Getter Newtype Reviews: Saint Seiya Myth Cloth Review : Aries Shion

Rising from the depths of hell itself to kill Athena, it's Aries Shion, former Pope of Sanctuary! Arguably one of the most important figures in the whole Saint Seiya anime, Pope Shion is interesting because he only showed up as a corpse during the run of the show. During the Hades arc OVA's the former Pope and greatest servant of Athena made his triumphant return, restored to life, youth and power by making a deal with Athena's greatest enemy, the god of death, Hades. Read on after the jump!

Shion is not only the former Pope, he is also a full fledged Gold Saint of Athena. As one of her mightiest warriors, he represented the Aries constellation and was allowed to wear the Gold Cloth. He and his best friend, Libra Dohko, were the only survivors of the previous war against Hades that had occurred over 200 years previous to the events of Saint Seiya. Shion's long life was due to his belonging to the people of Jamir, a remote and mystical land. His friend Dohko owed his own longevity to a secret given to him by Athena herself. After the war ended, Shion was chosen to be the next Pope of Sanctuary in order to prepare the earth for Athena's next incarnation. Tragically, he was murdered by one of the Gold Saints, a betrayal that would throw Sanctuary into utter chaos. During his time as Pope, he managed to train a young boy from Jamir to follow in his footsteps as the Gold Saint of Aries.

As the Hades arc begins, Sanctuary is in shambles from its own internal strife as well as the battle against Poseidon. Many of the saints are now dead, including nearly half of the powerful Gold Saints. To the survivors' dismay, these deceased Saints reappeared, armored in twisted versions of their Cloths called Surplices they received from Hades. Shion's own student and successor as the Aries Saint, Mu of Jamir, was the first line of defense against the resurrected Saints. He quickly realized who these Specters were, and ably defended against the combined might of Cancer Deathmask and Pisces Aphrodite. The third Specter soon revealed himself to be none other than Pope Shion himself, clad in a Surplice that copied the Gold Cloth of Aries.

Shion asked his student if he would stand against his master and Mu, a loyal Saint of Athena responded by raising his impenetrable Crystal Wall. This technique had repelled the attacks of the resurrected Gold Saints, but Shion had taught the very same technique to Mu. Easily dispelling the invincible shield of energy, Mu was left to the mercy of the three strongest former Gold Saints, Capricorn Shura, Aquarius Camus, and Gemini Saga. It was then the Sanctuary discovered the Pope and all the dead Saints had agreed to murder Athena in exchange for their resurrections. There's far more to the story, but you'll just have to watch it yourselves, or wait until I review another Saint Seiya Myth Cloth.

The nice book style box we've come to expect.

Nice and heavy, lots of diecast in here!

Bandai included a helmet for Shion's Surplice, but since he never wears it in the show, I display him without it. It's nice, but all plastic. Back in the box it goes!

Since Shion comes with long green hair, usually we don't get to see his back. The horns snap into a bud on the back and there is a ram's head that clips over those. It's pretty nice looking, even if it's always covered up.

Stardust Revolution!

What's nice is the mix of black and dark metallic purple. The design is jagged and sharp and makes the Pope a menacing figure. There is a dark elegance to Shion's Surplice and he really stands out on the shelf.

Here's a pic with the flash on to better highlight the different black and purple areas. While the Gold Cloth of Aries features details I guess Kuramada considered "Greek-like", the black parts on the Surplice seem to evoke the flames of Hades' realm.

Mu doing his Gandalf impersonation, "You shall not pass!"

One thing I like is that Shion looms over Mu. He isn't towering, but he is definitely one of the bigger Myth Cloths, and it just seems spot on that he'd be bigger than Mu.