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Shaman King
File:MankinLogo.pngShaman King Logo
Genre	Adventure, Supernatural
Created by	Hiroyuki Takei
Manga
Written by	Hiroyuki Takei
Published by	Shueisha
Anime
Directed by	Seiji Mizushima
Studio	XEBEC
Specials
The Documents of the Shaman Fight (Yujo no Katachi) The Form that Friendship Takes (Ai no Katachi) The Form that Love Takes

Shaman King (シャーマンキング Shāman Kingu) is both an anime series and a manga series by Hiroyuki Takei. The manga has ended prematurely in Japan with 32 volumes in total. The anime concluded its run with a total of 64 episodes and 3 specials.

The Shaman King series started in Shueisha's Shonen Jump in Japan, eventually leading to the creation of an anime series, which was directed by Seiji Mizushima, co-produced by TV Tokyo, Nihon Ad Systems and Xebec and aired on TV Tokyo. This is a Shōnen anime. In North America, the manga was initially printed in Viz Media's Shonen Jump, but stopped as of the September 2007 issue, choosing instead to release one volume every two months.

A shaman is some one who connects this world and the spirit world. In Shaman King, shamans team up with ghosts and spirits to achieve their goals. The greatest dreams of a shaman is to become the Shaman King, who is able to contact the Great Spirit (the spirit that every soul will eventually go back to) in order to be the savior of the world. Various magical and religious terms are spread through out the story but they merge into something explainable by the time the main plot arrives.

The series spans 285 manga chapters and 32 volumes, and ended with a short "extra story", known as the Funbari no Uta. Many fans of the series abbreviate its name to "Mankin". The Shaman King trading card game is available in Japan and North America.

Manga

Plot

The manga starts with Manta Oyamada, a studious middle-school student in Tokyo , attempting a shortcut to get home after a late night of cram school. The shortcut comes in the form of a cemetery. It is here that Manta meets another boy named Yoh Asakura (who happens to be a shaman), but is frightened to discover that Yoh is surrounded by ghosts (it is at this moment that Manta learns that he can see ghosts). Ultimately, Yoh and Manta become best friends, and, over the next few months, Manta learns about the life of a shaman.

Yoh soon encounters Tao Ren, with whom he battles. Anna Kyoyama, Yoh's fiancée, soon enters the picture and prescribes a brutal training regimen, in order to prepare Yoh for the upcoming Shaman Tournament. The tournament is held once every 500 years and is a battle between competing shaman to choose a winner, who will be known as the Shaman King. This winner will gain the ability to reshape the world as he or she chooses, to make his or her dream come true. Thus begins the plot that will lead Yoh on a journey that will lead him to many friends and adventures.

Through a series of events and also through participation in the Shaman Tournament, Yoh meets and befriends numerous characters and changes their lives through friendship and authentic concern, which seems to be a pervasive theme throughout the series.

Ending

In November of 2004, Shaman King was canceled by Weekly Shonen Jump. Shaman King was let go due to declining popularity in Jump's fan polls (indicated by their willingness to release the final completed manga volume (Vol. 32) if there was a great enough fan response). This cancellation was untimely given that the series was nearing its end. Release of the final volume had been suspended indefinitely, but was released in spring of 2006.

Volume 32 ends with Yoh going to sleep to prepare for the final battle with Hao; the final page is viewed as Manta's dream, which features Hao as a princess with Yoh and his friends on their way to rescue "her". The reason for that is because Anna was speaking to Manta as if Hao was the person in need of rescue. The page contains the words "Owari" ("The End") and next to that, in front of Horohoro's sword, is a mandarin orange, also called "mikan" which is the Japanese word for "incomplete".

Follow up

The side story Funbari no Uta, which lasts for only five chapters, is set six years after the end of the manga series features Hana Asakura, Yoh and Anna's son, and his journey with his uncle Ryu to gather up the 5 elemental warriors: Horo Horo, Tao Ren, Lyserg Diethel, Chocolove McDaniel, and Redseb. While nearly all main characters are present, Manta Oyamada and Faust VIII are notable exceptions (this is particularly odd, considering that Manta is Yoh's best friend). At the very end, two figures can be seen: a woman in a cloak (who is Anna) and a man with long hair who resembles Hao but has Yoh's features as well, leading to some uncertainty as to this character's true identity. This side story seems to indicate that Yoh had, in some way, succeeded but leads to more questions than answers.

