Peyote Diaz

Peyote Diaz (ペヨーテ・ディアス, Peyote Deiasu) is a fictional character in the manga and anime series of Shaman King. He is a shaman from Mexico and is one of Hao's followers.

Appearance
Peyote is usually seen wearing a Mexican sarape. He is also commonly seen hiding his face with a sombrero, scarf and jet goggles. He wear long black boots, with a knee plate saying "Hao" and long black with red pipe-like gloves, with knuckle plates that have "Hao" written on them. He wears black clothing decorated with bones and a skull on his scarf, and when not used he constantly wears his guitar on his back in a strap.

He sports long green hair on half of his head while the other half is bald. Later on in the series, he also grows a thin beard around his chin. When Bill Burton was first inducted into the group, his hair was braided and he had a full beard.

Personality
At first he appears as a cruel and yet emotionless who will do anything to follow Asakura Hao's orders, without any question, even using the Boz brothers beaten body's as his mediums for his oversoul. He also believes that one should have a reason to fight otherwise would one die as the loser and the one's story will be a story.

However towards the end of the shaman tournament he appears sensitive and even yet questions Hao's motives. He even cried in sorrow saying that because he loved Hao so much he was also the one who hated him the most.

Abilities and Powers
Peyote is a guitar player and appears to be able to control his oversouls with it. As explained by himself his powers allow him to play with the dead and he can make souls vibrate to his music. He later uses a Giant O.S., one that can move incredibly fast despite its giant size and strike with deadly force.

Spirits

 * See More: Peyote's Mariachi Band

Peyote's spirits consists of his old Mariachi band that was killed during stupid and meaningless bar fights. The spirits are Carlos, Juan (friends of Peyote's), Antonio, Jose, Pancho, Miguel & Zapata (all Mariachi players). Carlos and Juan were gunned down by angry saloon clients while Antonio, Jose, Pancho, Miguel and Zapata died in fights. He uses calavera dolls and even his own two teammates, the "Boz" brothers, as medium for his oversouls, giving him an offensive and defensive strategy.

Past
Peyote is shaman from Oaxaca, Mexico and was born on September 11, 1970, to parents that were a Spanish exorcist and an Aztec priest. He was once part of a Mariachi band considered the best in the whole country and famous for the brawls they started. Apparently two of them were owners of a saloon. They were best friends and all of them acted like true men, however all the members except him were killed in stupid brawls or gunned down because of an unhappy saloon client.

When he was 21 he was found by child Asakura Hao, while sitting in a bar and was apparently surprised by the child. At first he decided to follow him out of curiosity of his incredible powers, but unknown to him at first he was drawn to the darkness of Hao's heart and a desire to fix it himself, even if it meant dying.

About five years before the Shaman Fight, Bill Burton is inducted into Hao's group. As Bill begins to complain about their lifestyle, Peyote claims that its comfy and a lot of space once you get used to it, saying they aren't chained to society by not using money and being entirely self sufficient, and notes that even the cactus he is holding was at ease.

Shaman Fight in Tokyo
Not much is known about his First Round experience but he did qualify to enter the Shaman Fight by landing a successful hit on a Patch Officiant, and won at least two matches to get to the Second Round. He was first seen in the series with Hao's other followers when they interrupted their boss from playing around with Yoh and friends, so that they wouldn't miss the Patch Plane that would take them to America. He would then sit among his allies on the plane, and later rode on the Spirit Of Fire with Hao and the others when the inhabitants of the plane were dumped out of it.

Shaman Fight Second Round
He was first seen together with the rest of Hao's group as Chocolove McDonell talked about them in the Patch Village. His team, Team "Tsuchi-Gumi" which consisted of him and the BoZ brothers, Sugimoto Ryo and Yoneda Zen, were matched against Team "The Ren" in the first fight in the Second Round of the Shaman Fight. At first Peyote stood back and allowed the BoZ brothers to fight, however they were swiftly defeated by Chocolove. Peyote would then cruelly kick their unconscious bodies, and making them wake up and attack Chocolove once again, this time using only their instruments as blunt weapons. It is then revealed by Ren that the BoZ brothers had been unconscious for some time and their bodies were now controlled like puppets by Peyote, something Peyote himself confirmed and introduced himself and his spirits Carlos and Juan. An angry Chocolove tried to attack Peyote, but a tiny calavera doll appears from underneath Peyote's poncho and punches Chocolove in the face. Peyote explains that the doll is possessed by Antonio, the leader of the Mariachi Band, and more dolls fall from Peyote's sarape and are possessed by the other mariachi players. Peyote would then use the BoZ brothers bodies and create cactus like weapons on their arms to attack Chocolove, as well as being able to fire of the cactus spines like projectiles. Not wanting to hurt or kill them, Chocolove struggled against his opponents, but eventually used his Ayers Rock technique to make the ghosts laugh, interrupting Peyote's O.S. With Chocolove losing furyoku and passing out, Ren swiftly finishes a defenseless Peyote, and wins the match and eliminates Peyote and his team from the competition.



