Butterflies of Light: A New Chapter On the Horizon

Hoping for a chance to speak with Taiki, Ami, Rei, Makoto, and Minako make their way to a video game convention. Away from the crowds, Chibi Chibi comes across an incense burner, and the aroma it gives off carries meaning for the members of the Three Lights.

The featured foe is the Phage known as Sailor Gamer, whose defeat closes out the episode's confrontation. Reiko Kanagawa turns up for her single appearance, and the relic that Chibi Chibi recovers, Kakyuu's Incense Burner, debuts here. During the fighting-game portion, Minako boasts about the skills she sharpened at the Crown arcade, a callback woven into the tournament scene. Sailor Star Fighter also recounts how the Starlights left their home world rather than stand against Sailor Galaxia.

This chapter, penned by Ryota Yamaguchi and helmed by Michiaki Sugimoto, first screened in Japan on November 9, 1996. It holds several lasts for the series: the final performances of Mercury Aqua Rhapsody and Jupiter Oak Evolution, the last Phage produced by Sailor Lead Crow, and the closing appearance of the Game Center Crown arcade. The tournament machine borrows from Capcom's Street Fighter and Sega's Virtua Fighter, while Minako's arcade banter nods to the Codename: Sailor V manga. A young player wears a shirt reading WE LOVE ANZA, a tribute to Anza Ooyama, the earliest stage actress to portray Usagi.