< Sailor Moon

Sailor Moon/WMG


Sailor Moon

The Dark Kingdom is behind Pluto's demotion to a dwarf planet.

It was just a matter of time...

  • Actually, it would make chronologically more sense if it was Chaos who engineered it, as the Dark Kingdom would've been long dead and gone by the time of the planet's demotion, while Chaos, while dormant, would still be pulling strings from behind the scenes...

Usagi is a natural master of Drunken Boxing.

The number of times she just barely manages to dodge an attack despite having no formal combat training violates the laws of probability. The sanest explanation for Usagi's incredible luck dodging attacks is that Jupiter taught Serenity a few things about self-defense in the Silver Millennium. The knowledge carried over to Usagi subconsciously.

This would also explain how she knows enough martial arts to pull off a flying heel kick—no small feat for a completely untrained schoolgirl.

  • If Silver Millennium's Jupiter was like Tatsuki, then surely she taught Serenity so much that Princess Serenity would be a black belt.

Sailor Pluto is Chibi-Usa's mother.

Not only did Sailor Pluto have a crush on Endymion (as detailed in the musicals), but Chibi-Usa doesn't look much like either of her parents by conventional rules. People in the future talk about that enough to annoy her.

The original manga reason for Chibi-Usa turning back from The Dark Side was specifically Setsuna's love.

Setsuna was also the one who gave Chibi-Usa the cat Diana, a plot point later retconned for unknown reasons (possibly related to this theory).

  • Oh, and Pluto has red eyes.
    • In initial manga sketches Chibi-Usa had blue eyes, just like Usagi.
    • Pluto could have been Endymion's or Mamoru's mother. We don't know her real age, and once you add Time Travel to the mix...
    • It's not like blond blue-eyed Usagi or brunette green-eyed Shingo look like their parents. Ikuko has blue/purple hair and dark eyes, Kenji black hair and eyes.
  • Hello, Pluto controls time! Who's to say that she didn't do some finagling in the time stream to put her child in Serenity? Then Pluto is the genetic mother and Serenity is the surrogate mother... That would make a neat fanfiction.
    • Especially if the fic explained Chibi-Usa's moon powers and resemblance to Usagi.
    • The powers can be from being carried in Serenity's womb. There's a definite crossover in appearance with Sailor Pluto and Black Lady, at least.
    • Could someone please explain to me how 'time control' and 'putting one's unborn child in another woman mix'? Because I'd really like to know...
  • Or maybe Pluto donated an egg to a then-infertile Serenity (all that death, revival and magical moon purifying can't be good for the ovaries), which explains the red eyes, the moon powers, and why Pluto took such a fondness for the little girl.
    • Actually the reason for her fondness is quite obvious - anyone would get attached to cute Chibi-Usa if they were trapped in a time vortex all alone for eons at a time. And Chibi-Usa is certainly cuddly enough...


== The Silver Millenium wasn't really a Utopia, but a dictatorship, with Queen Beryl being on the wrong side of propaganda. == This is the theory for people who slide to the cynical side of the Sliding Scale of Idealism Versus Cynicism.

  • If we take it further, could be that the Ginzuishou is some sort of Anti-Spiral drive, and everybody is turning to immortal being, but in eternal despair. A proof? If Crystal Tokyo was a perfect place, Sailor Pluto wouldn't be lonely, and Chibi-Usa wouldn't be bullied.
    • No one said that Crystal Tokyo was perfect. It's just the next stage of evolution...the Ginzuishou controls time, rebirth and all that but it doesn't control the human heart. Uh...and Pluto was lonely even on her own planet? Just like Neptune and Uranus.

== Humans and youma are the same species, and the Silver Millennium modified them; this resulted in the Balance Between Good and Evil being screwed up. == The Seven Shadows, who were prominent in the first major filler arc, all seemed to have been reincarnated into humans rather easily. The original versions of daemons from the manga (one of which appeared in the anime in Haruka's flashback) are referred to as "atavists": a regression in Evolutionary Levels. Messing with the personal MacGuffin of any character—soul mirror/star seed/whatever—seems to inflict or dispel the effect rather easily. This also explains why Earth Is the Center of the Universe; Chaos and its children are trying to reclaim their own.

Each of the senshi represent different religions.

Taken from here, they map to:

  • Moon = Buddhism
    • Alternatively, Sailor Moon could correspond to Wicca (or a similar form of neopaganism). The moon stick bears a striking resemblance to a boline.
      • Don't forget the whole Goddess and God thing. Heck, it fits the Selene and Endymion's tale to a T!
        • Chibi-Usa, Neo-Queen Serenity, and Queen Serenity = Maiden, Mother, and Crone?
    • Or Moon represents Islam. Her moon stick resembles the crescent moon seen on many Islamic structures.
      • Her being Islam would also explain why she considers a religious monarchy the ideal form of society...
  • Mercury = Confucianism
  • Mars = Shinto (duh! She lives and works at a Shinto temple)
  • Venus = Taoism
      • Isn't she Buddhist in the manga?
        • Nope.
        • Actually, yes, but only the Sailor V manga.
  • Pluto = Islam
    • Alternatively, Pluto could represent general Paganism (the oldest of the religions, with the most likely to be around in several thousand years since paganism is pretty much just "whatever religion that has fallen out of the mainstream in a big way, dujour")
  • Neptune = Judaism (she and Uranus's original mission is to find a Messaih/Savior, while Christians believe it was Jesus, Jews are still waiting for him)
  • Uranus = Christianity (At one point, she is seen wearing a cross)
    • That doesn't make any sense, isn't she lesbian? That's banned in Christianity, you know...
      • There are many versions of Christianity, some of which allow lesbianism.
        • Hate to break it to you but there are no such things as a multiple versions of Christianity. Try again.
          • Actually there is according to this troper's Comparative Religions professor. Lutheran, Episcopalian, and other notable names are modified branches off of Christianity. Same thing regarding orthodoxed or unorthodoxed branches of certain religions.
  • Saturn = Hindu, particularly the goddess Kali


All of History is a Plot by Sailor Pluto

Ever since the end of the Silver Millennium (1,000 - 20,000 years ago, depending on who you ask), Sailor Pluto has been manipulating the the fates of individuals and nations towards one purpose: ensuring that the genetics were set up right for the fallen children of the Moon Kingdom to be reincarnated in identical bodies. She did this, of course, because that's the only way to assure that Usagi and her friends will be able to raise Crystal Tokyo to replace the long-lost Moon Kingdom. (After all, if Usagi were reincarnated in a different body, she'd end up being Misato Katsuragi or, even worse, Excel Excel. Murrue Ramius would of probably worked to Pluto's advantage, maybe)

  • Now this troper is getting images of Sailor Pluto behind a certain grassy knoll with a sniper rifle in her hands.
    • No, that's Lister's fault It turns out JFK shot himself after everything went south for him and his assasination prevented a bad future.
      • All part of Sailor Pluto’s manipulations.
      • A surprisingly regular trope in Sailor Moon crossovers where the Senshi aren't instant allies.

