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Zoisite –Knight of Purification and Healing, General of the European Division

Zoisite is the most confusing of the Shitennou. Unlike Nephrite who shows his personality on his sleeve, if you will, Zoisite keeps his emotions close to himself, or at least attempts to. As the youngest of the Shitennou he seems to be the most mature in how he approaches things, and also the deadliest, willing to kill the Senshi when the opportunity presents itself. He’s had the most different incarnations in various adaptations, and in the musicals being the most prominent to fall in love with his respective Senshi counterpart, Mercury. In the live action version he appears to look like Kunzite, but act differently than the leader, and in the anime he’s….well Starscream from the Transformers. But what do we really know about him as a character, well let’s dig into the General of Europe.

Zoisite’s manga history is more detailed then Nephrites. He’s been described as being the youngest child and effeminate, leading to Kunzite being protective of him in warning him to be careful when he is sent to take care of the Senshi. It’s interesting that he is visibly upset when Nephrite dies and he is willing to attack Sailor Mars over the death of Jadeite. Most of the plot of Act 6 follows along the episode 6 of the Crystal anime. Zosite goes and disguises himself as Professor Izono and uses the tv station to first hypnotize people to find the crystal, then later use the tvs to drain the energy from people. The scouts eventually confront him but he vanishes before a fight can begin. In the following Act 7 he uses a video rental shop to get the city to go after Sailor Moon as he believes she has the crystal. When confronted in a fight with Sailor Moon he nearly defeats her but is saved by Sailor V who ends up killing him.

Like Nephrite he is only shown for two chapters in the manga, thankfully Crystal expands on this. So what can we learn about this new version of Zoisite? I should note that of the Shitennou he’s the one that I’ve only recently gotten to fully appreciate as a character. My prior opinion on Zoisite was colored by some of the weaker Sailor Moon episodes that involved him. So the above analogy to Starscream was how I saw him until I had the chance to read the Manga. But the more I read about him and the more I got a chance to understand the subtle nature of this character and how he relates to his fellow Kings. What’s interesting about him in Crystal is the fact that he presents himself as the most serious of the Knights, and yet, his posturing and facial expressions indicate he’s still very much a young man that hasn’t quite had the number of experiences the older members have.

So what can we learn about Zoisite in the new Anime? Well for starters the one thing that made me take note of him was Jadeite’s reaction to him and then his comment on the Senshi seeking out the Crystal.

Zoisite: “But those Sailor Guardians will surely get in the way again.”

Jadeite: “Zoisite...”

Zoisite: “Could they be looking for the Legendary Silver Crystal as well?”

When we first see Zoisite his arms are loosely crossed and he’s clearly relaxed leaning against the pillar that he appears beside. His body language pretty much says that he doesn’t care, but his words show that his mind is thinking and trying to understand what’s going on. It’s a conflicting image on the one hand, on the other; it seems that Zoisite is more the logic member of the Shitennou. His words come off as cool, unattached, as if stating the facts to Jadeite. He’s not cocky like Nephrite is, he’s telling both of them the truth. The scouts could get in the way, as they have twice already, how different will it be this time? This sounds like someone that seems to look at a problem with a very scientific way of approaching things. Determine the problem, figure out what the parts are, and then go about solving it by placing things together in a way that will yield the best result.

He also inquires to Beryl about the crystal, showing that he’s been paying attention and that, unlike Jadeite and Nephrite, who does their duty without questions, Zoisite wants to know what they’re going after. Beryl’s reaction is very different to Zoisite’s question. She narrows her brow, unhappy to have that question brought up; all the while Zoisite is watching her and seeing what her reaction is with a very lax looking face. No emotions show through and yet, one can almost feel him doing this for a reason. He’s not just asking to ask the question, but rather to find out information. In Act 3 we know that Jadeite has encountered Sailor Moon twice by now and both times has been defeated. To me it seems like Zoisite wants to know who these girls are and why they are coming after them. Apparently Beryl hasn’t given them all the information that they need. So, rather than come right out and ask her about this, he cleverly imparts a question to her about the Senshi looking for the Crystal too.

Beryl’s reaction to this is immediate and she realizes she’s stuck answering because of Jadeite naturally being the curious one. So basically, we can say that Zoisite is the type of person that has others get info for him without them realizing it. He’s tricky but in a different way than Nephrite and clearly has knowledge of how to ask the right questions and when to get what he needs. I should also note that he seems to be watching how things play out, or else he wouldn’t know about the scouts already having gotten in the way. He also seems as surprised as the other three about the story that Beryl imparts to them, which means this is something that he didn’t know about beforehand. The more information he seems to gather the more he seems to be able to focus on the task at hand.

During Act 4 when Jadeite has returned from his last failed attempt we see him walking with Nephrite into the room he seems calm and almost nonchalant, very much unlike Nephrite who seems cocky and certain about what will happen now.

What’s most interesting about this scene to me isn’t his body language, which has him looking relaxed but also his hands are balled up rather than straight meaning he can be closed off and secretive. Couple that with his next line and you have to wonder if Zoisite knows something that he’s not sharing with the others. Then again Nephrite and Jadeite didn’t exactly divulge the fact that they heard the real names of at least three of the Sailor guardians.

Zoisite: “I heard that they are also searching for the legendary Silver Crystal.”

This line is odd. On face value, and out of the story context, it’s probably the writer reminding viewers that the Shitennou know that the scouts are looking for, or think they’re looking for, the crystal. However in the story context itself it says a lot about the youngest member of the Shitennou. Previously in the last act he asked out loud if the scouts were looking for the crystal, to which he was given no reply. Now he says he heard that they are looking for the crystal, which means that he got his information from someone other than Beryl. This is noted in Act 4 long before Tuxedo Mask starts out his whole act of getting everyone to look for the crystal, so how does he know about this?

More than likely Zoisite has his ears, literally, out there. We see later with his powers that he can use sound and voice to affect others on a massive scale, so it wouldn’t be a surprise in hindsight if Zoisite has been using those powers as a means of learning what he can about the guardians and the crystal since Beryl has told them about it. This also brings up the interesting point that, perhaps like the scouts, the Shitennou live on earth in their normal non transformed forms, but that’s for another post. Suffice it to say we can certainly say that Zoisite is someone who will find out information one way or another and share it with the others when he feels that it’s the most useful.

In regard to his role in the group, I’m going to say for certain he’s the Badass Bookworm, or the Smart guy. While Nephrite is a strong in the intelligence area, most notably socially, Zoisite stands out as the intellect of the group. Which you would think that given their titles that Nephrite would be the intellect, but rather it appears to be Zoisite and the youngest also seems to be the Stratego of the group as well, which means that in the Shitennou he’s the one that probably stays back and plans the attacks with Kunzite. The interesting thing about this is that he’s also the youngest and, possibly like Ami, very introverted on a personal level. He’s polite, but definitely blunt and seems to be the sort of person that could insult you in a way that not only shows no hint of actual emotional investment in it, but also does it using words that you could take as a compliment. Yet there are points where Zoisite shows a hint of feeling, although very small ones.

When all four kings appear on the roof in Act 4 we get a glimpse of their personalities through how they’re standing. In this case Zoisite’s the only one with his arms crossed at the moment, showing he’s more defensive then the others, excluding Nephrite. It’s an odd stance that on the one hand could show him being relaxed and overly secure, on the other hand it could be easily seen as a cover for someone who is still trying to prove something to his older brothers. The fact that It’s lower on his arms shows that it’s been designed to come off as if he’s hugging himself, so he’s keeping things close. Zoisite is the only one of the Shitennou that consistently crosses his arms when he’s relaxed, showing that he’s always on edge or hiding something.

