| This article is about the character. You may be looking for the television series or the comic series. |
| “ |
♫ I will fight to be everything that everybody wants me to be when I'm grown! ♫ |
” |
| —"We are the Crystal Gems" | ||
Steven Quartz Universe is the titular main protagonist of the show of the same name. He is the son of Greg Universe and Rose Quartz, and the only member of human descent of the protagonist team the Crystal Gems.
A human/Gem hybrid as a result of his parentage, Steven is an extraordinarily unique being with innate powers beyond that of both normal humans and Gems. While only a child, Steven has steadily grown from a tag-along to the Crystal Gems into an equal amongst their ranks thanks to his good-hearted nature and resourcefulness. Though he is a part of a monumental legacy, Steven is devoted to fulfilling his destiny as protector of humanity, just as his mother was before him.
Appearance
According to Pearl and Vidalia, Steven takes after both his parents, Rose and Greg, respectively. He is relatively short with a thick, stocky build. He has curly black-brown hair and full black irises. He wears a salmon-pink T-shirt with a gold star in the center of it. He also wears blue jeans with sky-blue cuffs and salmon-pink flip-flop sandals. His gemstone, a rose quartz, which he inherited from his mother, is where his navel should be.
Personality
| “ |
He is a super-excitable, hammy kid. |
” |
| —Rebecca Sugar | ||
Steven is an optimistic, friendly, outgoing, and carefree boy with a happy-go-lucky attitude that is appreciated by many of the citizens of Beach City in one way or another. He is musically inclined, a trait inherited from his father, with a propensity for breaking out into song and occasionally playing on his ukulele. Steven is also very kind-hearted, good-natured, and compassionate, something which Pearl notes he has inherited from his mother, and he deeply loves his friends and family. He is friendly toward almost everyone he meets, rarely holds grudges, and is very non-discriminatory, never treating anyone with prejudice, even towards his enemies. No matter the situation, Steven will always go out of his way to support his loved ones, even if it means putting his life on the line, and he will avoid resorting to violence. He would much rather make a compromise and choose reasoning than fighting back.
Steven looks up to his caretakers — Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl — and considers them family. He wants to be a great hero just like them, and he is eager to go on adventures with the trio, both to prove his worth and to have fun exploring strange lands. Despite his under-developed magical power and lack of experience, he has proven himself to have much heroic potential through his resourcefulness, optimism, and confidence.
Steven is rather naive and socially oblivious, due to his isolated upbringing by the Gems. Steven had never attended a school and, before "Nightmare Hospital", had never been in a hospital or had his vitals taken. While Steven is often prepared to go on adventures at a moment's notice, he has a habit of biting off more than he can chew, requiring the Gems to intervene. While Steven initially retained his childlike innocence and obliviousness to the dangers he is frequently put in, his encounter with Homeworld Gems gave him a new level of seriousness about being a Crystal Gem. This initially made Steven self-conscious about his immaturity and he resolved to outgrow it, although his misguided attempt would be a source of self-inflicted misery as he tried to break off his friendship with Connie to protect her from harm. It was only Connie's sensible nature that stopped him from going down a bad road and balanced his resolve. Steven has since grown more mature and level-headed in dealing with strenuous situations, but his enthusiasm has remained the same.
Like his mother, he appears to be very charismatic; easing a raging crowd (in "Political Power"), motivating his friends and father in working out, and helping Pearl to find strength to fight Sugilite (in "Coach Steven"). His genuine kindness, sincerity, and capacity for sympathizing lets him inspire friendship, trust and love from most of the people he meets which enables him to mend others' inner turmoil and reach others who are otherwise closed off, most noticeably in the cases of Peridot and Lapis Lazuli.
| “ |
But the truth is, we rely on you. Your voice inspires us, binds us, reminds us why we promised to protect the planet. You need to be that voice. For them. |
” |
| —Garnet to Steven in "The Return" | ||
Steven is shown to have unique tastes in entertainment. He enjoys the Crying Breakfast Friends! show despite his dad and the Gems' inability to understand its appeal. Steven is a bit of a romantic and loved the ending of The Spirit Morph Saga even when Connie did not agree.
Despite his naivety in some aspects, Steven still has a more grounded and practical outlook than his three caretakers, often correcting them on normal human interactions.
Despite frequently going on many fantastic adventures, Steven has retained a tendency to be easily impressed. He was quickly enamored with Mayor Dewey's play, until Jamie pointed out its flaws. He was also shocked to find that his Watermelon Stevens were alive and admitted that it should not have surprised him as much as it did.
While Steven is typically friendly and kind-hearted by nature, Steven's enthusiasm and excitability can get out of hand, and he ends up doing more harm than good. When this happens, he can be anywhere betwixt obnoxious, overbearing, and simply rude. Steven tends to let his inhibitions go out the window when doing something theatrical, as seen in "Tiger Millionaire", "Steven and the Stevens", and "Sadie's Song". His alter-ego Tiger Millionaire is the best example of Steven letting his passionate side get the better of him. It should be noted that this was partly Amethyst's fault.
Abilities
Being half-human and half-Gem, Steven is capable of using magic, though it is unknown if he possesses all the abilities of a pure Gem, such as retreating to their gemstone when taking fatal damage. As associated with his gemstone, Steven's powers are maternal in nature and the control of his gemstone is based on emotional clarity.
Steven has shown to have some abilities of a regular Gem, but sometimes has little control of them due to not receiving enough training. He can warp using the warp pads, and bubble objects and gemstones to be teleported to the temple with seemingly full control. He is not strictly oxygen dependent and is vacuum resistant as shown in "Ocean Gem" and "Space Race". He has also been shown to be able to fuse, when he fused with Connie to form Stevonnie. While in the beginning, they tended to fuse spontaneously when they danced while thinking about each other by "Beach City Drift" they fuse and re-fuse into Stevonnie at will. However, he has not fused with a Gem yet. Steven is also capable of shape-shifting, but he has not yet learned to fully control it. His first attempt in "Cat Fingers" was disastrous, temporarily turning him into a cat monster. He hasn't been able to change his form entirely, but can freely shapeshift parts of his body as seen in "Too Short to Ride". His greatest feat in shapeshifting was in "Steven's Birthday", where he was able to to use shapeshifting to make himself appear older. Despite his happy-go-lucky and cheerful attitude, he is shown to be a competent shield fighter and is able to hold his own in most situations.
