Miharu Akiyama

Miharu Akiyama was a character who appeared in the SuperS season of the anime, and is notable for being one of the few civilians to have fought alongside Sailor Moon.

Miharu came from a family of swordsmen. Her father died when she was young, although his wish was for her to become the strongest swordsman in Japan. Five years later, she was an expert in the style of the Unrivalled Sword and was already better than most adults. However, her mother, also an extremely skilled swordsman, was unsupportive of her ambition, repeatedly telling Miharu that she didn’t have the skills necessary to achieve her dream. Miharu then took to camping out underneath a railway bridge, practicing her skills and accepting challenges from passers-by.

Eventually, Miharu became acquainted with Chibiusa, who was impressed by her skills. Chibiusa asked to become Miharu’s apprentice, but Miharu refused, insisting that she was still learning and not ready for a pupil. Chibiusa then offered her “three meals and a nap,” and Miharu accepted, moving into Usagi’s room.

Although Usagi was initially horrified to see her room taken over and radically redecorated, she felt sorry for Miharu and was also impressed by her skills, as were Ikuko and Shingo. Later, Miharu was challenged to a duel by a woman. Usagi and Chibiusa cheered her on, but the woman bested the young girl and began hitting her repeatedly with her sword. When Usagi went to intervene, she discovered that the woman was Miharu’s mother, Fuyumi. Fuyumi mocked Miharu’s efforts to become stronger, then left. Usagi and Chibiusa later went to Fuyumi’s house to demand an explanation, but Fuyumi simply told them that Miharu was too obsessed with her goal, and to keep out of it.

Unbeknownst to her, Miharu had been selected as a target by Tiger’s Eye of the Dead Moon. Tiger’s Eye approached her in the form of a swordsman named Torazo Miyamoto, and challenged her to a duel. He beat her using a trick sword that extended, but Miharu was amazed by his skill and asked to become his apprentice. He accepted, and led her into the woods, supposedly for the purposes of training. He then told her to close her eyes and, trusting her new mentor, she complied. Tiger’s Eye then summoned his board, which automatically restrained Miharu. Miharu angrily objected and tried to struggle free, but Tiger’s Eye laughed at her, pointing out that her single-mindedness made her easy to fool. He then removed her Dream Mirror and looked inside it for Pegasus.

After failing to find Pegasus, Tiger’s Eye was confronted by Sailor Moon, Sailor Chibi Moon, Sailor Mars and Sailor Jupiter. He chose to withdraw, releasing Miharu, but summoning the Lemures Ayatoriko to fight the Sailor Senshi. As the Sailor Senshi fought the monster, Miharu woke up and recognized Sailor Moon. She opted to join the battle despite Sailor Jupiter’s protests. Eventually, Ayatoriko succeeded in restraining the Sailor Senshi with her ropes, leaving only Miharu. Miharu went to attack the Lemures, but she shot out more rope, wrapping up Miharu’s sword and trying to pull it away from her. Sailor Moon told Miharu to run away, but she refused, insisting that she must never abandon her sword. She then recalled her mother’s comments that she was too stubborn, and suddenly let go of the sword, which was promptly catapulted back towards Ayatoriko, hitting her in the face and knocking her over. Miharu then untied the Sailor Senshi, allowing Sailor Chibi Moon to summon Pegasus. Sailor Moon then performed Moon Gorgeous Meditation, killing Ayatoriko. Miharu told Sailor Moon that this was the first time that she had won a match using such bizarre tactics, but that she was now inspired.

Miharu summoned her mother to another battle. Fuyumi charged towards her, but fell into a pit dug by Miharu. Miharu then explained that she had learned that there were many skills necessary to become a great swordsman, and that she would no longer be so single-minded. Fuyumi was happy that her daughter had finally understood her, but still somewhat annoyed that she had been beaten with such an underhand tactic. Mother and daughter than returned home, apparently reconciled.