How many Knights of the Zodiac are there? The protagonists of Saint Seiya are what they are and can literally be counted on the fingers of one hand: Seiya from Pegasus, Hyoga from Swan, Shiryu from Dragon, Shun from Andromeda and Ikki from Phoenix. Each one has their own techniques and personality but they have two things in common: they serve Athena and they are Bronze Saints. But that does not mean that in the work of Masami Kurumada There are many more with those characteristics. Even if they have never been shown to the general public or the most passionate fans. And that doesn’t make them any less interesting.
Starting from the most basic, it might seem like there are hundreds of armored guys in Saint Seiyabut the number of gold, silver and bronze Saints, or Knights of the Zodiac, is invariable: There are 88 in total and of these 48 are Bronze. Many of these Saints have been seen on television or in mangas as secondary characters, but the prominence of Mei de Coma It’s special, and if it doesn’t sound familiar to you or you don’t remember its armor, it’s absolutely normal, since it has only appeared in the novel. Saint Seiya: Gigantomachia. A work written under the supervision of Kurumada himself.
If you are passionate about Knights of the Zodiac You probably ask yourself the usual question: why Mei de Coma does not appear in the Enciclopedia Taizen Saint Seiya? The quick answer is that this only collects the data from the manga and was published in August 2001, while the novel Saint Seiya: Gigantomachia. It was published a year later. A novel in which there are no illustrations by Mei, written by Tatsuya Hamazaki and which, to locate us, takes place chronologically between the Poseidon Saga and the Hades Saga. Who is this Saint and what kind of armor does he have?
Origin and known powers of the Saint de Cabellera de Berenice
From the outset, Mei de Coma He is described as a young man taller than Seiya, with very long, silver hair and completely torn clothes, which implies that he has participated in numerous missions. However, unlike his brothers, it was Mei himself who chose that life: despite also being one of the 100 orphans of the Graude FoundationMei was the firstborn son of Mitsumasa Kido and his legitimate heir. However, he preferred to share the same fate as his brothers. So, from here it is time to make a series of points:
- In the manga the 100 orphans of the Graude Foundation are literally brothers and children of Mitsumasa Kido and different mothers whose destiny was to be trained to become Saints to protect Athena. It was said that 10 survived and, as a result of the novel Saint Seiya: Gigantomachia It was learned that there was one more: Mei de Coma himself.
- In the anime, however, the 100 orphans of the Graude Foundation lack blood ties (with the exception of Shun from Andromeda and Ikki from Phoenix) so we are told that they are simply children who have been chosen by Mitsumasa. Kido to become Saints. So, to date, Mei de Coma does not exist in any television adaptation.
Mei de Coma’s destiny was to succeed his father, but he preferred to follow the path of his brothers, which took him to Italy, specifically Sicily, for his preparation. as a disciple of Cancer’s Deathmask at the foot of Mount Etna. Why didn’t he join his brothers in Japan? Mainly because he considered that he had not completed his training and still had unfinished business. However, not only did he know the protagonists, but it turns out that he is one of the best friends of Pegasus Seiya himself, the protagonist of Saint Seiya.
When Mei de Coma wears the armor, according to the novel, her two enormous shoulder pads stand out that extend to the protectors on each arm and her helmet has a feminine ornament and is more or less similar to the protectors that boxers usually use. In addition, it has two side shields in the shape of tears capable of firing cutting threads of Orichalcum. And, this is important, it’s all-black armor.
From here it’s time to make a note: his armor is neither Gold, nor Silver, nor Bronze. Being based on the Berenice’s Hair constellation, it technically exists in Saint Seiya Online and was given the rank of Silver, but in Saint Seiya: Gigantomachia It is of indeterminate classification (there are three other armors exclusive to the novels that are also) completely black in color and when not worn it takes the form of a beautiful woman with long hair.
The way in which Mei obtained her armor was quite peculiar: in the novel Gigantomachia had to descend to the depths of the Etna Volcano and in the process was possessed by Typhon, none other than the King of the Gigas who in turn are giants. who consider themselves children of Gaia. In fact, after possession he revived them and led the Saints in an attack, but that – I’m afraid – is already starting to delve too deeply into the plot.
Does Mei de Coma exist beyond the novels?
Mei de Coma appears only in the novel Saint Seiya: Gigantomachia. Technically, it can be said that it is in two books since it consists of two volumes of approximately 200 pages (the Mei Chapter and the Blood Chapter) but, despite including covers and even a poster, it has never been shown, but only described. And this is one of the protagonists of the work on an equal footing with the rest of the Knights of the Zodiac.
From here on, it is normal to consider whether both the events of the novel and, by extension, Mei de Coma herself are part of the manga canon (the anime is automatically ruled out). A book that, in fact, belongs to the Jump Books collection and has a special character: it was the second major initiative to give a new boost to the Saint Seiya franchise.
And, as we mentioned at the beginning, it has the approval and approval of Masami Kurumada himself who, in the process, offered a message to Saint Seiya fans.
“When I started designing Saint Seiya, I made it so that it would be a different manga than the ones I had done before. On a grand scale and fully dedicated to entertaining readers. At first it wasn’t easy. The concept of the Saints, the Cosmos, the Sanctuary and even basing it all on Greek mythology originally proved more complicated than readers expected.
In addition, doing each chapter was exhausting and I put all my ideas into it, so I almost had to start from scratch the following week. I was exhausted. Over time, and luckily, [Saint Seiya] It ended up being a success and it was even a surprise to be able to surpass one million volumes sold in the first edition for the first time. Since then, I have received love and support from readers all over the world.
Saint Seiya covers: Gigantomachia
At the moment [en 2002] Great projects related to Saint Seiya are being carried out, including this novel. Even after so long [Saint Seiya] receives support from fans. There could be no greater reward for an author. I hope it continues to accompany the Knights of the Zodiac universe for a long time.”
With this established we can reach clear conclusions: the arrival of Mei de Coma and the novel itself Saint Seiya: Gigantomachia It was part of a new push for Saint Seiya as a franchise, and despite clashing in several aspects with the original anime, it does not contradict the manga. So it can coexist in the same way as the Dragon Ball Super movies, manga and television series, which offer the same story with substantial changes in the way they happen.
And although we do not have an official image of this Knight of the Zodiac relatively unknown, the doors for Coma’s Mei to officially appear and exist in canon, in a new film or in a video game are wide open.
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