Kanon

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This is Kanon. He's the evil one.

Gemini Kanon (双子座のカノン) a character from the classic anime/manga series, Saint Seiya. He was the younger twin brother of gold saint Gemini Saga, and later took up the position after Saga's death. Before finally embracing his destiny as the Gemini Saint, Kanon masqueraded as the Sea Dragon, one of Poseidon's seven Sea Generals.

Contents

Once Is a Blessing, Twice Is a Curse

As fate would have it, the constellation of Gemini bestowed its cosmos powers to a set of twin, Saga and Kanon. While older sibling Saga found himself trapped in a constant inner struggle between good and evil, younger sibling Kanon had no such problems -- he was born with a natural instinct for evil, and as such, felt absolutely no conflict with embracing it.

Although Saga was a popular figure in Sanctuary and Greece, almost no one knew of the fact that he actually had a younger brother. This allowed Kanon the cover he and Saga needed in order to execute an ingenius plan -- the assassination of the goddess Athena. Unfortunately for Kanon, Saga's heart was still uncorrupted by evil at this point in time, and the older Gemini felt disgusted that his own flesh and blood would suggest such a crime -- especially since they were shared owners of the Gemini Gold Cloth.

Special Techniques

As one would expect of the Gemini twins, Kanon and Saga use techniques that are either identical or similar to each other.

"Golden Triangle"

A technique parallel to Saga's "Another Dimension". Although slightly weaker, Kanon's version of the move puts more emphasis on illusion, trapping its target in a dimension filled with ghastly images of death, abandonment, and loneliness. It is undoubtedly meant to be a reference to the legendary Bermuda Triangle, where ships would mysteriously vanish without trace. It, like Kanon, was first encountered in the Northern Atlantic!

"Galaxian Explosion"

"Galaxian Explosion" is practically identical to his big brother's version in both title and performance. One notable difference is that Kanon tend to execute the technique with one hand, while Saga will use both for maximum effect.

"Genrou Ken (Illusion Fist)"

Last but not least, Kanon has his own interpretation of Saga's infamous "Genrou Maou Ken," with minor differences -- it does not require the opponent to kill a target in order to be released, and the technique can be executed in the same manner as Ikki's "Phoenix Genma Ken," where the enemy is tricked by a series of illusions into doing Kanon's bidding.

Wrath of the Sea Dragon

A Vile Proposal

At a point prior to the series, Kanon and Saga trained together and had roughly the same level of power -- however, Saga was the more dedicated of the duo, and thus more powerful. He was also the first to receive the Gold Cloth of Gemini. Nevertheless, Kanon was ambitious and he understood that Saga shared the same ambitions he did, whether or not he wanted to admit it. After scheming for a long time, Kanon finally decided to approach Saga on one fateful day with his ruthless plot to assassinate both the current Pope and the infant Athena, all so the brothers could claim Sanctuary for themselves. Unfortunately for Kanon, his timing was slightly off -- Saga's evil side still had not yet fully awaken at this point. Revolted by the fact that his own flesh and blood would even consider committing such heinous crimes, Saga locked Kanon within the confines of a watery prison in Sounion as a form of punishment. Should the gods allow it, then Kanon would find a way to escape. If not, then this would be their farewell. As Saga began to walk away, Kanon berated the older Gemini for not embracing the power that the gods have given him -- deep down, there was a demon whispering the same evil desires within Saga's heart. The gold saint paid Kanon no attention, and was soon out of sight. Boiling with rage, Kanon sworn that he would escape and kill Athena and her saints.

The water level of the cave was very unstable, as it would continually rise and fall with each passing day. For 10 days, Kanon was trapped and barely survived -- oddly, every time he found himself within an inch of death, a powerful yet gentle cosmos would somehow lift the younger Gemini away. Still refusing to give up his ambitions, Kanon began to search the prison for a way out -- and he discovered it in the form of a hollow wall in the back of the cave. With a single blow, Kanon destroyed the wall and was instantly shocked to see the object concealed behind it -- the legendary majestic trident of the Lord of the Seas, Poseidon. The Gemini also recognized the tag that had previously concealed its power -- Athena's seal. The bind was losing its effects, however, as Kanon noticed that even his own strength was enough to release the trident from its hold. Freed from Athena, the trident suddenly glowed with power, and immediately sought to return to its owner -- taking Kanon along for the ride.

Manipulation of the Gods

No one has the heart to tell him that's not the Gemini Cloth.

