Hotaru Tomoe
Encyclopedia
, is one of the central characters
in the Sailor Moon
metaseries. Her civilian name is , a sickly schoolgirl who can transform into one of the series' specialized heroines, the Sailor Senshi
. She is the only human protagonist whose name is not Anglicized in the English dub, although the e sound in her surname is silent in the dubbed version.
She is featured in the 3rd season of Sailor Moon (Sailor Moon S) and few episodes of Sailor Stars.
, the series creator, describes her as delicate, quiet, precocious and expressionless.
In the manga, there was a lab accident which killed Hotaru's mother, Keiko, and critically injured Hotaru. Souichi Tomoe, Hotaru's father, rescued her by making her body cybernetic and making a deal with Master Pharaoh 90. He used Pharaoh 90's power in the hope of reviving her. In exchange, he also lost his humanity and became malevolent. After Sailor Moon prevents Sailor Saturn from destroying the world at the end of Infinity she is reborn as a baby without the cybernetic parts. She also ceases to have seizures after this point.
In the anime, she does not have a cybernetic body and is an outcast because of her powers and seizures. Her mother is deceased. Her father does not die like in the manga, but lives after the end of Super. He takes care of Hotaru until Sailor Pluto asks for her in the first part of Sailor Stars
. It is unknown if she returns to her father after the battle.
Hotaru's age fluctuates during the series; she is first introduced as a 12 year old, is reborn as an infant, quickly develops into a young child around 4 or 5, then reaches her proper chronological age after a metaphysical epiphany. As Sailor Saturn, Hotaru can destroy a planet. Her powers awaken once the three Talisman of Sailor Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto gather and resonate. Saturn reveals in the Infinity arc of the manga that this power is necessary, because rebirth cannot happen without death. It was Saturn who destroyed the remnants of the war-torn Silver Millennium
kingdom, allowing a new world to be born. At first, knowledge of her powers caused the other Outer Senshi to attempt to kill her unawakened form. However, Saturn's awakening ultimately saved the world by forcing Master Pharaoh 90 to escape to his former universe before being destroyed with Earth. Sailor Pluto then sealed the gateway to their dimension so that he could never return and Super Sailor Moon used her powers as Neo-Queen Serenity to resurrect all that had been destroyed.
In the manga, after Professor Tomoe's death, Hotaru becomes the adopted daughter of Haruka Tenoh, Michiru Kaioh and Setsuna Meioh. She refers to them as Haruka-papa, Michiru-mama and Setsuna-mama. They live together in an Empire Victorian House.
In the musicals, Professor Tomoe is only present in a few stages, though Sailor Saturn appears in every musical from the third on. In musicals where Tomoe is absent, Hotaru is presented as being in the care of Haruka and Michiru.
era and the 30th century, Hotaru gains multiple aspects and aliases as the series progresses.
and brown
uniform. The initial version of this uniform has petal-shaped sleeve
s, a star brooch
and choker
with the same kind of star, glove
s, and knee-high
, laced-up stiletto
boot
s. She is given various specific titles, including Soldier of Silence, Soldier of Destruction, and Soldier of Death and Birth.
Sailor Saturn is especially recognizable for the Silence
Glaive
she carries, which she may use to bring about the cataclysmic destruction of a world or worlds. However, she has the ability to heal minor wounds in both her civilian and Senshi forms. In the anime, Hotaru (in civilian form) healed Chibiusa's knee scrape when she was dealing the "monster of the day". However it was revealed that healing even a very minor injury like that would leave her in a weakened state due to her sickly constitution prior to her death and rebirth.
In the anime, all of the Senshi (including Saturn) had lives in the Moon Kingdom
and their represented planets, and were all reborn with Princess Serenity and her court. In the manga, however, Sailor Saturn is said not to have lived among the other Senshi. Additionally, the Outer Senshi were not supposed to be reborn when the Kingdom was destroyed, but they gathered together because of its destruction, and their Talismans reacted and accidentally awakened Saturn from her sleep. She then killed the remnants of the Silver Millennium and they were all reborn on Earth. After their rebirth, the Talismans, which were never meant to be on the same planet, reunited and ended up awakening Sailor Saturn in the present-day.
