# Sailor Mars (火野レイ)
**Sailor Mars** is a fictional character in [Naoko Takeuchi](https://www.edgepedia.org/naoko-takeuchi)'s manga *Pretty Soldier [Sailor Moon](https://www.edgepedia.org/sailor-moon-tv-series)* (美少女戦士セーラームーン, 1991–1997) and its anime adaptations. In civilian life she is **Rei Hino** (火野レイ), a [Shinto shrine](https://www.edgepedia.org/shinto-shrine) maiden who transforms into the Sailor Guardian of the planet Mars, introduced as the soldier of love and passion (愛と情熱) who fights with fire, paper talismans, and spiritual perception.[1](https://sailormoon-movie.jp/sp/character.html) • [2](https://uu.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2%3A1260391/FULLTEXT01.pdf)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Civilian identity | Rei Hino (火野レイ), a miko (shrine maiden) at Hikawa Shrine with strong spiritual sense (霊感)[1](https://sailormoon-movie.jp/sp/character.html) |
| Guardian identity | Super Sailor Mars, the soldier of love and passion; in musicals she introduces herself as "愛と情熱の戦士、セーラーマーズ!"[1](https://sailormoon-movie.jp/sp/character.html) • [3](https://sailormoon.fandom.com/ja/wiki/%E7%81%AB%E9%87%8E%E3%83%AC%E3%82%A4) |
| Name meaning | Hino combines 火 (hi, fire), matching the planet Mars (火星, Kasei); Rei means spirit or soul, giving "Spirit/Soul of Fire"[4](https://sailormoon.takeuchi-naoko.com/info/chara/senshi/mars.php) |
| Signature attacks | Fire Soul, upgraded to Fire Soul Bird in the anime's second arc; Burning Mandala; the manga adds Mars Snake Fire in the third arc[5](https://comicbookco.com/lists/sailor-moon-guardians-ranked/) |
| 1990s anime voice | Michie Tomizawa (富沢美智恵), the role across the 1992–1997 TV series[6](https://lineup.toei-anim.co.jp/ja/tv/sailor_moon/character/) |
| Crystal voice | Rina Satō (佐藤利奈) in *Sailor Moon Crystal* (2014)[7](https://lineup.toei-anim.co.jp/ja/ondem/sailor_moon_c/character/) |
| Live action | Keiko Kitagawa (北川景子) played Rei in the 2003 live-action *Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon*[8](https://www.bandainamco.co.jp/files/pr110922-E382BBE383BCE383A9E383BCE383A0E383BCE383B.pdf) |
| English dub name | Raye Hino in the DiC, Mixx, and CWI versions[4](https://sailormoon.takeuchi-naoko.com/info/chara/senshi/mars.php) |
## Character and role
Rei is one of the four inner Sailor Guardians who fight alongside [Sailor Moon](https://www.edgepedia.org/sailor-moon), together with [Sailor Mercury](https://www.edgepedia.org/sailor-mercury), Sailor Jupiter, and [Sailor Venus](https://www.edgepedia.org/sailor-venus).[9](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/374780403_PERSONALISED_LEARNING_THROUGH_THE_SCREEN_EXAMINE_SAILOR_MOON_TV_SERIES_AS_STEM-BASED_ANIME) The official film profile describes her as a quiet, mysterious young lady in daily life who, when the moment comes, drives the team forward with a stronger will than anyone else's.[1](https://sailormoon-movie.jp/sp/character.html)
Within the team she is the most vocal critic of Sailor Moon. In the first season's storyline the other Guardians at one point stage a falling-out with Usagi, and Rei's habitual impatience with her leader makes the deception believable; the episode resolves with her loyalty confirmed.[10](https://www.denofgeek.com/books/sailor-moon-usagi-abandoned-the-falling-out-of-the-sailor-guardians-review/) Commentators describe her function as the discernment beside Usagi's open-hearted center, a watchful temperament that feels danger first.[11](https://mymythos.org/archetype/sailor-mars/)
