30 Day Sailor Moon meme...Day 16
Mar. 16th, 2011 08:29 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
azuriteDay 16! We're now officially more than halfway through the 30 Days of Sailor Moon meme, and it's been really fun so far. I can't wait to get back into the SM fandom and do more revisions on the fic-currently-titled "Only 16." More on that later.
Anyway, this meme is brought to you by Frizzy of Sailor Failures on Tumblr.
I think I should do this topic the same way I did for the "Best Outer System Soldier" attack one from yesterday. Of course, the Inner team being bigger than the Outer team (assuming you consider Sailor Moon an Inner, which I do), this list is a bit longer...and of course, them being around longer means more attacks, too!
I've omitted the name of the planet for the dub attacks, since it's pretty obvious who the attacks are from. Sometimes the reprint manga also included the name of the planet...again, it's pretty obvious where in the attack name it goes, so I'm leaving it out.
Sailor Moon
* Moon Tiara Action/Moon Frisbee/Moon Tiara Magic - Sailor Moon's starting attack, if you don't count her crying and the sonic waves giving the youma a headache. Pretty useful actually, and used as a joke when she turned into Eternal Sailor Moon and, no longer having a tiara, she used a frozen pizza instead.
* Moon Twilight Flash - A manga-only attack that involves her much-more ornate-looking tiara, after Venus revealed herself. But there's not much more to it than a bright flash from said tiara.
* Moon Healing Escalation/Moon Healing Activation - She uses this in the manga to heal people, but in the anime, where there were actually Nijizuishou (Rainbow Crystal) carriers, she uses it to revert them from their youma form back into humans. It doesn't require the Silver Crystal, but it does require the Moon Stick. Subsequent "healing" moves need just the Crystal, which explains why Sailor Moon/Neo-Queen Serenity heals so easily, to the point of her ability to do so becoming controversial (see: Black Moon rebellion)
* Moon Princess Halation/Moon Sceptre Elimination - See, if this was the name of her attack in the original manga, why the heck didn't Chibiusa know sooner that her MOTHER was Sailor Moon? Or that Sailor Moon was the original "Moon Princess," long before Chibiusa herself came around? I guess she idolized her mom and didn't want to imagine that klutzy, clingy Usagi could ever become her graceful, elegant, kind mother? Or maybe Chibiusa was just seeing everything through rose (*koff*pun*koff*)-colored glasses? Anyway, she uses it with her new wand as of the Black Moon/Sailor Moon R arc to destroy enemies. It actually had a kind of cool sequence, and wasn't ridiculously long or sparkly, like some of her others.
* Moon Spiral Heart Attack/Rainbow Moon Heart Attack - That's right folks, she'll give you a HEART ATTACK! Previous attacks involved sparkles and crescent moons--this has giant hearts. Initially a pretty cool attack, what with all the neat fingerwork involved in spinning the Spiral Heart Moon Rod around, but it eventually got a little annoying. The beginning of the Ridiculously Long Attack Sequences. And people wonder what the youma/cardians/droids/daimon/lemures/phages
* Rainbow Moon Heart Ache/Rainbow Moon Heart Ache Reform - That's right, reform! NOW! Change your villainous ways... It's funny, dub attack name changes make me wonder why they never went Over The Line or a Tad Too Far and use an "activation" verb like "Repent!" Reform is pretty close. An upgrade to the previous attack. More hearts, and an even longer sequence. But hey, the Spiral Heart Moon Rod is a pretty cool weapon. Reasonably sized, moderately girly, and appropriate as a Queen's staff later on down the line. They only get crazier-looking from here on out, and I always did think the Cutie Moon Rod a) had a stupid name and b) looked kind of puffy, like some sort of clobbering weapon rather than a magical implement.
* Moon Gorgeous Meditation - I love the combination of words for this attack. Gorgeous! Meditation?! Wha? She doesn't seem very meditative while using it, nor does the lemures she blasts with it. It's also the first "activation" word that isn't a verb (or can't really be a verb; you'd have to change it to "Meditate"). She needed Chibiusa to get this power from Pegasus first, and isn't Pegasus just getting it from Elysion/Earth, which should be Mamoru/Tuxedo Kamen's domain? I'm confused! Why is a winged horse with a horn giving powers to a Moon Princess (or two)?! Also the Kaleidomoon Scope is...heart shaped. With wings. And jewels. And a crown. And..see, I told you they got crazy-ornate, with super-long sequences! She can't even do this one without Chibiusa!
* Starlight Honeymoon Therapy Kiss - Just...what is this? I don't even.... The name just boggles the mind. It's a pretty attack, long and involving a crazy-new ornate weapon, but...