Natural Abilities
- Fluctuating Age: As revealed in the episode "So Many Birthdays", Steven can manipulate his age through his state of mind. Like other gems, Steven's age depends solely on how old he thinks he is. As of "Steven's Birthday", he can easily change his age when not frustrated or nervous. However, like stretching, age manipulation can easily wear out the user, Steven. Consequently, overuse can have the side-effect of making Steven's biological age go on the fritz. This was shown on "Steven's Birthday" when he unintentionally transformed into his baby state when trying to impress Connie by transforming to his teenage state. Uncontrollable age changing could also potentially be caused by his emotions like most of his powers.
- Shape-shifting: Steven possesses the natural shape-shifting abilities of gems, which he first displayed in "Cat Fingers", when he shape-shifted his hands to have cats for fingers, but then lost control rather quickly. As of "Too Short to Ride", however, he is shown to be much better at using this ability.
- Enhanced Strength: Steven occasionally performs feats of strength that would be impossible for a human boy his age - or even a grown man. In "Together Breakfast", Steven is able to lift and force the Together Breakfast in its mutated state into the lava pool without the other Crystal Gem's assistance. He also displays a large amount of strength in "Arcade Mania" when he rips off the top of the Meat Beat Mania arcade game to break Garnet from her trance. He displays an even further amount of strength in "The Return" when he smashes Greg's van's dashboard with a single punch, apparently hard enough to both shatter it and activate the airbags. In "Joy Ride" he's able to move Jenny away from the Escape Pod with little effort. Later on in "Friend Ship", he is shown to be strong enough to throw his shield hard enough to stun Peridot. When Peridot is unable to open the lid to the power grid in "When It Rains", Steven is able to open it with little effort. He was also able to rip off the control panel from the drill machine when it malfunctioned in "Too Far". In "Drop Beat Dad" he easily lifts a crate of musical gear, a task that requires two adult humans to achieve. As Gems are much stronger and durable than their appearance would indicate, Steven's superhuman strength was most likely passed down to him from his mother.
Steven's bubble
- Enhanced Speed: As shown in "Greg the Babysitter" Steven has the power to travel faster than any normal human.
Steven and his shield.
Unique Abilities
Steven's shield on its own.
Due to having his mother's gemstone, he shares most of his unique abilities with her.
- Shield Proficiency: Due to possessing his mother's gemstone, Steven can summon Rose's shield. Because Steven's powers are maternal in nature, he is required to feel a strong need to protect and help others to call his shield out. Early on, he had little to no control over how to summon it, only calling it forth by chance or when in mortal danger. As of "Sworn to the Sword", Steven is now able to not only summon his shield with little effort but also increase its size at will. He appears to have become quite skilled in wielding it as he was able to use it in conjunction with his protective bubble and defend against Pearl's strikes. Unlike some other Gems, instead of "pulling" his shield out of his gemstone, it appears over his arms similar to Garnet's gauntlets appearing over her hands. As of "Friend Ship", he has become completely capable of summoning his shield at any moment he requires it, even being able to scale his shield large enough to defend the Crystal Gems. It should be noted, however, that overuse of his shield exhausts Steven (such as using it three times in one day). The shield is remarkably durable, the greatest testament of its durability is shown in "The Return" when it was able to withstand a charged shot from the Gem Warship.
- Projectile Shield: Steven, when in great excitement, can shoot his shield as a projectile with great speed and power. In "Friend Ship," he weaponizes it as a ranged attack against Peridot, hitting her in the head with enough accuracy to temporarily stun her.
- Shield Vibration: On certain occasions that Steven's shield is hit, it emits an audible vibration that disables magical constructs. In "Ocean Gem," it destabilized Lapis Lazuli's water clones when a ball of water hit Steven's shield. It also seems to play a brief role in "Sworn to the Sword," when a Holo-Pearl attacks his shield, and it promptly deactivates (the same sound in the former episode can be heard as it does).
- Tag-team Combat: Due to the close bond they share, Steven can coordinate his shield techniques perfectly with Connie's swordplay, such as fighting back-to-back to defend and attack simultaneously or catapulting Connie from his shield for a powerful lunge attack.
- Healing: Steven's saliva has the power to heal the injuries of both humans and Gems. Peridot asked Steven to fix the Homeworld Warp with his saliva in "Catch and Release". Steven's healing capabilities have not yet been seen to the full extent of his power, but he is shown to be capable of healing cracked gemstones as seen when he healed Lapis Lazuli in "Ocean Gem". He can also heal common human injuries and conditions, seen when he healed Connie's eyesight in "An Indirect Kiss" and Greg's broken leg in "House Guest". During the end of "House Guest," the duct tape used to fix the Geode has the same sparkle effect as his saliva, and it is speculated that the duct tape replaced his spit, although the shine could've been used as an effect. In "The Test", Pearl remarks to the other Crystal Gems that he has lost his healing ability and that their test should hopefully increase his confidence and therefore prevent him from losing any other abilities. His loss of healing abilities could be purely psychosomatic. In "Monster Reunion", Steven's healing abilities come back and was able to partially heal the Centipeetle Mother.
- Phytoanimation: In "Watermelon Steven", Steven discovers he has the ability to grow sentient flora in the form of watermelons shaped like himself. They acted as his bodyguards, but they weren't directly under his control and the Watermelon Stevens would ignore his orders and attacked whoever they thought was threatening him, suggesting that he doesn't have full mastery of this ability thus far.
Steven's bubble
- Bubble Shield: Steven can summon an incredibly durable bubble, as shown in "Bubble Buddies". The bubble encases him and others that he's protecting. In "Sworn to the Sword," it is shown that Steven is capable of summoning it reflexively, as he instinctively summons his bubble to protect himself and Connie due to his wariness of Holo-Pearl as a result of the events in "Steven the Sword Fighter". In "Nightmare Hospital", it is shown that Steven can expand his shield to push away enemies. The extent of the bubble's durability is unknown, although it has survived most of the following:
- The tremendous pressure of an ocean trench ("Bubble Buddies").