Pluto is a demon of Tzeentch.

Or is a former one, just so that she can fit into the above WMG. Also, the idea of Pluto with her fingers in the Gendo Ikari Finger-Steepled Pose Of Doom(tm) saying "Just. As. Planned." is really creepy and plausible.

Sailor Venus is Korean

The other Sailor Senshi's real identities follow Theme Naming: their family names start with the kanji that is used in the name of the corresponding celestial body. For instance, the "tsuki" in Sailor Moon's "Tsukino" means "moon". Sailor Venus is the one exception. The kanji used in the name of the planet Venus is the kanji for the most common Korean family name, Kim. Koreans are discriminated against in Japan, dating back to the pre-World-War-II Japanese occupation of Korea, giving Minako's family a motivation to change their name.

  • Actually, had Venus followed the Theme Naming, her surname would likely be Kaneno or Kinzokuno ("of metal"), similar to how the other Senshi are named after elements associated with their planets (Mizuno - "of water", Hino - "of fire", Kino - "of wood"). The reason is simple: Minako was created for the Sailor V manga before Sailor Moon was even conceived.
    • Actually it would have been Kinno (Similar as Makoto's but spelled with diffrent Kanji (It would be 金野 instead of 木野 (read Kino) the Element in the planet Venus's name is actully Gold, not Metal.(Thus Venus is Kinsei in Japanese) That first Kanji is where their powers come from. They weren't randomly assgined. Mizusei, Hisei Kinsei and Kisei are the Japanese words for Mercury Venus Mars and Jupiter. For extra fun the Names for the Outer senshi's Planets are Meiohsei (Pluto) Tenohsei (Uranus) and Keiohsei (Neptune) and Dosei (Saturn. The kanji is the same one used in Hotaru's surname, 土 but is read as To not Do there.) All this name information is actully on The other Wiki (both Wikimoon and Wikipedia (don't go to Sailor Moon wiki that one is total crap and is written by people who've only seen the dub and thus has no information on the origns of the names)
      • You've used the wrong readings of the kanji. The Japanese names for Mercury, Venus, Mars and Jupiter are Suisei, Kinsei, Kasei and Mokusei respectively. Point stands that the Senshi's names are derived from the kanji of the planet names though.
    • Conversely, her surname might be a pun to the Goddess Venus herself, as "ai" also means love, and Minako is something around the lines of "Beauty Child".

Minako subconsciously altered reality while disguising herself as Princess Serenity

When Minako was Sailor V her compact was powered by moonlight, and when she she looked at her reflection in it the moon symbol appeared on her forehead rather then the symbol for Venus. Furthermore, the only other Senshi with an unusual surname is Hotaru who is the Messiah of Silence who is the counterpart of Princess Serenity.

  • Actually, both have their names related to the Western planet naming conversions, as explained above. Saturn was the God of the Cultivating and Harvesting, so, "Earth Sprout" and "Firefly" might relate to the whole planet Saturn theme.
  • It also has to do with Venus and Earth's moon having a lot in common.

The Sailor Team was subject to meddling by Haruhi Suzumiya.

Most Sailor Senshi are ordinary humans, apart from their, well, Sailor Senshi powers. And those who aren't? Two espers (Rei and Hotaru), two time travelers (Setsuna and Chibiusa), and three aliens (the Starlights; four if you count their princess) -- in other words, the exact kinds of people Haruhi desires to meet.

  • Does that make Usagi Haruhi and Mamorou Kyon?
  • Clearly, Minako is the Slider.

The kid who turned into a Daimon in Sailor Uranus's flashback in S died later that day, despite his earlier seeming recovery.

Uranus and Neptune had no healing ability, there's no reason killing the Atavist would have healed the kid. (Which was also the case for these kinds of Daimons in the manga.) "Possessed" humans in previous seasons had to be healed via some technique or another. So until Sailor Moon shows up, Uranus and Neptune had to kill the possessed ones. Ironically the Witches Five moved to possessing inanimate objects with Daimons because, presumably, it's easier and there was no advantage since U and N just killed them anyways. Then Usagi comes along, is The Messiah literally, and scolds them for sacrificing people without providing an alternative for them.

  • Being fair, it's not like Usagi ever KNEW about the Kid. So she was saying those things on the basis of that these two were acting in a less-than-jake manner based on her own experience (and to be fair, up to this point, she's gone though a lot).

Sailor Jupiter is the strongest of all Sailor Senshi.

When we first see her, she has superhuman strength. And the only one who lose their powers in the series are the ones who turn into monsters. That means that Sailor Jupiter still has her super-strength. Therefore, she is the strongest Senshi around. She is the "brawn" of the team, with Sailor Mercury being the "brains".

