Phoenix Ikki
Encyclopedia
is a character from Saint Seiya
, a manga
written and illustrated by Masami Kurumada
which was later adapted to anime
. Ikki is the Phoenix Bronze Saint and older brother of Andromeda Shun
. Although he initially appears as the first antagonist that the main characters must defeat, he later becomes a powerful ally.
, which is associated to the immortal bird that is reborn from its ashes found in the folklore and mythologies of diverse cultures. Reflecting this association, the Cloth has the ability to reform itself if pulverized and possibly change into a new form as it does so – other Cloths require a great amount of a Saint's blood to repair. Ikki himself is extraordinarily resilient and hard to kill. On several occasions throughout the story, he returns from death and it is implied that every time he does so, he receives a boost in strength. Having been born under the sign of Leo, Ikki also dons the Leo Gold Cloth on one occasion, during the fight against Thanatos, the god of death, in Elysion.
While Ikki is ranked as a Bronze Saint, his potential places him above most Silver Saints. His strength is common knowledge among his peers and fellow Bronze Saints. As a child, Ikki was known as the toughest of the one hundred orphans recruited by the Graude Foundation and would often defend his younger brother Shun
. During his battle against Virgo Shaka, Ikki awakens his seventh sense, which places him at the same level as a Gold Saint in terms of power. In the "Hades" arc, he also awakens the eighth sense, which allows him to descend to the world of the dead without being subject to its laws.
Ikki uses two techniques to dispose of his enemies, one physical and the other psychological:: Ikki's most powerful blow. The wings of the Phoenix create a wind that throws away anything nearby.: In addition to trapping an enemy in a nightmarish illusion, which is sometimes followed by instant death, this attack delves into an enemy's mind, revealing their secret fears – as was the case when it was used on Gemini Kanon and other characters, including Ikki himself.
, Andromeda Shun
, Cygnus Hyōga and Dragon Shiryū
eventually defeat them. Overcoming his grudge, Ikki begins to assist the Bronze Saints in their fights to protect Athena and retake Sanctuary from Gemini Saga. His intervention is crucial in defeating the Gold Saint Virgo Shaka and Saga himself.
In the "Poseidon" arc, Ikki aids the Bronze Saints by defeating Lyumnades Caça and battling Sea Dragon Kanon. Although he is unable to beat Kanon, Ikki succeeds in extracting valuable information from the Marine General about Poseidon that led to Athena's victory over the god of the Sea.
Ikki does not appear in the "Hades" arc until the Saints are already in the Underworld. He defeats Garuda Aiacos and then confronts Hades himself, who had gained possession of his younger brother's body. Ikki attempts to rip the god out of Shun's body, and was punished for it with death. Not even the god of the Underworld could keep the Phoenix down, however, and Ikki eventually travels to Elysion where he participates with the other Bronze Saints in the battles against Thanatos, Hypnos and Hades.
Ikki reappears in Saint Seiya: Next Dimension
, the ongoing sequel to Saint Seiya
authored by Kurumada that deals with the aftermath of the war against Hades. After Athena visits Mount Olympus to meet her sister Artemis and ask for her help to cure Seiya from the curse Hades inflicted on him, Andromeda Shun is attacked by Artemis's soldiers, the Satellites, and their commander Lascomoune. Shun manages to defeat the Satellites, but not Lascomoune, who nearly takes his life. Ikki then intervenes to protect his brother and defeats the commander of the Satellites. Afterwards, he follows Athena and Shun into the past, to the war against Hades that took place in the eighteenth century.
He also appears briefly in the spin-off manga Saint Seiya Episode.G authored by Megumu Okada, as Leo Aiolia and Scorpio Milo think of the next generation of Saints who will write future history.
Several minor changes were made to Ikki's design in the anime adaptation of the series. The Phoenix Cloth, which is orange in the manga, appears as multicolored in the anime adaptation. Ikki's black hair also changed colors, as it is common practice for characters with black hair in the original manga to receive dark blue hair in the anime adaptation to avoid palette problems with the character's head outline and confusion with the backgrounds.
In the Saint Seiya movies, Ikki always appears helping Andromeda Shun and using the same methods to defeat his opponents. In the Heaven Chapter: Overture movie, however, Ikki is unable to defeat the Angel of Artemis until he fights alongside his younger brother and the two combine techniques to kill him. Later, he is seen with Shun going towards to the place where Seiya is fighting Apollo.