A side story known as Mappa-Douji was also released, which shows Hao's childhood in his original life. It shows his situation after his mother was burned to death by humans and his first friend (not Matamune) and how he gets his mind reading ability and advanced shamanic abilities like oversoul.

Another side titled Relax was released, which showed Hao gathering followers for the tournament years before it started.

U.S. manga edits

VIZ Media began editing the lips of Chocolove, an African-American character. The lips are reduced in size to avoid a Blackface stereotype.

The language in reprints of early volumes was revised to remove swear words.

Shaman King anime

The Shaman King anime was licensed in 2001 by 4Kids Entertainment for American television broadcasting and aired in its entirety, beginning in September 2003 on the Fox Box (which would later become 4Kids TV), and concluding in September 2005. The English dub also airs on YTV in Canada. Shaman King currently airs in the United Kingdom on Jetix UK at 11:30am-12:30am GMT every day. Oddly, while the English dub of Shaman King is being aired in many countries across the globe, it has not been aired in The United States since the final episode aired on September 3rd, 2005. It is currently unknown if or when 4Kids will air or distribute Shaman King in the U.S. again.

The anime of Shaman King starts off with the same sequence of events as the manga for roughly half of the series and then gradually deviates into its own plot. Horohoro is introduced prematurely (Yoh meets him before they fight in the preliminary rounds) and Hao's first appearance is much later (In the manga, he can be seen hidden among other contestants). As is the usual case for anime based off manga, the anime series is much more toned down. Many of the characters that die in the manga are kept alive in the anime. The anime shows these characters recovering from their injuries (or not sustaining any at all) and eventually agreeing with Yoh and his friends ideologically. The anime does show Yoh and Hao's final battle and implies that all of the friends that Yoh has made on his journey (most of these are the characters that have died in the manga) donated their spiritual energy to help him win. However, it is still unclear whether Hao was defeated once and for all or where his soul has gone.

Episode titles

Note: Japanese titles used

TV specials and shorts

Throughout the broadcast of Shaman King, many shorts (usually referred to as Shaman King omake and TV specials) were made on special days of the year related to spirits and the like. The omake were short stories that were made for humorous effect. Apparently, all of the omake fit into the story before the Shaman Fight 2nd round. Documents of the Shaman Fight was shown with a New Year's omake as well. The TV Specials were aired after specific points of the story as well as on holidays. The specials were never dubbed in English, and, most likely, never will be.

TV special titles

1. Documents of the Shaman Fight (Premiered 1/31/00)
2. The Form That Friendship Takes
3. The Form That Love Takes
4. The Form that Sadness Takes (Tribute for Asakura Hao)

Characters

Most characters' names are in Western order, with the given name before the family name. The names of the Taos and other Chinese characters are in Chinese order, with the family name before the given name. The English anime name is to the right of the Japanese name. The English manga uses the Japanese names for the most part.

Humans

Note: "Humans" here is used for both characters that are average humans (not able to see ghosts) and those that are shamans (able to see ghosts). The series sometimes makes a distinction between the two.

• Yoh Asakura (麻倉 葉 Asakura Yō)
  • Seiyu: Yuko Sato

The main character of the story. He is easy-going, laid back, and carefree, which causes him to have an open mind and makes him relax in extreme situations. "No one knows what will happen in the future. There is no sense in worrying in something you do not and cannot control, so why bother?" This famous line of his is his philosophy in life, which always shines through in his personality. Yoh's only goal is to live an easy life, and he believes that when he becomes Shaman King, he will achieve that goal. According to Anna, his fiancée, his free-thinking and laid-back nature makes him think "outside the box" which makes him a perfect candidate for Shaman King. His guardian ghost is a powerful samurai by the name of Amidamaru. Yoh came into existence when the soul of Hao Asakura split into two in his second reincarnation. Yoh is part of the Team Funbari Onsen, together with Rio and Faust. (Team Asakura in the English anime). Yoh was an immensely powerful shaman in his past life, Asakura Hao. Part of Hao's soul was reincarnated as Yoh, while the other half as the present-day Hao.

