KUNZITE:

Name:

(Kunzite)
Name Origin: Kunzite (gemstone)

ANIME

First Appearance: episode 022
Final Appearance: episode 044 (death)
Seiyuu: Kazuyuki Sogabe

Kunzite was the fourth and final Dark Kingdom Shitennou to appear in the first season, making his first appearance in episode 022. Kunzite was the strongest of the four Shitennou. He was very self-assured and confident throughout the series, even during his grief over the loss of Zoisite. He worked under the direction of Queen Beryl. During the Silver Millenium, Queen Beryl recruited him and the other three Shitennou to become generals in her army. After their defeat in the Silver Millenium, he was reborn in the present day along with other members of the Dark Kingdom. For the first few episodes after his first appearance, Kunzite did not have a stated mission. He was generally seen supporting and encouraging his fellow Shitennou Zoisite, with whom he was involved in a romantic relationship.

In episode 033, Kunzite started to become more involved with the Dark Kingdom's operations when he trapped the Sailor Senshi as part of Zoisite's plan to capture Tuxedo Kamen and steal the final two Nijizuishou. The plan did not work out due to the intervention of Sailor Venus, so they were forced to try again. In the next episode, Zoisite challenged Tuxedo Kamen to meet him at Starlight Tower to fight for the Nijizuishou "fair and square." Kunzite was involved, and of course, the fight was not "fair and square" as promised. After Zoisite instructed Tuxedo Kamen to place the Nijizuishou in the middle of the room, Kunzite appeared in front of them and collected them for the Dark Kingdom. After a short battle, Tuxedo Kamen was injured, and Sailor Moon began to cry. The Nijizuishou rushed towards her and combined with her tear to form the Ginzuishou, which immediately attached itself to the Moon Stick. After Sailor Moon transformed into Princess Serenity and regained her memories of the past, Kunzite and Zoisite abducted Tuxedo Kamen and took him back to the Dark Kingdom's lair. When they returned, although Kunzite attempted to stop her, Queen Beryl fatally injured Zoisite for his repeated failures. Zoisite's dying wish was to die a "beautiful death," so Kunzite created the illusion of flowers surrounding him as he died. After the death of his lover, Kunzite was driven to fight even more fiercely.

Kunzite had helped to capture and brainwash Endymion, and in episode 037, Queen Beryl instructed the two men to work together. Both refused, saying that they preferred to do things their own way. Queen Beryl agreed with this arrangement as long as they brought her Sailor Moon's corpse and the Ginzuishou as soon as possible. Endymion began intruding upon Kunzite's schemes, annoying him and often entirely ruining the plan, preventing him from killing Sailor Moon. This led to an intense rivalry between the two men.

In episode 044, the Senshi found the entrance to a tunnel leading to the Dark Kingdom's lair, located at D Point. Almost immediately after entering the tunnel, Kunzite confronted them and demanded that Sailor Moon hand over the Ginzuishou. She refused, and insisted that he tell her where Endymion was being kept. He told the girls he would send them to "the chaotic world of multiple dimensions," then blasted them with an enormous burst of energy. He attempted to grab the Moon Stick, but it began glowing and disappeared with the girls, leading them to the ruins of the Moon Kingdom. Although the girls were gone, Luna and Artemis did not disappear along with them. The two cats made their way through the tunnel and ultimately found the entrance to the Dark Kingdom near the North Pole. As they were returning to attempt to alert the Senshi, Kunzite attacked them, leaving them both badly wounded. The Senshi soon returned, angering Kunzite who assumed his attack would banish them forever. They told him that they had regained their memories of the past, and demanded that he hand over Endymion. In turn, he demanded that they give him the Ginzuishou. He was confident that their attacks would not work within "his" space, so he attacked all of the girls with knives composed of purple energy. Sailor Moon was left unconscious. The other girls combined their powers to protect Sailor Moon until she revived, but in the process, they were badly hurt by Kunzite's attacks. Once Sailor Moon revived, she raised the Moon Stick and used Moon Healing Escalation against Kunzite. This angered him, so he continued attempting to attack her. When he threw one of the knives at her, she used the Moon Stick to deflect the attack, which cut directly into him. He was destroyed with his own weapon, making him the only one of the Shitennou to be killed by the Sailor Senshi.