* Silver Moon Crystal Power Kiss - Okay, see this one is better. It still involves a "kiss" which is a bizarre "activation" word...more of a noun than a verb, and it's not like any sort of kiss motion is actually done, either by Eternal Sailor Moon or the phages she uses it against, but whatever--she IS the soldier of LOVE and Justice, so why not? At least there are no dripping moons or "therapy" sessions involved! :P
* Silver Moon Crystal (Eternal) Power - If there's one attack she technically has in every form, even though she only uses it by this name in the very last "episode" (anime and manga), it's this one. If the Silver Crystal is Sailor Moon's star seed--her Sailor Crystal/ultimate item of power--then this is the attack that channels all of her being, all of her hope and love and wishes for peace and goodwill and all of that, into one awesome attack. So it's pretty kickass, since li'l ol' Sailor Moon, with her destroyed kingdom and screwed-up destiny and living on backwater Earth...is THE Light of Hope in the Galaxy, THE most powerful Star Seed in the universe, possibly. That's pretty damn cool, and this is the attack that sums that up.
Sailor Mercury
* Sabao Spray/Aqua Mist/Bubbles Blast - A defensive attack? Mercury's bubbles tended to fog up the surrounding area, save for the Sailor Senshi (of course). But sometimes this could be used offensively too, and was even used in conjunction with Moon's Tiara and Mars' Fire Soul/Fire Ignite for a pretty powerful "link" attack (see my last post on what that's all about). In the manga reprints, this got a different name: "Mercury Aqua Mist." Maybe Naoko watched the dub and liked how they renamed the attacks with the planet name in front, and some sort of noun/verb at the end?
* Sabao Spray Freezing/Ice Bubbles Freeze - An offensive-ish attack...it could freeze anything in the surrounding area while filling it up with a thick, cold fog. Like a Super Dry Ice Attack! This was the upgraded version of her attack that she got in the early R arc, when the other Inners got upgrades that never appeared again :P
* Double Sabao Spray Freezing/Ice Storm Blast - A one-time-use-only attack from the late R season.
* Shine Aqua Illusion/Ice Storm Splash/Ice Storm Blast/Super Aqua Illusion - Why can't the dubbers make up their minds? Mercury's first offensive attack. Kind of pretty, too, since Mercury gathers up all this water in a gentle sort of dance and then BAM! Blasts out with some water at high velocity in your face! She used it in the manga too, where she also had "Shine Snow Illusion." In the dub, I think this was one of the first attacks to actually (eventually) use its original name! I'm pretty sure all of the other Senshi's attacks got horribly changed, but Ami eventually got to use hers as it was originally intended! Yay!
* Mercury Aqua Rhapsody - Because Ami totally looks like the sort of girl who'd play a harp. Actually I think it makes her a neat counter-balance to Neptune with her violin, because I can't really imagine a harp coming across as aggressive, the way a violin (and Neptune) can. Same with Ami: she's gentle. She got this attack in SuperS, and I've got to say, that was a season for GOOD power-ups for the Inner Senshi.
* Mercury Aqua Mirage - A manga and SMAS RPG-only attack! Well, and the anime if you count the Ami-chan no Hatsukoi! (Ami's First Love) SuperS special episode. An offensive attack.
* Hyperspace Area Formation - A what? A who? Well, the translated manga (for all its reliability) had Mercury perform this "attack" in order to prevent the Crown Game Center/Parlor/Arcade (whatever it's called) from being destroyed. This created some sort of hyperspace that allowed the battle to go on in the same space as the game center without, you know, destroying it, as battles in Japan are wont to do.
In the live action, she also had Aqua Blizzard (a bit like her freezing Sabao Spray or Shine Snow Illusion), and Aqua Cyclone (which only appeared once), plus Aqua Storm, using her Sailor Star Tambourine (because why shouldn't all the Senshi have the SAME silly weapon that can easily be turned into a fun toy for all!?), and an unnamed attack that she used toward the end of the series. All told, I'm not that much of a fan of PGSM in comparison to the originating manga or the awesome anime, though it was cool in many ways. The attacks were certainly nothing to write home about.
Sailor Mars
* Akuryo Taisan!/Fireballs Charge!/Evil Spirits Begone! - The dub didn't initially translate this properly, but it's actually a Shinto chant combined with some pretty weird imagery in the original anime (the Buddhist God of War, if I'm not mistaken?), and Rei can do it even when she's not transformed. It's got nothing to do with her powers as a Senshi, but they probably don't hurt its effectiveness...except for that one time when she "accidentally" used it on Usagi. And THAT was the beginning of a ~beautiful~ friendship... Haha. But the Fireballs Charge! dub in the early anime made it sound like she was tapping into her celestial powers as Mars before she even knew she was a Senshi, or when she wasn't transformed, which would be a pretty big plot hole to fail to cover up. There's not even any fire involved in this!
* Fire Soul/Fire Ignite - Her starting attack (when she's transformed). A fireball whirls toward the enemy and...sets them aflame! Vwoosh!
