Honor of Kings Gold Aries Skin Gameplay Showcase: A Blond Apprentice Only Saint Seiya Fans Would Recognize
The highly anticipated third collaboration skin between Honor of Kings and Saint Seiya has finally arrived—Zhang Liang’s Gold Aries skin is now live on the official servers. As usual, Tencent’s TiMi Studio invited popular streamers to showcase this new legendary skin in action, giving players a clear look at its visual effects and animations before they consider purchasing it. Given its premium price tag and the fact that Zhang Liang already has an affordable 6-yuan skin, this is a decision worth weighing carefully.
Design & Visual Fidelity
In terms of modeling and special effects, the Gold Aries skin maintains the high standard expected of legendary-tier skins. When compared to the earlier Sagittarius and Leo collaboration skins, the Aries edition holds its own—in fact, both the Aries and the previous Leo skin for Da Mo are significant improvements over the initial Sagittarius release.
The skin is modeled after Mu, the guardian of the Aries Gold Cloth in Saint Seiya. Known for his calm demeanor, wisdom, and immense psychic power (telekinetic abilities), Mu is also the master craftsman capable of repairing damaged Cloths. The in-game model does an excellent job capturing his likeness; Saint Seiya fans might even argue it looks more refined than his portrayal in the Saint Seiya mobile game itself.
That said, the portrait art—a somewhat awkward depiction of Mu meditating with his eyes closed—isn’t his most iconic pose. The overall brightness feels excessive, and the angle of the Aries horn on the Cloth looks slightly off. An optimization in a future update would be welcome.
Gameplay & Skill Effects
Popular streamer Han Paopao from Penguin E-sports gave his audience an early look at the skin’s performance. Like all crossover skins, Gold Aries incorporates elements from the original IP through its ability effects.
Zhang Liang’s first skill is replaced with Crystal Wall, one of Mu’s signature techniques. In the anime, the Crystal Wall is a nearly impenetrable barrier. In Honor of Kings, it manifests as four crystalline structures that shatter with a satisfying, anime-esque sound effect when destroyed.
His second skill received one of the most creative touch-ups. Since none of Mu’s canonical abilities directly match Zhang Liang’s skill, the designers took some liberties. The skill can be stacked three times, and each instance features a different central object: Kiki (Mu’s blond, mischievous apprentice), a magic tome, or a scroll. This is a deep-cut reference that might fly over the heads of players unfamiliar with the series.
The ultimate ability is inspired by Mu’s most powerful attack, Starlight Extinction. However, due to the constraints of Zhang Liang’s ultimate mechanics, the effect isn’t as visually spectacular as Da Mo’s Light Speed Punch from the Leo skin—though it’s still a noticeable upgrade from the Sagittarius arrow.
Recall Animation & Final Thoughts
The recall animation beautifully recreates one of the most emotional moments from Saint Seiya: Mu and Kiki repairing the Pegasus Cloth. For fans of the series, this scene is a nostalgic and touching detail.
Overall, Zhang Liang’s Gold Aries skin is a solid legendary-tier offering with thoughtful thematic integration. It stays true to the source material while adapting creatively to fit Honor of Kings gameplay. Just keep in mind—the duration of the ultimate ability is identical to that of his budget 6-yuan skin, so the value here is purely in aesthetics and fandom.
