Saint Seiya defined the term “classic shounen” before your favorite series could even think about leveling up!
This 1980s anime is packed with Greek mythology, shiny armor, and more punches than an ancient Olympic boxing match.
A group of chosen warriors called Saints don ridiculously cool armor and defend the reincarnation of Athena against evil forces.
It’s like if the Greek gods started a superhero franchise, and spoiler alert: you’re going to love it!
Saint Seiya Original
1. Saint Seiya: Knights of the Zodiac (1986-1987)
| Title | Saint Seiya: Knights of the Zodiac |
| Episodes | 114 |
| Aired | 1986-1989 |
Ages ago, the goddess Athena was served by fighters called Saints who channeled the power of the Cosmos within them.
Now a youth named Seiya has trained to become a Saint himself by earning the mystical Cloth of Pegasus. He is joined by other Saints with Cloths of their own to fight for Athena.
There are several films that are side stories that you can watch:
Saint Seiya: Evil Goddess Eris (1987)
| Title | Saint Seiya: Jashin Eris |
| Episodes | 114 |
| Aired | Summer 1987 |
Eris is the goddess of chaos and uses the body of Elien, who is a friend of Hyoga, to revive herself. She obtains the golden apple to drain Athena’s life energy to make her ressurection complete and to be able to turn the world in a place filled with chaos. But to be able to attack Eris, Seiya and his friends will first have to defeat the Ghost Knights.
Saint Seiya: The Heated Battle of the Gods (1988)
| Title | Saint Seiya: Kamigami no Atsuki Tatakai |
| Episodes | 1 |
| Aired | Spring 1988 |
In northern Europe, the reincarnation of Odin, Dolbar, rules supreme. One day, Hyoga rescues a man in Siberia so warns him about trouble in the Asgard.
Athena goes out to investigate and sends Hyoga in advance but when she and the others arrive at the Asgard, Hyoga is nowhere to be found.
When Dolbar captures Athena to take control of the sanctuary, the bronze saints try to help her but are attacked by the God Warriors.
Saint Seiya: Legend of Crimson Youth (1988)
| Title | Saint Seiya: Shinku no Shounen Densetsu |
| Episodes | 1 |
| Aired | Summer 1988 |
The former Sun God Abel returns to life, bent on punishing the humans and cleansing the Earth from their presence. When Athena joins him, leaving humans to their fate, the Bronze Saints must defend the Earth in their greatest battle yet.
Saint Seiya: Warriors of the Final Holy Battle (1989)
| Title | Saint Seiya: Saishuu Seisen no Senshi-tachi |
| Episodes | 1 |
| Aired | Spring 1989 |
Lucifer has been awoken from his eternal slumber by the spirits of Eris, Abel and Poseidon. He has come to kill Athena and fulfill his heart’s burning desire: becoming the strongest of all the gods.
2. The Hades Chapter
1. Saint Seiya: The Hades Chapter – Sanctuary (2002)
| Title | Saint Seiya: Meiou Hades Juuni Kyuu-hen |
| Episodes | 13 |
| Aired | 2002-2003 |
Hades is planning to take over the world, to achieve that goal, he sends out deceased Gold Saints to take Athena’s head.
Seiya and the other Bronze Saints come to help but their help isn’t appreciated by the remaining Gold Saints that are still alive.
2. Saint Seiya: The Heaven Chapter – Overture (2004)
| Title | Saint Seiya: Tenkai-hen Josou – Overture |
| Episodes | 1 |
| Aired | Winter 2004 |
After the Saints’ victory against Hades, Seiya is left wounded and motionless in a wheel chair with no possible chance of recovery.
Athena’s sister Artemis, the Virgin Goddess of the Moon and twin sister of Apollo, makes an elaborate proposal – to restore Seiya’s physical health in exchange for the supremacy of Sanctuary.
Athena accepts and Artemis and her “Knights of the Sky” swiftly take control of Sanctuary. Now Seiya and his fellow Bronze Saints combat the forces of Zeus to regain their homeland but it will not be so easy.
Bronze Saints Hydra Ichi and Unicorn Jabu, and Silver Saint Ophiuchus Shaina have join forces with Artemis and Apollo.
