Sailor Moon

Sailor Moon officially translated as Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon) is the title of a Japanese media franchise created by Naoko Takeuchi. Fred Patten credits Takeuchi with popularizing the concept of a sentai (team) of magical girls,[1][2] and Paul Gravett credits the series with "revitalizing" the magical girl genre itself.[3]

The story of the various metaseries revolves around the reincarnated defenders of a kingdom that once spanned the solar system, and around the evil forces that they battle. The major characters—called Sailor Senshi (literally "Sailor Soldiers"; frequently called "Sailor Scouts" in many Western versions)—are teenage girls who can transform into heroines named for the moon and planets (Sailor Moon, Sailor Mercury, Sailor Mars, etc). The use of "Sailor" comes from a style of girls' school uniform popular in Japan, the sērā fuku (sailor outfit), after which the Senshi's uniforms are modeled. The elements of fantasy in the series are heavily symbolic and often based on mythology.

Before the Sailor Moon manga appeared Takeuchi had written Codename: Sailor V, which centered around just one Sailor Senshi. She devised the idea when she wanted to create a cute series about girls in outer space, and her editor asked her to put them in sailor fuku.[4] When Sailor V was proposed for adaptation into an anime, the concept was modified so that Sailor V herself became only one member of a team. The resulting manga series merged elements of the popular magical girl and sentai genres of which Takeuchi was a fan,[5] making Sailor Moon one of the first series ever to combine the two.

The manga resulted in spinoffs into other types of media, including a highly popular anime, as well as musical theatre productions, video games, and a live-action (tokusatsu) series. Although most concepts in the many versions overlap, often notable differences occur, and thus continuity between the different formats is limited.

Characters
See also: List of minor Sailor Moon characters

Usagi Tsukino/Sailor Moon (月野 うさぎ, Tsukino Usagi?)
The main character of the series, called Serena in the English anime and Bunny in the English manga. Usagi, a carefree schoolgirl with an enormous capacity for love, transforms into the heroine called Sailor Moon. At the beginning of the series she is portrayed as an immature crybaby who hates having to fight evil and wants nothing more than to be a normal girl.[6][7] As she progresses, however, she embraces the chance to use her power to protect those she cares about.[8]

Mamoru Chiba/Tuxedo Mask (地場 衛, Chiba Mamoru?)
A student somewhat older than Usagi, called Darien in the English adaptations of the series. As a young child he experienced a terrible car accident that robbed him of his parents and of his knowledge of who he is.[9] During the series he has some precognitive ability,[10][11] including dreams that inspire him to take on the guise of Tuxedo Mask and fight alongside the Sailor Senshi. After an initially confrontational relationship,[7] he and Usagi remember their past lives together and fall in love again.

Ami Mizuno/Sailor Mercury (水野 亜美, Mizuno Ami?)
A quiet bookworm in Usagi's class, called Amy in the English adaptations of the series. Highly intelligent, with a rumored IQ of 300,[12] she can transform into Sailor Mercury, acquiring power over all phases of water. Ami's shy exterior masks a passion for knowledge and for taking care of the people around her.[13] She hopes to become a doctor one day, like her mother, and tends to be the practical one in the group. Secretly, she is also a fan of pop culture and romance novels, and becomes embarrassed whenever this is pointed out.

Rei Hino/Sailor Mars (火野 レイ, Hino Rei?)
An elegant miko (shrine maiden), called Raye in the English versions. Because of her work as a Shinto priestess, Rei can sense and dispel evil even in civilian form.[14] When she transforms into Sailor Mars she can also manipulate fire. She is very serious and focused, but although easily annoyed by Usagi's flightiness, cares about her very much. Rei is portrayed as boy-crazy in the early anime,[14] but is uninterested in romance in both the manga and live-action series.[15] She attends a private Catholic school, separate from the other girls.

