I'm Manta Oyamada, 13 years old.
After cram school one night,
I met a boy who was alone in a graveyard.
His name was Yoh Asakura.
Apparently he's a Shaman who connects this world with the next.
I thought this guy sounded real shady,
but he told me that I was his friend.
Yoh became one with the legendary samurai, Amidamaru, using Spirit Integrate
and defeated "Wooden Sword" Ryu and his cronies.
Yoh said he aspires to be the Shaman King.
Then Amidamaru said that he would become Yoh's ally!
Cram school ended late again!
Oh, right, this is the shortcut!
But now that I'm familiar with the ghosts in this graveyard, I'm not scared at all!
Hey, you. What are you in such a hurry for?
Yoh?
No, that's not Yoh!
Who on earth is he?
I guess there are other people like Yoh around.
Oh, no! Now isn't the time for this.
You can't see the stars in Tokyo.
Stars are like lanterns that guide us, humans.
Those who can't read the stars
will lose sight of where they ought to go and meet their doom.
Are you among the ignorant who can't read the stars?
You're rude!
And how can you say there are no stars?
This is the best place in town to see the stars!
You can't call these real stars.
I thought you of all people would understand that.
Because you're also a human who can see spirits, right?
Spirits? How did you…
Don't be so afraid.
I have no intention of harming you.
But I do have a little favor to ask of you.
-Favor? -Your friend.
The one with the headphones. I have a message for him.
For Yoh?
My name is Ren.
And I'll be taking your samurai spirit.
The wandering souls of the dead,
the higher spirits that lurk in the forests of the land,
and divine beings…
There are those who commune freely with them
and command a power in this world that ordinary humans cannot.
They call them the Shamans!
EPISODE 2 ANOTHER SHAMAN
I'm telling you, it's true! In that graveyard,
there was a boy with the spirit of a Chinese general!
I'm sure of it! He's a Shaman!
There's another Shaman aside from you!
Really? That's cool.
Aren't you surprised?
Why would I be?
Nobody said I was the only Shaman.
There are still lots of us all over the world.
But he said he's going to take your Amidamaru!
Don't you think that's a big problem?
Amidamaru?
Ren…
No, I don't know him.
I've never heard of a Shaman with that name.
Really? But you must have given him some reason to hold a grudge or something.
Nothing springs to mind.
-But I guess it could be that. -"That"?
A Shaman's status is determined by the strength of their spirit.
Maybe he saw me with Amidamaru somewhere.
-I see! -Amidamaru!
So he wishes to make this cool and powerful warrior his own, does he?
I guess. But maybe don't talk about yourself in that way.
Moreover,
the fact that this young lad's Spirit Ally is a Chinese general bothers me.
It'll be okay!
After all, there's no bad person who can see spirits!
So don't sweat it.
I'm sure he has a good reason.
I'd like to meet him myself.
Maybe he could be my first Shaman friend!
I would also be delighted to meet this Chinese general!
It will be a real pleasure!
Right!
Suit yourselves.
What do you think you're doing, brat?
That's him! That's Ren!
Oh, that's him?
I cannot see the spirit general.
What a whiny bunch of pests you are.
The car was simply in my way.
What? So you thought you'd kick it?
Are you soft in the head?
Call us pests, will you?
That thing coughs out exhaust fumes that pollute the air
and make it hard to see the stars.
What are you to this planet, if not pests?
You're damn cockroaches!
-You punk! -We'll teach you for messing with us!
Oh, kung fu!
Look at those moves!
Is he really a Shaman?
He's strong enough by himself.
No, I'm sure I saw a spirit…
Maybe I was mistaken?
Bastard! I'll kill you!
I suppose the only thing to do with pests is exterminate them.
Come out! Bason!
There he is!
Spirit Integrate!
Bason!
Vorpal Dance!
-Astonishing! -You saw that, right, Yoh? I told you!
What the hell was that?
It's like they say, cockroaches are hard to kill.
But it's not impossible!
That's enough!
So you showed up,
headphone boy.
What exactly are you after?
A Shaman isn't meant to take lives.
Don't be so tetchy.
What's so precious about these guys' lives?
They pollute the air and ignore the stars.
They're entitled parasites, destroying everything in their wake.
They reveal humanity's true, rotten side.
