You NEED the Monotype Corsiva (right click, "save as") font or the text will be misaligned. Installation instructions. Aries Taurus Gemini Cancer Leo Virgo Libra Scorpio Sagittarius Capricorn Aquarius Pisces

Saints of Virgo The Cosmo of the Virgo Saints is boundless and serene. Likewise, to call what they do "fighting" is too crude a word. The lotus position is their battle stance and the mind is their weapon. They will simply sit there and meditate you to death. To face them is to traverse the labyrinth of the soul, through the winding corridors of a myriad Heavens and Hells. Shaka is the Virgo Saint of modern times in the original Saint Seiya, Asmita is the Virgo Saint of the 18th century in Lost Canvas, and Shijima is the Virgo Saint of the 18th century in Next Dimension. ...

. Virgo Shaka Shaka grew up on the banks of the sacred river Ganges in India. Ever since he was little he was in direct communion with Shakyamuni Buddha, who taught him about the nature of reality. Shaka himself could   be considered a Bodhisattva: a being on the verge of Enlightenment who stays incarnate to help others. He is known as the Man Closest to God, both in piety   and power although, by his own admission, the one godly trait Shaka doesn't have is mercy towards the weak. His   meditative discipline and vast array of mental abilities make him a frightening enemy indeed. Shaka also doesn't register absolute ideas like Good and Evil, and this sometimes leaves him confused about which side to take. Things only become clear to him after his fight with Phoenix Ikki, who showed   him the limitless potential of the human heart. Shaka then pledged himself completely to Athena's cause   of love and justice, and proved himself a vital asset in her Holy War with Hades. Without his insight into the 8th sense, Athena's army would've been doomed.

. Virgo Asmita Although Asmita was born blind, he could see straight into people's hearts. Indeed, he could feel the anguished cries of the whole world! He alone among the Saints of Athena was allowed to keep his native religion of Buddhism, and this raised suspicions about Asmita's loyalties among the other Saints. Truth be told, Asmita had his doubts about Athena. He could not understand why a goddess would volunteer to incarnate and suffer as mortals do. How could such a foolish goddess lead them? ... To resolve his confusion Asmita decided to test one of Athena's most loyal Saints: Pegasus Tenma. From his meditation chamber in the Virgo temple, Asmita sent his consciousness all the way to the Underworld and challenged Tenma to an illusory battle. It was only after Asmita was satisfied by the strength of Tenma's heart that he truly pledged himself to Athena. And so he sat in his temple for several days, cultivating within himself the Essence of Cosmo, and then poured his entire life force into a Holy Rosary sealing the souls of Specters.

. Virgo Shijima Like Shaka, Shijima is known as the Man Closest to God. He has heightened psychic senses and spends a lot of his time meditating. Shijima was the first to perceive that the goddess Athena from modern times was traveling back to the 18th century. He, along with Taurus Ox and Capricorn Izou, were there to greet her when she landed at her shrine, but when the dust settled, they saw that she had   reverted to the state of an infant. When the Pope arrived   he assured them that he'd take care of her and sent the    Gold Saints away. Shijima wasn't so sure. He sensed that    something was wrong and stuck around long enough to catch    the Pope trying to kill the defenseless goddess. When Shijima   jumped in to protect her, Pisces Cardinal showed up. The Pope told him that Shijima was a traitor, but Cardinal said this was   highly unlikely, because Shijima had the strongest sense of   justice of the Gold Saints. He then shot a deadly Bloody    Rose at Shijima, catching him completely by surprise.   While Cardinal and the Pope were   talking, Shijima escaped with baby Athena.