• Hao Asakura (麻倉葉王 Asakura Hao, ハオ Hao)
  • Seiyu: Minami Takayama

Both Yoh's ancestor and twin, Hao closely resembles Yoh but desires to destroy humanity. In his first life, he was the greatest shaman of the Asakura clan. But after mastering the five elements to become the ultimate shaman, he came to believe that every single non-shaman must be killed, since 'ordinary humans' were "out of touch" with nature and were destroying it. He intended to eliminate humans from the earth, but he was assassinated by his clansmen. However, because he mastered the five elements, Hao defied death and was reincarnated as a member of Silver's tribe five centuries later. Hao stole the Patch Tribe's Spirit of Fire and attempted to become Shaman King, only to be killed again by his ancestor and former spirit, Asakura Yohken (麻倉葉賢 Asakura Yōken) and Matamune (マタムネ Matamune). Now, 500 years later, Hao is in his second reincarnation. However, when he was reincarnated this time, his soul somehow split, forming twins, and one part became Yoh, therefore, making both of them the reincarnations of the original Asakura Hao. Hao controls a host of shamans who either are loyal to him because they share his views on humanity or out of personal gain. His followers call him 'Hao-sama'. His group of three, Hao, Opacho, and Luchist, in the Fight is called the 'Hoshigumi'.

• Anna Kyōyama (恐山アンナ Kyōyama An'na) / Anna)
  • Seiyu: Megumi Hayashibara

Friend and fiancée of Yoh Asakura and an itako, a traditional shaman from Aomori, Japan (she is called a "spirit medium" in the English anime). Anna is Yoh's personal trainer (in Yoh's opinion, his slavedriver, due to the intense training) and will stop at nothing to become a part of the glory when Yoh becomes Shaman King of the Shaman King, although she does indeed hold affection for Yoh. She later obtains the necklace of 1,080 beads and mastery over Hao's Shikigami, Zenki and Kouki. Anna also appears in two of Takei's other works, Butsu Zone and the one-shot Itako no Anna. Anna is also said to be the reincarnation of the original Asakura Hao's mother from 1,000 years ago. At a certain time, Asakura Hao held some interest on her, but it did not last long.

• Manta Oyamada (小山田まん太 Oyamada Manta)
  • Seiyu: Inuko Inuyama

An intelligent but worrisome teen who always carries a "dictionary/encyclopedia/compendium of all human knowledge", and has a sixth sense, meaning he can see supernatural beings, even though he is not a Shaman. He is very expressive and a bit panicky. His rather abnormal height has gotten him into trouble numerous times, once having been mistaken for one of the shy nature spirits, and being cut open and used as a hostage of sorts during Yoh Asakura's match with Faust VIII. In the anime, during the final battle with Hao, he actually becomes a Shaman and is able to merge with a spirit. His weapon is a hammer and his unofficial guardian ghost is Mosuke, the best friend of Amidamaru who forged his sword, the Harusame. After that episode in the anime, Manta is able to junction spirits to his laptop. He narrates the story in the manga and anime, allowing readers and watchers to understand the plot more efficiently. He is referred to as "Morty" (short for Mortimer) in the English anime. (Hiroyuki Takei mentioned Manta's character was modelled after Japanese pop singer T.M.Revolution in an interview published in the March 2004 English language issue of Shōnen Jump.)

• Tao Ren (道 蓮 Japanese: Tao Ren(Chinese Pinyin: Dào Lián)
  • Seiyu: Romi Paku

An intelligent, skilled shaman, who is sometimes considered arrogant by those he considers to be lesser than himself. He is one of Yoh's rival shamans but later becomes a friend. He comes from China. Ren is obsessed with milk, bodybuilding, and the number 3 (in the anime). His trademark is his unique "tongari" haircut, which gets longer and stiffer when he is mad. Ren is very short-tempered and impatient. His spirit companion is a massive 1000 year old Chinese general named Bason.

