Memes / Sailor Moon

Sailor Moon

Well, we thought it was funny...

With two animes, character iconography, and a narmy original English dub, it should be expected that Sailor Moon should have a lot of in-jokes and memes that circulate within and out of its loyal fanbase.

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Please add entries in the following format:

• The meme. [[labelnote:Explanation]]The explanation behind the meme, if necessary.[[/labelnote]] ^ExplanationLike this.
  • Further mutations and successor memes, if any.

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• Rei hates cops.^ExplanationNickname of 90s anime screenshots of Rei using Fire Soul on a group of police officers spread around Tumblr (particularly because this was during high-profile 2014 cases of racial Police Brutality in the US).
• Tuxedo Mask is useless. ^ExplanationTuxedo Mask is a Memetic Loser, since he doesn't have any powers and threw roses in the anime. He is also kidnapped and brainwashed by the enemy a lot, so that doesn't help his case either.
  • "My job here is done." "But you didn't do anything."◊ ^ExplanationFrom a screen-cap comic parodying Tuxedo Mask and his tendency to show up and not do anything but give Sailor Moon and the Sailor Soldiers a pep talk. The dialogue was likely lifted from this scene from The Simpsons.
• A screenshot of Usagi saying "I wish someone would make an anime about me" was popular enough to be painted onto a wall◊.
• A photograph of Ami caught about to eat a burger spawned countless fan art.
• "I'm afraid we can't be together anymore, Shaggy-kun~" "Like, why, man?" "You never... You just never swooce right in when I need you... I just feel like you're frozen in there... And I’m out here..."^ExplanationA photoshopped picture◊ of Lita [Makoto] being hugged by Shaggy from Scooby-Doo and exchanging this dialog, is one of the most well-known Tumblr posts of all time. A user explains that it most likely came from an old website named ScoobMoonBusters, which devoted itself to photoshopping screenshots and writing Weird Crossover fanfiction of Sailor Moon, Scooby-Doo, and The Real Ghostbusters.
• WORRRRLD CHICKEN!!^ExplanationThe Engrish pronunciation of the World Shaking move. (see also: Uranus World Chicken below.)
• Mako and Ami deciding to dance together, mostly due to the common Ho Yay they often have throughout the franchise.
• Rei wants receipts.^ExplanationA reference to the 90s anime's Running Gag of Rei demanding evidence (e.g. the time, the date, what the weather was like) to a "slanderous" accusation. Became funnier when Usagi embarrassed her with evidence from a tiny notebook.
• Numerous jokes about how big Taiki's forehead is.
• Granola bar!^ExplanationOne of Raye's [Rei] Flowery Insults towards her grandfather in the original English dub.
• "Am I not good enough?" ^Explanation Seiya's infamous question to Usagi after she broke down in tears after accepting the fact that Mamoru hadn't returned a single one of her letters and expressed how much she misses him.
• Tuxedo Mask's reaction to a villain's flirting.
• Rini sounds like every New Yorker.^ExplanationAn out-of-context clip of Rini [Chibi-Usa] being startled by something outside Hotaru's bedroom window circulated Twitter after the original post claimed that every New Yorker they've heard sounds identical. Many New Yorkers agreed (reluctantly).
  • "Unless I'm buggin'..."^ExplanationEmphasised from the clip, to point out how Totally Radical/1990s her reaction is (and, by extension, the original English dub, as well). (Fridge Logic: Since Rini is from the 30th century, did she absorb the speech patterns from her mother and her friends' teenage years because of the time-traveling, or is this type of slang also used back in her timeline?)
• “OH NO, NOT THE DUCKS!!!”
• Space Lesbians^ExplanationFan Nickname for Haruka and Michiru's relationship.
• Heistuxedomask. Idontbelieveit.^ExplanationSerena's internal monotone reaction to discovering the twist that Darien the smug college jerk was the handsome Tuxedo Mask.
• Lady Tuxedo Mask. ^ExplanationA reference to the revival of Sera Myu in the 2010s, in which Mamoru was played by Yῡga Yamato (who's a former actress in the Takarazuka Revue) in drag.
  • Constant references to Tuxedo Mask swishing his cape a lot in the revival.
