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Saint Seiya (Knights of the Zodiac)


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Inspired by the cartoon thread.

 

 

I've been watching this to bring back childhood memories. This is a Japanese anime made in late 1980s - 1990s.

 

I think this is hands down the best fighting anime to ever come out of Japan... it blows Dragon Ball series out of the water... and I was a huge DBZ fan.

 

 

So I decide to start this thread dedicated to Saint Seiya series... I will post each section in different posts as one post does not allow too many media and this way, the "essay" does not look too long.

 

 

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

1. Product (post #1)

- Artwork

- Music and Sound

- Storyline

 

2. Characters (post #4)

2.1. Mitsumasa Kido

2.2. Saori Kido

2.3. Seiya

2.4. Shiryu

2.5. Hyoga

2.6. Shun

2.7. Ikki

 

3. Seasons (post #5)

3.1. Sanctuary Season

3.2. Asgard Season

3.3. Poseidon Season

3.4. Saint Seiya Movies

3.5. Hades Inferno Season

 

 

4. Villains (post #8)

4.1. Sanctuary Season villains

4.2. Asgard Season villains

4.3. Poseidon Season villains

4.4. Saint Seiya Movies villains

4.5. Hades Inferno Season villains

 

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1.) Product

 

- The artwork (9.0/10): Consider this, this was released in Japan in 1980s! The movement of the people are fluid and realistic and the drawings of the faces are also more people like than cartoonish. Lighting effects are incredible even by today's anime standards and the spotty graphics are often offset by music and sound, which this series is especially strong at and will be discussed later. You dwell on the rough drawings and unpaid attention to to the settings sometimes, but then you figure how detailed the work of designs, the design of the clothes of each saint and how they just feel right for each constellation star. And they're made to merge with not only the storyline but the real life mythologies. This is just a masterpiece of artwork you have to see for yourself. And then you come back to the fact that it's made in 1980s!

 

A clip of Gold Saint Leo Aioria with his famous "Lightning Bolt" attack on Seiya (who is wearing Sagittarius Gold cloth). It shows the fluidity of realistic people movement (action and reaction) in Saint Seiya and how expertly the lighting and its angles are put together.

 

 

 

 

- The music and sound (10/10): these are probably the strongest element of the series. They really let the audience feel what each character is feeling during battle and the significance of what's happening at hand. The voice cast of the Japanese is very strong and this is important as a lame voice work will ruin everything that is good... it must be high energy accompanied with strong feelings and emotions as this series goes through a lot of characters' backgrounds and storyline (think of your favorite RPG game) that must be expressed strongly. I find the only other voice dubbing well done is by Indonesian actors, I've watched plenty of Saint Seiya versions of other parts of Asia and mostly they became unwatchable because the voice to characters was not accompanied with strong sense of feelings and emotions. Japanese portray these strongly and for this, I recommend getting (if you decide to watch this) the original Japanese version with English subtitle. Nothing beats the original. The music during battle is not only melodic but made to suit the settings and moods perfectly and therefore it's engaging the audience. The music coupled with very enhanced (even better) sound effect also overpower the weak graphics concerning the settings and often rough drawings. You can hear a punch pierce the air, ice crystal forming or breaking, elegant, silent, or hurried footsteps, energy cosmo being exploded or emitted. The details of sound effect and surroundings are really unmatched by any other anime. The music and sound at the time, and even by today's standards, are top notch and again a truly masterpiece.

 

A sample of music that is both beautiful and haunting that makes Saint Seiya so much more than just "fighting", it is rich in story, and exact feelings of characters (it's titled "Hyoga vs. Aquarius" because it marks the first time this theme was played in this sad fight and ending between student and grand teacher):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTxL1SCmeI8&feature=channel_page

 

Following is a "Remember the Last Episode" theme, played in the beginning of most Season 1 episodes (there's alternate). It reminds audience what's happening in the previous episode, it's not only engaging but can be without really exaggerating, breathtaking if you're a keen fan.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyNzZ7jGW2U

 

 

 

 

 

- Storyline (10/10): It's so expansive with each character having their own past and backgrounds but they all connect in the main storyline.

 

 

To simplify it, since the first mankind, the world is always threatened by evil and the Gods send Athena to Earth to serve as humans and saints' protective Goddess. While the humans are powerless, the saints dedicate their lives to fight for human rights and justice under and for Athena. It's said that every 300 years or so, there is a reincarnation of Athena in a human to protect mankind.

