OVA
Description
Manigoldo di Cancer is the Gold Saint who guards the fourth temple of the zodiac, the House of Cancer, during the 18th century Holy War against Hades. He is the sole disciple of Sage, the Cancer Saint who serves as the Grand Pope of the Sanctuary. Manigoldo was born in a small village in Italy. When he was a child, his entire village was massacred by Specters of Hades, leaving him the sole survivor. This traumatic event shaped his early worldview, leading him to believe that life was worthless because it inevitably ended in death. He considered the souls of the dead to be nothing but refuse. Orphaned and living by his wits, he became a thief, preying on travelers who ventured near the ruins of his former home.
One night, while observing the spirits of his dead relatives floating among the ruins, he was discovered by Sage. Manigoldo was surprised that the old man could also see the souls. He warned Sage that death could come at any moment, then tried to stab him with a knife, intending to steal his jeweled accessories. Sage easily blocked the attack, revealing the Cancer Gold Cloth beneath his robes. Instead of punishing the boy, Sage asked how many deaths he had witnessed and told him that life was not refuse. Sage explained that each individual life might seem insignificant when viewed alone, but all lives are part of a vast universe and have the chance to shine like stars. Manigoldo, though touched by the words, claimed not to understand. Sage invited him to come to the Sanctuary and learn. Manigoldo chose to follow him.
Under Sage's tutelage, Manigoldo proved to be a prodigious student, far ahead of his peers in combat training. However, the trauma of his past left him with a ruthless edge in battle. He had difficulty holding back against opponents who could no longer fight, despised those who wanted to surrender, and believed that the only thing weak people could do in war was fall into despair and die. Sage recognized this flaw and took him to the entrance of the Underworld, where Manigoldo saw countless souls plunging into a volcanic abyss. When he learned those souls were destined for eternal damnation in the Underworld, he became furious. He tried to save the soul of a small girl who was falling, risking his own life. Sage stopped him, explaining that death cannot be avoided, but the suffering of the afterlife can be opposed. The mission of Athena's Saints is to fight Hades in order to change the fate of the dead and put an end to eternal torment. This lesson slowly transformed Manigoldo, helping him understand the value of all life.
Manigoldo is bold, aggressive, and highly confident, with a brash and informal way of speaking that contrasts with the gravity of the Holy War. He possesses a sharp wit and often displays a dark, mocking humor. Despite his arrogant exterior, he is fiercely loyal to his master and devoted to the protection of the living. He eventually comes to believe that all lives, no matter how small, are precious, and he fights to honor that belief.
His role in the story begins with his interception of the Bronze Saint Tenma of Pegasus, who attempted to leave the Sanctuary after the death of Taurus Aldebaran. Manigoldo mocked Tenma's grief, stating that the weak deserve to die in war, and knocked him unconscious, imprisoning him for his own protection. Later, following Sage's orders, Manigoldo secretly followed Tenma and his companions Yato of Unicorn and Yuzuriha of Crane into the Forest of Death to provide aid. There, he confronted the Specter Veronica of Nasu, who had been empowered by Thanatos with near-immortality and regenerative abilities. Manigoldo used Acubens to split Veronica's body, then projected both of them to the entrance of the Underworld, where he incinerated Veronica's soul with the Praesepe Demonic Blue Flames, destroying him permanently.
After this victory, Manigoldo used a dimensional portal left open by Thanatos to travel directly to the palace of the twin gods, Hypnos and Thanatos. He interrupted their chess game and provocatively demanded to know which one was Thanatos, declaring that he wanted to punch him in the face. Thanatos accepted the challenge. Manigoldo fought the god of death courageously but was outmatched. He was nearly killed when Thanatos opened a hyperdimension. Sage arrived to aid his disciple, and the two Cancer Saints fought together. Despite Sage's warning that his power was insufficient, Manigoldo made a decisive sacrifice. He leaped into the hyperdimension and destroyed Thanatos's physical body, though he was pulverized in the process. This act gave Sage the opening he needed to seal Thanatos's soul within a sacred urn using talismans from Athena.
