This article is about the character. You may be looking for the soundtrack. |
“ |
This is the lovely Sardonyx! Coming to you a-live from the soon-to-be-former Communication Hub! How are y'all doin' tonight? |
” |
—"Cry for Help" |
Sardonyx is the fusion of Ruby, Sapphire, and Pearl. She made her debut in "Cry for Help".
Appearance
Her hands are as long from wrist to fingertips as Steven is tall. She has vermilion skin and pale apricot-colored hair, styled into a tetrahedron with very rounded corners. Her torso and legs greatly resemble Garnet's but have less mass. As a fusion, she has four arms and inherits the same locations of her gemstones as her fused cooperators. She wears a black, tailcoat tuxedo-leotard with a tangerine bow tie and a small, black star on her chest. This tailcoat comes from Pearl's sash ribbon. The underside of the tail of her tailcoat is the same shade of tangerine as her bow tie. She wears two-toned, mauve-gray leggings under crimson tips surrounding the top part of her feet. On her first set of arms, she wears white gloves, exposing her hands except a white covering on her middle fingers like Garnet's. On her second set of arms, located on her abdomen, she wears white gloves that closely resemble Sapphire's gloves that extend to her elbows.
She wears round shades that resemble those of Alexandrite, but are slightly transparent and tinted with a dark reddish-ginger color, which reveals that Sardonyx has four eyes, two on the bottom which are large and round, and two on the top which are thin, small, and narrow. Her top pair of eyes are magenta, while the bottom pair are crimson-colored. Sardonyx appears to have a small gap between her front teeth and plump lips. Her face is rather triangular, and her feet have small, bright pink diamonds on them.
Personality
“ |
What's this? An encore performance? Just couldn't get enough of me, could you? |
” |
—Sardonyx, "Cry for Help" |
Sardonyx appears to have a combination of Garnet and Pearl's personalities, acting decidedly theatrical while also being able to keep up an intelligent conversation. Her demeanor is, for the most part, quite dramatic, as she prefers conversing with her peers in a matter similar to how a master of ceremonies would be to her audience, which fits her formal dress appearance. She seems to be snarky and witty, often laughs at her own jokes and remarks in a very pompous and comedic manner. She also seems to hold a very cheerful attitude towards almost anything as seen when she takes down the Communication Hub. She thinks very highly of herself and can be rather cocky at times, occasionally forgetting about others' feelings.[2] Despite this, Sardonyx is completely capable of being serious when necessary; when Garnet and Pearl fuse to escape a crushing deathtrap, Sardonyx breaks out without hamming it up or sticking around any longer than necessary. Unlike some other fusions, such as Sugilite, Sardonyx seems to posses no extra desire to exist as herself, as upon taking her final bow the first time she appears, she tells the others that if they need her "lovely" self again, to "Let Garnet and Pearl Know" before defusing without a struggle.
History
"Cry for Help"
The Crystal Gems head to the Communication Hub where they discover Peridot has repaired the structure in an attempt to contact Yellow Diamond. Recalling Sugilite's rampage during their last visit to dismantle the hub, Garnet decides to fuse with Pearl. They fuse together, and Sardonyx introduces herself to an excited Steven and an irritated Amethyst. The fusion cheerfully greets Steven, delighted at finally meeting him. Sardonyx proceeds to impress him by forming her hammer and disabling the hub, during which she describes herself using numerous adjectives. She promptly unfuses after finishing. The Crystal Gems later observe Peridot's message being broadcasted again and travel back to the hub where Sardonyx dismantles the structure.
"Keystone Motel"
Ruby angrily tells Sapphire that Pearl tricked them into forming Sardonyx and that she feels used.
"Friend Ship"
During their pursuit of Peridot inside a derelict Gem spaceship, the Crystal Gems fall into a trap. Garnet and Pearl are confined in an enclosed pit which gradually contracts. They eventually fuse together, and Sardonyx drills out of the pit with her hammer, after which she unfuses.
