Kunzite
Seiyuu / Dub
Summary
Kunzite, known as Malachite in the English anime dub, serves as the fourth and final member of the Shitennou. Creator Naoko Takeuchi describes him as the greatest of the four generals, possessing the majesty of an Arabian king, and has admitted to being particularly fond of him as a character. Physically, he is approximately twenty-five or twenty-six years old and leads the Dark Kingdom’s Middle Eastern Division. His name is derived from the mineral kunzite, or malachite in the dub version. In the manga, Kunzite initially appears in an advisory role to Zoisite, assisting the younger, less experienced king in formulating attack plans to gather energy. He displays little regard for the fate of his fellow Shitennou, remaining impassive when Jadeite, Nephrite, and Zoisite are killed. Queen Beryl informs him that recovering the Ginzuishou would allow the fallen generals to be revived. Following Beryl’s orders, Kunzite swiftly defeats the Sailor Senshi at Tokyo Tower. As he prepares to destroy Sailor Moon, Tuxedo Mask intervenes, taking the fatal blow and nearly dying. His sacrifice breaks Sailor Moon’s heart, triggering her memory recovery as the Moon Princess and summoning the Ginzuishou. The light restores Kunzite’s past memories as well, leaving him torn between his loyalty to Beryl and his love for Endymion. He briefly witnesses the rebirth of the other Shitennou, but they quickly decompose into stone. When Beryl orders him to capture the Princess and her Silver Crystal, a confused Kunzite instead takes Mamoru back to the Dark Kingdom. Upon learning that the dead generals cannot be revived now that their bodies are stone, and hearing Kunzite use Endymion’s true name, Beryl intensifies her brainwashing. She implants a shard of kunzite crystal into his forehead, reducing him to a zombie-like state. Enraged, Kunzite attacks the Senshi again, specifically targeting Sailor Moon to wrest the Ginzuishou from her. Their battle ascends to the atmosphere, where he is ultimately defeated by a Sailor Planet Attack, leaving only the crystal fragment behind. In the final battle against Queen Metaria, Kunzite traverses dimensions to appear before Mamoru, revealing that the demon’s weakness lies in a spot on her forehead, which allows Mamoru and Usagi to defeat her permanently. In the anime adaptation, Kunzite is first seen plotting with Zoisite against the second king, Nephrite. The two are clearly lovers, with Zoisite seeking Kunzite’s support and guidance. Together, they collect all seven Rainbow Crystals, but Zoisite makes a fatal error by attacking Tuxedo Mask with an ice crystal, which costs him his life and reveals Sailor Moon as the Moon Princess, awakening the Ginzuishou’s power. Zoisite is executed for his disobedience, causing Kunzite to fall into a depression, though his loyalty to Queen Beryl remains absolute. He follows Beryl’s instructions by bringing the injured Mamoru to the Dark Kingdom, where Mamoru is transformed into an agent. Kunzite resents being forced to work with Endymion but obeys out of duty. He grows suspicious of Endymion, who continually foils his plans and protects the Senshi, believing innocents should not be harmed. Beryl, doubting Endymion’s loyalty, tasks Kunzite with monitoring him. After several defeats, Endymion is temporarily cured of brainwashing before being taken back to the Dark Kingdom. The Senshi resolve to find the Dark Kingdom’s entrance to rescue Mamoru and end the threat. At the D Point, the Senshi recover their past memories of the Moon Kingdom. Kunzite attacks with an energy boomerang, incapacitating all the Senshi except Sailor Moon. In a final act of defiance, he attacks her, but the projectile is deflected back and pierces him. Dying, he cries out to Zoisite, begging his love to meet him on the other side.
