Nephrite/Naru
| Pairing | |
|---|---|
| Pairing: | Nephrite/Naru Osaka |
| Alternative name(s): | Nephlite/Molly Baker |
| Gender category: | m/f, Het |
| Fandom: | Sailor Moon |
| Canonical?: | '90s anime |
| Prevalence: | rare |
| Archives: | |
| Other: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Nephrite/Naru is the romantic pairing of Nephrite and Naru Osaka in the Sailor Moon fandom.
Fandom
In the late 90s and early 2000s, the pairing was quite popular among Dark Kingdom fans and even non-Dark Kingdom fans. Many who came into the series via the first anime were surprised and charmed by the Nephrite arc, where the villain showed another side to himself and even had a sort of redemption before his death. Fanfiction ran the gamut from Fix Fic where Nephrite survived or came back to life, or angst fic where Naru coped with his death.
The ship did have some critics, who felt fans overhyped the romance at the expense of Umino (Naru's later canon boyfriend) and ignored that even if he died for her, Nephrite still lied to and used Naru, in addition to being too old for her. These criticisms became much more common and pronounced in the mid-New Tens, where critics would focus entirely on the pairing's problematic aspects as reasons why fans "shouldn't" ship it or find it even remotely romantic.
Nonetheless, the pairing still has its ardent supporters. Mainly nostalgic old fans, but also newer fans who understand the problematic implications and still find the ship intriguing, as well as Nephrite's arc.
External Links
- Greenstone - shrine dedicated to the pairing by Déesse.
- The Nephrite & Naru Treasury - "The World's Largest Collection of Nephrite/Naru (Nephlite/Molly) Fanart and Fanfiction!"