This arc introduces the main Bronze Saints and the premise of the series. Seiya returns to Japan to participate in the Galaxian Wars, a tournament for the Sagittarius Gold Cloth. It's here that the core group of Bronze Saints—Seiya, Shiryu, Hyoga, and Shun—are introduced, as well as the initial conflict with Ikki and the revelation that Saori Kido is the reincarnation of Athena

After Ikki steals the Gold Cloth, the Bronze Saints must hunt him and his evil counterparts, the Black Saints, to retrieve the scattered pieces of the armor. This arc deepens the character development of the main heroes and establishes the loyalty they have to each other and Athena.

With the Gold Cloth recovered and a new enemy in the shadows, the Sanctuary sends high-ranking Silver Saints to Japan to assassinate the Bronze Saints. The heroes must fight for their lives against these more powerful adversaries, discovering the full extent of the Pope's conspiracy and the threat posed by the Sanctuary.

This is the climactic finale of the Sanctuary arc. To save a mortally wounded Athena, the Bronze Saints must fight their way through the twelve temples of the Zodiac, each guarded by a powerful Gold Saint, in a race against time. This arc features some of the most iconic and emotionally charged battles of the series, as the Saints must overcome insurmountable odds to reach the Pope and use the Shield of Athena to save their goddess.

In this arc, the Saints travel to the land of Asgard to fight the God Warriors, who serve the goddess Hilda of Polaris. They must stop her from using a cursed ring to melt the polar ice caps and flood the world.

The Bronze Saints must go to the underwater kingdom of the sea god Poseidon to rescue Athena, who has sacrificed herself to stop his plan to flood the world. They must defeat his seven Marina Generals and destroy the seven pillars that support his domain.

The resurrected Gold Saints, now under Hades' command, return to the Sanctuary. The Bronze Saints must fight them to stop them from reaching Athena.

The Saints descend into the Underworld, facing new Specter enemies and traversing the different circles of Hell to reach Hades.

The final confrontation takes place in Elysium, the paradise of the gods, where the Saints must fight against Hades himself and his twin gods, Thanatos and Hypnos, to save humanity.