 

When people believe Athena is a myth, they turn to Holy Father/ Pope for righteousness and justice. At this time, Athena is indeed reincarnated in a baby girl and is entrusted to the Holy Father in Sanctuary, Greece. Unfortunately, a second evil Holy Father emerges and murders the original Holy Father to take his place. His plan is to murder the baby girl/ Athena so he can acquire Athena pole and shield to overthrow the Gods: Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades and rule the universe.

 

However, his plan is foiled by Gold Saint Sagittarius "Aioros" who then flees Sanctuary with the baby girl and his only Gold Cloth. As the new Holy Father, the evil Holy Father now assumes control of Sanctuary and all the saints. He spreads lies about how Aioros abducts Athena (the baby girl) and tries to kill her. Manipulating the saints to believe Aioros is a danger to Athena and is a traitor for leaving sanctuary, the saints hunt down Aioros on the new Pope's order.

 

 

 

A few years later in Japan, ten orphans are selected by a wealthy Japanese philanthropist Mitsumasa Kido to be saints and five of them go on to become the main characters of this series: Pegasus Seiya, Dragon Shiryu, Cygnus Hyoga, Andromeda Shun, and Phoenix Ikki.

 

http://i189.photobucket.com/albums/z158/canceron69/Saint-Seiya-Bronze-Saints.jpg

 

When the time comes, the orphans are going to be sent throughout the world to their respective destined places to further their training and pursue their own Saint Clothes. Kido has a dream to host a tournament of these oprhans (when they become saints) in the search of the ultimate saint.

 

 

As they complete their training and become Bronze saints after a decade, they return to Japan to fulfill their own personal agendas. Kido promises Seiya if he becomes a saint, he will find be reunited with his long-lost sister. Some others feel obligated to return because Kido family has taken care of them when they're orphans. But when they return, they find Mitsumasa Kido has passed away and the whole family ordeal is now under his granddaughter Saori Kido's control.

 

 

Determined to fulfill her grandfather's dreams, Saori hosts a tournament of the returned saints where the first prize of the tournament is the Sagittarius Gold Cloth. Before long, the contention among saints is to win the Sagittarius Gold Cloth. But not everyone plays by the rule, as a dark saint successfully steals the Cloth from the tournament. Saori pleads the saints to take back the stolen Cloth.

http://www.whitecygnus.com/images/sagittarius-gold-cloth.gif

 

 

Apparently, the force behind the dark saint is Sanctuary's own evil Holy Father who is now focused on bringing back Aioros' decade-long-lost Sagittarius Gold Cloth to Sanctuary. Holy Father feels threatened that some day a saint will wear the Gold Cloth and oppose him. For now, it's clear to the Pope, the Japanese (Seiya co) have the Gold Cloth.

 

 

As the evil Pope keeps dispatching saints to kill Seiya co and take the Sagittarius Gold Cloth by force, the storyline flows and will be delved into is each character's stories and backgrounds. Obviously as the series progresses, the enemies become stronger and there will emerge Silver Saints who are stronger than Bronze Saints and then ultimately Gold Saints.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/40/Saint-Misty-anime.jpg/220px-Saint-Misty-anime.jpg

 

 

In their inevitable clash with the Holy Father, Seiya co visit the Sanctuary, but Saori was attacked by a Silver Saint who successfully punctures her chest with an arrow. The arrow can only be unfixed by Holy Father whose temple sits before the 12 Gold Saints' temples. In other words, to reach Holy Father, they must fight 12 Gold Saints. To make matters worse, the arrow penetrates slowly into the heart of Saori and in 12 hours it will reach her heart. So, they must defeat 12 Gold Saints in 12 hours or Saori dies. This is the best part.

 

As I was born in November (Scorpio), I enjoy watching the fight against Scorpio but also enjoy other fights. They all represent a strong story relating to the main characters' background, e.g. Cygnus Hyoga fights Aquarius, who actually is his grand teacher (Hyoga's teacher's teacher). Ice vs Ice. How Leo and Sagittarius are brothers, how Gemini's well-known two personalities hold an important story in this series, how Capricorn ultimately kills Sagittarius (not really a spoiler) in the very beginning of the story that sets the path to this expansive storyline.