Before befriending Yoh: Ren was dominant and protective over his older sister Tao Jun; and is determined to be the Shaman King. Ren's purpose to become Shaman King is to cleanse the world of all the humans; he originally hated humans because he believed that they were defiling the earth thus he yearns to eliminate them all. He also detested his father (who was the one who forcibly led him to think that way) because of their abusive interpersonal relationship. His father was responsible for the Tao family emblem which was carved into his back when he was a child.

After befriending Yoh: Seeing the good in people like Yoh and his friends and learning that his previous beliefs were false, Ren begins to challenge the path his father had set for him and aims at making a better world, by destroying the chains of hate. He believes that if he removes all the hate in the world, just as what happened to him, he will succeed in cleansing the earth. He is the leader of Team The Ren.

• Horokeu Usui (碓氷ホロケウ) a.k.a. Horohoro (ホロホロ) / Horohoro
  • Seiyu: Yuji Ueda

An Ainu from Hokkaidō (called the "Northern Woods" in the English anime) who wants to save the Koropokkoro from extinction. Horohoro is an easily-provoked, good-natured boy who can quickly get happy or mad. His spirit ally is Kororo, a Koropokkoro (Minutian in the English dub of the anime). His sister, Pilika trains him as harshly as Anna trains Yoh. Horohoro's name sounds like "boroboro", (which means "ragged and worn out" or "crap") so in the Japan releases, a good number of jokes come from this pun. He is a part of Team The Ren. In the English anime, it is acknowledged his real name is Horohoro, but the characters usually referred to him as "Trey (Racer)", a nickname given to him by the English dubbers for unknown reasons.

• Ryu Umemiya (梅宮 竜之介 Umemiya Ryūnosuke), a.k.a. "Wooden Sword" Ryu (木刀の 竜 Bokutō no Ryū)
  • Seiyu: Masahiko Tanaka

A gang leader who is always on the lookout for the "Best Place" (the "Sacred Hang" in the English anime, where his gang is known as the "Dead Enders"). He became a Shaman on the day his life was saved by Yoh. He comes off as being not too bright, and really thinks more about girls and his "'do" than anything else; however, he is quite deep and philosophical and turns out to be a magnificent shaman who gains his own partner, masters the powers of the legendary Yamato no Orochi, and becomes loyal to the Asakura family. Part of Team Funbari Onsen. His costume and hairstyle are meant to look like that of Elvis.

• Tao Jun (道 潤 Japanese: Tao Jun/June Tao; Chinese Pinyin: Dào Rùn)
  • Seiyu: Michiko Neya

Ren's older sister, a Dao-shi (a Taoist spellcaster) that re-animates corpses and commands jiang-si. Jun only wants to keep the peace and wishes only what is right for her brother (whom she calls by his Chinese name, "Lian" - Or, in the English version of the anime, "Lenny"). In the English anime, Jun has a British accent, possibly in an attempt to convey the affluence of the Tao family. Her personal jiang-si is Lee Bailong, a former martial-arts movie star who was killed by Tao assassins so that Jun would have a powerful corpse familiar.

• Faust VIII (ファウストⅧ世 Fausto hasen)
  • Seiyu: Takehito Koyasu

A necromancer whose shamanic focus is the skeleton of his lost love, Eliza. Faust is a descendant of the legendary Faust, who made a deal with the devil (Mephistopheles) for all the knowledge in the world, including necromancy. At first, Faust (like the rest of his family) wanted nothing to do with his ancestor's black magic and became a doctor. However, the death of his wife, Eliza, drove him insane and he took up the mantle of a necromancer, using his power to manipulate Eliza's skeletal body into wielding a scythe. Faust first meets Yoh and Manta in a cemetery in Chokohama (spelled Chocohama in the actual artwork); Yoh gets angry at Faust after he vivisects Manta (in the anime, Faust concentrates spiritual power around his hands and gropes around inside Manta's torso, claiming to be "experimenting"); the injury is a tactic to get Yoh angry. During the match, Yoh returns the favor by mocking Faust's plan to resurrect Eliza, calling her a "puppet" and a "doll". Yoh loses to Faust in the match but Len prevents Faust from killing Yoh out of blind rage. Faust eventually joins Yoh's group and is truly reunited with Eliza, after Anna summoned the real Eliza, who then became Faust's guardian spirit. Faust's full name is Johann Georg Faust the Eighth, taken from German history and literature (Marlowe and Goethe). He is on Team Funbari Onsen with Yoh and Ryu.

