Minako Aino (愛野 美奈子, Aino Minako) is the present-day incarnation of Sailor Venus (セーラーヴィーナス, Sērā Vīnasu) and the civilian identity of Sailor V (セーラーV, Sērā Bui). Minako is the original Sailor Guardian, protagonist of Codename: Sailor V, and leader of the Inner Sailor Guardians in the Sailor Moon manga.
Nomenclature & Etymology
Etymology
Her family name begins with the character meaning "love" (愛), which still indirectly represented the planet of Venus, as Venus was the goddess of love in Roman mythology.
Her first name, Minako (美奈子), contains the kanji for "beautiful" (美, mi) and "child" (子, ko), along with 奈 (na), a phonetic character.
Minako's full name means. "Beautiful Child of Love" in Japanese.
Nomenclature
Naoko Takeuchi included many occultist arts to finely detail each character. For Minako, these things include:
- Birthstone(s)
- Opal - Romantic and charismatic, but can be fearful and indecisive.
- Topaz - Fair, charitable, and artistic.
- Zodiac Sign Libra - Cooperative, diplomatic, gracious, fair-minded, romantic; indecisive, avoids confrontations, will carry a grudge, self-pity.
- Birth flower Cosmos - Order, harmony, balance, tranquility, peace, love, modesty, innocence, joy, and beauty.
Appearance
Civilian
Minako Aino has blue eyes and blonde hair, preferring to wear her hair down with a simple red bow in it. When she was in junior high, she wore a sailor-style school uniform like the other Sailor Guardians did in their civilian forms, but with a few differences. Also, the uniform was the most classic or orthodox among those of the Sailor Team.
Sailor Guardian
This was the first Senshi form that Minako had ever had. This form first appeared in Codename: Sailor V. She would fight against the Dark Agency with Artemis at her aid. This form appeared in many continuations of the series. She wore a top revealing her belly button sometimes, shoulder protector (revealing the sleeves of her shirt), a blue skirt with red at the bottom, an orange broach, red bows, a white choker with a golden crescent moon on it, blue heels, a red mask, and a crescent moon on her forehead.
Sailor Venus' dominant color was orange (choker, collar, center of front bow, elbow fittings of gloves, skirt, shoes, and earrings) and her accent colors were blue (front bow) and yellow (back bow). Her tiara gem was usually orange, but sometimes appeared more yellow. Her collar had one white stripe near the edge of the collar (not at the center), and her shoes were orange heels with ankle straps.
This is Minako's third Sailor Senshi uniform in the anime and manga that she transforms into first during Act 39 of the manga by using her Venus Crystal, given to her by Artemis, but no new name is given. In episode 143 of the anime, she has a similar transformation and the title Super Sailor Venus is used. Her sleeves now have a clear layer and her broach is heart shaped.
This was a manga exclusive form of Minako after she was killed by Sailor Galaxia and revived in Act 49. She wears bracelets similar to Sailor Galaxia and fights for her to kill Sailor Moon.
This was a manga exclusive transformation of Minako's in Act 42, this form was unnamed but was similar to Eternal Sailor Moon albeit without wings.
During the Silver Millennium, she was the ruler of the planet Venus and was the leader of those who protected Princess Serenity. She wore a yellow gown with frills running down it. In her hair she wore a yellow bow and a rose, she also wore a choker that was tied in a ribbon at the back. During her time as a Princess she dwelt in Magellan Castle.
Personality
Unlike the anime, Minako had a more serious side to her personality, which is much more noticeable when transformed into Sailor Venus. Despite this serious side, she tends to be an academic underachiever, like Usagi, but experienced a fair amount of atheleticsm.
Minako seems to desire romance, as this is noticeable in both Codename: Sailor V, and is usually deemed as boy-crazy.
Despite her academic underachievements, she possesses intellect, and is clever when it comes to taking down various enemies.
Information
Codename: Sailor V
Dark Kingdom arc
Black Moon arc
Infinity arc
Dream arc
Stars arc
Sailor Guardian Info
Minako Aino can transform info Sailor V by saying Moon Power, Transform. Later as Sailor Venus, she utters the words Venus Power, Make Up! Also, she can disguise herself as anyone she desires to be, like Usagi, with her compact, by saying Crescent Moon Power, Transform! Her attacks are centered around metal (gold) and light element attributes
Phrases
- Venus Power, Make Up
- Venus Star Power, Make Up
- Venus Planet Power, Make Up
- Venus Crystal Power, Make Up
Attacks
- Venus Love-Me Chain
- Rolling Heart Vibration
- Venus Wink Chain Sword
- Venus Love and Beauty Shock
- Venus Love and Galactica Shock
- Akuryo Taisan
- Sailor Planet Attack
- Sailor Planet Power Meditation
- Galactica Gale
- Galactica Planet Attack
- Crescent Beam
- Crescent Super Beam
- Crescent Slender Beam
- Venus Power, Love Crescent Shower
- Venus Love, Megaton Shower
- Crescent Boomerang
- Sailor V Kick
- Double Sailor Kick
- Sailor V Chop
- Venus Iron Muscle Punch
- Rolling Screw Sailor V Punch
- Venus Sulphur Smoke
- Venus Brand: Mosquito Incense Typhoon
- Venus Ten Billion Volt Rock N' Rouge
Items
Weapons
Development
In the transition between the Sailor V and Sailor Moon series, Minako's basic character design did not change. Naoko Takeuchi had written that the concept of Minako has barely changed at all from the first moment she was created. Run-Run, the magazine that serialized Sailor V, had intended to produce an OVA based on the character, but it went bankrupt before it could happen, so Minako was relegated to the sidelines as one of Sailor Moon's co-stars, to Takeuchi's regret.
