Fire versus Thunder
Hino Rei versus Kino Makoto
Two beautiful girls: Tough, sharp-witted, and probably among the most favorite of senshi, but over time, Jupiter and Mars fans have come to wrong ends with each other.
Rei is a hot-headed, flame-tongued priestess with spiritual dedication and a fabulous singing voice. Makoto is a calm yet tough motherly figure who delights in the culinary arts and botany. They are very different, but both spectacular characters.
I find that they are poised against each other because they are both very powerful and have many talents, but can it be said that Fire is better than Thunder or vise versa?
Let's find out...
The Most Beautiful
Who is the prettiest senshi? It is something all fans have debated at one time or another. Each girl is beautiful in her own way, but who is the most? Rei and Makoto are pegged against each other in the beauty dispute: Rei with her long raven hair and violet eyes; Makoto with her chestnut curls and eyes of jade.
Rei has a very glamourous look. Violet-streaked hair and red painted lips set her out from the crowd. One could argue that she is more fashionable and up-to-date in style sense (especially in the anime because of her performing spirit). In the manga, she has attracted numerous admirers (even passing police officers). Asanuma remarks that she looks like the ideal match for Mamoru because of her slender form and dark hair. She has even been referred to as what a model should look like.
Makoto, on the other hand, has a more earthlike, natural beauty. No glittery makeup or fashion fads for her, her hair always up in a simple style, her nails never painted, her usual rose earrings adding just enough glitter to her appearance. True, Makoto has not attracted as many random admirers as Rei, but she has attracted several genuine love interests (see Deep in the Heart).
But back to the arguement; who is prettier? I find that there is no true prettiest senshi. Each fan has his or her own opinion of what beauty is. There is no right or wrong answer to this dispute. It is simply a matter of taste.
The Most Powerful
It is probably the most well known and controversial issue in the Sailormoon community. Who is the most powerful? Among Serenity's guardians, two warriors have been picked out: Sailormars and Sailorjupiter. Sailormars with her lashing flames, Sailorjupiter with her sparkling lightning bolts. So what is more powerful: fire or thunder?
The two are undoubtedly the most aggressive of Serenity's guardians. Sailormars's attacks involve flames and usually surround a villain with fire. Sailorjupiter uses electrocution, and her strikes mostly shock. Both attacks have high accuracy rates. True, the attack charts at Sailormoon CyberCity (now closed) have proven Sailorjupiter's Oak Evolution a more accurate and powerful blow than Mars's Flame Sniper, but the potential of Sailormars's attack is still questionable.
I think there could be no true answer to this question unless the two senshi were to fight each other, and of course, two friends would not want to do that, so the answer for now is up in the air.
The Coolest
Who is the one coolest senshi? The senshi better than all the rest? I have come across this argument more times than I care to think of. Through guestbook entries and emails, messages of "Rei is so much cooler" have been thrown my way. So now it's my turn to voice an opinion.
Fans argue that Rei is cooler because of her psychic abilities, spirituality, and heavenly voice. Makoto fans counter that Makoto's superb cooking skills, kick-butt attitude, and wisdom in love make her the coolest. Even things as petty as "red is a much better color than green" have been tossed out in a voyage to find the true coolest girl.
Honestly, I can see both arguements. A wonderful voice and song-writing talent are very interesting things to possess, but is it accurate to say that they are better than wonderous kitchen skills or a black belt in karate? And can motherly wisdom be considered cooler than faithful meditation?
What is coolness? What makes something cooler than something else? Once again, I feel there is no true answer. It is up to the fans to decide that.
In Conclusion
Is there really an end to conclude? What has this quarrel come to? Is the prettiest, strongest, coolest senshi Rei or Makoto? Can Thunder be called better than Fire or vise versa? Upon my reckonings I would have to say that there is no real end to this battle. Both girls have their strengths and weaknesses. Both are beautiful, powerful, and interesting in their way. So what right do we have to judge them for it?
Don't agree? You're entitled to your opinion as I am entitled to mine. Arguing these points leads nowhere, so please don't send flames. This is simply a matter of opinion. Although Jupiter is my favorite senshi, I tried not to be biased in subjects. I apologize if some things sounded that way.
Emerald Star © 2000-2009 Kotono. Kino Makoto and Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon © 1992 Takeuchi Naoko. This shrine was created in whole by the webmistress and is not to be copied. It is part of the Paper Cranes collective.