 

 

 

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If you enjoy fighting cartoon or anime, and haven't watched this, I suggest you watch it. Or you'd be missing something... It can be repetitive at times but what this series is weak at they make up in many other strong elements that make this series watchable and relevant even at this age of modern graphic effects. If you're a fan of Japanese anime, you'll love this. If you were a Dragon Ball fan and think you've outgrown fighting anime, this is much more than that... this is about the story, the artwork, that have never been truly revealed to the West civilization. Don't miss this gem!

Edited by Snake
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Characters and table of content are added, storyline is edited to hopefully pique some interests. :)

 

 

 

2.) Characters

 

http://media.animevice.com/uploads/0/4/2844-saintseiya_large.jpg

 

2.1. Mitsumasa Kido: He is a wealthy Japanese philanthropist who adopts the orphans and is also Saori Kido's grandfather. He adopts these orphans to train them to become saints. He dreams of finding the ultimate saint among them to be worthy of donning the Gold Cloth Sagittarius and become a guardian of Athena.

 

 

2.2. Saori Kido: She is the "leader" of the saints. As previously mentioned, for spoiler reason, I can't describe her more than "leader" for now until you watch the series yourself. As her grandfather passes away, she assumes control of "his dream" to bring back all the saints to Japan and find the ultimate saint.

 

 

2.3. Seiya (Pegasus): He is the main character of the series. Duh, it's called "Saint Seiya". He is sent to Greece, specifically "Sanctuary" where the people believe it's where the myth Athena is. He undergoes training under a female Silver Saint Eagle "Marin". Kiddo family promises Seiya if he completes his training, acquires the sacred Pegasus Bronze Cloth and brings it back to Japan, he will reunite with his long-lost sister. Seiya's main attack is "Pegasus Ryu Sei Ken" (Meteor Pegasus) where 1000 punches are launched in a single attack. A female Silver Saint Cobra named "Shaina", has sworn herself to kill Seiya and chases him throughout Season 1 (Sanctuary). The following edited video contains some spoilers about Seiya - Shaina:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pQSYRBl8r0

 

 

 

2.4. Shiryu (Dragon): Shiryu is the long haired guy who dons the green Dragon Bronze Cloth. He's sent to Wulao Peak, China where he takes a training under a very powerful legendary but aging saint "Dohko". Most of the bloodiest battles in Saint Seiya series involve Shiryu. His main attack is "Dragon Uprising" and his shield is the most powerful among all bronze and silver saints. Shiryu has a lover named "Shunrei".

 

 

2.5. Hyoga (Cygnus): He is the coolest saint not only because of his demeanor, but simply because he is a saint of ice. He is sent to Siberia to receive training from Silver Saint "Crystal Saint" and acquire Bronze Cloth Cygnus. Coincidentally, Siberia is also the place where his mother drowns in the icy sea on a ship when it sinks. If not in Japan, he's always back in Siberia to visit his immortalized mother deep in the icy sea and brings her flowers. His famous attack is "Diamond Dust". Watch video below for a fight between Hyoga and his master Silver Saint "Crystal Saint" who turns to "darkside" after Holy Father forcibly corrupts his mind. Good guy vs. good guy, resulting in an unwanted ending (contains some spoilers):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f18xfQpGdLc

 

 

2.6. Shun (Andromeda): Little brother of Ikki who is supposed to take his training in "Death Queen Island". But after Tatsumi (Saori's butler) warns of the precarious place, Ikki takes Shun's place. So Shun is sent to "Andromeda Island" instead where he receives training from a Silver Saint. Shun completes his training and becomes a Bronze Saint Andromeda. His main attack is "Nebula Chain". Despite the pink colors, female voice dubbing, and soft personality (he cries the most), Shun is indeed a man.

 

2.7. Ikki (Phoenix): Arguably the strongest of all bronze saints, Ikki since a kid has always been brave. He's instinctively protective of the weak Shun who often falls victim of bullying from his peers. When Shun draws "Death Queen Island" training designation, Ikki forces Kiddo family to replace Shun with him because he wants to protect Shun from going to "hell". The island has active volcanoes and is hot throughout the year and emits poisonous smokes. Ikki is abused physically and mentally, and even tortured by his master. He is taught to hate and develop hatred. Ikki's only soft spot during this tough time is Esmeralda, who likes to treat his wounds after training and cares deeply for Ikki. But she is accidentally killed by his master (who is Esmeralda's father) during a life and death training. Enraged, Ikki finally masters the meaning of hatred, kills his master and obtains the Bronze Cloth Phoenix. Ikki's favorite weapon is "Phoenix Genma Ken" where he paralyzes the opponent's mind and creates terrifying illusions.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzFv-_MLG4U

Edited by Snake
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3.) Seasons

 

Like many good TV series, there's many "seasons" in Saint Seiya.