Zoisite’s first full episode is Act 6, and boy he keeps every one of his actions subtle as possible. When we first see him he’s standing with Kunzite (who’s leaning on the pillar), arms crossed holding his elbows as he watches the crystal ball. He seems relaxed but ready, and this shows moments later when Nephrite appears. There’s a closeness with Kunzite, he’s more relaxed around him, and they seem to share the same expression on their faces showing that, at least for Zoisite, he sees Kunzite as someone to look up to and mimic in gesture. (Kunzite also has his arms crossed, so this is possibly where Zoisite gets it.)

When Beryl mentions that this is no laughing matter, both Zoisite and Kunzite’s heads perk up in a questioning look as the Queen explains what she means.

While Kunzite watches her with a slightly curious look, as if asking if she’s giving the whole story. Zoisite has his face almost poker like, showing no interest directly but is clearly listening to what she has to say. He’s judging her words based on what information he has stored and is seeing mentally what’s going on. Seconds later Nephrite shows up and when he does things change in the appearance in the other two Shitennou’s.

Nephrite: “Queen Beryl, please give me one more chance!”

While Kunzite stares at him with lowered eyelids in a judgmental way, Zoisite is more curious. He’s still poker face, mostly, but he lifts up his head some, as if listening to see what Nephrite is going to say, and feeling a bit sorry for him. He’s not judging him the same way that Kunzite is, he’s considering him, sizing him up to see what’s really going on and taking in to consideration the injuries that Nephrite has come back with. There’s a sense that he’s again calculating all that he knows, and possibly assessing how injured Nephrite is given his healer status. One can figure from this moment that Zoisite is at least a thoughtful person in that he thinks about everything he sees, much like Ami does. He doesn’t allow his emotions to get in the way of his actions and is cautious how much he shows to everyone around him.

The two glance over to the banged up Nephrite who looks like he’s about ready to run back down, but is clearly in no condition to do so.

Zoisite: “Nephrite. You underestimated the Sailor Guardians.”

It’s here that we get a very big clue into who Zoisite is. He, like Jadeite, is a planner, but one of a different sort. He doesn’t see things as pieces and can wait, he sees them as part of a whole and tends to think on larger scales. He takes his time to study things, but also learns from others mistakes. He’s a thinker, one that is probably always sizing people up and figuring out their weaknesses to exploit them or, when he’s not being corrupted, to find a way to fix the problem with a long term solution. His comment to Nephrite shows that he’s been paying attention to everything that has been going on. Not only to the actions that Jadeite took; but also the actions that were taken by Nephrite and Queen Beryl’s commentary.

He thinks he knows the score and what’s going on with the scouts. That’s why he says that to Nephrite. He realizes that Nephrite didn’t see how strong the girls were as a team and intends to rectify that by doubling what he needs to do to get what he wants. Every action the others take he uses to form his own plans and strategizes the best way to gain the crystal.

When he strolls up to Beryl to offer his services he’s very direct and serious about it. He figures he has everything in the bag, but doesn’t act calm like Jadeite, nor pompous like Nephrite. Rather he states plainly what he intends to do and has a look to him that tells Beryl that he knows, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that he can win, and his arms are at his side with open hands meaning that he’s being open with her about the whole thing, as if showing her that he’s being a loyal little solider, even though he’s probably plotting a million things at the moment.

Zoisite: “Queen Beryl, please leave everything to your European Commander Zoisite.”

He doesn’t kneel before her, just bows, which means that while he is loyal to her and sees her as Queen, he probably doesn’t see her as bright as he is, and while he’s being polite, given Beryl’s following look…

She’s seeing him as being arrogant and has a look like “Okay you little shit, let’s see if you can do any better.” She knows that he is talking down to her a bit. He’s not saying not to worry, he’s saying you don’t need to do anything, I’m going to do it all for you. And again this seems to be the darker side of Zoisite, the kind that looks down on everyone and sees them as not as smart or as right as he is.

Zoisite: “I will take advantage of this situation and get you both the Legendary Silver Crystal, and more human energy.”

The interesting thing about this is that when Zoisite is speaking to her, his brows are slightly narrowed, and he’s smirking, showing that, like Nephrite, he believes he’s at the advantage here, and his brows become more narrowed when he mentions the idea of getting energy, as if he’s challenging her to doubt him and say something to him that would deny him this task. He knows that he has the advantage here as he’s good at dealing with issues like this, and knows how to use it to his advantage. And he knows that she knows she can’t pass up on this because of the fact that the longer they wait the more likely the scouts will get to it first. Because of this Zoisite shows just how much of a mastermind he is, waiting for the opportune time to act, and setting up his own boss to allow him to do as he will because she has no other choice. He’s one of the trickiest for the Shitennou for a reason.

Cut to the next day and we’re seeing a scene in a studio where a reporter is talking to a woman named Doctor Izono (Isono), who is apparently a crystallographer (expert who studies crystals), and has come to talk about the situation with the Legendary Silver Crystal.

Reporter: “Now then, the Legendary Silver Crystal, everyone’s talking about…What is it exactly?”

Reporter: “Today, we’ve invited Dr. Isono, a researcher who specializes in the Legendary Silver Crystal.”

Dr. Isono: “The Legendary Silver Crystal has the effect of eternal youth and magical powers. We need everyone’s help to find it.”

Dr. Isono: “So, everyone watching this show, help us find the Legendary Silver Crystal.”

At this moment we get to see how Zoisite uses what he knows about the crystal to get the desired effect. Recall back in Act 3 when Jadeite asks about it, (may have been Zoisite though), Zoisite took in everything that Beryl said and used it to his advantage. He realized that just targeting one area or another wasn’t going to work like how Jadeite did. And he also knew that if he focused his plans on the smaller scale it wouldn’t lead anywhere. So he threw that out the window. By having the crowds do the work it means that he doesn’t have to get worked up over anything, he can sit back and analysis what comes in via the data from what people are looking for and how they’re going about it.

The interesting thing here is that he seems to have the ability to use his voice to hypnotize as well as use technology to alter things for those needs. He is direct in his commands, polite about it. Never talking down to the humans, and using their curiosity to fuel the hypnosis on them. He’s clearly thinking one step ahead of the senshi on this, being proactive when it comes to seeking out the crystal rather than assuming the item will come to him.

Zoisite: “You might find it somewhere unexpected. We need everyone’s cooperation.”

Of note on this line, Zoisite is urging people on. While Nephrite and Jadeite both used the humans as means of bait, Zoisite sees them as integral to finding the crystal. More eyes and ears out there means more information that can come to him and help him locate what he wants. It’s only later in the night that he sees that the plan isn’t working as well as he hoped because of the lack of discovery.

Into the evening, while the others are trying to figure out how to deal with Zoisite’s hypnosis, we get to see him at the station and he looks a bit amused.

Zoisite: “Useless humans. It’s been a while since you started searching, but no one’s found it yet.”

With the case of Jadeite, who saw Rei as mostly weak since he said “mere human” as in, you’re not in the same class as I am given you’re not someone with powers and abilities, and Nephrite as “Pathetic Human” seeing them as someone that is pitiable and something to look down on having a sad existence. Zoisite sees them as neither, they are not weak and simple, nor are they something to have pity for or look down on. They are tools to use and be used, and thus…Useless. This is how the darker side of Zoisite sees things. Anything that has no use is not worth his time or energy. Thus Humans are useless for his cause and so….it’s time to get rid of them.

Zoisite: “I’m done with you all, then.

