the characters change ages and grades. Mamoru graduates from high school and decides to go to college.
But instead of studying in Japan, he leaves for America instead. He’s not really seen again in the manga after that, aside from an evil Tuxedo Mask appearing during the climactic battle with Sailor Galaxia, and he communicates with Usagi exclusively by airmailing her photos of the sky.
6 Mamoru And Usagi Are Engaged By The End Of The Story
It’s something of a trope in manga that, no matter how young the characters are when they start dating, they likely end up married at the end. And with a couple like Usagi and Mamoru, who have known each other in this and past lifetimes, it seems even more likely. Before Mamoru gets on a plane to leave for America, he gives Usagi a heart-shaped jewel ring, which he places on her left ring finger. While the words aren’t spoken, the intention of this gesture is clear.
5 Sailor Moon Tries To Kill Mamoru And Herself After He’s Brainwashed By Queen Beryl
Almost immediately after the revelation of their past lives and the love they had for each other during the Silver Millennium, Queen Beryl kidnaps and brainwashes Mamoru to serve her. Usagi has a lot of trouble dealing with this, and later, when fighting a brainwashed Tuxedo Mask, she has trouble defending herself. It’s not until he hurts Luna and Sailor Venus kills Queen Beryl that Sailor Moon acts, stabbing herself and Tuxedo Mask in an attempt to free them both from the anguish of the situation.
4 Mamoru Knows Usagi Is Sailor Moon Before She Tells Him
The climactic moment of season one of Sailor Moon, when Usagi reveals to Mamoru her true identity in order to rescue them from Zoisite’s attack, is a major moment in the 90s anime. But fans of this revelation might be disappointed to learn that in the manga, Mamoru already knows that Usagi is Sailor Moon. It’s never revealed how he knows, but he comes to Usagi’s house to ask her to help him in battle, showing he knows who she is, and later reveals himself as Tuxedo Mask.
3 They Are Surprisingly Close In Age In The Manga
It’s always been a weird point for Sailor Moon fans that Usagi is in middle school and Mamoru is in high school when they start dating. Granted, the ages of a middle schooler and high school are a little different in Japan, but it still gives a lot of people the willies.
But they’re actually fairly close in age in the manga. Usagi turns 15 in June, just two months before Mamoru turns 17, putting them less than two years apart.
2 Princess Serenity Snuck Off To Earth To See Endymion
While Serenity and Endymion are technically different people from Usagi and Mamoru, the latter are the reincarnations of the former, which can be seen in how they feel about each other and how devoted they are in their love for one another. In fact, Serenity often did a very Usagi thing in wanting to see Endymion. She would create decoys and distractions so that she could sneak off to Earth to be with him without being hassled by her constant Guardians.
1 Endymion And Serenity Die Tragically, Setting The Stage For Mamoru And Usagi’s Love Story
Endymion dies while trying to defend the Moon Kingdom from the invading forces of his own brainwashed Earth Kingdom soldiers. After they kill him, stricken by grief, Serenity kills herself to follow him in classic Shakespearean fashion. The tragedy of their ending sets up the sweetness of their reunion on Earth when they’re reincarnated and also foreshadows the lengths they’ll go to for one another later on in the series, up to and including death.