Zatch Bell! Characters
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Kiyo Takamine, known in the original version as and his ''Mamodo'' (known in Japanese as a ) partner Zatch Bell!, known in the original version as , are fictional characters in the
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and
manga are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...
franchise ''
Zatch Bell! ''Zatch Bell!'', known in Japan as , is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Makoto Raiku. It was serialized in Shogakukan's Shōnen manga, manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Sunday'' between January 2001 and December 2007, ...
'' by
Makoto Raiku , known by the pen name , is a mangaka, manga artist known for creating the ''Zatch Bell!'' franchise. Starting off an assistant manga artist, assistant for Kazuhiro Fujita on his manga ''Ushio & Tora'', he began creating several one-shots for th ...
. Mamodos are beings from another world with supernatural powers. The series begins when Kiyo, by the request of his father, is told to take care of Zatch. Eventually, they become involved in a tournament between Mamodos where the winner becomes king of the Mamodo World. Kiyo and Zatch were based on the design of a normal high school student and a noble knight who combats evil. The knight however was changed into a cuter character. In the Zatch Bell! character popularity polls, Kiyo and Zatch are voted one of the most popular characters ranking in the top three. Plush dolls based on Zatch's appearance have also been made.


Creation and conception

After Raiku's ''Newtown Heroes'' series in the '' Shōnen Sunday Super'' ended, Raiku looked at his old drafts he created in the past for an idea for his next series. One of his ideals was a mercenary who uses a giant sword to defeat enemies. After playing with that idea for three months, Raiku decided to abandon it and go with another idea. His next idea was a story where a middle school student, the prototype of Kiyo, finds an old toy and with the help of a noble knight, combats evil. After taking this up with his editor, he was advised to use a cuter character to fight resulting in Zatch's creation. After Raiku worked on the idea for month, it was published. The reason Zatch uses lightning spells is because his name had the word "Rai", which means "lightning" in Japanese.


Character outlines


Kiyo Takamine

Kiyo Takamine is a
genius Genius is a characteristic of original and exceptional insight in the performance of some art or endeavor that surpasses expectations, sets new standards for the future, establishes better methods of operation, or remains outside the capabiliti ...
14-year-old junior high school student with an IQ of over 180. His intelligence makes him a target for teasing and harassment causing him to develop an introverted and apathetic demeanor to the point where he skips school on a regular basis. However, his entire lifestyle changes when Zatch Bell! arrives in his life. Due to Zatch's influence, Kiyo becomes more outgoing and eventually becomes popular in his class. Kiyo still has a disturbingly bad temper and is easily irritated, often venting his frustrations on Zatch or his ditzy classmate Suzy Mizuno.


Zatch Bell!

Zatch is an overly cheerful boy who possesses a strong sense of justice, but is clueless about most of the world around him and often gets in trouble when not being supervised by someone. Kiyo makes Zatch a toy named Volcun 300 which he refers to as a friend. Zatch's favorite food is Yellowtail, which he prefers to eat whole. When Zatch arrived to the Human world, he lived in a forest until the day
Zeno Zeno may refer to: People * Zeno (name), including a list of people and characters with the given name * Zeno (surname) Philosophers * Zeno of Elea (), philosopher, follower of Parmenides, known for his paradoxes * Zeno of Citium (333 – 264 B ...
attacked Zatch and removed his memory of the Mamodo world. Kiyo's father finds him and sends him to Kiyo. During the progress of the series, it is revealed Zatch is empowered with the power of ''Bao'', a powerful dragon created by Zatch's father during the last Mamodo battle. Due to the danger of ''Bao'' and Zatch's father's declining health, he transferred Bao into Zatch in order to prevent it from escaping and wreaking havoc in the Mamodo world. He soon sent Zatch to live as a normal Mamodo so he may never discover the power of Bao.


