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Sapphir ( )
[Sapphire] [sapphire (aluminum (III)
oxide with traces of iron (II), iron (III) and titanium (IV) ions): a mineral,
usually with a brilliant blue color, highly valued as a gemstone] (original
series) Full name: Sapphir Occupation: Caretaker of the Wicked Crystal; Sapphir may also function as a strategist or advisor to Prince Demand, though this is uncertain (In the manga, he was a combination alchemist and roboticist responsible for the creation of the Droids used by the Black Moon Family) Identity: Publicly known on the Black Moon; the general populace of Earth is unaware of Sapphir's existence Legal status: None on Earth; unknown on Black Moon Known aliases: None Place of birth: An unspecified location on the Black Moon Marital status: Single Known relatives (according to manga): Demand (brother), Rubeus, Cooan, Beruche, Calaveras, Petz, Esmeraude (distant relations), Death Phantom (distant ancestor); in addition, Sapphir appears to be a distant relative of Queen Serenity, Kenji Tsukino, Ikuko Tsukino, Shingo Tsukino, Neo Queen Serenity, Usagi Small Lady Serenity, King Endymion, Queen Metallia, Master Pharaoh Ninety, Queen Nepherinia and Chaos in some convoluted and unexplained fashion Group affiliation: Black Moon Family Base of operations: 30th century Black Moon, later 20th century Earth First appearance: Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon R Episode 75 Final appearance: Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon R Episode 86 (reappears in a flashback in Episode 87) History: Sapphir was born on the tenth planet in our Solar System during the latter half of the 30th century, a world shrouded in darkness known only as Nemesis, the Black Moon. Little has been revealed about either his personal life or his childhood, save that he has long shared in his older brother Prince Demand's desire to invade and reclaim their ancestral home planet Earth. While the source of this mutual ambition is not known with absolute certainty, it is presumed to be at least partially rooted in a single event in his childhood, when Sapphir, while out one day in the company of his older brother, Demand, happened upon a flower, a rare prize on the otherwise bleak and barren Black Moon. With youthful enthusiasm, he reported his find to Demand, who, while as appreciative of the bloom as Sapphir was, was also deeply troubled by the fact that such wonders of nature were so seldom seen on Nemesis and made a solemn vow that the Black Moon Family would someday invade Earth and reclaim it as their own, thereby improving the quality of life for the people of their world and avenging the alleged banishment of their ancestors from that planet years earlier. Given the fierce loyalty, admiration and respect which Sapphir has always demonstrated towards Demand, there is little doubt that it was in this moment that his elder brother's vision of conquest and revenge became his own as well. It was a dream that he would carry well into adulthood, and one, which, paradoxically, would serve to not only unite the two brothers but also to divide them as well. Though further details are lacking, it is known that Sapphir became acquainted with Petz, one of the four Ayakashi Sisters, at some point in his life, and their friendship - while not widely known to have existed - was apparently quite intimate, for she fell in love with him, despite her seeming misandricity. This feeling was not lost on Sapphir, for he was evidently quite fond of her as well, though, despite the romantic tension that existed between them, it remains highly doubtful that the two of them ever had any kind of romatic relationship or that they even openly admitted their feelings to one another. What is known with absolute certainty, however, is that, as they grew older, Sapphir and Demand's dream of conquering Earth persisted, yet their ideas on how exactly this was to be accomplished drifted in completely opposite directions. While Sapphir believed in a more direct and straightforward approach towards conquering Earth - involving a strategic use of their resources in the here and now - Demand chose to pursue a more subtle and erratic course centered around destroying the Illusion Silver Crystal and changing the past in order to retroactively eliminate the Black Moon's adversaries. This difference in opinion was due in no small part to the influence of the enigmatic Wiseman, who managed to win the young prince over with his clever ideas and prophecies, chief among them the prediction that Neo Queen Serenity would one day be his lover. Much to Sapphir's regret and disdain, his sibling fell ever more under Wiseman's sway, driving the two of them ever farther apart, and he, ironically, found himself playing more and more the role of the protective "older brother", maintaining an open mind and keeping an eye out for Demand's interests out of love and concern for his welfare. Following