Even people who aren’t familiar with Sailor Moon can recognize the iconic Outer Senshi. While they don’t appear in the series as much as the main girls, they still play an incredibly important role. Sailor Pluto, in particular, is a key figure in the Sailor Moon universe and is the first Outer Senshi introduced in the franchise.

Who is Sailor Pluto?

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Sailor Pluto was the sixth Sailor Senshi introduced in the series. She’s referred to herself as the “Soldier of Revolution” and the “Soldier of Space-Time.” Pluto was the guardian of the Door of Space-Time. Her job was given to her by Queen Serenity. The basis of it was to stop anyone from going through it without permission. Sailor Pluto was also barred from using the door to travel through time. She also wasn’t allowed to use her powers to stop time. Pluto took her position very seriously – she even almost took out Sailor Moon before finding out her identity. However, as dire situations arose in the series, she was forced to abandon the rules at certain points.

Her civilian identity was Setsuna Meiou. Later in the series, she uses this identity to play the role of a student studying physics alongside the other Outer Senshi – Sailors Uranus and Neptune. She’s the oldest Senshi, even in this form. As with most things, there are some differences between her appearance in the manga and the anime. In the anime, she almost seems to pop out of nowhere with her new identity following the second arc. In the manga, she’s reincarnated by Neo-Queen Serenity after she sacrificed herself in a fight.

An Unlikely Friendship

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Sailor Pluto is stationed by herself and thus is usually portrayed as a loner. For a very long time, no one even knew that Pluto existed. Thus, it makes sense that she’s very distant and “cold.” Despite this, she has a good relationship with the spunky Chibi Usa. Sailor Pluto refers to Chibi Usa as “Small Lady.” Chibi Usa, cutely, usually calls Sailor Pluto by the nickname she gave her, “Puu.” Pluto is also friends with Diana – the daughter of Luna and Artemis and  well as Chibi Usa’s advisor.

In the anime, this dynamic isn’t as explored and Pluto seems to keep to her guardian job without going past her duties. It’s more explicit in the manga that she’s a guardian and  friend to Chibi Usa. In fact, there are many parts of  the second arc in the original manga that explore Pluto and Chibi Usa’s relationship. It’s also Pluto’s temporary death that breaks Chibi Usa out of being brainwashed and performing evil acts as Black Lady.

All of that being said, there are some moments that she’s more open. As the series progresses, she loses some of her stiffness. She also comes to care for other Senshi like Hotaru, Michiru and Haruka. In some iterations of the story, she also befriends a girl named Reika Nishimura since they attend the same university and both have an interest in fashion. 

Powers of the Underworld

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Sailor Pluto’s powers are heavily associated with time, the universe and darkness. She’s even said to be the daughter of Chronos, the god of time. It would make sense with her explicit duties to be in charge of the Space-Time Door. Her signature attack is called  “Dead Scream”: a move that  causes a blast of light to finish off enemies. However, as mentioned before, she has the ability to stop and travel through time. She can also allow others to travel through time. Pluto is also seen teleporting others. If she didn’t adhere to the strict rules given to her by Queen Serenity, she definitely would have been a larger force to be reckoned with in the series. That being said, Pluto isn’t shown as being weak or limited in the ability department.

Like the other Senshi (excluding Mars), Pluto doesn’t have access to her powers in civilian form. She has to transform by using a device called the Lip Rod saying  “Pluto Planet Power Make-up!” Even when reincarnated, she still had access to the same powers of her time as a guardian. Unlike the Senshi, she carries around a staff. This prop contains something known as the Garnet Orb: the source of her powers and attacks. It can also summon powerful talismans.

In Conclusion

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Sailor Pluto may not be a constant throughout the series but her contributions to protecting the lives of her fellow Senshi played a huge part. She lived an incredibly lonely existence but managed to stand with her fellow Senshi when it truly mattered. Pluto is truly one of the most mysterious and interesting characters out of the bunch.

What do you like about Sailor Pluto? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter @geekgalsco!

Want more #MoonieMondays posts? Check out our previous tributes to Sailor Mars, Sailor Neptune, Sailor Saturn, Sailor V, and Sailor Chibimoon.

Check out more of Keana’s articles.

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Featured image credit: Toei Animation