Pegasus Seiya

Pegasus Seiya (星矢, Star Arrow) is the main character of the manga/anime, Saint Seiya. He, along with fellow bronze saints Dragon Shiryu, Cygnus Hyoga, Andromeda Shun, and Phoenix Ikki, are the main protagonists in the epic adventure.

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Seiya, in the initial anime form of his Pegasus cloth as seen in the anime's first ending theme, "Blue Forever"

Statistics

• Full Name: Seiya
• Age: 13
• Height: 165 cm
• Weight: 56 kg
• DOB: December 1
• Blood: B type
• Birth Place: Japan
• Trained: Sanctuary, Greece
• Techniques: "Pegasus Ryu Sei Ken" ("Pegasus Meteor Punch"), "Pegasus Sui Sei Ken" ("Pegasus Comet Punch"), "Pegasus Rolling Crash"
• Seiyuu (1986-1991; 2002-2003; 2004): Tōru Furuya (古谷徹, ふるや とおる)
• Seiyuu (young Seiya, 1986-1989): Hiroko Emori (江森浩子, えもり ひろこ )
• Seiyuu (2005-2006): Masakazu Morita (森田成一, もりた まさかず)
• ADV Dub VA: Illich Guardiola

Character Outline

The Saint of Pegasus

Seiya is the main character of his namesake show, Saint Seiya. He is one of the 88 saints of Athena, and serves loyally at her side. Seiya dons the bronze cloth (an armor that denotes sainthood) of Pegasus, and draws power ("cosmos") from the constellation that connects to it.

Seiya is a decently capable fighter; he has the uncanny talent of understanding the mechanics of an opponent's technique after seeing them performed. In many of Seiya's fights, he begins as the underdog, but works hard to gain enough of an advantage to outclass his opponent by the end of the battle. Throughout the series, Seiya defeated the likes of Silver Saint Lacerta Misty, Gold Saint Leo Aiolia, and God Warrior Phecda Gamma Thor with his extraordinary observant eyes.

Special Techniques

Although Seiya began his journey as a bronze saint -- the lowest of three ranks --, his abilities gradually grew to rival those of gold saints, the most powerful of Athena's soldiers. Seiya uses the infamous "Pegasus Ryuseiken-Pegasus Meteor Punch," a technique that initially allows him to send 85 punches per second. His other attacks include "Pegasus Comet Punch," a single blow that concentrates all of his cosmos, and "Pegasus Suiseiken-Pegasus Rolling Crush," a move where he grabs hold of his opponent from the back, soar miles into the air, then suicide dive head-first into the ground.

The Bronze Cloth of Pegasus

Seiya was implied to be the 8th or 9th bronze saint to receive his cloth. He, along with Cassios -- a giant of a man who had previously bullied him in his training days, defeated 9 other trainees in order to advance to the final round of the tournament. The last match pitted them against each other, with Seiya pulling the victory almost effortlessly due to his mastery of the cosmos (Cassios was only familiar with brute strength, of which is completely ineffective against the strength drawn from cosmos).

The Gold Cloth of Sagittarius

Eventually, Seiya became powerful enough to wear the Gold Cloth of Sagittarius, a cloth that had lost its true owner before the series began. It seems the Cloth had chose to protect Seiya as Athena's true guardian. When Seiya has the gold cloth on, his cosmos is magnified, thanks to Aiolos' cosmos expressed through the armor, and his attacks can now defeat opponents previously too powerful for just a mere bronze saint. Nevertheless, while Seiya used the Sagittarius gold cloth many times throughout the series to save Athena from certain peril, he was never officially granted ownership of the cloth. The owner is still the former (and now deceased) saint, Aiolos of Sagittarius.

Notable People & Events

The Bronze Saints

100 young men were brought into the Graude Foundation to fulfill a project -- to be trained into becoming future saints for the goddess Athena. Only 10 of the children survived the entire process, and they grew up to become bronze saints. Although Seiya is familiar with each of them (because of their childhood days), he would grow to form strong bonds with Dragon Shiryu, Cygnus Hyoga, Andromeda Shun, and Phoenix Ikki.

In the manga, it was revealed that all 100 orphans were actually half brothers, with their father being Mitsumasa Kido, the man they have grown to despise for tearing them from their happy homes. Seiya was especially not pleased to hear of this news, and even engaged in various bloody battle in hopes of "cleansing" his body of Kido's blood.

