ONA
Description
Masquedemort du Cancer, known in other regions as Deathmask of Cancer, is the Gold Saint who serves as the guardian of the fourth temple of the zodiac, the House of Cancer. In the anime Saint Seiya: Soul of Gold, he is one of the twelve Gold Saints who sacrificed their lives to destroy the Wailing Wall during the battle against Hades and were later mysteriously revived in Asgard. His appearance in this series shows notable changes: his body is noticeably thinner, similar to his depiction in the Hades Saga, and he initially appears with a light beard that is later removed, which is often interpreted as a visual sign of his evolving personality.
Masquedemort is originally portrayed as the cruelest and most morally compromised among the Gold Saints. He holds a deeply nihilistic worldview, believing that power alone determines right and wrong, and that justice is merely a construct defined by the victors. He collects the faces of his victims and displays them as trophies inside his temple, a practice that reflects his complete lack of empathy and his sadistic nature. In Soul of Gold, however, his character undergoes a notable shift. The trauma of his death and the experience of being brought back to life lead him to question his past actions. He begins to show signs of remorse and a desire for redemption, a development that distinguishes his role in this series from his earlier, purely antagonistic portrayal.
His motivations in Soul of Gold are tied to this internal conflict. While he initially serves the revived Gold Saints' collective mission to uncover why they were resurrected and to confront the new threat in Asgard, his personal journey involves coming to terms with the suffering he caused. He is no longer driven solely by cruelty but by a growing sense of duty and a wish to atone.
In the story, Masquedemort fights alongside his fellow Gold Saints against the God Warriors of Asgard and their leader Andreas, who is later revealed to be the host of the evil Norse god Loki. His role is that of a warrior who must reconcile his dark past with his present chance at a new purpose. Despite his reformed intentions, he still struggles with his inherent ruthlessness and the weight of his previous sins.
His key relationships in Soul of Gold include his bond with Aphrodite of Pisces, who was his closest friend during their time as Gold Saints. This friendship is one of the few genuine connections he had, and it persists even after their resurrection. He also interacts with the other revived Gold Saints, particularly Aiolia of Leo, the central protagonist of the series, and Mu of Aries, who had confronted him in the past. These relationships are marked by a mixture of old grudges and mutual recognition of their shared mission.
Masquedemort's development in Soul of Gold is central to his character arc. The experience of death and revival forces him to confront the emptiness of his former philosophy. He sheds the superficial trappings of his old persona, such as the beard, and begins to express emotions he had long suppressed. In one significant moment, the death of Helena, a character he grows close to in Asgard, moves him so deeply that he sheds his first tears of grief, finally understanding the pain he had inflicted on others throughout his life. This moment of vulnerability and remorse marks a turning point, illustrating his capacity for change.
Among his notable abilities, Masquedemort is a master of techniques that manipulate souls and the boundary between life and death. His signature technique is the Sekishiki Meikai Ha, also known as the Waves of the Underworld or the Cercle de l'Esprit. By concentrating his cosmos, he fires spiraling waves of energy that directly attack the opponent's soul, separating it from the body and sending it to the Yomotsu Hirasaka, the hill that separates the world of the living from the realm of the dead. He can also freely travel between these two realms without consequence. Additionally, he possesses telepathic and telekinetic abilities, allowing him to attack targets from a great distance, and he can summon the spirits of his past victims to aid or torment his enemies. In Soul of Gold, like the other Gold Saints, he eventually awakens his God Cloth, a divine armor that greatly amplifies his power and allows him to fight on a level comparable to the gods.
Masquedemort is originally portrayed as the cruelest and most morally compromised among the Gold Saints. He holds a deeply nihilistic worldview, believing that power alone determines right and wrong, and that justice is merely a construct defined by the victors. He collects the faces of his victims and displays them as trophies inside his temple, a practice that reflects his complete lack of empathy and his sadistic nature. In Soul of Gold, however, his character undergoes a notable shift. The trauma of his death and the experience of being brought back to life lead him to question his past actions. He begins to show signs of remorse and a desire for redemption, a development that distinguishes his role in this series from his earlier, purely antagonistic portrayal.
His motivations in Soul of Gold are tied to this internal conflict. While he initially serves the revived Gold Saints' collective mission to uncover why they were resurrected and to confront the new threat in Asgard, his personal journey involves coming to terms with the suffering he caused. He is no longer driven solely by cruelty but by a growing sense of duty and a wish to atone.
In the story, Masquedemort fights alongside his fellow Gold Saints against the God Warriors of Asgard and their leader Andreas, who is later revealed to be the host of the evil Norse god Loki. His role is that of a warrior who must reconcile his dark past with his present chance at a new purpose. Despite his reformed intentions, he still struggles with his inherent ruthlessness and the weight of his previous sins.
His key relationships in Soul of Gold include his bond with Aphrodite of Pisces, who was his closest friend during their time as Gold Saints. This friendship is one of the few genuine connections he had, and it persists even after their resurrection. He also interacts with the other revived Gold Saints, particularly Aiolia of Leo, the central protagonist of the series, and Mu of Aries, who had confronted him in the past. These relationships are marked by a mixture of old grudges and mutual recognition of their shared mission.
Masquedemort's development in Soul of Gold is central to his character arc. The experience of death and revival forces him to confront the emptiness of his former philosophy. He sheds the superficial trappings of his old persona, such as the beard, and begins to express emotions he had long suppressed. In one significant moment, the death of Helena, a character he grows close to in Asgard, moves him so deeply that he sheds his first tears of grief, finally understanding the pain he had inflicted on others throughout his life. This moment of vulnerability and remorse marks a turning point, illustrating his capacity for change.
Among his notable abilities, Masquedemort is a master of techniques that manipulate souls and the boundary between life and death. His signature technique is the Sekishiki Meikai Ha, also known as the Waves of the Underworld or the Cercle de l'Esprit. By concentrating his cosmos, he fires spiraling waves of energy that directly attack the opponent's soul, separating it from the body and sending it to the Yomotsu Hirasaka, the hill that separates the world of the living from the realm of the dead. He can also freely travel between these two realms without consequence. Additionally, he possesses telepathic and telekinetic abilities, allowing him to attack targets from a great distance, and he can summon the spirits of his past victims to aid or torment his enemies. In Soul of Gold, like the other Gold Saints, he eventually awakens his God Cloth, a divine armor that greatly amplifies his power and allows him to fight on a level comparable to the gods.
Cast