is a fictional character in the ''
Sailor Moon
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Naoko Takeuchi. It was originally serialized in Kodansha's ''shōjo'' manga magazine ''Nakayoshi'' from 1991 to 1997; the 52 individual chapters were published in 18 volumes. The seri ...
'' manga series created by
Naoko Takeuchi
is a Japanese manga artist. She is best known as the author of ''Sailor Moon'', one of the most popular manga series of all time.
She has won several awards, including the 1993 Kodansha Manga Award for ''Sailor Moon''.
Takeuchi is married to ...
. She is the alternate identity of , a teenage Japanese schoolgirl, and a member of the Sailor Guardians, supernatural female fighters who protect the
Solar System
The Solar SystemCapitalization of the name varies. The International Astronomical Union, the authoritative body regarding astronomical nomenclature, specifies capitalizing the names of all individual astronomical objects but uses mixed "Solar S ...
from evil.
Sailor Mercury is the first Sailor Guardian to be discovered by
Sailor Moon
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Naoko Takeuchi. It was originally serialized in Kodansha's ''shōjo'' manga magazine ''Nakayoshi'' from 1991 to 1997; the 52 individual chapters were published in 18 volumes. The seri ...
. She serves as the "brains" of the group,
as she is highly intelligent and can also use a supercomputer to collect useful information in battles. She possesses powers associated with water and ice.
Aside from the main body of the ''Sailor Moon'' series, Ami features in her own short story in the manga, ''Ami's First Love''. Originally published in volume fourteen of the manga, this was the only of three "Exam Battle" stories to be made into a special for the anime which makes her one of the most recognizable and popular characters in the series.
A number of
image song
An image song or character song is a song on a tie-in single or album (often called an image album or character album) for an anime, game, ''dorama'', manga, or commercial product that is sometimes sung by the voice actor or actor of a character ...
s mentioning Ami's character have been released as well, including the contents of three different
3-inch CD single
A CD single (sometimes abbreviated to CDS) is a music single in the form of a compact disc. The standard in the Red Book for the term ''CD single'' is an 8 cm (3-inch) CD (or Mini CD). It now refers to any single recorded onto a CD of any si ...
s.
Profile
Ami's most emphasized character trait is that she is extremely intelligent—in the anime and manga she is rumored by other characters to have an
IQ of three hundred, while in the
stage musicals this is stated as a fact. She is adept at English in both the musicals and the anime, and in the live action it was clearly, although briefly, demonstrated by the actress portraying her (actress Chisaki Hama was speaking to an English speaking character as her character was visiting the United States as a medical intern). Her peers view her with a mixture of awe and distaste, misinterpreting her inherent shyness as
snob
''Snob'' is a pejorative term for a person who believes there is a correlation between social status (including physical appearance) and human worth.De Botton, A. (2004), ''Status Anxiety''. London: Hamish Hamilton ''Snob'' also refers to a per ...
bery, and so she tends to have a difficult time making new friends.
Ami is depicted as kind, sweet, gentle, and loyal, as well as slightly insecure. She also dislikes the fights of Sailor Moon and
Sailor Mars
, better known as , is a fictional character in the ''Sailor Moon'' manga series written and illustrated by Naoko Takeuchi. In the series, Rei is her sailor form's alternative human identity as part of the Sailor Soldiers, female supernatural fi ...
.
Anne Allison describes her as "a smart girl who needs to relax", calling her "conscientious" and "studious", "everything Usagi is not".
Early on in the story, she relies heavily on the approval of her mother, teachers, and friends, but as the series progresses she becomes stronger and more confident in herself. She is generally the most sensible of the main characters, and is often the only one embarrassed when the group has a dull-witted moment. As the story begins, she attends Azabu Jūban Junior High along with
Usagi Tsukino
, better known as , is a Japanese superheroine and the main protagonist and title character of the ''Sailor Moon'' manga series written by Naoko Takeuchi. She is introduced in chapter #1, "Usagi – Sailor Moon" (originally published in Japan' ...
and, later,
Makoto Kino
, better known as , is a fictional character in the ''Sailor Moon'' manga series created by Naoko Takeuchi. Makoto is her sailor form's alternative human identity as part of the Sailor Soldiers, female supernatural fighters who protect the Solar ...
.
Throughout the series, much of Ami's
free time
Free time, traditionally usually called ''leisure time'' or ''leisure'', refers to the time when one is not working. It may also refer to:
*Free time (music)
Free time is a type of musical anti-meter free from musical time and time signature. I ...
is spent studying. She loves to
read
Read
Read may refer to:
* Reading, human cognitive process of decoding symbols in order to construct or derive meaning
* Read (automobile), an American car manufactured from 1913 to 1915
* Read (biology), an inferred sequence of base pairs of ...