Seika & Miho

Before becoming a saint, Seiya lived in an orphange with his older sister, Seika and his childhood friend, Miho. He was fairly content with having Seika and the other children in the orphange as his family, and had a normal boy's life. Sadly, this was not fated to last, as the Grande Foundation would separated him from this happy home in order to secure one more prospect for their project.

Near the end of the series in the Hades saga, it was revealed that Seika had chased after him all the way to Greece after receiving news of him being sent to Athena's Sanctuary. Unfortunately, Sanctuary is not a place that normal humans could reach, and it was inevitable that she would suffer from an accident -- a traumatic blow to the head that resulted in long-term amnesia. Seika was found by a kindly old shopkeeper, who offered her a job at his shop when she recovered. Because of this, she was "lost" for many years.

During his fight with Thanatos, the God of Death, Pegasus Seiya was allowed to see that his friends in Sanctuary had discovered Seika's whereabouts, and were struggling to protecting her from the God of Death's wrath. Seiya eventually increased his cosmos to the point that it was strong enough to reach Earth (he was far away in the Elysium Fields at the time) and snap Seika out of the amnesia: in one of the biggest moments of Saint Seiya, Seiya and Seika were finally able to contact each other again.

Marin of Aquila (Eagle Marin)

Once he had received adequate conditioning from the Graude Foundation, Seiya was sent to Greece to continue his training with an actual saint. His instructor turned out to be Marin, the Silver Saint of Eagle. Although her facial features were concealed by a mask (a procedure required for all females as amazon saints), Marin's appearance was remarkably similar to Seika's, and it led Seiya to ponder if they were one and the same. However, unlike the loving sister he remembered, Marin was a strict, sometimes harsh instructor, and many of her training techniques resulted in bloody conflict for the young Seiya. Fortunately, Seiya presevered, and the two grew a sisterly/motherly bond over the years that rivaled the relationship Seiya shared with his true sister. Early in the series, it was mentioned that Marin herself had lost a younger brother similar to Seiya's age. This character would later be revealed in the fifth Saint Seiya feature, "Tenkai-hen: Overture".

Shina of Ophiucus

Shaina is the silver saint who played a huge role throughout Seiya's journey as a saint. She began as his rival, then potential romantic interest, and now platonic friend. Female saints in Sanctuary cannot display any traits of feminity, and must conceal their faces with a mask at all times. If these rules are broken by a man, then the female saint must deal with him in two ways: she can fall in love with the offender, or she can choose to kill him.

Unfortunately for Seiya, he not only end up seeing Shaina's real face twice, but he was also responsible for her unveiling some of her more tender moments. Shaina was often branded with the reputation of being one of the most vicious saints alive (male or female), and thus this was bad news for Seiya. Since becoming the Pegasus Saint, Seiya has found himself the target of her wrath at least on three different occasions throughout the series.

Shaina agreed to drop her revenge after bigger threats presented themselves. Seiya's misdeeds were soon mended, and Shaina became one of Seiya's platonic friends, with the two sharing in an "on again, off again" relationship.

Leo Aioria

Throughout various parts of the series, Aioria appeared to lend Seiya his support. When Seiya first arrived in Sanctuary to participate in his training, he immediately looked up to the kind and gentle man as an idol. In the manga, Aioria was also present when Seiya fought Cassios to determine the new owner of the Bronze Cloth of Pegasus.

Later in the Sanctuary arc, Seiya was disheartened when Aioria, now revealed to be the Gold Saint of Leo, appeared in Japan to exterminate Saori Kido and her bronze saints as ordered by Pope Ares. Seiya's cloth was out of reach at the time, but the two of them battled nonetheless. Aioria dominated the unarmed Pegasus, and would've killed the bronze saint if the Sagittarius Cloth hadn't intervened at the right moment. Seiya donned the gold cloth and battled Aioria on an even scale. The fight was undecisive, however, until Saori Kido herself made an appearance. Sensing the young woman's enormous cosmos for the first time, Aioria was finally convinced that she was, indeed, the true reincarnation of Athena, and the same infant that had gone missing 13 years ago.

