Usagi Tsukino

Lore & Background

Chibiusa's birth name and official title is Usagi Small Lady Serenity (うさぎ・スモールレディ・セレニティ; Usagi Sumōru Redi Sereniti). She is adopted as a daughter by the 20th-century Tsukino family (her grandparents, Ikuko and Kenji Tsukino), legally becoming Usagi Tsukino. She is given her nickname to differentiate from the older Usagi Tsukino (Sailor Moon). The nickname is a portmanteau of chibi (meaning 'small person' or 'small child') and her given name, Usagi. Adding in Usagi's child to the Sailor Moon storyline, as well as her name, Chibiusa for a chibi (little) Usagi, was the idea of Naoko Takeuchi's editor, Fumio Osano. Takeuchi has stated that she did not think much about how Chibiusa's hair would look, besides it having odango like Usagi's hair and being pink; and that she used a Chibiusa doll for reference on the hair. The first appearance of Chibiusa as a Sailor Guardian is in the side story 'Chibiusa's Picture Diary', published in Nakayoshi in 1994, the same year Sailor Chibi Moon made her debut in the manga (Act 24). In the first Picture Diary, Chibiusa is rescued by Sailor Moon and Venus and dreams that night about becoming a "soldier of love and justice" herself. She calls herself "Sailor Chibiusa Moon" and appears in a uniform slightly different from the one she wears later, most notably including a cape. Takeuchi struggled with a name for Black Lady, initially calling her "the Black Queen" with a more mature design, before changing it to the more childlike Black Lady. Takeuchi also noted that the leg-slit on Black Lady's dress was even more revealing in the anime than in the manga, something which shocked her as she had wondered if the slit was going too far in her drawings of Black Lady.

In Their Own Story

Author Naoko Takeuchi describes Chibiusa as a precocious person who likes pulling pranks. She is the daughter of Neo-Queen Serenity and King Endymion. Her real name is Princess Usagi Small Lady Serenity, but she is called Chibiusa because when she first appears, (at least in the anime,) she says her name is Usagi and she is like a chibi Usagi. Hence, Chibiusa. Silver Millennium was a matriarchy, which is why Chibiusa has Tsukino as her surname rather than Chiba. Besides that Mamoru wanted her to take Usagi’s name rather than his own, as he had absolutely no attachment to his surname. Her name in several English-language versions of Sailor Moon, Rini, is a diminutive of "Serena", the name of her mother. She is known for having pink hair put into a unique style that resembles rabbit ears on top of her head. Chibiusa's hair is apparently truly pink, and not just colored that way for stylistic purposes; its color is stated in the manga's first Picture Diary and in the poem about her in the Sailor Stars CD single. Exposure to the Silver Crystal renders all of Crystal Tokyo's inhabitants functionally immortal, and her frequent time traveling further complicates approximation of her age. Chibiusa is five years old approximate in both civil registration and physical appearance; however, she possesses a degree of intellectual maturity that is normally non-existent in a five-year-old girl. In act 20 of the manga, it is stated that she is chronologically 900 years old, which lends credibility to her apparent wisdom, maturity, and rather serious personality over her teenage biological mother Usagi (in the 20th century). Her youthful appearance attributed to the fact that her physical body inexplicably halted its natural aging process when she was five. The reason for this is assumed to be caused by having not "awakened" as a Sailor Guardian, which eventually occurred when she first became Sailor Chibi Moon. The candles on a birthday cake in one memory indicate that she is about five years old when first introduced. By the time of the Dream story arc, she claims to be 902. In Sailor Moon Crystal, it is stated clearly that she is 900 years old. She seems to be the equivalent of a 7 or 8 year old when she returns later. In the manga, after the Infinity story arc, it's mentioned she is in second grade; in the Stars story arc, she is in sixth grade; in the Parallel Sailor Moon story arc, she is in the ninth grade. The 1990s anime does not address Chibiusa's age, making her chronological age ambiguous in that adaptation.