Kanon woke up in a bizarre yet serene location. All around him were temples and shrines -- a holy ground, even. Yet above him was a skyline of jet-blue water, as if to suggest that he was now inside a breathable haven under the seas. And he was -- this was the legendary Sanctuary of Poseidon, where the Lord of the Seas reign supreme. Kanon soon came to understand this, when he realized that he was directly staring at the Temple of Poseidon. The Gemini entered and, etched high on individual pillars before him were the Marine Scales of Poseidon and his seven Sea Generals. Below the scale of Poseidon was a metallic jar, apparently locked with the same Seal of Athena that Kanon had seen securing the weapon of Poseidon. Placing the trident down, Kanon approached the jar, and Athena's hold was once again vanquished. The jar burst open, and the soul of Poseidon once again inhabited his holy shrine.

The Lord of the Seas demanded to know why he was awoken 300 years too early. Kanon, struck with awe, informed him that Athena's seal had weakened to the point of being non-existent. The god scoffed and claimed that Athena's seal had zero effect on him; that if he wanted to, he could've awoken at any point in time. Kanon then revealed that Athena's next manifestation had arrived, and that the goddess was preparing to once again walk the Earth in mortal form. Poseidon was surprised by this, and recalled that he had awoke under similar circumstances 200 years ago -- at the time, Athena had reincarnated once again to battle with a certain god -- a god that was even more ambitious than the Lord of the Seas. Poseidon then declared that since the seal had weakened, it was probably his turn to do battle with the goddess -- thus, he needed a living host. Fortunately, there was a certain bloodline that he had always counted on for this task. Exiting the Under Sea Temples, Poseidon's soul jumped into the 3 year old toddler body of Julian Solo, the heir of a wealthy business family whose expertise was the seven seas. Before the god left, he inquired Kanon's name, and Kanon replied that he was known as "Sea Dragon." The god warned him to make sure that his soul does not awake within Julian Solo's body until the child is 16 years of age. Kanon smirked and vowed that he will do exactly just that -- in fact, he won't ever truly wake up the god within Solo's body, if he could help it.

Kanon donned the Marine Scale of the Sea Dragon, and recalled the bit where Saga mentioned that only the gods can help Kanon. It seems the gods have allowed this happen, and Kanon once again declared his ambition of ruling not only the lands, but the seas, as well.

As Kanon patiently waited, he received news that his older brother had finally snapped and succumbed to his evil side. Not only that, but Saga had actually followed through with the very same plans that Kanon had laid out for him -- he had assassinated the Pope and attempted to kill the infant Athena. The Sea Dragon sat back and waited, as his own ambitions could not be fulfilled unless he had the other sea generals with him -- and they would only arrive when Solo has declared that he is Poseidon. Eventually, Kanon received news that five bronze saints had invaded Sanctuary, and that Saga had fallen. The Sea Dragon could only smile -- it was now up to him to succeed where his older brother had failed.

Under the Sea

The plan was genius -- with about half of the twelve gold saints killed in action in their fight with the bronze saints, Poseidon's resurrection would require whomever was left of Sanctuary's high ranked fighters to invade the Under Seas Temples of Atlantis and counter the threat in a swift and efficient manner. The abduction of Athena would only further entice this. By this point, the other six Sea Generals and the massive army of foot soldiers had fully awakened and gathered to the seas. The disappearance and death of all twelve gold saints would make Sanctuary easy pickings.

Unfortunately, a wrench was thrown in Kanon's plans, and instead of gold saints arriving to rescue their patron goddess, Sanctuary had sent bronze saints in their place. Humored by the minuscule power of these lower ranked saints, Kanon swatted them away and advised the challengers to call for the older, more powerful gold saints instead. Unbeknownst to the Sea Dragon, however, the bronze saints that stood before him were the same ones who had battled their gold brethrens and walked away alive. They thwarted Poseidon's foot soldiers, then went on to take on the sea generals who awaited them.

The bronze saints were successful in combat against the sea generals, and later confronted Julian Solo. It appeared that Poseidon's true power had not yet manifested in him. However, each blow that the saints made against Solo brought him closer to the sea god. Kanon, worried that they would eventually pull Poseidon out of his slumber, prepared to march into the throne room to stop them.

Before he could go anywhere, Kanon was challenged by Phoenix Ikki, the same bronze saint who had previously engaged his brother Saga in a stalemate in a battle of illusional fists. The Sea Dragon was unable to put down the Phoenix no matter which technique he chose, and even fell to Ikki's "Genma Ken". Kanon once again recalled the time where he approached Saga with the plot to overthrow Athena and rule Sanctuary. He then found himself in the present, but staring in the face of his twin brother, who, by all accounts, should be dead. Saga expressed his disappointment that Kanon had not learned his lesson, and declared that Athena had punished him for his crimes. The Sea Dragon suddenly discovered that his face was infested by maggots and screamed in terror.