, writer Liann Cooper noted that the fight between Ikki and Shun was a plot twist "skirmish". Mania Entertainment's Mark Thomas found Ikki to be one of the most interesting characters from the series, having liked his early role as an antagonist and his subsequent appearances as a partner for the Bronze Saints. His powers were also praised by Thomas, who noted he was "far too good for the Bronze Cloth", but was saddened with how he disappeared during his fight against Virgo Shaka.
Saint Seiya
, also known as Saint Seiya: Knights of the Zodiac or simply Knights of the Zodiac, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masami Kurumada and serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump from 1986 to 1991, and adapted into an anime TV series by Toei Animation from 1986 to 1989.The story follows...
, a manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
written and illustrated by Masami Kurumada
Masami Kurumada
is a Japanese manga artist and writer, known for specializing in fighting manga featuring bishōnen and/or mahō shōnen. He is famous as the creator/author of popular manga, such as Ring ni Kakero, Fūma no Kojirō, Saint Seiya and B't X. His male protagonists are a reflection of the classical and...
which was later adapted to anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
. Ikki is the Phoenix Bronze Saint and older brother of Andromeda Shun
Andromeda Shun
, also known as Shun is a fictional character from the Saint Seiya universe created by Masami Kurumada as one of the main protagonists of the media franchise, which originated in the manga written and illustrated by Kurumada, later adapted to anime, and subsequently inspiring soundtracks, OVAs,...
. Although he initially appears as the first antagonist that the main characters must defeat, he later becomes a powerful ally.
Personality
In terms of personality, Ikki is almost the opposite of his younger brother, Shun, and his fellow Saints. Ikki is a loner, cold and harsh. When he first appears in the manga, fellow Saint Wolf Nachi points out that it is hard to believe Ikki and Shun are related due to the differences in their personalities. After the "Black Saints" arc, however, it is revealed that underneath his rough exterior lies a compassionate and kind soul. Kanon, in the "Poseidon" arc, and Pandora, in the "Hades" arc, note that Ikki is still guided by his deep love and loyalty for his younger brother, for his friends and for Athena. Although he dislikes teamwork, he comes to battle whenever Athena's Saints need his help and often arrives at critical moments to save his younger brother and friends from certain death. He has a noble, complex and mature character, who never hesitates to sacrifice himself for his friends.Abilities
The Phoenix Cloth represents the constellation of PhoenixPhoenix (constellation)
Phoenix is a minor constellation in the southern sky. It is named after the Phoenix, a mythical bird. It is faint: there are only two stars in the whole constellation which are brighter than magnitude 5.0...
, which is associated to the immortal bird that is reborn from its ashes found in the folklore and mythologies of diverse cultures. Reflecting this association, the Cloth has the ability to reform itself if pulverized and possibly change into a new form as it does so – other Cloths require a great amount of a Saint's blood to repair. Ikki himself is extraordinarily resilient and hard to kill. On several occasions throughout the story, he returns from death and it is implied that every time he does so, he receives a boost in strength. Having been born under the sign of Leo, Ikki also dons the Leo Gold Cloth on one occasion, during the fight against Thanatos, the god of death, in Elysion.
While Ikki is ranked as a Bronze Saint, his potential places him above most Silver Saints. His strength is common knowledge among his peers and fellow Bronze Saints. As a child, Ikki was known as the toughest of the one hundred orphans recruited by the Graude Foundation and would often defend his younger brother Shun
Andromeda Shun
, also known as Shun is a fictional character from the Saint Seiya universe created by Masami Kurumada as one of the main protagonists of the media franchise, which originated in the manga written and illustrated by Kurumada, later adapted to anime, and subsequently inspiring soundtracks, OVAs,...
. During his battle against Virgo Shaka, Ikki awakens his seventh sense, which places him at the same level as a Gold Saint in terms of power. In the "Hades" arc, he also awakens the eighth sense, which allows him to descend to the world of the dead without being subject to its laws.
Ikki uses two techniques to dispose of his enemies, one physical and the other psychological:: Ikki's most powerful blow. The wings of the Phoenix create a wind that throws away anything nearby.: In addition to trapping an enemy in a nightmarish illusion, which is sometimes followed by instant death, this attack delves into an enemy's mind, revealing their secret fears – as was the case when it was used on Gemini Kanon and other characters, including Ikki himself.
In Saint Seiya
In order to take revenge on Mitsumasa Kido, the head of the Graude Foundation who had Ikki endure a living hell of rigorous training to become a Saint since an early age, Ikki interrupts the Galaxian Wars tournament to steal the Sagittarius Gold Cloth from the Graude Foundation and challenges the other Bronze Saints to fight him and the Black Saints. After a long series of struggles, Pegasus SeiyaPegasus Seiya
, also known as Seiya, is a fictional character from the Saint Seiya universe created by Masami Kurumada as the main protagonist of the media franchise, which originated in the eponymous manga written and illustrated by Kurumada, later adapted to anime, and subsequently inspiring soundtracks, OVAs,...
