Rei Hino

Lore & Background

Rei first appears as a miko at the Hikawa Shrine, and is shown to have an affinity with two crows who live there. It is revealed in the manga that as a child, the crows 'told' her that their names are Phobos and Deimos (the same as Mars' two moons). In the manga, she is portrayed as imperial, ancient, conservative, old-fashioned, traditional, serious, disciplined, and practical, having contempt for men and disliking modern romantic relationships.

In the anime adaptation, Rei is a disciplined and practical person. She is also greatly interested in pop culture, and she excels at music—composing songs for a school festival. Rei and Usagi Tsukino have a very tempestuous relationship, and argue frequently. Though these arguments are usually petty, early in the series Rei attempts to usurp Usagi as the leader of Sailor Guardians.

Even though Rei does become more loyal to Usagi, with slightly calmer emotions in the later seasons, she still remains somewhat more of a typical teenager than her manga counterpart. In the anime, Rei also tends to engage in long periods of antagonizing Usagi (who returns the same reaction), as a running gag in their arguments. Rei goes to a different school from the other girls, namely T*A Private Girls School, a Catholic institution run by nuns. She herself is a practitioner of Shinto, living and working at Hikawa Shrine with her grandfather, its head priest. Her mother died when Rei was very young; her father is a famous politician who cares more about his job than about her (though in the live-action version he still tries to be involved in her life), and who only visits Rei on her birthday. She carries a certain amount of dislike towards him, especially in the live-action series, in which the character of her grandfather does not appear. Because of the lack of respectable males in her life, Rei harbors a generally low opinion of men. She considers them untrustworthy and seems genuinely uninterested in romance. The one exception is in a manga side-story centering on her, Casablanca Memories, which tells of Rei's friendship with her father's young secretary, Kaidou. He had been kind to her for her entire life and, in the story, she fancies herself in love with him.

Reader's Guide

Rei Hino is the fiery heart of the Sailor Guardians, balancing her duties as a shrine maiden with her secret life as Sailor Mars. Her character arc focuses on overcoming her initial loneliness and learning to trust others, eventually becoming Usagi's closest confidante. Her powers center on fire manipulation and spiritual arts, allowing her to burn away evil spirits and sense supernatural threats invisible to others. She is known for her sharp tongue and competitive nature, often clashing with Ami or Luna but always stepping up when the team needs protection. Defining moments include her first battle against the Dark Kingdom, where she proves her worth as a warrior, and later arcs where she faces personal demons regarding her family's legacy. Her growth is marked by a deepening bond with Mamoru Chiba and an unwavering dedication to saving the world.