Sailor Moon: Best Sailor Mars Episodes (2024)

Rei Hino, aka Sailor Mars, is one of anime's most famous characters. Even though the original Sailor Moon concluded many years ago, she is still an iconic and popular character, often appearing in"Most Popular Character"fan polls. One reason for this popularity is that Rei was the star of manySailor Moonepisodes.

These episodes tackle many topics, from Rei's ongoing quest for love to her slow growth in power as she and her friends encounter increasingly dangerous foes. But, like any long-running anime, these episodes vary dramatically in quality. But what episodes must be watched, and which deserve to be chastised in the name of Mars?

10 The Scream of Dead Souls? Terror of a Monster at Camp Expands Rei's Family

Rei, Minako, Ami, Makoto, Usagi, and Chibi Chibi decide to go camping at a nearby lake, a trip they are all very excited about. When they arrive at their campsite, Rei realizes it is close to her cousin's house. This cousin is a notorious ceramics artist who, due to his perfectionism, destroys everything that doesn't meet his impossible-to-reach standards. Alas, when Rei visits his house, she quickly learns that her cousin was turned into a Phage, forcing Rei and her friends to track down and fight the creature.

This episode does a fantastic job of building on Rei's characterization and expanding her world. However, her plot gets massively overshadowed by the Sailor Starlights and their B-plot, which focuses on the group filming a monster movie. Because of this, "The Scream of Dead Souls? Terror of a Monster at Camp" is fun, even if Rei gets slightly lost in the shuffle.

9 The Cursed Bus: Enter Mars, the Guardian of Fire Sets Out Rei's Character

Sailor Mars made her debut in the 10th episode of Sailor Moon, and this debut does a great job of showing off Rei's personality and unique qualities. After learning that a bus of people vanished near the famous Hikawa Shrine, Usagi decides to visit and investigate. Usagi soon learns that Rei, Hikawa Shrine's shrine maiden, is being blamed for the disappearances despite Rei insisting that she had nothing to do with it.

Rei consults the flames and learns that Jadeite is behind the chaos. Rei confronts him, but Jadeite banishes Rei to another dimension. While fighting in this new dimension, Rei uses the Transformation Pen Luna gave her to become Sailor Mars. During this episode, many of Rei's hallmarks are showcased. This includes her mastery of fortune-telling, occult knowledge, passionate personality, and devastating fire-based attacks. This, mixed with the dimension-hopping plot, makes Mars' introduction a deeply memorable episode.

8 A Man's Kindness: Yuichiro Heartbroken by Rei Shows How Hard Scout Life Is

One of the most fascinating things about Sailor Moon is how it used Sailor Uranus to shake up the status quo and reveal new facets of the main cast's personalities. "A Man’s Kindness: Yuichiro Heartbroken by Rei" is a fantastic example of this phenomenon as it uses Uranus to explore how complex Rei's life is. After watching Rei's new intense meditation schedule, Yuichiro wonders what is bothering Rei. After a talk with Usagi, Yuichiro presumes that Rei has found a boyfriend, an idea that upsets him deeply. When Yuichiro sees Rei with Haruka, he presumes Sailor Uranus must be the new boyfriend, upsetting him more.

Yuichiro reaches his breaking point when he sees Haruka with Michiru and presumes Haruka is cheating on Rei. Yuichiro confronts Haruka and tries to fight her, only for Rei to step in and demand to know what Yuichiro is doing, leading to another argument. The best thing about this episode is how it uses Yuichiro to show how Rei struggles to balance her old life and Sailor Senshi life and the problems that arise when those two sides clash.

7 Women Must Be Strong and Beautiful: Rei’s New Special Technique Sets Up A Rivalry With Koan

"Women Must Be Strong and Beautiful: Rei’s New Special Technique," the 63rd episode of Sailor Moon, starts with Rei's grandfather saying that shrine attendance is down. Hoping to get more people to visit, Rei's Grandfather starts hosting aerobics classes at the shrine, though it is quickly revealed that he's only doing this so he can ogle girls.

At the same time, Rubeus learns that the shrine is a Crystal Point and sends Koan to investigate. Koan infiltrates the shrine in disguise and unleashes the Droid Dumble in the middle of a class, forcing Rei to fight to protect her grandfather. This episode sees the debut of Rei's iconic Burning Mandala attack and gives viewers a fun glimpse into Rei's family life. However, this episode quickly gets overshadowed by Rei's later fights with Koan, which are much more emotional and dramatic.

6 Protect Mamoru: Ninja Usagi's Jealousy Is A Comedy Romp

The 136th episode of Sailor Moon, "Protect Mamoru: Ninja Usagi's Jealousy," starts with the scouts accidentally trashing Mamoru's apartment. Upset about her part in the chaos, Rei lets Mamoru stay at the Hikawa Shrine until his place is repaired. Usagi, jealous that Rei and Mamoru are getting to spend time together, decides to become a ninja and spy on the pair, leading to chaos.

This chaos gets more intense when Tiger's Eye arrives and tries to steal Rei's Dream Mirror, forcing the scouts to battle a powerful new foe. "Protect Mamoru: Ninja Usagi's Jealousy" is a fun episode that dives deep into Rei and Usagi's loving but complex relationship dynamic. It also shows how both girls have changed since Sailor Moon's early episodes, making this episode a fantastic foundation for future stories.