• Silva (シルバ)
  • Seiyu: Hikaru Midorikawa

A Native American from the Patch Tribe that qualified Yoh for the Shaman fight. He has issues with Hao because of the Hao's previous life as a member of the Patch Tribe and thief of the tribe's sacred spirit. Because Silver is a descendant of Hao, he feels guilty and somehow involved. He has five different sacred animal spirits that can be combined into one massive "Totem Cannon".

• Lyserg Diethel (リゼルグ・ダイゼル)
  • Seiyu: Youko Soumi

A British Shaman and a traditional "dowser", whose parents were killed by Hao. Lyserg has dramatic interactions with all of the main characters at some point, and though he travels with them for a long time, he fights against Yoh's team more than once during the series.

Pre X-Laws: When Lyserg first encounters Yoh's group, he attacks then to determine their strength, hospitalizing both Ren and Horohoro with one attack. After Yoh knocks some sense into him, Lyserg calms down and they welcome him to come along as they search for the Patch Village. Lyserg's father, Liam Diethel, wanted him to be a detective. Lyserg's mother and father were murdered by Hao when he was six years old. Lyserg's name is pronounced differently in the English anime so that it's not a recreational drug reference (lysergic acid diethylamide). His spirit's Japanese name, Morphine, is also a drug reference (morphine). She is called "Morphea" in the English manga and "Chloe" in the English anime. He is apparently so beautiful that Ryu could mistake him for a girl.

X-Laws : Once the X-Laws are introduced, Lyserg starts to question whether Yoh is truly strong enough to defeat Hao. Marco, of the X-Laws, convinces Lyserg that Yoh is too sweet and kind-hearted, but that the X-Laws have the strength that Yoh is lacking because they have the power to kill. When Yoh states firmly that he will not kill, Lyserg decides to leave and follow Marco. During the Shaman Fight, Lyserg competes as a member of X-Laws. In the anime, Lyserg discards his first spirit as he gains control of Zeruel, an Archangel provided by Jeanne. In the manga, Lyserg never abandons Morphin, even when he is presented with the Archangel Zeruel. Morphea and Zeruel combined to form Lyserg's Armour Oversoul, which in the anime was part of his final act of justice, bringing him back to Yoh's side.

• Marco (マルコ)
  • Seiyu: Akimitsu Takase

One of the two founders of the X-Laws (the other being Luchist/Luka), which is a group that aims to rid the world of Hao. His Archangel is called Michael. He does everything in his power to please Jeanne. He was the only surviving adult member of X-Laws by the finale.

• Iron Maiden Jeanne (アイアン・メイデン・ジャンヌ)
  • Seiyu: Yui Horie

The leader of the X-Laws. She hates Hao with a passion and will go to great lengths to see him dead, no matter who else might die in the process. She earned the nick-name "Iron Maiden" by spending her time in an iron maiden {which increases her strength by keeping her in a near-death state} and only coming out when desperately needed, until the day injustice no longer exists. Iron Maiden (a British heavy metal band) also happens to be one of many music culture references in Shaman King. With her spirit guardian Shamash, Jeanne gives each of her followers an Archangel as a spirit.

• Chocolove McDonnell (チョコラブ・マクダネル) / Chocolove)
  • Seiyu: Motoko Kumai

An African-American Shaman who aspires to be Shaman King so he can give the world what it needs the most, laughter. He's a comedian by trade, though his jokes annoy people (especially Ren and Anna, neither of whom mind telling Chocolove what they think of his routine; this irritation often results in Chocolove getting beaten up or Ren jabbing him in the nose with the Kwan Dao). His spirit is a jaguar ghost named Mic Jaguar (a takeoff on Mick Jagger), who belonged to Chocolove's mentor Orona. In the manga, he gains a second spirit guardian named Pascal Avaf. Chocolove killed Redseb's and Seyram's father before he repented under his teacher. He is referred to as "Joco" in the English versions, since "Choco" was considered a racist name for an Afro-American character.