3. Saint Seiya: The Hades Chapter – Inferno (2005)
| Title | Saint Seiya: Meiou Hades Meikai-hen |
| Episodes | 12 |
| Aired | 2005-2007 |
Seiya and the rest of the Bronze and Gold Saints who have survived the Sanctuary battle have entered the world of the Dead. They are fighting to get to Hades and defeat him.
4. Saint Seiya: The Hades Chapter – Elysion (2008)
| Title | Saint Seiya: Meiou Hades Elysion-hen |
| Episodes | 6 |
| Aired | Spring 2008 |
After the 12 Gold Saints sacrifice their lives to destroy the Wailing Wall, The Bronze Saints enter the deepest realm of the Underworld, Elysion, where they face off aganist Hades’s two most powerful servants: The Twin Gods, Hypnos and Thanatos, before they can reach Hades for the final battle.
Lost Canvas
1. Saint Seiya: The Lost Canvas (2009)
| Title | Saint Seiya: THE LOST CANVAS – Meiou Shinwa |
| Episodes | 13 |
| Aired | Summer 2009 |
A Holy War, from ancient mythology, where the Goddess Athena and Hades have fought against each other while defending the earth repeatedly over the span of 200 years.
The story takes place in 18th century Europe, 243 years prior to the original “Saint Seiya” Three small children, Tenma, Alone, and Sasha have all shared a very happy childhood together.
Tenma who is quite aggressive but upstanding has moved to Sanctuary to become a saint. It is there that he is reunited with Sasha who is the sister of Alone and learns that she is the reincarnation of Goddess Athena. Alone, who is kind, gentle and loves painting was chosen for the body of enemy King Hades.
Tenma eventually becomes a saint of Pegasus and engages in a fierce battle with his best friend Alone, the King of Hades.
Pegasus Tenma, King Hades, and the Goddess Athena and through the twist of their 3 fates merge together which unfolds a prologue to the original Saint Seiya.
2. Saint Seiya: The Lost Canvas 2 (2011)
| Title | Saint Seiya: THE LOST CANVAS – Meiou Shinwa 2 |
| Episodes | 13 |
| Aired | Winter 2011 |
The sequel to Saint Seiya: The Lost Canvas – Meiou Shinwa.
Spin Off
1. Saint Seiya Omega (2012)
| Title | Saint Seiya Ω |
| Episodes | 12 |
| Aired | 2012-2014 |
The god of war and guardian of his namesake planet, Mars, was once sealed away by Seiya, but time has passed and his revival is at hand.
Meanwhile, Saori Kido (Athena) is raising the boy Kouga, whose life Seiya saved, and he’s been training every day to become a Saint in order to prepare for the coming crisis.
Unaware of his destiny, when Kouga awakens to the power of his Cosmo hidden inside him, the curtain will rise upon the legend of a new Saint.
2. Saint Seiya: LEGEND of SANCTUARY (2014)
| Title | Saint Seiya: LEGEND of SANCTUARY |
| Episodes | 1 |
| Aired | Summer 2014 |
A CG anime to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the series and the 40th anniversary of its mangaka.
From the dawn of time, there have been warriors who protected the Goddess Athena. Once forces of evil appear, these warriors, called the Saints will present themselves.
A young woman, Saori Kido, learns about this force known as “Cosmos” and that she is the reincarnation of Athena, protector of love and peace on Earth.
However, the Pope of the Sanctuary, who is in the charge of all the Saints, does not take kindly to Saori, and targets her for usurping the identity of Athena.
An assassin is sent out to kill her. Fortunately, one of the Bronze Saints, Seiya, manages to protect her. But will Seiya be able to protect Saori through to the end in the gripping saga of Saint Seiya: Legend of Sanctuary?
3. Saint Seiya Soul of Gold (2015)
| Title | Saint Seiya: Ougon Tamashii -soul of gold- |
| Episodes | 13 |
| Aired | Spring 2015 |
In the Underworld, during the fight against Hades, the 12 Gold Saints gave up their lives to destroy the Wailing Wall and allow Seiya and his friends to keep moving forward.
Aioria and the Gold Saints, who should have disappeared, come back to life in this beautiful Earth full of light. How have they resurrected if they were supposed to be dead?