, Andromeda Shun
Andromeda Shun
, also known as Shun is a fictional character from the Saint Seiya universe created by Masami Kurumada as one of the main protagonists of the media franchise, which originated in the manga written and illustrated by Kurumada, later adapted to anime, and subsequently inspiring soundtracks, OVAs,...
, Cygnus Hyōga and Dragon Shiryū
Dragon Shiryu
, also known as Shiryū, is a fictional character from the Saint Seiya universe created by Masami Kurumada as one of the protagonists of the media franchise, which originated in the manga written and illustrated by Kurumada, later adapted to anime, and subsequently inspiring soundtracks, OVAs,...
eventually defeat them. Overcoming his grudge, Ikki begins to assist the Bronze Saints in their fights to protect Athena and retake Sanctuary from Gemini Saga. His intervention is crucial in defeating the Gold Saint Virgo Shaka and Saga himself.
In the "Poseidon" arc, Ikki aids the Bronze Saints by defeating Lyumnades Caça and battling Sea Dragon Kanon. Although he is unable to beat Kanon, Ikki succeeds in extracting valuable information from the Marine General about Poseidon that led to Athena's victory over the god of the Sea.
Ikki does not appear in the "Hades" arc until the Saints are already in the Underworld. He defeats Garuda Aiacos and then confronts Hades himself, who had gained possession of his younger brother's body. Ikki attempts to rip the god out of Shun's body, and was punished for it with death. Not even the god of the Underworld could keep the Phoenix down, however, and Ikki eventually travels to Elysion where he participates with the other Bronze Saints in the battles against Thanatos, Hypnos and Hades.
In other media
Saint Seiya: Next Dimension
, also known as simply Next Dimension, is an ongoing manga written and illustrated by Masami Kurumada. It is a prequel and continuation to his manga series Saint Seiya; placed during the previous "Holy War" between the deities Hades and Athena and their respective minions; the Specters and the...
, the ongoing sequel to Saint Seiya
Saint Seiya
, also known as Saint Seiya: Knights of the Zodiac or simply Knights of the Zodiac, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masami Kurumada and serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump from 1986 to 1991, and adapted into an anime TV series by Toei Animation from 1986 to 1989.The story follows...
authored by Kurumada that deals with the aftermath of the war against Hades. After Athena visits Mount Olympus to meet her sister Artemis and ask for her help to cure Seiya from the curse Hades inflicted on him, Andromeda Shun is attacked by Artemis's soldiers, the Satellites, and their commander Lascomoune. Shun manages to defeat the Satellites, but not Lascomoune, who nearly takes his life. Ikki then intervenes to protect his brother and defeats the commander of the Satellites. Afterwards, he follows Athena and Shun into the past, to the war against Hades that took place in the eighteenth century.
He also appears briefly in the spin-off manga Saint Seiya Episode.G authored by Megumu Okada, as Leo Aiolia and Scorpio Milo think of the next generation of Saints who will write future history.
Several minor changes were made to Ikki's design in the anime adaptation of the series. The Phoenix Cloth, which is orange in the manga, appears as multicolored in the anime adaptation. Ikki's black hair also changed colors, as it is common practice for characters with black hair in the original manga to receive dark blue hair in the anime adaptation to avoid palette problems with the character's head outline and confusion with the backgrounds.
In the Saint Seiya movies, Ikki always appears helping Andromeda Shun and using the same methods to defeat his opponents. In the Heaven Chapter: Overture movie, however, Ikki is unable to defeat the Angel of Artemis until he fights alongside his younger brother and the two combine techniques to kill him. Later, he is seen with Shun going towards to the place where Seiya is fighting Apollo.
Reception
In the section Right Turn Only! from Anime News NetworkAnime News Network
Anime News Network is an anime industry news website that reports on the status of anime, manga, Japanese popular music and other otaku-related culture within North America, Australia and Japan. Additionally, it sometimes features similar happenings throughout the Anglosphere and elsewhere in the...
, writer Liann Cooper noted that the fight between Ikki and Shun was a plot twist "skirmish". Mania Entertainment's Mark Thomas found Ikki to be one of the most interesting characters from the series, having liked his early role as an antagonist and his subsequent appearances as a partner for the Bronze Saints. His powers were also praised by Thomas, who noted he was "far too good for the Bronze Cloth", but was saddened with how he disappeared during his fight against Virgo Shaka.