The Androgynous Villains of Sailor Moon (90’s Edition)

Hey hey hey fellow ani-bloggers and lovers! Today I bring you a bit of a throw-back to the 90’s as this came up in one of my group chats last week. If I remember correctly we were talking about a few of the relationships that we did not quite understand, especially with the translation/localization of the series to the west. And somehow we ended up discussing the villains of the first season.

Yes, I’m talking about Queen Beryl’s henchmen, the Shitennou (the Four Heavenly Kings).  I did not know this, but upon reading up on them I had no idea that they actually served under King Endymion prior to becoming posessed by evil energy and under Queen Beryl’s rule. Maybe I knew, but completely forgot because I haven’t watched it in years, nor have I finished Crystal. But anyways, let’s talk about each of them, from least favorite to favorite.

 

Jadeite

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Yeah, let’s be real. Jadeite was probably the least favorite just because he had the worst attitude of them all. Ever angry about something even moreso because his plots were foiled over and over again. He unfortunately meets an untimely end as he is encased in crystal and sent to eternal sleep for not being able to get rid of the sailor scouts. He’s one blonde I didn’t fall for, which is surprising.

Zoisite

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As a child, I fully believed that Zoisite was a female. Especially because of the long blonde hair and the ponytail as well as being paired with Kunzite. I was completely mindblown to find out my childhood was a lie and these were two men in love. Zoisite doesn’t rank very high with me just because he literally stabs Tuxedo Mask in the back, and that brought on evil brainwashed King Endymion – and growing up it was my least favorite part of watching Sailor Moon. I hated seeing him turned evil. LOL.

Nephrite

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I liked him mostly because he eventually came to really care for Molly (or Naru in the japanese version). He was also the only one to realize Sailor Moon’s true identity, but before he could act on that, he had run to save Naru instead. He was probably the one that regained some of his humanity back, and ultimately paid the price for it.

Malachite (Kunzite)

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Malachite, was probably the most handsome. Honestly it’s a bit of a tie between Malachite and Nephrite. I don’t usually like men with long hair, but Kunzite was carried it well. He was the strongest of the 4, and was able to realize who he was supposed to fight for (Endymion) and was able to bring back the previous three for a brief moment in time to awaken to them to their true calling.

Kunzite is reportedly linked to Sailor Venus in her spin-off manga in an implied romance.  Both lead their troops so it would make sense.

 

 

 

 

 

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That being said, each of the generals was linked to one of the scouts in their previous life. On the Sailor Moon wikia page, it’s stated that Naoko Takeuchi had drawn the above image thinking of the scouts and the four heavenly kings past lives as lovers. However, in the manga only the Kunzite and Sailor V and the Jadeite and Sailor Mars pairings have been shown to be canon.

 

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What did you guys think of the Four Heavenly Kings of Sailor Moon? Did you have a favorite? Let me know in the comments below! 😀 And have a great rest of the week!