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Shaman King
シャーマンキング (Shaman Kingu)
Genre	Adventure, Drama, Comedy, Shōnen, Supernatural
Manga
Authored by	Hiroyuki Takei
Publisher	Shueisha VIZ Media Chuang Yi (Chinese) Kana Editora JBC Star Comics Schibsted Forlagene Glénat Grupo Editorial VID Carlsen Comics
Serialized in	Weekly Shonen Jump Shonen Jump Shonen Jump Banzai!
Original run	1998 – 2004
No. of volumes	32
TV anime
Directed by	Seiji Mizushima
Studio	XEBEC
Network	TV Tokyo first FoxBox then 4Kids TV first Fox Kids then Jetix Jetix Jetix, Etc...TV Hungary TV2 GMA 7,Hero TV,Cartoon Network, QTV Kabel 1, Jetix, RTL II YTV Italia1 ntv 7 SIC STS, Jetix Polsat, Jetix Jetix
Original run	July 4, 2001 – September 25, 2002
No. of episodes	65
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 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 is currently being printed in Viz Media's Shonen Jump.

A shaman is some one who connects between 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.

Contents 1 Manga 1.1 Plot 1.2 Ending 1.3 Follow Up 1.4 U.S. manga 1.4.1 Editing 2 Shaman King Anime 2.1 Episode titles 3 TV Specials and Shorts 3.1 TV Special Titles 4 Characters 4.1 Humans 4.2 Spirits 5 Terminology 6 Techniques 7 Themes 8 Trivia 9 Voice Cast 9.1 Japanese 9.2 English 10 References 11 External links 11.1 English 11.2 Japanese

The manga starts with Manta Oyamada, a studious Japanese middle-school student, 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.

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).^[1] This cancellation was untimely given that the series was nearing its end.^[2] Release of the final volume had been suspended indefinitely, but was released in spring of 2006.^[3]

Volume 32 ends with Yoh going to sleep to prepare for the final battle with Hao; the final page can be viewed as his dream, which features Hao as a princess with Yoh and his friends on their way to rescue "her". 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".

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 Yoh Asakura. 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. Many readers have written fanfiction as a result of this incomplete ending, contributing their speculations on what happened during the final fight between Yoh and Hao.

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.

Starting in Volume 6, VIZ Media began editing away nudity and drug references present in the series. In addition, the lips of Joco, an African-American character, are reduced in size to avoid a Blackface stereotype.

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 August 2005. The English dub also airs on YTV in Canada. Shaman King currently airs in the UK on Jetix UK at 11:30am-12:30am GMT every day. Poland in a dubbed Polish version and on Jetix in Brazil, which is uncut and has the original openings and endings in Portuguese (in Brazil it is currently being printed by Editora JBC). In Russia, Shaman King is aired on STS since 2006. Shaman King is printed in simplified Chinese in Singapore with the name of 'Tong Ling Tong Zhi' by Chuang Yi [1] with the total of 32 volumes. Shaman King (Japanese version) was also aired in Singapore on Mediacorp TV, Arts Central. Shaman King also plays on Ntv7 in Malaysia Television since February 2006.

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.

Note: Japanese titles used

01.The Boy Who Dances With Ghosts 02.Waiting Samurai 03.Another Shaman 04.Hyoi 100% 05.A Shaman Who is Mature for Her Age 06.Kung Fu Master 07.Pailong, Fists of Fury 08.Shaman Life 09.The Boy from the North 10.Fate of 600 Years 11.Rain That Falls In Spring 12.The Star that Signals the Beginning 13.Oversoul 14.Shaman Fight 15.Bone Killers 16.Faust's Love 17.Two People’s Journey to the Best Place 18.Yoh 19.Big Souls of the Two 20.Soul Mata Cemetery 21.Believe 22.Our Deadly Blows

