Andromeda Shun

Andromeda Shun (アンドロメダ星座の瞬), also known as Shun is a fictional character from the Saint Seiya universe created by Masami Kurumada as one of the main protagonists of the media franchise, which originated in the manga written and illustrated by Kurumada, later adapted to anime, and subsequently inspiring soundtracks, OVAs, movies, video games, and other collectibles. He is arguably one of the strongest characters in the series, although his gentle disposition and kind nature tend to hold him back from using his full power, until he is forced to do so. Shun is also the younger brother of Phoenix Ikki, a fellow Bronze Saint.

Conception and creation
As Masami Kurumada uses the revered Osamu Tezuka's Star System technique, (a stable cast of characters which play a different or similar role in the author's various works, sometimes with the same personality and sometimes with an entirely new one), he gave Shun's appearance to Ai Daichi, a main character in the manga Aoi Tori no Shinwa, a manga that Kurumada wrote and drew years after Saint Seiya. Also, Kurumada designed Shun closely resembling Jindai Naoto, from Otoko Zaka, the manga he wrote and drew one year before Saint Seiya. And even more, Shun also resembles Kirikaze, from Fūma no Kojirō, also a manga Kurumada wrote and drew several years before Saint Seiya.

Many newcomers to the series have mistaken Shun for a female character, since Andromeda is a feminine constellation, and the anime adaptation feminized Kurumada's original design of the Andromeda Cloth itself to some extent, to have it appear to have breasts. A similar reference was made by Kurumada, before the manga was adapted to anime, when Ikki befriends a girl named Esmeralda whose only difference from Shun is her gender and her blonde hair.

His hair is brown in the manga, but was modified green in the anime adaptation to generate a better color balance. Kurumada explained in interviews that he gave the Andromeda Cloth the same color that identifies the Andromeda Nebula found in the constellation of the same name.

As Masami Kurumada was a practitioner of the martial arts in his youth, he used his knowledge about traditional Japanese martial arts weapons in his concept for Shun. The Chains of the Andromeda Cloth, were a formidable weapon, perfectly suited for both defense and offense, sharing these traits with the traditional Manriki-gusari, a chain-based weapon used in Japanese martial arts.

The Saint of Andromeda
Perhaps the most reluctant of the Bronze Saints when a situation must be resolved by violence, Shun is the Bronze Saint of the Andromeda constellation. He is a merciful and gentle soul by nature, and a firm believer in solving problems without bloodshed. This creates a sharp contrast between himself and the rest of the Saints: Whereas they will not hesitate to battle when the situation demands it, Shun only allows himself to fight if it's an absolute necessity, or when his almost endless patience wears out. When this is the case, Shun can become an extremely skilled and deadly fighter.

Shun is portrayed rather weak in the first 4 movies and in the anime-only 'Asgard' arc: In almost every fight scene, he is almost always defeated, and needs his brother Ikki to rescue him (except against Mizar Zeta Syd, the one time Shun defeated a foe in either of the first 4 movies or the 'Asgard' anime-only story). This has led to a misconception among certain fans that Shun is a weak character, but it is important to remember that these stories were not written by Masami Kurumada and therefore are not canonical, and are out of Kurumada's true continuity and plot.

However, in the 'Sanctuary', 'Poseidon' and 'Hades' arcs of the original manga (which were written and illustrated by Masami Kurumada), Shun is shown as a competent and formidable, if unwilling, fighter and opponent. In 'Sanctuary', he manages to hold his own against Gemini Saga, and even manages to kill Pisces Aphrodite, both of them Gold Saints. In the 'Poseidon' arc, he acquits himself very well, defeating Scylla Io, the Southern Pacific Mariner General of Scylla, and Siren Sorrento, the Southern Atlantic Mariner General of Siren. In the Hades arc, he manages to dispatch various opponents, and is the second of the Bronze Saints to achieve his God Cloth. As a result, his performance is much better in the original source material rather than in the movies or the 'Asgard' arc; though he may be adverse to fighting, he will fight when he is required to, and is just as powerful or skilled as any of the other main Bronze Saints.

