Sailor Moon has some of the most well-loved characters in shojo and magical girl anime. ’90s anime fans often cite Tuxedo Mask as one of their very first anime crushes. Usagi wasn’t the only person who waited on tenterhooks for Tuxedo Mask to show up in one of her battles with evil space entities.

Tuxedo Mask starts out as a mysterious heartthrob who offers Sailor Moon emotional support as her crush on him grows. His character only grows in complexity as the series continues. Tuxedo Mask is the crux of the Sailor Moon romance, but he’s also a great source of comic relief and sassy banter.

10 Tuxedo Helps Save Citizens from a Cursed Bus

Tuxedo Mask gets a bad rap in the Sailor Moon fandom for being useless. It’s quite a funny joke, and Naoko Takeuchi herself called Tuxedo Mask “useless” because she likes those kinds of men. The point of his character is that he encourages Sailor Moon from the sidelines as she shines and saves the day with her fellow Senshi.

But Tuxedo Mask does contribute significantly in several episodes, including in The Cursed Bus: Enter Mars, the Guardian of Fire. Several ghost buses kidnap dozens of innocent Tokyo civilians, and the Senshi investigate the creepy mystery and the pocket world they’re taken to. Just when all seems lost, Tuxedo Mask shows up with all the 150 innocents, and he leads the way, guiding the stolen buses back to Tokyo.

9 Tuxedo Mask Dates Rei, Briefly

Things take a turn for the dramatic when Rei Hino starts dating Mamoru, Tuxedo Mask’s civilian self. Sailor Moon had a crush on Tuxedo Mask from episode one, and Sailor Mars also moons over the mysterious ally from the moment she sees him. Rei is the first person to (correctly) speculate that Mamoru may be Tuxedo Mask.

Rei starts chatting up Mamoru and arranges a date with him, and though Usagi seemingly can’t stand Mamoru, she’s totally sick with jealousy. Mamoru is remarkably humble for a guy who attracts crushes like a garden gathers weeds. The cherry on the top of the episode isn’t Usagi’s pea-green envy, but Mamoru’s total confusion, as he doesn’t really like Rei the way she likes him, but he’s trying his utmost to be a polite gentleman to her.

8 Tuxedo Mask Won’t Have His Name Taken in Vain

When the Dark Kingdom tries to use Tuxedo Mask as a pawn to lure in Sailor Moon, Tuxedo Mask simply isn’t having it. Nephrite hatches a scheme to write fake letters to Sailor Moon, pretending they’re from Tuxedo Mask. Nephrite also dresses up as Tuxedo Mask (minus the hair), and makes Naru fall in love with his disguise.

Tuxedo Mask may let some things slide, but tricking ladies isn’t one of them. He refuses to let Nephrite assume his likeness to manipulate others, and Tuxedo Mask shows up with an extra dose of flamboyance. Not only does Tuxedo Mask right Nephrite’s wrongs, he does it with a particular flair for the dramatic.

7 Tuxedo Mask Won’t Tolerate Flirtation

Mimete is supposed to target Tuxedo Mask for her master’s schemes, but she can’t seem to decide whether she wants to fight him or flirt with him. Mimete is as adorable and silly as she is brazen. She takes quite a risk that Usagi won’t launch herself at her when Mimete boldly flirts with Mamoru in front of Usagi and Chibiusa.

Usagi doesn’t need to attack Mimete, though. Mamoru smoothly corrects Mimete, ignoring her flirtation and proudly proclaiming that he is on a date with his future wife and his future daughter at the botanical garden. This episode showcases how much of a family man Mamoru is, and where his heart truly lies.

6 Tuxedo Mask Gets Made Fun of

The Sailor Moon fandom aren’t the only ones to poke fun at Tuxedo Mask. Tuxedo Mask enters the fray when Sailor Moon faces off with Fish Eye at a ballet studio. Fish Eye summons the Lemures Kurumiwario, a freaky little puppet with a wicked sense of humor.

Tuxedo Mask crashes the ballet theater and admonishes Kurumiwario for stealing people’s beautiful dreams. Before Tuxedo Mask can finish his traditional “I am Tuxedo Mask!” introduction, Kurumiwario cuts him at the knees (figuratively). Kurumiwario willfully misunderstands Tuxedo Mask’s name, calling him “Torpedo Ass.” It effectively takes the wind out of Tuxedo Mask’s swashbuckling sails; it’s one of Tuxedo Mask’s and the English dub’s funnier moments.

5 Tuxedo Mask Takes Off the Mask

Tuxedo Mask starts to show the best and most authentic parts of himself toward the end of the first season. There are a few moments where Sailor Moon and Luna wonder where his loyalties lie, especially because Tuxedo Mask doesn’t remember much of his past. And Usagi’s always been contentious with Mamoru, feeling judged by him in particular.

But when Usagi and Mamoru are thrown together, in danger from the Dark Kingdom, the gloves (and the masks start to come off). Tuxedo Mask’s more heroic self starts to collide with his Mamoru self. Not only do he and Usagi start to bond significantly, he’s totally astounded when she transforms into Sailor Moon right in front of him. And he doesn’t hesitate to repay her bravery and vulnerability with his own when later he swoops in to save her from Queen Beryl and reveals himself as Tuxedo Mask with a single red rose.

4 Tuxedo and the Masquerade Balcony

Tuxedo Mask isn’t all good looks and mystery. He can dance, and that’s crucial for a romantic fairy tale lead. So much happens to advance the romantic plot when Usagi attends Princess D’s masquerade. Usagi spots Tuxedo Mask, and he invites her for a dance, making one of her teenage dreams come true.

Their dance is graceful, sweet, and it nudges at Usagi’s long-buried memory of falling in love with Prince Endymion on the dance floor a lifetime ago. The Tuxedo Mask romance doesn’t end there, though. A Dark Kingdom agent pushes Usagi off the masquerade balcony, and Tuxedo Mask saves her in a knight in shining armor-worthy move. Tuxedo Mask ends the episode by giving Usagi her first kiss. Just romance on top of romance on top of romance.

3 Tuxedo Mask as a Smart-Mouthed Villain

Tuxedo Mask is at his sassiest when Queen Beryl temporarily brainwashes him into becoming Dark Endymion, a villain. His sassiest fight is with Sailor Mercury, who is heartbroken on Usagi’s behalf, feeling as if Tuxedo Mask betrayed them. Tuxedo Mask wastes no time in making fun of Sailor Mercury for her “silly bubbles” (her Mercury Bubble Blast attack).

Dark Endymion then toys with Sailor Mercury, assuming the old costume he wore as Tuxedo Mask and twirling Queen Beryl’s crystal in front of her. Dark Endymion proves to be quite a formidable opponent, fighting both Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Mercury. Sailor Mercury holds her own, though, no matter how powerful and sassy her opponent is.

2 Usagi Makes Mamoru Feel Whole

The movie Sailor Moon R: The Promise of the Rose is a self-contained story that takes place during the Sailor Moon R season. It functions like a long filler episode, but it sheds some light on more of Mamoru’s mysterious past before he met Sailor Moon. Mamoru lost his parents at a young age, and the main thing that he remembers from his childhood is loss and loneliness. He had one friend – Fiore.

Mamoru’s backstory is sad but bittersweet because Fiore was a lovely friend, and he still has a place in Mamoru’s heart. It also shows how finding and loving Usagi is truly a balm to Mamoru’s soul. And in the Promise of the Rose finale, Tuxedo Mask/Mamoru has a truly epic transformation into his Prince Endymion self, so he can bracket Sailor Moon and lend her his strength as she stops a comet from crashing into earth.

1 Mamoru Proposes to Usagi

Mamoru and Usagi go through so much in the original anime. Tuxedo Mask nearly dies many times, he gets abducted and brainwashed more than once, Sailor Moon dies and is reborn – the couple even have a temporary breakup. On top of all that, Mamoru needs to leave the country to study for school.

Mamoru makes a really romantic and cathartic decision right before he leaves Japan, though. Usagi tries to put on a brave face at him leaving, but it would be hard for any girl, especially after they’ve been through so much. Mamoru gives Usagi the best thing to hold on to until he comes back, though – an engagement ring. Not only is it a dream come true for hopeless romantic Usagi, it’s affirming for fans who get to finally see the couple’s future unfolding.