List of Steven Universe characters

Steven Universe is an American animated television series created by Rebecca Sugar. It is produced by Cartoon Network Studios, and is the first show by the studio to be created by a woman.^[1] The series focuses on the adventures of the Crystal Gems—a team of magical alien warriors who protect the world from evil—and the humans they interact with in the fictional town of Beach City. It has received critical acclaim for the diversity of its characters and their depth of characterization; its portrayal of relationships, including queer relationships; and its subversion of stereotypical gender norms.^[2][3]

Main characters

Steven Universe

• Voiced by Zach Callison^[4] –

The titular protagonist of the series, Steven is the enthusiastic youngest and only male member of the Crystal Gems. His characterization is loosely inspired by the series creator Rebecca Sugar's younger brother Steven Sugar, who is also a background artist for the show.^[5] Steven's portrayal as a male character whose heroism is based on traditionally feminine-coded attributes such as empathy and nurturing, and who seeks to live up to the legacy of his heroic mother, has drawn favorable reaction from critics.^[6][7][8]

In the context of the show, Steven is the son of Greg Universe, a human musician, and Rose Quartz, the former leader of the Crystal Gems. Rose is described as having "given up her physical form to bring [Steven] into the world" as the first Gem-human hybrid; her rose quartz gemstone is embedded in his navel. At the time of the show's narrative, he is 13–14 years old, but appears younger (due to the interaction of his gem's magic with his aging process). Steven is caring, protective, brave, gentle, quick to make friends and forgive others, and eager to help the people he loves with their problems; his optimism is often a source of strength for the other Crystal Gems. His gem gives him a wide range of magical abilities; one of the long-term story arcs of the series is his progress in learning about and mastering these abilities, beginning in the first episode with his first successful attempt to summon his "Gem weapon", a shield. Other long-lasting character arcs involving Steven include his anxiety about filling his mother's place in the Crystal Gems and living up to her example, and his developing friendship with his human best friend, Connie.

Garnet

• Voiced by Estelle –

The disciplined current leader of the Crystal Gems, Garnet is the strongest of the four. She is quiet, stoic, pragmatic, and described by Steven as "mysterious", but over the course of the series she becomes more emotionally open, especially in expressing her love for Steven. According to the writers, her great self-confidence is reflected in the fact that she never asks questions.^[9] She possesses red garnets embedded in her hands, from which she summons her Gem weapon, a pair of heavy gauntlets. She also has a precognitive ability she refers to as "future vision". Garnet has three eyes, over which she wears a visor.

In the first season finale, "Jail Break", it is revealed that Garnet is a fusion of the two Gems Ruby and Sapphire. Garnet's existence is thus a personification of Ruby and Sapphire's loving relationship—she describes herself as "a conversation" and "made of love"—and her personality is a stable blending of Ruby and Sapphire's traits. The character of Garnet has won acclaim from critics as a representation of a lesbian relationship.^[10] Though she is normally stoic, Garnet's strongest emotional displays are often centered around fusion: anger and revulsion at what she perceives as abuses or perversions of fusion, and delight when Steven develops the ability to fuse. The second-season episode "The Answer", a flashback showing how Ruby and Sapphire met and formed Garnet for the first time, was nominated for an Emmy Award and adapted into a children's book.

Ruby and Sapphire

See also: Ruby and Sapphire

• Voiced by Charlyne Yi and Erica Luttrell –

The two smaller Gems who are the constituents of Garnet, Ruby and Sapphire first appeared in "Jail Break". They are portrayed as having contrasting personalities and abilities: Sapphire is emotionally reserved, has the ability to freeze her surroundings, and is described as a "rare, aristocratic" Gem, while Ruby is impulsive and hotheaded, can generate heat, and is a common foot soldier. Garnet's qualities are the result of a "conversation" between these two contrasting personalities.

Amethyst

• Voiced by Michaela Dietz^[4] –

The youngest of the Crystal Gems until Steven was born, Amethyst has a rebellious and hedonistic personality. Her mischievous sense of humor often provides comic relief, and her fun-loving and relatively childish nature bolsters her friendship with Steven. Her amethyst gemstone, from which she can summon a whip, is embedded on her chest; she also makes frequent use of shapeshifting capabilities. Late in the first season, Steven learns that Amethyst (unlike the other Crystal Gems) was created on Earth as part of the Gem Homeworld's "Kindergarten" project to convert Earth into a Gem-occupied world; later on, Amethyst herself learns that the Kindergarten produced her malformed, smaller and weaker than other Gems of her type (the "Quartz warrior" caste). Her irreverent personality masks deep-seated feelings of inadequacy, resentment, and fear that the other Crystal Gems do not respect her; a long-term character arc involves her learning to respect herself and her capabilities.

