BōZ (ボーズ Bōzu) is a fictional music duo in the Shaman King manga and anime series.[2] The names of these rock monks are Sugimoto Ryo (杉本良 Sugimoto Ryō) and Yoneda Zen (米田善 Yoneda Zen). As two of Hao's followers, they are part of Team "Tsuchi-Gumi" during the Shaman Fight.[3]
Appearance[]
BōZ after abandoning Hao
Ryo and Zen wear traditional Japanese black robes and white overalls, as well as komusō over their heads when hiding their identities. Ryo has shaggy black hair, while Zen has shaggy blond hair.
After their defeat by Chocolove McDonnell, they changed to different sunglasses, simple t-shirts, and cargo shorts. The shirts feature the text ぼず (bozu) over images of the back of a bald head. They also switch to playing acoustic guitars, instead of their former glittering instruments.[4]
When they first met Hao, they both wore simple kimono and both monks were presumably bald, with Ryo wearing a bandana.[4][5]
In 1995, when the duo was known as the BOØWZ, they both had long spiky hair colored black and they wore black, Japanese school uniforms.[6]
Personalities[]
They appear to be rather eccentric. When they first met Asakura Hao, they seemed rather shocked; however, they eventually grew loyal to him.
They shared the belief that it was their mission as Buddhist monks to exorcise all of the evil spirits in the world, so they entered the Shaman Fight in order to gain the power needed to do that.[2] After Peyote Diaz misused them as mediums for his Over Souls, they quit their allegiance to Hao, deciding to once again pursue a musical career.
Abilities[]
The pair are capable musicians who have sold several records. Zen is the vocalist while Ryo is the biwa player. Because Ryo did not feel that his guitar sounded Buddhist enough, he instead uses an electric biwa. Zen wields a shakujō, a Buddhist ringed staff which is meant to be used in prayer, as a microphone.
Both are able to combine their music with furyoku to perform various feats. Zen is able to charge his voice with furyoku in order to chant and send spirits to the afterlife and Ryo can charge his melodies to create an Over Soul.[2]
Spirit[]
- See More: Chimimoryo
These ghosts are thousands of small animal, bird and insect spirits that inhabit the mountain, who cannot remember their original form. Ryo and Zen create these Over Souls with their song "Chimi-Chimi Moryo", by using small rocks.[2]
History[]
Past[]
BōZ in 1989
Both were born in Gunma Prefecture, Japan, but Zen was born on July 3, 1973 while Ryo was born on July 1, 1971.[1] They trained as Buddhist monks at the Kosenji Temple in Kusatsu, Gunma. In secret, they practiced their music, hoping to one day succeed as the world's first monk musicians.[4] In 1989, Asakura Hao showed up at the temple and offered them a place amongst his followers, which Ryo and Zen readily accepted.[5]
BOØWZ in 1995
In 1995, Ryo and Zen, who were known as BOØWZ at the time, returned late to Hao's encampment and tried to tease the newest recruit, Bill Burton. However, Bill just glared at them and revealed his guardian ghosts, which frightened the monks. Brocken Meyer advised them not to mess with Bill if they valued their lives.[6]
They eventually rebranded as BōZ and released their debut song, "Joh! Butsu: Sankiemon". It debuted at 49th on the Oricon Singles Chart, peaked at 17th, and lasted 108 weeks on the chart. The band became quite popular due to their melody lines and unique style, although they believed they were more famous than they were.[2][7]
Shaman Fight in Tokyo[]
As Ragoh passed over the Earth, signaling the beginning of the Shaman Fight, BōZ were parked in front of a billboard advertising their new album, Hi・Butsu (秘仏 Hi Butsu, lit. "Hidden Buddhas").[8]
Not much is known about their performance during the preliminary round, but BōZ did win two matches and advanced to the main competition. BōZ and the other qualifying competitors gathered at Mimata Hall. BōZ sat in their car and hooked up a small monitor to an Oracle Bell so that they could watch the final match of the preliminaries, between Asakura Yoh and Tao Ren.[9] After the match, all of the shamans attended the opening ceremony.[10]
Under the orders of Hao to try to take Yoh out of the Shaman Fight, BōZ attacked Yoh and Tamamura Tamao at a Shinto temple in Funbari Hill. They exorcised Ponchi and Conchi, sending them to the afterlife, and then used their Chimimoryo to steal Amidamaru and his memorial tablet, leaving Yoh defenseless. Although Yoh managed to destroy many with his own furyoku, the sheer numbers overwhelmed him. Umemiya Ryunosuke, who had been sleeping in the temple, came to Yoh's defense, dicing the Chimimoryo and bisecting BōZ's car. The pair of monks then fled.[11]
A month later, at Yokocha Base, BōZ and Hao's other followers interrupted Hao, who was playing around with Yoh and friends, so that they would not miss the Patch Jumbo that would take them to America. Hao and his followers sat together on the plane. All of the shamans were tasked with locating and reaching the Patch Village within three months. While still tens of thousands of feet in the air, the jumbo jet was revealed to be an Over Soul shortly before it was dematerialized, dropping all of its passengers. Hao and his allies rode on the back of the Spirit of Fire and safely descended to the ground.[12]
Hao and his followers eventually made it to the Patch Village, and BōZ formed up with Peyote Diaz to make a three-man team, called Team "Tsuchi-Gumi".[3]
Shaman Fights Second Round[]
Peyote uses BōZ' unconscious bodies as mediums for his Over Souls.