  • Viewers saying that Yamato's Tuxedo Mask is the coolest version in the entire franchise. Mamo-chan even got a ton of new admirers because of this (most of them lesbians).
• The scene of Michiru being handed a bouquet by a little boy is often edited (in screenshots) with Michiru bluntly shutting him down with "I'm gay."
• Chocolate parfaits, due to their importance in Nephrite's final episode, and especially to his death scene.
• "GO BLEACH YOUR ROOTS, CREEP!"^ExplanationAn iconic comeback from Mercury to "Malachite" (aka Kunzite) in the DiC dub.
• "Love is everything!◊"^ExplanationHaruka's enthusiastic chant at a carnival in the S season, mostly because it's so out-of-character.
• Most Usagi quotes about how much she loves sleeping and eating instantly became #Relatable memes.
  • There's also the "don't know how to use a computer◊" screenshot that is used if a social media user has computer/internet issues.
  • How it feels to be an adult.
• Variations of In the Name of the Moon parodies. A common one is, "In the name of the moon, I'LL FUCK YOU UP!"
  • Ever since a clip from the DiC dub episode "Last Resort" of Sailor Moon saying her catchphrase was used to criticize notorious YouTube trolls who like to steal production logos and impede the museum-related work of or otherwise hate on the Closing Logo Group, it's become pretty popular among logo lovers to repeat her words to the same miscreants:
    Sailor Moon: [INSERT NAME OF TROLL HERE], on behalf of the Moon, I'll punish you!
  • Mercury's "Douse yourself in water and repent!" is mostly remembered because of how religious it sounds.
• "Look, look, everyone! This is so funny!"◊ (The page image), which is often photoshopped to use on forums.
• Ami would've stopped Third Impact.^ExplanationFour screencaps of Sailor Mercury trying to cheer up a miserable Ryo was re-captioned as "Sailor Mercury having a chat with Shinji Ikari would have prevented 90% of bad things that happened in Neon Genesis Evangelion." Not helpful that he is dressed similarly to Shinji's school uniform and is sitting in the angst pose.
• The weird continuities throughout the franchise, such as Mamoru's Tuxedo Mask doll◊ and ChibiUsa owning a pistol◊ to threaten people with.
  • This screenshot edit that made for a good Mass Effect 2 crossover joke.
• Any discussion relating to the Solar System has a 1000% chance of being hijacked by someone to make a Senshi joke:
  • Jupiter's gravitational force protects the Earth from asteroids.
  • This tumblr timeline◊ joke speaks for itself.
  • We could've had a Sailor George.
  • Some stargazers saw Uranus and Neptune out with the moon in 2014.
  • A heartwarming joke based on online artwork.
• Gangsta Senshi◊. ^ExplanationThis doesn't actually have a name, but jokes emerged after an episode of Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon featured Rei, Usagi, and Ami dressed Totally Radically at a basketball court, complete with Rei in a tilted baseball cap.
  • "In the name of the moon, I'LL POP A CAP IN YO' ASS!"
• Moments between Usagi and Mamoru when they're being particularly goofy with each other are often captioned with variations of, "They're gonna rule the world, one day."
• A photo◊ of Beyoncé with her daughter at the Met Gala was compared to Queen Serenity and Small Lady.
• Michiru wears the pants. ^ExplanationA reference to how Michiru emulates a Henpecking Wife towards Haruka, being the only person who can throw off Haruka's hard-nosed stoic demeanor by a glance or an off-hand comment.
  • Because of this, fanon has turned Haruka into a Miles Gloriosus, Adorkable, klutzy Memetic Loser/Big Softy who cannot seem to function independently outside of Sailor Uranus and is always embarrassing herself, leaving Michiru to pick up her pieces.
  • The possible origin of this meme may have come from the SuperS movie's "There's so many fun things to do as adults" scene.
• This common exchange:
  Question: Where is Sailor Earth?
  Answer: Tuxedo Mask.
• Variations of manga!Ami telling the viewer to go and study, like this◊.
• Jupiter's got "talent".^ExplanationIn Sailor Moon R, the girls were trying out for the role of Snow White in a play. In the DiC dub, Lita said she should get the role because she has the most talent. In the original version, Makoto said she should get the part because she has the biggest boobs. However, the dub still has a close-up of her chest. "Talent" has since become a euphemism for breast size.
