Lion's Mane

Lore & Background

In the episode "Bismuth," Steven accidentally pops a bubbled Gem stored within Lion's mane, which regenerates into Bismuth (voiced by Uzo Aduba). Bismuth is introduced as one of the original Crystal Gems from 5,300 years ago, thought lost during the Gem War. The mane had kept her gem bubbled and hidden for millennia. After Steven brings her out, Garnet and Pearl joyfully reunite with her. Later, after a conflict over the Breaking Point—a weapon capable of shattering a gem permanently—Steven uses Rose's sword to pop Bismuth's bubble, poofing her, and her gem is bubbled again and placed in the temple basement. The mane thus served as a long-term storage for a key figure from the Gem War, whose return forced Steven to confront ethical dilemmas about violence and legacy.

Reader's Guide

Lion's Mane functions as a storage dimension within Lion's hair. It is accessible by entering Lion's mane, as Steven does in the episode. The space can hold bubbled Gems, as demonstrated by Bismuth's gem being stored there for thousands of years. In this case, the bubbled Gem was stored by someone (likely Rose Quartz) and remained hidden until Steven accidentally popped it. Its primary known use is as a hiding place for a Gem that was kept secret from the other Crystal Gems, as Steven eventually learns why Bismuth was kept hidden all those years.

Did You Know?

• The episode "Bismuth" is the 100th episode overall of Steven Universe, while the next episode "Beta" is the 101st.
• The episode was viewed by 2.153 million viewers on its initial American broadcast.