While the big mystery remains, Aioria gets involved in a new battle and when his Cosmo exceeds its limits.. a change happens to the Leo Cloth!
4. Saint Seiya Saintia Sho (2018)
| Title | Saint Seiya: Saintia Shou |
| Episodes | 10 |
| Aired | 2018-2019 |
The anime is set immediately after the main storyline’s Sanctuary arc after the defeat of Gemini Saga from Masami Kurumada’s original Saint Seiya manga, but before the Posieidon arc.
However, whereas the original manga followed a boy named Seiya and other Saints who fight to protect the goddess Athena, the new series follows a female “Saintia” named Shō who fights evil deities to protect Athena.
Remake CG
1. Knights of the Zodiac: Saint Seiya (2019)
| Title | Saint Seiya: Knights of the Zodiac |
| Episodes | 114 |
| Aired | Summer 2019 |
Zeus had a daughter named Athena, the goddess of war. A group of youths flocked to Athena fighting to protect her amidst heroic battles as her “Saints”. Their proof of being a Saint laid with the battle protector known as Sacred Cloth.
After a virtual eternity, a new struggle is about to unfold now again over the Cloth. A boy named Seiya has crossed way over to Greece to undergo the training to become a Saint and obtained the Cloth, Bronze cloth, the lowest position among Saints.
Every Saint takes a constellation as their tutelary god. And Seiya’s guardian star is Pegasus. Now, the saints gather together from all over the world to participate in the “Galatic War” – championship of Saints, aiming at the Gold Cloth, the symbol of ruler of the Saints.
The curtain for Galatic War has been cut open. During the death battle between the Saints, Phoenix, the Black Saint, suddenly appeared on the scene and runs off with Gold Cloth in front of a full house in his ambition to become ruler of the world.
Seiya and his fellow bronze cloth warriors go after Phoenix and his “Shadow Army” to retrieve the lost Gold Cloth.
The battles waged among the saints, the strongest young men on earth, begin now!
2. Knights of the Zodiac: Saint Seiya Part 2 (2020)
| Title | Saint Seiya: Knights of the Zodiac Part 2 |
| Episodes | 6 |
| Aired | Winter 2020 |
Part 2 of Saint Seiya: Knights of the Zodiac, adapting the “Silver Saints” arc from the original manga.
3. Saint Seiya: Knights of the Zodiac – Battle for Sanctuary (2022)
| Title | Saint Seiya: Knights of the Zodiac Battle Sanctuary |
| Episodes | 12 |
| Aired | Summer 2022 |
The young warriors who protect the goddess Athena are known as the Knights of the Zodiac. One young orphan, Seiya, is destined to become the Pegasus Knight.
Athena has been born into this world, but this time under a dark prophecy that she will lose the war against Poseidon and Hades, and lead mankind to ruin.
Seiya stands up against the prophecy, willing to protect her at all cost. But now a god-killer arrow has struck her heart.
To save her life, Seiya must ascend Sanctuary and defeat twelve legendary Gold Knights – and he only has twelve hours to do it. Will he make it? And what will happen to the dark prophecy if he succeeds?
4. Saint Seiya: Knights of the Zodiac – Battle for Sanctuary Part 2 (2024)
| Title | Saint Seiya: Knights of the Zodiac Battle Sanctuary Part 2 |
| Episodes | 12 |
| Aired | Spring 2024 |
The final hour is approaching!
There are only five hours left until the arrow of the God Killer pierces Athena’s heart. Only the Pope, who sits atop the sanctuary, can save Athena.
However, in order for Seiya and the other four Bronze Saints to reach the Pope’s Chamber, they must break through the Twelve Palaces protected by the Golden Saints.
There are five more palaces waiting for them to reach the Pope’s Chamber. Can Seiya and his team defeat the powerful enemies that stand in their way and reach the Pope’s Chamber, where the shocking truth is hidden?
So, there you have it. Whether you’re here for the classic shounen energy, the mythological deep dive into Greek legends, or just to see how many times Athena needs saving (spoiler: a lot), this series is a wild ride.
Saint Seiya is a high-octane blend of epic battles, tear-jerking moments, and that timeless quest for justice.
