Kunzite/Zoisite

Kunzite/Zoisite is a Sailor Moon yaoi pairing.
==Canon==
Kunzite and Zoisite were two villains from the first season of Sailor Moon, members of the villain organization the Dark Kingdom. Zoisite was introduced in the same episode as fellow Shitennou Nephrite, whom he mercilessly bullied, while Kunzite's very first appearance was to establish him as Zoisite's mentor and lover. The two had a surprisingly loving and devoted relationship considering they were villains, and was a strange mingling of gay stereotyping and positive representation, the latter being quite an anomaly in 1990s Japan.Kunzite/Zoisite is both problematic and positive
However, being villains, the two would not survive to the end of the season. Zoisite was killed by Queen Beryl as punishment for disobeying a direct order from her, and his death scene is considered one of the most iconic in all of the series. Kunzite would spend the rest of the season angry and vengeful over the loss of his lover, especially towards the brainwashed Endymion, until his own death at the hands of Sailor Moon. His last words were calling out to Zoisite.
===International Dubs (and controversy)===
The North American dub of Sailor Moon changed Zoisite into a woman named Zoycite, due to American television being reluctant to show a gay relationship in a series meant to be watched by kids. While many fans were outraged at the change, Zoycite did wind up with a sizeable fanbase due to being radically different in character and personality and being voiced by the beloved Kristen Bishop.
Kunzite's name was changed to Malachite, possibly for legal reasons.
In the Castilian Spanish dub, Kunzite and Zoisite were made uncle and nephew in order to hide the excessive familiarity with which the two of them interacted, which Antena 3 considered inappropriate for children's audiences. This backfired and made the scene where Kunzite gives Zoisite a rose even more inappropriate.
In the French dub, the two were portrayed as brothers.
==Fandom==
Kunzite/Zoisite has a strongly devoted fanbase, now more than ever due to the series being redubbed by Viz with the original homosexual romance intact. To anime fans who grew up with the series, they were considered Baby's First Yaoi Pairing (usually by way of learning about the Japanese version on the internet) while new fans were enthralled with the dialogue and voice acting given to the couple in the redub.
Eventually, the fandom began to surmise that Kunzite/Zoisite may have existed in some form in the manga due to a scene of the two sitting close together, plus Kunzite's seiyuu's comments during an interview regarding the relationship. A scanslation supposedly claimed Kunzite had an attraction to Zoisite, despite the source being considered unreliable.
A favorite pastime of the current fandom is to analyze every one of the couple's scenes together, pointing out the nuances in their speech and their body language in great detail using screencaps. So they're spooning on their ridiculous throne thing...Analysis of the Rose Scene in episode 29
=== Kerfluffles ===
The love for the pairing was so strong that it caused some controversy among fans when Sailor Moon Crystal followed the manga, in which the two were implied to be involved with Sailor Venus and Sailor Mercury. Crystal also cut out the aforementioned scene of the pair sitting together, causing fans to become angry at the loss of the one thing they could use to assume the pair were in a relationship in the manga.
In turn, some Sen/Shi fans tried to claim Kunzite and Zoisite were only a couple in the anime due to being under the control of Queen Beryl TOP TEN SAME-SEX COUPLES IN ANIME! despite the anime ardently stating otherwise. (However, some fans believe this was the case in one of the musicals. Analuysis bjectively-homophobic-and prettysenshiconfessionsv2)
==Fanworks==
===Fanfiction===
* Stayka's Dark Kingdom Home fanfiction page
* Gita Toronjil-Lee's fanfiction
* This's Nothing!
===Essays and Meta===
* A Match Made in Darkness
* Zoisite and Kunzite
===Fanart===
* Pixiv tag
===Fanvids===
* Malchik Gay
* Black Black Heart
* Near Me
==Archives & Fannish Links==
* Kunzite/Zoisite works on AO3
* The Scrumdiddlyumptious Dark Kingdom Love Revival
* Dark Kingdoms: Kunzite & Zoisite's haven
* KunZoi on Shipping Wiki
==References==
Category:Sailor Moon Relationships
Category:Yaoi Pairings