The illusions dissolved, and Ikki explained that Kanon should be grateful to Athena, for it was her who had kept him alive all of this time. Kanon was bemused at the Phoenix's suggestion, but the Bronze Saint explained that after Saga had locked up Kanon in Sounion, it was Athena's cosmos who continuously lifted him to the surface of the water each time it ascended. Kanon scoffed at the notion that Athena, an infant at the time, could do this -- however, at this point, the seeds of doubt had already been planted in his mind. Not soon after, Ikki demanded that Kanon should return the favor he owed Athena for relentlessly saving his life -- by revealing the location of the jar in which the goddess had kept Poseidon sealed for hundreds of years. The Sea Dragon laughed -- he disclosed the whereabouts of the jar, but touted that the other bronze saints had already foolishly provoked Poseidon into fully awakening. Ikki immediately left to join his bronze brothers in battle.

Sea General Siren Sorrento, who had been watching Kanon's fight with Ikki the entire time, recognized that the entire war had been a ploy, and that this was not Poseidon's time to awaken. The Siren declared that the Sea Dragon had completely failed in his scheme to manipulate the gods, and considered him too pathetic to even be killed in action. Kanon lamented that his plan had crumbled to pieces, but there was one final thing he could do. He set off to the scene of the bronze saints' fight with Poseidon, and realized that they had been successful in freeing Athena from the main breadwinner. At a very critical moment of the battle, Poseidon launched his trident towards Athena -- and Kanon suddenly jumped forward, taking the sharp end of the spear with his chest and protecting the goddess in the process. Before falling unconscious, Kanon begged Athena for her forgiveness.

The "Other" Gemini

Redemption of the Twin

When Athena and her Sanctuary prepared to go into war with Hades -- the goddess's destined opponent that Poseidon had previously hinted at -- Kanon decided that he would finally drop his ambitions and swear in as the Gold Saint of Gemini in his deceased brother's place. At first, the other saints were hesitant to accept him, as Kanon had come to be known as "The Man Who Manipulated Gods". However, Athena was much more forgiving, and allowed Kanon to stay in her palace to protect her. It wasn't long before he was discovered by the Gold Saint of Scorpio, Milo, who demanded that Kanon scam.

Kanon explained to Milo that he had come to terms with his past and was now a Saint of Athena. Milo berated him and offered Kanon one last opportunity to leave unharmed. Kanon refused, and Milo immediately attacked the former Sea Dragon with his patented move, the "Scarlet Needle". Kanon, determined to prove his new allegiance, remained still and did not lash out. Milo unleashed a second wave of needles, and Kanon still did not budge. A third and fourth wave followed, until a bloody Kanon was now writhing in pain from the holes in his body. Having heard the commotion, Athena herself walked out of her bedroom to plead with Milo to stop. Milo contested that, while their goddess may have forgiven Kanon for his deeds, the other saints of Sanctuary cannot afford to do the same. The Scorpio stalked towards the Gemini and prepared to release the final blow, the Antares. Determined to gain the trust of the saints, Kanon told Milo that he would receive the Antares to illustrate his new dedication to Athena. At the same time, Milo was silently bewildered that Kanon had not once retaliated -- being Gemini Saga's younger brother, Kanon certainly had enough raw power to really hurt Milo if he wanted to. Milo struck the final blow into Kanon, impaling his chest with one finger. Kanon dropped to the floor. Milo then turned around and apologized to Athena before exiting the palace. Athena looked over to the Gemini, who was now on his knees and recovering -- with tears flowing down his face. It seems that the "final blow" Milo had used on him was not the deadly Antares, but a pressure point to stop the bleeding. Kanon's act of benevolence had earned their trust, after all.

Inheritance of the Gold

One of the objects is not like the other...

Prior to being confronted by Milo, Kanon kept watch over the Gemini Temple with the permission of Athena. Because he was unable to physically protect the temple, Kanon used the illusional talents that he shared with Saga to guard over the site. Ironically, it was Saga (along with former gold saints Capricorn Shura and Aquarius Camus), of whom Hades had resurrected to life, that Kanon had to do battle with in the temple. Using the same tricks Saga had perfected, Kanon created an illusion of himself wearing the Gold Cloth of Gemini to block Saga's passage.