Makoto Kino/Sailor Jupiter (木野 まこと, Kino Makoto?)
A tomboy who transfers into Usagi's school, called Lita in the English versions. Very tall and strong for a Japanese schoolgirl,[16] she can transform into Sailor Jupiter, attacking with lightning and with some control over plants. Both Makoto's parents died in a plane crash years ago, so she lives alone and takes care of herself. She cultivates her physical strength as well as more domestic interests, including housekeeping, cooking, and gardening. She wants to marry young and to own a flower-and-cake shop.[17]

Minako Aino/Sailor Venus (愛野 美奈子, Aino Minako?)
A perky dreamer who acted on her own as Sailor V for some time.[18][19] Called Mina in the English versions, she has a companion cat called Artemis who works alongside Luna in guiding the Sailor Senshi. Minako transforms into Sailor Venus, Soldier of Love, and leads Sailor Moon's four inner guardians. She also dreams of becoming a famous singer and idol and attends auditions whenever she can.[20] At the start of the live-action series, she is already these things, but has poor health and separates herself from the other Senshi.[21]

Chibi-usa/Sailor Chibi Moon (ちびうさ?)
The future daughter of Usagi and Mamoru, Chibi-usa travels from the 30th century to seek help to save her parents, then later to train with Sailor Moon to become a soldier.[22] She learns to transform into Sailor Chibi Moon. At times she has an adversarial relationship with her mother in the 20th century,[23] as she considers herself more mature than Usagi, but as the series progresses they develop a deep bond. Chibi-usa wants to grow up to become a lady like her mother.[24] In the English adaptations, she is called Rini, and her alter ego is called Sailor Mini Moon.

Setsuna Meioh/Sailor Pluto (冥王 せつな, Meiō Setsuna?)
A mysterious woman, called Trista in the English anime. She appears first as Sailor Pluto, the Guardian of Time, who has the task of protecting the Space-Time Door from unauthorized travelers. It is only later that she appears on Earth, living as a college student. She has a distant personality and can be very stern, but can also be quite friendly and helps the younger Sailor Senshi when she can.[25] After so long at the gate of time she carries a deep sense of loneliness, although she is close friends with Chibiusa.

Michiru Kaioh/Sailor Neptune (海王 みちる, Kaiō Michiru?)
A talented violinist with some precognition, called Michelle in the English anime. A year older than most of the other Sailor Senshi, she can transform into Sailor Neptune, channeling the power of the ocean. She worked alone for some time before finding her partner, Sailor Uranus, with whom she fell in love.[26] Michiru is elegant and personable, already well-known for her music as well as her painting, but has given up her own dreams for the life of a Senshi. She is fully devoted to this duty and willing to make any sacrifice for it.

Haruka Tenoh/Sailor Uranus (天王 はるか, Ten'ō Haruka?)
A good-natured, masculine-acting girl, called Amara in the English anime. Haruka, of an age with her partner, Michiru, transforms into Sailor Uranus, Soldier of the Sky. Before becoming a Sailor Senshi, she dreamt of being a racer, and is skilled at driving.[27] She tends to dress and, in the anime, speak like a man. She is so friendly and genial that nearly everyone she meets is attracted to her. When it comes to fighting the enemy, however, she distrusts outside help and prefers to work solely with Sailor Neptune and, later, Pluto and Saturn.

Hotaru Tomoe/Sailor Saturn (土萠 ほたる, Tomoe Hotaru?)
A sweet, lonely young girl whose name remains unchanged in English (though pronounced slightly differently). Daughter of a possessed mad scientist, a terrible lab accident in her youth significantly compromised her constitution. After overcoming the darkness that has surrounded her family, she is able to become the Soldier of Silence, Sailor Saturn.[22] She wields forces of destruction so powerful that she is rarely called upon to use them, and unlike the others, her Senshi and civilian personae seem somewhat disconnected. She is often pensive, and as a human has the inexplicable power to heal others.

Fei Ying

Silver Hawk is based on a series of stories about a masked heroine, Huang Ying (Wong Ngang), that was originally published in Shanghai during the late 1940s and early 1950s. A number of movies and TV shows on this subject were made in Hong Kong during the 60s and 70s and some famous actresses, including Connie Chan Po Chu, Angie Chiu Nga Chi (a.k.a. Gigi Chi(u)) and Petrina Fung Bo Bo, have portrayed the heroine. However, the story of Michelle Yeoh's Silver Hawk is newly written and set in a future time (around year 2008).

