| Sailor Venus | |
|---|---|
| Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon and Codename: Sailor V character | |
 Minako in her Super Sailor Venus form as seen in Sailor Moon SuperS. | |
| First appearance | Codename: Sailor V: "Sailor V Arrives! - [Channel 44] Pandora's Ambition" (August 1991) |
| Created by | Naoko Takeuchi |
| Voiced by | Japanese: Rika Fukami Shizuka Itō (Sailor Moon Crystal) English: Stephanie Morgenstern (DiC dub) Emilie-Claire Barlow (CWi dub) Cherami Leigh (Viz Media dub) |
| Portrayed by | Ayaka Komatsu (PGSM) |
| In-universe information | |
| Alias | Minako Aino Sailor V Princess Venus Princess Sailor Venus (PGSM) |
| Nickname | Mina |
| Weapon | Love-Me Chain Holy Sword (manga and Sailor Moon Crystal) |
| Relatives | Mr. Aino (father) Mrs. Aino (mother) Mina Aino (daughter; "Parallel Sailor Moon" only) |
| Affiliations | Sailor Guardians Shadow Galactica (manga and Sailor Moon Crystal) |
| Powers and abilities | Light manipulation |
Minako Aino (愛野 美奈子, Aino Minako, renamed "Mina Aino" in some English adaptations), better known as Sailor Venus (セーラーヴィーナス, Sērā Vīnasu), is a fictional character in the Sailor Moon and Codename: Sailor V manga series written by Naoko Takeuchi. Minako is her sailor form's alternative human identity as part of the Sailor Guardians (of which she is their leader), female supernatural fighters who protect the Solar System from evil.
Minako is the fourth Sailor Guardian to be discovered by Usagi Tsukino, although she was the first Sailor Guardian to awaken her powers, even before Usagi did. She possesses powers associated with love and beauty, light, and golden material metal. In the manga and anime series, she dreams of becoming a famous idol, but in the live-action series, her character is already a well-known celebrity.
Minako is introduced as the protagonist of Naoko Takeuchi's much-shorter manga series Codename: Sailor V, the predecessor to Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon. In it (and the early part of Sailor Moon), she goes by the pseudonym Sailor V (セーラーＶ, Sērā V), short for "Venus", and is given a personal backstory. The plot lines of Sailor V are generally compatible with the latter series, but are usually considered separate. Later, she co-stars with Rei Hino in a special short story titled Rei and Minako's Girls School Battle.