Sailor Saturn gains additional powers as the series progresses, and at key points her uniform changes to reflect this. The first change takes place in Act 39 of the manga, when she obtains the Saturn Crystal and her outfit becomes similar to that of Super Sailor Moon. She is not given a new title. A similar event takes place in Episode 168 of the anime, and she is given the name Super Sailor Saturn. A third, manga-only form appears in Act 42, also unnamed, but analogous to Eternal Sailor Moon (sans wings).
, during the Silver Millennium
, Sailor Saturn was also the Princess of her home planet
. She was among those given the duty of protecting the galaxy's Outer Rim. As Princess Saturn, she dwelt in Titan Castle and wore a purple gown—she appears in this form in the original manga and in supplementary art. Unlike the other Senshi, it is stated that Saturn did not awaken in the Silver Millennium until after it was destroyed so Princess Saturn's exact status during that time is unclear.
during this time. Mistress 9 was used to bring the demonic Pharaoh 90 to Earth so that he could destroy it. He was only stopped by the reawakened Sailor Saturn, who requested Sailor Pluto to seal away the entity into his world, preventing him from returning to Earth.
In all four of the Kaguya Island musicals, Hotaru is possessed by a spirit named Kon, who speaks through Hotaru to the other Senshi. When Hotaru awakens she has no memory of what happened while Kon possessed her body. Kon is the remnant of stars destroyed by Dark Plasman and the comet Coatl. In the first two of these musicals, she gives her power to Sailor Moon in the final battle to allow her to transform into Eternal Sailor Moon. Kon was given the song "Hitosuji no Hikari no Kokoro" in her appearances.
During Last Dracul Jokyoku, Hotaru is presented in the care of Professor Tomoe, knowing of the existence of the Senshi, yet not awakening as Sailor Saturn until halfway through the musical.
While several Sailor Senshi
have unusual powers as civilians, Hotaru's are numerous and varied. Some of these are portrayed only in the third story arc, when she is possessed by Mistress 9; these include forcefields and energy beams that arise when she is in danger, often involuntary. As shown in that arc, she also has the ability to heal minor flesh wounds. In both the manga and anime she is reborn as an infant immediately upon fulfilling her task as Sailor Saturn, and later, when she is needed in that role again, grows to her former age in a matter of days. Eventually she is visited by an image of herself in Senshi form, who bestows power on her again.
In the manga, Sailors Uranus, Neptune and Pluto gain their second transformation when Hotaru gives them their Sailor Crystals after she has regained her older body. In the anime, Hotaru is still a baby when her power floods Sailors Uranus, Neptune and Pluto, upgrading them and herself to their Super forms. In both versions, Hotaru has visions of coming events, especially of danger, and can project these visions to other people. When she is a young girl, she creates a small projection of the galaxy which hovers in the air in her room, simulating astronomical history at high speed. However, it is only in the manga that Haruka stays with her while she reproduces these events to help keep her power in check.
Her transformation into Sailor Saturn is rare. The transformation sequence into her Senshi form is never shown in the main series, although one of the video games included a shortened transformation sequence
, which she initiated by raising her hand in the air (like the Guardian Senshi) and shouting "Saturn Planet Power, Make up!". In the manga she eventually gains her Saturn Crystal and does transform in front of the other Senshi, evoking Saturn Crystal Power! Make Up!. In the anime, although she upgrades to Super Sailor Saturn, the Crystal is never mentioned and her transformation is again not shown on-screen.
Sailor Saturn's powers are mostly based on Roman mythology
, in which Saturn
is the god of the harvest
. As such, her primary role is that of the destroyer, and her coming is greatly feared by the Outer Senshi. Her first act upon arrival is to assault Master Pharaoh 90 with the attack "Death Reborn Revolution." The kanji
used with this maneuver translate to , with the intended pronunciation given in furigana
.
