Will we ever get new character designs again?

(No, I'm not talking about Crysternal.)

For the most part, the '90s anime used the same character designs as the manga did, only with some details omitted for simplicity's sake, and with some differences in coloring. The musicals used the same basic designs, only making them a lot more ostentatious, and making the more risque ensembles stage-appropriate. Crystal's designs have been a blend of the manga's and the '90s anime's.

The live action series, on the other hand, didn't just recycle the same, familiar character designs. The Four Generals' looks were completely reimagined, with only Jadeite's being recognizable. Prince Endymion's outfit was completely different, and Princess Serenity's was cheap and tragic. Mercury's hair was slightly restyled, and she was given a much brighter shade of blue than she'd ever had before. Mars, Jupiter, and Venus were given their unique accessories/ornaments from their Materials Collection designs, which had never consistently appeared in the manga or Naoko's color artwork before. Jupiter's hair tie became flowers instead of plain green balls, and Venus's hair ribbon also became more elaborate. The Inners were all given bracelets/wristwatch things, and even Sailor Moon wore a modified version of the Cosmic Heart Compact. Even Tuxedo Mask's mask became a bit more elaborate from Act 7 onward.

So my question is: do you think we'll ever get another adaptation where the characters' designs are reworked rather than just replications of the manga/'90s anime?

I'd love a version where the girls' uniforms reflect their elements. (Mercury could have snowflakes on her choker and/or tiara, and frost and icicles on her boots, collar, and skirt. Mars's skirt and collar could be made to look like fire, and flames could be added to her heels. Jupiter's skirt and collar could be made of leaves, and her belt/chain could be a flowering vine. Venus's outfit could glow, and she could be given a metalhead look with lots of chains and spikes and things. Sailor Moon's outfit could be made pearlescent, maybe add some flowers to give her a bit of a hippie vibe. As for the Outers: give Saturn a Gothic Lolita look, maybe with some death's heads on her collar and boots; give Pluto an hourglass on her chain and maybe hourglass earrings?; put a seashell in Neptune's hair; and make Uranus's uniform a more unisex tracksuit.) As for Tuxedo Mask, maybe he could wear a different mask each time he appears?

Not a PGSM fan, but I really liked Naoko’s illustration and concept of Princess Sailor Moon—and I think it’d look cool on anime.

Omg I love all of your outfit suggestions. Wish we could submit this and see it come to life either on stage or in an animated series/movie or something.

No discussion about character redesigns can be complete until we discuss their new skin color...

I want Usagi with the white boots from Act 3 title page. So gorgeous.

Unfortunately, I doubt there will ever be a redesign unless the franchise changes hands. PGSM got major redesigns only because it was live action and the format required changes. Not only was fashion different, but so was the era. Also, even as cheaply as it was made, live-action costuming requires more detail by virtue of it existing in the real world. Otherwise it just looks like cheap costumes.

Another necessity for the Shitennou redesigns was that kids need a way to quickly tell characters apart. Having four characters in similar uniforms who appear on screen at the same time would be difficult. None of the later villain groups have this problem.

The only way we'll get an official redesign is if someone else takes over the franchise, and a new series has to be made. If it's a 3D series (and not just a one-off), for instance, then adding new details becomes more feasible as they don't have to be hand-drawn over and over again. Even if it's a 2D series, there might be a redesign if there is an entirely new adaptation. However, as long as this series is in Naoko Takeuchi's hands we're just going to get the same thing over and over again and a series that caters to nostalgia.

^ Fully agree with you on the unlikelihood, but if it turns our they surprise us one day it would be fun to see the ideas.

I think @Guardian Princess Nadia has a point that it's hard to imagine the series ever doing any kind of radical redesigns for the core cast of Sailor Guardians.

However, it's important to remember that while Crystal and the musicals kind of settled on how Naoko drew the girls in the Black Moon arc, Naoko herself is horribly inconsistent with the designs of literally everyone so there's no reason why there can't be tweaks done in the future. Like this, this and this are just a few of the different ways Naoko drew Sailor Moon.

I'd love to see a version of Sailor Moon where:
- Each of the girls keep their mask from their prototype designs. Or even attempt to animate them since Naoko initially tried to convince the anime staff to incorporate these designs.
- Give Sailor Moon back her cape and keep her boomerang under her bow.
- The girls' hair color (maybe even hair length) and eye color change from their civilian form to their Sailor Guardian form. This would modernize the series since this has been a staple in Precure for ages now. For example, Usagi's hair would change from blonde to white when becoming Sailor Moon, Ami's hair would become an aquatic blue from black hair, Rei's hair would turn from purple to a fiery red as Mars, Jupiter's red hair into a leafy green, and Minako's hair would go from a darker blonde to a more bright yellow.
-Give Mercury her transparent blue sleeves.

