Shaman King

Shaman King is about a boy with a shaman power, Yoh Asakura, who wanted to become a king of shaman.

Yoh Asakura might look like a layback Junior High School kid. However, he is a shaman with a special ability to communicate with all the souls and spirits and possess them into his body! Yoh came to Funbari, Tokyo to make friends with all of the powerful ghosts and to become the best Shaman ever.



Main Characters:

Yoh Asakura (麻倉 葉 Asakura Yō)
The main character is Yoh Asakura and he has a trusted friend (also trainer),Anna Kyōyama. 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 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 was actually Hao Asakura in his previous life, until he got reincarnated for the second time and his soul split in two. Yoh is part of the Funbari Hotspring Team (Team Asakura in the English anime).


Anna Kyōyama (恐山アンナ Kyōyama An'na) Anna
Friend and fiance 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 / Mortimer "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. His hairstyle was adapted from that of Japanese pop singer T.M. Revolution.


Tao Ren (道 蓮 Japanese: Tao Ren; Chinese Pinyin: Dào Lián) / Tao Len
An arrogent boy who is one of Yoh's rival shamans and hails from China.
Before being defeated: Ren, though younger, is dominant over his elder sister Tao Jun and is determined to be the Shaman King. Ren's true purpose to become Shaman King is considered to be confusing; he originally hated humans and his family and wanted to destroy them.
After being defeated: Seeing the good in people like Yoh and his friends, Len begins to challenge his father's way and he aims for a better world, by "destroying the chains of hate." Len is obsessed with milk, bodybuilding, and the number 3 (in the anime). His trademark is his unique, weird "Tongari" haircut. In the English anime, Len has a British accent. His guardian ghost is a massive 500 year old Chinese warrior named Bason.
He deals with many family issues. If it's with his sister Jun, his father (original)/uncle (dubbed) En, or his cousin Ginny.


Horokeu Usui "Horohoro" (ホロホロ) (碓氷ホロケウ Usui Horokeu) / Horohoro "Trey Racer"
An Ainu from Hokkaido (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, Pirka ("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. 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.


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 "Happy Place" or "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.