2458


When people transform in Sailor Moon, they look physically identical to their
human forms. Even fellow magical beings are unable to tell a person's identity
unless they witness the transformation happening.

Is there an in-universe explanation for this?


CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-02-12T13:15:02.907
2455
2018-06-04T17:00:11.850
1354
question
sailor-moon
Why can't people distinguish Sailor Soldiers from their real selves?


It's a [common trope](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ClarkKenting)
in a lot of super hero fiction. It's just one of those things that creators
ask audiences to suspend disbelief for. Though it's not really meant as an
explanation, many characters do poke fun at various scouts' [paper-thin
disguises](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/PaperThinDisguise) in
universe, saying things to the effect of "She can't be Sailor Moon; Sailor
Moon is too pretty to be that meatball head." (It must be the tiara.)


CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-02-12T13:35:45.520
2458
2013-02-12T13:35:45.520
1430
2455
answer


Although it is a **common trope** these days, it was **not so in the genre of
_mahou shoujo_** (magical girl) manga and anime **before _Sailor Moon_**. In
the long-running genre, many of the classic magical girls **looked very
different in their transformed state as compared to their civilian state**
(for example, [Maho no Mako-chan](http://www.toei-anim.co.jp/lineup/tv/mako/),
[Creamy Mami](http://shoujo.tripod.com/creamymami.html), [Mahou no Yousei
Persia](http://shoujo.tripod.com/pelsia.html), [Magical
Emi](http://shoujo.tripod.com/emi.html), [Fashion
Lala](http://shoujo.tripod.com/lala.html), etc.). _Sailor Moon_ largely helped
set a new standard that caught on in the genre (though there are still series
which use the older classic style of very different looks for civilian vs.
transformed forms, such as [Pretty
Cure](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pretty_Cure) does).

Judging by the mangaka Takeuchi Naoko's [early concept
art](http://gallery.missdream.org/albums/scanlation_smoon/smoon_materialscollection/materials002.png)
for the [character
designs](http://gallery.missdream.org/albums/scanlation_smoon/smoon_materialscollection/materials003.png),
she had **not intended them to look obviously identical** in both forms. All
of the sailor soldiers **wore a mask** of some sort so that, like Tuxedo
Kamen, they would be hard to identify by enemies and bystanders. The early
published artwork also featured [a
mask](http://gallery.missdream.org/albums/raws/japanese/smoon_kanzenban/volume%201/005.jpg)
for [Sailor Moon] in [the
style](http://gallery.missdream.org/albums/raws/japanese/smoon_kanzenban/volume%201/031.jpg)
of [Sailor
V's](http://gallery.missdream.org/albums/raws/japanese/sailorv/sailorv_raw_shin1/034.jpg).

In the concept art, Sailor Moon was drawn with pink hair and Sailor Jupiter
with olive-green hair; this may or may not have been the same shade as their
civilian hair color: it would have matched the magical girl standard for
Usagi's hair to change from her civilian white (platinum blonde) or blonde
hair color into a different shade, such as pink (the most common and symbolic
color for magical girls).

In terms of an in-universe explanation for the phenomenon, one is not given,
_but_ it _is_ demonstrated that while people do not generally recognize them,
there is not some magic that flatly prevents it, as there are **some occasions
in which someone does recognize a person who is transformed**. In episode 183,
Sailor Star Fighter looks at Sailor Moon and suddenly an image of Usagi
flashes through her mind; she quickly shakes it off, saying that's impossible
(she doesn't want to admit it because it is easier for her personally if
Sailor Moon and Usagi are different people, so she willfully ignores what she
noticed). As another example, in episode 190 Sailors Uranus, Neptune, and
Pluto intentionally transform in front of Taiki Kou and Yaten Kou because they
are sure that Taiki and Yaten are Sailor Star Maker and Sailor Star Healer,
respectively. Neptune asks, "So you aren't easily surprised, are you?" and is
answered with "We anticipated it, somehow."

In _Sailor Moon Crystal_ , **recognition seems to be easier** than in the
classic anime. Tuxedo Kamen seems to have no trouble identifying Usagi as the
same person as Sailor Moon whenever she is transformed into her various guises
using her Hensou Pen (Transformation Pen). When Rei sees Sailor Moon in
episode 3, she quickly realizes it's Usagi. We could chalk these up to Rei's
intuition or soldier abilities and Mamoru's powers, but even Usagi's father is
able to notice her when she is in a transformed form in episode 4. She walks
past him at a party in her transformed form and he does a double-take,
thinking he saw his daughter, and only subsequently concludes that he must
have made a mistake.


CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-09-06T13:43:18.533
13854
2015-06-03T22:32:19.003
2015-06-03T22:32:19.003
8134
8134
2455
answer


But there are a lot of people that recognizes her.

In the manga, Usagi and Mamoru recognizes each other just after they Knows
each other. In the anime, maybe the 1992 anime's Usagui are too stupid to
notice it, (In the 1992 Anime, Mamoru Himself don't know that he was Tuxedo
Kamen until the appear of Sailor Venus).

The Senshi tries to don't show herselves directly on public, But Naru Osaka
Suspect that Usagi was Sailor Moon, Rei Hino Recognizes her at the bus, most
of the enemies know her civilian forms.

At that proof, the Sailor Moon's Transformation do not have the power to make
the people that forgot the User's Face or something like that.


CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-06-04T17:00:11.850
47311
2018-06-04T17:00:11.850
34823
2455
answer