Taurus Rasgado

 Taurus Aldebaran (牡牛座のアルデバラン), real name Rasgado''' (ハスガード, Hasugādo, or Hasgard), is the Taurus Gold Saint of the 18th century Holy War. He is one of the twelve strongest Saints of the era, and, along with his eleven peers, sacrificed his life during the conflict. Aldebaran appears in Shiori Teshirogi's Saint Seiya: The Lost Canvas.

The name "Aldebaran" (アルデバラン) is borrowed from the name of the brightest star of the Taurus constellation. In the Saint Seiya: The Lost Canvas universe, it is a name passed down to the strongest Taurus Gold Saints. Aldebaran's true name is "Rasgado", which means "ripped", "torned", in Portuguese.

Appearance
Rasgado is a tall, muscular man with a huge muscular body and gray long hair. He has also thick brows that joins making it look like he has only one long brow.

After his battle with Kagaho, he lost his right eye, leaving it with a scar that goes down to his cheek.

Personality
Aldebaran is a man that stands up for justice and for the younger saints. He also is very loyal to Athena and his fellow saints. Aldebaran shows little trust for Virgo Asmita, showing that he trusts only those to he has a talk with, also he shows that he respects even his enemies, when they show an honorable attitude and if he fights, he prefer it to be a 1 on 1 fight.

Aldebaran is very proud of his speed and strength.

Background
Years before the start of the war, Aldebaran was sent to the forest looking for Leo Ilaias, and warned him about the incoming war, then a group of specters leaded by Rhadamanthys attacked the zoen, so both saints fought back, the battle ended in most Specters defeated and the death of Leo Ilaias.

A Cock & Bull Story
Taurus Aldebaran was first introduced in a conversation with Libra Dohko about the Virgo Saint. He had rarely ever met the Virgo in person, and had been struggling to figure out where his allegiance lay.

Sometime later, it was discovered that Hades had the power to continuously revive his spectres. Fearing that the efforts of the fallen comrades would be in vain, Aldebaran and the Libra were sent to check on the defeated spectres to ensure that they were not resurrected, and if so, to banish them once more. At the site of the original battle between Minos and gold saint Pisces Albafica, Aldebaran discovered that Minos' group of spectres had, indeed, revived, and promptly sent them back to their graves. He and Dohko then split the remaining duties -- the Taurus would stay to keep an eye on any other spectres, and the Libra would bring the newly defeated bodies into Sanctuary, where Athena's cosmic barrier were keeping Hades from reaching his warriors.

Not a moment later, the Taurus sensed a powerful destructive cosmos speeding to his location. This belonged to Bennu Kagaho, a spectre whose strength paralleled the Three Judges. Upon descending, Kagaho demanded to know only one thing - the whereabouts of Libra Dohko. Aldebaran took offense to Kagaho's lack of proper etiquette, and vowed to teach the spectre a lesson. The two men began exchanging punches, with Aldebaran noting that Kagaho's black flames increasingly grew hotter. After another set of blows, the Spectre of Bennu flew backwards atop a cliff. Slightly intrigued by Aldebaran's prowess, the spectre introduced himself as Kagaho of the Celestial Violent Star. Aldebaran acted likewise, introducing himself as the Taurus Gold Saint, Aldebaran. With the formalities out of the way, the gold saint crossed his arms and challenged the spectre to a showdown.

Bennu was unimpressed with Aldebaran's battle stance, ridiculing him for his lack of proper etiquette. Without another word, the spectre unleashed his signature attack, the "Corona Blast". Without even appearing to move his arms, the Taurus reversed the technique into a "Great Horn" and knocked Kagaho into the ground. Towering above the spectre, Aldebaran commented that he did not feel any true malice from him, and inquired his reasons for battle. Kagaho then claimed that anyone he killed or protected would have been done because he willed it; titles and labels such as "Spectres", "Saints", "Athena", and "Holy War" were meaningless additions in his eyes. The only figure that mattered was Hades. That said, Kagaho threw a fist at Aldebaran.

Elsewhere, the trainee trio consisting of Teneo, Salo, and Celintha were waiting at the training site for their master, Hasgard. They wondered what kept him, and opted to begin the session on their own. As they sparred and engaged in strength tests, the trainees recalled Hasgard's words: "If you dislike the Holy War and don't wish to go and die, that's fine. But, even if you do not become Saints, nor fight on the battlefield, you should always remember to protect the weak and live strong and generously." The trainees then sensed a powerful cosmos nearby.