He looks so smug about this. He knows how he sees them and that they’re not just some puppies that you feel badly for, they’re items to be used in the grander plan of things. So if they’re not working out, get rid of them. He actives some sort of device that sends out green light around the humans and starts sucking out their energy. I’m assuming that this is part of his skill set. Each of the Kings seem to have at least two. Jadeite –freezing and ability to craft golems (possibly inducing sleep), Nephrite –possession of people and objects, wind manipulations apparently given his vanishing act in a whirlwind, and now Zoisite who seems to have something to do with his voice, and using a luminescence to draw energy from others, as well as later some sort of ability to craft a crystal out of thin air, not to mention an electrical attack. I may be wrong on the voice thing, it might be the ability to manipulate electrical frequencies since when he’s talking to the Senshi later he doesn’t use any skills to brainwash them. Thus I’m now more convinced that his skill set isn’t the brainwashing by voice alone, but rather using the electric frequencies to manipulate people’s minds. (As a note he only seems to do the brain washing thing when using tech in some sort of way –Tv and later Dvds.)

Zoisite: “I will take all your energy.”

He’s so utterly confident that he’s going to win in this case. There’s no question in the way his face shows that he knows he has the best hand in the house and he’s damn proud of it. It’s only when Luna shows up that he looks at all surprised. He wasn’t expecting someone to find him that fast. This is partly showing that there is arrogance to him, though its different then how Nephrite has it. Zoisite’s arrogance falls on the fact that he believes he’s smarter than anyone. Nephrite’s comes from the idea of being able to out cleaver someone.

Zoisite: “I was expecting you, sailor guardians.”

Rei: “I feel an immense evil energy. Who are you?”

Immediately after Zoisite flips over the railing to transform and revel himself and shows up smirking like a cat who ate the cannery. There’s a sense of superiority there for a moment and then he’s back to his normal, mostly unemotional self.

Ami informs him that they stopped the transmission and it’s only then that we get the scowl from him. It’s also interesting that he narrows his gaze just as she says this, and given the angle of the eyes he’s glaring at her. Zoisite doesn’t like to be one upped as it seems. He felt sure that his plans would work, and in this case is upset that the scouts managed to turn it off. He’s not shocked by this at all, rather it’s a sense of being unamused as these girls once more got in the way of plans.

Something that he was ready for, but apparently not ready enough, as he wasn’t expecting someone to break his transmission that quickly. The way he appears he’s keeping a mental note about Ami and her skills, which he’ll store for later use.

The girls quickly transform and the battle is on, and it’s an interesting thing to watch.

At first Zoisite manages to dodge Jupiter’s lighting. He knows her strategy and uses what he’s learned from the attacks that happened during Nephrite’s battle in order to get an upper hand in this fight. He smirks at her for a second as if taunting her and showing that he already knows her move set.

After which he immediately notices Mars gearing up for her fire attack. This tells us one major thing. He can multitask. When Zoisite is on the field, if he’s at his best and not feeling overly confident he can anticipate attacks and knows basically how to defend and counter them. He’s not on the ropes with these girls. In fact it looks like he’s having a grand old time avoiding them. He doesn’t even attack them, rather it’s, again, like a cat playing with a bird. He knows eventually he’s going to have to defeat them, but right now he’s having a blast trying to see if they can take him down.

When Mars hits him with the fire attack he puts his guard up crossing his arms. Once more he’s taken what happened with Jadeite and applied it to his own strategy, heading down to allow the flames to hit the ground and creating smoke which he figures would be something to keep the girls occupied, except for Ami who follows him up above the smoke, showing that they both seem to play on using strategy rather than brute force.

Zoisite notices her and at first smirks but then his face changes ever so slightly, as if he’s both wondering what she’s up to and also realizing that he may have seen her before.

It’s then that Mercury attacks with her water and he dodges the blast with surprising ease. He hasn’t really seen her in full battle before as the only time he saw her attack even in the slightest was with Jadeite, with mist.

Zoisite takes a moment to flash her a smile, something he doesn’t give the other girls. This smile is the first time you will see that sort of emotion on him. He’s like a little kid in a toy store.

He’s proving himself the better fighter and defender. That grin to her seems to indicate that Zoisite believes that he’s bested her, bested them all, and he’s showing her that she should be impressed by him and his skills thus far. It’s his way of showing his prey that he’s not done playing and that no matter what they do he’s always one step ahead of them.

However he’s not ready for the full on plan that Ami has as she changes tactics and sends the water right back at him, forcing him back and soaking him against the transmitter tower.

The senshi order him to give up and give back the energy. The next moment we see a soaking Zoisite, hanging by one arm to the transmission tower, saturated from head to toe, his eyes shaded. If there was a moment when we know he’s a force to be reckoned with this is that moment. The way the whole thing is framed, you can almost see his thoughts playing out. He’s been attacked and hit. No less by the girl he just avoided and that cut his transmission. He’s soaking wet, his plans have gone down the drain, and now these girls, who are just useless humans, are asking him to give up. Him, the one that had everything planned out and had assured Queen Beryl that he would win and get her what she wanted, give up, it’s absurd. On top of this, he’s no doubt pissed off.

A moment later we get to see his face and it says everything. He’s ticked. They have screwed him over, and this is the moment that we know the girls have unleashed something very deadly upon themselves and have no idea what they are about to be dealing with. He’s insulted and wants payback, as simple as that. Instantly he unleashes what has to be the most devastating attack that they have ever had to deal with.

Zoisite: “Don’t underestimate my power.”

In that moment the girls are rendered unable to fight at all! They’re completely knocked down and that was just a one handed hit from Zoisite. We can see he builds up for his attacks, he’s not one that just likes to throw things down, there’s always something he’s planning even when he’s annoyed or pissed off. This is something again that I noted above. He multitasks but it seems that he needs to recharge some before he deals another devastating blow.

It’s about then that Beryl appears as does Sailor moon for a throw down. Just as Moon is about to hit Beryl with a massive punch of moon magic, Zoisite gets in the way and takes the hit! Something that Beryl wasn’t expecting as she was getting ready to fight herself and block the attack.

This moment points to a very key aspect about Zoisite. He will defend with his life those that he serves. He was willing to take a massive hit that could have killed him for Queen Beryl, something that the Senshi didn’t anticipate at all. The fact that Zoisite shows his loyalty to her in such a way indicates some care is placed upon the Queen. Again one could point out that as the youngest he has the most to prove and at the same time this could easily be his way of making up for not “Taking care of everything” as he promised to do before.

Beryl carries him off back to the Point D, clearly showing care for the fallen boy.

When it comes to the later acts of Sailor Moon Zoisite is clearly the badass of the Four kings. As the saying goes, “Beware the quiet ones.”

In Act 7 we finally get to see what Zoisite can do, and how well he can do it. To start with we get an interesting moment with Queen Beryl who proceeds to continue that she cares some for her minions in some way, indicating, at the very least, some part of her past self –the one reborn on earth, still has some influence over her mind in some way and that Metalia hasn’t completely taken over control. Earlier we saw that when Zoisite was hit and she carried him off, threatening the girls, rather than stay and fight and leave him to his own devices.

Beryl: “Zoisite.”

Zoisite: “Yes!”

Beryl: “It looks like your wounds have healed. Sailor Moon may hold the secret to the Legendary Silver Crystal.”

Zoisite: “Understood.”

This marks a very interesting moment in the series in regard to Zoisite. Outside of the instance where he and the other knights kneel before the Queen as a group, this is the first time we see him kneeling alone before her. Prior to Act 7 he’s been standing when speaking to her, bowing, yes , but never kneeling and showing any genuine fealty to her. This is the first and only time you will see him do this and it is a big thing for Zoisite to do. As a character, up till now, he’s been using his mind to figure things out and while showing her regard he still thought himself as above her in some way or another, here he’s being loyal to her, showing some form of appreciation, and Beryl in turn is showing regard back to him, noting right off about the wounds rather than the mission. Meaning that she doesn’t just send her men out while they’re still hurt. She gives a damn about them in some way.