Power and abilities
To fight, Shun normally relies on the Andromeda Chains, as he does not want to use his full power because he does not desire to kill. During the 'Sanctuary' Arc, Shun awoke the 7th sense, the essence of Cosmo, in his fights against the Gold Saints. Although a reluctant fighter, Shun is one of Kurumada's characters with larger technique arsenals at his disposal.

His known techniques are:


 * Nebula Chain (星雲鎖): The Andromeda Saint's signature technique which allows him to manipulate the chains of his Cloth however he pleases. At the most basic, the "Nebula Chain" is a straight-forward attack where the chains rapidly slice and wrap themselves around the enemy.


 * Rolling Defense (ローリングディフェンス): A simple defensive technique that utilizes Shun's chains in one of two ways: he will either twirl the chains around himself to create a barrier, or set them on the ground to mimic a circular web; this was later named the Circle Defense. In web mode, the chains construct a distance between himself and the opponent, and will discharge energy volts or simply slash the enemy if they attempt to enter the field.


 * Thunder wave (サンダーウェーブ): A more evolved and powerful form of the basic Nebula Chain attack, where it searches the opponent wherever he might be and finds its way in a succession of rapid triangle movements to strike him.


 * Nebula Stream (ネビュラストリーム): A semi-offensive attack that links directly to Shun's Cosmo. It entangles the foe with streams of the Andromeda cosmos in an attempt to paralyze them. As Shun becomes more determined to use his true power, the stream will eventually transfigure into the "Nebula Storm" technique.


 * Nebula Storm (ネビュラストーム): By the time Shun has chosen to execute it, his Cloth and chains are abandoned (either voluntarily or destroyed by his opponent) to allow him full access to his cosmos. The attack is dispelled as a single burst from the summit of Shun's Cosmo and the storm projects violently the opponent away. Because of its extreme destructive nature, Shun will only use it as a last resort.

Against Scylla Io, the Andromeda Saint used special moves of his chains adapted to counter the six attacks of Scylla beasts. Although they could eventually be considered as variants of the Nebula Chain, they are distinguished in the chapter he employed them for the first time and in the data sheets of the manga in vol.13. They are:


 * Spider Net (スパイダーネット): The Nebula Chain takes the shape of a net to neutralize the bee stinger.


 * Spiral Duct (スパイラルダクト): The Nebula Chain takes a spiral shape to entangle the serpent.


 * Casting Net (キャスティングネット): A simpler net which neutralizes the eagle.


 * Boomerang Shot (ブーメランショット): The chain moves as a boomerang, striking back the vampires.


 * Wild Trap (ワイルドトラップ): The chain mimics the hunting traps to catch the wolf.


 * Great Capture (グレートキャプチュアー): The chain paralyzes, captures, or immobilizes foes.

Constellation and the Chains of Andromeda
The Andromeda Cloth represents the constellation Andromeda, which is associated to princess Andromeda, who was chained to be sacrificed to the monster Cetus, in Greek mythology.

The chains from the Andromeda Cloth are said to be the very same chains used to tied the mythological character in her legend. The chains are legendary for their durability as well as defensive nature, and have only been completely shattered a few times. They are also renowned for their great length, as they can be extended far enough to reach light years away. When there's great evil or threat, the chains can become charged with negative energy and release lightning shocks of at least 10.000 volts, as when they nearly shocked Unicorn Jabu, just before Ikki's reappearance in the Galaxian Wars Tournament.

Along with his comrades, Shun's Bronze Cloth has changed shape several times throughout the series. The anime adaptations parallels Kurumada's original manga in terms of the Andromeda Cloth's evolution (although, it should be noted that the Cloth received one extra repair in the animation; however, it did not change shape after it):


 * When Gold Saint Virgo Shaka (Taurus Aldebaran in the animation) revived it using his own blood.


 * When the former Pope Shion of the Aries Constellation rejuvenated it with Athena's fresh blood during the beginning of the second act of the Hades arc.


 * When Shun summoned his Cosmo to protect his older brother Ikki from a would-be-fatal blow by Hypnos, the god of sleep. The Cloth's appearance changed the most this time, becoming a God Cloth. One notable feature was the addition of wings.

