Kotono Mitsuishi
is Usagi's best friend and schoolmate at the start of the series. Naru and her mother are the very first victims of a monster attack, and Naru hero-worships Sailor Moon for saving them. Throughout the series she continues to be a frequent target of villains and monsters. In a "memorable subplot" of the anime adaptation, Naru falls in love with Nephrite, who eventually returns her feelings and attempts to atone for his misdeeds. His death while protecting Naru devastates her throughout the first season. Voice actress Kotono Mitsuishi was particularly touched by this sequence. In the anime, Naru later dates Gurio Umino.