| Andromeda Shun | |
|---|---|
| Saint Seiya character | |
 Andromeda Shun by Masami Kurumada |
|
| Created by | Masami Kurumada |
| Voiced by | Ryo Horikawa (堀川 亮) Yumi Touma (冬馬 由美) Yūta Kasuya (粕谷 雄太) |
| Profile | |
| Age | 13 |
| Gender | Male |
| Date of birth | September 9 |
| Nationality | Japan |
| Class | Saint |
| Loyalty | Athena |
| Cloth | Andromeda |
| Rank | Bronze |
| Training | Andromeda Island |
| Height | 1.65 m |
| Weight | 51 kg |
| Blood type | A |
| Secret moves | Nebula Chain Thunder Wave Rolling Defense Spider Net Casting Net Spiral Duct Boomerang Shoot Wild Trap Great Capture Nebula Stream Nebula Storm |
| First appearance | manga: vol.1 Anime: ep.2 |
Andromeda Shun (瞬, wink or twinkle of star) is one of five main characters in the popular manga, Saint Seiya, authored by Japanese mangaka Masami Kurumada and later adapted to anime. He is arguably one of the strongest characters in the series, although his gentle disposition and kind nature tend to hold him back from using his full power, until he is forced to do so. Shun is also the younger brother of Phoenix Ikki, a fellow bronze saint.
Contents |
Conception and creation
As Masami Kurumada uses the revered Osamu Tezuka's Star System technique, (A stable cast of characters which play a a different or similar role in the author's various works, sometimes with the same personality and sometimes with an entirely new one), he gave Shun's appearance to Ai Daichi, a main character in the manga Aoi Tori no Shinwa, a manga that Kurumada wrote and drew years after Saint Seiya. Also, Kurumada designed Shun closely resembling Jindai Naoto, from Otoko Zaka, the manga he wrote and drew 1 year before Saint Seiya. And even more, Shun also resembles Kirikaze, from Fuuma no Kojirou, also a manga Kurumada wrote and drew several years before Saint Seiya. Many newcomers to the series have mistaken Shun for a female character, since the Andromeda is a feminine constellation, and the original design of the Cloth itself appears to have a breast plate (many have mistaken for years until they were old enough to distinguish the subtle differences). A similar joke is played in the series, when Ikki befriends a girl name Esmeralda who looks like a female, blonde Shun. His hair color is Brown in the manga, while Green in the Anime in order to contrast colors.
Character Outline
The Saint of Andromeda
Perhaps the most reluctant of the bronze saints, Shun is the official Bronze Saint of the Andromeda constellation. He is a merciful soul by nature, and a firm believer in solving problems without causing bloodshed. This creates a sharp contrast between himself and the rest of the Saints: Whereas they will not hesitate to battle when the situation demands it, Shun only allows himself to fight if it's an absolute necessity, or when his almost endless patience wears off. When any of these things happen, Shun becomes an extremely vicious fighter. Shun comes off rather badly in the Movies and 'Asgard' arc. In almost every fight scene, he almost always loses, and needs his brother Ikki to rescue him (except against Mizar Zeta Syd, the one time Shun defeated a foe in either the Movies or 'Asgard' anime-only story). However, in the 'Sanctuary', 'Poseidon' and 'Hades' storylines, Shun comes off as a good, if reluctant fighter. In 'Sanctuary', he manages to hold his own against Gemini Saga, and even manages to kill Pisces Aphrodite, both of them Gold Saints. In 'Poseidon', he acquits himself nicely, defeating Io, the Southern Pacific Mariner General of Scylla, and Sorrento, the Southern Atlantic Mariner General of Siren. In 'Hades', he manages to dispatch various opponents. As a result, he comes off looking much better in these arcs than in the Movies or 'Asgard'; though he may be reluctant to fight, he will when he has to, and is just as powerful or skilled as any of the other main Bronze Saints (Shiryu, Hyoga, etc.)
Power and abilities
To fight, Shun normally uses the Andromeda chain as he does not want to use his full power because he does not want to kill the opponents. During the Sanctuary Arc Shun awoke the 7th sense in his fights against the Gold Saints. His known techniques are:
- Nebula Chain:The Andromeda Saint's favorite technique which allows him to manipulate the chains of his cloth however he pleases. At the most basic, the "Nebula Chain" is a straight-forward attack where the chains rapidly slice and wrap themselves around the enemy. This attack can be improved by using the Thunder Wave of the chain.
