The cast of Shaman King, as they appear in the loose 2001 anime adaptation. For the characters as they appear in the manga and the faithful 2021 anime adaptation, see here.
Because the 4Kids dub is the most well-known version, the characters will be listed with their English names first and their original Japanese names in parentheses.
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Main Characters
Yoh Asakura
Voiced by: Yuko Sato (Japanese), Sebastian Arcelus (English) Foreign VAs
A teenage boy who can see ghosts, and the main protagonist of Shaman King.
- Adaptational Badass: In the manga, he intentionally avoids fighting Hao because he fears his power and devises a plan to stop him via deceit. When he faces Hao in the final battle, he has the elemental spirit of Earth to enhance his powers. Here, he not only faces Hao several times before the tournament, he even manages to defeat Hao AFTER he gets an upgrade from the Great Spirit without the help of the element of Earth enough to supposedly kill him.
- All-Loving Hero: He's willing to see the good in anyone.
- Beware the Nice Ones: He's an easygoing All-Loving Hero, but eventually even he decides Zeke is beyond redemption and slices him in half.
- Brilliant, but Lazy: Laziness is his defining character trait, after all.
- Cain and Abel: The Big Bad he must fight against is his twin brother Zeke.
- Determinator: Even more so than his manga counterpart. He will not give up, no matter what.
- Even the Guys Want Him: Faust and Rio get awfully handsy with him later on in the series...
- Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Morty, even more so than the manga and 2021 anime because Morty is never Demoted to Extra.
- Kid Hero: He's the main hero and only 13 years old at the start of the series.
- Opposites Attract: He's a slacker, Anna is a Drill Sergeant Nasty. Match made in heaven.
- Rescue Romance: In the 2001 anime, Anna saved Yoh and because of this he promised Anna that he would make her the Shaman Queen when he becomes the Shaman King.
- The Slacker: His fatal flaw.
- Training from Hell: Anna puts him through it, but it could be argued that he deserves it.
- Useless Accessory: He doesn't really use his headphones a whole lot.
- Vitriolic Best Buds: Eventually, he becomes this with Len.
Mortimer "Morty" Manta (Manta Oyamada)
Voiced by: Inuko Inuyama (Japanese), Oliver Wyman (English) Foreign VAs
A short but intelligent boy and Yoh's best friend.
- Adaptational Badass: Unlike the source material, Manta eventually became a shaman with Mosuke (Amidamaru's best friend) as his spirit partner, paralleling the friendship of Amidamaru and Mosuke with that of Yoh and Manta. However, while Manta can pack a surprising punch, he is only capable of maintaining spirit form for extremely short durations due to his youth and inexperience.
- Adaptation Expansion: He is never Demoted to Extra like his manga and 2021 anime counterpart.
- Audience Surrogate: Early on, see The Watson below.
- Big Book Of Everything: He carries around a book that seems to always have the answer, especially early on.
- Bully Magnet: His tiny stature and nerdy personality make him a prime target for bullying.
- Butt-Monkey: He's on the receiving end of a lot of unpleasant jokes.
- Muggle Best Friend: Until he becomes a Shaman himself.
- Throw the Dog a Bone: Unlike the manga, he eventually becomes a full-fledged Shaman, with Mosuke as his spirit partner.
- Tiny Schoolboy: He's very short, and is mistaken for a Minutian at one point.
- The Watson: He often asks questions the audience is thinking, to the point of being a Character Narrator in the English dub.
Anna Kyoyama
Yoh's fiancée, a spirit medium who uses her beads to interact with the ghostly world.
- Adaptational Jerkass: In the 2001 anime, she is more selfish and lazy, to the point she never cooks by herself, spends all day watching TV and eating snacks while Yoh does all the house chores, and even while peeling an apple for Yoh at the hospital, it was really for herself. She never does any of this in the manga and the 2021 anime, and is even more honest about her feelings towards Yoh.
- Almighty Janitor: While she's not technically a Shaman, she doesn't need to be.
- Drill Sergeant Nasty: But with Yoh she kind of has to be.
- First Girl Wins: Tamara is Yoh's childhood friend, but Anna is the first girl introduced and Yoh's official fiancée. Poor Tamara never had a chance with Yoh.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Deep, deep down.
- Masochism Tango: She likes to boss Yoh around, and he takes it.
- Opposites Attract: She's a Drill Sergeant Nasty, Yoh is a slacker.
- The Friend Nobody Likes: Her abrasive and jerkass behavior has caused a lot of Yoh's friends to view her with fear and contempt. They seem to only tolerate her because Yoh himself does and because her abilities as a spirit medium have made her an asset more than once.
- Tsundere: A *hardcore* example too. Her levels of meanness eclipse most examples of the trope.
- Unhappy Medium: Grumpy, bossy, and crass, finding her good side takes a lot of effort.
- You Monster!: In the English dub of the 2001 anime, after having witnessed Zeke absorb Yoh's soul, Anna becomes so disgusted that she outright calls him a monster. The original version had her hit him with a This Is Unforgivable! instead.
