History Manga / ShamanKing

A new anime adaptation premiered on April 1, 2021 on TV Tokyo, with animation done by Creator/{{Bridge}}. The series streamed in Japan same-day on Creator/{{Netflix}}, while Creator/{{Hulu}} and Website/NicoNicoDouga will make it available the following week. Netflix will also stream the series worldwide. %%date per https://shamanking-project.com

In June 2020, [[https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2020-06-11/shaman-king-manga-gets-brand-new-tv-anime-next-april/.160544 it was announced]] that a new anime adaptation will premiere on April 1, 2021 on TV Tokyo, with animation done by Creator/{{Bridge}}. The series will also stream in Japan same-day on Creator/{{Netflix}}, while Creator/{{Hulu}} and Website/NicoNicoDouga will make it available the following week. Netflix will also stream the series worldwide. %%date per https://shamanking-project.com

!!Provides examples of:

* CainAndAbel: Yoh and Hao are twin brothers on opposite moral ends, with Yoh being a AllLovingHero and Hao having genocidal ambitions. The 2001 anime plays it more straight, while the anime plays with it more [[spoiler: by way of Hao's eventual HazyFeelTurn.]]

** Ren murdering Chrome was not shown in the 2001 anime, but shown completely in the manga (both the result when it happened and again showing the whole scene later on).

In June 2020, [[https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2020-06-11/shaman-king-manga-gets-brand-new-tv-anime-next-april/.160544 it was announced]] that a new anime adaptation will premiere on April 1, 2021 on TV Tokyo, with animation done by Creator/{{Bridge}}. The series will also stream in Japan same-day on Creator/{{Netflix}}, Creator/{{Hulu}} and Website/NicoNicoDouga, with Netflix also streaming the series worldwide. %%date per https://shamanking-project.com

* ActionizedAdaptation: The anime is on the whole more action-driven than the manga.
* AdaptationDeviation: The anime adaptation follows the route of the manga with only slight changes up until the Shaman tournament begins, at which point both stories diverge fairly radically [[spoiler: down to the anime getting a much different ending where Hao is defeated, while in the manga TheBadGuyWins]].

* AMindIsATerribleThingToRead: This was part of Hao/Zeke's StartOfDarkness in the Anime. After saving some people from a rogue spirit, he read her minds, and saw that they considered him a freak that they only tolerated for his abilities, with one believing he would turn on them sooner or later, and another even plotting to find a way to steal his power. As you can imagine, this soured his attitude towards regular humans.

* BlackAndWhiteInsanity: The X-Laws have a problem with seeing the world in "with the X-Laws or against the X-Laws", which is shown as insane. Especially in the anime.

** The original anime censored much of the manga, such as changing Faust vivisecting Manta to just having him phase his hand inside his body with his powers. It also changed Chocolove/Joco's backstory from him being a former gangster changed by the power of laughter to just being a wannabe comedian from the start.
** The English dub of the anime censored it even further, such as changing the graves in the Faust fight from crosses to gravestones, and poorly editing Marion Fauna's guardian ghost Chuck's pistols... into rattles.

* CainAndAbel: Yoh and Hao are twin brothers on opposite moral ends, with Yoh being a AllLovingHero and Hao having genocidal ambitions. The anime plays it more straight, while the anime plays with it more [[spoiler: by way of Hao's eventual HazyFeelTurn.]]

** In the anime, Lyserg abandons Morphin in favor of a mecha angel spirit like the rest of the X-Laws, though eventually she comes back to him

* DivineBirds: In the anime adaptation, energy flowing to or from the Great Spirit is depicted in the form of glowing birds.

* IWasJustPassingThrough: Inverted and overlapping with EmbarrassingRescue. In the anime, our heroes save their " enemy" in this fashion. Hao is pissed with the X-Laws for meddling with Yoh and decides to have his minions teach them a lesson. However, Yoh and the others can't stand to watch the slaughtering and decide to step in.

** Faust VIII never really gets so much as yelled at for 1) slaughtering his first opponent and 2) doing... what he did to poor Manta. On the other hand, in the anime he ''does'' show genuine care for human life during the Shaman Tournament, [[spoiler: and practically brings Len back from the dead during the final fight]], which means he'd redeemed himself. In the manga, he ends up [[spoiler:sacrificing himself so that the Five Warriors can continue trying to catch up to Hao, his death doesn't mean that much though as he just hangs around as a ghost.]]
** Then there's Hao himself. [[spoiler: He wins the tournament without even trying, despite the heroes' best efforts. He then becomes Shaman King and is even allowed to keep the title despite all the evil deeds he's done, which includes killing likely thousands of people. He only gets off with a slap from his mother and a bit of embarrassment due to this.]] Though he seems to get his 'just desserts' in the anime.