3.1. Sanctuary Season (Episode 1-73): The very first series exposed to TV in Japan, also can be called "Season 1". This marks the Bronze, Silver, and Gold Saints era. Story is when people think Athena is myth, they turn to Holy Father of Sanctuary. Only a few saints know the real Athena has been reincarnated as a person, including a second evil Holy Father who murders the real Holy Father. Ever since he takes reign, he sends saints to take down Seiya co because he believes Athena is among them. This season, I'm sure many Saint Seiya fans will agree with me, is the best, just like many other TV series with "many seasons". It's usually the first one that strikes you the most, this is no exception.

 

 

3.2. Asgard Season (Episode 74-99): Takes place not long after the Sanctuary period. In the north cold land of Asgard, the cold land never sees the sun and Queen Hiruda (Japanese for "Hilda") prays to God of Odin that someday the people get to enjoy the warmth of sun, the grass, trees and flowers. A dark force from under the sea offers Hiruda this in exchange for Athena's life. When Hiruda refuses, the dark force possesses her with the force of a sacred Nibelungen ring. Now that Hiruda has become evil, she stops praying and the ice in the North Pole begins to melt (it's her everyday praying that stops the ice from melting). Now the rest of the world is faced with the danger of flooding. The only way to avoid this is to revive Hiruda by breaking the Nibelungen Ring that has possessed Hiruda with the Odin Sword. To activate the Odin Sword, one must acquire all 7 Odin Sapphires from the 7 God Warriors who swear to protect Hiruda.

 

 

3.3. Poseidon Season (Episode 100-114): This season is directly related to the Asgard Season and there is no "rest" in between. Right after the end of Asgard Season, Poseidon in the form of water abducts Saori to the deep of the sea and finally to the Realm of Under the Sea. Poseidon also plans to wipe out the Earth with flooding because He cannot stand humans sin and wants to clean their slate. Saori offers herself to be a sacrifice in exchange for the world's safety and Poseidon accepts this. There are Seven Oceans in the world: Arctic Ocean, Indian Ocean, North Pacific Ocean, South Pacific Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic Ocean, and Southern Ocean. At the bottom of each Ocean is a pillar supporting it and a Sea General protecting it who swears to serve God of the Sea Himself, Poseidon. To get to Poseidon, Seiya co must break the Seven Pillars and defeat the Seven Sea Generals.

 

Below is a video of this season's opening theme.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsnqfbgJTNM

 

 

3.4. Saint Seiya Movies: Watched this loooong time ago. Will watch again to make sure :)

 

3.5. Hades Inferno Season: This is the final season of Saint Seiya. At least the the latest season produced. "Hades" is the ruler/ God of the underworld. It's been 243 years since the last Holy War between Hades and Athena and the Athena's seal of the underworld is about to be broken off. Hades gives lives to the dead saints and orders them to bring back Athena's head. I mentioned I don't really like other seasons than Season 1, but this one is actually pretty good. It's pretty long (31 episodes) although the ending is a bit too abrupt, but not bad at all. Plenty of myth characters: Pandora, Wyvern, Orpheus, Thanatos and Hypnos, and Hades himself. Below is this season's second opening theme (I like the darkish and disco tune).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owZjYrxAwWU

Edited by Snake
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The show sounds good but I don't think I can bring myself to watch something that old. The only Anime (besides DBZ) I ever did watch were Full Metal Alchemist, Bleach, and Code Geass.

 

Good posts though, I might keep my eye on this.

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Wow a post finally :lol:

 

^Thanks you should really give it a try. Of all the people who follow Saint Seiya, rarely they think it's bad. I'm not overrating it, but it's the fact.

 

If you like anime, this is as good as it gets. The reason I think Saint Seiya is not as popular in USA and some other countries as it is popular in obviously Japan, South East Asia, France, Italy, Spain, and other Europe countries, is because of poor dubbing (voice work). Saint Seiya is a really emotional drama anime... but it also hovers on very detailed and accurate mythological characters (well if you like God of War characters, then this is better because they're very detailed and a whole lot more characters). That's why if you have emotionless voice work and edited music background, you'd be like "WTF?".