- Being crushed by a falling Injector ("On the Run").
- A shot from a death ray at point-blank range ("Say Uncle", non-canon).
- A spaceship crash ("Jail Break").
- Empathic Telepathy[1]: In "Horror Club", Steven was able to sense the Lighthouse Gem Monster's presence as well as its emotional state. In the episode "Chille Tid", it is shown that Steven can communicate with Gems through his dreams. Steven talked to Lapis Lazuli mentally as he was dreaming. He also saw Jasper and Malachite in the same dream at Malachite's Realm and they noticed him as well. Steven was later shown in "Gem Drill" to be able to communicate with a distressed Cluster while it was struggling to form. In "Kiki's Pizza Delivery Service" he helped Kiki battle her inner demons in her dreams. This ability has primarily come to light while other beings are under emotional turmoil. "Kiki's Pizza Delivery Service" shows with Kiki Pizza that Steven can also enter the dreams of other humans, but also that repeated use of this power can physically exhaust him.
- Mind Transfer: First shown in "Super Watermelon Island", when he was able to take control of a Watermelon Steven, Steven is able to transfer his consciousness into another living being he has a connection with while his own body is asleep. The true mind of the host body lays dormant while he is in control of it. The full extent of this ability is unknown. In the "The New Lars" Steven has shown to be able to possess someone (in this instance Lars) he thinks about while he sleeps.
- Speed of Descent Regulation: As Shown in "Steven Floats" Steven, like Rose Quartz, can control how fast or slow he descends based on his emotions. When he thinks happy thoughts, he floats slowly to the ground, while when he is sad or angry, he descents much quicker. While floating slowly, anything he touches will also float just as slow, no matter how large. This also allows him to jump higher than normal, having been able to jump up to the temple's face and even above the clouds. It was first seen in "Rose's Scabbard" as Steven leapt to a floating land island to reach Pearl, however, her turning to suddenly look at him caused him to break in concentration and fall to catch himself on the island's roots.
- Resistance to Anti-Gem Weaponry: Because Steven is half-human, he is resistant to anti-Gem weaponry. He can pass through the yellow destabilization fields used in the Gem Warship and can grab the live end of a Gem Destabilizer with only mild discomfort.
Attack The Light
Steven acts as the support character in Attack the Light. He is unable to be damaged and carries the items for the team. He sports the most moves in the whole team. However, none of his moves cause damage, unless you count the counter for Bubble Shield.
- Encourage: A move Steven has from the start. Steven encourages one of the Crystal Gems, healing them by 10 Harmony. Upgrades to this move increase the healing amount by 5 each time, ending up as a maximum of 30 Harmony. This move takes 2 Star Points and is best used as a substitute in battle for items.
- Bubble Shield: Steven uses his bubble shield to encase a Gem in it, protecting them from 1 hit. When they counter in the bubble, the enemy that is attacking takes damage, provided that the strike was melee. Upgrades to this move decrease the Star Point cost from 2 to 1.
- Escape: The name says it all. This move costs 4 Star Points and gives the Gems a chance to escape. Upgrades to this move increase escape chances and reduces the cost to 3 Star Points. Use only in dire circumstances.
- Ukulele: Steven uses his ukulele to play a song that has a variety of effects depending on the song. Each one must be unlocked separately.
- Cure Song: Costs 3 Star Points and cures everyone's status conditions. Best used if everyone is afflicted with a status and you do not have a Feelgreat Tea.
- Defense Song: Boosts everyone's Defense. Costs 3 Star Points.
- Strong Song: Buffs everyone's Attack. Costs 5 Star Points. It's better to use the Get Beefy Song unless everyone is fully healed and you don't have enough Star Points.
- Lucky Song: Buffs everyone's Luck and costs 4 Star Points.
- Get Beefy Song: The best song. It boosts everyone's Attack and heals everyone fully. Costs 7 Star Points.
- Cheeseburger Backpack: Where Steven stores the items. This move is with Steven a the start but is unusable until you get an item. Steven uses an item that does an effect depending on which item it is. Certain items, like gemstones and Level Up Charms, cannot be used in battle. This move costs 0 Star Points but can only be used once per turn.
Relationships
Rose Quartz
| “ |
Every moment you love being yourself, that's me, loving you. |
” |
| —Rose Quartz, in "Lion 3: Straight to Video" | ||
Steven sitting beneath a statue of Rose.
Rose is Steven's mother, although he never met her face to face since she gave up her physical form to create him, and has only heard about her. Rose's absence has left a particular void in Steven's life, as he has grown up without a motherly figure to love and is therefore unsure of what to feel about her despite wanting to, which is only made more difficult for him as everyone else does. Regardless, Steven is willing to defend Rose, like when he snapped back at Lars when he called her weird.
After Steven had got to see the video Rose had left him in "Lion 3: Straight to Video", he was moved to tears when she expressed her love for him and had since grown more curious about the person Rose was. When Steven is sometimes troubled by the burden of being a Crystal Gem, he takes solace in continuing Rose's legacy by protecting the world like she wanted him to. He has also developed a habit of clutching his gemstone when he has something on his mind, possibly to seek support from Rose.
Steven harbors great feelings of guilt over Rose giving up her "life" to give birth to him. He keeps this hidden deep down inside of him and rarely expresses it. One notable exception is in "Joy Ride" where he confesses to the cool kids that he suspects that the Crystal Gems are blaming him for Rose not being around anymore - which horrifies the teenagers. In "Steven Floats", while trying to think of things that make him happy, he mentions that his feelings for his mother are complicated.
Greg
Steven on his ukulele and Greg on his guitar.
