Character Name: Aino Minako (愛野 美奈子)

Minako's surname, 愛野, contains the kanji for "love" and "field." When pronounced, it sounds somewhat like the possessive phrase "of love." Unlike the other guardian soldiers, the kanji in Minako's surname does not match that used for the planet Venus, 金星 (kinsei: "gold" and "star"). However, "love" is related to Venus in Greek mythology. Minako's first name, 美奈子, contains the kanji for "beauty", "Nara/what" and "child." It is a fairly popular Japanese female first name.

In her past life she was known as Princess Venus.

Gender: Female
Age and Date of Birth: 13 as Sailor V, 14 at the beginning of the Sailor Moon series and 16 by the end of it—in Crystal Tokyo she has an incredibly long life but physically appears to be roughly 22; October 22 (Libra)
 
Used Canons: This profile incorporates manga, 90s anime, live-action, and Crystal.
 
Appearance: Minako stands at 155cm (5'1"), with average weight and a curvaceous figure. She has peach-toned skin with a healthy glow. She maintains the athletic build from her volleyball team days with her physical fighting as a sailor soldier. Her expressive eyes are a rich bright blue.

Her golden blonde hair is very long, reaching the back of her knees. She has long, full bangs that cover her forehead. Minako's signature hairstyle involves pulling her hair away from her face and tying a wide red ribbon into a large bow. When viewed from the front, it peeks over the top of her head, framing her look.

Minako's overall appearance closely matches that of Usagi, something that has allowed her to pose as the Princess in an attempt to protect her dear friend and charge.

In the live-action, her civilian form has past shoulder-length straight black-brown hair and sparse but straight-cut even bangs. Her eyes are dark brown. She frequently wears hats.

Minako typically wears her school uniform for Shiba Koen Junior High School, a blue sailor suit with a long skirt and white blouse. A red scarf is knotted below her sailor collar and there is a single white stripe on the edge of her sailor collar and on her cuffs. She usually wears mid-calf white socks and low-heeled black dress shoes with a single strap across the top of the foot. When Minako joins the others at Juuban High School, she wears their uniform. In the live-action, Minako is often seen wearing fashionable casual attire instead of a school uniform, since she is an idol. Minako spends a lot of time on her appearance; she accessorizes with jewelry and makeup. Her clothing choices are often very elaborate or extremely trendy to the point of being regarded with some criticism by the other girls.

Personality: Minako is a bold, bright, athletic, friendly, and resilient young girl. She has a positive attitude that keeps her moving forward despite things that happen to her. Her performance in school is decent, but not great—she states that she will be Usagi's "make-up test buddy" when the two become friendly. Despite this, it would not be inappropriate to describe Minako as "intelligent", because she is a quick-thinker and problem-solver. She demonstrates this when fighting as a sailor soldier and leading the others, even if she doesn't apply herself to her schoolwork. Even if she sometimes thinks that she would prefer to be lazy and indulgent, Minako appreciates a challenge. This, among many other things, makes her well-suited to be the leader.

Sometimes Minako is melancholy or solemn, but she is quick to avoid displaying this to others. She thinks deeply about things that have happened in the past, particularly sad occurrences that touched her emotions, but tries not to dwell in a way that impacts her current actions. (Unless it is to learn from mistakes.) Upon learning about their shared past and the downfall of the Silver Millennium, Minako is determined not to let the tragedy repeat itself. She earnestly believes that she can change it, somehow, even if it is mentioned as "destiny". This drives her choice to conceal her identity and take the role of the Princess, as well as some of her decisions related to Endymion that seem unfeeling. It is only because she wants to prevent a calamity that she steels herself to go against her emotions. She can be distant, especially if she feels that she has to make a tough decision. Opening up to others is difficult for her.

Her bubbly personality comes to the surface when she is casually interacting with the other girls. She can be very clumsy and accident-prone, and in the 90s anime she has a knack for mangling proverbs. Minako cares quite a bit about her appearance and can be quickly offended if someone insults her looks or age. She sometimes obsesses over things to a fault and lets under enthusiasm carry her away. She can be reckless. Minako can swoon over handsome faces like the best of them. She loves opportunities to help two people find romance, whether one of those people is herself or not. Her obsession with idols shows the intense focus she uses as a sailor soldier (but, regretfully, does not use for her education...) as she is almost always the one with the most thorough and up-to-date information. She pushes herself to the extreme to try and fulfill her dream to become an idol herself, going to auditions despite the hectic schedule of a sailor soldier. In some ways, these are welcome distractions from the more serious aspects of her destiny. She can be seen to pivot swiftly between both panes, fully aware of both her "happy, scatterbrained, funny" side and her "serious, determined, loyal" side.

In the live-action, Minako keeps herself withdrawn from the others. The the "silly" side common in the other versions really does not have many opportunities to shine in the live-action. She claims to be frustrated with the lack of progress and memories from the other sailor soldiers, and thus keeps herself separated, but that is not the only reason. She pushes the others away, even Usagi, until eventually forced to interact with Rei. The priestess wears down Minako's protective barrier, and slowly Minako becomes friends with Rei, although she is torn between friendship and duty, particularly with the knowledge of her approaching death. Minako has a few opportunities to show a more playful side, often teasing Rei. Usagi also befriends Minako despite Minako's coldness, and the pop star then goes out of her way to try and protect Usagi without necessarily letting Usagi know of her actions. She longs to be a more integral part of the group, but feels that she can't because of her terminal illness.

Although Minako is originally drawn to the others because of her duty, she comes to deeply love Usagi not only because she is the princess. She also develops true friendships with the other guardian soldiers. Minako can be very gentle with Usagi, as she was when Tuxedo Mask was injured, or she can be there to try and cheer up her friend and provide support in other dire circumstances, such as when their other friends were kidnapped by the Black Moon. Minako is always willing to put her own feelings aside to provide Usagi with the comfort and bright spirits necessary. Like Ami, Rei, and Makoto, Minako felt a sense of isolation prior to meeting Usagi. Usagi brought them all together.

Minako in particular shows maturity from the beginning of the Sailor V manga to the end of the Sailor Moon manga. The cheerful schoolgirl becomes a skilled fighter, devoted to her duty.

Any Unique Abilities/Skills: Minako is athletic and coordinated, particularly due to her experience as a Sailor V. She can physically fight with decent effectiveness even when not transformed, thanks to this training.
 
History: Minako was the first sailor soldier to awaken to her duty, when Artemis recruited her to fight as Sailor V. In the Sailor V manga and in the 90s anime it is indicated that Sailor V has a covert connection to local police forces, helping them in secret although they must openly attempt to stop her rogue actions. In the 90s anime, she lived in London during this time, and as a result has moderately better English conversation skills than some of the other girls. In the manga, specifically the Sailor V manga, she fought most of these evil entities in Japan. In the Sailor V manga, she becomes romantically entangled with a young man named Ace, and faces a struggle of duty versus emotion, especially when he reveals himself as working for the Dark Agency as Danburite, although he was once a man from Venus named Adonis. In their last moments before his death, he declares that she will be cursed when it comes to love, forever, and that now she doesn't have to worry about what to choose. With this, Minako moves to Tokyo to find the other sailor soldiers and princess. In all versions of the story, Minako meets the others after she has been active as Sailor V. She pretends to be Princess Serenity to protect the actual princess from discovery. She becomes popular enough as Sailor V that a video game is manufactured; in the manga and Crystal, she uses it to train Usagi as Sailor Moon.

