Sailor Moon could have been VERY different for its original anime run if the creators had went with the first plan for her debut. In a recent interview with Comic Natalie, the editor of the series, Fumio Osano shared the idea that Usagi would have been the only "scout" to make an appearance in the first twenty episodes of the series! However, based on fan popularity and a recommendation from the animation studio of Toei Animation, the Sailor Scouts were introduced much earlier!

Anime News Network shared the translated interview, highlighting just how different the anime series could have been had the original plan been the one to win out:

#Interest Sailor Moon #Manga Editor: #Anime's 1st 20 Episodes Were Planned to Feature Usagi Only • Due to anime's popularity, the other Sailor Scouts' appearances happened earlier https://t.co/GS6Uxh97fg — Anime News Network (@Anime) July 3, 2019

The direct quote from Osano the editor reads as such:

"Toei requested that they show Ami and Rei in the opening in order to build up the popularity... So then when the first episode came out, there were rumors that more girls would be appearing. Toei and the TV station both decided that they had no choice but to change their plans to satisfy the viewers, so Ami appears in episode 8, while Rei appears in episode 10. Before we knew it, the anime had caught up to the manga."

(Photo: Toei Animation)

Obviously, the Sailor Scouts are a huge part of the Sailor Moon franchise, introducing a number of new characters that are all reflections of the protagonist but with different celestial representations. While sharing somewhat similar outfits to Moon, each Sailor Scout has their own unique personality and power set to pull from.

What do you think of the changes that were made to the Sailor Moon series? Do you agree with the changes that Toei Animation recommended in bringing in the Sailor Scouts earlier into the series? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly on Twitter @EVComedy to talk all things comics and anime!

Sailor Moon was originally created by Naoko Takeuchi for Nakayoshi magazine in 1991. More than 20 years later, Sailor Moon stands as one of the most influential shojo series ever created; popularizing the magical girl sub-genre with fans all over the world. The series can currently be found streaming on Hulu, and they describe Sailor Moon as such, "Usagi Tsukino is a clumsy but kindhearted teenage girl who transforms into the powerful guardian of love and justice, Sailor Moon. Meeting allies along the way who share similar fates, Usagi and her team of planetary Sailor Guardians fight to protect the universe from forces of evil and total annihilation."