Skills

Kiyo's high intelligence and quick decision makes making him an excellent tactician which allowed Zatch to defeat Mamodos much stronger than him. During the battle within Faudo, Kiyo gained an ability called from being killed and subsequently brought back to life. This ability grants Kiyo the ability to know the answer to any question. Using the ability of Answer Talker in battle allows Kiyo to completely understand an opponent's attack, how to evade it, and how to effectively counterattack. Most of Zatch's spells causes Zatch to lose consciousness when cast. To get around this, Kiyo devised a method of reciting spells by training Zatch to look in the direction Kiyo points to. Zatch's primary offense at first is the spell , which causes him to fire lightning from his mouth. During the course of the series, more powerful variations of Zaker are used in the order of , , and . Zatch's most powerful spell is which conjures a giant electrical dragon. He later gains varieties of "Bao Zakeruga" such as which conjures a giant claw which conjures a serpentine "Bao Zakeruga" which attacks by shooting its scales, and , a manifestation of electricity in the form of a giant
Lernaean Hydra The Lernaean Hydra or Hydra of Lerna (), more often known simply as the Hydra, is a serpentine lake monster in Greek mythology and Roman mythology. Its lair was the lake of Lerna in the Argolid, which was also the site of the myth of the Dan ...
. Zatch also gains a wide range of versatile spells to assist in situations. erects a giant shield that reflect attacks back to the source while also adding electricity to the reflected attack, creates a ball of electricity that magnetizes anything following immediate contact, amplifies Zatch's physical attributes, to guide and increase the powers of Zatch's electrical spells, and generates a huge ball of electricity capable of deflecting attacks and attracting the enemy into its epicenter where they are electrocuted.


Plot overview

Kiyo's father sends amnesic Zatch to live with him where he discovers that reading a spell from Zatch's book causes lightning to come out of Zatch's mouth. Kiyo soon learns that Zatch is a Mamodo and is one of the one-hundred Mamodo candidates in the Mamodo Battles where the remaining Mamodo who has their book intact shall become the king of the Mamodo world and thus forcing Kiyo and Zatch to fend off attacks by other Mamodos. As the series progresses, Kiyo and Zatch befriend a Mamodo named Kolulu who reveals that the Mamodo King forced her into the tournament. Zatch upon hearing her story strives to become the Mamodo King in order to bring peace to the Mamodo World. During the course of the story, Kiyo and Zatch befriend a super star named
Parco Folgore The manga and anime series ''Zatch Bell!'', known in Japan as for the manga and for the anime, features an extensive cast of characters created and illustrated by Makoto Raiku. The fictional storyline takes place largely in Japan during the ea ...
and his Mamodo
Kanchomé The manga and anime series ''Zatch Bell!'', known in Japan as for the manga and for the anime, features an extensive cast of characters created and illustrated by Makoto Raiku. The fictional storyline takes place largely in Japan during the ea ...
, an idol singer named Megumi Oumi and her Mamodo partner
Tia TIA most commonly refers to the transient ischemic attack, a "mini-stroke". TIA or Tia may also refer to: People * Tia (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or surname * TiA, stage name of a female ...
, a Chinese girl named Li-en and her Mamodo Wonrei, a genius magician named Dr. Riddles and his Mamodo
Kido Kido or KIDO may refer to: * Kido (surname) * KIDO, an American radio station * Kidō, a form of magic used by characters in the manga and anime ''Bleach'' * Conficker Conficker, also known as Downup, Downadup and Kido, is a computer worm tar ...
, and later, a German man named
Kafk Sunbeam The manga and anime series ''Zatch Bell!'', known in Japan as for the manga and for the anime, features an extensive cast of characters created and illustrated by Makoto Raiku. The fictional storyline takes place largely in Japan during the ea ...
and his Mamodo
Ponygon The manga and anime series ''Zatch Bell!'', known in Japan as for the manga and for the anime, features an extensive cast of characters created and illustrated by Makoto Raiku. The fictional storyline takes place largely in Japan during the ea ...
. An evil Mamodo named
Zofis The manga and anime series ''Zatch Bell!'', known in Japan as for the manga and for the anime, features an extensive cast of characters created and illustrated by Makoto Raiku. The fictional storyline takes place largely in Japan during the ea ...
antagonists Kiyo and his friends prompting them to defeat him and prevent him from being the Mamodo King. After Zofis' defeat, a group of Mamodos plan to awaken the giant Mamodo Faudo and use its power to win the Mamodo battles. Kiyo and his friends realize the threat Faudo could bring to the world and infiltrates Faudo's body in order to stop its resurrection. As they progress inside Faudo, Kiyo is killed in battle but is resuscitated into a catatonic state by Zatch. Zatch and friends move on and meet the one controlling Faudo,
Zeno Zeno may refer to: People * Zeno (name), including a list of people and characters with the given name * Zeno (surname) Philosophers * Zeno of Elea (), philosopher, follower of Parmenides, known for his paradoxes * Zeno of Citium (333 – 264 B ...
who reveals he is Zatch's twin brother. Kiyo awakens and with Zatch battles and defeats Zeno and sends Faudo back to the Mamodo World. Later a powerful Mamodo named Clear Note reveals his intention to destroy the Mamodo world if crowned the Mamodo King. Kiyo and Zatch, with the help of friends, manage to defeat Clear Note leaving only Zatch and Brago battle as the remaining Mamodos. Zatch eventually engages and defeats Brago and is then crowned King of the Mamodo World. Zatch returns to the Mamodo world and restores the defeated Mamodos. Some time passes and Zatch sends Kiyo a letter telling him the peace of the Mamodo world.


