#gemini saint

[frini-12]

Aspros y Defteros ♊

[goldensunandgoldenstallion]

OC/Gemini for @saintseiya-zone

Some inspiration from my ongoing tale of the historical Gemini Saints in the Holy Wars before Aspros, Defteros, Saga and Kanon.

In this image:

Gemini Ayaan, father of the future Gemini Saints Amari and Sade who fought against Hades in the Holy War of 746 AD, finding out that his newborn son and daughter are fated to fight for their shared Goddess as adults....and being under a multi-generational curse laid upon the Gemini twins who fights in the Holy Wars.

“Gemini Ayaan…hey! Isn't that the Gemini Saint at the beginning of the eighth century who stole the sealed-away Scythe of Chronos from its hidden place in the Sanctuary and used its time-cutting powers for some unknown reason, causing himself to age forty years overnight?!” 

Shion was grateful to hear that both Saga and Kanon did not dismiss those storytellings of their grandmother, she and other elders were a great help in teaching the new generations about knowledge that was not always written down. 

“Ayaan stole the Scythe in a desperate attempt to break the Curse of Gemini, despite not being affected by it himself. By his generation, the Sanctuary had gathered enough clues about the Curse that it would mark every set of twins that was fated for the Holy Wars. In the form of the Gemini symbol on the left shoulder and over the heart on the back, where Lydia and Elena had their injuries from Romulus and Remus. Tiernan and Owen had the Gemini symbol partly masked by some birthmarks, so it was not so obvious on them.”

For some reason, Saga and Kanon felt really unnerved by the silence around the table now. 

“...Amari and Sade had that mark on their bodies when they were born?”

“Yes, but not only that. Gemini Ayaan was their birth father. ” 

It was likely for the best that neither Saga or Kanon had eaten or drank anything in that moment, else they would have done a spit take in shock. 

“Wait… WHAT?! ” 

Of course, Saga and Kanon knew stories where Saints had families without giving up their Sainthood or service to Athena, and that some of those children would end up succeeding the parent, Leo Regulus becoming the new Leo Saint after his father Illas in the 18th century was a well-known example. 

“...how…?” 

Both Amari and Sade seemed uncomfortable with sharing that tale, perhaps due to the fact that Ayaan had been banished from the Sanctuary after stealing the Scythe and undoing the seal on it. 

“We are born in the year 706 AD according to the Christian way of counting, and with the Holy War proving true to happen in 746, it would be perfectly logical to believe that we would not be involved in it apart from possibly witnessing it happen and see the Gemini Saints fight for Athena, after that Father had trained his successors. But when we arrived into the living world on that 25th May after a successful birth, everything seeming like we would grow up in the typical lifestyle of the nomadic tribe of our Mother with Father coming to visit us from time to time as he still served the Sanctuary…and had those marks on our tiny bodies…Father realized in unimaginable horror that we would be the next set of twins caught up in that Curse, that we, at the age of forty, would fight in the Holy War as the new Gemini Saints. ” 

His paternal instinct as a father wanting his children to be alive and not have them be haunted by something that would kill them. Knowing what had happened to the Gemini twins in the two previous Holy Wars. 

“So…he stole the Scythe from the Sanctuary despite knowing that it would be a reason to be executed…in an attempt to break the Curse once for all? Since Chronos is the Greek god of time?”  

Recalling what he had read in the ancient scrolls, Shion took over: 

“Ayaan did not manage to break the Curse, but instead he tried to twist it. By placing upon himself. With the Scythe, he caused a rift in the flow of time, temporarily breaking the connection between the present where his children was newborn and future where their adult selves would be the Gemini Saints after succeeding himself in serving Athena, adding those forty years upon himself to age prematurely so that the Curse would kill him instead of Amari and Sade during the Holy War in 746.” 

Generations of Gemini Saints during the Holy Wars, chapter 13: https://archiveofourown.org/works/38952894/chapters/101435553

[flowermikonotebook]

Saint Seiya: Dark Wing - Vol. 1 English Release Review

There’s a lot of things I’ve been a fan of over the years. Fan of all things, master of none, but there’s plenty of things that never really caught my attention. One of them? “Isekai” – yes, that notion of getting transported to another world. As avid of a “Saint Seiya” as I am, when the spin-off “Saint Seiya: Dark Wing” came out in Japan in December of 2020, it really didn’t interest me at all and just seemed very confusing in regard to what it was about.

Fast forward to March 2025, and we find ourselves with the completely “out-of-left-field” announcement that Titan Manga was going to publish the series in English. Could perhaps a very well-done official English translation of this work change my mind about giving it a chance? The answer is YES.

