Tsukino Usagi / Sailor Moon
Japanese Name: Tsukino Usagi
English Name: Serena Tsukino
Birthday: June 30
Identity(ies): Princess Serenity, Sailor Moon, Super Sailor Moon, Eternal Sailor Moon, Neo-Queen Serenity
First Episode: Episode #1, "A Moon Star is Born"
How she became Sailor Moon: Fourteen-year-old Usagi was your typical teenager, with a love for eating, sleeping, and comics. She had a tendency to be late to school almost every day and didn't do quite so well while in school (her test grades were usually around the 30s and 40s *ouch*). She klutzed out a lot too and was a crybaby *sweatdrop* Doesn't seem much like your typical heroine, does she?
But one day, her life changed. On the way to school one morning, she saw a black cat being teased by some guys and chased them off. She noticed a bandage on the cat's forehead, and when she took it off, she found a crescent moon mark. She didn't think much of it and went off. Later that day, she found the cat in her bedroom, and freaked out when it started talking to her. Luna, the cat, explained how she was needed, but Usagi didn't believe her at first. But when her best friend, Naru [Molly], was attacked by a youma, she thought about what Luna had said and transformed and from that moment on, she was Sailor Moon, defender and champion of love and justice!
Family: Her parents are Tsukino Kenji and Tsukino Ikuko (Ken and Irene Tsukino in the dub.) She also has a little brother, Shingo (Sammy) who teases her endlessly. Her father, Kenji, can be overprotective when it comes to his daughter and guys ^^' Her mother, Ikuko is a warm and caring person. She's disappointed by Usagi's bad grades but loves her daughter nonetheless. And Shingo, Usagi's brother, just plain annoys her. He's the typical bratty little brother. He idolizes Sailor Moon, but of course he has no idea that his role model lives in the same house as him!
Friends: Usagi usually just hangs out with the Inner Senshi, but she's also close friends with Naru (Molly) and some other people. Usagi cares deeply for all her friends, and will always be there for them when they need her. Her bright personality can cheer anyone up when they're down. She's a loyal friend, and will fight for them to the end.
Inner Senshi: She fights a lot with Rei (Sailor Mars) but underneath all their insults and taunts, they care for each other; they just don't like to show it. As for Usagi's relationship with the other Inner Senshi, she gets along pretty well with them. She was Ami's first friend, and was the only one brave enough to approach Makoto, who had a bad reputation, on her first day at school. She's pretty good friends with Minako, and they are very similar in many ways. (This is because Naoko Takeuchi, the creator of Sailor Moon, created the Sailor V [Minako] manga first before she came up with Sailor Moon. She based BSSM on Sailor V, which explains why Usagi looks and acts a lot like Minako.)
Outer Senshi: Her relationship with the Outer Senshi has always been a little ... complicated. When Sailor Moon and Sailor Pluto first met at the Time Gate, Setsuna nearly killed Usagi by accident! And throughout Sailor Moon S, Haruka and Michiru acted as if they were Usagi's enemies as Sailor Senshi and treated her very coldly. But in the end, they pledged their allegiance to her because she proved herself to be worthy as their Princess. As for Hotaru, Sailor Saturn, Usagi's relationship with her was always pretty good. She helped saved Hotaru when she was Mistress Nine and risked everything when she gave the Holy Grail [Purity Chalice] to Mistress Nine in order to save Hotaru. [Oh, and just a little note: In the manga, Haruka and Usagi actually kissed once or twice. This was before Usagi realized Haruka was a girl.]
Relationships: Usagi's soulmate has always been Mamoru (otherwise known as Tuxedo Kamen and Endymion ^^) Their love has spanned over a thousand years, from the Silver Millennium all the way to Crystal Tokyo. Their relationship has been the subject of many Sailor Moon fanfics; just check out A Sailor Moon Romance! They went from enemies who taunted each other endlessly without knowing who the other was, to allies as Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Kamen and lovers (in both senses of the word.)
Past Life: In her past life in the Silver Millennium, Usagi was Princess Serenity, the heir to the throne of the Moon Kingdom. The Silver Millennium was a peaceful and prosperous time, especially for the people of the moon. She first met Mamoru (Prince Endymion) in this lifetime. Their love was forbidden, because she was from the Moon and he from the Earth, but they met in secret anyways and fell in love with each other. Their happiness in the Silver Millennium did not last, however, as a war against invaders (Queen Beryl acting on Metallia's orders) began. He died protecting her from Queen Beryl, and in the manga, she committed suicide in grief. Queen Serenity, her mother, sealed away Beryl, and in the hope that they might have a better and happier future, sent Princess Serenity, Prince Endymion, all the Princesses of their respective planets, and Luna & Artemis to the future on Earth (present-day Tokyo.)
Future: Usagi and Mamoru learn about their future together in Sailor Moon R during the Black Moon saga. They become the rulers of Crystal Tokyo in the thirtieth century after the freeze, and have a daughter, Chibi-Usa (the nickname means little Usagi.) In the episode "Legend of the Negamoon", King Endymion explain to Tuxedo Kamen and Sailor Moon that an ecological freeze on the world happened in the thirtieth century, and Neo-Queen Serenity had to use the power of the Ginzuishou to unfreeze the planet. She then offered cleansing to all and those who refused were banished to another planet.
Overall: Usagi is a loyal and caring friend, who fights for justice and the weak. She never really wanted the responsiblity (at the end of the episode "Day of Destiny", she wished for a normal life for her and her friends and to just be an ordinary girl again) but she takes it anyway and does her best everytime. She may seem weak and ditzy in the beginning, but as the episodes unfold, she slowly matures into a strong fighter who fights for everything she believes in.