The movie starts with Silver Hawk riding on her motorcycle through what looks like China. She is chasing thugs who have stolen pandas and are getting away in a truck. She attaches her bike to the truck jumps and fights the men kicking them out of the truck and then continues to fight them. Then they give up. She heads back to Polaris City where she meets an old childhood friend then a flashback occurs. In this flashback it was the time at the martial arts training academy back when they were little.

Silver Hawk

Story

Bionic policeman Commander Stargazer recruited the SilverHawks, heroes who are "partly metal, partly real," to fight the evil Mon*Star, an escaped alien mob boss who transforms into an enormous armor-plated creature with the aid of Limbo’s Moonstar. Joining Mon*Star in his villainy is an intergalactic mob: the snakelike Yessman, the blade-armed Buzz-Saw, the "bull"-headed Mumbo-Jumbo, weather controller Windhammer, shapeshifter Mo-Lec-U-Lar, robotic card shark Pokerface, weapons-heavy Hardware, and "the musical madness of" Melodia (uses a "keytar" that fires musical notes)

Quicksilver (formerly Jonathan Quick) leads the SilverHawks, with his metal bird companion TallyHawk at his side. Twins Emily and Will Hart became Steelheart and Steelwill, the Silverhawks’ technician and strongman respectively. Country-singing Col. Bluegrass played a sonic guitar and piloted the team’s ship, the Miraj (pronounced "mirage" on the series, but given that spelling on the Kenner toy). Rounding out the group is a youngster “from the planet of the mimes,” named Copper Kidd (usually called "Kidd" for short), a mathematical genius who spoke in whistles and computerized tones. Their bionic bodies are covered by a full-body close-fitting silver (or copper for Copper Kidd) armor that only exposes the face and an arm, the armor is equipped with a retractile protective mask, recractile wings under-arm (except Blueglass) thruster on elbows, and laser-weapons over the body. At the end of every episode, Copper Kidd was quizzed (along with the home audience) on various space facts by Col. Bluegrass.

Launching from their satellite base, Hawk Haven, the SilverHawks flew into battle five days a week for one season. The fictitious Galaxy of Limbo in which the series takes place apparently has an overall atmosphere with bearthable air and acceptable living condition of temperature and pressure; characters speak in space and operate "open-air" vehicles, and Windhammer's powers work even when he is not on an actual planet. There is also gravity; characters not "flying" tend to fall downward relative to whatever vehicle, satellite, or other platform with which they lost footing. Apparently, because Silverhawks is a fantastical children's cartoon, it was not held to high standards of realism. Yet, it provided correct space facts at the end of each episode, apparently meant for the same audience.

The Silverhawks in the show's title sequence.
Original Silverhawks

* Comdr. Stargazer (voiced by Bob McFadden) - A tough and grizzled old cop with bionic capabilities. He captured Mon*Star several years ago, and had him imprisoned. Older than the other Silverhawks, he longs to return to Earth for either a vacation or for retirement. He chiefly serves as the Silverhawks "eyes and ears", keeping them apprised of their current situation. His first name is apparently Burt. Stargazer's weapon-bird is Sly-bird.

* Quicksilver (voiced by Peter Newman) - Lieutenant Jonathan Quick was the former head of the Interplanetary Force H, and is the field leader of the Silverhawks. He has a cyborg/bird companion called Tally Hawk. Known for his quick reflexes (and even quicker thinking), Quicksilver is an accomplished tactician and athlete. His armor have the lightest silver-shade.

* Bluegrass (voiced by Larry Kenney) - He is second-in-command (as a Colonel) of the Silverhawks, and the chief pilot of the group, as well as a cowboy at heart. He is the only Silverhawk who cannot fly (other than Comdr. Stargazer), but he is the one that flies the team transport vehicle, the Miraj. He likes to use his weapon/instrument (portrayed in the toyline as his weapon-bird with the name Sideman)and his lazo, has an interface with the Maraj's advanced dynamic piloting system, which he has affectionately dubbed "Hot Licks".His armor has a blue-silver shade