Greg Universe is Steven's father. As seen in "Laser Light Cannon" and "Cat Fingers", they share a very strong father-son relationship, and Greg is always emotionally supportive. Although Greg does not live with Steven, they often hang out. In "House Guest", it is shown that Steven and his father used to live together, but as Steven grew older, he moved in with the Crystal Gems for them to teach him about "magical Gem stuff" - something which his father could not do. However, even though Greg knows that Steven is safe in the Crystal Gems' care, he is still slightly apprehensive about Steven going on missions and getting involved in "Gem stuff", which he tries to avoid if Steven brings it up, although there are some instances in which he has joined the Gems in solving problems.
Unlike the Crystal Gems, Greg does not seem too concerned about Rose giving up her life as Steven inheriting her "Gem identity" - other than the latter getting Steven into situations that Greg does not approve of. As such he treats him much more like his own person and Steven does not seem to be feeling any guilt towards Rose's "death" when he is with his father. This is probably because as a human, Greg is much more familiar and comfortable with the idea of offspring as well as death; concepts which are strange and unfamiliar to the asexual and nigh-immortal Gems.
As a result, Steven is very comfortable and relaxed whenever he is in the presence of his dad as he provides a link to the human world, away from "magical Gem stuff". He also looks to Greg for advice on life, Gem affairs, and the like.
Pearl
Steven hugging Pearl.
Pearl acts more like an overprotective sister, mother or aunt (since he is Rose's child) to Steven. Pearl harbors mixed feelings for Steven deep down; while she cares deeply for Steven she also misses his mother, Rose Quartz, very much, as they were very close to each other when she was still alive. However, she has shown a deeper affection than most for Steven, admitting to watching Steven once he has fallen asleep. She sees much of his mother in him, as Steven becomes a constant reminder of Rose, which is a bittersweet sentiment to Pearl. These feelings come to the surface in "Rose's Scabbard" where the revelation that Rose had apparently kept secrets from Pearl, her closest friend, and confidant, causes Pearl to break down mentally and run away from Steven and the other Crystal Gems. When Steven pursues her, she shows inward signs of resentment towards him, and Lion, which culminates in her apparent inaction when Steven misses a jump and almost falls to his doom. The two reconcile at the end of the episode, but as revealed in "Joy Ride" Steven no longer feels comfortable talking about the subject of his mom with the other Crystal Gems as he has grown to feel that they blame him for Rose not being around anymore. Even despite recent events, Steven does still feel comfortable enough to talk to Pearl about his problems in "Historical Friction". He unknowingly comforts her in stating that flaws are important to everyone and asks her to tell the real story of William Dewey. During the play, he waves to her while she is encouraging him. When he learned that pearls are made liberally as servants on Homeworld, he declares that she is not common, but she is amazing and tries to be better than she already is as said in "Back to the Barn".
Amethyst
Amethyst and Steven holding hands.
Amethyst acts like an older sister to Steven, often joking around with him and joining him in his misadventures. Pearl would often scold Amethyst for being too reckless with Steven when she misleads him such as in "Cat Fingers", which Amethyst admits is probably accurate. Steven seems to acknowledge Amethyst's reckless nature, calling her out when she did not help him in "Joking Victim" and worrying about her safety in "An Indirect Kiss". However, Steven cares greatly about and loves her, Amethyst loves and cares about Steven as well but doesn't show it too much due to her tomboyish attitude. In "Reformed", Steven misses Amethyst once The Slinker poofs, and he also liked her new forms as he found them funny.
Amethyst also tries to impress Steven because she wants him to like her. Steven secretly feels Amethyst blames him for his mother not being around. Amethyst is becoming more motherly as time passes. An indicator of this is in "Onion Friend" when Amethyst and Vidalia joke about kids, and that Amethyst is becoming more protective of Steven, in dangerous situations (such as grabbing Steven with her whip in "Friend Ship"), and when she lectures/scolds him about the dangers of stretching out his body in "Steven's Birthday".
Garnet
Garnet kissing Steven on the forehead.
Garnet acts like a lenient and kind mother, always encouraging him and setting a good example. It is shown that Steven respects her as he always listens whenever she speaks. Steven usually asks Garnet for permission before anyone else, as shown in "Monster Buddies". As shown in the aforementioned episode, Garnet is usually open to letting Steven attempt things that Pearl may not, indicating that she has more trust in him than Pearl. Despite her stoic and somewhat distant nature, the two share an occasionally close and emotional relationship. She became emotional when Steven aged rapidly in "So Many Birthdays"; in "Future Vision" she shares her "future vision" to him- which she only did because she thought he'd understand and it would bring them closer. Immediately after Sapphire and Ruby's re-fusion in "Jailbreak" Garnet acts a lot more emotional and loving towards Steven, indicative of the deep, true love that she has for him that her pre-regeneration self wouldn't, or couldn't, express.
Ruby & Sapphire
| “ |
Oh Steven. We already love you. |
” |
| —Garnet confirming Ruby and Sapphire's feelings toward Steven | ||
Little is known about the relationship between Sapphire, Ruby, and Steven, other than they all care for each other, between Steven and the two halves of Garnet, but since Garnet is a Fusion Gem of the two, it can be assumed that their individual feelings for Steven are similar to, if not the same as, Garnet's feelings for him. This is confirmed in "Keystone Motel", as they both apologize to Steven upon arguing in the diner, which had driven Steven to tears. Sapphire even goes so far as to cry herself, out of guilt.
Connie
Steven spending some time with Connie.
| “ |
Keep your hands off my Connie! |
” |
| —Steven to the Cluster Gem in "Nightmare Hospital" | ||
Connie is Steven's best friend. They first saw each other at a parade the year before they met. Steven was on a float for the car wash, and Connie was in the crowd; Steven noticed she dropped her glow bracelet and kept it in his freezer ever since, to make it last longer. In Connie's debut episode, "Bubble Buddies", he saved her from a falling rock by using his gemstone to summon his bubble. He is initially very awkward and nervous to talk to her, even more so once they were trapped in the bubble because he was trying to stay calm, but was able to relax more once he gave Connie her glow bracelet. After defeating the Gem monster that was attracted to the glow of Connie's bracelet, Connie appears to be amazed by Steven, saying "It was incredible!" in reaction to everything that had happened.
