184-704: Usagi Tsukino ( 月野 うさぎ , Tsukino Usagi , renamed Serena in the DiC and Cloverway English adaptations and Bunny in the Mixx/Tokyopop adaptation) , better known as Sailor Moon ( セーラームーン , Sērā Mūn ) , is a Japanese superheroine and the protagonist of the Sailor Moon franchise created by Naoko Takeuchi . She is introduced in chapter No. 1 of the manga, "Usagi – Sailor Moon" (originally published in Japan's Nakayoshi magazine on December 28, 1991), as
368-475: A stand-in . Mitsuishi would later reprise her role in Sailor Moon Crystal , the only actress from the original cast to do so. In DIC Entertainment 's English dub of Sailor Moon (produced in association with Optimum Productions ), Sailor Moon was voiced by Tracey Moore for the first 14 episodes (edited down to 11) after which Terri Hawkes took over as the voice for the remaining episodes of
552-595: A successful franchise which pioneered the Kyodai Hero subgenre where the superheroes would be as big as giant monsters ( kaiju ) that they fought. The kaiju monster Godzilla , originally a villain, began being portrayed as a radioactive superhero in the Godzilla films , starting with Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964). By the 1970s, Godzilla came to be viewed as a superhero, with
736-627: A "full-fledged princess" yet. All adaptations portray the Silver Crystal as possibly the single most powerful artifact in the universe, able to focus the energy of its wielder to perform magnificent feats. However, several artifacts rival it in strength, including the Black Crystal of the Death Phantom , and Sailor Galaxia's Sapphire Crystal. Saphir describes the Silver Crystal as a fearsome item, working across time and space. In
920-401: A Möbius strip club!" puns on the terms Möbius strip and strip club . A recursive pun is one in which the second aspect of a pun relies on the understanding of an element in the first. For example, the statement " π is only half a pie" (π radians is 180 degrees , or half a circle, and a pie is a complete circle). Another example is " Infinity is not in finity", which means infinity
1104-451: A Sailor Guardian's Sailor Crystal remains, their physical forms can be regenerated across numerous incarnations. Sailor Cosmos is described in the manga as a distant future incarnation of Sailor Moon. Her powers are vast, able to transport people across time and space, construct strong protective barriers, and repel villains like Sailor Galaxia, while restoring destroyed environments. Sailor Cosmos comments that Eternal Sailor Moon's actions in
1288-705: A book entitled Business Zero to Superhero . In 2014, he received a cease and desist from DC and Marvel who claimed that his use of the term superhero would cause confusion and dilute their brands. He was offered a few thousand dollars in settlement to change the name of his book, but he did not concede. A few days prior to the scheduled hearing at the Intellectual Property Office in London, the companies backed down. A similar scenario occurred when comic book creator Ray Felix attempted to register his comic book series A World Without Superheroes with
1472-405: A brooch or compact) and shouting a special command that activates the device. Her original transformation command is "Moon Prism Power, Make Up!" ( ムーンプリズムパワー、メイクアップ! , Mūn Purizumu Pawā, Meiku Appu! ) . She gains a new basic transformation sequence for each of the five major story arcs. Later in the series, Sailor Moon is able to transform into more powerful forms through the use of items like
1656-472: A carefree Japanese schoolgirl who can transform into the magical "Guardian of Love and Justice", Sailor Moon. Usagi initially meets Luna , a magical talking black cat who is searching for the Moon Princess. Luna reveals that Usagi is destined to save Earth from the forces of evil and gives her a brooch to transform into Sailor Moon. She asks Usagi to locate the other reincarnated Sailor Guardians, find
1840-525: A character with a long lifetime (spanning the ancient Silver Millennium era and 30th century), as well as multiple incarnations, special powers and transformations, Usagi has various aliases such as Princess Serenity, Sailor Moon, Princess Sailor Moon, Super Sailor Moon, Eternal Sailor Moon, and Neo-Queen Serenity. In all of her incarnations (barring disguises ), Usagi is always depicted with her hair up in twin buns with twin pigtails . The series often refers to Usagi's Sailor Guardian identity, Sailor Moon, as
2024-475: A civilian and while fighting her enemies. Characters often comment on the unlikeliness of someone with as many graceless qualities like Usagi being a fierce warrior like Sailor Moon, but her lack of grace is simultaneously described as charming to those around her. Usagi's gregarious personality is often emphasized as bringing people together, including her friends and allies. In the live-action series, Usagi differs slightly from her manga and anime counterparts. She
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#17327935921592208-693: A decorated officer in the United States Air Force who would become a costumed superheroine herself years later. In 1975 Shotaro Ishinomori 's Himitsu Sentai Gorenger debuted on what is now TV Asahi, it brought the concepts of multi-colored teams and supporting vehicles that debuted in Gatchaman into live-action, and began the Super Sentai franchise (later adapted into the American Power Rangers series in
2392-511: A few chapters of the manga before being discarded. These aspects of Sailor Moon's costume are shown in multiple pieces of early artwork, along with a gun and cloak, which were also parts of the original concept. Of all the Sailor Guardians, Usagi's personality is closest to Takeuchi's own personality at the time Sailor Moon was created. Takeuchi also based Usagi's signature hairstyle on a "good luck charm" she had during her studies as
2576-519: A flashback when the King Endymion of the future describes the great feats of Neo-Queen Serenity during the time she brought about peace. Diana likewise describes Eternal Sailor Moon as the one second in power only to Neo-Queen Serenity. She also demonstrates abilities that allow her to rejuvenate the destroyed city of Crystal Tokyo, grant the Sailor Guardians upgraded powers, and provide her past self with an upgraded transformation brooch and weapon,
2760-544: A grave man" in Romeo and Juliet . Shakespeare was also noted for his frequent play with less serious puns, the "quibbles" of the sort that made Samuel Johnson complain, "A quibble is to Shakespeare what luminous vapours are to the traveller! He follows it to all adventures; it is sure to lead him out of his way, sure to engulf him in the mire. It has some malignant power over his mind, and its fascinations are irresistible." Elsewhere, Johnson disparagingly referred to punning as
2944-537: A larger one. Another important event was the debut of Mazinger Z by Go Nagai, creating the Super Robot genre. Go Nagai also wrote the manga Cutey Honey in 1973; although the Magical Girl genre already existed, Nagai's manga introduced Transformation sequences that would become a staple of Magical Girl media. The 1970s would see more anti-heroes introduced into Superhero fiction such examples included
3128-449: A letter column of the pulp magazine Thrilling Wonder Stories , the word superhero was used to define the title character of the comic strip Zarnak , by Max Plaisted. In the 1930s, the trends converged in some of the earliest superpowered costumed heroes, such as Japan's Ōgon Bat (1931) and Prince of Gamma (early 1930s), who first appeared in kamishibai (a kind of hybrid media combining pictures with live storytelling), Mandrake
3312-472: A long time in the series and the love they share helps her through many challenges. In various adaptations of the series, the two eventually marry, and major plot lines involve discovering that she will become a "Sovereign of the Earth", known as Neo-Queen Serenity, by the 30th century, and give birth to her future daughter, Chibiusa . Usagi is a glutton, particularly for sweet foods and they easily distract her;
3496-540: A magical brooch and explains how to use it to transform into Sailor Moon, the Guardian of Love and Justice; she tells Usagi that she is a Sailor Guardian who must fight for peace and find her reincarnated comrades, the Sailor Guardians, to locate and protect their charge, the Moon Princess and the mysterious and powerful Silver Crystal, from the forces of evil. Usagi is a reluctant heroine at first, but grows more confident and mature over time. She eventually discovers that she
3680-447: A moving company: "We don't charge an arm and a leg. We want your tows." Here, the familiar phrase "an arm and a leg" is paronomastically punned upon with "tows," playing on the phonetic similarity to "toes" while referring to the company's service of towing belongings. Metonymic puns exploit the metonymic relationship between words – where a word or phrase is used to represent something it's closely associated with. In such puns, one term
3864-523: A multimedia franchise that used footage from Super Sentai . Internationally, the Japanese comic book character , Sailor Moon , is recognized as one of the most important and popular female superheroes ever created. The first use of the word "super hero" dates back to 1917. At the time, the word was merely used to describe a "public figure of great accomplishments." However, in 1967, Ben Cooper, Inc., an American Halloween costume manufacturer, became
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#17327935921594048-621: A new tolerance for a long-despised form of humor." It can be argued that paronomasia is common in media headlines, to draw the reader's interest. The rhetoric is important because it connects people with the topic. A notable example is the New York Post headline "Headless Body in Topless Bar". New York Post headlines for sex scandal articles have included "Cloak and Shag Her" (General Petraeus), "Obama Beats Weiner" (Congressman Weiner), and " Bezos Exposes Pecker ". Paronomasia
4232-534: A pair of functioning angelic wings, such as the final episodes of SuperS and Sailor Stars . In the manga, Takeuchi depicts Usagi with white, yellow, and even pink hair, but Princess Serenity is almost always depicted with white hair. In the original anime, Princess Serenity is blond. In the live-action series, Serenity has black hair and brown eyes, just like Usagi, and she wears her hair straight down rather than in pigtails. While other adaptations of Sailor Moon depict Princess Serenity as gentle and similar to Usagi,
