History:

First Sailormoon Manga Series (for convenience sake)
She wasn't that great of a soldier when she started, but it quickly became clear that she had a good heart. She accepted people where others wouldn't accept them into their hearts. She befriended the "nerd" that just transferred. She befriended the psychic at the temple. She approached all the Sailors not caring what was said about them. And when she made a friend, she stuck by them and fought for them. She's very open-minded and has a good heart.

She met Mamoru, whom she loved, but hated at the same time. In this series she learned how to be a leader, what made a leader and to take responsibility for her actions when she didn't want to.

In the end, she sacrificed herself for the love she held. Although she was a coward, she finally accepted it and her responsibilities, she knew where she was going and what she was going to do. She found out what was important to her by the end of this series, and even refused to be queen of the moon even if it meant she would live in luxury.

Black Moon Manga Series (for convenience sake)
She met Usagi. Whom Mamoru promptly named Chibiusa much to Small Lady's discomfort. She found that her new friends were being captured left and right. She was totally destroyed as each one of her senshi fell in battle. She'd made new friends just to lose them. She learned to really value her friendship. She also learned to love Chibiusa. For her this series was not really critical in her development as a Soldier. It was more of a test of faith that everything would turn out alright.

You really start to see the mothering qualities that Usagi has, and Cancer exhibits. Though there is too much plot for her to show her true affection towards Chibiusa-chan.

Infinity Manga (for convenience sake)
This really tested Usagi. She hated to see her friends fight. She couldn't understand why the soldiers couldn't work together. This series was dark for everyone. It took a lot of time developing the new senshi. Usagi didn't get much development overall. Though it showed how much she cared no matter who the person was.. even if they were a cyborg (Hotaru, MANGA ONLY).

The Dream Manga (for convenience sake)
In this you get a lot of characterization for everyone. It suddenly hiccups. You learn everyone's dreams and it takes time to develop each character in their own act and reveals more of the past life. (It's also my favorite series in the manga.. ^^;;)

For Usagi you learn that her dream is to always protect the Earth with Mamoru. Though she thought her dream was to be a kid and to have no cares, she found that it didn't suit her. She loved being able to save the earth and do something. You found out again that she cares for everyone. She begins to really mature in this series. She doesn't trip so much anymore. She fights with Chibiusa less, and I think she begins to understand herself and her surroundings. She also gets a glimpse into her past with the fight with Neherennia.

The Stars Manga (for convenience sake)
This is the hardest series on Usagi. She loves Mamo-chan and he was about to ask her to marry him when he's shredded before her eyes by Galaxia. The people she loves are gone and all she is left with is Chibichibi. She's feeling more alone than she was in the other series. She's feeling really empty.

She can't believe that there could be evil Sailor Soldiers. She wants everyone to get along and work together.

Anime:
Her history is much the same, while there are radical plot changes, none of them really effect Usagi in any particular way to make her completely different. The only significant change that should be mentioned is that in the anime she and the Sailors are much more forgiving of their enemies. In the manga she kills the majority of them and only spares four, who are really senshi. In the anime she forgives a large amount of people.

PGSM:
This series loosely follows the first season of the anime/the first arc of the manga but has some major differences. The main one that affects Usagi as a person is the complication that in PGSM, the Princess [and the Mabaroshi no Ginzuishou] is intimately connected with Metallia and the destruction of the planet. Each time she uses the crystal, it increases the stress on the Earth as well as Metallia's powers. Usagi is forced to try adamantly to not use the crystal's power, which happens most often when she is upset emotionally [including anger, sadness or frustration] and not by will. She tries to remain smiling even when everything is at its darkest moment. She is also babied a lot more by the senshi as a result of this who do not want to upset her and add stress which may trigger a reaction from the Ginzuishou. This gives her an oddly abandoned feel to an extent, emotionally, and you feel like Usagi suffers more in PGSM than the other versions of Sailormoon.

Personality:

Manga:
She started off as a crybaby. Some people just say she's a flake and not that intelligent. It might seem that way at first, but if you really look at it, she isn't just that at all! She's mostly lazy. It shows several times throughout the manga. She's not stupid.. she just doesn't try that hard. (this you can see in the exams, the writing of the kanji, etc.) It doesn't mean she doesn't continue to be lazy, because as Neo-Queen Selenity she doesn't try to look up or use kanji, and she's still occupied with getting presents. It just means in dire situations when others are in trouble, then she fights to her full.

Anime:
In the anime she isn't as well rounded as she is in the manga. she isn't as mature, and often gets into fights and cries for no good reason. She does develop as a character, and more so than the other senshi, but she isn't as mature and doesn't develop as much. Even the hard-core SM anime fan notices this difference in Usagi. The majority I've run into like her better in the manga despite their preference.