* Fire Soul Bird/Firebird Strike - Like a combination between Akuryo Taisan! and Fire Soul, except that after Mars charges up her ofuda, her fire attack turns into a phoenix (firebird) and charges at the enemy with extra spiritual energy (I suppose...) Pretty cool, though it wasn't used very often in the manga. I spammed this a lot in Mars' chapter in the SMAS RPG, if I remember correctly. It's a pretty powerful attack!
* Snake Fire - Another animal-based attack, this one only appearing in the manga and the video games. Guess what it does.
* Burning Mandala/Celestial Fire Surround - I think Burning Mandala sounds cooler, but the sound effect associated with this got really annoying, really fast. A pretty attack though, as far as Mars' fiery attacks go. She's surrounded by mandalas (flaming discs, really), which then shoot out at the enemy in various shapes.
* Flame Sniper - In SuperS/Dream arc, Mars gets this upgraded attack once she powers up. Since she knows archery, it seems only fitting that she use the Mars arrow to shoot enemies. She's got an awesome image song that goes along with this attack. "Wait...are you the one? Everyone's...talking about?" *breathy sigh* "Yes. I'm Sailor Mars. They all call me...Flame Sniper. Are you ready?" *sound of Mars leaping into the air and then attacking* And then the song begins! Ooh, so awesome!
Sailor Jupiter
* Supreme Thunder/Thunderbolt/Thunder Crash/Supreme Thunder Crash - Jupiter's starting attack. She's the only Senshi besides athletic Sailor V that I can imagine actually having martial arts-based attacks, like kicks and such, but she doesn't have any. She starts with this instead, and zaps anyone to high heaven. It's kind of neat how her tiara has this little antenna that comes out of it to channel the thunder...or is it lightning? Or both? Whatever. I guess "lightning" doesn't sound as cool in an attack name, even though it's more accurate (after all, we don't SEE thunder!). Maybe it's just too many syllables?
* (Supreme) Thunder Dragon - Because Mars can't be alone with her animal attacks! Actually, this is pretty bitchin' as far as attacks go. I mean, dragons are just cool. But alas, we hardly ever see this past its debut episode. In fact, I don't think we EVER do, ever again. The first part of Sailor Moon R was that way: cool and unique in its own way, but generally thought of as "the arc we're never, ever going to acknowledge, ever again." Even though the SMR movie had an alien that inexplicably looked the same as the ones from the early R arc when this attack first appeared as the main villain. :P
* Sparkling Wide Pressure/Thunder Clap Zap/Thunder Power/Super/Superior Sparkling Thunder - Talk about a lot of dub name changes. Attacks in the manga didn't get much limelight, but then again, you are talking about an entirely different medium. In the anime, this was a disc-based attack, but in the manga, it was more about lightning/thunderbolts. It had a one-episode upgrade when it was called Super/Superior... but just the one time.
* Oak Evolution - So Mercury gets a harp and Mars gets an arrow. Jupiter gets...a crown of leaves (the Leaves of Oak, as it's properly called, apparently)? But it's appropriate--Jupiter's attacks, previously all lightning/thunder-based, now get an "Earthen" feel to them, because Jupiter, the patron god for whom she is named, holds the Oak tree sacred. In the manga, she had Flower Hurricane, which was also kind of plant/Earth-based. Considering the attacks could also be considered wind-based, isn't she infringing on both Mamoru/Tuxedo Mask AND Haruka/Sailor Uranus' territory here?! But Jupiter is called the "Wood Star" when translated from the Japanese, so it makes sense if at least ONE of her attacks is wood-based, in a way.
* Flower Hurricane - Used really only in the early manga, and it's a throwback to this belt accessory Jupiter had in her original design and first appearance. It had potpourri inside! Like Mercury's Sabao Spray, it was actually a sort of support "attack," blinding or agitating the enemy. Pretty unique coming from a tall, ass-kicking girl who COULD use all-powerful attacks of varying kinds and yet...doesn't. Does that mean she's playing FAIR?!
* Coconut Cyclone - A manga-only attack, like Flower Hurricane, but it was also used in the video games. What's cool about this is that it has absolutely nothing to do with coconuts at all! It's more a combination of wood/leaf attacks plus lightning/thunder. Unless you count how it appears in the video game...as a ball of lightning that causes lightning to spike up from the ground beneath the enemy. But that's not very "cyclone-ish," unless the ball (coconut) swirls toward the enemy first as if in a cyclone....
She also had two unnamed attacks in PGSM, one that was World Shaking-esque, and another that was similar to Mercury and Mars', with their Sailor Star Tambourine (geez, that gets stupider every time I write it). And she had a spear that she "made" using energy in PGSM! Well, Mars and Mercury had weapons too, because I'm sure someone decided that if Princess Sailor Moon could turn a harp into a pretty-but-badass-destructive-sword, then the Senshi darn well better be able to make swords, spears and daggers! And in PGSM, "Jupiter Thunderbolt" was done with her tambourine, the same way Mercury's "Aqua Storm" was done with hers.
