The story focuses on an orphan named Seiya who was forced to go to the Sanctuary in Greece to obtain one of the 'Cloths' ( 聖衣（クロス）, Kurosu), the Bronze Cloth of the Pegasus constellation, a protective armor worn by the Greek goddess Athena's 88 warriors known as 'Saints' ( 聖闘士（セイント）, Seinto, or 'Knights' in some adaptations). Both the original manga and the anime adaptation were successful internationally across Asia, Europe, Africa and Latin America.

The Saint Seiya manga had over 50 million copies in circulation as of 2022, making it one of the best-selling manga series. A live-action film adaptation is set to premiere in April 2023. The first four films were released by Discotek Media. The anime series was first licensed by DIC Entertainment (as Knights of the Zodiac) and ADV Films in 2003 and by Netflix in 2019. Four animated feature films premiered in Japanese theaters from 1987 to 1989, with a fifth in 2004 and a sixth in 2014. Saint Seiya was later continued with three original video animations released from 2002 to 2008. The manga was adapted by Toei Animation into a 114-episode anime television series which was broadcast on TV Asahi and its affiliates from 1986 to 1989. Several spin-off manga by different authors have also been created.

Since 2006, Kurumada has been publishing a sequel manga titled Saint Seiya: Next Dimension. In North America, the manga was licensed for English release by Viz Media. The Saints have sworn to defend the reincarnation of the Greek goddess Athena in her battle against other Olympian gods who want to dominate Earth.

The story follows five mystical warriors called the Saints who fight wearing sacred sets of armor named 'Cloths', the designs of which derive from the various constellations the characters have adopted as their destined guardian symbols, and empowered by a mystical energy called 'Cosmo'. It was serialized in Shueisha's shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump from 1986 to 1990, with its chapters collected in twenty-eight tankōbon volumes. Saint Seiya ( Japanese: 聖闘士星矢 ( セイントセイヤ ), Hepburn: Seinto Seiya), also known as Saint Seiya: Knights of the Zodiac or simply Knights of the Zodiac (translated from the French title Les Chevaliers du Zodiaque), is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masami Kurumada. Saint Seiya: Time Odyssey (French comic series).Saint Seiya: Gigantomachia (novel series).

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