  • This was debated?
    • Possibly... Since "strongest" doesn't mean "most powerful", it's still valid. Also, Sailor Uranus almost ties with her in physical strenght, thus, making the Outer Senshi a team almost like the Inner Senshi (that is, if you count Chibi Moon on the team).
      • Actually mangaverse has Haruka flat out beat Makoto in her debut easily while the latter was going all out, impressing Makoto enough that Haruka was the one she was inspired by during Dreams. Animeverse still seems to imply Haruka is the stronger of the two due to the fact she was older.
    • This troper has seen such debates. It seems to be cultivated by the fact in physical confrontations she's usually breaking even or losing, and in fact one curb stomp battle being the reason she tries to better herself in one episode. Nobody ever seems to notice she's the only one even TRYING physical combat, the other senshi would probably not fare too well, aside from the occasional flying kicks from Rei and Minako. Having not watched Sailor Moon for a long time, no thanks to Toei and Comcast(My internets are teh suck), this troper can only clearly recall the lioness in Sailor Moon R being defeated by Jupiter without trouble, and one of the later season's Monster of the Week.
    • "Most powerful" would apply too, with the exception of Sailor Moon (as soon as Moon Tiara isn't her only attack anymore). Did you notice Jupiter keeps her one attack when Mars, Venus and Mercury get an upgrade? Propably because hers already is as strong (or stronger) as the second attacks of the other three. (I'd think the newer attacks are stronger, because the first ones are very rarely used after the upgrade)
      • Umm what the hell are you talking about Jupiter got an upgraded attack with the rest of them. Supreme Thunder Dragon and the first attacks for all the Sailors were used far more often than the upgraded graded attacks after the Doom Tree arc. Then they all got new attacks with they had star power likewise for Crystal power. But I agree with the assesment Jupiter is the most powerful Inner Senshi (not counting Moon after she got her first upgrade). She took two DD's girls out at once when Venus and Mars could only take out one at a time (Mars killed two as well but it took two sepeate attackss). She was only the only Soldier other than Moon to take out a Cardian without combining her powers with another Soldier (the Lion cardian) and the only Inner Soldier again other than Moon to take out a Daimon.
      • This troper would like to point out that, at least in the manga, Minako defeated a brainwashed Makoto with a single kick, and that in the anime she is the only Senshi to remain conscious at least for a while after having her Pure Heart Crystal or Dream Mirror extracted. Plus, when Venus killed 'only' one of the DD Girls she failed to kill the three surviving ones at once because two of them ran away at the last moment out of fear when they realized she was still moving (the third seemed paralized by terror). Don't know why, but I'm pretty sure Venus is subconsciously holding back after R...

Metaria was Sailor Sun after being corrupted by Chaos

Let's see... She was expelled from the Sun? Check. There are sailor for each planet, star, or bigger moon? Probably. She was a queen? Sure, at least self-proclaimed. Fed by jealousy from Beryl to the Moon Princess? Of course, bub! Metaria means "of or belonging to limits or boundaries", meaning that probably, poor Sailor Sun couldn't even left her place, like the Outer Senshi. Then, she grew out of jealousy, and lost her human shape, becoming a monster. The diamond-shaped thing in her forehead is probably her corrupted Sailor Crystal.

  • Except for the fact that Metaria is an incarnation of Chaos, not just corrupted by it, sure.

Chibi-Usa is the reincarnation of the Chaos itself, and makes all the very fabric of time to fall by befriending Sailor Pluto.

It can be clearly seen that she feels way more comfy as Black Lady than being an eternal child. Maybe, her growing problem was Selenity's tactic to hinder her progress, and to prevent her awakening as Sailor Chaos. She is the only Chibi senshi around, and her power doesn't seem to derive completely from the Moon, or from the Earth. In the end of the final arc, while in the Galaxy Cauldron, Sailor Moon wished for Chaos to be reborn in earth, as a normal person. Shortly after, Usagi is shown to be marrying Mamoru, and telling that a new star is going to be born, while it's probably really difficult for a Sailor Crystal to be crated all of a sudden, meaning that Chaos' Sailor Crystal might be reincarnating, probably as their beloved daughter. To think that Chaos could be fully unleashed in Black Lady's form would give a whole new meaning to Almost Doomsday. Also, by befriending Sailor Pluto and doing such a forbidden thing (time travel is a taboo), she might be destroying the very fabric of time, unconsciously, driving the whole Universe into Chaos, slowly.

  • This would also explain the growing power of the villains (Chaos) over the series, as well as why Chibi-Usa was not canceled out in the Stars manga when Mamoru was killed.
    • Where does Usagi say she wants Chaos to become human? I thought she wanted Chaos to go to all people once more.'
    • She says it in the manga. Your resolution stems from the anime.
    • Actually, Chibi-Usa was cancelled out when she went into the past and Galaxia kicked him into the Cauldron (being braceleted apparently counts as being 'alive'), and it was also Guardian Cosmos that said Chaos would eventually be reborn (not even as a human, just reborn) despite being melted down into the 'sea of origin', because Usagi didn't destroy the Galaxy Cauldron like Sailor Cosmos told her to. And the scene with Usagi and Mamoru getting married/Chibi-Usa getting conceived was several years after the Cauldron incident. Besides, her parents have the Silver Moon Crystal and the Golden Crystal, THE most powerful Sailor Crystal and one of the most powerful Sailor Crystals in existance respectively.

Chibiusa is the reincarnation of Chaos, but honored the promise made to Sailor Moon.

Which proves that Chaos can be noble, if not a lot mischievous. Chibiusa traveled to the past not only to help her mother, but to make sure she would reincarnate as a more benign being. the Black Lady incident was a rather interesting Time Paradox.

Sailor Uranus was Sailor Venus' older sister in their past life

All senshi are born from Gods, or similar entities. Sailor Pluto is Chronos' daughter, Sailor Moon is the reincarnation of Selene, reborn as her own descendant... And in Sailor V #1, there's the history that she was born from the foam of sea, like the goddess Venus (or Aphrodite, if you want to be more accurate). If we recall, a similar story was told in the Mythology, and that Aphrodite was born from the sea foam after Uranus' phallus was cut out (ouch) by Cronus, his son (don't mistake for Chronos). Sailor Uranus had to be born at this time, at least as a baby, and, as planet Uranus' princess, she had to be Uranus' daughter. Their similar features (really blond hair, blue eyes, elegance) and practically reverse color schemes in her uniforms could be another proof.

All of the Senshi are children of Greek deities.