  • THUNDER RACK.^ExplanationWhat Jupiter's "talent" is often nicknamed.
• A common debate about whether Artemis and Luna ever succumb to their cat nature when everyone's off-duty.^note There are several Furry Reminders in the series which proves the possibility: in the 90s anime episode where Usagi and Luna befriend Ami, Luna is annoyed with herself when she becomes distracted over Ami stroking her cheek and chin.
• Naru's bizarre Brooklyn accent (as Molly) in the original English dub, mostly because many viewers that grew up with this version of the anime Cant Unhear It, which is often referenced in captions of Naru screenshots with,◊ "Aww, cheer up, Serena. It's just one lousy test. It's not like you're reading this in my voice, or anything."
• Mamoru taking several shot-reverse shots to decide to look after a baby, which struck a chord with people online that don't like interacting with children.
• Michiru telling Rei, "You two [Rei and Usagi] are close, just like me and Uranus." Thus, the Rei and Usagi ship soared!
• The screenshot "Please stop talking about Math when I'm eating.◊", which is usually used ironically or as relatable comedy.
• The use of the music "Beauty", whenever Michiru and Haruka walk into a room (often in pastel still shots and rose petals).
• After Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon cast Minako as an idol with a double life, she started being associated with a certain pop star with the same shtick and even shared her theme song.
• Makoto is worshipped as a Memetic Badass (even beyond her canon levels of badassery), due to the Periphery Demographic and Amazon Chaser childhood/teen crushes.
  • Fanon's habit of Character Exaggeration has also turned her into a Cuddle Bug, to the point of even wearing t-shirts in fan art which specify that she's prone to giving out free hugs.
• Brad, the cutest boy in the school.^ExplanationOne of the Clowerway English dub's attempts to hide Michiru and Haruka's relationship was to invent an alleged first kiss that Michelle shared with Brad, who she declares to Serena as "the cutest boy in [her] school". Hide Your Lesbians aside, it became a meme for a variety of reasons, from the bizarre decision to keep the Michiru-gazing-at-Haruka editing after she says this, to the fact that the original dialogue was Michiru talking about Adam and Eve and not herself. After the Viz dub was released, "RIP Brad" became popular in YouTube comment sections.
• The Off-Model frames of Sailor Moon Crystal spawned Tumblr accounts devoted to mocking them.
  • Also, this screenshot◊ of someone's Tumblr timeline created a humorous bit of Contrived Coincidence.
• World Sex Tour^ExplanationA common fan theory to why Haruka and Michiru didn't turn up in the fourth season; they were traveling around the world stopping evil and experimenting in their sex life. (also known as "Gargantuan Amounts of Sex").
• "Sailor Mars is the hottest".^ExplanationThis tends to show up in discussions about who is the most attractive Sailor soldier. (Fridge Brilliance: Rei is intended to be a conventional Japanese beauty.)
• One of the most recognized moments in Sera Myu history is when Haruka snatches a bouquet◊ (meant for Usagi) out of Seiya's hand and throwing it into the wings.
• Many memes have begun on Tumblr as a result of a blogger named Jet Wolf.
  • Sailor Uranus obsessing over THE MISSION in season three (it was always written in capslock).
    • This artwork surfaced later, inspired by this joke on a Jet Wolf reblog.
  • Demon Plushie Luna^ExplanationThe various ways that adaptations tried to include Luna have detoured into Unintentional Uncanny Valley for Jet Wolf, from people dressed in cat onesies in Sera Myu, to the CGI terror◊ from PGSM, as well as the Off-Model shapes that Luna's body makes in Sailor Moon Crystal.
  • "Ara~" ^ExplanationThe catchphrase Michiru has whenever she's about to go into full trolling mode. Exaggerated in Jet Wolf's liveblogging (and sometimes used for That's What She Said, in some cases)
  • HONK HONK VROOM.^ExplanationThe Stock Footage of the pose Sailor Venus does◊ in PGSM when she is running is nicknamed this.
  • To add onto the Taiki's forehead memes, one of Jet Wolf's tags was "taiki + forehead = ot5".
  • MIRACLE HATEMANCE^ExplanationJet Wolf didn't necessarily create this herself, but her friends/audience did, describing the Seiya/Haruka rivalry.