When Seiya and the other bronze saints invaded the 12 Temples of Sanctuary, the Pegasus Saint once again found himself having to fight Aioria in order to gain passage through the Temple of Leo. The gold saint had apparently confronted Ares regarding the incident with Athena prior to Seiya's arrival, and the results was disastrous -- Aioria fell under the spell of the Pope's "Demon Emperor Fist" attack, a technique that turned the gold saint into a ruthless fighting machine until he literally killed whomever stood before him. Without Aioros' cosmo through the Gold Cloth of Sagittarius aiding him, Seiya found himself battered and beaten -- until Cassios, hoping to sooth Shina, showed up unexpectedly to help the Pegasus Saint. Still under the control of the "Demon Emperior Fist," Aioria unleashed his "Lightning Plasma" move and almost instantly killed Cassios. Combined with the death of the giant and several thousand fists from Seiya's "Pegasus Ryu Sei Ken," the Leo Saint was finally knocked back to normal.

Saori Kido

Saori's relationship with Seiya is sometimes the subject of speculation. At the very least, it is obvious that Seiya cares greatly for Saori's well-being and will not think twice to sacrifice his life for her. However, Saori is also the current reincarnation of Athena -- the goddess that the saints live to protect -- so it is only natural that Seiya, being one of her saints, would not hesitate one second to defend her. It is up to the fans to decide whether or not their relationship should be defined as romantic or platonic.

Seiya initially despised Saori Kido because of events that took place when they were children. Being the granddaughter of Mitsumasa Kido, Saori was raised as a spoiled child, and readily saw Seiya (along with the other 99 orphans brought into the Foundation) as a slave for her personal use. Seiya, however, was defiant of Saori's commands, and even challenged her authority at one point.

When Seiya returned from Greece years later, he had expected to be greeted by the same spoiled brat he last had a spat with. Needless to say, he was quite surprised to see that Saori had matured into a diplomatic, philanthropist, and feminine woman. This change allowed Seiya to gradually accept her into his life, and eased his decision to protect her when it was revealed that she was also the goddess Athena.

Hades, God of the Underworld

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Tenma, the previous Saint of Pegasus, from "Saint Seiya: Next Dimension"

In the original climax of the Athena vs. Hades battle, it was revealed that Hades had fought a previous reincarnation of the Pegasus Saint from the mythological times, and that he had served a significant role in the god's defeat. This line of dialogue was further elaborated in the prologue of Saint Seiya: Next Dimension, where Hades disclosed that he had actually befriended a previous Pegasus Saint. In Saint Seiya: Lost Canvas, it is revealed that the friendship Hades spoke of was between Alone, the god's previous chosen human vessel (similar to Shun -- but not the Andromeda's previous incarnation), and Tenma, the Bronze Saint of Pegasus in the generation previous to Seiya's. Both kids grew up together at an orphanage in Italy, and were very close friends until their paths diverged: Tenma met Dohko, who realized he had affinities with the cosmos and brought him to Sanctuary to undergo Sainthood training; Alone remained in Italy and, little by little, became consumed by the soul of Hades.

By Seiya's era, Hades had grown to despise the Pegasus Saint, and specifically sought to put a curse on Seiya in the final moments of the duel. The curse diluted Seiya's cosmos, and prevented him from using the fullest extent of his powers. To save Athena, Seiya blocked Hade's attack but was struck in the chest by Hade's sword and died in the final chapter of the manga.

Artemis, Apollo, & Other Olympians

In Tenkai-hen: Overture, the gods became weary of Athena's saints after they had proven themselves capable of challenging the Olympians. Artemis descended to Earth to deal with the saints with her own warriors, the Angels, and Apollo himself made a personal appearance to confront Seiya once and for all.

Finally removing the curse of Hades, Seiya's cosmos reached a new level and his Pegasus Cloth transformed into a strange new shape -- a form that, while not as extravagant as the bronze god cloth, still appeared to be far above the final bronze cloth. It is unknown how much defensive power this new evolution offered Seiya, but it was enough to cause minor damage to Apollo with a single Ryu Sei Ken.

It is a hot topic of debate among Saint Seiya fans as to what had happened to Seiya at the end of his battle with Apollo. The conclusion of the actual fight between the two is not depicted; rather, the climax of the movie cuts to a peaceful scene where Seiya apparently became reacquainted with Saori Kido. It was explained, in the Japanese DVD audio commentary with director Shigeyasu Yamauchi, that since Seiya's and Saori's greatest strength was in their love and trust for each other, Apollo erased their memory, so that they would never again be able to find the will to rebel against the gods.

