Is Capricorn Gold Saint Shura’s Strength Underestimated?
The Underestimated Power of Capricorn Gold Saint
Among the twelve Gold Saints of the Zodiac, Capricorn’s Shura often occupies a quieter space in the collective memory of fans, leading many to overlook his genuine combat prowess. While he may not command the immediate recognition of some peers, a deeper examination reveals a warrior whose capabilities are frequently—and unfairly—diminished in popular discourse.
Shura: The Saint of the Sharpest Blade
Shura, the Gold Saint of Capricorn, possesses a deadly arsenal of techniques centered around his signature move: the Excalibur. His known techniques include:
- Excalibur
- Excalibur Edge Draw
- Excalibur Tempest
- Jumping Stone
In the official stat rankings, Shura boasts impressive numbers: Punch 5, Kick 5, Tools 1, Heart 1, Throw 5, totaling 17. This places his comprehensive index just below Mu of Aries (18). Crucially, his Punch, Kick, and Throw stats are all perfect scores—a feat matched among the Gold Saints only by the legendary Sagittarius Aiolos. This statistical profile underscores a master of physical, close-quarters combat, a specialist whose raw power in hand-to-hand fighting is virtually unrivaled.
Factors Leading to the Underestimation
1. The Question of Allegiance
During the coup in Sanctuary, Shura, alongside Cancer Deathmask and Pisces Aphrodite, aligned himself with the usurper, Gemini Saga. This political alignment, driven by his belief that “power is justice,” placed him on the antagonistic side of the conflict. In the original manga, he gravely wounded the fleeing Sagittarius Aiolos—who was protecting the infant Athena—by using the goddess as a hostage, a tactic that, while effective, painted him as dishonorable and undermined perceptions of his pure martial skill. This narrative choice, later softened in the anime adaptation, created a lasting impression that his victories were tainted, thus leading fans to undervalue his true strength.
2. The Narrative Handling of Excalibur
Shura’s defining ability, Excalibur, is canonically described as the strongest physical attack among the Gold Saints—a blade so sharp it can cut through anything. He famously carved a massive canyon with a single strike and shattered the reinforced shield of Dragon Shiryu. However, the narrative often constrained this overwhelming power. To avoid killing main protagonists like Aiolos or Shiryu outright, the effectiveness of Excalibur was frequently downplayed, leading to incongruous scenes like Shiryu catching the blade bare-handed. This inconsistent portrayal created a perception that the technique, and by extension Shura himself, was less potent than stated. Furthermore, after Shura sacrificed himself and bequeathed his technique to Shiryu, the latter’s use of Excalibur in later story arcs (e.g., against the Sea Dragon or the Minotaur’s axe in the Hades Chapter) failed to consistently showcase its world-cutting potential, further diluting its fearsome reputation.
Reassessing Capricorn’s Legacy
Despite these narrative handicaps, evidence points to Shura being a formidable high-tier Gold Saint. His role, alongside Deathmask and Aphrodite, in guarding Sanctuary while the younger Gold Saints were away training suggests a baseline of required competence and strength. Compared to his two companions, often humorously deemed the “Seafood Duo” for their weaker portrayals, Shura consistently demonstrated superior skill and power.
His performance in the Hades Chapter, fighting alongside the mind-controlled Saga and Camus against Mu, Aiolia, and Milo, showed that the trio could hold their own against three of Sanctuary’s strongest, hinting at his latent capabilities even when not fighting at his absolute peak.
The true potential of Excalibur is perhaps best illustrated not by Shura, but by his predecessor in The Lost Canvas spin-off, El Cid. There, the Capricorn Saint’s mastery of the technique was shown in its full glory, allowing him to battle and even sever the bodies of deities like the Four Dream Gods, finally aligning the technique’s portrayal with its legendary status.
In conclusion, while Shura may not reside in the absolute top echelon occupied by the likes of Saga, Shaka, or Aiolos, he firmly deserves a place in the strong second tier of Gold Saints. His physical prowess, dedication to his craft, and possession of one of the most potent offensive techniques in the series make Capricorn Shura a force whose true strength is, indeed, significantly underestimated by many.