  • Screenshots nicknamed "A Portrait in One Panel" that sum up characterizations and/or relationships.
  • "...So, I kept it!"^ExplanationMight as well be renamed "Jet Wolf's Berserk Button". Jet Wolf's all-time favorite Sailor Moon character is Rei/Sailor Mars, so she wasn't too happy when she watched the DiC/Cloverway English dubs, which portrayed Rei as a backstabber who believed that she deserved to be the leader instead of crybaby Serena [Usagi]. This particular quote came from an episode that was re-written as Raye intentionally keeping Serena's wand (in the original, Usagi gave it to her for safekeeping) and denying that she stole it, when the rest of the group confront her. In fact, this was Jet's initial reaction.
  • Sailor Pluto is definitely not a zombie.^ExplanationRefers to Setsuna/Sailor Pluto's Unexplained Recovery after her death in the 90s' S season
  • "Rei Loves Usagi Loves Rei" ^ExplanationRegarding the Vitriolic Best Buds relationship between Moon and Mars.
    • "Crow Loves Siren Loves Crow"^ExplanationA variant occurred when Jet Wolf liveblogged Aluminum Seiren and Lead Crow's official debut episode, nodding to the many similarities between them and Moon and Mars.
  • Rei and Usagi outfits here◊ are nicknamed "Friendship Day outfits".
  • Artemis Faces: The Season.^ExplanationA tag that is full of Artemis' facepalm-esque reactions to Minako and/or friends' antics.
  • Heli-chan, the nickname of the helicopter the Outers were riding in the S season before it got destroyed.
  • Harukabot^ExplanationAmara [Haruka] in the DiC's English dub is nicknamed this because of the dub's unknown decision to make Amara's voice actress perform in a monotone. (It made sense whenever Haruka was being serious... but was incredibly jarring whenever she was speaking through a genuine smile.)
  • These◊ two◊ screenshots that Jet Wolf uses as Disapproving and Death Glare reaction shots to her fans' tongue-in-cheek replies.
  • The tag #because-minako, or just the catchphrase "Because Minako." ^ExplanationBecause... Minako. Really, just Minako. ^{Oh, you insist on an explanation? Fine.} Jet Wolf puts it the best, really: "All the times Minako is basically being so terribly, terribly Minako."
  • FINGER GUNS◊^ExplanationJet Wolf's squeeing over Rei's dancing in the Sera Myu play Petite Etrangere.
    • The entire scene is also nicknamed "Senshi Band".
  • Uranus World Chicken, the wildly successful fried-chicken restaurant chain is also slowly starting to gain trend. ^ExplanationLong story short: Sailor Uranus' World Shaking attack in the American dubbed version sounds, to some viewers, like "Uranus World Chicken." Jet Wolf and her followers seized upon this, and ran off with it.
  • "Usagivision"^ExplanationFor any time Usagi looks at someone and that person is framed by roses◊ and/or hearts, or when she gets hearts in her eyes◊.
  • PallaPalla Hates Memes!^ExplanationPallaPalla's tendency to refer to herself in the third person evolved into a thing where Jet would take a random screenshot of PallaPalla from whichever episode she was liveblogging and add a random thing for her to hate.
  • Gangster Mouse^ExplanationJet Wolf's nickname for Sailor Iron Mouse based on her clothes as Nezu Chuuko making her look like a little gangster.
  • Sailor Fuckoff Meow^ExplanationJet's nickname for Sailor Tin Nyanko due to how much she hated Nyanko for mocking Aluminum Seiren's death and for killing Lead Crow.
  • Eudial's Sweet Busters^ExplanationJet's headcanon about how Eudial totally was not killed by Mimete and eventually went on to establish her own successful bakery, which is often frequented by the other redeemed and not-so-redeemed villains.
• Happy Outers Family^ExplanationFan Nickname for the story arc of baby Hotaru being raised by Setsuna, Michiru and Haruka.
• Comments about Usagi's father, Kenji, getting Adaptational Attractiveness in Crystal. Some people online said they found him hotter than Mamoru, whereas others said that they can see where Usagi got her taste in men from.
• I LOVE YUU!!^ExplanationDespite divided opinion over the 2010s' revival of the Sera Myu musicals, there was unanimous approval of Makoto/Jupiter's actress Yῡ Takahashi (not to be confused with the male singer of the same name), who was called one of the greatest Sera Myu portrayals of Mako practically overnight (Jet Wolf even called Takahashi "Mako personified"). This phrase was usually used whenever Makoto had a Moment of Awesome.
