Lion's Mane

Lore & Background

In the episode "Bismuth," Steven accidentally pops a bubbled Gem stored within Lion's mane, which regenerates into Bismuth (voiced by Uzo Aduba). Bismuth is introduced as one of the original Crystal Gems from 5,300 years ago, thought lost during the Gem War. The mane had kept her gem bubbled and hidden for millennia. After Steven brings her out, Garnet and Pearl joyfully reunite with her. Later, after a conflict over the Breaking Point—a weapon capable of shattering a gem permanently—Steven uses Rose's sword to pop Bismuth's bubble, poofing her, and her gem is bubbled again and placed in the temple basement. The mane thus served as a long-term storage for a key figure from the Gem War, whose return forced Steven to confront ethical dilemmas about violence and legacy.

In Their Own Story

While inside Lion's mane, Steven accidentally pops a bubbled Gem that was stored there. The Gem regenerates into Bismuth, who is dismayed to learn that thousands of years have passed and that she and the other Crystal Gems are the last of their kind. Bismuth takes the Gems to her forge, where she made weapons for the Rebellion, and later shows Steven her masterpiece: the Breaking Point, a weapon that can shatter a gem in one hit, killing them permanently. Steven rejects it, leading to a fight. At the end, Bismuth points the Breaking Point at her own gem and dares Steven to pull the trigger; when he refuses, she turns it on him, forcing Steven to run her through with Rose's sword. Steven destroys the Breaking Point, and the Crystal Gems sadly place Bismuth's bubbled gem in the basement.

Reader's Guide

Lion's Mane functions as a storage dimension within Lion's hair. It is accessible by entering Lion's mane, as Steven does in the episode. The space can hold bubbled Gems, as demonstrated by Bismuth's gem being stored there for thousands of years. The mane's contents are not created from nothing; they are placed there intentionally. In this case, the bubbled Gem was stored by someone (likely Rose Quartz) and remained hidden until Steven accidentally popped it. The mane requires physical entry through Lion's hair, and the interior appears as a pinkish, organic space. Its primary known use is as a hiding place for a Gem that was kept secret from the other Crystal Gems, as Steven eventually learns why Bismuth was kept hidden all those years.

Did You Know?

• The episode "Bismuth" is the 100th episode overall of Steven Universe, while the next episode "Beta" is the 101st.
• Bismuth was voiced by guest star Uzo Aduba.
• The episode was viewed by 2.153 million viewers on its initial American broadcast.
• Bismuth's gem had been bubbled inside Lion's mane for 5,300 years, since the Gem War.
• The Breaking Point, shown in the episode, is a weapon capable of shattering a gem permanently in one hit.