#death busters

[soulspark]

[sailorsenshigifs]

[dangerousperfectionparadise]

Artist graphic by annie_0318

[silvermoon424]

I loved how Sailor Moon S leaned into the monsters being the result of science experiments combined with the sort of otherworldly force that every other season had.

Like it was magical girls but their foes were cooked up in a vial for Kaolinite or genetically engineered with heavy machinery for Eudial and Mimette. Then there the other Witches who used their own magic as well as science like nanomachines to strip flesh away or recreating Little Pet Shop of Horrors.

That was my first exposure to Anime and Sailor Moon. My gratitude will be eternal.

Yeah, I really vibe with the "mad scientist" theme the Death Busters have going on. Like you said, there's still magic, but it's heavily augmented by science.

Also, it could just be me, but I feel like the Death Busters are the villains that best encapsulate cosmic horror/Eldrich abominations. Chaos from the last arc is another big contender, but Shadow Galactica themselves don't really encapsulate that feeling the way the Death Busters do. Like, just LOOK at Pharaoh 90:

That is a straight-up Lovecraftian horror. This mf came out of a Junji Ito manga.

Like, even when Usagi comes back after defeating it, she has an "I have seen cosmic horrors beyond my comprehension" expression:

And Mistress 9's possession of Hotaru is terrifying, especially in the manga. You really get the sense that Hotaru is being overtaken by a malevolent force she can't understand.

[drops-of-moonlights]

The Death Busters! All 9 of them! I feel like I simultaneously changed them the most AND the least of any team so far lol. Let's tackle all that below!

Their origin is similar to the manga to a point: after an explosion at Tomoe Souichi's laboratory that left his wife Keiko dead, his daughter Hotaru heavily injured, and himself with some scratches, an otherwordly entity called Pharaoh 90 approaches him from the portal his explosion triggered.

The entity cannot cross to our planet yet, and it requires help - offering Tomoe a deal: to save his daughter, she'll provide him with the incubator seed that will spawn her catalizer Mistress 9, which will modify Hotaru's body so she can survive until it's time for her to burst forth, and will provide him his own augmentations in the form of Germatoid, a parasitic plant, if he agrees to help them invade the Earth over the years. Tomoe, disgraced, powerhungry and caring more about not getting the police involved in his doings, agrees, forcing his daughter to become a greenhouse for aliens while he intentionally infects himself with one.

Pharaoh 90 then explains her origins - her home, the Tau Star System, imploded and took out all civilizations on it, only narrowly managing to keep herself alive, though badly injured. The Earth is the best fit for her to settle again, after some adjustments are done.

His assistant, Kuromine Kaori, was present during it, and the stress from the situation activated her Shooting Star Seed. Tomoe, upon witnessing her powers, extended her contract so as to keep it all under wraps, as they developed more Daimons.

As the years progressed, Tomoe established Mugen Academy, a prestigious institution covering Pre-K to College courses, used as a cover to further his goals and do extra testing on the Daimons, after a while hiring 5 women in their college departments to further aid the cause - forming the Witches 5. Unlike Tomoe himself, at this point part Daimon, or Kaori (know using the name Kaolinite when assisting him) who had natural powers from her Shooting Star Seed, the Witches 5 instead transform with special brooches given to Tomoe by Pharaoh 90 - the lost Sailor Crystals from the Tau Star System, acting as fake Senshi. The Witches 5's job is to be ground agents, simultaneously experimenting with Daimons on the field and be on the lookout for the Talismans, two items Kaolinite predicted would be their downfall if not in their possession. Once that is done, their focus shifts to instead trying to obtain as many Pure Heart Crystals as possible, used to feed energy to Mistress 9.

Essentially, I'm mixing aspects from most Infinity Arc adaptations with some of the concepts of Shadow Galactica!

Let's talk about them individually!

Tomoe Souichi changed the least beyond making the Germatoid look more "plant takes over person" than full "body discarded entirely". I more or less lifted his manga version, and as such he ends up killed by the Senshi as they try to reach Mistress 9.

Kaolinite! She dons the title of "Magus of Scrying", her power focused on projections, premonitions and illusions - which she uses to train the Witches 5 and to then fight for Tomoe's cause, committing to it due to feeling she had no other choice in life. She's a mix of her adaptations, being kinder to Hotaru and regretting that life prepared for her but still ruthless in battle if needed. She survives, but barely, being cornered by the Senshi and giving them free access to Mugen Academy's underground base in exchange for her life.