* LampshadeHanging: The anime has a lot of fun with this.

* LighterAndSofter: The 2001 anime censors some non-child friendly parts of the manga. Some choice examples:

** Ren murdering Chrome was not shown in the anime, but shown completely in the manga (both the result when it happened and again showing the whole scene later on).
** Chocolove's past from the manga is both incredibly offensive, and utterly tragic. [[spoiler: His parents were killed on Christmas Day, turning him into a vicious killer, and leader of the gang, Shaft. He murders people in cold blood, but has his life turned around by a man named Orona.]] Those who watched the anime know [[spoiler: Orona died]], but in the manga [[spoiler: he didn't die of old age -- he was murdered by Chocolove's gang.]]

* MoreTeethThanTheOsmondFamily: Oni, especoally the Oh-Oni.

* MechanicalMonster: Many of the shaman spirits in Oversoul look vaguely mechanical or downright machine-like, particularly in the anime.

** Happened occasionally in the very early chapters. Yoh had huge feet and hands, (and a long bang of hair that disappeared after like 3 volumes), Ren's hair was very jagged then he goes away for awhile and when he comes back into the series his hair is much more rounded and smooth. Manta had tiny feet, Anna had a big forehead, etc. Also, compare the diagram of Shaman Fight contestants in Chapter 78 with the updated version of the same people in Chapter 208 and see the incredible difference. It was so noticeable that the updated re-release in 2020 included a ton of art updates to fix most of them.

** The anime occasionally had this too, but not much worse than the manga. Plus, this was animation during the the 2000s, so it's kind of expected.

* OneTwinMustDie: Hao Asakura was one of the founder of Asakura clan and one of the most powerful members of the clan; however, his desire to avenge his mother's death and his growing hatred of humans made him evil and was stopped in two lives. His second reencarnation was along his twin brother Yoh, knowing Hao was in this world again, the grandfather of the twins attempt to kill both children, but then Hao escaped with the Spirit of Fire to be raised by one of his minions and various years later, joining to a new Shaman King competition after failed in his past two lives.

* OvertookTheManga: Due falling sales and a slow publication rate, the anime ended up overtaking the manga. The fact the anime had its life shortened led to a GeckoEnding to avoid a NoEnding.

** The anime mostly avoids this, though [[spoiler: the title of Shaman King is not granted to anyone due to the last episode showing only that the tournament is starting up again.]]

** Same thing happened to Opacho in the anime's English dub. It's not easy to tell, since the VA is still female and his/her gender isn't mentioned often.

* SparedByTheAdaptation: A lot of characters who pass to the hereafter in the manga survive in the anime. The most notable are: [[spoiler: Faust, Marco, Silva, Kalim and Tao Jun.]]

* TakeThat: One to the anime adaptation. [[spoiler:In the anime, when Lyserg joins the X-Laws, he abandons his spirit Morphea for one of the X-Laws angel spirits, leading to a subplot where he eventually realizes he was wrong and mends ties with Morphea. In the manga, after Lyserg shows off his angel to everyone else for the first time (after saving Horohoro with it), Yoh gets very serious for a moment and asks Lyserg what happened to Morphea. We get reaction shots of everyone else before Lyserg reveals...that she's still with him. She was his parents' final gift to him before they died after all, and they are still very close even if Lyserg is using a different spirit in combat. Later on he uses both spirits in tandem.]]

** In the anime, any time [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=miRjTbibrWk Brave Heart]] plays, you will receive plot exposition/explanation of sudden understanding, and complete and utter defeat of all opponents. It's subverted a few times, but generally played straight.

** In the anime, Zen and Ryo.

** [[spoiler: Averted in the anime, when Yoh defeats Hao outright. However, unless the backstory of the manga doesn't apply to the anime, all this does is kick the can 500 years down the line when Hao reincarnates for the next tournament.]]

In June 2020, [[https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2020-06-11/shaman-king-manga-gets-brand-new-tv-anime-next-april/.160544 it was announced]] that a new anime adaptation will premiere on April 1, 2021 on TV Tokyo, with animation done by Creator/{{Bridge}}. The series will also stream in Japan same-day on Creator/{{Netflix}}, Creator/{{Hulu}} and and Website/NicoNicoDouga, with Netflix also streaming the series worldwide. %%date per https://shamanking-project.com

In June 2020, [[https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2020-06-11/shaman-king-manga-gets-brand-new-tv-anime-next-april/.160544 it was announced]] that a new anime adaptation will premiere on April 1, 2021 on TV Tokyo, with animation done by Creator/{{Bridge}}. The series will also stream on Creator/{{Netflix}}. %%date per https://shamanking-project.com

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar:
** A ton of characters have names referencing drugs, including Lyserg(ic) (Acid) Diethyl(amide), his spirit, Morphine (changed to Morphea in the English manga, despite showing morphine in other contexts), Peyote Diaz, and even Yoh himself, whose name means "leaf" and his outfits frequently have the symbol of a marijuana leaf, matching his chill hippy attitude. This symbol was often censored in the English translation.
** The manga's DistantFinale isn't shy of showing the heroes we love and respect ''all boozed out''. Yes, this includes Lyserg and freaking Manta.
** Not to mention the subtle hints about [[spoiler: Yoh and Anna having TheirFirstTime. Talking outside their BigFancyHouse in yukatas? Okay. Being the only ones in said house, with not even Amidamaru around? Ho hum. Anna later asking Yoh if they can sleep in the same room that night, with Yoh calmly saying yes? Oooooh. Fans tracing their son Hana's age and conception and finding out that Anna ''[[PregnantBadass was in the earliest pregnancy stages]]'' during the second half of the manga? W O W.]]
** In the anime's English dub, Horohoro says to Yoh "After you bite the dust, buddy, naybe you could become the tournament mascot. Maybe a kangaroo or ''a jackass''." To which Yoh responds with "It's a good thing you and I are friends or I would've take offense to that last comment." Considering that it's a 4Kids dub, it's surprising they were able to get away with that.
** The dub also threw in a little tidbit for older viewers during a scene wherein Chocolove puts Ren in a dress. Ren says "Like I used to tell June, I do '''not''' wear girls' clothes!" A reference to all his bare midriffs and revealing clothing, maybe?

In June 2020, [[https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2020-06-11/shaman-king-manga-gets-brand-new-tv-anime-next-april/.160544 it was announced]] that a new anime adaptation will premiere on April 1, 2021 on TV Tokyo, with animation done by Creator/{{Bridge}}. %%date per https://shamanking-project.com

In June 2020, [[https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2020-06-11/shaman-king-manga-gets-brand-new-tv-anime-next-april/.160544 it was announced]] that a new anime adaptation will premiere on April 1, 2021 on TV Tokyo, with animation done by Creator/{{Bridge}}. Outside of Japan, the series will also stream on Creator/{{Netflix}}. %%date per https://shamanking-project.com

In June 2020, [[https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2020-06-11/shaman-king-manga-gets-brand-new-tv-anime-next-april/.160544 it was announced]] that a new anime adaptation was set to air on April 1, 2021 on TV Tokyo, with animation done by Creator/{{Bridge}}. Outside of Japan, the series will also stream on Creator/{{Netflix}}. %%date per https://shamanking-project.com

Its anime adaptation, which was animated by Creator/{{Xebec}} and spans 64 episodes aired from July 4, 2001 to September 25, 2002, was one of the many series dubbed into English by [[Creator/FourKidsEntertainment 4Kids]]. The Spanish and Latin Americans also got a translation, and had the Japanese original dubbed in Spanish with only a bit of CulturalTranslation and pretty decent casts. Both the [=4Kids=] dub and a local language dub were shown in the Philippines, leading to inevitable comparisons and some confusion.

In June 2020, [[https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2020-06-11/shaman-king-manga-gets-brand-new-tv-anime-next-april/.160544 it was announced]] that a new anime adaptation was set to air on April 1, 2021, with animation done by Creator/{{Bridge}}. %%date per https://shamanking-project.com

In June 2020, [[https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2020-06-11/shaman-king-manga-gets-brand-new-tv-anime-next-april/.160544 it was announced]] that a new anime adaptation was set to air in April 2021 with animation done by Creator/{{Bridge}}. %%date per https://shamanking-project.com

%%* DeadlyDoctor: Faust.

%%* DisposableWoman: "Damuko", Horohoro's first love, also known as [[spoiler:Kororo]].

%%* HeroWorshipper: Manta.

%%* HotSpringsEpisode: Once in the anime, and several chapters in the manga.

%%* IAmNotLeftHanded

%%* LightIsNotGood: Once again it's the X-Laws.

