Shaman King

Shaman King, volume one of the original Japanese edition.

Shaman King (シャーマンキング Shāman Kingu) is a shonen manga created by Hiroyuki Takei which was serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump from 1998 to 2004, when it was abruptly cancelled. During the Jump Festa 2008, Shueisha announced a kanzenban reprint of the entire series.

It has also been adapted into a 64 episode series produced by Xebec which ran on TV Tokyo from 2001-2002. 4Kids Entertainment obtained foreign television and home video distribution rights to the Shaman King anime on May 15, 2003. Fox Box began airing Shaman King in the United States on August 30, 2003.

Overview

In the world of Shaman King, people with the ability to communicate and fight with spirits are collectively known as Shamans. The series is centered around Asakura Yoh, a laid-back, easygoing character who is heir to the powerful shamanic Asakura Family, as he enters the Shaman Tournament, a semi-millennial event that draws shamans from around the world to compete for the chance to become the Shaman King and the wielder of the omnipotent Great Spirit. In the process, Yoh befriends and makes rivals of other characters, and gradually learns of the true nature of the Shaman Tournament, and his connection to Asakura Hao, the favorite to win.

Main characters

• Asakura Yoh (麻倉 葉, "Asakura Yō")
• Asakura Anna (麻倉 アンナ "Asakura Anna")
• Oyamada Manta (小山田 まん太, "Oyamada Manta")
• Umemiya Ryunosuke (梅宮 竜之介), A.K.A. "Wooden Sword" Ryu" (木刀の 竜 "Bokutō no Ryū")
• Tao Ren (道 蓮, "Tao Ren")
• Usui Horokeu (碓氷 ホロケウ), A.K.A. "Horohoro" (ホロホロ)
• Chocolove McDonell (チョコラブ・マクダネル, "Chokorabu Makudaneru")
• Lyserg Diethel (リゼルグ・ダイゼル, "Rizerugu Daizeru")
• Johann Faust VIII (ヨハン ファウストVIII世) A.K.A Faust VIII (ファウストVIII世)
• Asakura Hao (麻倉 葉王, "Asakura Hao")

Manga Series

Shaman King Kang Zeng Bang ("シャーマンキング　完全版" Shaman King Kanzenban meaning "Shaman King, the Complete Collection") is the reprint of Shaman King and has finally a "true" end. The first two volumes were released on March 2, 2008 and two volumes were released each month afterward. The final one, volume 27 was released on April 4, 2009. This edition adds 16 new chapters.

Sequels and Spin-Offs

Flowers

Shaman King Flowers (シャーマンキング, Flowers) is the continuation of the Shaman King series featuring Yoh's son, Asakura Hana as the main protagonist. This series was cancelled after the discontinuation of the magazine it was published on.

The Super Star

The Super Star (シャーマンキングスーパースター, SHAMAN KING THE SUPER STAR) is the official continuation of Flowers, following the series from where it was left. The chapters are serialized in Shonen Magazine Edge magazine. The first chapter was released on May 17, 2018.

Shaman King Remix Tracks

The Shaman King Remix Tracks chapters are released every two weeks with the third reprint of the tankōbon series, each volume containing a small chapter of 3-7 pages.

Omake

The series have released several omake chapters and small omake series,

• Mappa Douji: A one-shot that takes place approximately 1000 years before the start of the series, it reveals Hao's past as he learns the ways of a Shaman.
• Relax: Another one-shot detailing Hao in his third incarnation as he gathers followers in preparation for the next Shaman Tournament.

• Shaman King Funbari no Uta: A five-part epilogue to Shaman King that takes place 6 years after the Shaman Tournament ends, it follows the adventures of Asakura Hana as he searches for five legendary warriors with Ryu.

• Miki's Life: A two-part side story that occurs approximately 12 years before the start of the series, it recounts the events that surround the first meeting of Yoh's parents, and the ultimate fate of Mikihisa.

• Shaman King Zero: Six stand-alone chapters about the main characters before the start of the series.

Anime Series

In 2001, Shaman King was made into an anime series by Xebec. In total, it ran for 64 episodes before ending, with 3 specials also produced. The anime series, while originally faithful to the manga, eventually deviated from the storyline as the manga was still being serialized. As a result, the later episodes are completely unrelated to the manga, with a separate and definite conclusion created for the series. The anime series has been translated into several languages including Bulgarian French, Deutsch, Polish, Danish, Dutch, Russian, Portuguese, Spanish, Romanian, Cantonese, Greek, Czech, Hungarian, Serbian, Brazilian Portuguese, and Latin. The Latin, Spanish, Greek, and Brazilian openings basically have the same intro as the Japanese one but their theme is different. The series has also been translated into Italian. The Italian and Romanian versions are very rare.

There was a plan to remake the anime series which supposed to be more faithful to the manga, however the plan was cancelled because Takei and the studio failed to reach an agreement about casts and theme songs where Takei's condition was to re-appoint the original casts and songs.

In June 2020, the remake by Studio Bridge was finally confirmed with a set date for April 2021.

Video game series

Shaman King was also adapted into video games, spanning a total of 13 games in all, developed and published by various companies such as Konami, Bandai, Studio Saizensen, Dimps.

External Links

• Shonen Jump's Shaman King - The official site for the Shaman King English manga.
• Official Shaman King Kanzen-Ban website (Japanese)
• Official anime website (Japanese)
• Shaman King (manga) at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia
• Shaman King (anime) at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia