Shaman King

is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hiroyuki Takei. It follows the adventures of Yoh Asakura as he attempts to hone his shaman skills to become the Shaman King by winning the Shaman Fight. Takei chose shamanism as the main theme of the series because he wanted a topic that had never been attempted before in manga. The ''Shaman King'' manga was originally serialized in Shueisha's ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' between June 1998 and August 2004. The individual chapters were collected and released in 32 ''tankōbon'' volumes. In 2017, Kodansha acquired the rights to the series and re-launched it on 35 e-book volumes in 2018, also published in print since 2020.

An anime television series produced by NAS and Xebec aired for 64 episodes on TV Tokyo from July 2001 to September 2002. A reboot anime television series adaptation, produced by Bridge, aired on TV Tokyo and other channels from April 2021 to April 2022. A sequel to the reboot has been announced. The manga has also been reprinted in a '' kanzenban'' edition, and has spawned various spin-offs and sequel manga, video games, a trading card game, and many types of ''Shaman King''-related merchandise.

In North America, Viz Media obtained the English-language license for the manga and published chapters of ''Shaman King'' in its '' Shonen Jump'' magazine from March 2003 to August 2007. Kodansha USA re-licensed the series in 2020, and will release it in both digital and physical formats. The anime series was licensed in North America by 4Kids Entertainment in 2003, and aired on Fox Box. Exclusive video games were released by 4Kids Entertainment in North America and Europe.

In Japan, the manga has been popular. As of March 2021, it had over 38 million copies in circulation. Both the manga and anime have been featured, at various times, in "top ten" lists of their respective media. The ''Shaman King'' anime has been watched by many television viewers in Japan. Publications about manga, anime, and other media have commented on the ''Shaman King'' manga, with positive comments on the series.

Plot

The plot of ''Shaman King'' revolves around Yoh Asakura, a shaman, a medium between the worlds of the living and the dead. Yoh seeks to become Shaman King, one able to channel the power of the Great Spirit to reshape the world as they wish, by winning the Shaman Fight, a tournament overseen by the Patch Tribe that occurs once every 500 years. Anna Kyoyama, Yoh's fiancée, soon enters the scene and prescribes a brutal training regimen to prepare him for the tournament. Thus begins the plot that will lead Yoh on a journey that will lead him to befriend Manta Oyamada and encounter other shamans: "Wooden Sword" Ryu, Tao Ren, Horohoro and Faust VIII.

Yoh's group travels to America to pass the final trial for the right to participate in the Shaman Fight, joined by Lyserg Diethel while encountering a group of shamans led by Yoh's estranged twin brother Hao Asakura, the reincarnation of a powerful shaman who wishes to eradicate all humans and create a world for shamans. The group also encounter the X-Laws, a group dedicated with killing Hao, with Lyserg joining them. Yoh's team is joined by Joco McDonnell (known as Chocolove McDonnell), as they engage in a series of three-man matches.

After several matches, only the teams that consist of Yoh's group, the X-Laws and Hao's team remain. Due to Hao's level of power despite being supported by the Gandhara group in selecting Yoh, Ren, Horohoro, Lyserg, and Joco as the five legendary warriors, the teams forfeit the tournament in a gambit to stop Hao while he undergoes a process to merge with the Great Spirit while Gandhara acquires the Patch Tribe's five elemental spirits. Though Yoh and his friends defeat ten Patch tribesmen who are obligated to protect the new Shaman King, they are powerless against awaken Hao as he brings their souls and everyone they know within the Great Spirit before he commences with his goal of destroying all human life. But Yoh and his friends acquire the elemental spirits and battle Hao while joined by their friends and associates, revealing their goal is actually ensure Hao would not abuse his powers. It is revealed that the Great Spirit granted Hao's wish for someone to bring back his mother's spirit. With Anna's help, Hao's mother is brought to the Great Spirit. Convinced by his mother to forgive humanity for her death, Hao decides to postpone his plan to eradicate humans so he can observe how Yoh and his friends will change the world.

Seven years later, Hana Asakura waits at a station for the five legendary warriors and his parents, Yoh and Anna.

Production

Before creating ''Shaman King'', Takei, an assistant of Nobuhiro Watsuki's ''Rurouni Kenshin'', exchanged ideas about the series with the other assistants which included the creator of ''One Piece'', Eiichiro Oda. As a colleague of Watsuki, he worked primarily as a manga assistant, only focusing on his own projects during his days off. He was influenced by street art from hip-hop and rap culture, which is apparent in his manga artwork. For drawing, he used calligraphy inks and pen nibs. When illustrating, he used Copic brand color markers.

