Sailor Moon's Luna Explained
Is it really an anime if there isn't at least one talking animal? In the case of "Sailor Moon," there's an entire planet's worth of alien cat people. Well, they're not always cats, and they're not always people, and no version of the story ever really labels their species, so ... we're not totally clear on what they are, exactly. It's weird. But that's anime! Vague confusion is part of the appeal. Chief among these cat-people folk is Luna, who spends the better part of "Sailor Moon" in the form of a small, black cat with a crescent moon insignia on her brow.
Fans of the series will know that Luna serves as Serena Tsukino's mentor figure (fans will also know that Serena's name is Usagi in the original Japanese and the updated dub, so if that's your preferred cup of tea, just insert the OG names wherever they are applicable). As it turns out, super-powered teenagers need all the help they can get.
The Sailors tend to hog the spotlight, so let's focus on Luna, who doesn't have to be vague or confusing. For the sake of not crossing the streams, we're going to draw from Luna's depiction in the original anime, not the reimagined "Sailor Moon Eternal," and not in the manga or in either of the live-action iterations. While she's essentially the same character across all versions of the story, there are minor differences and that's just too much information to deal with at any given time.
Luna's not nearly as old as you think she is (and that's the English dub's fault)
As previously mentioned, Luna isn't really a cat. She's a member of an unnamed alien race from the planet Mau, which is literally the Egyptian word for "cat." These creatures can transform between a feline form and a humanoid form at will. You heard that correctly, Magical Girl Transformations are coded into Luna's blood. Despite this, Serena still struggles to listen to her sometimes. Ah well. Luna's human form isn't seen in the anime until "Sailor Moon S: The Movie," a straight-to-TV 1994 film that follows the fifth season of the series.
Interestingly, Luna's human form shows that she's a young girl who's approximately 14 years old. This was something of a shock for English-speaking audiences because the dub originally cast Jill Frappier to voice her. Frappier was in her 50s during the 1990s when "Sailor Moon" was produced, and while plenty of voice actors possess a youthful sound well beyond their early years, nothing about Frappier's chosen sound suggested that Luna was in any way, shape, or form a teenager. Everyone assumed she was more of a motherly figure. Oops. Michelle Ruff would later lend her voice to Luna in the English dub, providing a far more youthful performance.
Luna's a cat on a mission to save the world
Once upon a time, Luna served as an advisor to Queen Serenity of the Moon Kingdom — a kingdom on the moon, don't read too much into it. But that all ended when evil forces from the Dark Kingdom attacked. The resulting war did not end well for the royal moon family. Queen Serenity used her magic to allow herself and her children to reincarnate on Earth and tasked Luna with finding and mentoring them to become the galactic protectors they were born to become.
And find them she does, albeit slowly, beginning with Serena, the reincarnation of Queen Serenity. Once the Sailors are established, Luna serves a sentient utility belt who can summon weapons and tools for the young heroes from her crescent moon insignia. And now that we've written that out, there's no way that "Steven Universe" didn't use Luna as inspiration for the Crystal Gems.
Once the Sailors are all gathered, it becomes Luna's mission to prevent Serena from defeating the aforementioned evil forces in the same way that Queen Serenity did because the late queen's methods involved martyrdom ... and there are only so many times that a cat-person can watch their friends and family die (and that's only one of the very dark, very adult things in "Sailor Moon").
Luna's a cold-blooded and hopeless romantic
Maybe it's the trauma, or maybe it's the fact that she's permanently stuck in a supporting role, but Luna can be a bit cold. She approaches the world and everyone in it with harsh judgment. Unsurprisingly, this tends to cause friction with the teenagers that she's supposed to be in charge of, especially Serena. Underneath her cold exterior, however, Luna's a hopeless romantic looking for love. Several subplots in "Sailor Moon" focus on her various pursuits. Again, it's important to remember that she's supposed to be 14. Maybe that means something less creepy for cat people.
Luna's most prominent flame is Artemis, her co-advisor to Queen Serenity that also traveled to Earth in search of her reincarnated super-children. The two are often seen cuddling throughout the series (as cats are want to do), but they must end up together in some fashion because their daughter, Diana, travels back through time to appear in "Sailor Moon SuperS." So, technically, Luna's kid appears in the chronology before American audiences discover that Luna is a teenager.
Despite her personal inclinations, Luna is always there for Serena and the Sailors. And it's clear that she cares for them deeply. Some affections last beyond one lifetime.