 

Old is not really relevant, it'd shock you that the drawings are so good... it's very much relevant to today's anime... they're so ahead of their time. Besides, the extraordinary storyline makes you forgive the weaknesses.

 

Strong recommendation if you decide to give this a go is try to find the original version (Japanese voice) with English subtitles. I'm sure there are many DVD releases... some of them have subtitles made by Japanese that's why the english is poor, avoid that and try to find the substitles that you understand :) But it's important to watch this in original version. Never buy other-language-dubbed version including english... you're not getting the full value of its worth.

Edited by Snake
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  • 2 weeks later...

4.) Villains

 

4.1. Sanctuary Season/ Season 1

Most villains in Season 1 of Saint Seiya are actually Saints of Athena themselves/ good guys but they are deceived by Holy Father into thinking there has never been an Athena reincarnation in their era and as a Holy Father he is who people should turn to. Seiya co will be revealed to the truth that among them is indeed a reincarnation of Athena and they together will fight for Athena. Holy Father then accuses Seiya co of stealing the Gold Cloth Sagittarius and trying to traduce him and the Sanctuary. Basically it's the Athena side vs Holy Father side.

 

In this season, there are three main levels of saint: bronze, silver and gold. Here are the villains in Sanctuary Season (Season 1):

 

 

- Bronze Saints

- Ikki (Phoenix): Andromeda Shun's brother. He comes back as a Phoenix saint from Death Queen Island to be brainwashed with hate by his master (see Characters section in Post #4). He is the leader of the Dark Saints and together they openly challenge the Bronze Saints and steal the Gold Cloth Sagittarius from them. This sets the story open as Seiya co chase Ikki to steal back the Sagittarius cloth.

 

To be honest, there are a number of villain bronze saints that I don't remember their names and not even listed anywhere, but there is the giant Doractes right after Ikki's fight, then Shaina's apprentice who successfully steals the head part of the Sagittarius Cloth, and Seiya co must go to fight her to reclaim it. And the Blaze Saint when Shun is outmatched and Ikki comes back to life.

 

 

 

- Dark Saints

Dark Saints are saints who along with their clothes sell their souls to the devil, stand and fight for noone but their individual selves. They pledge their loyalty to Ikki because he is the symbol of hate and darkness. They consist of Dark Pegasus, Dark Dragon, Dark Cygnus, Dark Andromeda, several Dark Phoenix saints, several Dark Docrates, and Guilty (Ikki's master). Virtually all the Dark Saints are weaklings except for Dark Dragon whose power nearly puts Dragon Shiryu on the verge of death before he, touched by Shiryu's sacrifices for Seiya and the others, embraces the true meaning of friendship and saves Shiryu and later perishes himself.

 

 

- Steel Saints

They are three saints developed and trained by Mitsumasa Kido's family. Kido assigns a professor to create three Steel Clothes and funds all the necessary resources to complete the project. When the clothes are finished, Kido plans to assign three saints to don them and fight and protect Athena. Steel Clothes are the only clothes that are mechanically designed by humans and not related to any star constellation. The three saints are Ushio (Water), Daichi (Land), and Sho (Air). Aside of providing assistance in some of the Silver Saints fights, they have no impact whatsoever on the story and are strictly supporting characters.

 

 

- Silver Saints

The Silver Saints are one level above the Bronze Saints. It's said Bronze Saints have an attack speed of Mach 1, and Silver Saints possess an attack speed of Mach 2-3. They're more powerful than Bronze Saints.

 

- Marin (Eagle): Seiya's master who is one of the rare female saints in their era along with Shaina. Females are generally forbidden to be a saint, that's why to be saints, females must wear masks. Along with Shaina, she is one of the first Silver Saints to appear without being properly identified to audience as a Silver Saint.

 

- Shaina (Cobra):

http://users.animanga.com/stayka/st-cels/oph-pc03.jpg

Like Marin, a female saint who appears in the beginning of the season. Shaina's apprentice is Cassius who faces Seiya in the tournament final to win the Pegasus Cloth. After Cassius is defeated, a dejected Shaina gives chase to Seiya and purports to kill him. Apparently Cassius' defeat is not what hurts her but something much deeper that Shaina holds against Seiya a long time before. For much of Sanctuary Season, she is obsessed in killing Seiya. Aside of her ruthlessness and cold-blooded nature, Shaina is a beautiful woman.

