FAQ on the Starlights
 
 


  • Q: Are the Starlights really male or female?
     
     
    In the anime, they are obviously male in their civilian identities and become female as Senshi; they are even shown with bare chests to confirm this.
     
    There are a few references to show the are originally female:
     
  • First, in episode 194, Princess Fireball asked the Starlights why they chose "this appearance", and they responded that it was easier to find women that way.
  • Second, in manga #16, page 165-166, Tin Nyanko tells Usagi not to trust those who are female but dress up as guys.
  • Naoko Takeuchi was asked about this at the San Diego Comic Con in August 1998. What she said is that they're girls in the manga, and that they were made boys in the anime without her approval. Naoko also said that only women could be sailor soldiers. That means they don't change sex in the manga, they just crossdress.
  • In the Materials Art Collection just released in 1999, when Naoko talks about the Three Lights, she deliberately puts a Venus mythology sign (for female) next to all their names in their profiles.
  • In Seiya's Prologue, Seiya says: "We must search quickly for our princess and protect the galaxy from the evil hand of Sailor Galaxia... To do that, we've become idols, we've become high school students, and we've become boys."
     

  • Q: Is Kou there first or last name?
     
     
  • In the German Sailor Moon comic book Vol. 11 1999, it says that they made the Three Lights last names Kou in the German version, but it was just the opposite in the Japanese version.
  • Naoko Takeuchi was asked about this at the San Diego Comic Con in August 1998. What she said is that their first names are Kou and it isn't uncommon for friends to have the same first names.
     
    Another thing to point out is that someone said that "If you look around in Japan, you may discover that in every idol article or announcement or whatever, first name comes first and last name comes last." Just to satisfy these people, look at the back of the Three Lights CD single:
     
    Kou Seiya, Kou Taiki, Kou Yaten
    Shiho Niiyama, Narumi Tsunoda, Chika Sakamoto

  • Q: Are they sisters?
     
     
  • Naoko Takeuchi was asked about this at the San Diego Comic Con in August 1998. What she said is that it isn't uncommon for friends to have the same first names. Implying that they are friends.
  • In episode 176 Seiya is having a hard time with the musical. Yaten and Taiki tease him and Seiya says. 'Some friends you two are, you talk as if you don't care.'
  • In the Nakayoshi magazine (published in late 1996, after July), their ages and birthdays are as follows:
     
    Seiya: July 30   Age: 16
    Taiki: May 30   Age: 16
    Yaten: February 8   Age: 16

    Their birthdays are too close to be sisters.
     
    Another interesting thing to note about their age. In episode 174, when the Three Lights transfer to Juuban High School, the van pulls up to the school and Yaten is driving. In almost all the episodes afterwards, Taiki is driving. Why? Episode 174 aired on May 18, 1996, almost two weeks before Taiki's birthday. Taiki and Seiya were still 15 at the time, and so not old enough to drive.
     

  • Q: What's the origin behind the Starlights?
     
     
    In episode 190 which revealed to fans of the anime the Starlights' origins:
    "Our planet was destroyed by Galaxia. But our final hope, the princess, escaped and came to earth. We followed her and came to earth too."
     
    The only mentioning of the Starlights' true titles comes from manga #17, page 23-24 of the manga by Kakyuu:
    "I am Kakyuu. I am the first order imperial Princess Kakyuu of the Red Cercis Kingdom of the planet Kinmoku." [in reference to the Starlights] "I apologize for the rudeness of these ones. They are the three guardian soldiers of our Kinmoku star system..."
     
    It has been said that Naoko Takeuchi was interviewed by a European magazine and told about the Starlights past. It also says that this article was never published, so it makes me wonder where the author got ahold of it.
     
    If Naoko made an elaborate past of the Starlights for the interview, why is it not even mentioned once or even illustrated? Besides, some things in the story contradict other things that have been answered and published, such as the name issue.
     

  • Q: Were the Starlights born on seperate planets and then come to Kinmoku later?
     
     
    This again relates to the Starlights past, which not much is known.
     
    This rumor comes from the Starlights first henshin sequence. After is finishes, we see what appears to be a star behind them. It's different for each Starlight. Many have thought that this might be their original home planet. But if you look closely, these look more like spiral galaxies than stars. Infact, Yaten's looks exactly like the Sombrero Galaxy, in the constellation Virgo...
    A Galaxy

    Kinmoku
    		 Again, the only mentioning of the Starlights' true titles comes from manga #17, page 23-24 of the manga by Kakyuu: "I am Kakyuu. I am the first order imperial Princess Kakyuu of the Red Cercis Kingdom of the planet Kinmoku." [in reference to the Starlights] "I apologize for the rudeness of these ones. They are the three guardian soldiers of our Kinmoku star system..."

    The only planet mentioned is Kinmoku, but the Starlights are said to be the guardians of the Kinmoku star system. This could mean they are watching over more stars than just Kinmoku, but this is never clarafied.
     

  • Q: Is Star Maker's attack really Star Gentle Uterus?
     
     
    This is not a frequently asked question, but should be addressed for the few still wondering about it.
    When reading the manga, some have come to think Star Maker's attack is "Star Getral Utterance."
     
    Star Maker's Attack
    		 In the manga it's written as "Sutaa Jientoru Yuuterasu."
     