When Tuxedo Mask is injured, Sailor Moon is revealed to be Princess Serenity. Sailor Venus now official takes her name as "Sailor Venus" and position as leader of the sailor soldiers. She has more thorough memories than the other girls, particularly related to the Silver Millennium. Combined with her battle skills honed as Sailor V, this allows her to guide the group towards the duty she believes they must uphold. Although she makes comments about being a "normal girl" like the others, her attitude remains very serious and solemn towards protecting the Earth and their princess.

Minako lives with her mother and father, who are fairly "normal", in a single family home. She attends a different presumably public junior high school than the others, Shiba Koen Junior High School, implying that she lives in a slightly different zone. She enjoys playing volleyball, and would consider joining a team if not for the time she spends fighting as a sailor soldier. Her passion is for idols, which she dreams of becoming herself someday, and she spends a lot of time following these trends—something Artemis frequently criticizes. Minako sometimes can seem boy-crazy and romance-driven; she takes her title as "Soldier of Love" a bit too seriously sometimes. Later in the manga, however, she states alongside Sailor Mars that she "doesn't need men" because she has her duty to her princess, echoing the theme from the end of the Sailor V manga.

In the live-action, there is a significant difference to Minako's history. Minako is a pop idol by day and Sailor V by night. Her career is established prior to meeting Artemis, but after taking on her mantle as Sailor V, she releases the single C'est La Vie (a pun, as it sounds like "Sailor V" when pronounced) for the album "Venus"—a hint to the currently dormant sailor soldiers. She separates herself from the others, refusing to associate with them, and lives alone with only Artemis for companionship. This behavior is eventually explained to be because Minako has a terminal illness, and she fears becoming close to others when her life will end soon. As the series continues, she forms a closeness with Rei, Sailor Mars. When Minako elects a risky surgery that might save her life, she dies. She is not present for the final battle, but Sailor Mars channels the powers of Sailor Venus to assist in her stead. When Usagi uses the Silver Crystal, Minako is also resurrected. It is implied that she is now also cured of her illness.

Sailor Venus provides guidance to the group throughout their trials as sailor soldiers. She loves Usagi, Sailor Moon, and Princess Serenity very dearly and will sacrifice anything to support this girl's choices to protect the world. In Crystal Tokyo, she continues to stand by Neo Queen Serenity's side and lead the sailor soldiers.

Other Noteworthy Facts:
Blood Type: B
Hobby: Chasing after idols
Favourite Sport: All of them! (May have been a volleyball team member prior to being a sailor soldier.)
Favourite Colour: Yellow and red
Favourite Subject: Physical Education
Least Favourite Subject: Everything except P.E.
Favourite Food: Curry
Least Favourite Food: Shiitake mushrooms
Weak Point: Mama, and police officers
Castle: Magellan Castle
Dream: To be an idol (In the live-action, she is already an idol. She dreams of being able to fight alongside the others.)

Although the manga hinted at it, Crystal officially suggests a Silver Millennium romance between Kunzite and Sailor Venus.

In the 90s anime, Minako had a crush on Yaten of the Three Lights when the disguised Sailor Starlights were attending Juuban High School.
 
Storyline Specific Information: 

[Relaxed] As the Keyblade Strikes:

 
 
Senshi Name: Sailor Venus (originally Sailor V)

Realms of Influence: Love, beauty, metal (specifically gold), and light

Henshin/Transformation Phrase:
"Moon Power, Transform!" (Sailor V form)
"Venus Power, Make Up!" (first form) (Live-action sole transformation phrase.)
"Venus Star Power, Make Up!" (second form)
"Venus Planet Power, Make Up!" (third form) (Manga and Crystal universes.)
"Venus Crystal Power, Make Up!" (final form)

