No matter what part of the Sailor Moon franchise a fan is invested in, Usagi Tsukino is known for being an incredibly emotional person, and someone who places love above all else. That results in her having a lot of things to say about love and about friendship, but it also means that sometimes, she says things without thinking.
In between a lot of surprisingly wise words from the teenager who originally wanted to run from the fight are also some great one-liners that give a snapshot of her personality. Usagi's Sailor Moon is a many-faceted character.
Usagi Knows True Beauty Comes From Within
"You can't judge how beautiful a girl really is by the way she looks."
Though Usagi Tsukino does spend a lot of time worried about her own appearance, especially in the 1990s anime version of the story, she also sees beyond the more superficial aspects of beauty.
Usagi is the first person to call someone beautiful when she first meets them. She's also, however, the first person to realize when that beauty is a facade. She places more value on friendship and being good to one another than she really does in someone's physical appearance, despite what she might say about wanting to look different.
Sailor Moon Embraces Her Role As The Moon Princess
"I'm going to be my own kind of princess."
One of the earliest parts of the Sailor Moon story involves the group searching for the Moon Princess. If they were all reborn on Earth in the modern day, she must have been as well. What they don't realize is that their past lives didn't include a Sailor Moon, and that Usagi is, in fact, the Moon Princess as well.
Usagi isn't exactly what Luna envisions when she goes on a search for the princess, and she's not entirely sure how to deal with Usagi's emotional nature sometimes. Usagi, however, grows into her role as a leader as Sailor Moon. She vows to be herself, even as the Moon Princess.
Usagi Would Rather Have Peaceful Resolutions
"Fighting isn't the only way to solve things."
Initially, Usagi is afraid to fight as Sailor Moon. She only does it out of necessity. Over time, however, she grows to become someone who would rather talk out a solution to problems instead of potentially causing destruction.
Despite knowing that the nature of her position means there's often going to be a battle, Sailor Moon frequently tries to get to the root of a problem and talk to her enemy rather than outright blast them with her tiara. It makes for longer fights, and means her Senshi often have to defend her, but she tries her best for peace.
Usagi Understands That The Good And Bad Go Hand-In-Hand
"Without the bad times, we wouldn't appreciate the good times."
She might have strong emotional reactions to a string of misfortune, but ultimately, Usagi is a bit of an optimist. She takes what she learns from bad experiences to better appreciate what she has.
All of the scary fights she experiences make her appreciate how much her friends care for her, and make her want to experience normal teenage things with them instead of just fighting by their side. Almost losing Mamoru only makes her believe in their fated relationship more as well.
Usagi Is Up Front About Herself
"I'll just warn you now: I don't know how to use a computer."
Out of context, especially in the contemporary world, this line makes the audience laugh. After all, most of the modern planet has access to technology that seemed like science fiction 30 years ago. 30 years ago, however, this particular line was said by Usagi to Luna when Luna urged her to use one. Even then, Luna thought it was odd that Usagi hadn't learned anything about technology. Usagi being bad with technology continues in the Sailor Moon Crystal reboot though, keeping her character consistent.
It's refreshing that Usagi never pretends to be someone she's not. She knows that she's clumsy, not the best student, and cries easily, and she embraces all of those things about herself.
Fighting For The World Is Intimidating
"I wasn't always fighting for love and justice. I was fighting for my friends and loved ones."
Having the fate of the world on her shoulders is a lot of pressure for Sailor Moon when she first starts out. She has to grow into the person who would protect the universe from evil, but it all starts with her protecting her friends. In Sailor Moon, friendship and the power of love are what's most important to the title character.
The first villains Usagi faces are baddies in her neighborhood, ones targeting her classmates. She stands up for them first before she realizes she's strong enough to stand up for the world, and she freely admits that in her story. All heroes grow, and she knows exactly how her path began.
Sailor Moon Prefers Action To Planning
"Thinking isn't going to get us anywhere."
Out of context, this line makes Usagi sound like she's not the brightest. That's not the case. Usagi is someone who tends to react to situations, not plan for them in advance, unlike Ami's Sailor Mercury, who prefers to have a plan of action ahead of time.
Sailor Moon trusts her instincts more than her ability to study her opponents. It does usually serve her well as she seems to have a knack for figuring out who she can talk to and who she'll have to destroy in a fight.
Sailor Moon Is Honest With Sailor Galaxia
"If a soldier's pride means hurting one another, I don't want it."
Sailor Galaxia admonishes Sailor Moon for not having the pride of a soldier, meaning she won't strike first or be ruthless against her new enemy. Sailor Moon, however, doesn't see the need for Galaxia's particular type of pride.
Just as Usagi doesn't want to hurt her friends in her everyday life, Sailor Moon finds it difficult to go up against someone who is a Sailor Senshi. She sees them as the same, even if Galaxia has been twisted by her own climb to power, and Sailor Moon doesn't want to add more pain to the conflict than already exists.
Usagi Sees The Value In Love Despite The Potential Pain
"I'd rather fall in love and choose to be hurt."
If there's one thing that's always going to be true of Sailor Moon, it's her capacity for love. She doesn't care if loving someone might cause her pain in the long run, she's still going to allow herself to feel everything.
That's just as true in her civilian life as Usagi as it is in her heroic Sailor Moon persona. She puts her friends first, even if she's complaining about doing it. She also pursues Mamoru and protects him because of how genuine her love is for him, even after he attempts to push her away to protect her.
Sailor Moon Gives Everyone Second Chances
"You saved my life though, so you must have some kind of heart. And now that you know you were wrong, maybe you can start changing your ways."
Prince Demande (or Diamond) is one of the creepiest villains in the Sailor Moon franchise. He kidnaps Sailor Moon, intending on forcing her to be his, despite her lack of interest. In the '90s anime, however, he does prove that he has something of a heart when he saves her life, and she sees that maybe him leading the Black Moon Clan to Earth isn't entirely out of malice, but out of the need to find a home.
By the time she realizes this, it's too late, but she does try to encourage him to change and have a second chance at life. This is exactly who Sailor Moon is. She gives out second chances as often as she can. It's only if the other person rejects them that she forces herself to fight them. Sailor Moon really does just want peace.