Garo: The Animation: Season 1

When the European kingdom of Valiante is plagued by a witch hunt sanctioned by the king's advisor Mendoza, Germán Luis, the Silver Makai Knight, saves his newborn son León as his mother is burned at the stake. Seventeen years later, Germán Luis and his son return to Valiante to find themselves targeted by Mendoza's men..

Mendoza accuses the queen of poisoning the king and alleges that his heir Alfonso is not his son. On their return to Valiante, León and his father come across a priest and group of inquisitors torturing the Makai Alchemist Ema Guzmán. They free her, but the priest changes into a Horror. During the battle with the Horror, León sees the site where is mother was burned and transforms into the Golden Makai Knight, but loses control. Later, Mendoza imprisons the queen while Alfonso escapes from Valia

As León cannot properly control the flames of the Garo armor, Germán takes him to the Makai Alchemist Gael. Gael has been repairing the ring Zaruba which is part of his son's birthright as the Golden Knight. However, Gael's apprentice Marcello kills the ageing Alchemist and steals the ring. He transforms into a Horror, and León, as the Golden Knight slays him and makes a contract with Zaruba. Meanwhile, Alfonso is attacked by Mendoza's Horrors but is saved by a Makai Knight.

León and Germán are disguised as pilgrims travelling to Santa Bard. On the way they visit a village with rumors of people disappearing, but the village chief denies that there is a problem. They then find shelter with a widow and her strange son, Alois. Eventually they realize that the wooden figure that Alois carries contains the Horror, and that Alois has been using it to dispose villagers who participated the murder of his father. León eventually destroys the Horror, whereupon León and Germán

Alfonso's saviour is revealed as Rafael Banderas, who explains the existence and function of the Makai Knights, including Alfonso's family's connection to the Knight of Light. Banderas takes Alfonso to the Valdona of Count Romero but they find the property infested with Horrors, including a giant slug-like Horror who eats Count Romero. Alfonso attacks it without effect, then Banderas transforms into Gaia the Knight of Defense and destroys it. Meanwhile León and Germán continue towards the city o

León and Germán finally arrive at the city of Santa Bard, where León's mother died. Soldiers visit Jordi the blacksmith, and deliver the sword of his son Sergi. However, the sword is possessed and takes control of Jordi. While drinking with Germán, Jordi reveals that the Black Knights of Castle Santa Bard undergo a ruthless test to join the knighthood. Later, Jordi's adopted son Julio tells León and Germán that Sergi was killed in the knighthood test. That night they meet Jordi in the streets wh

The inn-owners mistakenly think that León is Prince Alfonso and tell the Black Knights who then raid the inn. León flees and finds the knights are Horrors. Their leader reveals himself to be a Makai Knight in black armor who is too powerful to defeat, but fortunately Ema saves León. León later awakes from a dream in which he is a werewolf, in the home of a villager called Pepe. He goes with other children following a harlequin to the almshouse of a church where three children are selected. León

Separated from León, Germán saves Irene, a woman being chased by bandits, however when they are alone and Germán removes his clothes, he finds that he has been duped and she is in league with the bandits. As he escapes, he is mistaken for a criminal and is pursued by soldiers. To cover himself, he steals a bedsheet from Ximena, an attractive young inn-keeper. He is then saved by Ema who tells him that León was attacked by the Black Knight, Bernardo Dión. Germán recalls his early years when he an

Rafael trains Alfonso to become a Makai Knight to defeat the Horrors plaguing his kingdom. After visiting Garm, he selects a powerful Horror, the Chimera of Orvien for Alfonso's final test. At the same time, León prepares to challenge the Chimera of Orvien to prove himself. They find the Horror, encased in its own moving mausoleum and attack simultaneously, but are beaten back. The ailing Rafael arrives and launches an attack in his Gaia Makai armor, sacrificing himself. Alfonso takes up Rafael'

Alfonso learns that his mother Esmeralda is the youngest sister of León's mother Anna, making the young men cousins. A series of flashbacks show how Mendoza was excommunicated after creating a Madō Tool to control Horrors. This caused him to develop a hatred of the Makai Knight bloodline and he used Zirkel's Circle to infest Valiante with Horrors. Back in the present, Germán, León and Alfonso commence their assault on Castle Santa Bard through an underground passage. After fighting their way thr

Before Germán agrees to fight Bernardo, he demands to know what happened after Bernardo risked his life to save Germán. Bernardo tells how as he lay dying from his wounds, Mendoza offered him a chance to live and rule over humans instead of being their unappreciated protector. Faced with the fact that Bernardo sold his soul to Mendoza, Germán attacks Bernardo. The titanic battle between the Silver and Black Makai Knights comes to an end with them both exhausted, reverting to their human forms. H

León faces Mendoza who uses his magic to show a vision of his mother's death, while Alfonso confronts the huge Horror. The vision causes León to lose control of the Garo armor and go on a flaming destructive rampage into the city. Alfonso attacks the Golden Knight León and manages to return León to his human form. Taking León's sword, he becomes Garo the Golden Knight himself and destroys Mendoza. León pleads for Alfonso to return the armor to him, but the armor has accepted León as the Golden K

Valiante begins to recover under the hand of Prince Alfonso while Germán recovers from his wounds. Meanwhile, León is found and rescued by a girl named Lara and he starts living with her family on their farm. Back in Valiante, Alfonso spends the nights hunting Horrors with the help of Germán. León slowly adapts to life on the farm, and eventually helps to restore their damaged irrigation system.

