Hotaru is a bubbly and energetic Japanese girl in Galaxy Mew Mew, and the fourth member of the Galaxy Mews. Her alias is Mew Onyx Storm, and she is the youngest of the group. Hotaru arrived at the colonies when she was six years old and is 10 in the main story.
About
- First Appearance: Chapter 4 - "Stormy Weather"
Mew Onyx Storm
- Hotaru came to the colonies with her thirteen-year-old sister Arisu when she was just six years old. During the Rush, Hotaru and her sister were separated from their parents and forced onto a separate ship from them, subsequently having to live on their own. The once carefree Arisu bore the responsibility of taking care of both Hotaru and herself, eventually becoming overbearing and exhausted as the burden of her responsibilities wore on her. Hotaru's sibling ended up working as an assistant to a Merchant in the marketplace in order to obtain supplies such as food and clothing to support the both of them, but became much too busy to deal with her younger sister all the time. She always left Hotaru alone in their cabin, instructing her to stay out of trouble until she returned home. Of course, being such a free and mischievous spirit, Hotaru never listened.
- Despite their misfortune and the droll colony life they lived, Hotaru would always find a way to entertain herself and make the best of things, even if it occasionally got her into trouble. Every day on the colony, as soon as Arisu stepped out of her bunker to go to work, Hotaru would immediately plan her day out and think of something to entertain herself while exploring the ship. Most of the time, she would pull harmless but spectacular pranks on other people in the colonies, depending on who was around for her to pull them on. She would constantly mess with other people in their bunkers if they had left their doors open, cause mischief in the marketplace, and even fool with any officers nearby, if she knew she could outrun them when they angrily began to chase her (being so young and small, she usually could!).
- For the most part, Hotaru evaded trouble and never got caught, as she was horrendously flexible and agile. As a young girl back on Earth, Hotaru's parents put her in gymnastics classes in order allow their daughter to exert her energy without bothering anyone else. Of course, this didn't stop Hotaru from being just as sly and mischievous elsewhere as in her classes at school, and so she grew up to be the sly, tricky little girl she is now. And, being unimpressed by the community space where residents were meant to exert their energy and have fun, Hotaru was much more interested in a mischievous outlet.
Becoming a Mew
- The fun Hotaru had doing these sorts of things made life better and more cheerful for her on the colony. But unfortunately, the carefree behavior suddenly came to a halt when she neglected to be careful in one particular instance later into her life on the colony. After pulling a prank that went destructively awry, Hotaru got caught by an officer whose finesse she underestimated:
- Having been used to getting away with everything and therefore never expecting this, she did all she could think of—run away. Needless to say, the officer ran after her, and the two were led on a merry chase. After some time, Hotaru began to grow tired of running, surprised that anyone older than her could keep up with her childish energy. She ended up looking for anywhere she could hide, or anyone to aid her. Luckily, she ran into two of the Galaxy Mews, Chrysalis and Niji, who had been on their way to the laboratories to train for the day. Hotaru pleaded with the Mews to help her out as she was in trouble, and the two girls sympathetically agreed to do so. When the officer caught up with Hotaru, he was surprised to see Chrysalis and Niji aiding the troublemaker. However, since the two were a part of the Galaxy Mews, who everyone respected due to their bravery and courage, he let it slide and allowed Hotaru to go free—provided she stay out of trouble.
- Hotaru was utterly grateful to the girls for helping her out and expressed her admiration for them and their cause. Niji and Chrysalis were charmed by this young girl and, when they found out she was out on her own, offered to take her to the Laboratory to watch them train until it was time for her to go home. Of course, Hotaru excitedly agreed. She enjoyed watching the Galaxy Mews perform various attacks and displays of their skill, but she couldn't help her rather boasting personality. Hotaru wanted to join in too, so she decided to show off, interrupting the girls' training. She jumped in the air, flipped around, stretched and rolled, doing everything she knew how.
- Surprisingly, instead of being annoyed by her interruption, the Galaxy Mews were quite impressed. Akio, who had been observing everyone, came up to Hotaru and asked her where she'd learned to do what she had just done. Pleased with the attention, Hotaru explained how her parents had put her into gymnastics class and how she liked to mess around and pull pranks on people. She also bragged about how lightning fast she was and that nobody had ever caught her before today.
- Akio chuckled at this flaunting young child and asked her if she'd like to join the Galaxy Mews, believing that with a little more work, she could grow strong enough to aid them in their mission to reclaim the Earth from the rampant Chimera Anima. Hotaru became extremely excited at this offer. She wanted to agree, but then thought better of it, taking into consideration that there was no way Arisu would let her do something so dangerous. Understanding the situation, Akio and Niji went off to the girls' cabin and talked with Arisu about the offer. She was reluctant, but knew that her family would be reunited again after so long a time of being apart if the Mews were successful. Considering this, she allowed Hotaru to become a Galaxy Mew. Akio took Hotaru to the laboratories where she was transformed, and from then on, the energetic girl was known as Mew Onyx Storm. She was still a bit of a showoff at times, but she otherwise proved to be a great addition to the team, happy, energetic, and lovable.
