Summary

• Steven Universe tackles serious topics, including toxic relationships and loss, while featuring groundbreaking LGBTQ+ representation.
• The show addresses the importance of consent through the character Stevonnie, emphasizing ongoing communication and checking in with each other.
• The Crystal Gems serve as a chosen family for Steven, highlighting the idea that family is not just the one you're born into, but also the people you choose to be with.

Steven Universe's late mother, Rose Quartz (Susan Egan), led a rebellion after falling in love with the planet and its human inhabitants, including Steven's future father, Greg Universe (Tom Scharpling).

Even though Rose es on, gifting Steven with her titular gem (and its magical abilities), the remaining Crystal Gems — Garnet (Estelle), Amethyst (Michaela Dietz), and Pearl (Deedee Magno Hall) — watch over Steven alongside Greg. Soon enough, Steven hones his own Gem abilities and, across 5 seasons and 160 episodes, Steven attempts to use his half-human, half-Gem status to broker peace, understanding, and love between the two worlds. While Steven Universe is often lauded for its LGBTQ+ representation — nearly all the main characters are queer, trans, non-binary and/or intersex-coded characters — it's also revolutionary in other ways.

10 Lapis Lazuli's Abusive Relationship With Jasper

The Homeworld Gem Jasper is an aggressive soldier, who serves as the Crystal Gems' primary antagonist in the earlier seasons of Steven Universe. This thread also introduced Lapis Lazuli, a more timid but powerful Gem who Jasper forces to be a Homeworld informant. While on Earth, Lapis reluctantly fuses with the power-hungry Jasper, becoming Malachite. In fusion form, Lapis drags them both down to the bottom of the sea. Later, Steven accompanies a traumatized Lapis on a boat trip and, on cue, Jasper appears to beg for forgiveness. The cyclical, violent manipulation is abusive, and while Lapis knows this, she its to Steven that she misses parts of Jasper.

9 In "Alone Together" Stevonnie Addresses The Importance Of Consent

In "Alone Together," the Crystal Gems try to teach Steven the "fusion dance," which, if performed correctly, would allow him to combine physical forms with another Gem. The process is challenging though and, later, Steven tells his friend Connie that he feels like a failure. To cheer up, Steven and Connie dance, accidentally fusing into Stevonnie. Garnet, the resident expert on fusion, reminds them that, "You are an experience. Make sure you're a good experience." Throughout one of Steven Universe's best episodes, Steven and Connie continually check in with each other, reiterating that asking for consent isn't a one-time act.

8 Greg & Rose Quartz Realize They're Really Different

In "We Need to Talk," Greg starts to feel jealous (and a bit emasculated) after witnessing Rose and Pearl's Rainbow Quartz fusion. Believing that successfully fusing with Rose will prove their love, Greg sets up an elaborate, mood-setting date. When Rose realizes what Greg is up to, she laughs at him. It's a pretty heartbreaking moment for Greg, who tearfully its, "We’re really, really different." Unsure how they'll make it as a couple, Greg and Rose open up to each other and discuss their differences. In the end, Gregs tears turn to laughter.

7 Pearl's Unhealthy Relationship With Rose Quartz

Pearl had a one-sided crush on Rose Quartz. In fact, her infatuation with Rose ran deep: after serving the Gem on Homeworld, Pearl accompanied Rose to Earth, and even credits Rose with giving her agency. However, the newly liberated Pearl trades her Gem society role for an unrequited love — one that inspires her to do anything in Rose's name. "Everything I ever did, I did for her," Pearl its in "Rose's Scabbard." "Sometimes, I wonder if she can see me through your eyes." It's clearly an unhealthy but complex relationship, one that clouds Pearl's judgment of Rose, which makes learning about Rose's flaws all-the-more crushing.

6 The Crystal Gems Are A Chosen Family In Steven Universe

A show that features so many women-coded characters undoubtedly centers queerness in its romantic relationships, but Steven Universe takes this lens a step further by showcasing the importance of chosen family. Although Steven is close to Greg, there are some aspects of being a Gem that his biological father simply can't understand. Needless to say, Greg encourages Steven to live with the Gems and, together, the five characters form an unconventional-yet-beautiful family. It's proof that family isn't just the group you're born into, but the folks you choose to be with.

5 Steven Grapples With Post-Traumatic Stress In Steven Universe Future

While the original five-season series grapples a lot with various characters' trauma, depression, and anxiety, the sequel series, Steven Universe Future, takes things a step further. Set after the finale of the original show, Future centers on Steven's attempts to help aimless, new-to-Earth Gems. Although a noble pursuit, this task causes him to put himself second. Moreover, it's a means of pushing his own trauma aside because it feels too insurmountable. As the series progresses, Steven's post-traumatic stress manifests in a surreal way, but, symbolically speaking, shows that the experience is too much for anyone to hold inside and avoid.

4 Amethyst Learns That Your Culture Doesn't Define You

Unlike Pearl and Garnet, Amethyst was made on Earth as part of the Gems' plot to colonize the planet. It's something the Crystal Gems hide from Steven, until they visit a Kindergarten — mines where Gems like Amethyst were created. In "On the Run," Amethyst struggles to separate her sense of self from her birthplace — her identity from her supposed "purpose." She thinks the others must, deep down, hate her for her origins. "I didn't ask to be made," Amethyst says in one of the show's most heartbreaking moments. However, Pearl and the others assure Amethyst that they never thought of the Kindergarten as her — they're separate things.

3 Grief & Loss Are Central Themes In Steven Universe

Most of Steven Universe's characters go through moments of grief and loss. For some, like Peridot, there's a grief that comes with starting a new path and letting go of old beliefs. For others, it's the loss of a friend, lover, or parent. In one crushing episode, "Rose's Scabbard," Pearl takes Steven on a field trip to Rose's sanctuary, hoping to find some Rose-like connection within him. Exasperated, a grief-stricken, heartbroken, guilty Pearl wonders, "What would she think of me now?" Memorably, Steven hugs Pearl from behind and says, "Well, I think you're pretty great."

2 Everyone Has Doubts & Insecurities

In "Keystone Motel," Steven encourages Garnet to him and Greg on a road trip, hoping to foster some cheer in the stoic Gem, who is still crushed by Pearl's violation of her trust. At the titular motel, Garnet splits into the two entities that form her, Ruby and Sapphire. The hot-headed Ruby is not interested in forgiving Pearl, while Sapphire feels it's the logical way forward and that getting emotional about it isn't sound. Seeing Ruby and Sapphire in an argument is alarming to Steven, but it's also a great reminder that everyone has doubts, insecurities, and difficulties — even those who are in the most irable relationships.

1 Steven Universe's LGBTQ Representation Is Unparalled In Kids' Media

The Emmy-nominated two-parter "Made of Honor" and "Reunited" Ruby and Sapphire commemorate their very long-term relationship with a wedding. A huge moment in queer representation in children's media, it wasn't the first time Steven Universe broke boundaries. From the show's depiction of a multitude of same-sex-coded relationships to its inclusion of non-binary, intersex, and trans-coded characters, the series boosted queer and trans visibility to new heights. Undoubtedly, its enduring influence can be felt in the series Steven Universe has gone on to inspire.