International Sailor Moon Day Date in the current year: June 30, 2024

Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, commonly referred to as simply Sailor Moon, is a Japanese manga series about Usagi Tsukino, a schoolgirl who transforms into a warrior named Sailor Moon. Working with a team of fellow Sailor Guardians, she battles against villains to protect the world from evil forces.

The manga was created, written and illustrated by Naoko Takeuchi; it was originally published from 1991 to 1997 in the Nakayoshi magazine. In 1992, Toei Animation adapted it as an animated TV series, which aired on TV Asashi until 1997. The second adaptation of the manga, Sailor Moon Crystal, was also produced by Toei Animation. Its first season began to stream online in 2014. Following the conclusion of the third season in 2016, two sequel films were released: Sailor Moon Eternal in 2021 and Sailor Moon Cosmos in 2023.

Sailor Moon is regarded as a worldwide cultural phenomenon. In its native Japan, it reinvigorated the magical girl genre of manga and anime. In western culture, Sailor Moon is often associated with women’s empowerment. It is also popular in the LGBTQ+ community due to its portrayal of same-sex relationships and gender-fluid characters.

As we’ve already mentioned above, there are two possible dates for International Sailor Moon Day. The June 30 celebration was launched in 2015 by Lisa Terlato, the founder of the Sailor Moon Meetup that started in New York City but has since grown into an international event. Terlato decided that International Sailor Moon Day should be celebrated on the last day of June since it is the birthday of the titular character, Usagi Tsukino.

Two years later, Terlato handed the management of the holiday over to Emily Gonsalves, the chair of the Pretty Heroes convention (formerly known as the Toronto Sailor Moon Celebration). Gonsalves is responsible for International Sailor Moon Day events held in Toronto, while other independent organizers host local events all over the world. These events include fan conventions, casual meetups, cosplay contests, online celebrations, and more.

Some Sailor Moon fans celebrate International Sailor Moon Day on another date, August 6. It is unclear who came up with this alternative celebration and when it happened, and there is some confusion regarding the choice of the date, too. Several sources claim that the date was chosen to commemorate the birthday of Mamoru Chiba (Tuxedo Mask), Sailor Moon’s love interest, but, according to the manga, his birthday is August 3.

Be that as it may, there is no doubt that the cultural impact of Sailor Moon deserves to be celebrated. There are many ways to get involved with International Sailor Moon Day: you can attend an event near you or organize an event of your own, reread your favorite chapters of the manga or binge-watch the anime series, cosplay as your favorite character from Sailor Moon, create fan art or fan fiction and share your creations with fellow fans, and post about the holiday on social media with the hashtags #InternationalSailorMoonDay and #SailorMoonDay.