After his death, Manigoldo's spirit appeared in the Sanctuary, grievously wounded. He gave the helmet of the Grand Pope to Aries Shion, instructing him to deliver it to his master Hakurei so that Hakurei could become the new Pope. Manigoldo's soul then vanished. He later appeared one final time in spiritual form, joining the other Gold Saints in unleashing a golden light attack against Hades.
Earlier in the timeline, before the war officially began, Manigoldo was sent on a mission to Venice alongside Pisces Albafica. They were tasked with dismantling the Nero organization, a criminal syndicate led by the Black Saint Avido, a former disciple of Altar Hakurei who had turned to evil. In Venice, Manigoldo met a street urchin named Gioca who stole his wallet. Through this encounter, he discovered the extent of Avido's crimes. Avido was using the souls of his victims as fuel for his attacks. Manigoldo fought Avido and, after a difficult battle, defeated him, though Avido chose to commit suicide rather than accept defeat. Manigoldo also traveled to Jamir with Shion to deliver an order from Sage that Shion was deemed ready to receive the Aries Gold Cloth. During this journey, he helped Shion break a time seal placed by the god Chronos and fought a fragment of the god Kairos.
Regarding his notable abilities, Manigoldo was born with the innate power to see the souls of the dead. He mastered a variety of soul-related techniques taught by Sage. His fundamental technique is the Praesepe Underworld Waves, which separates the soul from the body and sends it to the entrance of the Underworld. He can freely travel between the world of the living and the Underworld at will. With the Praesepe Demonic Blue Flames, he creates an orb of blue flames that ignites and incinerates nearby souls, making it especially effective against opponents with regenerative abilities or intangible forms. The Praesepe Soul Burial Waves allows him to use stray souls as gunpowder, charging them with energy to create a massive explosion. More souls absorbed result in a more powerful blast. He also possesses a purely physical technique called Acubens, where he uses both legs like the pincers of a crab to crush and cut an opponent in half, an attack strong enough to break lower-grade armors such as Surplices. Like all Gold Saints, Manigoldo can move at the speed of light and has mastered the Seventh Sense.
One night, while observing the spirits of his dead relatives floating among the ruins, he was discovered by Sage. Manigoldo was surprised that the old man could also see the souls. He warned Sage that death could come at any moment, then tried to stab him with a knife, intending to steal his jeweled accessories. Sage easily blocked the attack, revealing the Cancer Gold Cloth beneath his robes. Instead of punishing the boy, Sage asked how many deaths he had witnessed and told him that life was not refuse. Sage explained that each individual life might seem insignificant when viewed alone, but all lives are part of a vast universe and have the chance to shine like stars. Manigoldo, though touched by the words, claimed not to understand. Sage invited him to come to the Sanctuary and learn. Manigoldo chose to follow him.
Under Sage's tutelage, Manigoldo proved to be a prodigious student, far ahead of his peers in combat training. However, the trauma of his past left him with a ruthless edge in battle. He had difficulty holding back against opponents who could no longer fight, despised those who wanted to surrender, and believed that the only thing weak people could do in war was fall into despair and die. Sage recognized this flaw and took him to the entrance of the Underworld, where Manigoldo saw countless souls plunging into a volcanic abyss. When he learned those souls were destined for eternal damnation in the Underworld, he became furious. He tried to save the soul of a small girl who was falling, risking his own life. Sage stopped him, explaining that death cannot be avoided, but the suffering of the afterlife can be opposed. The mission of Athena's Saints is to fight Hades in order to change the fate of the dead and put an end to eternal torment. This lesson slowly transformed Manigoldo, helping him understand the value of all life.