Sailor Venus
* Crescent Beam (Smash)/Venus Beam - Her first attack in the anime, but it never appeared in the manga (unless you count Code Name: Sailor V, where it did appear, but only when she used it with her Crescent Compact). Considering it blasted the skin off Kunzite/Malachite's hands, it's pretty damn powerful. But isn't that how the Senshi go? More powerful in order of appearance, even though Venus had been active as a Senshi for at least a year before Sailor Moon? I mean, WOW! POWERFUL! The whole Venus/Moon connection is explored a bit in the book I've been mentioning lately, "Warriors of Legend: Reflections of Japan in Sailor Moon (Unauthorized)," because people always seem to wonder: if she's Sailor VENUS, why all the Moon references? Why did she pretend to be the Princess? etc. Well, the explanations are rooted in ancient mythology, so go look them up! The "Venus Beam" name is the unnamed attack Venus has in PGSM. Of all the characters in PGSM, I feel like she's the most changed, in the most ways. It stands to reason they'd change her attack, too. :P
I like how in the SMAS RPG, it's said to not originally be a destructive force, even though it CAN cause earthquakes...it's Venus' Holy Light (makes sense, since Venus uses a lot of light-based attacks, like Sailor Moon), and can be used to purify and restore. In the manga, the reflection of her Crescent Compact reveals the true nature of the youma she fights...sort of purifying/reflecting the truth, in its own way. Of course, in the Code Name: Sailor V manga, the attack still beats the crap out of most youma she fights so...yeah. The whole "non-destructive" thing? Purely a SMAS RPG "tale from the past." It certainly doesn't apply to Venus in any present incarnation, that's for sure!
Other cool facts about her basic attack: it can be used in conjunction with other attacks--yay link techs! Like Jupiter's Supreme Thunder (Crescent Thunder!), and in the episode cut from the dub run of the first season of Sailor Moon, can be a kamikaze/suicidal attack if used at close range. Hrm, interesting, very interesting....
* Crescent Beam Shower/Venus Power, Crescent Shower of Love/Meteor Shower/Furious Random Crescent Beam Shots - Another one-time-use-only attack from the notorious early R season of the anime. And it got a funny name in the dub...why would Venus have anything to do with meteors? Somehow I think that'd be more appropriate for Jupiter, but whatever...
* Love-Me Chain/Love Chain Encircle/Love Chain Whip/Super Venus Love Chain/Love Chain Knockout - Is this the most dub names a single attack has gotten? I don't know why it is...even in the Japanese anime, the most variation you might get from an attack would be one episode, once. But this...*shakes head* Oh, boy! But this is a pretty useful attack, all things considered. It takes the mythology of Venus' girdle and uses it offensively to whip enemies away, block attacks, grab people, or even "wake them up" from brainwashing! She even used it to damper enemy movement. All things considered, a pretty nifty attack, even if it does have a bazillion names. It was heart-shaped chain links in the anime, but dark orange or red jewels on a belt that Venus actually wore almost all the time in the manga. Interestingly enough, she didn't have that belt as Sailor V, even though Artemis told her from Day One that she was the reincarnation of the goddess Venus! Funnily enough, when Venus disguised herself as Sailor Moon in the Super arc, she used this attack under the name "Hissatsu Love-Me Moon Chain," meaning "Sure Kill Love-Me Moon Chain!" What an attack name, eh?
* Love and Beauty Shock - The shock is that this attack didn't get a dub name change. Not at all. Amazing! In the manga, it required her Love Whip...which is an upgraded version of her Love-Me Chain belt, except that instead of jewels, the "links" are roses. She doesn't have any special weapon or item though--just a golden heart that appears after her Venus symbol disappears when she "kisses" the air in a shower of golden sparks.
* Rolling Heart Vibration - A manga and video game-only attack. A heart...rolls. And vibrates, presumably, quivering the enemy to destruction. Or something. It's cooler than it sounds.
* Wink Chain Sword - Venus uses her Love-Me Chain to create a sword made of light energy to destroy the enemy. A pretty cool attack in the video games! I think this was a reference to her ability to use the Holy Sword in the manga...something that never appeared in the anime?
Like the other Inners, she also had an unnamed attack she used with the Sailor Star Tambourine. Ugh, that is the LAST time I am using that phrase! What an awful name for a weapon!
So, after all of that craziness, who's got the coolest attack? Hm, tough decision, but I think I'm going to go with Sailor Mars' classic, "Fire Soul!" Not only does it look snazzy in action, but it's simple, powerful, and upgradeable! It speaks not just to Rei's spiritual devotion, but also her loyalty as a Soldier and Guardian of the Princess. She's got a fiery spirit, a fiery soul, she burns with passion! Plus, Sailor Mars looks great performing it--in deep concentration, and then, glaring up with blazing fury in her eyes, she attacks!