4416-535: A particular language or its culture . Puns have a long history in writing. For example, the Roman playwright Plautus was famous for his puns and word games. A homophonic pun is one that uses word pairs which sound alike ( homophones ) but are not synonymous. Walter Redfern summarized this type with his statement, "To pun is to treat homonyms as synonyms ." For example, in George Carlin 's phrase "atheism
4600-523: A powerful warrior and protects her adopted home planet, Earth, from villains who wish to harm it. Usagi is depicted as usually carefree and cheerful, but with immature tendencies that show themselves when things do not go her way. Usagi appears in every episode, film, video game, and television special of the anime adaptations, Sailor Moon and Sailor Moon Crystal ; as well as the live action adaptation, Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon , with her trademark twin buns with twin pigtails . She also cameos in
4784-423: A profound effect on Japanese television . 1958 saw the debut of superhero Moonlight Mask on Japanese television. It was the first of numerous televised superhero dramas that would make up the tokusatsu superhero genre. Created by Kōhan Kawauchi , he followed up its success with the tokusatsu superhero shows Seven Color Mask (1959) and Messenger of Allah (1960), both starring a young Sonny Chiba . It
4968-505: A promiscuous manner. Through the overdeveloped bodies of the heroes or the seductive mannerisms of the villains, women in comic books are used as subordinates to their male counterparts, regardless of their strength or power. Wonder Woman has been subject to a long history of suppression as a result of her strength and power, including American culture's undoing of the Lynda Carter television series. In 2017's Wonder Woman , she had
5152-577: A publishing agreement with DC Comics that allowed them to introduce a line of comics that included characters of many ethnic minorities. Milestone's initial run lasted four years, during which it introduced Static , a character adapted into the WB Network animated series Static Shock . In addition to the creation of new minority heroes, publishers have filled the identities and roles of once-Caucasian heroes with new characters from minority backgrounds. The African-American John Stewart appeared in
5336-462: A pun can make the speaker seem witty. Paronomasia is strong in print media and oral conversation so it can be assumed that paronomasia is strong in broadcast media as well. Examples of paronomasia in media are sound bites. They could be memorable because of the humor and rhetoric associated with paronomasia, thus making the significance of the soundbite stronger. There exist subtle differences between paronomasia and other literary techniques, such as
5520-486: A pun may be based on a similarity in shape of the written character, despite a complete lack of phonetic similarity in the words punned upon. Mark Elvin describes how this "peculiarly Chinese form of visual punning involved comparing written characters to objects." Visual puns on the bearer's name are used extensively as forms of heraldic expression, they are called canting arms . They have been used for centuries across Europe and have even been used recently by members of
5704-559: A result. During a confrontation with her current self as Princess Sailor Moon, Serenity tells Usagi that she would have no qualms about destroying the Earth if Endymion were taken from her again. Usagi pleads with Serenity not to overuse her powers, but Serenity refuses. Afraid that she will eventually destroy the world, Usagi tries to suppress her powers. Usagi's internal conflict forces her to undergo endurance training to keep her powers and Princess Serenity persona at bay. Usagi initially succeeds by avoiding negative thoughts. However, when she
Sailor Moon (character) - Misplaced Pages Continue
5888-451: A scrap of difference between them. They're the same species of Curculio ." Captain Aubrey: "If you had to choose. If you were forced to make a choice. If there were no other option." Dr. Maturin: "Well, then, if you're going to push me. I would choose the right-hand weevil. It has significant advantage in both length and breadth." Captain Aubrey: "There, I have you!...Do you not know that in
6072-757: A secondary character of the Green Hornet media franchise series since its inception in the 1930s. ). Kitty Pryde , a member of the X-Men, was an openly Jewish superhero in mainstream American comic books as early as 1978. Comic-book companies were in the early stages of cultural expansion and many of these characters played to specific stereotypes ; Cage and many of his contemporaries often employed lingo similar to that of blaxploitation films, Native Americans were often associated with shamanism and wild animals , and Asian Americans were often portrayed as kung fu martial artists . Subsequent minority heroes, such as
6256-406: A single source." DC and Marvel have continued to expand their commercialization of the "superhero" mark to categories beyond comic books. Now, the two publishers jointly own numerous trademarks for figurines (see Spider-Man, Batman), movies, TV shows, magazines, merchandise, cardboard stand-up figures, playing cards , erasers , pencils , notebooks , cartoons , and many more. For instance,
6440-513: A skull-faced creature with superpowers to fight evil; she debuted in Fiction House 's Jungle Comic #2 (Feb. 1940), credited to the pseudonymous "Barclay Flagg". The Invisible Scarlet O'Neil , a non-costumed character who fought crime and wartime saboteurs using the superpower of invisibility created by Russell Stamm, would debut in the eponymous syndicated newspaper comic strip a few months later on June 3, 1940. In 1940, Maximo
6624-406: A suit not unlike the swimsuits in the T.V. show Baywatch . The sexualization of women in comic books can be explained mainly by the fact that the majority of writers are male. Not only are the writers mostly male, but the audience is mostly male as well. Therefore, writers are designing characters to appeal to a mostly male audience. The super hero characters illustrate a sociological idea called
6808-417: A title can immediately communicate both that what follows is a parody and also that work is about to be parodied, making any further "setup" (introductory explanation) unnecessary. Sometimes called "books never written" or "world's greatest books", these are jokes that consist of fictitious book titles with authors' names that contain a pun relating to the title. Perhaps the best-known example is: " Tragedy on
6992-550: A tree-surgeon in Dudley called " Special Branch ". The winning entry, selected by Lee Nelson , was a dry cleaner's in Fulham and Chelsea called "Starchy and Starchy", a pun on Saatchi & Saatchi . Paronomasia has found a strong foothold in the media. William Safire of The New York Times suggests that "the root of this pace-growing [use of paronomasia] is often a headline-writer's need for quick catchiness, and has resulted in
7176-498: A university student. Takeuchi would put her hair up in odango before difficult classes or exams. Sailor Moon has pink hair in the initial sketches, but by the intermediate stages of development, Takeuchi planned to have the character's hair be blonde in civilian form and change to silver when she transformed. Her editor, Fumio Osano, told her that silver hair would be too plain for cover art. Despite this, stylistic use of differently colored hair does sometimes appear in later artwork, and
7360-423: A white and blue fuku with knee high boots and multicolored trim. Revealed as Sailor Cosmos, she is depicted with flowing white hair in heart-shaped hair buns and pigtails, a winged staff, a simplified white sailor fuku and miniskirt with multicolored ribbons, high heel shoes, gold details, and a flowing, white cape. In most adaptations, Usagi can transform into a Sailor Guardian by wearing a special device (usually
7544-476: A wide array of different backgrounds and origins. Some superheroes (such as Spider-Man and Superman ) possess non-human or superhuman biology or use and practice magic to achieve their abilities (such as Doctor Strange and Captain Marvel ) while others (for example, Iron Man and Batman ) derive their status from advanced technology they create and use. The Dictionary.com definition of "superhero"
Sailor Moon (character) - Misplaced Pages Continue
7728-399: A word. For instance, in the sentence, "I used to be a baker, but I couldn't make enough dough," the word "dough" is used paronomastically to refer both to the substance used to make bread and to slang for money. This type of pun is frequently used in advertisements , comedy , and literature to provide a clever and memorable message. One notable example comes from an advertising slogan for
7912-556: Is Nick Fury , who is reinterpreted as African-American both in the Ultimate Marvel as well as the Marvel Cinematic Universe continuities. Pun A pun , also known as a paronomasia in the context of linguistics , is a form of word play that exploits multiple meanings of a term, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from
8096-512: Is "a figure, especially in a comic strip or cartoon , endowed with superhuman powers and usually portrayed as fighting evil or crime", and the Merriam-Webster dictionary gives the definition as "a fictional hero having extraordinary or superhuman powers; also: an exceptionally skillful or successful person." Terms such as masked crime fighters, costumed adventurers or masked vigilantes are sometimes used to refer to characters such as
8280-464: Is a civilian. Though Usagi has some certain abilities as a civilian by way of her true identity as Sailor Moon, she must transform into Sailor Moon to access the vast array of powers available to her. The names for Sailor Moon's attacks center around mythology of the Moon, love, healing, and light. She eventually becomes the most powerful Sailor Guardian in the galaxy, but her capacity for caring for others
8464-421: Is a motorcycle-riding hero in an insect-like costume, who shouts Henshin (Metamorphosis) to don his costume and gain superhuman powers. The ideas of second-wave feminism , which spread through the 1960s into the 1970s, greatly influenced the way comic book companies would depict as well as market their female characters: Wonder Woman was for a time revamped as a mod-dressing martial artist directly inspired by