Pluto claims her father is Chronos (more of an Anthropomorphic Personification than a god, but the idea is the same) and Queen Serenity outright states that she is Selene, Titan goddess of the moon, (at least in name) so following that logic:

  • Mercury is a little difficult to say, but being the daughter of Poseidon, god of the sea, seems most likely.
    • She seems like she's daughter of the God Hermes and the Titan Tethys, due to her intelligence and fresh water related abilities. Oh, Gods and Titans were known by relationships outside marriage, for sure!
    • Mercury can't be Poseidon's daughter, as Neptune is the Roman version of Poseidon. If Poseidon is going to be anyone's father it would be of the Sailor Senshi who represents his planet.
  • Venus is the daughter of either Aphrodite (whose Roman equivalent is Venus).
    • Venus IS the reincarnation of Aphrodite, thus, being probably Uranus' younger sister, at least in soul. (in b4 Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann)
  • Endymion is the son of Gaia (personification of the earth).
    • According to the Greek legend, he's Zeus' grandson, Aethlius' son (at least reincarnated).
  • Mars, like Mercury, is a bit harder to pin down. It might be Ares (whose Roman equivalent is Mars and who had a chariot pulled by flaming horses) or Hephaestus (who is identified with fire).
    • She probably could be herself the reincarnation of Adrestia.
    • Dub!Mars may be the daughter of Kratos. It would explain the bitchiness.
  • Jupiter is the daughter of Zeus, due to both his use of lightning and his Roman equivalent being Jupiter.
    • And probably she was Hera's daughter, which would explain her love for plants and cooking.
    • Don't forget Jupiter being called "Hercules Girl" by Serena before they get their memories back...
  • Saturn’s father could be Hades (god of the dead) since there really isn’t a god of destruction.
    • Hades' and Persephone's. It explains her name meaning, "to sprout form Earth", since Persephone represented Earth's fertility. Persephone's powers of Life-Death-Rebirth could have influenced her little daughter, too. She probably was the second oldest after Pluto, since she doesn't seem to have reincarnated. Or she probably the reincarnation of Macaria, due to her willingness to sacrifice herself for the others, and treats Death as a bliss.
  • Uranus is the daughter of Uranus (naturally).
  • Neptune is the daughter of Oceanus (personification of the ocean, Sailor Neptune’s “element”).
    • And probably Mercury's half sister. They have their resemblances.
    • Neptune is more likely to be a daughter of Pontus and Thalassa, since Oceanus was said to be the 'world encircling fresh-water stream'
  • Alternatively, they are the Astra Planeta, the gods of the 'wandering stars', the children of Eos and Astraeus. Well, Mercury through Saturn anyway, as far as the Greeks/Romans are concerned, Neptune, Uranus and Pluto did not exist because they can't be seen by the naked eye. Ami could be Stilbon 'the Gleaming', Minako; Eosphoros/Hesperos 'the Dawn-bringer/Evening', Rei; Pyroeis 'the Fiery' (also 'Mesonyx' or Midnight-for her hair?), Makoto; Phaeton 'the Blazing' and Hotaru; Phainon 'the Shining'. Isn't mythology fun?

Sailor Pluto and Sailor Ceres will leave their respective groups to create a new group of Sailor Senshi

The other members will, of course, be Sailor Eris, Sailor Makemake, and Sailor Haumea.

  • Haumea, like Ceres, also had a Heel Face Turn. Sailor Titan wanted to be in the group, as Titan is bigger than Pluto, but since her original star is a moon and have Sailor Saturn's castle on it... Well, poor girl had been left behind. Just after she was defeated by her own friend Ganymede for being the biggest moon. Titan is the Chew Toy of the Solar System, with Sailor Sun.

Sailor Pluto's powers come from Atlantis

The powers that Sailor Pluto possesses, not counting her attack magic, seem to align quite nicely with those said to be possessed by Atlantis in Escaflowne. She can see the future, teleport, and alter the future to some extent, all things that those with access to the power of Atlantis were shown to do. Additionally, her Garnet Orb looks suspiciously like a scaled up version of the energist crystals that the Atlantians and Hitomi used when channeling their power.

The Death Phantom was Johan Liebert

According to his back story in the manga, Death Phantom was an extremely dangerous and highly intelligent criminal who revived crime and murder in the utopia of Crystal Tokyo and could kill people indirectly. Not to mention his ability to corrupt and manipulate the Black Moon Clan and his reasons for wanting to destroy everything boils down to just because I can seem awfully familiar. So long story short, Neo Queen Serenity captured Johan and exiled him to the Planet Nemesis where he found the Evil Black Crystal and mastered its power which turned him into a immortal super-powered monster of death and chaos.

The Silver Crystal isn't Usagi's Star Seed.

In the anime the Silver Crystal was in seven pieces (none of them with her) for the first 14 years of Usagi's life, but she suffered no ill effect. Furthermore, the Silver Crystal was also used by Queen Serenity and later by Chibiusa.

  • It was an anime-only point, though. In the manga, the crystal is the tool they need to take over the Universe, but not Sailor Moon's Star Seed Sailor Crystal, or else, Sailor Cosmos couldn't travel back in time, as it was already passed to Chibi-Usa.
    • The Silver Moon Crystal canonically is Usagi's Sailor crystal. She gave up her senshi powers when she became Neo-Queen Serenity.
      • Most people theorize that Sailor Cosmos is a fusion of Usagi and Guardian Cosmos considering the Ginzuishou's origins.

Pluto is Mamoru in drag

Come on, we all thought so at least once!

  • Alternatively, Pluto is his mother, that just pretended to die in a car accident. AHA!
  • Mamoru wants to be a Starlight. Can't you see him in that hot little leather number?

Naru is a forgotten Senshi

  • (Pulling from Sailor Moon Z) Naru is the reincarnation of the last survivor of a destroyed planet; because her home planet was destroyed and the matching Sailor Crystal was not transferred, the only way to confirm or deny this is to ask someone who was there. Who, as we all know, will refuse to say one way or another.
    • Naoko herself said that if there wasn't Tuxedo Mask's origin, and the sailors needed any more help, Naru would be Sailor Earth.
      • In that case, I'd say that she was Sailor Theia (i.e. the planet that crashed into Earth causing the creation of the Moon).
        • Or alternately, she's Sailor Eris. Knowledge of their source planet/dwarf-planet/asteroid/moon could be a requirement for them to be able to regain even the scantest memories of their previous lives even with the help of the Moon Cats or the other Senshi. Following the destruction of the Silver Millenium, the existance of Eris was forgotten, and not recovered until after the series ended, leaving Naru with no way to awaken.

Sailor Pluto is Mamoru's mother

(Taken from the other WMG) This not only explains Chibi-Usa's red eyes, it also makes a lot more sense than using them as the sole reason she can't be Usagi's daughter.

Ikuko Tsukino is actually Queen Serenity.

But she will not know it until Usagi tells her that she is Princess Serenity/Sailor Moon, which would only likely happen in either her most dire hour or when the world is at peace. With her last words and power after using the Silver Crystal, Queen Serenity wished to be with her daughter in some form once again. She was able at times to project herself to speak with the Senshi (most notably, on the moon) but was not aware of it in her current identity much like Mamoru was with the Moonlight Knight.