"Back to the Moon"
On the Moon Base, Doc and her squad of Rubies fuse together to fight the Crystal Gems after discovering their deception. Steven opens the airlock on the base, pulling the fusion partially through the door. Garnet and Pearl quickly form Sardonyx, who smashes her hammer into the Ruby fusion, forcing her to unfuse. As the Rubies are sucked out into space, Sardonyx and Amethyst watch in horror as Eyeball drags Steven out with her.
"Know Your Fusion"
At the Beach House, Steven and Amethyst fuse into Smoky Quartz to show Garnet and Pearl. The two Crystal Gems are surprised and overjoyed. As Smoky begins to demonstrate their yo-yo tricks, destroying parts of the house in the process, Garnet and Pearl fuse into Sardonyx. She is excited to meet Smoky and suggests that they need a bigger "stage" to get to know each other. She takes them to her room in the Crystal Temple, where she hosts her show, Sardonyx Tonight. At the start of the show, Sardonyx asks Smoky questions, hoping to learn more about them and their abilities. Smoky admits that they "ain't exactly a deck of cards," not having much to talk about other than their yo-yo. Determined to learn the full extent of their repertoire, Sardonyx begins the next part of her show during which she has Smoky perform a series of tests. Smoky is compared to the other fusions in their tests involving archery, strength, and fire-breathing. Sardonyx is disappointed to see them perform poorly on all the tests, after which Smoky begins to disparage themselves. As she observes Smoky's self-deprecation, Sardonyx realizes that she had ruined their initial plan to impress Garnet and Pearl. She unfuses in dismay, prompting the room to begin falling apart.
Relationships
Steven Universe
“ |
Oh my stars! If it isn't Steven Universe, we finally meet! So what do you think? Was I worth the wait? |
” |
—Sardonyx to Steven, "Cry for Help" |
Sardonyx, like the rest of the Crystal Gems, has a positive opinion of Steven, as she interacted with Steven frequently, is happy to meet him, embraces him, and calls him a "sweet little charmer." Sardonyx has shown that she is quite fond of Steven, telling him jokes and performing tricks. She even compares herself to the more destructive Sugilite to impress him even more. While doing this, she shows off her anatomy manipulation, precision with her weapon, and names the qualities about herself that counter Sugilite's.
Amethyst
“ |
Hm... 'smash' is the word one would use to describe what... someone else might do. |
” |
—Sardonyx, "Cry for Help" |
Amethyst appears to dislike Sardonyx, visibly annoyed when the fusion forms in "Cry for Help". In this episode, Amethyst sings a song, "Tower of Mistakes", implying that her dislike of Sardonyx stems from feelings of envy. Sardonyx's presence serves as a reminder to Amethyst that Garnet, whom she enjoys fusing with, had decided to fuse with Pearl instead of her. This, in turn, reminds Amethyst of the flaws of her own fusion with Garnet, which ultimately contributes to her feeling of inadequacy. Sardonyx generally ignores Amethyst, more focused on Steven in the episode "Cry for Help". She does, however, allude to Sugilite's volatility much to Amethyst's vexation.
In "Back to the Moon", Amethyst is seen on Sardonyx's shoulder while forming and hitting the Quintuple Ruby Fusion. In "Know Your Fusion", Smoky Quartz shows no dislike toward Sardonyx, suggesting that Amethyst may no longer hold any negative feelings of the fusion.
Smoky Quartz
“ |
That's a nice yo-yo, but I want to know the yo-you. |
” |
—Sardonyx, "Know Your Fusion" |
Sardonyx first meets Smoky Quartz after Steven and Amethyst fuse to show Garnet and Pearl. Sardonyx takes them into her room in the temple where she hosts her late night talk show during which she interviews Smoky to learn more about them. She has them play games to try to find out what their special abilities are. This shows that, while she is interested in Smoky, she is very self-centered in her treatment of them, which causes Sardonyx to de-fuse when Pearl and Garnet realize how they were acting.
Jasper
“ |
Always running 'round Kindergartens and causing trouble! Boy, that didn't quite work out for her. Guess she should go back to preschool, am I right, folks? |
” |
—Sardonyx mentioning Jasper, "Know Your Fusion" |
Although never meeting Jasper before, she mentions her on her own show, Sardonyx Tonight, that she was "Always running 'round Kindergartens and causing trouble," and joking about how she should go back to preschool. This implies that Sardonyx (and by extension Garnet and Pearl) does not have a kind heart for Jasper, calling her a troublemaker and insulting her in disdain.
