Ranking the Dark Army

 

During the Dark Crisis, Pariah gathered 10 of DC's most prominent villains to be the leaders of his dark army and kill the Justice League. Since then it's been a bit of a trend to rank these ten in terms of how strong you think they are relative to each other. So I decided to give it a try with my opinion based on what I currently know of them.

I'd like to quickly say that putting someone "low" on this list means nothing. Pariah was gathering the greatest villains, the team consisting of many of the strongest villains in DC Comics' history. There's also a certain level of relative-ness between the characters and some of these placements are ones where either side could win, it's just a matter of who'd win more often in my estimation. Nine out of these Ten characters could solo the vast majority of fictional settings even excluding ones without powers. Which does sort of lead to the obvious tenth spot.

10: Deathstroke the Terminator:

• Beta Metahuman Tier Stats
• S Tier Skill and Supergenius Level Intelligence (Directly compared to Batman repeatedly)
• Various powerful pieces of technology including the Ikon Suit that gives him virtual immunity to kinetic energy and a Godkiller Sword that was a threat to Rebirth Superman and Wonder Woman
• Regen (Regenerated from being shot in the head)

Probably the single truly uncontroversial choice. Deathstroke was added to the team for his tactical prowess being a counterpart to Batman. While Deathstroke's weaponry and armor, along with his extreme degree of intelligence and skill can allow him to hit outside his super weight class, he's on the lower level physically for a DC metahuman, most commonly treated as a pier to Batman and Beta Metahumans like himself. Given he was the Tactician of the Dark Army, and was only kind of a member along with just clearly being the weakest member I don't think there's any real contention about Deathstroke being the weakest of the Dark Army.

 After this point, every single one of the Dark Army has people who think they are near the top so this is where it gets a bit controversial.

9: Doomsday

• Kryptonian Tier Physical Stats
  
• Rapid Adaption and Evolution
• Resurrection
• Biological Decay Aura
• Energy Absorption

So while Doomsday is an extremally dangerous physical threat being able to easily withstand over 4,000 strikes from Rebirth Superman and doing physically the best against Jon Kent when Jon faced more than half the Dark Army's leaders by himself. That said everyone else in this list besides Doomsday and Deathstroke are beings from higher planes of reality. If they entered the physical realm and attempted to fight Doomsday hand to hand Doomsday would probably win. But if Doomsday was trying to fight their natural form then he's fighting conceptual entities bigger than then the mortal universes so it's more a case of...what do you expect him to do? Even if someone used a Boom Tube to send Doomsday into the Godsphere, Doomsday would be less focused then normal due to not having any Kryptonians to hunt down, and lacking the cosmic awareness everyone else has to know where they are, meaning pretty mcuh anyone else here could teleport to another Godsphere realm and plan a way to stop Doomsday as he vainly rips his way through the worlds looking for his opponent. Doomsday's adaptation ability is very strong, but the characters here are not just raw power, but all of them are masters of hax and most of them are highly intelligent entities that would almost certainly find a way to stop Doomsday.

That said, obviously Doomsday stomps Deathstroke. You'd have to make it Plot-Amped Wild Outlier Identity Crisis Deathstroke that beat Zatanna, Green Lantern, and the Flash vs original Death of Superman Doomsday for that to be an at-all interesting fight and even then Doomsday would probably win having tanked the entire Justice League attacking him. Even if surprisingly enough Deathstroke's Ikon Suit would actually let him withstand a physical blow from Doomsday, which is possible as it was able to withstand blows from Superman, Doomsday's passive biological decay aura would simply kill Deathstroke, let alone Doomsday simply adapting beyond the suit's defensive capability.

8: Ares

• A Platonic Concept of War
• High S Tier Skill and War Manipulation
• Conceptual Universal Power (Relative power to Hades who controls and maintains the Greek Afterlife)
• Various Divine Powers
• Manipulation of the Godwave

Ares is one of the Conceptual entities of the Godsphere, specifically the Greek concept of warfare having the ability to become stronger from conflict and attacks used against him. He's only number 8 because he doesn't really have the feats to compare to most of these entities who can manipulate entire Spheres of the Godsphere instead only being relative to Hades who can control a single universe within one of the realms. He's decently intelligent and hax as well, though nothing special on either regard. He was able to deceive Highfather and has various divine magical powers such as time manipulation, war empowerment, and summoning the spirits of dead soldiers but he and Doomsday are moreso treated like threats for a single high ranking member of the Justice League, Superman and Wonder Woman respectively, rather than a crisis tier threat like most of the strongest villains. His strongest power is probably that he can manipulate the Godwave to temporarily amp his stats which would be threatening definitely but I don't think he's really on par with the people above him.

Ares vs Doomsday however is sort of an example of the gap between Godsphere entities and non-Godsphere entities as Doomsday really has no way to fight the platonic concept of war across the multiverse. Even if Doomsday was Boom Tube-d up to Olympus to battle Ares, Ares' war empowerment means that any blow from Doomsday would merely empower Ares. Meanwhile, Ares could either use the godwave to amp himself to the level to dust Doomsday or use his time manipulation to send Doomsday to the end of time where he canonically can't return from. 

