OVA
Description
Albafica de Peixes is the Gold Saint of the Pisces Temple serving the goddess Athena during the 18th century Holy War against Hades, as depicted in Saint Seiya: The Lost Canvas. He is a young man of twenty-three years, born on February 23, who stands 183 cm tall. From infancy, his life has been intertwined with poison and solitude. As a baby, he was abandoned and left to die among a garden of deadly Royal Demon Roses, a feat that would have been fatal to any other living creature. Surviving this ordeal due to an innate resistance, he was discovered and adopted by Lugonis, the previous Pisces Gold Saint, who became both a father figure and his master.
This adoption set Albafica on the path of a solitary warrior. To inherit the Pisces Cloth and its powers, he underwent a ritual known as the Red Ribbons or Crimson Bonds. This ceremony involved the continuous exchange of poisoned blood between master and pupil, a process that lasted for several years. The purpose was to cultivate a body immune to all toxins, but at a terrible cost. As Albafica grew stronger, the poison in his own blood became more potent than his master's. Ultimately, during one of the blood exchanges, his venom proved too powerful for Lugonis, and the master died, his life claimed by the very poison he had helped nurture in his student. This traumatic event forged Albafica's core personality: a profound fear of harming others with his presence, leading him to embrace a life of isolation.
Outwardly, Albafica presents a cold, enigmatic, and distant demeanor. He avoids physical contact and close conversation, and he reacts with visible displeasure or even covers his face when others praise his extraordinary beauty, a trait he shares with all Pisces Saints. This behavior is not born of arrogance or misanthropy, but from a deep-seated sense of responsibility and a gentle, noble heart. He isolates himself to protect others from his toxic blood, which is so lethal that even being near him poses a risk. Beneath this icy exterior lies a compassionate and sensitive individual who holds a great love for humanity, particularly for the innocent villagers of Rodorio, which lies close to the Sanctuary. His primary motivation is to protect these people and his fellow Saints, a duty he fulfills even at the cost of his own life and happiness.
His role in the story is that of a tragic, frontline defender. When the forces of Hades, led by one of the three Judges of the Underworld, Griffon Minos, launch a surprise attack on the Sanctuary, Albafica is the first Gold Saint to engage the enemy. He single-handedly annihilates an entire squadron of eleven Specters, using the full arsenal of his floral techniques. His ultimate confrontation is with Minos himself. Despite suffering a brutal assault from Minos's Cosmic Marionette attack, which shatters his bones, Albafica refuses to stay down. In a final, desperate act of sacrifice, he feigns a final attack as a distraction, using his own blood to secretly infuse a Bloody Rose with his deadly poison. He plants this rose in Minos's heart, ensuring the Judge's death. Albafica dies from his wounds and blood loss shortly after, becoming the first major casualty of the Holy War. His death was not in vain, as his actions bought precious time for the Sanctuary and set a powerful example of sacrifice.
Albafica's key relationships are few but intense. His bond with his master Lugonis is the most defining, a mixture of filial love and the guilt of having been the cause of his death. He shares a deep, unspoken trust with his comrade Shion of Aries, who arrives to support him in his final battle and respects his solitude. He also works alongside Manigoldo of Cancer on a mission to Venice, where he demonstrates a more tactical and cooperative side, though still maintaining his physical distance. His development throughout the narrative is subtle but poignant. Initially resigned to a lonely existence defined by his curse, his final battle reveals a man who has accepted his fate. In his dying moments, watching the petals fall, he expresses for the first time a sense of peace, finally able to appreciate the beauty of the roses he once resented.
As a Pisces Gold Saint, his abilities are entirely rose-based, each serving a distinct and deadly purpose. The Royal Demon Rose are red roses whose fragrance or thorns slowly rob the victim of their five senses, leading to a pleasurable, painless death. The Piranha Rose are black roses with immense destructive power, their thorns capable of tearing through virtually any material, including Surplices. The Bloody Rose is a white rose that seeks the opponent's heart; once thrown, it is inescapable and will drain the victim's blood, turning red upon completion. Finally, his signature technique is the Crimson Thorn. Unique to Albafica due to his condition, this attack weaponizes his own poisoned blood, transforming it into hundreds of high-speed, needle-like projectiles that can pierce even the armor of Hades. This ability is the direct manifestation of his tragic existence: his own life force, his blood, is his most powerful and deadly weapon.