  • Additionally, due to the overwhelming power used to save everyone at the end of the Silver Millennium, she lost nearly all of her abilities and the ability to ever use the Silver Crystal again. Ikuko would (at most) be able to take the form of the Queen, and would have the same scattered memories as the rest.

Chibi-Usa is reincarnated Queen Serenity.

It would explain how she could use the Ginzuishou almost as good as Sailor Moon after a quite quick training, despite being trapped eternally as a child, and being half-Earth, gene-wise. Also, the Queen wanted to be with her daughter in some form once again, so, why not?

  • Actually, the very popular and exhaustively imagined fic Sailor Moon O: Orion's Story has this very setup, and in fact takes it one step farther: that throughout the entire history of the Moon Kingdom, the queens Serenity have been reincarnating as each others' daughters - so Queen Serenity reincarnated as Sailor Chibi-Moon, and when Neo-Queen Serenity dies, she will reincarnate as her own granddaughter - Chibi-usa's daughter. And none of the other Senshi have this pattern going on. Now, I say all you need is one more step in the reincarnation and you've got The Hecate Sisters : Maiden, Mother, and Crone.

Nehelenia's mirror is an incarnation of Chaos.

The manga states that Nehelenia herself is an incarnation of Chaos, but in the anime, Nehelenia was a good person until her magic mirror showed her what she would look like if she was old, and it told her that if she wanted to stay beautiful, she must extract and consume the Dream Mirrors of others.

  • Interestingly, what she sees looks nothing like her when she ages at the end of the season. If there's any candidate for being Chaos, it's Zircona. That it merely becomes The Dragon instead of the Man Behind the Man, like in other seasons, is testament to the level of Nehelenia's vanity - it was enough to enslave a piece of Chaos.

The villains aren't really reincarnations of Chaos, but more like their creations.

They're more like beings created by it, as Chaos would have multiple incarnations at once AND would be in the Cauldron at the same time, if it was actually true. Unless its powers were based in Time Paradox (which iss Pluto's specialty, not its'), what it actually did was to create beings to represent itself, like avatars. Not the actual being's incarnation. Other thing which would support this theory is how such creations are weak, compared to Chaos by itself.

Sailor Moon and post-timeskip Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann are different universes of a similar situation.

First of all, the Ginzuishou would be like the Core Drill, allowing for a chosen user to tap in its power at the max. Then, there are the Chaos, and the Anti-Spirals, who want to destroy all the Senshi, or all the Spiral Beings, and want absolute despair. Then, there's the main character, who manages to do anything possible with such powers, but don't want to have too much responsibilities. Unfortunately, for Princess Selenity, she was chosen by her people to be the Queen, and couldn't escape her fate, like Simon did. And last, but not least, both main characters fight for their love. The main difference is that Simon took less time because the situation required less time, so, the Spiral Power acted accordingly.

Okay, I couldn't resist to mention the Moon Spiral Heart Attack. Here, I did it.

Chibi-Usa is actually Rubeus and Usagi's daughter

Be it by force or not, Rubeus ended up impregnating Usagi at some undetermined time. Chibi-Usa and Rubeus share the red eyes (duh), but also note that Chibi-Usa's black moon powers (i.e. turning into Black Lady). It was probably amplified by the blood running in her veins.

    • Not that I care too much, but why the sudden influx of Usagi/Rubeus speculation in the SM fandom? Don't they only have, like, four scenes together—and he's trying to kill her in all of them?

Luna and Artemis are from the same planet as Jake, The Cat from Outer Space

Why not?

  • So, he's from Planet Mau as well? And you forgot Sailor Tin Nyanko.

Chibi-Usa is an albino, or an Angel.

That could explain the red eyes. There.

    • An author on FF.net, Bill K, takes this route. ChibiUsa is almost killed in the womb by a crazed traditionalist, but Serenity uses her power to create a barrier between herself and the beam. Still, enough power gets through that it messes with ChibiUsa's genes and she comes out as the Pink Spore we know and love (or hate).

Sailor Moon is an alternative universe of Warhammer

More specifically, Warhammer Fantasy, which is in a more fitting place in the Sliding Scale of Idealism Versus Cynicism. Their Chaos have the same motivation, with the difference that Sailor Moon managed to defeat it when she discovered it was lonely (or something, I don't really remember), then, asking it to join her team (and by asking, we mean making a disguised Sailor Team Attack and then asking), which it probably did (see Chibiusa is Chaos theory way above, but in the positive light). Which means that Sailor Moon just became a Memetic Badass.


Usagi wasn't originally meant to be the "Moon Princess".

As has already been mentioned, Usako Tsukino can be read as "the rabbit on the moon." However, while people have mentioned the Japanese version of the myth, which has the rabbit making mochi, the Chinese version has rather interesting implications. In the Chinese version of the story, a nobly born woman does something she really shouldn't (drinking a potion meant for someone else, usually, though it can vary), out of a misguided desire for attention or status (this also varies), and ends up trapped on the moon. Her bunny animal companion is busy making medicine that might be able to reverse the effect and allow her to return to the ground/earth and to freedom. So if Usagi is the rabbit, the facilitator who opens the way for the princess, the true princess is someone else. (possibly even Minako) Or was meant to be, anyway. Though this could instead be interpreted as Usagi opening the way to restore the ancient Moon Kingdom, with the woman on the moon symbolizing the magitechnology and prosperity of the Silver Millennium.

The Ginzuishou is more addictive than cocaine, coffee, and sex combined.

Everyone who is purified by the crystal says something silly, like "refresh." As well, a general feeling of peace and safety pervades anyone who is bathed in its glow. It can comfort any sorrow and heal any wound. Usagi also seems to give off a cheering, warming feeling. Who wouldn't want to spend every day of their lives in the presence of the crystal and its' similarly-trip-inducing owner, getting longevity and the world's strongest, best contact-high just by being near the queen?

  • So much for "I'm high on Life."

Going from an idea from above, the senshi are sterile.

In a previous WMG, someone offered that the magical repercussions of reanimation might screw with one's body. If this is the case, the other senshi might not be childless because they are duty-bound to Serenity or because the Quartet is present to protect Chibi-Moon. Maybe they just can't have kids.

  • They could adopt, though.
    • But those kids probably wouldn't have any powers or the long life of the senshi, so they'd die long before Chibi-Usa was born.

Sailor Moon is in the same universe as Team Fortress 2.