Abilities
Sardonyx possesses standard Gem abilities and traits.
When in battle, Sardonyx is both graceful and accurate, but also powerful and rather playful, messing with her opponents or audience with tricks and jokes. Despite this, she is usually quite tactical, thinking things up before acting, to make things perfect.
Fusions
- When fused with Amethyst, they form Alexandrite.
- When fused with Amethyst, and Steven, they form Obsidian.
- They can also form Obsidian by fusing with Smoky Quartz.
Skillset
- War Hammer Proficiency: Sardonyx can combine Garnet's gauntlets and put them on the end of Pearl's spear facing inwards to make a hammer. Her use of the war hammer is methodical in approach. She uses precise, keen strikes on specific areas to inflict the most damage while also reducing the amount of effort needed to take down a structure or opponent. She describes herself and her style of combat, as "specific, intelligent, accurate, faultless, elegant, controlled, surgical, graceful, and powerful!" (But yes, occasionally, she is known to smash).
- Drill Transformation: By rapidly spinning the top part of her hammer, Sardonyx can transform her weapon into a drill that could easily break through the walls of the Ancient Gem Colony Ship that Garnet's gauntlets and Pearl's spear alone could not even dent.
Unique Abilities
- Anatomy Manipulation: Sardonyx has been shown to have "doll joints", body segments that have full rotation independent of the rest of her body. During her initial attack on the rebuilt Communication Hub she was seen to spin her upper body above the sash while talking to Steven, her sash arms are seen moving separately from the rest of her body throughout the scene, and during the final strike, her whole body is spinning on one joint while her feet remain pointed up and immobile. In "Back to the Moon", it is shown that not only can her waist spin in this fashion but also her neck. She can swing her body around without taking her eyes off the Ruby fusion. In "Know Your Fusion", Sardonyx was able to move through the cramped space of the house and the Temple Gate with minimal difficulty.
- Enhanced Calculations: Sardonyx could knock out the correct pillars to make sure the hub did not collapse until she wanted it to. She may have inherited this from Garnet, who mentions her ability to sense structural integrity in the episode "Cheeseburger Backpack". Alternatively, this could have come from Sapphire's future vision; she may have been able to see if knocking down a certain pillar may have caused the entire hub to collapse. She may have also inherited this from Pearl, who is precise and accurate.
- As with Garnet, it is currently unknown whether this is a Gem ability/power that is inherited from Ruby/Sapphire unique to both Garnet and Sardonyx or a simple observation.
Episode Appearances
Season 2 | ||||||||||||
1. "Full Disclosure": | Absent | 14. "Historical Friction": | Absent | |||||||||
2. "Joy Ride": | Absent | 15. "Friend Ship": | Non-speaking | |||||||||
3. "Say Uncle": | Absent | 16. "Nightmare Hospital": | Absent | |||||||||
4. "Love Letters": | Absent | 17. "Sadie's Song": | Absent | |||||||||
5. "Reformed": | Absent | 18. "Catch and Release": | Absent | |||||||||
6. "Sworn to the Sword": | Absent | 19. "When It Rains": | Absent | |||||||||
7. "Rising Tides, Crashing Skies": | Absent | 20. "Back to the Barn": | Absent | |||||||||
8. "Keeping It Together": | Absent | 21. "Too Far": | Absent | |||||||||
9. "We Need to Talk": | Absent | 22. "The Answer": | Absent | |||||||||
10. "Chille Tid": | Absent | 23. "Steven's Birthday": | Absent | |||||||||
11. "Cry for Help": | Debut | 24. "It Could've Been Great": | Absent | |||||||||
12. "Keystone Motel": | Mentioned | 25. "Message Received": | Absent | |||||||||
13. "Onion Friend": | Absent | 26. "Log Date 7 15 2": | Absent |
Season 3 | |||||