8648-599: Is a non-prophet institution", the word prophet is put in place of its homophone profit , altering the common phrase " non-profit institution ". Similarly, the joke "Question: Why do we still have troops in Germany ? Answer: To keep the Russians in Czech " relies on the aural ambiguity of the homophones check and Czech . Often, puns are not strictly homophonic, but play on words of similar, not identical, sound as in
8832-542: Is a statement that contains two or more puns. In this case, the wordplay cannot go into effect by utilizing the separate words or phrases of the puns that make up the entire statement. For example, a complex statement by Richard Whately includes four puns: "Why can a man never starve in the Great Desert ? Because he can eat the sand which is there. But what brought the sandwiches there? Why, Noah sent Ham, and his descendants mustered and bred." This pun uses sand which
9016-544: Is a website satirizing the sexualized portrayal of women in comics by recreating the same poses using male superheroes, especially Marvel's Hawkeye . In 1966, Marvel introduced the Black Panther , an African monarch who became the first non- caricatured black superhero. The first African-American superhero, the Falcon , followed in 1969, and three years later, Luke Cage , a self-styled "hero-for-hire" , became
9200-409: Is also an example of a multilingual pun, full understanding of which requires knowledge of more than one language on the part of the listener. Names of fictional characters also often carry puns, such as Ash Ketchum , the protagonist of the anime series Pokémon , and Goku ("Kakarrot"), the protagonist of the manga series Dragon Ball . Both franchises are known for including second meanings in
9384-532: Is arguable that the Marvel Comics teams of the early 1960s brought the biggest assortment of superheroes ever at one time into permanent publication, the likes of Spider-Man (1962), The Hulk , Iron Man , Daredevil , Nick Fury , The Mighty Thor , The Avengers (featuring a rebooted Captain America , Thor, Hulk, Ant-Man , Quicksilver ), and many others were given their own monthly titles. Typically
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#17327935921599568-501: Is depicted in a variety of forms: round, in the initial anime appearance, and a rounded tear drop in the manga. It later takes a heart shape while stored in her brooch in the anime, and also appears in a petaled flower shape in various adaptations, including when it evolves into the Silver Moon Crystal form. As her Sailor Crystal, the Silver Crystal also gives Sailor Moon the ability to be reborn again and again. So long as
9752-408: Is forced to kill a possessed Mamoru, Serenity overcomes Usagi's resistance and transforms into Princess Sailor Moon. Serenity even summons her own minions to fight the other Sailor Guardians to prevent them from stopping her. Princess Sailor Moon successfully destroys the world once again, but Serenity eventually realizes the extent to which she is responsible for this and uses the Silver Crystal to undo
9936-741: Is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits the role of the hero ; typically using their powers to help the world become a better place , or dedicating themselves to protecting the public and fighting crime . Superhero fiction is the genre of fiction that is centered on such characters, especially, since the 1930s, in American comic books (and later in Hollywood films , film serials, television and video games ), as well as in Japanese media (including kamishibai , tokusatsu , manga , anime and video games). Superheroes come from
10120-421: Is initially hidden from her, his civilian identity is eventually revealed to be Mamoru Chiba, who is later revealed to also be the reincarnation of Princess Serenity's star-crossed lover, Prince Endymion. Finally reunited in the present, Usagi and he become romantically involved. Mamoru and Usagi's relationship is a significant part of Usagi's personal life, as well as the series as a whole. Mamoru and Usagi date for
10304-436: Is like they are not friends. Every time a new Sailor Guardian appears, Usagi immediately tries to befriend them, even though almost all of them resist. However, Usagi eventually makes the other Sailor Guardians realize that they are stronger together than alone. Usagi also has a habit of forcing her interests on her new friends. This is prominent in her relationship with Rei, where Usagi repeatedly tries to get Rei to sing. Being
10488-496: Is more outgoing and extroverted, and makes friends very easily. This immediately puts her personality in conflict with the other Sailor Guardians, each of whom is solitary to some degree. She rarely uses formal speech with those of her age (though she does with adults), and refers to everyone as " given name -chan" (which is very informal and a way of expressing closeness). She teases Ami when Ami continues calling her "Tsukino-san" (a formal way of speaking to classmates), saying that it
10672-418: Is not a common given name in Japan. Usagi is first introduced as living the life of a normal teenage schoolgirl in 20th century Tokyo. Although well-meaning, she is an underachieving, accident-prone crybaby . One day, Usagi encounters a mysterious cat with a crescent moon on its forehead, who later reveals herself to be Luna , a mentor archetype who introduces Usagi to her new heroic role. Luna gives Usagi
10856-790: Is not in finite range. Another example is "a Freudian slip is when you say one thing but mean your mother ". The recursive pun "Immanuel doesn't pun, he Kant " is attributed to Oscar Wilde . Visual puns are sometimes used in logos, emblems, insignia, and other graphic symbols, in which one or more of the pun aspects is replaced by a picture. In European heraldry , this technique is called canting arms . Visual and other puns and word games are also common in Dutch gable stones as well as in some cartoons , such as Lost Consonants and The Far Side . Another type of visual pun exists in languages that use non-phonetic writing. For example, in Chinese,
11040-463: Is parsed as dis-tressed (having hair cut off), or in the self-referential pun "I entered ten puns in a pun competition hoping one would win, but no pun in ten did" (parsed as "no pun intended"). Puns are a common source of humour in jokes and comedy shows . They are often used in the punch line of a joke, where they typically give a humorous meaning to a rather perplexing story. These are also known as feghoots . The following example comes from
11224-481: Is prevalent orally as well. Salvatore Attardo believes that puns are verbal humor. He talks about Pepicello and Weisberg's linguistic theory of humor and believes the only form of linguistic humor is limited to puns. This is because a pun is a play on the word itself. Attardo believes that only puns are able to maintain humor and this humor has significance. It is able to help soften a situation and make it less serious, it can help make something more memorable, and using
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#173279359215911408-599: Is repeated with the meaning "be executed." This punning style is prevalent in both humorous and serious contexts, adding layers of complexity to the language by highlighting the multifaceted nature of words. Such puns are frequently used in literature, speeches, and advertising to deliver memorable and impactful lines. Richard J. Alexander notes two additional forms that puns may take: graphological (sometimes called visual) puns, such as concrete poetry ; and morphological puns, such as portmanteaux . Morphological puns may make use of rebracketing , where for instance distressed
11592-468: Is shown to be more powerful still. As the reincarnation of Princess Serenity, Sailor Moon also wields the immensely powerful Silver Crystal. The origin of the Silver Crystal is inconsistently depicted in the series, described as a family heirloom early on, and later described as a fundamental part of Sailor Moon as a Sailor Guardian. The Silver Crystal is coveted by many of the series' villains for its limitless abilities, and Sailor Moon often uses it throughout
11776-557: Is structured as a pun , as the syllable "no" indicates a possessive , so her name can also be understood as "Rabbit of the Moon". This derives from a Chinese folktale , popular in Japan, about the rabbit which is said to be visible in the Moon 's face, much like the Western Man in the Moon . The Mixx/Tokyopop English-language manga – along with other localisations – gives her the nickname "Bunny" to partially preserve this pun. "Usagi"
11960-445: Is substituted for another term with which it's closely linked by a concept or idea. The humor or wit of the pun often comes from the unexpected yet apt connection made between the two concepts. For instance, consider a hypothetical news headline: "The White House loses its balance." In this case, "The White House" is used metonymically to represent the U.S. government , and "balance" could be interpreted both as physical stability (as if
12144-404: Is the formal term for punning , playing with words to create humorous or rhetorical effect. Paronomastic puns often manipulate well-known idioms , proverbs , or phrases to deliver a punned twist. The classic structure of a joke, with a setup leading to a punchline, is a common format for paronomastic puns, where the punchline alters the expected phrase in a way that plays on multiple meanings of
12328-440: Is the reincarnation of the Moon Princess, Princess Serenity, from the ancient civilization known as Silver Millennium, and the bearer of the Silver Crystal. She also learns that her lover from her past life, Prince Endymion of Earth, has been reincarnated in the present as well as the hero Tuxedo Mask, and seeks to reunite with him. As Sailor Moon, she sets out with her comrades to fight the villains from her past life and to protect
12512-464: Is there/sandwiches there , Ham /ham , mustered/mustard , and bred/bread . Similarly, the phrase "piano is not my forte" links two meanings of the words forte and piano , one for the dynamic markings in music and the second for the literal meaning of the sentence, as well as alluding to "pianoforte", the older name of the instrument. Compound puns may also combine two phrases that share a word. For example, "Where do mathematicians go on weekends? To