How else can the government give such stupid explanation to clearly supernatural events purported by the villains? Because Builders League United is covering them up.

Sailor Moon is an Amberite.

The Silver Crystal is the Jewel of Judgement and the reset at the end of the first series was Usagi using it to create a new Pattern that would support a world as it should have been.

Naru's mother is Queen Beryl.

Which is why Naru's energy is sooooo tasty.

  • They're both attractive, single redheads.
  • You never see them in the same place together. Indeed, Naru's Mom is often conspicuously absent. That's a hell of a commute.
  • When you're looking for magic gems, posing as a jeweler is a perfect cover.
  • Naru attracts trouble like, well, a magically-attuned heir to a royal throne would.
  • Beryl didn't permit Zoisite to kill Nephrite until after she learned of the Naru relationship.
  • Naru displays occasional flashes of Evil Muahahahaha Sparkiness.
    • There's only one problem with this- Naru's mom was tied up in the basement in the very first episode! I'm pretty sure that, were she to be Queen Beryl, she would easily slip out and fake being still bound when rescuers arrive, but still. (Then again, that may be the reason she so summarily offed Jadeite at the end of his miniarc. "Oh hey queen I found out the Senshi's identities!" "Yea, and you also bound and gagged me with one of your demons. I don't forget, darling." *BOOM* headshot)

Naru is Queen Beryl.

After she died, she was sent roughly fourteen years into the past and reborn with a new life free of Metallia's influence, and no memories of who she used to be. The same could possibly be said about Jadeite, Nephrite, Zoisite and Kunzite, with who they are now being a complete mystery (Umino could actually be Nephrite). Note that in Naru's case this could only be possible in the Anime only, since in the Manga she was (briefly) shown to have lived in the Moon Kingdom.

  • Link for Silver Millennium Naru, please? I don't recall that.
  • I think Queen Beryl was shown in the Silver Millennium, not Naru.

The series is an Eternal Recurrence.

Whether on the moon or the earth, all this has happened before and will happen again. What happened to the Moon Kingdom will eventually also happen to the Crystal Kingdom, killing most of the population and forcing civilization back by millennia. Thousands of years later, long after the history of the old world has faded into legend and myth, the Senshi will rise again and eventually form a new kingdom, possibly on the moon this time around. Eventually, it will fall as well. Repeat until the universe dies or the loop is otherwise broken.

  • This could be part of the very reason why Sailor Cosmos wanted the Galaxy Cauldron destroyed. If she is in fact a far-future incarnation of Usagi (everything seems to point in that direction), then who knows just how many times she has experienced it over and over again? That would be enough to drive anyone to the breaking point, and what is more heart-wrenching is that even though she went to the past to try and change it, she failed. If this is true, the entire series is one gigantic Shoot the Shaggy Dog, and Chaos ultimately wins.
    • Wow, that's an awesomely depressing theory.
    • Sailor Cosmos explicity states, that she travelled back in time because she lost hope of ever winning against Sailor Chaos. Otherwise, the endless rise of the new forms of darkness to challenge the light, represented by Senshi, is pretty much canonical for the manga. Usagi believes that it is possible to just defeat them every time, though, and seeing as she managed to avoid repeating the fate of Queen Serenity in the end of the Dark Kingdom arc, she might be on to something.
      • Allow me to present my counter-argument:

Crystal Tokyo was never meant to occur.

Think of all the inconsistencies between the present day and Crystal Tokyo. To name a few:

Where does this leave us? By my estimation, somewhere right around...

The Time-Space Door is actually a Paradox Machine, disguised and maintained by Sailor Pluto, in order to ensure that Crystal Tokyo occurs.

Dub!Fish Eye is a trans MtF.

King Endymion's mask is prescription.

  • King Endymion is always seen wearing a mask. Why? It's not like he needs to hide his identity from anyone. Well, if you pay attention, you can see that his mask has some sort of lenses over the eyes, and in the manga Mamoru is occasionally seen wearing reading glasses.

Shingo has figured out everyone's identity but is intentionally playing dumb

Shingo really isn't an idiot, in fact across all versions of the series he's shown to be rather clever and intelligent (if a little apathetic in the live-action version). Like many other teenage girls Usagi presumably keeps a diary, and Shingo, like many younger brothers with teenaged sisters, breaks into it from time to time. All he needs is one little slip up to figure out the whole thing. Several time he's also shown that he loves and respects his sister greatly... just so long as she doesn't know about it, and of all the Sailor Senshi Moon is his favorite, despite his obvious crush on Ami. He also had a rather close relationship with Chibi-Usa, because he knew that she was his niece and wasn't sure just how much time he would get to spend with her.

Sailor Pluto is a Time Lord and the Sailor Moon universe is actually a pocket dimension inside her TARDIS where she's hiding from the Time War.

The true reason she is not allowed to open the Gates of Time is because that would let the Daleks in. Time travel within this pocket universe uses another door or set of doors inside the TARDIS since it'd be silly to travel using the TARDIS while you're inside it.

  • Romana?
  • Or, alternatively, the Gates of Time are her TARDIS. The wibbly-wobbly interior is because she never put up a desktop background- the 'Fourth Dimension' we see is the true, untamed interior of a TARDIS.

Sailor Iron Mouse Was a Time Lord.

Lets see outdated dress for the era, check. Mode of transport what looks to be an English phone booth.

Chibi-Usa is not Mamoru's daughter.

The pink hair has always been a little suspicious, although that's a tad justified in the Manga where Usagi's mom was a pinkhead and not a bluehead. No, what really points it out is Chibi-Usa's powers as Sailor Chibi-Moon. Even though they do resemble her father's powers, shouldn't her identity as a Senshi reflect the fact that both of her parents carried Starseeds that shine forever? Unless her father isn't her father at all...

Thus: Neo-Queen Serenity had an affair, and Chibi-Usa was the result. The pink hair carried over from either her maternal grandma and/or her father.

    • Maybe you can only inherent your power from one parent? (And wouldn't "maternal grandmother/relative further back" explain the pink hair either way?)

Crystal Tokyo is a constitutional monarchy.

This is mainly talking about the anime, not the manga, but is Neo-Queen Serenity actually ever mentioned as taking an active part in creating and enforcing ordinary laws? It makes more sense that, even if she was a total monarch at first, at some point she would let the old parliamentary government Japan had take over and she and Endymion would just be in charge of dealing with supernatural issues.