He chose shamanism as the principal topic of the series because he wanted to choose a subject that had never been approached in manga before. He said he incorporated his own personality and beliefs in ''Shaman King''. He has an interest in the topic, and "choosing shamanism as the subject of this story seemed like a natural extension of that." For the title, he said he used "shaman", an English word, due to the fact that "the nuance is really great" and because he could not find a Japanese word with the accurate meaning of the word "shaman". Another reason to have shamanism as the main subject was because he could explore elements from different cultures and their relationship with the dead and the spirits.

Takei created the stories after he created the characters because he believed the "stories are born because of the existence of the characters". In addition, he felt that "the most important thing o create a characteris to have originality". Through his characters he wanted to show different cultures, backgrounds and values. When asked "how do shamans of pacifistic religions ever win the Shaman Fight?" he answered that the Shaman Fight is fought using the "strength of the soul". Takei declared "the final message of ''Shaman King'' is that fighting is no good."

Media

Manga

Shueisha edition

The chapters of ''Shaman King'' were written and illustrated by Hiroyuki Takei and were published in Shueisha's ''shōnen'' manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from June 30, 1998 to an abrupt and improvised end on August 30, 2004. The first 275 chapters were collected into 31 ''tankōbon'' volumes; the first of which was released on December 3, 1998, with the 31st being released on October 4, 2004. The release of volume 32—intended for publication on December 3, 2004—was delayed and Shueisha reported they would only publish volume 32 if they receive evidence of demand from approximately 50,000 people. The release of the last ten chapters in ''tankōbon'' format happened on January 5, 2005. A spin-off to ''Shaman King'', , published in ''Akamaru Jump'' in 2003 and 2004, lasted for five chapters—all of which were included in volume 32. Taking place seven years after the end of the manga series, it features Hana Asakura, son of Yoh and Anna, and his journey with Ryu to find the Five Elemental Warriors for a reunion before the opening of the Funbari Hot Springs Inn.

Takei declared it was not a decrease in the series profitability that was the reason for its cancellation, but a "fatigue" he had been through because he was no more able to follow his fans' wishes. In the author's opinion, ''Shaman King'' was being "normalized" by the desire of his readers with the introduction of typical ''shōnen'' aspects and losing its originality. In 2007, he revealed he was planning to end the series with the finale he initially envisioned, to be published in another Shueisha magazine at the end of the year or at the beginning of 2008. Eventually the entire series was reprinted in 27 '' kanzenban'' volumes with the title ''Shaman King Kanzen-Ban'' (or "Perfect Edition"), concluding with the "true ending" to the series. The new series finale was also posted on the official ''Kanzen-Ban'' website, in addition to the print editions. The first volume of the Perfect Edition was released on March 4, 2008 with the last (volume 27) being published on April 3, 2009. Five years after the end of the series, when the ''Shaman King Kanzen-Ban'' was finished, Takei said, "After making the readers so much for this, the last thing I wanted to do was to disappoint them". He thought the ending was a "huge responsibility". This edition served to make corrections and adjustments and, for Takei, it was something "fun," as it was different from scratch. ''Shaman King'' has also been published as part of the ''Shueisha Jump Remix'' series of magazine-style books. Sixteen volumes of ''Shaman King'' were released under the ''Shueisha Jump Remix'' series between April 1, 2011 and October 28, 2011.

Viz Media licensed the series for an English-language release in North America; the chapters initially serialized in the American '' Shonen Jump'', beginning in third issue in 2003 and ceasing its serialization in the August 2007 issue. From then, it was exclusively published through graphic novel format and Viz said it was done in order to speed up the series' publication. Volume 1 was released in August or September 2003, and volume 32 was released to conclude the series on January 4, 2011. In Australasian region, Madman Entertainment licensed and published the series between February 10, 2009 and September 10, 2011. The manga has also been licensed in some countries such as in Brazil by Editora JBC, in France by Kana, in Germany by Carlsen Comics, in Italy by Star Comics, in Norway by Schibsted Forlagene, in Russia by Comix-ART, in Singapore by Chuang Yi, in Spain by Editores de Tebeos, in Sweden by Bonnierförlagen, and in Vietnam by Kim Đồng Publishing House.

