Phoenix Ikki
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Phoenix Ikki (一輝, One/Singular Brilliance) is a character from the manga/anime, Saint Seiya. Although he was introduced later than the other four main bronze saints, Ikki's role in the story is quite significant -- he serves as the first antagonist in the series that the other bronze saints must defeat, as well as a powerful ally later in the series.
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[edit] Statistics
- Age: 15
- Height: 175 cm
- Weight: 62 kg
- DOB: August 15th
- Blood: AB type
- Birth Place: Japan
- Trained: Death Queen Island
- Techniques: "Hou Yoku Ten Sho" ("Flying Phoenix"), "Phoenix Genma Ken" ("Phoenix Illusional Demon Fist")
- Seiyuu (1986-1991; 2002-2003; 2004): Hideyuki Hori (堀 秀行, ほり ひでゆき)
- Seiyuu (2005-2006): Katsuyuki Konishi (小西 克幸, こにし かつゆき)
- Seiyuu: Noriko Uemura (上村 典子, うえむら のりこ) child Ikki in the earlier series, Toyoshima Machiko (豊嶋真千子, とよしま まちこ) child Ikki in Hades chapter.
- ADV Dub VA: Mike MacRae
[edit] Character Outline
[edit] The Saint of Phoenix
While Ikki is officially recognized as a bronze saint, his base power easily rivals most silver saints, and his reputation as a powerhouse is common knowledge among his peers. Even as a child, Ikki was known as the toughest kid of the 100 orphans, and would often defend his wimpy younger brother Shun from the other children.
Ikki's personality is drastically different than his fellow Bronze Saints. He is very unlike his younger brother - who is almost the opposite of him: Shun is calm, soft, caring and very emotional whereas Ikki is harsh, cold, aggressive, and very much of a loner. Wolf Nachi once made a comment that it was very hard to believe that Ikki was related to Shun because of their extreme difference in personality
As noted by Kanon in Poseidon arc and Pandora comment in the Hades chapter that Ikki's Cosmo is very unique to him - because it is a Cosmo full of hate, anger, and incredible aggresion. He also dislikes working in groups, and only comes to battle whenever Athena's Saints need his help.
[edit] Special Techniques
As a saint, Ikki uses two techniques to dispose of his enemies: "Hou Yoku Ten Sho," and "Phoenix Genma Ken." "Hou Yoku Ten Sho" is an attack that gathers forces of wind and heat into a concentrated point, then unleashed as a single blow. "Phoenix Genma Ken" is infamous for destroying the minds of its victims -- the technique is dealt from either a single fist or a finger, and sends various nightmare illusions to the opponent's brain. The opponent is then trapped within an illusion that is almost indistinguishable from reality. Ikki's Genma Ken usually spells doom for the victim, unless he/she has an unusually powerful mind or cosmos. To date, Ikki has used the Genma Ken to defeat the likes of Bronze Saint Cygnus Hyoga, Silver Saint Auriga Capella, Gold Saint Pisces Aphrodite (this battle not considered canon, however) and Garuda Aiacos (he wasn't defeated, but was severely weakened by this, allowing Ikki to easily finish him off).
In the manga, Ikki and Gold Saint Gemini Saga were forced into a draw when Saga attempted to use his Demon Emperor Fist to counter Ikki's Genma Ken. Both saints unleashed their respective attacks at the same time, and the immediate result was Ikki being overwhelmed. As the technique gave Saga control over his opponent, the gold saint quickly commanded Ikki to pierce the muscle in his upper left arm. With the Demon Emperor Fist's effect in full control, Ikki could not help but follow through. Taunting his victory over the Phoenix, Saga then insisted that Ikki decapitate an unconscious Seiya. Ikki, again, could not resist and complied with the order. As Saga celebrated over Seiya's death, suddenly, everything changed and he noticed that Seiya's form was still intact. Ikki explained that Saga had just become a victim to the Genma Ken's illusional powers -- although, the gold saint's own Demon Emperor Fist hadn't failed either. If Saga had initially instructed that Ikki decapitate Seiya instead of injuring his own arm, Ikki would have done it without question. The bloody wound on his left arm was proof of this.
