pope arles

Arles is the Pope of Athena's Sanctuary and the main antagonist in the early arcs of Saint Seiya. About 13 years before the main events of Saint Seiya, Pope Arles attempted to assassinate the infant Athena with a golden dagger. This was thwarted by Sagittarius Aiolos. In the ensuing confrontation, Aiolos managed to escape from the Sanctuary, entrusting Athena and the Sagittarius Gold Cloth into the care of Mitsumasa Kido. Once Arles learned about the Galaxian Wars tournament among the Bronze Saints and that the Sagittarius Gold Cloth was in the possession of the true Athena, he dispatched several Silver Saints to eliminate the Bronze Saints. However, these Silver Saints failed to assert their superiority and were defeated by the Bronze Saints. Spoilers for the Twelve Temple arc: Later, during the Twelve Temples arc, it is revealed that the man who usurped the identity of the Pope and attempted to kill Athena was Gemini Saga. To seize the throne and disguise himself as the Pope, Saga murdered the previous Pope, Aries Shion. From that day on, Saga ruled the Sanctuary as Pope Arles. Most of the Saints were unaware of Shion's murder and Saga's betrayal. Some knew but remained silent. At the end of the Twelve Temples battle, Saga revealed his identity as the Pope to Seiya. It is also revealed that Saga suffered from a split personality disorder: his evil side was dominant, leading the Sanctuary as Pope Arles. When his good side finally took control of his body, Saga committed suicide out of shame.