23.Awakened Nyan Nyan Doushi 24.Invulnerable Tao En 25.A Shaman's Journey 26.Big America 27.Dowsing Revolution 28.Lyserg's Revenge 29.Super Guts 30.The Stolen Oracle Bell 31.Forest of Holy Spirits 32.Horo Horo’s Taste of a Bitter Friendship 33.Mysterious Asakura 34.American Hot Springs 35.The Vampire Legend 36.Angel's Pistol 37.King Of Jokes 38.The Legend of Seminoa 39.Hanagumi 40.Chou Senji Ryakettsu 41.Explosive Oversouls 42.Spirit of the Sword 43.Battle of Gods 44.One More Push

45.Great Spirit 46.The Dead Spirit of Tao 47.Really Naive 48.Missionary of Dragon 49.Doctor Doctor 50.I Have A Darkness In My Heart 51.Shaman Hunt 52.It's Training! Everyone Gather! 53.Bye Bye 54.The Eighth Angel 55.Gate of Babylon 56.Door of Babylon 57.The Shaman Fight Ends? 58.Flaming Angel 59.Holy Ground of the Stars 60.Friend 61.Eternal Farewell 62.Die! Collision! 63.A Place Where I Belong 64.Epilogue

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 last two TV specials were never fan-subbed. All of the TV specials were compiled into one file by Rice-Box. 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.

1. Documents of the Shaman Fight (Premiered 1/31/00)
2. The Form That Friendship Takes
3. The Form That Love Takes

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.

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

• Yoh Asakura (麻倉 葉 Asakura Yoh) - The main character is Yoh Asakura. 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 spilt into two in his second reincarnation. Yoh is part of the Team Funbari Onsen, together with Ryu and Faust. (Team Asakura in the English anime).

• Hao Asakura (麻倉葉王 Asakura Hao, ハオ Hao) / Zeke Asakura - 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 Silva'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 - 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) / Morty - An intelligent but worrisome teen who always carries a "dictionary/encyclopedia/compendium of all human knowledge", and can see ghosts, 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 almost being cut open and used for bait during Yoh Asakura's match with Faust VIII. Near the final battle (anime only) 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 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) / Lenny "Len" Tao - An arrogant boy who 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.

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.

• Horokeu Usui (碓氷ホロケウ) a.k.a. Horohoro (ホロホロ) / Horohoro a.k.a. Trey Racer : 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 ("Corey"), a Koropokkoro (Minutian in the English dub of the anime). His sister, Pirika 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 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.

• Ryunosuke Umemiya (梅宮 竜之介 Umemiya Ryūnosuke), a.k.a. "Wooden Sword" Ryu (木刀の 竜 Bokutō no Ryū) / Rio - 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) - 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) - A necromancer whose shamanic focus is the skeleton of his lost love, Eliza. Faust is a descendant of the legendary Faustus, who made a deal with the devil for the knowledge of 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 slices Manta open (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 Ren 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 first name is Johannes. He is on Team Funbari Onsen with Yoh and Ryu.

• Silva (シルバ) - 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 Silva 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) - 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 Morphea, 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) : 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) : 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 Mattel (チョコラブ・マクダネル) / Joco : 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) sometimes (which results in Chocolove getting beaten up or punched in the nose with Ren's Kwan Dao). His spirit is a jaguar ghost named Mic Jaguar (a takeoff on Mick Jagger), who belonged to Joco's mentor. In the manga, he gains a second spirit guardian named Pascal Avaf. Joco 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 : Hao's most loyal ally, was a malnourished baby in western 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'.

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

• Amidamaru (阿弥陀丸) - 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) - 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 - "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.

• Kororo (コロロ) / Corey - 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 - 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) - 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 taught Chocolove many things, also merging with Mic & Chocolove to form the Armour Oversoul 'Jaguarman'.

• 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.