Manigoldo is bold, aggressive, and highly confident, with a brash and informal way of speaking that contrasts with the gravity of the Holy War. He possesses a sharp wit and often displays a dark, mocking humor. Despite his arrogant exterior, he is fiercely loyal to his master and devoted to the protection of the living. He eventually comes to believe that all lives, no matter how small, are precious, and he fights to honor that belief.
His role in the story begins with his interception of the Bronze Saint Tenma of Pegasus, who attempted to leave the Sanctuary after the death of Taurus Aldebaran. Manigoldo mocked Tenma's grief, stating that the weak deserve to die in war, and knocked him unconscious, imprisoning him for his own protection. Later, following Sage's orders, Manigoldo secretly followed Tenma and his companions Yato of Unicorn and Yuzuriha of Crane into the Forest of Death to provide aid. There, he confronted the Specter Veronica of Nasu, who had been empowered by Thanatos with near-immortality and regenerative abilities. Manigoldo used Acubens to split Veronica's body, then projected both of them to the entrance of the Underworld, where he incinerated Veronica's soul with the Praesepe Demonic Blue Flames, destroying him permanently.
After this victory, Manigoldo used a dimensional portal left open by Thanatos to travel directly to the palace of the twin gods, Hypnos and Thanatos. He interrupted their chess game and provocatively demanded to know which one was Thanatos, declaring that he wanted to punch him in the face. Thanatos accepted the challenge. Manigoldo fought the god of death courageously but was outmatched. He was nearly killed when Thanatos opened a hyperdimension. Sage arrived to aid his disciple, and the two Cancer Saints fought together. Despite Sage's warning that his power was insufficient, Manigoldo made a decisive sacrifice. He leaped into the hyperdimension and destroyed Thanatos's physical body, though he was pulverized in the process. This act gave Sage the opening he needed to seal Thanatos's soul within a sacred urn using talismans from Athena.
After his death, Manigoldo's spirit appeared in the Sanctuary, grievously wounded. He gave the helmet of the Grand Pope to Aries Shion, instructing him to deliver it to his master Hakurei so that Hakurei could become the new Pope. Manigoldo's soul then vanished. He later appeared one final time in spiritual form, joining the other Gold Saints in unleashing a golden light attack against Hades.
Earlier in the timeline, before the war officially began, Manigoldo was sent on a mission to Venice alongside Pisces Albafica. They were tasked with dismantling the Nero organization, a criminal syndicate led by the Black Saint Avido, a former disciple of Altar Hakurei who had turned to evil. In Venice, Manigoldo met a street urchin named Gioca who stole his wallet. Through this encounter, he discovered the extent of Avido's crimes. Avido was using the souls of his victims as fuel for his attacks. Manigoldo fought Avido and, after a difficult battle, defeated him, though Avido chose to commit suicide rather than accept defeat. Manigoldo also traveled to Jamir with Shion to deliver an order from Sage that Shion was deemed ready to receive the Aries Gold Cloth. During this journey, he helped Shion break a time seal placed by the god Chronos and fought a fragment of the god Kairos.
Regarding his notable abilities, Manigoldo was born with the innate power to see the souls of the dead. He mastered a variety of soul-related techniques taught by Sage. His fundamental technique is the Praesepe Underworld Waves, which separates the soul from the body and sends it to the entrance of the Underworld. He can freely travel between the world of the living and the Underworld at will. With the Praesepe Demonic Blue Flames, he creates an orb of blue flames that ignites and incinerates nearby souls, making it especially effective against opponents with regenerative abilities or intangible forms. The Praesepe Soul Burial Waves allows him to use stray souls as gunpowder, charging them with energy to create a massive explosion. More souls absorbed result in a more powerful blast. He also possesses a purely physical technique called Acubens, where he uses both legs like the pincers of a crab to crush and cut an opponent in half, an attack strong enough to break lower-grade armors such as Surplices. Like all Gold Saints, Manigoldo can move at the speed of light and has mastered the Seventh Sense.