- Rolling Defense: is a simple defensive technique that utilizes Shun's chains in one of two ways: he will either twirl the chains around himself to create a barrier, or set them on the ground to mimic a circular web -- this was later named theCircle Defense In web mode, the chains construct a distance between himself and the opponent, and will discharge energy volts or simply slash the enemy if they attempt to enter the field.
- Great Capture: a technique that twists the chains to paralyze, capture, or immobilize foes. Shun also uses other ways of capturing opponents with Boomerang Shoot, Spiral Duct, etc.
- Nebula Stream: is a defensive attack that links directly to Shun's cosmos. It entangles the foe with streams of the Andromeda cosmos in attempt to paralyze them. As Shun becomes more determined to use his true power, the stream will eventually transfigure into the "Nebula Storm" technique.
- Nebula Storm: By the time Shun has chosen to execute it his cloth and chains are abandoned (either voluntarily or destroyed by his opponent) to allow him full access to his cosmos. The attack is dispelled as a single burst from the summit of Shun's cosmos. Because of its destructive nature, Shun will only use it as a last resort.
Constellation and the Chains of Andromeda
The Andromeda Cloth represents the constellation Andromeda, which is associated to princess Andromeda, who was chained to be sacrificed to the monster Cetus, in Greek mythology. The chains from the Andromeda cloth are said to be the very same chains used to tied the mythological character in her legend. The chains are legendary for their durability as well as defensive nature, and have only been completely shattered few times. They are also renowned for their great length, as they can be extended far enough to reach light years away. When there's a really great evil, the chains can become charged with negative energy and release lightning shocks of at least 10.000 volts. This happens just once in the anime series, when Unicorn Jabu grabs them just before Ikki's reappearance in the Galactic Tournament, despite Shun's warnings; he refused to let go of the chains and received the electric backlash fully. Along with his comrades, Shun's bronze cloth has changed shape several times throughout the series. The manga and anime both parallel each other in terms of the Andromeda Cloth's evolution (although, it should be noted that the cloth received one extra repair in the anime; however, it did not change shape after it):
- When Gold Saint Virgo Shaka (Taurus Aldebaran in the anime) revived it using his own blood.
- When the former Pope Shion of the Aries Constellation rejuvenated it with Athena's fresh blood during the beginning of the Hades arc.
- When Shun summoned his cosmos to protect his older brother Ikki from a would-be-fatal blow by Hypnos, the God of Sleep.
The Gold Cloth of Virgo
As Shun was born under the astrological constellation of Virgo, he has the privilege of donning the gold cloth in times of crisis. This was shown when he and his fellow bronze saints (also wearing gold cloths each) battled the God of Death, Thanatos.
Notable People & Events
The Bronze Saints
In the anime, Shun's only blood relative is his other brother, Ikki of the Phoenix constellation. Their parents died when Ikki was no older than three years old and Shun was just a baby; the brothers are shown once praying at their tombstones. Because of Shun's delicate nature, Ikki was very protective of him when they were children, even to the point of accepting a fate worse than death. When the Graude Foundation decided to send their orphans to train for Sainthood, Shun unluckily drew Death Queen Island as his training camp, a place notorious for its zero survival rate. Ikki refused to allow his brother to go, and immediately volunteered to take his place. When Shun drew again, he received Andromeda Island. In the manga, Shun's half brothers are Seiya of the Pegasus, Shiryu of the Dragon, Hyoga of the Cygnus, as well as the rest of the other 100 orphans in the Foundation. Ikki remains as the only brother with whom he shares both identical parents with. Shun also grew particularly close to Cygnus Hyoga during their mission to retake Sanctuary. When Hyoga was found on the brink of death, Shun offered to help jump-start the Cygnus Saint's cosmos by burning all of his own, knowing full well that he could die if he lost just the tiniest of control. Hyoga was eventually revived, and was especially moved by Shun's display of friendship.