%%* LikeCanNotCutLike: Over Soul enfused weapons, [[AvertedTrope unless]] broken quickly.

%%* TheMedic: Faust VIII is a quite dark version of this trope.

%%* {{Necromantic}}:
%%** Faust VIII.
%%** Jun and Bailong are quite the example as well.
%%* NietzscheWannabe: Hao.

%%* OneHitKill: The Legendary Left.

%%* TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou
%%* PerfectlyArrangedMarriage: Yoh and Anna, to everyone's surprise. Especially their own.
%%* PerpetualFrowner: Tao Ren.

%%* PsychologicalTormentZone

%%* ScaryShinyGlasses: Marco from the X-Laws.

%%* SociopathicHero: The X-Laws.

%%* SpiritAdvisor: Amidamaru to Yoh.

%%** [[spoiler: Tamao, during the DistantFinale, is Anna-level scary.]]

%%* {{Tsundere}}: Anna, to the core.

%%* UncleTomfoolery: Chocolove.

** In the anime Hao becomes a lot less cheery and a lot... crazier when Yoh breaks free. He is pushed even farther over the edge when Opacho, [[spoiler: his last and closest companion, runs away from him in fear.]]
%%* VillainousCrossdresser: "Princess Hao", anyone?
%%* WalkingShirtlessScene: Yoh. Curiously, none of the Patch tribe.

%%* WorthyOpponent

** Lyserg wants to kill Hao for murdering both his mother and father.

* AdaptationalEarlyAppearance: In the Manga, Horohoro first appeared in chapter 32 after Yoh's fight with Silva. The 2001 anime however introduced him in Episode 10 long before the story arcs where Ryu Meets Tokagero and Yoh learns the power of Oversouls were adapted yet.

%%* ArmorPiercingSlap: Anna is infamous for this. Not even Hao is immune.
%%* ArrangedMarriage: Yoh and Anna.

%%* TheAtoner: Ren and [[spoiler:Chocolove]].

* BigScrewedUpFamily: The Tao family are a dynasty of Shaman assassins with a deeply ingrained belief of social darwinism running through their entire clan. They're not very functional, [[CharacterDevelopment though they get better]].

** The Patch aren't any real Native American tribe, and they live on Mesa Verdede, not to be confused with [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesa_Verde_National_Park Mesa Verde]]. {{Lampshaded}} in that ''none'' of the {{Muggles}} have even heard of this "Patch" tribe.

* BoringYetPractical: Radim's Oversoul, which is basically a LaserBlade. Looks tame compared to most other Oversouls, but it has all his power concentrated in one place, which lets him smash through most other Oversouls and he has CharlesAtlasSuperpower so he doesn't need the benefits of Armor Oversouls.
* {{Bowdlerise}}:
** The English translation of the manga censored Ponchi's... gigantic weaponized testicles. In most scenes, it's edited to look like his stomach. It also removed Chocolove's large lips reminiscent of {{Blackface}} and changed his name to Joco.

** The English dub of the anime censored it even futher, such as changing the graves in the Faust fight from crosses to gravestones, and poorly editing Marion Fauna's guardian ghost Chuck's pistols... into rattles.

** Lyserg wants to kill Hao for murdering both his mother and father.]]
** Redseb wanted to kill Chocolove because he murdered his father. [[spoiler: And he succeeded. Not to worry, [[BackFromTheDead he got better.]]

* AdaptationalEarlyAppearance: In the Manga, Horohoro first appeared in chapter 32 after Yoh's fight with Silva. The Anime however introduced him in Episode 10 long before the Story Arcs where Ryu Meets Tokagero and Yoh learns the power of Oversouls were adapted yet.

* AdaptationDeviation: The anime adaptation follows the route of the manga with only slight changes up until the Shaman tournament begins, at which point both stories diverge fairly radically [[spoiler: down to the anime getting a much different ending where Hao is defeated, while in the manga TheBadGuyWins]].

''Shaman King'' is a manga series created by Creator/HiroyukiTakei, also author of ''Manga/ButsuZone''. It was published from 1998 to 2004 in the Magazine/ShonenJump magazine.

* MoreTeethThanTheOsmondFamily: [[http://www.citymanga.com/files/images/shaman_king/171/17-18.jpg Oni]] especailly the [[http://www.citymanga.com/files/images/shaman_king/176/10.jpg Oh-Oni]]

** Chocolove and (a much more excited and upbeat looking) Hao appear on the chapter art for ch. 27. Hao doesn't properly first appear til chapter 61 and Chocolove doesn't appear until chapter 106, about a third of the way into the story.