Virgo Techniques Storing Cosmo* People in the series are told to beware of Shaka opening his eyes. This is because when Shaka's eyes are closed (and they normally are) he is actually in conservation mode, accumulating Cosmo that would otherwise by used by this sense. When his eyes open, this stored up Cosmo is released, allowing Shaka to maximize his most powerful attacks. Asmita, on the other hand, is actually blind, and keeps his eyes closed to maximize his other senses. Still, his power does heighten when he opens them, as demonstrated by him opening his eyes to charge the Holy Rosary of 108 Beads. Om Virgo utters the mantra "Om," the primordial sound of the universe, to focus himself and amplify his Cosmo energy. In meditation practice this mantra is chanted to stimulate the Third Eye (Ajna) chakra, which represents intuitive perception and self-mastery. Kaan (Haam) Virgo utters the mantra "Kaan" to erect a psychic barrier and shield himself from attacks. This can also reflect the attacks back to the aggressor. The "Kaan" mantra (more commonly known as "Haam") invokes the Buddhist deity Acalanatha, whose name means "Immovable." His flames purify evil and delusion, so as long as they burn inside Virgo, he can't be harmed. Pressure Ball* This is another defensive technique, although it could easily turn offensive. Virgo creates a ball of light using air pressure to repel an attack. He can also expand this pressure to crush whatever it envelops, or release the pressure to blow an opponent away. Tenpou Rin In Virgo makes the gesture of Dharmachakra Mudra, symbolizing the turning of the wheel (chakra) of cosmic law (dharma), in order to clear his mind of all doubts that might hold him back during battle. Illusion* Virgo's unmatched levels of meditative concentration give him a vast array of mental powers, including the ability to manifest vivid illusions of whatever he pleases. He is also immune to mental attacks from others. Buddha's Palm* Virgo can contain targets through this spatial illusion. They may travel and run for what they believe are great distances, when in fact they remain inside the infinite palm of the Buddha. This is a reference to the parable about Sun Wukong (Son Goku in Japanese), the Monkey King. When the Buddha made a bet with him that Sun Wukong couldn't escape from his palm, Sun Wukong, who was known for being able to travel hundreds of miles in one leap, agreed. And so Sun Wukong ran until he hit upon five pillars which he thought were the end of the universe. He marked his presence there and ran all the way back, only to discover that the pillars he had marked were actually the five fingers of the Buddha's hand. Holy Rosary of 108 Beads* As the god of the Underworld, Hades is able to resurrect his Specter soldiers no matter how many times they are killed. But Athena has her own secret weapon. Sanctified by Asmita and wielded by Shaka, it is a holy rosary strewn together from the fruits of the mokurenji tree found deep in the Underwold.  Its 108 beads match the number of Specters in Hades' army. This rosary seals their souls and prevents them from being brought back to life, thereby leveling the playing field between Athena and Hades. Every time a Specter dies, its corresponding bead turns black. Psychokinesis Virgo is able to manipulate physical objects with his mind, which includes levitating himself, shattering his opponent's armor, and draining their Cosmo to cause paralysis. Close Range Blast* Virgo can hit his opponent with this quick but deadly energy blast which he dispenses through direct contact via his palm. Tenma Koufuku (Demon Pacification) This is an incredibly powerful blast of Cosmo that Virgo could radiate locally or send after targets over a distance. It's is usually preceded by a centering technique such as Om, and its execution is often accompanied by splashes of scenery from Buddhism's heavens and hells. Sometimes the imagery could be of Virgo on the ocean floor surrounded by skulls, followed by a laughing woman on a horse. But perhaps the most beautiful preparation for this attack is from the Hades OVA, where the accumulation and expansion of Virgo's Cosmo is represented by the unfurling of a radiant lotus flower.  Tenkuuhaja Chimimouryou (Heaven's Supremacy over Evil Spirits of Rivers and Mountains) The Chimimouryou are malevolent spirits that haunt Japan's rivers and mountains, prey on the souls of both the living and the dead. Virgo is able to assert dominion over them and command them to attack his enemies. Rikudou Rinne (Six Paths of Transmigration) Virgo sends an opponent to one of the six Samsara, or Buddhist realms of rebirth, according to their karma: 1) Jigokukai: the realm of Hell. Fire seas, blood lakes, and needle mountains. Those who dwell here suffer endless agony. 2) Gakikai: the realm of Hungry Ghosts. Those who dwell here are thin as a rake, with a bulging stomach. They hunger and thirst forever, even eating rotten meat. It's a realm for those who are very greedy. 3) Chikushoukai: the realm of Beasts. This is a realm for those who are animalistic, where the law of the jungle rules. 4) Shurakai: the realm of the warring Ashura. Blood and slaughtering. Never being allowed to rest, but always fighting other people, every day. 5) Jinkai: the realm of humans. Happiness, anger, grief, and joy. Those who dwell in this unstable world are tortured by extremes of feeling. 6) Tenkai: the realm of Heaven. Though it's called Heaven, it's the most dangerous of the realms, because at any time one can fall back into the lower realms. The lingering power of Rikudou Rinne can also send Virgo's opponent to Sai no Kawara, a riverbank in the netherworld where children who died prematurely go for causing grief to their parents. They build little towers using the pebbles they find there as a form of prayer, but demons keep coming to destroy these. Tenbu Hourin (Heavenly Dancing Treasure Wheel) This is Virgo's most powerful attack and invariably involves him opening his eyes. As both an offensive and defensive technique, it incapacitates Virgo's opponents and leaves them completely at his mercy. It is based on the Buddhist understanding of reality, where the mortal senses (Five Aggregates) are treated as hindrances to the perception of ultimate truth. In this way Tenbu Hourin can be linked to the great Heart (of Wisdom) Sutra. And so, at Virgo's command, Tenbu Hourin strips his victims of touch, taste, sight, hearing, smell, and even the 6th sense of the mind, leaving behind a living corpse. Unless, of course, they are able to transcend this and achieve the 7th sense. Arayashiki (Alaya-vijnana) Although Buddhism universally acknowledges six types of consciousness (the senses of sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch, and mind), the Yogacara school of Buddhism adds two more: the 7th consciousness of karmic formation, and the 8th which is the foundation of the previous seven and is responsible for rebirth. This seems to be the basis for the eight senses encountered in the Saint Seiya series. Awakening the 8th sense/consciousness, known in Japan as Arayashiki, clears the path to Enlightenment. The original Sanskrit name for it is Alaya-vijnana, or "store consciousness." It stores all past experiences and is thereby the source of a person's karma. All the Gold Saints have mastered the 7th sense, but Shaka is the first of his generation to fully realize the 8th sense. In order to fully grasp the Buddha's teaching that death is not the end, he had to die. His connection to Shakyamuni Buddha is especially pronounced here, since Shaka gained total Enlightenment and "died" beneath a pair of Sal trees. These are revered as the trees Queen Maya held onto in order to give birth to the Buddha, as well as the trees he spread around the place of his Parinirvana. Arayashiki allowed Shaka to transcend death and enter the realm of Hades in the flesh. It also made him immune to the crippling effects of Hades' cursed barrier. By achieving the 8th sense Shaka lived up to his title of "The Man Closest to God." Asmita achieved the 8th sense back in the 18th century when he was purifying the mokurenji beads. The 8th sense is also known as Essence of Cosmo.

