Pretty Ronin Sailormoon:

Startling similarities between the Ronin Warriors and Sailor Senshi.

Beleive it or not, there are a frightening number of similarities that exist between the Ronin Warriors and the Sailor Senshi, from the popular Sailormoon cartoon. The major glaring difference is that one team is male, while the other is female. Anyway, here's what I have found. Don't everyone jump up any scream pleigerism, uh.. playjor.. pleyger.. uh.. Don't everyone scream copyright infringement! It's probably all just coincidence... or is it? (creepy X-Files music ominously begins...)

Alright. Behold exhibit "A": a group shot of the Ronin Warriors. They are, from left to right, Rowen of Srata, Sage of Halo, Ryo of Wildfire, Kento of Hardrock, and Cy of Torrent. If you don't know them, check out the Ronin Warriors "Good Guys" section.

Now, take a look at exhibit "B": a group shot of the Sailor Senshi. (The originals) They go my many names, but are most commonly known as (from left to right) Sailor Mars, Sailor Venus, Sailor Moon, Sailor Mercury, and Sailor Jupiter. If you don't know much about them, then see this Online Encyclopedia of info. Once you have a rudimentary knowledge of both groups, we can proceed.

General Similarities

First, there is the basic composition of the team. All are friends, similarly dressed, and differentiated primarily by color and powers.
Secondly, ther is the whole "Suiting up" sequence of animation that occurs whenever a character prepares for battle. (Granted, this happens in most super hero anime.) There is also the matter of how they suit up. For both groups, it mainly consists of identifying who they are and following it up with an exclaimation that invokes their source of power. ("Armor of Halo... TAO CHI!!" / "Jupiter power... MAKE UP!!")
Both teams have one member with brown hair, one and one member with blue hair. The Sailors have one with black hair and two blondes, while the Ronin have one blonde and two with black hair.
Each character is associated with specific virtuous traits that are displayed in their personalities. (Cye = Trust / Amy = Wisdom)
Great emphasis in each series is placed on the value of teamwork and cooperation. The final enemy is only defeated when each member of the team lends their power to the common effort.
Expanding on this theme, members of both teams are able to pool their powers to achieve a specific effect (Circle of Light / Sailor Teleport) or focus their powers into a single attack (Rage of the Inferno / Sailor Planet Attack).
Lastly, though both groups are Japanese in origin, there is a great deal of foreign influence. The Senshi have been influenced by western culture, with sailor suits, transformation and attacks in English, etc. The Ronin are influenced greatly by Chinese culture, with Confuian virtues and a Chinese character. (Kento was originally Xiuli, or Shuu Rei.)

Specific Character Similarities

Sage of Halo and Sailor Jupiter

Sage of Halo
(Kourin no Seiji Date)
Born: June 9, 1973 (Gemini)
Elemental: Spirit (manifested in lightning)
Attack: Thunderbolt Cut
Warrior of: Wisdom (originally courtesey)

Lita
(Makoto Kino)
Born: Dec. 10, 1977 (Saggitarius)
Elemental: Lightning and Wood
Attacks: Supreme Thunder, Sparkling Wide Pressure, Supreme Thunder Dragon, Jupiter Oak Evolution, Jupiter Coconut Cyclone, Jupiter Flower Hurricane
Senshi of: Protection

Firstly, their attacks involve lightning. Sage's Thunderbolt Cut and Lita's many attacks, including Supreme Thunder, Sparkling Wide Pressure, and Supreme Thunder Dragon, are all lightning-elemental. Also, both wear green. They contrast in that Lita charges into battle while Sage hangs back. Another difference is that Sage, in the original version of his series, smoothely makes passes at Mia, and Lita just shamelessly flings herself at any man resembling her ex.

Cye of Torrent and Sailor Mercury

Cye of Torrent
(Suiko no Shin Moori)
Born: Mar. 14, 1973 (Pices)
Elemental: Water
Attack: Super Wave Smasher
Warrior of: Trust

Amy Anderson / Amy Mizuno
(Ami Mizuno)
Born: Sept. 10, 1977 (Virgo)
Elemental: Water and Ice
Attacks: Shabon Spray, Shabon Spray Freezing, Double Shabon Spray Freezing, Shine Aqua Illusion, Mercury Aqua Raphsody, Shine Snow Illusion
Senshi of: Wisdom and Intellect.

