PallaPalla is a member of the Amazoness Quartet, one of the antagonists from the Sailor Moon anime and manga series by Naoko Takeuchi. She is the one with the blue hair and the blue-colored theme.
When it is revealed in the manga that the Amazoness Quartet are actually Sailor Senshi, they are collectively known as the Sailor Quartet or the Asteroid Senshi.
As a member of the Asteroid Senshi, PallaPalla is known as Sailor Pallas. The name "PallaPalla" was derived from the name "Pallas". But where did this name come from? What is Pallas?
The asteroid Pallas was named after the Greek goddess called Pallas. She is more commonly known as Athena (sometimes even Athene). Her counterpart in Roman Mythology is named Minerva. She is the goddess of wisdom and warfare (among many other things).
PallaPalla's blue theme isn't necessarily because of the goddess Pallas.
It's really more because she is the counterpart of Sailor Mercury who also has blue themes though it's of a different shade from PallaPalla's color.
It's rather fitting how Sailor Mercury is PallaPalla's counterpart because the former is actually very smart and intelligent. This is just like how Minerva can definitely be described with the same terms especially since Athena's mother is actually Metis who is the Titan goddess of wisdom.
On the other hand, at first glance, it doesn't seem to make any sense at all to have PallaPalla be named after Pallas, considering how childish she can be. In fact, with how she acts, she comes across as being the youngest of the Amazoness Quartet even though she is really the second oldest.
But don't let her childishness and the way she is wont to refer to herself in the third person fool you because PallaPalla can be capable and she definitely has a dangerous streak.
An example of this can be seen in episode 153 of the Sailor Moon SuperS anime. In this particular episode, PallaPalla can be seen playing with her dolls.
Because one doll apparently had an unbearable tooth ache, she proceeds to rip this doll's head off as a cure for said tooth ache.
This shows that PallaPalla is not someone to be underestimated just because she acts childish pretty much all the time.
This action of hers can also be considered to be a clever way to get rid of a tooth ache (it's certainly unconventional and even revolutionary) though, obviously, no one would want to opt for this kind of cure.
PallaPalla's relation to the goddess Athena can also be seen in how she is wont to attack groups of people all at once in order to acquire their Dream Mirrors, a prime example of which can be seen in episode 158 of Sailor Moon SuperS.
This can be akin to how wars and battles involve many people and cause a lot to get hurt and even to die. Of course, a war isn't as simple as merely having people fighting and dying and one side winning and another losing.
It's also important to note that Athena isn't exactly the goddess of war.
She's related to wars and battle, but it's different from how Ares (his Roman counterpart is called Mars) is the god of war.
Ares represents the dark side of war (so to speak) with all the violence and the like whereas Athena represents the strategic side of things with the people involved making plans and not just rushing recklessly into battle.
This strategizing and planning also shows how crafty Minerva can be, which explains why she is also said to be good with crafts like building things and weaving.
This brings us back to PallaPalla who loves playing with toys. In the aforementioned episode 153 of the anime, she can be seen transforming her toys into a real dentist's building and her dolls into real people.
So what do you think of PallaPalla? Do you like her character? Is she your favorite member of the Amazoness Quartet or the Asteroid Senshi? Do you think her name suits her?
*Notes:
- Image with added text was modified by Freya Yuki (CC:BY-SA) based on the image by ChibiTaryn (CC:BY-SA) from deviantArt
- Pic is meant to represent PallaPalla because the figure in said image has blue hair and even appears to look rather childish, much like PallaPalla
- The rest of the pics are enlarged product images from Amazon.com; links shown above via Amazon's Native Shopping Ads widget
