The Boy Who Dances With Ghosts

The Boy Who Dances With Ghosts (幽霊と踊る少年) is the 1st episode of the Shaman King 2001 anime series.

Summary
As Manta goes home from school, he gets the feeling that he has been called by someone at the Funbari Hill. When he takes a shortcut route home, this leads he later saw the dark sky full of stars. This is how he first met with Yoh. While Yoh asked him if he came to see the stars together with "everyone" else. As Manta asked Yoh on referring who "everyone" else was, then multiple ghosts appear beside Yoh. This later makes Manta scream in horror and shock.

The next morning, Manta tries to explain everything that happened last night at school, but the three students don't believe him and just making fun of it and teasing him. Later on, Yoh shows up as a new transfer student in Manta's classroom. Manta is determined to reveal Yoh's big secret. After following Yoh all week without any results. Meanwhile, at night, Manta decides to wait for Yoh showing up at the Funbari Hill with a camera, to take pictures as evidence. At The Funbari Hill, Manta runs into Ryu and his gang. Ryu orders his gang to find the kid who trespasses their territory. He also disrespects Amidamaru's tombstone by knocking it over and cutting it in half with his wooden sword. Ryu finds Manta just before he leaves, and suspects him to be the one who trespasses into their territory. Manta gets beaten up by Ryu's gang off-screen.

The next morning, Manta tries to explain what happened at school. He still gets made fun of but this time he gets help from Yoh, who tells him and the three students the truth that spirits are indeed real. After class, Yoh takes Manta to the Funbari Hill to wait for Ryu. Yoh ties Manta down to the three so he can't run away scared. When Ryu and his gang show up, Yoh teases him and then avenges Manta with help from Amidamaru, who was mad at Ryu for destroying his gravestone. This reveals Yoh's secret that he was a Shaman, and leaves Manta shocked as he sees Yoh using Hyoi Gattai for the first time. Yoh then fights with Ryu and easily wins while cutting off the pompadour. After Ryu gets knocked out and his gang runs away, Yoh fixes Amidamaru's tombstone with glue and has a conversation about what happened the other night with his new two best friends.

Characters in Order of Appearance

 * Asakura Yoh
 * Oyamada Manta
 * Umemiya Ryunosuke
 * Ryu's Gang
 * Ball Boy
 * Muscle Boy
 * Blue Chateau
 * Apache
 * Space Shot
 * Junk Food
 * Death Machine
 * Free Day
 * Silver Sun

Spirits in Order of Appearance

 * Amidamaru