Saori Kido, the mortal incarnation of the goddess Athena, emerges as a pivotal figure across intertwined narratives and media. Discovered as an infant beneath her divine statue in Sanctuary, she was rescued from assassination by Sagittarius Aiolos during Gemini Saga’s betrayal. Adopted by Mitsumasa Kido, a wealthy Japanese magnate, she was raised as his granddaughter. While the anime portrays her gradual discovery of her divine identity, the manga reveals her awakening earlier through her dying grandfather’s revelation. Her privileged upbringing as the Kido heiress initially fostered a haughty, dismissive attitude toward the Graude Foundation’s orphans—many Mitsumasa’s biological children—trained as future Saints. This demeanor shifted profoundly following her grandfather’s death and her acceptance of her role as Athena. She relinquished her arrogance, embracing leadership of the Graude Foundation and her celestial duties with renewed purpose. Central to conflicts against Sanctuary, Poseidon, and Hades, her strategic evolution unfolds through decisive actions. In the Galaxian Wars arc, she orchestrates a tournament to designate a Sagittarius Gold Cloth successor, interrupted by external threats. The Twelve Temples arc sees her gravely wounded by a golden arrow, spurring the Bronze Saints to challenge Sanctuary’s corrupted Gold Saints. Her cosmic abilities—healing allies, empowering Cloths with her blood, and projecting protective barriers—prove vital in these confrontations. The Hades Chapter - Sanctuary amplifies her tactical resolve. To shield her Bronze Saints, she enlists revived Gold Saints to infiltrate Hades’s ranks under false allegiance. This arc underscores her diplomatic grace, exemplified by redeeming Gemini Kanon, and her sacrificial gambit: stabbing herself with a divine dagger to breach Hades’s defenses, prioritizing cosmic stability over personal suffering. As Athena, she wields the forbidden Athena Exclamation and the Kamui, a Divine Cloth that petrifies into a statue when dormant. Activated by her blood, the Kamui becomes pivotal in deific battles against Poseidon and Hades. Though advocating peace, she confronts Hades directly in Elysium, clad in her Kamui, sealing him with her shield and staff. Her dynamic with the Saints, notably Pegasus Seiya, balances mutual respect and veiled affection, tempered by her divine obligations. Leadership shifts from aloof authority to collaborative stewardship, addressing past grievances and acknowledging Mitsumasa’s sacrifices to unify her protectors. Expanded through media like *Heaven Chapter Overture* and *Next Dimension*, her narrative probes the tension between mortal vulnerability and divine duty, encountering Olympians like Apollo and Artemis. Cyclically reincarnating every 200-250 years, she endures as Earth’s guardian, wielding strategic acumen and compassion to preserve balance.