Name: Zoisite, [zo-i-sa-i-to]
First appearance: volume 1, act 3
Defeated: volume 2, act 7
Estimated age: 16-17
Hair: long and wavy, tied back in a ponytail, dirty-blonde
Eyes: green
Height: shorter than Nephrite and Kunzite, same height as Jadeite
Dark Kingdom uniform: dark blue with green piping (see: Dark Kingdom Uniforms)
Division: European
Powers: Once used television waves to drain the energy of people all over the city. He also used the same basic idea with the videos from Rental Shop Dark, and had a shield to deflect the senshi's attacks.

Personality
A feminine beauty queen with nosebleed-worthy hair, I find that Zoisite has a remarkable amount of depth to his personality. As the youngest of the Shitennou, he is the least mature. He often allows his emotions to be shown in front of others, something considered as a sign of weakness in Japan. Despite this, he is a vicious little creature in battle, never hesitating to use dirty tactics. This seemingly split personality could be due to the effects of dark energy on his otherwise innocent mind.

Like Nephrite, Zoisite makes his first appearance in Queen Beryl's throne room when Jadeite is being chewed out. Unlike Nephrite, however, he does not tease Jadeite about his situation. Instead, as he leans casually against a windowsill, he wonders aloud at whether the sailor senshi possess the ginzuishou. This immediately draws a clear distinction between Nephrite and Zoisite--the latter does not take pleasure in making fun of others. Zoisite is a thinker. He speaks because he wants to know the answer to the problem, not because he wants to take advantage of someone who cannot solve that same puzzle. Zoisite and Nephrite are not even similar enough to compare in this respect, because it is not even a part of Zoisite's personality. While Nephrite and Jadeite are into the whole guy banter thing, with putting each other down and bragging about how great their plans are, Zoisite is so outside of this mindset that it does not even become an issue.

Zoisite spends his first few appearances lurking in the background. He is not one to leap into the spotlight the way that Nephrite would. When Jadeite is killed, he silently watches from behind Nephrite. His expression is one of shock and horror. Obviously, he does not share Nephrite's feelings of anger and lust for revenge.

When Nephrite himself is killed, Zoisite does not hold back in screaming Nephrite's name. His initial expression is the same as when Jadeite died--shocked and horrified. Kunzite makes his first appearance here, as well, and it is difficult to discuss Zoisite without bringing up Kunzite.

When the white-haired king coldly tells Zoisite to use his head more if he does not want to end up like Nephrite, Zoisite clearly looks upset. While Zoisite may be intellectual like Jadeite, he is also emotional like Nephrite. He expresses his feelings openly. Unlike Nephrite, he is not afraid to show what may be seen as his weaker emotions, such as sadness.

Since Nephrite is gone, the task of finding the ginzuishou falls on Zoisite. He and Kunzite sit watching a bank of television screens, all showing different news reports on the ginzuishou. They share the same seat, with Kunzite sitting in the chair and Zoisite perched on the arm, Kunzite's arm casually behind him. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that they have a close relationship. While Jadeite and Nephrite's relationship was one of friendly competition, of casual insults and boasting, Zoisite and Kunzite are portrayed as having a closer, more loving relationship.

I'm not talking sex here, guys. This is not the anime; there is nothing in the manga explicit enough to indicate a sexual relationship between the two. Whether you think that they're involved in the bedroom or not is your business, but that really has nothing to do with the topic at hand.

No, what I'm talking about here is the sort of friendship that most males--or females, for that matter--in our society have difficulty developing. The kind where two people can put their arms around each other without fear of their actions being misinterpreted as a sexual advance. While Nephrite is afraid to even speak to Jadeite in a friendly manner, Zoisite has absolutely no issues about cuddling up with his friend. It's an odd sort of paradox--the most masculine of the Shitennou is the least secure in his masculinity, while the one who is the least masculine is the most secure.

It seems strange that such a close friendship could develop between two members of the Dark Kingdom, especially when one of those members normally comes off as a cold, heartless bastard who cares nothing for his fellow Shitennou. Zoisite must have a reason for seeking out comradeship in such an unlikely place. He's an emotional person; someone who cries easily and wears his feelings on his sleeve. It could be that he simply needed someone--anyone--who he could call a friend.

