“Saphir lost his life trying to tell his brother Demande the truth behind Wiseman's betrayal. And now, Demande is about to share the same fate. Wiseman, you are nothing but pure evil. To protect love and justice, In the Name of the Moon, I'll punish you!”
— Usagi Tsukino
(DIC Episode: "Diamond In The Rough")
With the Malefic Black Crystal reaching it's full potential, the Sailor Guardians decide to venture inside to put an end to the Black Moon Clan once and for all. Though this turns into a battle of wills as Prince Demande uses the opportunity to abduct Sailor Moon once again leaving the Pretty Guardian to do everything in her power to resist his wicked ways.
Tropes in this episode include:
- All Your Powers Combined: Sailor Moon calls on the powers of her Guardians so they can bypass the crystal's intense barrier.
- Beam-O-War: Demande and Death Phantom perform this when attacking each other.
- Big Brother Instinct: Demande is livid at Wiseman for killing off Saphir.
- Break Them by Talking: Wiseman tries to mentally break Usagi by showing her illusions of Mamoru and Black Lady having fallen in love while abandoning her.
- Call-Back: Usagi tells Demande about the Four Spectre Sisters' lives on Earth after their redemption, which were depicted in the previous episodes.
- The Cavalry: Tuxedo Mask and the Sailor Guardians show up near the end to protect Moon from Wiseman.
- Chekhov's Gun:
- Usagi recalls her promise to Naru which helps her overcome Demande's predatory power.
- She mentions how the Specter Sisters are living happily ever after on Earth which makes Prince Demande realize that he was wrong about his methods.
- Cliffhanger: The episode ends with Tuxedo Mask leading the Sailor Team to the center of the Malefic Black Crystal where they're confronted by Black Lady.
- Continuity Nod: Minako comments on the last time Usagi went wild at a cake buffet.
- Defiant to the End: In the episode's second half, Demande repeatedly tries giving Usagi a Forceful Kiss of allegiance, but it doesn't stop her from repeatedly resisting his advances.
- Divide and Conquer: As soon as the Guardians enter the Crystal, Demande has Sailor Moon transported away from her Guardians.
- Empty Eyes: Usagi's eyes briefly become dark whenever she looks into Demande's Third Eye.
- Forceful Kiss: Prince Demande tries once again to force a kiss of allegiance from Usagi using his Third Eye.
- Heel Realization: Demande gets this when he realizes that Wiseman was responsible for the belief that Earth and the denizens of Nemesis could never coexist. This makes him realize that he was being manipulated by Wiseman.
- Heroic Willpower: Usagi's love for Mamoru proves to be strong enough to break Demande's hypnotism over her while giving her the will to fight back.
- If I Do Not Return: Ami sheepishly tells the girls that she's grateful for all the time they've spent together and that she'd love to eat cake with them again once they're victorious. She says this because of how drastic the stakes are with their newest mission.
- If We Get Through This…: Ami hopes that she and her friends can eat cake if they survive their latest Final Battle. The girls confidently assure her that they'll be eating cake together without a problem.
- Internal Reveal: Sailor Moon learns about the Death Phantom and his desire to destroy everything.
- Last Request: Before dying, Demande begs Sailor Moon to look kindly on the people of Nemesis when she becomes the future queen.
- Literally Shattered Lives: Demande uses a final flash of light to destroy Wiseman's body causing him to shatter. To his dismay, he regenerates as soon as Demande passes.
- Love Is a Weakness: Prince Demande boasts that love in any format is meaningless compared to raw power.
- My God, What Have I Done?: On his resting spot, Demande laments having led his people to a pointless war with hundreds of casualties when there were safer alternatives to help his people.
- Mythology Gag: The infamous scene of Black Lady kissing Mamoru from the manga is used as an illusion by Wiseman to break Usagi.
- Oh, Crap!:
- The Inner Guardians can only watch in shock when Prince Demande captures Usagi once more. Seconds later, Usagi has one when Demande tries giving her a kiss of allegiance.
- Demande has a small panic when Usagi repeatedly resists his advances.
- The Power of Love: By remembering her friends, Chibi-usa and Tuxedo Mask, Usagi is able to use their love for them to break free from Demande's hypnotic eye.
- Prayer Is a Last Resort: As Usagi insists that she knows nothing about the giant crystal of death and runs off in a hurry, Naru prays to God that he'll watch over her friend and keep her safe.
- The Promise: Usagi promises to her old friend Naru that she'll meet her again at school and protect the world they love.
- Redemption Equals Death: Prince Demande realizes that Wiseman was manipulating him and that the Black Moon Clan could have lived on Earth without pointless conflicts. But the Death Phantom shows up to kill him soon afterwards.
- Secret Secret-Keeper: It's heavily implied that Naru knows about her best friend being Sailor Moon, but decides to go along with Usagi feigning ignorance if that makes her comfortable.Naru: I won't ask you any more questions, but please, promise me we'll see each other at school.
- Single Tear: All Usagi can do when Demande is about to kiss her once more is to briefly shed a tear.
- Sympathy for the Devil: Usagi can't help but cry over Prince Demande as he starts to die while lamenting his mistakes.
- Tactical Withdrawal: The start of the episode has Tuxedo Mask telling Moon and her friends to regain their strength so they can come fully charged to take on the Malefic Black Crystal.
- Taking the Bullet: Prince Demande takes a fatal blow from Wiseman to protect Sailor Moon.
- This Is Unforgivable!: Demande warns Wiseman that he'll never be forgiven for murdering Saphir in cold blood.
- Wham Line: A subdued one that nevertheless almost throws Usagi off when she sees Naru at the beginning of the episode and they discuss the crystal tower that's appeared in the city.Naru: You know what that thing is, don't you?
- Would Rather Suffer: Sailor Moon boasts that she'd rather die then surrender the Silver Crystal to Death Phantom.
- You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: Now that the Black Crystal is strong and with Black Lady by his side, Death Phantom decides to say goodbye to Prince Demande.
