From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sailor Saturn
Sailor Moon character
Hotaru as Sailor Saturn in her original uniform, with Silence Glaive, as drawn by Naoko Takeuchi.
First appearance	(See below)
Created by	Naoko Takeuchi
Played by	(See below)
Profile
Aliases	Hotaru Tomoe Princess Saturn Mistress 9 (when possessed) Miss Dream (musicals only)
Age	13, newborn, 5, 13 (in order throughout the series)
Date of birth	January 6 (Capricorn)[1]
Affiliations	Sailor Team Death Busters (when possessed) Shadow Galactica (manga)
Abilities	Silence and destruction. Can heal wounds and create energy barriers.

Sailor Saturn (セーラーサターン, Sērā Satān^?) is one of the central characters in the Sailor Moon metaseries. Her real name is Hotaru Tomoe (土萠 ほたる, Tomoe Hotaru^?), a sickly schoolgirl who can transform into one of the series' specialized heroines, the Sailor Senshi. She is the only human protagonist whose name's spelling was not modified in the English dub, although the e sound is silent in the dubbed version.

She is known for making the fewest appearances in the anime, especially in her Senshi form, and has never appeared in any of the animated Sailor Moon films.

Hotaru is introduced first as a friend to Chibiusa, but often experiences seizures due to a sickness. It is only much later that she is discovered as a Sailor Soldier, being last of this solar system's soldiers to fully realize her powers. Hotaru tends to be very logical, dependable and loyal. She is also very independent and did not have friends until she met Chibiusa and Usagi. She was said by Naoko Takeuchi, her creator, to be quiet and precocious as well as expressionless. 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. In the manga, she is also disliked because she is a cyborg.

She dresses predominantly in grey and black, although sometimes she wears a cobalt blue coat and a red cap. She is also seen with a garment around her shoulders in her predominant black outfit, and occasionally wore a brown coat. Because of her cyborg attachments, she always wears complete clothing to cover up her body. Even after her rebirth she continues the practice, though she begins to wear brighter colors.

In the manga, Hotaru's mother Keiko died in a lab accident. Hotaru, in turn, was critically injured. Souichi Tomoe, Hotaru's father rescued her by making her body partially cybernetic, and making a deal with Master Pharaoh 90. He planted one of the Master's eggs in her body, hoping to give rise to a truly powerful Vessel. From then on, her father became completely malevolent. After Saturn was stopped by Sailor Moon all of the cybernetic material disappeared and she was reborn as a baby and had no cybernetic material attached.

Hotaru Tomoe, as seen in the anime. Her character design centers around dark colors, especially purple and black, to emphasize the gloomy nature of her past as well as her destiny as Soldier of Destruction.

In the anime version she is not cybernetic, merely an outcast because of her strange seizures. Her mother is shown in shadow in one episode, but is never given a name like the manga, nor much of a background. Her father does not die like in the manga, but lives long enough to take care of his child until Sailor Pluto asks for her in the first part of Sailor Stars.

Hotaru's age fluctuates during the series, since she was first introduced as older, presumably 13 and was later reborn as a baby, then grew back to about the resemblance of a 5 year old, then grew into about a 13 year old.

As Sailor Saturn, Hotaru can destroy the solar system by dropping her weapon, the Silence Glaive. Her powers awaken once the three Talisman of Sailor Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto gather and resonate. Though a terrifying ability, Saturn reveals in the Sailor S 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 disturbing powers caused the other Outer Senshi to attempt to kill her unawakened form in the Sailor S arc. However, Saturn's awakening ultimately saved the world by forcing Master Pharoah 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. Therefore, it can be inferred that Saturn will only awaken and destroy Earth when it is doomed, allowing the holders of the Silver Crystal to subsequently revive it.

Hotaru wants to be a nurse one day, probably because of her talent at injury treatment. Due to the state of her health in both the anime and manga, her hobbies require no physical exertion and include reading and collecting lamps. She enjoys her World History class, but dislikes Physical Education and has difficulty with marathons.^[1] She also hates milk. Other favorite things include soba (buckwheat) noodles, panthers,^[2] and the color purple. Her blood type is AB,^[1] and her height fluctuates throughout the series depending on her present age.

In the manga, after Professor Tomoe's death, Hotaru essentially becomes the adopted daughter of Haruka Tenoh and Michiru Kaioh, watched over by Setsuna Meioh. She refers to them as Haruka-papa (despite Haruka being female), Michiru-mama and Setsuna-mama. After she grows out of her toddler form, she becomes happier and less reserved, smiling and laughing more often as she adjusts to her now-normal life. In the anime, her father is healed, and she lives with him as an infant for a time before the others return for her. After the battle with Sailor Galaxia, Hotaru is still with them; it is unknown if she returns to her father.

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.

The kanji of Hotaru's surname translate as "earth" (土, to^?) and "sprouting" (萠, mōe^?). The former comes from the name of her planet in Japanese, Dosei (土星, Dosei^?). Her given name is in hiragana (ほたる, hotaru^?) and so its meaning is not inherent, but the word itself means "firefly", and this meaning is used at least once as a pun.^[3] Fireflies are associated with spirits of the dead in Japanese mythology, referring to her status as the Senshi of death and destruction. In the Mixx (now TOKYOPOP) manga, Hotaru was once named Jenny; Mixx later admitted this was a mistake and changed her name back.

As a character with different incarnations, special powers, transformations and a long lifetime virtually spanned between the Silver Millennium era and the 30th century, Hotaru gains multiple aspects and aliases as the series progresses.

