The 108 Malevolent Stars

In the Saint Seiya universe, the 108 Malevolent Stars are the souls of dead warriors who, by virtue of their destiny or their deeds in life, are bound to Hades, god of the Underworld. These souls are condemned to reincarnate as Specters — the elite soldiers of the infernal army — at every Holy War.

This concept draws directly from the classic Chinese novel Water Margin (水滸傳, Shuǐhǔ Zhuàn), in which 108 rebel heroes are each associated with a celestial star. Masami Kurumada adapted this idea by dividing the 108 souls between heavenly stars and earthly stars, each one governing a specific Specter.

The 108 stars are divided into two main categories:

The three most powerful Specters — the Judges of the Underworld — each bear a star of supreme rank:

Every 200 to 300 years, when Hades attempts to conquer the world of the living, the 108 stars reincarnate simultaneously in human bodies across the world. These individuals grow up unaware of their true nature, until Hades awakens and calls them to his side.

Some of these warriors were once allies or even Athena's own Saints — hence the tragedy of seeing Saga, Shura and Camus don Surplices during the 20th-century holy war. Their souls were bound to Hades from a previous life, yet their Gold Saint cosmos allowed them to retain a measure of their loyalty to Athena.