The item most associated with Sailor Saturn is her Silence Glaive, which, apart from its capacity as a bladed weapon, figures in many of her named attacks. It is referred to once as the "scythe
of the Goddess of Death," and the act of lowering its point to the ground is all that is required for her to "bring ruin to the world." No incantation is spoken, and this action is separated from "Death Reborn Revolution" by the dialogue given in between the two maneuvers. In the anime, Sailor Saturn will die if she uses this ability, and Super Sailor Moon risks her life to prevent Saturn from doing so, after Saturn defeats Master Pharaoh 90. In the manga, Sailor Saturn deliberately allows herself to be sucked into Master Pharaoh 90's dimension while he is escaping.
When Sailor Saturn returns near the end of the fourth story arc (which overflows into the beginning of the fifth anime series), several more attacks are introduced. She defends herself and her allies with , a dome of dark energy that deflects attacks, and attacks with . In the anime this attack is used against Nehellenia; seeing no other way to defeat her, Saturn intends to bring down her Glaive and destroy everything, but before she manages to strike the ground Sailor Chibi Moon throws herself at Saturn to stop her from completing the action and sacrificing her life, nevertheless, the Glaive releases massive power that destroys most of Nehellenia's palace.
In the manga series, the Death Busters use a power source called the Tioron Crystal, which was once worn by Hotaru's mother, Keiko Tomoe. After her death, Professor Tomoe gives it to Hotaru in order to ease the pain she must frequently endure. The Saturn Crystal is her Sailor Crystal and the source of all her power, which becomes especially important in the fifth story arc
.
The kanji
of Hotaru's surname translate as and . The former comes from the name of her planet in Japanese, . Her given name is in hiragana
and so its meaning is not inherent, but the word itself means "firefly" , and this meaning is used at least once as a pun. Fireflies are associated with spirits of the dead in Japanese mythology, referring to her status as the Senshi of death and rebirth. In the Mixx (now Tokyopop
) manga, Hotaru was once named Jenny; Mixx later admitted this was a mistake and changed her name back.
It has been suggested that moe comes from a contraction of her last name, but this is considered a false etymology
.
Tsubame Sanjou of Rurouni Kenshin
had her final design based on Hotaru.
Yūko Minaguchi
. In the English-language dub, her voice is provided by Jennifer Gould.
In the stage musicals
, Hotaru has been played by 9 actresses: Keiko Takeda, Chihiro Imai, Asami Sanpei, Mao Mita, Mario Tomioka, Ayami Kakiuchi, Ruria Nakamura, Yui Iizuka, and Eriko Funakoshi.
Hotaru does not appear in the live-action series
.
Character (arts)
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
in the Sailor Moon
Sailor Moon
Sailor Moon, known as , is a media franchise created by manga artist Naoko Takeuchi. Fred Patten credits Takeuchi with popularizing the concept of a team of magical girls, and Paul Gravett credits the series with "revitalizing" the magical-girl genre itself...
metaseries. Her civilian name is , a sickly schoolgirl who can transform into one of the series' specialized heroines, the Sailor Senshi
Sailor Senshi
A appears as a type of heroine in the metaseries known as Sailor Moon. The name comes from sailor fuku, a type of school uniform, and senshi, which can mean "soldier" or "warrior". Naoko Takeuchi, the manga artist who originated the series, coined the term by fusing English and Japanese elements,...
. She is the only human protagonist whose name is not Anglicized in the English dub, although the e sound in her surname is silent in the dubbed version.
She is featured in the 3rd season of Sailor Moon (Sailor Moon S) and few episodes of Sailor Stars.
Profile
Hotaru is first introduced when she becomes friends with Chibiusa. She did not have friends until she met Chibiusa and Usagi. In the anime she was not popular with her classmates because of her powers and her strange seizures as well as personality changes for being the host of Mistress 9, the evil entity that lived in her after the age of 5. Naoko TakeuchiNaoko Takeuchi
is a Japanese manga artist who lives in Tokyo, Japan. Takeuchi's works have a wide following among anime and manga fans worldwide. Her most popular work, Sailor Moon, rose to become one of the most recognized manga and anime products to date.-Early life:...