[edit] The Immortal Phoenix Cloth
Ikki is connected to his cloth and constellation in more ways than one. The Phoenix cloth has the uncanny ability to reform from atoms if pulverized -- an ability that not even gold cloths have. Ikki himself can never truly die for good; while he can be killed, the constellation of the Phoenix grants him resurrectional power. It is implied in the series that Ikki also receives a boost in strength from every revival.
[edit] The Gold Cloth of Leo
Being born in the month of Leo, Ikki is allowed a bit of power from that constellation. As a result, when the bronze saints are faced with a threat that requires the aid of the gold cloth, Ikki is given the option to don the Leo armor. This is seen when the gold cloth assembled itself on him during the fight with Thanatos, the God of Death.
[edit] Notable People & Events
[edit] The Bronze Saints
Ikki's only true family is his brother Shun, with whom he shares the same father and mother with. Unlike Ikki, however, Shun was a weak, nimble child who often required the aid of his older brother to defend him from harm. Even as a saint, Shun would end up in predicaments that demanded Ikki's attention.
Ikki is also the first to discover the true identity of his father was Mitsumasa Kido (though Hyoga knew this from the beginning), the same man who had ripped him, his brother, and 98 other orphans from their otherwise happy homes to be served as puppets for the Graude Foundation project. Ikki and the other orphans have hated Kido for as long as they could remember, and when he was told of the truth, he promptly decided to go on a suicide mission to kill off every last trace of Kido. This began the war between Ikki and the bronze saints when he attacked his former friends at the Galaxian Wars. The dispute was only settled when Pegasus Seiya, Dragon Shiryu, Cygnus Hyoga, and his own brother Andromeda Shun combined enough power to knock the bitterness out of him. He revealed to Seiya that he was the son of Mitsumasa Kido after his defeat, and Hyoga confirmed this later on.
When the true antagonist of the story, Pope Ares, finally decided to make his presence known, Ikki found himself aligning with the bronze saints in an effort to defeat the villain. It is at this point that Ikki returns to being the compassionate older brother that Shun admired as a child.
[edit] Esmeralda
Esmeralda was Ikki's original romantic interest, and bared a striking resemblance to his brother Shun. She was a pretty girl he met during his training days in Death Queen Island, and the only thing that kept him away from insanity. Esmeralda was also the daughter of his master Guilty, and in a sad twist of fate, would eventually die by an accidental blow from her father. To Ikki's disgust, Guilty felt nonchalant about killing his daughter, and even condemned it because she "had gotten too close to the training grounds." Esmeralda's death, along with Guilty's uneffected attitude, was the spark that finally drove Ikki to become deranged enough to kill his master -- and obtain the Bronze Cloth of Phoenix.
[edit] Virgo Shaka
In the manga, Ikki initially encounters the Gold Saint of Virgo days after killing his master and taking over command of Death Queen Island. While Ikki was powerful at the time, he was no match for the power of a gold saint -- a fact that Shaka made him realize all too well. Fortunately, Shaka decided to spare Ikki's life when he sensed that there was good suppressed within him. He erased the memory of the encounter from Ikki's mind, and declared that pieces of this event shall forever remain hidden -- as long as they do not meet again as enemies.
Even though the encounter was erased, Ikki was left with the lasting impression that gold cloths grant immense power to its wearer -- this served as one of the reasons why he sought after the Sagittarius armor when he later invaded the Galaxian Wars.
A reunion between Ikki and Shaka was inevitable, and it took place when the bronze saint's comrads found themselves outmatched against Shaka -- even after combining all of their efforts. Luckily, Ikki was able to make the save before Shaka could end Shun's life. Upon recognizing the intruder, Shaka remarked that Ikki had grown stronger, and immediately unlocked the memory of their first meeting. Upon rediscovering the strength of a gold saint, Ikki became hesitant of the fight -- but by then, he had no choice in the matter, as Shaka unleashed one of his attacks on him.
[edit] Saori Kido
Saori Kido and Ikki share a somewhat interesting relationship. While he does not dispute the fact that she is the current reincarnation of Athena, he has been shown to readily reject her commands. At one point, the Phoenix Saint even decided to separate himself from his peers in order to pursue Pope Ares on his own. As Saori and the other bronze saints learned the hard way, Ikki is a lone wolf, and does not bode well with others.
