Tokageroh

Tokageroh (蜥蜴郎トカゲロウ) is a fictional character in the manga and anime series of Shaman King. He is the guardian ghost of Umemiya Ryunosuke. In life, Tokageroh was a bandit who was killed by Amidamaru. He is voiced by Wataru Takagi in Japanese, and Wayne Grayson in English.

About
Tokageroh was born into poverty and was forced to eat his own dead mother to survive. He later became a thief and led a horde of bandits who terrorized the area 600 years ago.

During his lifetime he became infamous and even formed his own fighting style called "Tokage Kenpō" (トカゲ剣法). Tokageroh always called himself a nasty villain but in reality, he was a big softie who missed the comfort of mother's care.

There was once a local hill that Tokageroh and his group of bandits used as a hideout, but one day Amidamaru passed by and was ambushed by them. However, being the stronger one, Amidamaru killed Tokageroh and his group of bandits. Tokageroh was unable to pass on because he wanted revenge and his hatred eventually turned his skin tone lizard green.

600 years later, Tokageroh possessed Umemiya Ryunosuke and used him to steal Harusame from the museum and take revenge against Amidamaru, who did not remember him at all. In the ensuing fight, Yoh and Amidamaru were forced to break Harusame in order to save Ryu's life. Yoh, believing that Tokageroh was not as evil as he claimed, allowed him to possess his body instead. Tokageroh did so, with the supposed intention of killing him in the process, but found that he did not have the heart to do so, and left Yoh's body peacefully.

Tokageroh attempted to move on, but could not enter the afterlife and eventually decided to become Ryu's guardian ghost after meeting him again in Izumo. While training in the mountains of Izumo, Tokageroh embodied the spirit of the mythical river god Yamata no Orochi, and after training with Anna during the Shaman Tournament, Tokageroh evolved into a Seirei-class spirit.

O.S. Tokageroh Bokutō
O.S. "Bokutō ni Tokagerou" (O.S. 木刀にトカゲロウ, Tokageroh in Wooden Sword) Description: This was Ryu's first Over Soul, made by integrating Tokageroh's ghost with his bokutō. This O.S. provides Ryu with much-needed protection in the form of shoulder armor and prehensile, snake-like tendrils that are used to bind enemies as well as defend against attacks. Originally, this O.S. manifests as armor, turning Tokageroh into a shield bearing his likeness, before being re-imagined. Overall, this O.S. proves to be Ryu's most versatile O.S. type, if not the weakest. Ryu can even create the Big Thumb Over Soul (オーバーソウルビッグ親指 Ōbā Souru Biggu Oyayubi), a "legendary hitch-hiking" technique, which appears as a huge, shining green thumb with a striking resemblance to Tokageroh's face. An additional finger can extend from the sword to help the Over Soul hold people.
 * Shaman: Umemiya Ryunosuke
 * O.S. Type: Weapon Type
 * Spirit Ally: Tokageroh (human ghost)
 * Medium used: Bokutō, carved from normal wood

Attacks


 * Hell Dragon Scarlet Lizard (地獄竜紅蜥蜴 Jigoku Ryū Beni Tokage): A powerful slash with the Over Soul, it can cut open an opponent. Once the Over Soul's shape is refined, Tokageroh's snake-like hair will follow the slash, whipping and cutting the opponent.


 * Ame no Murakumo ( Ame no murakumo, lit. "Heavenly Gathering of Clouds"): By using the "Ame-no-Murakumo" bokutō, carved from a sacred tree (神木 Shinboku, lit. "god wood"), the river spirit manifests in Tokageroh and he would grow long snakes out of his hair, which he can use to attack. It can create a large white spirit ball around the sword and sprouts the heads of the Yamata No Orochi that can crush any opponent with a spear-like thrust attacks of its heads.


 * Yamata no Orochi Spirit of the River (山田のおろし川の精神,"Yamata no Orochi kawa no Seishin"):

O.S. Yamata no Orochi Go
O.S. "Yamata no Orochi Gō" (O.S. ヤマタノオロチ号, "Great Serpent of Eight Branches Edition") Description: The result of Anna's training, Ryu learns to harness, at will, the power he displays during his fight with Boris Tepes Dracula, the vampire shaman. Orochi provides all the advantages of the previous form, but in the form of an eight-headed serpent, yielding far greater ferocity and power. Once a Seirei-class spirit, this evolved O.S. transforms Tokageroh into the fearsome "Yamata-no-Orochi Gō," a gigantic O.S. which places Tokageroh as the rider of a humongous, three-wheeled motorcycle monstrosity with eight humongous serpents heads, looming over an over-sized replica of Tokageroh's head guard. This O.S. variation, aside from its naturally high defenses, is surprisingly mobile.
 * Shaman: Umemiya Ryunosuke
 * O.S. Type: Spirit Type
 * Spirit Ally: Tokageroh (Seirei-class)
 * Medium used: "Ame-no-Murakumo" bokutō

Attacks


 * Super Attack (スーパーアタック,"Sūpā Atakku"): This attack involves using the multiple heads of the O.S. to grab and crush any object.

O.S. Sushi Knife Susanorō
O.S. "Sashimi Bōchō Susanorō" (O.S. 刺身包丁スサノロウ, "Sashimi Carving Knife Susanoo") Description: In order to compete against Team "The Ren", Team "Funbari Onsen" would train to hone their shamanic powers, while Ryu develops this O.S. as a result. It is an Armor-type O.S. made from integrating Tokageroh's spirit with Ryu's Ame-no-Murakumo bokutō. The O.S. takes the form of a giant sashimi knife with Tokageroh's signature Headgear visible over the hilt, which has a golden dragon insignia on it. It also forms shoulder armor created over Ryu's right arm, while there were two armor rings on his left arm, and a purple skirt armor on his right leg.
 * Shaman: Umemiya Ryunosuke
 * O.S. Type: Armor Type
 * Spirit Ally: Tokageroh (Seirei-class)
 * Medium used: "Ame-no-Murakumo" bokutō, carved from shin-boku ("god wood")

This O.S. embodies Ryu's dream of becoming a sushi chef, which makes this O.S. all-powerful. He was supposed to show this O.S. in the fight against Team "The Ren"; however Usui Horokeu quickly shatters his hands and makes it impossible for him to fight. Instead, it is first revealed in the first Plant of the Desert, where he fought against Namari and his guardian ghost Red Rope.

Attacks


 * Ultra Sabaki (ウルトラ捌き ,Urutora Sabaki, lit. "Ultra Handling"): A cutting technique, Ryu slashes his opponent in half vertically and then several times horizontally all in the blink of an eye like it was cutting a filet into sashimi. Sabaki also refers to the fighting style Tai sabaki, which uses all of the body movements, referring to the way how Ryu uses all of his skills when fighting, combining his street fighting style with his Shamanic abilities.

Anime/Manga Difference
In the 2001 Anime Series, the O.S. "Yamata No Orochi Go" is referred to as a Giant Over Soul.

Trivia

 * Susanorō is the name of the Shinto god of sea and storms who slayed the Yamata no Orochi.
 * The word Sabaki (捌き) also means "knife work" in relations to cooking.
 * It is a common misconception that the "Yamata no Orochi" is a second spirit that Ryu possesses.