The punch connected with Aldebaran's face, but the only response the saint offered was a smile. Kagaho demanded to know why the Taurus had failed to dodge, and Aldebaran replied that he wanted to feel the impact of the fist. Just as the Taurus had sensed earlier, Kagaho was violent, but not malicious -- using the "Great Horn", Aldebaran vowed to set the spectre straight. The attack missed, and Kagaho informed him that, being the fastest spectre in the Hades army, he had just seen through the mechanics of the attack. Aldebaran remained calm, and explained that while he was impressed with the spectre's eyes, he was renowned as the saint with the fastest palm speed -- and he had yet to reveal the true extent of his "Great Horn" technique. Kagaho welcomed the challenge.

Nearby, Libra Dohko was on his way when he ran into several defeated silver saints. They were all killed with an enormous violent cosmos, and Dohko could feel a familiar energy -- Bennu Kagaho, the man he met back in Tenma's native village. Back on the battlefront, the spectre began to overwhelm Aldebaran in terms of speed, knocking off the gold saint's helmet in the process. Black flames engulfing his fists, Kagaho fought Aldebaran, delivering a flurry of punches then finishing off with an uppercut, causing severe burns to the Taurus Saint's left arm.

To the Bennu's surprise, Aldebaran smiled once again. He had truly been caught off guard by this spectre's strength, and proclaimed that the Hades army truly could not be underestimated. Irritated, Kagaho charged towards Aldebaran with his flaming black fists, dealing various injuries to the gold saint's body. Aldebaran shrugged off the assault, claiming that Kagaho's punches could not hurt him. He recalled the spectre's claims that it was he who chose his enemies and protectees, and yet he knew that that philosophy was rubbish. Aldebaran understood that Kagaho actually wished to burn everything to the ground, be it friend or foe, and that underneath it all, the Spectre of Bennu was a loner. The words infuriated Kagaho, and he unleashed his ultimate attack on the Taurus -- the "Crucify Ankh". The technique captured Aldebaran in a flaming crucifix symbol, burning the saint with black flames.

At this point, Libra Dohko finally arrived to the site of the battle. Enraged that Kagaho had apparently killed Aldebaran, Dohko attacked the spectre. Before any serious blows could be exchanged, Aldebaran suddenly roared for the two to stop. The Taurus declared that Kagaho was his opponent, and that a fight with a saint should always be one vs. one. Burning his cosmos, Aldebaran overcame the flames of the "Crucify Ankh". His left eye had been taken by the attack, but the gold saint stood tall, ready for another round. Suddenly, the men hear a group shouting after them -- Aldebaran's trainees from earlier. The youngest, Salo, ran towards the gold saint and pleaded for the fight to end, fearful that his master would be killed. Watching this, Kagaho recalled a memory between himself and his younger brother, but quickly whisked it away. Teneo, the eldest of the three trainees, handed Aldebaran his Taurus Cloth helmet and apologized for intruding. The gold saint smiled, and, promising that he would not lose, resumed his bout with Kagaho. Aldebaran explained that his trainees were the reasons why he would not allow himself to be killed here. Tired of hearing lecture after lecture from the Taurus, Kagaho promptly attacked Aldebaran with a single "Corona Blast" charged with the fury of three fireballs.

Aldebaran was shocked at the spectre's power, pondering about the possibility that his opponent has limitless strength. Summoning energy from the very depth of his cosmos, Aldebaran crushed the ground he and Kagaho stood on and deflected the "Corona Blast" with his mightiest technique: the "Titan's Nova"! Kagaho was overwhelmed by the sheer velocity of the move, and his surplice suffered from a good deal of damage. Even fellow gold saint, Dohko, was amazed by its power.

The dust settled, revealing a bloodied but standing Kagaho, with Aldebaran again towering over him. The spectre screamed in rage, demanding to know why the gold saint had pulled his punch at the last second. Aldebaran replied that Kagaho was not an evil person, and that the Hades army did not suit him. The spectre turned his back and growled, reiterating that the words "Spectres" and "Saints" were all meaningless trite in his eyes, and that he was the one who chooses who to kill or protect. Before flying away, Kagaho promised Aldebaran that he will kill every single one of them.