Wooden Sword Rio (Ryunosuke "Ryu" Umemiya)
- Adaptational Nice Guy: In the manga, he didn't become Yoh's friend until after the Tokegeroh incident. In the 2001 anime, his Heel–Face Turn happened as early as Yoh's first encounter with Ren after he picked a fight with the latter, and Yoh saved him from getting killed by Ren.
- Anime Hair: He has one of the most ridiculous hairstyles in the series.
- Badass Biker: His cool motorcycle is his signature.
- Butt-Monkey: A lot of stupid things happen to him, from getting possessed by Tokageroh to getting his hairstyle ruined.
- Close-Call Haircut: Happens numerous times, Played for Laughs.
- Empowered Badass Normal: He was already formidable as a street punk, but when he becomes a Shaman his powers reach new heights.
- Heel–Face Turn: Very early on, he decides to join Yoh and become a Shaman.
- Instant Expert: He's a fast learner, and becomes a talented Shaman not long after getting possessed by Tokageroh.
- Improbable Hairstyle: His Pompadour gets sliced in two and becomes even more ridiculous.
- Japanese Delinquents: Complete with a dose of Villainy-Free Villain, as he outright refuses to commit crimes.
- Nobody Touches the Hair: His Berserk Button.
- Took a Level in Badass: After training with Yohmei, he becomes a powerful Shaman with Tokageroh as his spirit partner.
- True Companions: Becomes this with Yoh and Morty.
- Wooden Katanas Are Just Better: A wooden Katana is his weapon of choice.
Johann Faust VIII
Voiced by: Takehito Koyasu (Japanese), Sam Riegel [first voice], Matt Caplan [second voice] (English) Foreign VAs
The eighth-generation descendant of the legendary Doctor Faustus, who made a deal with the devil Mephistopheles for his necromancy skills along with youth and riches for seven years in exchange for his immortal soul.
- Abled in the Adaptation: He keeps his legs in this version.
- Defeat Means Friendship: Subverted. He turns good because of off-screen negotiations with Anna.
- Despair Event Horizon: Losing Eliza made him cross it. Because of the nature of the story, he gets better.
- Evil Laugh: He's got one. Subverted because he's not actually evil.
- Famous Ancestor: None other than Dr. Faust himself.
- Good Thing You Can Heal: Well, good thing Eliza can heal.
- Happily Married: Aside from the "Eliza being dead" part.
- Heartbroken Badass: Until Eliza returns to him.
- Love Makes You Crazy: Eliza's death made him go crazy, but when she comes back to him thanks to Anna, it also redeems him too.
- Mad Doctor: Decides to experiment on Morty to get Yoh riled up. It works.
- Necromancer: Or a "boneyard sorcerer" in the dub.
- Necromantic: He's in love with Eliza, and he stays in love with her after she becomes a ghost.
- Phenotype Stereotype: German, blonde, blue-eyed.
- Spared by the Adaptation: Unlike his manga counterpart, he survives in the 2001 anime to the end.
- Wake-Up Call Boss: The first enemy that Yoh has real trouble defeating, mostly because Faust figured out his Berserk Button and thus caused him to waste his furyoku.
- Weak, but Skilled: He's less powerful than Yoh, but was able to defeat him by exploiting his Berserk Button.
Tamara "Tammy" Tamamura (Tamao Tamamura)
Yoh's childhood friend and admirer.
- Alliterative Name: In both English and Japanese.
- Barely-Changed Dub Name: Her Japanese name Tamao is changed to the more American-sounding "Tamara," or "Tammy" for short.
- Childhood Friend Romance: She has a one-sided crush on her childhood friend Yoh.
- Hopeless Suitor: She's in love with Yoh, but Yoh is in a Perfectly Arranged Marriage with Anna.
- I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: She doesn't want to take Yoh away from Anna despite her deep feelings for him.
- Shrinking Violet: Very shy and sweet, in contrast to Anna's crass bossiness.
Len "Lenny" Tao (Tao Ren)
A Chinese shaman who is Yoh's rival.
- Abusive Parents: His father, or uncle in the dub.
- Accent Adaptation: Sort of. Ren didn't particularly have a different accent in the original Japanese version but 4Kids decided to give Ren, Jun and nearly everybody else in the Chinese family a British Accent.
- Barely-Changed Dub Name: The English dub changes his name from Ren to Len (which is basically the same name in both Japanese and Chinese romanizations, but the dub added the "Lenny" nickname to it).
- Calling Parents by Their Name: Uncle in the dub, which makes more sense.
- Chick Magnet: While asking for directions in America, many girls were gathering around him. Once he returns to the group, Trey and Yoh start teasing him for a lipstick mark on his cheek.
- Dark and Troubled Past: Abused by his father (uncle in the dub) and taught that friendship and kindness are weaknesses to be cast aside.
- Deceased Parents Are the Best: Only in the dub. Since his Abusive Dad from the original japanese is now an Evil Uncle, Len and Jun's father is now dead, but is said to have had an open heart like Len post-Heel–Face Turn.
- Defeat Means Friendship: His battle with Yoh teaches him that kindness and friendship don't make someone weak after all.
- Good Is Not Nice: Even after his Heel–Face Turn, he's not exactly a friendly guy.
- Heel–Face Turn: Is redeemed by Yoh.
- Mr. Fanservice: The girls in the series find him very attractive.