• Furyoku (巫力 Furyoku) / Mana (English manga only) - "Furyoku" is a Japanese word that is used to refer to the amount of energy that a Shaman has. The English manga translates the term to "mana" a generic term for a magical force.
• 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.
• Serei Spirit-When a spirit ages past 500 years while still being on Earth, it is "released from its human form and transforms into a more monster-like form. This term has been used when Ryu was fighting Boris, when one of Hao's minions pointed out Takegero's evolved form, which took the form of a larger form of Takegero's head with snakes protruding from his hair.

The relationship between shaman and spirit ally is pivotal throughout the series. As such, shaman develop what are called "techniques," methods of working with their spirits. The first introduced shaman technique is the process of the spirit ally merging with the shaman, known as "hyoi gattai" in the Japanese manga and anime, "integration" in the English manga, and "spirit unity" or "spirit fusion" in the English anime. These are some of the different techniques found in the Shaman King world:

• Hyoi Gattai (憑依合体 Hyōi Gattai) / Integration (English manga) / Spirit Unity or Spirit Fusion (English anime): The simplest technique, the Shaman merges with the spirit in his body. The power of Hyoi Gattai depends on the level of synchronisation and the user's physical state. It needs no furyoku to use, but can be taxing to utilize for novices. The shaman uses their furyoku to transform their guardian spirit into a ball, called 'spirit ball' or 'spirit ball mode' and then merges the spirit into their body. At the start of the series, this technique is considered strong, but as the series progresses and the gang learn of Oversoul, Hyoi Gattai is thought of as weak.

• Over Soul / Spirit Control (English anime): A Shamanic skill that allows for the physical manifestation of any number of spirits with the aid of a spirit-specific medium and the furyoku of a Shaman. The most common combat skill in the Shaman King anime and manga, Oversouls essentially involve the creation of a new, physical form for a spirit (often in the form of a weapon) by a fusion with an item relating to the spirit and with the user's own personal furyoku (for example, Yoh's oversoul involves the fusion of Amidamaru and his sword Harusame, the medium; Ren's involves the fusion of Bason and a Chinese halberd; etc.). Due to the sheer number of variables involved, Oversouls can vary greatly in terms of power and form, attributes which often depend directly on how adept a Shaman is with his or her furyoku, or how much they have in the first place. In both the manga and anime of Shaman King, there are various styles of Oversouls (Big Oversoul, Double Medium, Armour Oversoul, etc.), some of which are detailed below.

• Giant Over Soul (manga, Japanese anime) / Giant Spirit Control: The Giant Oversoul is a sign of power in a shaman. The spirit is given a gigantic body, constructed entirely from furyoku, with powers relating to whatever the spirit and shaman can create. This technique can be learnt from the Chou Senji Ryakketsu (Tome of the Shaman in the English anime, Ultra Senji Ryakketsu in the English manga), written by the original Hao Asakura.

• Double Medium : A difficult but highly powerful technique. It can be summed up by the phrase :"Two Souls, One Body. Two Focuses, One Weapon". It involves invoking the spirit inside one weapon and concentrating one's strength inside another weapon. The weapons are then combined into one huge weapon capable of dealing very heavy damage This is a technique used by Yoh and Ren; there is no special name for to the resulting oversoul, but some fans label it with what Yoh yells out in the Japanese version: "Amidamaru in Harusame in Futsu no Mitama no Tsurugi!" It should be noted that this is still a form of giant oversoul, but just a new mode that relies on Yoh fighting directly.

• Genma Choboku: A spell written by Hao to capture the two Shikigami spirits. Anna is quickly able to learn this technique after obtaining the 1080 beads. She indirectly injures Hao after sealing away his Shikigami.

• Spirit Reduction (unofficial name) : This technique is taught to Yoh's party by Mikihisa Asakura. Only Yoh and Ren have mastered it and used it. By reducing the physical size of the Giant Oversoul or Double Medium in Yoh's case, but not the amount of externalized Furyoku, one can considerably power up one's attack. It basically concentrates the Furyoku instead of spreading it throughout the oversoul.