Anyway, this meme is brought to you by Frizzy of Sailor Failures on Tumblr.
I think I should do this topic the same way I did for the "Best Outer System Soldier" attack one from yesterday. Of course, the Inner team being bigger than the Outer team (assuming you consider Sailor Moon an Inner, which I do), this list is a bit longer...and of course, them being around longer means more attacks, too!
I've omitted the name of the planet for the dub attacks, since it's pretty obvious who the attacks are from. Sometimes the reprint manga also included the name of the planet...again, it's pretty obvious where in the attack name it goes, so I'm leaving it out.
Sailor Moon
* Moon Tiara Action/Moon Frisbee/Moon Tiara Magic - Sailor Moon's starting attack, if you don't count her crying and the sonic waves giving the youma a headache. Pretty useful actually, and used as a joke when she turned into Eternal Sailor Moon and, no longer having a tiara, she used a frozen pizza instead.
* Moon Twilight Flash - A manga-only attack that involves her much-more ornate-looking tiara, after Venus revealed herself. But there's not much more to it than a bright flash from said tiara.
* Moon Healing Escalation/Moon Healing Activation - She uses this in the manga to heal people, but in the anime, where there were actually Nijizuishou (Rainbow Crystal) carriers, she uses it to revert them from their youma form back into humans. It doesn't require the Silver Crystal, but it does require the Moon Stick. Subsequent "healing" moves need just the Crystal, which explains why Sailor Moon/Neo-Queen Serenity heals so easily, to the point of her ability to do so becoming controversial (see: Black Moon rebellion)
* Moon Princess Halation/Moon Sceptre Elimination - See, if this was the name of her attack in the original manga, why the heck didn't Chibiusa know sooner that her MOTHER was Sailor Moon? Or that Sailor Moon was the original "Moon Princess," long before Chibiusa herself came around? I guess she idolized her mom and didn't want to imagine that klutzy, clingy Usagi could ever become her graceful, elegant, kind mother? Or maybe Chibiusa was just seeing everything through rose (*koff*pun*koff*)-colored glasses? Anyway, she uses it with her new wand as of the Black Moon/Sailor Moon R arc to destroy enemies. It actually had a kind of cool sequence, and wasn't ridiculously long or sparkly, like some of her others.
* Moon Spiral Heart Attack/Rainbow Moon Heart Attack - That's right folks, she'll give you a HEART ATTACK! Previous attacks involved sparkles and crescent moons--this has giant hearts. Initially a pretty cool attack, what with all the neat fingerwork involved in spinning the Spiral Heart Moon Rod around, but it eventually got a little annoying. The beginning of the Ridiculously Long Attack Sequences. And people wonder what the youma/cardians/droids/daimon/lemures/phages
* Rainbow Moon Heart Ache/Rainbow Moon Heart Ache Reform - That's right, reform! NOW! Change your villainous ways... It's funny, dub attack name changes make me wonder why they never went Over The Line or a Tad Too Far and use an "activation" verb like "Repent!" Reform is pretty close. An upgrade to the previous attack. More hearts, and an even longer sequence. But hey, the Spiral Heart Moon Rod is a pretty cool weapon. Reasonably sized, moderately girly, and appropriate as a Queen's staff later on down the line. They only get crazier-looking from here on out, and I always did think the Cutie Moon Rod a) had a stupid name and b) looked kind of puffy, like some sort of clobbering weapon rather than a magical implement.
* Moon Gorgeous Meditation - I love the combination of words for this attack. Gorgeous! Meditation?! Wha? She doesn't seem very meditative while using it, nor does the lemures she blasts with it. It's also the first "activation" word that isn't a verb (or can't really be a verb; you'd have to change it to "Meditate"). She needed Chibiusa to get this power from Pegasus first, and isn't Pegasus just getting it from Elysion/Earth, which should be Mamoru/Tuxedo Kamen's domain? I'm confused! Why is a winged horse with a horn giving powers to a Moon Princess (or two)?! Also the Kaleidomoon Scope is...heart shaped. With wings. And jewels. And a crown. And..see, I told you they got crazy-ornate, with super-long sequences! She can't even do this one without Chibiusa!
* Starlight Honeymoon Therapy Kiss - Just...what is this? I don't even.... The name just boggles the mind. It's a pretty attack, long and involving a crazy-new ornate weapon, but...
