What Is the Best Way to Watch Sailor Moon?

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Plus, where to watch & if the original series or Crystal is better

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Last Updated: February 27, 2026 References

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Release Order

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Chronological Order

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Where to Watch

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Should you watch the original or Crystal?

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All Content, Explained

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Live-Action Series

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Video

If you’re going to watch all of the most iconic anime series, Sailor Moon absolutely has to be on your list. It’s a beloved series that first came to TV screens in 1992, although there’s been a full reboot (with multiple seasons and movies) since then as well. Considering how much Sailor Moon content is out there, putting it all in order can get a little confusing—which is why we’re here to help. In this article, we’ll explain how to watch Sailor Moon in order, whether you’re planning to see the original series, the reboot, or both!

In what order should you watch Sailor Moon?

There are two versions of Sailor Moon: the original series and the reboot. The 1992 series in order is: Sailor Moon, Sailor Moon R (+ movie), Sailor Moon S (+ movie), Sailor Moon SuperS (+ movie), and Sailor Moon Sailor Stars. For the reboot, watch Sailor Moon Crystal, then Sailor Moon Eternal and Sailor Moon Cosmos.

Section 1 of 6:

How to Watch Sailor Moon in Release Order

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The easiest way to watch Sailor Moon is probably in release order—but that’s if you plan on watching all of Sailor Moon, even though the original anime and Crystal are adaptations of the same material. Still, each Sailor Moon series was released chronologically, in the order it was meant to be watched, so it isn’t too hard to put together a watch order list! Here’s how to watch Sailor Moon in release order:^{[1]
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- Sailor Moon (Season 1, 1992, episodes 1-46)
- Sailor Moon R (Season 2, 1993, episodes 1-43)
- Sailor Moon R: The Movie (1993)
- Sailor Moon S (Season 3, 1994, episodes 1-38)
- Sailor Moon S: The Movie (1994)
- Sailor Moon SuperS (Season 4, 1995, episodes 1-39)
- Sailor Moon SuperS: The Movie (1995)
- Sailor Moon Sailor Stars (Season 5, 1996, episodes 1-34)
- Sailor Moon Crystal Season 1 (2014, episodes 1-14)
- Sailor Moon Crystal Season 2 (2015, episodes 1-12)
- Sailor Moon Crystal Season 3 (2016, episodes 1-13)
- Sailor Moon Eternal (2-Part Movie, 2021)
- Sailor Moon Cosmos (2-Part Movie, 2023)

Section 2 of 6:

How to Watch Sailor Moon in Chronological (Story) Order

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It’s tough to put the Sailor Moon series in “story” order, simply because the older Sailor Moon series and Sailor Moon Crystal are both retellings of the original manga. So, for this watch order list, we’ll simply list each Sailor Moon season (or movie) alongside its corresponding season (or movie) in Sailor Moon Crystal, and you can decide whether you want to watch one, the other, or both!
- Sailor Moon Season 1 AND Sailor Moon Crystal Season 1 (“Dark Kingdom” arc)
- Sailor Moon R, Episodes 1 - 13 (“Makai Tree” arc)
- Sailor Moon R, Episodes 14 - 43 AND Sailor Moon Crystal Season 2 (“Black Moon” arc)
- Sailor Moon R: The Movie (filler/non-canon)
- Sailor Moon S AND Sailor Moon Crystal Season 3 (“Infinity” arc)
- Sailor Moon S: The Movie (filler/non-canon)
- Sailor Moon SuperS AND Sailor Moon Eternal The Movie (“Dream” arc)
- Sailor Moon SuperS The Movie (filler/non-canon)
- Sailor Moon Sailor Stars AND Sailor Moon Cosmos The Movie (“Stars” arc)

Section 3 of 6:

Where to Watch Sailor Moon

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Sailor Moon is available to watch on Crunchyroll, Hulu, and Netflix. If you’re looking for the original 1992Sailor Moon series, you can find it in a couple of places: namely, on Hulu or Disney+ (with a subscription to either). All five seasons are available on either platform! And, if you’re looking for Sailor Moon Crystal, you can watch all three seasons on Netflix, Crunchyroll, or Hulu.
- The most recent two-part movies, Eternal and Cosmos, are both available on Netflix.
- Meanwhile, you can find the older Sailor Moon movies on Tubi, or rent (or buy) them on Amazon Prime.

Section 4 of 6:

Should you watch Sailor Moon or Sailor Moon Crystal?

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It’s up to you whether you want to watch either show (or both). Some fans prefer the extra content and slower pacing in Sailor Moon (1992), while others prefer Crystal’s updated style and faithfulness to the manga. Ultimately, you can decide for yourself how you want to experience Sailor Moon—or if you want to experience the entire thing, including both adaptations!^{[2]
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- There’s nothing wrong with watching both Sailor Moon shows; just be aware that they cover the same story arcs (so you’ll be seeing the same basic story told in slightly different ways).