12696-506: Is uncommon, the USPTO will grant joint ownership in a mark. For example, in the case Arrow Trading Co., Inc. v. Victorinox A.G. and Wegner S.A. , Opposition No. 103315 (TTAB June 27, 2003), the TTAB held that when "two entities have a long-standing relationship and rely on each other for quality control, it may be found, in appropriate circumstances, that the parties, as joint owners, do represent
12880-501: Is with her princess form. Her face and facial expressions are drawn to look more mature than the 20th century Usagi, but her iconic hairstyle is retained. This form is the one that Chibiusa considers as truly being her mother, while she sees the Usagi of the past as a sister figure. The plot of various adaptations of Sailor Moon contains several examples of asynchrony, including appearances of Sailor Moon from different time periods. In
13064-668: The Black Canary , introduced in Flash Comics #86 (Aug. 1947) as a supporting character. The most iconic comic book superheroine, who debuted during the Golden Age, is Wonder Woman . Modeled from the myth of the Amazons of Greek mythology , she was created by psychologist William Moulton Marston , with help and inspiration from his wife Elizabeth and their mutual lover Olive Byrne. Wonder Woman's first appearance
13248-470: The British royal family , such as on the arms of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and of Princess Beatrice of York . The arms of U.S. Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and Dwight D. Eisenhower are also canting . In the context of non-phonetic texts, 4 Pics 1 Word , is an example of visual paronomasia where the players are supposed to identify the word in common from the set of four images. Paronomasia
13432-481: The Emma Peel character from the British television series The Avengers (no relation to the superhero team of the same name), but later reverted to Marston's original concept after the editors of Ms. magazine publicly disapproved of the character being depowered and without her traditional costume; Supergirl was moved from being a secondary feature on Action Comics to headline Adventure Comics in 1969;
13616-527: The Lady Liberators appeared in an issue of The Avengers as a group of mind-controlled superheroines led by Valkyrie (actually a disguised supervillainess ) and were meant to be a caricatured parody of feminist activists; and Jean Grey became the embodiment of a cosmic being known as the Phoenix Force with seemingly unlimited power in the late 1970s, a stark contrast from her depiction as
13800-706: The New York Times and The Colbert Report , and embraced by anti- Islamophobia campaigners in San Francisco who plastered over anti-Muslim bus adverts with Kamala stickers. Other such successor-heroes of color include James "Rhodey" Rhodes as Iron Man and to a lesser extent Riri "Ironheart" Williams , Ryan Choi as the Atom , Jaime Reyes as Blue Beetle and Amadeus Cho as Hulk . Certain established characters have had their ethnicity changed when adapted to another continuity or media. A notable example
13984-732: The O. Henry Pun-Off World Championships in Austin, Texas . In 2015 the UK Pun Champion was Leo Kearse. Other pun competitions include Minnesota’s Pundamonium, Orlando Punslingers, the Almost Annual Pun-Off in Eureka, and Brooklyn’s Punderdome, led by Jo Firestone and her father, Fred Firestone. In Away with Words: An Irreverent Tour Through the World of Pun Competitions, Joe Berkowitz deems Austin's O. Henry Pun-Off
14168-466: The Sailor Moon series, each of the five heroines had a unique outfit. It was eventually decided that they would instead wear uniforms based on a single theme, whose design was closest to Sailor Moon's original costume concept. Sailor Moon's original had some small differences, including color changes, an exposed midriff, and ribbons around the gloves and boots. She also had a mask, which did appear in
14352-671: The X-Men 's Storm and the Teen Titans ' Cyborg avoided such conventions; they were both part of ensemble teams, which became increasingly diverse in subsequent years. The X-Men, in particular, were revived in 1975 with a line-up of characters drawn from several nations, including the Kenyan Storm, German Nightcrawler , Soviet / Russian Colossus , Irish Banshee , and Japanese Sunfire . In 1993, Milestone Comics , an African-American-owned media/publishing company entered into
14536-506: The double entendre . While puns are often simple wordplay for comedic or rhetorical effect, a double entendre alludes to a second meaning that is not contained within the statement or phrase itself, often one that purposefully disguises the second meaning. As both exploit the use of intentional double meanings, puns can sometimes be double entendres, and vice versa. Puns also bear similarities with paraprosdokian , syllepsis , and eggcorns . In addition, homographic puns are sometimes compared to
14720-672: The manga lists one of her favorite foods as cake. She also loves playing video games and reading manga. Her favorite subject is listed as home economics . She is said to dislike carrots, and is a poor student in both English and mathematics. She is afraid of dentists , ghosts , and thunder and lightning , and her greatest dream is to someday be a bride . She later becomes a member of the Manga Drawing Club at her school, She stands 150 cm (4 ft 11 in) tall, though her height relative to other characters varies from different design models used in various adaptations. In
14904-417: The queen regnant of a new Silver Millennium called Crystal Tokyo, in the 30th century. She is first seen in this future form in act 16 of the manga and episode 68 of the original anime. Usagi learns that she will be given the title "Sovereign of Earth", and Mamoru will become King Endymion alongside her. It is stated in the anime that she becomes Neo-Queen Serenity after warding off a second Ice age , though
15088-483: The stage musicals , Usagi was portrayed by Anza Ohyama , Fumina Hara , Miyuki Kanbe (who played the character with a "cute and high voice"), Marina Kuroki , Satomi Ōkubo [ ja ] , Hotaru Nomoto, Sayuri Inoue, Mizuki Yamashita , Shiori Kubo, Kanae Yumemiya, Natsuki Koga, Tomomi Kasai , Nagi Inoue and Satsuki Sugawara. In the SuperS Musicals, Sanae Kimura, who played Sailor Uranus, provided
15272-455: The stylistic device antanaclasis , and homophonic puns to polyptoton . Puns can be used as a type of mnemonic device to enhance comprehension in an educational setting. Used discreetly, puns can effectively reinforce content and aid in the retention of material. Some linguists have encouraged the creation of neologisms to decrease the instances of confusion caused by puns. Puns were found in ancient Egypt , where they were heavily used in
15456-399: The " male gaze " which is media created from the viewpoint of a normative heterosexual male. The female characters in comic books are used to satisfy male desire for the "ideal" woman (small waist, large breasts, toned, athletic body). These characters have god-like power, but the most easily identifiable feature is their hyper sexualized bodies: they are designed to be sexually pleasing to
15640-412: The "Guardian of Love and Justice", and once as the "Guardian of Mystery". Throughout most of the series, Sailor Moon wears a white and blue sailor fuku uniform; white and reddish‑pink gloves and boots; and crescent‑moon earrings. She also wears red hairpieces and white barrettes resembling feathers, both of which can be used for minor attacks. Her personality is no different from when she
15824-533: The "Olympics" of pun competitions, and Brooklyn's Punderdome the "X Games". GQ described the crowd at Brooklyn's Punderdome as "passionate, to a level that feels dangerous". Non-humorous puns were and are a standard poetic device in English literature . Puns and other forms of wordplay have been used by many famous writers, such as Alexander Pope , James Joyce , Vladimir Nabokov , Robert Bloch , Lewis Carroll , John Donne , and William Shakespeare . In
16008-568: The 1970s as an alternate for Earth's Green Lantern Hal Jordan , and would become a regular member of the Green Lantern Corps from the 1980s onward. The creators of the 2000s-era Justice League animated series selected Stewart as the show's Green Lantern. In the Ultimate Marvel universe, Miles Morales , a youth of Puerto Rican and African-American ancestry who was also bitten by a genetically-altered spider, debuted as
16192-458: The 1980s, superhero fiction centered on cultural, ethnic, national, racial and language minority groups (from the perspective of US demographics ) began to be produced. This began with depiction of black superheroes in the 1960s, followed in the 1970s with a number of other ethnic-minority superheroes. In keeping with the political mood of the time, cultural diversity and inclusivism would be an important part of superhero groups starting from
16376-409: The 1980s. In the 1990s, this was further augmented by the first depictions of superheroes as homosexual. In 2017, Sign Gene emerged, the first group of deaf superheroes with superpowers through the use of sign language . Female super heroes—and villains—have been around since the early years of comic books dating back to the 1940s. The representation of women in comic books has been questioned in
16560-561: The 1990s). In 1978, Toei adapted Spider-Man into a live-action Japanese television series . In this continuity, Spider-Man had a vehicle called Marveller that could transform into a giant and powerful robot called Leopardon, this idea would be carried over to Toei's Battle Fever J (also co-produced with Marvel) and now multi-colored teams not only had support vehicles but giant robots to fight giant monsters with. In subsequent decades, popular characters like Dazzler , She-Hulk , Elektra , Catwoman , Witchblade , Spider-Girl , Batgirl and
16744-604: The Amazing Superman debut in Big Little Book series , by Russell R. Winterbotham (text), Henry E. Vallely and Erwin L. Hess (art). Captain America also appeared for the first time in print in December 1940, a year prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese government, when America was still in isolationism . Created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby , the superhero was the physical embodiment of
