Sailor Jupiter - Development

Development

Makoto is present in the original proposal for a hypothetical Codename: Sailor V anime, but her name is given as Mamoru Chino. Creator Naoko Takeuchi confirms that this character eventually became Makoto, and writes that the original concept was quite different—Makoto was not only tough, but in fact was meant to be the leader of a female gang as well as a smoker. A very similar name was later given to the series' male protagonist, Mamoru Chiba.

Sailor Jupiter's original costume design, like the others', was fully unique. It featured buckles, very long gloves, blue and yellow highlights, a bare lower torso, and a profusion of thin, dark pink ribbons—along with a face-plate and communicator. Later, Takeuchi was surprised by these sketches and stated that she did not remember drawing them. Her instructions to the animators included a note that Makoto should appear muscular, "a little meatier than normal."

The kanji of Makoto's surname translate as "tree" or "wood" or "spirit" (木, ki?) and "field" or "civilian" (野, no?). Her given name is in hiragana makoto (まこと?) and therefore difficult to translate. Possible meanings include "truth," "wisdom," and "sincerity." The given name "Makoto" is usually a male name, but is sometimes given to girls; its use here highlights Makoto's tomboyishness.