TV-Series
Description
Poseidon, whose human host is Julian Solo, is a divine figure in the Saint Seiya story. He is the god of the seas and oceans who, in each era, reincarnates inside a human body in order to wage his holy wars against Athena and her Saints. For his contemporary incarnation, he chose the Solo family, a wealthy Greek dynasty that built its fortune in maritime trade. Poseidon's soul took residence inside Julian when the boy was three years old and remained dormant within him until Julian reached the age of sixteen.
As a human, Julian Solo was the heir to the Solo fortune, a charismatic and idealistic young man whose natural charm drew others to him. He was athletic in build but had no training as a warrior, and he carried himself with elegance, typically dressed in a white suit, with fair skin, light hair, and blue eyes. During a gathering of nobles at his mansion, Julian proposed marriage to Saori Kido, the incarnation of the goddess Athena, and was rejected. That same night he found the divine trident and was led by Thetis of the Sirens to Poseidon's underwater temple, where the Mariners awaited him and he discovered the truth about the god sleeping within him.
The awakening of the god was deliberately provoked by Kanon of Gemini, who sought to use Poseidon's power for his own vengeful plans against Athena. As Poseidon's divine consciousness surfaced, Julian's personal identity was progressively submerged and erased, until the god spoke and acted fully through his body. In his awakened state, Poseidon displayed a controlled and dignified demeanor, never surrendering to anger and always carrying himself with the authority expected of the emperor of the seas. He seemed to take pleasure in belittling his enemies, treating Athena's Saints as lesser beings unworthy of his attention.
Poseidon's motivation comes from his conviction that humanity has become corrupt and unworthy of living on the Earth. He believes that people have squandered the gifts granted to them by the gods and that the only solution is to purify the world through a great flood, washing away the human race so a new age without sin can begin. His servants refer to this ambition as the creation of a new utopia on Earth. To achieve his goal, he abducts Athena and takes her to his underwater sanctuary, intending to use her divine soul for his plan. In the anime, he also worked from the shadows before this direct assault by manipulating Hilda of Polaris, the leader of the God Warriors of Asgard, through the Nibelung ring, hoping to eliminate Athena through her agents.
In the story, Poseidon serves as the central adversary of the conflict known as his holy war, commanding his seven Marina Generals against Athena and her Saints. His power as a god operates on a completely different scale from that of the Gold Saints, and the divine nature of his strength makes him a nearly untouchable opponent. When Seiya and the other Bronze Saints finally manage to strike him, their combined attack leaves only a scratch, and that blow triggers his true and complete awakening, releasing his full divine power.
His abilities come from his divine cosmos rather than from conventional fighting techniques. Without using any named attack, he was able to cause a global cataclysm, summoning unceasing rain across the entire world that destroyed numerous coastal cities and killed or displaced thousands of people. He can stop incoming attacks and send them back against those who launched them, and his body possesses immense natural resistance to harm. In his fully awakened state, his divine trident revives and releases devastating cosmic energy capable of overwhelming his opponents. As an Olympian god, he cannot be permanently destroyed in his mortal frame, and he reincarnates anew through the bodies of the Solo bloodline whenever a holy war begins.
Poseidon's relationship with Athena is defined by an ancient rivalry. In the mythological era, he sought dominion over the Earth and went to war with her, and that struggle repeats in every incarnation. Despite being enemies, his bond with her is also one of reverence and opposition rather than pure hatred. Thetis, one of his loyal servants, guided Julian to his destiny and later saved his life when the underwater temple collapsed, carrying the human Julian back to the surface. Kanon, the one who unleashed him, sought to use Poseidon as a tool but underestimated both the god's independence and his enormous power.
The conflict ends when Athena, aided by the Saints, sacrifices herself by sealing Poseidon's soul inside the sacred amphora, depriving the god of the soul he coveted and ending his holy war. At that moment, the human Julian is separated from the god and rescued, suggesting that Poseidon's consciousness had not completely destroyed him. In the struggle against the god of the underworld, Poseidon shows that he is not an ally of pure evil, despite his harsh judgment of humanity. Moved by his own concern for the world, he sends the Gold Cloths to the Elysian Fields to aid Athena and her Saints against Hades, demonstrating that his war against Athena does not make him an enemy of all that is good. In later continuations, when the seal weakens and is broken, the god's soul once again takes possession of Julian's body, showing that the bond between the human host and the divine ruler of the seas endures across time.
