This article includes spoilers for the manga "Saint Seiya: Next Dimension." Reader discretion is advised.

After almost two decades of publication, the manga “Saint Seiya: Next Dimension“, a direct sequel to the acclaimed franchise, has finally come to an end. However, The result left many fans who had faithfully followed the series over the years dissatisfied.The story culminates in a controversial way, where Apollo arrives at the temple of Artemis and triggers a series of events that deeply divide the community.

At the end of the story, Apollo proclaims that Saori will be corrupted and transformed into a celestial servant for 3,000 years, threatening to destroy the entire sanctuary and eliminate all the Saints. Saori, renouncing her divinity, seeks to save humanity alongside Seiya, provoking Apollo's wrath. Ultimately, both are sent back to the human world with their memories erased, while Saori faces a crumbling emotional epilogue.

This result sparked strong reactions among followers, some comparing it to the film “Saint Seiya: Tenkai-hen Josou“, released two decades ago. The film, which was originally intended to be a direct sequel to the Hades saga, received mixed reviews and was removed from the official chronology due to disagreements with the original creator, Masami Kurumada. Despite radical changes in the cast and production team, it failed to achieve the expected success or Kurumada's approval.

Community comments reflected disappointment and confusion about these endings that seem to repeat themselves after so long. Some fans express frustration with what they consider a poorly executed ending and question the narrative direction taken by Kurumada. Others, nostalgic for the original series, feel that the sequel did not live up to the expectations built up over the years.

The future of the franchise now seems uncertain, with many awaiting answers about possible sequels or alternative projects. Meanwhile, the legacy of “Saint Seiya” continues to resonate in the anime community, with ongoing debates about the impact and relevance of its extensive saga.

• «So all this for the same ending as the movie?».
• «Much worse execution, in my opinion. The film continued directly from Hades, which ended with the death of one of the three main gods. The punishment is better contextualized; in The Next Dimension, it seems random, especially after everything from the 17th century apparently never happened.».
• «My ass waiting 20 years to see Shaina in the Ophiuchus armor: 🧍🏻‍♀️ I feel like we wasted time these years. I don't know what's next (Zeus? The rest of Olympus?), but I'm scared».
• «The Tenkai opening ended with Seiya defeating Apollo and fighting him to his last breath. Next Dimension ended with Seiya bowing to Apollo like a dog and then erasing his memory after he JUST woke up from his coma. What the hell, man?».
• «Wait, did Saint Seiya just end? haha Because that would be funny».
• «Horrible ending. I hated it.».
• «Honestly, 20 years ago, when I saw the movie, I thought it was a good ending, and I still do. Seiya raises his cosmos and shows Apollo that he's powerful enough to be the gods for a moment. The gods then forgive them and allow them to return to their normal lives. I never liked Next Dimension; Lost Canvas was much better (I think it's the best Saint Seiya story overall). Of course, this ending seems more open to more, but we really don't know; Kuramada is already 70 years old and has spent the last 20 years leaving the story in exactly the same place it was 20 years ago. xd. Finally, it's fun to see people having exactly the same hope they had 20 years ago.».
• «If there's no sequel, it will be a terrible ending (not to mention the worst). Let's wait for the announcement, which leakers indicate will be soon, and hopefully we'll have a new arc and not just a mythical fantasy announced. Plus, it's cool how 'Re-rise of Poseidon' fits perfectly with this ending, and with the lack of who will defend the Earth, and how Poseidon and Hades have a vested interest in ensuring that Earth and humanity are not destroyed. I know only Kuramada's work is canon, but it would be nice if it were too.».
• «What a bad ending».
• «It's surprising how much better 'Tenkai Hen Overture' executed all of these concepts. Even though it was an incomplete version from a narrative standpoint, it works much better contextually. The entire film builds on what happens in Hades and that ending, and it's so shocking and satisfying. Kurumada leaves a lot of loose ends, so this never feels like a shocking event. Next Dimension didn't lead anywhere, and it was clearly just filler for some shocking events that could have been condensed into much less than 118 chapters. As a side note, I think this gives us a very interesting insight into why Tenkai Hen turned out the way it did. Despite the little we see of Kurumada's original concepts here, the film's team always operated under the flawed premise that they always had to fill in things that made sense with how Hades ended.».
• «Yes, can you imagine if we were now 20 years old trying to recover your memories?».
• «Tenkai Overture didn't get a sequel not only because Kurumada disliked it, but also because it bombed at the box office in Japan. From what I've heard, in the 1990s, he was considering a Zeus, Kronos, and Uranus trilogy that would have begun with the five main characters climbing Olympus. The idea of having them lose their memories and giving Apollo a major role may have been something he considered when Toei proposed continuing the Hades Saga with films.».
• «I suppose if Kurumada made a sequel, it would be easy to return their memories thanks to some kind of deus ex machina, but I don't understand his focus on redefining things like that. I mean, it's not even a theme throughout the series; these characters have never wanted to return to a more traditional lifestyle (we even witnessed a what-if scenario where Shiryu did just that). No… I really don't get it.».
• «And 20 years later, once again when I went back to the Tenkai Overture ending. Terrible. So what's the difference in the ending between ND and Tenkai Overture, only Touma and the angels died? Was it worth making it non-canon and wasting 20 years on a manga with 90% of filler?».
• «Saori is as disgraceful as Athena. Is Earth now forever unprotected? Or will Athena be reincarnated as a goddess once more when Saori dies?».
• «Kurumada gave an interview in 2003 that made his intentions with this ending clear, although he said the film's production was a mess. He basically says that in the end, all the Saints have their memories erased, which, according to him, opens up new opportunities for adventures or something. I'm sure he already has the entire last saga in his head, but I don't think that's going to happen, haha... He also says that the pendant worn by Marin and Toma in the film was vital to the story of Heaven, but wasn't used by the producers, so he might come back... Anyway, I think he'll focus on turning Next Dimension into an anime and ruin the rest.».
• «This is like a Game of Thrones finale… much for nothing».
• «Absolutely awful. The Next Dimension didn't need to exist. I remember being really excited about it in the early chapters, but it's just a series of unrealized potentials. A disgrace.».
• «It's the longest scam in anime history... 20 freaking years!».

Source: reddit