Jadeite
Summary
Jadeite, known as Jedite in the English anime, serves as the lowest-ranking member of the Shitennou and is the first among them to appear. According to creator Naoko Takeuchi’s Materials Collection, he appears to be around eighteen years old, making him the second-youngest of the group, although the live-action series portrays him as the youngest. Named after the mineral jadeite, he leads the Dark Kingdom’s Far-Eastern Division. In the manga, his primary objective shifts from tracking the Silver Crystal to harvesting life energy to awaken Queen Metaria. He has minimal interaction with his fellow Shitennou, mostly associating with Nephrite, who mocks him when his plans fail. When Jadeite is killed by the newly awakened Sailor Mars, whom he finds physically attractive, Nephrite vows to avenge him. After the Silver Crystal’s power is revealed, Jadeite is temporarily resurrected alongside the other Shitennou, where he pledges renewed loyalty to his former master, Prince Endymion. However, he and the others soon revert to their crystal forms. Later in the manga, they appear to Endymion in visions to offer counsel during difficult times. The anime adapts Jadeite’s mission similarly but expands it with new plots. He is excessively subservient to Queen Beryl, enduring punishments for his failures with a determination to improve his tactics. The anime portrays him as significantly more sexist toward women than the manga, frequently claiming that women cannot match his power or understand his methods. This attitude is toned down in the English dub to emphasize his rivalry with the Scouts; for instance, in dubbed Episode 12, he flirts with Serena, a behavior absent in the original version. His repeated failures cause Queen Beryl to lose faith in him, leading to an ultimatum: defeat the Sailor Senshi or face Eternal Sleep. Jadeite launches a final assault, threatening Tokyo’s destruction if the Senshi do not duel him. Although he defeats Tuxedo Mask and nearly destroys the Senshi, their teamwork and a curse from Rei cause him to fall victim to his own trap. Upon returning to the Dark Kingdom with the Senshi’s secret identities, Queen Beryl encases him in an impenetrable ice crystal, condemning him to Eternal Sleep. He does not reappear and is presumed to remain trapped in crystal after the arc concludes. Jadeite possesses formidable powers manifested through illusions and telekinetic manipulation. He can control objects such as Sailor Moon’s tiara, rendering them harmless. Additionally, he demonstrates a fondness for creating new and exciting methods of teleportation to traverse vast distances.
