Not sure if you're taking requests. But I have a strong weakness for these prompts where the mc changes for each dorm. So I gotta ask for something similar. For the each non human characters, the MC changes to their animal counterpart. Like for Azul, MC is stuck as an octopus or for Ruggie they're a hyena.
Love these prompts and you write them really well!
A ZOO-OTIC DAY
"MC's part of the exhibitions now~"
SUMMARY: MC collides with a student, accidentally touching one of his potions, unbeknownst of the troubling effects that this would cause. (Savanaclaw, Octavinelle and Malleus x Fem!Reader).
WARNINGS: MC almost dies in Octavinelle part due to her being an eel out of water. Stressing and a crying bit (while being a dragon) in Diasomnia's part.
CONTENT: Am I pampering Malleus? Yes, I am. MC transforms into a lioness, a hyena, a wolf, an octopus, an eel and a dragon, in that order. Only these seven because they're the only ones that classify as non-human that have animal counterparts.
Imagine MC's dragon form as Light Fury (How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World) because I saw a meme of Malleus doing the Toothless's mating dance and I never let it go.
WORDS: 4K+
A/N: Hello dear anon~! Thank you for the compliment, I'm very happy you liked my writings!
This was a fun request! But it's more of a short story (that I'm not very proud of-) than reactions since it was easier to write; I still hope you like it though!
The plot isn't that good, but I swear that I tried my best to make this work- And I may have arranged some things to conveniently help the plot, but in my defence... It's a magical world.
Now onto the fic~
Ah, Night Raven College. One of the most prestigious magic academies for young boys and a magicless girl, overflowing with talent and... Disaster.
But this time it wasn’t caused by our main cast, no, no, no. This time it was made by a clueless student that was passing by.
You were walking down the hallway, alone and distracted, heading to Savanaclaw by petition of Jack, when all of the sudden, you collided with someone, the crash sounding like it came out of a cartoon.
“Ouch!” You both exclaimed in pain, falling to the floor which was covered with papers and some potions.
“I’m sorry, I—" He stopped as he looked at you, realising who he just crashed with. “By the Sevens. I’m very sorry, Prefect!” He made an apologetic bow, positioning himself so it would be more respectful.
“Please, there’s no need. It was an accident," you said, chuckling slightly at his politeness. “I crashed with you too, so please forgive me," you also made a bow, helping him with all the work that was scattered on the floor. “Let me help you with this, is the least I can do."
The boy blushed at that, shyly evading your gaze. “Thank you, Prefect," he muttered, lifting some of the bottles.
“There you go," you passed him the now neatly organised carpets, making sure he was able to hold everything. “Want me to help you carry these?”
He shook his head, thinking about the reactions of your scary and powerful friends if they found you were passing your time helping him, and what’s worse, that you collided with him. “It’s okay, I can do it," he didn’t dare to look at you, making a quick bow while apologising, again, hurriedly leaving.
“Well, that was strange…” You muttered, also leaving so you could be in time for your appointment with the beastman, feeling a ticklish sensation on your hand, absentmindedly scratching it.
It was then when the student noted that one of the test tubes was empty, inspecting it to see if there were remains of the potion. “Where did it…” He looked at you, seeing you scratching your hand before rounding the corner. “Oh no."
SAVANACLAW — LIVING ROOM
“Sevens, who cleaned that floor?” You uttered, still scratching your hand while walking towards the main building.
You sat on the sofa while texting Jack that you arrived, waiting for him patiently until you heard a familiar, cheeky voice.
“Well, if it isn’t the Prefect," exclaimed Ruggie, walking closer to you. “What brings you here?”
“Oh— Hi, Ruggie," you greeted him, earning one of his characteristics laughs in return. “I'm waiting for Jack."
Your response caught him off guard, looking confused. “Jack? Why Jack?”
“We're going to the library since we're working on a project together," you said, a little taken aback by the sudden question.