7: Neron

• The Lord of Lies, the Howling One, the Snake. One of the strongest Hell Lords, a Hell Lord able to control all of Hell, and easily beat Lord Satanus, another Hell Lord that can control all of Hell
• Free Will Manipulation that can affect all of Hell
• Spiritual Corruption
• Immersion
• Desire Sensing and Wish Granting
• Speedforce

Neron's an immensely powerful Hell Lord, one of the strongest that has existed. His power is great enough that not only was he passively controlling all of Hell, but another Hell Lord he was easily beating, Lord Satanus, was also able to control and warp all of Hell into his image, Hell being one of the 8 realms of the Godsphere, all infinitely sized conceptual realms. I'd like to say there's some reason he's this low, but there really isn't, everyone else is just so incredibly powerful. For being number 7, Neron is a freakishly strong entity that caused his own minor Crisis, Underworld Unleashed. He's also got numerous powerful abilities including immersion, conceptual mind manipulation on an infinite scale and stole the Speedforce from the Flash so he could return to Heaven an infinite conceptual distance away, meaning he'd probably be faster than most of the people here, especially if they fought in a physical realm. 

If Neron fought Ares, I feel pretty safe saying Neron would win. Not that Ares has no chance whatsoever, after charging his power he was able to kill Highfather who should be on the power level of Neron or higher as well as a similar conceptual entity governing intelligence. That said most of the time Ares is only considered as strong as someone controlling a single conceptual universe within a Godsphere Realm like Hades while Neron is stronger than Satanus that can control an entire godsphere realm. Neron's powers are also probably more versatile and while Ares is vastly more skilled and would probably win a direct confrontation, it's very in-character for Neron to escape, which he could via the Speedforce and Immersion, and battle more subtly. 

6: Eclipso

• Is the prior spirit of God's wrath fallen from Grace for enjoying his job too much
• Possession/Mind Control to the extent of controlling entire galaxies
• Corruption/Darkness Manipulation
• Conceptual Manipulation
• Hypergenius equal to Darkseid. Is the only entity in Creation who Darkseid is aware of that knows the Anti-Life Equation
• Magic Consumption
• Infinite Conceptual Power (Equal to the Spectre)

 Eclipso is a Spectre threat, Spectre during his normal adventures having infinite conceptual power that can affect all of Hell such as causing it to quake or freeze it, Hell being one of the 8 infinitely sized conceptual realms of the Godsphere. Spectre also seemed to be pretty directly comparable to Neron when they fought and Eclipso is Spectre's equal. Eclipso was also originally created to be a Kryptonite to Hecate, the first Deity of the Godsphere and Goddess of Magic with his ability to absorb all magic used against him, and cut off people from the collective subconscious deriving Gods from their power. Eclipso's powerset isn't AS versatile as some of the other characters here, but he still has a fairly hax arsenal including the ability to use the infamous Anti-Life Equation. He's also one of the three smartest characters here, regularly stalemating Darkseid at chess, and arguably being even smarter than him given he actually knows the ALE. 

Eclipso vs Neron would be a fairly good matchup, both being around as strong as the normal Spectre, with Neron probably having a bit of a power advantage. I'm not totally sure on who'd win with both having some advantages such as Eclipso being able to erase Neron with Anti-Life, consume any powers Neron that are magical and being smarter while Neron would have a general stat avantage, having immersion, and greater mind hax. However Lord Satanus beat Neron by using a magical drug to turn the demons of Hell into normal people, deriving Neron of his power source. I think Eclipso could so something similar by separating Neron from the collective unconscious. Also just broadly, Eclipso is the prior Spirit of Wrath of the Presence, the spirit of wrath having to regularly face down powerful Hell Lords so I feel like Eclipso would have a better idea how to handle Neron then the inverse, but that's more speculative. 

5: Upside-Down Man

• Embodiment of Chaos Magic, Hecate's counterpart from the Dark Multiverse
• Infinite Metafictional Chaos Manipulation (warps the rules of reality with his presence, even messing up the comic panels)
• Realm Infection (Can infect a realm with chaos magic, turning it into more of his realm)
• Magic Resistance (Outside the normal bounds of magic)
• Summoning (Summoned various chaotic twisted monsters to fight the Justice League)
• Even mention of the Upside-Down Man or seeing its true form can drive mortals mad

The first goddess of the Sphere of the Gods was Hecate, the goddess of magic who formed the Sphere of the Gods, around the Multiverse but she was mirrored by the Upside-Down Man, embodiment of chaos magic who formed the Otherplace, the Dark Multiverse's equivalent to the Godsphere, around the Dark Multiverse. The two were exactly even but Hecate managed to BFR UDM downwards into the darkness. Upside-Down Man sort of lacks intelligence and versatility on this list, but good luck trying to trick it when its true aims are incomprehensible, and its one ability, Chaos Magic is so extreme that it's the opposite of Hecate, stated to be stronger then any other God of the Godsphere. 

UDM vs Eclipso depends a lot on whether you think Eclipso's magic consumption which was created to be Hecate's Kryptonite, would work on her opposite's Chaos Magic. If it does, then Eclipso should be able to simply negate UDM's powers the way he did to Hecate. However, I don't think it would since Chaos Magic in DC isn't really a type of Normal Magic, which is formed of belief, but a dark opposite, which is why UDM is resistant to normal magic. Eclipso would have little other recourse against a being whose a threat to someone that can make the entire Godsphere. UDM does not rely on belief the way Godsphere beings do so he can't sever its connection to the Collective Unconscious. At best, maybe the Anti-Life Equation would work on UDM, but it would be hard to effect hit him with it as his presence wraps metafictional space and UDM could pretty easily warp Eclipso into a jumbled chaotic mess due to the power gap.

4: Nekron

• Is the Multiversal concept of Death and Darkness, The Blackness which is devoid of all the colors of emotions
• Can summon and control everyone who had ever died
• Absorption
• Lord of and controls the Purgatory Realm between Heaven and Hell
• Infinite Conceptual Death Manipulation
• Infinite Conceptual Darkness Manipulation

Nekron is probably the hardest villain to scale for me. He could be significantly lower, and there's an argument for him to be even higher.  However, I think Nekron should roughly be here. He and UDM are sort of implied to be on a similar scale recently, and both are meant to represent the dark opposite to one of the Seven Foundational Forces, UDM being a representation of Chaos Magic, the dark opposite to Magic and the power of Belief, while Nekron represents the dark opposite of the Emotional-Electromagnetic Spectrum. 