The "Deep Freeze" is the result of a battle the Senshi had against an enemy.

Basically, the Senshi thought it was just another enemy trying to destroy the world. Only this time, it was either get rid of the villain and let the Deep Freeze occur, or let the Omnicidal Maniac create an Earthshattering Kaboom. The Senshi may have tried to stop the Deep Freeze, but it ended up being the only alternative to total destruction.

Esmeraude was Shion Sonozaki in a previous life.

The events of the Meakashi-hen arc convinced me that Shion will be reincarnated into the Black Moon family. I mean the green hair, the crazy laughing (ESPECIALLY the laughing). It fits almost too perfectly.

The Moon isn't supposed to be the center of the solar system.

A lot of people mention that it doesn't make sense that a relatively small planet's single moon is the center of the whole solar system's government. Maybe it wasn't originally that way, but Queen Serenity gained enough power that she engineered the Moon's rise to power? Perhaps she was from the Moon and married to royalty from Earth, but then later she became the ruler and decided to remake the way the solar system was governed to have the Moon Kingdom rule over all the others. This would explain why there is tension between Earth and the Moon. It would also explain why the Moon Kingdom simply has the Silver Crystal whereas Earth has a Gold Crystal. Perhaps her defeating Ice Princess Kaguya had something to do with it?

  • This troper always assumed the Moon was something vaguely like the Hall of Justice or Babylon5 in that it really existed only to be the seat of the moon kingdom, but wasn't actually a Kingdom in and of itself. It was just the seat of the High Queen.
  • Another possibility to consider is that the original Earth Kingdom suffered a coup d'etat and went into exile on the Moon, thus becoming the Moon Kingdom.

Sailor Pluto is the sole remaining member of the Kuiper Belt Senshi.

Sailor Pluto was the center of a group of Kuiper Belt Senshi also including Sailor Eris, Sailor Makemake, Sailor Haumea and Sailor Sedna. They were supposed to be the first line of defense before attackers got to Saturn, Uranus and Neptune, and later the Inner Senshi. However, against some previous enemy, they all died except Pluto. Serenity let Pluto join the Outer Senshi while sending the souls of the Kuiper Belt Senshi to be reincarnated as Sailor Ceres, Sailor Juno, Sailor Vesta, and Sailor Pallas when her granddaughter was born.

  • One problem. Every senshi has explicitely been shown to have been reincarnated, and it's shown that planetary associations don't change in the reincarnation process.

Mamoru's mother was Sailor Earth.

Think about it. Mamoru has the Golden Crystal of Earth. We know that but what if his mother was the Senshi that protected Earth? She did indeed die in the car accident, thus it would make sense if he somehow had the crystal passed down to him. Or an alternative, Mamoru's mother's star seed was taken by Mamoru which resulted in the car accident.

Sailor Galaxia is the evil version of Xena.

Xena used to be evil, right? Also, she's a warrior. Not to mention that with a little imagination, her clothes look like Galaxia's sailor suit. So, Xena, not satisfied with ruling only her own planet, started taking over other planets, where she either recruited or killed warriors as skilled as herself.

  • Before Eris got its official name established, I actually stumbled upon a fanart drawing called "Sailor Xena". I'll leave its contents to the reader's imagination.
  • This is hilarious for anyone who watched the show with the German dub - Galaxia and Xena have the same voice actress in their German versions.

All of the villains are in purgatory.

This troper thinks that all the villains (Queen Beryl and her subordinates, Rubeus, Esmeraude, Diamond, Wiseman, Kaorinite and the Witches 5, Zirconia, Galaxia and the Sailor Animates) are in some sort of purgatory, partying and having the time of their lives. Ail and En are back on their home planet. The 4 Weird Sisters are still living in Tokyo, and the Dead Moon Circus members are still in Tokyo as well. Nehelenia is maturing into a teenager, and Tomoe is still around. It all makes sense if you think about it...

Professor Tomoe once worked for Gendo Ikari.

Where does he get his crazy ideas, anyways? Dead wife, Hotaru's got that same Apocalypse Maiden plan going for her.

  • We know that he was kicked out of a laboratory because he was using money for his own means. Hotaru was intended to be an Eva pilot.

Minako is selling her used panties to schoolgirl fetishists.

Would Snopes lie?

  • ...That link made a bit of me die on the inside. Permission to nuke Japan?
    • Denied. Truman beat you to it and twice is enough.

Queen Nehellenia is Princess Nehema.

Aside from the name, they're both monsterous women who need crystals (different reasons). Also for some reason, the anime design for Nehellenia includes an eye-like crown thing. In Eversion, there is a giant eye in the room you meet her at. Mostly saying this because of the names.

Usagi is one of the reincarnations of the God Emperor of Mankind.

We know he has been reincarnated many, many times in mankind's history. We know he has great powers. We know he hates non-humans. We know he is almost always a ruler. Who else could Usagi be?

  • Since when does Usagi hate non-humans? Extending a welcoming hand to everyone, even eldritch abominations, is pretty much her defining characteristic.
    • Okay, so maybe she doesn't hate non-humans, but she certainly isn't a fan. And I seem to remember almost every episode ending with her blasting some monster or another into dust.

The Moon kingdom was a straw feminist empire, and the Dark Kingdom was the resistance.

A few men were given token roles, the rest were eliminated, meaning the resistance was almost entirely female out of necessity.

The Shitennou were created from gemstones using magic.

To celebrate the unification of Earth into one Kingdom (by whatever means it happened), the founders of the Earth Kingdom took one gemstone from each of the four corners of the world, and imbued these stones with spirits, and gave them human forms. The Shitennou's namesake gemstones act roughly the same as the Sailor Soldier's star seeds- hence, the Shitennou revert back to their stone forms when they "die" but their spirits/souls still exist.

Helios/Pegasus has the Sun Star Seed.

Which would make him Sailor Sun, if female. I mean, look at the name. Plus, he falls for Chibiusa, which makes for some nice Generation Xerox.

Luna and Artemis do not have ordinary cat tongues.

Whatever abnormality their tongues have that allows them to talk also allows them to taste sweets, something normal cats can't do. So, we have Luna enjoying mochi balls and Sugar Stars and Artemis enjoying caramels (Until they get stuck in his whiskers).

  • Well, obviously they're not really cats. They're from an alien species, probably indigenous to the moon, which - just by chance - happen to resemble Terran cats.
    • Actually they're from the extrasolar planet Mau.