It’s also interesting that she willingly gives him some very good information about Sailor Moon and her connection to the Crystal. Beryl seems to think they are connected in some way, and this is the only time she mentions this at all. Given her discussion with the big bad later on, it’s clear that Beryl is also studying things and has, after her fight with Sailor Moon, begun to put things together. She knows that Sailor Moon was the first of the scouts and seems to be one that keeps getting upgrades as the story progresses. And then she shares this with Zoisite to get her mastermind to go out and use this. She knows he’s still stinging from the previous attack and failed attempt, so she knows that he will do whatever he can to get what he needs to get.

What also caught my attention on this dialogue was that Zoisite realizes the plan that he has to make right way. It’s no longer about the Crystal itself, it’s about Sailor Moon and using her to get to it. She doesn’t offer that info to Kunzite later, so it seems she believes that if anyone can get to Sailor Moon it would have to be Zoisite. When he responds it’s with a determined look on his face, one that screams he’s no longer screwing around. His brow is narrowed and he has a scowl on his face, which is usually not registering any major emotion.

(It’s interesting to note as well that Beryl talks about not intending to give the power to Queen Metalia, but rather keep it for herself. Which again, with the sweatdrop, at least shows that she’s not seeing this creature as her ally. As she said there’s no going back, which somewhat makes me wonder if there was a moment when she could have abandoned all of this?)

In a twist of things Zoisite uses the brainwashing angle again, only this time, realizing that the larger public scale allowed him to get caught too quickly goes for a slightly smaller approach. Again he uses humans, the best tools in the world it seems, to get what he needs to, that being Sailor Moon in this case. He opens up “Dark” a rental store that has tons of movies, (I’m assuming the clerks are monsters or minions formed by Jadeite), where a number of Usagi’s friends are shopping.

On her way home Rei bumps into a man, or rather gets bumped into by him.

Man: “I gotta watch as soon as I get home, I gotta watch as soon as I get home.”

Zoisite’s powers seem to make people think on a whole different level, focused only at the tasks he gives them with an aggressive bent to it.

Unlike the last time, this set of followers are far more intensive, to the point that Umino (Melvin), comes off as very creepy to the girls and has them worried about him. Rei notes to herself that there’s something amiss, and later Usagi gets her hands on a DVD through sheer luck from a classmate.

On the DVD we get static then the Sailor V machine spits out the Disk. Ami agrees to look into it while the others decide to try to figure out what’s going on the old fashioned way and find the source. When Ami opens up the disk we finally see how it’s being caused.

Before the viewers, or rather hidden from their view, Zoisite stands there surrounded by videos of Sailor moon. His arms are outstretched, palms up showing non-aggression on his part, and yet there’s a creepy sort of hypnotic look to his face and eyes. He’s commanding in a serious tone of voice on the disk subliminal orders to those watching the DVDS.

Zoisite: “Find Sailor Moon. Catch Sailor Moon, who holds the secret of the Legendary Silver Crystal!”

Zoisite: “Offer Sailor Moon to the Dark Kingdom.”

Ami, who’s studying the disk finds herself growing weak to it. It seems that the use of the frequencies tapped into, and on top of using video, is allowing him to use his magic to create the perfect brainwashing to the masses by use of DVDs of movies that people like to watch. By literally putting someone into a sort of daze he’s manipulating them in the same way he did last time, only last time it was a more gentle approach, this is out right aggression on his part.

As he intones the last part of his brainwashing, he makes a fist indicating a sense of determination. He’s being blunt here. There is no error that can be made, he’s going to get what he wants, and that’s Sailor Moon so he can get to the crystal. This aggressive mode seems to be making people aggressive as well, unlike last time which was more a zombie like state of compliance. The fact that he’s pushed up his powers shows in that it’s affecting Ami as well, prompting Luna to insist she stay away from the monitors.

Of course things get better as Sailor Moon goes and finally shows herself after realizing that she’s what people are looking for and heals a huge majority of them using her healing attack, causing the brain washing to dissipate. It’s in a moment later that Zoisite surprise attacks using a ground pound like move, knocking Sailor moon off her feet.

(Nephrite later shows this same ability which has me thinking that the boys all have some sort of similar move sets that they can all use.) He’s insanely fast, dropping in from what I assume is a teleportation like the other members.

Standing up Zoisite has his hand on his hip, the arrogance we saw before is back since he has her where he wants her. Alone and not ready for him, or so he believes.

Zoisite: “You really do have a special power…Sailor Moon.”

Sailor Moon: “Zoisite!”

Zoisite: “You actually showed yourself. Your such a fool.”

He shrugs at this comment and he’s once more using what he knows about her to get what he wants. In this case, at least to me it seems, Zoisite is using Usagi’s quick dislike of being put down as a means of getting her to be less on guard, and, sadly, it works. The moment she attempts to attack him and make him pay for his sin of hurting others, he teleports behind her and grabs her, one arm by the throat.

So here’s where he shows how dangerous he really can be. Rather than Jadeite or Nephrite who use magic or tricks to harm the senshi, Zoisite lures Sailor Moon out and physically accosts her. He’s done playing and wants what he wants, and intends to outright kill her. It’s a frightening moment when you realize he really intends to do it too. Before the Knights all seemed to have a line that they didn’t cross when it came to attacking the girls, Zoisite seems to have no line. Or at least he stepped over it when he decided he wanted to prove himself.

So standing there, interestingly he’s only a bit taller than Usagi, Zoisite has her in a choke hold, and is squeezing her neck almost immediately.

Zoisite: “Tell me. Where is the Legendary Silver Crystal?”

Sailor Moon: “I don’t know.”

At first he’s looking down, or away from her. He doesn’t care at all about her wellbeing, or at least he has no intention of wanting to show he cares. When he first asks her he’s calm about it, no emotion to the question, just a blunt sort of thing. He’s got her gripped but isn’t nearly squeezing as hard as he could, prompting me to think, at least, he’s trying to just scare her first. It’s only when she says that she doesn’t know that he starts to squeeze harder, cutting off her air.

Zoisite’s brows narrow, there is that emotional side again, and there’s a bit of frustration in his voice.

Zoisite: “Tell me. Now.”

It’s an interesting juxtaposition here. The voice is calm, almost, there’s no hot rage that would normally come out in a character at this point in such a scene, and yet you can tell Zoisite is getting pissed off and annoyed with her. He thinks she’s lying to him, something he’s un-amused by. So you have the calm, slightly serious voice that you would find in someone that has a hair trigger anger under the calm façade going, mixed with a deadly serious annoyed expression. It’s enough to, and should, make people very wary of an angry Zoisite.

It’s then when Ami shows up and attacks with the Mist, surprising him, and once more we focus on his eyes which show a sense of ‘What the hell.’ sort of expression to them. The only issue with the Aqua Mist attack is that, this time he’s ready. He knows what she can do, and seems to call her out on it.

Zoisite: “Are you trying to blind me.”

He’s amused by her, the smile is back, showing that he’s enjoying her trying to stop him. When Rei and Makoto enter the fray with their own attacks Zoisite actually smiles, it’s brief, blink and you’ll miss it.

But he smiles as he pulls up a ball of dark energy to act as a shield against the two attacks. Causing a bursting eruption or explosion that knocks the girls off their feet. Then he goes back to his calm and cool self once again to Sailor Moon, strangling her more than ever.

Zoisite: “Tell me where the Legendary Silver crystal is. Otherwise you will all die.”

One of the things that I got off this scene was the fact that Zoisite probably only has the one goal in mind. Once he’s set on that goal he will do anything and everything to get at it. Even if that means out right murdering others. The fact that, before the girls came, he didn’t have a total advantage. If he killed her then there would be no answer for him, however having the girls there meant to him that he could use them as a means of getting to Sailor Moon. Oddly enough, his face looks more annoyed then out right ready to commit the murder.

