Though she’s a huge part of the Sailor Moon franchise, Sailor Venus actually made her debut long before the Moon Princess or the rest of the Sailor Senshi. Sailor Venus began her manga journey as Minako Aino in Codename: Sailor V. The manga was even considered for development into an anime series, but that didn’t happen. Instead, Sailor V’s world expanded as the creator Naoko Takeuchi created Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon.
Minako was the rightful leader of the Sailor Senshi. Though they often deferred to Sailor Moon, in her past life, there was no Sailor Moon. During the reign of the Moon Kingdom, Sailor Moon was Princess Serenity, whom Sailor Venus and the rest of the Sailor Senshi swore to protect with their lives. In the modern day, the group became the best of friends.
With Sailor Venus appearing in different manga, anime, and live action series, fans have seen different sides of her story, and we’ve got the answers to some lingering questions.
10 When Did Sailor Venus Meet Artemis?
Minako was the first person to awaken her memories of her past life as far as fans know. It’s not entirely clear when Sailor Neptune awakened her own memories, but she also did so independently of the other Sailor Senshi.
Minako’s memories awakened when she met Artemis — an entire year before Usagi met Luna. She was only 13 years old when she began working as the superhero persona Sailor V.
9 How Many Times Has She Been Reincarnated?
When the Moon Kingdom fell, Princess Serenity and her Sailor Senshi were magically reincarnated in the modern age as civilians. But that might not have actually been the first time Minako was reincarnated. Her Moon Kingdom persona is also referenced as a reincarnation, possibly making her the oldest soul of the Sailor Senshi.
During her solo manga Codename: Sailor V, Minako got a bit more backstory. Sailor Moon, after all, was developed as a spin-off of Minako’s story. In the manga, Artemis referenced that she was the reincarnation of the Roman goddess Venus as well.
8 What Was Her Very First Attack Power?
Every version of Minako’s story has featured the same initial attack power, even though many of her other powers change with adaptations. Called “Crescent Boomerang,” but renamed “Crescent Beam” in the anime, it sends a stream of light at her enemy.
In some versions, she literally throws the compact that turned her into Sailor V (and later Sailor Venus) to create the light beam. In others, she doesn’t need the compact at all.
7 What Was Her Connection To Queen Beryl?
While the original four Sailor Senshi had pledged their loyalty to Princess Serenity during the reign of the Moon Kingdom, they didn’t all have a hand in destroying her biggest enemy. Despite the fall of the Moon Kingdom, Sailor Venus actually defeated Queen Beryl.
It was originally Sailor Venus, not Princess Serenity, who used a special sword to run Beryl through. The same sword is used to defeat Queen Beryl again in the modern day.
6 Where Does Sailor Venus Get Her Sword?
Some anime fans might be confused by the fact that Sailor Venus even had a sword. In the ’90s anime, she didn’t wield one. The sword is seen, however, in the manga, and in some video games.
In order to use the sword, Sailor Venus removed the chain from around her waist, transforming it into a sword. The idea finally came to the anime in Sailor Moon Crystal. In that version of the story, she could summon the blade itself, which would then turn into multiple versions of her chain to use against enemies.
5 Why Did She Live In England?
It’s not entirely clear why Minako lived in England for a while as a teenager in the ’90s anime. It’s there though that she began to work against evil as Sailor V. She is also well-traveled in the manga, having been to both China and Greece by the time she meets the other Senshi.
Some fans speculate that Minako might have been in England as a result of her father’s job. Not much is said about her family in any version of the Sailor Moon story, but her father does travel for work. Perhaps his work moved his family temporarily to England. It seems unlikely that a 13-year-old Minako would have been living in England alone when she didn’t yet speak the language.
4 What Does Her Name Mean?
The kanji in Minako Aino’s name create literal translations that could be a string of meaningless words. “Mi” is beauty, “na” is what, “ko” is child, “ai” is love, and “no” can be either field or civilian. It seems like words that only vaguely relate to her.
However, because of Japanese grammar rules, the “no” becomes a possessive kanji. Her name actually translates to “beautiful child of love” when read altogether. Interestingly, though that translation provides a nod to the Roman goddess of love, Venus, the kanji in her name don’t provide a nod to the planet itself.
The other Sailor Senshi all have surnames that feature the kanji for their respective planets.
3 Does Minako Have Powers In Civilian Form?
In order to access their superpowers, the Sailor Senshi typically have to be powered up. As regular teenage girls, they don’t have access to powers. But there are a few exceptions. One of those is Sailor Mars’ psychic abilities, and another is Sailor Mercury’s water finding ability.
Minako appeared to be a special case. She can access many seemingly superhuman abilities while in her civilian form. Not only can she jump up to a second story window, but she can chase down cars, and survive the extraction of her crystal to keep fighting. Is it possible she just has more willpower as the result of being the leader of the Sailor Senshi? Or maybe it’s because of just how much she remembers about her past life. Her identity is more closely tied to the past than any of the other Sailor Senshi.
2 Did She Have A Romance With Two Different Villains?
Plenty of Sailor Moon characters have befriended or fallen for a bad guy in the past. Sailor Venus has the honor of two of her romantic interests becoming villains following their reincarnation.
One is Danburite. In his previous life, Danburite was Adonis, one of Sailor Venus’ followers. He was in love with her during the days of the Moon Kingdom, but when reincarnated, worked for the Dark Agency in the Sailor V manga. Minako fell for his civilian persona, and the was brokenhearted when she had to destroy him.
Likewise, Kunzite had feelings for her during the days of the Moon Kingdom. While Minako had never known about Adonis’ feelings for her, she reciprocated Kunzite’s affection. When Kunzite was reincarnated in the modern day, he was no longer one of the Kings Of Heaven, but one of Queen Beryl’s lieutenants, placing the two on opposite sides. He didn’t initially remember Minako, but she remembered him.
1 Did She Know About Princess Serenity And Prince Endymion?
During the reign of the Moon Kingdom, it was forbidden for people of Earth to interact with the people of the Moon. Princess Serenity and Prince Endymion fell in love anyway. The princess would take trips to the Earth to visit him in secret.
All of the Sailor Senshi might not have known about her trips despite pledging their allegiance to her. Sailor Venus was the only one shown to travel back and forth to Earth to escort the princess in the manga. She didn’t just know about their relationship before her teammates, but she helped the princess keep it a secret.
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