Haruka is a stubborn, protective individual, as well as strong-willed, capable, charming, and occasionally even daring. She is formally introduced in the
third story arc, although she appears in silhouette alongside
Sailor Neptune in the final episode of
Sailor Moon R. She is the tallest of the Sailor Guardians at , followed by
Sailor Pluto at . Haruka is a
racecar driver, even though she is barely sixteen years old at her first appearance. However, the timing of her birthday to the Japanese school year means she is one grade ahead of the Sailor Guardians. Haruka loves to tease pretty girls. In the manga, she even kisses
Usagi Tsukino. Throughout the manga, she lightly flirts with Usagi, either out of habit in her first appearance or just for fun, and eventually Usagi flirts back. Their relationship in the anime is different, as Haruka also refers to Usagi as "Odango", or dumpling, in the same way
Tuxedo Mask does—as a playful nickname. By the time she returns in
Sailor Stars, however, she begins to refer to Usagi as "Kitten". , as drawn by
Naoko Takeuchi Although her relationship with Michiru Kaioh, or Sailor Neptune, is not implicitly sexual until later in the series, their romantic situation is referred to early on and generally understood by most of the metaseries' characters fairly quickly. It is sometimes a source of good-natured humor, particularly because few of the other Guardians have serious romantic prospects in comparison and because the otherwise bold Haruka finds it impolite to discuss romantic matters in public. In the anime, however, the physical aspects of their relationship are limited to handholding, flirting, and sometimes even humorous implications, but generally remains circumspect. She complicates the perception of her gender by appearing as a "Tuxedo Mask" instead of a Sailor Guardian in her first appearance. This form is never mentioned again. In her civilian form, she also wears the male Mugen Academy uniform. In
Sailor Moon Crystal, Sailor Neptune remarks that Sailor Uranus is
both male and female. As for pronouns, the characters often refer to Haruka as "her" in the English translation however, after Hotaru reawakens as Sailor Saturn in Episode 2 of
Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Eternal she refers to Haruka as ‘Daddy Haruka’. Besides her relationship with Michiru, Haruka is also close friends with
Setsuna Meioh, because the three of them work closely together. Following the destruction of the
Death Busters and the rebirth of
Sailor Saturn as an infant, they vow to be her family and care for her. Later story arcs show that the four live together happily for some time. Nothing about Haruka's family life is ever discussed, although she and Michiru appear noticeably wealthy by unknown means. In the manga, Haruka says that she and Michiru have "wealthy patrons". The anime and manga versions of the character are reasonably interchangeable, although her standoffishness is more pronounced in the anime. Like Michiru, Haruka is sometimes considered an
antihero. In the
Sailor Moon musicals (Seramyu), Haruka and Michiru's relationship remains largely unchanged; they are always shown together, which is consistent with both manga and anime, and while their romance in the musicals is usually kept low-key, the actresses for the two do kiss on stage in the
omake of
Kaguya Shima Densetsu Kaiteiban. They are also the only two Guardians to engage in physical combat with
Sailor Galaxia. The other Guardians only use their powers to combat her. As in the anime, however, neither Uranus or Neptune are capable of harming Galaxia in combat. It is seen that Uranus has the ability to sense Neptune's death when Galaxia gravely injures Neptune, who had been weakened while protecting Sailor Mars. Otherwise, the two are shown to be more willing to work as a team with the other Sailor Guardians in the musicals than in the anime, except where plot-lines are directly drawn from the anime, such as their pretended betrayal of the other Guardians in
Sailor Stars. Haruka's ambition prior to becoming a Sailor Guardian was to be a professional racer. Thereafter, driving is still a well-loved hobby and is listed in the manga as her best skill. She is also an accomplished runner, belonging to the
track and field club at school. On occasion, Haruka can be seen playing piano in accompaniment during Michiru's violin performances. While
physical education is her best class, modern Japanese language is her worst. Haruka is highly private, able to tease others while becoming flustered if teased herself, and has difficulty with confessions. Her favorite food is
salad and her least favorite is
nattō (fermented soybeans); she also likes the color
gold. According to Michiru, Haruka has had trouble with popular men on more than one occasion. Haruka denies this, but it clearly annoys her. Haruka, Michiru, and Setsuna appear in
Sailor Moon SuperS: The Movie, although this conflicts with the general timeline of the series in several ways. Notably, they are more overtly friendly and helpful than they had been when they last met, and Sailor Pluto is present (which conflicts with certain events in the third series). ==Aspects and forms==