Evolution of the Pegasus Cloth

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Seiya, donning the final form of his Pegasus cloth for the first time in the Hades arc

The Pegasus bronze cloth was damaged various times throughout the series, with Mu of the Aries constellation typically responsible for repairs. In the manga, the cloth changes shape each time it is fixed, with each revision evolving the cloth more beautifully:

• When Shiryu returns it to Seiya after getting it repaired by Mu.
• When Mu repairs it again an hour before Seiya and the other bronze saints rushed to battle the gold saints.
• When Leo Aiolia volunteered to repair the cloth with his blood, just before the Poseidon arc.
• When the cloth is reborn with Athena's blood during the Hades arc.
• When the cloth is completely revived from dust with Seiya's cosmos rising enough to rival the gods, after hearing his sister Seika's weep.

In the anime, the original design of the cloth remains intact until the beginning of the series's second arc:

• When Leo Aiolia offered to revive it from death by using his blood (2nd form).
• When Athena's blood is used to repair the otherwise unrepairable cloth (3rd form or "ultimate").
• When Seiya's cosmos exploded to its utmost limit in the duel with Thanatos (the "Divine Bronze God Cloth").
• When the cosmos of Pegasus Seiya rose to a new height during the confrontation against Apollo, God of the Sun (Still not clear if this is a future event, or an actual event in the movie timeline).

It should also be noted that when the gold saints used their blood to revive the bronze cloths, the cloths gained a little bit of the gold Cloths' strength. Because of this, the second version of the Pegasus cloth (fourth version in the manga) can change from bronze to gold whenever Seiya charges his cosmos to the max.

Pegasus Tenma

Seiya's incarnation of the 19th Century. Appears only in The Next Dimension and in The Lost Canvas manga.

The Next Dimension

Tenma (written with the kanji 天馬 meaning "Flying Horse" or "Pegasus") is a friend of Aroon, Hades's chosen body of the time. He has a horse named Pegasus, carrying the Pegasus Cloth (in its final form with Athena's Blood). He doesn't recognize Libra Dohko And Aries Shion nor does he know what a saint is from the start. Yet as he faces Dohko and Shion his cloth equips him for the first time and he's ready to fight. When he rushes to find his friend Aroon yet again, he is attacked and beaten down by some of Hades specter pawns. As he realises Aroon has become another being he tries not to give up but faints eventually.

The Lost Canvas

Tenma (written in katakana) is an Italian orphan of Japanese origins. Childhood friend and orphanage fellow of Alone (Hades's chosen body of the time) and Sasha (Athena's incarnation of the time). He's spotted (and saved) by Dohko when he uses the Cosmo to save his village from a spate, and offered the possibility of becoming a Saint.
He becomes the Pegasus Bronze Saint after only 2 years.

Techniques: Pegasus Ryūseiken and Pegasus Suiseiken

Notes & Trivia

• While Seiya himself does not have a specific image song, it can be said that the anime's first opening theme, "Pegasus Fantasy," serves simultaneously as his theme song. There is even a version of "Pegasus Fantasy" sang by Tōru Furuya, the original seiyuu for the character in the 1980s anime and the 2002-2003 set of Hades OVAs.
• Tōru Furuya, the previous seiyuu for the character, was known to wear a red t-shirt and blue jeans (Seiya's character attire) whenever he attended voice recording sessions. Masakazu Morita, the current seiyuu, seems to have continued this "tradition" in Furuya's absence.
• Tōru Furuya and Mami Koyama, Shaina's seiyuu, were once married.
• The success of Seiya's character has led Kurumada to mold many of the main characters in his post-Saint Seiya series to resemble the bronze saint. Most of Kurumada's main characters look virtually identical to Seiya, as seen on B't X, but this character design actually started with Ring ni Kakero, a manga from 1977.
• Seiya appeared briefly in Episode G, in a vision of Leo Aiolia's. Aiolia claims that years from then, new saints shall come forward to protect Athena, and he then receives a mental image of the five bronze saints. It is interesting to note that they all appear in the armors they wore during the Hades saga.