Basilisk Sylphid

Infobox animanga character
name = Basilisk Sylphid
series = Saint Seiya


caption = Basilisk Sylphid, in a screenshot from the anime adaptation
first =
creator = Masami Kurumada
voiced by = Tetsu Inada
age = 19
gender = Male
born = June 20
nationality = Belgium
class = Specter
paux1 = Hades
paux1 name = Loyalty
paux2 = Basilisk
paux2 name = Surplice
paux3 = Divine Victory Star
paux3 name = Star
paux4 = 1.81 m
paux4 name = Height
paux5 = 78 kg
paux5 name = Weight
aux1 = O
aux1 name = Blood type
aux2 = Annihilation Flap
aux2 name = Secret moves
aux4 = manga: chapter 81, vol.22
Anime: ep.140
aux4 name = First appearancenihongo| Divine Victory Star, Basilisk Sylphid|天捷星バジリスクのシルフィード|Tenshōsei Bajirisuku no Shirufīdo is a minor character from the classic manga series, "Saint Seiya", authored by Masami Kurumada and later adapted to anime. Sylphid's power lies within the Divine Victory Star (天捷星), and he is one of the few exceptional powerful Specters among the Underworld. He is mostly seen with his companions Harpy Valentine, Minotauros Gordon, and Alraune Queen.

Piercing Eyes

After a failed mission to invade Athena's Sanctuary, a command was issued for all remaining Specters on Earth to return to their homebase, the Underworld. While Judge Wyvern Rhadamanthys forwarded this command to the dark warriors of Hades, he was challenged by four Bronze Saints of Athena's -- Pegasus Seiya, Dragon Shiryu, Cygnus Hyoga, and Andromeda Shun. As Rhadamanthys contemplated the decision to destroy these Saints, four of his own subordinates appeared to defend his honor -- Harpy Valentine, Basilisk Sylphid, Minotauros Gordon, and Alraune Queen. These four were known throughout the Underworld for their extraordinary skills, and each of them were more than enough to dispose of these mere Bronze Saints. Leaving the assassination of the intruding Saints to the four Specters, Rhadamanthys descended to the Underworld.

Harpy Valentine found a foe in Pegasus Seiya, while Basilisk Sylphid and the other three spectres sought out the other Bronze Saints. The Basilisk and his companions quickly proved their superiority, and their foes were momentarily defeated. Satisfied, the spectres left the base, leaving their enemies behind while issuing a challenge for them to follow.

tubborn Glance

After receiving news that the Underworld's infamous Wailing Wall had been pierced by Athena's Saints, Basilisk Sylphid and his companions quickly went to investigate the scene. As they approached the site, their presence alerted Bronze Saint Dragon Shiryu, who decided to stay behind and fight so that his companions had a chance to cross the cosmic river behind the Wall into Elysion.

Sylphid, Gordon, and Queen arrived to find that the reports were true. Paying Shiryu no mind, they attempted to chase the rest of the Saints, only to find that the Dragon refused to let them pass. With no other choice, Sylphid, Gordon, and Queen teamed up to ensure that the Saint was beaten quickly.

As Queen and Gordon worked over the Dragon Saint with their individual attacks, Sylphid waited patiently and, when the right opportunity came, struck down the Saint with his tremendously powerful Annihilation Flap technique. The move sent Shiryu slamming onto the undamaged section of the Wailing Wall. However, the Dragon survived and counterattacked with the "Rozan Ryu Hi Sho", a move that he hadn't utilized since his battle against Chrysaor Krishna (not counting the anime-only short fight against Gryphon Minos). The move sent Sylphid flying, and damaged pieces of his dark Basilisk Surplice.

Fuming with rage, Sylphid pulled himself up and retaliated with Gordon and Queen for a triple team attack. In a cucial moment of the bloody battle, Shiryu, rising his Cosmo to the highest limit, unleashed his sensei's signature technique -- "Rozan Hyaku Ryu Ha". Not even the might of all three Specters was enough to endure the sheer destructive power of this move. Queen and Gordon were killed immediately, while Sylphid was completely thrashed. The blast of the attack sent Shiryu hurling backwards into the cosmic river of the Wailing Wall, where fellow Bronze Saint Cygnus Hyoga anxiously waited for his friend to arrive.

Determined to not allow the Saints to taint the holy fields of Elysion, a rage-driven Sylphid jumped into the river to continue his chase -- even after Hyoga had warned him of the consequences. Only gods -- or those enchanted with a deity's blood -- can safely swim through the currents, and both Shiryu and Hyoga were blessed with such a gift. The mighty Basilisk Specter finally met his demise as the river's currents crushed him. As his body was obliterated, Sylphid lamented that he and his companions should've destroyed the Saints on Earth when they had the chance.

Name, Surplice & Star

Sylphid's Surplice represents the mythological creature known as Basilisk which was a chimera of a Snake and a Cockatrice. Its' eyes could turn whoever looked into them to stone. It has the same color as all the Surplices has, which is a very dark purple. In the anime adaptation, its coloring is similar, and adds dark hues of brown, blue and gray to generate a good color balance.

*"Sylphid

Kurumada named Sylphid using the female variation of the name of the mythological creature Sylph, which are invisible beings of air. (not to be confused with fairies)

*"Divine Victory Star (天捷星)

Sylphid's star originates from the character Zhang Qing, from the Water margin story.

Notes

*Kurumada introduced Sylphid in vol. 22 of his manga, five volumes before he would battle Dragon Shiryu. In the anime adaptation, Basilisk Sylphid, Harpy Valentine, Minotauros Gordon, and Alraune Queen were introduced at a later point, until the Saints were well into the Underworld. Valentine made his debut in "Hades: Inferno" episode 8, (ep.135) while Sylphid, Gordon, and Queen appeared in the beginning of "Elysion" chapter, in episode 140. Their intervention in the anime adaptation is identical to the events in Kurumada's manga. Sylphid also mentions the events that took place in Hades' castle in the manga.

*The combined efforts of Alraune Queen and Minotauros Gordon were able to outmatch Dragon Shiryu's "Rozan Sho Ryu Ha" and "Excalibur" techniques. While "Rozan Sho Ryu Ha" had been countered several times prior to this battle, only Gold Saint level opponents had been able to deal with "Excalibur", which exemplifies the strength level of these Specters.

*Sylphid, along with Queen and Gordon were featured in the opening sequence of the anime adaptation, from episode 128 and on. They appeared surrounded by other Specters and overshadowed by the three Judges of the Underworld, Wyvern Rhadamanthys, Garuda Aiacos and Gryphon Minos.

References

*Saint Seiya Vol. 22, by Masami Kurumada.
*Saint Seiya Vol. 27, by Masami Kurumada.
*Saint Seiya Vol. 28, by Masami Kurumada.
*Saint Seiya Official Encyclopedia