The Gold Cloth of Virgo
As Shun was born under the astrological constellation of Virgo, he has the privilege of donning that Gold Cloth in times of dire crisis. This became evident when he and his fellow Bronze Saints (also wearing Gold Cloths each) battled the god of death, Thanatos.

Shun, like the rest of the Bronze Saints, did not have time to use his Gold Cloth or launch any attacks while wearing it, as Thanatos attacked all the Bronze Saints immediately upon their receiving of the Gold Cloths. Thanatos, with one strike, was able to shatter all 5 Gold Cloths that were present, an event which was unprecedented.

Incarnation of Hades
In one of the most unexpected plot twists of the series, Shun is revealed to be the chosen human vessel of Hades, god of the Underworld, in the same way as Julian Solo was the vessel of Poseidon, Lord of the seas. Although Shun himself was initially unaware of this fact, the soul of Hades became dominant once Shun lost the childhood pendant that bound his body with the god's, and Hades' soul was united with Shun's body during the close encounter in Hades' room after the death of Lyra Orphée.

Not long after, the recently reincarnated Hades is confronted by Shun's older brother, Phoenix Ikki. Ikki believed that Shun's soul was still inside somewhere, and he was soon proven correct. Regaining control of his body briefly, with one hand strangling his own body (and thus, Hades'), Shun urged Ikki to mercilessly destroy him while the opportunity was fresh. Ikki was moved by Shun's willingness to sacrifice himself, as it proved that he truly was born to be the Saint of Andromeda.

Unfortunately, Ikki hesitated at the last second. Shun's hold was lost, and Hades reclaimed the Saint's body once more. With the god of the Underworld back in command, the Phoenix was swiftly dealt with.

Eventually, it took the boiling blood of Athena herself and the goddess' encouragement to give Shun the strength to separate Hades from his body once and for all. When Shun awoke in Seiya's arms moments later, he once again donned the Andromeda Cloth and was ready to return to action.

In Saint Seiya : Next Dimension
Shun reappears in Saint Seiya Next Dimension, the canonical continuation of the classical manga, once again written and illustrated by its author Masami Kurumada. In Next Dimension, Shun is the first Bronze Saint to return to Athena's side, a few days later after the death of Hades, god of the Underworld. Shun joins her in her quest to find a way to save Pegasus Seiya's life from Hades' curse, and escorts her in the way to Olympus, to meet her elder sister Artemis, and protecting Athena from the threat of Artemis' Satellites. Shun dons once again the legendary Andromeda Cloth during the endeavor, realizing the fact that it has returned to its normal state, having ceased being a God Cloth. He eventually manages to go into the past, though not without being separated from Saori in the process, and lands in the coliseum not without attracting the attention of several foot soldiers which he quickly dispatches though he quickly finds a new opponent in the form of Tenma which he confuses with Seiya. A brief, and intermittent, fight ensues with it ending with Shun telling Tenma that he had also been the host of Hades' soul after Tenma comments about Shun reminding him of Alone who at the time was the host of Hades' soul. Tenma finally believes Shun though is not convinced that the Gold Saints will, this is justified when they reach the Aries temple where despite Tenma explaining it Shion refuses to let the duo pass. Shun tries unsuccessfully to force his way through (though whether or not he was really trying is questionable) and now Tenma is trying his luck at it.

Reception
In a poll presented in vol.3, he ranks at 3rd among the five principal Bronze Saints. He is regarded as the character with the most yaoi potential out of the five principal Bronze Saints, regarded as a "true walking caricature, this character was the most fragile and sensible, with fine traits, long hair, doe eyes and the most feminine armor of the group (with a nice 95B in guise of a breastplate in the anime version)". His chain weapon is regarded as highly symbolic, viewed as a jewel (a feminine symbol), changing length and being supple or rigid at will (a phallic symbol), be used for defensive or for offensive purposes (the sexual ambiguity and seme-uke dichotomy), and the original myth of Andromeda, who was tied on a rock and offered as a sacrifice to calm a marine monster's wrath, which is regarded as sexual. In the section Right Turn Only! from Anime News Network, writer Liann Cooper described Shun's character as "prissy" and his fight against his older brother, Phoenix Ikki, was a plot twist "skirmish".