Senshi Fuku: As Sailor V, her uniform consists of a short pleated navy skirt and a separate loose sailor collar white blouse with short sleeves. The hem of her skirt has a single red stripe adorning it. Whether or not there is a navy bow at the back waistband of her skirt is inconsistent across artwork; generally in the Sailor V manga it is omitted but it does exist in the 90s anime. Her navy collar shares the same red stripe, flush against the outermost edge. The cropped blouse top has a fitted, possibly armor-reinforced bust section, but a looser bottom section that reveals her belly button. The lower section of the top has princess seams and the side panels are red. Her cuffed loose sleeves, which end at mid-upper arm, are divided into upper and lower halves. The upper half is white and the lower half is red. The cuffs are navy with a single red stripe centered in each. In the 90s anime and in some manga artwork, her bodice lacks loose sleeves. Above her shoulders, below the sailor collar, are petal-like white armored flaps. On the front of her top is a red bow with a round yellow ornament at the center. Her gloves are more loose-fitting than the other sailor soldiers. They are elbow-length and end with a single band of gold in the manga, live-action, and Crystal. In the 90s anime, they are more fitted and have three orange padded rolls before the elbow. Her shoes are navy high-heels with ankle straps. She wears a white choker with a golden crescent moon at the center. Her earrings are small round red studs. In the center of her forehead is the golden crescent moon symbol. She disguises her face with a red mask with feathered shapes at the outer edges of the cat eye glasses-like shape. In the live-action, her hair is now blonde, wavy, waist-length, and styled with her signature red bow.

In her first form, Sailor Venus wears a white bodysuit with an orange sailor collar and orange pleated skirt. There is a visible seam below the bust. Her sleeves consist of three padded rolls of white fabric. Her skirt is attached to the bodice with a similar roll of padded fabric at the waist, which forms a v-shape. At the center back of the waistband is a yellow bow. In the live-action, this is an orange bow. Her orange sailor collar has a single white stripe near the outer edge. Her front bow is navy with a round orange gem at the center. Her white elbow-length gloves end with three padded rolls of orange fabric. Her choker is a simple orange ribbon. She wears orange high-heeled shoes with an ankle strap. Until Sailor Moon is revealed as Princess Serenity, instead of a tiara she has a golden crescent moon symbol on her forehead. In the live-action, she also wears a jeweled tiara on top of her head and implies that the Silver Crystal is within the tiara. When Sailor Venus is officially no longer pretending to be the princess, she gains a v-shaped gold tiara with an orange oval jewel at the center of her forehead. Her earrings are simple orange studs. In the live-action, Sailor Venus's hair is now blonde, wavy, waist-length, and styled with her signature red bow. The bow has some jewels and other adornments. In the live-action and in Crystal, Sailor Venus wears a jeweled chain, which she uses as a weapon, around her hips. This chain is sometimes featured in manga artwork. In the live-action, she wears her Jewelry Star Bracelet on her left wrist.

In her "Crystal Power" form, Sailor Venus has a gold star centered on her orange choker. Her sleeves are now two padded rolls of white fabric and a curved wing of sheer fabric with a very slight violet tint. The gem at the center of her front bow is heart-shaped, not round. Her back bow is much larger now, with wide tails that reach her thighs. This form does not exist in the live-action.

In her final manga form, Sailor Venus wears a seamless white bodysuit. Her pale yellow sleeves are large, spherical, and translucent. They end high on her upper arm with two padded rolls of bright gold fabric. Her white gloves are longer than before, now reaching several inches above the elbow. Attached to the upper edge of the gloves are three padded rolls of bright gold fabric. Her sailor collar is orange, with a single white stripe along the outer edge. Her skirt is now two layers, and appears more gathered than pleated. The top layer is orange; the bottom layer is bright gold. Where her skirt attaches to her white bodysuit there are two ribbons separated by a slight gap; they follow the same coloration pattern as her skirt--upper is orange and lower is bright gold. Where they meet at the central v-shaped point of the waistband, there is a small gold star insignia. At the back of her waistband is a pale yellow bow with short tails, but longer tails of the narrow orange ribbon from the waistband dangle down to her knees. Her footwear is now knee-high, high-heeled white boots. The top edge of the boot dips down in a v-shape, edged with orange trim. At the lowest point of the v-shape there is a small gold star charm. In the center of her chest, at the lowest point of the sailor collar's neckline, is a navy bow with an orange star-shaped brooch in the center. Her choker follows the general design of her waistband and the trim at the top of her boots--it forms a slight v-shape with a narrow orange ribbon, and at the lowest point of the v-shape is a small gold star charm. Her earrings are now small orange circular studs with dangling orange stars. Her gold tiara is narrower now and the v-shape is more defined than previous iterations. At the center of her forehead is a star-shaped orange topaz. The orange tone used for this updated costume is brighter and more gold in hue than some of her previous uniforms.