the invasion of Crystal Tokyo by the forces of the Black Moon, made possible by the mysterious disappearance of the Illusion Silver Crystal of the future, and Chibi Usa's journey back in time to the 20th century, several members of the Black Moon Family - Rubeus and the Ayakashi Sisters Cooan, Beruche, Calaveras and Petz - were sent into the past to eliminate both her and the Silver Crystal of that era in order to secure their victory. In light of their failure to accomplish either one of these objectives, Sapphir first openly spoke to his brother of his fierce opposition towards interfering in the past, as he felt that doing so was a waste of their time and resources, and that they should instead concentrate on the future since he firmly believed that the Wicked Crystal was all powerful. Still, when Prince Demand questioned Wiseman on the matter, and, in light of the latter's answer, remained adamant on continuing on the same course, Sapphir eventually relented, respecting his brother's decision and following the path he had chosen, if somewhat uncertainly. He even went so far as to aid Esmeraude in her scheme to open the Dark Gate by fashioning the Dark Hinges she used to corrupt Negative Points and once attempted to prod her along when it appeared that she was neglecting her duties, all despite his feelings on the matter and their mutual loathing of one another. In time, however, despite the fact that he blamed Esmeraude for the failure of both her and her Droid Ryuakus to prevent the Sailor Soldiers of the past from reaching the 30th century, the two eventually came to an uneasy truce and understanding when they realized the two major thngs they had in common: their love for Prince Demand and their hatred of Sailor Moon. Eventually, Sapphir's concern for his brother's welfare grew so great that he began voicing his opinions more frequently and brazenly, once so enraging Demand by accusing him of having forgotten their original objectives because of his obsession with both Neo Queen Serenity and her younger counterpart, Sailor Moon, that the prince lashed out at him in a fit of anger. In light of these events and others, Sapphir grew deeply contemplative and began having second thoughts, both about the inherant danger he had come to realize was present in using the Wicked Crystal as well as the Black Moon Family's wisdom in choosing to follow the path prescribed by Wiseman, a figure whom he had long mistrusted and despised, though even he wasn't completely certain why. Believing these suspicions validated following Esmeraude's untimely demise, Sapphir confronted Prince Demand with this evidence of Wiseman's deceitfulness, but his proof was quickly dismissed by his brother, who managed to halfway convince him that victory was within their grasp now that they had gained Black Lady as an ally. Placing him in charge of the Wicked Crystal, he instructed Sapphir to send its power through the Dark Gate once it had been successfully opened and subsequently departed for 20th century Tokyo, Japan in order to set his scheme into motion. Still, despite his brother's reassurances, Sapphir remained sceptical and decided to follow his instincts and investigate the matter further. Secretly observing Wiseman - or so he believed, at least - in a moment of self-indulgent contemplation, he found his worst fears and suspicions confirmed: that a being known as the Death Phantom - and not Prince Demand - would reign supreme in the new order that would arise as a result of their actions and that the Black Moon Family had merely been living pawns in a macabre game the stakes of which he couldn't even begin to guess. Deciding to take immediate action against this threat, Sapphir made his way to the Wicked Crystal energy reactor and removed the Crystal Key Card - a component vital to its functioning - from a control panel, causing it to shut down. Almost immediately after having done so, however, he was confronted by Wiseman, and, in the heated exchange which followed, learned more about the sinister true nature of the Death Phantom - though he did not discover that the two were, in fact, one and the same - and that entity's ambition to eradicate all life in the universe. Horrified and shaken by the terrible revelation, Sapphir fully intended to inform Prince Demand of his findings so that his brother could decide how to proceed in light of these facts. However, he had sorely underestimated the determination and ruthlessness of the grim prophet, who fired an enormous blast of energy at him in an attempt to silence him before he could make use of the knowledge he had gleamed. Barely managing to escape the confrontation with his life, Sapphir reappeared in the streets of modern day Tokyo, dazed and incoherent, and managed to make his way to a nearby park before collapsing and losing consciousness from the injuries he had sustained. By some peculiar twist of fate, he was spotted by Petz, who, with the help of her sisters, was