YOUMA:
The following youma worked under the direction of Kunzite.

Mitsuami
Shakokai
Blizzar
Janelyn & Misha
Papillon
Oniwabandana

MANGA

Kunzite is the last of the Shitennou to appear, in volume 01 act 05, and he is also the most powerful. He is the tallest, and his estimated age is 25-26, as stated in the Materials Collection. He is the commander of the Middle Eastern division of the Dark Kingdom. When he first appeears, it is after the death of Nephrite. He advises Zoisite, with whom he shares nothing more than a platonic relationship, to be careful, and to think his plans through better than his contemporaries Jadeite and Nephrite. After Zoisite's failure and subsequent death, he is left alone to fight against the senshi. He is determined to locate the ginzuishou, but feels that he must kill the senshi and their princess first (by this time, Sailor V had arrived and was posing as the princess). In act 06, he appears and seems to be amused by Tuxedo Kamen's announcement of the ginzuishou's existance to the citizens of Tokyo. In act 08, he causes a massive blackout throughout Tokyo and waits for the senshi at the top of Tokyo Tower. The senshi confront him there, but he absorbs their attacks and returns them at Sailor Moon. Tuxedo Kamen takes the blast for her, and, in act 09, they remember their past. Sailor Moon transforms into Princess Serenity and begins to cry for Tuxedo Kamen. Then, the ginzuishou forms within one of her tears. The ginzuishou emits a light that restores Kunzite's memory of his past life in which he served King Endymion during the Silver Millenium. Kunzite then returns to the Dark Kingdom, where he ressurects the other fallen Shitennou. They live just long enough to remember their past lives serving Endymion, and then melt away once more to revert back to crystals. He cthen aptures the wounded prince and takes him back to the Dark Kingdom, knowing that he has found the one who he truly serves. In volume 03 act 10, he secretly follows Queen Beryl down a hall to see Queen Metallia, where he is amazed by how much power the great ruler has accumulated. He confronts Queen Beryl, asking what she intends to do with Endymion's body. The evil Queen forms a stone on his forehead, reminding him that he must obey her because he and the other Shitennou had pledged their eternal loyalty to her alone. She then orders him to steal energy from humans in order to draw out the senshi, so that he may steal the ginzuishou. Kunzite returns to Tokyo and begins blasting people with ice, threatening to freeze the entire city. Sailor Moon and the senshi appear, and Kunzite tries to steal the crystal. Sailor Moon flies into the air, only to be followed closely by Kunzite. She tries to gain information on the state of Tuxedo Kamen, but Kunzite tells her that if she gives him the ginzuishou, he will return Tuxedo Kamen's body. She does not want to attack him at this point because she has not yet found out anything about Tuxedo Kamen, but the other senshi arrive and kill Kunzite with Sailor Planet Attack. He is reduced to nothing but a stone, kunzite, and this stone falls at Queen Beryl's feet. She then gives the stone, along with the stones of the other fallen Shitennou, to the revived evil Prince Endymion. In act 12, when Endymion is resurected, the stone kunzite awakens, and Kunzite appears to Mamoru to tell him how to defeat Metallia. His stone then shatters.

PRETTY GUARDIAN SAILOR MOON

In Act 13, a man named Shin meets Usagi and Mamoru, telling them that he has completely lost his memory, but that he can remember them, and that he likes flowers, nature, and the ocean. Usagi wants to help him, so she and Mamoru try to gather things that he likes to help him regain his memory. He does regain his memory - but not through Usagi's help. Needing more help to capture the princess, Queen Beryl awakens Shin as Kunzite, the last of the Shitennou. Kunzite is very intelligent, but he does not hold the respect for Queen Beryl that the other Shitennou have. He seems to humour her, waiting for Queen Metaria's arrival. He is very powerful - he has telekinetic ability and a powerful sword. He can pull a few strands of his hair, which he uses to transform people into youma. He also has the ability to turn the sensh into dark soldier who work for the Dark Kingdom - his first is Sailor Mercury. Kunzite is played by Akira Kubodera

EXTRA INFO/GALLERIES

Kazuyuki Sogabe - Kunzite's Anime Seiyuu

Akira Kubodera - Kunzite's PGSM Actor

Dark Kingdom - Manga Gallery