Pearl

• Voiced by Deedee Magno Hall^[4] –

Designed to resemble a ballerina in her slender build, costume, and graceful style of movement, Pearl is a precise, intellectual strategist. Her gemstone is a white pearl embedded in her forehead, with which she can summon a spear and create holographic images. She is the most overtly motherly and protective toward Steven of the Gems. Late in the second season, it is revealed that, on the Gem Homeworld, pearls are a "made-to-order" servant caste; but Pearl has rejected her caste role and trained herself to be a capable fighter and technician. Pearl harbored a deep, apparently romantic devotion to Rose Quartz, which has led to lasting grief over Rose's absence and jealousy over her relationship with Greg; major character arcs for Pearl include her slowly learning to cope with and move beyond these emotions. Critical response to Pearl has largely appreciated her portrayal as a complex, sympathetic, yet flawed queer character.^[11][12]

Major recurring characters

Humans

Greg Universe

(voiced by Tom Scharpling^[13]) – Steven's father, a former rock singer who now lives in his van and runs a car wash in Beach City. Although Steven lives with the Gems during the time period of the narrative, Greg remains a constant presence in his life. Greg is laid-back, accepting, and supportive of Steven's adventures, though often made uncomfortable by Gem magic. In a series of flashback episodes, framed as stories told to Steven by Greg, it is shown how Greg abandoned his career as a touring musician to settle in Beach City and pursue a romantic relationship with Rose Quartz.

Connie Maheswaran

(voiced by Grace Rolek^[13][14]) – Steven's closest human friend, Connie is introduced as an intelligent, introverted, and lonely person in the episode "Bubble Buddies", and she rapidly develops a close relationship with Steven. An avid reader of fantasy literature, she admires what she calls Steven's "magical destiny" and is eager to be a part of it; her increasing involvement in Gem adventures is a long-term plot arc of the show, including learning to fight with Rose Quartz's sword and coming to see herself as Steven's equal despite not having magical abilities of her own. Another character arc involving Connie is her learning to push back against her strict and overprotective parents.

Lars and Sadie

(voiced by Matthew Moy and Kate Micucci) – Employees at the Big Donut, the donut shop that Steven frequently visits. Lars is inconsiderate, irresponsible, and abrasive, but insecure and desperate for the friendship of those he considers to be the "cool kids"; Sadie is friendly and supportive toward Steven. Despite Lars's negative attitude, Steven considers Lars a close friend, and Sadie has a crush on him. Lars and Sadie's intermittently affectionate and antagonistic relationship is a recurring focus of episodes in which both characters feature. Matthew Moy has stated that Lars is one of his favorite acting roles, and has described his character as a "complicated fellow".^[15] According to Rebecca Sugar, Lars and Sadie are based upon characters she created while in college.^[16] They appeared in both the pilot episode of Steven Universe and the first episode of the series proper; they are the only characters other than the Crystal Gems to have speaking roles in either of those episodes.

Gems

Lapis Lazuli

(voiced by Jennifer Paz) – At the time of her introduction, Lapis Lazuli is a Gem from Homeworld who has been trapped in a magical mirror on Earth for thousands of years. When the mirror is given to Steven in the first season, she forms a friendship with him, but she initially mistrusts the other Crystal Gems and attacks them upon being freed by Steven. As the first sentient Gem other than the Crystal Gems to appear in the series, Lapis's appearance sets the stage for deeper plot developments and is cited by the show's writers as "really the beginning of the show".^[17] In "Jail Break", the first season finale, she prevents the Homeworld Gem Jasper from attacking the Crystal Gems by fusing with her and imprisoning themselves at the bottom of the ocean. After being released from the fusion in "Super Watermelon Island", the first episode of the third season, her character arc in her intermittent appearances has involved recovering from the psychological trauma of having been imprisoned and having been part of an abusive fusion. She has extremely powerful telekinetic control over water, and can produce wings made of water from the lapis lazuli gemstone embedded on her back.

