I am the messenger from the depths of death. Carrier of the protection of the planet of ruin, Saturn. The soldier of silence. Sailor Saturn.

"I am the soldier of ruin and birth, and I carry the protection of the planet of silence, Saturn. I am Sailor Saturn!"

Sailorsaturn is Hotaru's Senshi identity and one of the most powerful Senshi in the series. She represents Ruin and the "Forbidden Star" Saturn--the planet of restriction and limitations.

In the manga, Saturn, the carrier of destruction, appeared before while the Silver Millennium crumbled. Although Uranus, Pluto, and Neptune where not allowed to leave their territories, they could still sense its final cry. Their weapons, the three talismans began to resonate so they brought them together.

"Then, the beautifully shining talismans summoned, from the forbidden planet, the final soldier, who must not awaken. The soldier of silence, who carries the protection of the planet of ruin, Saturn. Sailor Saturn. Then we knew the end would come. We watched as she slowly brought down her silence glaive, as the Silver Millennium went into oblivion. Our power gave out. Sailor Saturn appears at the moment of destruction. She takes all to nothing. She is the guide to death." (from the translation by Kurozuki)

She was reincarnated with the other senshi, but was never suppose to awaken. The accident that claimed most of Hotaru's body woke her up, and in her own words, "I slowly met accidents one after another, and disturbing occurrences were brought about. Suddenly history seemed to have gone a bit wrong."

The main difference between Saturn and the other senshi, personality wise, is that she is the only one who whose Senshi persona is different from her human persona, at least in the beginning. While Hotaru is kind but self-doubting, Saturn is completely cool and confident. Saturn is an entity within Hotaru--one that should have remained asleep.

Saturn is extremely wise and not afraid of death. She understands as great deal about the universe that the other Senshi and perhaps even Pluto do not. Being the carrier of Death, it seems logical that she would. She acts without malice or guilt, but simply fulfills her duties as a Senshi. When she first appears, she seems very disconnected from Hotaru. In fact, she seems disconnected from humanity in general. Of course, if you have to bring destruction to the world, you can't exactly feel sorry for the people you have to kill. She finds beauty in destruction, but she also knows that with death there is rebirth. Although it is not her power that revives the world, her words to Sailormoon, telling her that there would be rebirth and that she (Sailormoon) would be the cause of it, resonates with Sailormoon through the series.

After Hotaru's reincarnation, the other three Senshi adopt her as their own. Even though she grows rapidly, she has no memory of being a Sailor Senshi. While the Hotaru, Haruka, Michiru, and Setsuna live quietly together in their secluded mansion, the other Senshi face a grave danger. Although aware of the problem, the women find that they cannot transform. One night, Sailorsaturn comes to Hotaru and tells her that she must awaken. Her power returns, as does that of the other three Senshi. She declares that, while in the past they had to fight alone, the time has come for them to join their princess.

When little Hotaru becomes Saturn again, it seems that there is a greater connection between the two. She is still wise, but she seems to be more feeling, especially towards Chibi Usa. She also displays milder powers that allow her to fight with the other Senshi without destroying the world. She and Sailorchibimoon defeat the Amazon Quartet, but when their evil master turns them into small stones, Saturn gathers them because she knows that they too are Sailor Senshi.

Sailorsaturn appeared in the final part of the manga as one of the evil senshi and was killed by Sailormoon and destroyed by Galaxia. She is reincarnated along with the other Senshi and they return to Earth were Moon becomes queen and ushers in a long era of peace.

In the anime, details about Saturn are a little different. As in the manga, she slumbers inside Hotaru and was never suppose to awaken, but Hotaru's possession by Mistress 9 brings her forward. She is not awakened by the power of the talismans, but by Hotaru finally breaking through the power of Mistress 9. Furthermore, it is unclear whether she successfully used her powers in the battle with Pharaoh 90, but she is reborn as an infant, as in the manga.

Sailorsaturn has many titles, most of which deal with Silence, Ruin, and Destruction, all of which could be viewed as very negative things. Her powers are so strong, that invoking them leads to her own destruction. She is the Senshi of the “Forbidden Star” and the only Senshi who was to sleep and never awaken. Before her arrival in both the anime and manga, she is regarded as a horrendous danger that must be destroyed before she can destroy the world. Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto are even willing to murder an innocent child to prevent her rebirth, and yet is she truly that terrible? Yes, she brings Ruin, but from that ruin, new life becomes possible. In the manga, it is only because she lowered her Silence Glaive and drove back the evil forces that Super Sailormoon was able revive the world. Out of the Destruction comes hope, and that seems to be the very thing with which Uranus and the others have a problem. They fear the darkness Saturn represents and regard it as evil, but in truth, Saturn does not represent evil at all, but rather the necessary end of all things, the cycle of life and death, and the promise of rebirth.

Too Black to be Dawn