It seems like he’s trying to give them some sort of option here, he’ll spare the girls, if she talks, thus the “Otherwise” saying that, at least, he’s willing to make some sort of arrangement. If he was going to keep to this arrangement, I don’t know, but again he’s the stratago of the group, so more than likely he had other plans up his sleeve if this one failed to win her over. Knocking her out and pulling the info out of her mind could have been another option.

The only time that Zoisite loses control of the situation is when Tuxedo Mask comes in and punches him, it’s hard enough to send him backwards, and that pisses him off even more.

Yet again, he remains cool, and tries to assess the situation. He watches as Tuxedo Mask and Sailor Moon converse, and tries to figure out what the two of them have going on.

Now an interesting thing about Zoisite, something that may have been a nod to the anime, or maybe it was something that came from the Manga, I’m not sure, but he touches his face where he’s been hit. It’s a curious thing because up till this point we don’t see vanity on this guy, yet he’s the only one that does that. So we can, assume, because of this small gesture, that there’s some slight bit of vanity to Zoisite, but not so much that it becomes a trait of his that stands out. It’s clear, thanks in part to Casablanca Memories and the Dr. Izono (Isono) disguise that at least Zoisite does at least make a good looking female. So maybe he’s actually worried about his features more than he lets on.

Faced with Tuxedo Mask Zoisite actually questions him, as he hasn’t heard of this person, and clearly he hasn’t been on Zoisite’s radar.

Zoisite: “Curses. Do you wish for the Legendary Silver Crystal as well?”

Tuxedo Mask: “My wish? My Wish is…”

Mamoru attacks Zoisite, only this time he’s ready for him and repeals him easily with an electric blast and a dark shield. This is the time we finally can figure out what Zoisite’s power is connected to. Much like Jupiter he wields handy electric attacks that seem to create an electrical shock to the system, on top of providing a defensive shield with the dark energy that he has surrounding his shield.

It’s when Tuxedo Mask tries again that we get a glimpse of how effective Zoisite’s strategies are. Not only does he knock down the whole Senshi team, he nearly beat Sailor Moon and then Tuxedo Mask in one go. Right after the shock hits Mamoru he gets struck again by Zoisite with a laser like beam that appears to fragment into crystal bits after it hits Tuxedo Mask in the chest. Zoisite looks more annoyed then anything at this moment after the shield goes up.

Zoisite: “That’s not happening again.”

Once more we have the unemotional mask that he seems to have created which so perfectly reflects how he sees this battle. One sided, and that he’s not taking much pleasure in it. After knocking Tuxedo Mask down he quickly grabs hold of Sailor Moon again, nearly breaking her wrist in the process, and once again we see that he can be brutally straight about the things that he wants and what he will do to people to get it from them.

One of the factors about this fight that struck me is that Zoisite is the only Knight that Tuxedo Mask actually battles with. He doesn’t attack Nephrite or Jadeite, although he’s at the event where Nephrite’s at, and for Jadeite he’s there with Luna on the other side. Later with Kunzite we see him willing to defend Sailor Moon, but Zoisite is the only one that he outright attacks, and it changes his view point on how strong the Shitennou are as individuals. Yet the fact remains that Zoisite got sucker punched by him, and that implies to me at least that Zoisite and Mamoru are probably about the same level physically, though given that Mamoru managed to knock him away with one hit, there’s at least a bit more power going on there for Mamoru then for Zoisite. (Strictly speaking he’s supposed to be younger than Mamoru as well so there’s the idea that he’s just a tad weaker then Mamoru.)

Zoisite: “You really want the Legendary Silver Crystal, don’t you?”

Earlier we saw him use the team on Sailor Moon, as a means of causing her to reconsider about not knowing anything, and, now that he knows there’s something going on between the two leads, he uses that to his advantage. By holding onto Usagi he has something that Tuxedo Mask wants and, as such there’s the looming threat of harm that could come from him. And yet in a twist, it’s not Mamoru that acts definite in this case, it’s Usagi. Rather than have Tuxedo Mask harmed again she quickly responds to the question, causing Zoisite to give her a curious look.

Sailor Moon: “He does.”

She continues on saying that Tuxedo Mask has been looking for it for a long time alone, and Mamoru then pours his heart out to Sailor Moon, explaining that he was looking for the crystal but that all changed thanks to her and now his wish is her.

What’s interesting about this is that while Zoisite listens to this moment, he only reacts after they’ve both finished and decides that Tuxedo Mask isn’t worth much to him, since he no longer is a direct threat to gaining the crystal and clearly he can’t influence him anymore, which was what the plan was probably by holding Usagi hostage at the moment.

So here we have a conundrum, he has two people, one of which is not worth much to him, the other which is but won’t talk or doesn’t know where the item is. Since he still would need Sailor moon the only logical solution is, kill the remainder. That’s right; this whole situation to Zoisite is much like math problem. He’s not thinking at all about the emotional stakes here, he’s only thinking about the means to an end.

So what does he do? Create a huge crystal that floats above his hand.

Zoisite: “Be gone then.”

Sailor Moon: “No!”

Of course Usagi takes this moment to grab hold of Zoisite by his waist much like a little child would in order to stop him from unleashing the crystal. Oddly enough this does work for a moment. The action confuses the cool and in control Zoisite, who gets worked up over being suddenly grabbed.

Zoisite: “Let go of me!”

Zoisite: “Stop interrupting me!”

With one flip of his hand he grabs her and tosses her aside by the shoulder. Again this is an interesting moment. He could have, while she was holding him thrown the crystal anyway, yet he pauses long enough to complain about her holding onto him and shouts at her like a kid about being interrupted, or an older sibling at a younger sibling. It’s interesting because we see that with the other Kings he’s normally calm, and trying to be mature, and yet here you can see some of that youngness in him seeping out.

He gets annoyed, flustered, even outright embarrassed in a way from being hit. He’s a teenager, like it or not, and acts like it. So while throwing Usagi is certainly a horrible act, it’s one that again shows that emotional side seeping out of the mask he’s created to seem calm and collected. He’s not in control, or at least for that moment he lost control, which is annoying to him, and it’s because of this emotion that, rather than take on the easier hit of Tuxedo Mask, as he’s already seen that Usagi has more power than he does in certain circumstances, he lets his emotion dictate his next step, which is to attack her rather than attack Mamoru.

Zoisite: “I will kill you first. Then take my time finding the Legendary Silver Crystal.”

It’s the first time he’s made a move based on emotions alone. Every other move all that night has been calculated, from the Rental shop to luring out Sailor Moon, to the location, blocking the senshis’ attacks, and then using them as a ploy to get information from Sailor moon, all the way to improving on his plans when Tuxedo Mask shows up and forces them to change. This move, the decision to kill Sailor Moon is all purely based on Emotion.

The reason why is simple, he’s tired of her getting in the way. He’s annoyed with her, he wants her gone, even if it’s against what he needs, she’s turning out to be more trouble than she’s worth and he won’t have it anymore. As I said before Zoisite is a large planer, he sees big pictures before he sees small ones and thinks twenty steps ahead. Yet here, given his line, it’s clear that he’s just doing this act on pure rage and vitrol. He’s pissed off that he was defeated once, and then this girl keeps defying him, now her useless boyfriend appears and is making things even more complicated. He doesn’t have time for any of this, but he’s willing to do something impulsive. To me at least it says that he’s not as cool headed as appears and, probably isn’t as good at planning on an impulse as he should be.

Zoisite: “Die!”

