Character Profile: Garnet

Role

Garnet is the fusion of the two gems Ruby and Sapphire. On Homeworld, Sapphires belong to the elite class which consists of rarer, more important gems. Sapphires are designed to be cold and calculating to aid in battle strategy. Rubies are common foot soldiers/escorts that work in groups of three or more so they may fuse into a giant Ruby in times of conflict. When Rose Quartz, original leader of the Crystal Gems, and her Pearl try to "poof" Sapphire (destroy her physical form), Ruby steps in to rescue her. This resulted in the accidental cross-fusion between Ruby and Sapphire, thus Garnet was born. Since the fusion of different gem types is taboo, Ruby and Sapphire flea from Homeworld to avoid getting their gemstones shattered (the gem equivalent of murder). After Rose Quartz passes away so that Steven may live, Garnet becomes the new leader of the Crystal Gems and acts as Steven's stern yet loving parental figure.

Ruby and Sapphire (Garnet's fusion components)

Character: Garnet of the Crystal Gems
Gem: magenta stone placed on each palm
Summoned weapon: Spiked guantlets

Powers and Abilities

Abilities that all gems share:
-Summon a weapon
-Shape-shift
-Reform (regenerating after their physical bodies have been destroyed)
-Fuse (merging with another gem to become a new being)
-Extra-human strength and agility

Fusions:
Fusions involving Garnet tend to be the biggest in size, confident, and have some element of breaking the 4th wall (speaking to the show's viewers)
-Garnet (Fussion of Ruby and Sapphire)
-Sugilite (Fusion of Garnet and Amethyst)
-Sunstone (Fusion of Garnet and Steven)
-Alexandrite (Fusion of Garnet, Pearl, and Amethyst)
-Obsidian (Fusion of Garnet, Pearl, Amethyst, and Steven)

Unique Abilities:
Garnet is exceptionally skilled at fusion. In Steven Universe, a fusion's stability is based on the relationship between the gems involved. Since Ruby and Sapphire have a love lasting more than 5,000 years, they are able to maintain their fusion indefinitely. The video at the bottom shows how triumphant Garnet is in battle because of how stable her fusion is. Garnet has several unique abilities, which are derived from Ruby and Sapphire. She can see future timelines, is fireproof, has incredible strength, and can make electricity. Since Garnet is a fusion, she has two gemstones: one on her right palm and one on her left palm. From these stones, she can summon a pair of guantlets with spikes on the knuckles.

First fusion: Unstable/original Garnet (Ruby + Sapphire)
Gem: magenta stone placed on each palm
Summoned weapon: Spiked guantlets (Ruby's glove + Sapphire's unrevealed weapon)

Character Development:

Throughout the show, Garnet had always been a stoic and strong leader with little changes in her character. However, after it was revealed that Rose Quartz used to be an evil tyrant of Homeworld, Garnet's fusion fell apart. Sapphire was upset that her future vision never saw past Rose's lies, and she blamed Ruby for it. When Ruby and Sapphire fuse, Garnet loses that future vision and can only see future possibilities/timelines. So Sapphire abandons Ruby and Ruby goes on a journey to find herself. Eventually Steven is able to come through to them and help them see that they really are in love with eachother and it's not just all based on Rose's lie. This led to a historic moment on television: Cartoon Network's first show to feature a lesbian wedding.