- The Lancer: Essentially becomes this after his redemption.
- My Sister Is Off-Limits: He's not happy about Rio's attempts to flirt with June.
- Stock Shōnen Rival: He checks all the boxes; he’s an Arrogant Kung-Fu Guy with a serious personality that contrasts Yoh’s laid back personality and is convinced into a Heel–Face Turn because Defeat Means Friendship.
- Vitriolic Best Buds: With Yoh after his redemption.
- Wake-Up Call Boss: He's the first shaman Yoh fights, and utterly defeats him the first time they meet, leaving him in a hospital.
Trey Racer (Usui "Horohoro" Horokeui)
An Ainu shaman.
- Adaptational Early Appearance: In the manga, he 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 Over Souls were adapted yet.
- Atrocious Alias: Yoh, Morty and Rio consider "Trey Racer" to be one when he mentions it's not his real name.
- Big Brother Instinct: To Pillica.
- Call to Agriculture: His final fate.
- Dub Name Change: From "Horokeui Usui" to "Trey Racer." However, he mentions in his debut appearance that Horohoro is his real name and "Trey Racer" is an alias.
- An Ice Person: He has ice powers.
- Totally Radical: In the dub. He is a snowboarder, after all.
Joco McDonnell (Chocolove McDonnell)
Voiced by: Motoko Kumai (Japanese), Matthew George (English) Foreign VAs
An African-American shaman from New York.
- Adaptational Wimp: In the manga, he gets a serious upgrade, becoming one of the most powerful shamans in the tournament. In the 2001 anime, he stays a comic relief character and fades into the background.
- Afro Asskicker: He's got an afro and is a powerful Shaman, though not as much as in the manga or 2021 series.
- Abled in the Adaptation: He never loses his sight like his manga counterpart.
- Dark and Troubled Past: Though as a street urchin rather than a gangster, like his manga counterpart.
- Dub Name Change: The most Justified example in the dub, as his original Japanese name carries stereotypical connotations.
- Funny Afro: Has an afro and is literally a comedian.
- Pungeon Master: Most of his jokes are just bad puns.
- Stereotype: His huge lips and original Japanese name which carried over from his manga counterpart.
- Token Minority: The only black member of the main cast.
Lyserg Diethel
A young shaman from London who comes from a family of shamans who make a liviing as detectives.
- Adaptational Jerkass: In 2001 anime, where he abandons Yoh's group without remorse, abandons Morphine, becomes very acidic towards Yoh after learning that he's Hao's twin and even lures him in a trap as a wbait for Hao. In manga and 2021 anime, he stays friendly towards Yoh and his friends even after defecting to X-LAWS, apologies for said defection, saves them number of times and never abandons Morphine, even specifically stating that she's like family to him.
- Adaptational Villainy: His stint with the X-Laws is much more morally ambiguous in this version.
- Accent Adaptation: Ironically, Len gets a British accent, while Lyserg, who is actually British, doesn't.
- Heel–Face Revolving Door: His loyalty is towards whoever has the best shot at stopping Zeke.
- I Am Very British: Bizarrely averted. The Tao family, who are canonically Chinese, get the British accents while Lyserg sounds like everybody else in the cast.
- Sixth Ranger: He joined Yoh's team in search of strong allies.
- Sixth Ranger Traitor: When he found stronger allies, he ditches Yoh's team in favor of the X-Laws.
- Well-Intentioned Extremist: Lyserg will do *anything* to get back at Zeke, and he does mean anything.
The X-Laws
Iron Maiden Jeanne
Voiced by: Yui Horie (Japanese), Caren Manuel (English) Foreign VAs
The leader of the X-Laws.
- Adaptational Villainy: She never really has a proper Heel–Face Turn like in the manga and 2021 anime.
- Black-and-White Insanity: And how. She considers Zeke irredeemably evil and thus has no problem with trying to defeat him by any means necessary.
- Dark Messiah: And she's a proper Messiah, unlike the manga and 2021 anime where she's a Fake Ultimate Hero.
- Hazy-Feel Turn: Unlike her more straight Heel–Face Turn in the manga and 2021 anime.
- Incorruptible Pure Pureness: Deconstructed. She's a prime example of Pure Is Not Good.
- Knight Templar: She will stop at nothing to stop Zeke. *Nothing.*
- Training from Hell: The poor girl definitely received it to be in top form for destroying Zeke.
- Well-Intentioned Extremist: Like the X-Laws as a whole, she sees anything and everything as justified if it means defeating Zeke.
- Wrong Genre Savvy: She sees herself as The Hero, or at least the Big Good. In reality she's a Knight Templar and a secondary threat that the heroes must face.
Marco
Voiced by: Akimitsu Takase (Japanese), Eric Stuart (English) Foreign VAs
A shaman from Sicily who is captain of the X-Laws and answers only to Jeanne, being extremely loyal and protective of her while resolute to achieve her ideals of a world free of corruption and evil.
- Adaptational Jerkass: Zigzagged. From what we see, on one hand he treats Lyserg less severe in the 2001 anime than in the manga and 2021 anime, as in the latter it shows him slapping Lyserg at least twice and it's implied he also physically punishes him. On the other hand, unlike in the anime, he warms up to Lyserg when Hao starts his Star Festival and even does everything in his power to protect him, something that he never did in 2001 anime.