* AffablyEvil: Hao/Zeke in the anime qualifies big time, smiling and acting cheery while doing extremely horrible things.
** The key word here is "acting". It's rather hard to tell when he's switching between this and FauxAffablyEvil.
** Probably also qualifies as a WellIntentionedExtremist, at least at one time in his life. See [[spoiler: his ultimate goal to create a shaman-only utopia in order to 'save' the world from humans who are either, in his mind, contributing to its annihilation through ignorance or though simply not doing anything to stop it or change.]]

* AnyoneCanDie: [[spoiler: Pretty much everyone dies at one point or another. Question is how long they ''stay'' dead.]]
** [[spoiler: Basically if a character is named, they die. Then they get better. Most of them, that is.]]
** [[spoiler:Unless they're needed to create a tragic backstory for a character readers have no reason to sympathize with yet. Then they stay dead.]]

* BabiesEverAfter: Hana, the son of Yoh and Anna, is an example of this, as the author wrote ''Funbari no Uta'' after the NoEnding of ''Shaman King''.
** Though this was hinted when [[spoiler: Yoh and Anna "slept together" the night before the start of the Shaman tournament and Yoh's ancestor Asakura Yohken asked Yoh if he had any children, causing Yoh to blush.]]
** Also, at the very end of the manga, [[spoiler: Ren also has a son. He refuses to tell who the mother is, but the fact that the boy has silver hair and red eyes implies that it's probably Iron Maiden Jeanne.]] Plus, there's [[http://www.mangareader.net/819-35935-27/shaman-king-flowers/chapter-1.html this]]. It's not as much implied as it is outright stated.
* BadassAdorable: Could apply to Matamune. Cat with a pipe [[http://images.wikia.com/shamanking/en/images/1/14/Matamune_2.jpg here]] and changes into a katana [[http://images.wikia.com/shamanking/en/images/7/7b/Ss.jpg here]]. You decide.

* BerserkButton: The cruel and calm Faust goes berserk on Yoh when he calls Eliza, both his wife and spirit, a puppet.
%%** MANTA!!
** Speaking of Manta... yeah, don't hurt him or any of Yoh's other friends. Yoh will ''flip his shit.''

* BlandNameProduct: The Patch aren't any real Native American tribe, and they live on Mesa Verdede, not to be confused with [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesa_Verde_National_Park Mesa Verde]]. {{Lampshaded}} in that ''none'' of the {{Muggles}} have even heard of this "Patch" tribe.
** Oh, it gets better than that. In the English dub and the video games based on them, Yoh and crew pass through the town of Duringo and the Redstone national park.
** An example that's also a series in-joke: all the "Bone Shell" gas stations
* BlatantLies: Whoever told Yoh that only good people can see spirits. The '''heroes'''' include (in order of appearance) a man who beats up kids for fun (Ryu), a murderer who (previous to that act) ''hates'' his father (Ren), a sociopath who kills anyone in his way painfully and tried to vivisect another protagonist (Faust), and a gang leader who is also a murderer (Joco). The [[BigBad BB]][[EvilGenius EG]] is a genocidal sociopath. It's not clear exactly what Hiroyuki Takei's definition of evil is.
** The message is more that no one who can see spirits is beyond redemption. All of the listed people, [[spoiler: and the BigBad,]] manage to be redeemed by their abilities to see spirits or their contact with [[MessianicArchetype Yoh]].

* {{Bowdlerise}}: In the American release of the manga, Ponchi's... gigantic weaponized testicles are censored. In one scene, where he basically immobilizes Manta by [[NauseaFuel wrapping him up with them]], it's edited to look like some sort of thick hairy Seran wrap coating, and references are made to Ponchi's ''tail'' instead. A much larger variant of the same attack is used later on in the story; there, it's referred to as a [[UnusualEuphemism "Ghost Bubble"]]. However, the editing in both scenes is slight enough that anyone paying attention will figure out what's ''really'' going on.
** That and in the anime, Jeanne's Iron Maiden is really just a sarcophagus filled with thorns, even in the subbed version.
** Marion Fauna's guardian ghost 'Chuck' had his pistols edited (poorly at that)... into rattles.

* BrilliantButLazy: Inverted, as much as it can be. Yoh is Brilliant but Lazy, sure. However he wants to be the Shaman King (who essentially gains the powers of God), explicitly so he can relax and do nothing for the rest of his life. He essentially is willing to work his ass off so that he will eventually never have to do anything again.
** [[spoiler:Except that's not his real reason.]]