“So, it's just a group project then," he muttered, looking more relieved.
“Ah, MC," said Jack, lifting an eyebrow at the scene. “And Ruggie."
A third voice added himself into the conversation, coming from a grumpy lion beastman, groggily walking to the living room. “I see you’re here, herbivore."
“Ah, yes. I’m sorry if I disturbed you," you bowed slightly. “Maybe Jack and I should go so you can continue, uh— Napping?”
This is certainly not what Leona nor Ruggie were expecting, but Jack wasn’t complaining, happy that he was going to spend some time with you.
“You are right, we can finish at the end of the afternoon if we start now," he said, ready to walk out of the lounge when his dorm leader noticed something.
“What happened to your hand?”
“Ah, this?" You looked at your hand. "It’s nothing, it's just a scratch from when I fell on my way here," you responded, brushing it off.
“You fell on your way here?” Ruggie questioned.
“It was nothing, the floor was a bit slippery, that’s all." You were starting to become nervous, not wanting to talk about the earlier incident to cover up for the innocent student.
“Let me see it," said Leona, approaching so he could inspect your hand.
“It’s nothing, really," you didn’t argue when he lifted it up, seeing the red spot and the redness because of all the scratching.
“You really are careless," he muttered, moving to get a better angle, accidentally touching your skin with his forearm.
At that moment, everything went black for you for a few seconds, a veil of smoke covering your form.
“MC?!” The three screamed in panic, trying to dissipate the fog so they could check if you were okay.
You were okay, but not human MC okay, more like lioness MC okay.
“A lioness…?” Jack muttered, dumfounded.
“Did MC just transform into a lioness…?" Continued Ruggie, sharing the same expression as his underclassman.
All of them were panicking, but Leona was the only one who was calmer (on the outside, inside, he's panicking just as much as them) than his dorm members.
He crouched to be at eye level with you, deeply exhaling before speaking. “MC, what did you touch?”
You tried to respond, alarmed because the only sound you could make was roars.
“Hey, it’s okay. We can understand you, just keep talking," encouraged Ruggie, also crouching down.
You tried to communicate, hoping that it was enough for them to understand.
“’Maybe I touched a potion by accident’?” Jack remarked, which you nodded, glad that he understood. “At class?”
“’I don’t think so…’” Ruggie said, confused. “What do you mean you don’t think so?”
“’I think I touched a student’s potion by accident when I crashed onto him earlier’” Leona repeated, annoyance showing in his voice. “And why didn't you tell us?”
You went serious for a moment, giving them the look before saying that you didn't want them to go after him, to which they only scoffed, knowing very well that what you were saying was true.
“We have to find a way to get her back to normal," Jack said, starting to brainstorm ideas to solve this problem.
Ruggie checked your paw, which still had the red dot, and the moment he did the smoke appeared again, converting you into a hyena.
“What did you do?!” Asked Jack, concern washing over his voice.
“Nothing! I just touched her paw!” Ruggie defended himself, also concerned.
“You shouldn’t have touched her paw in the first place!” Leona bickered.
Sighing, you sat down, frustrated that you always seem to be stuck in this type of situations, thinking about who to ask that could solve this, all while watching the beastmen fighting over who was to blame for.
‘Are you done?’ You asked, completely serious, doing what you could to raise an eyebrow.
They immediately stopped arguing, understanding that that wouldn't help you transform into a human again.
“We should tell a professor about this," Jack suggested, gaining three collective sighs from you and their upperclassmen.
“Have you forgot?”
“They are not coming back until tomorrow morning.”
‘They are in a meeting with the Royal Sword Academy teachers,' you finally said, making the boy blush in embarrassment.
“We need to look for someone who knows how to revert this…” Ruggie commented, trying to think of someone aside from the teachers who could help you.
“What about Vil? Pomefiore is known for their potion making skills," proposed Jack, and you shook your head.
