Sailor Senshi
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Back row: Jupiter, Uranus, Pluto, Neptune, Venus
Middle row: Mercury, Moon, Mars
Front row: Chibi Moon, Chibi Chibi Moon, Saturn
A Sailor Senshi (セーラー戦士 sērā senshi) is a type of heroine from the metaseries known as Sailor Moon. The name comes from sērā-fuku, a type of school uniform, and senshi, which can mean soldier or warrior. A fusion of English and Japanese, this term was originally applied by series creator Naoko Takeuchi and is commonly used by fans of both languages. Among English-speaking fans, "Sailor Soldier," is also common, though the DiC dub of the anime initially used "Sailor Scout." Other common titles include "Sailor Warriors," "Sailors," or simply "Senshi." Like most Japanese borrowings, the word senshi is both the singular and plural form.
The most iconic and well-known Senshi is Sailor Moon herself, who leads the primary group of Senshi in defending the earth (or the galaxy, if necessary) from otherworldly threats. Officially, there are ten major Senshi, officially known as the Sailor Team: in order of appearance, they are Sailor Moon, Sailor Mercury, Sailor Mars, Sailor Jupiter, Sailor Venus, Sailor Pluto, Sailor Neptune, Sailor Uranus, Sailor Chibi Moon, and Sailor Saturn.
Sailor Senshi are classic magical girl heroines, having both civilian and magical identities. Each has a transformation sequence which grants her elemental super powers; these powers come from an object called a "Sailor Crystal" which is said to be within each of them. According to Naoko Takeuchi, only females can be Sailor Senshi, although there is at least one male with a Sailor Crystal. This is Mamoru Chiba, who is the guardian over the planet Earth and gives himself the pseudonym "Tuxedo Mask." In the manga only, he has subtle powers of psychometry.
When referring to a group, the term "Sailor Senshi" may be used to indicate the entire classification of heroines, the Sailor Team itself, or the five "Inner Senshi" (see below) in particular. Usually the intended group may be discerned from context, but usage of this term can be confusing to those unfamiliar with the series.
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[edit] Inner and Outer Senshi
The Sailor Team often divides itself into subsets, based both on civillian age and on Senshi-related duties. The first set includes Sailors Moon, Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, and Venus--they are all the same age, and they figure in the plot of all five major story arcs in the series. During the Silver Millennium, Sailor Moon was Princess Serenity, and the other four are essentially her guardians. As a group, they are commonly referred to as the Inner Senshi.
The second subset consists of Sailors Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, and Saturn. These are more disparate in their ages--Uranus and Neptune are each a year older than the Inner Senshi, while Saturn is about three years younger, and Pluto is in college. In addition, Uranus and Neptune often appear alone, occasionally joined by Pluto and rarely by Saturn. Their Senshi duties vary somewhat as well, though in general they share a responsibility for protecting the Solar System from outside threats. As a group, they are commonly referred to as the Outer Senshi.
It should be understood that, although in frequent use by English-speaking fans, the terms "Inner Senshi" and "Outer Senshi" are non-canonical and never appear in the series. The reason the terms exist at all is the frequent division between the two groups, but within the story, this division itself makes it very clear who is working alongside whom, so there is rarely a need to refer to it. On occasion, the anime uses the term "Uranus-tachi," which roughly translates to "Uranus and the others."
In the original manga, the titles yon shūgoshin no senshi (四守護神の戦士, lit. "four warriors of the guardian gods") and gaibu taiyōkei senshi (外部太陽系戦士, lit. "outer solar system warriors") are occasionally used to describe, respectively, the Inner Senshi (sans Moon) and the Outer Senshi. Use of these phrases is comparatively rare.
The musical adaptations use the similar phrase gaibu taiyōkei yon senshi ("outer solar system four warriors") for the Outer Senshi, but refer to the Inner Senshi as naibu taiyōkei yon senshi ("inner solar system four warriors") instead. The terms gaibu senshi (外部戦士) and naibu senshi (内部戦士) are occasionally seen in use by Japanese fans.
[edit] Basis of the division
The difference between 'Inner' and 'Outer' Senshi is based on storyline, rather than on any mythological, astronomical, or astrological tradition. Modern astronomy distinguishes the outer planets from the inner by the asteroid belt, as well as the shift from terrestrial planets to gas giants. This distinction would place Sailor Jupiter among the Outer Senshi. Also, Pluto is now considered a dwarf planet, though it was considered a planet when the series was written. On the other hand, modern astrology (both Western and Eastern) divides the planets between Saturn and Uranus: Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto were only recently discovered, and are not visible from Earth with the naked eye, while the other planets have been known since antiquity.
