Saint Seiya, is a famous manga originally written by Masami Kurumada and gained widespread popularity after its broadcast on TV.
Due to this fact, it became a huge phenomenon, attracting thousands of fans and bringing attention to manga.
However, as releases progressed, the order to read the manga became a bit confusing. That’s why today you’ll understand the chronological order to read Saint Seiya.
This article is based on this portuguese article here, but I added much of the information and reorganized it into my preferred reading order.
1. Saint Seiya (Classic)
First, we have the first manga of the Saint Seiya franchise. The anime was based on this plot and tells the story of five Bronze Saints who are reborn to protect the Goddess Athena.
Despite not being the first manga chronologically, it’s the first Saint Seiya manga, and you should start here
Here, we meet Saori Kido, the reincarnation of Athena, and are introduced to Seiya, Shun, Hyoga, Shiryu, and Ikki.
The young saints are the protectors of Saori and face formidable enemies, including the powerful Gold Saints, Poseidon, and Hades. Check a full review here.
2. Saint Seiya: Next Dimension
The next manga in the chronological order is Saint Seiya: Next Dimension, which focuses on the Gold Saints and is part of the official line.
The manga tells the story of the Holy War against Hades in the 18th century but is a direct continuation of the 1986 manga. It’s the official sequel made by the series’ creator, Kurumada.
The arc follows the story of Tenma and Alone, who are great friends and discover that they are the vessels of Hades and Pegasus. Check a full review here.
3. Saint Seiya: The Lost Canvas
The manga of Saint Seiya: The Lost Canvas is part of a spinoff. It’s a retelling of the facts that happened in Next Dimension. It was initially canon, but became non-canon due to some facts being different from Next Dimension.
It portrays the Holy War against Hades during the 18th century, showing how each knight attained their Gold Saint status. Gold Saint Dohko, who happens to be Shiryu’s master, is the only one with his Gaiden right after the events of the battle against Hades. Check a full review here.
4. Saint Seiya: The Lost Canvas Gaiden
The first manga in the chronological order of Saint Seiya. Called Saint Seiya: The Lost Canvas Gaiden, it is a spinoff that narrates the solo stories of the Gold Saints in the 18th century, before the confrontation against Hades.
The only exception in the plot is the story of Dohko of Libra, the master of Shiryu of Dragon, which takes place after the Holy War and can be seen in the anime during the Hades Saga.
5. Saint Seiya: Episode G
Despite being a spinoff, Saint Seiya: Episode G is also one of the manga read to follow the chronological order.
This story narrates events that occurred six years before those in the classic manga, focusing on the Gold Saints and depicting their battles against gods and titans.
Although all twelve knights are shown, Aiolia of Leo and Aiolos of Sagittarius, both brothers, take center stage in the manga. Check a full review here.
6. Saintia Shô
Saintia Shô is one of the most recent manga releases in the Saint Seiya franchise. A spinoff that tells the story of Athena’s female guards, who, unlike the Amazons, reveal their faces.
In the plot, we meet Shoko, who discovers about Athena’s personal guard after some events with her sister. The story takes place after the revolt of Gemini Saga, and the warriors must confront the Goddess Eris. Check a full review here.
7.Saint Seiya: Rerise of Poseidon
Hades, in the form of a butterfly, visits Poseidon, who is sleeping at Cape Sounion. He wants to protect the Earth from an unprecedented attack.
Nemesis, the goddess of revenge who governs justice and divine punishment, wants to use meteorites to destroy the Earth.
Shina, Kiki, and Sorento, who felt something unusual, rushed to fight but were captured by Cadmos, a subordinate of Nemesis. Poseidon helps to free them. The revived Marina Generals by Hades gather to fight against Nemesis.
8. Saint Seiya: Episode G – Assassin
After the events recounted in Episode G, the Gold Saint Shura of Capricorn is assigned a new mission to assassinate a mysterious being located in Japan.
Simultaneously, Aiolia of Leo is commanded by the Grand Master to assassinate Shura, as the crucial mission did not originate from the Sanctuary but rather from a higher will—the Oracle of Athena.
However, both the young Shura and Aiolia find themselves in a Japan years ahead of their time, where they had already lost their lives in the Holy War against Hades. Check a full review here.
9. Saint Seiya: Time Odyssey
Yearning to join the ranks of Olympus’s divine elite alongside Hades, Poseidon, and Athena, Chronos, the god of time, aims to create the “Doomsday Clock.”
This intricate device holds the power to reshape the past, present, and future, paving the way for Chronos to claim his position as the thirteenth god.