, and dreams aloud of one day being a
doctor
Doctor or The Doctor may refer to:
Personal titles
* Doctor (title), the holder of an accredited academic degree
* A medical practitioner, including:
** Physician
** Surgeon
** Dentist
** Veterinary physician
** Optometrist
*Other roles
** ...
like her mother and becomes one in both
Parallel Sailor Moon
''Sailor Moon'' is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Naoko Takeuchi. The series follows the adventures of Usagi Tsukino, a girl who transforms into the titular protagonist and goes on a journey to save the universe from being an ...
and the live action series. In the musicals, Ami's dream of being a doctor and leaving Japan to study abroad is a recurring theme. The first part of the song shows Ami's conflict between studying abroad and growing up or being with everyone else and staying a young girl. She faces a similar dilemma in the anime, but very directly; given the opportunity to study in
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
, she gets as far as the airport before deciding to stay in Japan and fight evil alongside her friends.
Ami has a great appreciation for art as well as science, and, contrary to the usual depiction of a bookworm, enjoys
pop culture
Pop or POP may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Music
* Pop music, a musical genre Artists
* POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade
* Pop!, a UK pop group
* Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band
Albums
* Pop (Gas al ...
and
romance novel
A romance novel or romantic novel generally refers to a type of genre fiction novel which places its primary focus on the relationship and romantic love between two people, and usually has an "emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending." Pre ...
s (though she is usually embarrassed to admit it). In both the anime and the manga, Ami's diligence in her studies becomes a
running gag
A running gag, or running joke, is a literary device that takes the form of an amusing joke or a comical reference and appears repeatedly throughout a work of literature or other form of storytelling. Though they are similar, catchphrases are not ...
; she often comically scolds Usagi and the others for not doing their homework, and she can become obsessive about being the best student. Her character has been interpreted as a political commentary on the
education system of Japan.
She sometimes displays attraction to boys her age, and other times aversion to the idea.
Love letter
A love letter is an expression of love in written form. However delivered, the letter may be anything from a short and simple message of love to a lengthy explanation and description of feelings.
History
One of the oldest references to a lo ...
s are listed as the one thing she has most trouble with,
and when she later receives one, it gives her a rash.
In the anime, a classmate named Ryo Urawa learns her identity and expresses attraction to her, but this is never resolved, as he disappears after just two appearances in the first series.
Besides reading, Ami is shown playing
chess
Chess is a board game for two players, called White and Black, each controlling an army of chess pieces in their color, with the objective to checkmate the opponent's king. It is sometimes called international chess or Western chess to disti ...
and
swimming
Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, or other liquid, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Locomotion is achieved through coordinated movement of the limbs and the body to achieve hydrodynamic thrust that r ...
in order to relax.
As the team scholar,
computer
A computer is a machine that can be programmed to Execution (computing), carry out sequences of arithmetic or logical operations (computation) automatically. Modern digital electronic computers can perform generic sets of operations known as C ...
s are listed her strong point; she even belongs to the
club
Club may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* ''Club'' (magazine)
* Club, a ''Yie Ar Kung-Fu'' character
* Clubs (suit), a suit of playing cards
* Club music
* "Club", by Kelsea Ballerini from the album ''kelsea''
Brands and enterprises
...
at school. She loves all her classes, especially
mathematics
Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...
. Her favorite foods are given as
sandwich
A sandwich is a food typically consisting of vegetables, sliced cheese or meat, placed on or between slices of bread, or more generally any dish wherein bread serves as a container or wrapper for another food type. The sandwich began as a po ...
es and
anmitsu
Anmitsu (, rarely ) is a Japanese dessert that dates to the Meiji era.
It is made of small cubes of agar jelly, a white translucent jelly made from red algae. The agar is dissolved with water (or fruit juice such as apple juice) to make the jell ...
, with her least favorite being
yellowtail.
Other loves include
cat
The cat (''Felis catus'') is a domestic species of small carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species in the family Felidae and is commonly referred to as the domestic cat or house cat to distinguish it from the wild members of ...
s,
[, from http://www.bobagirl.com/, uploaded on request for the Sailor Moon Wikiproject. Lists other stats as well.] the colors
aquamarine and
blue
Blue is one of the three primary colours in the RYB colour model (traditional colour theory), as well as in the RGB (additive) colour model. It lies between violet and cyan on the spectrum of visible light. The eye perceives blue when obs ...
, the flower
Water Lily, and the gemstone
sapphire
Sapphire is a precious gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum, consisting of aluminium oxide () with trace amounts of elements such as iron, titanium, chromium, vanadium, or magnesium. The name sapphire is derived via the Latin "sapphir ...