• Armour Oversoul : This technique is only seen in the manga. The Shaman uses his medium, spirit & furyoku to create an Oversoul which wraps and protects the body like armour. (eg, Hao's Kurobina, Chocolove's Jaguarman, Yoh's WhiteSwan, Faust's Eliza Operieren, etc) This form of Oversoul is introduced only in the last few volumes of manga (around vol 27 onwards)

• The Great Spirit's power: The one who wields the power of the Great Spirit (also known as the Shaman King) is omnipotent and capable of shaping the world however he or she sees fit. In the anime, the will of the Great Spirit must not be forced, or it will not grant its full powers (a loophole that allows Yoh to defeat Hao even after the latter has forcefully absorbed the power of the Great Spirit). A Shaman can only legitimately receive this power by winning the Shaman Fight. In the manga, Hao legtimately becomes the Shaman King, and Yoh and friends attempt to go against the Patch to stop Hao from receiving the Great Spirit's power. In the anime, this power transforms the Spirit of Fire into the Spirit of Shaman, allowing Hao to become nearly invincible.

• Fumon tonkou: This technique is taught by the chou senji ryaketsu. It allows the shaman to sense the change and impulses in a persons furyoku allowing one to predict where and when an attack may come. This allows a person to dodge or prepare a suitable counterattack to the opponents strike. All of Hao's men are familiar with this technique as well as Yoh's team, Mikihisa, and Ren.

• The Middle Way: This technique Aleksa Nikolic made and she's used by the Buddhist-like shamans in the tournament. This technique allows them to completely nullify the opponents furyoku making it disappear.

• Built in Furyoku: A technique in which the shaman (who is usually weak with little furyoku) uses a physical object that has furyoku already stored within it. However, the technique can backfire if the object is destroyed, leaving the shaman virtually powerless.

• Opening Themes

1. "Oversoul" by Hayashibara Megumi (eps. 1-34)
2. "Northern Lights" by Hayashibara Megumi (eps. 35-64)

• Ending Themes

1. "Trust You" by Hayashibara Megumi (eps. 1-34)
2. "Omokage" by Hayashibara Megumi (eps. 35-63)
3. "Tamashii Kasanete" by Satou Yuko (ep. 64)

• Shaman king is the only 4kids dub with some blood left intact include flashback, stains , and styelized silver blood.

• 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. This, coupled with the fact that no episodes after the twenty-ninth were ever aired twice in the U.S., has left many Shaman King fans in the U.S. without a means to view the series or to catch any episodes they might have missed in its initial run.

• Many of the Shaman King shorts and manga-exclusive stories are featured in the Game Boy Advance video game Shaman King: Master of Spirits.

• Several musical references have been included in the series. Iron Maiden Jeanne is a reference to the British Heavy Metal band Iron Maiden, Mic Jaguar, the guardian ghost of Chocolove, is a play on words of Mick Jagger and Team Sabbath, a group which Ren battled in Episode 49, had several references to Dio and Black Sabbath. Two members have attacks named Electric Funeral and Heaven and Hell, while the group leader has two Oversoul attacks called Rainbow in the Dark and Holy Diver. Also, one of the members of Team Sabbath is a possible lookalike of Jimi Hendrix. Two of Hao's followers, Ryo and Zen, form the band B'oz, a take on the name of a well known Japanese rock band B'z. Yoh's favourite singer is allegedly named Bob... a reference to Bob Marley, whereas Anna's favourite singer, Awaya Ringo, is a parody of Japanese pop-rock singer, Shiina Ringo.

• In episode 49, Team TLC is a reference to WWE wherein the participants are lookalikes of wrestlers who each have participated in Tables, Ladders, and Chairs matches. The three members are lookalikes of Bubba Ray Dudley, Edge, and Jeff Hardy.

