Knights of the Zodiac Manga Volumes: All 28 Books Guide

If you’ve heard the name Saint Seiya — or its English title, Knights of the Zodiac — and wondered how many manga volumes you’re actually signing up for, here’s the short answer: 28 volumes, and the series is fully completed. No chasing ongoing releases, no wondering if it’ll ever finish. It’s done, it’s all available, and it’s one of the most widely recognized action manga series ever published.

Let’s break down what’s inside those 28 Knights of the Zodiac manga volumes and how to get the most out of reading them.

Knights of the Zodiac (Saint Seiya) at a Glance — All 28 Manga Volumes

Knights of the Zodiac (Saint Seiya) — originally titled 聖闘士星矢 in Japanese — is written and illustrated by Masami Kurumada. The series was published chapter by chapter in Weekly Shonen Jump, a major Japanese manga magazine run by Shueisha. The collected book volumes in Japan were released between September 1986 and April 1991. The complete run spans 28 volumes and 246 chapters — with each volume collecting roughly eight to nine chapters into a single book.

In English, VIZ Media — one of the largest publishers of manga in English — released all 28 volumes under the title Knights of the Zodiac (Saint Seiya). Every volume is available in both print (paperback) and digital formats, and the series carries a Teen rating.

At its core, this is a fantasy action manga steeped in Greek mythology. The story follows Seiya and his fellow Bronze Saints — young warriors who wear mystical armor called Cloths. These Cloths are sacred suits of armor linked to constellations, and they’re central to the entire series: earning, losing, and upgrading a Cloth is as important as the fights themselves. The Saints are organized into tiers based on the power of their Cloths, with Bronze Saints at the entry level, Silver Saints above them, and Gold Saints at the top — the most powerful warriors in Athena’s army. Seiya and his four companions start as Bronze Saints and fight to protect the goddess Athena against increasingly powerful divine enemies. The battles escalate from tournament-style brawls to full-scale wars against gods, and Kurumada’s sense of mythological spectacle defined an entire era of action manga.

For a series that debuted in the mid-1980s, Knights of the Zodiac remains remarkably well-known worldwide. Its combination of armored warriors, constellation-based powers, and sacrificial heroism set a template that countless later action manga would follow.

Story Arcs by Volume

One of the strengths of Knights of the Zodiac is its clean structure. The story moves through distinct arcs — self-contained storylines within the larger narrative, each with its own setting, villains, and climax. Think of each arc as a season of a TV show: the characters carry over, but the conflict shifts. These arcs raise the mythological stakes as the series progresses, and while the chapters flow continuously across 28 volumes, you’ll feel clear shifts in setting, enemies, and scale as you read.

Galaxian Wars and Sanctuary Arc

The series opens with the Galaxian Wars — a tournament where Bronze Saints compete for the prestigious Gold Cloth. This is where you meet Seiya, Shiryu, Hyoga, Shun, and Ikki, the five core Bronze Saints. Kurumada uses the tournament format to establish each character’s fighting style, constellation-based powers, and personal backstory. It’s efficient and exciting character building.

The story then shifts dramatically into the Sanctuary Arc, which is where the series truly finds its identity. Athena’s life is threatened by a conspiracy within Sanctuary — the holy ground where the most powerful Saints reside. The Bronze Saints must fight their way through the Twelve Temples, each guarded by a Gold Saint of immense power. Because Gold Saints sit at the top of the warrior hierarchy, each battle forces the Bronze Saints to overcome opponents who vastly outclass them — and that underdog tension is what makes these fights land so hard.

This arc covers roughly the first half of the entire series, and it’s the stretch that made Saint Seiya a phenomenon. Each Gold Saint battle carries its own emotional weight. The Twelve Temples gauntlet is one of the most well-known sequences in manga — a structure where heroes fight through a series of escalating guardians, a format that later series would echo in their own ways.

Poseidon Arc

After the Sanctuary climax, the Bronze Saints face the Sea Emperor Poseidon, who threatens to flood the earth. This arc takes the battle to an underwater realm, with its own set of powerful guardians to overcome.

The Poseidon Arc is shorter than what came before, functioning as an intense bridge between the two major storylines. It demonstrates that the threats facing Athena extend beyond internal politics to the gods themselves. The pacing is tight, and the battles are some of the most visually dynamic in the series.

Hades Arc

The final storyline pits the Bronze Saints — and their Gold Saint allies — against Hades, god of the underworld. This is the culmination of everything Kurumada built across the previous arcs. The stakes are nothing less than the survival of Athena and the entire world.

The Hades Arc spans the Underworld and eventually Elysion — in Greek mythology, a paradise reserved for the blessed, but here reimagined as a divine realm beyond even Hades’ domain. Former enemies return, alliances shift, and the sacrifices pile up in ways that give the finale genuine emotional weight. Kurumada brings the full mythological scope of his world to bear here, and the conclusion wraps the entire 246-chapter story with finality.

This arc occupies roughly the latter portion of the series and is widely considered the emotional peak of the manga.