‘He’s out for the day. He told me he will be doing an important photoshoot; so even if we call him is likely he wouldn’t not answer.'
“Great, the beauty freak is out, and the teachers are in a meeting. What next?”.
‘I think that Azul may know how to fix this,' you said, making Leona grunt in denial.
‘We have to go to the Mostro Lounge.'
He clicked his tongue, deciding that it was wiser to not say anything, instead helping you walk with your new legs.
Due to the trembling, all you could do was wiggle, accidentally resting your paw on Jack’s forearm, transforming into a wolf, falling back because of the shock.
“Jack!” They both exclaimed, making said boy retrieve your new paw from his forearm as if it would poison you.
‘It’s okay. It’s not like it can get any worse, so let’s leave it like that,' you calmed them down, trying to shift your weight from one leg to the other, maintaining a steady balance as you exited Savanaclaw.
OCTAVINELLE — MOSTRO LOUNGE
You three arrived at Octavinelle with a painfully slow pace, trying to help you the best they could without touching your paw.
“We’re finally here," said Ruggie, exhaling in relief upon seeing the establishment’s sign.
‘Guys, I don’t want to seem exasperated, but can you just push that door?’ You asked, and Jack complied, letting you four enter to the restaurant.
You were wary, hiding behind the three beastmen before Azul and Jade conveniently appeared.
”My, if it isn't our Savanaclaw acquaintances," proclaimed the dorm leader. "What can I do for you?"
"We have a huge problem right here," said Ruggie, already annoyed by their attitude.
“Oh? And are you here to ask for our help?” Jade asked, smile growing wider.
“The problem… Has to be with MC," Jack said, still covering your form along with Leona so they would have time to explain.
Their faces fell at that, turning serious upon listening that their friend love interest was having a problem.
“Is the Prefect in danger?” Asked Azul, fixing his glasses, trying to mask his concern with politeness.
“They're not, but they’re different now," commented Leona.
“Different... You say?” Inquired Jade, sincerely not knowing what they were talking about.
They moved aside to reveal you, still in your wolf form, looking at them intently.
“And the problem involves this wolf?” Questioned Jade, while Azul backed away slightly out of fear.
“The wolf is MC," they finally said, making the Octavinelle students widen their eyes, not believing them.
“Are you telling me that the Prefect… Transformed into a wolf…?” Azul glasses nearly fall from the shock, fortunately pushing them back in time.
“First into a lioness, then a hyena and finally a wolf," Leona added. “Think you can solve this?"
“I’m afraid I will need more information…” He managed to let out, intending to say that he needed time to process this.
“MC, is this really you?” Asked Jade, crouching down to match your height, looking at your eyes.
‘Unfortunately, I am MC,' you answered, thinking that if he asked, he could understand you, which he did.
“My, how did you end up in this situation…?”
“They crashed with a student who had a potion that caused this," Leona answered, already done with all the questions. “Can you help her or not?”
Azul cleared his throat before speaking, finally regaining his (well, most of it) composure, bending down in front of you. “I need to see how the potion works; did you say she transformed into a lioness, a hyena and a wolf?”
“Yes, the moment we touched her hand, er— Paw, she transformed," said Jack, inspecting their intentions.
“I never saw a potion that does this… Have you tried talking to Vil?”
‘He’s in a photoshoot right now.'
“I see…” Azul stopped for a second, thinking until something clicked on his mind. “May I see the paw you all touched?”
‘It’s this one. What do you think about it?’
“It left a mark," said Jade, trying to think of substances that could have caused it. “I think her skin didn’t react the way it was intended to."
“MC, can I touch your paw?” Azul asked, wanting to confirm a hypothesis.
‘Sure, if it’s going to help,' you passed your paw to him, and he removed his glove, hesitantly grazing his finger over the red spot.
Two seconds after the action, a smoke covered you again, revealing that your wolf form changed into an octopus’s one, and at that precise moment Floyd entered the café, not really noticing you at first because of his height.