, the series creator, describes her as delicate, quiet, precocious and expressionless.
In the manga, there was a lab accident which killed Hotaru's mother, Keiko, and critically injured Hotaru. Souichi Tomoe, Hotaru's father, rescued her by making her body cybernetic and making a deal with Master Pharaoh 90. He used Pharaoh 90's power in the hope of reviving her. In exchange, he also lost his humanity and became malevolent. After Sailor Moon prevents Sailor Saturn from destroying the world at the end of Infinity she is reborn as a baby without the cybernetic parts. She also ceases to have seizures after this point.
In the anime, she does not have a cybernetic body and is an outcast because of her powers and seizures. Her mother is deceased. Her father does not die like in the manga, but lives after the end of Super. He takes care of Hotaru until Sailor Pluto asks for her in the first part of Sailor Stars
Sailor Stars
The following list of episodes of the Sailor Moon anime series covers , the fifth season of the series. Children's TV Asahi, Toei Agency and Toei Animation co-produced the episodes; Takuya Igarashi directed. The series originally aired on Children's TV Asahi between March 9, 1996 and February 8, 1997...
. It is unknown if she returns to her father after the battle.
Hotaru's age fluctuates during the series; she is first introduced as a 12 year old, is reborn as an infant, quickly develops into a young child around 4 or 5, then reaches her proper chronological age after a metaphysical epiphany. As Sailor Saturn, Hotaru can destroy a planet. Her powers awaken once the three Talisman of Sailor Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto gather and resonate. Saturn reveals in the Infinity arc of the manga that this power is necessary, because rebirth cannot happen without death. It was Saturn who destroyed the remnants of the war-torn Silver Millennium
Silver Millennium
The Silver Millennium, a fictional kingdom in the Sailor Moon metaseries, lies on the moon. It provides a setting for the past lives and future selves of most of the series' major characters, and functions as a major driving force behind both plot and characterization.The series first shows the...
kingdom, allowing a new world to be born. At first, knowledge of her powers caused the other Outer Senshi to attempt to kill her unawakened form. However, Saturn's awakening ultimately saved the world by forcing Master Pharaoh 90 to escape to his former universe before being destroyed with Earth. Sailor Pluto then sealed the gateway to their dimension so that he could never return and Super Sailor Moon used her powers as Neo-Queen Serenity to resurrect all that had been destroyed.
In the manga, after Professor Tomoe's death, Hotaru becomes the adopted daughter of Haruka Tenoh, Michiru Kaioh and Setsuna Meioh. She refers to them as Haruka-papa, Michiru-mama and Setsuna-mama. They live together in an Empire Victorian House.
In the musicals, Professor Tomoe is only present in a few stages, though Sailor Saturn appears in every musical from the third on. In musicals where Tomoe is absent, Hotaru is presented as being in the care of Haruka and Michiru.
Aspects and forms
As a character with different incarnations, special powers, transformations and a long lifetime virtually spanned between the Silver MillenniumSilver Millennium
The Silver Millennium, a fictional kingdom in the Sailor Moon metaseries, lies on the moon. It provides a setting for the past lives and future selves of most of the series' major characters, and functions as a major driving force behind both plot and characterization.The series first shows the...
era and the 30th century, Hotaru gains multiple aspects and aliases as the series progresses.
Sailor Saturn
Sailor Saturn, Hotaru's Senshi form, wears a purplePurple
Purple is a range of hues of color occurring between red and blue, and is classified as a secondary color as the colors are required to create the shade....
and brown
Brown
Brown is a color term, denoting a range of composite colors produced by a mixture of orange, red, rose, or yellow with black or gray. The term is from Old English brún, in origin for any dusky or dark shade of color....
uniform. The initial version of this uniform has petal-shaped sleeve
Sleeve
Sleeve is that part of a garment which covers the arm, or through which the arm passes or slips. The pattern of the sleeve is one of the characteristics of fashion in dress, varying in every country and period...
s, a star brooch
Brooch
A brooch ; also known in ancient times as a fibula; is a decorative jewelry item designed to be attached to garments. It is usually made of metal, often silver or gold but sometimes bronze or some other material...