Just as he’s about to smash Sailor Moon with the crystal, along comes Venus with her Crescent Boomerang and shatter’s it. His reaction is perfect; not only is he shocked and surprised, but also slightly afraid of what’s going on as this wasn’t in any part of his plans.

Zoisite: “What?”

Of course he’s hit there after by Artemis and crumples to the ground holding his gut in pain. His eyes bugged and he looks really freaked out as he utters.

Zoisite: “Curse you!”

We pick up quickly in Act 8 where Sailor Venus is introduced. What occurs next in the series is, I think, unique to Zoisite and something the other Knights never seem to have a moment of. When he looks up after being injured, he’s in pain and slightly scared. Upon seeing the girls getting up ready for another round he realizes that he’s out numbered, and out gunned. He’s too weak at the moment to take them on and two things happen then.

The first is the fact that he looks angrily about, but there’s also a sense of fear in his face as well, he’s not terrified of the girls but rather of what they can do to him now that there are four and all of them are up and about. Coming to this realization the second thing is he looks dejected and depressed.

Zoisite: “Damnit! I was so close.”

This is a very different moment then Jadeite or Nephrite. In both of those cases, the former becomes obstinate vowing a form of revenge. He’s angry more at the girls than anything else, and sees no fault in his actions at all. Then there’s Nephrite who wants to go again, even though he’s hurt. He’s more ticked off at Beryl for not letting him try again and directly at Makoto for her defeating him. Zoisite paints a totally different picture here.

On the one hand he's certainly angry at the girls for stopping him, that’s a given, but his line of “I was so close,” lays some sort of blame on himself, and his look of despair shows that he’s not just seeing the fault in the girls for defeating him, but more so on himself for being so close and letting his emotions override his better judgement. And this, this very moment, becomes key later on when things move forward during the later battle as to how he chooses his words and his actions.

We of course don’t see him again till later in Act 9 when Kunzite has returned with Mamoru’s body in tow, and the Kings are all lined up looking at the fallen hero. Each of the members, save Kunzite, mentions how they seem to know him.

Zoisite: “I feel like I knew him a long time ago.”

This of course shows that being in proximity of Tuxedo Mask is starting to wear down their brain washing (or it might be the effects are wearing off). Whatever the case the four Knights are now faced with the fact that there are things that they still can’t recall and are having issues with their own views on their mission.

Another interesting factor is that of the three there Zoisite is the one to notice the strange behavior of Kunzite. He glances over at him with a curious look, and quickly inquiries about the problem.

Zoisite: “What’s the matter, Kunzite?”

The fact that he’s tuned into the behavior of the others, as we saw earlier with Jadeite and Nephrite, shows that he’s been keeping his eye on them, studying them, and trying to gain some sort of knowledge. He’s wondering if Kunzite knows something, or if he’s planning something, and he’s not okay with the response that follows of Kunzite brushing it off.

It makes me wonder if Zoisite, between the scenes, mentioned this again to Kunzite who may have been having stronger memories coming back and that’s what pushed them into checking things out in Act 10, and learning the truth of the matter.

Act 10 changes things again as we see the quartet following Queen Beryl rather than staying with their captive prisoner. As it is Zoisite sticks close behind Kunzite, and says very little until they are down the steps. He, like the other two, is curious as to what’s happening, but his questions seem to be more towards what is going on with the environmental rather than what is going on between Beryl and Metalia.

Zoisite: “What is that door?”

Zoisite: “What’s that mark on her forehead?”

The questions he poses are things one would want to know if one was to come up with a plan of sorts. The door question can easily be seen as him wondering what the markings mean on it and are they of any use to the group, the marking on her forehead is probably him zeroing in on a weak spot, and he wants to confirm it, and make sure the others see it as well.

As the scene progresses we see the jewels form on their foreheads where the girl’s marks usually show up. Zoisite’s is a green crystal and as their memories come back, he, like the others see a palace in the past. Again, unlike his brothers, Zoisite isn’t questioning why things are happening he’s wanting to know the reason behind them seeing the sequence of events.

Zoisite: “Who are we?”

Learning the truth before them, the first thing that Zoisite says is…

Zoisite: “We were born on earth again to find our Master.”

Which of itself is interesting and a departure from the original Anime where they seemed to be the same people that were working with the Prince. In this case, like the Senshi they are also reborn as normal people who were supposed to, like the guardians, meet with Mamoru and become his guards, protecting and helping him. (I wonder how different the story would have been if they had not been taken over by Beryl and met Mamoru first.)

One of the reasons why this sticks with me so much is that it at least provides some very interesting Lore behind the whole situation with the rebirth of the Guardians. The implication was that those on the Moon at the time were reborn, which then means that the Kings were there too. The only question remaining is, what role were they playing and, like the Guardians, how did they die?

With the Memories back they’re confronted by Beryl who seems annoyed with the fact that they have their memories back. Her wording here to Kunzite implies that she’s had to re-brainwash them before. Now the question is, how many times exactly? Could it be that the knights had broken free of this spell and she’s had to do this over and over again?

Zoisite: “Did you use us?”

There’s something bitter about the phrasing here on Zoisite’s part. Since the boys at this point are not brainwashed, this is part of his true-self then, someone who doesn’t take kindly to being used in any way. His anger is right up there with the others, and it’s clear that he is ready to take on the Queen without a second of hesitation. It’s also interesting to note that he’s the second one to go after her right after Kunzite.

Remember how I mentioned the whole feeling devastated by his not being able to get what the queen wanted, the reason I get the feeling he was so bitter about being used in such a way is not only because he was brainwashed to do the bidding of someone he wanted nothing to do with in the first place, but also that he felt angry over the fact that he felt he failed in a mission, one which he was just some game piece and that it would have only helped the true enemy in the end. I can see why the anger is there in his voice and he’s the one that asks about the whole being used.

Of course they fail in their attack and their stones are corrupted once more and they are forced to once again follow the mission of the Dark Kingdom, only this time the brainwashing is even stronger than before.

Upon attacking Tokyo with Jadeite’s powers of ice, the Kings are again facing off against their opposites, in this case it’s Ami vs Zoisite, which leads into the girls having their own memories unlocked by Venus, showing the Kings as the Four Knights that protected the Prince.

What I found interesting about Zoisite in his picture was that unlike Jadeite who had his eyes closed, and Nephrite who was looking down a bit, as if thinking about something, Zoisite is looking ahead with a natural gaze that is a bit hard to read. It’s a gentle, but serious look, like someone who is ready to give a smile, but is trying to remain neutral for the sake of it. The look kind of reminds me of Ami when she first was introduced into the series. Shy, but not afraid of others. That’s the feeling I get off this image, someone who can be warm, but also serious about what he does and his role.

Of course the boys all use some sort of attack on the girls and Sailor Moon defends them, sending the Shitennou running away for a while.

None of the Knights show up again until Act 12 when the Sailor guardians head to the North Pole to find Usagi who is fighting against a possessed Mamoru, and trying to wake him up from his strange behavior. When the girls head into the cave Rei’s the one that detects them and then they get hit by a blast.

The Kings are waiting for the Guardians and itching for a rematch. Zoisite is more cocksure at this point, arms are crossed and he’s smirking, unlike how he was in earlier episodes. Before he would be assessing the situation, now it’s clear that the boys are pretty much acting the same as Beryl would be. When the girls try to remind the Kings of their mission Zoisite goes back to that uninterested expression.

Zoisite: “We will eliminate you.”

Zoisite: “Our mission is to defeat all of you.”

This battle is intercut with the fight of Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask, and continues as the girls try to get them to think about who they were at one time. Eventually Venus blindsides them by mentioning someone important to them, making them all pause, and allowing the Sailor Guardians to planet attack them. By doing this they break through the brainwashing, however this doesn’t last long.

