The shadow archetype in Knights of the Zodiac

a semiotic analysis of the Gold Saint Cancer, Deathmask

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.51951/ti.v15i34.p192-199

Keywords:

Deathmask. Shadow Archetype. Archetypal Semiotics. Saint Seiya.

Abstract

This article analyzes, from the perspective of archetypal semiotics, the construction of the Shadow archetype In the character Deathmask of Cancer, from the anime Saint Seiya (Kurumada, 1986). To this end, the Jungian concept of archetype is applied, focusing on the Shadow – the expression of repressed and denied aspects of the psyche. Deathmask acts as a direct antagonist, embodying nihilism, cruelty, and moral perversion. His behavior evidences the destruction of human values, In contrast to Athena’s ethics. When confronted and defeated by Shiryu, he reveals himself as a representation of the Shadow that must be confronted or overcome In the hero’s path. His iconography and techniques, such as “Waves of the Underworld,” function as trials of symbolic death and confrontation of consciousness. It is concluded that Deathmask embodies the evil that must be defeated for the protagonists’ moral ascension.

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Author Biography

Thiago Barbosa Soares, Universidade Federal do Tocantins - UFT

Doutor em Linguística pela Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCar). Professor no curso de Letras e no Programa de Pós-Graduação em Letras da Universidade Federal do Tocantins (UFT). Líder do Grupo de Estudo de Análise do Discurso (GESTADi–UFT). Pesquisador bolsista de produtividade do CNPq.

References

CAMPBELL, Joseph. O herói de mil faces. 10. ed. São Paulo: Cultrix, 2007.

GREIMAS, Algirdas Julien; COURTÉS, Joseph. Dicionário de semiótica. São Paulo: Cultrix, 1989.

HILLMAN, James. Psicologia arquetípica: uma Introdução concisa. 2. ed. São Paulo: Cultrix, 2022.

JUNG, Carl Gustav. Os arquétipos e o Inconsciente coletivo. 6. ed. Petrópolis: Vozes, 2002.

KURUMADA, Masami. Os Cavaleiros do Zodíaco [Saint Seiya]. Japão: Shueisha / TV Asahi, 1986. Série animada.

Published

2025-08-07

How to Cite

SOARES, Thiago Barbosa. The shadow archetype in Knights of the Zodiac: a semiotic analysis of the Gold Saint Cancer, Deathmask. Travessias Interativas, São Cristóvão-SE, v. 15, n. 34, p. 192–199, 2025. DOI: 10.51951/ti.v15i34.p192-199. Disponível em: https://periodicos.ufs.br/Travessias/article/view/n34p192. Acesso em: 24 apr. 2026.