and choker
Choker
A choker is a close-fitting necklace, worn high on the neck. This type of jewellery can consist of one or more bands circling the neck. Chokers can be made of a variety of materials, including velvet, plastic, beads, metal, and leather. They are often adorned in a variety of ways, including with...
with the same kind of star, glove
Glove
A glove is a garment covering the hand. Gloves have separate sheaths or openings for each finger and the thumb; if there is an opening but no covering sheath for each finger they are called "fingerless gloves". Fingerless gloves with one large opening rather than individual openings for each...
s, and knee-high
Knee-high boots
Knee-high boots are boots that rise to the knee, or slightly thereunder. They are generally tighter around the leg shaft and ankle than at the top. Mostly made of a synthetic rubber , they are used by fishermen, dairy workers, stable hands, duck hunters, clammers, etc. to protect the feet from...
, laced-up stiletto
Stiletto heel
A stiletto heel is a long, thin, high heel found on some boots and shoes, usually for women. It is named after the stiletto dagger, the phrase being first recorded in the early 1930s...
boot
Boot
A boot is a type of footwear but they are not shoes. Most boots mainly cover the foot and the ankle and extend up the leg, sometimes as far as the knee or even the hip. Most boots have a heel that is clearly distinguishable from the rest of the sole, even if the two are made of one piece....
s. She is given various specific titles, including Soldier of Silence, Soldier of Destruction, and Soldier of Death and Birth.
Sailor Saturn is especially recognizable for the Silence
Silence
Silence is the relative or total lack of audible sound. By analogy, the word silence may also refer to any absence of communication, even in media other than speech....
Glaive
Glaive
A glaive is a European polearm weapon, consisting of a single-edged blade on the end of a pole. It is similar to the Japanese naginata and the Chinese Guan Dao....
she carries, which she may use to bring about the cataclysmic destruction of a world or worlds. However, she has the ability to heal minor wounds in both her civilian and Senshi forms. In the anime, Hotaru (in civilian form) healed Chibiusa's knee scrape when she was dealing the "monster of the day". However it was revealed that healing even a very minor injury like that would leave her in a weakened state due to her sickly constitution prior to her death and rebirth.
Silver Millennium
The Silver Millennium, a fictional kingdom in the Sailor Moon metaseries, lies on the moon. It provides a setting for the past lives and future selves of most of the series' major characters, and functions as a major driving force behind both plot and characterization.The series first shows the...
and their represented planets, and were all reborn with Princess Serenity and her court. In the manga, however, Sailor Saturn is said not to have lived among the other Senshi. Additionally, the Outer Senshi were not supposed to be reborn when the Kingdom was destroyed, but they gathered together because of its destruction, and their Talismans reacted and accidentally awakened Saturn from her sleep. She then killed the remnants of the Silver Millennium and they were all reborn on Earth. After their rebirth, the Talismans, which were never meant to be on the same planet, reunited and ended up awakening Sailor Saturn in the present-day.
Sailor Saturn gains additional powers as the series progresses, and at key points her uniform changes to reflect this. The first change takes place in Act 39 of the manga, when she obtains the Saturn Crystal and her outfit becomes similar to that of Super Sailor Moon. She is not given a new title. A similar event takes place in Episode 168 of the anime, and she is given the name Super Sailor Saturn. A third, manga-only form appears in Act 42, also unnamed, but analogous to Eternal Sailor Moon (sans wings).
Princess Saturn
According to the mangaManga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
, during the Silver Millennium
Silver Millennium
The Silver Millennium, a fictional kingdom in the Sailor Moon metaseries, lies on the moon. It provides a setting for the past lives and future selves of most of the series' major characters, and functions as a major driving force behind both plot and characterization.The series first shows the...
, Sailor Saturn was also the Princess of her home planet
Core worlds
Core worlds or core planets often exist in works of science fiction, especially space operas. They are usually at the center of the galaxy or of colonized space, occasionally both. Core worlds are densely populated with long histories, advanced technology, and/or highly-developed culture. The...
