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The manga and anime series ''Shaman King'' features several characters created by Hiroyuki Takei. As a result of being focused on shamanism the series' cast is divided between humans and spirits, the latter not being able to go the afterlife due to their alliance with the former. The series primarily focuses on a teenager named Yoh Asakura, who reveals to his classmate Manta Oyamada that he is a shaman when fighting a group delinquents led by Ryu. Wishing to lead a peaceful life, Yoh has been training from an early age to become the titular "Shaman King", who will be able to change the world according to his will. During Yoh's training, Manta meets Yoh's demanding fiancee, Anna Kyoyama and Yoh's spirit partner, the samurai Amidamaru. In his journey to become Shaman King, Yoh also meets with a number of rival shamans who seek to become Shaman King for their own reasons and visions of the future, some who become his allies and others who become his enemies. The series' sequel, ''Shaman King Flowers'', deals with Yoh's son, Hana Asakura, on his development as a shaman. ==Creation and conception== In terms of developing ''Shaman King'', Takei has noted that he creates the characters first and develops the story around them.〔''Shonen Jump'' interview with Hiroyuki Takei, 2005. Q: The title pages of Shaman King often show characters who haven't appeared yet in the story. How closely did you plot the series out from the beginning? Do you create the characters first and the story later? ''Takei: I create the characters first. Stories are born because of the existence of the characters, right?''〕 The originality of characters was emphasized so that they stand out,〔''Shonen Jump'' interview with Hiroyuki Takei, 2005. Q: In your opinion, what is the key to creating good characters? ''Takei: The most important thing is to have originality, because there's no point in creating something that's similar to something, right? The next is to make sure the character is distinctive. By this, I mean that at first glance, a reader can figure out what the character is all about. Similarly, a distinctive silhouette that can easily be picked out is important. The character should also stand out from the rest of the characters. In regards to design, don't be afraid to try new things, and just do it. This will lead to the developement of an original character.''〕 which may include incorporating designs that appeal to Takei; in particular, the fox and raccoon-dog duo of Konchi and Ponchi were inspired by Ren and Stimpy.〔''Shonen Jump'' interview with Hiroyuki Takei, 2005. Q: Tanuki, or raccoon dogs, and fox spirits appear in Shaman King, as the characters Ponchi and Konchi. How did you come up with your personal interpretation of these traditional spirit-animals? ''Takei: In general, I create original things by incorporating various designs I like, but if you read the comic, "Ponchi" and "Konchi" are pretty obviously an homage to the characters "Ren and Stimpy."''〕 For Takei, the female lead Anna Kyoyama was regarded as the easiest character to draw and the protagonist Yoh Asakura was the hardest; Takei explained that it was difficult to develop Yoh's character because of the criteria set by ''Weekly Shōnen Jump''.〔''( Interview with Manga-News.com (French) )'' MN – Quel est donc celui qui est le plus facile à dessiner, et au contraire le plus difficile? ''HT – Anna est la plus facile et Yoh le plus difficile. Par là je n'entends pas que le coté dessin pur mais plutôt l'aspect évolutif du personnage et son caractère. Pour Yoh, il a été pour moi plus difficile à faire évoluer dans les critères que demande le Jump magazine.'' (''Translation'': MN - Who is the easiest to draw and who is the most difficult? ''HT - Anna is the easiest and Yoh is the most difficult. By that I don't mean drawing, but developing the characters. For Yoh, it was hard for me to develop him because of the criteria required for ''Jump'' magazine.'')〕 The engagement between Yoh and Anna being introduced at the beginning of the story has been regarded as unusual for a shonen manga for its maturity and partly reflects Takei's own personal experience, but it still an ideal relationship.〔''Shonen Jump'' interview with Hiroyuki Takei, 2005. Q: The fact that Yoh is engaged to Anna from the beginning of the story is unusual for a shonen manga. In many ways, their relationship is more mature than the relationships between male and female characters in usual shonen manga. Has your own marriage influenced your depiction of Yoh and Anna? ''Takei: I think it reflects quite a bit of my own personal experience. I wouldn't say it is a direct copy. But the relationship both characters have, is quite an ideal relationship, I would say.''〕 A number of characters in ''Shaman King'' previously appeared in Takei's preceding work, ''Butsu Zone'', though Takei regards both ''Shaman King'' and ''Butsu Zone'' as occurring in different worlds akin to Osamu Tezuka's Star System.〔''Shonen Jump'' interview with Hiroyuki Takei, 2005. Q: Butsu Zone has some similar themes to Shaman King, as well as some of the same characters. Does Butsu Zone take place in the same "universe" as Shaman King? ''Takei:"Shaman King" and "Butsu Zone" are completely different worlds. The characters that reappear are based on the "Star System" concept. (NOTE: The "Star System" is a concept from artist Osamu Tezuka in which a key character appears in several different manga titles)''〕 Notably, Anna Kyoyama was based on the lead character in his debut one-shot, ''Itako no Anna'', who also inspired a character with a similar design and background in ''Butsu Zone''; Takei has remarked that Anna is his signature character.〔''Shonen Jump'' interview with Hiroyuki Takei, 2005. Q: Anna seems to be a very important character for you, since she appeared in her own one-shot manga before ''Shaman King'', and also in ''Butsu Zone''. Can you tell us about the history of her character? ''Takei: Please think of her as my signature character...''〕 The members from the Gandhara faction, particularly its leader Sati Saigan, also appear to be heavily based on main characters from ''Butsu Zone''. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「List of Shaman King characters」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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