Gallery
.jpg "Sailor V (MANGA IMAGE).jpg (89 KB)")
Trivia
- Naoko has said that the reason Venus looks so much like Sailor Moon was in fact because it was her duty to take Serenity's place to keep her from danger.
- The reason that Minako pretended to be the moon princess might be because of Galileo's words saying that Venus copied the form of the moon.
- Minako is the only Solar System Sailor Senshi whose civilian family name does not begin with the Japanese kanji character(s) directly denoting the corresponding celestial body.
- Her surname is a pun on a phrase meaning "of love," making her name sound like "Venus of Love".
- Minako is the fifth Sailor Guardian; creating an additional pun on her first Sailor Senshi identity, Sailor V. The letter V is the Roman numeral for 5.
References
- ↑ Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon Volume 10 (tankoban version)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Official Sailor Moon website; Sailor Venus's Profile
| Solar System Sailor Senshi | Sailor Moon • Sailor Mercury • Sailor Mars • Sailor Jupiter • Sailor Venus/Sailor V • Sailor Chibi Moon • Sailor Pluto • Sailor Uranus • Sailor Neptune • Sailor Saturn |
| Sailor Starlights | Sailor Star Fighter • Sailor Star Healer • Sailor Star Maker |
| Sailor Quartet | Sailor Vesta • Sailor Pallas • Sailor Juno • Sailor Ceres |
| Other Sailor Senshi | Sailor Kakyuu • Sailor Chibi Chibi • Sailor Cosmos |
| Civilian Identities | Usagi Tsukino • Ami Mizuno • Rei Hino • Makoto Kino • Minako Aino • Chibiusa Tsukino • Setsuna Meiou • Haruka Tenou • Michiru Kaiou • Hotaru Tomoe • Kou Seiya• Kou Yaten • Kou Taiki • Princess Kakyuu • Chibi Chibi |
| Allies | Tuxedo Mask • Luna • Artemis • Diana |
| Solar System Sailor Senshi | Sailor Moon • Sailor Mercury • Sailor Mars • Sailor Jupiter • Sailor Venus • Sailor Chibi Moon • Sailor Pluto • Sailor Uranus • Sailor Neptune • Sailor Saturn |
| Sailor Starlights | Sailor Star Fighter • Sailor Star Healer • Sailor Star Maker |
| Other Sailor Senshi | Sailor Chibi Chibi |
| Civilian Identities | Usagi Tsukino • Ami Mizuno • Rei Hino • Makoto Kino • Minako Aino • Chibiusa Tsukino • Setsuna Meiou • Haruka Tenou • Michiru Kaiou • Hotaru Tomoe • Kou Seiya • Kou Yaten • Kou Taiki • Chibi Chibi |
| Allies | Tuxedo Mask • Luna • Artemis • Diana • Princess Kakyuu |
| Solar System Sailor Senshi | Sailor Moon • Sailor Mercury • Sailor Mars • Sailor Jupiter • Sailor Venus • Sailor Chibi Moon • Sailor Pluto • Sailor Uranus • Sailor Neptune • Sailor Saturn |
| Sailor Starlights | Sailor Star Fighter • Sailor Star Healer • Sailor Star Maker • |
| Sailor Quartet | Sailor Vesta • Sailor Pallas • Sailor Juno • Sailor Ceres |
| Other Sailor Senshi | Chibi Chibi • Sailor Astarte • Sailor Cosmos |
| Civilian Identities | Usagi Tsukino • Ami Mizuno • Rei Hino • Makoto Kino • Minako Aino • Chibiusa Tsukino • Setsuna Meiou • Haruka Tenou • Michiru Kaiou • Hotaru Tomoe • Kou Seiya • Kou Yaten • Kou Taiki • Chibi Chibi |
| Allies | Tuxedo Mask • Luna • Artemis • Princess Kakyuu |
| Solar System Sailor Senshi | Sailor Moon • Sailor Mercury • Sailor Mars • Sailor Jupiter • Sailor Venus / Sailor V |
| Other Sailor Senshi | Sailor Luna |
| Civilian Identities | Usagi Tsukino • Ami Mizuno • Rei Hino • Makoto Kino • Minako Aino • Luna Tsukino |
| Allies | Tuxedo Mask • Luna • Artemis |
| Solar System Sailor Senshi | Sailor Moon • Sailor Mercury • Sailor Mars • Sailor Jupiter • Sailor Venus • Sailor Chibi Moon • Sailor Pluto • Sailor Uranus • Sailor Neptune • Sailor Saturn |
| Sailor Quartet | Sailor Vesta • Sailor Pallas • Sailor Juno • Sailor Ceres |
| Civilian Identities | Usagi Tsukino • Ami Mizuno • Rei Hino • Makoto Kino • Minako Aino • Chibiusa Tsukino • Setsuna Meiou • Haruka Tenou • Michiru Kaiou • Hotaru Tomoe |
| Allies | Tuxedo Mask • Luna • Artemis • Diana |