“Huh?” He looked at the three Savanaclaw students, smile growing wider. “What are the Savanaclaw fishies doing here~?”
“Floyd, you may want to see this," said his twin brother, and he looked down to find what he thought was a cute octopus.
“Oh?” He let out a surprise noise, replacing it with giggles. “Where did this octopus come from~? Hey Azul, can I cook it~?”
You silently screamed. 'Please don’t Floyd, I assure you I’m not tasty,' you exclaimed, backing away from him the best you could.
“Huh? How do you know my name, little octopus~?” He crouched closer to you, scaring you even more.
“It’s because it’s the Prefect,” Azul finally said, finally standing up after seeing what the potion did, putting his glove on.
“Eh?” Floyd’s brain paused for a second before realising what he just said, now yelling. “Eh?! Shrimpy?!”
‘Yes Floyd, I’m MC, now, can you please not eat me?’ You were relieved he believed his house warden, trying to use your tentacles to move with futile results.
“Wah! How did you end up as an octopus?!” He started to touch your head, curious of how you did this.
“It seems that the potion makes her transform into each animal of the non-humans she touches," stated Azul, sighing before saying the next sentence. “Unfortunately, this is advanced alchemy; we can't make her touch or drink something else without guaranteeing it would affect her permanently."
“So, you can’t bring her back to normal," summarized Ruggie, frustrated at the outcome. “Then what should we do?”
“First, we have to stop touching her hand— Well, tentacles, to not cause further damage—“ He was cut off by the smoke indicating that someone had touched you, knowing at the exact moment who did it. “Floyd…”
“Sorry~” He apologised, looking down at your new form, noticing which animal was just a second after. “Oh! Shrimpy transformed into an eel!”
You squirmed on the floor, trying to breathe, hoping they would get that if you weren’t on water right now you would die.
“Aren’t eels supposed to be… In the water?” Ruggie pointed out, making all of them instantly panic.
“OH SHIT!” Floyd rushed over to the tank, hurriedly opening it so Azul and Jade could drop you into it, deeply exhaling after making you almost die.
“Why did you have to touch her?!” Azul scolded, trying to control his breathing after the whole experience.
“I didn’t know that she would transform! You never tell me anything!” He defended himself, although he had to admit that he felt a bit guilty.
“There is no time to fight over this," said Jade, trying to calm them down for once. “We still have to find a way to get the Prefect back to normal."
“Eh~? But Shrimpy’s very cute as an eel~” Floyd whined, not really understanding the gravity of the situation.
“Floyd, do you understand that if she stays like an eel she wouldn’t pet your hair?” That sole phrase was enough for him to change his mind-set.
“We have to find a way to get Shrimpy back to normal!”
“And how do we do that? The teachers are in a meeting, Vil’s out and there’s no guarantee she wouldn’t stay like this forever," said Jack, making everyone think about how it would be their life without you in it.
‘I think that there’s only one option,' you started to talk, confused for your new way of breathing. ‘We have to go to Diasomnia.'
“Do you mean… Asking Malleus for help?” Asked Jade, which you nodded your head.
‘I think he is the only one that can truly help me go back to normal,' you said, kind of enjoying swimming with a tailfin.
“So, we have to go to the lizard for help then…” Leona mumbled, and although it would seem like he didn’t share the idea, he actually thought it was the best one so far.
“We need to transport MC for that…” Azul thought about it for a moment, asking the tweels for help. “I think you would fit here… Mostly, at least."
And then, after somehow fitting in the medium fish tank, you all walked over to Diasomnia, hoping that the dragon-fae would aid you.
DIASOMNIA — GARDEN
“Prefect? Are you okay in there?” Asked Azul, checking that you were comfortable with the fish tank they fitted you in.
‘I’m okay, but I’m more concerned about them’,'you answered, talking about the four men that were lifting you to keep you from falling.