* Silver Moon Crystal Power Kiss - Okay, see this one is better. It still involves a "kiss" which is a bizarre "activation" word...more of a noun than a verb, and it's not like any sort of kiss motion is actually done, either by Eternal Sailor Moon or the phages she uses it against, but whatever--she IS the soldier of LOVE and Justice, so why not? At least there are no dripping moons or "therapy" sessions involved! :P
* Silver Moon Crystal (Eternal) Power - If there's one attack she technically has in every form, even though she only uses it by this name in the very last "episode" (anime and manga), it's this one. If the Silver Crystal is Sailor Moon's star seed--her Sailor Crystal/ultimate item of power--then this is the attack that channels all of her being, all of her hope and love and wishes for peace and goodwill and all of that, into one awesome attack. So it's pretty kickass, since li'l ol' Sailor Moon, with her destroyed kingdom and screwed-up destiny and living on backwater Earth...is THE Light of Hope in the Galaxy, THE most powerful Star Seed in the universe, possibly. That's pretty damn cool, and this is the attack that sums that up.
Sailor Mercury
* Sabao Spray/Aqua Mist/Bubbles Blast - A defensive attack? Mercury's bubbles tended to fog up the surrounding area, save for the Sailor Senshi (of course). But sometimes this could be used offensively too, and was even used in conjunction with Moon's Tiara and Mars' Fire Soul/Fire Ignite for a pretty powerful "link" attack (see my last post on what that's all about). In the manga reprints, this got a different name: "Mercury Aqua Mist." Maybe Naoko watched the dub and liked how they renamed the attacks with the planet name in front, and some sort of noun/verb at the end?
* Sabao Spray Freezing/Ice Bubbles Freeze - An offensive-ish attack...it could freeze anything in the surrounding area while filling it up with a thick, cold fog. Like a Super Dry Ice Attack! This was the upgraded version of her attack that she got in the early R arc, when the other Inners got upgrades that never appeared again :P
* Double Sabao Spray Freezing/Ice Storm Blast - A one-time-use-only attack from the late R season.
* Shine Aqua Illusion/Ice Storm Splash/Ice Storm Blast/Super Aqua Illusion - Why can't the dubbers make up their minds? Mercury's first offensive attack. Kind of pretty, too, since Mercury gathers up all this water in a gentle sort of dance and then BAM! Blasts out with some water at high velocity in your face! She used it in the manga too, where she also had "Shine Snow Illusion." In the dub, I think this was one of the first attacks to actually (eventually) use its original name! I'm pretty sure all of the other Senshi's attacks got horribly changed, but Ami eventually got to use hers as it was originally intended! Yay!
* Mercury Aqua Rhapsody - Because Ami totally looks like the sort of girl who'd play a harp. Actually I think it makes her a neat counter-balance to Neptune with her violin, because I can't really imagine a harp coming across as aggressive, the way a violin (and Neptune) can. Same with Ami: she's gentle. She got this attack in SuperS, and I've got to say, that was a season for GOOD power-ups for the Inner Senshi.
* Mercury Aqua Mirage - A manga and SMAS RPG-only attack! Well, and the anime if you count the Ami-chan no Hatsukoi! (Ami's First Love) SuperS special episode. An offensive attack.
* Hyperspace Area Formation - A what? A who? Well, the translated manga (for all its reliability) had Mercury perform this "attack" in order to prevent the Crown Game Center/Parlor/Arcade (whatever it's called) from being destroyed. This created some sort of hyperspace that allowed the battle to go on in the same space as the game center without, you know, destroying it, as battles in Japan are wont to do.
In the live action, she also had Aqua Blizzard (a bit like her freezing Sabao Spray or Shine Snow Illusion), and Aqua Cyclone (which only appeared once), plus Aqua Storm, using her Sailor Star Tambourine (because why shouldn't all the Senshi have the SAME silly weapon that can easily be turned into a fun toy for all!?), and an unnamed attack that she used toward the end of the series. All told, I'm not that much of a fan of PGSM in comparison to the originating manga or the awesome anime, though it was cool in many ways. The attacks were certainly nothing to write home about.
Sailor Mars
* Akuryo Taisan!/Fireballs Charge!/Evil Spirits Begone! - The dub didn't initially translate this properly, but it's actually a Shinto chant combined with some pretty weird imagery in the original anime (the Buddhist God of War, if I'm not mistaken?), and Rei can do it even when she's not transformed. It's got nothing to do with her powers as a Senshi, but they probably don't hurt its effectiveness...except for that one time when she "accidentally" used it on Usagi. And THAT was the beginning of a ~beautiful~ friendship... Haha. But the Fireballs Charge! dub in the early anime made it sound like she was tapping into her celestial powers as Mars before she even knew she was a Senshi, or when she wasn't transformed, which would be a pretty big plot hole to fail to cover up. There's not even any fire involved in this!
* Fire Soul/Fire Ignite - Her starting attack (when she's transformed). A fireball whirls toward the enemy and...sets them aflame! Vwoosh!