* CantCatchUp: Subverted, as all the main characters were shown to be at a similar skill level, having each received an upgrade either at the same time as Yoh or independently off screen before their next appearance.
** Still played straight in some part though, as Ren still always finds reasons to worry about not being as strong as Yoh, especially when it becomes all about willpower.
** Played straight when large segments of the latter portions of the series are all about people trying and failing to catch up to Hao.
* CatchPhrase: Several.
** For Hao, "So Small" or its equivalent (translations vary.)
** For Yoh, "It'll all work out."
*** "People who can see spirits are never bad"

* CuteIsEvil: Iron Maiden is more LawfulStupid, but still...
** For a straight example, Opacho, who appears to be Hao's [[TheDragon Dragon]] for most of the series.
* CycleOfRevenge: Yoh mentioned this to Redseb when [[spoiler: he killed Chocolove for murdering their father.]]
** Also Ren mentioned it to [[spoiler: Nichrom during their fight in the 7th Plant.]].

* DefeatMeansFriendship, several times. Though each case of it takes multiple losses.
** Except Lyserg.

* DiscardAndDraw: In the anime, Lyserg abandons Morphin in favor of a mecha angel spirit like the rest of the X-Laws, though eventually she comes back to him
** [[spoiler:Towards the end of the manga, Lyserg gains Hao's spirit of fire once Hao is finished with it. Yoh, Ren, Horohoro, and Chocolove gain the spirits of Earth, Lightning, Rain, and Wind respectively, but [[EleventhHourSuperPower only just in time for the final battle with Hao]], who has gained the power of the Great Spirit itself.]]

* EarlyBirdCameo: Chocolove and (a much more excited and upbeat looking) Hao appear on the chapter art for ch. 27. Hao doesn't properly first appear til chapter 61 and Chocolove doesn't appear until chapter 106, about a third of the way into the story.
** Really, many characters appear in the background of the early group shots of all the shamans together, even if they aren't properly introduced until later.

* EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas: Hao to his mother. [[spoiler: Anna may be the reincarnation of Hao's mother, as she looks a lot like his mother, explaining why he likes her so much.]]
** [[spoiler: Anna also ''slaps'' like his mother, apparently.]]

* FamousLastWords:
** [[spoiler: Faust's last words were to his dead wife.]]
** [[spoiler: "Elisa, my love... I can be with you."]]

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar Lyserg(ic) (Acid) Diethyl(amide)
** And his spirit, Morphine, though that's far more blatant.
*** That one got changed in the VIZ translation to Morphea. But that's almost certainly meant to make it sound more like a name, as the VIZ translation has not shied away from references to morphine (up to and including showing Faust VIII ''[[RefugeInAudacity drinking it with a bendy straw]]'').
** There's also a character called Peyote.
*** In the original artwork, a lot of Yoh's outfits have the symbol of a Marijuana Leaf. Probably to enforce his hippy nature. These were often censored in the Viz release.
** In the English dub, Horohoro says to Yoh "After you bite the dust, buddy, naybe you could become the tournament mascot. Maybe a kangaroo or ''a jackass''." To which Yoh responds with "It's a good thing you and I are friends or I would've take offense to that last comment." Considering that it's a 4Kids dub, it's surprising they were able to get away with that.
** The dub also threw in a little tidbit for older viewers during a scene wherein Chocolove puts Ren in a dress. Ren says "Like I used to tell June, I do '''not''' wear girls' clothes!" A reference to all his bare midriffs and revealing clothing, maybe?

** And let's not forget the subtle hints about [[spoiler: Yoh and Anna having TheirFirstTime. Talking outside their BigFancyHouse in yukatas? Okay. Being the only ones in said house, with not even Amidamaru around? Ho hum. Anna later asking Yoh if they can sleep in the same room that night, with Yoh calmly saying yes? Oooooh. Fans tracing their son Hana's age and conception and finding out that Anna ''[[PregnantBadass was in the earliest pregnancy stages]]'' during the second half of the manga? W O W.]]
* GetAHoldOfYourselfMan: At one point, Mikihisa Asakura slaps the three witches of Team Hana-Gumi in the process of trying to get them to calm down. Matilda, of course, cries out "Even my own parents never hit me!"
** Yoh also punches Horohoro while travelling to North America (while the two are falling from a plane) as well as Lyserg the first time they meet.