For Nekron vs UDM specifically, Nekron is definitely more versatile. If the fight took place in an empty void, I think UDM would probably win since his chaos manipulation is metafictional and would affect the panel the empty void is drawn on, but assuming this fight takes place within the DC Multiverse or the Dark Multiverse Nekron can summon an army vastly larger than Upside-Down Man, some of which would be a credible threat to UDM while none of UDM's chaos monsters would really be relevant to Nekron's. However this is another match I feel could go either way.

3: Darkseid

• A Platonic Concept of Evil, New God Tyrant of Apokolips
• Cosmic Hypergenius (Created contingencies to survive the threat of Perpetua and usurp the power of the Source. Can understand the Anti-Life Equation which is the dark half of the Source.)
• Omega Effect and Anti-Life Equation currently (Conceptual Existence Erasure, Mind Manipulation and Consciousness Manipulation)
• Spacetime Manipulation
• Power-Drain and Life-Drain
• Conceptual Manipulation (The other New Gods of Apokolips are extensions of Darkseid's will)

So I want to say immediately that Darkseid is definitely weaker than UDM and Nekron in raw power. UDM is equal to Hecate who is the strongest of the Godsphere Gods and Darkseid explicitly wanted Nekron's power for his goal, plus Nekron raised zombie Darkseid from the Otherplace as one of his Black Lanterns. However Darkseid currently is implied to at least relative to them in power, and is probably the most well-balanced character on this list having a high degree of power, hax, versatility, and intelligence, having a wide range of conceptual abilities relevant to this group as well as being possibly the smartest character known for his technological prowess and extremely long-term plans. As an overarching villain for DC he balances all these different threat types.

Comparing Darkseid to Nekron, while Nekron is stronger, Darkseid is definitely relative in my opinion and could win in a variety of ways such as erasing Nekron's concept with the Omega Effect, changing his concept, draining his power like he did to Zeus, or freezing time around him like he did to Godwave Ares. While Darkseid does think Nekron is stronger, he also planned on just usurping Nekron's power suggesting he's not scared of a confrontation with him despite being a hyper-practical supergenius who constantly gauges other entities by what level of threat they pose to him.

2: Aztar

• The Wrath of God disembodied from its host, a fallen angel stripped of identity and given new purpose by the Presence
• Spiritual Judgement for one's sins
• Infinite Conceptual Freezing/Sealing
• Reality-Warping
• Power Nullification
• Can channel and connect to the Logoz, an aspect of the Presence

Probably the most controversial placement of this entire ranking because Normal Spectre kind of has a reputation for being a jobber. However, Aztar's human host usually constrains his power. During Day of Vengeance Aztar rid Mr. Mxyzptlk of his power, a 5D Imp capable of making the entire fifth dimension disappear, a dramatically better feat then any of Darkseid's and arguably anyone below save some interpretations of Nekron and Godwave Ares. This means he could probably power-null and spiritually judge pretty much anyone of the Dark Army and can channel the power of the Logoz for a similar boost. He's also called the most powerful being in creation and was considered an equivalent to Marvel's The Living Tribunal.

The Spectre and Darkseid have encountered each other a few times, with both believing they are stronger than each other. Most likely this means Darkseid is stronger than normal Spectre but unbound Aztar or Spectre channeling the Logoz are greater than Darkseid. Spectre has overcome Darkseid by challenging the Logoz before, and while Darkseid has grown stronger since then, I don't think a rematch would be particularly different. Again, Aztar power nullified Mr. Mxyzptlk in Day of Vengeance with Darkseid by pretty much all accounts being much weaker than the 5D Imp, and it's not the only time Spectre has overcome the power of 5D Imps. 

1: Empty Hand

• Is one of the hands of the Great Darkness, specifically the one that shook the Presence's hand of light back during the original Great Darkness encounter.
• Metafictional existence (Represents the hand of the reader when he puts down the book, the darkness of the story ending)
• Metafictional Corruption, Awareness, and Manipulation (Aware of the readers' comments about him and adapts in response, growing stronger and able to brainwash or corrupt other entities on a metafictional level)
• Metafictional Regen (Is a lifeform that uses its presence in the minds of readers observing it to spread awareness of it similar to a fungi controlling an ant to spread it)
• Can build an Oblivion Machine, a machine that will result in the end of all the stories within DC Comics

Empty Hand is the strongest of the Dark Army and to be honest, that seems a generally uncontroversial position, though there's still mild contention. He's explicitly called the strongest of the Great Darkness' aspects which includes most of the other characters on this list. Empty Hand is the entity Darkseid was threatened by and schemed a plan to use the tear in the multiverse the Flash made in Infinite Frontier to fight him with only for Empty Hand to easily win anyway. For the other members of the Dark Army, comparing to a being from the fifth-dimensional realm in their true form is a good feat yet Empty Hand has an army of them, called the Gentry, at his disposal. Nobody here on their own save maybe Upside-Down Man and potentially Darkseid with prep have any way of permanently killing Empty Hand due to his metafictional regen and none of them have any real resistance to his power. Most of these people are considered threats to "creation" but Empty Hand seems to be an equivalent of the Great Darkness' to one of the Hands of the Presence like Perpetua who themselves make Creations out in the void with their power.

If Empty Hand fought Aztar, Empty Hand would probably just stomp right away. I don't even think if Aztar channeled the Logoz he'd really have the capacity to stop Empty Hand. The Entire Forces of Heaven and Hell united including Spectre as well as being stronger than Spectre could do nothing at all to GEB during the original battle with him, and even though Empty Hand is just a hand of his, it would probably tank Aztar's powers similarly. 

