Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon

Aired: 1992

A landmark Toei Animation magical girl series broadcast on TV Asahi, based on the manga by Naoko Takeuchi. Middle schooler Usagi Tsukino meets the talking cat Luna and is told she is the reincarnation of the Moon Princess, transforming into Sailor Moon to lead a team of Sailor Soldiers against villains threatening Earth. The series revolutionized the genre by fusing magical girl tropes with sentai-style team dynamics, transformation hero conventions, and serialized romantic drama, redefining the possibilities of girls' anime. Moonlight Densetsu, performed by idol group DALI, became one of the most iconic anime themes of the decade. The franchise spawned multiple sequel series, theatrical films, and a global fandom that endures to this day.