* GroinAttack: Played straight, inverted, and played straight again with Ponchi, a tanuki spirit who, in one chapter, kicks Wooden Sword Ryu in the groin, attacks Manta ''with'' his groin, and then has his groin crushed by Anna.
** Also played straight in the manga when Anna kicks Hao before he reveals his armor O.S. Kurobina.
** And lest we forget that Ponchi, as a tanuki, has another literal groin attack, which is basically him using his gigantic weaponized testicles (in line with classic tanuki lore). [[spoiler:When he reveals this move and tries it against Team Hana-Gumi, the three witches GroinAttack him right back. One gets ''blown to pieces with a revolver'', and the other is ''severed'']]
* HandicappedBadass: Technically, Chocolove is blind, yet he has the highest Furyoku out of the five warriors.
** [[spoiler:Faust VIII is crippled after his fight with Yoh due to giving his legs to his dead wife's skeleton. When he needs to get out of his wheelchair, he uses his dog's skeleton to make Over Soul legs.]]

* HeroLookingForGroup: Somewhat played with. Since the beginning, Ryu has been in desperate search to find his "Best Place", somewhere where he belongs, though his idea of the best place has been more physical, such as a building or a home. But he finds his "Best Place" where the rest of his friends are.

* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler: All of the X-Laws but Jeanne, Marco, and Lyserg, in the anime]] all die in an attempt to stop Hao, and they're all very clear on the fact they are going to die.
** SenselessSacrifice: [[spoiler: After the Babylon Gate incident, the remaining X-Laws throw themselves at Hao/Zeke in order for their comrades to discover the medium he uses to channel the Spirit of Fire. After three of them die, Hao/Zeke flat-out tells the survivors that his medium is air, shocking everybody, and rendering the sacrifice of their comrades utterly pointless. Even THAT is pointless when he temporarily changed the element of the Spirit of Fire to Water. Although the sacrifice does end up leading to Lyserg unlocking the ultimate form of Morphine when he combines her with the X-Law angels, so it wasn't completely useless.]]

* KarmaHoudini: Faust VIII never really gets so much as yelled at for 1) slaughtering his first opponent and 2) doing... what he did to poor Manta. On the other hand, in the anime he ''does'' show genuine care for human life during the Shaman Tournament, [[spoiler: and practically brings Len back from the dead during the final fight]], which means he'd redeemed himself. In the manga, he ends up [[spoiler:sacrificing himself so that the Five Warriors can continue trying to catch up to Hao, his death doesn't mean that much though as he just hangs around as a ghost.]]

* KungFuJesus: It's never outright ''stated'', but is heavily implied that Jesus was the winner of his generation's Shaman Fight. Which is ''great''.
** Don't forget Buddha!
** It is confirmed in the sequel series that both Jesus and Buddha won the Shaman Fight of their time.

* LawfulStupid: The X-LAWS are all this. A group that vows to wipe out Hao and his allies. Okay, the only problem is that if you are not on their side you're automatically considered an enemy. [[HolierThanThou They refuse to work with others outside their group and tend to look down on anyone not in their team (mostly Marco carries this attitude).]] [[{{Hypocrite}} X-LAWS says they do this to rid evil from the world and stop the killing.]] It is not as bad in the manga, but in the anime they take it to the extreme. [[SarcasmMode Way to go of ruining your chances helping other people stop the Big Bad.]]
** Yoh even calls them out on this
--->"If you kill people just for standing in your way, then you're no better than Hao."\\

* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_rmvcmVmqg Matt Hardy, Edge, and Bubba Ray Dudley]] are shamans in the tournament; of course their mediums are tables, ladders, and chairs, oh my.

* OffModel: Happened occasionally in the very early chapters. Yoh had huge feet and hands, (and a long bang of hair that disappeared after like 3 volumes), Ren's hair was very jagged then he goes away for awhile and when he comes back into the series his hair is much more rounded and smooth. Manta had tiny feet, Anna had a big forehead, etc. Also, compare the diagram of Shaman Fight contestants in Chapter 78 with the updated version of the same people in Chapter 208 and see the incredible difference.

* PhenotypeStereotype: Faust, a German, has blonde hair and blue eyes, as well as significantly paler skin than the rest of the cast.

* RunningGag: Every time technology from the Patch appears, the Patch always refer to it as being genuine and handcrafted, even when it's pagers and portable TVs.
** Ryu's pompadour gets progressively more and more damaged and warped until it ceases to be a pompadour anymore. That is until he [[TookALevelInBadass takes a (second) level in badass]], at which point his pompadour reforms and remains pristine for the rest of the manga.