I couldn't give a damn how many people like that die.
My name is Tao Ren,
the one who will be king of Shamans and tidy up this world.
Now, the conversation's over, headphone boy.
It's time for you to give me your Spirit Ally.
-No. -What?
You've been spouting nothing but nonsense this whole time.
You can't just demand people you've just met to give you things!
Would it help if I said, "please"?
No.
Amidamaru is my friend!
Whether you say "please" or not,
don't talk about him like he's an object!
-Friend? -A dear friend.
If you want to borrow Amidamaru's power,
then why not just become friends with us?
A spirit is your friend?
Is that how you see them?
What's so funny?
To Shamans like us,
spirits are nothing more than tools to be used for their powers.
You're not supposed to feel a sense of friendship with your tools.
Tools?
What? I'm only speaking the truth.
You aren't capable of making proper use of that samurai.
It's only appropriate that a strong spirit like that belongs to me.
If you won't give him to me,
I will take him by force.
Go, Bason!
First destroy his owner, that Shaman!
When a spirit loses its master,
a skilled Shaman like me can easily bring them to heel,
regardless of what they want!
And then they're reborn as an excellent tool!
Is that how you made the spirit behind you
into the fighting machine that he is?
I don't care how big and clever you think you are.
I won't let you treat spirits like tools!
Amidamaru!
I'm here!
This guy's got it all wrong!
I concur!
There you are, samurai!
-Let's go! -Let's go!
-Spirit Integrate! -Spirit Integrate!
I won't let you get in Young Master's way!
Vorpal Dance!
What was that?
That was nothing!
We won't stop until you're down!
He parried Vorpal Dance?
I knew I was right about you.
Now I want you even more, Amidamaru!
All right, enough playing around!
Now it's time to hunt you down for real!
Playing around? What's he talking about?
Amidamaru,
there's no doubt that you're far stronger than my Bason,
but I'm sure you've realized this already.
That boy isn't capable of drawing even 10% of your power.
Behold! This is the power of a true Shaman!
100% integration!
Vorpal Dance!
For the ability to restore 100% of a spirit's power in this world,
you need the mental strength
to use them as tools, which some would call cruelty.
You're not in the same league of Shamans as I am.
Amidamaru is mine!
Yoh!
What the hell is going on?
How could Yoh and Amidamaru lose?
How naïve.
A Shaman who can't dominate their spirit can't use it to its full potential.
There's no way a boy like him
who sees his spirit as his friend could control it.
Control?
There's a reason we must do this.
It's because when we enter a state of possession,
two souls inhabit our bodies at the same time.
Two souls?
You're quick on the uptake.
One body is being controlled by two minds.
It's impossible to predict all the friction that might result from that.
Delayed transmission of information and conflicts of opinion…
If you see this second spirit as your friend and equal,
it's only natural that you'll limit what your body can do.
A Shaman uses the power of the spirits as they see fit!
To that end, they must always exert total domination
on their spirits and use them effectively as tools!
A weak-willed person who thinks spirits are friends
will never accomplish that!
No matter how superb his car is,
a worthless driver will never win a race!
An excellent machine needs someone
with the skill worthy of using it!
You can die in peace.
I'll make good use of Amidamaru.
Amidamaru isn't a machine!
Yoh!
I told you, Amidamaru is my friend!
But you still want to treat him like an object, don't you?
You twerp!
You still have the strength to sit up.
If Amidamaru hadn't dodged in the nick of time, I'd have lost my arm.
You can stand up to Bason's attacks even at such a disadvantage?
My desire to have you just grows stronger and stronger!
Amidamaru!
Don't make me laugh!
You think I would possess you?
Enough of the tough act.
What can you do in that state?
Look at your master's injuries!
Forgive me, Master Yoh.
If only I were a little stronger…
What are you talking about?
You're plenty strong, Amidamaru.
It's me who let you down.
I'm beat.
To think someone like him…
Master Yoh!
I can't win against him, Amidamaru.
So run away from here, right now!
More futile struggling.
Once you die, that samurai will have nowhere else to go in this world.
That's why he'll go to see his best friend Mosuke in the afterlife.
Amidamaru has no unfinished business left in the world of the living!
-The afterlife? -Imbecile!
Once a spirit passes over,
it never comes back!
