How to Watch Saint Seiya in Order (+ Where to Stream)

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Release and chronological watch orders for Saint Seiya

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Last Updated: April 6, 2026

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Release Order

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Chronological Order

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Skippable Filler

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Where to Watch

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What It’s About

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More Anime

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Though it’s lesser known in the United States, Saint Seiya is a hugely popular anime and manga series that has maintained a fanbase since its release in the ‘80s. But because there are so many spin-offs, sequels, and remakes, it can be tricky to figure out where to start. In this article, we’ll explain how to watch Saint Seiya in both release and chronological order. We’ll also explain what filler content you can skip and where you can watch the series.

How do you watch Saint Seiya in order?

Most Saint Seiya fans recommend watching in release order, starting with the original 1986 anime. The 4 movies that follow are non-canon and optional. Then watch The Hades Chapters, The Lost Canvas, Omega, Legend of Sanctuary, Soul of Gold, and Saintia Shou. Knights of the Zodiac is a remake of the anime.

Section 1 of 6:

How to Watch Saint Seiya in Release Order

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Because there are so many movies and spin-offs, the easiest way to watch Saint Seiya is in release order, starting with the original anime series. Knights of the Zodiac is a remake of the original Saint Seiya, so you don’t have to watch it if you don’t want to. Here’s the full franchise in release order:^{[1]
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- Saint Seiya (1986)
- Saint Seiya: Jashin Eris/Evil Goddess Eris (1987)
- Saint Seiya: Kamigami no Atsuki Tatakai/The Heated Battle of the Gods (1988)
- Saint Seiya: Shinku no Shounen Densetsu/Legend of Crimson Youth (1988)
- Saint Seiya: Saishuu Seisen no Senshi-tachi/Warriors of the Final Holy Battle (1989)
- Saint Seiya: Meiou Hades Juuni Kyuu-hen/The Hades Chapter (2002)
- Saint Seiya: The Hades Chapter Sanctuary - Yomigaerishi Gold Saint-tachi no Shinwa (2003)
- Saint Seiya: Tenkai-hen Josou/Heaven Chapter - Overture (2004)
- Saint Seiya: Meiou Hades Meikai-hen/The Hades Chapter - Inferno (2005)
- Saint Seiya: Meiou Hades Elysion-hen/The Hades Chapter - Elysion (2008)
- Saint Seiya: The Lost Canvas - Meiou Shinwa (2009)
- Saint Seiya: The Lost Canvas - Meiou Shinwa 2 (2011)
- Saint Seiya: Omega (2012)
- Saint Seiya: Legend of Sanctuary (2014)
- Saint Seiya: Soul of Gold (2015)
- Saint Seiya: Saintia Shou (2018)
- Saint Seiya: Knights of the Zodiac (2019)
- Saint Seiya: Knights of the Zodiac Part 2 (2020)
- Saint Seiya: Knights of the Zodiac - Battle for Sanctuary (2022)
- Saint Seiya: Knights of the Zodiac - Battle for Sanctuary Part 2 (2024)

Section 2 of 6:

How to Watch Saint Seiya in Chronological Order

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The chronological order of Saint Seiya can be a bit hard to pin down, as some entries in the franchise aren’t canon, meaning they don’t follow the main timeline of the series. The original Saint Seiya anime and The Knights of the Zodiac tell the same story, so you only have to watch one of them to understand the story. Here’s how to watch in chronological order:
- Saint Seiya: The Lost Canvas - Meiou Shinwa^{[2]
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- Saint Seiya: The Lost Canvas - Meiou Shinwa 2
- Saint Seiya or Knights of the Zodiac (until the end of the Sanctuary arc)
- Saint Seiya: Saintia Shou
- Saint Seiya or Knights of the Zodiac (until the end)
- Saint Seiya: The Hades Chapter - Sanctuary
- Saint Seiya: The Hades Chapter - Inferno
- Saint Seiya: The Hades Chapter - Elysion
- Saint Seiya: Overture
- Saint Seiya: Soul of Gold
- Saint Seiya: Omega^{[3]
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- Note: Evil Goddess Eris, Heated Battle of the Gods, Legend of Crimson Youth, and Warriors of the Last Holy War are not canon. You can watch them at any time. We’ll explain more about filler content below.

Section 3 of 6:

Is there filler content?

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Yes, there is a lot of filler or non-canon content in the franchise. If you only want to follow the main plot, stick with the original Saint Seiya anime and the Hades Chapter. The movies Evil Goddess Eris, Heated Battle of the Gods, Legend of Crimson Youth, and Warriors of the Last Holy War are not considered part of the canon storyline. Other non-canon stories include the following:
- Heaven Chapter - Overture was originally intended to be a sequel to the Hades arc, but is considered non-canon due to plot conflicts.
- Soul of Gold is an optional side story featuring the Gold Saints
- The Lost Canvas is an unfinished prequel (though many fans still recommend watching it)
- Legend of Sanctuary is a stand-alone story that doesn’t align with the anime’s timeline.
- The anime itself also contains some filler episodes that are not canon to the manga. If you’re short on time, consider skipping the following episodes: 16-22, 26, 33-35, 54-55, 64, 74-99.^{[4]
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Section 4 of 6:

Where to Watch Saint Seiya

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Watch Saint Seiya on Crunchyroll. Currently, Crunchyroll is the best place to stream Saint Seiya in the United States. In addition to the anime series, Crunchyroll is home to many other Saint Seiya movies and spin-offs, including The Lost Canvas, Soul of Gold, and Omega. You can also connect your Crunchyroll account with your Roku Channel or YouTube TV accounts to watch on those platforms.

Section 5 of 6:

What is Saint Seiya about?

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Saint Seiya follows 5 mystical warriors who are sworn to protect Athena. Each Saint has a sacred set of armor inspired by a constellation. They fight to protect Saori Kido and humanity, the reincarnation of the Greek goddess Athena, from evil forces (including other Greek gods like Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades).^{[5]
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- Saint Seiya is based on a manga series by Masami Kurumada.^{[6]
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  Research source} With over 50 million copies in circulation as of 2022, it’s one of the best-selling manga series of all time.

Section 6 of 6:

More Anime Watch Orders

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Whether you’re just getting into anime or looking for a new series to binge, you’re in luck! We have plenty of wikiHow articles that list the best watch orders for some of the most popular series. Check out the following: