Sakura vs Usagi vs CBR

 So CBR released an article called "Cardcaptor Sakura: Sakura VS Usagi - Who Would Win?" CBR does not have a great track record for talking about vs debating or magical girls. I've considered making a response to one of their articles for a while now but never really felt it worth the effort. However given this is the fight I wanted more then any other, I suppose this is as good of one to start with as any. Feel free to tell me if you like this style or not.

I have not read this article yet, I'm gonna be responding to their points as I go. I will be using and assuming that they mean the canonical versions of both Usagi and Sakura unless they say otherwise. CBR doesn't have a good track record of keeping different canonicities seperate however.

So the introduction doesn't say anything particularly notable, it just basically gives a super general synopsis of both characters concepts. We start by going to the first point.

So the first point they give is Usagi has the advantage of immortality. They start by saying this ability "may come as a surprise to fans of Sailor Moon", though I'm not sure how it could. The Silver Crystal granting immortality is a major feature of the second arc. I guess they are thinking more about the anime where it's not made as clear.

The next point they give however is referencing the end of the first season of the anime...which isn't immortality. Sailor Moon was dying and she wished on the Silver Crystal to be able to return to her normal life, so the Silver Crystal basically undid the events of the first season, all of which is non-canonial. They then say "Usagi was reborn, but still had the fate and spirit of Princess Serenity." I'm not really sure how that's relevant although they may have accidentally stumbled on an actual advantage of Usagi's and/or heard this but know what it meant.

Yes, Usagi has a regen factor Sakura does not. Usagi was erased within the Galaxy Cauldron but the lambda power restored her. To kill her one must destroy the lamba power, the energy of the Cosmos Crystal.

Their next point is "Sakura: Syaoran's Aid." This is obviously outside help and probably doesn't need to be addressed. Beyond that not only is making this Sakura's first point kind of underming to her actual power, Syaoran probably can't help that much. He doesn't have much he can do that Sakura either can't do or can't do even better by end of CCS or TRC. But let's see what they say.

Alright they don't say anything more really. They just say Syaoran used to be Sakura's rival, and is now her boyfriend and he has "great fighting prowess." as well as say he can summon lightning use juju. Again, this is outside help, and not really likely to be much help regardless.

Their next point is "Usagi-Sailor Guardians" which again, is outside help. Also this one objectively won't make any difference, with the Lambda Power Usagi can already use their powers. You can't even say that numbers would help as Usagi can duplicate herself across time using the Silver Crystal's Acausality and Time Travel which we know because she already did, protecting her younger self as Sailor Cosmos.

In the section they say that "nothing can beat the Sailor Guardians when they work together" and that even though Syaoran would team up with Sakura "it would be a five-on-two fight, which speaks for itself."

I like all these characters sure but Usagi and Sakura are so much stronger then their friends that it's a non-element even if it wasn't outside help. Usagi literally one-shot all the other Senshi and Sakura surpassed Clow Reed who was the strongest sorcerer of all time by far including Syaoran.

Their next point is "Sakura-Acrobatic Ability" and basically they just say that Sakura had some experience with cheerleading and acrobatics. Yes this is technically an advantage Sakura has in a fight against Usagi but it's a really mild one in comparison. Given how Clamp fights tend to go thematically, yes small differences can be quite important but this is not one of Sakura's advantages by far when both characters can warp space and time around.

They then say as part of the same point that while Usagi "just barely dodged being killed by demons" which is I guess kind of accurate though misleading Sakura can "fly through the air." Usagi can also fly. Even in the anime Usagi flew in season 5 and she could at least levitate by season 2. It also says Sakura could "use the sealing wand in ways Usagi could not keep up with." I'm not really sure what it's trying to say here.

Their next point is "Usagi-Purifying Power." I'm not sure where they're gonna go with this one. Yes Usagi has very potent purification but Sakura is completely pure-hearted and noble, so I am not sure how they think it would help. 

They start by saying a "stark" difference between them is that Usagi fights demons, which...is only kinda true, Usagi's enemies are more like aliens but you can stretch it for them to be demons. In contrast Sakura captures Clow Cards.

They make the statement that she fights "actual threats." Yes I do think Usagi having greater combat skill and experience is an advantage she has and underlying one of the bigger reasons I thought she would win, namely that her powers are overall a lot more geared towards combat though this section being phrased as purification powers doesn't seem to imply that, if anything it seems to imply the inverse. Also while not as often Sakura has taken on actual threats like Madoushi and The Nothing.

So their next point is "Sakura-Stamina" and what are they doing? No. Stamina is one of Usagi's biggest advantages here. Sakura created a third style of magic distinct from solar and lunar, the magic of stars drawing from her internal energy which is why she got tired, even completely exhausted changing clow cards to Sakura cards. Usagi's energy source is infinite and unending, this is important to the plot and themes of Sailor Moon. 