Kodansha edition

In December 2017, Kodansha announced the company acquired the "''Shaman King''" trademark from Shueisha in Japan and Viz Media in North America. A website opened on January 1, 2018, to announce Kodansha's celebration for the series' 20th anniversary. For this purpose, Kodansha republished the original manga in thirty-five e-books with new cover artwork between April 27 and October 1, 2018. Based on this digital version, Kodansha republished the volumes in print, released every month; volumes 1–5 were published on June 17, 2020, after that, three volumes were published around the 17th of every month; volume 33 and 34 were published on April 15, 2021; the 35th and final volume was released on October 15, 2021.

In July 2020, ComiXology and Kodansha USA announced that they would publish the thirty-five volumes of the new complete edition of the manga digitally starting in July 2020, however it was delayed to October of the same year. Kodansha USA also announced that they would release the series physically in twelve three-in-one omnibus edition volumes in 2021–2022. The first volume was published on March 23, 2021, while the latest—the tenth—was released on August 9, 2022.

Sequels and spin-offs

On November 10, 2011, a series of one-shot called "zero stories", later colected as '' Shaman King: Zero'', detailing Yoh and other characters backstories started to be serialized in ''Jump X''. In the same issue the first "zero story" was published, Shueisha announced the serialization of a sequel, focusing on Hana Asakura's development as a shaman; '' Shaman King: Flowers'' started on April 10, 2012. Both series concluded in the final issue of Shueisha's ''Jump X'' on October 10, 2014. Two volumes of ''Shaman King: Zero'' were released on May 10, 2012 and January 19, 2015 respectively. The ''Flowers'' series was compiled into six ''tankōbon'' released between August 10, 2012 and December 19, 2014. Kodansha republished all ''Zero'' and ''Flowers'' volumes.

In December 2017, Kodansha announced a new arc to be published in ''Shōnen Magazine Edge''. The new arc, '' Shaman King: The Super Star'', was preceded by three prologue chapters on April 17, 2018, and started to be published on May 17, 2018. The first ''tankōbon'' volume was released on November 15, 2018. The manga went on a six-month hiatus between December 2018 and June 2019. When the third volume was published on December 17, 2019, it was announced that the manga was nearing its climax.

A spin-off manga titled , illustrated by Jet Kusamura and the storyboard written by Hiroyuki Takei, was launched in ''Shonen Magazine Edge'' on June 15, 2018. The first ''tankōbon'' volume was released on November 15, 2018. After that, ''Red Crimson'' went on hiatus between January and May 2019. The manga finished on January 17, 2020, and its fourth and last ''tankōbon'' volume was published on March 17, 2020.

Another spin-off by Takei and Kusamura, titled , was serialized between April 17, 2020 and June 17, 2022 in ''Shonen Magazine Edge'' and was collected into five volumes.

Another spin-off illustrated by Kyō Nuesawa, titled ''Shaman King & a garden'', began in Kodansha's ''shōjo'' manga magazine '' Nakayoshi'', on December 1, 2020, and lasted untill May 2, 2022. Its first ''tankōbon'' volume was released on April 15, 2021, while the fourth and last was published on August 17, 2022.

A spin-off manga, illustrated by Aya Tanaka and based on Kakeru Kobashiri's novel ''Shaman King Faust8: Eien no Eliza'', started on the Kodansha's ''Magazine Pocket'' app on July 10, 2021; its last chapter was made available online on June 25, 2022. ''Faust8'' was published in three ''tankōbon'' volumes between October 15, 2021 and August 17, 2022.

In July 2020, Kodansha USA announced the digital English language release of the ''Shaman King''s spin-offs ''Shaman King: Zero'', ''Shaman King: Flowers'', ''Shaman King: Super Star'' and ''Shaman King: Red Crimson'' to start in August 2020, however it was delayed; ''Zero'', ''Flowers'' and ''Red Crimson'' were published digitally from October to December 2020 and the first four ''Super Star'' volumes were published in December of the same year; the fifth volume was released on July 6, 2021. In January 2021, Kodansha USA announced that they have licensed ''Shaman King: Marcos'' for English digital release starting on March 9, 2021; by September 20, 2022, four volumes have been released. Also, ''Shaman King & a garden'' has been published since December 14, 2021.