16928-856: The American spirit during World War II. One superpowered character was portrayed as an antiheroine , a rarity for its time: the Black Widow , a costumed emissary of Satan who killed evildoers in order to send them to Hell —debuted in Mystic Comics #4 (Aug. 1940), from Timely Comics , the 1940s predecessor of Marvel Comics . Most of the other female costumed crime fighters during this era lacked superpowers. Notable characters include The Woman in Red , introduced in Standard Comics ' Thrilling Comics #2 (March 1940); Lady Luck , debuting in
17112-478: The Avengers) with her brother, Quicksilver. In 1963, Astro Boy was adapted into a highly influential anime television series. Phantom Agents in 1964 focused on ninjas working for the Japanese government and would be the foundation for Sentai -type series. 1966 saw the debut of the sci-fi/horror series Ultra Q created by Eiji Tsuburaya this would eventually lead to the sequel Ultraman , spawning
17296-639: The Birds of Prey became stars of long-running eponymous titles. Female characters began assuming leadership roles in many ensemble superhero teams; the Uncanny X-Men series and its related spin-off titles in particular have included many female characters in pivotal roles since the 1970s. Volume 4 of the X-Men comic book series featured an all-female team as part of the Marvel NOW! branding initiative in 2013. Superpowered female characters like Buffy
17480-532: The Cliff by Eileen Dover", which according to one source was devised by humourist Peter De Vries . It is common for these puns to refer to taboo subject matter, such as " What Boys Love by E. Norma Stitts". Pun competitions 2014 saw the inaugural UK Pun Championships, at the Leicester Comedy Festival , hosted by Lee Nelson . The winner was Darren Walsh. Walsh went on to take part in
17664-512: The DiC produced dub, as well as Pioneer's dub for the three films, though Moore would return to voice the character in two more episodes later on in the first season. Linda Ballantyne was the voice of Sailor Moon in Cloverway 's dub of episodes 83–159 of Sailor Moon (produced in association with Optimum Productions). When Ballantyne first recorded the series, Ballantyne attempted to emulate Hawkes, but soon found it difficult to perform. She wanted
17848-468: The Door of Space-Time to Chibiusa are sometimes signed with a drawing of herself (and sometimes King Endymion) instead of a name. In the manga, Neo-Queen Serenity tells the present-day Sailor Guardians that after she became queen, she lost her power as a Sailor Guardian. In the second arc of the anime she does not transform (into Sailor Moon) even when the others do. However, she is seen showing great powers in
18032-571: The Earth using the legendary Silver Crystal. This provides most of the conflict, romance, and drama in both the manga and the anime. As a civilian, Usagi lives in Azabu Jūban with her mother, Ikuko Tsukino ; her father, Kenji Tsukino ; and her brother, Shingo Tsukino ; these names reflect those of Naoko Takeuchi 's real-life family members. Usagi and her fellow Guardians have diverse backgrounds, and balance their responsibilities as superheroines with their current lives. Though Tuxedo Mask's identity
18216-585: The Grapes wine and spirits, Curl Up and Dye hair salon, as do books such as Pies and Prejudice , webcomics like ( YU+ME: dream ) and feature films such as ( Good Will Hunting ). The Japanese anime Speed Racer 's original Japanese title, Mach GoGoGo! refers to the English word itself, the Japanese word for five (the Mach Five 's car number), and the name of the show's main character, Go Mifune. This
18400-483: The Holy Grail or through the combined powers of the other Sailor Guardians. Most of the anime adaptations' transformation sequences involve the use of shiny red or pink ribbons that fly out of her brooch and form her uniform. Feathers and wings also figure prominently in some sequences, particularly the transformation into Eternal Sailor Moon. As the protagonist, Usagi has the most special powers of any character in
18584-456: The Japanese version of every Sailor Moon anime series and subsequent related media, Usagi has been voiced by Kotono Mitsuishi . For this role, Mitsuishi used a higher voice than her natural one. During recording sessions of the early episodes, Mitsuishi had to mentally prepare herself to play Usagi. While Mitsuishi was away during production of episodes 44–50, Kae Araki (who would later voice Usagi's own future daughter, Chibiusa) voiced Usagi as
18768-529: The Magician (1934), Olga Mesmer (1937) and then Superman (1938) and Captain Marvel (1939) at the beginning of the Golden Age of Comic Books , whose span, though disputed, is generally agreed to have started with Superman's launch. Superman has remained one of the most recognizable superheroes, and his success spawned a new archetype of characters with secret identities and superhuman powers. At
18952-488: The Moon. On one of her visits to Earth, she met and fell in love with Endymion , the crown prince of Earth. During the attack that caused the Moon Kingdom's downfall, Prince Endymion died protecting Serenity. In the manga, she then commits suicide out of grief, while in the original anime, Queen Metalia killed them both. Queen Serenity was able to seal away the evil that had created the attack, but everyone involved
19136-505: The Service , one must always choose the lesser of the two weevils. " Not infrequently, puns are used in the titles of comedic parodies . A parody of a popular song, movie, etc., may be given a title that hints at the title of the work being parodied, replacing some of the words with ones that sound or look similar. For example, collegiate a cappella groups are often named after musical puns to attract fans through attempts at humor. Such
19320-476: The Spiral Heart Moon Rod. Neo-Queen Serenity wears an altered version of the dress she wore as a princess. The shoulder pieces are omitted and a large, wing-shaped bow replaces the smaller one of the princess outfit. In the manga, Neo-Queen Serenity's dress is similar to her past form's outfit. She also wears a crown and new earrings. The crescent moon is always visible on her forehead, just as it
19504-514: The Spirit , who may not be explicitly referred to as superheroes but nevertheless share similar traits. Some superheroes use their powers to help fight daily crime while also combating threats against humanity from supervillains , who are their criminal counterparts. Often at least one of these supervillains will be the superhero's archenemy or nemesis . Some popular supervillains become recurring characters in their own right. Antecedents of
19688-827: The Sunday- newspaper comic-book insert The Spirit Section June 2, 1940; the comedic character Red Tornado , debuting in All-American Comics #20 (Nov 1940); Miss Fury , debuting in the eponymous comic strip by female cartoonist Tarpé Mills on April 6, 1941; the Phantom Lady , introduced in Quality Comics Police Comics #1 (Aug. 1941); the Black Cat , introduced in Harvey Comics ' Pocket Comics #1 (also Aug. 1941); and
19872-408: The USPTO. Felix is one of many who argue that the term "superhero" has become generic (see discussion below). Felix's mark is currently abandoned, but he has stated that he intends to fight against DC and Marvel for use of the term. In 2024, Superbabies Limited managed to obtain a default judgement and cancel the "super heroes" trademarks as genericized, except for the animation pictures mark. This
20056-540: The Vampire Slayer and Darna have a tremendous influence on popular culture in their respective countries of origin. With more and more anime , manga and tokusatsu being translated or adapted, Western audiences were beginning to experience the Japanese styles of superhero fiction more than they were able to before. Saban 's Mighty Morphin Power Rangers , an adaptation of Zyuranger , created
20240-529: The West as Astro Boy , was published. The series focused upon a robot boy built by a scientist to replace his deceased son. Being built from an incomplete robot originally intended for military purposes, Astro Boy possessed amazing powers such as flight through thrusters in his feet and the incredible mechanical strength of his limbs. The 1950s saw the Silver Age of Comics . During this era DC introduced
20424-512: The archetype include mythological characters such as Gilgamesh , Hanuman , Perseus , Odysseus , David , and demigods like Heracles , all of whom were blessed with extraordinary abilities, which later inspired the superpowers that became a fundamental aspect of modern-day superheroes. The distinct clothing and costumes of individuals from English folklore , like Robin Hood and Spring-Heeled Jack , also became inspirations. The dark costume of
20608-482: The archetypical hero stock character in 1930s American comics, superheroes are predominantly depicted as White American middle- or upper-class young adult males and females who are typically tall, athletic, educated, physically attractive and in perfect health. Beginning in the 1960s with the civil rights movement in the United States, and increasingly with the rising concern over political correctness in
20792-469: The audience's background with the possibility of detracting from the intended message. Like other forms of wordplay, paronomasia is occasionally used for its attention-getting or mnemonic qualities, making it common in titles and the names of places, characters, and organizations, and in advertising and slogans. Many restaurant and shop names use puns: Cane & Able mobility healthcare, Sam & Ella 's Chicken Palace, Tiecoon tie shop, Planet of
20976-426: The building itself is tipping over) or fiscal balance (as in the budget), thereby creating a pun. While metonymic puns may not be as widely recognized as a specific category of pun, they represent a sophisticated linguistic tool that can bring an additional layer of nuance to wordplay. Syllepsis , or heteronymy, is a form of punning where a single word simultaneously affects the rest of the sentence, while it changes
21160-537: The character to "have a lot more fun and just be a goofy teenager." Ballantyne cited her performance as "just more flighty.... Until of course the world needed to be saved." American singer Jennifer Cihi provided the English vocals for the character's songs in the first English adaptation. Stephanie Sheh provides the voice in Viz Media 's dub of the entire original Sailor Moon series (produced in association with Studiopolis ), and also Sailor Moon Crystal . In