The Taurus managed to win this tough battle, but his body would sustain heavy injuries as a result. Nevertheless, Aldebaran still managed to smile as Dohko and his trainees helped him back to Sanctuary. The Taurus Saint later reported his confrontation to the Grand Pope, pointing out that Kagaho's power rivaled even the Three Judges. Another gold saint then made his appearance, Sagittarius Sisyphus. The two saints and the Pope discussed about Athena's fatiguing state from casting the barrier, and how to deal with the constant resurrection of the spectres.

Bulls On Parade
After the meeting, Rasgado and Sisyphus were both exiting the Pope's throne room. The Sagittarius lamented the current situation; that, even though Athena was their goddess, she was still manifested into Sasha, an innocent, young girl -- and one who must do battle with an enemy within her older brother's body. Suddenly, a powerful cosmos appeared by Sanctuary's clock tower, in proximity of the Athena Parthenos statue and where Athena herself was praying. The two gold saints immediately ran to Athena's location to secure her safety.

The cosmos belonged to none other than Hades himself, his soul now fully controlling Alone's body. Dohko and gold saint Aries Shion also made their way to Athena. However, Hades immediately paralyzed all four men with his cosmos, disabling them. It wouldn't be long before the Grand Pope and Pegasus Tenma became involved in this unsettling event. It was here that Hades finally announced his intentions: He shall paint a grand painting depicting angels in the heavens, which will influence the world to transform itself to match it. When this art has completed, he shall destroy it with a single stroke of the brush -- effectively causing the world to parish in the same state. This painting shall be named, "The Lost Canvas".

The Will To Live
Days later, Tenma, the Saint of Pegasus, found himself unable to forget the events that changed the lives of him and his then-orphan friends, Sasha and Alone. In the Underworld, Pandora, after suffering punishment from the twin deities of Thanatos and Hypnos, summoned two spectres to assassinate the Pegasus Saint. Spectres Dullahan Cube of the Terrestial Secret Star, and Bat Wimber of the Terrestial Judgement Star appeared at her command. The two spectres crackled at the thought of killing one mere bronze saint, and made their way to the world of the living.

In Sanctuary, Aldebaran sat in the Temple of Virgo with a jug of alcohol. Conversing to the Virgo Gold Cloth, the Taurus made amends with the spirit of the fallen Virgo Asmita, and mentioned the current conditions of the Holy War as well as his bout with Bennu Kagaho. The gold saint then returned to his own temple, noting the odd group of bats swarming in the air on his way. At the training site, he ran into Tenma, who was sparring with the Taurus trainee trio of Celintha, Salo, and Teneo. Aldebaran greeted them and offered to test Tenma's skills. As the two saints exchanged blows, Aldebaran's trainees watched, but one by one, they began to drift to sleep. Even Tenma couldn't hold his head up, and dropped to the ground midway through a "Ryu Sei Ken".

Aldebaran felt drowsy, and appeared to fall unconscious as Dullahan Cube revealed himself right next to the unconscious saints. Gloating that his partner Bat Wimber's hypnosis was a success, Cube paced himself to Tenma and prepared to behead the bronze saint. Just before the killing blow was made, Aldebaran stopped the attack -- he hadn't been affected by Bat Wimber's technique, after all. Cube realized that the Taurus had pierced his ear drums, which allowed him to escape. Aldebaran then used the "Great Horn" attack, sending Cube into the air and smashing the spectre's face mask in half. At that point, Wimber attempted a sneak assault from Aldebaran's blind spot, which the gold saint dodged in time. The two spectres decided to team up on the Taurus Saint, musing that they would get an additional bonus from Pandora for killing a gold saint along with Tenma. The two took turns punching Aldebaran, belittling the Taurus as well as opening the wounds from his previous fight with Bennu Kagaho.

