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Princess Serenity vs. Queen Beryltalia, pt. 1 

“Why? [...] You dream of a beautiful future, but you are sure to eventually realize that this world is already ugly and filthy!”

“No! I have faith!”

“In love? Friendship? Or, in the trust between people?”

“I have faith in this world that everyone tried to protect!”

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Princess Serenity vs. Queen Beryltalia, pt. 2

“Everyone, lend me your strength... Please!”

Sailor Moon just does not get more glorious than this (maybe except the Moon Revenge battle). Princess Serenity’s refusal to give up even though the world around her is crumbling. The Inner Senshi who defy death to join hands with their princess (and let’s also appreciate that they actually drew Jupiter’s hand a smidge bigger than others). The power combine that set precedence for subsequent seasons and movies. The pink ball of love and justice that consumes the mighty Queen Beryltalia who sees nothing but ugliness and filth... 

[venusribbons]

Sailor Moon vs. Evil Endymion: Moon Healing Escalation

The battle is very beautifully drawn, and is clearly one-sided. Sailor Moon is the character with the most movements: an arm swing, several leans backward and forward. Despite her efforts, the best she can do is to ruffle the hair of evil Endymion, whose face is emotionless and whose position is the same throughout the scene (save for the final moment). 

The only character standing is Queen Beryl, looming above the two kneeling fighters. She does not move a muscle except those needed for speaking, but why would she need to soil her hands? Just stand there, and let the gladiator battle begin.

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Moon Tiara Action!

This scene is oddly satisfying. Just before that, Sailor Moon is at one of the lowest possible points in her life: she is defeated, at prone position with a useless weapon. All it takes is a reminder from Queen Beryl:

... to galvanize Sailor Moon, not really for herself but to honor her fallen comrades. She rises up to do the impossible: attacking the very man she loves. 

And it happens so unexpectedly. Nobody could see it coming, neither Queen Beryl nor Evil Endymion. Not even Sailor Moon herself could believe her very own eyes, as there is no way the Sailor Moon at D-Point or pre-D-Point could accomplish such a feat. We are now looking at a new Usagi, who would cry and whine a little less than before, and who can withstand anything battles can throw at her.

Last but not least, I have to say that the weapon choice is amazing. At first I was like “why is the tiara more powerful than the Moon Stick?”, then I realized I was comparing an apple to an orange: the Moon Stick’s main function (thus far from Sailor Moon) is to heal, while the tiara's sole purpose is to kill its opponent (beside the only use of Moon Tiara Stardust in episode 5). While the tiara does not kill Endymion, it is enough to turn the table around and leads the way to Sailor Moon’s eventual win.

[venusribbons]

Sailor Mercury vs. the DD Girls

Featuring a live Bubble Spray.

One thing that I particularly love about this scene is Mercury’s attitude throughout her ordeal. First off is this smile:

This right here, folks, is why Sailor Mercury is the best Senshi to deal with the illusion. All three remaining Senshi, having much more active love life, would not keep their heads cool long enough to confront the illusion. Sailor Moon, we all know how that has turned out. Neither of the other two would have fared much better than Jupiter, whether it is Venus, who has just let go of her lost love three episodes ago, or Mars, whose relationships with Mamoru and Yuuchirou need more than a few words just to summarize (and try to imagine what would happen if Mars has to see Mamoru as part of the trap). Mercury may not have a solo kill to her name (at this point), but the other Senshi would have a much harder time to take down all the rest of the DD girls, if that could happen.

However, I will give the “Mercury’s best moment at D-Point” award to the “How rude!” line. Manners are important, you know? Even when you are torturing Mercury with vines and heat, you must always watch your tongue or you will get a good telling off. Next time you are going to mock Sailor Mercury, just remember this: Mercury is the weakest Senshi in terms of physical strength or power, but her mind is worth a thousand attacks. 

[venusribbons]

Sailor Venus at D-Point

Venus kinda gets the short end of the stick in this episode. Her solo screentime is shorter than the other girls, she is not given any time to be mourned, and her death being placed right before Sailor Mars’ epic final battle does not help.

That said, Venus’ achievements are no less great than the others:

1. Timely push Sailor Moon out of danger: Try to imagine a universe where Venus reacts only a couple of moments slower than she does in here. The Dark Kingdom would certainly have won, as Sailor Moon would be captured and will either be killed or surrender. Which brings us to the next scene....

2. Remind a grief-stricken Sailor Moon not to surrender: When Venus says she won’t forgive Sailor Moon, she really means it. The Senshi have struggled so much, have sacrificed so much to get to this point, and Sailor Moon wants to throw all that away? Nothing would make Venus allow that to happen, not even her own life.

On top of that, (credit to @keyofjetwolf and @paksenarrion-reader over this post) Venus is using Sailor Moon’s own word to scream at her: “yurusenai”. The same word that Sailor Moon says in almost every episode to monsters, right before battle. If this scene cannot convince you that Venus is deadly serious in battle, I’m afraid nothing else will.

3. The final Crescent Beam: I would rank this moment up top in terms of intensity. Other attacks may be more powerful or flashy, but none of them have been shown to knock every trace of prettiness off the opponent’s face. 

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Queen Serenity’s Moon Healing Escalation

I think this episode has the highest body count in the entire Sailor Moon series. Everyone, minus Luna and Artemis, dies on-screen in this episode; with the villains’ disintegration being fairly violent for a show for kids. 

Sigh... Poor Queen Serenity has already lost everything :(. What’s the point of possessing the most powerful crystal then?

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Princess Serenity vs. Zoisite

Serve you right, Zoisite.