Not since the inception of the Olympics, started by the ancient Greeks, has mankind seen a contest like this. Saori-sama of the Grande Foundation (Asia's largest foundation) has finally fulfilled the wishes of Mitsumasa Kido, her late grandfather, by bringing together the greatest warriors ever forged. After six long years of planning, the Galactic Wars are about to begin!

When Kido-sama uncovered the secret of the Saints of old, warriors of Athena, the goddess of battle, he took it upon himself to gather together a large number of youths to train to become the Saints you see before you today. A kind and generous man, Kido-sama scoured the orphanages of Japan to select the young men that would most benefit from his life changing offer. Rather than allow them to live a life of suffering, Kido-sama granted them the honor of his sponsorship as they were each sent to various parts of the world in preparation of the Galactic Wars.

Some went to Greece to train in the place this great tradition began. Others went to the mountains of China, in order to glean the ancient secrets of their martial arts from the Chinese masters. Upon completion of their training, each one of the young boys was granted a relic of the past – a Saint Cloth – bestowing upon the warrior even greater powers than their fine martial education could provide.

Now, there have been some rumors among the few critics of this grand event that the orphans were taken away against their will. We would just like to take the time to assure all of the concerned fans out there that every single boy that went to train made the choice to go on his own. Perhaps they were inspired by Kido-sama, but who could resist the brilliant philanthropist’s charming ways? The world is indeed a colder place without him. But this, his legacy, will ensure that generations of people worldwide will have a chance to become aware of his greatness.

Aside from the rumors mentioned above, others have assaulted the Grande Foundation with charges suggesting that some of the boys actually died in training while studying to become a Saint. This unfounded rumor could not be further from the truth, for the Foundation would never support any act that put the life of a juvenile in danger. The only reason a fraction of the boys originally sent off for training will appear in the Wars is that many of them did not feel up to the task of completing their studies, and thus did not complete their development. They are living comfortable, quiet lives sponsored by a large endowment left by Kido-sama, and for their sake, their anonymity has been preserved.

Baseless rumors are not, of course, what brought you readers here today, though. You’re here because you want information on the participants and nature of the Galactic Wars. Thus, without further ado, allow us to present the stars of our show.

There is one warrior for each sign of the Zodiac. Pegasus, Bear, Cygnus, Dragon, Unicorn, Hydra, Andromeda, and the other five representatives of the ancient astrological guide will all fight each other in order to claim the grand prize – the golden Cloth. The bout will be computer judged to ensure fairness and accuracy, though once the games begin, there will be no formal rules within the battle. Having devoted their lives to the game, there is no guarantee the participants will survive, making this the most thrilling sport event to transpire in the past 2000 years.

Each of the fighters, as warriors of Athena, will fight with only his bare hands. They each have protection provided by their respective Cloth armor, but since Athena was a defensive goddess, they do not use weapons in conflicts. Don’t let that fool you, however. Without a weapon, only a handful of these elite soldiers have been known to hold off entire legions of adversaries in the past, so you’re still going to be in for quite a fight when two of these superhuman gladiators square off.

Geki, wearing the Cloth of the Bear, will be one of the first warriors to fight. This man of impressive size (especially for a native Japanese person) spent six years battling the giant grizzlies of North America. With enough crushing power to take on a number of the fearsome beasts, his ability to handle a mere human goes without saying.

Hyoga, a man who actually has some Russian blood mixed in with his Japanese heritage, has inherited the Cloth of Cygnus. Training in a sub-zero climate has given this blonde beauty power over the element of ice itself. Ladies, we have to apologize in advance if you think you have a chance of thawing his icy demeanor – he still mourns the loss of his mother, and thus doesn’t have time for relationships. Perhaps he’s just waiting for the right woman to come along…

Shiryu, the man representing the Dragon Cloth armor, isn’t one to be mistaken for a common street fighter. The only thing more solid than his impenetrable defense is his dragon-scale hardened offense, though either could fend off any foe you’d throw at him. His battle with the headstrong Seiya should prove very exciting.

Finally, we come to the fan favorite, Seiya, wearer of the Pegasus armor. On the surface, he’s certainly not the toughest looking warrior, nor is he the largest, but there’s something about Seiya that makes everyone feel like cheering him on. Not one for fame or glory, Seiya is participating in these bouts merely to get help with finding his sister, whom he was separated from when he left their joint orphanage. She left soon after he went to Greece for his training, and no one has been able to track her down.

Then again, perhaps the most interesting fact about Seiya is his apparent rivalry with Jabu, inheritor of the Unicorn Cloth. We’ll just have to see if they can each last long enough to fight each other. Now that will be the battle of the millennium.

For the convenience of the fans, the Galactic wars will be chronicled simultaneously in two different, dynamic, and equally exciting formats. For one, there's the video record of these events, captured and published uncut and uncensored by ADV in the handy DVD format. You can even get a box to hold the first set of your discs! For those of you who prefer reading to watching, a printed chronicle is also available, brought to the general public by Viz, courtesy of Shonen Jump. One or the other is required to view the Galactic Wars the way they were meant to be seen.

discuss this article @ x-forums

contact the writer