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Saint Seiya: Soul of Gold (聖闘士星矢 黄金魂 -soul of gold-)

Saint Seiya: Soul of Gold (聖闘士星矢 黄金魂 -soul of gold-) is a 2015 Japanese original net anime series produced by Toei Animation as a spin-off of Masami Kurumada's Saint Seiya franchise, following the twelve Gold Saints after they sacrificed their lives in the Hades chapter and mysteriously return to life in Asgard.1 • 2 It consists of 13 episodes and was streamed worldwide from April 11 to September 26, 2015.3

Key factDetail
Format13 episodes of 30 minutes each, released as an original net animation (ONA)4
RunApril 11, 2015 to September 26, 20153
PremiseThe twelve Gold Saints, thought destroyed after breaking the Wailing Wall for Seiya and his friends during the war against Hades, revive in a radiant world and become entangled in a conflict in Asgard1
Main characterLeo Aiolia, voiced by Hideyuki Tanaka, with the other eleven Gold Saints from the Hades chapter cast returning1
StaffSeries director Joji Furuta; series structure Toshimitsu Takeuchi; character design Hideyuki Motohashi; music Toshihiko Sahashi1
ReachStreamed in 222 countries and regions and broadcast in 24; over two million viewers within two weeks of launch5
OccasionProduced to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Kurumada's Saint Seiya manga6

Spoilers

Premise and story

During the conflict with Hades, the twelve Gold Saints gave their lives to destroy the Wailing Wall so that Seiya and his companions could pass into the underworld's depths. The series opens with Aiolia and the other Gold Saints, presumed destroyed, awakening in a beautiful world overflowing with light. The mystery of why they have returned frames the story, and the battle begins for the Gold Saints.1 • 7

The setting draws on Norse mythology rather than the Greek mythology of the main storyline. The Gold Saints find themselves in Asgard, where something ominous is happening, and face the God Warriors led by figures including Balder, "the man chosen by the gods," and the evil god Loki, who is resurrected late in the series. Episode titles trace the arc: the secret of Yggdrasil, the seven chambers of Yggdrasil, clashes of God Cloth against God Cloth, and the rebirth of the sacred spear Gungnir in the finale.7 When Aiolia burns his Cosmo, the mystical energy of the setting, to its limit, his Leo Cloth transforms.8

The Odin story arc, which originated in the 1986 to 1989 television anime rather than the original manga, had by this point become part of the mainstream Saint Seiya narrative, and Soul of Gold builds on that Asgard material; the arc has since been carried into game adaptations such as Saint Seiya: Soldiers' Soul (Dimps, 2015).9

Production

Toei Animation announced the series on March 7, 2015 as a new original Saint Seiya series that would begin streaming in April. The producer was Atsutoshi Umezawa, who had also worked on Sailor Moon Crystal, and the character designer Hideyuki Motohashi had been animation director on Saint Seiya: The Hades Chapter – Sanctuary.2 The animation was produced by Toei Animation and Bridge.10

The keyword of the new series was "soul of gold": the Gold Saints finally return after supposedly being destroyed while giving their lives for Seiya and his friends, presented with a new look for the characters as a fitting start to the 2015 Saint Seiya legend.1 The allcinema database describes the work as a spin-off anime series produced to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Kurumada's hit manga.6

Cast

All twelve voice actors from Saint Seiya: The Hades Chapter returned:1

Distribution and viewership

Soul of Gold was Toei's second series to launch on the web after Sailor Moon Crystal, and its rollout reflected the studio's increasing use of online distribution. From April 11, 2015 it was offered simultaneously on Daisuki (worldwide except China, France, French-speaking regions, and Japan), iQiyi (mainland China), Hulu (the United States and Canada), and Crunchyroll (North and Latin America, Europe except France and French-speaking regions, Australia, New Zealand, the Middle East, and Africa), with broadcast deals including Mangas in French-speaking territories and YouTube channels for Italy and Taiwan.11 • 5

By April 24, 2015, less than two weeks after launch, Toei reported that the series had been viewed by over two million people across four streaming networks available in 222 countries and territories, with new episodes posted every two weeks and a merchandising program with Bandai accompanying the series.5 The allcinema database records that the series surpassed 20 million views before the sixth episode was even released.6

Reception and availability

The series has divided fans. The French reference site Planète Jeunesse notes that, like the film Legend of Sanctuary, Soul of Gold split the audience, with criticism directed at Toei for a commercial series lacking originality, whose new divine warriors fall short of the originals and whose story appears somewhat inconsistent with the Hades chapter.12 Viewer ratings have nonetheless been favorable on aggregate sites: 8.0 out of 10 on TMDB (about 770 votes) and 4.7 out of 5 on Crunchyroll.8 • 7

The series remains available: in the United States it streams on Crunchyroll and the Crunchyroll Amazon Channel by subscription, and free with ads on Tubi and Pluto TV, and it is available in more than 77 countries overall.13 • 14 • 15

References

  1. "The newest SAINT SEIYA series come back! 'SAINT SEIYA-soul of gold-' Starts distribution in 2015 spring!", Toei Animation press release
  2. "NEW SAINT SEIYA SERIES", Toei Animation, March 7, 2015
  3. "Saint Seiya soul of gold", Toei Animation list of works
  4. "SAINT SEIYA SOUL OF GOLD", Toei Animation catalog
  5. "Toei Animation's Saint Seiya soul of gold Achieves Record Views As It Launches Globally Online", Toei Animation, April 24, 2015
  6. 聖闘士星矢 黄金魂 -soul of gold-, allcinema
  7. "Saint Seiya - Soul of Gold", Crunchyroll
  8. "Saint Seiya: Soul of Gold streaming guide", izlebunu
  9. Marcato et al., "Fictional Practices of Spirituality I"
  10. 聖闘士星矢 黄金魂 Soul of Gold ストーリー, Toei Animation list of works (staff, animation production)
  11. "Saint Seiya -soul of gold-" official site, broadcast and distribution page
  12. "Saint Seiya : Soul of Gold", Planète Jeunesse
  13. "Saint Seiya: Soul of Gold - streaming online", JustWatch
  14. "Saint Seiya: Soul of Gold (2015): Where to Watch", Moviefone
  15. "Where to Watch Saint Seiya: Soul of Gold (2015)", Helposter

Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026

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