Their friendship has grown and presently, they appear to be close friends. In "Lion 2: The Movie", they are shown casually hanging out. In "An Indirect Kiss", Steven and Connie are shown to not care about things such as sharing the same straw. In this episode, Steven discovered his healing powers, along with fixing Connie's bad eyesight. He also genuinely cares about Connie's safety and well-being as seen in "Winter Forecast", as well as in "Full Disclosure".
In "Alone Together", the two of them accidentally fuse to form the entity Stevonnie. They are overjoyed by their ability to be fused and enjoy being Stevonnie, although it appears that they cannot control when they fuse. It seems to happen when they dance together while thinking about their feelings for each other. Connie, however, is terrified of the thought of her parents knowing about this or any of the magical things she does with Steven. It is for this reason that she lied to her parents about Steven in "Fusion Cuisine", saying that he had a traditional nuclear family. When he found out she lied, Steven felt hurt, believing that she was embarrassed by him. Fortunately, after she explained that she was simply scared of her parents not letting her see Steven again, he forgave her.
In "Sworn to the Sword", it is shown that Steven and Connie function extremely well in combat as a team, with Steven defending Connie with his shield and protective bubble while Connie attacks using her sword-fighting skills. Together, they manage to defeat multiple versions of Holo-Pearl and their ability to work well as a team was enough to surprise Pearl initially. However, Pearl was able to defeat them after she overcame her initial surprise. Pearl later admitted that they worked well together after she calmed down. In "Cry for Help", a picture of Connie can be seen in Steven's room. During "Steven's Birthday", he expresses the assumption that Connie will become president as an adult and worries that his stunted growth would make him the "First Boy" when that happens, implying that he wants to marry her. Steven still seems to become awkward whenever Connie is close to him as shown in "Steven's Birthday" when Connie lay her head on Steven's chest.
Lion
Steven riding Lion.
Lion is Steven's "pet" whom he first meets in "Steven's Lion" while the Crystal Gems were retrieving the Desert Glass. He has some connection with him, as Steven is the only one who can enter his pocket dimension. Lion, most of the time, does whatever he wants and often ignores or disobeys Steven. Lion is also seen to be caring towards Steven as well as being aware of Steven's needs, like when Lion kept lying on Steven's head to show Steven his pocket dimension where it contained, among other things, a video left by Rose Quartz for Steven, after he said he wanted to know more about her in "Lion 3: Straight to Video".
Sadie
Sadie is one of Steven's friends who, unlike her co-worker Lars, is friendly, considerate and affectionate towards Steven. In "Joking Victim", Steven helps Sadie by working at the Big Donut. Steven also helps Sadie to strengthen her relationship with Lars in "Island Adventure". Steven also filled Sadie's place in Beach-A-Palooza in "Sadie's Song", after realizing how he and her mother ignored her feelings to singing, later he is shown playing his ukulele with her singing having a sad smile on. This could hint he really is sorry and be being more respectful to her wants.
Lars
Steven and Lars sharing a rare moment of niceness.
| “ |
What do you know about my mom? I DIDN'T EVEN GET TO KNOW MY MOM! But I do know, she saw beauty in everything. Even in stuff like this, and even in jerks like you! |
” |
| —Steven | ||
Lars appears to be annoyed by Steven. He is always making fun of him, although this may only be because he is jealous of Steven for being a Crystal Gem. Steven may be ignorant of this, however, because in "Bubble Buddies", he refers to Lars as his "BFF". However, in "Lars and the Cool Kids", he became angry with Lars and called him a jerk for insulting his mother. As of "Lars and the Cool Kids", Lars and Steven find a way to connect and Lars is seemingly on better terms with Steven. In some ways, Steven looks up to Lars, and was excited at the chance of being able to receive a high-five from him in "Future Vision". However, Steven does not hesitate to call out Lars on his bad behavior at times.
Onion
Steven giving chase to Onion for stealing from him (again).
Onion is Steven's friend whom he talks to in the episode "Bubble Buddies". Steven addresses Onion as if they are good friends. In "Onion Trade", Steven gives his favorite action figure to him as a gift, despite the fact that Onion had originally stolen it. When they are not together, Steven expresses some confusion as to who and what Onion is, being unsure if he is even human in "Marble Madness". In "Onion Friend", Steven and Amethyst stay at Onion's house for dinner. It is there that Onion shows Steven around his room, inviting him to feed his pet snake and show Steven his collection of G.U.Y.S. and G.A.L.S.; he later gives Explorer Gal to Steven as a token of their friendship.
Peedee Fryman
Peedee begrudgingly awaiting Steven's order for "Fry-bits"
Peedee is Steven's friend whom he helped out in the episode "Frybo". Thanks to Steven, Peedee earned the respect of his father and didn't have to wear the Frybo suit anymore. They have a generally professional relationship of customer and cook (despite him usually ordering off the menu) though still enjoy each other's conversation.
Lapis Lazuli
| “ |
Steven - is - a new friend! |
” |
| —Lapis Lazuli communicating through the mirror in "Mirror Gem" | ||
Steven helping Lapis out.
Steven became friends with her in "Mirror Gem" when he was given the mirror by Pearl, which turned out to not work. Then a little while later, Lapis began to talk to Steven, and they became good friends, with Steven calling them "Beach Summer Fun Buddies", a nickname to which Lapis agreed.
Steven protecting Lapis from the other Crystal Gems.
She wanted to get out of the mirror and told Steven how to do so. After she was freed, she warns Steven not to trust the Crystal Gems and walks away. In "Ocean Gem", Steven is the one who insists on speaking to her and gets angry when she refuses to do so and hurts him and his friends. However, he understands Lapis' desperation to go home and heals her cracked gemstone, which, as a result, restores her eyes and wings. She thanks Steven before departing back to her home planet. In "The Message", Steven defends her and sings a song all about her and the previous events. Steven is very concerned about her, as he was distraught by her unhappiness while she was delivering the message. Later, Lapis gives Steven a message; she addresses him specifically. In "Jail Break", Lapis fuses with Jasper, forming Malachite, as a way to save Steven. Later in "Chille Tid", while the Gems are searching for Malachite, Steven's motivation is to save her from her fate of being trapped with Jasper. He soon discovers he can communicate with her through his dreams. While talking to her, Lapis refuses his help, saying, "Just let me do this for you!"
