List of Saint Seiya story arcs

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See also: List of Saint Seiya episodes

The storyline of the Saint Seiya anime series currently consists of 114 TV episodes and 25 OVAs. It can be divided into numerous story arcs as follows.

Contents 1 Part I (Sanctuary) 2 Part II (Poseidon) 3 Part III (Hades) 4 Part IV (Heaven)

[edit] Part I (Sanctuary)

• The Galactic Tournament - Episodes 1–7 : known in the original version as the "Galaxian Wars" (in which the Saints battle for the Gold Sagittarius Cloth as their top prize): Introduction of the main bronze characters. The Tournament ends briefly due to the appearance of Phoenix Ikki, the older brother of Andromeda Shun, who steals the Sagittarius Gold Cloth as part of his vendetta against the Kido family and also at the bequest of the Sanctuary commanded by the Pope Ares.
• The Black Saints Saga - Episodes 8–15 : The search for the stolen pieces of the Sagittarius Gold Cloth: The 4 Bronze saints battle with Phoenix Ikki and his Black Saints and after that battle with other evil Saints. The conclusive battle reveals the face of true evil - Ares and his corrupted Sanctuary who are after the Gold Cloth as well.
• Anime filler arc - Episodes 16–22 : Pope Ares sends some saints with no constellations after Saori Kido and the bronze saints. All are defeated. Introduces Cygnus Hyoga's master, the Crystal Saint.
• The battle against the Silver Saints "and other close encounters" - Episodes 23–35 : It is revealed that Saori Kido is the re-incarnation of Athena. In the future, it is also known that she was smuggled out of the holy lands of Sanctuary as a baby by Aiolos, the Sagittarius Gold Saint, as an attempt to save her life from a corrupt Pope Ares, who attempted to slay the baby with a dagger while she was sleeping. In the end, Aiolos is labeled as a traitor and Ares begins his crusade to regain the stolen Sagittarius Gold Cloth, kill Athena and gain complete control of the world. Pope Ares sends several Silver Saints to destroy Athena's Bronze Saints. Steel Saints appear. Shiryu is blinded as a noble sacrifice to save Seiya and Shun. The Sagittarius Gold Cloth disappears. Ikki battles with Jango and the Black Saints.
• Introduction of Gold Saints - Episodes 36–40 : First appearance of some Gold Saints, mainly Leo Aiolia, Cancer Deathmask, and Scorpio Milo. Mu, the Cloth master, and Dohko, are revealed to be the Gold Saints of Aries and Libra, respectively. It is then revealed that there is more than just one Gold Cloth, in fact - there are 12.
• The 12 Zodiac Temples Saga - Episodes 41–73 : The war against Sanctuary begins as the Bronze Saints battle against the Gold Saints in the Sanctuary: The five Bronze Saints have heated battles in the 12 Zodiac temples, finally emerging victorious. Shiryu recovers his sight. It is revealed that the enigmatic Gemini Saga was the Pope (Kyoko) of the Sanctuary. At the climax of the battle, Saga re-awakens as a true Gold Saint loyal to Athena and commits suicide to atone for his sins.

[edit] Part II (Poseidon)

• The Asgard Saga - Episodes 74–99 : (this story arc is only in the anime) - The Bronze Saints travel to Asgard in order to battle Hilda, Odin's priestess and representative on Earth, and her 7 God Warriors. Under the influence of the Nibelung Ring (controlled by Poseidon), Hilda attempts to flood the Earth by melting the polar ice; to buy the Saints time and stop the flood, Athena takes her place temporarily while the Saints fight their way towards Hilda. Seiya uses the Odin Robe to destroy the Nibelung Ring, thus destroying Poseidon's grip over Hilda; she then invokes Odin, and stops the floo definitely.

• The battle against Poseidon and his 7 Sea Generals or Mariners in Poseidon's sunken kingdom - Episodes 100–114 : Poseidon was manipulating Polaris Hilda in the Asgard season through the Nibelung ring. Athena is kidnapped and placed in Poseidon's Mainstay, and Poseidon's immense cosmo begins to drown the world as an attempt to purify the planet through a second "Great Flood".

Athena's Bronze Saints journey to the realm of Poseidon which is found underneath the world's oceans. It is then revealed that the former Gold Saint Gemini Saga had a younger identical twin brother under the same star name - Gemini Kanon. It is then known that Poseidon's re-awakening in Julian Solo is part of a grand conspiration of Gemini Kanon in an attempt to gain vengeance against Athena, his hatred against brother's will and finally ending in World domination through Poseidon's dormant soul in Julian Solo. Kanon releases Poseidon's soul which was sealed many centuries ago during the last holy war and it is later contained in Julian Solo, the son of a wealthy sea merchant whose family always served Poseidon as host bodies for the Sea God.

In the climatic conclusion Seiya, Shiryu, and Hyoga don their Gold Cloths which are summoned from their former Gold Saint's spirits to their battle against an angry fully-possessed true God of the Seas - Poseidon, and with the help of Athena, Poseidon's soul is eventually sealed, thus returning Julian Solo back to his normal self and leaving the world in peace once again. Poseidon's kingdom is finally destroyed by the Bronze Saints, who managed to demolish the eight pillars which held up the oceans above.