21344-421: The children.) Notable practitioners of the sylleptic pun include authors such as P. G. Wodehouse , who once wrote, "If not actually disgruntled, he was far from being gruntled," playing on the dichotomy of "disgruntled" and "gruntled," where the latter is not typically used. Antanaclasis is a type of pun where a single word or phrase is repeated, but the meaning changes each time. The humor or wit derives from
21528-413: The comic-strip characters Patoruzú (1928) and Popeye (1929) and novelist Philip Wylie 's character Hugo Danner (1930). Another early example was Sarutobi Sasuke , a Japanese superhero ninja from children's novels in the 1910s; by 1914, he had a number of superhuman powers and abilities. The French character L'Oiselle , created in 1909, can be classed as a superheroine. In August 1937, in
21712-534: The companies filed a trademark application as joint owners for the mark "SUPER HEROES" for a series of animated motion pictures in 2009 (Reg. No. 5613972). Both DC and Marvel also individually owned trademarks involving the "super hero" mark. Notably, DC owns the mark " Legion of Super-Heroes " for comic magazines and Marvel owns the mark "Marvel Super Hero Island" for story books, fiction books, and children’s activity books. DC and Marvel have become known for aggressively protecting their registered marks. In 2019,
21896-552: The companies pursued a British law student named Graham Jules who was attempting to publish a self-help book titled Business Zero to Superhero . Much academic debate exists about whether the "super hero" mark has become generic and whether DC and Marvel have created a duopoly over the "super hero" mark. Conversely, DC and Marvel hold that they are merely exercising their right and duty to protect their registered marks. The following trademarks were or are registered jointly with MARVEL CHARACTERS, INC. and DC COMICS: As mentioned,
22080-531: The concept of the heroines' hair changing color when transformed is used in Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon . The kanji of Usagi's surname translate as "moon" ( 月 , tsuki ) and "field" ( 野 , no ) . Her given name is in hiragana usagi ( うさぎ ) and so its meaning is not inherent, but the word ( 兎 ) means "rabbit" and this is used as a pun frequently throughout the series, including her hairstyle and possessions. Her name
22264-408: The crystal and subsequent attempts to acquire it form the basis of major conflict throughout the entire series. The Silver Crystal possesses tremendous power, capable of reviving an entire world from ruin and extending the natural lifespan of all people under its protection. Sailor Galaxia describes its regenerative power as unlimited. In the anime, however, the strain of using such power often costs
22448-477: The debut of Shotaro Ishinomori 's Skull Man (the basis for his later Kamen Rider ) in 1970, Go Nagai's Devilman in 1972 and Gerry Conway and John Romita's Punisher in 1974. The dark Skull Man manga would later get a television adaptation and underwent drastic changes. The character was redesigned to resemble a grasshopper, becoming the renowned first masked hero of the Kamen Rider series. Kamen Rider
22632-505: The development of myths and interpretation of dreams. In China , Shen Dao (ca. 300 BC) used "shi", meaning "power", and "shi", meaning "position" to say that a king has power because of his position as king. In ancient Mesopotamia around 2500 BC, punning was used by scribes to represent words in cuneiform . The Tanakh contains puns. The Maya are known for having used puns in their hieroglyphic writing , and for using them in their modern languages. In Japan, " graphomania "
22816-401: The end of the decade, in 1939, Batman was created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger . During the 1940s there were many superheroes: The Flash , Green Lantern and Blue Beetle debuted in this era. This era saw the debut of one of the earliest female superheroes, writer-artist Fletcher Hanks 's character Fantomah , an ageless ancient Egyptian woman in the modern day who could transform into
23000-652: The example from the Pinky and the Brain cartoon film series: "I think so, Brain, but if we give peas a chance, won't the lima beans feel left out?" which plays with the similar—but not identical—sound of peas and peace in the anti-war slogan " Give Peace a Chance ". A homographic pun exploits words that are spelled the same ( homographs ) but possess different meanings and sounds. Because of their origin, they rely on sight more than hearing, contrary to homophonic puns. They are also known as heteronymic puns . Examples in which
23184-430: The exploitation of words that are both homographs and homophones. The statement "Being in politics is just like playing golf : you are trapped in one bad lie after another" puns on the two meanings of the word lie as "a deliberate untruth" and as "the position in which something rests". An adaptation of a joke repeated by Isaac Asimov gives us "Did you hear about the little moron who strained himself while running into
23368-528: The final battle using the combined power of all Sailor Crystals throughout the galaxy is the Cosmos Crystal's true power, called " Lambda Power", which is able to restore all things to their original forms. Figuratively, Sailor Cosmos describes her past self, Eternal Sailor Moon, as the true embodiment of Sailor Cosmos for her final act of courage, as opposed to herself, who fled her own timeline after losing faith in her unceasing battle against Chaos. In
23552-515: The first black superhero to star in his own series . In 1989, the Monica Rambeau incarnation of Captain Marvel was the first female black superhero from a major publisher to get her own title in a special one-shot issue. In 1971, Red Wolf became the first Native American in the superheroic tradition to headline a series. In 1973, Shang-Chi became the first prominent Asian superhero to star in an American comic book ( Kato had been
23736-454: The first entity to commercialize the phrase "super hero" when it registered the mark in connection with Halloween costumes. In 1972, Mego Corporation , an American toy company, attempted to register the mark "World's Greatest Superheroes" in connection with its line of action figures. Mego Corporation’s attempted registration led Ben Cooper, Inc. to sue Mego Corporation for trademark infringement. Due to its financial struggles, Mego Corporation
23920-433: The harm she has done. Princess Sailor Moon has a sword that can deflect enemy attacks or unleash devastating projectiles. The sword also doubles as a harp with invisible strings that Princess Sailor Moon plays while mourning her lost prince. The harp's main power is the ability to heal people and the land. Other than healing powers, the exact effect of playing the harp is unclear, but it often causes her Silver Crystal to feed
24104-411: The heart of its wielder, to the point of either becoming too powerful in the midst of Usagi's confusion, or as inert as a glass bead with her indecision. In the anime, the Silver Crystal was placed on Sailor Moon's Moon Stick to increase her "Moon Healing Escalation" attack. However, Queen Beryl stated that Sailor Moon could not unlock the full potential of the Silver Crystal because she had not awakened as
24288-432: The highest form of literature." Shakespeare is estimated to have used over 3,000 puns in his plays . Even though many of the puns were bawdy, Elizabethan literature considered puns and wordplay to be a "sign of literary refinement" more so than humor. This is evidenced by the deployment of puns in serious or "seemingly inappropriate" scenes, like when a dying Mercutio quips "Ask for me tomorrow, and you shall find me
24472-439: The homophonic qualities of tune a and tuna , as well as the homographic pun on bass , in which ambiguity is reached through the identical spellings of / b eɪ s / (a string instrument ), and / b æ s / (a kind of fish ). Homographic puns do not necessarily need to follow grammatical rules and often do not make sense when interpreted outside the context of the pun. Homonymic puns, another common type, arise from
24656-479: The hypothetical heteronormative male audience. Villains, such as Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy , use their sexuality to take advantage of their male victims. In the film versions of these characters, their sexuality and seductive methods are highlighted. Poison Ivy uses seduction through poison to take over the minds of her victims as seen in the 1997 film Batman and Robin . Harley Quinn in 2016's Suicide Squad uses her sexuality to her advantage, acting in
24840-470: The idea of a masked avenger and the superhero trope of a secret identity . Over the next few decades, masked and costumed pulp fiction characters such as Jimmie Dale/The Grey Seal (1914), Zorro (1919), Buck Rogers (1928), The Shadow (1930), and Flash Gordon (1934), and comic strip heroes such as the Phantom (1936), began appearing, as did non-costumed characters with super strength , including
25024-420: The intentional use of homophonic , homographic , metonymic , or figurative language . A pun differs from a malapropism in that a malapropism is an incorrect variation on a correct expression, while a pun involves expressions with multiple (correct or fairly reasonable) interpretations. Puns may be regarded as in-jokes or idiomatic constructions, especially as their usage and meaning are usually specific to
25208-467: The latter, complete with a domino mask and a cape, became influential for the myriad of masked rogues in penny dreadfuls and dime novels . The vigilantes of the American Old West also became an influence to the superhero. Several vigilantes during this time period hid their identities using masks. In frontier communities where de jure law was not yet matured, people sometimes took
25392-606: The law into their own hands with makeshift masks made out of sacks . Vigilante mobs and gangs like the San Diego Vigilantes and the Bald Knobbers became infamous throughout that Old West era. Such masked vigilantism later inspired fictional masked crimefighters in American story-telling, beginning with the character Deadwood Dick in 1877. The word superhero dates back to 1899. The 1903 British play The Scarlet Pimpernel and its spinoffs popularized
25576-478: The likes of Batwoman in 1956, Supergirl , Miss Arrowette , and Bat-Girl ; all female derivatives of established male superheroes. In 1957 Japan, Shintoho produced the first film serial featuring the superhero character Super Giant , signaling a shift in Japanese popular culture towards tokusatsu masked superheroes over kaiju giant monsters. Along with Astro Boy , the Super Giant serials had