* Fire Soul Bird/Firebird Strike - Like a combination between Akuryo Taisan! and Fire Soul, except that after Mars charges up her ofuda, her fire attack turns into a phoenix (firebird) and charges at the enemy with extra spiritual energy (I suppose...) Pretty cool, though it wasn't used very often in the manga. I spammed this a lot in Mars' chapter in the SMAS RPG, if I remember correctly. It's a pretty powerful attack!
* Snake Fire - Another animal-based attack, this one only appearing in the manga and the video games. Guess what it does.
* Burning Mandala/Celestial Fire Surround - I think Burning Mandala sounds cooler, but the sound effect associated with this got really annoying, really fast. A pretty attack though, as far as Mars' fiery attacks go. She's surrounded by mandalas (flaming discs, really), which then shoot out at the enemy in various shapes.
* Flame Sniper - In SuperS/Dream arc, Mars gets this upgraded attack once she powers up. Since she knows archery, it seems only fitting that she use the Mars arrow to shoot enemies. She's got an awesome image song that goes along with this attack. "Wait...are you the one? Everyone's...talking about?" *breathy sigh* "Yes. I'm Sailor Mars. They all call me...Flame Sniper. Are you ready?" *sound of Mars leaping into the air and then attacking* And then the song begins! Ooh, so awesome!
Sailor Jupiter
* Supreme Thunder/Thunderbolt/Thunder Crash/Supreme Thunder Crash - Jupiter's starting attack. She's the only Senshi besides athletic Sailor V that I can imagine actually having martial arts-based attacks, like kicks and such, but she doesn't have any. She starts with this instead, and zaps anyone to high heaven. It's kind of neat how her tiara has this little antenna that comes out of it to channel the thunder...or is it lightning? Or both? Whatever. I guess "lightning" doesn't sound as cool in an attack name, even though it's more accurate (after all, we don't SEE thunder!). Maybe it's just too many syllables?
* (Supreme) Thunder Dragon - Because Mars can't be alone with her animal attacks! Actually, this is pretty bitchin' as far as attacks go. I mean, dragons are just cool. But alas, we hardly ever see this past its debut episode. In fact, I don't think we EVER do, ever again. The first part of Sailor Moon R was that way: cool and unique in its own way, but generally thought of as "the arc we're never, ever going to acknowledge, ever again." Even though the SMR movie had an alien that inexplicably looked the same as the ones from the early R arc when this attack first appeared as the main villain. :P
* Sparkling Wide Pressure/Thunder Clap Zap/Thunder Power/Super/Superior Sparkling Thunder - Talk about a lot of dub name changes. Attacks in the manga didn't get much limelight, but then again, you are talking about an entirely different medium. In the anime, this was a disc-based attack, but in the manga, it was more about lightning/thunderbolts. It had a one-episode upgrade when it was called Super/Superior... but just the one time.
* Oak Evolution - So Mercury gets a harp and Mars gets an arrow. Jupiter gets...a crown of leaves (the Leaves of Oak, as it's properly called, apparently)? But it's appropriate--Jupiter's attacks, previously all lightning/thunder-based, now get an "Earthen" feel to them, because Jupiter, the patron god for whom she is named, holds the Oak tree sacred. In the manga, she had Flower Hurricane, which was also kind of plant/Earth-based. Considering the attacks could also be considered wind-based, isn't she infringing on both Mamoru/Tuxedo Mask AND Haruka/Sailor Uranus' territory here?! But Jupiter is called the "Wood Star" when translated from the Japanese, so it makes sense if at least ONE of her attacks is wood-based, in a way.
* Flower Hurricane - Used really only in the early manga, and it's a throwback to this belt accessory Jupiter had in her original design and first appearance. It had potpourri inside! Like Mercury's Sabao Spray, it was actually a sort of support "attack," blinding or agitating the enemy. Pretty unique coming from a tall, ass-kicking girl who COULD use all-powerful attacks of varying kinds and yet...doesn't. Does that mean she's playing FAIR?!
* Coconut Cyclone - A manga-only attack, like Flower Hurricane, but it was also used in the video games. What's cool about this is that it has absolutely nothing to do with coconuts at all! It's more a combination of wood/leaf attacks plus lightning/thunder. Unless you count how it appears in the video game...as a ball of lightning that causes lightning to spike up from the ground beneath the enemy. But that's not very "cyclone-ish," unless the ball (coconut) swirls toward the enemy first as if in a cyclone....
She also had two unnamed attacks in PGSM, one that was World Shaking-esque, and another that was similar to Mercury and Mars', with their Sailor Star Tambourine (geez, that gets stupider every time I write it). And she had a spear that she "made" using energy in PGSM! Well, Mars and Mercury had weapons too, because I'm sure someone decided that if Princess Sailor Moon could turn a harp into a pretty-but-badass-destructive-sword, then the Senshi darn well better be able to make swords, spears and daggers! And in PGSM, "Jupiter Thunderbolt" was done with her tambourine, the same way Mercury's "Aqua Storm" was done with hers.