Bishojo Senshi Sailor Moon Act 58 Review

 

Act 58, and this is quite possibly going to be the shortest review blog of all these as this act is mostly... very straightforward.

As might be expected, Sailor Moon and company are shocked to see the Sol System senshi again, seemingly alive. Sailor Moon doesn't register what they said but Chibi-Moon and Chibi-Chibi notice the Galactica Bracelets on their arms. However emerging from the shadows is the leader of Galaxia's Sol Senshi, the single most impactful person Usagi could see

This isn't a critique of this arc per se, but I do think this would have been more impactful if Mamoru hadn't been brainwashed in the Black Moon Clan Arc so this plot point hadn't been done since the First Arc. As it stands however it's still a very impactful moment. Mamoru emerging from the shadows is drawn beautifully, the blending in of Mamoru into the darkness being a visual representation of him emerging from the realm of what Usagi thought was lost. Mamoru's death is what triggered the conflict of this arc, it represented the painful reality represented by Galaxia that Usagi struggled to even acknowledge for several acts. If you know Galaxia's plan, you know why she's doing this, why she is showing Usagi her loved ones opposed to her.

Sailor Moon is shocked, bringing her hands to her mouth. Chibi-Chibi tries to cling to Sailor Moon's leg trying to stop her, knowing how much this is going to hurt her. But Sailor Moon bears her no mind running forth to be with her friends again. But Usagi's heart shatters again as Mamoru tells them to kill Sailor Moon and take her Silver Crystal. Mercury and Mars attack Sailor Moon but their attacks are blocked by the Amazon Senshi, though it knocks them out.

I am not sure if it could really have been narratively justified, maybe if Usagi and Chibi-Moon had to fight Mamoru and/or the Outer Senshi but I really would have liked if the Galactica Guardian Senshi had actually fought the Amazon Senshi. We previously had the hyping of the legendary strength of the Guardian Senshi, seeing them being able to fight the Animamates that went through Star Systems killing normal Senshi so there would have been immediate threat and drama. I think it would have been a really cool symbolic moment seeing Chibi-Moon's Senshi have to rise to equal Sailor Moon's Senshi, a representation of Chibiusa's desire last arc to have friends like Usagi's. And maybe they could have won via something like teamwork to show that the thing that makes the Guardian Senshi so powerful is their friendship. It would also be a dramatic reversal of the Dream Arc where the Guardian Senshi had to stop the Amazoness Quartet. Just my speculation, I know there wasn't really time but if I was trying to expand the story of Sailor Moon that's one thing I might try. 

Chibi-Moon tells Sailor Moon it's the bracelets that must be controlling them and if Sailor Moon destroys the bracelets, they'll return to normal. However Chibi-Chibi takes her hand and shakes her head vigorously, showing her visions of the Senshi and Mamoru being reduced to dust. She's trying to tell her these aren't really the Senshi that Usagi and Chibiusa love. This may be their bodies and their powers but their minds aren't here.

Jupiter attacks Sailor Moon next, knocking her back. Chibi-Moon tries to relay to Sailor Moon what Chibi-Chibi told her, these aren't the Sol Senshi, they're "imposters" but Sailor Moon can't believe it, because it's their power, their attacks.

The Outer Senshi attack next, Sailor Pluto knocking back Sailor Moon with her Garnet Orb. The other Outers draw down more power from Galaxia with Uranus one-shotting Chibi-Moon. Sailor Saturn attacks Sailor Moon but Chibi-Moon blocks it. Then Neptune attacks Sailor Moon and....she actually blocks it, proclaiming that she's not Neptune.

Sailor Moon's power is that of the Silver Crystal which changes with her heart, with how resolute her heart is, her emotional state. The Galactica Senshi have been knocking her around so casually because she can't bring herself to fight her friends, but with the surge of her conviction she equals Neptune even after she's been amped. 

Saturn and Pluto use a combined attack enhanced by Galaxia knocking back even Chibi-Chibi. Venus uses her attack on Sailor Moon who equals it with her own. Tuxedo Kamen, seeing this battle is not going as wanted. Sailor Moon pursues, seeing in Tuxedo Kamen's eyes that he's not Mamoru, it doesn't have that blue glow that she fell in love with. 

The Four Guardian Senshi all attack Sailor Moon at once, and she blocks and equals all four of them. Chibi-Moon lays next to the Amazon Senshi knocked out, worried that if Sailor Moon is beaten, they'll all be killed and the Earth will be doomed, yelling out for her to protect the galaxy and the future.

Sailor Moon tries to take these words to heart and uses her Starlight Honeymoon Therapy Kiss, an attack that so far has never once failed to kill an enemy instantly. Sailor Venus catches the attack in her hand, mocking the power and comparing it to a gentle breeze. Sailor Moon says to herself that she can't do it, she can't beat overcome them, a vision of a smiling joke-y Minako playing in her mind. It's not said but this is because they are her power, and now her own power is against her. She can't summon the conviction in her heart to see destroy them.

 The Galactica Sol Senshi attack Sailor Moon all together. Her wings are destroyed, and her tiare is broken.

Usagi's angel wings are a visual imagery that appears several times this arc. They represent Usagi's love. Normally they give her the power ro fly through the Heavens, to rise above the bounds of gravity, to ascend into the eternal world. Yet with the loss of her loved ones, the wings became heavy and ironically dragged us down, just as the love that should uplift us can fill us with sorrow, and can bind us to painful duties. But now facing her loved ones, Usagi's wings are broken outright, a symbol of her heart breaking. Now Usagi is without her wings and her tiare showing the same thing as her attack being tanked by Sailor Venus prior, that her power is gone, that the passion of her heart is broken, for she now is expected to destroy the very thing she's trying to save.  