1. "Super Watermelon Island": | Absent | 13. "Kiki's Pizza Delivery Service": | Absent | ||
2. "Gem Drill": | Absent | 14. "Monster Reunion": | Absent | ||
3. "Same Old World": | Absent | 15. "Alone at Sea": | Absent | ||
4. "Barn Mates": | Absent | 16. "Greg the Babysitter": | Absent | ||
5. "Hit the Diamond": | Absent | 17. "Gem Hunt": | Absent | ||
6. "Steven Floats": | Absent | 18. "Crack the Whip": | Absent | ||
7. "Drop Beat Dad": | Absent | 19. "Steven vs. Amethyst": | Absent | ||
8. "Mr. Greg": | Absent | 20/21. "Bismuth": | Absent | ||
9. "Too Short to Ride": | Absent | 22. "Beta": | Absent | ||
10. "The New Lars": | Absent | 23. "Earthlings": | Absent | ||
11. "Beach City Drift": | Absent | 24. "Back to the Moon": | Non-speaking | ||
12. "Restaurant Wars": | Absent | 25. "Bubbled": | Absent |
Season 4 | |||||
1. "Kindergarten Kid": | Absent | 14. "The Zoo": | Absent | ||
2. "Know Your Fusion": | Appears | 15. "That Will Be All": | Absent | ||
3. "Buddy's Book": | Absent | 16. "The New Crystal Gems": | Absent | ||
4. "Mindful Education": | Absent | 17. "Storm in the Room": | Absent | ||
5. "Future Boy Zoltron": | Absent | 18. "Rocknaldo": | Absent | ||
6. "Last One Out of Beach City": | Absent | 19. "Tiger Philanthropist": | Absent | ||
7. "Onion Gang": | Absent | 20. "Room for Ruby": | Absent | ||
8/9. "Gem Harvest": | Absent | 21. "Lion 4: Alternate Ending": | Absent | ||
10. "Three Gems and a Baby": | Absent | 22. "Doug Out": | Absent | ||
11. "Steven's Dream": | Absent | 23. "The Good Lars": | Absent | ||
12. "Adventures in Light Distortion": | Absent | 24. "Are You My Dad?": | Absent | ||
13. "Gem Heist": | Absent | 25. "I Am My Mom": | Absent |
Trivia
- She was announced in a Crewniverse Tumblr post.[3]
- She is revealed in a clip shown at the official Adventure Time/Steven Universe panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2015.
- Sardonyx's outfit unusually features both diamonds and stars, with pink diamonds on her shoes, and a black star on her chest. The pink diamond design on her shoes also appears on Pearl's outfit in "Space Race", though in the middle of her torso, and indicates her former service to Pink Diamond.
- Sardonyx asks Steven if she is "worth the wait," referencing to how long she took to appear in the show.
- According to Matt Burnett, Garnet and Pearl fused into Sardonyx with a hand-based dance in "Friend Ship".[4] This supports the fact that fusion dances may vary depending on the situation, the time they have, and how the Gems are feeling.
- Her top set of eyes functions as eyebrows, similar to Malachite.
- Sardonyx can be formed if Ruby and Sapphire are not Garnet.
- Sardonyx doesn't include any Quartz-type gem despite being named a Quartz.
- This is also the case with Rainbow Quartz and Smoky Quartz[5]
- Sardonyx's eyes occasionally glow a brighter orange when she is talking to Steven, telling jokes, or when summoning her weapon. It is unknown if this is from lighting, a mistake in animation, or if they naturally brighten when she gets excited.
- According to Joe Johnston, he added a gap between Sardonyx's teeth because he also has a slight gap in his.[6]
- Her war hammer is made with the gauntlets facing inward, yet the design has them facing outward.
- According to Aivi Tran and Surasshu, Sardonyx's theme song shows the influence of Garnet and Pearl's respective music on each other (and as such, their personalities as well).[7]
- Garnet's presence has influenced Pearl's piano to become confident and bombastic, while Pearl's presence has influenced Garnet's bass and synth sounds to become theatrical and jazzy.
- Rebecca Sugar hopes for Sardonyx to have a musical number in the show.[8]
- Her comical personality, coupled by her gloating of her own qualities around Amethyst, might be inspired by the word "sardonic", meaning "disdainfully or ironically humorous".