.
Ami is one of the few girls in the series whose family situation is explicitly mentioned in the anime. Her parents are
divorce
Divorce (also known as dissolution of marriage) is the process of terminating a marriage or marital union. Divorce usually entails the canceling or reorganizing of the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage, thus dissolving the ...
d, and she lives with her mother, a busy doctor who is not home very often, named Saeko in the live-action series. They look very similar, and Ami admires her mother and longs to live up to her example.
Besides her
workaholic
A workaholic is a person who works compulsively. A workaholic experiences an inability to limit the amount of time they spend on work despite negative consequences such as damage to their relationships or health.
There is no generally accepted ...
tendencies, Dr. Mizuno is portrayed as a good person who openly resents not having more time to spend with her daughter. Ami's father is never named, but is stated in the manga and anime to be a painter. The manga says that he never visits them, having decided one day not to come home from the forest where he was relaxing and painting, but he sends her postcards on her birthday. Thinking about this, Ami sometimes resents her parents' selfishness in separating,
partly because divorce in Japan is
taboo
A taboo or tabu is a social group's ban, prohibition, or avoidance of something (usually an utterance or behavior) based on the group's sense that it is excessively repulsive, sacred, or allowed only for certain persons.''Encyclopædia Britannica ...
. However, in the anime Ami seems to appreciate her father and seems to share some of his artistic traits, at one point even composing matching lyrics for a tune that had none.
In the manga, Ami's mother is revealed to be fairly rich, as they live in a
condominium
A condominium (or condo for short) is an ownership structure whereby a building is divided into several units that are each separately owned, surrounded by common areas that are jointly owned. The term can be applied to the building or complex ...
.
Ami is shown testing the strength of a sword that the Sailor Soldiers received on the Moon by using it to chip a
diamond
Diamond is a Allotropes of carbon, solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Another solid form of carbon known as graphite is the Chemical stability, chemically stable form of car ...
ring. (Classically, a diamond is the
hardest mineral.) When the girls panic, she calms them by saying that her mother has many more.
In the live-action series, Ami is especially shy and usually wears
glasses
Glasses, also known as eyeglasses or spectacles, are vision eyewear, with lenses (clear or tinted) mounted in a frame that holds them in front of a person's eyes, typically utilizing a bridge over the nose and hinged arms (known as temples or ...
while in public, even though she does not need them. At her
middle school
A middle school (also known as intermediate school, junior high school, junior secondary school, or lower secondary school) is an educational stage which exists in some countries, providing education between primary school and secondary school. ...
, she has no friends before meeting Usagi and always eats lunch alone on the roof so she can study. Usagi seems to be the only one to realize that Ami is merely shy, not truly standoffish, and in befriending her gradually helps Ami to learn that she is more than just a bookworm. By Act 34, when Ami's mother attempts to transfer her to another school because she thinks Ami's friends are bad influences, Ami rebels, avoiding the admission interview and spending the night at the Sailor Guardians' hideout with
Rei Hino
, better known as , is a fictional character in the '' Sailor Moon'' manga series written and illustrated by Naoko Takeuchi. In the series, Rei is her sailor form's alternative human identity as part of the Sailor Soldiers, female supernatural ...
. Later she tells her mother that what she's doing in her life right now is more important than studying, and her mother understands.
Ami is a kind and gentle girl who dislikes quarrels and abhors harming innocent people. These traits are even cited in the title of an anime episode, "Believe in Love! Ami, a Kind-Hearted Soldier", where she persuaded Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune not to kill Hotaru. Like her comrades, her loyalty to Sailor Moon is unwavering, and she would sacrifice her life for her princess if necessary.
Aspects and forms
As a character with different incarnations, special abilities, powers, transformations, and ageless extended longevity; an extremely long lifetime virtually spanned between the Silver Millennium era and the 30th century, Ami gains multiple
aspects and aliases as the series progresses.
Sailor Mercury
Ami's Sailor Soldier identity is Sailor Mercury. She wears a
uniform
A uniform is a variety of clothing worn by members of an organization while participating in that organization's activity. Modern uniforms are most often worn by armed forces and paramilitary organizations such as police, emergency services, se ...
colored in shades of blue. In the manga and live-action series, her outfit is initially sleeveless and she has three blue studs in each of her ears. Her ''
Sailor Moon Crystal
''Sailor Moon Crystal'', known in Japan as , is a 2014 original net animation adaptation of the ''shōjo'' manga series ''Sailor Moon'' written and illustrated by Naoko Takeuchi, produced in commemoration of the original series' 20th annive ...
