In the pantheon of "Saint Seiya," the zenith is the. Despite the plot’s occasional demand that these mighty beings take a hit for the sake of the protagonist’s journey, their power is undeniably awe-inspiring. It’s a gripe that crops up among fans, but let’s be real—it’s precisely their allure and swag that have us hook, line, and sinker. The boys are just too cool, and that’s why they’ve got the fan base they do. Each of the twelve carries a technique unique to their zodiac sign, like the Aquarius’s Aegir’s or Cancer’s Dead End, which are moves as iconic as the signs themselves.
Now, Cancer is a bit of an odd duck in theconstellation lineup. It’s a head-scratcher for some that a Gold Saint would wield a technique linked to the Underworld. But if you dig into the symbolism of Cancer, death and the afterlife are baked into its mystique. This might explain why Cancer’s moves lean towards the dark arts. Yet, there’s an outlier in the bunch—Libra’s Shiryu. If you go by rank alone, Shiryu’s the don of all Saints, addressed as "sensei," a title not bestowed lightly in Japan. So, it’s a bit of a curveball that his big moves are the non-zodiac-related "Mount Lu Dragon ascend" and "Mount Lu Hundred Dragons." It’s like ordering a steak at a sushi joint—unexpected.
Libra is a curious sign, no doubt. When Shiryu first hits the screen, he’s a spry 200-year-old, and in "Mugen no Hoshi," he’s a young buck plucked from obscurity by the Pope to join the Gold Saints. During that era, Shiryu wasn’t quite the powerhouses the other Saints were. I mean, the Virgo Saint is a tough nut to crack, and if it weren’t for that pesky Buddhist rosary business, I’d hate to see who could take him down. Shiryu came into the Libra Saint’s role straight from the Blue Dragon Saint slot, so his moves are personal, not zodiac-based. And that’s how it’s been since—Shiryu’s students, like Seiya, inherit the Libra armor and moves, and the tradition rolls on down the line. Though I’ve got to say, "Seiya Omega" was a tough watch.
Now, the thing about Shiryu is that he’s got this love for brawling and stripping down to the bare essentials—his fists. Guns blazing isn’t his style, and that’s probably why Libra’s balance scales are more of a symbolic thing. The scales could dish out weapons to all the Gold Saints, maintaining equilibrium. But those moves like "Mount Lu Dragon ascend"? Pure Shiryu. Some speculate that before Shiryu, the Libra Saint who perished in battle didn’t leave behind any moves, so Shiryu had to stick with his own thing. After him, his students—Seiya and then his son—take up the Libra mantle. But let’s keep it real; "Seiya Omega" was a bit of a dud in my book.
The man behind "Saint Seiya," Masami Kurumada, is a Japanese mangaka who wrapped Greek mythology in an Eastern wrapper. His work brims with Eastern ethos and borrows heavily from both Japanese and Chinese traditions. It’s not every day you get a fight-filled shonen manga with Chinese cultural nods. Take the King of the Underworld’s posse, borrowing from the 36 Heavenly Generals and the 72 Earthly Fiends. And here’s a fun fact: in our traditional Chinese lore, the Four Divine Beasts—Qinglong, Baihu, Zhuque, and Xuanwu—not only represent directions but are linked to star constellations. It’s a total trip that Cancer, in both Eastern and Western traditions, symbolizes death. It’s like cosmic convergences or something. I’m just scratching the surface here; I’d love to see a deep dive on this topic.
Now, regarding the Azure Dragon’s Seven Stars, it’s got three zodiac signs in its ranks: Scorpio, Virgo, and Libra, with Libra right in the middle, the star of the show. So, it’s kind of a no-brainer that Kurumada would link Shiryu’s moves to the dragon legacy. It makes sense that Shiryu, once a Blue Dragon Saint, would pass down his dragon-themed moves to his apprentice, Seiya. It’s like the circle of life, or in this case, the cycle of Saint Seiya succession.
