08-24-2025, 05:08 AM
Satsu is a fictional character in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer comics published by Dark Horse Comics. She first appears in Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight #1 (2007), a canonical continuation of the television series of the same name. The television series follows Buffy Summers, a Slayer destined to fight supernatural foes, and ends with her sharing this power with others. After being activated as a Slayer, Satsu is trained by Buffy, becoming her strongest fighter, and falls in love with her. They have sex together twice before Satsu becomes the leader of a squad of Slayers in Tokyo. In her later storylines, Satsu struggles to move on from Buffy, fights demonically-possessed stuffed animals, and briefly reappears in Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Ten.
Satsu was developed by Buffy's creator Joss Whedon and artist Georges Jeanty; Jeanty was the primary artist for Satsu and took inspiration for her appearance from Japanese street fashion. Whedon considered Satsu's sexual relationship with Buffy a natural progression of their storylines and a way to further explore both characters. In response to criticism, editor Scott Allie and writer Drew Goddard denied that it was a publicity stunt or a political statement. Acknowledging past criticism of his treatment of LGBT characters, Whedon confirmed that Satsu would continue to appear after the end of her relationship with Buffy.
Satsu's relationship with Buffy received mixed reactions from fans, some of which Dark Horse Comics published in the letter columns of several issues. Reviewers discussed Season Eight's treatment of its lesbian characters, with some praising Satsu's storyline. Critics, fans, and industry insiders had a more mixed response to Satsu's sexual relationship with Buffy; some reviewers found it a positive representation of sexuality, while others deemed it gratuitous. Several scholarly articles focused on this aspect of the character. Academics have analyzed the unequal power dynamic between Satsu and Buffy and have compared the representations of their sexuality. To a lesser extent, scholars have also discussed the depiction of Satsu's race and ethnicity.
Satsu was developed by Buffy's creator Joss Whedon and artist Georges Jeanty; Jeanty was the primary artist for Satsu and took inspiration for her appearance from Japanese street fashion. Whedon considered Satsu's sexual relationship with Buffy a natural progression of their storylines and a way to further explore both characters. In response to criticism, editor Scott Allie and writer Drew Goddard denied that it was a publicity stunt or a political statement. Acknowledging past criticism of his treatment of LGBT characters, Whedon confirmed that Satsu would continue to appear after the end of her relationship with Buffy.
Satsu's relationship with Buffy received mixed reactions from fans, some of which Dark Horse Comics published in the letter columns of several issues. Reviewers discussed Season Eight's treatment of its lesbian characters, with some praising Satsu's storyline. Critics, fans, and industry insiders had a more mixed response to Satsu's sexual relationship with Buffy; some reviewers found it a positive representation of sexuality, while others deemed it gratuitous. Several scholarly articles focused on this aspect of the character. Academics have analyzed the unequal power dynamic between Satsu and Buffy and have compared the representations of their sexuality. To a lesser extent, scholars have also discussed the depiction of Satsu's race and ethnicity.
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