[edit] Pandora
Ikki met Pandora when Shun was a baby, and he himself was still a young orphan. A young Pandora mysteriously appeared and chased after the would-be Phoenix Saint, demanding that he hand over Shun on the claim that he was actually her little brother. Young Ikki became confused and furious, and Pandora explained that Fate had chosen Shun to be the next avatar of Hades.
Of course, Ikki would have none of it, and held onto baby Shun with dear life as Pandora struggled to separate the two. Ikki's will refused to give up, and a mysterious cosmos intervened. With no other option, Pandora decided to temporarily leave Shun in Ikki's care, and left a pendant on the baby as a mark for Hades. Before Pandora left, she sealed away most of the memories of this event from Ikki's mind, and would not restore it until the two met again years later.
It is speculated that Pandora might have had romantic feelings towards Ikki. After he was defeated by Hades, she is shown to be tenderly touching a stab wound she had inflicted upon him. Later on, as the bronze saints prepared to invade Elysium, it is Pandora who would free Ikki from the icy 8th prison.
[edit] Various Deaths & Resurrections
[edit] Message From Sanctuary
The battle between Ikki and the other bronze saints took place on a nearby mountain. Lacerta Misty, a silver saint sent from Sanctuary to assassinate the bronze saints, made his presence known when he collapsed the mountain, killing a battle-worn Ikki in the process.
In the anime, it is the giant Docrates who would accomplish this feat.
Ikki would return soon after to aid Saori Kido and Seiya when the two found themselves ambushed by various silver saints.
[edit] Kamikaze With Shaka
In order to remove Virgo Shaka from the other bronze saints' path to the Pope, Ikki decided to sacrifice his body and cosmos when he attempted to eject both himself and Shaka to another plane. Although it isn't known if Ikki had actually died, this is worthy to note because the Phoenix cloth would gain a new form after both it and Ikki were returned to Earth.
[edit] Galaxian Dust Particles
Ikki once again sacrificed himself when Ares unleashed the powerful Galaxian Explosion. While his body remained intact in the anime, it was completely disintegrated into atoms in the manga. This was also the only time when Ikki was actually seen to have been killed.
Ikki would stay down for a good while, and only resurfaced for revenge after Lymnades Karsa, one of Poseidon's generals, had tortured and humiliated Seiya, Hyoga, and Shun.
[edit] Defeated By Mime
Anime exclusive Asgard chapter only. In the manga, Ikki did not return until the bronze saints battled Poseidon and his Marine Generals. In the anime, the Phoenix lived on to battle the Asgard God Warriors with his fellow bronze saints.
Ikki was forced to abandon his cloth in order to break free from God Warrior Mime of the Benetnash (Eta) constellation's final attack. Seeing Ikki become unarmed, Mime himself removed his god robe and challenged the Phoenix Saint to one last hand-to-hand duel. Both men dropped to the ground after the dramatic confrontation, with Mime failing to survive the exchange. It is speculated that Ikki was killed as well, although he returned a short while later to aid Shun once more.
It should be noted, however, that Mime himself decided to remove his god robe in order to give Ikki a chance, after hearing Ikki say that his power lies not in his Cloth. If he had not, it's very likely that he would've survived the exchange of blows. However, Shun commented that after talking with Ikki and removing his God Robe, Mime's cosmo had become even more powerful, as he had no more fury and hatred in his heart, and his mind was at ease.
[edit] Death By the God of the Underworld
Hades took it upon himself to finish off the bronze saint after he had attempted to defeat the god. Ikki's corpse was then sent to the 8th prison of Tartarus, where men who rose their fist at the gods suffered eternal punishment.
Of course, it would only be hours before Ikki was once again on the run to join his fellow saints into invading the Elysium Fields.
[edit] Evolution of the Phoenix Cloth
Unlike every other cloths that require a massive amount of blood to repair, the Phoenix cloth can regenerate as many times as it is destroyed without the need of outside aid. But just as the other bronze cloths had, the phoenix cloth, too, would come to evolve its design with each regeneration:
- When Shaka reforms it from dust after bringing Ikki back from an alternative plane.
