Farewells and Encounters: The Transitioning Stars of Destiny

A lonely year looms over Usagi. Chibiusa has gone home to the thirtieth century and Mamoru is leaving to study overseas for more than twelve months. Her friends try to lift her spirits, but the mood shifts when a wholly new set of guardians surfaces, their purpose a mystery. At the same time a rising musical trio, the Three Lights, has the whole group swooning, and even the studious Ami turns red when the others catch her crush on Taiki.

Usagi races to the airport and reaches Mamoru at the last second. He slips a ring onto her finger and they share a goodbye kiss, though the moment is broken by the Three Lights arriving to a mob of fans. One of them, Seiya, senses a strange radiance about Usagi as he passes.

High above the planet, a woman clad in a golden Senshi uniform detects a carrier of a genuine Star Seed and fires five projectiles at Mamoru's aircraft, which erupts in light. Down on the ground, Yaten remarks that a star has just gone dark. Later, at a crowded park shoot, Usagi is separated from her friends and runs into Seiya again; he recognizes her from the airport, is baffled that she does not recall him, dubs her Odango, and walks off.

A short stranger calling herself a producer accosts an actress, then sheds her clothes to reveal an enemy outfit and extracts the woman's Star Seed. When the seed dims and proves false, its host mutates into a monster, and the villain names herself Sailor Iron Mouse before escaping in a phone booth. Usagi transforms into Eternal Sailor Moon but refuses to strike the creature, still seeing the human inside it. Three soldiers in black appear as the Sailor Starlights; Star Fighter pins the monster with Star Serious Laser, only for Sailor Moon to shield it. Her conviction summons the Eternal Tiare, and Starlight Honeymoon Therapy Kiss restores the victim before the newcomers vanish into the trees.

The episode introduces Kou Seiya, Kou Taiki, and Kou Yaten in their idol forms, gives Sailor Galaxia her first full-body appearance, and debuts Sailor Iron Mouse, the Galactica Bracelets, the Star Seed concept, and Star Serious Laser. It draws loosely on Act 50 of the manga but changes major beats: there, Galaxia steals Mamoru's Golden Crystal in front of Usagi, who faints into Seiya's arms and later blocks out the memory, and the Phage concept does not exist at all.

It also names Starlight Honeymoon Therapy Kiss for the first time and unveils a revised opening sequence, now featuring Galaxia and the Starlights, that served the remainder of the season. Chibiusa still appears in a family photo after her return to the future.