Team "Tsuchi-Gumi" faced Team "The Ren" which consisted of its leader Ren, Chocolove McDonnell, and Horohoro in the first match of the Second Round. BōZ quickly launched an assault on Chimimoryo when the match started but was quickly knocked out by Chocolove's Shaft attack. Peyote then forcibly Over Souled Ryo and Zen with his spirits, despite their bodies being too worn out to fight themselves. Chocolove tried to avoid attacking them directly but would come across difficulty in fighting his opponents whom he did not want to hurt. Peyote created cactus-like weapons on each of their arms that fired numerous Furyoku thorns. Chocolove eventually used his Ayers Rock Sunrise and managed to force the spirits that were Over Souled into Ryo and Zen to laugh and leave their bodies. After Chocolove was rendered unconscious, Ren quickly finished off Peyote and sealed a victory for his team, eliminating BōZ and Peyote from the competition.
After their defeat, BōZ appeared before Yoh and his friends and revealed that they had given up being followers of Hao, and recalled to them how they had come into contact with him. Thanking Yoh for allowing them to realize the error of their ways, they take off once again going after their passion: a career in music.
Later on, Ryo and Zen joined Gandhara after Sati Saigan saved their lives. During the match between Teams "Myooh" and "The Ren", Sati thanked Ryo and Zen for helping reveal the identities of the Five Elemental Warriors, but the pair claimed it was nothing compared to what she had done for them.[13]
Invading The Plants[]
Ryo and Zen with Gandhara inside the Great Spirit
After Hao becomes Shaman King, Ryo and Zen join Gandhara in traveling to the King's Commune inside the Great Spirit for the final confrontation with Hao.[14]
Day After Maize[]
After being revived, the duo split from Gandhara and changed genres to city pop, rebranding as "Scaggs" (スキャッグズ Sukyagguzu).[15]
Anime/Manga Differences[]
Ryo and Zen in the 2001 anime series
In the 2001 anime series, their names were changed to Hijiri Zen (聖善) and Kamishiro Ryo (神代良 Kamishiro Ryō), and the duo was renamed as Zen Ryo (善良 Zen Ryō, 4Kids: "Flying Zen Brothers"). Their appearances are quite different from their manga counterparts, with Zen sporting a bandana and Ryo has a priest-like uniform with crosses (which were edited out in the 4kids dub).
Additionally, in the 2001 anime series, they do not fight Team "The Ren" with Peyote Diaz in the tournament. Instead, they and Peyote attacked the group on the day when they first met Chocolove McDonnell. They were also controlled by Peyote's Over Soul from the very beginning of the fight.[16]
Trivia[]
- The duo's several stage names throughout the Shaman King series are references to several music acts and artists popular in Japan:
- In the character popularity polls, BōZ ranked #22 in the first and #37 in the second.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Shaman King Guidebook - Mentalite (p.58)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Shaman King Manga - Chapter 66
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Shaman King Manga - Chapter 113
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Shaman King - Chapter 120
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Shaman King Manga - relax
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Shaman King Zero - Chapter 5
- ↑ Shaman King Manga - Kang Zeng Bang Vol. 7 Extras; Shaman Files 74-75
- ↑ Shaman King Manga - Chapter 26
- ↑ Shaman King Manga - Chapter 61
- ↑ Shaman King Manga - Chapter 65
- ↑ Shaman King Manga - Chapters 66-67
- ↑ Shaman King Manga - Chapters 78-80
- ↑ Shaman King Manga - Chapter 227
- ↑ Shaman King Manga - Chapter 299
- ↑ Shaman King Manga - Day After Maize
- ↑ Shaman King 2001 Anime - Episode 37
External Links[]
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