• The YouTube channel SailorMoonSays (which got teminated by Toei copyright strikes in mid-2021) often uploads clips of the old English dub, which take on a narmy life of their own.
  • One meme common on the channel is using "cousin" as an Unusual Euphemism for anything romantic. This originates from the infamous case of Hide Your Lesbians in the dub that changed Haruka and Michiru into cousins while leaving all the romantic tension between them, making them look like Kissing Cousins.
    • Alternatively, commenters do literally see the characters as "wanting to be cousins" or "being cousins" with the other character.
  • Any clip with a character that has a Brooklyn accent is immediately referred to as one of Molly's [Naru] relatives.
• This crossover fanart◊ with Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Contains a lot of Genius Bonus.
• Some of the characters' clothing choices are memes either because they're garish-looking or are very '90s looking.^note Justified because Naoko Takeuchi drew many characters in clothing seen on catwalks, notably the non-conventional outfits one wouldn't see in the street (i.e. what the villains usually wear). Setsuna, for example, frequently wore Chanel on page and onscreen.
  • The pink overalls.◊ ^ExplanationRei's most notorious outfit that she wears frequently. One of her most cosplayed outfits outside of her Sailor Mars uniform.
  • Haruka and Michiru's matching outfits in the Stars season after they became more relaxed, such as the denim look◊ and the sleeveless lavender/pink shirts◊.
    • Oh, and Haruka's mustard suit◊.
  • Mamoru's green jacket and purple trousers combo, which not only spawned a tumblr account (mamorusgreenjacket), but became an Ascended Fanon when the Viz dub constantly made characters (mostly Usagi) reference how wrongfully eye-catching they are.
    • Almost as memetic is the cowhide-print vest he wears in the manga during his period of Brainwashed and Crazy in the Dark Kingdom arc, while posing as "Endo."
• This photo◊ speaks for itself.
• #sailormoonredraw^ExplanationTaking a now-memetic shot of Sailor Moon looking to her right and redrawing it in different styles or with different characters, often dressed as Sailor Moon themselves.
• Screencaps of Sailor Mars wearing a surgical mask from Episode 19 has been making rounds online since the COVID-19 pandemic. Even her English voice actress uses it as her Twitter avatar.
• Get a load of this guy!^ExplanationA reaction screenshot of Usagi and Makoto exchanging◊ wry glances.
• A game many fans like to play is "dub or porno?" Many, many times in the DiC and Cloverway dubs there are some... unfortunate sounding grunts, groans, and cries. A person who had their eyes closed or isn't looking at the screen could get a very different idea of what's going on in one of these scenes.
• A couple of examples of the Cloverway dub's Woolseyism are still fondly talked about decades after its release, despite that the original English dub has long since fallen out of print in favor of the Viz dub.
  • "Ta-ta, Mimet."^ExplanationIn Episode 120, Mimete impersonated Professor Tomoe to steal her job back from Tellu. Tellu immediately recognized Mimete was tricking her, and coldly went about murdering her by pulling the plug on the machine Mimete stole to boost her power (a machine she stole from Eudial, whom Mimete killed). In the Cloverway dub, Telulu figured out Mimet was tricking her because she had Dr. Tomoe sign off with "ta-ta." Just as she pulls the plug, Telulu bids her rival goodbye with "Ta-ta, Mimet," as a rather brilliant and vicious means of rubbing Mimet's screwup in her face before she dies.
  • "I still pity you."^ExplanationIn Episode 166, Queen Nehellenia tosses Sailor Chibi Moon off a floating platform to her death, and is shocked when Sailor Moon jumps after her. In the original and Viz dub, Sailor Moon declares she won't lose to Nehellenia. In the Cloverway dub, Sailor Moon's parting words "I still pity you" are a scathing callback to Nehellenia's hatred of being pitied (and her preference of her enemies actively hating her), and arguably works better by showing Sailor Moon weaponizing her empathy to let Nehellenia know she's won nothing.

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Oh yeah, and the Discredited Meme jab at Sailor Pluto about Pluto no longer being classified as a planet.

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