“I assure you they’re fine, that’s what their muscles are for anyway," he said, looking for Malleus in the garden.
“Don’t speak on our behalf," Jack complained, steading himself after almost tripping.
‘Oh, he’s there,' you tried to point with your nose, or your tailfin… You pointed to the man who was calmly reading, his frame making it easier for all of the men to spot him.
Azul went first, deciding that he was the most befitting out of you all to explain the situation, trying to not enrage him since he knew about his feelings for you.
“Malleus," he said, attracting the attention the fae, who looked away from his book to look at him.
“Ashengrotto, what brings you here?” He asked, closing his book so he could listen to what he had to say.
“I’m sorry to interrupt you, but we require your help," he signalled the others behind him, and raised a brow at the container, thinking that it was something humans tend to do, which is not, but is not like he knows about it. “You see; the Prefect has been engaged in… Quite a situation."
His face showed concern, but not enough that it would cause a storm, intently waiting for Azul’s explanation.
“She touched a potion that makes her change into different animals depending on who touches her, so she’s currently…” He pointed at you, sighing. “An eel."
“I… Don’t quite get it," he finally said, looking at your sea form as he processed the new information.
‘Hello, Tsunotarou,' you said, impressed that he widened his eyes at that, an indicator that he understood what you’ve just said. ‘As Azul said, I’m a moray eel now.'
“Child of Man…?” He hesitantly asked, inspecting you. “What happened?”
‘I accidentally touched a potion that makes me change to different animals, or something like that,' you also didn’t get your position, but tried to explain it nonetheless. ‘Can you help me go back to normal?’
“I…” This was one of the few times Malleus was too stunned to speak, at least in front of you, seemingly thinking about what he could do to help. “Of course, I may have a potion that could fix this."
“You do?!” All of you screamed at once, happy that this was going to end soon.
You jumped in excitement, going a bit too far as you unintentionally came out of water, tailfin (which had the now unique red spot on it) touching Malleus hand due to his proximity.
You didn’t notice until it was too late, knowing that the change was about to happen once you felt the sensation of the transformation, jumping out of water in a panic, not wanting to hurt them since you knew you were going to transform into a dragon next.
And you did; vision fogging for a few seconds until you saw that you were now huge compared to your friends, trying to control your tail and wings, that were fluttering because of the shock.
“MC!” They all screamed, concerned because you seemed very stressed, thinking of what to do to help you.
“Back away," Malleus said, which they complied, trusting his ability. “You have to search the potion in my room; it has an emerald tone and it’s situated on my library," he gave them the instructions to get to his room, not really caring about who was going for it, instead focusing on you.
You were pretty stressed; being transformed into a normal animal was one thing. It was something that could happen any day in alchemy class with Ace, Deuce and Grim, but this was nothing like that.
Maybe it was the fact that for you, dragons were considered mythical until you arrived here, or the feeling that you were going to stay like this forever. Whatever ended up being, you felt the lingering sensation to cry, panic building inside of you.
Your tears were streaming down your new face when you felt something warm nuzzling against your head. You blinked your tears away to try and identify it, eyes connecting with very familiar green eyes, which belonged to another dragon.
‘Malleus…?’ You asked, and he nodded his head, shifting closer to you. ‘Is this… Your dragon form…?’ It was a stupid question, and you knew it, but your over-stressed brain didn’t really think about it before speaking at that time.
Still, he didn’t seem to mind, chuckling lightly. ‘Indeed. Do you not like it?’ He inquired, and although it sounded like a teasing remark, he was scared that this impulsive action may cause you to back away from him due to his "monstrous" form.
He was, by all means, incorrect. ‘No, I think it’s cute…' You managed to say, his presence calming you down.
‘Cute?’ He asked, setting his head on top of yours, covering your wings with his own in order to calm you down.