Centipeetle
Steven having fun with Centipeetle.
Steven became friends with her in "Monster Buddies" when he accidentally popped a Gem bubble which the Centipeetle Mother's gem was in. At first, she was unwary of her surroundings, being scared by the presence of the rest of the Crystal Gems. By approaching her calmly and feeding her Chaaaaps, Steven managed to calm her down, and later train her. She was even willing to risk her life to save Steven from a falling icicle. Steven believes she is not a monster and that he can help heal her in the future.
Peridot
Steven protecting Peridot.
Steven did not really know how to feel about Peridot when they first met, but he seems to have wanted to befriend her in "Marble Madness", approaching her without fear and even trying to have a friendly conversation with her. Of course, this did not go as well as he hoped and almost got crushed by her. Despite this, he still believes she can be good and even said that maybe if she sees how nice humans are she might not want to hurt anyone. In "Keeping it Together", Steven was the first to find her. He quietly waits for her to finish her report instead of alerting the others until she notices him. When Peridot asks if the others were with him, Steven tries to lie by shaking his head "no" until he nods "yes" with an apologetic shrug. During the chase, Steven seems to care about her when he asks if she is okay after falling off the wall. In "Friend Ship", Steven is kind to Peridot by wishing her a good morning and weekend. During the battle, instead of being cold and ruthless to her as she does to him and the rest of the Crystal Gems, he teases her instead.
In "Catch and Release", Steven was worried and wanted to know what Peridot was trying to say at the Galaxy Warp, and chooses to pop her bubbled gemstone and release her. After he finds out she was short, he calls her cute and teases her, leading to Peridot slapping him in some playful way. After offering her the foot of her limb enhancer suit, Steven became the only person Peridot allowed into the bathroom after she locked herself in. Peridot seemed to take the gesture extremely well and is on much better terms with Steven by the end of the episode. In "When It Rains", Steven comforts Peridot and explains the process of rain and says it is harmless. After Peridot stepped out in the rain, she had claimed she had made up her mind about telling information about the The Cluster, leading to Steven giving permission to go to the Kindergarten only if they hold hands the entire way, due to Steven having to watch over her. Their friendship has been getting stronger, and they are trusting each other more, although in "Too Far", he was visibly upset (or embarrassed) at her calling him a "hybrid abomination".
Returning from a mission to the Moon base, Steven notices a small object in Peridot's hand. Steven asks Peridot into a truck to discuss something. Tricking Peridot, he locks her in the truck to question her about the object. Peridot reveals that is a direct communication line to the Diamonds. Shocked at her apparent betrayal, Steven leaves her locked in the truck and tells the other Gems of what occurred, very upset at Peridot for having learned nothing. Peridot soon escapes and activates her robot to retrieve the communicator.
Steven singing with Peridot.
Once she obtains it after a fight with the Crystal Gems, she opens an interface to Yellow Diamond.
Steven and Peridot fighting
Peridot reports the progress of her mission to her, omitting the interactions of the Crystal Gems. She then pleads a case to Yellow Diamond to stop the Cluster and spare the Earth, which Yellow Diamond spitefully denies. She then orders Peridot to let the Cluster be and report for her next mission. Outraged, Peridot refuses to follow Yellow Diamond's commands and greatly insults Yellow Diamond, marking her a traitor. Steven exclaims that her actions against Homeworld have made her an official Crystal Gem.
When the Cluster was beginning to emerge Steven and Peridot went down in the drill to destroy it. During a brief moment when the possibility of death was very real, Steven expressed no qualms about dying in Peridot's company. During this time he also said his "last words", which were "I love you, Peridot" to her, showing his care for her.
Sardonyx
Sardonyx and Steven meeting.
Steven finds Sardonyx funny and articulated as in "Cry for Help". It is known that Sardonyx has taken a liking to Steven too.
Opal
Opal and Steven holding hands.
Steven first met Opal in "Giant Woman". He was very eager to meet the fusion when Amethyst and Pearl revealed the information and the concept of fusion to him. First meeting her after she rescued him and Steven Junior from the Bird Monster, he was somewhat intimidated. However, she showed her affection for him by singing her song back to him, which made him delighted.
Sugilite
Steven first met Sugilite when he and the Crystal Gems went on a mission to destroy the Communication Hub. Impressed by her immense size and strength, she inspired Steven to become stronger. Sugilite, in turn, enjoyed having an audience to her show-off actions. Steven quickly realized how destructive Sugilite is, but does not seem to have any real issues with her and even looked forward to seeing her destroy the Communication Hub again, despite her attempts to destroy Pearl for having left her behind.
Jasper
Jasper showing signs of clear anger toward Steven.
When Jasper first arrived on Earth with Peridot and Lapis, Steven seemed immediately aware that she could not be reasoned with or befriended. At first, he was unnerved by her violent talk and intimidating stature, and since then he has been terrified of her. Jasper thinks Steven is in fact just Rose Quartz hidden in a weak constitution, possibly after regeneration. In "Chille Tid", Steven is horrified of Jasper, and Jasper immediately attempts to attack him in an incoherent fury. Jasper is possibly one of the only characters in the show that Steven has not expressed some form of compassion with. In "Super Watermelon Island" however, Steven calls out to Jasper as she falls into a crack created by The Cluster, showing that he values her life despite their animosity.
Kevin
In "Beach City Drift", it reveals that his negative experience with Kevin as Stevonnie carried over to Steven full-force, being one of the few characters in the series Steven possesses hostility towards. He expresses a strong, enraged demeanor alien to Steven during and after re-encountering him at his dad's carwash, and is in a sour mood for the rest of the day. He even fuses with Connie and races him inhopes of rubbing it in his face. After realizing his obsession, he and Connie manage to let go of their anger towards him.