Peridot

(voiced by Shelby Rabara)^[18] – Peridot is introduced as a technician dispatched by the Gem Homeworld to check on remaining Gem installations on Earth; her appearance late in the first season becomes an ominous sign that the Crystal Gems are under threat from Homeworld. Stranded on Earth after the events of the first season finale, Peridot becomes a recurring antagonist in the first half of the second season, until she is eventually captured by the Crystal Gems; she then chooses to ally with them to defuse the "Cluster", a Gem entity placed by Homeworld to destroy the Earth. When the Crystal Gems first encounter her she wears technological "limb enhancers", giving her a fearsome and robotic appearance; when she is captured, she loses them and appears child-like without them. She plays a prominent role in the last part of the second season, during which her character arc centers around learning to outgrow the hierarchical, utilitarian mindset of Homeworld and appreciate the value of friendship, individuality, and life on Earth. She is cranky and self-aggrandizing in demeanor, but demonstrates willingness to learn from her mistakes and attempt to treat others with greater respect and kindness. Her gemstone is a triangular peridot embedded in her forehead. She discovers in the third season that she has the ability to telekinetically control metal objects.

Jasper

(voiced by Kimberly Brooks) – A powerful fighter and veteran of the ancient war against the Crystal Gems on the Homeworld side. Jasper is introduced at the end of the first season, assigned to accompany Peridot to Earth. She is openly contemptuous of those she perceives as weak or defective and takes pride in her status as the ideal Gem soldier. Her gemstone is a yellow jasper in the place of her nose, and her Gem weapon is a heavy helmet. As a perfectly formed Quartz warrior, she becomes the target of Amethyst's resentment and desire to prove herself. Although she dismisses Gem fusion as a "cheap tactic to make weak Gems stronger", when she is defeated in battle by fusions she resorts to attempting fusion herself, with disastrous results. Trapped in a fusion by Lapis Lazuli in "Jail Break", the first season finale, she escapes in the third season premiere and becomes a recurring antagonist to the Crystal Gems in the second half of the third season. At the end of the season, she attempts fusion with a corrupted Gem monster, becomes corrupted herself, and is defeated by Steven, Amethyst, and Peridot.

Rose Quartz

(voiced by Susan Egan) – The original leader of the Crystal Gems and Steven's mother, who "gave up her physical form" to allow Steven to be born. Her gem is a pink rose quartz that was embedded in her navel. Although she appears only in occasional flashbacks, her legacy and her absence define the lives and relationships of the other main characters. Fascinated by the diversity of life on the planet Earth and the wide range of experiences and growth available to its creatures, she led the ancient rebellion against the Gem Homeworld and its plans to destroy Earth for its resources. The Crystal Gems describe her to Steven as loving and seeing beauty in all forms of life, and flashback episodes show the development of her relationship with Greg from infatuation into love and understanding. Steven feels great pressure to live up to her example as a compassionate leader. His relationship with her memory is complicated at the end of the third season when he learns of morally questionable actions she undertook during the war. "Lion 3: Straight to Video", the first episode in which she appeared (via a videotaped message to Steven), was nominated for an Emmy Award for short-form animation.

Gem-related

Lion

(animal noises by Dee Bradley Baker) – A mysterious pink lion-like creature who protects Steven and possesses a variety of magical abilities. Lion provides Steven with connections to Rose Quartz's legacy—he brings Steven and Connie to Rose's secret armory, and a number of Rose's keepsakes are stored in a pocket dimension in his mane, including her sword and a videotaped message to Steven—but his origin and the nature of his connection to Rose have not yet been revealed. Steven regards Lion as a pet. Lion is introduced in the early episode "Steven's Lion", in which he appears mysteriously in the desert and follows Steven home.

Other characters

Human characters

Steven Universe possesses a large cast of occasionally-appearing human characters in Steven's hometown of Beach City, many of whom become the focus of individual episodes that explore their relationships with the main characters and each other. According to critic Sara Goodwin, one of the great strengths of Steven Universe as a series is the depth of development it gives to its "normal human being" characters and how the super-powered characters are affected by them.^[19]

Recurring human characters include:

