Sailor Moon Eternal: The Movie, which is set to debut on Netflix, June 3, adapts the Dream arc of the Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon manga. Unlike previous narratives, this story arc places the lesser-known Sailor Chibi Moon in a leading role rather than a supporting one. For those with gaps in their Sailor Scout history, here's everything you need to know about Sailor Chibi Moon, including where she comes from, and what role she plays in the larger Sailor Moon mythos.
Sailor Chibi Moon: The 30th Century Kid
Sailor Chibi Moon is originally introduced as Chibi Usa (full name Princess Usagi Small Lady Serenity) in the Black Moon arc of the Sailor Moon manga and Season 2 of Sailor Moon Crystal. She is the daughter of Neo Queen Serenity and King Endymion -- the future versions of Usagi Tsukino (Sailor Moon) and Mamoru Chiba (Tuxedo Mask) respectively.
Originally born in the 20th century, Chibi Usa actually lived as a small child for 900 years due to the power of her mother's Silver Crystal and by being of royal blood. After she and her parents hit a certain age, they stopped aging and simply prospered as Earth's royal family for a millennium. By the 30th century, Tokyo had been renamed Crystal Tokyo.
Despite being born to the best parents in the world, Chibi Usa's long-lasting childhood wasn't filled with happy memories. Her parents were so committed to each other, they rarely afforded her attention. Without any other kids around for her to play with, Chibi Usa grew up feeling lonely and unloved by her parents -- something she conveyed to Sailor Pluto (the Sailor Guardian of Time) whom she thought of as her only friend.
When Chibi Usa started attending school, she was again unable to make friends due to her princess status. Frequently bullied by other kids, at one point she was even dared to prove her royalty by using the power of her mother's Legendary Silver Crystal. The moment she caved to her bullies' demands and retrieved her mother's crystal, the Black Moon Clan unleashed a brutal attack on the Earth that left everyone dead and put her parents and Sailor Guardians in eternal sleep. The Clan then targeted her for her mother's Silver Crystal.
Believing herself responsible for Earth's destruction, Chibi Usa sought to reverse the damage by soliciting the help of her parents in the past. Having heard about her mother's past adventures as Sailor Moon from her father, Chibi Usa rationalized her past self had the power to defeat the Black Moon Clan. She then stole one of Sailor Pluto's time keys and brought herself to the 20th century.
Chibi Moon's Role In Defeating the Black Moon Clan
In the 20th century, Chibi Usa did not reveal her identity to her future parents right away, fearing they wouldn't believe her and refuse to help. It wasn't until the Black Moon Clan abducted Sailors Mars, Mercury and Jupiter that she began to reveal more about the reason she arrived. She then agrees to take them to her time in the 30th century to learn more about the situation at hand.
Back in the 30th century, Chibi Usa reveals who her parents are and the future King Endymion confirms to the younger Mamoru and Usagi that she is in fact their future daughter. While Sailors Moon and Venus -- along with the cats Luna and Artemis -- work to resolve the Black Moon Clan crisis, Tuxedo Mask keeps Chibi Usa company knowing she trusts him more than anyone else.
At one point, Chibi Usa wanders through Sailor Pluto's domain and encounters Wiseman, who is actually Death Phantom -- a bigger threat than the Black Moon Clan. Sensing Chibi Usa's feelings of resentment toward her parents for their emotional neglect, Death Phantom lures her into joining his cause as Black Lady. He artificially ages her body and gives her access to the Malefic Black Crystal to assist her in a battle against her future parents.
As Black Lady, Chibi Usa proves to be a formidable foe, capable of hurting the people she loves. She obtains the past and future versions of her mother's Silver Crystal to create the paradox needed to destroy both crystals and the Earth itself. Death Phantom's spell over Chibi Usa is only broken when Sailor Pluto sacrifices herself to prevent the paradox from happening. She then awakens as a Sailor Guardian, reverting back to her normal self.
Driven by the loss of her friend, Chibi Usa -- as Sailor Chibi Moon -- combines her newly awakened powers with Sailor Moon's to destroy Death Phantom, who merged with the planet Nemesis. With Death Phantom removed as a threat, Neo Queen Serenity awakens and restores life on Earth with the power of her own Silver Crystal. She then sends Chibi Usa back with her past self to train as a Sailor Guardian.
Chibi Usa's Life As a Sailor Guardian
As a Sailor Guardian, Chibi Usa possesses the same determination and passion for justice as her mother. She has a very strong moral compass, compassionate toward others and befriending people who are alone in the world. These traits become invaluable during the threat of the Death Busters, who plot an alien invasion that results in the revival of Sailor Pluto and the awakening of the remaining Outer Guardians: Sailors Uranus, Neptune and Saturn. The latter is only awakened in a time of crisis to destroy reality and trigger its rebirth.
One of the first people Chibi Usa saves as a Sailor Guardian is Hotaru Tomoe, whom she later befriends. It is eventually revealed that Hotaru is the deadly Guardian known as Sailor Saturn, whose power is feared by both the Death Busters and Outer Guardians alike. Instead of agreeing to a plan to kill Hotaru to keep her from fulfilling her job as the soldier of destruction, Chibi Usa seeks to protect her, even losing her own Silver Crystal in the process. When Hotaru awakens as Sailor Saturn, she repays Chibi Usa's kindness by returning the Crystal to her. She then fulfills her task of destroying the alien threat, resulting in her own death.
When Hotaru is reborn, her friendship becomes invaluable to Chibi Usa as she continues her Sailor Guardian training. Her growth as Sailor Chibi Moon is a major focal point of the Dream story arc in the manga, which is also the story of the upcoming Sailor Moon Eternal movies. Chibi Usa learns more about her powers and her place in her parents' legacy, but also about herself as a person while starting to develop her own identity. She gets opportunities to improve her relationship with her parents, acquire new relationships and childhood experiences that are actually happy.
The growth Chibi Usa experiences during her time in the 20th century shape her into a more seasoned Sailor Guardian by the time she returns to the 30th century. She especially becomes ready to take on the cosmic threat of Sailor Galaxia during the Stars story arc, no longer afraid of death when she goes down fighting to protect the world and the people she loves.
