Saint Seiya (聖闘士星矢(セイントセイヤ), Seinto Seiya), also known as Saint Seiya: Knights of the Zodiac or simply Knights of the Zo
Read moreSaint Seiya (聖闘士星矢(セイントセイヤ), Seinto Seiya), also known as Saint Seiya: Knights of the Zodiac or simply Knights of the Zodiac, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masami Kurumada and serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump from 1986 to 1990, and adapted into an anime TV series by Toei Animation from 1986 to 1989.
The story follows five mystical warriors called the "Saints" (聖闘士(セイント), Seinto, or "Knights" in some adaptations) who fight wearing sacred armors named "Cloths" (聖衣(クロス), Kurosu), the designs of which derive from the various constellations the characters have adopted as their destined guardian symbols, and empowered by a mystical energy called "Cosmo" (小宇宙(コスモ), Kosumo). The Saints have sworn to defend the reincarnation of the Greek goddess Athena in her battle against the other Olympian gods who want to dominate Earth.
Saint Seiya began to be known in the West as Knights of the Zodiac after it became successful in France in 1988, where it was given the name of Les Chevaliers du Zodiaque; this was also the first foreign release of the series. Both the original manga and the anime adaptation were very successful in Japan and several Asian, European and Latin American countries, including Hong Kong, Singapore, France, Italy, Spain, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Peru, Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador, Chile and Brazil; however, none of them were translated into English until 2003. Four animated feature films were shown in Japanese theaters from 1987 to 1989. The anime was cancelled and left unfinished in 1989, leaving one arc of the manga non-animated. However, in 2002, Toei Animation continued the anime in the form of three OVA series (the final one ended in 2008) in order to adapt the remaining manga story arcs, and following this revival of the franchise, a fifth film was screened in 2004. A sixth film will premiere in the summer of 2014.
Since 2006, author Kurumada has resumed the publishing of the manga, starting from the conclusion of the original work, continuing the story in Saint Seiya: Next Dimension.