• Opacho
  • Seiyu: Megumi Hayashibara

Hao's most loyal ally, was a malnourished baby in South Africa when Hao found her (in the English dub of the anime, Opacho is referred to as "he"). Adopted and raised by Hao, Opacho follows Hao almost every where he goes. Hao often confides in Opacho about his plans, as well as about Yoh and his power. Opacho has strong, though still a bit unrefined powers, including clairvoyance and projecting illusions. In the manga, she can read minds as well. She is also part of Hao's team (Hoshigumi) in the Shaman Tournament, though her attack power is never revealed. Although Opacho supports Hao loyally, near the final episodes of the anime series, (once Hao obtains the Great Spirit's Power), Opacho notes that Hao has made a change for the worse and flees from him. Opacho's last anime appearance is in episode 64 watching the destiny star fly by. She is one of the few survivors of Hoshigumi. Opacho's spirit companion is named 'Mama'.

Spirits

For a more complete list, see:List of Characters in Shaman King

• Amidamaru (阿弥陀丸)
  • Seiyu: Katsuyuki Konishi, Mitsuki Saiga (young)

Samurai that died during the Muromachi period 600 years ago - now is Yoh's ghost companion. He is very powerful and wise but quite taciturn and extremely devoted to "Lord Yoh" ("Yō-dono" in Japanese). He was greatly known around the town of Funbari, where he had died 600 years prior after killing several hundred other samurai soldiers during a battle. He is the original handler of the legendary sword named "Harusame", meaning "Spring Rain", a sword forged by his best friend, Mosuke, who also appeared in the anime/manga as a spirit. This very same sword was reproduced as a "spirit sword" and used by Asakura Yoh during the Shaman Fight. The original was kept in a museum. His name is based on the Buddha Amitabha, the principal figure in the Pure Land Buddhist sect.

• Bason (馬孫 Japanese: Bason, Pinyin: Mǎsūn)
  • Seiyu: Shinpachi Tsuji

Bason is the ghost of an ancient Chinese wujiang who serves Ren faithfully and obeys him without question. In the English manga Bason calls Ren "Master Ren," while in the Japanese version he calls Ren "Bocchama," which means "Young Master." Later he became a valued friend of his young master Ren.

• Lee Bailong (李白龍 Japanese: Rī Bairon, Pinyin: Lǐ Báilóng), (manga) / Lee Pai-Long)
  • Seiyu: Nobutoshi Canna

"The White Dragon"; he was a kung fu movie star who was murdered by the Tao clan to be Jun's Jiang-si bodyguard. He is a thinly-veiled reference to Bruce Lee, who died under suspicious circumstances. Technically, he is not a spirit, but a living corpse. This is with the help of Tao Jun's "ofuda". However, he can be considered to be serving a similar purpose, since he serves Tao Jun and hangs around her perpetually. He is revered, almost worshiped, by Manta Oyamada.

• Kororo (コロロ) / Corey
  • Seiyu: Nana Mizuki

Kororo is a Koropokkoru (which means "little people under butterbur leaves" in Ainu), and is surprisingly cute. (Known as Minutians in the English anime), and Horohoro's spirit ally. She has a crush on Manta Oyamada, even though he is human. Her name in the English anime version sounds similar to "Kōri" (氷), which is the Japanese word for ice and also the element that Horohoro's attacks are based on.

• Tokagero (トカゲロウ Tokagerō) / Tokageroh
  • Seiyu: Wataru Takagi

A thief that was killed by Amidamaru, born into terrible poverty. Tokagero always talks about being a nasty villain, but he is actually a big softie. He is the spirit partner of Wooden Sword Ryu.

• Ponchi and Conchi

A tanuki with, in the original Japanese, large testicles, or in the English manga, a large stomach, and a fox or kitsune who are the familiars of Tamao Tamamura. Ponchi and Conchi are parodies of Ren and Stimpy. Ponchi's testicles are never seen in any versions of the anime. Conchi's name is sometimes spelled as "Konchi". Both Ponchi and Conchi wear mawashis (although fandom commonly mistakes them for diapers).