Nephrite would not fit that description, at least not in the the way that Zoisite would want. The insult-laden sort of friendship may work for Nephrite and Jadeite, but Zoisite is not the kind of guy who would allow name-calling to simply roll off his back. Jadeite is no better, and indeed seems a little too introverted to give Zoisite the sort of attention that he craves. Because that is just the sort of thing that Zoisite requires--attention. He needs someone to reasure him, to let him know that he's doing a good job, and to give him help when he needs it.

Kunzite is just the sort of person for the job. He tolerates Zoisite's mood swings and need for physical closeness. His tone is never overly reassuring, but he does act as a sort of mentor to the blonde, and seems to be patient with him. He also never once insults Zoisite or calls him names, except to give him more constructive criticism.

Kunzite is seen with Zoisite every time he's developing his latest scheme, so it seems that Zoisite desires his companionship not only for the company, but also on an intellectual level. It could be that as the youngest of the Shitennou, he is less sure of himself than the other three, and therefore feels the need to depend on others, much as the youngest sibling is often more dependant upon the older siblings. His lack of confidence may extend so far as to be a sign of low self-esteem, which would again explain why he has a constant desire to have someone near him.

Zoisite's first plot is more of a play off of the trouble stirred up by Tuxedo Kamen when he makes a press statement regarding the ginzuishou. He disguises himself as the lovely female Professor Izono, an expert on gemstones, and appears on talk shows to tell people about how powerful the ginzuishou is. He appears to have certain powers of persuasion in this respect, because by simply telling people about the ginzuishou, he immediately sends the entire city of Tokyo into a frenzied search for it.

Of course, there is a question here that immediately comes to everyone's mind. Why does Zoisite disguise himself as a woman? Couldn't he just as easily get away with appearing as a male professor? This again comes back to Zoisite's apparent comfort with his masculinity, or lack thereof. There are some men in this world who, for whatever reason, are not afraid to put on a dress to get the job done. Zoisite is one of those men.

It would be easy to write this off as an isolated occurrence, if not for the side-story "Casablanca Memory", in which Zoisite is once again shown dressed up as a woman in order to drain peoples' energy every time they listen to the song "Rain Tree". Once again, the dress is not absolutely necessary. He could have just as easily played his song as a man.

Even without the cross-dressing scenes, it is easy to see that Zoisite is an effeminate boy. With his silky blonde hair, thick eyelashes, and slight frame, he presents himself as both beautiful and delicate. In other words, he is the polar opposite of Nephrite. He is not afraid to look beautiful, and indeed, seems to enjoy it. So of course, he has absolutely no issues with going so far as to dress up in a skirt and makeup.

It's impossible to tell whether Zoisite's comfort with women's clothing would extend so far as to be a normal occurrence--or even a lifestyle--for him. He may simply see it as a part of his job; just one more task that needs doing for the sake of the Dark Kingdom. After all, the only times he is shown dressed in women's clothing are when he is disguising himself in order to carry out some scheme. You never catch him lounging around the castle decked out in a sequined strapless.

When Zoisite is satisfied that the humans of Tokyo cannot find the ginzuishou, he uses Tokyo Tower to drain the energy of everyone in the city. This is an interesting point--while Jadeite and Nephrite make some attempt to be discrete when it comes to energy draining, Zoisite boldly knocks out an entire city filled with people. It could be that by the time Zoisite makes his move, the Dark Kingdom is no longer concerned about discreteness, being that those who would defy them are already aware of their presence. This also indicates just how resourceful Zoisite is. By using the television waves emitted from Tokyo Tower, he can suck the energy of thousands of people at one time, rather than wasting time with individual people.

The sailor senshi track Zoisite's location back to Tokyo Tower, but rather than try and fight them, he immediately returns to the Dark Kingdom. His reaction is significantly different than any of the other Shitennou. Rather than rise to a challenge, he immediately flees. While this may be written off as cowardice, it could simply be that he realizes he is outnumbered three to one, and thus decides that it would be better not to go rushing into battle without having the upper hand.