A Marathon Reading Plan — Natural Break Points

At 28 volumes, Knights of the Zodiac is a very manageable read by manga standards. You could read the whole thing in a long weekend if you’re committed, but spreading it across a few sessions lets each arc breathe. Here’s a natural way to break it up:

Session 1: The Galaxian Wars

Start at volume 1 and read through the tournament arc and its immediate aftermath. This introduces the five Bronze Saints and establishes how their constellation-based powers work. It’s a relatively self-contained opening that hooks you with fast-paced fights and character reveals. A good test of whether the series clicks for you.

Session 2: The Sanctuary Infiltration

Pick up where the tournament storyline ends and read through the entire Twelve Temples gauntlet and its aftermath. This is the longest stretch and the most rewarding to read in big chunks — the momentum of fighting through one Gold Saint after another creates an incredible forward drive. Try not to stop mid-temple if you can help it.

Session 3: The Poseidon Arc

This arc works beautifully as a single-sitting read. It’s compact and self-contained enough that you can knock it out in an afternoon. It serves as a bridge that also raises the cosmic stakes before the finale.

Session 4: The Hades Arc Through the Finale

Read from the start of the Hades Arc straight through to volume 28. The emotional payoffs land hardest when you don’t break the momentum. Characters you’ve spent the entire series with make decisions that carry real weight, and Kurumada rewards readers who arrive at the ending with the full journey behind them.

The whole series at 28 volumes is less than half the length of many classic long-running manga, so even a casual pace of a few volumes per day will get you through it in under two weeks.

Manga vs. Anime — What the Adaptation Covers

Knights of the Zodiac has a significant anime history. The original TV anime began airing on October 11, 1986, running alongside the manga’s publication. Five theatrical films also expanded the universe with original stories between 1987 and 2004.

For readers deciding between manga and anime, here are the key differences to know:

• The anime includes original storylines not present in the manga. Like many long-running anime adaptations of the era, the show added its own story content — episodes and arcs created specifically for the anime to avoid overtaking the manga’s publication pace. These added storylines vary in quality and aren’t part of Kurumada’s original story.
• The manga’s Hades Arc was adapted separately from the main TV series, rather than being part of the original anime run.
• The manga is more focused. Without added storylines, the 28-volume story moves at a brisker pace. Kurumada’s panel compositions during the Gold Saint battles are genuinely striking, and they lose something in translation to animation.

If you want the pure, undiluted version of the story, the manga is the definitive way to experience it. The anime is a fine companion — especially for the soundtrack and voice performances — but the manga tells the complete story without detours.

Which Edition Should You Buy

Good news: you don’t have a complicated decision tree here. The English edition situation is straightforward.

English — VIZ Media

VIZ published all 28 volumes as paperback singles under the title Knights of the Zodiac (Saint Seiya). These are also available digitally. The print run’s final volume was released on February 2, 2010. The series is rated Teen, so it’s appropriate for older kids and up despite the intense battle sequences. You can find volumes through major book retailers, digital manga storefronts, and the VIZ website.

A quick note on the title: VIZ uses Knights of the Zodiac as the English title, but the series is universally known as Saint Seiya worldwide. If you’re searching online or talking to other fans, both names refer to the same manga. Don’t be confused if someone says “Saint Seiya” and you’ve been looking for “Knights of the Zodiac” — they’re the same series.

Japanese — Shueisha

The original Jump Comics edition — Shueisha’s standard manga imprint — runs 28 volumes in both paperback and digital. If you’re studying Japanese or want the original publication, these are the ones to look for.

Both editions are fully complete — no gaps, no missing volumes, no awkward mid-story cancellations. What you buy is the whole story from start to finish.

For readers looking to grab the finale, VIZ’s Volume 28 wraps up the Hades Arc and the entire series. It’s the capstone of the collection and a satisfying final volume.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many volumes of Knights of the Zodiac are there?

28 volumes in both the Japanese and English editions. The English edition is published by VIZ Media, and every volume is available in print and digital.

Is the manga finished?

Yes. The series is fully completed. The final Japanese volume was released in April 1991, and all 246 chapters are collected across the 28 volumes. There’s nothing left unreleased or unfinished.

Who created Knights of the Zodiac?

Masami Kurumada wrote and illustrated the entire 28-volume series. He’s the sole creator — no separate writer/artist split.

Are the spin-off manga connected?

Several sequel and spin-off series exist, created by various artists and set in the same universe. These include titles covering different eras and characters within the Saint Seiya mythology. None of them are required reading. The original 28-volume series by Kurumada stands completely on its own and doesn’t require any spin-off reading to feel complete. Think of them as optional extras for fans who want more after finishing the main story.

Which should I read first?

Start with the original 28-volume series, reading volumes 1 through 28 in order. This is the foundation of everything else in the franchise. Once you’ve finished it, you’ll have the context to explore any spin-offs that interest you — but the original series is a fully satisfying experience by itself.

Is this good for manga beginners?

Absolutely. At 28 volumes it’s a committed but not overwhelming read, the story has a clear endpoint, and the art style — while very much of its 1980s era — is dynamic and easy to follow. The Greek mythology angle also gives Western readers a familiar entry point into the world-building. If you enjoy action stories where the heroes face tougher and tougher opponents and the emotional stakes keep rising, this is one of the series that helped establish that formula in manga.