- Reaction score
- 534
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.
A shaman is someone 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 story
Asakura Yoh is a mysterious teenager that Oyamada Manta meets at school. At night, the latter follows Yoh to the Graveyard where he seems to spend his time, and he witnesses a surprising fact: Yoh can communicate with the ghosts! At school, no one believes him, not even Asakura Yoh himself. Eventually, he wants to know more about this mysterious kid and decides to investigate the matter all by himself. He quickly makes friends with Asakura Yoh and their story begins!
Characters
Asakura Yoh (麻倉 葉 Asakura Yō)
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. His guardian ghost is a powerful samurai by the name of Amidamaru.
Oyamada Manta (小山田まん太 Oyamada Manta)
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. He seeks to know more about his mysterious classmate Asakura Yoh. He cares for others and wishes to accompany Yoh wherever he goes and live his adventures. He spends his life going to school and studying, considering he is also taking evening classes. He narrates the story in the manga and anime, allowing readers and watchers to understand the plot more efficiently.
Tao Ren (道 蓮 Japanese: Tao Len)
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. 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. Ren is dominant and protective over his older sister Tao Jun at first; 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 hated humans because he believed that they were defiling the earth thus he yearns to eliminate them all. He also detests 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.
-------------------------------------------------
Other character files (warning for spoilers): List of characters in Shaman King
Shaman King is currently licensed in North America (US and Canada), in the UK and many other countries.
Well anyways, here are the openings:
English Opening
[YOUTUBE]8qLl145FqQg[/YOUTUBE]
Japanese Openings
Opening 1
[YOUTUBE]Ml9C1qDJzls[/YOUTUBE]
Opening 2
[YOUTUBE]l83zIo9Qdx8[/YOUTUBE]
[YOUTUBE]Ml9C1qDJzls[/YOUTUBE]
Opening 2
[YOUTUBE]l83zIo9Qdx8[/YOUTUBE]
Please support Shaman King by purchasing the mangas in a nearby store