EUDIAL MY BELOVED. She's granted a Sailor Crystal which had powers over heat, which she combines with her knowledge to fashion her "staff" into a flamethrower, going with the title of Witch of Napalm. Her work was focused on daimons infecting various itemns and seeing what resulted out of it, usually only targeting people one on one. She's the most successful of the Witches, correctly identifying Haruka and Michiru as the holders of the Talismans like in canon and stealing from them, but she's defeated by Eternal Sailor Moon, her borrowed Crystal being taken from her and leaving her powerless. She doesn't die, but ends up going into hiding.

Mimete! Witch of Adoration! The Sailor Crystal she uses had powers over soundwaves with minor influence, which she amplifies with her microphone-wand in her guise as an idol/influencer, her songs quickly sweeping up Tokyo. She focused on creating "emotion" Daimons, drawing out a feeling from her audience and giving it form with a seed. Her defeat comes during one of her concerts, being overpowered by the Senshi and exposing her identity as a villain to her entire audience, forcing her into hiding to avoid further consequences.

Tellu, Witch of Botany! Her focus was exclusively plant Daimons aided by the Sailor Crystal that was given to her with control over organic material, working the closest with Tomoe outside Kaolinite herself, and occasionally went out into the world to test them out as she tried to perfect her formula aided by her wand, filled with a growth chemical. Her magnum opus is the flowering bushes she called Teruruns, who were easily marketed and got her plenty of Pure Heart Crystals. They turn on her, however, narrowly avoiding death as her plants take her Sailor Crystal, being defeated by the Senshi. She offers herself to the Senshi in exchange for protection, granting them valuable intel about Mugen Academy.

Viluy, Witch of Crystallization! The Sailor Crystal she got had powers over ice and electricity, which she mixed with her wand, filled with liquid nitrogen. Her targets where scientists, believing the mind of someone trying to better the world would have a purer Heart. She's defeated during the initial raid of Mugen Academy, her Wand being overloaded and almost freezing herself. She gives the Senshi the passwords necessary to fully access all of Mugen in exchange for letting her go.

Our final Witch, the Witch of Duplication, Cyprine! I had to come up with her civilian name - her surname Sagami means "mutual imitation" while her given name Saya's kanji translate to "serene night". There's no Ptilol in here, taking from how the musicals just dropped her, and her Sailor Crystal's power was about mimicry and reflections. Her targets where always couples or pairs, initially aiming to get both Talismans at once before wanting two "perfect" Hearts at once instead of either one extraordinary one or several lesser ones. She's the last Witch to be defeated right at the start of the final battle, being outsmarted by the Senshi and destroying both her wands - unlike the rest, she relied entirely on the magic aspect instead of mixing it with tech, and so she simply surrenders and leaves the place before Daimons overrun it.

Mistress 9! The being incubating inside Hotaru! I wanted her to look more fucked up, like she physically tore and stretched Hotaru's frame to fit her and it left lasting damage, making her frail despite her powerful powers. the Taioron Crystal is the most powerful of the Tau star system as a Blessed Sailor Crystal, and it was used to stabilize Hotaru's body so it would survive long enough to let her out. The Outers successfully killing Hotaru lets her surface, and she immediately starts attacking them and collecting power, even successfully stealing the Grail of Serenity which lets her fully ascend to her rightful place as Pharaoh 90's vessel, which was...

The Sailor Senshi of the Void, Harbinger of the Lost, Sailor Tau! As Mistress 9 is defeated, she discards Hotaru's corpse entirely, ascending into her true form as the reincarnation of the Tau's sytem's regent. Otherwordly and almost invincible, she immediately obliterates the Omega Area and almost kills everyone, if it wasn't for Saturn's Crystal awakening at last within Hotaru's body and Usagi forcing herself into Eternal which lets them both kill her from within.

[sailor-sakura-hanami]

Which is your favorite antagonist group?

Dark Kingdom / Season 1

Black Moon / Season 2 / Sailor Moon R

Death Busters / Season 3 / Sailor Moon S

Death Moon Circus / Season 4 / Sailor Moon Supers

Shadow Galactica / Season 5 / Sailor Stars

Voting ended onFeb 4

[smvillainsweek]

The second annual Sailor Moon Villains Week will take place the week of October 6-12, 2024 (the second week of October) !

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[smokingbomber]