Powers:

90s Anime "Crescent Beam!" "Crescent Beam Shower!" "Venus Love-Me Chain!" "K.O. Love-Me Moon Chain!" (when pretending to be Sailor Moon) "Furious Random Crescent Beam Shots!" "Venus Love and Beauty Shock!" "Sailor Special Garlic Attack!" (group attack) "Sailor Planet Attack!" (group attack) "Sailor Planet Power!" (group attack) Sailor Teleport (group ability)

Sailor V Manga "Crescent Beam!" "Crescent Slender Beam!" "Crescent Super Beam!" "Venus Ten Billion Volt Rock N' Rouge!" "Diphenhydramine Combo! Venus Brand Mosquito Repellent Incense Typhoon!" "Venus Iron Muscle Punch!" "Sailor V Kick!" "Venus Power, Love Crescent Shower!" "Venus Sulphur Smoke!" "Sailor V Chop!" "Crescent Boomerang!" "V-chan Katana Strike! Punishment of Seppuku!" "Rolling Screw Sailor V Punch!" "Venus Love, Megaton Shower!" "V-chan-Style Kneading Sailor V Chop!"

Sailor Moon Manga "Crescent Beam!" "Crescent Boomerang!" "Venus Love-Me Chain!" "Rolling Heart Vibration!" "Venus Wink Chain Sword!" "Venus Love and Beauty Shock!" "Venus Love and Galactica Shock!" (when subjugated by Galaxia) "Galactica Gale!" (when subjugated by Galaxia) "Galactica Planet Attack!" (group attack when subjugated by Galaxia) "Sailor Planet Power Meditation!" (group attack)

Live-action "Venus Beam!" "Venus Love-Me Chain!" "Rolling Heart Vibration!" Energy beam from Star Tambourine (no phrase necessary) "Sailor Planet Power!" (group attack) "Moonlight Attractive Attack!" (group attack)

Crystal "Crescent Boomerang!" "Venus Love-Me Chain!" "Rolling Heart Vibration!" "Venus Wink Chain Sword!" "Sailor Planet Attack!" (group attack)