- Adaptational Modesty: The 2001 anime adapts out his combat outfit.
- Spared By Adaptation: While in the manga he dies in his fight against Luchist, and later gets revived along with many others after the Tournament, he never dies in the 2001 anime.
Team X-II
John Denbat is voiced by: Katsuyuki Konishi (Japanese), Matt Hoverman (English) Foreign VAs
Porf Griffith is voiced by: Takehito Koyasu (Japanese), Sebastian Arcelus (English) Foreign VAs
Larch Dirac is voiced by: Tomohisa Asou (Japanese) Foreign VAs
A trio composed of John Denbat, Porf Griffith, and Larch Dirac.
- Adaptation Dye-Job: Larch is blonde in the manga and the 2021 anime, while the 2001 anime version had brown hair.
- Death by Adaptation: While they all die both in the manga and the 2001 anime, Red Crimson reveals that Denbat got revived along Meene and some other members of the X-LAWS. In Marcos, it's confirmed that all of them got revived as well and chose to stick to the X-LAWS after the Tournament.
- Demoted to Extra: In the 2001 anime, all of them have very minor roles, compared to the manga, where they have even more characterization than Team X-III.
- Dies Differently in Adaptation: In the 2001 anime, they get killed by Hao's henchmen before Team X-III. In the manga, Team X-III die first, and after they discover the truth about the organization, the three of them form their own plan to exterminate Hao with the satelite.
- In the manga, Porf dies first, impaled by the Spirit of Fire, before he can alert his comrades. In the 2001 anime, Porf is killed when Hang Zang-Ching decapitates Sariel, while it crushes Porf with his own weapon.
- In the manga, Larch dies when he tries to run away from The Spirit of Fire, being burned to death. In the 2001 anime, he is killed by "Big Guy" Bill Burton and his guardian ghosts, who tackle down and knocked over Uriel, while being crushing Larch underneath the Archangel.
- In the manga, after Porf and Larch are killed, John activates the laser to target himself and kill Hao as collateral damage, however Hao managed to block the laser and survive the explosion around him, while John dies. In the 2001 anime, John is killed by Turbine shooting his laser beams through him and his archangel. Red Crimson later reveals that he got revived along some of his comrades.
- We Hardly Knew Ye: They are only Red Shirts in the 2001 anime version.
Team X-III
Meene Montgomery is voiced by: Tomoko Kawakami (Japanese), Michelle Newman (English) Foreign VAs
Chris Venstar is voiced by: Seiji Sasaki (Japanese), Matt Hoverman (English) Foreign VAs
Cebin Mendel is voiced by: Wataru Takagi (Japanese), Eric Stuart (English)
A trio consisting of Venstar, Cebin, and Meene.
- Adaptational Nice Guy: In the 2001 anime, Meene is shown to be more sensitive than Marco and she appears and returns Morphine to a disillusioned Lyserg in the hopes that he will leave that group and not be killed as the rest of the surviving X-Laws attempt to defeat Hao.
- Death by Adaptation: While they all die both in the manga and the 2001 anime, Marcos confirms that all of them got revived and chose to stick to the X-LAWS after the Tournament.
- Dies Differently in Adaptation: In the manga, Meene is the first to die, by being impaled by one of the claws of the Spirit of Fire. In the 2001 anime, she is the last of the team to die, impaled by icicles from the Spirit of Fire (after Hao reveals that he learned how to shift elements)
Other Shaman Teams
Team Niles
Anatel Pokki is voiced by: Hirohiko Kakegawa (Japanese), Ted Lewis (English)
Khafre Puljiz is voiced by: Susumu Chiba (Japanese), Sam Riegel (English)
Nakht Pitrah is voiced by: Yuji Ueda (Japanese)
A team from Giza Egypt.
- Adapted Out: Not the team itself, but Anatel's brother Anahol does not appear in 2001 anime as his whole arc (and the Cycle of Revenge arc in general) is adapted out.
Team The Icemen
Pino Graham is voiced by: Susumu Chiba, Nana Mizuki [young] (Japanese), Christopher Kromer (English), Jorge Palafox, Carlos Enrique Bonilla [young] (Latin American Spanish)
Zria Gagarik is voiced by: Masako Katsuki (Japanese), Rachael Lillis (English), Ariadna Rivas (Latin American Spanish)
Tona Papik Cadimahide is voiced by: Hisao Egawa (Japanese), J. David Brimmer (English), Gabriel Pingarrón (Latin American Spanish)
A squadron of shamans from the northern parts of Europe.
- An Ice Person: They all specialize in ice techniques.
Team Lily Five
In General
Team Lily Five
A team of five female shamans of fairly weak ability who appears only in the 2001 anime. They initially attempt to hinder and take advantage of Yoh and his friends during the second round of the Shaman Tournament. Yoh holds no malice or ill-will towards them, unlike some of his friends. They eventually become allies of Yoh towards the end of the series.
- Beware the Silly Ones: They may not be very powerful and they may have made some mistakes early on but... they really turned themselves around after they meet Yoh and the gang.
- Blonde, Brunette, Redhead: Sharona (blonde), Ellie and Millie (brunettes), and Sally (redhead).
- Break the Cutie: All of them have been rejected or bullied because of their abilities to see ghosts.
- Canon Foreigner: They only exist in the 2001 anime.
- Dark and Troubled Past: They were rejected by their loved ones at some point in their lives. Millie (rejected by her mom) and Lilly (bullied by her classmates) are especially sad cases.
- Goldfish Poop Gang: They're not very competent and only get by through the goodwill of stronger fighters and sheer luck.
- Know When to Fold Them: They manage pretty well during the tournament but then are pitted against Hao and more than likely will be killed if they go up against him. Yoh manages to convince the group to forfeit, sparing their lives.
- Plucky Girl: All of them, in spite of being vastly outclassed, these girls press forward with constant optimism. It takes the option of facing Hao for the heroes to finally step in to make them give up and even then, they had to be beaten out of their energy in order to make them quit.
- Smoking Is Cool: Sorta: Sharona summons her guardian spirit via her pipe.
- Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: When they find out that they have to face Team Hao (which is a direct death sentence), Yoh decides to prevent them from fighting Hao unless they manage to hit him once. They succeed thanks to an All Your Powers Combined technique with all their oversouls. Just as they finish celebrating it, Anna breaks to them that they wouldn't be able to do that technique against Hao if only three of them are allowed to be in a shaman fight. They decide to forfeit and technically be "the only team scheduled to fight Team Hao and managed to survive."
- Weak, but Skilled: Okay maybe they're not that skilled but, they can be impressive when they put their hearts into it.
Sharona
Voiced by: Rumi Ochiai (Japanese), Megan Hollingshead (English) Foreign VAs
The leader of the group.
- The Leader: She's the one who takes charge and is the most vocal spokesman of the group overall, being the one who organizes the group's schemes and whom the group was based on.
- Odd Name Out: Her teammates' names end with "ly"/"lie" (pronounced the same), with Sharona being the odd one out. Lampshaded in their debut.
Ellie
Voiced by: Makoto Tsumura (Japanese), Kerry Williams (English) Foreign VAs
A tomboy valley girl.
- Girly Girl with a Tomboy Streak: While girlish in looks and upbeat personality, she's just as tomboyish as Sally with a combat-oriented Guardian Ghost in the form of Kamaitachi/Chappy.
Lilly
The quiet navigator and genius of the group.
- Bullied into Depression: She was a victim of bullying once her powers were revealed. The girls' shared flashback shows her breaking down in tears when she finds insulting messages written on her classroom's board.
- Deadpan Snarker: As the most levelheaded of the girls, she always has something snarky to say.
- The Quiet One: Lilly speaks little.
- Stoic Spectacles: She's the most cool-headed and down-to-earth of the group, as well as the only member who wears glasses.
Millie
Voiced by: Miyako Itou (Japanese), Amy Palant (English) Foreign VAs
The youngest and smallest member of the Lily Five and is frequently seen in the company of Ellie.
- The Baby of the Bunch: She's the smallest and youngest member of her team.
- Cheerful Child: Millie is always happy and cheery, which makes it even harder to watch when she cries.
- The Heart: She's the most emotional of the group. She serves as not only the heart of the group but also implied to be Lyserg's Morality Pet.
- Hopeless Suitor: Millie, for "Prince" Lyserg. He treats her kindly and helps her out when he can, yes, but he simply cannot like her back in that way and arguably one of his biggest Kick the Dog moments is when he coldly dismisses the sobbing girl in front of everyone.
- Token Mini-Moe: She's the youngest member of the team.
Sally
Voiced by: Inuko Inuyama (Japanese), Dania Cericola (English) Foreign VAs
The toughest and most impatient of the group.
- The Big Girl: She's the most aggressive and physically oriented of the group with the tomboyish attitude to back it up. She's even described as the group's muscle. It's also reflected in her Guardian Ghost being a hammer that is used to bluntly attack targets.
- Cleavage Window: Her outfit has a diamond-shaped opening that shows off her cleavage.
- Fiery Redhead: She's the most impatient and temperamental of the group.
- The Lancer: She's the designated driver and the confidant of Sharona, being the closest to her in age.
Villains
Zeke Asakura (Hao Asakura)
Voiced by: Minami Takayama (Japanese), Sebastian Arcelus (English) Foreign VAs
The main antagonist of the series, currently the second reincarnation of his original self.
- Adaptational Jerkass: Hao's sympathetic qualities are downplayed, if not removed, in the 2001 anime and he gets turned into a far more generic villain, which makes it okay for Yoh to kill him in the end. He still has a slightly sympathetic backstory, but Yoh and his friends quickly conclude that it's no justification for his actions.
- Adaptational Villainy: In the original version, Hao wins the access to the Great Spirit by winning the tournament (and partially because Yoh's plan included letting him win), while in the 2001 anime, Zeke decides to skip the tournament and steal the Great Spirit.
- Adaptational Wimp: Despite getting into the Great Spirit and his powers upgraded to godly levels, Zeke loses in the final 2001 anime's battle to Yoh (who does not get the spirit of Earth upgrade) in a straight battle and dies. In the original manga once he gains the Great Spirit, he is practically unstoppable and only after convincing him to stop does Hao finally diverts from his agenda.