'' design is largely faithful to her manga design, with the exception of having one blue stud on her right ear, and three on the left. In contrast, the original anime initially depicted her with sleeves and a single blue stud in each ear. Sailor Mercury is given specific titles throughout the various series, including Soldier of Water and Wisdom,
[ Also included in her ''Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon'' introductory speech, Act 2 ''et al.''] Soldier of Intelligence, Soldier of Justice and Wisdom,
and Soldier of Love and Exams. Her personality is no different from when she is a civilian, although certain special abilities are unavailable to her in that form.
In Japanese, the name for the planet Mercury is , the first kanji meaning "water" and the second indicating a celestial object. Although the Roman planet-name is used, Sailor Mercury's abilities are water-based due to this aspect of Japanese mythology. Initially most of her powers are strategic rather than offensive,
and she possesses various pieces of computerized equipment to help her study the enemy.
As she grows much stronger and more powerful, Sailor Mercury gains additional powers, and at key points her uniform changes to reflect this. The first change takes place in Act 35 of the manga, when she obtains the Mercury Crystal and her outfit becomes similar to that of Super Sailor Moon. She is not given a new title.
A similar event is divided between episodes 143 and 151 of the anime, and she is given the name Super Sailor Mercury.
A third form appears in Act 42 of the manga, unnamed but analogous to
Eternal Sailor Moon
, better known as , is a Japanese superheroine and the main protagonist and title character of the ''Sailor Moon'' manga series written by Naoko Takeuchi. She is introduced in chapter #1, "Usagi – Sailor Moon" (originally published in Japan' ...
(''sans'' wings). In the official visual book for
Sailor Moon Eternal
''Sailor Moon Eternal'' is a 2021 Japanese two-part animated action fantasy film based on the ''Dream'' arc of the '' Sailor Moon'' manga by Naoko Takeuchi, that serves as a direct continuation and a "fourth season" for the ''Sailor Moon Cryst ...
, this form was named "Eternal Sailor Mercury".
Dark Mercury
In the
live action series, Ami is briefly taken over by the power of the
Dark Kingdom
The is a group of fictional characters in the ''Sailor Moon'' manga series by Naoko Takeuchi. They are the chief villains of the first story arc in every version of the series, and were first introduced in the first chapter of the manga, "Usagi ...
and becomes . This form first appears in Act 21, as a servant of
Kunzite
Spodumene is a pyroxene mineral consisting of lithium aluminium inosilicate, Li Al( Si O3)2, and is a source of lithium. It occurs as colorless to yellowish, purplish, or lilac kunzite (see below), yellowish-green or emerald-green hiddenite, pr ...
. Her sailor suit has black
tulle
Tulle (; ) is a commune in central France. It is the third-largest town in the former region of Limousin and is the capital of the department of Corrèze, in the region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. Tulle is also the episcopal see of the Roman Catho ...
and
lace
Lace is a delicate fabric made of yarn or thread in an open weblike pattern, made by machine or by hand. Generally, lace is divided into two main categories, needlelace and bobbin lace, although there are other types of lace, such as knitted o ...
on the back bow and sleeves, and tribal designs appear on her
tiara
A tiara (from la, tiara, from grc, τιάρα) is a jeweled head ornament. Its origins date back to ancient Greece and Rome. In the late 18th century, the tiara came into fashion in Europe as a prestigious piece of jewelry to be worn by women ...
and boots. She also gains a chain with a black charm on it around her waist. Her transformation phrase is ''Dark Power! Make-up!'' and is said in a much darker tone. She wields a sword fashioned from an icicle, which she creates herself the first time her transformation is displayed. In promotional photos prior to her premiere, she was shown with a different sword, which seemed to have strings on it like a harp or violin; the latter seems more likely, as she is also seen holding a bow. This bow was redecorated and given to Zoisite for use as a sword.
Dark Mercury is created when Kunzite manages to kidnap Ami in a moment of vulnerability while the other Sailor Guardians are busy. He exposes her directly to the power of
Queen Metaria, causing drastic personality changes as well as the alterations to her uniform. She is self-confident to the point of
egotism
Egotism is defined as the drive to maintain and enhance favorable views of oneself and generally features an inflated opinion of one's personal features and importance distinguished by a person's amplified vision of one's self and self-importanc ...
, and continues to attend school in civilian form, mainly to antagonize Usagi by
brainwashing
Brainwashing (also known as mind control, menticide, coercive persuasion, thought control, thought reform, and forced re-education) is the concept that the human mind can be altered or controlled by certain psychological techniques. Brainwash ...
all of her former friends. Dressing predominantly in black, evil-Ami tends to move about slowly and dramatically, and when confronting the Sailor Guardians gives a sense of
sadistic
Sadism may refer to:
* Sadomasochism, the giving or receiving of pleasure from acts involving the receipt or infliction of pain or humiliation
* Sadistic personality disorder, an obsolete term proposed for individuals who derive pleasure from the s ...
glee.
