Makoto Kino

Makoto Kino is the civilian identity and present-day incarnation of Sailor Jupiter. This is the original depiction of the manga character created by Naoko Takeuchi.

Profile
Makoto is a Japanese teenager who lives in Azabu-Juuban, Minato Ward, Tokyo, Japan. In Act 17, it is revealed that her parents died in an airline accident when she was younger, which caused that Makoto had to live all by herself ever since.

In Chapter 1 - The Melancholy of Mako-chan, the first story of the Exam Battle series that takes place in the Infinity arc, it is shown that Makoto is very scared of airplanes because of the accident. The story also revealed that Makoto likes cooking and bargain hunting.

After she got a sense that there was a place she had to be, Makoto transferred to Juuban Municipal Junior High School, the same school Usagi Tsukino and Ami Mizuno go to. When she transferred, a rumor went around saying that she was expelled from her old school.

In Act 42, it is shown that Makoto dreams of getting married, opening up a flower shop and cake bakery, and growing up to be as pretty as Michiru and as strong as Haruka.

Appearance
Makoto is a teenage girl who fair skin and a slim complexion, though she is slightly more muscular than her most of her fellow Senshi. She has big green eyes, long brown wavy hair that she usually keeps tied up with a ponytail holder with two green balls, and is almost always shown wearing her pink rose earrings. She is also the tallest out of the Inner Senshi, standing at 168cm or 5 feet 6 inches.

Codename: Sailor V
Although Makoto is not formally introduced in the Sailor V manga, at the end of Chapter 16, Makoto is seen right behind Minako on the train, remarking in her thoughts that she is weird for bringing a cat onto the train before getting off.

Dark Kingdom Arc
Makoto's first appearance in the Sailor Moon series was at the end "Act 4 - Masquerade Dance Party". Here, she is seen walking outside at night in the rain. However, she makes her formal appearance in the following act, "Act 5 - Makoto, Sailor Jupiter". At the beginning of the act, she saves Usagi from getting hit by a car. After doing so, Makoto tells Usagi to be more careful in the future and walks away. At school, Makoto accidentally bumps into Usagi and gets yelled at by a teacher who tells her to wear a proper uniform. As Makoto was setting up for lunch, she protects Usagi from an oncoming baseball. as Usagi was spying on her. She throws the ball far and Usagi joins her for lunch.

Powers and Abilities
Makoto possesses immense physical strength, as high as Haruka's, and combined with some knowledge of martial arts, she, as Sailor Jupiter, is the "hand-to-hand combatant" of the Inner Sailor Scouts (unlike Sailor Mercury, the "brain" of the team).

When she is sick, she becomes electrically charged, as shown in the Act 17, when she unintentionally shocked Ittou Asanuma when he touched her shoulder.

Development
Makoto was present in the original propsoal for the Codename: Sailor V anime; however, she was called Mamoru Chino, a name similar to Mamoru Chiba. It was later confirmed this character was eventually turned into Makoto, her character was meant to be not only tough, but the leader of a female gang and a smoker. Also, her hair was straight instead of wavy.

Etymology
Makoto: Makoto's first name in Japanese is written in hiragana as "まこと", which can be read as "実", which can mean "trust" or "sincerity" in Japanese. Originally, it was "Mamoru," meaning "to guard/protect."

Kino: The kanji of "Kino" (木野) can translate to "wood field" or "tree field."

Her name completely in hiragana would be "きのまこと" (Kino Makoto).

Her DiC name, "Lita", could be a shortened version of "lightning". However, the Latin and American meanings of the name are both “joyful,” which would accurately describe Lita’s cheerful nature when she’s not around airplanes, that is. Yet the name is Spanish, and in that language would translate to “sorrow.” Ironically, this would also fit Lita, based on the tragedy with her parents in “Mako’s Depression.”

Lita could be derived from 'Leda' one of the moons of Jupiter. The moon Leda was named after one of Zeus' mythological cohorts, who is the subject of the famous poem "Leda and the Swan." Both Lita and Leda have four letters and start with L, and end with A.

"Lita" is a pun on the word, lightning, one of the elements that Sailor Jupiter is known to fight with. However, it should be noted that it means "trust" or "to rely on" in Swedish when put together with the word "på". This may or may not have been intended.

Trivia

 * The Kanji 木 Is used to identify the day Thursday in japan. Thursday according to Nordic mythology, it is the thunder god Thor's Day.
 * Her school uniform was further representation of her tough girl status, that being the style for those girls at the time.
 * In the manga and in Crystal, it is shown that Makoto keeps many plants in her apartment.
 * The source of Makoto's income has been a debate among the fans, seeing as she is only 14-16 years old. An explanation behind how she supported herself was never given, but a popular theory is that she lives off an inheritance left behind by her parents.
 * Her very first appearance in the manga was at the end of Act 4, even though her identity wasn't revealed until Act 5.
 * In the first "Chibiusa Picture Diary", Makoto is seen eating a chocolate cigarette. However, there are many fans who believe she was smoking an actual cigarette.

Gallery
For images of the manga incarnation of Makoto Kino, please see Makoto Kino/Image Gallery