Group Techniques

Sunlight* The Zodiac constellations have long bathed in the light of the Sun, and the Gold armors that represent them have absorbed an infinite amount of sunlight. To perform this incredible blast of energy, all the Gold Saints focus their Cosmo into the tip of Sagittarius' arrow, thereby fusing their powers as one. This attack was used to break through the Wailing Wall by bringing the full intensity of a star into the darkest depths of Hell. Although it is said that Athena Exclamation has the force of the Big Bang, Supernova is undoubtedly more powerful, since it utilizes the combined strength of twelve Gold Saints instead of three. It instantly disintegrates everything in its vicinity, including those who cast it, and sends waves of devastation rippling outwards.

Aries Taurus Gemini Cancer Leo Virgo Libra Scorpio Sagittarius Capricorn Aquarius Pisces Knights of the Zodiac *This technique does not, as far as I know, have an official name. I just gave it a descriptive name. DISCLAIMER: Saint Seiya (also known as Knights of the Zodiac), all of its spinoffs (Lost Canvas, Episode G, Next Dimension, etc), all characters, art, and story is copyright Masami Kuramada. No copyright infringement is intended. Credit for Tenpou Rin In and Rikudou Rinne pictures to SaintSeiyaPedia, and for the Saint Cloth picture to Pharaon Website.