Section Four of Four

Sailor Pluto and the Underworld

     Evidently, Takeuchi wanted a dark, otherworldly, and "out of the way" place to be the location of the jik no tobira (), the Space-Time Door. An obvious choice would be the underworld. Takeuchi states in the Materials Collection that this place exists in between times. Exactly what Takeuchi meant by that isn't entirely certain, but it's understood that this underworld is a hidden realm that exists somewhere beyond time and space. Sailor Pluto became the protector and guardian of the Space-Time Door in this underworld. Her first maneuver, which she uses to attack intruders, is Dead Scream. That name is a reference to Hades, otherwise known as Pluto, the lord of the dead and ruler of the underworld. According to the Sailor Moon SuperS Movie Memorial Album, in the anime, the mist that forms around Sailor Pluto's Garnet Orb when she performs Dead Scream is called the meikai no kaze () which means the "wind of the underworld." Most of Sailor Pluto's other powers, which are found in the manga, mention the god of time Chronos (), the name of her divine father.

The Planet Pluto in Astrology

     It's important to also understand Pluto's role in astrology. While Saturn was often considered to be a malefic planet, Pluto has never acquired the same bad reputation. The planet Pluto was discovered in the twentieth century while Saturn was known since ancient times. Since that small planet was called Pluto, astrologers naturally associated it with death, rebirth, and the underworld. However, Pluto is also known for its power of change and transformation. The book Cosmic Connections states that "Since it is the outermost transpersonal planet, it is believed to have broad and deep influence, heralding drastic changes that affect entire populations." Saturn and Pluto have been associated with time, Karma, destruction, and rebirth, but the power of Pluto is different from the power of Saturn. Saturn's influence is characteristically personal and physical while Pluto's influence is primarily generational and metaphysical. Pluto is a planet that heralds in new eras of change. The 1998 Super Horoscope Aries states that Pluto is the planet that "rules the metamorphosis of the caterpillar into a butterfly, for it symbolizes the capacity to change totally and forever a person's lifestyle, way of thought, and behavior." Sailor Pluto's epithet henkaku no senshi, the soldier of change, is a reference to astrology.

Meaning Behind Sailor Pluto's Civilian Name

     Sailor Pluto's civilian name should also be discussed. The name Mei Setsuna () in Japanese means something along the lines of "dark king instant." The term mei () means "dark." Interestingly, there's another Kanji that has the reading mei () but it means "fate" or "destiny." Unfortunately, it seems to be coincidental that these two Kanji have the same reading. The () part of Setsuna's name means "king." When () and () come together with the Kanji that means "star" (), they make Meisei () which refers to the planet Pluto. The name Setsuna () means "instant" or "moment." Sailor Pluto's personal name can be thought of as a hint at her role as the one who controls time and space. There's really no evidence to support the claim that setsuna (which is written either or ) is related to the word setsunai () which means "painful" or "oppressive." (This might be yet another case in which people have associated two different words with each other just because they phonetically sound similar a la Cronus [] and chronos [].) Clearly, the Kanji used in both words are different.

Sailor Pluto and the Garnet

     Sailor Pluto carries around her Talisman, the Garnet Orb, on top of her Garnet Rod. In the Sailor Moon Another Story RPG we're told that the garnet is the mineral associated with Sailor Pluto. Even the gems that are seen on her earrings appear to be deep red garnets. Astrologers have associated certain gemstones with the different Zodiac signs. The garnet, strangely, is said to be associated with the Zodiac sign Capricorn. (But Fluorite is not associated with Scorpio!) One would find this confusing because Hotaru, who is Sailor Saturn, was said to be born under that sign. Why, then, was the garnet given to Sailor Pluto? The reasons are simple. Sailor Pluto's association with the garnet can be linked to classical mythology. Astrologers have also assigned certain gemstones to the planets. One of the planetary gemstones for Pluto is, indeed, garnet. The name "garnet" is etymologically related to the term "pomegranate." Garnets were given that name because they were said to resemble pomegranate seeds. The pomegranate seed plays a very important role in the story of Hades and Persephone in classical Greek mythology.

Conclusion: Saturn and Pluto Weren't Switched

     If we wish to call Sailor Pluto "Sailor Saturn" and Sailor Saturn "Sailor Pluto," things wouldn't work out well at all. There's no way that Sailor Saturn could be the daughter of Chronos. The Silence Glaive's epithet is chinmoku no kama which means "scythe of silence." Pluto wasn't known to wield a scythe, so why give her the Silence Glaive? The underworld was often called Hades, but never Cronus. Pluto is associated more with the underworld, so why make Sailor Saturn guardian of the underworld? Those are a few problems the would be created if the themes of these characters were to be switched.

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