There are three crystals in Sailor Moon: The ginzishou, or silver crystal, the black crystal, and the golden crystal. Each crystal has special powers and is controlled by different people.
The Ginzishou
The anime and the manga have slightly different stories about the ginzishou. This is because the manga was behind the anime, so the anime inserted an extra storyline in order to wait for the manga to catch up.
The anime has contrasting information as well. In episode 25, Queen Beryl tells her minions the story of the ginzishou. Queen Serenity used the power of the ginzishou to trap the seven shadows, the Dark Kingdom's most powerful warriors. When she flung them into space, however, the ginzishou broke into seven nijizuishou, or rainbow crystals, and were reborn into seven humans, or as we find out, six humans and one cat. Once the nijizuishou is removed from the human they would revert back into their shawdow form.
This story is somewhat contrasting to the other story given in the anime as well as the story portrayed in the manga. Episode 44 takes the senshi back to the Moon where they meet the spirit of Queen Serenity. She tells the senshi the story of the last night of the Moon Kingdom. Here Queen Serenity uses the ginzishou to seal the entire Dark Kingdom, as well her daughter, her court, and the other children of the moon. Using the last of her strength she sends everyone to the future to be reborn. Nothing is mentioned in this episode about the seven shawdow. This is because this episode is based on the Manga.
In the anime, the ginzishou appears as the seven rainbow crystals combine with Usagi's teardrop. In the manga, however, the rainbow crystals never existed and the ginzishou was inside Usagi all along. It appears from her teardrop.
The power of the ginzishou comes with a price. Using the stone drains the users lifeforce and many times ends in death. Queen Serenity lost her life using the stone to save her daughter as well as the world. Sailor Moon dies at the end of her battle against Beryl, and only by her wish to return everything to normal do she and the other senshi return to life. In the Sailor Moon R movie, using the ginzishou to break up the astroid before it hits the Earth claims Sailor's Moon's life once more. She survives by drinking the nector of the flower of life. Sailor Moon and Chibiusa, nearly lose their life in the battle against death phantom. Once again, it is by their wish to save everything that their own lives are spared.
The ginzishou is a powerful stone that grants the purehearted wishes of its user. An example of this is the end of Sailor Moon, when Usagi wishes for everything to go back to normal. She describes a normal day in her life, saying that "Even the little things make me happy. It's that ordinary life I want back." With that wish, the senshi and Mamoru are transported back to their lives, as if nothing ever happened, and the memories of their times together are gone.
The Black Crystal
The black crystal is the source of the Black Moon Clan's power. The crystal is located on the rogue moon, Nemesis, which is also the home for the clan. Using the power of the crystal, the Death Phantom wishes to destroy the world. The crystal is much larger than the ginzishou and can be broken into many pieces with fractions of the power the main crystal contains. The crystal can also self destruct if the energy level becomes too high.
In the anime, members of the clan wear smaller versions of the crystal as their power source in the form of earrings. Each member has these earrings, including both the male and female members of the clan. Esmaurade also fashion sculptures of herself out of black moon crystal to serve as a means of funneling dark energy into Toyko at seven weakpoints.
In the end, it is Black Lady's power, combined with the dark crystal that allows the dark crystal to grow on Earth so that a portal can be opened between that crystal and the one located on Nemesis.
The Golden Crystal
Once again the anime and manga different greatly on the story of the crystal. In the anime, the golden crystal is protected by Elios. The horn on his head, in both his priest and pegasus forms is the crytal. Queen Nehelenia wants to use the power of the golden crystal to take over the earth.
The crystal derives it's power from the beautiful dreams of humans. If there are many humans with beautiful dreams, the crystal's power as a force of good is strong and world of Elysion, which Elios protects as well, flourishes. However, if the number of humans with beautiful dreams decreases and people give up the hope of their dreams, the power of the crystal as a force of good decreases, and it can be used for evil purposes.
In the manga, the golden crystal is sealed, and no one knows where it is. The crystal is needed to defeat Queen Nehelenia and save Elysion, the sacred place of the Royal Earth Family. Usagi is the maiden princess who must break that seal. In the final battle with Queen Nehelenia, as all the senshi gather their power, the power of the ginzishou awakens the golden crystal inside Mamoru's body. He uses the crystal, much in the same way that Usagi uses's the ginzishou, and together they defeat Nehelenia.
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