25760-437: The live-action series depicts Princess Serenity as colder and more severe. When she is reawakened and possesses Usagi, her singleminded infatuation with reuniting with Endymion causes her to callously disregard the safety of the other guardians and remorselessly strike down her enemies, not even caring if the Earth is destroyed. Princess Sailor Moon is a powerful combination of Sailor Moon and Princess Serenity that only exists in
25944-610: The live-action series. She is introduced when Usagi is possessed by the spirit of Princess Serenity. Princess Sailor Moon is not the same person as Usagi and they have completely different personalities. Princess Sailor Moon shows no remorse for the fate of the Four Kings of Heaven and she refers to Mamoru as "Endymion" rather than his civilian name. She is always angry, and has no misgivings about causing death or destruction. In one act, Usagi's friend Naru accidentally gets too close to Princess Sailor Moon and has to be hospitalized as
26128-436: The lowest form of humour. Puns can function as a rhetorical device , where the pun serves as a persuasive instrument for an author or speaker. Although puns are sometimes perceived as trite or silly, if used responsibly a pun "can be an effective communication tool in a variety of situations and forms". A major difficulty in using puns in this manner is that the meaning of a pun can be interpreted very differently according to
26312-712: The magazine King of the Monsters in 1977 describing Godzilla as "Superhero of the '70s." In 1971, Kamen Rider launched the "Henshin Boom" on Japanese television in the early 1970s, greatly impacting the tokusatsu superhero genre in Japan. In 1972, the Science Ninja Team Gatchaman anime debuted, which built upon the superhero team idea of the live-action Phantom Agents as well as introducing different colors for team members and special vehicles to support them, said vehicles could also combine into
26496-413: The manga and anime, Mamoru refers to her as odango (a kind of rice dumpling), based on her distinctive hairstyle. At first, this is always accompanied with the suffix ‑atama , meaning "head", but this is gradually dropped. Usagi hates the name at first, but it develops into a sign of affection as they become close. Later in the series, Haruka and Seiya , other important figures in her life, adopt
26680-446: The manga, Chibi-Chibi is a young girl who arrives in the present from the future who turns out to be a future form of Sailor Moon, named Sailor Cosmos , in disguise. She comes back to the present to aid Eternal Sailor Moon in her fight against Sailor Galaxia . Adopting the form of Chibi Chibi, she appears as a little girl with dark pink hair, heart-shaped hair buns, with curly pigtails. Her Sailor Guardian form as Sailor Chibi Chibi uses
26864-483: The manga, the Silver Crystal is described as so powerful that the present and future versions of it coming into contact with each other could destroy everything. Because Chibiusa comes from the future – having eventually inherited the Silver Crystal from Usagi – two versions of it exist in the series. After the first and second story arcs, the owners of the crystals keep them in their respective transformation brooches and only remove them in times of urgent need. The crystal
27048-567: The manga, this final form coincides with the Silver Crystal evolving into the Silver Moon Crystal. Princess Serenity ( プリンセス・セレニティ , Purinsesu Serenity ) is a past incarnation of Sailor Moon that lived in the Moon Kingdom during the age of Silver Millennium. She was the daughter of Queen Serenity , who ruled Silver Millennium and watched over the Earth. Princess Serenity's guardians and closest friends were Sailor Mercury , Sailor Mars , Sailor Jupiter , and Sailor Venus , who were princesses of their own respective planets that sometimes lived on
27232-470: The mark in connection with comic books, and were granted the mark by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in 1981. In the years leading up to the assignment of the mark, both DC and Marvel battled to register various trademarks involving the phrase “superhero.” However, DC and Marvel quickly discovered that they could only register marks involving the phrase "superhero" if
27416-581: The meaning of the idiom it is used in. This form of punning uses the word in its literal and metaphorical senses at once, creating a surprising and often humorous effect. An example of a sylleptic pun is in the sentence, "She lowered her standards by raising her glass, her courage, her eyes and his hopes." In this case, "raising" applies in different ways to each of the items listed, creating a series of linked puns. This type of punning can often be seen in literature, particularly in works that play extensively with language. (She razed his self-esteem in how she raised
27600-461: The more powerful Super Sailor Moon . In this form, her costume becomes more ornate and her powers are increased. At first she is unable to maintain this form without using the Grail, but she later gains the ability to assume this form permanently. This happens when the mysterious being Pegasus grants both her and Sailor Chibi Moon new transformation brooches – in arc 34 of the manga and in episode 130 of
27784-470: The movie Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World , though the punchline stems from far older Vaudeville roots. The final line puns on the stock phrase " the lesser of two evils ". After Aubrey offers his pun (to the enjoyment of many), Dr. Maturin shows a disdain for the craft with his reply, "One who would pun would pick-a-pocket." Captain Aubrey: "Do you see those two weevils , Doctor?...Which would you choose?" Dr. Maturin: "Neither. There's not
27968-792: The name as well. Since the term does not always have foreign language equivalents, this moniker is altered in various ways across its many foreign translations and adaptations. Usagi's character is different between versions of the series. In the manga, she starts out as a crybaby, but quickly matures and embraces the responsibilities of her role. Regardless of her maturity as a heroine, the manga often portrays Usagi as lazy or unmotivated in applying herself in her civilian life, such as making fun of her tendency to use phonetic writing instead of more formal script or consistently receiving low academic marks. The original anime often portrays Usagi as being more childish. She frequently engages in petty squabbles with her friends, usually with Rei , and Chibiusa to
28152-503: The names of characters. A recurring motif in the Austin Powers films repeatedly puns on names that suggest male genitalia. In the science fiction television series Star Trek , " B-4 " is used as the name of one of four androids models constructed "before" the android Data , a main character. A librarian in another Star Trek episode was named "Mr. Atoz" (A to Z). The parallel sequel The Lion King 1½ advertised with
28336-432: The new Spider-Man after the apparent death of the original Spider-Man, Peter Parker . Kamala Khan , a Pakistani-American Muslim teenager who is revealed to have Inhuman lineage after her shapeshifting powers manifested, takes on the identity of Ms. Marvel in 2014 after Carol Danvers had become Captain Marvel. Her self-titled comic book series became a cultural phenomenon, with extensive media coverage by CNN ,
28520-429: The occasional use of her hair pins as projectile weapons. One of her techniques is the comedic "Ultrasonic Wave" ( 超音波 , chō onpa ) , which involves using the red shields on her hair buns to amplify her loud crying. The Legendary Silver Crystal ( 「幻の銀水晶」 , Maboroshi no Ginzuishō , lit. "Phantom Silver Crystal") is a magical crystal that only the members of the Moon Kingdom royal lineage can use. The search for
28704-457: The original anime. Sailor Moon receives her third and final form at the end of the fourth story arc, as the combined power of the other Sailor Guardians allows her to transform into Eternal Sailor Moon , whom is described in the series as the closest in power to her future self, Neo-Queen Serenity. Her uniform is radically altered, including more ornate details and the addition of two pairs of angelic wings on her back which replace her back bow. In
28888-623: The pages of several popular superhero titles from the late 1950s onward: Hal Jordan 's love interest Carol Ferris was introduced as the Vice-President of Ferris Aircraft and later took over the company from her father; Medusa , who was first introduced in the Fantastic Four series, is a member of the Inhuman Royal Family and a prominent statesperson within her people's quasi-feudal society; and Carol Danvers ,
29072-420: The past decade following the rise of comic book characters in the film industry (Marvel/DC movies). Women are presented differently than their male counterparts, typically wearing revealing clothing that showcases their curves and cleavage and showing a lot of skin in some cases. Heroes like Power Girl and Wonder Woman are portrayed wearing little clothing and showing cleavage. Power Girl is portrayed as wearing
29256-570: The phrase "You haven't seen the 1/2 of it!". Wyborowa Vodka employed the slogan "Enjoyed for centuries straight", while Northern Telecom used "Technology the world calls on." On 1 June 2015 the BBC Radio 4 You and Yours included a feature on "Puntastic Shop Titles". Entries included a Chinese Takeaway in Ayr town centre called " Ayr's Wok ", a kebab shop in Ireland called " Abra Kebabra " and
29440-406: The phrase referenced their own company or a character associated with their company. As a result, DC and Marvel decided to become joint owners of the "superhero" trademark. Although many consumers likely see DC and Marvel as competitors, the two comic book publishing giants are allies when it comes to protecting the trademark "superhero" and variants thereof. Although joint ownership in a trademark
29624-653: The poem A Hymn to God the Father , John Donne , whose wife's name was Anne More, puns repeatedly: "Son/sun" in the second quoted line, and two compound puns on "Done/done" and "More/more". All three are homophonic, with the puns on "more" being both homographic and capitonymic . The ambiguities introduce several possible meanings into the verses. "When Thou hast done , Thou hast not done / For I have more . that at my death Thy Son / Shall shine as he shines now, and heretofore And having done that, Thou hast done ; / I fear no more ." Alfred Hitchcock stated, "Puns are