Both favor the color blue; that much is obvious. However, they are also the members of the group who use water-elemental attacks. Cye has his ever-dependable Super Wave Smasher while Amy uses her much weaker Mercury Bubbles Blast (originally Shabon Spray), primarily to cloud her attacker's vision. Amy has a VR visor which lets her see things others can't, and Cye, while armored, can see clearly underwater. Cye and Amy are quite smart (though Rowan is smarter than Cye, it is said) and very accomplished swimmers.

Ryo of Wildfire and Sailor Mars

Ryo of Wildfire
(Rekka no Ryo Sanata)
Born: Aug. 15, 1973 (Leo)
Elemental: Fire
Attack: "Flare Up Now!"
Warrior of: Virtue (benevolence)

Raye Hino
(Rei Hino)
Born: Apr. 17, 1977 (Aries)
Elemental: Fire
Attacks: Fire Soul, Burning Mandala, Fire Soul Bird, Mars Flame Sniper
Senshi of: War

I think you may be noticing a pattern here. Both of these do-gooders wear red. Both Ryo's Fervor Flare (called Sou En Zan, or Twin Flame Cut in Japanese) and Raye's Mars Fire Ignite (Fire Soul) are - you guessed it! - fire-elemental. To top it off, both can be a bit on the hot-tempered side. These two also feature some sort of leadership quality. Ryo is the unnofficial leader of the Ronin Warriors, and Raye has been known to slap Serena back into line.

Kento of Hardrock and Sailor Venus

Kento of Hardrock
(Kongou no Xiuli Huang / Shuu Rei Fan)
Born: Sept. 9, 1973 (Virgo)
Elemental: Earth
Attack: Iron Rock Crusher
Warrior of: Justice

Mina
(Minako Aino)
Born: Oct. 22, 1977 (Libra)
Elemental: Light and Metal
Attcks: Crecent Beam, Crecent Beam Shower, Venus Love-Me Chain, Venus Love and Beauty Shock, Venus Wink Sword
Senshi of: Love and Justice

Both of them wear orange. Kento's Iron Rock Crusher is earth-elemental, and Mina's attacks are metal and light based, making them similar in that they invoke metal. Though the issue of who is the strongest Sailor is a subject of some debate (Jupiter or Venus), these two are among the physically the strongest, if not the strongest in their respective groups.

Rowan of Strata and Sailor Moon

Rowan of Strata
(Tenkuu no Touma Hashiba)
Born: Oct 10, 1973 (Libra)
Elemental: Air
Attack: Arrow Shock Wave
Warrior of: Life-Force (originally wisdom)

Serena (TV) / Bunny (comics)
(Usagi Tsukino)
Born: June 30, 1977 (Cancer)
Elemental: ??
Attacks: Moon Tiara Action, Moon Healing Escalation, Moon Princess Halation, Moon Spiral Heart Attack, Rainbow Moon Heart Ache, Starlight Honeymoon Therapy Kiss.
Senshi of: Mystery, Love and Justice

The word "Moon" can be found in all of Sailor Moon's attacks. While Rowan does not invoke the heavens, through his armor he is also tied to the sky. Strata (singular "stratum") refers to layers, in this context referring to the layers of the atmosphere or layers of clouds. "Tenkuu" means "sky" or "heaven," or more literally, "the air up there." In addition to this, they have a special relationship with the fire-elemental character. Rowan and Ryo fought side-by-side through the Dynasty while Serena and Raye share a special bond. (You wouldn't think so, the way they're at each other's throats!) Also, their primary attacks involve projectiles. (Rowan's arrow and Serena's tiara.)

Anubis and Sailor Saturn

Anubis
(Shutendouji)
Born: May 5, 1551 (Taurus)
Weapon: Kasari-gama
Attack: "Quake With Fear!"
Warlord of: Cruelty

Hotaru Tomoe
Born: Jan 6, ???? (Capricorn)
Weapon: Silence Glaive
Attacks: Death Reborn Revolution, Silence Wall, Silence Glaive Surprise.
Senshi of: Creation and Destruction

Both of these fighters, clad in dark purple, have died. Also, they both started off as villains and saw the light. Hotaru, formerly posessed by Mistress Nine, was an enemy of the Sailors. She was reborn and took on the role of Sailor Saturn. Anubis, formerly the Warlord of Cruelty, left Emperor Talpa's ranks and became the successor to the Ancient. He died freeing Lady Kayura from Talpa's control. In an interesting twist, there is a great deal of youth-oriented description with these two. Hotaru is obviously very young, and reverted to the form of an infant upon her death. "Shoten Douji" means "Red-headed kid," and Anubis' birthday is a holiday in the East: Children's Day.