Chibi-Moon painfully rises wanting to come to her mother's aid, but to her shock Chibi-Chibi grabs her hand, holding her back. Chibi-Chibi tells her that this is Sailor Moon's "personal fight", upon which the fate of the galaxy resides. I believe what Chibi-Chibi means when she says it's Sailor Moon's personal fight, is that this is an internal fight of Usagi's, or primarily an internal battle and the fate of the galaxy requires Usagi to have the conviction she will gain from this fight, though I admit it could be clearer. Chibi-Chibi asks Chibi-Moon to trust in Sailor Moon.

The Galactica Senshi approach Sailor Moon with Mamoru declaring it is time for them to end Sailor Moon. However Sailor Moon proclaims she can't let things end here, and from her power the tiara is restored, which she uses to while still lying on the ground broken, one-shot all the other Senshis' bodies returning them to Sailor Crystals

Conceptually this is a really cool moment. It is Sailor Moon regaining her conviction not from her love for her friends specifically but from a deeper principle within as exemplified by the restoration of her tiare but not her wings, but I don't think it's explained nearly well enough. Once again if I was expanding I think this could be added on, in particular something like hearing Chibi-Moon talking and thinking that even if she loses her friends again here and now, there is a future worth fighting for Chibi-Moon represents, the future world they all swore to protect together. As it stands it's not bad per se, it represents the next move in Galaxia's plan and symbolically makes sense from that perspective, but this moment does come rather suddenly. 

The final 10 pages of this act have an immense mood change and pace change. Sailor Moon sees the Sailor Crystals and reaches for them but they disappear before her eyes, just as the Starlights did to Princess Kakyuu. Sailor Moon quietly walks into the Galactica Palace where at the apex she stands. Sailor Galaxia welcomes Sailor Moon to her castle, commenting that she hopes her golems put on a good show. 

Galaxia has such a cool presence. She's imposing and somehow larger than life yet somehow also subdued about it, as though it's all still meaningless and little effort, speaking of the past emotional encounter for Usagi as though it was some kind of little show. 

Sailor Moon thinks she "finally reached you, Galaxia." Galaxia comments that they broke Sailor Moon's wings, saying with a sick delight that Sailor Moon's power radiant and ever-rising, is from her hatred for Galaxia. However Sailor Moon rebuffs this statement, saying her power is not from hatred. Sailor Moon stands up to Galaxia, the first time anyone probably ever has, saying what she normally says, that her power comes from her friends, because she has faith in them. However she then adds a new addition, that it is because she believes in her own power. With Kakyuu's words in her heart, Sailor Moon proclaims she has faith in the future they will find together, a tear welling in her eye. As she does she thinks to herself "I can do this!"

Usagi began this series as a coward and a crybaby, someone without any self-confidence, whose greatest fear was loneliness, who rise to heroism was allowed only because she could hear someone she loved in peril. Here we see the depth of Usagi's development as a character, able to face down Sailor Galaxia, the top of the hierarchy of Sailor Senshi, whose very presence can paralyze other Senshi, who stood supreme over the galaxy and directly her she's wrong, that Sailor Moon's ideals are right and she will prove it. Usagi telling she believes in her own power, that she believes in the future we're going to build, even expressing to Galaxia that Usagi has reached her, are meant to express this conviction within Usagi, that her "star is burning brightly." 

Of course this is just what Galaxia expected, what she wanted. She summons Mamoru from the darkness again and makes him kiss her purely to hurt Usagi. You can tell from the dead look in Galaxia's eyes as she does so that unlike a Beryl she doesn't give a damn about Mamoru. She only knows this will hurt Usagi. She makes Mamoru kiss her chestpiece and boot to show her control over him while Usagi is in despair at the sight. Galaxia then tells Usagi that this man and the entire galaxy belong to her, and if Sailor Moon wants them, she's gonna have to fight her for them. Sailor Moon replies she will fight and end this war once and for all.

And the single most hyped fight in the entire manga begins

Act 58 is a short act. It's 40 pages, 30 of which are spent on the battle with the Galactica Sol Senshi, the last 10 on Sailor Moon and Galaxia's confrontation. And beyond that it's a very direct act relatively speaking. It ties into the symbolism of other acts but it doesn't have that much of its own that isn't expressed directly but I'm still going to discuss the emotional narrative going on behind the literal events as best as I can.

Overall this act is pretty good. I think the main section of the act could have been strengthened but the last section was great. The main section of the act, the first 3/4ths is a very direct, it's Sailor Moon fighting her friends brought back by Galaxia. I get very clearly what the aim of this scene was. It was made to make Sailor Moon question what she's fighting for which is important for the next act. Up to this point, Sailor Moon's entire focus for the arc has been to recover the Sailor Crystals of her friends. It has been her love that has given Sailor Moon her determination and her conviction. In life in general, that will be sufficient usually but it won't elevate you. If you're only ever to rise to an occasion because other people need you to be at that moment, sure you'll have a momentary rise in competence when the time comes but what happens when you need to have had to build your will in advance and what happens.... when you're by yourself?