Dark Mercury has no intention of being a follower to anyone, and is always trying to pursue her own agenda, which is to kill her friends and become as strong as possible. She shows blatant disrespect to Kunzite and the other
Kings of Heaven, even to
Queen Beryl
The is a group of fictional characters in the '' Sailor Moon'' manga series by Naoko Takeuchi. They are the chief villains of the first story arc in every version of the series, and were first introduced in the first chapter of the manga, "Usa ...
, perhaps because, unlike even the Four Kings of Heaven, she had been directly exposed to Metaria's power during her conversion, as opposed to having Queen Beryl or another
intermediary
An intermediary (or go-between) is a third party that offers intermediation services between two parties, which involves conveying messages between principals in a dispute, preventing direct contact and potential escalation of the issue. In law ...
filtering it.
Despite these alterations, certain aspects of the real Ami still remain. She still wants to do well in school, and wants friends,
hence
A locative adverb is a type of adverb that refers to a location or to a combination of a location and a relation to that location. Generally, a locative adverb is semantically equivalent to a prepositional phrase involving a locative or directiona ...
the brainwashing of her classmates. She seems to retain a sense of
sympathy
Sympathy is the perception of, understanding of, and reaction to the distress or need of another life form. According to David Hume, this sympathetic concern is driven by a switch in viewpoint from a personal perspective to the perspective of ano ...
, which is evident when she repairs
Nephrite
Nephrite is a variety of the calcium, magnesium, and iron-rich amphibole minerals tremolite or actinolite (Aggregate (geology), aggregates of which also make up one form of asbestos). The chemical formula for nephrite is calcium, Ca2(magnesium, ...
's cape for him, stating that she does not like to see him alone.
Periodically, Sailor Moon attempts to heal her friend with the power of the
Silver Crystal
Silver is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₂erǵ-, ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, whi ...
. Mercury is always snatched away before this can be completed, but it has some effect, ultimately resulting in her recovery. In Act 28, the
catalyst
Catalysis () is the process of increasing the rate of a chemical reaction by adding a substance known as a catalyst (). Catalysts are not consumed in the reaction and remain unchanged after it. If the reaction is rapid and the catalyst recyc ...
for her finally returning to normal is when, having defeated Sailor Moon in battle, the sight of her injured friend causes her to realize she cares about Usagi, and to remember who she really is. After being healed, she has no memories of what happened while she was Dark Mercury. This haunts her, as she becomes terrified of what she may have done to her friends while not in control.
Princess Mercury
According to the
manga
Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...
, during the age of Silver Millennium, Sailor Mercury was also the Princess of her home planet. She was among those given the duty of protecting
Princess Serenity of Silver Millennium. As Princess Mercury, she dwelt in Mariner Castle and wore a light blue gown—she appears in this form in the original manga and in supplementary art.
Naoko Takeuchi
is a Japanese manga artist. She is best known as the author of ''Sailor Moon'', one of the most popular manga series of all time.
She has won several awards, including the 1993 Kodansha Manga Award for ''Sailor Moon''.
Takeuchi is married to ...
once drew her in the arms of
Zoisite
Zoisite, first known as saualpite, after its type locality, is a calcium aluminium hydroxy sorosilicate belonging to the epidote group of minerals. Its chemical formula is Ca2 Al3( Si O4)(Si2O7)O(O H).
Zoisite occurs as prismatic, orthorhombi ...
, but no further romantic link between them was established in the manga or the first anime adaptation. However, in ''
Sailor Moon Crystal
''Sailor Moon Crystal'', known in Japan as , is a 2014 original net animation adaptation of the ''shōjo'' manga series ''Sailor Moon'' written and illustrated by Naoko Takeuchi, produced in commemoration of the original series' 20th annive ...
'', it is clearly stated that Sailor Mercury and Zoisite were in love during the Silver Millennium. This is also established in the first
stage musical
Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movement ...
, and in the later ''Eien Densetsu'', where Ami and a disguised Zoisite share a duet, .
Special powers and items
In the manga, Ami can
dowse without any aids. Otherwise, she is not shown using any special powers in her civilian form, and may not be able to. She must first transform into a Sailor Guardian by raising a special device (pen, bracelet, wand, or crystal) into the air and shouting a special phrase, originally "Mercury Power, Make-up!" As she becomes more powerful and obtains new transformation devices, this phrase changes to evoke Mercury Star, Planet, or Crystal Power. In both anime, Sailor Mercury's transformation sequence evolves slightly over time, whether to update the background images or to accommodate changes to her uniform or a new transformation device, but all of them involve a stream of water which she whirls around her body as she spins, forming her outfit with a ripple-like effect.
