List of Saint Seiya Episode.G Characters - Merchandise and Reception

Merchandise and Reception

Several items featuring depictions of the characters of Episode G have been made available with the purchase of the limited editions of the manga. Such items include postcards, pins, a coin key holder, a day planner, tarot cards, a t-shirt, puzzles, calendars, a pass case and a key chain. Akita Shoten has also released a bust figure of the main protagonist, Leo Aiolia.

The new character design of Saint Seiya Episode.G constitutes a departure from that of Saint Seiya, a fact which has divided opinions. While some criticise the androgynous design, others acclaim it for its innovation. French critic Thomas Berthelon notes that Okada's depiction of the Saints "perfectly renders the divine quality" of these characters. At the same time, he comments that the graphical complexity of Episode.G sometimes interferes with readability and that this difficulty brought to memory "the most beautiful pages of Kaori Yuki's manga Angel Sanctuary". Berthelon also remarks on the unoriginality of the story as, among other things, he feels the main characters are too similar in personality to the protagonists of the original series. The reviewers of Manga Sanctuary and Manga-News extend this criticism to the antagonists, saying that the Titans have little charisma and their interventions are repetitive. The reviewer from Manga-News, however, offered praise to the Titan King, Kronos, for his interesting, surprisingly childlike and unstable personality.

Another aspect which has received praise is Okada's exploration of the relations between Saints and regular people and how they interact with the real world, something unseen in Saint Seiya. Brazilian critic Pedro Hunter highlights the inclusion of the Saints' participation in the real-life Three Mile Island accident. He says that, in the original series, the Saints "seemed to exist apart from society and fought only in remote places."