Zodíaco sincrético: a teopoética verbo-visual do mangá Cavaleiros do Zodíaco

• Ano de defesa: 2025
• Autor(a) principal: Prilla, João Paulo Vicente
• Orientador(a): Navas, Diana
• Tipo de documento: Tese
• Tipo de acesso: Acesso aberto
• Idioma: por
• Instituição de defesa: Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo
• Programa de Pós-Graduação: Programa de Pós-Graduação em Literatura e Crítica Literária
• Departamento: Faculdade de Filosofia, Comunicação, Letras e Artes
• País: Brasil
• Palavras-chave em Português: Cavaleiros do zodíaco; Saint seiya; Teopoética; Mangá; Religião
• Palavras-chave em Inglês: Knights of the Zodiac; Saint seiya; Theopoetics; Manga; Religion
• Área do conhecimento CNPq: CNPQ::LINGUISTICA, LETRAS E ARTES::LETRAS::TEORIA LITERARIA
• Link de acesso: https://repositorio.pucsp.br/jspui/handle/handle/45391

This thesis explores the interface between religion and graphic narrative in Knights of the Zodiac (Saint Seiya, 1985-1990) by Masami Kurumada, with a focus on the religious, philosophical, and spiritual aspects present in the manga’s symbolic construction. The central aim of the study is to analyze how this Japanese comic book articulates, through a syncretic theopoetics, symbolic, mythical, and doctrinal elements from three religious traditions – Buddhism, Taoism, and Christianity – in shaping its characters, plots, and ethical-moral foundations. The specific objectives are to: (i) identify the religious layers present in the work and their functions within the narrative fabric; (ii) understand the processes of re-signification of myths and religious symbols in the context of an artistic product of Japanese pop culture distributed on a global scale; and (iii) reflect on the impacts of the circulation of these images and symbols on the formation of the ethical-religious imaginaries of the child and adolescent audience, the main consumer of manga and other products linked to this cultural industry. The guiding hypothesis of the research is that Knights of the Zodiac, by combining elements from different spiritual traditions, operates as a theopoetic device that contributes to the formation of a hybrid religious imaginary, capable of engaging with plural sensibilities and fostering reflections on universal ethical values. From a methodological perspective, the work adopts a qualitative approach, combining interpretive analysis and theopoetic investigation of the narrative, along with an intertextual study of religious references. The corpus focuses on the original manga, privileging passages and episodes marked by Buddhist, Taoist, and Christian elements, both in the verbal and, especially, the visual dimension, which are essential for the characterization of characters, settings, and for the development of the plot. The theoretical framework is grounded in the study of theopoetics, complemented by insights from comic and manga criticism, considering them as both artistic expressions and products of pop culture. The academic relevance of the research lies in its contribution to the fields of religious studies, graphic narratives, and interarts studies between comics and literature, by offering an interdisciplinary perspective on the circulation of myths and religious symbols in global pop culture productions. On a social level, the thesis highlights the importance of understanding how widely popular works can mediate intercultural and spiritual dialogues, as well as shape ethical sensibilities in contexts marked by religious diversity. Among the limitations of the study, it is worth noting the focus on just three religious traditions, leaving aside other significant symbolic sources in the work, such as Greek mythology, Hinduism, astronomy, and astrology. Moreover, the analysis concentrated on the classic manga, without fully addressing the expansions in derivative media (anime, films, games, new manga in the franchise). The research results indicate that Knights of the Zodiac carries out a complex operation of theopoetic syncretism, promoting a symbolic fusion that, while engaging with Eastern mythical and religious traditions, articulates a universalizing ethical discourse centered on values such as compassion, sacrifice, courage, hope, and the pursuit of harmony. The analysis demonstrates that the manga contributes to the formation of a hybrid and globalized religious imaginary, reinforcing the potential of manga and graphic narratives in general as spaces for dialogue between tradition and contemporaneity