ONA
Description
The character known as Níðhöggr Fáfnir appears in the anime Saint Seiya: Soul of Gold under the name Fafner of Nidhogg. He is one of the seven God Warriors of Asgard who serve Andreas Lise, the man ruling Asgard during the events of the story. Fafner holds the position of guardian of Svartalfheim, one of the chambers tied to the great world tree Yggdrasil, and fights in a God Robe representing the dragon Nidhogg. Physically, he is an adult man with black eyes and short white hair, and his armor shares the same color as that worn by Siegfried in the earlier Asgard storyline of the franchise, an echo of the dragon motif he is built around.
His background establishes him as the most maleficent of the God Warriors. According to the character Lyfia, he is infamous for human experimentation and once captured an entire village of people to use in his work before he was stopped. This cruelty aligns with the Norse legends attached to his name: the dragon Nidhogg is said to gnaw at the roots of Yggdrasil and to consume the bodies of murderers, adulterers, and oath-breakers, while the dragon Fafnir is remembered for his greed and his encounter with the hero Sigurd. The character combines both myths in his design, his weapons, and his methods.
In personality, Fafner is arrogant, haughty, and completely confident in his own abilities. He shows no concern for human suffering and treats people as raw material for his experiments, which sets him apart even among Andreas' warriors as a figure of outright cruelty. At the same time, he is depicted as cunning and analytical, and he is entrusted with guarding one of the chambers of Yggdrasil because of his intellect. His motivations are tied to his devotion to Andreas and his enthusiasm for his cruel research, and he regards his encounters with the revived Gold Saints as both a duty and an opportunity to further his work.
Fafner's role in the story is that of an early antagonist, specifically the first opponent faced by Mu of Aries after the Gold Saints are mysteriously revived in Asgard. When Mu investigates an abandoned village whose residents have disappeared, Fafner ambushes him and subdues him with a whip before binding him to the roots of Yggdrasil, planning to let the tree drain the Gold Saint's Cosmos. Mu breaks free, realizes the true nature of the danger, and retaliates, forcing Fafner to retreat. Their clash reveals the connection between Yggdrasil and Andreas' plans and demonstrates the growing power of the revived Saints.
In terms of relationships, Fafner is loyal to Andreas Lise and operates alongside the other God Warriors, though his sadism makes him stand out among them. He is openly despised by Lyfia, who describes him as the most malefic of the group, and he serves as a direct opponent to Mu. He does not undergo any meaningful development over the course of the series; he appears as a brutal obstacle whose defeat stems from his own overconfidence, and he does not receive a sympathetic or redemptive arc.
His notable abilities center on the God Robe of Nidhogg, the sword Ridill, which has the shape of a dragon's tail, and a whip that he uses to subdue enemies. Like the other God Warriors, his power is amplified while he is within the sphere of influence of Yggdrasil, and he can draw additional strength from the Odin Sapphire granted by Andreas. His signature technique is to restrain captives against the roots of Yggdrasil so that the tree absorbs their Cosmos, a practice that ties his fighting style directly to the mythical Nidhogg that devours the roots of the world tree.
His background establishes him as the most maleficent of the God Warriors. According to the character Lyfia, he is infamous for human experimentation and once captured an entire village of people to use in his work before he was stopped. This cruelty aligns with the Norse legends attached to his name: the dragon Nidhogg is said to gnaw at the roots of Yggdrasil and to consume the bodies of murderers, adulterers, and oath-breakers, while the dragon Fafnir is remembered for his greed and his encounter with the hero Sigurd. The character combines both myths in his design, his weapons, and his methods.
In personality, Fafner is arrogant, haughty, and completely confident in his own abilities. He shows no concern for human suffering and treats people as raw material for his experiments, which sets him apart even among Andreas' warriors as a figure of outright cruelty. At the same time, he is depicted as cunning and analytical, and he is entrusted with guarding one of the chambers of Yggdrasil because of his intellect. His motivations are tied to his devotion to Andreas and his enthusiasm for his cruel research, and he regards his encounters with the revived Gold Saints as both a duty and an opportunity to further his work.
Fafner's role in the story is that of an early antagonist, specifically the first opponent faced by Mu of Aries after the Gold Saints are mysteriously revived in Asgard. When Mu investigates an abandoned village whose residents have disappeared, Fafner ambushes him and subdues him with a whip before binding him to the roots of Yggdrasil, planning to let the tree drain the Gold Saint's Cosmos. Mu breaks free, realizes the true nature of the danger, and retaliates, forcing Fafner to retreat. Their clash reveals the connection between Yggdrasil and Andreas' plans and demonstrates the growing power of the revived Saints.
In terms of relationships, Fafner is loyal to Andreas Lise and operates alongside the other God Warriors, though his sadism makes him stand out among them. He is openly despised by Lyfia, who describes him as the most malefic of the group, and he serves as a direct opponent to Mu. He does not undergo any meaningful development over the course of the series; he appears as a brutal obstacle whose defeat stems from his own overconfidence, and he does not receive a sympathetic or redemptive arc.
His notable abilities center on the God Robe of Nidhogg, the sword Ridill, which has the shape of a dragon's tail, and a whip that he uses to subdue enemies. Like the other God Warriors, his power is amplified while he is within the sphere of influence of Yggdrasil, and he can draw additional strength from the Odin Sapphire granted by Andreas. His signature technique is to restrain captives against the roots of Yggdrasil so that the tree absorbs their Cosmos, a practice that ties his fighting style directly to the mythical Nidhogg that devours the roots of the world tree.