Saint Seiya: Meiō Iden – Dark Wing (Japanese: 聖闘士星矢 冥王異伝 ダークウィング, Hepburn: Seinto Seiya Meiō Iden Dāku Uingu, lit.'Saint Seiya: An Alternate Tale of the Underworld Emperor – Dark Wing') is a Japanese manga series written by Kenji Saitō and illustrated by Shinshū Ueda. It is a spin-off of the manga series Saint Seiya by Masami Kurumada. The manga started serialization in Akita Shoten's monthly magazine Champion Red in December 2020.
The story follows Shōichirō, an ordinary high school boy, who after a certain incident wakes up in the land of the dead, where he discovers that he was chosen to become one of the 108 Specters of Hades, one of the three Judges of the Underworld, the dark dragon Wyvern. Soon he discovered that many of his classmates and teachers were chosen to join the army of Hades or the army of Athena.
Cattleya Mikagami (水鏡 カトレア, Mikagami Katorea) is a childhood friend of Shōichirō and Sōjirō, a cheerful young woman who always has a smile on her face. She is a second-year student at Graad International University High School, and her specialty within the school is archery. Although she is unaware of it, having lived most of her life as an ordinary girl, she is the reincarnation of the goddess Athena. During a school ship trip, she witnesses the death of her friend Shōichirō and several students in an orchestrated attack by an unknown enemy. This event triggers her awakening as the goddess Athena, prompting her to utilize her divine powers to protect her classmates. Subsequently, Cattleya is taken to the Sanctuary, where she is introduced to the Gold Saints as the goddess Athena. Together with the Saints, Athena prepares to engage in an imminent battle against Hades and his army, with the objective of preserving peace in the world. However, she soon discovers the existence of an enemy lurking in the shadows, manipulating this conflict for their own benefit.
Hades is the god and ruler of the Underworld. In order to reincarnate on Earth, he possesses the body of a human with the purest soul. Hypnos, the loyal servant of Hades, selects a child named Mayoi Tsukishima (月嶋 真宵, Tsukishima Mayoi), brother of Yoruhime, as the vessel for his soul.
Yoruhime Tsukishima (月嶋 夜姫, Tsukishima Yoruhime) is the reincarnation of Pandora, the loyal follower of Hades and the woman who commands his army. When she was a child, she and her younger brother received a visit from the god Hypnos, who chose her brother as the vessel for Hades' soul and awakened Pandora's soul within her to protect Hades. Hypnos also assigned Charlotte (a young Specter of Yoruhime's age) the mission to help Yoruhime protect Hades, and they became close friends. Several years later, Yoruhime and Charlotte enrolled as students at the Graad International University High School to secretly watch over Cattleya (the reincarnation of Athena). During this time, Yoruhime stood out for her singing ability and met Shōichirō, a young student whom she appears to have fallen in love with. Her life went on normally until, during a school ship trip, a mysterious enemy attacked, causing Yoruhime and Shōichirō, who tried to save her, to perish. After this event, Yoruhime and Shōichirō are transported to Elysium (the land of the dead), where she discovers that the Underworld was also attacked and destroyed. Therefore, she awaits Shōichirō's awakening and prepares Hades' army for the upcoming battle against Athena, whom she holds responsible for the ship attack and the destruction of the Underworld.
Wyvern Shōichirō (ワイバーンの翔一郎, Waibān no Shōichirō), also known as Shōichirō Tokito (時任 翔一郎, Tokitō Shōichirō), is the main protagonist of this story, a kind-hearted young man who grew up alongside his twin brother Sōjirō and their friend Cattleya. He was a second-year student at the Graad International University High School, and his specialty within the school was playing the piano. During his time at school, he developed feelings for Yoruhime, a fellow student. One day, during a school ship trip, Shoichiro and his friends were enjoying the journey when a strange beam of light struck the ship, causing it to catch fire and begin sinking. In the midst of the chaos, Shoichiro tried to save Yoruhime, but they both ended up falling into the sea. As they sink, Shōichirō starts wishing to be stronger to be able to save Yoruhime, and just before losing consciousness, he sees a dark figure in the form of a Wyvern appear in front of them and devour them. One year later, Shoichiro awakened in Elysium, the realm of the dead, where he discovered that he had been chosen to join Hades' army.
Written by Kenji Saitō and illustrated by Shinshū Ueda, Saint Seiya: Meiō Iden - Dark Wing started in Akita Shoten's seinen manga magazine Champion Red on December 19, 2020.[2][3] Akita Shoten has collected its chapters into individual tankōbon volumes. The first volume was released on June 18, 2021.[4]