. She was among those given the duty of protecting the galaxy's Outer Rim. As Princess Saturn, she dwelt in Titan Castle and wore a purple gown—she appears in this form in the original manga and in supplementary art. Unlike the other Senshi, it is stated that Saturn did not awaken in the Silver Millennium until after it was destroyed so Princess Saturn's exact status during that time is unclear.
Mistress 9
During the third story arc of both anime and manga, Hotaru's body was possessed by an alien known as Mistress 9. She was used as a tool of the Death BustersDeath Busters
The ' are a group of antagonists in the Sailor Moon metaseries. They are the primary villains of the third story arc, called Mugen in the manga and S in the anime...
during this time. Mistress 9 was used to bring the demonic Pharaoh 90 to Earth so that he could destroy it. He was only stopped by the reawakened Sailor Saturn, who requested Sailor Pluto to seal away the entity into his world, preventing him from returning to Earth.
In the musicals
In the musical Yume Senshi - Ai - Eien ni... and its revision, Yume Senshi - Ai - Eien ni... Saturn Fukkatsu Hen!, Hotaru takes the alias of "Miss Dream" while under the control of the Dead Moon Circus, who beat and ridicule her. Her memories are seemingly erased and she is given the powers to enter and alter people's dreams. Only the other Outer Senshi realize who she really is. In the original musical, it is only implied that she is Hotaru (she is listed as "Mysterious Girl"), and it is stated but not shown that she is Sailor Saturn. Her actual awakening as Saturn is also ambiguous, while implied, it's not shown and she is simply shown as a normal girl at the end of the musical. In the revision, her identity as Hotaru is stated plainly, and she awakens on-stage as Saturn, after being saved by the other Senshi and appears transformed moments later. The name Miss Dream comes from the song she sings of the same name.In all four of the Kaguya Island musicals, Hotaru is possessed by a spirit named Kon, who speaks through Hotaru to the other Senshi. When Hotaru awakens she has no memory of what happened while Kon possessed her body. Kon is the remnant of stars destroyed by Dark Plasman and the comet Coatl. In the first two of these musicals, she gives her power to Sailor Moon in the final battle to allow her to transform into Eternal Sailor Moon. Kon was given the song "Hitosuji no Hikari no Kokoro" in her appearances.
During Last Dracul Jokyoku, Hotaru is presented in the care of Professor Tomoe, knowing of the existence of the Senshi, yet not awakening as Sailor Saturn until halfway through the musical.
Special powers and items
Sailor Senshi
A appears as a type of heroine in the metaseries known as Sailor Moon. The name comes from sailor fuku, a type of school uniform, and senshi, which can mean "soldier" or "warrior". Naoko Takeuchi, the manga artist who originated the series, coined the term by fusing English and Japanese elements,...
have unusual powers as civilians, Hotaru's are numerous and varied. Some of these are portrayed only in the third story arc, when she is possessed by Mistress 9; these include forcefields and energy beams that arise when she is in danger, often involuntary. As shown in that arc, she also has the ability to heal minor flesh wounds. In both the manga and anime she is reborn as an infant immediately upon fulfilling her task as Sailor Saturn, and later, when she is needed in that role again, grows to her former age in a matter of days. Eventually she is visited by an image of herself in Senshi form, who bestows power on her again.
In the manga, Sailors Uranus, Neptune and Pluto gain their second transformation when Hotaru gives them their Sailor Crystals after she has regained her older body. In the anime, Hotaru is still a baby when her power floods Sailors Uranus, Neptune and Pluto, upgrading them and herself to their Super forms. In both versions, Hotaru has visions of coming events, especially of danger, and can project these visions to other people. When she is a young girl, she creates a small projection of the galaxy which hovers in the air in her room, simulating astronomical history at high speed. However, it is only in the manga that Haruka stays with her while she reproduces these events to help keep her power in check.
Her transformation into Sailor Saturn is rare. The transformation sequence into her Senshi form is never shown in the main series, although one of the video games included a shortened transformation sequence
Henshin
is the Japanese word for "transformation," literally meaning, "to change or transform the body." This word is primarily used in manga, anime, and tokusatsu dramas for when a character transforms into a superhero. usually have a "henshin call", a catchphrase which they recite when they transform...