Kento of Hardrock and Sailor Uranus

Kento of Hardrock
(Kongou no Xiuli Huang)
Born: Sept. 9, 1973 (Virgo)
Elemental: Earth
Attack: Iron Rock Crusher
Warrior of: Justice

Corrine (toy) / Amara (TV)
(Haruka Ten'ou)
Born: Jan. 27 (Aquarius)
Elemental: Earth
Attacks: World Shaking, Space Sword Blaster
Senshi of: Flight

Many have suggested that they are very similar. Again, as mentioned before with Kento, this pair is among the strongest of their groups. Also, they have a land & sea connection ("surf and turf," if you will) to a water-elemental character. Kento is best friends with Cye, since Cye cooks. Haruka and Michiru... well... Let's just say they're more than just friends. Their connection, though, seems to lean more towards sky & sea.

Cye of Torrent and Sailor Neptune

Cye of Torrent
(Suiko no Shin Moori)
Born: Mar. 14, 1973 (Pices)
Elemental: Water
Attack: Super Wave Smasher
Warrior of: Trust

Nerissa (toy) / Michelle (TV)
(Michiru Kaiou)
Born: Mar. 6 (Pices)
Elemental: Water
Attack: Deep Submerge, Submarine Reflector
Senshi of: The Seas

Both Cye and Michiru are water-elemental characters. Like Cye and Ami, this pair excells in swimming events. Also, they make up the more passive component of the "surf & turf" duo. Both are also pices.

Armor of Inferno and Eternal Sailor Moon

Armor of Inferno
Wearer: Ryo
Resources needed: Confutian trait of "Virtue" plus four other usurped Confutian or Samurai traits. Must be gathered for each use.

Eternal Sailor Moon
Identity: Usagi / Serena
Resources Needed: Absorb powers of all Sailors. Only needed to be gathered once.

Here's where things get interesting. Both of these characters are in leadership possitions in the team. They can both only assume these alternate forms when empowered by outside forces. Ryo must absorb the heroic traits of the four other warriors or the Warlords to get the Aromor of Inferno, while Serena absorbs the powers of all nine Sailor Senshi (including Saturn, Neptune, Uranus, and Pluto) to become Eternal Sailor Moon.

Yuli and Sailor Chibi-Moon

Yuli
(Jun Yamada)
Born: ??
Elemental: N/A
Attacks: None
Nuisance Factor: Smacked by Ryo once.

Reenie
(Chibi-Usa Tsukino)
Born: June 30, ???? (Cancer)
Elemental: ??
Attacks: Pink Sugar Heart Attack
Nuisance Factor: Spanked by Usagi (Serena) more than once.

Both of these two are the cutesy little tag-alongs that can sometimes be annoying, but are primarily there for the "kawaii" (cute) factor. Adorable to some, annoying to others, they're always hanging around. While Reenie does become a Sailor Soldier, Yuli does not gain any official position with his older samurai friends. He does, however, hold the Jewel of Life, which is a great source of offensive power.

White Blaze and the Sailor Cats

White Blaze
(Byakuuen)
Strength: Yuli and Ryo can each ride on his back.
Attack Power: Good in a fight.
Powers: Can transform into Black Blaze.

Luna, Artemis, and Diana
Strength: Can lift a heavy book.
Attack Power: Destraction, at best. Maybe a few strategic bites and scratches.
Powers: Can speak, "mind meld" with people, and make certain magical items appear.

White Blaze is the tiger that accompanies the Ronin Warriors. Luna (black), along with Artemis (white) and Diana (small and purple-grey), are the little kitty cats that accompany the Sailor Senshi. All are feline.

One final note. If a crossover were to occur between both universes, I can see the potential of romantic interludes. Here are my picks for...

Senshi-Ronin couples:

Kento and Lita = He loves to eat and she loves to cook. A match made in heaven.

Sage and Amy = The quiet James Dean meets the shy schoolgirl. Tell me that wouldn't be interesting.

Yuli and Reenie = Aww... ain't it adorable?

Since creating this page, I have recieved reactions to the whole "Senshi-Ronin Couples" bit. A LOT of reactions. Geez... you make ONE little comment and then the rabid fans are suddenly all over you...

[Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4] [Part 5] [Part 6] [Part 7]
Plus, you can see the scientifically-determined outcomes here. Geez, people, settle down. It's just a cartoon.

Obligatory Promotions Section

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Last modified July 28, 2000.