Sailor Mercury has the power to create and manipulate water. For the entire
first story arc, she uses her water-manipulating capabilities only to create solid and dense clouds of
mist
Mist is a phenomenon caused by small droplets of water suspended in the cold air, usually by condensation. Physically, it is an example of a dispersion. It is most commonly seen where water vapor in warm, moist air meets sudden cooling, such a ...
and fog, chilling and blinding the enemy while her allies prepare more direct attacks. In the manga she usually does this without speaking, while in the anime it is given the name ''Shabon Spray''. In the updated renewal manga, this power is renamed ''Mercury Aqua Mist'' to match the live-action series and the second anime series, in which she has an offensive beam attack by that name, capable of destroying weaker enemies. She uses a total of five attacks in this series, most of which are variations on the first.
Sailor Mercury's first major offensive attack is ''Shine Aqua Illusion'', introduced in the
second story arc, which can be used as a projectile, to freeze the enemy in solid ice, or to create a defensive barrier out of solid ice. Aside from variations on her other powers (mostly improving their strength with the addition of "Freezing" or "Snow"), her next named attack is ''Mercury Aqua Mirage'', used during the
third arc of the manga and again in the special side-story "Ami's First Love" (manga and anime) and she also uses this attack in second anime series. Her final and greatest strength and power comes in the
fourth story arc, when she takes on her second Sailor Soldier form (Super Sailor Mercury in the anime). At this stage she acquires a special weapon, the Mercury Rod,
and with it ''Mercury Aqua Rhapsody'', which is her primary attack for the duration of the story. In the anime, Mercury gains the rod deep within her subconscious. The manga took a different approach with the Mercury Rod making it more of an item rather than a rod formed due to the attack. Furthermore, Sailor Mercury gained the rod through her power guardian. In the manga the Mercury Rod, as well as the other Sailor Soldiers' weapons have their own "wills" and can even speak and give input.
In addition to her own powers, Sailor Mercury has more non-magical items than any other Sailor Soldier. Early on in the series she makes frequent use of an extremely powerful "Micro-miniature
Super Computer
A supercomputer is a computer with a high level of performance as compared to a general-purpose computer. The performance of a supercomputer is commonly measured in floating-point operations per second (FLOPS) instead of million instructions p ...
" that enables her to make special calculations, scan her surroundings, track the movements of allies as well as foes, and determine her enemies' weak points. The computer works in sync with her Mercury Goggles, which analyzes the area around her and displays information in front of her eyes and on the Computer. The visor may be a
hologram
Holography is a technique that enables a wavefront to be recorded and later re-constructed. Holography is best known as a method of generating real three-dimensional images, but it also has a wide range of other Holography#Applications, applic ...
of some sort; it materializes across her face when she touches her earring. The manga sometimes shows her wearing a small
microphone
A microphone, colloquially called a mic or mike (), is a transducer that converts sound into an electrical signal. Microphones are used in many applications such as telephones, hearing aids, public address systems for concert halls and public ...
connected to her earring, which she uses to communicate with
Luna
Luna commonly refers to:
* Earth's Moon, named "Luna" in Latin
* Luna (goddess), the ancient Roman personification of the Moon
Luna may also refer to:
Places Philippines
* Luna, Apayao
* Luna, Isabela
* Luna, La Union
* Luna, San Jose
Roma ...
at the Sailor Guardians' hideout during the manga's first arc. All of these devices gradually fall out of use as the series progresses. She is one of two Sailor Guardians to use it for a named attack (''Mercury Aqua Storm''), and later can transform it into a sword. She also creates swords out of water, both as Sailor Mercury and as Dark Mercury.
In the manga, the Mercury Crystal and Mercury Rod are among her most significant magical possessions. The former is her Sailor Crystal and the source of all of her power, which becomes especially important in the
fifth story arc.
Development
![Sakai Noriko-groink2000](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ae/Sakai_Noriko-groink2000.png)
Ami was not included in the original proposal for a hypothetical ''
Codename: Sailor V'' anime, which instead featured Minako's very similar-looking best friend from that series, Hikaru Sorano.
She was present, however, by the time the concept was expanded to center on ''Sailor Moon''.
Creator
Naoko Takeuchi
is a Japanese manga artist. She is best known as the author of ''Sailor Moon'', one of the most popular manga series of all time.
She has won several awards, including the 1993 Kodansha Manga Award for ''Sailor Moon''.
