Ikki, the Phoenix Bronze Saint, emerges from a traumatic past. Orphaned with his younger brother Shun, he spent his childhood within the Graude Foundation orphanage. When assignments for Saint training arrived, Ikki chose to protect Shun by taking his brother's place, enduring the brutal trials of Death Queen Island, a volcanic hellscape. His training under the cruel Guilty demanded hatred as power. During his final trial, sparing Guilty led to the master's retaliatory strike accidentally killing Esmeralda, the woman Ikki loved. This ignited his fury, driving him to kill Guilty and leaving a distinctive vertical scar on his face. Consumed by vengeance against Mitsumasa Kido (later revealed as his biological father), Ikki embraced darkness, obtained the Phoenix Cloth, and led the renegade Black Saints. He initially targeted fellow Bronze Saints and pursued the Sagittarius Gold Cloth during the Galaxian Wars. Though forged in brutality, Ikki evolved into Athena's crucial, solitary ally. His nature is harsh, aggressive, and fiercely independent, contrasting sharply with Shun's gentleness. His cosmos uniquely fuses intense hatred and aggression with profound loyalty and love, primarily for his brother. He typically operates alone but consistently materializes at critical moments to rescue Shun and the other Bronze Saints, exploiting surprise against foes. During the Hades Chapter - Sanctuary arc, Ikki confronted deceased Gold Saints resurrected by Hades to assault Athena's Sanctuary. While the arc centered on Gold Saint conflicts, Ikki's timely interventions proved pivotal, tipping battles for Athena's defenders. His most significant role came later in the Inferno Chapter. Discovering Hades possessed Shun's body, Ikki launched a desperate, failed assault to expel the god, resulting in his death and consignment to the frozen Cocytus abyss. Demonstrating legendary resilience, Ikki escaped Cocytus. When Shun briefly regained control, he implored Ikki to kill him to stop Hades, forcing a moment of profound conflict as Ikki hesitated. Ikki wields immense power, often surpassing Silver Saints and rivaling Gold Saints after awakening his Seventh Sense battling Virgo Shaka. His signature technique, the Phoenix Wings Rise (Hōyoku Tenshō), unleashes concentrated wind and heat. His defining ability is resurrection; like the mythical phoenix, he returns stronger from death. In the Underworld, he awakened the Eighth Sense, allowing traversal of Hades' realm without losing his physical body. His relationship with Shun remains his deepest emotional anchor. Despite their contrasting personalities, Ikki's actions are frequently driven by an unwavering commitment to protect his brother, a bond acknowledged by figures like Kanon and Pandora. Though distant from the other Bronze Saints and Athena's cause, he possesses absolute loyalty, sacrificing his life without hesitation when needed. In the canonical sequel "Saint Seiya: Next Dimension," Ikki continues protecting Shun, rescuing him from Artemis' Satellites on the moon. He follows Athena and Shun back in time to the 18th-century Holy War, encountering past Gold Saints like Leo Kaiser, who recognizes Ikki as his destined successor for the Leo Gold Cloth. He clashes with the Specter Suikyou and battles the era's Gemini brothers, demonstrating continued resilience against Gold Saint-level opponents like the Galaxian Explosion. He appears in the spin-off "Saint Seiya: Omega," retaining his established persona and power. He mentors the new generation of Saints, criticizing perceived weakness while demonstrating enduring strength against adversaries like the Pallasite Aegaeon.