Easily one of the most popular and influential manga characters ever is Sailor Moon, who debuted in December 1991 in the original manga by Naoko Takeuchi. Though she had a number of other series before and after Sailor Moon, Takeuchi’s magical girl series helped to define the entire genre and continues to be easily the most popular example of it to this day.

Before working on manga, Takeuchi expressed interest in becoming an artist as early as high school, where she also took a large interest in astronomy (which would later influence Sailor Moon). However, her parents advised her to have a different profession in mind in case her manga plans didn’t work out, so she studied at the Kyoritsu University of Pharmacy where she received a degree in chemistry and became a licensed pharmacist. Also around this time, she worked as a miko (shrine maiden) at the Shinto shrine near the university (this experience became the basis for a character in Sailor Moon as well).

Following graduation, Takeuchi was able to work her way into the manga industry. Her first work, Love Call, was run by Kodansha; most of her early work consisted of one-shots, though she did have longer series such as Maria and The Cherry Project. One of her one-shot comics was called Codename: Sailor V, which introduced the character of Minako Aino, whose alter-ego was the title character. Sailor V herself became Sailor Venus in Sailor Moon, making Codename: Sailor V the official prequel to Sailor Moon.

Sailor Moon’s manga ran from December 1991 to February 1997 for a total of 18 collected volumes. The anime began in 1992 and ended around the same time as the manga with 200 episodes produced of the anime in all, plus three animated films. In 2003, a live-action adaptation of the series called Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon began and ran for about a year.

Takeuchi also established a studio known as Princess Naoko Planning (or PNP), which helps manage the Sailor Moon license and related properties, though it also manages work by Yoshihiro Togashi (Takeuchi’s husband) such as Hunter x Hunter. Since the conclusion of Sailor Moon, she has released a collection of her one-shot comics as well as worked on a series called Toki-Meca!, though Sailor Moon has continued to be by far her greatest success, especially with the recent release of the new anime Sailor Moon Crystal.

Though many women in comics have had large impacts, few have revolutionized the entire genre – or industry – quite like Naoko Takeuchi. Though it’s been more than 20 years since Sailor Moon first came onto the scene, the influence the show had on shoujo manga and on young readers everywhere is still felt today.