After being defeated, Peyote lies in bed at the Patch's Medical Center, and has a conversation about Hao with Mohamed Tabarsi, as Peyote expresses his belief that Hao must be disappointing with him. Believing otherwise, Tabarsi mentions that despite him also failing to perform a task ordered by him, Hao greeted him warmly when he returned to report his failure. Questioning if Tabarsi was worried, he refutes this, simply saying Hao must not have any care in the world.



Later, he goes with Hang Zang-Ching and Mohamed to kill Team "The Ren". After Horohoro recognizes him as the one they defeated earlier, Peyote mentions that since he was eliminated he didn't have anything to do, which is why he accepted this mission. While fighting with them, Mohamed reveals that Nichrom is the young brother of Chrom the Patch Officiant whom Ren killed in the preliminary round of the Shaman Fight. Nichrom tells Ren that he doesn't really aim to get revenge on him, as his brother was a weak loser. Hearing this, Ren is surprised and Peyote takes advantage of it by attacking him suddenly with his Giant O.S. "Grande Phantasma" and killing him by impaling him with its large sword. Asakura Yoh eventually arrives saving the others and defeats Peyote, Hang Zang-Ching and Mohamed with a single blow. As a furious Nichrom orders them to kill Yoh, Peyote and the others refuse, saying that they don't have enough furyoku to do so, eventually retreating with Nichrom once Ryu and Faust arrive.



Later after Lyserg brought an injured Horohoro to the hospital to rest with Yoh and the others, Peyotes O.S., the Grande Phantasma suddenly appeared and attacked the building, with the intent to kill them all. However Ryu was able to stop Peyote from killing anyone, by restraining the giants arm with the appendages from his Yamata no Orochi. As Mohamed used his Beam attack and destroyed the building, him and Peyote eventually cornered Ryu who stayed behind to allow his friends to escape. Mocking Ryu by claiming his friends abandoned him, Tabarsi says it wouldn't have mattered either way as Peyote reveals Zang-Ching had hidden in the building to attack them without them knowing. As Peyote and Turbine fought and mortally wounded Ryu, Lady Sati and the Gandhara arrived and attacked Peyote, as well as subsequently reviving Ryu. Being frustrated by this, Peyote is ordered to stand down by Mohamed, who believes that the Gandhara are not opponents they can defeat. With their job done the Gandhara prepare to leave, with Mohamed and Peyote decide to retreat as well.

While the group were ordered to deal with a fleet of human warships they begin to wonder if they are doing the right thing and when Matilda Matisse says that Hao was working to create a better world Peyote remarks that they cannot be sure of this. He acknowledges that they had failed at every single mission, but they are not the only ones to be blamed as it was also because of Hao's faults and Peyote wonders if Hao really was fighting for such a noble cause. Mohamed Tabarsi reveals that he too has had the same thoughts. The two men face each other on the beach and Mohamed warns Peyote about his next words. Peyote defends himself and says that he only wanted to give them some thoughts on the subject and did not intend to start an argument. When Hang Zang-Ching ask them to stop because they scare him he is suddenly killed by Peyote's O.S. "Grande Phantasma". Peyote tells them to calm down as he only wants to make them stronger by dying, but then pierces Bill completely and reveals that he was kidding. Mohamed then starts to yell at Peyote, but is shot in the face by Tamurazaki Midori.

Peyote then proceeds to severely wound Brocken Meyer by skewering him with his Over Soul. When the "Hana-Gumi" appears behind Peyote prepared to kill him with a curse, Tamurazaki shoots them down with a handheld rail gun. However the three girls are still alive and rush Midori only to be stopped by Peyote himself who reveals Hao's ability to read minds to them and that he somehow understands him. Screaming that he loves Hao the most, yet that he is therefore also the one who hates him the most, he takes his own life as well the lives of Kanna, Matilda and Marion, by crushing them all with his gigantic Oversoul.

It is later revealed by "Big Guy" Bill Burton, in a conversation with Anahol Pokki, that because his and Mohamed's bodies took too much damage, they were the only ones from the slaughter who were unable to be revived.

Invading The Plants
After Hao becomes the Shaman King, Peyote's spirit is seen standing with Turbine in one of the cars aboard the Soul Train inside the Great Spirit, hesitating before agreeing with Turbines claim that despite what Luchist said they all would rather stay there with Hao.

Anime/Manga Difference
In the 4Kids dub, he was given a Méxican accent and his name was changed into Ramiro. In the Anime, he never betrayed Hao and remain on Hao's side throughout the whole series. He was defeated by Lyserg in the final assault.

Also in the anime, he and the BoZ Brothers didn't fight Team "The Ren" in the tournament and instead attacked them before they arrived at the Patch Village. Peyote also oversouled the brothers from the very beginning of the fight.

Trivia

 * "Peyote" is the name of a small spineless cactus native to Mexico and the Southern United States of which a hallucinogenic drug is produced, highly appreciated and used in traditional indigenous ceremonies and shamanic rituals.


 * Peyote's last name "Diaz" means "son of Diego" in Spanish.