So their argument is that "When Usagi first began being Sailor Moon, running around for short periods of time would leave her tired and out of breath, although she progressed with time." whereas Sakura "is a cheerleader and has built up her strength, as well as her stamina..." No. That's just not true. Usagi gets exhausted twice in the manga from fighting, once before she unlocks the Silver Crystal and once when Planet Nemesis was nullifying it's power. As Sailor Cosmos she will Sailor Chaos without end. She has access to the Silver Crystal which grants unending power. Sakura has a human physiology and exhausts herself by making these magical effects happen with her own stamina. Granted Sakura's stamina has gotten better to the point she was able to convert The Nothing to The Hope by herself, but stamina is one of the biggest advantages for Usagi.

Their next point is "Usagi-Transformations" which I'm not sure what they mean by that. I expect they're gonna say something about how Usagi has stronger forms or something.

Yep that's exactly what they say. Sakura doesn't transform at all, unusually for a magical girl, while Usagi has figher forms. It's not really applicable to EOS Usagi as her Sailor Crystal is the Cosmos Crystal and if she henshins into Sailor Cosmos, there's no known higher forms, not that a lower form of Usagi would be able to fight Sakura particullarly well regardless.

The next point is "Sakura-Magical Prowess." This one depends what they mean. Combat Skill, Knowedge about magic.

"Despite Usagi being the reincarnation of Princess Serenity is is stated she does not have much magical power-although Neo-Queen Serenity does." ...What? I'm kind of at a loss for words, I don't know where you could possibly be getting that from but Usagi is constantly stated and shown to have enormous magical power. She is bearer of the Legendary Silver Crystal that every villain in the series wants to attain. At best they might be thinking of how in the first arc Usagi was stated to only be half as good as one of the others, but that was more likely skill then power and that was the beginning of the series before Usagi unlocked the Silver Crystal.

The next statement is that Sakura was born with magical power and prowess, which is why the book of Clow chose her." Which is not true. Sakura was born with immense magical potential partially coming from being a descendant of Clow but she had no knowledge of magic. Syaoran comments on this fact, and I think Kero does as well at another point. 

"Despite Usagi have the ability to use magical weapons, Sakura can innantely utilize it." I don't see where they are getting this from. Both Usagi and Sakura rely on magical weapons and both have used magic without it, Usagi drawing power from the Silver Crystal and Sakura drawing power from her stellar magic and her energy. If they're trying to say Usagi relies more on magical equipment....I could maybe see it, although it's kind of debatable.

"Usagi-Combat Experience" So yeah this is an advantage for Usagi, although I thought this was already touched on. Sakura both by nature and by her type of magic is not a fighter, and has only fought magical threats like her a few times whereas Usagi's character arc is her progressing into being a soldier of love and justice who has fought numerous times magical enemies on her level.

They don't say anything particularly off in the section outside of again using the non-canon anime for Usagi and also claiming Usagi fought in "hundreds" of battles in the first season, which...is objectively not true. Season 1 has 46 episodes. There's no way Usagi could have fought hundreds of battles.

The next point is.... "Sakura-Clow Cards." ............ 

So you're point for Sakura here is "all the things Sakura can actually do?" The Clow Cards, or rather the Sakura Cards and then the Clear Cards comprise almost all of Sakura's magical abilities. So the section starts by saying some of Sakura's cards although the examples they give are...well.... "from The Watery, The Fiery, and The Sword, Sakura can use different elements and even summon weapons." Those are probably not the cards I would have suggested to show what Sakura could do against Usagi. Even in the anime Usagi is throwing around enough force to destroy a planet as early as the first seasons. In neither the anime or manga, do The Watery and the Fiery show enough destructive force to compare.

"While Usagi has magical weapons as well, Sakura's Clow Cards-which she then turns into Clow Cards..." Typo? I think you meant to say Sakura Cards. 

"would probably have the upper hand when it comes to battling her." Why? The author doesn't really say why the Cards are supposed to be stronger then Usagi's attacks. 

"Winner-Usagi. Despite both Sakura and Usagi being some of the toughest magical girls in anime, Usagi will ultimately win the fight" I think Usagi most likely wins although it's a difficult one. 

Anyway their argument after this that goes on for 1 sentence is after all this is that because of her combat experience and her....transformations...somehow........that she would blitz Sakura before she draws one of her cards. Usagi is probably faster then Sakura, but I don't think this would work. Not only is Sakura arguably acausal and can probably protect herself in the past, but Sakura has a magic sense and shield can come up to protect her automatically, plus she has a general magic resistance that would neg most of Usagi's attacks.

So yeah if you want a series of 5 points easy enough for the casuals to understand for both Usagi and Sakura

Usagi:

+Infinite Stamina (Silver Crystal has infinite energy)

+Immortality/Regen (Comes back so long as Lambda Power exists)

+More of a fighter (more experience/more combat-based powers)

+Lunar Body (Can survive in alien environments Sakura can't)

+Wiser (Usagi is able to understand other's emotions which Sakura isn't good at)

Sakura

+Higher Power (Multiversal vs Universal)

+Magic Resistance (immune to non-physical attacks of Usagi)

+Sakura Cards can act independently to protect Sakura

+More determination and willpower

+Smarter