Personality
- Hotaru is awfully bubbly and happy by nature, especially when she is around her friends and teammates. She is also quite easygoing and understanding of others, especially willing to help them when she can. Hotaru carries an air of mischief and slyness with her, typically keeping to her nature and pulling pranks on the other girls and Akio, much to their dismay. While she is a valued member of the team, Hotaru has a habit of always wanting to be in the spotlight as any other child would and is sometimes a bit of a show-off. However, she will stay out of trouble when necessary.
- When not in the middle of any missions or responsibilities, Hotaru will be all over the place, looking for something fun to do and occasionally bouncing off the walls with energy. But despite her goofy and energetic nature, when in a serious battle, Hotaru will take a mature attitude and always try to defend her teammates, being very loyal to her friends.
Mew Form
- Hotaru is infused with the DNA of a yellow-cheeked gibbon, relative to her energetic nature and agile ability. When as Mew Onyx Storm, Hotaru harnesses the power of Storm and Haze, and has the ability to control and conjure lightning through her weapon. She is incredibly agile and has a strike-and-dodge technique in battle, typically swiftly avoiding many attacks. She will often fight alongside one of her teammates, either as support or because they want to protect her, being so young (and she sort of lets them).
- Mew Onyx Storm wields her weapon, the Onyx Ring, and will attack with Ribbon Lightning Stomp.
Relationships
Akio Fujioka
- Hotaru thinks that Akio is a lot like Arisu, as he can be reserved and much too serious, and she picks on him a lot because of it. She’s mostly seen pulling pranks on him and badgering him with endless questions about his work and other things. She notices that Akio treats her as his own child and is very strict with her when she gets out of hand. Hotaru never takes Akio seriously even when he does so, and only tries to be an ‘adult’ about things when It comes to battles or truly serious situations. She cares about him, though, and is grateful that he gave her the opportunity to be a Mew and break her boring routines on the colony.
Niji Harada
- Hotaru thinks that Niji can be too serious or even bossy at times, but the pair still manage to get along and work well in battle. Hotaru is initially rebellious and childish with Niji, but comes to respect her more and more as they work together over time. She comes to respect Niji as a leader and always does her best to follow what she says while still contributing in her own way. She has been shown to give good ideas, and Niji admires her contributions to the team as Hotaru admires Niji's.
Hikari Yamamoto
- Hikari and Hotaru get along quite a bit and they play together and tease the other Mews and even play pranks on them every so often (especially on Akio). Though Hikari is willing to follow her friend, she is still older, and her personality is much more mature than Hotaru's as a result. Because of this, at times they may disagree or fight over little things. Because of how they get along while still sort of bickering, Hotaru thinks of Hikari as a big sister, but certainly not to the same extent as her older sister Arisu, whom she finds is more "boring" than Hikari ever could be. Along with enjoying her company, Hotaru and Hikari are often fighting closely together in battles, and when one has an idea, the other supports it.
Chrysalis Müller
- Hotaru thinks Chrysalis is amazing and idolizes her quite a bit, though annoyingly so at times, according to Chrysalis. She always wants to hang around her as often as she can and gets a bit jealous when she and Niji hang out together because they talk about "boring grown-up stuff" and don’t really pay attention to her much. Later on, their relationship matures a bit as Hotaru comes to understand how she must be as a Galaxy Mew, and she is better able to communicate with Chrysalis without being overbearing, but while still idolizing her. She does get a bit frustrated at times, though, when Chrysalis (or anyone else, really) chastises her for any behavior they don't agree with. Otherwise, the two work well together as friends and in battle.
Nexus
- Hotaru likes to play around with Nexus and is always intrigued when she tells stories about her home. Hotaru thinks Nexus is "super cool" because she is an alien who's come from such an interesting background. Hotaru always listens intently to Nexus' stories and when she talks about aspects of her culture the way Chrysalis or Akio sometimes do. Hotaru does take some issue with how Nexus treats her at times, since she the alien girl is far gentler in nature and may tend to hover over Hotaru since she's so young, but Hotaru does overall know that she means well. Nexus is typically seen close to Hotaru, intent on making sure she is safe.
Theme
Gallery
Hotaru in a dress
.png "Hotaru (Design Tweak).png (111 KB)")
Tweaked design
Hotaru with Arisu
Hotaru admiring Chrysalis
From Chapter 4
Hotaru attacking with Hikari
Hotaru with Hikari
Doll made in Kisekae 2, details edited in photoshop
Created by AnnikaDoll |
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| Galaxy Mew Mew | |
|---|---|
| Galaxy Mews | Niji Harada ✦ Hikari Yamamoto ✦ Chrysalis Müller ✦ Hotaru Kojima ✦ Nexus |
| Other Characters | Akio Fujioka ✦ Ehne ✦ Side Characters |
| Races | The Ecots ✦ The Ajra |
| Chapters | 1 ✦ 2 ✦ 3 ✦ 4 ✦ 5 ✦ 6 ✦ 7 ✦ 8 ✦ 9 ✦ 10 ✦ 11 ✦ 12 ✦ Writing Process |
| Epilogues | 1 ✦ 2 ✦ 3 ✦ 4 ✦ 5 ✦ 6 ✦ 7 ✦ 8 |
| Other | The Colonies ✦ Galaxy Mew Mew Gallery |