Alfonso tires of the mundane activities of managing the Kingdom and takes a wagon ride out of the city. The wagon is stopped by the bandit Gaspard Montes and his men who are based in an old castle in Lavietsla, formerly owned by Count Albert Juste. Arriving there, Alfonso finds Germán and is told the story of how Count Juste's wife Isabelle became a witch to keep her youthful beauty. Mauro believes that the castle is cursed after the Count killed his wife and himself. However Alfonso and Germán

In Santa Bard, the local craftsmen create an armored suit inspired by the legend of the Knight of Light to protect the city under the guidance of Julio. However, they find that the task is not easy as they expected, but they eventually complete the armor. They are approached by a farmer whose husband, livestock and crops have been destroyed by a demon. The team of craftsmen discover that the demon is actually a powerful bear and the armor's pilot, just escapes with his life before the armor is d

An ambitious villager kills the ailing famous doctor Fabian and assumes his identity, but then becomes possessed by Fabian's medical book. He visits the capital and treats the sick free of charge, including Germán and he heals Germán's friend Ximena who has caught the plague. Although he says that he only eats one patient per day, Germán cannot let him continue and he destroys the false doctor.

Near Lara's family's farm León come across a broken Watchdog Center, a barrier against Horrors. Meanwhile, Alfonso visits the local Lord where he meets León. After making amends with the prince, León decides to continue living with Lara and her family, much to her surprise and delight. Alfonso remains in the region hunting a Horror, and Zarube detects a burrowing Horror, a Grand Magus. One night, León encounters the Horror and he sends Lara and her family to the old Watchdog Center for protectio

León mourns Lara's death and is riddled with remorse at not being able to save her. In Santa Bard, Germán prepares to leave, saddening Ximena who has developed a strong affection for him. As León buries Lara, he is engulfed by the flames of his seal, driving him to seek power and revenge. He confronts Alfonso, seeking to reclaim his armor and become Garo once more, and after a fearsome sword-fight, Alfonso agrees. Meanwhile, Germán stays the night with Ximena, but as he leaves the next morning w

After hearing that Ema is in danger, León goes to find her while she recklessly pursues the Horror that once was her husband and fellow Makai Alchemist, Luciano Guzmán. León finds them in the midst of a battle in which Ema is badly wounded, but survives. Later she tells León how Luciano became a Horror after his frustration at not being able to protect people and became obsessed with searching for a way to turn Horrors back into humans. Her misfortune was compounded by her imprisonment by the Ma

Alfonso and Ema start investigating the palace looking for clues about Mendoza's whereabouts and Alfonso begins to suspect Octavia. Meanwhile Octavia cares for Menzoza who is living in the old temple complex below the palace. Alfonso encounters the maid Laura who is collecting water from spring late at night and becomes suspicious. Ema lays a trap for Mendoza's accomplice, but when Octavia is caught, she uses a device from Mendoza to create a Horror and successfully cast suspicion on the hapless

León and his friends still pursue Mendoza, causing the father and son to settle their differences in a deadly fight. Meanwhile, Octavia is praised by Mendoza for sacrificing part of her body to protect him. Garm intervenes in the battle between León and Germán which threatens to destroy Valiante, but the cousins cannot accept the destruction of people for Garm's larger objective and León and Germán resume their battle. As they fight, León recalls the time when he was training under his authorita

Jiruba reveals that Gérman's plan was to gain Mendoza's confidence and find the location of the demon Anima, and that now is the time to go to his aid. Meanwhile, Gérman tries to stop Mendoza, but is attacked by Horrors. He severs Mendoza's left arm, planning to use it to open a gateway for his son to gain entry, but he is then attacked by a multitude of Horrors. Meanwhile, León, Alfonso and Ema break through an outer seal to Mendoza's lair, but are caught in a spell and find themselves sent far

With a farewell kiss to León, Ema stays with Alfonso to fight the Horror Octavia while sending León to deal with Mendoza. León finds Mendoza who uses not only the souls of sacrificed humans in the form of a giant red crucifix to awaken Anima, but also the soul of the dead Gérman. Ema and Alfonso's battle with Octavia bursts out over the city endangering the population,. Meanwhile, León fights his way through a hoard of Horrors to reach Mendoza and impales him on his sword, but it is too late as

Mendoza absorbs Anima into his own body, becoming a godlike immortal being and León makes one desperate, final stand to stop him. Ema and Alfonso manage to send Gérman's Makai blade to León which, combined with his own sword, provides enough power to trap Mendoza and force him towards the Demon World. Mendoza taunts León as they travel into the Demon World, but León's mother Anna appears and engulfs Mandoza in her all-consuming flames, trapping him and allowing León to escape back through the ga