As a human, Julian Solo was the heir to the Solo fortune, a charismatic and idealistic young man whose natural charm drew others to him. He was athletic in build but had no training as a warrior, and he carried himself with elegance, typically dressed in a white suit, with fair skin, light hair, and blue eyes. During a gathering of nobles at his mansion, Julian proposed marriage to Saori Kido, the incarnation of the goddess Athena, and was rejected. That same night he found the divine trident and was led by Thetis of the Sirens to Poseidon's underwater temple, where the Mariners awaited him and he discovered the truth about the god sleeping within him.
The awakening of the god was deliberately provoked by Kanon of Gemini, who sought to use Poseidon's power for his own vengeful plans against Athena. As Poseidon's divine consciousness surfaced, Julian's personal identity was progressively submerged and erased, until the god spoke and acted fully through his body. In his awakened state, Poseidon displayed a controlled and dignified demeanor, never surrendering to anger and always carrying himself with the authority expected of the emperor of the seas. He seemed to take pleasure in belittling his enemies, treating Athena's Saints as lesser beings unworthy of his attention.
Poseidon's motivation comes from his conviction that humanity has become corrupt and unworthy of living on the Earth. He believes that people have squandered the gifts granted to them by the gods and that the only solution is to purify the world through a great flood, washing away the human race so a new age without sin can begin. His servants refer to this ambition as the creation of a new utopia on Earth. To achieve his goal, he abducts Athena and takes her to his underwater sanctuary, intending to use her divine soul for his plan. In the anime, he also worked from the shadows before this direct assault by manipulating Hilda of Polaris, the leader of the God Warriors of Asgard, through the Nibelung ring, hoping to eliminate Athena through her agents.
In the story, Poseidon serves as the central adversary of the conflict known as his holy war, commanding his seven Marina Generals against Athena and her Saints. His power as a god operates on a completely different scale from that of the Gold Saints, and the divine nature of his strength makes him a nearly untouchable opponent. When Seiya and the other Bronze Saints finally manage to strike him, their combined attack leaves only a scratch, and that blow triggers his true and complete awakening, releasing his full divine power.
His abilities come from his divine cosmos rather than from conventional fighting techniques. Without using any named attack, he was able to cause a global cataclysm, summoning unceasing rain across the entire world that destroyed numerous coastal cities and killed or displaced thousands of people. He can stop incoming attacks and send them back against those who launched them, and his body possesses immense natural resistance to harm. In his fully awakened state, his divine trident revives and releases devastating cosmic energy capable of overwhelming his opponents. As an Olympian god, he cannot be permanently destroyed in his mortal frame, and he reincarnates anew through the bodies of the Solo bloodline whenever a holy war begins.
Poseidon's relationship with Athena is defined by an ancient rivalry. In the mythological era, he sought dominion over the Earth and went to war with her, and that struggle repeats in every incarnation. Despite being enemies, his bond with her is also one of reverence and opposition rather than pure hatred. Thetis, one of his loyal servants, guided Julian to his destiny and later saved his life when the underwater temple collapsed, carrying the human Julian back to the surface. Kanon, the one who unleashed him, sought to use Poseidon as a tool but underestimated both the god's independence and his enormous power.
The conflict ends when Athena, aided by the Saints, sacrifices herself by sealing Poseidon's soul inside the sacred amphora, depriving the god of the soul he coveted and ending his holy war. At that moment, the human Julian is separated from the god and rescued, suggesting that Poseidon's consciousness had not completely destroyed him. In the struggle against the god of the underworld, Poseidon shows that he is not an ally of pure evil, despite his harsh judgment of humanity. Moved by his own concern for the world, he sends the Gold Cloths to the Elysian Fields to aid Athena and her Saints against Hades, demonstrating that his war against Athena does not make him an enemy of all that is good. In later continuations, when the seal weakens and is broken, the god's soul once again takes possession of Julian's body, showing that the bond between the human host and the divine ruler of the seas endures across time.