Artemis

Character Information

Name:	Artemis
Name (kanji/kana):	アルテミス
Alignment:	Moon Kingdom
Species:	Intelligent domestic cat from the planet Mau
Gender:	Male
Lives:	Shiba Koen, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Occupation:	Advisor to Sailor Venus/Sailor V
Family:	Luna (future wife), Diana (future daughter)
Associates:	Sailor Venus/Sailor V, Luna, Boss (manga only)
Aliases:	"Game Machine" (anime), "Central Control" (dub)
First Anime Appearance:	The Last Sailor Senshi! Sailor Venus Appears
First Manga Appearance:	The Birth of Sailor V!
First PGSM Appearance:	Act 11 - We Got to Meet the Real Minako!
English Name:	Artemis
Actors:	Yasuhiro Takato (anime), Yohei Obayashi (Crystal), Kappei Yamaguchi (PGSM), Ron Rubin (dub), Johnny Yong Bosch (Viz dub)

Artemis was a talking cat and advisor to Minako Aino. He awakened Minako as Sailor V before Usagi was awakened as Sailor Moon. Artemis and his partner Luna were advisors to Queen Serenity in the Silver Millennium, and when the kingdom was ruined, Serenity used the power of her Silver Crystal to send the two cats to Earth's future in order to awaken the Sailor Senshi.

In the future, he and Luna married and had a daughter called Diana, who became the advisor to Chibiusa.

In all versions of Sailor Moon, Artemis was loyal, brave, and a good counselor, but also extremely proud of himself. In Codename: Sailor V, he referred to himself as "the smart, sensitive tomcat," while criticizing Minako in the process.

Anime

In the anime, Artemis was more emotional than in the manga, with an occasional clumsy streak; an example of this was shown in episode 133, when he confessed to breaking Minako's favorite glass and throwing her ribbon into the mud by accident. He hardly ever became angry with Minako, though he did criticize her personal life quite a bit. Their relationship almost seemed to be that of sister and brother. Artemis also encouraged Minako to pursue her dream of becoming an idol.

He was not shown to have a very strong relationship with the other Senshi, but when Diana appeared, he became very emotionally attached to her. Artemis also seemed to have more memory of their past in the Silver Millennium.

In the anime, Artemis never took human form, and Mau was never mentioned.

Manga

Artemis in human form in the manga

Artemis' character was very different in the manga than in the anime. In Codename: Sailor V he was rather quiet, very critical, and sarcastic. Even in the manga, when Luna fell in love with a man in "Kaguya-hime no Koibito," Artemis seemed oddly unmoved, more disappointed rather than upset. He did, however, wait for Luna in thick snow in front of Usagi's house. He also had a tendency to throw tantrums when Minako was acting too childish for his liking. Despite this the two became closer throughout the series, and in the final arc of Sailor V, Minako stated that he was her only true friend. In the Sailor Moon manga, Artemis and Minako were inseparable at first, and he appeared very proud of his ward.

In the manga, Artemis and Luna were originally from the Planet Mau, and in times of crisis could take on human form (as could Diana) briefly. He did so during the Dream arc to stop Minako from falling off a crane while fighting the Amazoness Quartet.

Also during the Dream arc, when Artemis peeked at Minako in the shower and noted that she was beginning to resemble Aphrodite, he became flustered, possibly due to a crush on Minako. Artemis was also instrumental in the awakening of Super Sailor Venus; he blamed himself for not having enough power and holding her back, but gave her the Venus Crystal. It was not revealed where he got it from, but it was strongly hinted that it was created out of the bond the two shared.

Despite any possibly romantic feelings for Minako, his true love was Luna. In fact, in the Sailor V manga, he fell in love with a dog, mistaking it for Luna.

Live Action

In Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Artemis was a white plush toy with green eyes, and remained like this throughout the series. His character was essentially the same, albeit less critical, but more advising. He had deep respect for Minako, as both a Sailor Senshi and a civilian. Artemis was the only one Minako confided in, although she did get closer to Rei in the latter part of the series.

Artemis was the one who presented the Sailor Senshi with the Sailor Star Tambourines in the live-action series.

Musicals

Keiji Himeno as Artemis

Artemis appeared in the first two musicals, Sailor Moon - Gaiden Dark Kingdom Fukkatsu Hen and its revision. Although they remained cats in the story, he and Luna were played by adult actors in cat-like costumes. They were never referenced again in any other Sailor Moon musical continuity. Artemis was played by Keiji Himeno.

Trivia

• His name was the same as the goddess of the hunt in Greek mythology, who was also associated with the moon. Minako noted the fact that Artemis was named after a woman in the second Act of the Codename: Sailor V manga.

• In the anime, Artemis was the only one to call Minako by her pet name, "Mina."

• Artemis was the only male character in the series to have the crescent moon mark on his forehead.

• In the proposed US version of Sailor Moon, a white cat was seen, but it was not clear if this was supposed to be Artemis or a white version of Luna.

• In the Portuguese dub, Artemis was female, while Luna was male; Artemis' name was also changed to "Artemisa" to match the gender change. In the French dub, he was changed to be female in the earlier episodes, but in later episodes was referred to as a male.

• In his early appearances in the French dub, Artemis was female, but in later episodes he was referred to both as "he" and "she," confusing viewers. In the Hungarian dub, which was adapted from the French version, he was always female.