5 Premonition of the Apocalypse: The Mysterious New Guardians Appear Uses Rei's Psychic Powers

The 90th episode of Sailor Moon, "Premonition of the Apocalypse: The Mysterious New Guardians Appear," starts with Rei having a chilling dream that shows her friends turning to stone as darkness descends on Tokyo. This dream haunts Rei and makes her lose focus at school, causing her to struggle on a test. After a horrible day at school, she returns to the shrine and ties a fortune to a tree, not knowing a Daimon Egg is hiding inside it.

Mikuji, the Daimon inside the egg, emerges and tries to steal Rei's Pure Heart Crystal. But, when all seems lost, two mysterious Sailor Scouts arrive and destroy the monster. While this episode focuses on Rei, she quickly gets overshadowed as the story mainly exists to teach viewers about the Daimon Eggs and tease Sailor Uranus and Neptune. However, Rei's vision is one of the most iconic and harrowing moments in Sailor Moon, elevating this episode above other Rei-focused stories.

4 The Snow! The Mountains! Our Friendship! And of Course, a Youma Too Builds On Rei And Usagi's Relationship

When Usagi learns that the Moonlight Course ski resort is holding a competition to crown something it dubs the Moon Princess, the girls decide to go on vacation. During the skiing contest, the possessed host, Saeko Yamamoto, starts manipulating the environment to trap the competitors. Eventually, Saeko drives Usagi and Rei into a chasm that quickly closes up behind them, trapping them.

Usagi and Rei have a heart-to-heart while they wait for rescue, and Rei tells Usagi that she doesn't want to pursue Mamoru anymore. Instead, she asks Usagi to be happy with him, and the pair share a warm moment before they prepare to fight the Youma. While "The Snow! The Mountains! Our Friendship! And of Course, a Youma Too" is massively elevated by the scene in the chasm. This scene gives Rei a brilliant moment of character development and shows how much she has grown in only a few months.

3 Flames of Passion: Mars's Raging Super Attack Shows Rei's Drive

"Flames of Passion: Mars's Raging Super Attack" is the 152nd episode of Sailor Moon. Massive crowds flock to the Hikawa Shrine after a magazine printed an article about it and Rei. Because of this article, a young girl called Nanako Baba becomes obsessed with Rei, claiming she wants to be just like her. Alas, when VesVes targets the girl, Rei learns that Nanako isn't all she seems.

This episode stands out due to Rei's attitude to fame. Unlike the other girls, she shows that she is willing to work hard to achieve her dreams, revealing how deeply driven she is. On top of this, Rei's speech to Nanako about embracing failure shows Rei's often-overlooked emotional maturity. This episode also features the debut of Rei's super attack, Mars Flame Sniper, making this a must-watch episode for Sailor Mars fans.

2 The School Festival Is for Me?! Queen Rei’s Song Shows Rei's Pop Idol Dreams

"The School Festival Is for Me?! Queen Rei’s Song" is the 54th episode of Sailor Moon. The episode starts by explaining that Rei is very busy as she is organizing the T·A Academy for Girls' Culture Festival. When Usagi and Ami visit the school, they overhear Rei singing a song. After being asked about it, Rei reveals that she wrote the song herself and plans to perform it at the festival. Alas, moments before the performance, Ail and An appear and put the entire audience to sleep before summoning a monster. This interruption infuriates Rei, who fights with all she has, leading to her unleashing a new attack called Fire Soul Bird.

This episode is a lot of fun and shows viewers a new side of Rei. While her dreams of pop stardom are frequently mentioned during the show, this is one of the few episodes that shows how seriously she takes the idea and how much effort she puts into her craft. This is only enhanced by the fight sequence, as Rei shows an aggressive streak that doesn't come out often, making it clear how much this concert means to her.

1 Battle of the Flames of Love! Mars vs. Koan Is An Emotional Redemption Tale

"Battle of the Flames of Love! Mars vs. Koan" starts with Koan being sent to the Hikawa Shrine to find and kill Chibiusa. Koan throws herself into this task, believing killing the young girl will lead to Rubeus finally admitting his feelings for her. However, when Koan finds Chibiusa and tries to attack, Rei jumps into the battle. At first, Koan has the upper hand, but Rei throws Koan off balance by informing her that Rebeus is lying about having feelings for her.

Rubeus then shows up and tells Koan that Rei is correct before handing her a space-time bomb and ordering her to blow Sailor Mars up. Koan, utterly broken by this information, starts to go on a rampage. The other scouts arrive and quickly turn the tide of battle, but Rei jumps in front of Koan just as Sailor Jupiter prepares to unleash a killing blow. Rei begs Sailor Moon to help Koan, realizing the intense abuse the girl has suffered. While Usagi is unsure, Rei's pleading convinces Sailor Moon to use the Silver Crystal to free Koan from Rubeus' influence. This emotional ending is why this episode is the best Sailor Mars-focused episode, as it fully displays Mars' empathetic nature and adds some nuance to Sailor Moon's usually simple good vs evil story.

Sailor Moon (1992)

TV-PG

Action

Adventure

A group of schoolgirls discover they are incarnations of super-powered alien princesses, and use their abilities to defend the earth.

Release Date

September 11, 1995

Cast

Stephanie Sheh , Kotono Mitsuishi , Kate Higgins , Aya Hisakawa , Cristina Valenzuela , Michie Tomizawa , Emi Shinohara , Amanda Céline Miller , Cherami Leigh , Rica f*ckami

Main Genre

Anime

Seasons

5

Creator

Naoko Takeuchi

Main Characters

Susan Roman, Jill Frappier, Katie Griffin

Production Company

Toei Agency, Toei Animation, Toei Company

Number of Episodes

200