, which she initiated by raising her hand in the air (like the Guardian Senshi) and shouting "Saturn Planet Power, Make up!". In the manga she eventually gains her Saturn Crystal and does transform in front of the other Senshi, evoking Saturn Crystal Power! Make Up!. In the anime, although she upgrades to Super Sailor Saturn, the Crystal is never mentioned and her transformation is again not shown on-screen.
Sailor Saturn's powers are mostly based on Roman mythology
Roman mythology
Roman mythology is the body of traditional stories pertaining to ancient Rome's legendary origins and religious system, as represented in the literature and visual arts of the Romans...
, in which Saturn
Saturn (mythology)
In ancient Roman religion and myth, Saturn was a major god presiding over agriculture and the harvest time. His reign was depicted as a Golden Age of abundance and peace by many Roman authors. In medieval times he was known as the Roman god of agriculture, justice and strength. He held a sickle in...
is the god of the harvest
Harvest
Harvest is the process of gathering mature crops from the fields. Reaping is the cutting of grain or pulse for harvest, typically using a scythe, sickle, or reaper...
. As such, her primary role is that of the destroyer, and her coming is greatly feared by the Outer Senshi. Her first act upon arrival is to assault Master Pharaoh 90 with the attack "Death Reborn Revolution." The kanji
Kanji
Kanji are the adopted logographic Chinese characters hanzi that are used in the modern Japanese writing system along with hiragana , katakana , Indo Arabic numerals, and the occasional use of the Latin alphabet...
used with this maneuver translate to , with the intended pronunciation given in furigana
Furigana
is a Japanese reading aid, consisting of smaller kana, or syllabic characters, printed next to a kanji or other character to indicate its pronunciation. In horizontal text, yokogaki, they are placed above the line of text, while in vertical text, tategaki, they are placed to the right of the line...
.
The item most associated with Sailor Saturn is her Silence Glaive, which, apart from its capacity as a bladed weapon, figures in many of her named attacks. It is referred to once as the "scythe
Scythe
A scythe is an agricultural hand tool for mowing grass, or reaping crops. It was largely replaced by horse-drawn and then tractor machinery, but is still used in some areas of Europe and Asia. The Grim Reaper is often depicted carrying or wielding a scythe...
of the Goddess of Death," and the act of lowering its point to the ground is all that is required for her to "bring ruin to the world." No incantation is spoken, and this action is separated from "Death Reborn Revolution" by the dialogue given in between the two maneuvers. In the anime, Sailor Saturn will die if she uses this ability, and Super Sailor Moon risks her life to prevent Saturn from doing so, after Saturn defeats Master Pharaoh 90. In the manga, Sailor Saturn deliberately allows herself to be sucked into Master Pharaoh 90's dimension while he is escaping.
When Sailor Saturn returns near the end of the fourth story arc (which overflows into the beginning of the fifth anime series), several more attacks are introduced. She defends herself and her allies with , a dome of dark energy that deflects attacks, and attacks with . In the anime this attack is used against Nehellenia; seeing no other way to defeat her, Saturn intends to bring down her Glaive and destroy everything, but before she manages to strike the ground Sailor Chibi Moon throws herself at Saturn to stop her from completing the action and sacrificing her life, nevertheless, the Glaive releases massive power that destroys most of Nehellenia's palace.
In the manga series, the Death Busters use a power source called the Tioron Crystal, which was once worn by Hotaru's mother, Keiko Tomoe. After her death, Professor Tomoe gives it to Hotaru in order to ease the pain she must frequently endure. The Saturn Crystal is her Sailor Crystal and the source of all her power, which becomes especially important in the fifth story arc
Sailor Stars
The following list of episodes of the Sailor Moon anime series covers , the fifth season of the series. Children's TV Asahi, Toei Agency and Toei Animation co-produced the episodes; Takuya Igarashi directed. The series originally aired on Children's TV Asahi between March 9, 1996 and February 8, 1997...
