Pearl (Steven Universe)

"♫ I will fight in the name of Rose Quartz, and everything she believed in!♫"

- Pearl singing about her reason of protecting the Earth.

"This is not a Gem-controlled planet!"

- Pearl defending the Earth.

"!That's right, I 'm a Pearl!"

- Pearl to the comment of Peridot

Pearl is one of the main protagonists in the series, Steven Universe. She is one of the Crystal Gems, a group of extraterrestrial humanoids devoted to protecting the Earth.

Appearance
Pearl is tall and thin with a pale complexion. Her hair is peach coloured and comes to point at the back of her head. She currently wears a blue leotard with a small gold star on the front and a ribbon around her wasit. Also, blue ballet slippers and pink socks. She has large blue eyes and a long pointed nose. Her gemstone is a large pearl embedded in her forehead. Peal moves gracefully, like a dancer.

Personality
Pearl is a perfectionist, enjoying organising the cluttered residence of her and her team mates and their ward, Steven. She is intelligent, practical and a capable tactician. She cares deeply for her friends, but is not openly affectionate. Pearl is easily flustered by criticism and changes in routine; she relies heavily on team leader Garnet for support. She finds laziness and poor hygiene repulsive, resulting in tension between her and fellow Crystal Gem, Amethyst, who is exceptionally lazy. Pearl has very low self-esteem, but takes great pride in her appearnence. She craves the attention and approval of her superiors. The loss of her mentor (Rose Quartz), and unrequited lover, left her with crippling self-doubt and an inadequacy problem. She unconsciously projects these issues onto Steven, the biological son of the former team leader. She has recently been able to accept these issues and Steven as an individual, rather than Rose's replacement.

Abilities
Gem physiology is different to human physiology. Gem's bodies are the physical projections of their gemstones: like holograms, but with mass. This is how they are able to change their appearance at will. If a gem is badly damaged, their physical bodies into their gemstones to heal. They can then emerge with a new physical form. All Gems have the ability to summon a weapon, shape-shift, create containment-bubbles, fuse, and use their gems as flashlights or storage units. Pearl can project holograms with her gem and recently developed psammokenisis (sand manipulation). She forms a spear as her weapon and is highly proficient in its use. She can fire energy blasts from its' tip. Pearl can also dance in a style similar to ballet, sword-fight, read and write in gem language and is well versed in many areas of human academic knowledge, like science.

Steven Universe
Pearl acts as a kind but overprotective mother towards Steven. She is willing participant in many of his leisurely activities and takes interest in his wellbeing. Pearl attends a play he features in, delighted to see him on stage. She makes an effort to be patient with Steven's nativity and supports him appropriately. Pearl is often overprotective, frequently showing unnecessary concern over him participating in Gem missions. She sometimes unintentionallly patronises him, dismissing his ideas in situations where she feels competent and treating him as fragile. She underestimates his abilities and is always shocked by his improving control over his powers. Pearl was speechlesss when he summoned his shield for the first time. She is one of the two maternal presences in his life, but the only one who performs household chores and actively moniters his hygiene. Pearl takes delight in teaching Steven about gem culture and history, also home-schooling in part, to compensate for his lack of formal education.

Garnet
Like the other Gems, Pearl respects and follows Garnet's orders without question. She does, however, believe that the Gems are a team and so may not exactly see Garnet as the leader, most likely because she will always see Rose Quartz as leader despite her absence. When situations are requiring executive decisions, however, Pearl usually defers to Garnet. In "Secret Team", it is clear that she shares an unprecedented fear towards her, along with Amethyst, to such an extent that both she and Amethyst willingly set aside their differences to keep the popped Gem-bubble a secret instead of facing the consequences. She has known about her true identity as a fusion for several thousand years. In "Cry for Help", it is apparent that Pearl looks up to Garnet as she is excited to fuse into Sardonyx to destroy the Communication Hub that Peridot rebuilt. Pearl enjoyed fusing with Garnet so much that she rebuilt the Communication Hub twice so she and Garnet could just fuse into Sardonyx resulting in Garnet's anger and temporary estrangement for the deception. In "Friend Ship", Pearl repaired her relationship with Garnet, making peace with her insecurities in the process. She is shown to idolize Garnet, or rather Ruby and Sapphire's relationship, as in that same episode she claims that they are the perfect relationship, and she wanted to fuse so badly because she craved being a part of a stable relationship.

Ruby and Sapphire
Pearl has not been shown interacting with either Ruby or Sapphire individually. However, during "Keystone Motel", Ruby is greatly angered by Pearl's trickery regarding the Communication Hub, whereas Sapphire is more willing to forgive. This conflict led to Garnet temporarily defusing.

In the episode "The Answer", Pearl and Ruby/Sapphire are on opposing sides (in fact, Pearl is about to "poof" Sapphire before Ruby's intervention). Ironically, Pearl's actions resulted in Garnet's creation and her (and by extension Ruby and Sapphire) joining the Crystal Gems. Also, in the Episode "Hit the Diamond", Pearl seems delighted to see Ruby and Sapphire when they unfuse from Garnet.