* Steelheart & Steelwill (voiced by Maggie Wheeler and Bob McFadden) - Sergeants Emily Hart and Will Hart are twin siblings. They are the "gearheads" of the team. They share an empathic bond in that when one sibling feels something, the other feels it as well. They are the only Silverhawks who have had real stainless steel hearts implanted during their transformation. Their weapon-birds are Rayzor (for Will) and Stronghold (for Emily). Their armors have the same dark silver-shade

* The Copper Kid is the youngest member of the Silverhawks, and the only one not a Terran (Earthling). A mathematical genius from the Planet of the Mimes, he "speaks" in mathematically calculated tones and whistles. His skin is azurine except the face that is white(similar to a mime). His armor is copper-colored but the wings are similar more silver-like. At the end of each episode, he was quizzed in several astronomy lessons by Bluegrass as training to become the reserve Miraj pilot (sure enough, he was called in to fill Bluegrass's shoes, albeit infrequently). A natural acrobat, the Copper Kid has two razor-edged discs (one mounted on each hip) which he throws like Frisbees. His weapon-bird is Mayday.

New Silverhawks

* Hotwing (Adolph Caesar) - A gold Silverhawk of African American heritage who was added in mid-season. He is a magician, and skilled illusionist. He receives his powers from a mystical energy force that 'chose' him to bear the powers to fight against injustice. He has to recharge these powers every 14 years, otherwise he will die. One notable time was when Zeek the Beak tricked the mystic force into giving him these powers, which would have resulted in Hotwing's death. Hotwing has a weapon-bird named Gyro.

* Flashback - A green time-traveling Silverhawk from the far future. When he meets the 'much older' Stargazer, who tells him of the fateful day the Silverhawks died, Flashback travels back in time to save them from an exploding sun. He also traveled back in time to stop Hardware from destroying the Silverhawks (when the mad inventor sabotaged the Miraj during the S-Hawks hyperspace-sleep to Hawk-Haven from Earth, which would have caused the autopilot to fly them straight into the sun). Flashback's weapon-bird is Backlash.

* Moonstryker - A turquoise Silverhawk. He can propel himself through space by a powerful cyclone generated from propellers that emerge from his waist. He is cocky but an expert marksman, as demonstrated when he shot a pen out of Stargazer's hand when they first met in the episode "Battle Cruiser". His fighting hawk is Tailspin.

* Condor - An old ally of Commander Stargazer, whom Condor calls "Gaze". Condor is a lone operative, believed to be either a bounty hunter or federal marshal. Instead of wings, he has cybernetic bodyparts similar to Stargazer's, and also a jetpack. Condor always talks like Humphrey Bogart.

NOTE: It must be noted that only TallyHawk appeared in almost all of the episodes in the series. All the other "weapon-birds" only appeared in a handful of episodes.
[edit] Other supporting characters

* Seymour (voiced by Peter Newman) - The television show's comic relief, is a space cabbie who frequently says "Y'know what I mean?". He might be inspired by Space Cabbie, a 1950s science fiction character.

* Zeek the Beak, - Seymour's pal. He is a green bird-like alien who often accompanies Seymour on cab rides. His catch phrases are "You wanna buy a fish?" and the interjection "Zeek!"

* Harry -He is a robot that works as a barman in Fence. He appears in many chapters usually serving Limbo drinks.

* Professor Power - He works in the Artificial Sun. He controls it. He is friendly with the Silverhawks and helps them many times, like in the amber amplifier episode. [2]

* Sanders - He is governor in Bedlama, a planet similar to the earth.

* Monotone - It is Automata's computer. It rules the whole planet. [3]

* Grod the informer - He appears in episode 32 when he informs the mob of a rock that is supposed to be worth a fortune, the Saviour Stone. [4]

* Lord Cash - He is in charge of Dolar planet, where there is plenty of Limbo money. He is friendly to Silverhawks.[5]

* Gotbucks -Dolar's new security chief.