• Eliza (エリザ)

Eliza was Faust VIII's wife, she worked as a nurse until she was murdered (along with the family dog, Frankenstiney) by robbers who broke into Faust's house. Eliza's death led her (now-insane) husband to dig up her skeleton from her casket and enter the Shaman Fights to bring her back to life. But when Faust joined Yoh's group, Anna brought the spirit of Eliza to be reunited with her husband as his Guardian Ghost. Her "Giant Over Soul" form is a giant bat-winged version of herself called Mephisto-E (Mephisto being a reference to Mephistopheles, or the devil, whom Faustus summons). After Faust and Eliza reunited, both of them became heavily devoted to Yoh.

• Mosuke (喪助)
  • Seiyu: Hisao Egawa, Kumiko Watanabe (young)

A master swordsmith whose ability to create swords matched Amidamaru's ability to wield them. He and Amidamaru were best friends & grew up together; their deaths resulted from Amidamaru's refusal to kill Mosuke when their lord ordered the samurai to. In the anime, Mosuke later becomes Manta's guardian ghost, semi-trapped in Manta's laptop.

• Morphine / Morphea (English manga) / Chloe (English anime)

A pixie-like spirit who is Lyserg's spirit ally. She loves eating sweet-tasting things. She absorbed the Archangels to assume her "Giant Over Soul" form (in the anime). Her original name was edited for being a reference to a drug (see morphine).

• Mic Jaguar / Big Mick

A jaguar spirit who is Chocolove's spirit ally. He used to belong to Chocolove's mentor. The name is a takeoff of "Mick Jagger".

• Pascal Avaf

The second spirit ally of Chocolove. Pascal Avaf participated in the shaman fight 1000 years ago and taught Chocolove many things, also merging with Mic & Chocolove to form the Armour Oversoul 'Jaguarman'. Pascal Avaf has a furyoku level of 110000, but unfortunately lost to Hao in the shaman fight who had superior technques and more powerful spirits like the two ogres

• Spirit of Fire (スピリット・オブ・ファイア)

Hao's spirit guardian, formerly was the sacred symbol of the Patch Tribe until Patch Hao took it for his own 500 years ago. The spirit's flames served as Hao's way of killing off shamans who failed him or those who refused to rally for his cause. The Spirit of Fire can increase its own power by eating spiritually-enhanced humans and other spirits. As seen in the Anime, it can change its form to any one element according to the 5 elements found in the unity star.

Terminology

Furyoku (巫力)/Mana

"Furyoku" is a term used to determine the measure of sixth sense a person possesses. With this power, a shaman can produce magic and over souls.

Manjiten (万辞苑 Manjiten) / Mantannian Dictionary (English manga only)

The "Manjien Dictionary" is a "Dictionary/ Encyclopedia/ Compendium of all human knowledge" that Manta frequently consults to find information on people, cultures, and other subjects. The book's Japanese name blends "Manta" with the "Kōjien" (広辞苑) Japanese dictionary. In the English anime, the book is either not given a name or it is called a "ghost story book" or "book about shamans" that Morty carries around.

Sacred Souls ('Seirei-class' in English Manga)

The classification for spirits who have existed for 500 years or more and whose souls have shed their physical attachment to achieve their purest form. Sacred--or 'higher'--spirits are more appropriately ghosts who have ascended beyond their ego, enabling them to assume any form or shape freely.

Techniques

References

1. http://animenation.net/news/index.php?id=7141
2. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2004-11-15/shaman-king-under-strain
3. Google-translated Japanese product page for volume 32

External links

English

Official links:

• JETIX's Shaman King website - The official Shaman King web site in the United Kingdom.
• Shaman King on YTV - YTV's website for Shaman King.
• Shonen Jump's Shaman King - The official site for the Shaman King English manga.
• Upper Deck Shaman King TCG website

Profiling:

• Anime News Network - Shaman King (Manga) - Profile of the Shaman King manga/comics, as seen on Shonen Jump magazine.
• Anime News Network - Shaman King (TV) - Profile of the Shaman King anime, as seen on Fox's children block, 4KidsTV.

Japanese

• Official Shaman King website

• Manga series
• Shōnen
• Adventure anime and manga
• Supernatural anime and manga
• Fox network shows
• YTV shows
• Shaman King
• Viz Media manga
• Anime of the 2000s