Steven Universe is an animated series that blends heartfelt storytelling with vibrant visuals and a killer soundtrack. Created by Rebecca Sugar, the show follows Steven, a young boy who is half-human, half-Gem (a race of magical, humanoid aliens) as he navigates life with the Crystal Gems—Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl. Together, they protect Earth from intergalactic threats, but at its core, the show is about identity, love, and growing up. One of the most interesting aspects of Steven Universe is how deeply music is woven into its storytelling, with each character having their own distinct instrumental sound that reflects their personality and growth. Where Steven Universe shines is how deeply it integrates this idea into the storytelling.
Each of the Crystal Gems has their own instrumental identity: Garnet with the synth, Amethyst with the electric drums, and Pearl with the piano. These choices make perfect sense when you think about their personalities. Garnet is strong and stoic. She often holds the crystal gems together throughout the series, just like how a bass line is the backbone of harmony.
Amethyst is wild and restless, many times leading the group into many dangerous situations–much like percussion, which drives the tempo.
And Pearl? She’s all about precision and support, just like how a piano accompanies others, providing the harmonic foundation.
Even Steven’s musical identity is unique. Instead of a single instrument, his “sound” is a mix of chiptune—a nod to the 80s and 90s era of gaming, hinting at how Steven doesn’t quite fit perfectly into the gem world or the human world, a conflict which was explored throughout the show. The use of chiptune also mirrors how Steven stands out and is still finding his place.
What’s truly fascinating is how the show handles fusions between characters. When two characters fuse, the music fuses, too, blending their instrumental styles. For example, when Garnet (a fusion herself) is formed, you hear elements of both Ruby and Sapphire’s instruments coming together. It’s not just about making the music sound cool; it’s about showing how these characters merge into someone new.
Aside from the instrumental themselves, Steven Universe incorporates singing in its storytelling. Each character throughout the series has been given at least one key, heartfelt musical number that truly encapsulates their struggles, growth, and overall character. A key example would be “It’s over isn’t it” sung by Deedee Magno Hall, or Pearl voice actress in the series. This song is not only, simply beautiful and tear jerking, it’s key instrumental is–you guessed it–a piano. In this song, Pearl sings about her struggle mourning one of her dearest friends Rose (Steven’s Mom) after her passing. It acts as a conversation between the character and the audience, and allowed us to look inside a character without breaking the scene or tension created.
Moving away from Pearl, we can look at the end credits that play at the end of every episode. The song “Love Like You” sung by the creator Rebecca Sugar herself, encapsulates all the crystal gems. Let’s take a look at a few lines that, rightfully so, have gone absolutely viral:
“I always thought I might be bad
Now I’m sure that it’s true
‘Cause I think you’re so good
And I’m nothing like you”
This section in particular could relate to any character. Every character has their insecurities, and we as the audience get the opportunity to see them through music. This Verse could be from Steven’s point of view, given that everyone expects him to be like his mother. Throughout the series, Steven expresses a sense of self-doubt given that everyone is always comparing his actions to what his mother would do, not realizing that Steven is his own person.
Additionally, this line works also for Rose: the audience knows she has a bad past, and doesn’t see herself as a good person because of it. Rose laments the gems she shattered (killed) in the rebellion, juxtaposed against her love for Greg’s (her husband and Steven’s father) humanity. She concludes she must be evil compared to all the good she sees in Greg and how alien that is compared to Gems.
I could go on and on about this song, and even Rebecca Sugar herself said the song could apply to any and every character. They’re all learning to love each other and themselves in their own ways.This theme of love and self acceptance could not have been executed in the story without music. Thus, Steven Universe isn’t just a show about magic gems and epic battles—it’s also a paragon of using music to deepen storytelling.