.
Development
In the original character sketches, Takeuchi drew Sailor Saturn with a brown staff rather than her Silence Glaive. Her Sailor Uniform was also different with sleeves purple rather than white, there was no star on her chest, and the third band on her gloves was sheer with a point. Her choker also differed from the final version having a gold 6-pointed star rather than the present choker.The kanji
Kanji
Kanji are the adopted logographic Chinese characters hanzi that are used in the modern Japanese writing system along with hiragana , katakana , Indo Arabic numerals, and the occasional use of the Latin alphabet...
of Hotaru's surname translate as and . The former comes from the name of her planet in Japanese, . Her given name is in hiragana
Hiragana
is a Japanese syllabary, one basic component of the Japanese writing system, along with katakana, kanji, and the Latin alphabet . Hiragana and katakana are both kana systems, in which each character represents one mora...
and so its meaning is not inherent, but the word itself means "firefly" , and this meaning is used at least once as a pun. Fireflies are associated with spirits of the dead in Japanese mythology, referring to her status as the Senshi of death and rebirth. In the Mixx (now Tokyopop
Tokyopop
Tokyopop, styled TOKYOPOP, and formerly known as Mixx, is a distributor, licensor, and publisher of anime, manga, manhwa, and Western manga-style works. The existing German publishing division produces German translations of licensed Japanese properties and original English-language manga, as well...
) manga, Hotaru was once named Jenny; Mixx later admitted this was a mistake and changed her name back.
Reception and influence
The official Sailor Moon popularity polls listed Hotaru Tomoe and Sailor Saturn as separate characters. In 1994, with fifty one choices, Sailor Saturn was the third most popular character and Hotaru was the fourth. In early 1996, with fifty one choices, Saturn was the sixth most popular character, and Hotaru was the seventh.It has been suggested that moe comes from a contraction of her last name, but this is considered a false etymology
False etymology
Folk etymology is change in a word or phrase over time resulting from the replacement of an unfamiliar form by a more familiar one. Unanalyzable borrowings from foreign languages, like asparagus, or old compounds such as samblind which have lost their iconic motivation are...
.
Tsubame Sanjou of Rurouni Kenshin
Rurouni Kenshin
, also known as Rurouni Kenshin and Samurai X, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Nobuhiro Watsuki. The fictional setting takes place during the early Meiji period in Japan. The story is about a fictional assassin named Himura Kenshin, from the Bakumatsu who becomes a wanderer to...
had her final design based on Hotaru.
Actresses
In the Japanese anime series and movies, Hotaru Tomoe is voiced bySeiyu
Voice acting in Japan has far greater prominence than in most other countries. Japan's large animation industry produces 60% of the animated series in the world; as a result, Japanese voice actors, or , are able to achieve fame on a national and international level.Besides acting as narrators and...
Yūko Minaguchi
Yuko Minaguchi
is a Japanese seiyū from Tokyo who is affiliated with Aoni Production.-Notable voice roles:* Princess Apricot in Bosco Adventure * Yumi in Blue Sonnet * Yawara Inokuma and Kaneko Inokuma in Yawara!...
. In the English-language dub, her voice is provided by Jennifer Gould.
In the stage musicals
Sailor Moon musicals
The , commonly referred to as , are a series of live theatre productions based on Naoko Takeuchi's metaseries Sailor Moon. The series consists of 29 musicals which have had more than 800 performances since the show opened in Summer 1993...
, Hotaru has been played by 9 actresses: Keiko Takeda, Chihiro Imai, Asami Sanpei, Mao Mita, Mario Tomioka, Ayami Kakiuchi, Ruria Nakamura, Yui Iizuka, and Eriko Funakoshi.
Hotaru does not appear in the live-action series
Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon
is a Japanese tokusatsu television series in the Bishōjo Senshi Sailor Moon metaseries originally created by Naoko Takeuchi. It is produced by Toei, the same company that produces the Super Sentai Series and the Kamen Rider Series and of which their animation firm Toei Animation, produced the...
.