Reader's Guide

Chibiusa's affections come into conflict. Despite being self-aware of the fact that Usagi Tsukino and Mamoru Chiba are her biological parents, she does not immediately identify them as such, instead suspiciously viewing them as strangers who look like them. There is evidence that Chibiusa has a hard time identifying Usagi and Mamoru as being her parents due to observing a sharp contrast in personality between their "immature" present selves and their "wise" future selves. However, it is worth mentioning their forms Neo Queen Serenity and King Endymion are centuries into the future, leaving enough time for the couples' personalities to mature. She also reacts differently toward Usagi and Mamoru than she does towards King Endymion and Neo Queen Serenity, being more respectful to the latter but more spontaneous to the former; it is not clear if she prefers one set over the other. Chibiusa develops an electra complex towards her teenage father Mamoru (in the 20th century) and always refers to him as Mamo-chan—an affectionate nickname by Usagi—much to Usagi's fury and expense. This attraction does not transfer towards their future selves. In the anime, she often berates Usagi for being clumsy and irresponsible. In Sailor Moon SuperS: The Movie, she describes Usagi as "a klutz, a ditz, and a crybaby;" however, there are many instances where Usagi and Chibiusa show their love and concern for one another, such as when Sailor Moon breaks down crying after Mistress 9 takes Chibiusa's pure heart crystal, or when she dives off a balcony to save her. Nevertheless, the two often bicker, often behaving more like sisters than mother and daughter; however, in the manga, although both bicker towards one another, Chibiusa is shown to have an admiration for Usagi. At times, a mother and daughter relationship is established between the two, shown in various everyday actions such as Usagi holding Chibiusa's hand to cross the street, etc. In Sailor Moon Crystal, Usagi talks to Chibiusa as in a mix of motherly and sister fashion; the two eventually regards each other as best friends. Before Usagi's discovery of Chibiusa's real identity, Chibiusa was kept under surveillance by Usagi—believing that Chibiusa may possibly be an enemy agent. Throughout the progression of the Black Moon Arc, Usagi slowly reaches an understanding of Chibiusa's motives and reasons for her actions—until her feelings towards Chibiusa is replaced from anguish and jealousy, to love and sympathy. A contrast in the beginning and end of Sailor Moon Crystal's Black Moon Arc is shown, in which Usagi expresses her rage upon Chibiusa's arrival, whilst in the latter as the season ends, Usagi is shown to be tearfully enjoying Chibiusa's return. Chibiusa started out socially awkward; she quickly became popular with her classmates. In the manga, she once became president of her class. Her initial shyness could be attributed to the fact that she was teased in the 30th century for not having any Sailor Guardian powers. As the manga progresses, she gradually matures, becoming more comfortable with herself and more confident with her Sailor Guardian abilities. Because her dream in the manga is to become a beautiful lady, her actions and ideals are often are based around this goal. She tries to be a perfectionist and starts off trying to do everything alone and for herself. This view evolves as she realizes what maturity really is and what it really means to be an adult. In the original anime, she is more judgmental and does not mature as much as her manga counterpart. But she does in Sailor Moon Crystal and gets along better with Usagi. Chibiusa's dream is to one day become a real lady, to have her own prince, and to be friends with everyone she knows. Meanwhile, she is a fairly ordinary little girl; she likes the colors pink and red, pudding, pancakes, and rabbits. Her favorite school subject is drawing, while her least favorites are language classes. Her least favorite food is listed in the manga as carrots, just like Usagi, but they both eat them in the anime. Chibiusa hates homemaking and "taking care of the house" and is afraid of such things as thunder and lightning, ghosts, vampires, dentists, and needles. She also likes to collect things with rabbits on them, and belongs to the Gardening Committee at school. She is very short when she first appears, but grows slightly taller as she gets older.

Did You Know?

• Chibiusa's name in several English-language versions of Sailor Moon, Rini, is a diminutive of 'Serena', the name of her mother.
• In act 20 of the manga, it is stated that she is chronologically 900 years old.
• The first appearance of Chibiusa as a Sailor Guardian is in the side story 'Chibiusa's Picture Diary', published in Nakayoshi in 1994—the same year Sailor Chibi Moon made her debut in the manga (Act 24), not a year and a
• Takeuchi struggled with a name for Black Lady, initially calling her 'the Black Queen' with a more mature design, before changing it to the more childlike Black Lady.
• Chibiusa's hair is apparently truly pink, and not just colored that way for stylistic purposes; its color is stated in the manga's first Picture Diary and in the poem about her in the Sailor Stars CD single.