Episode Appearances
| Season 1 | ||||||||||||
| Season 1A | ||||||||||||
| 1. "Gem Glow": | Debut | 14. "Lars and the Cool Kids": | Appears | |||||||||
| 2. "Laser Light Cannon": | Appears | 15. "Onion Trade": | Appears | |||||||||
| 3. "Cheeseburger Backpack": | Appears | 16. "Steven the Sword Fighter": | Appears | |||||||||
| 4. "Together Breakfast": | Appears | 17. "Lion 2: The Movie": | Appears | |||||||||
| 5. "Frybo": | Appears | 18. "Beach Party": | Appears | |||||||||
| 6. "Cat Fingers": | Appears | 19. "Rose's Room": | Appears | |||||||||
| 7. "Bubble Buddies": | Appears | 20. "Coach Steven": | Appears | |||||||||
| 8. "Serious Steven": | Appears | 21. "Joking Victim": | Appears | |||||||||
| 9. "Tiger Millionaire": | Appears | 22. "Steven and the Stevens": | Appears | |||||||||
| 10. "Steven's Lion": | Appears | 23. "Monster Buddies": | Appears | |||||||||
| 11. "Arcade Mania": | Appears | 24. "An Indirect Kiss": | Appears | |||||||||
| 12. "Giant Woman": | Appears | 25. "Mirror Gem": | Appears | |||||||||
| 13. "So Many Birthdays": | Appears | 26. "Ocean Gem": | Appears | |||||||||
| Season 1B | ||||||||||||
| 27. "House Guest": | Appears | 40. "On the Run": | Appears | |||||||||
| 28. "Space Race": | Appears | 41. "Horror Club": | Appears | |||||||||
| 29. "Secret Team": | Appears | 42. "Winter Forecast": | Appears | |||||||||
| 30. "Island Adventure": | Appears | 43. "Maximum Capacity": | Appears | |||||||||
| 31. "Keep Beach City Weird": | Appears | 44. "Marble Madness": | Appears | |||||||||
| 32. "Fusion Cuisine": | Appears | 45. "Rose's Scabbard": | Appears | |||||||||
| 33. "Garnet's Universe": | Appears | 46. "Open Book": | Appears | |||||||||
| 34. "Watermelon Steven": | Appears | 47. "Shirt Club": | Appears | |||||||||
| 35. "Lion 3: Straight to Video": | Appears | 48. "Story for Steven": | Appears | |||||||||
| 36. "Warp Tour": | Appears | 49. "The Message": | Appears | |||||||||
| 37. "Alone Together": | Appears | 50. "Political Power": | Appears | |||||||||
| 38. "The Test": | Appears | 51. "The Return": | Appears | |||||||||
| 39. "Future Vision": | Appears | 52. "Jail Break": | Appears | |||||||||
| Season 2 | ||||||||||||
| 1. "Full Disclosure": | Appears | 14. "Historical Friction": | Appears | |||||||||
| 2. "Joy Ride": | Appears | 15. "Friend Ship": | Appears | |||||||||
| 3. "Say Uncle": | Appears | 16. "Nightmare Hospital": | Appears | |||||||||
| 4. "Love Letters": | Appears | 17. "Sadie's Song": | Appears | |||||||||
| 5. "Reformed": | Appears | 18. "Catch and Release": | Appears | |||||||||
| 6. "Sworn to the Sword": | Appears | 19. "When It Rains": | Appears | |||||||||
| 7. "Rising Tides, Crashing Skies": | Appears | 20. "Back to the Barn": | Appears | |||||||||
| 8. "Keeping It Together": | Appears | 21. "Too Far": | Appears | |||||||||
| 9. "We Need to Talk": | Appears | 22. "The Answer": | Appears | |||||||||
| 10. "Chille Tid": | Appears | 23. "Steven's Birthday": | Appears | |||||||||
| 11. "Cry for Help": | Appears | 24. "It Could've Been Great": | Appears | |||||||||
| 12. "Keystone Motel": | Appears | 25. "Message Received": | Appears | |||||||||
| 13. "Onion Friend": | Appears | 26. "Log Date 7 15 2": | Appears | |||||||||
| Season 3 | |||||
| 1. "Super Watermelon Island": | Appears | 13. "Kiki's Pizza Delivery Service": | Appears | ||
| 2. "Gem Drill": | Appears | 14. "Monster Reunion": | Appears | ||
| 3. "Same Old World": | Appears | 15. "Alone at Sea": | Appears | ||
| 4. "Barn Mates": | Appears | 16. "Greg the Babysitter": | Appears | ||
| 5. "Hit the Diamond": | Appears | 17. "Gem Hunt": | Absent | ||
| 6. "Steven Floats": | Appears | 18. "Crack the Whip": | Absent | ||
| 7. "Drop Beat Dad": | Appears | 19. "Steven vs. Amethyst": | Absent | ||
| 8. "Mr. Greg": | Appears | 20/21. "Bismuth": | Absent | ||
| 9. "Too Short to Ride": | Appears | 22. "Beta": | Absent | ||
| 10. "The New Lars": | Appears | 23. "Earthlings": | Absent | ||
| 11. "Beach City Drift": | Appears | 24. "Back to the Moon": | Absent | ||
| 12. "Restaurant Wars": | Appears | 25. "Bubbled": | Absent | ||
Trivia
- Steven's name and appearance are based on Rebecca Sugar's brother, Steven Sugar, who is a background artist for the show.
- In the transition from the pilot to the series, Steven underwent only one significant change, it being the removal of the gold ring around his gemstone.
- Steven is home-schooled by the Gems.[2][3]
Steven's door (formerly Rose Quartz's).
- In "Together Breakfast", he had a phone that resembles an iPhone, but Garnet snatched it from him to destroy it after he took a picture of the Evil Scroll.
- However, in "House Guest", a new phone can be seen on his nightstand and again in "Full Disclosure" when he uses it.
- Steven is a musical prodigy.[4]
- Steven was taught how to play the ukulele when he was only a toddler, as shown in the Extended Intro.
- In "Steven and the Stevens", it is shown that Steven does play not only the ukulele, but also the guitar, bass, and drums.
- He also plays a piano in "Mr. Greg".
- He also has perfect pitch.[4]
- This ability is shown explicitly on "It Could've Been Great".