This act Usagi has to transition from just wanting to protect her friends to believing in herself and her ability to protect the future they wished to create together. I know this sounds abstract but it really is important to the distinction made the next act during the climax of the story. Even in this act however the distinction can be felt. Sailor Moon is fighting to preserve her friends, yet she is fighting her friends to do so, a contradiction so immediate and emotionally apparent that it breaks her resolve entirely leading to the destruction  of her wings and her tiare, her sense of devotion and confidence outright. In order to progress Usagi had to abstract the ideal from the people the ideal represents; the ideal of the future world she wants from the people she thinks makes that world what it is. And what's great about that is...that's what Galaxia wants. Galaxia in representing the Gnostic Impulse taken to its extreme, the disdain for all the temporal, mundane, seemingly arbitrary things is trying to make Usagi detach those things in her mind, is trying to show her that the people around her are temporary and not the ideal itself but where Galaxia is wrong here is that Usagi also doesn't completely detach those things. When Usagi finally reaches Galaxia, Galaxia presumes the feelings of Usagi, her radiant power, is Usagi's hatred for Galaxia, but Usagi reaffirms that she still fights for her friends and loved ones. 

Where I think the main part falters is actually that I don't think the idea was pushed far enough, and maybe due to time. Most of the pages are just various people hitting Sailor Moon with attacks or the two shooting attacks at each other that equal. There's, by Sailor Moon standards, relatively little dialogue or thought bubbles. This should an emotional breaking point for Usagi, this should be Usagi remembering the good times she's had with everyone, wondering how she's come to this place where she's fighting these people, thinking to herself that she doesn't want to fight, she wants to live in a peaceful world, and doesn't understand why she's here, the entire sequence with Sailor Moon realizing that the future they swore to protect together is something she will fight for because their spirits are still with her or something to that effect. If you wanna really be interesting about it, have Usagi wonder as she's destroying the bodies of her friends if she is coming to resemble Galaxia. As it stands, and this is a really weird complaint, I think Usagi is too stoic in this act. The Silver Crystal fluctuates in power based on Usagi's heart, and it would have been really cool to see her relative go up and down sporadically over the fight mapped to their change in her psychological state as the battle goes on. Maybe I'm asking for too much especially given this is done in one act, and it's against eight opponents so there is definitely not a lot of time. I still think it's alright and I understand the narrative-emotional intent of the scene is, it just doesn't feel as strong as it could.

The last 10 pages are great. Galaxia has such a huge presence in the scene and yet Usagi faces off against her confidently in the first time, showing her progression over the arc. Their conversation where Galaxia prides herself on the power within Usagi, wondering if it's hatred for her, and Usagi responds that her power comes from her belief in herself and her friends and the future they are going to make together is amazing. It's a highlight of the arc and really the series. It speaks so well to the two's emotional states, their priorities, both speaking sort of past each other as they look to confirm what they already believe. Galaxia believes that attachment to temporal things is meaningless and negative, deliberately trolling Usagi about it afterwards and being so proud of herself that she, in her mind, made Usagi hate her so much that her power is so high, even breaking her angel wings, a symbol of breaking her pride, bringing her down to Earth. Meanwhile Usagi is here to vindicate her ideals, to tell the tyrant to her face that her friends and all they believed in, all they died for mattered. This leads into the a clash that is the single most built up clash over the entire series, having been built since the first act of Stars. 

Act 58 is 75% pretty good but could have been strong, a fight scene that is sort of intrinsically interesting and emotional but which a bit underdone and the potential isn't fully realized, and 25% great, a verbal clash of ideals of two of my favorite characters in fiction that flows directly into my favorite act in the entire series. Overall I'd say it's a good act, maybe not one of the top ones in Stars, but definitely would be a good act in any arc of the series. 

Bishojo Senshi Sailor Moon Act 57 Review

 

The story resumes with Kakyuu desperately trying to get to the blue flames encompassing the Starlights' bodies while Sailor Moon holds her back for her own good. The bodies of the Starlights disappear and Kakyuu tearfully mourns them. Yet Usagi recalls Yaten's words that their Star Seeds are eternal and uses that to comfort Princess Kakyuu by saying if they get the Star Seeds the Starlights can be returned to life.

It's a pretty sweet scene showing in a way Yaten herself reassuring Kakyuu since Yaten gave Usagi that knowledge specifically. More pragmatically I believe Takeuchi-Sensei was trying to lower the amount of characters that are around so she doesn't have to be concerned what they're all doing at any particular point. With the Amazon Senshi coming that would be kind of a lot to deal with in not a lot of page space. 

Eternal Sailor Moon, Sailor Chibi-Chibi Moon, and Princess Kakyuu fly off to the Galaxia castle. Then in a move that makes total sense when you know her master plan but is also one of the most hilariously petty things I've ever seen a villain do, Galaxia starts teleporting her castle away right before Sailor Moon reaches it over and over just to annoy Sailor Moon.

I could wax on about Galaxia being some kind of unreachable ideal or the parallel to the Silver Crystal's title as the Maboroshi no Ginzhuisho or what have you but honestly I just think this is really funny in how petty a way Galaxia is using to annoy Usagi. Sailor Moon thinks to herself that it can't be unreachable because Galaxia wants to fight her, she can FEEL it. She thinks to Galaxia "where are you Galaxia, where are the Star Seeds?"

Galaxia is indeed watching them from afar, enjoying annoying Sailor Moon when Chi and Phi show up, apologizing for the failures of Lethe and Mnesmonye, giving their Sailor Crystals to Galaxia. They comment at their tremendous power, at how they seem to almost still be breathing, saying that while Crystals without their body or mind normally only produce minimal power, thanks to Galaxia they can release the great power hidden with the Sailor Crystals, basically explaining why the Animamates could use the power of Sailor Crystals that aren't theirs. 

Galaxia states that with her Saffer Crystal, the ultimate force of destruction and the Silver Crystal, the ultimate force of rebirth, she will be invincible and control the galaxy...no...the universe. Galaxia speaks to her heart pounding with excitement and transforms for battle.

