This was a very interesting thread to read through from back in 2012. The OP was asking a very specific question which was slightly misunderstood at first, but she persevered and the tone stayed amicable overall, so it's a great example of a healthy debate! I think this is probably as juicy a topic as it was then, so let's see what you've got to say!


We'll start with the evidence of the shower scene from episode 184 and Seiya's transformation sequence to establish that at the very least it is *implied* that in civilian disguise, Seiya has a completely male human anatomy...

Seiya's nekkid! XD:

But... is that the whole story?

How does this disguise really work? Could Seiya in fact be intersex since we never see what's behind the towel? Or maybe Seiya (as our OP suggested) only has male external parts but still has female reproductive parts underneath the skin?? Is it just a clever visual trick and her anatomy doesn't even really change physically at all? Maybe it's too hard to know because Seiya is in fact an alien being from another planet, even if she does appear human in all other respects...

Also, since this is meant to be a General debate, feel free to pull in knowledge from the Myus or manga that might have an influence on how you see Seiya's anime version disguising like this!

What do you think? Male anatomy? Female anatomy? Both? Neither??

One final note: Please keep in mind this topic is ultimately going to be *all* in the realm of conjecture, so do keep your humor in tact and be respectful. Otherwise...

I would think in the anime version that Seiya's a guy especially since he's trying to hide his parts in 184 lol

Personally, my stance on it is that since none of the Starlights are reincarnated (Unlike our main and usual cast) they're aliens still.  And Aliens do not have to have the same anatomy or the like as humans would. 

That means, any reproductive thing they have (or don't have) could work in any form.  

That in mind-  I think Seiya is neither physically.  I think the whole towel thing is modesty sake.  After all, Seiya is a guest and going around without a towel in Someone Else's home is- I would assume- bad manners for everyone. 

I figured the Starlights observed Earth long enough to make the following decisions:

1.  Being a Boyband during that time period (late 90s early 00s.) was a very good idea because at that point and time Boygroups And Girl groups were very big across the world for the most part.  If their goal looking for their princess using music to convey their secret message to her is this- it also doubles in taking care of their expenses while on Earth as they do this.

2. Men, it would seem to them, would have a greater advantage.  Which means, taking on a male shape (not necessarily the entirety of it) would allow them to go where they want without question and little bit of trouble. 

Since none of them have any real issues being in either form, they probably didn't care/take notice, but the place they're going to be staying on has some issues with nudity in some way (or perhaps it aligns with their own world's view of nudity? ) so, yeah, I think it's mainly modesty sake.

o3o or, you know, the writers wanted to pull that " We did this to Mamoru in Season Three when he stayed with Rei and that was a hit, lets do it again- but with Seiya!" 

*coughs* back on topic: 

Answer is Neither because Seiya's an Alien and Aliens are weird, yo. 

Ktenshi wrote:

o3o or, you know, the writers wanted to pull that " We did this to Mamoru in Season Three when he stayed with Rei and that was a hit, lets do it again- but with Seiya!" 

I had forgotten about that X'D!!!

Hey, at least we got Mamo-chan butt out of it.    We didn't even get a butt from Seiya except in the transformation scene.  I feel kinda cheated.

I think that in the 90s anime, Seiya has a male shape but not necessarily accurate genitalia. I think it doesn't really matter as far as the amusement of the bath scene. Preventing Chibi Chibi from removing the towel either a) prevents exposure of male anatomy or b) reveals that Seiya lacks typical male anatomy, which would be strange enough to warrant further questioning. Either way, since the male form is a disguise in the 90s anime, I don't think Seiya has male reproductive capability.

@Ktenshi we get like... a half-butt XD.

One of the posters in the original thread suggested that the disguise magic was similar to Sailor Moon's and Sailor V's. (Sailor V even disguises as a guy at one point. I don't remember if Moon does ^^;;.) The way that V can reveal herself afterwards without having to shout her transformation or use her compact does suggest to me that it's just outward appearance that changes - the illusion can just sort of fall away, leaving what's underneath, being her female form.

But iirc, Seiya has to undergo the full transformation every time to reveal herself as female (or at least female-like??) so, maybe it's more complicated/deeper? Maybe it's just hard to make that same effect when it's animated? ^^;;

Well, we don't see Usagi or Minako use their disguise ability to transform into men in the 90s anime, and we don't see Seiya partially-unclothed in the manga, so I think it's hard to compare across the two.

Correct me if I'm wrong but I've heard a lot of "you have to be physically female to be a senshi." Is that just a fan perception or is that canon? Because if canon then there's your answer.

It's something Naoko said in an interview, so technically it is canon. But then again in the manga it is also sometimes translated that Haruka "is both genders".

To be fair, just because Naoko said it in the interview doesn't necessarily mean it's canon in-universe.  And this is the part that divided the fandom into the one camp that is " If the Author says it, it's law" and the " Author is Dead" ones who cite that because it's not in the text of the works, therefore it's not canon/the rule. 

None of the Franchise actually state within their actual stories that only women can become sailor senshi.   the 90s anime never really addresses it and the manga never quite states it either. PGSM doesn't even get to that point and the musicals vary but as far as I know, it's not an issue that's addressed either.  Plus the idea that Mamoru also has a Sailor Crystal (which is pointed out in both 90s anime and in the manga)  makes a lot of this kind of muddy.
 (and then add in those that don't ID as female and those that do but were born other or those that don't ID as either and it gets very very confusing for a story created at a certain time period. )


This is where the 90s anime with Seiya and the other starlights kind of brings this into question too. In the 90s anime, from my memory, Kakyuu seems surprised but doesn't seem bothered that they're in those forms.   The Starlights seemed, for the most part, kinda nonchalant taking them on or switching between male/female form.   So, I guess the real question isn't physcially but whether they ID as one or the other or both?

   This topic still makes me like...confused after a bit. Mostly cause there's no real way of knowing.  I'd like to think that 90s!Anime Seiya would pick which ever one would get them closer to Usagi.

When I was younger, I thought all Starlights-Seiya included-were men that transformed into women; since women can only be senshi and all that. 

But after years of thought, I realised that could be incorrect. Their true forms are their senshi forms-aka biologically female. However, they're from outer space-and who's to say earth's gender norms exist on other planets? I have a headcannon that all the Starlights are either genderfluid or nonbinary-either would explain as to how they all appeared as males and seemed pretty comfortable that way. A personal headcannon of mine is that they don't really care about pronouns, either-but that might just be me making it easier on myself to use whichever pronouns are easier when describing the starlights, since their circumstances are that unique.