- As shown in "Know Your Fusion", she shows evidence of being aware of the 4th wall, referencing directly Cartoon Network, merchandising being necessary for her show to be on air, and Sugilite's voice actress being paid for her voice being featured despite not actually being in the episode nor recording any new lines.
- Smoky Quartz used the phrase "You're like twenty feet tall!" When describing Sardonyx's size, which is commonly used as figure of speech when describing tall beings.
Cultural References
- Fans have noted there are many similarities between Sardonyx, and the PlatinumGames character Bayonetta. Both pose dramatically in front of the moon before performing an attack, both are classy and self-confident, graceful yet incredibly strong, and both have a fondness for children (Bayonetta with Cereza & Loki, Sardonyx with Steven). They both taunt before finishing off their targets, and both have the same snarky means of addressing bystanders during battle.
- Coincidentally, the way Sardonyx uses her war hammer is identical to how Bayonetta uses her hammer weapon, the Takemikazuchi, from Bayonetta 2.
- Sardonyx's theme is also similar to the upbeat Bayonetta series soundtrack.
- Her outfit is similar to a traditional mid-20th-century stage magician, show hostess, and Broadway dancer costumes.
- The way she appears (pulling and opening a curtain that explodes into dragonflies) also plays into her stage magician theme.
- Also, when she summons Pearl's spear and Garnet's gauntlets to create the war hammer, her actions resemble that of a performer.
- It fits in perfectly with the way she talks, how she acts, and her personality, evocative of that type of entertainer.
- Her showman-like personality is in many ways similar to Ruby Rhod, Chris Tucker's character in The Fifth Element. However, it's personality comparing this singer Lady Gaga and her face was similar to this female rapper/singer, "Cardi B".
- Based on her quote "But yes, occasionally, I am known to smash," fans jokingly asked Matt Burnett which character Sardonyx uses the most, or "mains", in Super Smash Bros. was, to which he replied "King Dedede", a character in the game who also uses a giant hammer.[9]
- Sardonyx's hairstyle resembles an onigiri rice ball. This is referenced in a sketch by Hilary Florido.
- Sardonyx's defusion resembles smoke bombs used by magicians when they disappear.
- Sardonyx is constantly doing the Noblewoman's Laugh.
- Sardonyx's upper set of eyes appears to be partly off her face. This is a common feature of cartoon characters with glasses, particularly in comedic shows.
- The war hammer Sardonyx holds has a star at the end, resembling that of a magician's wand.
- Pearl and Garnet's fusion dance for Sardonyx is based on choreography from multiple music videos by Kpop artist Sunmi.
- Sardonyx is said to enhance willpower, vitality, confidence, stamina, integrity, and optimism as well as bring happiness and stability to marriages.
- Sardonyx's personality and behavior, as well as Pearl's description of being fused with Garnet, seems to match perfectly with the attributes of her gemstone.
Gemstones
Image | Description |
---|---|
Pearl's gemstone on Sardonyx, completely smooth without facets.
| |
Ruby's gemstone on Sardonyx, featuring a square facet. It is a decahedron. | |
Sapphire's gemstone on Sardonyx, featuring a triangular facet. It is an octahedron. |
Galleries
References
- ↑ "Dove Self-Esteem Project x Steven Universe: Competing and Comparing Looks" at 0:30 to 0:32 - youtube.com
- ↑ "[Steven and Amethyst] wanted to impress us! They were planning this all morning; we hijacked their show! I was excited! It's not about us!!" - "Know Your Fusion"
- ↑ http://stevencrewniverse.tumblr.com/post/121989031777
- ↑ https://twitter.com/mcburnett/status/622236952159350784
- ↑ https://twitter.com/mcburnett/status/624291590568345600
- ↑ http://joethejohnston.tumblr.com/post/136902163578
- ↑ http://noisey.vice.com/blog/steven-universe-composers-aivi-surrashu-interview
- ↑ https://www.reddit.com/r/stevenuniverse/comments/4dnj1h/new_rebecca_sugar_interview_reveals_musical/
- ↑ https://twitter.com/mcburnett/status/621113310746820608?lang=en
- ↑ http://joethejohnston.tumblr.com/post/124051239362