## Shrine maiden identity
Rei's daily life is built around her family's Shinto shrine. She works there as a miko, a shrine maiden, and the shrine also serves as the Sailor team's regular meeting place and her own home.[2](https://uu.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2%3A1260391/FULLTEXT01.pdf) • [12](https://mars.route-venus.org/) Her spiritual abilities, including fire-based purification, paper talismans used as calamity repellents, and fortune telling, reflect the traditional ritual roles of pre-Meiji miko.[2](https://uu.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2%3A1260391/FULLTEXT01.pdf) In the manga she aspires to become the shrine's Head Priestess.[12](https://mars.route-venus.org/)
The character draws on the author's own experience: Naoko Takeuchi worked part-time as a miko at Shiba Daijingu (芝大神宮) during her college days, which she describes in her essay collection *Punch!!*, and this is identified as the inspiration behind Rei and her being a miko.[13](https://digibug.ugr.es/bitstream/handle/10481/77669/58546%281%29.pdf?isAllowed=y&sequence=4) The manga's Hikawa Shrine is based on a real Hikawa Shrine in Azabu, while the anime's version is based on a different Hikawa Shrine located in Roppongi.[12](https://mars.route-venus.org/) Rei's living quarters are in traditional Japanese style, and she is the only member of the Sailor team who sleeps on a Japanese futon.[12](https://mars.route-venus.org/)
## Name and design
The surname Hino uses the character 火 (fire), the same character that appears in the [Japanese name](https://www.edgepedia.org/japanese-name) for the planet Mars (火星); Rei means spirit or soul, so the full name reads as "Spirit/Soul of Fire".[4](https://sailormoon.takeuchi-naoko.com/info/chara/senshi/mars.php) In early English localization her given name was rendered Raye.[4](https://sailormoon.takeuchi-naoko.com/info/chara/senshi/mars.php)
An earlier stage of the character exists in Takeuchi's development notes: Rei is not named in the original proposal for a hypothetical *Codename: Sailor V* anime, but an identical character in miko clothing appears there under the name Miyabi Yoruno.[14](https://manga.fandom.com/wiki/Sailor_Mars)
## Powers
As Sailor Mars, Rei attacks with fire. Her later fire-based offense includes Burning Mandala, backed by precognitive and spiritual ability drawn from her identity as a shrine priestess.[5](https://comicbookco.com/lists/sailor-moon-guardians-ranked/) Unlike the other Guardians, her spiritual and clairvoyant abilities as a shrine maiden do not require transformation into her guardian form.[15](https://www.looper.com/796536/the-untold-truth-of-sailor-mars/) • [2](https://uu.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2%3A1260391/FULLTEXT01.pdf)
## Manga, anime, and other versions
The manga ran in Kodansha's *Nakayoshi* magazine from 1991 to 1997, and [Toei Animation](https://www.edgepedia.org/toei-animation)'s TV adaptation aired from 1992 to 1997.[16](https://iopn.library.illinois.edu/journals/jams/article/view/948) The two versions portray Rei differently: commentators describe manga Rei as sharp-tongued and independent, a temperament the character carries across versions, while her transformation ties her to the red planet's inherited identity as Mars, the Roman god of war.[11](https://mymythos.org/archetype/sailor-mars/) A small marker of the split between versions is that Rei dislikes television in the manga, a trait the anime does not keep.[3](https://sailormoon.fandom.com/ja/wiki/%E7%81%AB%E9%87%8E%E3%83%AC%E3%82%A4) The 2003 live-action series keeps the manga's dignified characterization while adding an older-sister protectiveness toward Usagi.[3](https://sailormoon.fandom.com/ja/wiki/%E7%81%AB%E9%87%8E%E3%83%AC%E3%82%A4)