29808-480: The point of developing a friendly rivalry with them or sometimes her little brother Shingo with whom Usagi doesn't shown getting along and shared a sibling rivalry with. Though she is likewise depicted as deeply caring of those around her, and even of her enemies. Repeated themes in the series depict Usagi feeling sympathy for villains she encounters, and working to help redeem them. Her clumsiness and other slovenly aspects are often highlighted for comedy purposes, both as
29992-413: The power of Queen Metaria, accelerating the devastation of the planet. As with other characters unique to the live-action series, Takeuchi designed Princess Sailor Moon's outfit. Her sailor outfit is considerably more elaborate than Sailor Moon's, and included a crown, pearls on her gloves, and lace on her skirt. During the second story arc , it is revealed that Usagi, as Serenity, will eventually become
30176-419: The power of a god, but was still drawn to a much weaker, mortal male character. This can be explained by the sociological concept "feminine apologetic," which reinforces a woman's femininity to account for her masculine attributes (strength, individualism, toughness, aggressiveness, bravery). Women in comic books are considered to be misrepresented due to being created by men, for men. The Hawkeye Initiative
30360-407: The princess and protect the " Silver Crystal ", an item of immense power. After locating her comrades, Usagi later discovers that she is the reincarnation of the Moon Princess, Princess Serenity ( プリンセス・セレニティ , Purinsesu Sereniti ) and that her former lover, Prince Endymion of Earth has also been reincarnated in the present as the mysterious hero, Tuxedo Mask . As Usagi matures, she becomes
30544-520: The public, and policing unauthorized uses. However, misuse by the public alone does not necessarily cause a trademark to become generic if the primary significance of the term is still to indicate a particular source. Some legal experts argue that, like the once-trademarked terms "aspirin" and "yo-yo," the term "superhero" now primarily refers to a general type of character with extraordinary abilities, rather than characters originating from specific publishers. In keeping with their origins as representing
30728-450: The punned words typically exist in two different parts of speech often rely on unusual sentence construction, as in the anecdote: "When asked to explain his large number of children, the pig answered simply: 'The wild oats of my sow gave us many piglets. ' " An example that combines homophonic and homographic punning is Douglas Adams 's line "You can tune a guitar, but you can't tuna fish. Unless of course, you play bass ." The phrase uses
30912-413: The screen door?" playing on strained as "to give much effort" and "to filter". A homonymic pun may also be polysemic , in which the words must be homonymic and also possess related meanings, a condition that is often subjective. However, lexicographers define polysemes as listed under a single dictionary lemma (a unique numbered meaning) while homonyms are treated in separate lemmata. A compound pun
31096-405: The series to defeat the most difficult of villains, typically at the cost of her own vitality. Sailor Moon's appearance and title change at key points when she grows stronger or gains additional powers. The first major change takes place during the third story arc – act 30 of the manga and episode 111 of the original anime – when she obtains the Holy Grail, an item of vast power, and transforms into
31280-575: The series. She often uses magical objects for her attacks, such as her tiara or various rods and wands. In the anime, following her attacks' themes of the Moon or love, her attacks are often depicted as firing crescent moon-shaped or heart-shaped energy projectiles at her enemies. While her attacks in the manga tend to simply destroy her enemies, the original anime frequently depicts her attacks as purifying her enemies, restoring possessed victims or objects to their original states of being. Her physical attacks, usually one-offs and not always successful, include
31464-443: The sister series Codename: Sailor V . She has been the subject of parodies and has appeared in special events. Usagi's critical reception has been largely positive and she is recognized as one of the most important and popular female superheroes of all time, and a cultural symbol of Japan. Usagi and Sailor Moon series evolved from Naoko Takeuchi's earlier one-shot series called Codename: Sailor V . In Takeuchi's first proposal for
31648-583: The specifics of this are never discussed. This incarnation is shown to be more mature than the present day Usagi, though she is still childish in some ways. For example, in episode 104, Chibiusa gives the Sailor Guardians a letter from the future in which the Queen asks them to train her, but the letter is simplistic and contains almost no kanji . In episode 146, Diana says that the King and Queen would sometimes play sick to get out of things. Letters she sends through
31832-612: The superhero supergroups featured at least one (and often the only) female member, much like DC's flagship superhero team the Justice League of America (whose initial roster included Wonder Woman as the token female ); examples include the Fantastic Four 's Invisible Girl , the X-Men 's Jean Grey (originally known as Marvel Girl ), the Avengers ' Wasp , and the Brotherhood of Mutants ' Scarlet Witch (who later joined
32016-471: The surprising shift in meaning of a familiar word or phrase. This form of punning often relies on homophones, homonyms, or simply the contextual flexibility of a word or phrase. A classic example is Benjamin Franklin 's statement, "We must, indeed, all hang together or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately." In this quote, the word "hang" is first used to mean "stay" or "work together," but then, it
32200-410: The term "SUPER HERO" trademark is at risk of becoming generic. Courts have noted that determining whether a term has become generic is a highly factual inquiry not suitable for resolution without considering evidence like dictionary definitions, media usage, and consumer surveys. Trademark owners can take steps to prevent genericide , such as using the trademark with the generic product name, educating
32384-421: The two companies also own a variety of other superhero-related marks. For instance, DC owns "Legion of Super-Heroes" and " DC Super Hero Girls " and Marvel owns “Marvel Super Hero Island" and "Marvel Super Hero Adventures." DC and Marvel have garnered a reputation for zealously protecting their superhero marks. As noted above, one of these instances included a man by the name of Graham Jules, who sought to publish
32568-477: The user her life. The anime shows this happening first when Queen Serenity uses it in the past, again when Sailor Moon defeats Queen Metalia, and again in the Sailor Moon R: The Movie. Other depictions show using the crystal to be taxing, rather than fatal. In the manga, no such claim is made about using the Silver Crystal. In both the manga and anime, the Silver Crystal is described as following
32752-543: The voice of Neo-Queen Serenity during Over the Moon , a duet between Sailor Moon and Neo-Queen Serenity. A third, unknown person, was on stage in Serenity's costume while both Sailor Moon and Uranus were onstage. Uncredited body doubles are common in the musicals to allow the character to appear to transform instantly. Superhero A superhero or superheroine is a fictional character who typically possesses superpowers or abilities beyond those of ordinary people,
32936-611: The weakest member of her team a decade ago. Both major American publishers began introducing new superheroines with a more distinct feminist theme as part of their origin stories or character development. Examples include Big Barda , Power Girl , and the Huntress by DC comics; and from Marvel, the second Black Widow , Shanna the She-Devil , and The Cat . Female supporting characters who were successful professionals or hold positions of authority in their own right also debuted in
33120-609: Was in All Star Comics #8 (Dec. 1941), published by All-American Publications , one of two companies that would merge to form DC Comics in 1944. Pérák was an urban legend originating from the city of Prague during the German occupation of Czechoslovakia in the midst of World War II . In the decades following the war, Pérák has also been portrayed as the only Czech superhero in film and comics. In 1952, Osamu Tezuka 's manga Tetsuwan Atom , more popularly known in
33304-405: Was killed during the war between them in the past. Usagi occasionally takes the form of Princess Serenity during the series, often at climactic moments when more strength is needed than Sailor Moon can usually access. Usagi discovers her identity as a princess in act 9 of the manga, episode 34 of the original anime, and act 25 of the live action series. At climactic moments, Serenity sometimes gains
33488-408: Was killed. Before her own death, the Queen used the Silver Crystal to give her daughter (and others) another chance at life by reincarnating them in the future, hoping that Endymion and Serenity would be able to find happiness together in their new lives. In the live-action series, it is Princess Serenity herself who destroys the Moon Kingdom with her uncontrolled uses of the Silver Crystal when Endymion
33672-404: Was unexpected as Marvel and DC had filed a motion to extend time to answer. There is an ongoing debate among legal scholars and in the courts about whether the term "superhero" has become genericized due to its widespread use in popular culture, similar to terms like "aspirin" or "escalator" which lost their trademark protection and became generic terms for their respective products. Some argue
33856-467: Was unwilling to defend itself against Ben Cooper Inc.'s suit. As a result, in 1977, Mego Corporation jointly assigned its interest in the trademark to DC Comics , Inc. ("DC") and Marvel Comics ("Marvel"). Due to the financial prowess of DC and Marvel, Ben Cooper, Inc. decided to withdraw its trademark opposition and jointly assigned its interest in the "World's Greatest Super Heroes" mark to DC and Marvel. Two years later in 1979, DC and Marvel applied for
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