When I first started watching Sailor Moon, I found Raye coming across as basically the bully of the group. (Sorry to you Mars- fans out there). She was obnoxious, rude, and willing to step on other people to get her own way. In "An Animated Mess", Raye's basic reason for going along with Sarena and Amy is to get autographs from Sailor V. In "The Power of Friendship", Raye actually bullies Amy (of all people to pick on!!) into supporting her in her assertion that Sarena was unfit to lead the group.

Unfortunately, Sarena feeds the "darker" side of Raye by continuously doing ditzy stuff, such as the attempt to play matchmaker between her and Chad. ("Grandpa's Follies")

Underneath it all, Raye is quick to come to the aid of those who need it. Her concern over her grandpa after he fell off the roof of the temple is matched by concern for Chad when grandpa takes the young man under his wing to teach him the philosophy of the temple. Apparently this also means one has to defy death, and the training is physically challenging to say the least.

I see Raye as the result of rather unfortunate circumstances. Apparently, unlike Lita, whose parents were killed in an accident, Raye's father at least, was simply never around for his daughter. Having been sent away to live at the temple did a couple of good things for Raye as she was growing up... it gave her a deep spiritual grounding, and it formed her into a fiercely independent girl, and I think this is where she gets into trouble with the relatively immature Sarena. Her attitude is basically a mix of "Why can't you be more like me?", and "Well, I will help you be more like me," and those aspects are both apparent in Raye's on again-off again friendship with Sarena.

Despite all of the above, Raye has her foppish moments too. In "Kitty Chaos", during her transformation soliloquy, Raye stands forward as the defender of love, saying that even cats should have the opportunity for romance. Luna is thanksful that at least Sailor Mars' arrival means an end to the rambling, and Zoisite's response is more to the point: "Pathetic". However, I like the scene simply because it was hilarious. :)

As the series progressed toward the end of the first series, Raye's relationship with Sarena continued to evolve. In "Fractious Friends", the bickering between her and Sarena took center stage in an attempt to fool the Negaverse into thinking that the Sailors were breaking up. Also during that episode, Mars holds the other Sailors at bay during an attack on Sailor Moon. At first glance, this may seem like treachery, but repeatedly, Raye reminds the others that this is part of the plan to get readings on Negaverse portals. When persuasion fails, Raye then pulls the Moon Wand from her backpack, which obviously begs the question of how she got ahold of it. Raye says, (and I believe her) that Sarena accidently left it in her room at the temple. Remember, in "An Artful Attack", Sarena nearly dumped the wand in the river. When the rest of the Sailors persist in blaming Raye for wanting to wrest control of the group from Sarena, she, still referring to the wand, replied, "As if I WANTED it!" After a few more tense moments of watching Sailor Moon under fire from Malachite and his minions, Sailor Mars gives the order to charge into battle, and the group proceeds to kick bad-guy tail.

Sailor Mars proved her friendship with Sarena again in "Day of Destiny" when she pulled Sarena together long enough to announce that she too had to leave to face whatever fate awaited her at the hands of the "Doom and Gloom Girls"

In the second season of the series, Raye's transformation from bitch to true friend continues. Toward the end of the Four Sisters plotline, Sarena is confronted by both Raye and Catsy over her recent break-up with Darien. The two convince Sarena that perhaps she had some role in the break-up, and she agrees, saying "I suppose I have been too selfish." Raye replies, "We forgive you," and Sarena says, "Thank you, Raye."

Sailor Mars is one of the more powerful of the Sailors, and her transformation and flame attacks are very impressive.

Episode Spotlight: Sailor Mars

The following episodes seem to feature Sailor Mars:

Episode #7: An Uncharmed Life
Episode #26: Grandpa's Follies
Episode #34: Snow Bunny Blues
Episode #48: Raye's Day in the Spotlight
Episode #57: Gramps in a Pickle

For More information about Rei / Sailor Mars, see these pages:

Rei As A Shinto Priestess

Sailor Mars Links

The Sailormars Shrine of Fire
Midori's Sailor Mars Shrine
The Eternal Flame
Sailor Mars Zone
The Sailor Mars Shrine
Sailor Mars Sacred Page
Rei's Temple of Light
Rei's Sailor Moon Page
Fire Senshi's Realm

The No Mars Club

Sailor Mars Link Exchange

Sailor Mars Webring