Voice casting has changed across versions. Michie Tomizawa voiced Rei throughout the 1990s anime, including *Sailor Stars*.[6](https://lineup.toei-anim.co.jp/ja/tv/sailor_moon/character/) • [17](https://lineup.toei-anim.co.jp/ja/tv/sailor_stars/character/) Rina Satō took the role in *Sailor Moon Crystal* (2014).[7](https://lineup.toei-anim.co.jp/ja/ondem/sailor_moon_c/character/) In the 2003 live-action drama Rei was played by [Keiko Kitagawa](https://www.edgepedia.org/keiko-kitagawa).[8](https://www.bandainamco.co.jp/files/pr110922-E382BBE383BCE383A9E383BCE383A0E383BCE383B.pdf) The character has also been played on stage by successive actresses in the long-running Sailor Moon musicals, including Karen Kobayashi in the 2010s productions and Rei Kobayashi in *The Super Live*.[18](https://sailormoon-official.com/musical/news/5_9.php) • [19](https://www.sailormoon-official.com/musical/history/kaguyahimenokoibito/cast_staff/index.php)
## References
1. [Character｜劇場版「美少女戦士セーラームーンEternal」公式サイト](https://sailormoon-movie.jp/sp/character.html)
2. [Sailor Mars as miko, academic discussion of Shinto and miko in Sailor Moon](https://uu.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2%3A1260391/FULLTEXT01.pdf)
3. [火野レイ | 美少女戦士セーラームーン Wiki | Fandom](https://sailormoon.fandom.com/ja/wiki/%E7%81%AB%E9%87%8E%E3%83%AC%E3%82%A4)
4. [Sailor Moon Character Profiles – Sailor Mars (Takeuchi-naoko.com)](https://sailormoon.takeuchi-naoko.com/info/chara/senshi/mars.php)
5. [Every Sailor Guardian, Ranked by Power – Comic Book Co](https://comicbookco.com/lists/sailor-moon-guardians-ranked/)
6. [キャラクター／キャスト – 美少女戦士セーラームーン – 東映アニメーション](https://lineup.toei-anim.co.jp/ja/tv/sailor_moon/character/)
7. [キャラクター／キャスト – 美少女戦士セーラームーン Crystal – 東映アニメーション](https://lineup.toei-anim.co.jp/ja/ondem/sailor_moon_c/character/)
8. [Bandai Namco press release on the live-action Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon DVD release](https://www.bandainamco.co.jp/files/pr110922-E382BBE383BCE383A9E383BCE383A0E383BCE383B.pdf)
9. [Personalised Learning Through the Screen: Examine Sailor Moon TV Series as STEM-Based Anime (ResearchGate)](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/374780403_PERSONALISED_LEARNING_THROUGH_THE_SCREEN_EXAMINE_SAILOR_MOON_TV_SERIES_AS_STEM-BASED_ANIME)
10. [Sailor Moon – Usagi Abandoned: The Falling-Out of the Sailor Guardians review, Den of Geek](https://www.denofgeek.com/books/sailor-moon-usagi-abandoned-the-falling-out-of-the-sailor-guardians-review/)
11. [Sailor Mars Symbolism & Meaning – MyMythos](https://mymythos.org/archetype/sailor-mars/)
12. [Cremare – a tribute to Sailor Mars/Hino Rei of the BSSM Manga](https://mars.route-venus.org/)
13. [Fan culture chapter on the Sailor Moon franchise (Universidad de Granada repository)](https://digibug.ugr.es/bitstream/handle/10481/77669/58546%281%29.pdf?isAllowed=y&sequence=4)
14. [Sailor Mars | Manga Wiki | Fandom](https://manga.fandom.com/wiki/Sailor_Mars)
15. [The Untold Truth Of Sailor Mars – Looper](https://www.looper.com/796536/the-untold-truth-of-sailor-mars/)
16. [30 Years Later, Re-Examining the "Pretty Soldier": A Gender Study Analysis of Sailor Moon, Journal of Anime and Manga Studies](https://iopn.library.illinois.edu/journals/jams/article/view/948)
17. [キャラクター／キャスト – 美少女戦士セーラームーンセーラースターズ – 東映アニメーション](https://lineup.toei-anim.co.jp/ja/tv/sailor_stars/character/)
18. [新たなセーラー5戦士、ついに決定！ – 美少女戦士セーラームーン20周年プロジェクト公式サイト](https://sailormoon-official.com/musical/news/5_9.php)
19. [ステージ：ミュージカル：キャスト・スタッフ – 美少女戦士セーラームーン30周年プロジェクト公式サイト](https://www.sailormoon-official.com/musical/history/kaguyahimenokoibito/cast_staff/index.php)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Fictional worlds and series reference apparatus › Fictional universes, characters, and attribute reference › Anime and manga characters (screen treatment principal)*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 19, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 19, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license