Although there are many significant moments when they do not hold true, the stereotypes are generally that the Inner Senshi are warmer, more human and concerned with protecting and saving everyone in a conflict; the Outer Senshi are colder, more focused and less willing to work as a team. The Outers are also significantly more powerful, with Sailor Uranus being the physically strongest of the team and Sailor Saturn possessing the "ultimate" world-destroying attack, the act of bringing down the Silence Glaive. Neptune, Uranus, Pluto, and Saturn each battle with accessory weapons: the Deep Aqua Mirror, Space Sword, Garnet Rod, and Silence Glaive. Sailor Pluto is capable of stopping time, and Sailor Saturn's Silent Wall blocks attacks from even Sailor Galaxia (the most powerful Sailor in existence, in the anime series)--feats unmatched by the other Senshi. Nevertheless, it is often through the compassion of Sailor Moon and the Inners, rather than through force, that victories are achieved.
[edit] Variant Sailor Senshi
As the story progresses, it is eventually discovered that there are other Senshi throughout the galaxy. In the manga, the first of these to appear are the Sailor Quartet, often referred to in English fandom as the "Asteroid Senshi." These are the future guardians of Sailor Chibi Moon, just as the Inner Senshi are Sailor Moon's guardians. Until the 30th century they are supposed to be in a deep sleep, waiting for Sailor Chibi Moon to be ready, though they are briefly forced into the services of the Dead Moon Circus.
In the fifth major story arc, especially that of the manga, it is revealed that Sailor Senshi number possibly in the thousands across the galaxy: there are innumerable Senshi protecting many of the stars, planets, and celestial bodies. This story arc is largely concerned with the Sailor Wars, an ancient, epic struggle between all Sailor Senshi and the forces of darkness. In the manga, all of Sailor Moon's previous enemies are portrayed as small parts of this galactic war, each of them having been connected with the ultimate evil being known as Chaos.
The primary servant of Chaos is Sailor Galaxia, who was once the most powerful Sailor Senshi in existence and the great hope of the galaxy. In her effort to subdue Chaos, she was possessed by him, and went on a galactic rampage under his will. By the time she reaches Earth, she has seized starseeds from countless Senshi that she either killed or forced into service. Under her command are numerous warriors who are former Sailor Senshi that have turned to evil. In the manga, the Sailor Animamates are ordinary fighters who betrayed and killed the true Senshi of their planets in hopes of being rewarded by Galaxia.
Of all the planets Galaxia attacked prior to Earth, only one produced survivors who continued to oppose her. This was a fictional world called Kinmoku, the home of the most prominent of these "alien" Senshi, the Sailor Starlights. The Starlights are a trio of Senshi who arrive on Earth in search of their Princess Kakyuu, who they believe also survived. While on Earth, they disguise themselves as men--in the manga by crossdressing, and in the anime by physically transforming into male bodies. This plays with the notion of all Senshi being female, without technically breaking the rules. The gender-shifting idea was not approved by Naoko Takeuchi, who has often expressed shock at the change to the anime.[1][2]. In the manga, Princess Kakyuu, like Princess Serenity, is a Sailor Senshi herself (Sailor Kakyuu).
In both the anime and manga, a small girl named Chibichibi appears during this arc. She has the ability to transform into Sailor Chibi Chibi Moon, and helps the Senshi in various ways. Chibichibi is unusual in that she is only an alter-ego; in the anime, she is the pure star seed of Sailor Galaxia, sent away to keep it from being corrupted. In the manga, she is a form of Sailor Cosmos, the ultimate good Senshi of the distant future (who bears a strong resemblance to Sailor Moon, but whose exact identity is unclear).
Other Senshi to appear in the manga include Sailor Phobos and Sailor Deimos, who had been disguised as Sailor Mars's pet crows, and who come from the planet Coronis (destroyed by Sailor Lead Crow). Another is Usagi's non-canonical second daughter, Kousagi, who appears as "Parallel Sailor Moon" in a humorous short story of the same name. Another short story, Chibiusa's Picture Diaries #4, introduces joke Senshi called Sailors Channel and Guccicci, as well as Tubby Mask. The SeraMyu musicals also introduce new Senshi, including Sailor Astarte, Sailor Buttress and others.
The concept behind Sailor Senshi holds so much potential for variation that it has become one of the most common sources of inspiration for fanfiction. The idea has expanded into a meme in which fans of the series create their own original Sailor Senshi, with their own unique designs and often in-depth character profiles. The characters range widely in their appearance and relevance to the original story.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Naoko Takeuchi, BSSM Original Picture Collection Vol. V Manga Style!. Retrieved on 2006-09-06.
- ^ Charles McCarter, Public Interview with Takeuchi Naoko EX The Online World of Anime & Manga. Retrieved on 2006-09-29.
[edit] External links
- Debunking Common Misconceptions DIES GAUDII's description of the term "Sailor Team"
- "Inner Senshi and Outer Senshi" DIES GAUDII's description of the original terms
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