Queen Metaria
| Dark Kingdom | |
|---|---|
The Dark Kingdom by Naoko Takeuchi. Left column: Jadeite, Zoisite, Kunzite, and Nephrite. Right column: Queen Metaria, Queen Beryl, and Prince Endymion/Endou.
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| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Kodansha |
| First appearance | Sailor Moon chapter #1: Usagi – Sailor Moon (December 1991) |
| Created by | Naoko Takeuchi |
| In-story information | |
| Base(s) | D Point (North Pole) |
| Leader(s) |
Queen Beryl Queen Metaria |
| Member(s) |
Four Kings of Heaven Endou Dark Mercury Mio Kuroki Dark Agency Monsters |
The Dark Kingdom (ダーク・キングダム Dāku Kingudamu) is a group of fictional characters who serve as antagonists in the Sailor Moon manga series by Naoko Takeuchi. They are the primary antagonists of the first story arc in every version of the series. They are first introduced in chapter #1 of the manga, "Usagi – Sailor Moon", originally published in Japan's Nakayoshi on December 28, 1991. In some English adaptations of the anime, the Dark Kingdom's name was changed to Negaverse.
In each variation of the series, the characters — led by Queen Beryl — attempt to gather life energy from humans and steal an artifact known as the Silver Crystal in order to release an evil entity known as Queen Metaria, who was sealed away by Queen Serenity during the battle that destroyed the Moon Kingdom in a fictional historical period called the "Silver Millennium".
The Dark Kingdom is first referenced in Naoko Takeuchi's previous work Codename: Sailor V, which features Sailor Venus as the main character, who confronts a group of villains called the Dark Agency. In the final volume of Codename: Sailor V, the Dark Agency is revealed to be a subset of the Dark Kingdom, which leads to the beginning of Sailor Moon. Takeuchi developed the Sailor Moon series, and the Dark Kingdom by extension, when Codename: Sailor V was first proposed for an anime adaptation. The idea was dropped, but Sailor Venus became part of a new group alongside Sailors Moon, Mercury, Mars and Jupiter, and instead of fighting the Dark Agency, they fought the Dark Kingdom.
The names of Queen Beryl and the Four Kings of Heaven are derived from minerals: beryl, jadeite, nephrite, zoisite, and kunzite. In some English adaptations, Kunzite's name is changed to Malachite. Several villains from subsequent arcs follow this pattern of using minerals as namesakes.
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