OVA
Description
Phantasos, known as the Portrayer and described as the god who can wield unreality, is a minor antagonist in Saint Seiya: The Lost Canvas. He is one of the dream gods, a group of divine beings who serve Hypnos, the god of sleep. Phantasos is counted among the Oneiroi alongside his brothers Oneiros, Morpheus, Ikelos, and Phobetor. In keeping with the Greek myth in which Phantasos appears in dreams as lifeless objects such as earth, stone, water, and trees, the Lost Canvas version of the character specializes in creating unreal and ominous dreams and in deceiving others through false appearances.
Phantasos usually presents himself using the false image of a female version of himself, appearing as a woman with long blonde hair and golden eyes. This feminine form is an illusion, and his true form, which is only exposed at the moment of his death, is male. His personality reflects this love of deception. He approaches his duties with a detached and mocking playfulness, toying with his victims rather than confronting them directly. He treats serious situations as entertainment, as shown when he keeps the severed arm of his opponent El Cid as a trophy simply for amusement. He also takes pleasure in probing the secret dreams and longings of those he captures.
His role in the story is tied to the mission given to the dream gods by Hypnos. When Pegasus Tenma and his companions Yato and Yuzuriha attempt to break through the barrier of dreams protecting the cathedral of Hades, Phantasos and his brothers are ordered to capture Tenma and imprison his body and soul in the World of Dreams so that he cannot continue to take part in the Holy War between Hades and Athena. Phantasos and his brothers intercept the Saints, and Phantasos remains behind to guard the sleeping bodies of Yato and Yuzuriha after they are put to sleep. He is then confronted by El Cid of Capricorn, a Gold Saint who has followed his trail even after losing an arm to the dream gods in an earlier encounter. In the manga, El Cid strikes Phantasos down with a blade made from his own Cosmos, cutting him in half and making him the first of the dream gods to fall. The force of the attack tears away his disguise, and his true male face is revealed as he dies.
The anime adaptation expands his role somewhat. In the animated version, he directly fights Yato and Yuzuriha and uses a named technique called Grim Fantasia to extract their souls from their bodies. This technique immobilizes a victim and prevents them from raising their Cosmo, after which Phantasos can pull their soul out and read the deepest dreams and desires hidden within it. The victim's soul is then confined within his dream domain. When he attempts this technique on El Cid, he is surprised to discover that the Gold Saint's only desire is to obtain the most powerful sword. The manifestation of that sword exposes Phantasos' true form, which enrages him, and in the following clash El Cid cuts him down. In the original manga, this ability had no name; the name Grim Fantasia was introduced specifically for the anime. According to the observations of other characters, Phantasos' Cosmo is superior to that of ordinary Specters.
Because he dies early in the story, Phantasos receives little personal development. His motivations remain straightforward: as a servant of Hypnos, he carries out his master's orders in the Holy War and works with his fellow dream gods to capture Tenma, but he does so with a casual, taunting attitude toward his enemies. His key relationships are with his brothers among the dream gods, with whom he operates under the leadership of Oneiros, and with El Cid, the Gold Saint who ultimately defeats him. His defeat serves as an early demonstration of El Cid's resolve, as the wounded Saint continues to fight using his Cosmos as a sword despite his physical injury. Phantasos' notable abilities include his power to create unreal and frightening dreams, his use of a feminine disguise to conceal his true nature, his dimensional travel between the real world and the World of Dreams, and his dream-based soul extraction technique.
Phantasos usually presents himself using the false image of a female version of himself, appearing as a woman with long blonde hair and golden eyes. This feminine form is an illusion, and his true form, which is only exposed at the moment of his death, is male. His personality reflects this love of deception. He approaches his duties with a detached and mocking playfulness, toying with his victims rather than confronting them directly. He treats serious situations as entertainment, as shown when he keeps the severed arm of his opponent El Cid as a trophy simply for amusement. He also takes pleasure in probing the secret dreams and longings of those he captures.
His role in the story is tied to the mission given to the dream gods by Hypnos. When Pegasus Tenma and his companions Yato and Yuzuriha attempt to break through the barrier of dreams protecting the cathedral of Hades, Phantasos and his brothers are ordered to capture Tenma and imprison his body and soul in the World of Dreams so that he cannot continue to take part in the Holy War between Hades and Athena. Phantasos and his brothers intercept the Saints, and Phantasos remains behind to guard the sleeping bodies of Yato and Yuzuriha after they are put to sleep. He is then confronted by El Cid of Capricorn, a Gold Saint who has followed his trail even after losing an arm to the dream gods in an earlier encounter. In the manga, El Cid strikes Phantasos down with a blade made from his own Cosmos, cutting him in half and making him the first of the dream gods to fall. The force of the attack tears away his disguise, and his true male face is revealed as he dies.
The anime adaptation expands his role somewhat. In the animated version, he directly fights Yato and Yuzuriha and uses a named technique called Grim Fantasia to extract their souls from their bodies. This technique immobilizes a victim and prevents them from raising their Cosmo, after which Phantasos can pull their soul out and read the deepest dreams and desires hidden within it. The victim's soul is then confined within his dream domain. When he attempts this technique on El Cid, he is surprised to discover that the Gold Saint's only desire is to obtain the most powerful sword. The manifestation of that sword exposes Phantasos' true form, which enrages him, and in the following clash El Cid cuts him down. In the original manga, this ability had no name; the name Grim Fantasia was introduced specifically for the anime. According to the observations of other characters, Phantasos' Cosmo is superior to that of ordinary Specters.
Because he dies early in the story, Phantasos receives little personal development. His motivations remain straightforward: as a servant of Hypnos, he carries out his master's orders in the Holy War and works with his fellow dream gods to capture Tenma, but he does so with a casual, taunting attitude toward his enemies. His key relationships are with his brothers among the dream gods, with whom he operates under the leadership of Oneiros, and with El Cid, the Gold Saint who ultimately defeats him. His defeat serves as an early demonstration of El Cid's resolve, as the wounded Saint continues to fight using his Cosmos as a sword despite his physical injury. Phantasos' notable abilities include his power to create unreal and frightening dreams, his use of a feminine disguise to conceal his true nature, his dimensional travel between the real world and the World of Dreams, and his dream-based soul extraction technique.