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
- Full Name: Ikki
- Age: 15
- Height: 175 cm
- Weight: 62 kg
- DOB: August 15
- Zodiac Sign: Leo
- Blood: AB type
- Birth Place: Japan
- Trained: Death Queen Island
- Techniques: "Hou Yoku Ten Sho" ("Flying Phoenix or Rising Phoenix Wing"), "Phoenix Genma Ken" ("Phoenix Phantom Demon Punch or Phoenix Illusion Demon Punch")
- 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 places him well above most silver saints, and his reputation as a powerhouse is common knowledge among his peers and fellow Bronze saints. 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. He could easily be recognized as the strongest bronze saint when it comes to raw power.
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. Fellow bronze saint Wolf Nachi once pointed out that it was very hard to believe Ikki and Shun were related due to the extreme difference in their personalities.
As noted by Kanon in the Poseidon arc and by Pandora in the Hades chapter, Ikki's cosmos is very unique to him -- it is a cosmos full of hate, anger, and incredible aggression and power, but guided by his love for his friends and Athena. Although he dislikes working in groups, he comes to battle whenever Athena's saints need his help. This tactic has always been exploited to their advantage, since the enemies are caught by surprise upon meeting/fighting him. He is a noble character, mature, and that does not doubt whenever it's necessary to sacrifice his life for his friends. Ikki is a complex character, very rich in nuances.
[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 (in the spectre's case, the genma ken severely weakened him to the point where Ikki no longer had trouble putting him away).
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, the scenario reverted to normal and he realized that Seiya's form was still intact. Ikki explained that Saga had just become a victim to the Phoenix Genma Ken's illusionary 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 the power of resurrection. 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 a 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 one of the first orphans to discover the true identity of his father -- Mitsumasa Kido (Cygnus Hyoga was another) -- the same man who had stolen him, his brother, and 98 other orphans from their otherwise happy homes to be served as puppets for the Graude Foundation's 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. After his defeat, Ikki revealed to Seiya that he, too, was the son of Mitsumasa Kido. Hyoga later confirmed this fact.
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 Shun. She was a pretty girl he met during his training days in Death Queen Island, and, in his own words, 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 endorsed his mistake because she "had gotten too close to the training grounds." Esmeralda's death, along with Guilty's indifference, 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 comrades 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, but one that they can always count on.
In the battle against Virgo Shaka, Ikki's determination is guided by his relationship with Saori (Athena) and his friends. It is one of the crucial points where the connection between Saori and Ikki gives him the extra power and determination to achieve his goal and, thus, help her.
[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 Cocytus, 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 the Anime, Ikki is believed to have been killed at least twice by Virgo Shakka. First when he was hit by the Six Incarnations attack which was supposed to have sent his soul straight to one of the 6 Hells. Ikki revived, claiming that hell could not keep him, since he had been there before. Next, after realizing that he could not escape the fight, Ikki decided to fight Shakka head on. Shakka pulverized his Phoenix cloth and burned Ikki to his apparent death. It took only mere instants for Ikki to reappear in full power with a fully restored cloth.
In order to remove Virgo Shaka from the other bronze saints' path to the Pope, Ikki decided to sacrifice himself. Having been hit by Shakka Tenbu Horin attack and left with only his cosmos to fight, Ikki attempted to explode himself by burning his cosmos to the limit taking Shakka with him. Oddly enough, the explosion did not kill either saint, but ejected 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 Ikki were returned to Earth by Virgo Shakka with the help of Aries Mu.
[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 Kaasa, one of Poseidon's generals, had mentally tortured and humiliated Seiya, Hyoga, and Shun.
[edit] Fight Against 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 cosmos had become even more powerful, as he had no more fury and hatred in his heart, and his mind was at ease. However powerful his cosmos might have become, he could not whistand the blow of the 7th sensed, fully powered Phoenix saint without his sacred robe.
[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 Coctyus, 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 in 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 empowered 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 Saint Seiya Hades: Chapter Inferno.
- Note: In the manga, even though Virgo Shaka was responsible for reviving it from dust, the second version of Ikki's cloth did not receive the blood of a gold saint -- therefore, it was unable to become golden like the other bronze cloths. In the anime, however, it was empowered by Shaka's blood along with the other 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 reintroduction, 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 titled "You're Phoenix". Unlike "Nebula Chain" and "Diamond Dust", the song was never aired in the course of the series. It is a love song of sorts telling Ikki to remember Esmeralda 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. It's also worth taking in account, Esmeralda is physically similar to his brother, Shun.
- When all the bronze saints first fought Thanatos, the God of Death, he commented that Ikki is stronger than the rest of the bronze saints.
- Pandora might have some feeling for Ikki, since Ikki have brought color back into her life.
- Ikki's Genma Ken is his strongest offense, he always uses it to slow down his opponents and it enables him to defeat the opponents. The only time that this technique was unaffective was in the second Saint Seiya movie, where he used this technique against Ghost Saint Lyra Orpheus.
| 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 Papillon Myu | Deep Niobe | Worm Raimi Acheron Charon | Balron Lune | Sphinx Pharaoh | Lycaon Phlegyas | Basilisk Sylphid | Harpy Valentine |