• Despite 4Kids' edits, parents still found episode 61 to be inappropriate for children due to its excessive violence. [2]

• Even though the manga ended in Fall 2004, the characters still make occasional appearances in video games, such as the Jump Superstars series.

Yoh Asakura - Yuko Sato Hao Asakura - Minami Takayama Tao Ren - Romi Paku Horohoro - Yuji Ueda Bason - Shinpachi Tsuji Tao En - Masashi Ebara Anna Kyoyama - Megumi Hayashibara Bokuto no Ryu - Masahiko Tanaka Pirika - Tomoko Kawakami Amidamaru - Katsuyuki Konishi Tao Jun - Michiko Neya Li Pailong - Nobutoshi Canna Mikihisa Asakura - Kenyuu Horiuchi Yohmei Asakura - Takeshi Aono Lyserg Diethel - Yoko Soumi Tamao Tamamura - Nana Mizuki Faust VIII - Takehito Koyasu Eliza - Yuka Komatsu Manta Oyamada - Inuko Inuyama Iron Maiden Jeanne - Yui Horie Muscle Punch - Nobutoshi Canna Ball Boy - Yuji Ueda Junk Food - Koyasu Takehito Space Shot - Masaaki Okura Mosuke - Hisao Egawa Young Amidamaru - Mitsuki Saiga Young Mosuke - Kumiko Watanabe Elly - Makoto Tsumura Milly - Miyako Ito

Yoh Asakura - Sebastian Arcelus Zeke Asakura - Sebastian Arcelus Len Tao - Andrew Rannells Trey Racer - Michael Sinterniklaas En Tao - Marc Thompson Anna - Tara Jayne Rio - Sean Schemmel Pilika - Rachael Lillis Amidamaru - Sean Schemmel Marco - Eric Stuart Mikihisa Asakura - Ted Lewis Jun Tao - Lisa Ortiz Lyserg Diethel - Bella Hudson Tamara "Tammy" - Veronica Taylor Faust VIII - Sam Regal Mortimer "Morty" - Pete Zarustica Sharona - Megan Hollingshead Elly - Kerry Williams Millie - Amy Palant Silva - Dan Green Kalim - ? Lee Pai Long - Dan Green Basil - Marc Thompson Mosuke - David Brimmer Tokagero - Wayne Grayson Bason - Paul Dobson Corey - ?

Official links:

• 4Kids.TV's Shaman King website - The official Shaman King website in the United States.
• 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.

Fan links:

• Birth Rite A small shrine with information on SK, scans, etc.
• Oracle The fanlisting to Shaman King.
• Shaman King Anime A fan site of Shaman King which contains episodes summaries, reviews, character bios and images.
• Shaman King Screenshots Gallery
• Shaman King Headquarters
• Shaman King Network
• Shaman King Uncensored - An anime fan's site focusing on the differences between the English-dubbed version of Shaman King from 4Kids Entertainment and the original Japanese version. Includes the original Japanese opening theme song audio and character profiles.
• Shaman King Reviews

• Official Shaman King website

Shaman King
Techniques
Over Soul (Spirit Control)| Giant Over Soul (Giant Spirit Control) |Techniques of Shaman King
Characters
Asakura Family:Yoh Asakura | Anna Kyōyama | Kino Asakura | Yohmei Asakura | Hana Asakura | Yohken Asakura
Allies/Teammates: Horohoro (Trey Racer) | Manta Oyamada (Morty) | Chocolove McDaniel (Joco) | Faust VIII | "Wooden Sword" Ryu (Rio) | Tamao Tamamura (Tamara)
Spirits: Amidamaru | Bason | Lee Bailong | Tokagero
Native American Shamans: Silva | Kalim
Tao Family: Tao Jun (Jun) | Tao Ren (Len) | Tao Yúan (En)
X-Laws: Iron Maiden Jeanne | Lyserg Diethel | Marco
Enemies: Hao Asakura (Zeke) | The Hanagumi | Opacho