With the vast amount of media out in the world, just ready for our consumption, it is important to consider the diversity in the lores which shape each and every unique piece of media. Some pieces of media have lores that are quite surface level and do not expand beyond what can be seen and learned from engaging directly with the original source. Whilst other pieces of media create complex and intricate lore which requires intense study and unwavering focus in order to properly sort through and make sense of.

The lore that encompasses the Sailor Moon series is definitely the latter. Don’t get me wrong, I love the Sailor Moon series and have dedicated years of my life to watching the English subbed version of the original anime. But even I am not afraid to admit that the lore that surrounds, summarizes, and explains the events in the series can be an utterly indecipherable quagmire at times. But finally figuring it out can be incredibly satisfying. But even its detailed and intensive lore does not fill each and every single plot hole. So the fandom has created several fan theories that attempt to explain away these holes.

So, without further ado, I would like to share them with you. Below you will find several theories, some true and some not so true. Each and every theory attempts to explain the ins and outs of the series, but it will be up to you whether or not they succeed in doing so.

25 Real: Usagi's Powers Are Connected To Her Brooch

Via Grantmedia

After Usagi receives her brooch from Luna, she gains the ability to transform into her Sailor Scout form. But some people have questioned whether or not these abilities are an internal or external thing. And whether or not she would retain her Sailor Scout abilities if she ever becomes disconnected from said brooch. According to this theory, she would not. When disconnected from her brooch, Usagi loses the ability to transform into Sailor Moon and becomes a regular middle school kid again.

24 Real: Galaxia Means No Harm

Via: Zerochan

Look, I know that Galaxia caused her fair share of bad things to happen. However, this theory states that she may not be the most villainous villain in the series. This theory claims that Galaxia actually had no truly villainous intentions but was, instead, doing the best she could with the tools she had at her disposal to get out from under Chaos. Though she was the primary villain in her respective time on the show, it is possible that she did not intend to be as bad as she ended up being.

23 Rejected: Chibi Chibi Is Not An Alien

Via Sailor Moon News

A long time ago, before it was revealed that Chibi Chibi and Sailor Cosmos are one in the same, countless theories began to swirl around the interwebs. All of them desperately trying to figure out just who in the heck Chibi Chibi was. Was she Usagi’s sister? Was she related to Chibiusa? Were they sisters? Was she an interdimensional alien? What was her deal? Eventually, it was confirmed that she was simply a form that Cosmos undertook while trying to repair the main timeline to prevent the future in which Chaos won, but at the time, no one had a clue.

22 Real: Is Mamoru The Sun Guardian?

Via: Fandom

Though a theory which will appear later in this article will claim that Mamoru belongs to the Earth, another theory states that this male lead belongs to the sun as well. This theory states that Mamoru is the Sailor Scout assigned to the Sun itself. This theory is based in the fact that the sun is responsible (to a high degree) for Earth being a planet in which life can be sustained; therefore his connection to Earth would imply a connection to the Sun as well.

21 Real: Sailor Pluto Is A Descendant Of Chronos

Via Sailor Moon News

And not just a distant descendant but rather a direct one. It turns out the Sailor Pluto’s father was Chronos himself from the legends derived from traditional and ancient Greek Mythology. Though it was later confirmed by the direct canon of the series, it is important to note that it was originally mere speculation. She is not the one and only character within the series with Greek ties whoever she is one of the few whose ties have been officially confirmed.

20 Rejected: The Dark Kingdom Is Not Responsible For Pluto

Via Reddit

This is more of a silly theory but I thought it would be fun to include it anyways. Some avid fans of the series have gone so far while creating their fan theories and headcanons that they have suggested that the reason that our real-life beloved planet of Pluto was demoted from its previously held title was because of the insidious interference of The Dark Kingdom. And while this is a fun theory and I support people liking what they like and having fun, there is just no reason to believe that this is true.

19 Real: Sailor Power Ages You

Via Awn

Though the shows introduction sequences explain that Usagi (and her later friends) are of middle school age, many fans experienced a reasonable amount of confusion when Usagi’s Sailor Scout form was revealed. As her Sailor Scout form possessed a body that was clearly older than Usagi’s civilian form. Even when using the Scout power to gift her with a temporary disguise, these disguises often made her appear as if she were in her 20’s rather than early teens. It turns out that their scout forms are simply their older/full grown selves.

18 Real: Luna And Artemis Are Not Cats

Via Anime Stock Exchange

Now, this may come as a bit of a shock to the casual fans of the series but it is important to note that Luna and Artemis are not actually cats. Which explains why they can talk. They are actually beings from the planet Mau taking the form of cats while on Earth. Though this “theory” was later confirmed by the canon of the show and its in-universe lore, it is important to note that the show has had an exceptionally long run and this was originally nothing more than a theory that was born from and circulated in online forums.

17 Rejected: Chibiusa Is Not Usagi's Sister

Via Fanpop

Look, I know that we now have enough canon material at our disposal to know for a sure fact that Chibiusa is Usagi’s daughter from the future come back to visit her, but that was not always common knowledge nor part of the established canon. When the character first appeared, many fans chalked the similarities in their appearance to the fact that the two may secretly be sisters through Queen Serenity herself. Unfortunately, those theories turned out to be false. Close, but no cigar.