Appearances in other media

Kiyo and Zatch are the protagonists in the two spun off animated films and . The pair appear in all of the Zatch Bell! series video games where the pair are played as a single character.


Reception

In the first ''
Weekly Shōnen Sunday is a weekly manga magazine published in Japan by Shogakukan since March 1959. Contrary to its title, ''Weekly Shōnen Sunday'' issues are released on Wednesdays. ''Weekly Shōnen Sunday'' has sold over 1.8billion copies since 1986, making it ...
'' popularity polls of the series, Zatch ranked first and Kiyo ranked second. In the second and third Zatch Bell! character popularity contest, Zatch and Kiyo ranked first and third respectively.
IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...
's review of the first two
Tankōbon A is a standard publishing format for books in Japan, alongside other formats such as ''shinsho'' (17x11 cm paperback books) and ''bunkobon''. Used as a loanword in English, the term specifically refers to a printed collection of a manga that w ...
of the series stated that Kiyo was not a likable character due to his abrasive attitude. IGN however described Zatch as "...a funny, quirky character that's easy to like and easy to get annoyed with fairly quickly". Mania.com's Jarred Pine review of the first volume also commented on Kiyo's irritating and arrogant persona. In the SPJA Industry Award,
Jason Spisak Jason Spisak () is an American actor, producer, and computer programmer. He is also the co-leader of the Symphony OS Project and the designer of Symphony's unique Mezzo desktop environment and wrote the Laws of Interface Design, to which the proje ...
was nominated fifth in the category "best English voice actor" for the voice of Kiyo.
Debi Derryberry Debi Derryberry (''née'' Greenberg; born September 27, 1960) is an American voice actress who has provided voices for a number of animations and video games. She is best known for voicing Jimmy Neutron, the titular protagonist of the Jimmy Neutr ...
was nominated for "Best Actress in a Comedy" for her role as Zatch at the 2006 and 2007
American Anime Awards The American Anime Awards were a series of awards designed to recognize excellence in the release of anime and manga in North America. The first (and only) annual American Anime Awards balloting was supervised by Milton Griepp of industry websit ...
but did not win. Since the series was released, merchandise based on Zatch's appearance has been made such as plush toys and action figures.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Takamine, Kiyo and Bell, Zatch Animated duos Anime and manga characters who use magic Child characters in anime and manga Anime and manga characters introduced in 2001 Demon characters in comics Fictional characters with electric or magnetic abilities Male characters in anime and manga Teenage characters in anime and manga Twin characters in comics Zatch Bell!