Juné & Cepheus Daidalos
Chameleon June is a bronze saint he met and trained together with during his days on Andromeda Island. When news of Seiya, Shiryu, Hyoga, and Shun's decision to challenge Sanctuary broke through the world of saints, Juné took off from Andromeda Island on her own to persuade Shun to change his mind -- half out of concern for Shun, and half because their master had just been murdered by a Gold Saint. When Shun first arrived on Andromeda Island for training, he hadn't realized the tough conditions of Andromeda Island until he had "died fifteen times." His master (Silver Saint Daidalos in the manga; Silver Saint Albiore in the anime) was strict and appeared unemotional, and the blistering 105º heat of the hot desert was unrelenting. June, a fellow trainee, took pity on Shun and urged him to drop the training. Shun, however, refused; after all, his older brother had been subjected to a fate worse than death because of him, and thus, Shun absolutely must return to Japan with the Andromeda Cloth. Soon enough, Shun made a request to his master to put him in the ultimate test: Chain him to rocks in the sea (mirroring the legend of Andromeda) and leave him be. If Shun managed to escape, then it would be known that he was truly worthy of the Cloth, and a new Bronze Saint would be born. If not, Shun would drown. This final test was known as "The Rite of Sacrifice." With Ikki and the Bronze Cloth of Andromeda as encouragement, Shun finally allowed himself to release the cosmos within him. After freeing himself from the rock, the Andromeda Cloth immediately recognized Shun as its new owner. Before returning to Japan, Shun approached his master to offer words of gratitude for the past six years of training. During their conversation, the Cepheus Saint curiously pointed out that when Shun manifested his cosmos during "The Rite of Sacrifice," it did not feel like it was his first time. Smiling, Shun revealed that his master's intuition was correct; that Shun had actually suppressed his true power all of this time. The Andromeda Saint then offered his master a glimpse of his hidden cosmos, and the Cepheus Saint was left amazed.
Pisces Aphrodite
When Shun and Seiya approached the final temple of the gold saints, Shun made an odd request that Seiya continue moving to the Pope's Chambers, while he stayed behind to battle the gold saint Pisces Aphrodite. Seiya complied and moved on ahead, thinking to himself that Shun had grown beyond belief. As the battle began between Aphrodite and Shun, it is revealed that this Gold Saint was the man responsible for the assassination of Shun's master, the Cepheus Daidalos. Aphrodite himself barely remembered the incident, but Shun still demanded vengeance. This fight was arguably one of Shun's toughest, as he was forced to heighten his cosmos to the highest point for his "Nebula Storm" attack. The Andromeda Saint eventually succeeded in landing the death blow, but not without a price: One of Aphrodite's deadly "Bloody Rose" latched itself into Shun's heart, and began to drain his blood as the Bronze Saint fell unconscious to the floor.
Saori Kido
Unlike Seiya and Ikki, Shun and Saori Kido's relationship is founded on mutual respect and call of duty. Saori is the goddess that Shun, as a Saint, must serve to protect. On the same token, Saori respects Shun as one of her Saints and regards him as a friend outside of Sainthood.
Incarnation of Hades
In one of the biggest plot twists of the series, Shun is revealed to be the human incarnation of Hades, God of the Underworld, in the same way Saori Kido is Athena, Goddess of War & Wisdom, and Julian Solo is Poseidon, Lord of the Seas. Although Shun himself was initially unaware of this fact, the soul of Hades became dominant once Shun lost the childhood pendant that bound his body with the god's, and the Hades soul was united with Shun's body during the close encounter in Hades' room after the death of the Lyra Saint. Not long after, the new Hades is confronted by Shun's older brother, Phoenix Ikki. Ikki believed that Shun's soul was still inside somewhere, and he was soon proven correct. With one hand strangling his own body (and thus, Hades'), Shun urged Ikki to mercilessly destroy him while the opportunity was fresh. Ikki was moved by Shun's willingness to sacrifice himself, as it proved that he truly was born to be the Saint of Andromeda. Unfortunately, Ikki hesitated at the last second. Shun's verifiable hold was lost, and Hades reclaimed the Saint's body once more. With the God of the Underworld back in command, the Phoenix was swiftly dealt with. Eventually, it took the boiling blood of Athena herself and the goddess's encouragement to give Shun the strength to separate Hades from his body once and for all. When Shun awoke in Seiya's arms moments later, he once again donned the Andromeda Cloth and was ready to return to action.
Notes
- In the series itself, Shun was initially depicted as very popular among the female attendants of the Galaxian Wars tournament for his good looks.
- As was noted by Phoenix Ikki in the Hades chapter, Shun's personality is very faithful to his constellation. He would never hesitate to make a sacrifice, as he would rather hurt himself than let others get hurt.
- Shun is humble amongst the Bronze saints since he uses "Boku", which is normal term in Japanese for "me", but the others use "Ore", which is a way of saying "me" in a much more arrogant manner.
- Shun and his brother Ikki are parodied in the anime Hayate no Gotoku as two small children named Itsuki and Shunji.