- When Ikki reappears in Hell to battle Garuda Aiacos during the Hades arc.
- When Ikki accidentally touched Athena's blood in the Elysium Fields, and along with Ikki's already heightened cosmos, prompted the cloth to evolve into the Phoenix God Cloth.
The Phoenix has changed form twice in the anime so far:
- When Ikki attacked Zeta Syd in the beginning of the Asgard chapter, his Phoenix Cloth took a new form enpowered by the blood of Virgo Shaka.
- When Ikki rescued Gemini Kanon from the hands of the three Judges, Wyvern Rhadamanthys, Griffon Minos, and Garuda Aiacos in Hades: The Inferno Chapter.
- Note: In the manga, even though Virgo Shaka reformed it, the second version of Ikki's Cloth was not repaired by a Gold Saint's blood, and hence does not become golden. In the anime, it was empowered by a Gold Saint's blood like the other Bronze Cloths.
[edit] Notes & Trivia
- Most fans originally assumed that Ikki was actually working for the Pope when he attacked the bronze saints, although this is untrue. In fact, in the manga, Hyoga was the one that Sanctuary had originally sent to assassinate the saints.
- In the manga version of the Hades arc, Ikki does not appear until the saints are battling spectres in Hell (upon appearing, he was seen wearing the third version of his cloth). In the anime, he makes an early appearance at the Sanctuary, debating with Shiryu about rather or not the bronze saints should join the gold saints in the war against Hades. An interesting thing to note is that the Ikki here sports the second version of his Phoenix Cloth, but he was seen in the third version of his Cloth in the intro song, placing flowers over Esmeralda's grave. When the anime finally adapted the chapter from the manga in 2005-2006's Saint Seiya: Hades - Chapter Inferno OVAs, Ikki is shown with the "correct" version of his armor.
- In the manga contrary to the anime, Ikki's cloth is completely orange.
- Ikki has a theme song named "You're Phoenix". The song, never played in the anime, unlike Nebula Chain and Diamond Dust, is a love song of sorts telling Ikki to remember Esmerelda because she is what made Death Island bearable, and that he now fights for her. And that even from beyond the grave, she lights the fires that let him fight on.
- When all the Bronze Saints first fought Thanatos, the God of Death, he commented that Ikki is stronger than the other Bronze Saints.
| Saint Seiya characters | |
|---|---|
| Bronze Saints | |
|
Pegasus Seiya | Cygnus Hyoga | Dragon Shiryu | Andromeda Shun | Phoenix Ikki Unicorn Jabu | Lionet Ban | Wolf Nachi | Bear Geki | Hydra Ichi |
|
| Silver Saints | |
|
Lizard Misty | Centaurus Babel | Auriga Capella | Kerberos Dante | Crow Jamian | Hound Asterion | Whale Moses ("Kaitos Moses" in the anime) | Cepheus Daidalos | Perseus Algol | Musca Dio | Canis Major Sirius | Hercules Algethi | Eagle Marin | Ophiuchus Shaina | Lyra Orphée | Sagitta Tramy Tarantula Arachne | Lotus Agora | Pavo Shiva |
|
| Gold Saints | |
|
Aries Mu | Aries Shion | Taurus Aldebaran | Gemini Saga | Gemini Kanon | Cancer Deathmask | Leo Aiolia | Virgo Shaka | Libra Dohko | Scorpion Milo | Sagittarius Aiolos | Capricorn Shura | Aquarius Camus | Pisces Aphrodite |
|
| Asgard God Warriors | |
|
Phecda Gamma Thor | Alioth Epsilon Fenrir | Benetnasch Eta Mime | Megrez Delta Alberich | Merak Beta Hagen | Mizar Zeta Syd | Alcor Zeta Bud | Dubhe Alpha Siegfried |
|
| Poseidon's Marinas | |
|
Sea Horse Baian | Scylla Io | Chrysaor Krishna | Lymnades Casa | Kraken Isaac | Siren Sorento | Sea Dragon Kanon Mermaid Tetis |
|
| Hades' Specters | |
|
Wyvern Rhadamanthys | Griffin Minos | Garuda Aiacos Harpy Valentine |