‘Ah, sorry, was I not supposed to say that…?’ You were starting to panic again, thinking that you did something wrong, leading Malleus to apply more force to keep you from exasperating again.
‘I think that cute it’s not what most people think when looking at a dragon,' he nudged his head into yours, sitting down so you could lean on him, relieved that you seemed more at peace.
‘Yeah, maybe you’re right…’ You accommodated your legs into a more comfortable position, letting your head rest on the crook of his neck.
His sole presence made you calm down to the point where you fell asleep, light snores being the only sound that came out of your mouth, along with a little bit of smoke.
While all of this ensued, the students on the ground wondered what the hell just happened, and since the school doesn't really teach 'dragon language', the only thing they saw was the two of you roaring and grunting at each other, utterly confused by this.
“Does anyone know how to speak dragon?” Asked Ruggie.
“Are they even talking?” Commented Leona.
“I can’t believe all of this happened in the span of one afternoon," complained Azul.
“Isn’t Sea Slug like, very close to Shrimpy?” Whined Floyd.
“Is that what you think after this?” Jade said, thinking about what his twin just exclaimed. “Although they sure are a bit too close…”
When Jack finally arrived with the potion, Malleus had to lift your paw due to the immense force that it would require for them to do it, lulling you to sleep when you showed signs of waking up.
After it was done, they had to wait for around fifteen seconds until it made effect, a veil of white smoke appearing for the last time combined with Malleus's green one, revealing the two of you leaning against each other, clothes slightly damaged due to the transformation.
You were so tired that you didn’t woke up even after they argued over who should carry you over to Ramshackle; Malleus ended up winning the fight since he could teleport, treating you as if you were a feather, setting you down softly on your bed.
He decided that it would be better if he stayed in the living room, afraid of what could happen if he left you alone after such a wild experience.
The day after the whole situation, you went to classes like normal, having to endure so many questions coming from your friends since people were talking about how you transformed into different animals, clearly thinking they missed a key adventure.
You said that it was a long story, and it certainly was.
THE END~
DON'T REPOST.
EVERY CHARACTER BELONGS TO DISNEY AND YANA TOBOSO AND I DON'T TAKE CREDIT FOR THEM.
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Mamoru is NOT useless in the Anime
Yes, yes, the memes are funny and all, but this is simply objectively not true and I'm rather exhausted of folks critiquing the character/the anime as though it were.
I will hopefully kill his BS once and for all.
"He just throws a rose and leaves!"
For those who have actually watched the anime (or even just the very first episode) to describe Tuxedo Mask as 'useless' is reductionist to the point of being outright disingenuous. In particular when this argument is made in such a way as to negatively compare him to his manga counterpart, who is put over as allegedly superior on this point.
The original 1992 Sailor Moon anime had 200 episodes, 3 TV specials*, 2 theatrical shorts and 3 films, with these latter theatrical releases being dubiously canonical to the anime. Mamoru appears in the overwhelming majority of those 208 entires, even accounting for the final 34 episodes where he was dead/functionally absent almost all of the time. Even if we seriously low balled things, the majority of those appearances feature him partaking in the following scenario.
Sailor Moon, often with her fellow Senshi, are fighting the monster of the day (maybe it's a higher ranking villain, or a general threat they are dealing with).
They get into a tight spot where either they or whoever/whatever they are trying to protect is in danger from whatever threat they are combatting.
Then, out of the blue, a rose slices through the air and imbeds itself into the scenery like a dart. Typically, this action saves the lives of Sailor Moon, her friends or whomever they might be protecting.
Tuxedo mask gives a speech and either leaves or else sticks around to see Sailor Moon perform her finishing move that effectively ends whatever threat she was dealing with, often with Tuxedo Mask being the one to prompt her into performing this finshing move.
For the sake of argument lets pretend that the above is literally the sum totality of what Mamoru does in regards to the superheroics of Sailor Moon. How could anyone describe the above as 'useless'?