This adoption set Albafica on the path of a solitary warrior. To inherit the Pisces Cloth and its powers, he underwent a ritual known as the Red Ribbons or Crimson Bonds. This ceremony involved the continuous exchange of poisoned blood between master and pupil, a process that lasted for several years. The purpose was to cultivate a body immune to all toxins, but at a terrible cost. As Albafica grew stronger, the poison in his own blood became more potent than his master's. Ultimately, during one of the blood exchanges, his venom proved too powerful for Lugonis, and the master died, his life claimed by the very poison he had helped nurture in his student. This traumatic event forged Albafica's core personality: a profound fear of harming others with his presence, leading him to embrace a life of isolation.
Outwardly, Albafica presents a cold, enigmatic, and distant demeanor. He avoids physical contact and close conversation, and he reacts with visible displeasure or even covers his face when others praise his extraordinary beauty, a trait he shares with all Pisces Saints. This behavior is not born of arrogance or misanthropy, but from a deep-seated sense of responsibility and a gentle, noble heart. He isolates himself to protect others from his toxic blood, which is so lethal that even being near him poses a risk. Beneath this icy exterior lies a compassionate and sensitive individual who holds a great love for humanity, particularly for the innocent villagers of Rodorio, which lies close to the Sanctuary. His primary motivation is to protect these people and his fellow Saints, a duty he fulfills even at the cost of his own life and happiness.
His role in the story is that of a tragic, frontline defender. When the forces of Hades, led by one of the three Judges of the Underworld, Griffon Minos, launch a surprise attack on the Sanctuary, Albafica is the first Gold Saint to engage the enemy. He single-handedly annihilates an entire squadron of eleven Specters, using the full arsenal of his floral techniques. His ultimate confrontation is with Minos himself. Despite suffering a brutal assault from Minos's Cosmic Marionette attack, which shatters his bones, Albafica refuses to stay down. In a final, desperate act of sacrifice, he feigns a final attack as a distraction, using his own blood to secretly infuse a Bloody Rose with his deadly poison. He plants this rose in Minos's heart, ensuring the Judge's death. Albafica dies from his wounds and blood loss shortly after, becoming the first major casualty of the Holy War. His death was not in vain, as his actions bought precious time for the Sanctuary and set a powerful example of sacrifice.
Albafica's key relationships are few but intense. His bond with his master Lugonis is the most defining, a mixture of filial love and the guilt of having been the cause of his death. He shares a deep, unspoken trust with his comrade Shion of Aries, who arrives to support him in his final battle and respects his solitude. He also works alongside Manigoldo of Cancer on a mission to Venice, where he demonstrates a more tactical and cooperative side, though still maintaining his physical distance. His development throughout the narrative is subtle but poignant. Initially resigned to a lonely existence defined by his curse, his final battle reveals a man who has accepted his fate. In his dying moments, watching the petals fall, he expresses for the first time a sense of peace, finally able to appreciate the beauty of the roses he once resented.
As a Pisces Gold Saint, his abilities are entirely rose-based, each serving a distinct and deadly purpose. The Royal Demon Rose are red roses whose fragrance or thorns slowly rob the victim of their five senses, leading to a pleasurable, painless death. The Piranha Rose are black roses with immense destructive power, their thorns capable of tearing through virtually any material, including Surplices. The Bloody Rose is a white rose that seeks the opponent's heart; once thrown, it is inescapable and will drain the victim's blood, turning red upon completion. Finally, his signature technique is the Crimson Thorn. Unique to Albafica due to his condition, this attack weaponizes his own poisoned blood, transforming it into hundreds of high-speed, needle-like projectiles that can pierce even the armor of Hades. This ability is the direct manifestation of his tragic existence: his own life force, his blood, is his most powerful and deadly weapon.