It's why I really liked the fan made Sailor Moon movie's designs, even if they weren't executed well in the actual film itself.

I have similar thoughts:

Ami would have dark blue eyes and close-cropped black/dark blue hair > Mercury would have light blue eyes and longer, brighter blue hair in a pompadour style

Rei would have purple eyes and straight black hair > Mars would have red eyes and wavy, vibrant violet hair

Mako would have brown eyes and pinkish-brown hair worn in a short, low-placed ponytail > Jupiter would have green eyes and orange hair worn in a longer, fuller, higher-placed ponytail

Minako would have blue eyes and natural-looking blonde hair, worn like this > Venus would have golden eyes, yellow hair, and her PGSM hair bow

Usagi would have slightly pinker hair than Mako, worn in squat buns and simple pigtails that come down just above her knees > Sailor Moon would have yellow hair worn in round buns and longer, curlier/wavier pigtails > After regaining her past life memories, her hair would become white > Super Sailor Moon's hair would have rainbow highlights

(I also really like how Usagi's and Chibiusa's hair look in this picture.)

Don’t the illustrations made by talented artists from all over the world count as new designs?

I think this franchise ultimately belongs to fans because if you google up “Sailor Moon fanart“ or “Sailor Moon illustration,” you will find thousands of works that look amazing—many better than what TOEI has provided.

But if the fandom wants something official, I am sure TOEI & Bandai will create new designs for new merch & I am sure Naoko/Kodansha will re-release the manga 10-20 years from now with new covers and I assume that at one point a new art book may be released or that the old ones may be re-released with something new.

I love your ideas! They're fantastic, Memento!





I agree with you! That would look cool animated!

Well put! I like their prototype masks.

My favorite new character designs are Princess Sailor Moon, Sailor Luna, and Dark Mercury from PGSM. Especially Princess Sailor Moon.

I really didn't like Sailor Luna. It was so weird yo have Luna the mentor as 5 year old toddler. But the costume was so cute.

Sailor Luna should have been at the same age with Usagi.

I didn't mean to be a wet blanket earlier in the thread. It's just the idea of new designs in of themselves is more like a pipe dream. I've had ideas for designs in the past, although I'd rather make them more simple since I'm biased in terms of what format I'd prefer.

The real issue is that the medium determines the limitations of the design. For instance, I can't something like a leaf bow or the underboob boomerang ever being employed in a 2D series, because they would require extra details for the animators to draw. Crystal had a hard enough time with the designs it chose. For a 3D series, some individualized patterns are more feasible as they wouldn't have to be hand-drawn over and over again, but other elements like chains would cause problems as you'd increase the complexity of the character associated with them. For live-action, the main aim is having something that films (not "photographs" - films) well and allows the actors to move in, so even there one can't go all out. Believe it or not, the best medium for a more complex and individualized design would be an actual comic or manga. It would give the freedom of the pen paired with a sequential storytelling. One could make it look cool without worry about how it will animate, render, or show up on video. There are still limits, given that one has to be able to produce a number of pages in a short period of time, but there is far more freedom in terms of design in a comic.

For me, I'd have to know what format one is designing for, and then work from there.

I'll say this. One thing I would really like is to see the characters have more distinct body types. It doesn't have to be completely exaggerated, but I'd like Sailor Jupiter be slightly stockier, for instance, to reflect that she is the element of "wood." Have Sailor Moon be still somewhat thin, but apple-shaped (hence why she would look so stunning in her Empire gown).

And if we're really going to go all out, I'd ask to change Sailor Venus' hair style ever so slightly, perhaps to make is slightly fuller or curlier (not like Neptune's though). Aside from her hair ribbon, her silhouette is far too similar to that of Sailor Mars.

Actually... I wouldn't mind if they made the girls look like their original voice actors, following Naoko's cute drawing of them:

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(From left to right: Kotono (Usagi), Aya (Ami), Emi (Mako), Michie (Rei), Rika (Minako))

(Okay, so Mako would end up looking like Rei and vice versa, and Minako would look like Ami, but idc!)

In civilian or Sailor forms?

Civilian.

I can definitely see Usagi wearing two braids in civilian form, she'd look very cute! The idea of Minako having shorter hair is appropiate given her personality.

I've also always loved this picture from the Infinity art book, and would love a steampunk / Edwardian era adaptation of the series.