Hotaru's Senshi persona, often appearing as somehow separate from Hotaru. She wears a uniform colored in purple and maroon, and which in its initial form is unlike any of the others', with petal-shaped sleeves, a star brooch and choker jewel (resembling the "Pure Heart Crystals" that appear in the third story arc), more elaborate gloves, and knee-high, laced-up boots. She is given various specific titles, including Soldier of Silence,^[4] Soldier of Destruction,^[4] and Soldier of Ruin and Birth.^[5]

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.

Planetary symbol of Saturn

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. In fact, her coming had always been prevented by the Outer Senshi, as it was thought that allowing her to come into existence would mean the destruction of their worlds. The Outer Senshi were not supposed to be reborn when the Kingdom was destroyed,^[6] but they gathered together because of its destruction, accidentally awakening Saturn from her sleep. She then killed the remnants of the Silver Millennium and they were all reborn on Earth.

As she grows stronger, Sailor Saturn gains additional powers, 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).^[7]

In the manga, like the other Senshi, Sailor Saturn is pictured as having been a princess during the time of the Silver Millennium. As Princess Saturn, she dwelt in Titan Castle and wore a purple gown--she appears in this form in the original manga Act 41, as well as in supplementary art.

Main article: Death Busters#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 Busters during this time.

In her second, upgraded uniform, Super Sailor Saturn blocks a powerful attack with Silent Wall.

While several Sailor Senshi have unusual powers as civilians, Hotaru's are by far the most 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, seemingly involuntarily. 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,^[8] 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 rebestows power on her.^[9]

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 the manga this does not happen until she has regained her older body; they do not become "Super" per se, but she does give them their Sailor Crystals and they all gain their second outfits. In either case, when Hotaru 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. In the manga, Haruka stays with her while she does this to help keep her power in check. Hotaru often has visions of coming events, especially of danger, and can project these visions to other people.

Her transformation into Sailor Saturn is comparatively rare because of the nature of her powers and duties, and is usually caused by some sort of extraordinary circumstance that requires her presence. The change into her primary Senshi form is never shown at all in the main series, although one of the video games included a shortened anime-style transformation sequence, which she initiated by raising her hand in the air (like the Guardian Senshi) and shouting "Saturn Planet Power, Make up!" (like the Outer Senshi).^[10] In the manga she eventually gains her Saturn Crystal and does transform in front of the other Senshi, evoking Saturn Crystal Power.^[11][12] 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.^[13] As such, her primary role is that of the destroyer, wiping out planets that have run their course, and her coming is greatly feared by the other Senshi. When she finally arrives, it is revealed that part of her duty is to clear the way for rebirth, which can only be brought about by Sailor Moon. Her first act upon arrival is to assault Master Pharoah 90 with the attack "Death Reborn Revolution."^[14] The kanji used with this maneuver translate to "death world revolution" (死世界変革, "death world revolution"^?), with the intended pronunciation given in furigana.^[15]

The Silence Glaive carried by Sailor Saturn is referred to once as the "scythe of the Goddess of Death,"^[16] 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 clearly separated from "Death Reborn Revolution" by the dialogue given in between the two maneuvers.^[17] In the anime, it is implied that Sailor Saturn will die if she uses this ability, and Super Sailor Moon risks her life to prevent Saturn from doing so, defeating Master Pharoah 90 herself. In the manga, Sailor Saturn deliberately allows herself to be sucked into Master Pharoah 90's dimension while he is escaping. In both cases, she is reincarnated on Earth again as an infant almost immediately afterwards.

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 Silence/Silent Wall (不動城壁, Silence/Silent Wall^? "motionless rampart"),^[18] a dome of dark energy that deflects attacks, and attacks with Silence Glaive Surprise (沈黙鎌奇襲, Silence Glaive Surprise^? "silence sickle surprise attack").^[19] 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.^[20]

The item most associated with Sailor Saturn is her iconic Silence Glaive, which, apart from its capacity as a bladed weapon, figures in many of her named attacks. 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.^[21] The Saturn Crystal is perhaps her most important possession, as it is her Sailor Crystal and the source of all her power, which becomes especially important in the fifth story arc.

Mao Mita as Sailor Saturn.

In the Japanese anime series and movies, Hotaru Tomoe is voiced by 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.^[22]

Hotaru does not appear in the live-action series.

This article contains Japanese text. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of kanji or kana.

• Saturn (planet)
• Saturn (mythology)
• Cronus

Sailor Moon series v • d • e
Codename: Sailor V | Manga | Anime | Episode list | Stage musicals | Video games | Live-action | English adaptations | Actors | Story locations | Parallel
Protagonists (including Sailor Senshi) Sailor Moon | Tuxedo Mask | Chibiusa Sailor Mercury | Sailor Mars | Sailor Jupiter | Sailor Venus Sailor Pluto | Sailor Neptune | Sailor Uranus | Sailor Saturn Queen Serenity | Luna, Artemis, and Diana Sailor Starlights | Princess Kakyuu | ChibiChibi Minor and supporting characters Story arcs Dark Kingdom | R / Black Moon | S / Infinity | SuperS / Dream | Sailor Stars	Antagonists Dark Kingdom (Shitennou/Generals) Makaiju aliens | Black Moon Clan (Ayakashi Sisters) Death Busters (Witches 5) Dead Moon Circus (Amazon Trio, Amazoness Quartet) Shadow Galactica (Sailor Galaxia, Sailor Animamates) Chaos Movies Sailor Moon R movie | Sailor Moon S movie | Sailor Moon SuperS movie