able to carry him back to their apartment. Upon awakening from a nightmarish recollection of his past some time later, Sapphir was surprised to find that his wounds had been bandaged and that he was being cared for by his old friend, Petz. Reassuring her that he hadn't come seeking retribution, he admired her bravery in having been willing to accept that hypothetical punishment in order to spare her sisters from being harmed and, sensing the change in her, openly asked her why she, Cooan, Beruche and Calaveras had betrayed their cause. Surprised to learn that the values and morals they had some to embrace and the strengthening of their loving, familial bond as sisters had all come about as a result of their association with Sailor Moon, Sapphir began wrestling with his own nagging doubts as to whether or not the Black Moon Family's vendetta against the people of Earth was indeed justified. Still haunted by the knowledge of Wiseman's true intentions and the extent of his manipulations, he remained determined to go and warn Demand of the treachery within their ranks out of his own unshakable sense of dedication to family, despite his wounds and Petz's pleas that he remain with her. Touched by the depth of her concern for him, Sapphir, smiling, reassured Petz that he would be all right and left his jacket behind as proof that he would return. Making his way to the Wicked Crystal shard that his brother had planted - which, by now, had grown to tremendous proportions - Sapphir was confronted by Black Lady, who might have ended his mission prematurely had the Sailor Soldiers not appeared to protect him. At first believing them to be fools for saving their sworn enemy, he was surprised to find out from Sailor Mars and Sailor Jupiter that they had trusted in Cooan's judgement enough to come and help him when she had asked them to, even though they had risked walking into a trap. Given the chance he had so desperately sought, Sapphir told them to go and save their trapped comrades from Black Lady while he took advantage of the distraction the five of them had provided in order to talk to his brother. Upon encountering Prince Demand, Sapphir vehemently denied any accusations of betrayal on his part and once again pointed to Wiseman as being the traitor in their midst. Though initially faced with the same skepticism his brother has always displayed in the past, his heartfelt argument about how their lifelong dream had been corrupted and they had been used - perhaps bolstered not only by Tuxedo Mask's support but also by the former preventing a second attempt by Black Lady to silence him - raised enough concern and doubt in Demand that the latter became willing to listen to Sapphir's version of events before coming to any conclusions. What should have been a moment of triumph, however, quickly turned to one of tragedy, for just as Sapphir was about to speak his mind, he was struck by a massive burst of white energy from Wiseman, who was intent on retrieving the Crystal Key Card and eliminating the one person who could expose him for who and what he truly was. Despite the extent of his injuries, Sapphir's determination and will drove him to once again attempt to warn Demand of the cloaked figure's intentions to destroy the future, but he was attacked a second time while trying to do so. Given his already weakened condition, his final defenses quickly fell , leaving him at the mercy of the energy blast, which utterly consumed him. Gravely wounded, Sapphir, with his final breath, whispered an apology to Petz for having broken his promise to return to her, then finally succumbed to the severity of his wounds and died in Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask's arms. Though he had failed to properly warn Prince Demand of Wiseman's treachery, his unyielding and selfless efforts in attempting to do so - ultimately at the cost of his own life - showed that, no matter how he may have lived, Sapphir had died a human being. Sapphir's body was claimed by Prince Demand shortly after his demise, and both he and Petz deeply mourned their tragic loss. Height: Estimated at 5'10'' (178 cm); never accurately measured Weight: Unknown Eyes: Blue Hair: Dark blue Abilities: Aside from his ability to teleport from one location to another, Sapphir could also project three-dimensional images of himself over a distance in order to communicate with others, manipulate solid objects and generate a protective force field around his own body to shield himself against incoming attacks, though it ultimately proved to be too weak to stand up to Wiseman's energy blasts. He was also able to manipulate the substance of the Wicked Crystal to form the Dark Hinges Esmeraude used in her attempt to corrupt Negative Points and open the Dark Gate. Japanese Voice Actor:
Tsutomu Kashiwakura This entry first appeared on: January 30,
1999 Back
to S: "Sacred Chalice" to "Sweet House"
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