    The whole thing is written out in katakana, meaning it's English. If the words were Japanese, that would mean the words were being given emphasis. But you will not find these words in your Japanese dictionary.

    Now it is a common mistake, even for Japanese people, to mistranslate the katakana written for an English word. I have seen it time and time again on Japanese pages, writing out words in roman letters from the katakana on their CDs. Much of it is because so many words are very similar to each other, and they'll just put down the first one that comes to mind. Believe me, some can be a bit confusing. What do you think PUREMIAMU means?
     
     
    So to show the correct pronunciation of the attack, we'll go through it letter by letter.
     
     
  • SUTAA
     
  • The vowel u, as in SU, tends to be pronounced very faintly or not at all (so that the syllable sounds like s).
  • 'A' is pronounced like the a in 'father.'
  • All syllables in Japanese are pronounced in a relatively short clipped manner in contrast to the so-called long vowels, AA in this case, which are produced by drawing out the sounds of the short vowels to twice their normal length. This makes up for not having the r at the end.
     
    So we get the pronunciation of Sta-, which most resembles star.
     
     
  • JIENTORU
     
  • 'I' is pronounced like the e in 'equal.'
  • 'E' is pronounced like the e in 'end.'
  • 'O' is pronounced like the o in 'fort.'
  • The Japanese 'r' is not at all like the retroflex American 'r,' in which the tongue is rolled back, then forward. Instead it is produced by flapping the tip of the tongue downward from just behind the upper front teeth. It sounds somewhere between an r/l to English speakers. Aside from this, Japanese has no 'l' sound, and the 'r' in used in pronouncing English words that contain the letter 'l' and 'r.'
  • Again, the vowel u, as in RU, tends to be pronounced very faintly or not at all (so that the syllable sounds like r).
  • All together, the TORU creates the effect of 'tle' as in 'gentle.'
     
    So we get the pronunciation of Jientle, which most resembles Gentle.
     
     
  • YUUTERASU
     
  • 'YUU' is pronounced as 'you.' Here we get the big clue it's not Utterance. The u in utterance most resembles the 'a' in Japanese, while Uterus sounds like 'you' in English (written as yuu in Japanese).
  • 'E' is pronounced like the e in 'end.'
  • Again, the Japanese 'r' is not at all like the retroflex American 'r,' in which the tongue is rolled back, then forward. Instead it is produced by flapping the tip of the tongue downward from just behind the upper front teeth. It sounds somewhere between an r/l to English speakers. The 'r' in used in pronouncing English words that contain the letter 'l' and 'r.'
  • Again, the vowel u, as in SU, tends to be pronounced very faintly or not at all (so that the syllable sounds like s).
     
    So we get the pronunciation of You(U)teras, which most resembles Uterus.
     
     
    Star Maker's attack is Star Gentle Uterus.
    If it was "Star Getral Utterance," then it would have been written as "Sutaa Geturaru Ateronusu" in the manga.
     

  • Q: Why did Naoko give Star Maker the attack of "Star Gentle Uterus"?
     
     
    There's a bit of debate over what her attack is supposed to mean.
    Some people have taken the time to do some research on a mythology aspect. Others say this is because she's Star 'Maker': "Stars are created in the womb of the galaxy. And a woman's womb is also known as the uterus, where the fetus of the child grows."
     
    Yet, in the Materials Art Collection just released in 1999, Naoko gives the Starlights some new attacks in their profiles. In her own words, Star Maker's attacks:
     
    Star Maker's Attacks
    		 "Death move: 'Star Gentle Uterus'.
    Star Maker Relaxation (what kind of move could that be? [sweat drop pictured]),
    Star Maker Strike (a bit ecchi [sweat drop pictured]),
    Star Maker Music Box."

    Ecchi... Interesting theme that is going on here for her attacks... Anyways, in this case, your guess is as good as mine as why Naoko gave Star Maker her unique attack.
     

  • Q: Do the Starlights and Kakyuu really die in the manga?
     
     
    In manga #17, pages 128-129, Sailor Phi Sailor Chi blast Sailor Moon, Sailor Chibi-Chibi, Kakyuu and the Starlights to get their starseeds. Sailor Chibi-Chibi blocks the attack, yet it only saved Sailor Moon and Kakyuu. Three sailor crystals emerge from the Starlights' bodies.
    In manga #18, pages 6-7, somehow the Starlights bodies are enveloped by "blue fire." Their bodies turn to ash...
    Yet, a past quote from Yaten is brought up on the same page saying, "All that is a sailor soldier is inside the sailor crystals," said Yaten. "The crystals of unknown power, the sailor crystals, won't disappear!"
     
    On pages 18-19, we are introduced to a land "to where the remnants of dead stars drift." We see the faces of Seiya, Taiki, and Yaten on three of the crosses planted in the ground.
     
    Though on pages 141-143, we are given hope of them being reborn again after Usagi descends into the Cauldron. She asks for the help of her friends and the Starlights to give her the strength to defeat chaos: "Sailor soldiers sleeping inside the Cauldron. Sailor crystals. And my many friends across the galaxy. Please. Please give me strength!"
    Afterwards on page 153, Sailor Cosmos says "The sailor crystals of the sailor soldiers scattered in the Cauldron are returning to their original forms, and going back to their own planets. They are all still just starseeds born from the Cauldron, but as they reach their respective planets, they will grow, and return to their forms of before."
    Meaning, the Starlights are reborn again.
     
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