Cavaleiros do Zodíaco: um mangá teopoético

Abstract

It is an excerpt from a doctoral research that focuses on the manga Knights of the Zodiac (1985-1990), created by Masami Kurumada. Originally titled Saint Seiya, this Japanese comic book integrates Greek mythology as a structuring element of its narrative. The Greek mythology within the work is intersected by the combination of other themes - religion, astronomy, and astrology. Based on this amalgamation, Kurumada formulated a fundamental concept for the story: the cosmos, also known as the seventh sense. This is a complex and original idea that imparts a mystical and spiritual atmosphere to the manga. With that in mind, the objective of this article is to briefly explore the nature of the cosmos, conducting a theopoetic analysis of the work based on this concept. Therefore, the theoretical framework that underpins the study is primarily grounded in theopoetics (Kuschel, 1999; Ferraz, 2011; Bingemer; Villas Boas, 2020), which proposes comparative studies, initially between religion and literature, soon incorporating other artistic expressions - including comic books - into its research interests.