- Ax-Crazy: Zeke is more deranged than his manga counterpart, especially as the story progresses.
- Badass Boast: After absorbing Yoh's soul in the 2001 anime.It would take a million Asakura spirits to bind me now!
- Big Bad: He's the main villain of the anime.
- Cain and Abel: He's the Big Bad and the twin brother of Yoh, the main hero.
- Clean Cut: Yoh slices right through him, thus putting an end to his plans. Of course that's probably nothing compared to what YVS did to him afterwards. After all, why else would it have taken so long for the Shaman tournament to start up again? YVS can be very, very cruel when he's angry, as later materials like Flowers show, and as the still incumbent Shaman King, pissing him off is a horrible idea. Even Enma won't be able to protect Hao this time.
- Death by Adaptation: Unlike the manga and 2021 anime, he does meet his end in the 2001 anime, when Yoh reaches an ultimate level of Oversoul and cleaves him in half.
- Evil Twin: To Yoh. They're twin brothers, but Zeke is the Big Bad.
- Faux Affably Evil: He loses much of his friendliness and sympathetic characterization in favor of being a more clear-cut villain.
- Omnicidal Maniac: His goal is to kill all humans.
- Sanity Slippage: After the Spirit of Fire's O.S is destroyed and Opacho turns on him, he drops his Affably Evil personality and becomes Ax-Crazy.
- Villainous Breakdown: He starts dropping his Affably Evil attitude and losing his temper the minute Yoh's allies talk about how their lives were made better thanks to him, and angrily shouts that he never existed without him in the first place. It gets even worse for him when Yoh comes back to life, and little by little his rage transforms into madness and he finally loses it completely when his Spirit of Fire's O.S. is destroyed and Opacho turns on him (see Sanity Slippage above).
Opacho
Voiced by: Megumi Hayashibara (Japanese), Tara Jayne (English) Foreign VAs
A small child devoted to Hao.
- Gender Flip: Only in the English dub, but for some reason, she's a he in the 4kids version.
- She's a Man in Japan: The English dub makes her a boy, even though in the manga, Japanese version and 2021 series she's a girl.
- Undying Loyalty: To Zeke.
Luchist Lasso
- Demoted to Extra: In the 2001 anime version, his origins and real impact in the story are not explained. In the manga, however, his character has a more important role, as he was the one who adopted and raised Marco, and both made the X-LAWS by adopting Jeanne.
Team Flower – Hana-Gumi
General Tropes
- Adaptational Badass: Zigzagged. In the 2001 anime, they are Hao's strongest minions while at the same time, the rest of the group is hit with Adaptational Wimp, especially Luchist. Whereas while they are very strong, they are outclassed by Luchist by a wide margin.
Kanna Bismarch
Voiced by: Yoko Soumi (Japanese), Caren Manuel (English) Foreign VAs
A girl in revealing clothes.
- No Smoking: In the English version of the 2001 anime series, Kanna does not have a cigarette in her mouth, which is ironic considering that it is her spirit medium.
- Sultry Bangs: Her hair covers the right side of her face to emphasize her sexiness.
Matilda "Matti" Matisse
Marion Phauna
A gloomy goth girl.
- Perpetual Frowner: She's always frowning.
- The Stoic: Her facial expression looks emotionless at all times.
Team Earth – Tsuchi-Gumi
BoZ Brothers (Ryo Sugimoto and Zen Yoneda)
Two rockstar monks.
- Musical Assassin: They attack by playing Chimi-Chimi Moryo (Remix) and they have a song that can send ghosts to their afterlife.
Peyote Diaz
A Mexican mariachi shaman whose attire is homage to Dia de Los Muertos.
- Skeleton Crew: He uses Calavera dolls as Over Soul mediums to channel the spirits of his mariachi band his guardian ghosts.
Team Moon – Tsuki-Gumi
Hang Zang-Ching
Voiced by: Yuji Ueda (Japanese), Oliver Wyman (English) Foreign VAs
An enormous Chinese shaman.
- Bald of Evil: He is bald and also one of Hao's minions.
Mohamed "Turbine" Tabarsi
Voiced by: Masahiko Tanaka (Japanese), Oliver Wyman (English) Foreign VAs
A man who dresses concealing thawb robes.
- Light 'em Up: His Beam Oversoul is essentially a laser beam.
"Big Guy" Bill Burton
Voiced by: Yoshinori Sonobe (Japanese), J. David Brimmer (English)
A gigantic football player and one of Hao's toughest followers.
- Death by Adaptation: In the 2001 anime, his body collapses due to the Furyoku overload. In the manga, he is revived along the other members of Team Hao.
Team Wind – Kaze-Gumi
Boris Tepes Dracula
Voiced by: Yasushi Ishii (Japanese), Oliver Wyman (English) Foreign VAs
A shaman whose powers resemble that of a vampire.
- Adaptational Angst Upgrade: In the 2001 anime, he gets a tragic backstory and is seen remorseful for the way he was treating his spirit companion.
Blamuro
Voiced by: Toshitaka Shimizu (Japanese), Scottie Ray (English) Foreign VAs
Boris' spirit companion.