16 Real: The Villains Follow The Crystals

Via The Mary Sue

If you’ve ever watched through at least one season of Sailor Moon, you might find yourself wondering why the villains do not simply move to another area that is not being actively protected by the Sailor Scouts. I mean, that would be the logical choice, wouldn’t it? Well, according to this commonly accepted theory, the villains go where the crystals are. So they and the Sailor Scouts are permanently tied to each other, even if that is counterproductive to their individual goals.

15 Real: A Literal Reset

Via We Heart It

Have you ever wanted a do-over without losing the lessons gained from said experiences? Well, the outcome of the fight against Beryl gave each and every member of the Sailor Scouts the chance to do so. According to this commonly accepted theory, when the “reset” occurred after the battle the Scouts retained a version of all of their memories from the “erased” year and they were able to get a do-over. This theory can be confirmed by the girls' ages before and after the reset.

14 Rejected: Haruka's Mother Did Not Pass

Via YouTube

As far as the established canon currently exists, the is no reason to believe that Haruka’s mother passed away in some horrible accident or during childbirth. Many fans of the series have attempted to explain the characters relatively sour demeanor by stating that something intense and life/personality altering occurred to her in her youth. However, as the series currently stands there is no reason to believe that this is the case. But, you never know. Hold onto that hope, ladies, gents, and all that is in between.

13 Real: Does Cosmos Even Exist?

Via: www.deviantart.com/jackowcastillo

Bear with me because this is one of the more complex theories. Basically, this theory states that Neo-Serenity and Sailor Cosmos cannot exist in the same timeline. Neo-Serenity comes from the timeline in which all is well as Sailor Moon is able to ascend to the highest form of her birthright. Whereas Cosmos comes from the timeline in which all is lost due to a failed battle with chaos. Note, this theory was originally just a theory but it was later confirmed by the series canon.

12 Real: Is Cosmos Secretly Chibi Chibi?

Via Tokyo Exchange

Here we have another theory that was originally nothing more than a theory but later became confirmed as the official canon of the series. For those of you who do not know, Sailor Cosmos is a being from the future in which chaos eliminates all of value. However, it is important to note that there is more than meets the eyes when it comes to this character. Especially when one considers her connection to Chibi Chibi. It turns out that Chibi Chibi is actually the disguised version of Cosmos.

11 Rejected: Naru Is A Normal Human Being

Via YouTube

Look, I know that the majority of the characters in this series are otherworldly beings with extensive galactical lineages but sometimes characters are just people. Nothing more but also nothing less. And that is the case with Naru. She is not a secret scout nor is she secretly Silver Millenium. She is just an ordinary girl. And to tell you the truth and share my honest opinion, I think that having a nice, simple, mortal girl is a refreshing change of pace when compared to the rest.

10 Real: Time Travel Splits The Timeline

Via Sailor Moon News

When time travel is introduced to a show, things can get hairy very easily as time travel lore can become an indecipherable mess very quickly. Though it was originally nothing more than a theory, it was later confirmed that when Chibiusa traveled back in time in order to connect with the younger version of her mother was not a dangerous nor idiotic adventure due to the fact that time travel does not dramatically alter the future in this series but rather simply creates a new timeline (Or rather splits or shifts the current one).

9 Rejected: The Guardians Have No Children

Via Fanpop

No, the Quartet are not the Guardians' children or descendants or whatever you want to call them for one simple reason. The Guardians have no children. Therefore the Quartet cannot be something that they do not have. I am sorry to disappoint the theorists out there but unfortunately, this theory is implausible due to the fact that it conflicts directly with the established canon of the series. Though that does not mean that you necessarily have to stop supporting this theory, if it brings you joy.

8 Real: Cosmos Just Wants What is Best

Via Nerdist

Alright, so we know that Cosmos travels back to the past in the form of Chibi Chibi, but why does she do it? In the curious case of “another theory that eventually became canon,” we have an answer. It turns out that Cosmos was trying to do everything that she could to make sure that the Neo-Serenity timeline/future was, in fact, the main timeline/future and that chaos was never able to take everything from her (and everyone else.) There is something just so sad about Sailor Cosmos’s story.

7 Rejected: Chibiusa Did Not Ruin The Future

Via Fandom

There are so many unique and diverse ways of dealing with time travel in fiction. Some materials focus on more linear models of time, where time is set in motion and any attempts to change it’s established events will fail. Other models see it as a loop where anything can be changed, but there will be consequences. This series views Chibiusa’s time travel attempts as the first sort so it is safe to say that the future is more or less the same despite her meddling.

6 Real: Queen Serenity Is Not From The Moon

Via YouTube

The original Queen Serenity (Sailor Moon’s true mother) was of the Moon Kingdom and ruled there for a thousand years. However, Queen Serenity may not have been born on the Moon and may have actually been born somewhere different entirely. This theory states that Queen Serenity is actually from a whole nother galaxy entirely and has been confirmed by multiple subtle hints in the series. The first being when Queen Nehelenia mentioned that the two of them were from the same (yet different from our own galaxy) in the Manga as well as the fact that she does not have a moon shaped mark on her forehead.