Takeuchi is married to ...
designed Ami as the "team brain",
giving her genius-level intelligence to create the impression that she was not quite human—in fact, the character was originally intended to be a
cyborg
A cyborg ()—a portmanteau of ''cybernetic'' and ''organism''—is a being with both organic and biomechatronic body parts. The term was coined in 1960 by Manfred Clynes and Nathan S. Kline. with an accelerator. One possible storyline involved her losing an arm or being injured in some other way and dying from it, but Takeuchi's editor objected, so Ami became a fully human character.
Sailor Mercury's original costume design, like the others', was fully unique. It featured full-length sleeves, pink ribbons, shoulder guards, green accents, buttons on the stomach, and high-tech goggles. Later, Takeuchi was surprised by these sketches and stated that she did not remember drawing them. She also describes Ami as looking like
Noriko Sakai
is a Japanese given name for females.
Possible writings
* 徳子, "benevolence child"
* 法子, "method, law child"
* 則子, "rule child"
* 紀子, "chronicle child"
* 教子, "teach child"
* 範子, "pattern child"
* 典子, "rule, precedent, c ...
,
a J-pop idol of the early 1990s, and in Ami's original debut,
Usagi thinks to herself that Ami resembles Miss Rain, a character from another Takeuchi series. This reference was removed in the 2003 renewal manga.
The
kanji
are the logographic Chinese characters taken from the Chinese family of scripts, Chinese script and used in the writing of Japanese language, Japanese. They were made a major part of the Japanese writing system during the time of Old Japanese ...
in Ami's last name translate as and ; and her first name translates as and . It is structured as a
pun
A pun, also known as paronomasia, is a form of word play that exploits multiple meanings of a term, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from the intentional use of homophoni ...
, as the syllable "no" indicates a
possessive
A possessive or ktetic form (abbreviated or ; from la, possessivus; grc, κτητικός, translit=ktētikós) is a word or grammatical construction used to indicate a relationship of possession in a broad sense. This can include strict owne ...
, so that her name can also be understood as "Beauty of Water." It is frequently mistranslated as "Friend of Water" because of the French word ''ami'', which is included in some Japanese dictionaries.
Actresses
In the original anime production of ''Sailor Moon'', Ami was voiced by veteran
voice actress
Voice acting is the art of performing voice-overs to present a character or provide information to an audience. Performers are called voice actors/actresses, voice artists, dubbing artists, voice talent, voice-over artists, or voice-over talent ...
Aya Hisakawa
is a Japanese voice actress and singer. In addition to releasing various solo CDs, Hisakawa is well known for her voice roles in anime and video games. Some of her major roles are Retsu Unohana in ''Bleach'', Sailor Mercury in ''Sailor Moon'', Sk ...
. After the show's conclusion, Hisakawa wrote in an
artbook
Artists' books (or book arts or book objects) are works of art that utilize the form of the book. They are often published in small editions, though they are sometimes produced as one-of-a-kind objects.
Overview
Artists' books have employed a ...
that she was "raised by" the character of Ami, and was "really, greatly happy" to have met her.
In the ''Sailor Moon Crystal'' anime, Ami is voiced by
Hisako Kanemoto
, also known professionally as , is a Japanese voice actress and singer. She is represented by Production Baobab. She released her first album ''Fantastic Voyage'' in 2014.
Biography
Kanemoto attended high school in Kamogata, Okayama, before enr ...
.
In the DIC/Cloverway English adaptation, Ami's name is changed to "Amy". Her voice was provided first by
Karen Bernstein
Karen Bernstein is a Canadian retired voice actress. She is best known to many in North America as the original voice of Sailor Mercury in the Canadian dubbing of the first two seasons of '' Sailor Moon''. She was replaced by Liza Balkan.
Bernst ...
, for the original and R series and the movies, and later by
Liza Balkan
Liza Balkan is a Canadian actress, dancer, director, teacher and writer.
Career
She received Toronto's Dora Mavor Moore Award for her performance in '' Still the Night'' (Theatre Passe Muraille/ Tova Entertainment/Tapestry/National Tour). She is ...
for the S and SuperS series. In the Viz Media English dub Ami's voice is supplied by
Kate Higgins
Catherine Davis Higgins is an American voice actress, singer and jazz piano, jazz pianist.
Career Music career
Higgins earned a degree in music from Auburn University in 1991. She is a trained pianist who studied with the jazz artist Bob Richard ...
.
Ami has been portrayed by 11 actresses in the
stage musicals: Ayako Morino, Yukiko Miyagawa, Hisano Akamine, Mariya Izawa,
Chieko Kawabe
, born February 24, 1987 in Tokyo, is a Japanese singer, model and actress. She played Sailor Mercury in the Sailor Moon musicals and was Naru Osaka in the live action adaptation of Sailor Moon. Several of her songs have been used in anime serie ...