If his interventions regularly save Sailor Moon's life then that is a zillion miles away from useless. For him to be useless, his actions need to be superfluous, pointless, contribute nothing. Even if he contributed a little bit he would by definition not be useless. And saving the protagonist's life is much more than 'a little bit'. If the protagonist dies then the story is over. Evil has won, the world is doomed.
And this isn't even considering all the ways Mamoru contributes OUTSIDE of the above scenario.
He has, whilst untransformed, stabbed a Lemures with a knife to save Sailor Moon.
He has willingly acted as a magical life support system for Chibi-Usa when her Pure Heart was stolen, an act that maybe anyone else could have performed but it is still a noble thing to do, in particular when it freed up the more powerful characters to go get her heart back.
He personally met up with the Outer Senshi to learn about them on behalf of the other girls, going alone which might have been dangerous, but the episode also gives the impression that he, as the oldest member of the team, was better positioned to get info from the older Outer Senshi who has a demeaning view of the younger Inner Senshi. In this same episode, he tried to convince the Outers to join forces with the Inners, acting as a diplomat.
He went 1-on-1 with Rubeus to defend an injured Sailor Moon who was herself acting as a human shield for Chibi-Usa
He has personally gone on a one man mission to infiltrate the Black Moon Clan's HQ to rescue Sailor Moon from being sexually assaulted by Prince Demande.
Mere episodes later he and Artemis went on a scouting mission to learn more about the Malefic Black Crystal
He formed a double team with Sailor Moon to tackle a tennis themed Youma, an encounter that involved more than a singular rose throw and a speech. One of the multiple times he got more directly involved in fighting the monster of the day
He literally carried Sailor Moon on his back to save her when they were both trapped in an elevator courtesy of Nephrite
He was prepared to willingly reveal his identity and hand both himself and his Rainbow Crystals over to Zoisite in order to save Sailor Moon and her friends
The love he shared with Usagi directly led to the manifestation of the Silver Crystal, to the salvation of Chibi-Usa when she'd been brainwashed into Black Lady & the creation of a new weapon and transformation brooch for Usagi in season 3
As Prince Endymion, he went against his own subjects and risked his life to infiltrate the Moon Palace and warn his beloved Serenity that his home planet was going to invade her home
He took not one, not two, but three impalements to protect Sailor Moon's life
More often than not he has acted as reliable emotional support for Usagi and Chibi-Usa, encouraging them, helping them with homework or just being there for them. i.e. he is an imperfect, but ultimately good husband and father. Which is particularly impressive considering he hadn't yet married his wife nor conceived his child.
There are those who might scoff at the latter. Is emotional support really useful? Well, putting aside how the Sailor Moon universe clearly demonstrates how magical power/energy is directly linked to emotions, this is categorically true in the real world as well. There are no end of testimonies from fire fighters, doctors, people who have serious illnesses, or soldiers that the emotional support of thier loved ones have kept them going and kept them alive. So, this is rather useful for our heroine Usagi who's job is that of a Sailor Soldier.
The Outer Senshi
Furthermore, there is an inherent hypocrisy in the 'Mamoru is useless' narrative because such criticisms are never levelled against other characters whose typical role in the narrative are similar to Mamoru's.
The most popular season of the original anime was season 3 (Sailor Moon S) and one of the biggest reasons for that show's popularity were the fan favourite Outer Senshi: Sailors Uranus, Neptune, Pluto and Saturn. Let's exclude Saturn as she wasn't active as a Senshi for most of season 3. Uranus and Neptune's role in the first half of season 3 typically amounted to
Attacking the monster of the day, usually to the same end that Mamoru's rose throws did, i.e. a distraction or last minute save
Swiping the Pure Heart of that episode's victim
Checking it over before concluding it wasn't a Talisman
Leaving, or else at least standing by as Sailor Moon administered her finishing move on the monster of the day
Golly...that seems just as 'useless' as Mamoru now doesn't it? In fact, maybe more so considering they weren't even trying to help Sailor Moon in the first place. In fact, during their second appearance, they unintentionally saved the lives of a powerless Usagi, her friends and an innocent civilian to check a Pure Heart, then uncaringly left them all in danger.