Sailor Venus
* Crescent Beam (Smash)/Venus Beam - Her first attack in the anime, but it never appeared in the manga (unless you count Code Name: Sailor V, where it did appear, but only when she used it with her Crescent Compact). Considering it blasted the skin off Kunzite/Malachite's hands, it's pretty damn powerful. But isn't that how the Senshi go? More powerful in order of appearance, even though Venus had been active as a Senshi for at least a year before Sailor Moon? I mean, WOW! POWERFUL! The whole Venus/Moon connection is explored a bit in the book I've been mentioning lately, "Warriors of Legend: Reflections of Japan in Sailor Moon (Unauthorized)," because people always seem to wonder: if she's Sailor VENUS, why all the Moon references? Why did she pretend to be the Princess? etc. Well, the explanations are rooted in ancient mythology, so go look them up! The "Venus Beam" name is the unnamed attack Venus has in PGSM. Of all the characters in PGSM, I feel like she's the most changed, in the most ways. It stands to reason they'd change her attack, too. :P
I like how in the SMAS RPG, it's said to not originally be a destructive force, even though it CAN cause earthquakes...it's Venus' Holy Light (makes sense, since Venus uses a lot of light-based attacks, like Sailor Moon), and can be used to purify and restore. In the manga, the reflection of her Crescent Compact reveals the true nature of the youma she fights...sort of purifying/reflecting the truth, in its own way. Of course, in the Code Name: Sailor V manga, the attack still beats the crap out of most youma she fights so...yeah. The whole "non-destructive" thing? Purely a SMAS RPG "tale from the past." It certainly doesn't apply to Venus in any present incarnation, that's for sure!
Other cool facts about her basic attack: it can be used in conjunction with other attacks--yay link techs! Like Jupiter's Supreme Thunder (Crescent Thunder!), and in the episode cut from the dub run of the first season of Sailor Moon, can be a kamikaze/suicidal attack if used at close range. Hrm, interesting, very interesting....
* Crescent Beam Shower/Venus Power, Crescent Shower of Love/Meteor Shower/Furious Random Crescent Beam Shots - Another one-time-use-only attack from the notorious early R season of the anime. And it got a funny name in the dub...why would Venus have anything to do with meteors? Somehow I think that'd be more appropriate for Jupiter, but whatever...
* Love-Me Chain/Love Chain Encircle/Love Chain Whip/Super Venus Love Chain/Love Chain Knockout - Is this the most dub names a single attack has gotten? I don't know why it is...even in the Japanese anime, the most variation you might get from an attack would be one episode, once. But this...*shakes head* Oh, boy! But this is a pretty useful attack, all things considered. It takes the mythology of Venus' girdle and uses it offensively to whip enemies away, block attacks, grab people, or even "wake them up" from brainwashing! She even used it to damper enemy movement. All things considered, a pretty nifty attack, even if it does have a bazillion names. It was heart-shaped chain links in the anime, but dark orange or red jewels on a belt that Venus actually wore almost all the time in the manga. Interestingly enough, she didn't have that belt as Sailor V, even though Artemis told her from Day One that she was the reincarnation of the goddess Venus! Funnily enough, when Venus disguised herself as Sailor Moon in the Super arc, she used this attack under the name "Hissatsu Love-Me Moon Chain," meaning "Sure Kill Love-Me Moon Chain!" What an attack name, eh?
* Love and Beauty Shock - The shock is that this attack didn't get a dub name change. Not at all. Amazing! In the manga, it required her Love Whip...which is an upgraded version of her Love-Me Chain belt, except that instead of jewels, the "links" are roses. She doesn't have any special weapon or item though--just a golden heart that appears after her Venus symbol disappears when she "kisses" the air in a shower of golden sparks.
* Rolling Heart Vibration - A manga and video game-only attack. A heart...rolls. And vibrates, presumably, quivering the enemy to destruction. Or something. It's cooler than it sounds.
* Wink Chain Sword - Venus uses her Love-Me Chain to create a sword made of light energy to destroy the enemy. A pretty cool attack in the video games! I think this was a reference to her ability to use the Holy Sword in the manga...something that never appeared in the anime?
Like the other Inners, she also had an unnamed attack she used with the Sailor Star Tambourine. Ugh, that is the LAST time I am using that phrase! What an awful name for a weapon!
So, after all of that craziness, who's got the coolest attack? Hm, tough decision, but I think I'm going to go with Sailor Mars' classic, "Fire Soul!" Not only does it look snazzy in action, but it's simple, powerful, and upgradeable! It speaks not just to Rei's spiritual devotion, but also her loyalty as a Soldier and Guardian of the Princess. She's got a fiery spirit, a fiery soul, she burns with passion! Plus, Sailor Mars looks great performing it--in deep concentration, and then, glaring up with blazing fury in her eyes, she attacks!
