Cancer Cloth is the cloth of the Saint Deathmask in Saint Seiya and Manigoldo, Sage in Saint Seiya: Lost Canvas and Deathtoll in Saint Seiya: Next Dimension. It is one of the highest-class cloths that Athena's Saints wield, the Gold Cloths. Those who wear the Cancer cloth are often presented as the most unethical of the 12 Gold Saints, typically portrayed as malevolent masters of death and manipulation.
Mythology[]
A few stories explain how the Cancer became a constellation. One of them tells that, when Heracles was fighting the Hydra, Hera sent the Cancer to distract him and bring him to defeat. But Heracles kicked the crab so hard it was sent directly to the skies.
Another story tells that the crab was crushed beneath Heracles' foot, but Hera made him become a constellation as a reward for his efforts. But as he had failed to achieve the task he had been given, none of his stars were to be bright.
The last important mention of the Cancer in mythology is the existence of Praesepe in it. According to some myths, the Praesepe, a cluster of stars, is the portal every living soul has to cross to reach the afterlife.
Story[]
Saint Seiya[]
Deathmask and his cloth first appeared in volume 8 of the manga, in Rozan Peaks. He was sent there to recover the Libra Cloth from Dohko, but was forced to flee by the appearance ofAries Mu. His fight in Sanctuary would oppose him to Dragon Shiryu. The confrontation ends in the Yomotsu Hirasaka, where he would be rejected by his cloth. Indeed, a Cloth can only be worn by someone worthy of it, and Deathmask was not judged as such.
Deathmask later appeared as Hades's servant, wearing a Surplice instead of his Gold Cloth.
The last appearance of the Cloth and its wearer is in front of the Wailing Wall, when all the Gold Saints unite to break it down.
The Lost Canvas[]
Cancer Manigoldo was the Guardian of the fourth house of Sanctuary in Lost Canvas. The Cloth and its wearer first appear when Manigoldo is sent by Sage to bring Pegasus Tenma back to the Sanctuary.
The Cloth will then suffer partial destruction at the end of Thanatos, the God of Death, but will survive the death of its bearer. The spirit of Manigoldo would bring him back to his House, along with a message for Hakurei and the Pope's helmet.
Appearance[]
This is the form the Cancer Gold Cloth takes during the original Saint Seiya series. Like most Gold Cloth's original forms, it covers most of the body in a golden armor and it's the unique among the Gold Cloths with a spiky design. It is the only known Cloth to have rejected its owner in the whole series. The Cloth was last seen in Hades, not one of the five Gold Cloths send to Elysium by Poseidon.
Gallery[]