Amethyst
The two used to share a strained relationship, which was likely due to their contrasting personalities. Pearl is often seen scolding Amethyst, who often teases Pearl in return. However, Pearl and Amethyst have been shown to be able to put their differences aside on multiple occasions to work together. For example, in "Secret Team", Pearl and Amethyst are forced to fight together, and complement each other's skills, even sharing appreciative smiles; in "Warp Tour", they praise and admire each other's fighting techniques; in "On the Run", the two reveal that they really do deeply care about each other, despite their differences and frequent fights. In "Story for Steven" they are shown having a much closer relationship before the events of the series, close enough to be perfectly content hugging and resting in each other's arms. It can be assumed that Rose's departure and Steven's birth somehow lead to their relationship deteriorating over time, as Amethyst implies that they used to fuse more often in "Giant Woman". Their relationship seems to have been slowly improving over the course of the series. In "Log Date 7 15 2" it is shown that it has improved enough for them to form Opal with little effort. In "Know Your Fusion", Pearl hugs Amethyst and tells her that she is amazed at what Smoky Quartz was able to do with their yo-yo, and lets Amethyst know how good an influence she has been on Steven, while Amethyst blushes. In "Last One Out of Beach City", Pearl is eager to go to the rock concert with Amethyst after Greg has to cancel the show due to a previous request from Barbara to play cards with her and Vidalia. In the same episode, Amethyst compliments Pearl about how hardcore and cool she is, and is also shown to be concerned that Pearl might get rejected by the mysterious woman.

Greg Universe
She is on speaking terms with Greg and has shown to at least try to be civil towards him, even fixing his van after it is wrecked in "Ocean Gem". In "House Guest" she is anxious about him living with the Crystal Gems, and she is usually the first (and often the only one) of the Crystal Gems to get irritated or even mad at him as shown in "The Message". Because of Pearl's close relationship with Rose Quartz, it is possible that her negative view of Greg stems from her blaming him for his part in Rose's "death" in giving birth to Steven, much like she harbors a similar resentment towards Steven as revealed in "Rose's Scabbard".

In "Reformed", however, the two are seen casually tinkering with his van together and seemingly getting along very well, showing an improvement of their relationship.

The episode "We Need to Talk" further explores their relationship in the past when Rose was still alive. Pearl is shown to be very jealous of Rose's new-found affection for him and goes to great lengths of trying to challenge him and dissuade him from pursuing a relationship with Rose. This, combined with the fact that she sees Greg partially responsible for Rose's demise, explains why she seems to be uncomfortable, condescending and resentful towards him in episodes set in the current time.

In "Chille Tid", Pearl has a dream in which she suggests to Rose that they forget about Greg and explore the galaxy together. Much to her horror, Rose's face turns into Greg's.

"Mr. Greg" goes in depth on their relationship. Pearl expresses her feelings about Greg and Rose's relationship through song while she thinks Greg and Steven are asleep. In this song, Pearl says she feels lost without Rose, and that at first, she was able to stand Greg before Rose fell in love with him. She holds a grudge against him but seems to have given up at a certain point, accepting the fact that Rose had chosen Greg over her. Greg was awake the whole time and after the song is finished, he says that he doesn't think things can ever be normal between them. Steven reveals he brought Pearl with them for the purpose of trying to repair their relationship and sings "Both of You" to show how much they have in common. Their bond shows great improvement throughout the rest of the episode, and at the end, Steven quotes Pearl's song, singing the line "It's over, isn't it?" while watching them laugh with each other, implying Pearl no longer holds Rose's love for Greg against him and the two can finally work towards a good friendship.

Sugilite
Pearl dislikes Sugilite due to her reckless and violent nature. Pearl almost grudgingly admits that she's jealous of Sugilite's strength (in a song), but she cuts herself off before finishing the line. Her dislike for Sugilite also stems from concern over Garnet and Amethyst as she believes it is dangerous for them to stay fused for longer periods of time; they might start losing their individuality. Also, Pearl's own competing desire to feel "stronger" (when fused as Sardonyx) also may play a role in her feelings to Sugilite.

Rose Quartz
Pearl's closest relationship before the series started was with Rose Quartz. Pearl fought with her against their own Homeworld. She (falsely) believed herself to be Rose's "sole confidant" and therefore the only living being privy to all of Rose's secrets, a position she took great pride in. Pearl looked up to Rose for guidance and support, and she developed romantic feelings for Rose over time.

In "Story for Steven", when Rose bragged about Greg's singing, Pearl is quick to note as soon as he is out of earshot that she can also sing, much to the amusement of the other Crystal Gems. "Sworn to the Sword" reveals that she was so devoted to protecting Rose that she sacrificed herself constantly for her, having adopted the human title of a "knight" to heart to the point of obsessive recklessness.

"We Need to Talk" further explores the relationship between the two. Set in the 80's like the previous episode "Story for Steven" it reveals that Pearl was very jealous of Greg, constantly trying to persuade him that Rose's affections for him were just a "phase" because as a human he was eventually going to pass away while Rose, being a Gem, would live on. She also challenges him by convincing Rose to fuse with her in front of Greg, and later gloating that as a human he would never know such intimacy with Rose. Pearl's jealousy of Greg implied that her feelings for Rose were romantic. This was later confirmed by show writer Matt Burnett via a tweet[1] after the episode aired.

Lion
Originally, Pearl saw Lion as just an average wild animal, being a little uneasy about Steven keeping him because of his probably dangerous nature. However, in "Rose's Scabbard", she gains a different kind of unease due to him containing Rose's Sword and thus having some connection to Rose. This knowledge distressed her greatly as Rose supposedly told her everything, causing her to resent Lion to the point where she ran away with Rose's Scabbard to the Gem Battlefield. After gaining encouragement from Steven, she seems to respect Lion a bit more while still feeling tenuous about him in general.

Connie Maheswaran
Pearl originally saw Connie as just Steven's friend, but in "Sworn to the Sword", Pearl, initially doubtful, was touched to the point of tears by Connie's passion and willingness to defend Steven, thus mentors her in the art of sword fighting, and related Connie to herself and Steven to Rose during the training. She had begun to teach her the way that she had taught herself; to risk her life to protect Steven. However, Pearl soon learned from her mistake. Now, Pearl thinks that Connie is an expert on sword fighting and that she and Steven can be great knights together.

"Gem Hunt" further shows the trusting mentor-student relationship between Pearl and Connie when the latter accompanies Steven on her first Gem mission. Pearl agrees to leave Connie and Steven to their own devices while they are searching for the Snow Monster and keeps in touch with them via Walkie Talkie, but rushes to their aid as soon as they run into serious trouble.

Peridot
Before the events of "When It Rains" Peridot is perceived as an enemy of Pearl and the Crystal Gems. Pearl showed unrestrained ferocity to Peridot before they negotatiated a truce and became friends. Afterwards, Peridot greatly offended Pearl by treating her as an inferior and revealing that the gemstone pearl is an oppressed, servant class on Homeworld, a reality that Peridot

Pearl shows great disdain and anger towards Peridot until she came on even terms during the episode "When It Rains" and forms somewhat of an alliance with Peridot. During the events of "Back to the Barn" Pearl is treated as an inferior being to Peridot, as the gemstone pearl is revealed to be a servant class on Homeworld. This causes Pearl to become rather angry at Peridot during the episode, to the point of punching her in the face after Peridot's continuous jabs and belittling. Eventually, the two end up on even terms following the events of the "Robolympics". In Message Received, Pearl officially accepts Peridot as a Crystal Gem. Pearl and Peridot currently seem to be on good terms.

Bismuth
Pearl is a long-time friend and battlefield companion of Bismuth's and is overjoyed to see her after her long absence. Pearl's relationhsip with Bismuth includes physical contact, like hugging; an extent of affection Pearl rarely reaches. When Pearl cries, Bismuth tells her not to, and that that she starts to cry whenever Pearl does, implying that they had had a close relationship. They originally bonded over their common disregard of the restrictive Gem Homeworld caste system.

Mystery Girl
On the night she planned to see a rock show with Steven and Amethyst, Pearl met a woman with an uncanny similarity in appearance to Rose Quartz. The trio was stunned by her obvious resemlance and Pearl was soon infatuated with her. Pearl found her amiable to converse with and was given the phone number of the Mysterious Woman by the end of the evening, suggesting that she would like Pearl to call her and talk further.

Jasper
Pearl appears to fear Jasper. The quartz represents Homeworled for Pearl, and a past she refuses to disclose. Their altercations in the past have all been violent.

Smoky Quartz
Pearl was shocked and confused to meet Smoky Quartz. It has been shown that she cares about them, inviting him on her talk show as Sardonyx.

Trivia

 * In gem-stone mythos, pearls are often associated with beauty, modesty, purity and happiness.
 * Pearls are light pink or white gems similar to the one "Pearl" has on her head.
 * As revealed in "Together Breakfast", she owns a collection of swords.
 * It is hinted in "Cheeseburger Backpack" that she and the other Gems (except Steven) may in fact be over a hundred years old.
 * "On The Run" confirmed this by both confirming that Amethyst is both 6,000 years old and the youngest of the Crystal Gems (Besides Steven).
 * Pearl's gemstone is located on her head, which may support the fact that Pearl is the brains of the group.
 * Pearl is one of the three Crystal Gems to have a new outfit after their regeneration, the others being Garnet in "Jail Break" and Amethyst in "Reformed" and is the first Gem to have a new outfit after their regeneration.
 * Pearl is voiced by Deedee Magno Hall, who was famous for being one of the stars in the All New Mickey Mouse Club.