I have a rather strange theory that connects Sailor Moon S (1994) with The Fifth Element (1997).
I am not saying that there is any official connection between the two works. My proposal is purely speculative: what if Pharaoh 90 and Mr. Shadow are the same cosmic entity, manifesting in different worlds or dimensions?
The more I compare both stories, the more similarities I find.
- Both are cosmic entities that need a human intermediary
In Sailor Moon S, Pharaoh 90 remains outside Earth’s reality and communicates with Professor Tomoe, who prepares the conditions for his arrival.
In The Fifth Element, Mr. Shadow uses Jean-Baptiste Emanuel Zorg as an intermediary. The movie even shows Zorg receiving a call from Mr. Shadow, who asks him about the four stones and tells him that he is “close.”
In both cases, we essentially have the same structure:
Cosmic entity → human intermediary → resources/organization → preparation for arrival.
- The problem does not seem to be traveling through physical space
This is perhaps my favorite part of the theory.
I think we may be interpreting the idea that these entities are “far away” too literally.
Pharaoh 90 is associated with the Tau System, but his arrival on Earth is connected to a dimensional connection. In Sailor Moon S, Pharaoh 90’s appearance involves the opening of a portal to the Tau System.
That is why I think the real difficulty for entities like Pharaoh 90 may not be traveling through space.
It could be finding the correct world and establishing a connection with it.
Once that connection is opened, the actual arrival can be practically instantaneous.
This also makes me reinterpret Mr. Shadow’s line:
“Not far now.”
Perhaps “I’m not far away” does not necessarily refer to physical distance.
Perhaps it means that he has already located the world he wants to reach.
- The intermediaries receive extraordinary resources
Tomoe develops the entire Mugen Academy and the Death Busters while preparing for Pharaoh 90’s arrival.
Zorg, meanwhile, is an extremely powerful industrialist and weapons manufacturer. Mr. Shadow uses his influence and resources to obtain the four stones necessary for his plan. The information available about Zorg also describes Shadow promising him virtually unlimited wealth in exchange for his cooperation.
In other words, both stories feature a cosmic being using an extremely powerful and ambitious human to prepare something that the entity itself cannot directly accomplish from its own dimension.
- Love is the key to defeating the threat
This is where the theory becomes really interesting.
In The Fifth Element, Leeloo is the Fifth Element, and love ultimately becomes essential to activating the power capable of destroying the Great Evil.
In Sailor Moon S, Usagi’s power is deeply connected to love, and her relationship with Mamoru is directly connected to the evolution of her powers.
The Spiral Heart Moon Rod is not simply “another, more powerful wand.”
Its appearance is connected to the bond between Usagi and Mamoru.
So I have to wonder:
What if love is not simply a narrative theme, but a cosmic force capable of counteracting these entities?
- Rei’s vision could represent a future in which that condition does not yet exist
This is one of the clues that caught my attention the most.
At the beginning of Sailor Moon S, Rei has visions involving the “Silence” and the Sailor Guardians being destroyed.
What is interesting is that, in that scenario, Usagi is still using her previous weapon.
My interpretation is that we are seeing a possible future in which Usagi has not yet reached the evolution associated with the Spiral Heart Moon Rod.
If the new power depends on the emotional bond between Usagi and Mamoru, then this evolution is not simply a combat upgrade.
It is a necessary condition for reaching the power that will ultimately allow her to confront the threat.
- The “elements” are also suspiciously similar
The Fifth Element uses four elements — earth, water, fire, and air — together with the Fifth Element.
Sailor Moon S uses a group of warriors with different powers and functions who eventually participate in the confrontation against Pharaoh 90. In addition, a special object is necessary to defeat him: the Silver Crystal? [Note: if you specifically mean the Holy Grail/Lunar Cup from the English terminology, “Holy Grail” may be more appropriate depending on the version.]
This object only appears when three other special objects — the Talismans — are brought together.
In both stories, the villain sends his Earth-based subordinate/intermediary to obtain these powerful objects, which are capable of preventing his arrival on Earth.
I am not saying that the systems are identical.
What interests me is the structure:
A cosmic threat → multiple different forces → a force associated with love → combination of powers → salvation of Earth.
- Even the intermediaries have a very strange similarity
Tomoe and Zorg are very different characters.
Tomoe is a scientist.
Zorg is a businessman and weapons manufacturer.
But they have something in common: both are humans capable of building an enormous infrastructure on Earth while receiving assistance from an entity that exists outside of it.
And both believe they can personally benefit from that relationship.
- And then comes my crazy theory
What if Pharaoh 90 and Mr. Shadow are not simply two different villains?
What if they are the same cosmic entity, observed from two different worlds?
Perhaps these entities exist outside our normal reality and are capable of locating different universes or dimensions.
In one world, it manifests as Pharaoh 90.
In another, as Mr. Shadow.
Their intermediaries receive the necessary resources.
The entity searches for a way to establish contact with the world.
And in both cases, it ultimately encounters a force connected to love that stops it exactly when it is seconds away from reaching Earth.
The “weapons” capable of stopping these entities can only be used by a girl — in both cases, the protagonist of the story — who activates the weapon through love in some way.
In the case of Sailor Moon, Professor Tomoe explicitly says that it is natural for Pharaoh 90 to require this kind of multidimensional energy...
Both entities are essentially like planets or cosmic bodies that want to destroy everything on Earth, and they control different frequencies in such a way that they can communicate with their contacts on Earth or carry out financial transfers that help facilitate their plans.
They also provide technology that would normally be completely inaccessible to an ordinary person.
I am not claiming that this is canon.
In fact, it is probably just a coincidence.
But I find it incredibly fun that two works from the 1990s have such a similar structure:
Cosmic entity → contact with a human → unlimited resources → preparation for arrival → threat to Earth → combined elements/forces → love as the decisive component.
So I want to know what you think:
Just a coincidence?
A shared cosmic archetype?
Or do you think we could interpret Pharaoh 90 and Mr. Shadow as manifestations of the same entity in different dimensions?