Zoisite: “The True meaning?”

That being about their names, the fact that he asks this again shows some insight into his personality. He seeks out truths and facts over idealized viewpoints, very much like his stone.

When their memories return the boys all seem confused, angry and rather upset at themselves in some way. Zoisite, once more, brings up the fact that he doesn’t like being played with.

Zoisite: “To think that we were controlled by the power of darkness…”

Yet tragedy once more cuts them down as Metalia hit them hard in their weak state, apparently killing them. The girls are honestly upset by their returned friends’ deaths, after all the work they put in trying to get to them. However it’s not long before their voices return and urge the girls forward with encouragement.

Zoisite: “You still have a mission.”

It’s a small remaindered that, again, Zoisite tries to look at the big picture. He and Jadeite both mention the mission before anything else, reminding the girls that while their deaths are not their faults, they need to move on, save the Prince and Princess, something they couldn’t complete themselves.

Act 13 brings only a brief moment for the Knights before we don’t see them until far into the latter half of Sailor Moon R.

When Kunzite shows up to tell Mamoru how to beat Metalia the others show up for a moment with him, looking happy and tearful to see their old friend and lord.

Zoisite: “Finally this time…”

Nephrite: “May you two have eternal happiness.”

This small line at least shows that the Knights were not against the idea of the two being together, and clearly they had accepted the fact that their Prince and the Moon Princess were going to become an item. The fact that Zoisite and Nephrite both wish them happiness shows that the Knights are always thinking of Mamoru and his needs far above their own.

The last time we see the Knights at all is in Act 18 but sadly Zoisite doesn’t talk at all. Given what the other knights are saying I can only surmise what his abilities would be.

Jadeite seems to handle space and time, Nephrite has the skills of sensing things coming, Kunzite has visions, which leaves a question for what Zoisite can do. My only guess given what’s going on is that he’s connected to the earth and the health of the planet and the spiritual side of things.

So what does this all tell us about Zoisite’s personality?

Zoisite General of the European Division: Zoisite is, most definitely, the member of the Shitennou that hides what he’s feeling, for better or for worse. He doesn’t like to let others in on what he’s thinking and he actually gives a damn about proving himself to others around him. One of the things I noticed right off the bat with Zoisite is that he likes to hold all the cards before he makes a move, unlike Jadeite who only gains so much knowledge before attacking the senshi, Zoisite tends to learn all that he can and when he wants something he stops at nothing to get it. Whereas Nephrite wears his heart on his sleeve it seems in ways, showing some compassion here and there, Zoisite seems to have no qualms about causing pain, both physically and emotionally to get what he desires. And yet, at times this seems way too much of a try hard even for him.

Act 3 gives us little to work with outside of Zoisite showing up and being mysterious about things. While Nephrite and Jadeite seem to be slightly vying for going after the energy, it’s Zoisite that appears and brings up the facts. He’s fast to point out the issue of the girls getting in the way, and then he points out that they could be looking for the crystal as well. All the while he’s looking at the Queen, as if to see what she’s going to do. There’s an odd sense that his actions that logical side of him, prompts others to ask questions that he would want answered but doesn’t want to bring up himself. It’s Jadeite that asks about what the crystal is, and that’s because Zoisite gave him an opening to actually wonder what reason they’re going after it.

It’s this small bit that gives us the glimpse of logic in Zoisite’s actions. The look on his face and the fact that he even points out the girls to the others means that he’s been waiting and watching everything with a keen shrewdness that Nephrite and Jadeite don’t seem to exhibit he quickly crafts a way to bring up the subject without looking like he’s way to curious about it. Also, one can see, that he’s already thinking about the girls and how they are interacting in regard to the crystal. When they go after it the girls are there to defend it, even if they don’t realize it yet, and that factor he’s not certain about.

That certainty is also in how he plays out his own plans, and it’s one of the reasons I see him as the Smart guy of the team. Jadeite certainly could fall under this as well, but Zoisite comes off as more the type that uses what he knows to get what he wants. He waits, deliberates and looks at a larger picture over Jadeite’s smaller sized view of things. One thing for certain is that as far as Zoisite goes in regard to his way of doing things he always uses a plan that keeps him well above everyone else. He uses digital media, electrical manipulations, and brainwashing to go after the senshi, unlike Nephrite and Jadeite who both chose a more physical one on one approach to get at the scouts.

Act 6 and 7 gives us a glimpse into a number of sides of Zoisite, and how he uses his powers, and possibly how his powers used to work as well. During his first attack we see him cross dressing as a woman named Dr. Isono, who uses the tvs to get the attention of others and have them look for the crystal. The interesting thing about this is that it seems that that ability only works through electrical interference of some sort: tv and probably radio. What’s cool about this is, unlike the others, he tends to remain calm throughout the whole ordeal, never once breaking character until the last moment when he realizes that most of the plan isn’t working out. The fact that he picks to use others can be seen in the reverse as well. If we’re going to believe that the personality that the Shitennou show are darker aspects of their own personality flowing out, then in this case Zosite is the one that probably cares the most about humans and has them work to help him out.

One of the things about Zoisite is that he has the most arms crossed stance, and thus the one of the group that wants to be seen as the least vulnerable. What’s important about this is that of the Kings Zoisite’s actions dictate his age. He’s the closest to the girls in actual age, 14 going on 15, as well as probably being the one that tends to be over looked because he’s not the most open about anything. Even when with the others he uses his knowledge to prompt Jadeite into questioning things and then later verify to the others that the Guardians are probably hunting down the crystal.

During the fight in Act 6 he lets slip the mask of indifference. We see Zoisite enjoying himself, going up against the girls, and as I said before, acting like the cat toying with the mouse. He’s willing to block attacks but not hit them directly until they land a hit on him, pissing him off as he saw himself as the better and stronger person in this fight. Which again brings up the idea of the opposite being true of him, that the Crystal version of Zoisite –the knight that he was –would have been more willing to help others spar and work on their attacks, to make them stronger or better than he was.

It’s only when Ami hits him that we see his anger come out. Crossed arms could be an indication that someone hides their inner emotions a lot, and if that’s true, then Zoisite bottles up his anger and only lets it out when he’s truly angry. Given the blast he hits the girls with it shows that he doesn’t like to be beaten at all. However this also can be another indication of his age and maturity. Zoisite is the only one of the Kings to go and get overly pissy when he gets defeated by the girls in a surprise attack. He doesn’t like to show weakness or vunrablity. He needs to prove he’s strong, if not stronger, then the other members of the team.

One other important thing to note in Act 6 is that he willingly jumps in front of a strong attack from Sailor Moon to take a blow for Queen Beryl. How he sees her fully is a mystery since we didn’t get much on their interactions, but he is the only member of the Shitennou to do that for her at all. Even Kunzite later doesn’t dive in the way to protect her. So there’s a question of why the sudden strong loyalty, and I think it’s his way of negating his failure to her and himself.

Zoisite is someone who wants to win, at all costs. He wants to prove himself to himself as well as to others. He wants to be the smartest guy in the room and to come back and say “I did what you couldn’t do.” Yet he couldn’t, that’s why he takes the leap and the hit that follows. He intends to show that he can protect those he follows, or at least wants to appear that way. And it works, Beryl points out in Act 7 about his wounds, something she doesn’t talk to the others about.

So we can say that Zoisite is a sneaky character who enjoys showing a mask to the world of loyalty and fidelity, when in fact he’s insecure about himself and needs to have some way of making himself loftier then he needs to be.