This especially sets him apart from Nephrite. When Nephrite watches Jadeite die, he immediately allows himself to become blinded by his emotions, and thus rushes into battles without much pause for consideration of the consequences. Zoisite, while an emotional person, does not allow his emotions to dominate his actions. He is just as upset by Nephrite's death as Nephrite is about Jadeites; however, rather than carrying that grudge into the battlefield where it may cloud his judgement, he sets those feelings aside and returns to his usual cold logic. He is the type of person who would throw an immediate tantrum, have a good cry, and then move on with life. While he may still be upset about the loss of his friend right up to the day of his own death, those emotions seem to move into the background after his initial reaction, so that his actions become dominated by his mind rather than his heart.

This is what makes Zoisite such a paradox. While he is the most emotional of the Shitennou, he can also be the least emotional. Even Kunzite allows his emotions to get in the way of clear thinking at times, and Jadeite is hindered by his unusual attraction to Hino Rei, but when it comes to duty and fighting, Zoisite alone is driven entirely by his logic.

Later, Zoisite and Kunzite watch Sailor Moon fighting on a bank of television monitors. Zoisite expresses worry about Sailor Moon's abilities, that she can restore an entire city worth of energy. He presents none of the arrogance that could be seen with Jadeite and Nephrite. The look of concern on his face shows his lack of confidence in his own abilities. Again, this may be an indication as to why he depends so heavily on Kunzite when he himself is obviously just as qualified as the other Shitennou--he is so unsure of his own abilities that he feels the need to depend on the person who he looks up to.

Zoisite's next mission is to find out what Sailor Moon knows about the ginzuishou. He sets up a video store called "Rental Shop Dark" and uses the videos to drain peoples' energy and, using subliminal messages with his voice, brainwash them into finding Sailor Moon and the ginzuishou. While the video store name isn't exactly original, it is likely that Zoisite is being intentionally conspicuous in this case, in order to attract Sailor Moon's attention.

This is the second plot of Zoisite's to involve electronic equipment in order to complete his mission. First he uses television waves, then videotapes. And when he is not fighting, he is watching a bank of television monitors for new information. It seems that Zoisite is the most comfortable when around electronics.

When Sailor Moon appears to heal the brainwashed people, Zoisite is already waiting. She tries to hit him with her "Moon Twilight Flash" attack, but he is far too quick for her, and teleports behind her, grabbing her around the throat. Once again, Zoisite's personality has completely flipped 180 degrees. There is nothing hesitant about his actions in this case. Not only is he suddenly confident in himself, but he is making a direct, physical attack, rather than hovering in the background, hiding behind his schemes as he usually does.

Even so, he still uses dirty tactics in battle; grabbing Sailor Moon from behind, rather than attacking her head-on. While he is fighting a physical battle, he still depends on his mental tactics, rather than his physical strength, to give him the advantage. This likely stems from his lack of confidence in himself. Since he is rather small and lightly built, he probably decided early on that his best hope for winning a fight would be to play dirty. Of course, it may also have to do with his realization that both Jadeite and Nephrite failed in their attempts to fight the sailor senshi head-on, and that he would need more of a plan in order to succeed.

He forms a shield around himself and Sailor Moon, blocking attacks from both Mars and Jupiter. He easily holds off the two sailor senshi--the same two who killed the first two Shitennou. Many people hold the misconception that Zoisite is the weakest of the Shitennou, yet he remains completely unharmed against the onslaught of not just one, but two sailor senshi who have each already defeated one of his comrades. Weak, indeed.

When Sailor Moon fails to give him information regarding the ginzuishou, a blade appears in either of his hands as he prepares to kill her. My, talk about ruthless. Is this the same blonde-haired boy we saw sitting meekly in front of a television screen, a worried--even frightened--look on his face? It certainly does not seem to be.

Zoisite's entire personality seems to be split down the middle. On one hand he is timid, quiet, and emotional, while on the other he is confident, ruthless, and logical. The man's mood swings are more extreme than a hormonal thirteen-year-old girl with ADHD.

Just as Zoisite is swinging the crescent-shaped blades down towards Sailor Moon, something rushes past him, cracking one of the blades in half. Artemis stands with the other half of the blade in his mouth, and Zoisite, stunned by the creature that so easily got past his shield, does not have a chance to dodge as Sailor Venus' Crescent Boomerang tears him to shreds.



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