Super Sailor Moon w/ Holy Grail is stronger than Super Sailor Moon w/ Pegasus.

I mean with the Holy Grail, Sailor Moon was the almighty Messiah but with Pegasus's upgrade is just regular Sailor Moon to me.

Kaorinite is a clone of her original self.

Think about it for a second. She's the only villain in the series to be resurrected. She says that Tomoe did it in the anime, but how exactly did he do it?

When Chibiusa went back in time, she created a split timeline.

This one is pretty obvious, but if you look closely you can see drastic differences between the Neo Queen Serenity from Sailor Moon R and the one that we see from that point onwards, indicating that before Chibiusa became involved, things happened much differently.

In the original timeline, obviously the Dark Moon never was an issue, and therefore the Sailor Senshi were never powered up, there was no reason to. Thus, when the Pharaoh 90 issue came around they were grossly under prepared. Sailor Uranus and Neptune never realized any respect for any of the Inner Senshi, so they never listened to them. Of course the Holy Grail was still found and Usagi still got it, but Uranus and Neptune never saw her as anything even remotely close to a Messiah, and Pluto just went along with it, perhaps she was colder in this reality. In the end, Uranus and Neptune kill Hotaru, who without Chibiusa's heart crystal was never able to become Mistress 9, and Pharaoh 90 was never summoned (thus the chalice was never destroyed). Usagi got upset and decided she would never forgive Uranus and Neptune for being murderers, however Uranus and Neptune didn't care, they didn't see Usagi as a threat since she wasn't able to stop them and went rogue. As the Dark Circus arc came around, the Inner Senshi are still underpowered as they never gain the powers of Pegasus, but Usagi has the chalice. In the end, instead of finding a peaceful resolution with Nehelania, Usagi is instead forced to kill her to save the world, not being able to find an alternative. At the same time the Chaos incident, with her spirit already broken from losing Hotaru and killing Nehelania, she doesn't hold back and kills Sailor Galaxia instead of saving her.

Thus in the future Neo Queen Serenity is a cold and bitter ruler, she has lost her sympathy for those who cause trouble, and banished those from the Dark Moon instead of trying to find a peaceful resolution with them. She is so jaded she isn't even able to express her love to her own daughter, thus Chibiusa doesn't even think her own parents care about her. This also explains why the original future Senshi are so weak, in comparison to the Senshi from the second timeline. When Chibiusa went back in time though, everything turned out for the better, the Senshi get stronger faster, Hotaru, Nehelania, and in turn, Sailor Galaxia are not killed, and Usagi ends up a happier person who doesn't lose her child-like innocence afterall.

At the fall of the Silver Millennium, Sailor Venus devastated Earth

Checking the myths, you discover that in many cultures the goddess of beauty and love or the planet Venus was somehow linked to some devastating event:

  • Aphrodite/Venus was the mother of the gods personificating Horror and Terror that accompanied Ares at war, provoked at least one war and could pull horrible revenges on the ones slighting her (one, making the Lemnian women smell so bad their husbands cheated on them en-masse, was actually echoed in the Codename: Sailor V manga, when Sailor V summoned the horribly smelling atmosphere of Venus to KO a Monster of the Week).
  • Ishtar (that was the goddess of beauty and love and personified the planet Venus) had many lovers who tended to die of violent death (again, like two Codename: Sailor V characters, that Minako loved and killed when they were revealed as the first Monster of the Week and the series Big Bad. And we could add Kunzite: at the fall of the Silver Millennium, he was dating Sailor Venus), and when rejected by Gilgamesh she threathened a Zombie Apocalypse if she wasn't given the Bull of Heaven to try and kill Gilgamesh.
  • Astarte was the goddess of fertility, sexuality and WAR, and is thought to be the basis of Aphrodite.
  • According to the Egyptians, when Man disrespected Ra he sent Hathor, the goddess of love, to teach them respect. In a single day she exterminated most of mankind, and she didn't finish the job because during the night the other gods (all of them) created a sea of beer and got her drunk.
  • Aztects myths give Venus two gods. Xolotl was Venus as the Star of Evening, and while the god of bad luck and death was not malicious (he helped the sun to return from the underworld, and in some traditions helped the deads to reach the afterlife). Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli was Venus as the Star of Morning, and had the bad habit of causing harm to the people by shooting darts.
  • Morning Star is a traditional name of Venus, whose Latin equivalent is Lucifer.

All these myths of Venus or the Goddess of Beauty and Love bringing death or disgrace have to come from somewhere. Add that Minako in the manga actually echoed the 'all the men I love die' and the 'causing horrible smell' parts, that her Stalker with a Crush actually referred to her previous incarnation as the Goddess of War, Manga!Beryl's tendence to die disemboweled by Sailor Venus and the fact that in the anime the DD Girls looked like they were sure of having won when she died, and the theory that her past life killed a large chunk of Earth population doesn't seem that farfectched anymore...

Mamoru's Golden Crystal is the result of being a chimera

Only women can be Sailor Soldiers and, thus, have a Sailor Crystal. Yet Mamoru is clearly a man who has his own Sailor Crystal- the Golden Crystal. This is because while in the womb he had a twin sister- Sailor Earth. Early in the pregnancy his sister died and was broken down and then reabsorbed by Mamoru and their mother (a condition known as Vanishing Twin Syndrome). Because of this Mamoru has a medical condition known as chimerism, where one person has two different types of blood cells with each set having a different DNA sequence, one belonging to Mamoru and the other belonging to his sister. This theory is detailed in this fanfic here

The Witches 5 in the anime were really average humans

With the exception of many of them being highly intelligent (except for Mimite), none of them displayed powers, that couldn't have been used through technology, or magical objects. The fact the Eudial was killed in a car reck shows that they might not be anything more than humans fighting for the bad guys. Mimite use Charm Buster through her staff, but her staff could just be the one with power instead of her. Tellu attacked using vines from her hand, but they could just be another one of her plant experiments like the Telluns. Viluy showed no powers at all and used inventions instead. Cyprine and Ptilol could just be normal twins and channel abilities through their staffs.

Word of God is that Sailor Pluto is of Romani descent. Now who else do we know of who's also a time-traveling Romani sorcerer? Setsuna could be Victor von Doom's daughter... or alternatively she could be his mother, after Doom liberated her from Hell.

    This article is issued from Allthetropes. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.