Masami Kurumada is not done with the Cloths. Per Anime News Network, the fourth part of his Saint Seiya Tenkai-hen manga — subtitled Then IV — runs in the February issue of Champion RED, on sale December 18. That continues a stop-start serialization Kurumada restarted in November 2024 with Haikyo no Hana, pushed into Champion RED for Part 2 in December 2025, and picked up again on May 14 this year.
Quick answer
Saint Seiya (Toei Animation, 1986–1989, 114 episodes) adapts Kurumada's Weekly Shonen Jump manga, which ran 1986–1990 and has 35 million copies in print. According to SenpaiRanks, the original TV run holds 7.31 Consensus / 7.31 Quality, and the franchise peaks with the Hades Sanctuary OVA chapter at 7.73 — the highest-scoring Saint Seiya entry on our board. The next new story material is the manga's Tenkai-hen Then IV, December 18, 2026 in Champion RED. English home video historically ran through ADV Films and New Video Group; Netflix produced and carries the CG remake Knights of the Zodiac and its Battle Sanctuary continuations.
What Kurumada put on the calendar
Tenkai-hen is the Heaven chapter — the arc Toei half-adapted in the 2004 film Tenkai-hen Josou ~Overture~ and then abandoned. Kurumada has been reclaiming it in print since 2024, in parts rather than a weekly run. Part 4 on December 18 is the fourth chunk in two years. He is publishing at the pace he wants, not the pace a magazine schedule wants, and the gap between Part 3 (May) and Part 4 (December) tells you to plan for chunks, not chapters.
The watch order, minus the guesswork
Start with the 1986 TV series — Sanctuary, Asgard, Poseidon, in that order, all 114 episodes. Then the Hades OVA trilogy, which is where the animation budget and the ranking both jump:
- Hades Sanctuary chapter (2002–2003, 13 eps) — 7.73
- Hades Inferno chapter (2005–2007, 12 eps) — 7.42
- Hades Elysion chapter (2008, 6 eps) — 7.28
Everything after that is optional and branches: The Lost Canvas (7.45) is a prequel with a different continuity, Soul of Gold (6.90) is a Gold Saint side story, Omega (6.25) is a next-generation reboot, and Knights of the Zodiac (6.31) is the Netflix CG retelling. The four 1987–1989 films are skippable filler unless you want the Asgard designs.
Toei's Soul of Gold trailer — the Gold Saint spin-off, not the main line.
Reading the two axes
The spread here is the whole argument for a two-number ranking. A single blended score flattens Saint Seiya into one mediocre-sounding figure; the dual-axis board shows a 1.48-point gap between the Hades Sanctuary chapter at 7.73 and Omega at 6.25 — same franchise, wildly different execution. That is the answer to "is Saint Seiya good": the 1986 run is a foundational shonen with 1980s pacing, and the 2002 OVAs are the version that holds up. Disagree? Rate the entries yourself on the Saint Seiya page and watch where your score lands against the crowd.
Streaming, honestly
Saint Seiya's rights are split by era and region, which is why a Crunchyroll-first answer is not a real answer. Netflix owns the CG Knights of the Zodiac line outright and carries it worldwide. The classic Toei catalogue rotates between regional licensors — ADV Films and New Video Group handled the older English releases per ANN — so check the show page for the links live in your region rather than trusting one platform's catalogue page. If you want more of Toei's back catalogue ranked the same way, the best Toei Animation anime list covers it, and the 80s and 90s classics ranking puts Saint Seiya next to its whole generation.
Frequently asked questions
Q: Do I need to watch the 1986 series before the Hades OVAs?
A: Yes. The Hades chapters open directly after the Poseidon arc and assume you know every Gold Saint by name.
Q: Is Saint Seiya good in 2026?
A: The 1986 series scores 7.31 Consensus / 7.31 Quality on SenpaiRanks — solid but dated pacing. The Hades Sanctuary OVA at 7.73 is the entry that ages best.
Q: What is Saint Seiya Tenkai-hen?
A: The Heaven chapter — the story Toei's 2004 film only teased. Kurumada has been publishing it in parts since November 2024; Part 4 arrives December 18, 2026.
Q: Is Knights of the Zodiac the same story?
A: It retells the Sanctuary arc in CG with changes. SenpaiRanks tracks it at 6.31, well below the original's 7.31.
Q: How many Saint Seiya anime entries are there?
A: More than twenty across TV, OVA, film and ONA. The five that matter: the 1986 TV run, the three Hades OVA chapters, and The Lost Canvas.
Q: Where does Saint Seiya rank among 80s anime?
A: It sits in the mid-7 tier — respected, not top-five. See the 80s and 90s ranking for the full board.