Virgo Shaka guards the sixth temple in Athena's Sanctuary. Renowned as "the man closest to god" for his immense cosmic power and spiritual enlightenment, he stands among the strongest Gold Saints. He fully mastered the eighth sense (Arayashiki), enabling conscious travel to the Underworld without dying. His early life in India centered on daily meditation and direct communion with Buddha, who recognized his profound sensitivity to human suffering and mortality. This spiritual foundation fostered deep detachment from worldly attachments and shaped his initial perspective, viewing humanity through divine compassion rather than shared experience. During the Hades conflict, deceased Gold Saints—Gemini Saga, Capricorn Shura, and Aquarius Camus—returned as Hades's emissaries to assassinate Athena. Shaka confronted them within the Virgo Temple, having already repelled Specter forces using illusions and techniques like Tenkūhaja Chimimōryō. He sealed defeated Specters within his prayer beads using Demon Pacifier, preventing their resurrection. Questioning the resurrected Saints' loyalty, he engaged them in battle at the Twin Sala Trees garden. Recognizing Hades's influence obscured their true intentions, Shaka disabled their senses with Treasures of Heaven. He deliberately provoked them into unleashing the forbidden Athena Exclamation technique, obliterating his physical body while allowing his spirit to persist. This apparent death served a strategic purpose: deceiving Hades's forces while facilitating his spirit's covert entry into the Underworld alongside Athena. Before disintegration, he inscribed a vital message for Athena on Sala Tree petals using his blood, revealing critical intelligence about Hades. This sacrifice marked his acceptance of mortal connection despite transcendent power. Post-"death," his spirit and Athena were confirmed alive, journeying toward Hades's realm for the conflict's next phase. The Virgo Gold Cloth, associated with the constellation Virgo—linked to Astraea, goddess of purity in Greek mythology—remained largely undamaged despite battles. This included enduring a mutual annihilation attempt by Phoenix Ikki during an earlier conflict. The Cloth was ultimately destroyed by Thanatos, God of Death, in the Underworld after being lent to Andromeda Shun. Shaka commonly forwent wearing the helmet during combat, a trait shared among Virgo Saints. In non-canonical expansions such as "Saint Seiya: The Lost Canvas," the 18th-century Virgo Saint, Asmita, shares Shaka's title and mastery of the eighth sense. Asmita sacrificed his life to forge the 108 prayer beads essential for defeating Hades's army, demonstrating the recurring thematic role of Virgo Saints across timelines.