This is something I hadn't noticed until relatively recently but Galaxia's transformation brooch resembles Usagi's in arc 1, another visual demonstration of Galaxia being the Anti-Usagi. Sailor Galaxia prepares to meet Usagi saying they shall form a new history for the galaxy in their clash. Galaxia meets with Chaos and tells him it's almost time with Chaos speaking, saying it's almost time to form a new universe. 

Meanwhile back with Sailor Moon, she and her companions find themselves traveling through a strange fog, ending up in a graveyard where a strange butterfly themed Senshi stands before them, surrounded by butterflies. A funeral procession goes by and the mysterious Senshi says to our heroes "The butterflies are the dying embers of the stars, the funeral procession of butterflies flows forever through the galaxy." I think this is mostly just mood-setting but it's super atmospheric to me, the sense of finality and cosmic mystery going on, the sense that events rush past without our control. 

Kakyuu in shock finds the graves for the Starlights already made. The mysterious Senshi says it seems more flames have come to be extinguished, wondering what color butterflies will come from them. Moon and company sees their own graves being dug and the Senshi reveals herself as a Sailor Animamate Heavy Metal Papillion, the hunter of souls attacking them by binding them with vines. She says that to be burned at the stake is the logical tragic end for the ill-fated Messiah.

Heavy Metal Papillion is one of the most obscure villains in the series, only showing up for a few pages but Takeuchi-Sensei really uses the entire time to make her as dramatic and atmospheric as possible. Of course the real reason she included this scene is to reintroduce some specific characters into the plot.

Though the Senshi are bound up Chibi-Chibi, in a conceptually really cool move uses the shine of her eye to send a signal back towards Earth. Instantly the Amazon Senshi and Chibi-Moon arrive, freeing Sailor Moon, Kakyuu, and Chibi-Chibi then killing Heavy Metal Papillion with a team attack.

I think Chibi-Chibi Moon uses the gleam of her eye as a distress signal to be a conceptually cool idea for how a cosmically powerful character might send a signal when tied down. Usually it'd be something like telepathy which is fine but not especially original. It's also important for Chibi-Moon's development that she and her team saves Sailor Moon from an enemy.

Sailor Moon and Chibi-Moon greet each other with Chibi-Moon quickly explaining what's been happening to the 30th Century, with everyone beginning to fade away save their Crystals and Sailor Moon explaining their Crystals were taken by Galaxia. Sailor Moon thinks back to Galaxia asking her if she really believes her future will come to be and redoubles her determination.

Sailor Moon and Sailor Chibi-Moon embrace for comfort. The Amazon Senshi mention that they were on Earth when a powerful ray of light shone to them, calling them to Sagittarius Zero Star. Chibi-Moon assumes it was Sailor Moon that brought them to the Galaxy Cauldron but Sailor Moon says she doesn't have that kind of power. They ask Kakyuu but Kakyuu also says she doesn't have that kind of power. They wonder how it could have possibly happened while little Chibi-Chibi Moon holds onto Usagi's leg.

Sailor Ceres notices the little Senshi and wonders if it's her, though is doubtful given her small size and timid demeanor. Sailor Moon explains that she's Sailor Chibi-Chibi much to Chibi-Moon's indignation. Sailor Moon comments that Chibi-Chibi crossed spacetime like Chibi-Moon and wonders if she's Chibi-Moon's little sister causing much shock on Chibi-Moon's part. The Amazon Senshi comment on the idea, noting they heart the queen only had one child.....this is another case of the characters not thinking logically with time travel causing a weird logic error. If Neo-Queen Serenity had another child past the time you were from, you wouldn't know about her yet but she would still be able to travel back in time. 

Sailor Moon wonders then if she's Chibi-Moon's child making Chibi-Moon have an even bigger shocked reaction, and wonder who her husband is. Chibi-Moon intuits Chibi-Chibi, whoever she is, is not her daughter, while Sailor Moon comments that Chibi-Chibi doesn't speak much but, regardless of who she is, has helped them many times and is a definite ally of theirs. 

In an amusing bit Chibi-Moon comments on the small girls whose power can reach Earth from the center of the Galaxy, an immeasurable power like Eternal Sailor Moon's, which is contrasted visually by Chibi-Chibi hiding her face behind Sailor Moon's legs. 

The fog clears and Galaxia's palace appears before the Senshi. However they are stopped by the "Star Gardeners" Sailor Chi and Sailor Phi, who welcome them to the Star Garden. Kakyuu demands the Starlights' Crystals but Galaxia's generals indicate to one of the clusters of crystals they've formed. Phi mentions that it seems more Sailor Crystals have come to join the Zero Star, which is a pretty cool example of Phi and Chi dehumanizing them as an expression of being enemies being used to further reflected Galaxia's philosophy. They're not people, their mundane identities mean nothing, they're simply more Sailor Crystals to be added to the clusters they've found. 

Princess Kakyuu prepares to get the Starlights Crystal by transforming into her own Sailor Form, Sailor Kakyuu

Why she didn't transform before now is not clear, though as Sailor Senshi outside Sailor Moon don't have infinite power, you could say that because she didn't need to be one to fly to Sagittarius Zero she was conserving her power for when she needed it. It's pretty cool that Kakyuu is a canonical, in fact the ONLY canonical example of a Sailor Senshi of a star rather than a planet or other smaller celestial body. She is the Sailor Senshi of the Kinmoku Star.

Sailor Kakyuu calls down extra power from the Starlights, either literally, given their crystals are right there, or emotionally it's not clear. Kakyuu uses her attack "Starlight Royal Straight Flash" throwing a series of cards at the Starlights Crystals to retrieve them however while Chi and Phi are unable to stop them, they teleport away regardless, presumably from Galaxia still watching and trolling them. 

