Sailorvenus, the soldier of love and beauty, is the leader of the Inner Senshi. In some ways she is a paradox. She is a unique senshi and at the same time is so much like Sailormoon that it is uncanny. The simple reason for this being that Venus was created before BSSM existed. This is also the reason that her name translation is not a pun like those of the other senshi. Her name translates to "Beautiful Little Child of Love."

She is also the crime fighter Sailor V. Her guardian cat, Artemis, found and trained her when she was 13. Though she was the first senshi to be found, she was the fifth to join the team. She was Usagi's hero and the Princess often looked to Venus as a role model in the beginning. Usagi affectionately calls her V-chan. ^_^

When she first arrived, Sailorvenus posed as the moon princess to protect Serenity, as Luna and Artemis had planned (before they lost their memories). In fact, when she first appeared, Venus had the crescent moon insignia, not Sailormoon. It was actually an easy task considering how alike they are. They look very similar, their hairstyles being the only thing separating them. Minako always pulls part of her hair back with a red bow ever since a guy told her it looked nice on her. Usagi and Minako also act alike, both being a bit ditzy.

Takeuchi Naoko created Sailor V in an earlier work called Code Name wa Sailor V. Due to its popularity, she went on to create BSSM. Originally, she intended each senshi to have a completely different uniform and for all of them to wear masks like Sailormoon and Sailor V. To see her early plans look here.

As the leader of the inners, Sailorvenus also has a stone sword which she found amid the ruins of the Moon Palace. She was the only one capable of pulling it out of he ground (a la King Arthur). It was this sword that she used to kill Queen Beryl. She did not want her to hurt the Princess. It is the job of the Inner Senshi to guard and protect the Princess, no matter what. Sailorvenus takes her position quite seriously and helps provide direction for the team.

Minako is also the princess of the planet Venus. She has Magellan Castle as her own, floating in orbit over the planet.

As Aino Minako, she (and Artemis, of course) lives with her mother and father. However, she does not get along well with her mother. She is very athletic, being good at volleyball and gymnastics. She also is a whiz at video games...though some of the boys used to make fun of her since she was the only girl at the arcade. When she has a problem, Minako tends to conceal it from everyone and puts a smile on her face anyway.

Minako has certainly had some pain in her past... As Sailor V, Minako had her own "Tuxedo Kamen." He was Ace. He loved her deeply and wanted to be with her. She also cared for him, but she knew it wasn't right. She could feel that there was someone else she was meant to protect; that she was born to be a soldier. This is when she truly awakened and her memories came flooding back. Ace was actually Danburite, a lesser general working for the Dark Kingdom. But he remembered his past from the Silver Millenium. He was Adonis and he also bore the sigil of Venus. He was her "mystical lover" and they were destined to love one another. Though he was born on Venus he did not see her until he fought among Endymion's soldiers in the war that eventually destroyed the Moon Kingdom. But his social position was much lower than that of Princess Minako, and he was only able to watch Venus from afar; she was in love with Kunzite. He hoped that in this time as Danburite/Ace he could "change the wheel of fate" and they could be together. But he comes to realize there is only one fate. He forces Venus's hand and makes her kill him, but before he dies he tells her of her sad future: "Your love will be hopeless for all eternity...You're fate is to continue fighting." It is rather ironic that the soldier of love gave up any chance at love for the sake of her duty.

That is one of the most powerful things I have ever read about any of the senshi. Minako is an incredible character. Sailorvenus is my favorite of the inner senshi. She has sacrificed so much already for her Princess. Despite any problems she has, she is always cheerful and can lighten the mood just by being there! One moment she can be very silly, then she turns around and is very responsible. I really love everything about this person who can bear such a heavy burden and still be such a kind-hearted and fun-loving girl.