Act 7 is where things really change for Zoisite as a whole in personality. Previously he’s been calm, neutral even to all events, up until his defeat at the hands of the guardians. Now he’s just ticked off, forgoing any sense of sneaking and focusing all his energy at getting some form of revenge, as well as getting what he needs to for the queen at all costs. Unlike Jadeite who says that he will, Zoisite does it, by using his own aggressive feelings and pushing them onto the viewers of his dvds. What makes it far worse is that his emotions, which normally don’t come out, are here in full force at points.

We see it when he captures Sailor Moon and nearly strangles her, bluntly asking for the location of the crystal then squeezing her neck more and more as she defies him. There’s a pause there for him as well, as he knows he probably needs her alive and yet he’s willing to kill her to prove his point. We also see him using what he’s learned on the team and to effectively turn it against them. What’s really fascinating is that Zoisite then tells Sailor Moon they’ll all die if they don’t tell him what he wants to know. Again this is something that the other Shitennou don’t remotely do when faced with the girls.

It’s a look inside his mind that he cares so little about them and even his mission in a way, that he’s willing to kill them over extracting the information from them. He reiterates this again when facing Tuxedo Mask, and he has Sailor moon trapped. He tells her how she’s useless that that, with her gone, he can just look for the crystal on his own time. The other thing that’s telling about that scene is that he has the idea of “Fool me once…” in his mindset. When Mamoru tries to hit him a second time, he blocks it with a shield and says “Not again.” Implying that he won’t let himself be caught a second time, which again sounds like something a teenage boy might say after being hit a first time.

When he’s faced with killing Sailor Moon he becomes rather angry and clearly fueled by his own inner rage at being made a fool of before. That moment of illogical emotional behavior opens him up for an attack, after which at the start of Act 8 he looks angrily at the girls that have surrounded him, and then depressed as he vanishes, clearly more despondent in the fact that he failed than anything else.

Of course when faced with reality after his memories shows up those emotions crop up again, showing a hot headed temper that leads him to the accusations of being used and later to outright attack the Queen with little planning in his mind. It’s an strange juxtaposition to the idea of the calm and calculating figure we’ve seen up till then.

Dark Kingdom Zoisite: Remember how I said to beware the quiet ones, well that is Zoisite in a nutshell here with the reverse side of himself showing. He’s overly confident in his skills and intelligence. Like Jadeite he’s a planner but one that takes a long time and focuses on a larger picture of the situation. He’s a selfish person in so many ways here, with no emotional investment in things and doesn’t seem to care if he hurts others physically or mentally. He sees humans and others as tools and nothing more. They are beneath him and he covers that venerable side of him by hiding it deep inside himself rather than, like Nephrite, letting that emotion pour out when needed.

This is one of his bigger weaknesses. He can’t face it when someone beats him, and because of that he falls into childish behavior, that becomes downright dangerous for others. He’s willing to kill, and outright doesn’t see past those emotions when he’s in that zone. It’s a hard thing for him to face and yet he won’t accept things when they hit him. This need to be perfect, to win all the time, also seems to lead to him to fall into a depressive like state where he doesn’t think about anything but his own failure and berates himself internally over it. There’s a lot of him that remains the most mysterious, and yet he’s the most innocent of the group of four. He’s not as boastful as Nephrite, nor is he has calm as Jadeite. He’s a calculating person who sees things in a very logical way.

Crystal Zoisite: So how would he be different than his Dark Kingdom half? Going on what we’ve seen with the other members of the Shitennou one can assume that most of his actions can be seen in reverse. Zoisite as a Knight is that of Purification and Healing, would more than likely be the quietest of the group as well as the one that brings out the best in peoples focus and their emotions. Early on in the series we see him nudge Jadeite into asking questions, which probably is part of what he would naturally do. He’s a calm person, not highly emotionally driven, but the emotions probably play a part into him getting to the root of healing others.

My own suspicions is that he’s the white mage of the group, not as carefree as say Nephrite, but open to others with a quiet sort of smile. Within his personality there’s a sense of knowing what to do to help a person. If we take the whole, emotionless state he shows as a sign then the opposite is probably true and that, like Nephrite, there’s a deep emotional level to this guy who probably doesn’t show it a lot due to his role in needing to be able to help others find their own answers. There’s also a show off side, which again probably relates to the idea of someone who uses his skills to bring out the focus in others in a gentle way, and healing others emotionally, physically and spiritually. I’m also suspect of him focusing on the comments about being used when not brainwashed. Zoisite strikes me as a person who hates the idea of being untruthful, which is something that corresponds to his stone; if this is true then part of his personality is probably that he’s the most honest of all the Generals, focusing on brining the facts to the table.

His Role on the Team in the Past and Now…In the Past Zoisite was the Strago of the team and probably the spymaster. You wouldn’t think someone who seems to have a need of others being honest with him wouldn’t want to be in such a racket, yet Zoisite shows the quirks of one that knows how to use people to get information. He’s not the leader, nor the follower of the group, as the smart guy like type I’m guessing he was behind the group as the white mage, healing others making sure that the Knights were well taken care of. Zoisite’s a hard one to judge because he doesn’t show his emotions outright, and only does so when he’s upset or cocky in the show. My only guess would be that, along with the spymaster, his focus was on healing and checking in on the earth to make sure that darkness didn’t spread and poison it. The other factor is that he and Nephrite were probably the first two to recognize the good aspects of the Moon and Earth Kingdom’s joining, although he probably was also the one that suggested they tread carefully. More than likely he worked at healing and helping the Prince, and seeing as he is the youngest, probably had some connections to the Prince in a different way than the others seeing as the age difference there by about a year or so.

As for the modern Zosite in the world, I can only guess that he’s grown up living a quiet life. His anger at being used as a pawn at least indicates that he’s had this happen to him before, so I would say that he’s very introverted as a person and, more than likely has not too many friends. He’s very intelligent in the strategy area and so it’s easy to assume that he’s probably one of the few that would probably play some form of video game, probably has a 3DS equivalent stuck in his pocket at all times to keep his mind sharp or when he’s board. He’d more than likely play the bad cop to Nephrite’s good cop, using his logic to keep the person feeling pressure as he gets them to confess. He’d also be in the same school as the girls since he’s their age, or at least in the same grade level as they are. More so he’s probably the ‘Prince’ at his school given his looks. He’d probably be the member to focus on the emotional needs of others before his own, and try to help them figure out what to do next.

Aspects of him with Ami and Mercury in a non-romantic way: This one is the easiest of the bunch as Zoisite and Ami could easily bond over their shared intellects and use of helping others out. The two could easily work as a team to figure out larger plans to locate others or find the weak points of the bad guy that they are fighting. Modern Zoisite would see Ami as the calm in the sea of chaos, and connecting with her as the younger members of the group as well as the shortest. He’d also likely find her amusing in some ways and want to spar with her mentally on various things just to keep himself going as a planner and a strago for the team. As for his view of Mercury in the past he probably saw her as not only competition for him on the mental side of things but also emotionally as well. Mercury brings out the best in others, and Zoisite is supposed to bring into focus the mind and spirit so his view of her would be one that can understand that role in the idea of healing others.

As for Ami, she’d see him as a fellow nerd who strives to do their best. Since he’s calculating she would try to use that in a more formal setting as well as be a friendly rival of a sort at school. It’s hard to say since Zoisite doesn’t show a lot like the others in this series. As for Sailor Mercury, she would have the grace and poise to know about the issues at hand and try to work with him to heal or clear up misconceptions between the team. The two would be the peace keepers, their goal would be in balancing the groups evenly so that both sides can have fair play and feel as if they helped in accomplishing something, along with having him help out with the research and use his skills as a listener for information from others.

Coming up in the near future…Kunzite the last of the guys.

#Sailor Moon Crystal #Sailor Moon #Shintennou #shitennou #zoisite #general #knight of purification and Healing #four kings #pretty guardian sailor moon #four generals #general of the European division