• Buck Dewey (Lamar Abrams), Jenny Pizza (Reagan Gomez-Preston), and Sour Cream (Brian Posehn): the "cool kids", three older teenagers who become friendly with Steven, and whose friendship Lars seeks.
• Onion (Zach Callison): Sour Cream's younger half-brother, a young child whose odd and destructive unsupervised behavior Steven often finds disturbing.
• Ronaldo (Zach Steel): a conspiracy theorist blogger who occasionally attempts to investigate the paranormal events caused by the Gems. His blog, "Keep Beach City Weird", is maintained in character on Tumblr by Steven Universe writers.
• Peedee (Atticus Shaffer): Ronaldo's cynical and world-weary younger brother.
• Mr. Fryman (Billy Merritt): Ronaldo and Peedee's father, the proprietor of the french-fry stand on the Beach City boardwalk.
• Bill Dewey (Joel Hodgson): Buck's father, the approval-seeking mayor of Beach City.
• Priyanka^[20] and Doug^[21] Maheswaran (Mary Elizabeth McGlynn and Crispin Freeman): Connie's strict and overprotective parents. Priyanka is a doctor and Doug is a security guard.
• Kiki Pizza (Reagan Gomez-Preston): Jenny's hard-working twin sister.
• Kofi Pizza (Godfrey): Jenny and Kiki's father, the short-tempered proprietor of Fish Stew Pizza.
• Nanefua Pizza (Toks Olagundoye): Kofi's mother, a playful old woman. Steven Universe animator/director Ian Jones-Quartey based Nanefua on his grandmother, noted Ghanaian stateswoman Theodosia Okoh.^[22]
• Harold Smiley (Sinbad, later Colton Dunn): the overworked manager of the Beach City Funland amusement park and video arcade.
• Vidalia (Jackie Buscarino): Onion and Sour Cream's mother, an artist and an old friend of Amethyst and Greg.
• Yellowtail (Tom Scharpling): Onion's father, a fisherman.
• Marty (Jon Wurster): Greg's greedy and manipulative former manager and Sour Cream's estranged father.
• Jamie (Eugene Cordero): a postman and aspiring actor.
• Barb Miller (Kate Flannery): Sadie's mother, also a postal carrier.
• Kevin (Andrew Kishino): an arrogant teenager who makes unwelcome advances on Stevonnie.

Gem characters

Bismuth

(voiced by Uzo Aduba^[23]) – The Crystal Gems' weaponsmith during the ancient rebellion, Bismuth is passionately devoted to overthrowing the hierarchical structure of Gem society and grateful to Rose Quartz for showing her that an alternative existed. In the show's special hundredth episode, Steven discovers her gem (a bismuth crystal) stored in a bubble in Lion's mane and accidentally frees her. Steven eventually learns that Bismuth was bubbled by Rose as the result of an argument over war tactics: Rose rejected Bismuth's proposed use of a weapon that would permanently destroy enemy Gems, rather than incapacitate them. When the same argument plays out again, Steven is forced to bubble her once more. Aduba's guest performance, and Bismuth's portrayal as a sympathetic character whose complex disagreement with Steven has no easy answers, won praise from critics,^[24][25] although some commentators objected to possible stereotypical implications in the portrayal of a character played by an African-American woman as holding a dangerously militant ideology.^[25]

Ruby squad

(voiced by Charlyne Yi) – Five Ruby soldiers sent by the Gem Homeworld to locate Jasper during the third season. The five have diverse personalities, but are all played by Charlyne Yi, in a performance that drew praise from critics.^[26] They are portrayed as comically gullible, but when one, a veteran of the ancient Gem war, finally realizes that Steven has Rose Quartz's powers in the third season finale, she attacks him relentlessly under the assumption that he is Rose Quartz. At the end of the third season, all five are abandoned to float aimlessly in outer space.

The Diamond Authority

The leaders of the Gem Homeworld, whom other Gems are created to serve and regard with veneration; Peridot describes them as "completely flawless beings". Only Yellow Diamond (Patti LuPone) has yet appeared in the main narrative, at the end of the second season; it is her vindictive disdain toward the planet Earth that leads Peridot to reject her authority and become a Crystal Gem. Blue Diamond appears in the flashback episode "The Answer", narrated by Garnet; Blue Diamond's dialogue in the flashback is performed by Estelle as Garnet. It is revealed at the end of the third season that Rose Quartz destroyed Pink Diamond during the rebellion. The existence of a fourth, White Diamond, has been inferred by some viewers, such as The Mary Sue's critic Vrai Kaiser,^[27] based on background artwork; but if she exists she has not yet been mentioned by the characters or writers.