 

- Crystal Saint (Blue Cygnus):

http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/9920/200pxcristalsaintrf1.th.jpg

Hyoga's master who stands for justice. But Holy Father corrupts his mind and turns him to darkside. He then leads Holy Father' men in Siberia to force the people to build an ice pyramid for Holy Father. Anyone who rebels faces death. Hyoga is then forced to fight his master to end Holy Father's plan.

 

- Misty (Lizard):

http://idata.over-blog.com/0/25/67/10/chevalier-d--argent/bis-fa03-misty.jpg

"The first Silver Saint" to make the scene. Not really the first, as Marin, Shaina and Crystal Saint appear before him, but for the first time in the series, it is revealed to the audience of the existence of Silver Saints. By this episode, he is the most powerful enemy Seiya has had to face and Misty claims he has never experienced pain as noone has ever hurt him in battle.

 

- Moses (Cetus): He comes to the scene together with Asterion right after the battle of Seiya and Misty ends. And they want revenge. Moses and Asterion claim Marin, who is assigned by Holy Father to go to Japan with Misty to kill Seiya, is a rebel and does not kill Seiya. Moses then injures Marin as a punishment and puts her upside down on a cross on the edge of the sea and waits for Seiya to come.

 

- Asterion (Hound): While Moses is the force, he is the mind. He has the power to read people's minds and intention. That's why he can avoid fists and attack people's weaknesses. As Seiya struggles in this fight, Marin is able to get herself off the cross (with the help of Kiki) and save Seiya.

 

- Babel (Centaur): Goes solo and challenges all five Bronze Saints who happen to converge by himself. His flame balls are able to trouble Seiya co, until they receive unexpected help from Steel Saints. And then Hyoga steps in to fight his flame balls with his ice diamond dust.

 

 

- Argol (Perseus):

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j127/Arvaniz/Saint%20Seiya/argol16nr.gif

He is the Saint of Perseus or Medusa. In mythology, Medusa is a demon in a body of a woman with hair of snakes and ability to petrify living beings into stone when they make eye contact with her eyes. Argol has a piece of arm shield that has a medusa face that he puts on his back when not in battle, and this will turn foes into stone. He is one of the toughest Silver Saints as he turns Seiya and Shun into stone and the only way they can revert back is for someone to kill Argol. Shiryu will come in and face the battle of his lifetime.

 

- Agora (Lotus): Along with Shiva is one of two apprentices/ disciples of Gold Saint Virgo Shaka, who sends them to Death Queen Island to kill Phoenix Ikki.

 

- Shiva (Peacock): Along with Agora is one of two apprentices/ disciples of Gold Saint Virgo Shaka, who sends them to Death Queen Island to kill Phoenix Ikki.

 

- Albiore (Cepheus): Andromeda Shun's master. He is kind and gentle and stands by justice. The Andromeda Island is then raided by Gold Saint Scorpio Milo and he is killed in battle.

 

- Ptolemi (Sagitta): Pretends to be the guide for Seiya co when they go to Sanctuary, and then attacks them with his Phantom Arrows Fist. None of his arrows manages to injure Seiya co except the unsuspecting Saori.

 

 

 

I only list the notable Silver Saints as there are quiet a number of them but besides the ones I listed above, the rest are generally weaklings and are defeated easily or do not have impact on the story. They are the "honorable mentions": Spartan (?), Jamian (Crow), Capella (Auriga), Arachne (Tarantula), Argethi (Hercules).

 

 

 

- Gold Saints

The Gold Saints are not just one or two levels above the Bronze/ Silver Saints, they are immeasurably more powerful. They possess the "Seventh Sense" which enables them to attain an attack speed of light.

 

In the beginning of the story, it is widely assumed there exists only one Gold Cloth: the Gold Cloth Sagittarius, which is the grand prize for whoever wins the Saori Kido's tournament of saints. Then the Dark Saints led by Ikki steal the Sagittarius Gold Cloth and draws the story away from the tournament and to the open world. But as the latter half of the season episode goes, it is revealed there are 11 more Gold Clothes/ Saints to complete the famous 12 zodiac stars we know.