* SceneryCensor: Takei chooses a weird way to evoke this -- he uses a ''star'' to cover Hao's private parts when he's in a hot spring.
** Other examples include their spirit partners and other characters' heads.
* ShaggyDogStory: [[spoiler: None of the heroes win the tourney nor stop Hao from obtaining the Shaman King title. The most victory they get is, at the least, convincing him to not to destroy humanity. For now.]]
** [[spoiler: They don't even really convince him not to destroy humanity, really. It's implied by the main characters in the last chapter that Hao in fact brought them all back to life to prove that he was right. To elaborate, at the end of the final battle in the manga, Hao basically tells them all that since they're ''so'' convinced of the good in people, he'll revive them so they can try and "fix" everything. Cue the last chapter, 5 years into the future where our heroes admit that they learned pretty quickly that they couldn't change the world, and Hao probably knew this when he sent them back. No, they didn't convince him not to destroy humanity, Hao just decided it'd be more amusing to rub the fact that he was right in their faces.]]
*** [[spoiler: Actually he did say he'd let humans have a chance to solve their own problems even though he does still hate them. For now at least they aren't going to be killed]]
*** [[spoiler:In the manga's last pages we see Hao visiting the world once again and he smiles upon seeing a cat. Considering he did not destroy humanity it looks like things look better for him... or maybe he just understood his mother's feeling.]]
*** The anime mostly avoids this, though the title of Shaman King is [[spoiler: not granted to anyone do to the last episode showing only that the tournament is starting up again.]]
** Faust's backstory is definitely this. Faust studies all his life to become a doctor, barely having any time for a social life until he meets the one girl who befriends him and falls in love at first sight. The problem is, she has an incurable disease. Faust works his ass off for 20 years and then... SHE'S CURED! But on the first night in their new home she's killed by a burglar.

** In the anime's English dub, Opacho was turned into a little boy. It's not easy to tell, since the VA is still female and his/her gender isn't mentioned often.

*** The same dub also made Kororo a boy, and Goldva was changed into a guy as well... Even though she was ''still a woman in her first appearance''.

* SortingAlgorithmOfEvil: In the anime, especially, to the point of frustration. (How did THAT many Shamans end up with Giant Over Soul? It was supposed to be rare!)
** Considering the tournament (and in fact most tournaments in anything) is essentially a Sorting Algorithm of Power, not quite surprising.

* ThemeMusicPowerUp: Any time [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=miRjTbibrWk Brave Heart]] plays, you will receive plot exposition/explanation of sudden understanding, and complete and utter defeat of all opponents. It's subverted a few times, but generally played straight.

* ThemeNaming: The Patch tribe members are all named after elements of the periodic table: Silva (Silver), Goldva (Gold), Kalim (Kalium, another name for Potassium), Rutherfor (Rutherfordium), and so on.

* ThoseTwoGuys: More like [=Those Nine Guys=], or rather, the guys that make up Ryu's gang. Though one of them, Muscle Punch, does get a few lines.
** Also, in the anime, Zen and Ryo.

* TrainingFromHell: Usually provided by Anna.

* UnluckyChildhoodFriend: Tamao. Even though she likes Yoh, the chances of her getting together with him are close to none, as Yoh is engaged to Anna (and doesn't mind the fact either).
** "Close to none"? Yoh apparently [[spoiler:fell in love with Anna at first sight, despite the fact that she told him to die for blocking her path when they met.]]
* UnstoppableRage: ''Subverted'', shockingly. See, when [[spoiler:Yoh and Faust VIII fight, Yoh gets really uncharacteristically enraged at Faust for trying to torture Manta. Said not only doesn't make him stronger, it makes him exhaust his spiritual energy much faster.]] Yoh learns from this, and puts it to use during his qualifying fight with Ren, who is stronger than him but much easier to provoke. Before long, Ren can't even tell when his hits are landing anymore.

** Zenki and Goki are a literal pair of RedOniBlueOni.
* VillainousBreakdown: Though she isn't a villain, [[spoiler: Goldva started laughing insanely and raving about the new Shaman King Hao]].
** Hao also experiences this in the anime, when Yoh breaks free. He becomes a lot less cheery and a lot... crazier. He is pushed even farther over the edge when Opacho, [[spoiler: his last and closest companion, runs away from him in fear.]]

* YouKilledMyFather: Redseb wanted to kill Chocolove because he murdered his father. [[spoiler: And he succeeded. Not to worry, [[BackFromTheDead he got better.]]]]
** Lyserg wants to kill Hao for murdering both his mother and father.