Centipeetle

(monster noises by Dee Bradley Baker) – An acid-spitting centipede-like corrupted Gem monster that first appeared in the series premiere "Gem Glow", in which the Crystal Gems fought and defeated her and encased her in a bubble. In the mid–first-season episode "Monster Buddies", Steven frees her from her bubble and befriends her; in the third season, he is able to partially and temporarily heal her gem's corruption, and he learns of her history as a member of the Homeworld army who was left behind when the Homeworld Gems fled Earth.

Fusions

Fusion is a process whereby two or more Gems combine their physical forms and minds to create a larger and more powerful individual. Ruby and Sapphire remain fused as Garnet almost all of the time as an expression of their love for each other; in most other cases, Gems fuse for a specific purpose, to access the heightened capabilities of the fusion. Garnet describes the experience of being a fusion in this way: "You are not one person. And you are not two people. You are an experience." The concept of fusion is used by the writers for thematic purposes as a broad metaphor for a range of types of intimacy and relationships.

Fusions usually have extra body parts; for example, Garnet has three eyes and Opal has four arms. They are often able to combine the Gem weapons of their component Gems into a more powerful fused weapon.

Garnet is listed above as a main character; below, other fusions are listed in order of appearance.

Opal

(voiced by Aimee Mann) – The fusion of Amethyst and Pearl. She appears in the early episode "Giant Woman", as Steven's (and the audience's) introduction to the concept of Gem fusion. Amethyst and Pearl rarely fuse, as their conflicting personalities make it difficult for them to achieve the necessary mental and physical harmony. Opal can combine Pearl's spear and Amethyst's whip into a bow.

Sugilite

(voiced by Nicki Minaj) – The fusion of Garnet and Amethyst, featured prominently in the first-season episode "Coach Steven". Sugilite's behavior is dangerously violent, as Amethyst and Garnet's personalities when fused together become more unrestrained and aggressive; and she is unwilling to be split back up into Garnet and Amethyst. She can combine Garnet's gauntlets and Amethyst's whip into a giant flail.

Alexandrite

(voiced by Rita Rani Ahuja)^[13] – The combined fusion of Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl, introduced in the first-season episode "Fusion Cuisine". She is formidable in combat, but confused and unstable when trying to socialize with Connie's parents. She appears in the mobile video game Steven Universe: Attack the Light! as a powerful combined-attack move.

Stevonnie

(voiced by AJ Michalka) – The fusion of Steven and Connie is the only known instance of a human successfully participating in Gem fusion. Introduced in the first-season episode "Alone Together", Stevonnie has the appearance of a beautiful teenager of indeterminate or nonbinary gender. The character has received critical acclaim both as a rare example of a nonbinary character and as a metaphor by which the writers explore themes of puberty and maturation, consent, and healthy communication.^[3][28][29]

Malachite

(voiced by Kimberly Brooks and Jennifer Paz) – The fusion of Jasper and Lapis Lazuli. In the first season finale, Jasper resorts to fusion with Lapis in order to defeat the Crystal Gems, but Lapis takes control of the fusion, imprisoning themselves at the bottom of the ocean. Though unstable, Malachite remains fused until she is defeated in battle by Alexandrite in the third season premiere. In the third-season episode "Alone at Sea", in the aftermath of Malachite's separation, Jasper and Lapis's fusion is used as a metaphor for an abusive relationship.^[30]

Rainbow Quartz

The fusion of Rose Quartz and Pearl. In the flashback episode "We Need to Talk", Pearl fuses with Rose in order to make Greg jealous of a level of intimacy with Rose that he can't achieve.

Sardonyx

(voiced by Alexia Khadime)^[31] – The fusion of Garnet and Pearl, Sardonyx has the personality of an elegant but attention-seeking entertainer. She can combine Garnet's gauntlets and Pearl's spear into a giant warhammer. A major plot arc in the second season, advertised as the "Week of Sardonyx", dealt with Pearl tricking Garnet into fusing for fabricated reasons, and the emotional consequences of that violation.

Smoky Quartz

(voiced by Natasha Lyonne) – The fusion of Steven and Amethyst. Smoky Quartz first appears in the episode "Earthlings", near the end of the third season, formed during a moment of commiseration between Steven and Amethyst over their shared fears of not being able to live up to their potential. Smoky Quartz can combine Steven's shield and Amethyst's whip into a yo-yo that they use in combat.

References