You know who then saved them immediately after that? Mamoru!
Later when he too was overwhelmed by the monster he directly contributed to saving the day as his emotional bond with Usagi generated the Spiral Moon Heart Rod, upgrading Sailor Moon and giving her the power to save everyone.
During the third sub-arc of season 3 (where the recurring villain was Mimet of the Witches 5) Sailor Pluto joined the Outer Senshi's ranks and their role in the typical monster of the day plots became yet more minimal. More than once, the trio literally appeared but did nothing, something that had also happened at least once before Pluto joined the team. Examples include (but are not necessarily limited to) episodes 97 (The Labyrinth of Water – Ami Targeted), 116 (Sunny Skies After a Storm – A Friendship Dedicated to Hotaru) and 118 (Battle Inside the Demonic Space – The Sailor Guardians’ Gamble). In some of these instances the Outers deliberately choose to do nothing.
Barring 2 of the specials mentioned above (one of which was a clip show), the Outer Senshi were wholly absent in season 4/Sailor Moon SuperS. In one of those specials, upon learning that a new threat had arisen Uranus and Neptune...choose to continue their road trip and leave the fighting to Usagi and the others...How...useful???????
They, along with Pluto and Saturn get much more involved during the course of the final season/Sailor Stars. Even then, Saturn only appears in the first few episodes and the last few. Pluto only gets involved in the monster of the day schemes once or twice and Uranus and Neptune three or four times, if that. Whilst Mamoru is barely involved at all in this season, he at least has the excuse of being dead for most of it.
So, the fan favourite Outer Senshi got far LESS involved and were LESS useful than Mamoru typically was in the course of the whole show. In fact, even if we exclude the first two seasons where (exempting Pluto) the Outer Senshi hadn't appeared yet, Mamoru overwhelmingly contributed MORE than the Outer Senshi did.**
The Other Senshi
Much the same can be applied to the Sailor Starlights. The Starlights more often than not actually got MORE involved in fighting the monsters of the day during season 5 than the Outer Senshi did in season 3; or at least they were interested in defusing a direct and active threat to innocent lives. But even they literally showed up and did nothing on at least one occasion.
Whilst the Starlights are nowhere close to the Outer Senshi's popularity, they are also never subjected to the 'they are useless' narrative Mamoru frequently is.
Nor in fact are the Inner Senshi of Sailors venus, Mars, Jupiter and Mercury. Now, whilst it's easy to argue due to their superior screentime, the fact that they often initiate combat with the monster of the day and are generally heavily involved in whatever crisis is happening, that they are obviously more useful than Mamoru is.
And you know what, even including the rare occasions they too show up and do nothing else (or do a last minute save like Mamoru is prone to do) this is perfectly true. It is also perfectly true however that the quartet have rarely ever defeated any monster of the day on their own. The overwhelming majority of the time the Inner Senshi act as a distraction to the Monster of the day or else sufficiently lower its HP so that Sailor Moon can actually beat the monster. That might be more useful than Mamoru's typical contributions, but, call me crazy, it seems like Sailor Moon is doing the lion's share of the work there. So, how 'useful' are the Inner Senshi really if we run by the 'Mamoru is useless' narrative?
If Mamoru is useless so are many if not all of the more popular heroic characters in the series.
But...how useless is Mamoru in the anime compared to the Manga?????????
*Well, one special with three segments, but go with me on this.
**They were mostly absent from season 4 whilst he appeared routinely in that season. Meanwhile, in the season he was mostly absent, they rarely helped out.
Obviously, there are real life writing reasons behind that difference, but my point is why is the fandom not treating the Outer Senshi as 'useless' too?
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