Sailor Phi attempts to attack Sailor Kakyuu with her attack called "Galactica Plants Blizzard" but Sailor Kakyuu counters with her own attack, generating a flower storm around her called "Kinmoku Fusion Tempest." Sailor Moon prepares her Starlight Honeymoon Therapy Kiss attack to help when Sailor Kakyuu tells her that their bracelets are the source of their power. Sailor Moon finishes the attack destroying Sailor Phi but Sailor Chi teleports behind Sailor Kakyuu, stabbing her through with Chi's weapon. The Amazon Senshi counterattack Sailor Chi while Eternal Sailor Moon holds the dying Kakyuu. She professes her dying wish for a world of peace without fighting but says in a speech that will inspire Sailor Moon near the climax that even if there is fighting, she wouldn't mind so long as they are all reborn together again

Over the course of the Sailor Moon franchise if Usagi is a representation of the power of love, Kakyuu is a representation of the power of hope, being a character defined by her hope for a peaceful galaxy and the representation of the Starlights hope. These words will help inspire the climax of the series later and retroactively have more meaning, in Kakyuu's expression that she would be willing to be reborn into a world with conflict if it means being reborn with everyone else.

Sailor Moon expresses that she will be reborn, that they are Sailor Senshi and through their Sailor Crystals they will be reborn again and again, an expression of the eternal part of them. I like how they clasp their hands in this part, which is what Usagi said as an example of how through our physical bodies we make each other stronger and show each other love. Kakyuu perishes, her final words is saying that the Sailor Crystals are their hope. 

Sailor Chi watches this display and tells Sailor Moon that all this senseless death would cease if she would give Galaxia the Silver Crystal, that for the sake of the universe she should just surrender. This is the fundamental misunderstanding that Galaxia and her minions have of Sailor Moon and her allies, they see these deaths as just failures and therefore meaningless. But Sailor Moon and friends know that these deaths have meaning and that their love persists beyond the person's deaths, once again setting up the climax. Sailor Moon tells Sailor Chi that no matter how many lives are lost, this war won't end. Sailor Moon rises from her kneeling position and as she does the spirit of Kakyuu lingers in her memories,  the textbook indicating her as the symbol of hope, and she is filled with greater power as she one shots Sailor Chi declaring her faith in the purpose of the Sailor Crystals.

However in the distance, eight lights shine, the lights of eight Sailor Senshi to test Sailor Moon's hope, her resolve.

Princess Kakyuu's star seed flies away into the bracelet-clad arm of one of Galaxia's Senshi. Sailor Moon's next opponents are...

the Sol System Senshi.

Act 57 is a really good act however it's kind of difficult to talk about why because it's not so much that it's really good at any one thing in particular, but moreso it does a bit of everything. In contrast to the prior arc which was as almost as self-contained as any act in Sailor Moon could be, this act seems to connect with everything but itself. Indeed if I had any critique it's that the act in itself feels somewhat unfocused and like it doesn't have any particular throughline for it specifically.

This isn't a major plot act per se, it's still got an episodic story. Yet it does have significant plot developments with the death of Kakyuu and the return of Chibi-Moon and her Senshi, as well as the ending. These are some pretty substantial plot developments culminating Chibi-Moon's personal character arc, the ending of the act leading into the major events of the next act, and Kakyuu representing hope and her final words foreshadowing the climax of the overall story. However while all of these are sufficient or good: the ending builds suspense and excitement, Chibi-Moon's return is functional, and Kakyuu's death thematically resonant, NONE of them are the focus of the act. All of them are given a few pages to do.

Conversely this is not like last act where it's primarily an act a self-sufficient story of defeating one of Galaxia's defenders. There's two separate fight scenes this act; the first one with a new villainess, Heavy Metal Papillion, and the latter with Sailor Chi and Sailor Phi, Galaxia's two generals we've seen since the start. The former has good buildup and for a character with only a few pages has a lot of good atmosphere with trippy esoteric lines about death and the universe complimenting graveyard imagery, along with the Chibi-Chibi summoning the Chibi-Moon and company who save Sailor Moon. The latter obviously has been building over the arc and the culmination of Kakyuu's arc. However once again neither of these are really the focus of this act in particular, and are moreso dedicated to tying up some loose ends that the act had established prior and/or introducing elements which will be important later.

When you take these two things together the act is full of really good parts but is not quite as good as the sum of its parts due to a lack of narrative focus. You can kind of feel Takeuchi-hurrying to get all the plot elements she wants into place. But that's not to say it's bad, it's handled relatively gracefully or at least creatively with bizarre plot elements like reestablishing the mystery of Chibi-Chibi's power, bringing Chibi-Moon and the Amazon Senshi back into the story, and creating a resolution to the fight scene Sailor Moon is in with one action. 

There are some other disconnected bits of this act I think are good. This isn't meant to be a funny act but it does have Chibiusa's exasperation at Chibi-Chibi and the unintentional comedic of Galaxia's petty trolling of Usagi which I think is pretty hilarious. For a Stars Act it's not got the most philosophical musings or cosmic imagery but it has some with Kakyuu's final speech and Heavy Metal Papillion's introduction. It's relatively speaking not an act as focused on the central villain or conflict of Galaxia and her ideological battle with Usagi or the conflict between Gnosticism vs Nihilism, but it has some of that with Usagi remembering Galaxia asking her if she is sure the future she imagines will come to pass, Sailor Chi telling Usagi that it would be better for her to just surrender to end the senseless death, Galaxia transforming in preparation for her fight with Usagi using a brooch that mirrors Usagi's own in Arc 1 etc.

This is an act that I think is overall a good example of Sailor Moon. It's got a little bit of everything. It could stand to be a bit more focused or to be better organized but as it stands I think it's a pretty good act from overall having a lot of appeals to it.