,
Manami Wakayama
is a Japanese idol. She has had the role of Sailor Mercury and Berthier in the Sailor Moon Musicals or Seramyu. She held the role of Mercury from 2002 to 2005, graduating from the role with the musical ''Shin Kaguya Shima Densetsu - Kaiteiban''. ...
, Miyabi Matsura, Momoyo Koyama, Yume Takeuchi, Riria Itou, Miria Watanabe, Cocona, Umino Kawamura and Momoko Kaechi.
In
Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Naoko Takeuchi. It was originally serialized in Kodansha's ''shōjo'' manga magazine ''Nakayoshi'' from 1991 to 1997; the 52 individual chapters were published in 18 volumes. The serie ...
, she is played by
Rika Izumi. Child actress
Kanki Matsumoto portrays Ami in flashback sequences and childhood photographs.
Reception and influence
The official ''Sailor Moon'' character popularity polls listed Ami Mizuno and Sailor Mercury as separate entities. In 1992, readers ranked them at seventh and fourth respectively, out of thirty eight choices. One year later, now with fifty choices, Ami was the eighth most popular while Mercury was ninth. In 1994, with fifty one choices, Ami was the fifteenth most popular character, and Mercury was sixteenth. In early 1996, with fifty one choices, Ami was again the fifteenth most popular character, and Mercury was the nineteenth. Ami was the most popular female character in
Animage
is a Japanese anime and entertainment magazine which Tokuma Shoten began publishing in July 1978. Hayao Miyazaki's internationally renowned manga, ''Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind'', was serialized in ''Animage'' from 1982 through 1994. Oth ...
's May 1993 poll, and an episode featuring her, "Love for Ami?! A Boy Who Can Predict the Future", was the eleventh favorite episode. The following year she came second behind
Belldandy
is a fictional character in the popular anime and manga series ''Oh My Goddess!''. She was created by Kōsuke Fujishima as one of three Goddesses who come to Earth to reside with Keiichi Morisato, and she serves as his love interest. She is de ...
, and in 1995 she came fifth. In 1995, an episode featuring Ami, "The Labyrinth of Water! Ami the Targeted", was the ninth favorite episode. In 1996, after the debut of
Neon Genesis Evangelion
, also known simply as ''Evangelion'' or ''Eva'', is a Japanese mecha anime television series produced by Gainax and animated by Tatsunoko, directed by Hideaki Anno and broadcast on TV Tokyo from October 1995 to March 1996. ''Evangelion' ...
, she came sixteenth, and in 1997 she came twentieth.
A five-book series was published, one book on each of the Sailor Soldiers and
Sailor Moon
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Naoko Takeuchi. It was originally serialized in Kodansha's ''shōjo'' manga magazine ''Nakayoshi'' from 1991 to 1997; the 52 individual chapters were published in 18 volumes. The seri ...
. Ami's was released in 1996. This book was later translated into English by
Mixx
Mixx was a user-driven social media website that served to help users submit or find content by peers based on interest and location. It combined social networking and bookmarking with web syndication, blogging and personalization tools. In De ...
. The episode where Sailor Mercury gained her powers was novelised by Mixx.
She was popular with the male audience of ''Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon'' due to her computer use and skills.
See also
*
Mercury in fiction
*
Mercury (mythology)
Mercury (; la, Mercurius ) is a major god in Roman religion and mythology, being one of the 12 Dii Consentes within the ancient Roman pantheon. He is the god of financial gain, commerce, eloquence, messages, communication (including divinat ...
*
Elsa (Frozen)
Elsa of Arendelle is a fictional character who appears in Walt Disney Animation Studios' 53rd animated film '' Frozen'' (2013) and its sequel and 58th animated film ''Frozen II'' (2019). She is voiced mainly by Broadway actress and singer ...
*
Enki
, image = Enki(Ea).jpg
, caption = Detail of Enki from the Adda Seal, an ancient Akkadian cylinder seal dating to circa 2300 BC
, deity_of = God of creation, intelligence, crafts, water, seawater, lakewater, fertility, semen, magic, mischief
...
References
{{Authority control
Comics characters introduced in 1992
Fiction set on Mercury (planet)
Fictional characters with ice or cold abilities
Fictional characters with water abilities
Fictional high school students
Fictional middle school students
Mercury
Mercury commonly refers to:
* Mercury (planet), the nearest planet to the Sun
* Mercury (element), a metallic chemical element with the symbol Hg
* Mercury (mythology), a Roman god
Mercury or The Mercury may also refer to:
Companies
* Merc ...
Teenage characters in anime and manga