- Adaptational Backstory Change: In the manga, Blamuro is a Vampire Hunter who was captured and tortured to death by the Tepes family, after which he was forced to become Boris' guardian spirit. In the 2001 anime series, instead of being a spirit from 500 years ago, Blamuro died in more recent times. While hunting the last descendants of the Tepes family, he killed Boris' parents, but he then realized they weren't vampires. After that, he became Boris' guardian spirit as a way to atone for his sins.
- The Atoner: Only in the 2001 anime, Blamuro was the Vampire Hunter who led the mob to kill Boris' parents. When he realized that they weren't vampires, he swore loyalty to Boris to atone for his crimes. In the manga, it seems more that he was tortured for his role while he was alive and in death is forced to serve. He is convinced by Amidamaru to abandon Boris and immediately moves onto the afterlife, having no reason to stay.
Kouji Yamada
Voiced by: Koichi Sakaguchi (Japanese), Jimmy Zoppi (English)
- Adaptational Weapon Swap: In the 2001 anime series, his guardian ghost appears to be a centipede-like spirit instead of a King red crab spirit.
The Patch Tribe
In General
- Rock Theme Naming: All members of the Patch Tribe are named after rocks.
Silva
A member of the Patch Tribe's Shaman Fight Selection Committee and overseer of the Glacier Plant whose spirit allies are the Silver Arms. Silva travels to Japan in the guise of a street vendor to test Yoh Asakura's worth to be in the Shaman Fight, hinting him on the means to manifest his Oversoul.
- Adaptational Heroism: In the 2001 anime, he and Kalim refuse to obey Golva's orders and they help Yoh and the others in preventing Hao from getting to the Grand Spirit, and they both fight against Nichrom and Zinc, who had aligned to Hao's side. In the manga he is obliged to protect his floor and fight against Yoh.
- Spared By Adaptation: He and Kalim survive in the 2001 anime. He is originally killed in the battle against Yoh.
Goldva
Voiced by: Reiko Suzuki (Japanese), Ted Lewis (English) Foreign VAs
An elderly Patch tribe leader who is the organizer of the Shaman Fight.
- Mean Boss: While the Patch officers are barely surviving in Japan with little money, Silva and Kalim are shocked when they discover Golva is eating steak when talking to them.
- Smurfette Principle: She's the only woman in the Patch Tribe.
Calim (Kalim)
Voiced by: Kazuhiro Nakata (Japanese), Jonathan Todd Ross (English) Foreign VAs
One of the organizers of the Shaman Fight.
- Adaptational Heroism: In the 2001 anime, he and Silva refuse to obey Golva's orders and they help Yoh and the others in preventing Hao from getting to the Grand Spirit, and they both fight against Nichrom and Zinc, who had aligned to Hao's side. In the manga he is obliged to protect his floor and fight against Yoh.
- Spared By Adaptation: He and Silva survive in the 2001 anime. He is originally killed in the battle against Horo Horo.
Nichrom
The younger brother of Patch Officer Chrom, who was killed by Ren Tao.
- Adaptational Villainy: Only in the 2001 anime, he sides with Hao with the hopes that he will be able to kill Ren. In the manga, while he and Magna are clearly favoring Hao, they still follow the Patch orders (although they are still willing to bend the rules if that means sabotaging Ren Tao).
Radim
Voiced by: Toshitaka Shimizu (Japanese)
The official and overseer of the Lake Plant who is selected to the moderator of the tournament.
- Eyes Out of Sight: He always wears Cool Shades that hide his eyes.
Zinc
Voiced by: Susumu Chiba (Japanese), Jonathan Todd Ross (English) Foreign VAs
A shaman of the Patch Tribe that appears in the 2001 anime only who, along with Nichrom, fights Kalim and Silva when they attempt to help Yoh Asakura.
- Canon Foreigner: He's a 2001 anime exclusive character and doesn't exist in the manga.
- Face–Heel Turn: He, along with Nichrom, allies with Hao in the 2001 anime.
- Walking Armory: Even moreso than Silva - after getting a power-up from Hao, he can control ten different animal spirits.
Relatives
Yohmei Asakura
Yoh's grandfather.
- Miniature Senior Citizens: He's about Manta's size, despite being much, much older.
Kino Asakura
Keiko Asakura
Yoh's mother.
- Missing Mom: She doesn't seem present in Yoh's life. She makes only one appearance during her husband's flashback explanation of Hao and Yoh's birth.
Mikihisa Asakura
Yoh's father.
- Disappeared Dad: He hasn't been directly involved in Yoh's life since the latter's birth.
June Tao (Tao Jun)
Ren/Len's older sister.
- Accent Adaptation: For some reason, the dub gives her a British accent like her brother.
En Tao (Tao Yuan)
Ren/Len's and Jun/June's father (uncle in the dub).
- Adaptation Relationship Overhaul: In the English dub version, En Tao becomes June and Lenny's uncle. Likely, due to the context of own's own parent being abusive would've been too dark for their intended audience.
- Evil Uncle: In the 2001 dub, he's changed to this, with the real dad having implied to be have died- either through natural causes or by En's schemes to get the position. Presumably 4-Kids thought that being abused by a birth parent would've been too dark.
