Barbie Saint Seiya - Knights of the Zodiac

Saint Seiya, known in Spain and Latin America as The Knights of the Zodiac, is an old manga series that is very popular worldwide and has many fans. Because of this, under the title "The Saint Seiya Collection" Livin' Plastic Dolls creates a line of dolls based on Saint Seiya or The Knights of the Zodiac that attract a lot of attention.

At Livin' Plastic Dolls they are dedicated to repainting, rerotating and various modifications to Barbie dolls and they fabulously customize them by creating versions inspired by characters from comics, television series, movies, books and anything that comes to mind. This time they have been inspired by The Knights of the Zodiac, creating female versions of Seiya, Shun, Ikki, Shiryū and Hyoga designed by Servando Hernández.

Barbie Saint Seiya dolls

The SAINT SEIYA Pegasus Seiya Barbie® Doll 2021 represents Seiya of Pegasus: Seiya (星矢, Seiya) is the main character of the manga and anime series Saint Seiya and the Saint of Pegasus during the Holy Wars in the 20th century until before of the events that occurred in Next Dimension. He is the reincarnation of the past Bronze Saint of Pegasus Tenma and the "First Pegasus", the first human to hurt the god Hades since the mythological era.

The SAINT SEIYA Andromeda Shun Barbie® Doll 2021 represents Shun from Andromeda: Shun (瞬, Shun) is the Bronze Saint of the Andromeda constellation and one of the protagonists of the series. He is characterized by his pacifist personality, his delicate nature and because he does not like to hurt other people. He has great power, but his gentle disposition and kind nature tend to stop him from using it at all, until he is forced to do so. He is the younger brother of Ikki, the Saint of Phoenix. Shun is the human who has the purest soul, and that is why Hades chooses him as his guest.

The SAINT SEIYA Phoenix Ikki Barbie® Doll 2020 represents Ikki of Phoenix: Ikki (一輝, Ikki) is the Saint of the Phoenix constellation. He is one of the protagonists in Saint Seiya and Saint Seiya: Next Dimension. He is characterized by having the most aggressive and violent cosmos among the Saints. He usually walks separately from the rest of the Bronze Saints, however he always appears opportunely in times of need. He considers himself a lone wolf who is not interested in hanging out in groups. Although he was introduced later than the other four main Bronze Saints, Ikki's role in the story is quite significant. Additionally, he acts as the first antagonist of the series that the other Saints must defeat, as well as a powerful ally later in the series.

The 2021 SAINT SEIYA Shiryu de Dragon Barbie® Doll represents Dragon's Shiryū: Shiryū (紫龍, Shiryū) is the Bronze Saint of Dragon during the Holy Wars in the 20th Century (1990). Shiryū is considered the most prudent and wise of the Bronze Saints - being that he was a disciple of the great old master Dohko of Libra - and is one of the main characters of the manga and anime series Saint Seiya, known as The Knights of the Zodiac .

The SAINT SEIYA Hyoga of Cygnus Barbie® Doll 2021 represents Hyōga of Cygnus: Hyōga (氷河, Hyōga) is the Bronze Saint of Cygnus, and was a disciple of Camus of Aquarius and the Crystal Saint. In the film, Saint Seiya: Battle of the Gods, after being brainwashed by Derbal, Hyōga adopts the name Midgard (ミッドガルド, Middogarudo) and becomes one of the God Warriors in the service of Derbal, the representative of the god. Odin in the land of Asgard.

From Livin' Plastic Dolls they highlight that their creations are 'one-of-a-kind dolls for collectors'. That is precisely the market they target with their creations, and they have their own page in the Etsy online store.

If you want to know the creations of Livin' Plastic Dolls, we recommend that you visit their Facebook page and enjoy the photographs of their wonderful creations.