 

The 12 Gold Saints reside in Sanctuary, Greece/ Athens (where Seiya receives his childhood training and becomes the Pegasus Saint). They protect 12 temples assigned to their respective protective star. The 12 temples sit before Holy Father's temple. In other words, to reach Holy Father one must go through the 12 temples and defeat the 12 Gold Saints residing in them who are led to believe (by Holy Father himself) that Athena's reincarnation does not exist and Holy Father is the closest thing to Athena and therefore must be obeyed.

 

http://dalbertsilva.vilabol.uol.com.br/cdz/no/12casas.jpg

 

Seiya co who are revealed to the reincarnation of Athena then go to Santuary to set things straight with the Gold Saints that Athena does indeed exist and they have long been deceived by Holy Father. They also want to know the real face behind the mask Holy Father wears. Then as Seiya co make their way to meet Holy Father, their "tour guide" reveals himself as Silver Saint Ptolemi who transfixes an arrow to Saori's chest. The arrow cannot simply be unfixed and gradually penetrates deeper and in 12 hours is going to go through her heart. Ptolemi claims only Holy Father himself can unfix the arrow and therefore Seiya co must go to Holy Father, but to reach him they must first go through the 12 Gold Saints in their 12 temples. In other words, they must defeat 12 Gold Saints in 12 hours or Saori dies.

 

The first temple begins with:

 

- Mu (Aries):

http://img123.imageshack.us/img123/5749/mu063nf2.gif

Mu is well known among saints to have the ability to repair broken/ dead clothes or improve their quality and strength. When Shiryu and Seiya fight for the first time in the beginning of the season, they end up breaking their Pegasus and Dragon clothes. So Shiryu sets out from China to India to seek Mu to repair the clothes. Unbeknownst to them, Mu is the Gold Saint Aries. Mu has always been a Bronze Saints' ally, and when they meet him in the first temple of Aries, he reveals to Seiya co in order to defeat Gold Saints, they must learn to possess the gift of Seventh Sense.

 

 

- Aldebaran (Taurus):

http://img304.imageshack.us/img304/8282/010vc.gif

He is probably the wisest among Gold Saints, and instead of blindly siding with Holy Father, he is open to the possibility what Seiya co claim is right, that Athena exists and is among them. So he gives them a test that in order to pass the Taurus temple, they must learn to sense the Seventh Sense.

 

 

- Saga (Gemini):

http://img472.imageshack.us/img472/4710/saga0tq.gif

The most mysterious Gold Saint. Saga rarely reveals his face and body even when he goes face to face with people and Seiya co. While donning the Gold Cloth Gemini, he appears in blue shadow and not a true body. Saga's main weapon "Galaxian Explosion" is able to transport/ teleport foes to the expansive universe where they will wander there forever. Saga is also known to have a multiple personality disorder, just like his protective star Gemini which has two angels, Saga has two personalities: good and evil. Saga is easily one of the most powerful saints in Saint Seiya saga (no pun).

 

 

- Deathmask (Cancer):

http://img462.imageshack.us/img462/3730/076gk.gif

Deathmask first reveals himself in China to confront Shiryu's master, Dohko alleging him to betray the Sanctuary and Holy Father. Shiryu defends his old master and faces Deathmask. In danger, Mu comes in to stop the fight and save Shiryu. This time in Cancer temple is Round 2 between Shiryu and Deathmask. Deathmask knows that Holy Father does not stand by justice yet he still chooses to serve him because to him anyone who is the strongest is just. Deathmask is a saint of death because he's able to open the gate connecting between real world and Realm of the Dead, he is able to teleport foes there, and he is able to enter or exit the realm himself freely. Many innocent people are killed by Deathmask and they forever wander in it the realm.

 

 

- Aioria (Leo):

http://img62.imageshack.us/img62/9875/100mi.gif

Aioria is Seiya's idol and occasional mentor during his childhood in Athens. He is also the younger brother of Gold Saint Sagittarius Aioros, who Holy Father publicly claims as a Sanctuary rebel. Because of this, Aioria grows up with the shame and taunt of other people that he is a rebel's brother. He comes to believe Aioros is a traitor and promises himself to be stronger than his brother ever was. Aioria is friends with Seiya but Holy Father corrupts his mind and he has become evil. To turn Aioria back, he must first kill one man. His favorite attack is "Lightning Bolt/ Plasma" where millions of fists are launched in a single attack at light speed... it is also awesome. :)