The cover of "Saint Seiya Dark Wing" Vol. 1 English release by Titan Manga

“Saint Seiya: Dark Wing” is an isekai spin-off off the classic shonen manga “Saint Seiya” by Masami Kurumada. In this spin-off, an ordinary high school student, Shōichirō, awakens in the land of the dead after a cruise accident, only to discover he's become a powerful Specter, a soldier of the god of the underworld, Hades, and one of the three Underworld Judges. Conflict ensues when Shōichirō is tasked with eliminating the goddess of war, only to discover that his childhood friend, Cattleya, is the reincarnated goddess Athena. Plus, his twin brother, Sōjirō, is the Gemini Saint, one of Athena’s elite golden warriors that protects her. This sets the stage for complex relationships where friends and classmates are on opposing sides of the eternal battle between the gods.

The amount of ‘Seiya’ mangas releases in English have been less than a limited handful, given the franchise’s complex history in English-speaking territories (and in particular in the USA). It begs the question: “Could this be the one that ‘breaks the curse’ and establishes a fanbase with solid footing?”

One of the challenges any franchise spin-off has is being able to appeal to both new and long-established fans already familiar with the lore and concept of a given series. ‘Dark Wing’ absolutely has the potential to introduce and invite brand new readers into the ‘Seiyaverse’ and also indulge long-time fans while remaining its own unique story.

Regarding concerns of “AI” possibly being used for translation, rest assured this has not been the case. On the cover page for the first chapter, we have two translators credited: “Motoko Tamamuro” and “Jonathan Clements”, who previously worked together writing “The Dorama Encyclopedia: A Guide to Japanese TV Drama Since 1953.”

The translators that worked on Dark Wing vol. 1: Motoko Tamamuro and Jonathan Clements

The translators have done an incredible job of adapting the story into English that flows and reads naturally and is not “stiff”—not once did I ever feel I had to re-read a speech bubble because I had to stop and think about what was being said.

It did, however, stand out to me that the word cloth was used to refer to Specter armors instead of surplice, the term Masami Kurumada specifically gives as the name for Specter’s battle garments. However, considering this volume is the introduction to the story, I can see the train of thought behind the word choice: Had I’d been reading this with no prior knowledge of the series, surplice would have confused me (and if you look up the actual meaning, it makes even less sense). Arguably, the same could be said for having used cloth. Personally, I would have chosen to use armor as a generic term, but one word choice doesn’t take away from the translation as a whole.

As of the first volume, it’s unclear whether or not the characters have truly been “isekaid” or if there’s some sort of “reverse isekai” mechanism at work, making the story all the more intriguing. It’s intentional that the story is somewhat vague in the first volume. We are meant to discover how things will unfold in volumes to come—it’s part of what gets the reader hooked. The cliff hanger we’re left at the end of book certainly delivers that.

I now have a much clearer picture of what is the story about, and the delivery of a very well cared-for translation has completely changed my mind regarding ‘Dark Wing’. I find myself left fully invested on wanting to know “what will happen next?” Needless to say, I am completely sold on this manga. I cannot wait to read volume 2 when it comes out in December of this year (2025).

A funny out of context panel from vol. 1, showing the story takes place in the era of smart phones.

I’m truly grateful to Titan Manga for picking up and localizing “Saint Seiya: Dark Wing”. It gives the opportunity to fans not only in the USA, but also Canada, the U.K., SEA, Australia and other regions around the world that rely on English translations of works in order to enjoy them. My sincere hope is that this is just the beginning of a future where more Saint Seiya and Masami Kurumada works are made available in English to serve the fans that have long been waiting for these works.

A review copy was kindly provided by Titan Manga. All opinions on this review are completely my own. Don’t forget to check us out, the Saint Seiya Cosmocast podcast! Be sure to check out our latest episode. We're holding a giveaway of TWO copies of Saint Seiya Dark Wing vol. 1, courtesy of Titan Manga!

[landofanimes]

Saint Seiya: Knights of the Zodiac

Zodiac Houses (1/2): Aries - Virgo

[look-a-draw]

Sketches I made so far every time a new Gold Saint appears on screen on KotZ 

[guniibuu]

Sagittarius and Gemini in good clothes because I LOVE them ♐♊

[reformedvillain]

Tiger Leslie

(from left to right 'possessed by the Gemini cursed, Godlike, pre-desertion Pope garb)

comm info here

[arcgeminga]

♚— So, I apparently wanted to call myself out for my dumb amount of hair products, LOL. Featuring the Classic and LC Geminis in some weird modern day AU mashup.

 I’m sorry Aspros for imposing my flaws on you LOL But how else can you take care of that hair...????? Also! Yes, Saga is wearing a shawl and Defteros is wearing a crop top. I don’t make the rules. 

can be found on twitter too