- Monochromatic Eyes: His eyes are pure orange, adding a level of inhumanity to his character before his true form is revealed.
Pillica Racer (Usui Pirika)
Horohoro/Trey's younger sister.
- Annoying Younger Sibling: To Trey.
- Aw, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other: With her brother.
- Curtains Match the Window: She has blue hair and blue eyes.
Liam Diethel
Voiced by: Masamichi Sato (Japanese), Greg Abbey (English)
Lyserg's late father.
- Posthumous Character: He and his wife were killed by Hao before the main story.
Spirits
Amidamaru
Yoh's spirit partner.
- Historical Villain Upgrade: In-Universe. He's known for murdering his best friend, but the precise circumstances under which this happened were lost to time.
Mosuke
Voiced by: Hisao Egawa, Kumiko Watanabe [young] (Japanese), J. David Brimmer, Scottie Ray [young] (English) Foreign VAs
A master swordsmith whose ability to create swords matched Amidamaru's ability to wield them. He and Amidamaru were best friends and grew up together. Their deaths resulted from Amidamaru's refusal to kill Mosuke when their lord ordered the samurai to. Mosuke, who believed that his delay in completing Harusame was the reason why Amidamaru died, spent the next six hundred years haunting the sword he had crafted for his friend until Yoh and Manta revealed that Amidamaru's spirit had continued to wait for him at Funbari Hill.
- Ascended Extra: Unlike in the manga and 2021 anime, he appears again as Manta's companion spirit, after Manta becomes a shaman.
Bason
Len/Ren's spirit partner.
- Cool Horse: Hei-Tao, his trusty mount. His spirit can be summoned and integrated with a specially trained shaman-horse so that Bason can fight at his full potential. This is only used once, after which spirit integration is rendered obsolete by Over Souls.
Tokagero
The ghost of an obscure bandit from 14th Japan. He becomes Rio/Ryu's spirit partner.
- Animal Motifs: Lizards. He has a reptilian appearance and even has a lizard in his headband.
Eliza Faust
Faust VIII's late wife.
- The Lost Lenore: She was Faust's beloved wife. Her death drove him to madness and despair as he became obsessed with resurrecting her.
Lee Pyron
Tao Jun's guardian Jiangshi.
- Inconsistent Spelling: His name is pronounced as Lee Pyron in Japanese, but gets translated as Lee Pai-Long in the English version of the 2001 anime and games.
Kory (Kororo)
Voiced by: Nana Mizuki (Japanese), Erika Harlacher (English)
Horohoro/Trey's spirit partner.
- Adapted Out: Her entire backstory as Damko is completely dropped out from the 2001 anime, whereas this is brought up in the 2021 anime.
- Punny Name: Kory, her name in the English anime version sounds similar to "Kōri", which is the Japanese word for ice and also the element that Horohoro's attacks are based off.
Mic The Jaguar
Voiced by: Yuji Ueda (Japanese)
Joco's spirit partner.
- Dies Differently in Adaptation: In the manga and 2021 anime, Chocolove's former gang killed him. In the 2001 anime, he died of old age.
- Panthera Awesome: Awesome as a giant winged mechanical jaguar.
Chloe (Morphine)
Lyserg's spirit partner.
- Dub Name Change: Her original name was edited for being a reference to the drug morphine, resulting in her being renamed Chloe.
- Guardian Angel: She becomes one, after absorbing the essence of the X-Laws Archangels in order to save the souls of their fallen masters.
- Super Mode: She absorbs the Archangels to assume her "Giant Oversoul" form.
- You Have Failed Me: Lyserg tells her this pretty much word for word just before he ditches her. In the manga, he is inseparable from her, even when he starts using Zeruel, though Yoh briefly thinks he did abandon her.
Ponchi & Conchi
Conchi voiced by: Tsutomu Kashiwakura (Japanese), Eric Stuart (English) Foreign VAs
The familiars of Tamara/Tamao.
- Tanuki/Kitsune Contrast: Conchi is a Kitsune and Ponchi is a Tanuki.
Elemental Spirits
Five powerful elemental spirits derived from the Great Spirit itself, and like it, constitute a collective of souls.
- Golden Super Mode: Hao is able to upgrade the Spirit of Fire by joining it to the Great Spirit, which gives it a Palette Swap.
Others
Orona
A South American Native American who was living homeless in New York City when he became Joco's mentor, convincing Joco to leave his gang and adopt his ideology of laughter being the best medicine to solving the world's problems. Though it made him a target of Joco's gang, Orona accepted his death due to his age and health issues with the knowledge that Joco would carry his legacy. Orona remained spirit to observe Joco's progress, making himself known after Joco died and guided him to Pascal Avaf.
- Dies Differently in Adaptation: In the 2001 anime, it's implied that he died of old age. In the manga, however, he was murdered by former members of Chocolove's old gang.
Lilirara
A member of the Seminoa tribe. She is angry at the Patch Tribe and believes that the Patch Tribe massacred her ancestors.
- Spared By Adaptation: In the manga, she dies after sending Yoh and his group to the Patch Village. In the 2001 anime, she survives.
