Cardian
CharacterCardians are the monster servants of Ail and An during the opening arc of Sailor Moon R. Sealed inside playing cards until summoned, they hunt human energy to feed the Makai Tree that keeps the alien pair alive.
Appearance
Each Cardian lies dormant as a painted image on a card until it is called into a physical body. The individual monsters vary widely in form, ranging from Vampir and Minotauron to Falion, Hellant, and Siren, yet all share the same card origin.
Personality
They rank as little more than beasts. A Cardian cannot truly speak, managing only to repeat its own name or a clipped version of it, a limitation that underlines how subhuman and animalistic the creatures are. In the DiC English dub they are instead tied to the Dark Kingdom, granted the power of speech, and two of them are recast as male.
History
Ail keeps the monsters stored in cards and releases them to drain energy from humans for the Makai Tree. To choose one, he holds the cards up with their faces hidden while An senses which suits the mission. Ail then flings the selected card into the air and rouses the sleeping Cardian with his flute. On defeat, the creature cries out 'Cleansing!' and collapses back into card form; the fallen card drops to the ground and leaks black smoke as its painted image darkens.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What are Cardians in Sailor Moon?
Cardians are monster servants of the aliens Ail and An in the opening arc of Sailor Moon R. Each one lies dormant as a painted image on a playing card until it is summoned into a physical body.
Who controls the Cardians?
Ail and An control the Cardians, keeping them stored as cards and releasing them to drain human energy for the Makai Tree that keeps the pair alive.
Can Cardians talk?
Cardians can barely speak. They manage only to repeat their own name or a clipped version of it, underlining how animalistic the creatures are.
What happens when a Cardian is defeated?
When a Cardian is defeated it cries out Cleansing and collapses back into card form, and the fallen card leaks black smoke as its painted image darkens.
Are the Cardians different in the English dub?
In the DiC English dub, the Cardians are tied to the Dark Kingdom instead of Ail and An, given the power of speech, and two of them are recast as male.
Sources & Information
Looking for more on Cardian? The Dragon Ball Wiki on Fandom has a dedicated page with community notes.
View on FandomThis content is original writing by Daddy Jim Headquarters based on the Dragon Ball anime series, manga, and official materials. Episode and chapter references are cited where applicable.
Character and scene imagery on this site is original artwork by Daddy Jim Headquarters, not screenshots or licensed imagery. Official cover art is used on three types of pages for editorial commentary:
- Movie pages: theatrical posters and key visuals, credited to Toei Animation and Shueisha.
- Game pages: official box art, credited to Bandai Namco, Atari, and other publishers.
- Manga chapter pages: Jump Comics volume covers, credited to Shueisha and Akira Toriyama.
Official resources:
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