Lionet Ban

Lionet Ban (子獅子星座の蛮, Raionetto no Ban?) is a minor Bronze Saint in the famous Manga Saint Seiya authored by Japanese mangaka Masami Kurumada and later adapted to anime. He is one of Athena's 48 Bronze Saints and bears the constellation Leo Minor, also called Lionet.

Younger Days
Ban was introduced by Masami Kurumada in vol.1 of his manga, and first appeared in episode 1 of the anime adaptation.

Ban was one of the hundred children that received training to become a saint, due to the grand vision of Mitsumasa Kido. What he did not know, was that Mitsumasa was the father of them all which made them half brothers. So eventually he drew the ticket to train in Tanzania on the Mountain Kilimanjaro. He was one of the ten that succeeded in obtaining a cloth, in his case it was the Bronze Cloth of Leo Minor.

Galaxian Wars
In the tournament held by Mitsumasa Kido's supposedly granddaughter Saori Kido, he started of against Unicorn Jabu. Ban fought with his Lionic behaviour but lost against the Unicorn greatly. After some time he and the other Bronze Saints that had lost in the tournament, returned to their masters and trained further. Ban, in a panel from the manga, vol.10. Drawing by the author Masami Kurumada.

Rescue of Athena
Ban along with Jabu, Ichi, Nachi and Geki arrived in Greece at Sanctuary in the nick of time. They fended of the Soldiers of Sanctuary that believed the goddess lived inside her temple, and stayed there until Gemini Saga had been defeated. During the battle between Pegasus Seiya and Saga he had sent his cosmo to aid the Pegasus Saint, and it proved useful for some time.

Attack of the God of Death
As Seiya were fighting against the God Thanatos and his sister Seika had appeared in Sanctuary, Ban and Geki joined their comrades Jabu, Ichi, Nachi, Shaina, Marin and Kiki. They defended Seika against the god's powers but were eventually outwitted, but Seika sensed Seiya in that moment and made Pegasus able to defeat Thanatos with his God Cloth.

Cloth
Ban's Bronze Cloth represent the constellation Leo Minor, and is made in the form of a small Lion. The constellation Leo Minor has no mythology associated to it, despite its relation to the constellation Leo.

The Anime version differs to slightly from the original, as the shoulder pads have been modified into claws, the headpiece is the face of a lion (which in the manga is visible when the Lionet Cloth is assembled and not being worn) and leg armors has appeared.

Rather than simply reproducing the image of a small lion, Masami Kurumada designed the Lionet Cloth resembling the mythical Koma-Inu, from Japanese Shinto folklore, also known in Chinese folklore as Shishi or Fo lion. This is noticeable when the Lionet Cloth is not being worn by Ban and assembled.

Previous incarnations
In the still non-canonical sidestory Saint Seiya Lost Canvas, Ban's incarnation in the 18th century appeared briefly. His name in that era was not revealed, but his physical appearance was the same and he also wore the Lionet Bronze Cloth and bore the Lionet constellation.

As Saint Seiya Lost Canvas is not authored by Masami Kurumada, but only supervised by him, its status as a canonical work is to date unknown.