- It was revealed in "Monster Buddies" that Steven keeps a framed picture of Pearl on the side of his fridge. However, it was destroyed by the Centipeetle Mother.
A Steven water clone, created by Lapis Lazuli.
- Steven seemingly can breathe in space, as shown in "Ocean Gem" when Lapis Lazuli confronted him at the top of her water tower, even though he has to hold his breath in Lion's Dimension in "Lion 3: Straight to Video".
- However, this could simply be a script error.
- In "Warp Tour", Steven is revealed to be allergic to pollen.
- In "The Test", it is revealed that Steven's healing powers have stopped working. It is currently unknown if they can be reactivated or not. It is also unknown why they stopped working, but it appears to be tied to Steven's confidence in his abilities, such as when Greg pretended it did not work on his broken leg.
Steven's entry in Guide to the Crystal Gems.
- Steven has successfully fused with a human (Connie), thus forming the first hybrid fusion, Stevonnie.
- This is because of his half-Gem, half-human biology allowing him to fuse with humans.
- However, he hasn't fused with a Gem yet.
- This is because of his half-Gem, half-human biology allowing him to fuse with humans.
- In "House Guest", a Sailor Moon manga book can be seen on Steven's nightstand.
- Steven's voice noticeably matures throughout the series, especially noticeable when compared to the earliest episodes to the latest.
- Steven does not seem to be affected by the Homeworld technology weapons, such as the Gem Destabilizer, or their ship's jails as shown in "Jail Break", as he is half-human. He just feels a slight shock when he comes into contact with these items.
- In "Joy Ride", Steven reveals that he has become uncomfortable talking about his mom with the other Crystal Gems because he feels that they blame him for her not being around.
- This may be due to the events of "Rose's Scabbard".
- It's stated by Ian Jones-Quartey that Rose shape-shifted a womb for Steven to be born from.[5]
- Steven has teddy bears, such as Master of Ceremonies Bear-Bear and Sir Bearington.
- Steven seems to like drawing, as is shown in the episodes "Tiger Millionaire" when he drew the poster of Purple Puma and Tiger Millionaire, "Shirt Club" when he drew Greg, "Open Book" when he drew a picture of Lisa and Archimicarus from The Spirit Morph Saga, when he drew the locations map in Attack the Light, and when he drew Lapis Lazuli and Peridot holding hands on an apology card in "Barn Mates".
- His style is considered crude by many characters and is a recurring running gag throughout the series.
- As shown in Lion 2: The Movie, Steven is revealed to be ticklish.
- According to Rebecca Sugar, the Gem that Steven knows the least about is Pearl.
- Steven owns what appears to be a Nintendo 64, a Nintendo Gamecube, and a Nintendo GameBoy (which he keeps in his bathroom). He also owns what appear to be copies of The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker and Animal Crossing. He is also shown playing a fictional game "Golf Quest Mini" on his N64. Many times it is only visible in a few frames, and in the distance. The N64 has been shown in Cheeseburger Backpack, Steven the Sword Fighter, and Rose's Room. The Gamecube has been shown in Lion 3: Straight to Video, Warp Tour, Future Vision, Open Book, Shirt Club, The Message, Joy Ride, Reformed, Sworn to the Sword, Chille Tid, Cry for Help, Keystone Motel, Onion Friend, Historical Friction, Catch and Release, When It Rains, Back to the Barn, and Steven Floats. The GameBoy has been shown in Catch and Release.
- Steven is referenced in another Cartoon Network series, Uncle Grandpa twice, first in the episode "Haunted RV", as a kid has a costume that resembles Steven's outfit, and second in "Pizza Eve" where he and the other Crystal Gems had a cameo, Steven himself even having a short line.
- In "Friend Ship", it is revealed that if Steven summons his shield multiple times he'll become fatigued. This is possibly due to inexperience.
- Steven sometimes refers to himself in the third person. This is possibly a riff on the "Third Person Person" trope. This was most commonly used by young characters in media to sound cute or endearing.
- Joe Johnston revealed on his Tumblr that Steven is his favorite character from the show.[6]
- Since Steven's biological age can be controlled by his state of mind, it is possible that Steven could live forever just like the other Crystal Gems if he learned how to control this ability.
- Steven has been shown to be prone to motion sickness, particularly when quickly spinning.
- As seen in "Catch and Release", Steven polishes his gemstone.
- In "Say Uncle", Uncle Grandpa told Steven that he should polish his gemstone at least twice a year.
- Steven's birthday is August 15, the same day Steven Sugar, the inspiration of Steven, was born.[7]
- Throughout the show, Steven is shown to have impressive cooking skills. He is shown to have cooked various complicated dishes like the together breakfast in "Together Breakfast" and his salmon sandwich in "Onion Friend", and is generally seen cooking alone. He was even able to create fries and pizza bagels that surpass Kofi Pizza and Mr. Fryman's own products, forcing them to beg him not to make them for profit out of fear for their own livelihoods. This is possibly due out of necessity, since because the Gems do not require food (nor does any of it have to actually be edible in Amethyst's case), Steven had to learn how to cook on his own.
- As shown in the promo for "Monster Reunion", Steven is able to heal corrupted Gems mid-regeneration via healing spit.
Gemstone
| Image | Description |
 |
Steven's gemstone is located on his navel (belly button); it has a pentagon facet. |
|---|
Galleries
Steven Universe (character).
Steven Universe (character).
References
- ↑ http://powerlisting.wikia.com/wiki/Telempathy
- ↑ http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/2e4gmx/i_am_rebecca_sugar_creator_of_steven_universe_and/cjw8qv6?context=3
- ↑ http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/2e4gmx/i_am_rebecca_sugar_creator_of_steven_universe_and/cjw1wnp?context=3
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 http://twitter.com/mcburnett/status/630892497216999424
- ↑ http://ianjq.tumblr.com/post/113794156834/i-know-that-the-gems-are-sexless-agendered-etc
- ↑ http://joethejohnston.tumblr.com/post/113581403973/do-you-personally-have-a-favorite-character-in
- ↑ Steven Universe panel at San Diego Comic Con 2016
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