Psylocke

Elizabeth "Betsy" Braddock was born and raised in England. Born in the small town of Maldon, Essex, Betsy and her brothers had a very privileged life. She is the twin sister of Brian Braddock, better known as the superhero Captain Britain and first appeared in his eponymous series.[18] After working as a commercial pilot for some time, she dyes her hair purple, joins the Psi-Division of S.T.R.I.K.E.[19] (the British equivalent of the U.S.-based espionage outfit S.H.I.E.L.D.), and goes undercover as a fashion model. One of her assignments was to infiltrate the Hellfire Club, but Tessa forces her to abandon the mission.[20] A British crime lord, Vixen, hires Slaymaster to destroy the psi-division and he manages to kill all but Betsy, her lover Tom Lennox, and their friend Alison Double. Captain Britain then defeats Slaymaster.[21]

When reality warped due to James Jaspers' powers, Tom sacrifices himself to give the Braddocks time to escape from a group of superhero hunters.[22] Following the repair of the reality warp, an evil version of Captain Britain from another universe named Kaptain Briton switches places with Brian. The double hands him over to the Technet (who were after the Kaptain) and tries to rape Betsy. In self-defense, she attacks him telepathically, killing him.[23]

A few days later, an old friend from her S.T.R.I.K.E. days informs her about a new intelligence agency called R.C.X. They wanted to deal with the Warpies, mutated children born all over Britain because of the reality warp, which led to an argument between Betsy and Brian.[24] While Brian was away adventuring around the world, Betsy assumes the late Kaptain Briton uniform and received training from Captain UK, another alternate Captain Britain, to become the new Captain. Vixen lures Betsy into a trap, where Slaymaster beats her almost to death, gouging out her eyes. Summoned by his sister's telepathic distress call, Captain Britain crushes Slaymaster's head under a rock.[25] Betsy recovered from her injuries, refusing an offer to have cybernetic implants that would partially restore her vision. She learns to use her growing telepathic abilities to compensate for her blindness. The ordeal with Vixen and Slaymaster leaves Betsy feeling distant from her home, and she leaves for holiday in Switzerland.

X-Men

She is later kidnapped by the other-dimensional television producer Mojo and his henchwoman, the six-armed, cyborg sorceress Spiral, and implanted with bionic eyes. Giving her the name "Psylocke", Mojo made her the star of the Wildways TV program. The New Mutants, the teenage sister team of the X-Men, get involved with rescuing Psylocke from Mojo. Most of the team are entranced by Mojo's other soldiers. Douglas Ramsey and Warlock, two of the New Mutants, escape. In an attempt to stop Mojo, the two mutants end up venturing into Betsy's mind. They risk their lives to save Psylocke's mind from Spiral's attack. This causes a deep friendship between the two and awkward feelings on Doug's part. Safe and sound, the New Mutants and Betsy head back to the X-Men mansion in Westchester County, New York. She decides to stay with the X-Men and learn how to better control her powers.[27]

Psylocke assists the X-Men in another battle with Mojo when much of the team is turned into children and mind-controlled into battling the New Mutants. The X-Men were reluctant to let Psylocke join them officially as her capacity as a teammate was unknown.[28] However, she has a chance to prove herself after the event known as the Mutant Massacre. Sabretooth, a member of the Marauders, invades the mansion while the X-Men and New Mutants are away. Psylocke holds her own against the deadly Sabretooth, keeping one step ahead of him until Storm and Wolverine arrived. Psylocke takes advantage of Sabretooth's distraction to read his mind and learn about the Marauders and their mysterious leader, Mister Sinister. The X-Men are impressed by Psylocke and invite her to join the X-Men.[29]

She is among the X-Men who fought the Adversary in Dallas in the event known as The Fall of the Mutants,. Along with the other X-Men present, she is killed, resurrected, and subsequently transported to the Australian Outback by Roma.[30] After a fight with the Reavers, Psylocke dons body armor to protect herself in physical confrontations and the X-Men establish a base in the Outback.When Storm is thought killed in a fight with the entity called Nanny, Psylocke briefly takes over as the leader of the few X-Men still remaining in Australia.