You mean to tell me you'll throw your Spirit Ally away?
I'd much rather have that happen than let Amidamaru become your possession!
Master Yoh!
Damn you!
Then I'll just have to kill you before that samurai passes over
and make him mine!
Amidamaru!
Don't be stupid!
Hurry up and leave this world!
Master Yoh!
I am well aware that there is nothing I can do.
But as a samurai, I cannot forsake my master.
Not to mention that I would have regrets in this world
if I would have left you, Master Yoh!
Amidamaru!
What a touching bond, you pair of idiots!
But are you still blind to the fact that your friendship keeps you from beating me?
Come on, Bason!
100% integration!
Vorpal Dance!
Integrating even now?
You don't know when to give up.
How did he manage to stop my Bason's attack?
They're at 100% integration!
I can't believe it.
Two "friends" shouldn't be able to do something like that.
But they can.
You taught me yourself.
If your minds are in perfect harmony,
you can use 100% of your spirit's power!
And now our intentions are one.
We're both set on defeating you!
That stance…
It's the same legendary stance Amidamaru used 600 years ago
in the massacre that made him a legendary demon!
Tathagata!
Don't give me that crap.
There's no way your minds are in 100% alignment.
Does this friendship of yours
ever lead to everything going
just as you expected?
It does!
Here's your answer!
Amida-Style Halo Blade!
100% integration!
It can't be…
If it really is,
he could also be qualified to be the Shaman King!
Shaman King…
-Yoh! -Master Yoh!
What was that?
You started your training four years ago
and you still can't even summon a ground spirit?
Come on, Grandpa!
Most people can't do this!
What's even the point of this, anyway?
Those who decide they can't do something
without even trying
will never succeed at anything!
What? Leaf Sprites?
Shikigami, the signature attack of Japan's leading Shamans, the Onmyoji!
If you're a real member of the Asakuras, the ancient family of Shamans,
you must master Shikigami at the very least!
-I don't want to! -What did you say?
I'm not interested in being a Shaman one bit.
Then what do you want to do when you're older?
What I want
is to listen to my favorite music every day and live an easy life.
You dunce!
It's shameful.
Little by little, the people of the world
are forgetting about the souls around us and the higher spirits in the ground,
even though it's impossible for them to escape the great cycle of nature.
If the forests are destroyed, there's less wood, less air.
If the earth is covered over,
water has nowhere to go and it causes floods.
Everything in the world
is connected to the great cycle of life.
Which is why
humans need something to guide them through life in this world.
And that's…
The all-knowing, all-powerful spirit.
The great king of spirits, commonly known as "god."
The king of higher spirits?
He has been depicted in many ways and has a great variety of names.
But only a few people have ever been able to meet him.
Those few people discovered what his wishes were,
then conveyed those wishes to the masses to maintain the harmony of the land
in order to prevent the people from blindly following their desires
and heading down a path of destruction.
Hey, Grandpa! Who were they?
Who were the people who met the king of higher spirits?
Those people
possessed the powers of all Shamans
and were capable of becoming one with the king of higher spirits.
The Shaman Kings.
They have gone down as saviors in the chronicles of humans.
Not that you'd be interested in any of this, though.
That's…
That's awesome!
Can I become a Shaman King too?
No way!
What's up with you? I didn't think a lazy-bones like you would be interested.
But Grandpa!
If I can become friends with this know-it-all king of higher spirits,
I'll never have any problems and I can chill out all day long!
Hey! Tell me how I can become a Shaman King!
I'll train really hard!
You total dunce!
Yoh…
Master Yoh! You're awake!
Thank goodness!
Right. The king of Shamans that guy mentioned
must be the Shaman King.
-What? -What did you say?
I forgot that I started training in the first place
to become the Shaman King.
I guess at some point, I started training just for the sake of training.
-Hold up! -I'm just glad you're safe!
-Tell me about the Shaman King! -I was scared to death!
Oh, be quiet.
I heard you were hurt,
so I came all the way to see you.
But what is this racket?
Who are you, turning up out of the blue like this?
Have you got the wrong room?
Be careful, Manta!
Don't talk to me that way, half-pint.
I'm a Shaman.
Anna, an Itako.
Yoh Asakura's fiancée.
Subtitle translation by: Lewis Williams