Dohko’s Unique Ability – Misopetha-Menos: In the universe of “Saint Seiya,” Dohko possesses a special ability called Misopetha-Menos.
Dohko’s purple and small appearance in “Saint Seiya” is a result of his possession of the Misopetha-Menos ability, which grants him the power to preserve his youth and age at an extremely slow rate. This ability has led to his distinct appearance and is a crucial part of his role in guarding against the potential threat of Hades’ resurrection.
This ability is essentially a magical or divine power that allows him to slow down the aging process significantly.
Unlike normal humans who age at a regular rate, Dohko’s Misopetha-Menos grants him an extended lifespan by reducing the pace at which he ages.
This means that even as time passes, his body undergoes minimal changes associated with aging. See here his relation with Shiryu.
Dohko’s Misopetha-Menos ability
In the anime and manga series “Saint Seiya,” Dohko is portrayed as a character who possesses a unique ability known as Misopetha-Menos.
The Misopetha-Menos ability essentially grants Dohko an extended lifespan by drastically slowing down his aging process. While a regular person experiences about 100,000 heartbeats per day, Dohko’s unique ability grants him around 100,000 heartbeats per year. This means that he ages at an incredibly slow rate compared to normal humans.
This ability grants him the power to preserve his youth indefinitely, allowing him to age at a much slower rate than a normal human.
As a result of the Misopetha-Menos ability, Dohko’s physical appearance has changed. He has become smaller and turned purple in color, giving him the appearance of an old man. Check here the strongest Gold Saints.
Is Dohko Purple in the Saint Seiya Manga?
Dohko’s appearance in the manga is a little different than in the anime. Let’s do a brief comparison now.
In the “Saint Seiya” manga, Dohko is indeed portrayed as small and old due to his possession of the Misopetha-Menos ability, which slows his aging process significantly. However, his skin color is not mentioned as purple in the original manga.
The description of him being purple may have been an artistic interpretation in certain adaptations of the series, but it’s not a canonical aspect from the original source material.
Therefore, in the manga, Dohko’s unique appearance is characterized by his small and old stature, but his skin color is not specifically described as purple. Check here the major differences between the manga and the anime.
Why does Dohko have the Misopetha-Menos ability?
Dohko became one of the survivors of the ancient Hades War, a significant event in the series’ lore.
After the war, he was assigned the duty of guarding the seal of Hades, an important task to prevent the resurrection of the god of the underworld. In order to fulfill this role effectively, Dohko was bestowed with the Misopetha-Menos ability.
As a result, even though 243 years have passed since the Hades War, it feels like a mere 243 days for Dohko due to the slow passage of time in his life.
However, there’s a catch to this ability. Dohko must remain in the vicinity of Mount Lu, where he is stationed as a watchguard.
This restriction is in place to ensure that he is prepared to defend against the eventual unsealing of Hades and the potential threat posed by his Specters.
The ability to preserve his youth is Dohko’s secret weapon, a divine gift that is unknown even to Shion, the former Pope of the Sanctuary.
This transformation is a consequence of the unique effects of the ability, which has allowed him to live an exceptionally long life while maintaining a youthful body, albeit with the peculiar physical changes. Check all of the chinese mythology references in Saint Seiya here.