Anime

First series (2001)

The episodes of the ''Shaman King'' anime series are directed by Seiji Mizushima and co-produced by TV Tokyo, NAS, and Xebec. At an early stage of anime production, Takei himself helped the anime's staff. However, he soon left the staff due to his time limitations as he was working on the manga. In September 2020, Mizushima commented that the original anime material presented in the latter half of the show was not something he did on his own accord, and it was requested from ''Shaman Kings original publisher Shueisha. The 64 episodes were aired between July 4, 2001 and September 25, 2002 on TV Tokyo in Japan. The episodes were collected into 16 DVD compilations by King Records in Japan and released between October 30, 2001 and January 22, 2003. The DVDs were later collected and released in three box sets between August 27, 2008 and December 25, 2008. In June 2020, it was announced that the series would be streamed on Full Anime TV and Bonbon TV services in Japan.

4Kids Entertainment obtained the rights to broadcast the ''Shaman King'' anime in the United States, where it premiered on FoxBox on September 6, 2003. Five DVD compilations of the English adaptation have been released by Funimation between October 19, 2004 and March 29, 2005 in an uncut form. In June 2021, Discotek Media announced they re-licensed the series.

Second series (2021)

At Otakon 2015, former Madhouse president and then MAPPA president, Masao Maruyama, expressed his desire to work on a reboot of ''Shaman King''. In February 2017, while answering a fan's question, Takei revealed on his official Twitter that he received an offer for an anime reboot of ''Shaman King'', but he turned the offer down because he was told that the new anime would not be able to use the first anime's voice actors and soundtrack music, although Takei hoped for another chance in the future.

In June 2020, a new anime television series was announced that would adapt the 35 volumes of the new complete manga edition. The anime is produced by Bridge and directed by Joji Furuta, with series composition by Shōji Yonemura, character designs by Satohiko Sano and music composed by Yuki Hayashi. It aired from April 1, 2021 to April 21, 2022, on TV Tokyo. The series consists of 52 episodes from four Blu-ray Disc boxes, each with 13 episodes: with the first two scheduled for a release on August 25 and November 24, 2021 respectively, and the last two set for release on February 23 and May 25, 2022. Netflix acquired the streaming rights to the series for an English dub, and it premiered on August 9, 2021 on the streaming platform.

At the end of the reboot's finale, it was announced that a sequel has been green-lit.

Audio

The music for the ''Shaman King'' anime adaptation was composed by Toshiyuki Omori. Two CD soundtracks have been released for the ''Shaman King'' anime series. The first soundtrack was released on March 27, 2002, as ''Shaman King: Vocal Collection'', and contains 14 tracks, including the first opening and ending themes in their original television lengths. ''Shaman King: Original Soundtrack'' followed on June 26, 2002, with an additional 20 tracks and the second opening theme "Northern Lights". Six character song CDs were released on March 24, 2004, sung by the voice actors as their respective characters. Three drama CDs have been produced for the series as well, featuring the original voice actors from the series.

Trading card game

A collectible card game based on the ''Shaman King'' series was produced by Tomy in Japan and released in the United States by Upper Deck in 2005. Upper Deck originally planned a mass market release of the game for January 2005, however, it was later announced that Blockbuster Video would have exclusive rights to sell the game from January 28, 2005 to February 15, 2005, after which it would be released to other retailers. In an interview with Upper Deck's Director of Brand and New Product Development, Cory Jones stated that it was the television show's underperformance and later cancellation which led to the cancellation of the trading card game.

A collaboration with Bushiroad's TCG "Cardfight!! Vanguard overDress" was announced on the Japanese Bushiroad TCG Strategy Presentation 2021 Summer on May 12, 2021. Trial Deck and Booster Pack Vol. 1 are scheduled to be released on November 5, 2021 and a Booster Pack Vol. 2 is planned to be released during Spring 2022.

Video games

Thirteen video games based on the ''Shaman King'' series have been released. The first one, ''Shaman King Chō Senji Ryakketo Funbari Hen'', was released on December 21, 2001. Although the games developed in Japan have not been released outside of that region, Konami and 4Kids Entertainment developed a series of games that were only released in North America and Europe. Characters of the ''Shaman King'' series have also made appearances in the games '' Jump Super Stars'' and ''Jump Ultimate Stars''.