The first major change you can note in Usagi in the anime is that she is more of a crybaby and doesn't really get over it as she does in the manga. She constantly fights with Rei (which most likely stems from the fact that Aries and Cancer are not supposed to get along). She fights with Chibiusa too. But within those relationships, the Anime says that those who fight are the closest, which they make an effort to constantly show. It's true that she seems to be very close to Rei in the anime, but she is not the closest to anyone. She's friends with Minako, Makoto, and Ami for different reasons and even recognizes this herself. They in turn recognize this in her.

The second major thing you can see differ is the fact that Usagi gets jealous easily. This too is from her astrology. (This is one fact the anime plays heavily upon, more than Takeuchi-sensei) But they also justify this, as in the SMSS move where it was shown, though Usagi *acts* jealous, she wouldn't care for a friend that says that they like her more than one of her other friends. She may constantly call Chibiusa a brat, but when it comes down to the wire, she will save Chibiusa and say sweet things like, "Wake up or we'll lose our future. Chibiusa open your eyes! Let's become adults together! Let's become adults and realize our dreams together!" - Japanese Episode 166. It took her a while to admit it too. She first used the excuse of not being able to use the Golden Crystal, and then she insisted on Chibiusa waking up. It's only at the last minute that she confessed her feelings. She has also said that a future is not worth it without Mamo-chan, Chibiusa, and her friends.

The other addition to the anime is of course a wonderful seiyuu! I cannot imagine an Usagi with any other voice. A voice that gets louder with each cry, and a sincerity that touches me deeply! You can find out more about Mitsuishi Kotono-san when I finally get her page up!

NA Dub
The voices for Serena detracted from the character. It is often not understood why a voice could change the scope of a character, but I can show why this is so. All three VA's though good in their own time and with eventual training that the seiyuu often learn, all whined Serena's voice. I think this was the voice direction. If you listen to the Japanese track versus the NA track you can hear on the Japanese track that the henshin phrases are shouted louder, the attacks have more power to them merely because the voices were allowed to be their loudest. There is more conviction because the voices were allowed to hit the top of the lung range possible.

This is the weakness of the NA voice direction and so poor Serena every time she cries is not allowed to cry louder at all. Instead she whines. While Usagi gets louder and LOUDER, Serena gets louder, then whines. It might not seem like it would effect the perception of the character much, but it does take it's toll. It makes Serena more of a ditz than Usagi. She doesn't seem like the lazy rabbit Usagi is. Instead she seems like a brainless teenager with powers.

Because Serena is given what seems the most teenage slang possible, she changes as a character. The Japanese animation never used slang for Usagi's language. This effect often makes her even more annoying than she has to be. The essence of Usagi is often still there, but it is detracted from by the fact Serena suddenly knows slang that would never show up in the Japanese language. It is possible that Optimum and the sponsors are trying to make Serena seem more "homely" and hip to the society, but as they are not part of the teenage population Serena instead comes off cheap.

On the bright side Serena doesn't seem to be as self-centered as Usagi is because all the comments about looks and being fit are cut to the most minimum possible and also with the "Sailor Says"'s that DiC originally aired.

Sera Myu:

It depended on who played her. Check the Musicals section of the site to get more information.

PGSM:

Usagi is essentially the same at the beginning of the series- fun, silly, immature. She befriends each senshi in turn as they are revealed to her (except for Sailor Venus). It is easier for Usagi to fight in this series than in the other versions, it seems as though she adjusts quickly to being a senshi [which Luna says is her 'Soldier's Sensibilities returning'] and is also essentially Usagi the entire time. When the Princess is revealed to be Usagi rather than Sailor Venus, it changes her a bit.

At first Usagi seems unchanged but when the princess truly awakens within her it is frightening- the Princess takes over Usagi's form to use the ginzuishou. The princess and Queen Metallia are revealed to be intimately connected to each other through the ginzuishou which means when one uses their power the other can sense it and gain power from it. As the Princess uses her power, the planet takes damage. Ultimately, the Princess in the past destroyed the Earth completely do to emotional trauma. So Usagi is forced to take on a huge responsibility immediately and try to suppress any desire she has to react emotionally. she becomes depressed and upset towards the end of the series, but tries to continue smiling rather than letting the emotion escape and form into power. Eventually, at the death of Mamoru Usagi can not endure anymore and destroys the world once more with the Ginzuishou. She awakens on a desert and Endymion tells her that she can still save the world- at the cost of her own life. She uses the power because she is essentially the same Usagi as the anime and manga series.

Why She is So Cool!:
She is our Savior that in the anime will unfreeze the Earth in time for 3002 (the next millennium...).

Because she evolves as a character over time. from a crybaby to being responsible for the universe and learning not to take the easy way out and run away. She grows and learns and we as fans grow and learn with her.