Live-Action TV
Description
Vander Guraad is an antagonist introduced in the 2019 CGI anime series Saint Seiya: Knights of the Zodiac. He is a former business partner and close associate of Mitsumasa Kido, the wealthy philanthropist who seeks to protect the reincarnated goddess Athena. In his youth, Guraad worked alongside Kido to build a global information network, through which they discovered the existence of the Greek gods and the Saints who serve them. This investigation led them to the dying Sagittarius Saint Aiolos, who entrusted them with the infant Athena and her Gold Cloth.
Over time, Guraad came to believe that the goddess Athena posed an existential threat to humanity, driven by a dark prophecy that foretold this incarnation would lead to the world's destruction. In stark contrast to Kido, who placed his faith in the goddess, Guraad resolved to protect humanity by creating his own army of warriors. To this end, he became the leader of the Black Saints, a group of soldiers equipped with technologically advanced black cloths designed to harness the energy known as Cosmo. He is a calculating and ruthless strategist, willing to sacrifice his old friendships and use any means necessary to eliminate Athena, including kidnapping and interrogation. Guraad does not possess the ability to generate his own Cosmo; instead, his power comes entirely from a specially designed Black Cloth that can absorb and store the Cosmo of others, which he then releases through attacks such as the Onyx Bomber and the Onyx Ryusei Ken.
Within the story, Guraad serves as the primary human antagonist who actively hunts Saori (Athena) and the Bronze Saints who protect her. He is directly responsible for the creation of several Black Saints, including the Phoenix Knight Nero, and he recruits fallen warriors like Cassios to pilot his mechanical armors. Guraad orchestrates the kidnapping of Saori and steals the right arm of the Gold Cloth to complete his army. He also captures Mitsumasa Kido, whose death during an interrogation by Guraad's overzealous soldiers creates a permanent rift between the two former partners. Guraad's character arc follows his relentless pursuit to perfect his army and kill Athena, culminating in a final confrontation where he is ultimately defeated by the Pegasus Saint Seiya. In this defeat, his fortress is destroyed, and his plan to use a machine to drain Athena's Cosmos to power his Black Saints is thwarted.
Over time, Guraad came to believe that the goddess Athena posed an existential threat to humanity, driven by a dark prophecy that foretold this incarnation would lead to the world's destruction. In stark contrast to Kido, who placed his faith in the goddess, Guraad resolved to protect humanity by creating his own army of warriors. To this end, he became the leader of the Black Saints, a group of soldiers equipped with technologically advanced black cloths designed to harness the energy known as Cosmo. He is a calculating and ruthless strategist, willing to sacrifice his old friendships and use any means necessary to eliminate Athena, including kidnapping and interrogation. Guraad does not possess the ability to generate his own Cosmo; instead, his power comes entirely from a specially designed Black Cloth that can absorb and store the Cosmo of others, which he then releases through attacks such as the Onyx Bomber and the Onyx Ryusei Ken.
Within the story, Guraad serves as the primary human antagonist who actively hunts Saori (Athena) and the Bronze Saints who protect her. He is directly responsible for the creation of several Black Saints, including the Phoenix Knight Nero, and he recruits fallen warriors like Cassios to pilot his mechanical armors. Guraad orchestrates the kidnapping of Saori and steals the right arm of the Gold Cloth to complete his army. He also captures Mitsumasa Kido, whose death during an interrogation by Guraad's overzealous soldiers creates a permanent rift between the two former partners. Guraad's character arc follows his relentless pursuit to perfect his army and kill Athena, culminating in a final confrontation where he is ultimately defeated by the Pegasus Saint Seiya. In this defeat, his fortress is destroyed, and his plan to use a machine to drain Athena's Cosmos to power his Black Saints is thwarted.