At this point, Aldebaran had enough and violently grabbed the Bat by the throat -- vowing that he would never let them kill Pegasus Tenma, the Taurus slammed Wimber headfirst into the ground, killing the spectre instantly. Terrified yet angered by Aldebaran's will, Cube quickly unleashed his "Death Messenger" attack, a move that cast a horrifying illusion of a headless woman sending its target the song of death, ultimately resulting in the victim's heart stopping. In his weakened state, not even Aldebaran managed to escape the technique, and his physical body fell to his knees and froze to a stand still. With the gold saint now out of the way, the Dullahan Spectre made his way to capture Tenma's head. In Aldebaran's mind, he envisioned his trainees pleading him to not give up, and he saw Sisyphus reminding him that each time one of Athena's saints die, she becomes hurt and sorrowful. Miraculously, Aldebaran's body stirred, and, his inner voice urging the others to live on strongly, the Taurus performed his one final move -- the "Titan's Nova". Cube was instantly killed, and Tenma saved from the assassination attempt.

Within the rubbles was Frog Zelos, a spectre who had been silently watching the fight. With the giant Bull out of the way and the spectres dead, Zelos realized that he could still carry out the mission and claim all the credit to himself. Climbing out of the hole, he was frightened by the sight of Aldebaran, who refused to lie down even in death. Angered, Zelos kicked the body -- until he was sent soaring in the air with an attack from none other than Bennu Kagaho himself. He demanded to know who had ordered the assassination, and Frog revealed that it was directly from Pandora. Sensing that the Underworld was in disarray, Kagaho wondered what exactly had transpired. Zeros then offered Bennu the job and to share the credit for decapitating Tenma. Disgusted with Frog's idea, Kagaho vowed that he will obey no one except Hades, and crushed Zeros with his foot.

Moments later, Pegasus Tenma regained consciousness, only to find the shocking site of Taurus Aldebaran's dead body next to his. Bennu Kagaho appeared behind the saint, deploring the fact that it was quite the hassle to set the gold saint down. Tenma demanded to know if Kagaho was responsible for the Taurus' death and charged towards him. Kagaho easily deflected the punches with his black flames, and informed the saint that, regrettably, he was not the one who killed the gold saint. Picking up Tenma by his shirt, the spectre explained that he had become the target of assassination, and this will only be the first attempt. Kagaho revealed that their army was now under the control of Pandora, and if Tenma wanted to find out more, he would have to go directly to the source. Without another word, Kagaho flew away, quietly noting to Aldebaran that what he had owed the gold saint was now repaid. The Taurus trio of Teneo, Salo, and Celintha awoke, and cried out when they discovered Aldebaran's fallen body.

He later returns in spiritual form to help the other Gold Saints defeat Hades with the Golden Light.

Powers and Abilities
Superhuman Strength: As a Gold Saint Aldebaran had the strength to destroy a gigantic boulder with a single finger and cause immense damage with one hit. Not only as a Gold Saint, but also as a man Aldebaran is incredibly strong.

Cosmos Mastery: As a former Gold Saint, Aldebaran has fully mastered the 7th sense, that gave him great power and the ability to move at the speed of light. Aldebaran is renowned to be the fastest saint with his hand gestures.

Saint Powers
While Aldebaran/Hasgard shares one general technique with his later reincarnation, Aldebaran, he also has one extra similarly powerful attack at his disposal.

Great Horn: A technique executed with the unusual stance of crossed arms. As the enemy approaches Aldebaran, he unfolds his arms into a two giant palms that unleashes a powerful sound wave at the enemy. To the untrained eye, the release is never seen.

Titan's Nova: A move unique to Rasgado. The Taurus concentrates a burst of cosmos energy into his palm, and unleashes a small force field that severely damages the target and the battleground.

Comparison

 * Both are ridiculously huge in terms of size -- usually twice the size of a normal saint.
 * Both use the "Great Horn" technique in the same manner, down to the stance.
 * The older Aldebaran has an extra attack, the "Titan's Nova", which serves arguably as his ultimate move.
 * Both Alderbarans have a kind yet firm deposition, and both can be somewhat friendly to the enemies when they feel no malice from them.
 * Whereas the Aldebaran of the 1990's lost the left horn on his cloth's helmet against Pegasus Seiya, the Alderbaran of the 1700's lost his right eye in his fight with Bennu Kagaho.
 * Both opted to pierce their ear drums as a defense in their respective fights dealing with an attack of similar nature.
 * The Aldebaran of the 1700's had his own trainee trio with specialized attairs, down to horned shoulder pads.
 * The Aldebaran of the 1990's was friendly with Aries Mu, while the Aldebaran of the 1700's was close with Libra Dohko.