Dragon Shiryū

Dragon Shiryu

, also known as Shiryu is a bronze saint of Dragon. He is considered the most mature of the five heroes, and thus the wisest. As the Bronze Saint of the Dragon constellation, Shiryu dons the emerald Dragon Bronze Cloth, a jewel among the Cloths due to its legendary defense properties.

Concept and creation
As Masami Kurumada uses the revered Osamu Tezuka's Star System technique, (a stable cast of characters which play a different or similar role in the author's various works, sometimes with the same personality and sometimes with an entirely new one), he designed Shiryu's appearance very similarly to that of Eidou Jun, a character in the successful Ring ni Kakero, a manga that Kurumada wrote and drew years before Saint Seiya, and that he considers his favorite creation. Also, Shiryu's appearance is almost identical to Azusa Ranmaru, from the work Kurumada authored before Saint Seiya, Otoko Zaka.

Personality and appearence
Out of all five main characters, Shiryū is known as the calmest and most collected. His sheer physical strength is the greatest of the Bronze Saints, with the possible exception of Phoenix Ikki. This is reflected in his ability to win numerous battles without his Dragon Cloth. Shiryū was trained at the Five Old Peaks (庐山五老峰) in China where he learned to reverse the waterfall's flow with his techniques and obtained the Dragon Bronze Cloth. His mentor was the Libra Gold Saint, Libra Dōko.

Shiryū sports a large tattoo-like image of a green and white dragon on his back. However, it is said in the manga and the anime that it is not a tattoo but is connected to his guardian dragon star and only appears as his Cosmo is rising. Whenever his life is in danger, the tattoo-like image begins to fade away—once it completely vanishes, it is a sign that Shiryu's Cosmo is nearing zero, and Shiryu himself is nearing death.

Saint Seiya (1986), chapter III: Hades
Sometime after defeating Hades in the Elysian Fields, Shiryu returned to China, where he lived peacefully with Shunrei Shoryu and her daughter as a farmer. Hyoga visited him in search of Rozan and convinced him to help Seiya, but before the failure part. Angel Tohma comes to the Five Peaks and attacks the saint, who does not react and is thrown into a large waterfall where Dragon Cloth was again sealed. When the angel vai, Shiryu remove the casket from the bottom and fires up the family, leaving for the new combat carrying a cane that belonged to the late Old Master. Along with Cygnus Hyoga, passes the time portal of the god Chronos, to arrive by Athena, and help her. Shiryu rushes to the seventh house of the zodiac, in the eighteenth century, where he met his teacher Libra Dohko(young)...

Saint Seiya: Next Dimension
=== In Saint Seiya: Next Dimension (official sequel and prequel of Saint Seiya manga original), Shiryu travels in time to help Athena to save Seiya. In the eighteenth century meets his master Dohko of Libra young, here is proclaimed as a future gold saint of Libra. ===

Saint Seiya Omega
Main Article: Libra Shiryū (Omega)

List of opponents
In the original manga, Shiryu won 83% of his battles, i.e. 10 battles out of 12 (battles labeled as "unfair" are not considered).

Techniques and abilities
During his training in Rozan (Mount Lu, 庐山), Shiryu had awakened his Cosmo and learned many fighting styles as well as fundamental wisdom from his master, Libra Dohko. During the Sanctuary Arc, Shiryu awakens the 7th sense in his fight against Cancer Deathmask. He awoke the 8th sense during the Hades Arc.

Rozan Shō Ryū Ha (廬山昇龍覇; Rising Dragon Punch): Shiryu intensifies his cosmos and gives an upward blow be it punch or kick. The upward release of energy is comparable to the image of a majestic dragon rising towards the sky. A breath and drag violently hitting the opponent rose into the air with the image of a dragon devouring the opponent; Sometimes the attack is not completely vertical as when it slightly rotates around it's prey. Unlike the techniques of the other Bronze Saints, however, Shiryu's Rozan Rising Dragon Force does have one weakness—while performing the move, his heart will be left open for a millisecond. Only three people in the series have noted this: his master Libra Dohko, Bronze Saint Pegasus Seiya, and Gold Saint Capricorn Shura. When fighting Shura, Shiryu used this weakness as a decoy to lure Shura to hew his heart, then Shiryu was able to hurt Shura successfully.

Rozan Ryū Hi Shō (廬山龍飛翔; Soaring Mountain Dragon): An attack similar to Rozan Sho Ryu Ha, but in a horizontal forward rather than upward.

Rozan Hyaku Ryū Ha (廬山百龍覇; One Hundred Rising Dragons): Shiryu learned it from watching his master Dokho's battle, even though he was blind at that moment. Dokho told Shiryu that his kindness was his disadvantage but at the same time his advantage. As well as removing any regret, Shiryu transcended the heart weakness of Rozan Rising Dragon Force. Standing with legs apart and the palms of his hands facing the opponent, he erupts his cosmos as intensely as possible while throwing a horde of 100 Dragons towards the enemy who is destroyed by the devouring dragons.

Rozan Kō Ryū Ha (廬山亢龍覇; Enraged Dragon Force): Shiryu burns his Cosmos to the limit before capturing his opponent from behind and pushing the limit of Rozan Shō Ryū Ha creating the Rozan Kō Ryū Ha, the upward force launching Shiryu, carrying his target, into the skies. The two continue to climb until their bodies are incinerated and pulverized by the friction of the atmosphere. A suicide move intending to take the user's opponent with them to death, the Rozan Ko Ryu Ha is known as a forbidden technique to Shiryu.

Excalibur (聖剣, Ekusukaribā): After defeating Capricorn Shura, Shiryu is entrusted with the Gold Saint's legendary technique Excalibur. Rather than a physical blade, Excalibur is a deadly Cosmo focused with precise sharpness on Shiryu's right arm. Although Shiryu's version of the sword was not as defined as Shura's (Shiryu's Excalibur lies only in his right arm, while Shura's can be unleashed from any of his limbs), the Dragon later refined it to the point of rivaling Shura's and used it to cut the unbreakable golden spear of Chrysaor Krishna, the powerful Mariner General, during the Poseidon Chapter.

The axe technique of Specter Minotaurus Gordon defeated Shiryu's Excalibur however, Shiryu used his fists from then on.

Cloths and accesory
Main Article:  Dragon Cloth

Main Article: Dragon Shield

Reception
In Japan, Shiryu is the most popular character in Saint Seiya, ranking 1st in the main characters poll of the five Bronze Saints.