Youma

The word means demon in Japanese, rendered as monster in the Viz translation, and the creatures vary wildly in form. Some are original beasts summoned from dust or dirt, while others are ordinary people forcibly warped until Sailor Moon restores them. Many operate behind human disguises, often impersonating a specific person to slip close to their prey. In the live-action series the rank-and-file are mostly nameless and identical, weaker mass-produced figures whose hooded-robe costumes were recycled from the Zyuranger and Power Rangers Golem Soldiers.

Whatever their shape, their purpose is fixed: harvest energy for the Dark Kingdom or destroy its enemies. A quirk of the anime is speech, since some hold full conversations while others only chant their own names, and those healed from human victims cry 'Refresh!' as they revert. Loyalty to their master is expected, which is why the handful who turn on their own generals stand out so sharply.

In the manga only Jadeite and Nephrite bother making monsters during the hunt for the Silver Crystal, and once they fall the remaining generals act directly rather than through servants. The anime hands each of the Four Kings a signature method. Jadeite's monsters wear disguises and plant his dark-charged trinkets on crowds to siphon energy from many people at once. Nephrite instead reads the stars to pick a single person nearing their energy peak, approaches as Masato Sanjouin, and hides a monster inside an object they handle daily, letting it twist their personality before it strikes. Zoisite reawakens the Seven Great Monsters sealed inside the carriers of the Rainbow Crystals, transforming each host in turn; those seven can fuse into one supreme monster, which the Guardians prevent by keeping them apart. Kunzite likewise converts innocent people, aiming them purely at killing Sailor Moon. Queen Beryl keeps her own high-ranking servants above all of these. Later continuities reshape the idea: Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon leaves most monsters nameless and even nearly turns Usagi into one, the musicals introduce a disguising monster called Manegin, several video games feature them as enemies and bosses, and Crystal follows the manga's version of events closely.