TV-Series
Description
Mitsumasa Kido is the founder and former head of the Graad Foundation, a powerful global conglomerate. He is introduced as already deceased before the main events of the story, but his actions set the entire narrative in motion. While traveling in Greece, Kido encountered the dying Sagittarius Aiolos, who entrusted him with the infant Athena—the goddess reborn as a human child—and the Sagittarius Gold Cloth. Kido adopted the baby as his granddaughter, naming her Saori Kido, and took her to Japan. He then disguised the Gold Cloth as an antique to hide it from the Sanctuary.
Understanding that Athena would need protectors, Kido conceived a controversial plan. In the original manga, he fathered one hundred sons with dozens of women around the world and, after collecting them, sent them to harsh training locations to become Saints. Only ten of those children survived and returned with Bronze Cloths, including Seiya, Shiryu, Hyoga, Shun, and Ikki. In the anime adaptation, he instead gathered orphans from various institutions without being their biological father. Regardless of the version, he used the Graad Foundation’s resources to fund their training and later organized the Galaxian Wars tournament, offering the Sagittarius Cloth as a prize to force competent Saints to emerge and to provoke the corrupt Sanctuary into revealing itself.
Kido’s personality is complex and morally ambiguous. He was a wealthy, shrewd businessman with a passion for combat sports. He was also a man of immense willpower, willing to sacrifice his own children for what he believed was the greater good—protecting Athena and ultimately humanity. This decision caused him deep inner turmoil: he acknowledged the cruelty of sending his sons to near‑certain death, yet he pressed on, convinced that no lesser price would suffice. On his deathbed, he confessed the truth to Saori, revealing her divine identity and the mission he had set in motion. While some characters, especially Ikki, felt only hatred toward him for treating his children as tools, others—such as Hyoga’s mother—spoke of him as a man who loved justice and peace. He deliberately kept an emotional distance from his sons to avoid creating bonds that might later cause them more pain.
In the story, Kido functions as a catalyst. His decisions created the generation of Bronze Saints who become Athena’s primary defenders. His planning included disguising the Sagittarius Cloth, arranging the Galaxian Wars, and commissioning the Steel Saints (in the anime) as covert backup. Though he dies before seeing the outcome, his legacy drives the conflict between the Graad Foundation and the Sanctuary, and Saori eventually embraces his vision as her own.
Kido’s key relationships include his adoptive granddaughter Saori, whom he raised with genuine affection while also preparing her for her fate. With his biological sons, he is an absent and manipulative figure; most learn the truth only after his death. His loyal steward Tatsumi carried out his orders and remained devoted to Saori. Kido had no superhuman combat abilities—his strength lay in his wealth, organizational skill, and unwavering resolve.
Character development for Kido is limited because he is dead before the series begins. However, his posthumous influence evolves: Saori grows to understand his sacrifices, and the Bronze Saints gradually come to terms with what he did, acknowledging that despite his methods, he ultimately served a noble purpose. His figure remains a source of moral complexity within the saga, representing the lengths one might go to for the sake of protecting the world.
Understanding that Athena would need protectors, Kido conceived a controversial plan. In the original manga, he fathered one hundred sons with dozens of women around the world and, after collecting them, sent them to harsh training locations to become Saints. Only ten of those children survived and returned with Bronze Cloths, including Seiya, Shiryu, Hyoga, Shun, and Ikki. In the anime adaptation, he instead gathered orphans from various institutions without being their biological father. Regardless of the version, he used the Graad Foundation’s resources to fund their training and later organized the Galaxian Wars tournament, offering the Sagittarius Cloth as a prize to force competent Saints to emerge and to provoke the corrupt Sanctuary into revealing itself.
Kido’s personality is complex and morally ambiguous. He was a wealthy, shrewd businessman with a passion for combat sports. He was also a man of immense willpower, willing to sacrifice his own children for what he believed was the greater good—protecting Athena and ultimately humanity. This decision caused him deep inner turmoil: he acknowledged the cruelty of sending his sons to near‑certain death, yet he pressed on, convinced that no lesser price would suffice. On his deathbed, he confessed the truth to Saori, revealing her divine identity and the mission he had set in motion. While some characters, especially Ikki, felt only hatred toward him for treating his children as tools, others—such as Hyoga’s mother—spoke of him as a man who loved justice and peace. He deliberately kept an emotional distance from his sons to avoid creating bonds that might later cause them more pain.
In the story, Kido functions as a catalyst. His decisions created the generation of Bronze Saints who become Athena’s primary defenders. His planning included disguising the Sagittarius Cloth, arranging the Galaxian Wars, and commissioning the Steel Saints (in the anime) as covert backup. Though he dies before seeing the outcome, his legacy drives the conflict between the Graad Foundation and the Sanctuary, and Saori eventually embraces his vision as her own.
Kido’s key relationships include his adoptive granddaughter Saori, whom he raised with genuine affection while also preparing her for her fate. With his biological sons, he is an absent and manipulative figure; most learn the truth only after his death. His loyal steward Tatsumi carried out his orders and remained devoted to Saori. Kido had no superhuman combat abilities—his strength lay in his wealth, organizational skill, and unwavering resolve.
Character development for Kido is limited because he is dead before the series begins. However, his posthumous influence evolves: Saori grows to understand his sacrifices, and the Bronze Saints gradually come to terms with what he did, acknowledging that despite his methods, he ultimately served a noble purpose. His figure remains a source of moral complexity within the saga, representing the lengths one might go to for the sake of protecting the world.