 

 

- Shaka (Virgo):

http://img85.imageshack.us/img85/5123/240ce.gif

He is claimed to be the saint closest to God. He has mastered Buddhism and is said to be closest to Buddha and he is able to teleport foes to The Six Realms of Samsara/ The Cycle or Wheel of Suffering: Realm of Deva/ pleasure, Realm of Humans/ desire, Realm of Asura/ anger-jealousy-constant war, Realm of Animals/ stupidity-servitude, Realm of Hungry Ghosts/ eternal hunger, Realm of Beings in Hell/ worst realm-torture. Shaka is also able to take away the five senses from foes: sense of touch, sense of smell, sense of hearing, sense of eyesight and voice as Ikki finds out. Shaka believes he is a Saint of Athena but he has no idea Athena reincarnation exists and therefore he sides with Holy Father who is the symbol of Athena and believes Seiya co are trying to spread lies. Shaka is also known to never open his eyes, but when he does, that means the opponent in front of him must die.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUPEFGOS0mg

 

 

- Dohko (Libra):

http://img472.imageshack.us/img472/5118/dohko4kx.gif

Dohko is Shiryu's master. It is said that he is a Saint of Libra 2-3 centuries ago and fight alongside former Gold Saint Aries Shion (who is also Mu's master and the former kind Holy Father who is murdered by the current evil Holy Father) in the Holy War against Hades. At the present time, he has aged and his body has withered into a very little old man.

 

 

- Milo (Scorpio):

http://img258.imageshack.us/img258/5099/172qd.gif

Like Shaka, he believes Seiya co are trying to traduce Sanctuary and Holy Father, but as he witnesses Seiya co fighting and not giving up, he becomes open to the possibility that Athena reincarnation indeed exists among them. His "Scarlet Needle" attack punctures the death points of a human body.

 

 

- Aioros (Sagittarius):

http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/9038/aioros4bf.gif

He is Gold Saint Leo Aioria's big brother. As seen in the video in the first post of this thread and below, he saves little baby Athena from Holy Father who intends to kill her. Aioros then manages to escape and flee Sanctuary with his Gold Cloth Sagittarius and the baby girl.

 

 

- Shura (Capricorn):

http://img157.imageshack.us/img157/9003/008zp.gif

Shura is said to be the Saint most loyal to Athena as he is immortalized by the statue in his temple where Athena gives him the sword of excalibur. Shura then masters the "Sword of Excalibur" as his weapon, his arm is said to be the sharpest among all saints and is able to cleave lands and mountains. Shura is also the one who confronts Aioros who nearly escapes from Sanctuary. With all evidence in his hand he believes Aioros tries to betray Sanctuary and Holy Father. The fight is even until little Athena wanders to Shura's side and Shura is able to give Aioros his last blow. The fight between Shura and Shiryu is one of the best in Saint Seiya saga.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNM_2jGiYXg

 

 

- Camus (Aquarius):

http://img454.imageshack.us/img454/5918/107uj.gif

Camus is Crystal Saint's master. This means he is Hyoga's grand master. He does not believe Hyoga has what it takes to challenge Gold Saints. When Gold Saint Gemini Saga teleports Hyoga with his Galaxian Explosion, Seiya co think Hyoga is lost forever in the universe, but he ends up being teleported to the temple of Libra where Camus also appears. Camus, believing he rather kills Hyoga than letting other Gold Saints do, unleashes "Aurora Execution" on Hyoga (as seen on gif pic above) and immortalize him in his ice coffin. It is known no temperature can melt the ice, not even the power of Gold Saint can break the ice.

 

 

- Aphrodite (Pisces):

http://img394.imageshack.us/img394/158/aphro69oo.gif

He is the most beautiful Gold Saint, at least according to him. It is possible Aphrodite is a hermaphrodite, it just rhymes. But Aphrodite is really a man who thinks he is a woman. His roses are deadly. While it is previously known Gold Saint Scorpio Milo is the one who kills Shun's master Albiore, actually the fight is pretty even until Aphrodite launches his poisonous rose and the poisoned Albiore then can no longer withstand Milo's attacks. Shun will take revenge for his master.

 

 

- Holy Father (?): Who is he? Some people believe he could be a Gold Saint who kills the original kind-hearted Holy Father. Is he a Gold Saint? Well, you have to watch yourself. :)

Edited by Snake
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