While in the Savage Land, Psylocke experiences a precognitive vision that warned her of the potential fate of the four remaining X-Men (herself, Havok, Dazzler, and Colossus); should they return to their base in the Australian Outback, the Reavers would kill them, and attempt unsuccessfully to transform Psylocke into a cyborg. However, shortly thereafter, the four heroes are teleported back to Australia by Gateway. The light from his portal alerted the Reavers to their return. As the Reavers closed in, Psylocke activated the Siege Perilous portal, given to the X-Men by Roma as a last resort. Beings who entered the portal were cosmically judged and reborn into another life, given a "clean slate". Psylocke saw it as the only way to save her teammates lives and her own. Dazzler and Colossus entered willingly, but Havok hesitated, feeling as though he was abandoning his responsibilities. Psylocke, left with no alternative, telepathically "convinced" him that his actions were justified. Psylocke entered the portal at the last moment, as the Reavers arrived to kill her and her teammates

Power Girl

Journey from Krypton-Two

Kara's father discovers that Krypton is about to explode, and places her in a spacecraft directed towards the Earth. Although this occurs at the same time that Kal-L's ship is launched, Kara's ship travels more slowly, and she arrives on Earth decades after her cousin has landed. Kara’s Symbioship is designed to keep her in stasis during the journey and provide her with life experiences and education in the form of virtual reality. The Symbioship allows her to interact with virtual copies of her parents and fellow Kryptonians within her home city of Kandor. By the time she arrives on Earth, Kara is in her early 20's (as referenced in JSA Classified, her age at arrival has been retconned to about eighteen).

In Showcase #97, Kara is reclaimed by the sentient Symbioship and reimmersed into Kandorian society for a time. Several years of virtual time elapse, in which Kara is married and has a child. She is freed with the assistance of newspaper reporter Andrew Vinson, at which point she disables the ship.

Debut of Power Girl
Power Girl's first appearance in All Star Comics #58, layout by Ric Estrada, inks by Wally Wood.

Power Girl's existence is not revealed to the general public until much later; her cousin Clark and his wife Lois Lane provide her a family environment to assist her transition towards real life relationships. In her first recorded adventure, Kara assists Justice Society members Flash and Wildcat with containing an artificially induced volcanic eruption in China. She then joins Robin and Star-Spangled Kid to form a Super Squad to assist the Justice Society in defeating Brainwave and Per Degaton. Later, she becomes a full member of the Society when Superman retires from active membership.

Having been raised by the Symbioship with artificial Kryptonian life experiences, Power Girl finds it difficult to adapt to life on Earth. However, with the help of reporter Andrew Vinson, she adopts the secret identity of computer programmer Karen Starr (she obtains her knowledge in this field from exposure to Wonder Woman's Purple Ray on Paradise Island). On Pre Crisis Earth-Two, Power Girl's closest friend is Helena Wayne (the Huntress), the daughter of the Earth-Two Batman and Catwoman.

Atlantean

The 1985 limited series Crisis on Infinite Earths erased the existence of the Earth-Two Superman, and Power Girl's continuity was thus substantially disrupted.[1] Initially she believed herself to be Superman's cousin, as she had been before the reboot. However, her background was retconned; she was told that she was the descendant of the Atlantean sorcerer Arion, and was frozen in suspended animation for millennia until the present day.[2]

After the Justice Society disbands, Power Girl would join the Justice League. Later, while a member of Justice League Europe, she suffers a near fatal injury while battling a mystical being. Superman must assist in her medical treatment, using his heat-vision to perform surgery on her otherwise-invulnerable tissues. Although she recovers, Power Girl is significantly weaker, as she lost her vision powers and could not fly for a time.

During the 1994 event, Zero Hour, Power Girl experiences a mystical pregnancy and gives birth to a son, Equinox, who ages rapidly. He disappears, and has never been mentioned again.

Power Girl appeared in later issues of the Sovereign Seven, Chris Claremont's creator-owned comic book for DC. However, the final issue revealed that the entire series had been a story appearing in a comic book, and events in the book have had no bearing upon DC continuity.

Power Girl was one of Oracle’s first agents. Their short-lived partnership ended after a disastrous mission which resulted in a large loss of life. Power Girl believes that Oracle's poor leadership was responsible for the tragedy. Although she has worked with her again on a few occasions when needed, the relationship between the two is tense. In Birds of Prey #35, Power Girl admitted that she is primarily to blame for the tension, but is unable to overcome the memories of the deaths.

Power Girl is a key member of the Justice Society, which she joined when it was reformed in the late 1990s. During an adventure with the JSA, she meets Arion who reveals her Atlantean heritage to be a lie he concocted at the behest of Power Girl's "mother