Section 5 of 6:

All Sailor Moon Content, Explained

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Sailor MoonSailor Moon (1992) is the first season of the older anime adaptation—the show that introduced the world to Sailor Moon! And the show’s first arc, the “Dark Kingdom” arc, officially introduces its protagonist, Usagi: a girl who saves a cat named Luna, and is promptly granted the power to turn into a magical champion called Sailor Moon. Usagi also meets the rest of the Inner Senshi: Sailor Mercury, Sailor Mars, Sailor Jupiter, and Sailor Venus.^{[3]
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- The Sailor girls (plus Tuxedo Mask) are quickly pitted against the Dark Kingdom and its evil queen, Beryl.
- They spend the show’s first season trying to defeat Beryl, who is amassing energy from humanity to wake up the powerful Queen Metaria.
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Sailor Moon RThe second season ofSailor Moon is called Sailor Moon R, and it covers the Makai Tree arc—which is original to the anime, not part of the manga—before returning to adapt material from the manga with the Black Moon arc. Here’s a quick look at each arc:
- Makai Tree arc: In this arc, a pair of aliens named Ail and An go undercover as students at Usagi’s school, feeding on human energy to keep the Makai Tree alive.
- Black Moon arc: This arc follows the appearance of a mysterious young girl named Chibi-Usa, who arrives from the future (the 30th century) to try to save her parents. At the same time, a group called the Black Moon Clan also arrives from the future, intent on causing trouble.
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Sailor Moon R The MovieAll of the earlySailor Moon movies (R, S, and SuperS) are basically like filler episodes of the show. They aren’t considered canon, so you don’t have to watch them if you don’t want to—but they can still be fun side-adventures if you’re a fan of the characters. In Sailor Moon R, an alien named Fiore presents Mamoru with a flower, not realizing that the flower has the power to drain human life.
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Sailor Moon SThe third season ofSailor Moon is called Sailor Moon S, covering the manga’s Infinity arc (also called the Death Buster arc). In this arc, new enemies calling themselves the “Death Busters” arrive—and so do new allies: Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune. Of course, neither member of the Outer Senshi is all that invested in working with the rest of the guardians (at least in the beginning).
- Sailor Pluto and Chibi-Usa also return in this season (and the latter gains her own magical girl form, Sailor Chibi Moon).
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Sailor Moon S The MovieIn the nextSailor Moon movie, which is also essentially filler content, the guardians face off against Princess Snow Kaguya—an entity attempting to freeze the planet. At the same time, Luna falls in love with an astronomer, Kakeru, who factors into Kaguya’s plans; thus, the guardians must protect Kakeru (and Luna) while also saving the world from Kaguya.
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Sailor Moon SuperSSuperS (sometimes written as Super S) is the fourth season of the Sailor Moon anime; it covers the Dream arc—also called the Dead Moon arc—from the manga. In this season, Chibi-Usa trains to become a sailor guardian and meets Pegasus in her dreams, who, in turn, is being hunted by a group called the Dead Moon Circus. The guardians rally to defeat the Dead Moon Circus and their ruler, Queen Nehelenia.
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Sailor Moon SuperS The MovieTheSuperS movie is the last of the early Sailor Moon anime’s filler movies, this one following a plot from Queen Badiane, who plans to ensnare the world in a dark energy field made from children’s dreams. The sailor guardians must defend the world’s children from Badiane’s hypnotic song—including Chibi-Usa, who is drawn in with the rest of the sleepwalking children.
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Sailor Moon Sailor StarsSailor Stars is the fifth and final season of the original Sailor Moon series, which concludes the previous season’s Dream arc with the return of Queen Nehelenia in its first six episodes. Then, the rest of the season covers the Stars arc (also called the Sailor Stars arc), in which the Sailor Starlights are introduced…as is the season’s main villain, Sailor Galaxia.
- Sailor Stars also sees Usagi and her friends preparing for high school, while Mamoru heads to America to study abroad.
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Sailor Moon CrystalSailor Moon Crystal is the modern reboot of the Sailor Moon anime. It follows the same arc as the original series, but has less filler content; overall, it’s quite faithful to the manga (and skips the Makai Tree arc from the original Sailor Moon’s second season). There are three seasons of the reboot anime in total, followed by movies that serve as the series’ fourth and fifth seasons.^{[4]
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- Season 1: This season introduces Usagi, Luna, and her sailor guardian friends. Like the original anime, the season’s main villain is Queen Beryl (and her generals).
  - The season also contains some plot elements that weren’t present in the older anime, including some history between the generals and sailor guardians.
- Season 2: This season skips the Makai Tree arc and launches right into Chibi-Usa’s introduction, along with the rest of the Black Moon arc.
- Season 3: This season introduces Sailor Uranus, Sailor Neptune, and Sailor Saturn. It’s an adaptation of the Infinity arc that adheres even more faithfully to the manga’s source material.
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Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Eternal The MovieSailor Moon Eternal is a two-part movie that serves as the Crystal series’ fourth season. As such, it covers the manga’s Dream arc (the same material covered in SuperS). In Part One, the Dead Moon Circus rolls into the picture, while, at the same time, Chibi-Usa meets a pegasus in her dreams. Part Two is the arc’s conclusion, in which the sailor guardians must face off against Queen Nehelenia’s forces.^{[5]
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Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Cosmos The MovieFinally, there’sSailor Moon Cosmos, the final entry in the Crystal reboot series, and a two-part movie that acts as the series’ fifth season. Like the original anime, it covers the Stars arc—beginning with the introduction of Sailor Galaxia. In the first part, Galaxia and her forces make their dramatic entrance; in the second part, a future version of Chibi-Usa and her sailor guardians arrive to help.^{[6]
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Section 6 of 6:

Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon (Live-Action Series)

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There’s actually a live-action Sailor Moon series out there, in addition to the two anime shows. It’s not as well-known as the anime, but diehard Sailor Moon fans might want to check out the live-action, nonetheless. That being said, the live-action show is extremely different from both anime; it’s just one season long, and there’s no official dub (only a subtitled version for non-Japanese speakers).
- Because it’s only one season long, Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon (2003) is easy to watch in order—just watch the episodes from 1 to 49.
- Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon isn’t available on any streaming platforms officially, but you can find most of it on YouTube if you want to watch.