[edit] Part III (Hades)

• The Hades Chapter Sanctuary - OVA episodes 1-13 : battle against the fallen gold saints and Hades' Specters (this arc concludes in the manga, but the anime ends partway through) - This series chronicles the start of a new Holy war against Athena's most feared foe - Hades, king of the underworld. All battles are held within the Sanctuary. The former Pope who Gemini Saga killed in the original Sanctuary series in order to gain control of Sanctuary and begin his inner war against Athena, was revealed to be none other than Aries Shion - a former Gold Saint who fought along side with Libra Dohko 243 years ago in the last Holy War against Hades, and Aries Mu's master. He and the other five fallen gold saints (Gemini Saga, Cancer Deathmask, Capricorn Shura, Aquarius Camus and Pisces Aphrodite - all whom were killed in the Sanctuary Arc) were revived by Hades, in order to help him slay Athena. Virgo Shaka dies, or rather fights a suicidal battle against Shura, Camus and Saga who use the strongest and most forbidden technique deemed by Athena herself: The Athena Exclamation. The Technique is used again later on during a battle between both teams of Gold Saints (Saga, Camus and Shura vs Mu, Aiolia and Milo), when they use the forbidden move, Athena Exclamation, on each other. Athena sacrifices herself (for the eighth sense: Arayashiki, the ability to live in the underworld). Shion reawakens Athena's Holy Cloth and also restores the Bronze Saints' Cloths to their ultimate level. He also revealed their true intentions for living once again and battling against Sanctuary - it was all to warn Athena about Hades and give her her Holy Cloth to battle Hades, but they had to fool Hades's specters who were watching them, even to the extent of losing their honor and titles as Saints. The battle rages on in Hades' Castle and the Underworld in Hades's kingdom of Hell. The 5 Bronze Saints along with the last 2 Gold Saints - Libra Dohko and a redeemed Gemini Kanon - awaken their 8th senses and continue to wage the ongoing war against Hades in the Underworld.
• The Hades Chapter Inferno (Part 1) - OVA episodes 14-19 : The battle continues against the Specters, the 3 Judges of Inferno/Hell, and the God of the Underworld himself. (6 OVA's appeared December 2005 to March 2006): Battle with all the Specters and the 3 judges. Appearance of the Saint of Legends - The Legendary Silver Saint, Lyra Orpheus whose power was deemed greater than those of the Gold Saints. Virgo Shaka and Athena are revealed to be alive, thanks to their awakening of the 8th sense. Andromeda Shun is possessed and becomes Hades (very similar to the Poseidon/Julian Solo possession), because every 243 years Hades returns to wage his war on land and try to take it over. It is later revealed that Shun was born into this world as the Saint under the star of Andromeda, and as such was willing to sacrifice his body as a host of Hades to be killed in order to save the world.

The last episode of Chapter Inferno (Part 1) ends in the battle between Ikki and Garuda Aiacos, one of 3 Hades's Kyotos or Hell Judges. However, it does not include the conclusive battle between Ikki and Shun who is eventually possessed by Hades's spirit or the great sacrifice made by the 12 gold saints at the great Sighing Wall behind which the passage to Elysion is found.

• The Hades Chapter Inferno (Part 2) - OVA episodes 20-25 : Released starting in December 2006. Part II chronicles the next part of the last Arc of the manga - in which the world is in the process of being plunged into total darkness by an eclipse that envelops the whole sun, all of which is planned by Hades as his first goal to conquer the land. Part 2 ends after the Bronze Saints are witnesses of the great sacrifice of the 12 gold saints and they have a new mission: To enter the Elysium Realm, delivering the divine armor to Athena and destroying the "True" Hades body.

The last part of all the Inferno Chapter, ends with Pegasus Seiya and the Bronze Saints going to enter the Sighing Wall hole, made by the 12 Gold Saints. It is not explained why Pandora started to remembering her dark past, full of blood. She started crying (still hidden from people behing the walls of a destroyed Giudecca) and Phoenix Ikki appeared (with a shattered armor) not noticing her and going also to the Sighing Wall. Apparently, the god Hades imprisoned Athena on a vessel that sucks up the goddess' blood. The parts where Shiryu was having a major role, standing before 3 specters or Hyoga defying the specter judge Minos, are all omitted. There is no sign (as of the end of February 2007) that there will be an Elysium Chapter (neither as OVA format nor as a movie).

• The Hades Chapter Elysium : Unknown when the last part will be released. The Bronze Saints journey deep into Hades' realm of Elysium and battle with the twin Gods Thanatos and Hypnos, before finally reaching Hades himself.

[edit] Part IV (Heaven)

• The Heaven saga - Tenkai Hen Josō (started with the latest Saint Seiya movie, battle with Olympian Gods Apollo and Artemis, unfinished in anime and doesn't exist in the original manga).