Lee Pyron

Lee Pyron is a fictional character in the Shaman King manga and anime series. He was a kung-fu master and movie star killed by Tao Ching and turned into a Jiang Shi for Tao Jun.

Appearance
Pyron is quite tall and very muscular with short wavy unkempt black hair. When he was still alive he wore a white tank shirt with a pair of black pants with a white sash to hold them up and a pair of teal wristbands.

After being killed and resurrected as a Jiang Shi, his skin had turned slightly pale and he had visible stitches on his arms from where his body had been modified. Pyron was dressed in black clothing with green lining, styled after the Tao Family, and initially wore a Chinese black hat with the Jufu talisman controlling him on it.

In the years following the Shaman Fight, rails were attached to his arms and his back allowing for Pyron to be suspended from the ceiling of a heavy class helicopter Jun was using as transport.

Personality
Pyron is a man obsessed with his Dǎodàndào style and is always trying to perfect it. Before he was killed, he intended to create a perfect version of his own fighting style and would not pass on until he had done so.

Upon regaining his bad memories of his death Pyron went into a complete rage and vented his anger on both Tao Jun and Yoh until the spirit of his late master calmed him down. From there, he decided to remain loyal to Jun of his own accord, believing that their bond will help him reach new heights with his martial arts style and allow him to one day perfect it. His dedication to protecting Jun also results in him knocking down any men who try to woo her.

Overall, despite his initial hot-headed demeanor, Pyron is normally focused and is a loyal person who is willing to stick up for his friends.

Abilities and Powers
Pyron's late Master, Shamon, founded a variation of the Shaolin Kung-Fu style of fighting, the Ruichong Quan Kung Fu Style, which is the basis of Pyron's own fighting style, called Dǎodàndào, which is a combination of boxing, Muay Thai, and karate.

Pyron has also trained in the use of Nunchaku and he was skilled enough with them that he could disarm Amidamaru, an expert swordsman.

After his death, his body was turned into a prototype Jiang Shi with the Over Soul and the power of science combined into it. Several mechanisms and accessories were added to his body. The pile bunker systems inside his arms allow his fist to crush even iron.

By adding the soul of Lee Pyron to his original body, even as a corpse controlled by Jun, he was able to use all of his previous techniques at their full strength, and being a moving corpse, Pyron can continue fighting even when wounded. After regaining his soul, he is able to put more focus into his techniques outside of Jun's control and is able to make full use of his enhanced Jiang Shi body.

Attacks

It should be noted that a majority of Pyron's techniques are spoken/romanized in Chinese pinyin.


 * Huǒjiànjiǎo: A thrust kick aiming up in the air to send an opponent flying high.
 * Dandadou Fojanyaku: A stronger version of Huǒjiànjiǎo that hits with greater force.


 * Zhōujì Dǎodàn Jiǎo: A downwards kick from up in the air to send an opponent crashing to the ground, either as a stomping attack or a powerful axe-kick.
 * Bào Zhōujì Dǎodàn Jiǎo (・): His new leg adds an explosive force to this kick.


 * Hōngzhàjiǎo: A flying kick to an opponent's face or body, which can send a target flying.


 * Fǔchōng Hōngzhàjī: Pyron backflips many times in the air gaining speed for another attack.
 * Fǔchōng Hōngzhàzhā Hōngzhàjiǎo: A variation of "Fǔchōng Hōngzhàjī" that has Pyron staying still in the air while rotating his arms for a Honjakyaku.


 * Yǔzhòuzhàn Luòxià: A downwards stomp in the air to crush an opponent (modeled after the "Dragon Drop" used by Bruce Lee).


 * Pyron Bunker: When Jun installed a new arm for Pyron, she also installed a piston to increase the strength of his punch, allowing him to punch through steel.
 * Eijuuken Ougi: Soujuuken: An Eijuuken technique used by Pyron's late master Shamon, exclusive to the video game Spirit of Shamans as Pyron's super move. Using the power of his rocket-infused arm(s), Pyron gathers energy to thrust-punch with both fists at once for a powerful strike.

Soul Integration
After Pyron was overloaded with so much Furyoku that his body crumbled away, Jun was forced to integrate his soul in herself to finish the fight. Although her body can replicate his fighting style, it is too much strain for her weaker frame, and the mounting injuries and physical exhaustion briefly kill her.

Past
Lee Pyron was born on November 29th, 1948, and was from Hong Kong. He trained under a master named Shamon who had mastered his own style of martial arts and became a master of martial arts himself while also creating the Dǎodàndào. He soon became famous as an actor and gained a lot of wealth before being killed by Tao Ching at the age of 30. After his funeral, his body was taken by the Tao Family and made into a Jiang Shi as a birthday present for Tao Jun.

Coming to Tokyo
Pyron made his first appearance when Jun calls upon him to battle Yoh. He easily defeats Yoh and Amidamaru and it is only when Yoh manages to reach his feelings that were locked away that he begins to lose. Yoh strikes back but is stopped by Pyron, who is ordered to kill him by Jun, as the latter was getting bored with the fight. Manta runs away, but returns with Ryu's Bokutō allowing Yoh and Amidamaru to cut the talisman off of Pyron. He returns to normal and begins to wonder where he is, then spots a movie poster and suddenly remembers what the Tao family did to him. Enraged, he loses control and goes on a rampage and begins to attack Jun. Yoh defends Jun, while Pyron continues to attack both furiously while asking him to stop, but his pleas fall on deaf ears. Anna then summons Pyron's late master and places him into Yoh.

Pyron went on a complete rampage then he attacks his own master, who dodges all of the attacks and proceeds to pound Pyron into the ground. Shamon then tells Pyron to kill his ego but Pyron keeps attacking, forcing Shamon to decide that the battle has gone on long enough before defeating Pyron with a powerful blow. Once Pyron's soul has freed from his Jiang shi body and apologizes for his late actions, Shamon asks if he wishes to go to the afterlife with him, but Pyron refuses as he had yet to perfect his Dǎodàndo. Shamon then asks if he wants to borrow a body like he just did but Pyron wants his own body to do the job of his own. He later asks Jun for him to be her Jiang shi once again to which Jun accepts and they both leave.

Shaman Fights in Tokyo
When Jun defects to Yoh's side, Pyron attacks Tao Yúan but is quickly destroyed and cut into many pieces. Jun, with Pyron and Ren, are imprisoned by Yúan. Yoh rescues them and goes upstairs. When Pyron's master's zombie attacks Yoh, Pyron stops him and as Shamon attacks Jun and Pyron, he retaliates by striking him down and splitting his body in half. Yúan appears later on and knocks out everyone. Pyron manages to kick Yúan in the head but it does not do anything and he is thrown into a wall. The others get up again and want to fight and Ren defeats Yúan. As the group leaves, Pyron stays with Jun at the Tao compound.

Shaman Fight Second Round
When Ren was badly injured by Hao's followers, Anna, Jun, and Tamao are assigned by Mikihisa to find his team and rescue them from Asakura Hao. They find his team in the forest cornered by Team "Hana-Gumi". The Hana-Gumi attack but are knocked aside by the three girls. The two engage in battle with Pyron managing to destroy Ashcroft's Armor. Anna leaves with Mikihisa team to get to their match.

Jun and Tamao, believing they have taken out the third Over Soul, attack Chuck and Jack. They are successful in knocking them aside, but Ashcroft gets up, with the armor on and attacks Pyron, managing to impale him with his lance but it has no effect since Pyron is already dead. With the lance stuck inside him, Pyron destroys Ashcroft armor. Pyron prepares to take out the remaining enemies but Ashcroft gets up again and grabs him. Pyron shatters the armor beyond repair and readies himself to kill the armor for good, but it is revealed that Kanna's medium is cigarette smoke and she cuts Pyron's arm off. Pyron tries getting himself back together but has his legs cut off by Jack. The Hana-Gumi has had enough and quickly destroy Pyron's body and defeat Tamao. The Hana-Gumi attack Jun and Tamao but are stopped by the arrival of Asakura Mikihisa.

Anime/Manga Difference
In the 2001 anime series, instead of being cut to pieces and left in the cell with Jun after she rebels against her father, Pyron is put under Tao Yúan's control through a memory tablet placed in Yúan's room. When Yoh rescues Ren and Jun from the dungeon, Yúan summons Pyron to Jun in the cell and turns his body into an Over Soul shaped like a dragon, which Ren calls the "Dragon King" based on the translation of Pyron's name. Under Yúan's control Pyron attacks both Yoh and Ren, but is defeated by the two and was returned to his normal body when they realize that he is just an Over Soul. The said dragon form is also a collectible spirit in the Legacy of Spirits games.

The 2001 anime series never mentions nor shows that his body has been improved with a piston installed in his arm.

Trivia

 * His name literally means "Plum White Dragon". By that proxy, he is a thinly-veiled reference to Bruce Lee, who died under suspicious circumstances, created his own style of Martial Art, starred in many films and whose screen name was Lǐ Xiǎolóng in Mandarin/pinyin (meaning "Plum Little Dragon").
 * Despite being of Chinese ethnicity, the "dragon" character in his name uses the common-Japanese version instead of the Chinese version.
 * His name is also a likely reference to Lee Pai Long from Art of Fighting series, as both are written with the same hanzi/kanji.
 * In the 2001 adaptations, Pyron coincidentally shared the same Japanese and English voice combination with the Sonic the Hedgehog character, Knuckles the Echinda during the mid 2000s (being both voiced by Nobutoshi Kanna and Dan Green).
 * In the Latin America dub, he is called Lee Bruce Long.