Inter-Dark Kingdom Sentiments:
The Drama
This is not meant to be a huge, drawn-out shrine. There are already sections on this page devoted to the more prominent interactions between the Dark Kingdom characters; this is meant to supplement those by looking at opinions that characters share that are not quite so defined.
Should be interesting, don't you think? Let's see what happens.
To start: what does everyone think of Jadeite?
This is one of the more difficult characters to define, because he had absolutely no interaction with his fellow Shitennou in the anime. As such, this section will lack any analysis as to what he may think of them. It's a pity, but there's nothing that can be changed at this point, right?
All right. Here's what people think of him, based on the little evidence there is.
Nephrite thinks that Jadeite is useless. In Nephrite's very first appearance, right after Jadeite's death, he says this. He also begins his first monologue the same way, only this time he uses the word 'fool'. Sorry, doujinshi fans; whereas doujinka may think that they're an ideal couple, the anime certainly doesn't think so. (and neither do I; I hate seeing Jadeite girly-fied, but... that's my opinion.)
Zoisite thinks much the same as Nephrite. (wow! They agree on something!) This, however, is a bit more difficult to tell. In episode nineteen, Zoisite retorts to something Nephrite said by saying, "Jadeite said the same thing. Can you do it?" and the mocking way he uses Jadeite's name reveals something into his feelings about the short-haired king. Also, in the official (though they don't fit into canon) Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon stereo dramas, he refers to Jadeite twice as 'tonma na Shitennou', which, by the translation I have, means "The pathetic king".*
Kunzite, to the best of my knowledge, never says anything one way or the other about Jadeite.
Beryl obviously begins out with Jadeite high in her favor. Why else would she choose him as her first 'ambassador' (my term, not hers!) to earth? However, obviously, his losses of youma to the senshi make him slowly drop in status. Toward the end, as he gets more and more worried, she likes him less and less. And in the end, when he doesn't do as she asks and defeat all three senshi, Jadeite finds that she has gotten to the point where she no long considers him worthwhile. She does not care that he has succeeded in getting energy. His mistakes made him useless.
Endymion did not exist during Jadeite's reign. But Tuxedo Kamen (the hero) didn't like him much, especially in the end; his lines are very negative toward him. He doesn't much care for Jadeite's trickery and willingness to hurt women.
So, that's what everyone thinks of Jadeite. What do they think of Nephrite?
Jadeite is not applicable. He never makes reference to any of the other kings.
Zoisite... well, I dedicated a section to this, didn't I? To sum it up, he doesn't like Nephrite. He considers him overconfident. However, he does have some respect for his fighting abilities; at one point he tells his youma to be careful because Nephrite is a powerful warrior.
Kunzite, from what little he says of him, does not nearly have this respect for Nephrite on any level. Like any good warrior, he first warns Zoisite to see what Nephrite's got before retreating; by the next episode, he has clearly decided that Nephrite is not worth worrying about, and that taking the ginzuishou from him would be no problem.
Beryl does have some sort of respect for Nephrite. Perhaps it's because of his unique star-abilities, but she lets him get away with much more than she let Jadeite get away with. He got to tell her off, even, a couple times, and though she got mad, she did not blast him right then-and-there. However, in the end she was getting quite angry at him, and he knew this (this is why he wanted the ginzuishou so bad; to win back her favor!), and so she did not punish Zoisite at all for executing her wayward king.
Endymion still did not exist. Tuxedo Kamen and Nephrite fought occasionally, as villains and heroes are prone to do. They did have that one moment when they seemed to notice each other in civilian clothes, which has been interpreted a number of ways (the most obvious, and probably the correct one, is that they both hold some sort of low-level psychic abilities, and as such recognized each other on that level), but as for feelings about each other? More than likely the basic hatred.
Okay. Moving on -- what does everyone think of Zoisite?
Oh, I love him. He's beautiful and adorable and- what? Oh, right. Opinions from Dark Kingdom-types. Of course. Sorry.
Jadeite is still not applicable.
Nephrite. Well, again, refer to the Zoisite and Nephrite page. But again, to sum it up, Nephrite does not take Zoisite seriously, instead considering him an annoyance. Kunzite's boy. (and I'll explain that when we get to Kunzite!) It's only when Nephrite's laying dying by Zoisite's plans that he curses Zoisite, realizing the true danger in this kid.
Kunzite. Okay, there's another section or two for you to check out. Well. Kunzite thinks Zoisite is beautiful, definitely. And he does care for him, but he struggles with that fact. It's difficult to stay invincible and to be open with a lover at the same time. But he has a noteworthy affection for Zoisite, and he sometimes shows this through moments of gentleness and touching. He hurts for him after his death.
Beryl. Like the two before him, Beryl began by holding Zoisite in her (fleeting) favor. She appreciates his 'concern' for Nephrite's exploits; only once does she reprimand him for not pursuing his own task, and only once does she clearly slight him, when she allows Nephrite to pursue the ginzuishou on earth. But this is likely merely her sadism at work; not only does she set off the events that lead to Nephrite's downfall, she also got to make Zoisite cry and watch Nephrite squirm at trying to succeed in his last chance. It probably wasn't anything personal toward Zoisite. In fact, she is especially pleased after he kills Nephrite, and so she sets him on his new mission of finding the ginzuishou. And while she occasionally yells when he loses one, he manages to keep recovering them to boost her favor of him. It's only when he ends up injuring Tuxedo Kamen that she gets angry enough to kill him; of course, there is the possibility that other factors were in play there (she may, for example, have been jealous of his devotion toward Kunzite and Kunzite's esteem for him), but that's just further unverifiable guesswork.