Weapons and Magical Items:
Pen - Minako uses this item to transform into Sailor Venus with "Venus Power, Make Up!" In the manga and Crystal, the design of her pen is different from that of the other sailor soldiers, and she used it to transform into Sailor V with "Moon Power, Transform!" in the manga. In the Sailor V manga, anything the pen writes only truth ...so Minako uses it on her schoolwork, much to Artemis's chagrin.
Star Power Stick - Minako uses this item to transform into Sailor Venus with "Venus Star Power, Make Up!"
Crystal Change Rod - Minako uses this item to transform into Sailor Venus with "Venus Crystal Power, Make Up!" (Anime universe only.)
Jewelry Star Bracelet - Minako uses this item to transform into Sailor Venus with "Venus Power, Make Up!"(Live-action universe only.)
Venus Crystal - This is the sailor crystal that Minako possesses as Sailor Venus. It is heart-shaped and gold in colour. She uses this item to transform into Sailor Venus with "Venus Crystal Power, Make Up!" (Transformation item in manga universe only.)
Communicator - Minako has a communicator that she can use to contact the other sailor soldiers. This item goes through a few upgrades throughout the series. In the 90s anime, it first looks like a pink pocket calculator with a very tiny screen above the keypad. It later looks like a digital wristwatch with a decorative cover, but when the cover is flipped open it has a screen inside the cover and a keypad on the base. In the manga and Sailor Moon Crystal, the first wristwatch variant of this communicator looks like Sailor Moon's brooch and is received as a prize from the Sailor V arcade game. In the Sailor V manga, Minako initially uses her transformation pen as a communicator; it has an antenna that can be extended from the cap.
Chain - The chain, sometimes worn around her waist, used for her attacks. The links are sometimes depicted as round and sometimes depicted as heart-shaped.
Love Whip - The upgraded version of her chain, which now looks like a belt of roses, used for attacking. (Manga universe only.)
Compact - Given to her by Artemis, Minako uses this item to transform herself with disguise abilities and for her several attacks. It has to be exposed to moonlight when not in use to correctly perform its abilities. (Manga universe only.)
Holy Sword - Also called the "Sword of the Silver Crystal" or the "Legendary Sword", this was retrieved from the Moon and the purpose of it is to seal away evil, such as Metallia. It was also used by Princess Serenity to end her life. It does not exist in the 90s anime, and has only a special act cameo in the live-action.
Microphone of Venus - Used to perform "Venus Ten Billion Volt Rock N' Rouge!" as Sailor V. (Sailor V manga universe only.)
Striking Katana - A sword used to perform "V-chan Katana Strike! Punishment of Seppuku!" as Sailor V. (Sailor V manga universe only.)
Teletia-S - A pink cell phone that provides communicator and disguise abilities. She used it at least once to transform into Sailor V. (Live-action universe only.)
Crescent Moon Cutter - A bejeweled crescent moon used as a cutting throwing weapon, given to her by Artemis. (Live-action universe only.)
Sailor Star Tambourine - This star-shaped weapon focuses Sailor Venus's power and makes her attacks stronger. It can be changed into a dagger. (Live-action universe only.)
Dagger - An orange dagger, transformed from the Sailor Star Tambourine, wielded by Sailor Mars in Venus's stead. (Live-action universe only.)
 
Guardian: Artemis - Minako's friend and mentor is the Mau cat, Artemis. He is a short-haired white cat. In the 90s anime, he has blue eyes. In the manga, live-action, and Crystal, he has green eyes. A golden crescent mark adorns his forehead. Artemis has been by Minako's side since she was first awakened as Sailor V. He can be critical and demanding of her, but also provides emotional support. He cares for her, not just because she is a sailor soldier, but because of who she is as Aino Minako. They have a very close relationship, similar to that of Luna and Usagi.

In the manga she is also protected by "Guardian Venus", her other self.
 
RP Sample: It had backfired. How—how had it all backfired?! Everything that reflected before her blue eyes seemed to have happened before; she was watching it all over again, in slow motion. Her heart squeezed painfully in her chest, overwhelmed with the memories of the previous time that this had happened. How could she be forced to live through it again? To lose someone so dear—someone so precious! Serenity...! Her voice screamed out once again, almost against her will, with a ghostly echo ringing in her ears. Tears blurred her outstretched gloved hand from her own vision.

The others, they were gathered around her—guarding her and trying to keep her safe. That had been the whole point of all this. To keep her safe. Venus struggled against the strong arms that held her back, protecting her.

"No! Protect Sailor Moon!" she cried out, terrified.

No one moved to do what she asked; they didn't understand. She had lied and misled them, and this was what she had to show for it. Once more, like that awful time so long ago, there was nothing she could do to stop this. The cruel wind whipped her long hair in front of her face, but her vision remained exclusively focused on the horrible events unfolding in front of her.

No...! No, not me! Save her!

It was too late. The ruse had succeeded.

All she could do was watch as her cherished Princess moved in front of the formation, directly in the path of Kunzite's energy blast.

No... Serenity!

Approved!