The Saint Seiya stories

In case anyone does not know this very famous Japanese saga, Saint Seiya (聖闘士星矢 lit. Seiya The Saint), is a manga series written and illustrated by Masami Kurumada. Published from December 3, 1985 in the Shūkan Shōnen Jump magazine of the Shūeisha publisher until December 12, 1990 in the V Jump magazine. It was later adapted into an animated series (anime) of 114 episodes, an OVA of 31 episodes and an ONA of 13 episodes, a total of 158. Five animated films and one CG animated film were produced, and several prequels and sequels were also made. Officials from the original story. 108 chapters of the manga were published along with a special edition, making a total of 109 in tankoubon format, divided into 28 volumes with three main sagas (story arcs): Sanctuary, Poseidon and Hades. It has been reprinted and reissued in Wideban, Bunkoban and Kanzenban formats and also the so-called "Remix", the production in three editions (2002, 2007 and 2012).

The series focuses on a group of young warriors called "knights" (or "saints"), whose main protagonist is Seiya (pegasus armor knight). These warriors fight on the side of the Greek Goddess Athena reincarnated in the human Saori Kido to protect humanity from the evil forces that want to dominate the Earth. For his battles, each knight uses his inner energy linked to the universe (the "cosmos"), his special fighting techniques, and his armor (originally called cloth), all inspired by each of the 88 constellations. .

Both the original manga and the anime adaptation had great success in Japan and in several European countries such as France (Les Chevaliers du Zodiaque), Italy (I Cavalieri dello Zodiaco), Spain (The Knights of the Zodiac), Portugal, and also in most Latin American countries (The Knights of the Zodiac). However, the anime was not translated into English until its arrival in the United States (Knights of the Zodiac) in 2003.

Saint Seiya armor

The dolls wear different armor, in the Saint Seiya universe, warriors wear armor of different kinds. They are robes or sacred robes delivered by the gods. The armor used by the Saints of Athena were created with orichalcum and are classified according to their power with the name of a material (bronze, silver and gold), the more valuable the material that composes it means that the armor has greater power. However, this is only a classification since in reality no other material other than orichalcum is used in its creation. Those who aspire to be a knight must undergo intense physical, mental and spiritual training, since if someone who has not developed the ability to ignite their cosmos wears it, it will only be inert metal, so rigid and heavy that they will barely be able to move; Athena ordered the creation of 88 in total, each representing one of the constellations in the sky:

• Bronze Armor: Armor worn by the Bronze Saints, the lowest and usually weakest category of the three, making up the bulk of the Athenian forces. The strength of its wielders varies from that needed to break rocks with their fists to those that match the speed of sound in their attacks. There are a total of 52.
• Silver Armor: Armor used by the Silver Saints, intermediate power level of the warriors. The physical attacks of these saints exceed the speed of sound on different scales and some of them have developed psychic abilities that they apply in battles. There are a total of 24.
• Golden Armors: Armors worn by the Golden Saints, the most powerful among the 88. There are a total of 12 that represent the 12 constellations of the Zodiac: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn , Aquarius and Pisces; It is said that they are golden in color since their constellations are in the circle of the tropics and have absorbed more sunlight than the rest. These twelve knights possess attacks equal to the speed of light, high-level psychic abilities, and even the ability to distort time and dimensions. In Saint Seiya Next Dimension, we also find that there is a XIII Golden armor, of the legendary Golden Knight of Ophiuchus.
• Steel Armor: Armor created in the Galate scientific laboratory by Dr. Mamoru at the request of Mitsumasa Kido, this category of knights does not belong to any of the 88 constellations, they are used by Daichi, Ushio and Sho; They represent the three kingdoms of nature (Earth, Air and Water) in zoomorphic vehicles (Fox, Vulture and Swordfish), being a scientific experiment, the warriors do not have cosmos but rather artificially granted abilities, even so thanks to the training of their users and The technology with which they were designed can sustain combat on equal terms with Bronze and Silver saints.
• Dark Armors: Armors, copies of the bronze originals, used by the Black Saints, these armors are created for renegade knights who did not reach the necessary size to obtain true armor. They are created on the Island of Queen Death through alchemy.
• Armors of Asgard: Armors worn by the Warrior Gods of Asgard, each representing a star of the Big Dipper. In Soul of Gold, the new armors represent seven beasts from Norse mythology.
• Scales: Armor used by the sea warriors of Poseidon, they use the form of mythological sea beings from cultures around the world, with Greco-Roman predominance, the seven most powerful have golden scales and are called generals.
• Surplices: Armor worn by the Specters of Hades, as well as by Thanatos and Hypnos, they represent a creature of darkness and an attribute or sin, in general they are more complex and cover a greater portion of the body than the armor of the saints, they also receive This name the replicas of the Cloths created by Hades for the Saints who join his cause. In the anime, due to Japanese modulation, their name is occasionally pronounced or transcribed into Spanish as "Sapuris".
• Glories: Armor worn by the Warrior Angels of Artemis. In Saint Seiya Next Dimension, it is armor used by the Angels of Olympos.
• Somas: Armor used by the 12 Titans.
• Adamas: Armor used by the Typhon Giants.
• Nahual: Literally Obsidian Mantle; As their name indicates, they are obsidian armor used by the Warriors of the Sun. So far only two are known: Huesda of Tezcatlipoca and Nahualpilli of Yohualtepuztli, from a brief reference to them in the Gaiden of Kardia of Escorpión in Lost Canvas.
• Divine or Celestial Armor: Used by the 5 protagonists in the Elysian Fields against Hades, they are born when the bronze armor of Pegasus, Dragon, Swan, Andromeda and Phoenix are baptized with the blood of Athena and are developed as their user raises their cosmos by above human limits. They are also used by the twelve resurrected golden saints, their golden armor having been blessed with the blood of Athena from the underworld and elevating their cosmos beyond human limits, while they fight against Loki in Asgard.
• Kamui: Armor used by the 12 Olympian Gods. They are superior to Divine Armors. At the moment, only Artemis's Kamui is known since the armors worn by Athena, Poseidon, and Hades are Cloth, Scale, and Surplice respectively. A drawing made by Kurumada himself that represents the Kamui of Zeus was published in the Taizen Encyclopedia.
• Ars magna: Armor used by the primordial or primeval gods, they are superior to the Kamui.

For an aspirant to achieve the rank of Saint, in addition to mastering the basic techniques of combat, he must learn to channel the energy of his protective guardian constellation. This universal force is called "cosmoenergy." In theory, all people have it, but the Saints are the ones who manage to make the most of this power. In Episode G it is also mentioned that some aspiring Saints manage to use their cosmo, but do not obtain the rank because their bodies cannot withstand the power it contains. In the same way, throughout the saga, common warriors or other individuals who have the level of a knight but not the title or armor are occasionally mentioned.

The category of Saints is established according to the level of cosmos they manage to use in battles. In this way, we know that the following ranges exist:

• The Bronze Saints are the lowest ranking saints and when using their cosmos they can attack at the speed of sound (Mach 1). There are a total of 52 according to the Saint Seiya chronology and the category to which the five protagonists technically belong, despite the fact that as the story progresses they develop greater power.
• Silver Saints, intermediate-rank Saints—more powerful than Bronze Saints—can perform attacks at speeds in the range of Mach 2 to 5 and may possess basic-level psychic or supernatural abilities. There are a total of 24.
• The Gold Saints, the highest ranking Saints of the Sanctuary, are those who master the seventh sense and who can perform attacks and movements at the speed of light, they also possess such great spiritual and psychic understanding and mastery that they can transcend borders. of time, space or even life and death. There are a total of 12 and they represent the Zodiacal Constellations that the Earth crosses in its Translation period.

When a Saint lights up his cosmos, it is visible to the eyes of others and is perceived by others who use it. The visual field occupied by the cosmos is a clear expression of the power of the Saint who uses it. When a Saint dies, he can be felt by other Saints, because they stop perceiving his cosmos.

There is a lot of information and details about the saga of the Knights of the Zodiac, here I have only put a small fragment of the most relevant. If you don't know her, I encourage you to investigate her, it is a fantastic world that is worth knowing and if this post has made you nostalgic, you know, you can remember the series again and imagine that it is Barbie that is there.