Endymion. Being that Endymion did not appear until Zoisite had given him a near-fatal wound, he really didn't have much conscious feeling for Zoisite. As Tuxedo Kamen the hero, though, these two shared a special hatred of each other, because they were in direct competition for the nijizuishou, and as such ended up often playing dirty. So Tuxedo Kamen did not like Zoisite, not at all.
Now, let's go on to what everyone thinks of Kunzite...
Should I even bother to mention that Jadeite's out of the running, here?
It's a little difficult to tell what Nephrite thinks of his superior king, as he only has one line in which he even mentions him, and he wasn't even speaking to Kunzite, but rather, to Zoisite. "So, you came to spy for Kunzite?" This is what leads me to the 'Zoisite is nothing but Kunzite's pet' idea; why else would Nephrite equate Zoisite's arrival with Kunzite? Perhaps he has decided that Zoisite is merely a tool... and the scorn in Nephrite's voice as he makes this revelation is quite evident. He has little appreciation for Kunzite manipulating the smallest king in this manner, and in this demonstrates his lack of respect from his superior. (and I apologize; that bordered on speculation... though I choose to see it more as psychological interpretation.)
It's much easier to know what Zoisite thinks of Kunzite. He worships the ground he walks on and the air he floats in. He would throw his life away for Kunzite. He admires him with near-deity status, despite that their unforgiving society often stifles this emotion, which ends up almost always reducing Zoisite's affection to reverent facial expressions and admiring tones of voice.
Beryl... well, this one's tricky, too. He's still her strongest king; she easily lets him take over for Zoisite. But she often favors Endymion over Kunzite, and at the same time makes him Endymion's guardian, which ends up confusing Kunzite. And she knows she's doing it. Quite possibly, she sees him as the king most loyal to her, and this loyalty enables her to mistreat him more than any other king. On the other hand, she lets him get away with more -- he continually comes up with stupid plans, and she doesn't threaten him with eternal sleep...
Endymion does not like Kunzite. These two share a rivalry that, though not as long and developed as that between Zoisite and Nephrite, is severe in its own way. However, both are too subservient to Beryl to actually act openly on their hatred (though Kunzite does attempt to freeze Endymion at one point...), and instead are reduced to arguing. Endymion's problem is that he doesn't feel that Kunzite respects the abilities of the Sailorsenshi and has really stupid plans (I agree with him, to some extent...). Therefore, Endymion does not respect Kunzite, and has no sympathy for the fact that he's stealing the king's job.
Now, to Endymion. This should be easy, right?
Jadeite does not like Tuxedo Kamen because he saves the Sailorsenshi from his youma. Nephrite does not like Tux for the same reason. Zoisite does not like Tux because he fights with him for the nijizuishou, and sometimes wins out. But none of them knew Endymion, so I'm not sure if that's fair or not.
Kunzite does not like Endymion for a number of reasons. Endymion is the reason for which Zoisite was killed (though the true blame lays on a number of others; mostly Beryl, of course, but Sailormoon, Zoisite, and Kunzite also had a hand in it), and I'm sure it hurts to work with that reason. He also doesn't appreciate how Endymion stole his place in the spotlight of Beryl's favor. He doesn't agree with Endymion's methods of seeking the ginzuishou. He doesn't like playing babysitter to him. Kunzite just plain doesn't like Endymion.
Beryl, on the other hand, likes Endymion a lot. She wanted him to marry her, back in the reign of the Silver Millennium. In the present, once he was finally brainwashed into being hers, she still desires him. Obviously. Why else would she kill Zoisite over him? Why else would she let him get away with helping the Sailorsenshi survive the Dark Kingdom's traps time and time again? Why else would she send him on an extremely important mission to recover the nijizuishou carriers, and entrust him with the valuable kurozuishou? Why else would she use Metallia's energy to revive and brainwash him not once but twice? Why else would she tell him to kill Sailormoon (as a symbolic gesture), when she could easily have done it herself? Yeah, it's clear that she holds Endymion in high esteem.
And a special mention, here: Metallia likes Endymion, too. (I chose not to discuss her feelings earlier due to a near-total lack of character, but this is an exception). She says that his energy is the same as her own (whatever that means!), and she wants to see the energy she invested in him (twice!) put to good use.
All right, and finally, to Beryl.
Jadeite is sickeningly subservient to her. He never put much into defending himself when she angrily lit into him. So he thinks of her as a ruler, and is supremely devoted to her.
Nephrite, though he followed her and feared her wrath in the end, wasn't nearly as humble. He was more independent, and would talk back. While he still served her and was a powerful servant, he wasn't nearly as reverent.
Zoisite was a good servant. He apologized when he needed to, and did what she asked. He didn't say he'd throw his life away for Beryl, though, like he did for a certain someone else... and that's all I think I need to say on that subject.
Kunzite was much like Jadeite, though during his time when Zoisite was alive he had a bit more independence. He would confidently speak up in Zoisite's defense. On the other hand... he wanted Zoisite to get the nijizuishou so Beryl would be pleased, so even back then he was deferential toward her. I think his respect for her dwindled after Zoisite's death, but he had nothing else to do and nowhere else to go, so he continued being her model pupil.
Endymion was brainwashed into being her slave. He really couldn't think anything of her that she didn't want him to think. But when he broke free of the brainwashing, he threw a rose into her chest, and that pretty much speaks for itself.
Metallia needed Beryl for her revival, but as for feelings... there really weren't any apparent.
The same goes for the youma. Except that Tetis obviously wanted Jadeite, they weren't anything toward their commanders but good servants. And that is that.
Okay. That's the Dark Kingdom. Fascinating, hm? Despite the occasional shortage of character interplay, what does appear in their relationships makes for some pretty interesting little tidbits of thought, and it's interpreting what these little tidbits mean that's part of the fun and the allure to this group.
If only life were as easy as it is in doujinshi...
*Information found, in part, here.