Other

Two light novels with the story by Hideki Mitsui and art by Hiroyuki Takei were released on December 25, 2001 and August 23, 2002. A fanbook titled was released on April 30, 2004. Two guidebooks were released. The first, based on the original series and entitled , was released on June 4, 2002. The second, called , for the ''kanzenban'' version of the series, was released exactly seven years later. Following Kodansha's acquisition of the series, a new novelization written by Kakeru Kobashiri and titled was released on November 15, 2018, and a new character book was published on November 30, 2018. In Japan, various other types of merchandise were released, including key chains, action figures, clothing, and other toys.

Reception

Public response

As of November 2011, the original manga series of 32 volumes has sold over 26 million copies in Japan. As of March 2020, the manga had over 35 million copies in circulation. As of March 2021, the manga had over 38 million copies in circulation. The new ''Shaman King Kanzenban'' volumes have been ranked in listings of best-selling manga in Japan, as well as its guidebook, both ''Zero'' volumes, ''Flowers'' first four volumes, and ''The Super Star'' first volume. Volumes of the series have been ranked in listings of best-selling manga in the United States such as ''The New York Times'', Nielsen BookScan and Diamond Comic Distributors. In 2008, ''Shaman King'' was North America's 24th best manga property according to ICv2, based on sales for the entire year of 2008. The anime adaptation has also been featured several times in the Japanese TV ranking, with the last episode having a 9.5 percent television viewership rating. ''Shaman King'' was voted the sixth best anime of 2001 by '' Animage'' readers. In 2005, Japanese television network TV Asahi conducted a "Top 100" online web poll and the ''Shaman King'' anime adaptation placed 47th. Moreover, approximately 165 million cards from the ''Shaman King'' trading card game were sold in Japan.

Critical response

Justin Freeman from Anime News Network (ANN) criticized the first volume for relying too heavily on the spirits as a ''deus ex machina'', stating that is what "places the series on the wrong path." On other hand, Alexander Hoffman of Comics Village declared "in this first novel, letting the relationships between Yoh, Amidamaru, and Manta flesh out is more important that developing every spiritual entity that shows up." Holly Ellingwood of Active Anime said she was fascinated by how Takei was capable of taking several myths and cultural beliefs and "blending them into the character backgrounds". Lori Henderson of Manga Life cited the fact every character, even the villains, "has a reason for fighting" and their "internal struggles" as well as the fights itself as the main reason why ''Shaman King'' is "an enjoyable title." A reviewer for '' The Star'' declared, praised the characters' development and Takei's capacity to create "new interesting ones each volume," commending "their backgrounds and unique personalities." Writing for ANN, John Jakala commented that he was struck with the "unique", "graffiti-style" visual of the series. Although labeled its art as "silly", Sheena McNeil from Sequential Start expressed that "it's smooth and nicely detailed with ''excellent'' expressions." McNeil deemed Takei did "a wonderful job of bringing shaman into the modern day but keeping it a story of fantasy". Ellingwood stated the series' "vibrant action", "imaginative plot twists and a creative world" makes it "a unique and stylish ''shōnen'' series."

Mania's Eduardo Chavez said that, ''Shaman King'' can "hit all the right buttons one volume" but "it could be a complete bore" in the next. ''School Library Journal''s Cathleen Baxter commented that ''Shaman King'' has "nonstop action" with "typical ''shōnen'' characters and battle styles". The storyline is "easy to follow and will hold the reader's interest." Margaret Veira of Active Anime, however, argued that the storyline gets more complex as the series progresses, while comics critic Jason Thompson commented that from volume 20 it "seemed to veer off tracks". In addition of a decline on artwork in his opinion, the numbers of fights also decreased; Thompson wrote, "their enemy ... may be unbeatable by force alone, so the plot shifts away from battles and towards unexpected betrayals, character relationships, and clever (and confusing) schemes—rather than mere fighting techniques." The last volume, especially, "may leave some readers feeling cheated," said Leroy Douresseaux from Comic Book Bin. Thompson was also disappointed by the 2004 conclusion but he wrote that the ''kanzenban'' version has "a great ending", whose "transcendental climax is not too different from Katsuhiro Otomo's '' Akira'', or for many American comics about beings with ultimate power."

Notes

References

External links

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{{Netflix original current series

Shaman King
1998 manga
2001 anime television series debuts
2021 anime television series debuts
Adventure anime and manga
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Bridge (studio)
Discotek Media
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Kodansha franchises
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Netflix original anime
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Shōnen manga
Shueisha franchises
Shueisha manga
Supernatural anime and manga
TV Tokyo original programming
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