The Seven Deadly Sins is a popular fantasy manga and anime series by Nakaba Suzuki that features a ragtag bunch of knights with unique magical powers. The series features the usual battle manga action while also featuring a healthy amount of comedy and unique worldbuilding.

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The Seven Deadly Sins ended in 2020, but Suzuki announced that a sequel would be coming soon. That sequel, Four Knights of the Apocalypse, started in 2021, and features the character Percival, who is prophesized to destroy the world with three other warriors. Here are some things fans should know about Four Knights of the Apocalypse.

7 It Takes Place Sixteen Years After The Original Manga

Four Knights Howzer as a captain

Sequels can take place either right after the original work or much, much longer after it. Four Knights of the Apocalypse sits somewhere in the middle, taking place sixteen years after the original series. Coincidentally, all four Knights of the Apocalypse are also sixteen years old, suggesting a possible significance behind the number of years.

While this long timeskip would normally grant fans of the original series a chance to see older versions of fan-favorite characters, it doesn't really apply in Four Knights of the Apocalypse, as many of the Seven Deadly Sins, such as Meliodas and Gowther, are immortal and do not change at all with age. Still, there are human characters that show the passage of time, such as Howzer.

6 It Pulls More Influence From Arthurian Mythology

Four Knights of the Apocalypse color art featuring Percival

The Seven Deadly Sins was largely its own fantasy universe, but it did occasionally pull elements from Arthurian mythology, the most obvious examples being the characters Merlin and Arthur himself. Furthermore, many characters in that manga were named after Arthurian characters, such as Meliodas and Ban.

With Arthur and Camelot coming to the forefront of the story this time around, it's obvious that more Arthurian characters and references would appear in Four Knights of the Apocalypse. Naturally, the main character Percival is a clear example, being named after one of the most famous knights in Arthurian mythology. Despite this, the main plot of the story is very different from the story of Arthur, even though characters are borrowed from it.

5 Arthur Seems To Be The Main Villain

Four Knights Arthur as King of Camelot

Arthur Pendragon initially appeared as a supporting character in The Seven Deadly Sins, as a young king with an earnest desire for peace. At the end of that series, however, Arthur was transformed into the King of Chaos by Merlin, turning him into a man with extremely powerful magic.

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Though Arthur was still an ally by the end of The Seven Deadly Sins, by Four Knights of the Apocalypse, he seems to have become more ruthless, desiring to create a kingdom with no non-human races. This is a large change from the kind knight he was before. While it's possible that Arthur could change his mind and give up his genocidal ideals, for now he seems to be the main villain of this manga.

4 Meliodas And Ban's Sons Play A Part In The Story

Four Knights Lancelot

Part of what fans were likely excited about when they heard tell of a sequel to The Seven Deadly Sins is seeing the children of the main characters be part of the story, especially since the timeskip between the two works allows for that possibility. While it takes some time, Meliodas and Ban's sons, Tristan and Lancelot, do eventually appear in the story and are set to be important as they are Knights of the Apocalypse, just like Percival.

Aside from Tristan and Lancelot, Gawain is also eventually introduced as the last and only female member of the Four Knights of the Apocalypse. Like Tristan and Lancelot, Gawain also has a connection to a character from The Seven Deadly Sins, being the niece of Arthur Pendragon himself.

3 Meliodas's Son Was Initially Meant To Be The Main Character

Four Knights Tristan with the goddess eyes

Meliodas and Elizabeth's son, Tristan, was initially introduced at the end of The Seven Deadly Sins. Naturally, fans expected him to be the main character of any sequel to the series. In fact, Nakaba Suzuki did indeed consider having Tristan as the main protagonist of his new series.

However, Suzuki decided against it and made Percival, a character made specifically for the sequel, as the protagonist instead. His reasoning was that he wanted a character that wasn't so closely tied to the cast of the previous series. As a result, Percival has no connections to the Seven Deadly Sins or any character in the previous manga. While Tristan is not the main character, he is still certain to play a large role as a Knight of the Apocalypse.

2 The Coffin Of Eternal Darkness Is Important

Four Knights Coffin of Eternal Darkness incomplete

The Coffin of Eternal Darkness is a ritual relic that was used to seal away the Demon Clan thousands of years ago. During The Seven Deadly Sins, Fraudrin unsealed several demons by assembling the Coffin. Although the Coffin would then fade from importance afterwards, it had a large impact on the events to follow.

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The Coffin of Eternal Darkness returns in Four Knights of the Apocalypse with Ironside initially attempting to sacrifice a town in order to release the coffin. However, he was stopped by Percival and his friends, who manage to disassemble the Coffin before he can use it. While the Coffin of Eternal Darkness's completion is put on hold, it is clear that it is important to Arthur's plans.

1 Percival Inherits Meliodas's Dragon Handle

Four Knights Percival's Sword with Dragon Handle

Meliodas's Dragon Handle is an important part of the Coffin of Eternal Darkness, being one of the parts needed to release the coffin's seal. It was used by Meliodas as his initial weapon of choice, despite it not having a blade of its own.

In Four Knights of the Apocalypse, the Dragon Handle is shown as already being a part of the almost assembled Coffin of Eternal Darkness. When Percival's group destroy the Coffin, they manage to take the Dragon Handle with them. Howzer eventually forges a blade onto the handle, allowing Percival to use it as a proper sword. Percival using Meliodas's former weapon is a great homage to the previous protagonist while also serving as a symbolic passing of the torch.

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