Camus and Shura were baffled as to the identity of the man wearing Saga's Gemini cloth, but Saga himself immediately knew who it was that dared to don his old armor. The older Gemini urged his two companions to find a way out of the temple as he remained to confront the new Gemini Saint. Saga remembered the time where Kanon had proposed the plan to assassinate the Grand Pope and Athena, and demanded an explanation from his younger brother as to what he was doing in this temple. Kanon simply replied that he had Athena's permission to guard over the temple from intruders. Saga scoffed and blasted the illusion with a fist -- revealing that, although Kanon was not physically there, the Gemini cloth was. This confirmed that the cloth had accepted Kanon as its current master, and Saga secretly wept with joy -- never in a million years would he thought he would see his "evil" little brother take up the duties of the Gemini Saint and fight for justice.

Legacy of the Gemini

In the climax of the Sanctuary prelude to the Hades arc, Kanon and Saga finally came face-to-face physically. In a symbolic gesture, Athena ordered the younger Gemini to present the older Gemini with the very same golden dagger he had used to try to murder her 13 years ago.

After the events in Sanctuary, Kanon finally donned the Gemini cloth for the very first time. Together with senior gold saint Libra Dohko, bronze saints Pegasus Seiya, Dragon Shiryu, Cygnus Hyoga, and Andromeda Shun, the saints of Sanctuary invaded the World of the Dead in Athena's name.

In the Underworld, Kanon moved on his own and immediately asserted his dominance by trapping Balrog Lune, a substitute judge (for Griffon Minos, the first of three main Judges of Hell) -- and sequentially influential figure --, within an illusion. Only the arrival of Wyvern Rhadamanthys disrupted this spell, but by then it was too late -- Lune had already fallen prey to Kanon's attack, and was killed before he could even realize it. Kanon then challenged Rhadamanthys to a battle, with the gold saint seemingly having the upper-hand. This fight was interrupted by the arrival of minor spectres, as well as bronze saints Seiya and Shun.

Later on, Kanon found himself traveling with Shiryu and Hyoga as they searched for the palace of Hades. On the way, Kanon defeated many spectres, including the Deadly Beetle Stand of the Sky Ugly Star, and Lycaon Phlegyas of the Sky Guilt Star. Kanon and Rhadamanthys soon crossed path once again, and the Gemini instructed his two bronze saint companions to leave him as he battled the Wyvern. Hyoga and Shiryu obliged, and Kanon fought Rhadamanthys alone. The gold saint proved to be an adequate challenge for the Judge, and a victory was almost secured -- until Griffon Minos and Garuda Aiacos suddenly arrived on the scene. The two Judges expressed individual interest in battling the intruder, and not even Kanon could handle this tag team. It was only after Phoenix Ikki arrived that Kanon was spared from the wrath of the two Judges.

Rhadamanthys in agonizing pain. Let's not get into details here.

Ikki would go on to defeat Garuda Aiacos, while Griffon Minos retreated after hearing rumors that one of Athena's saints had become the next reincarnation of Hades. Kanon and Rhadamanthys, both battle-worn, continued to fight to a stalemate. Eventually, 11 of 12 gold cloths gathered together before the legendary Wailing Wall which blocked the entrance to the Elysium Fields -- the place where Hades, the God of the Underworld, resided. The gold cloths, each individually bathed with sunlight, had come together with hopes of producing just enough solar energy to destroy the dark wall and open a path. The gold cloths cried out for the Gemini to join them, and and Kanon willfully returned it to its rightful owner. In front of the wall, the soul of Saga materialized in full form and donned the Gold Cloth of Gemini once more.

Kanon, satisfied at the work he had accomplished, plunged onto the Wyvern with one last kamikazi technique that propelled both men into the air. The two began to soar into the sky, and Rhadamanthys was shocked that "The Man Who Manipulated Gods" would perform such a final, sacrificial move. Kanon smirked; this will, at last, allow him to wipe the slate clean from his previous crimes. The pressures of the atmosphere soon grind both men into dust, and as the lives of Kanon and Rhadamanthys were erased from existence, a galaxy of planets and stars exploded in tribute.

Notes & Trivia

  • In the manga, Saga's hair is longer than Kanon's, with emphasis on individual strands. Kanon's hair is wavier and less detailed. This detail is omitted in all versions of the anime, from the Poseidon arc to the recent Hades OVAs.
  • Before the airing of the Poseidon saga, various promos and merchandises (such as box of the Bandai figure) depicted Kanon with grey hair and red eye -- identical to Saga's evil incarnation.
  • In the US translation of the manga released by VIZ, Kanon's name is spelled as "Canon". In the Hades Sanctuary Book, his name is also spelled "Canon."
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