The story of Shaman King revolves around Yoh Asakura, a boy who wants to hone his skills as a shaman, giving him the powers to connect between the living and the spirit world, and become the titular Shaman King.

In order to do this, he must compete in the Shaman Fight. Along the way, he is joined by various allies, including his fiancee, the tough and headstrong Anna Kyoyama. Of course, he soon encounters powerful rivals and enemies, including a shaman who seeks to destroy the human race...one who might also have a special connection to Yoh.

The original manga series has become a media franchise over the years, with fans getting to know it from its various incarnations, especially its anime adaptation. Even English-speaking fans in the United States got to enjoy the series on television thanks to a dub produced by 4kids Entertainment.

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We'll be looking at the anime series and revealing secrets and trivia that might surprise even the most devoted of Shaman King fan. But remember, spoilers abound.

10 The Series Returned From The Grave

In a series dealing with the spirit world, it's rather fitting that Shaman King is a franchise that won't let an ending last too long. After the original manga got canceled, it eventually came back with a redrawn rerelease and a new ending, effectively giving the series a proper finale, as well as a few spin-offs along the way.

And the anime would prove to be just as lucky as the manga. After premiering in 2001, and lasting more than 60 episodes, it was announced that a second series would come to light with an expected release in 2021. The new anime is expected to adapt all the volumes of the manga's complete edition, with the original anime being released to streaming services around the same time.

9 Ren And Stimpy Get A Shout-Out

Ren Stimpy Shaman King

Two characters from the series that go hand in hand are Ponchi and Conchi. A tanuki and a kitsune spirit, both famous creatures within Japanese mythology, they serve as familiars to Tamao Tamamura.

Fans of Western animation might have noticed that they bear a certain resemblance to a famous cartoon duo from the 1990s: Ren and Stimpy. And just like the famous cat and chihuahua, these two are also known for their rather dark humor. Let's just say that isn't that tanuki's stomach sticking out of his loincloth.

8 So Did Black Sabbath

Not only did the anime give props to an icon of Western animation, it also gave another shout-out to a famous band with Team Sabbath. Fans of the English dub might not have recognized the joke at first, since their version renamed the characters Team Doom.

That said, Ronnie, Ouji, and Aiyomi seem to have taken a little inspiration from Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi and Ronnie James Dio. Many of the team's spirits and special moves are taken from real-life Heavy Metal and Hard Rock songs, like "Rainbow in the Dark" and "Holy Diver."

7 Even WWE Got A Tribute

The anime also paid a tribute to wrestling fans out there in the audience with Team "LCT." If you take a close look at the teammates, you'll notice that the three members are parodies of Edge, Bubba Ray Dudley and Matt Hardy.

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Even the name is a play on TLC, which stands for tables, ladders, and chairs, a type of match that focuses on these types of weapons. In the English version, however, they were renamed Team "Insane Asylum."

6 Here's Something For The History Buffs

Asakura Hao is a powerful antagonist in the Shaman King manga and anime and has been a force to be reckoned with during his various life cycles, what with him currently on his third. But if you think such a being could only exist in fiction, you might be surprised to learn he might have been based off a real historical figure: Abe no Seimei. Abe no Seimei was a powerful onmyōji and astrologer during the Heian period in Japan who would later become a prominent figure in Japanese mythology. Hao's Chō-Senjiryakketsu book in particular seems based on Seimei's Senji Ryakketsu. And the similarities don't end there. Both figures were believed to be the sons of fox spirits, too.

5 The Creator Uses A "Star System"

Some fans noted that series creator Hiroyuki Takei's other series, Butsu Zone, not only features similar themes to Shaman King, but even shares a few characters, notably Anna Kyoyama. This had lead to fans wondering if the two stories exist within the same universe.

When asked about this by Shonen Jump, Takei gave an alternate explanation: he is a firm believer of the "Star System." The term was coined by Osamu Tezuka to refer to when his characters appeared in different manga titles. In this context, "star" doesn't refer to the celestial bodies, but more like "Hollywood stars," with the characters working like actors in different productions.

4 Anna Kyoyama Is The Creator's Lucky Charm

Also known as "Anna Kyoh'yama," Yoh Asakura's fiancée and eventual wife is known for her power to channel spirits, powers that made even her own family suspicious of her.

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As mentioned, she has appeared outside the Shaman King franchise in Hiroyuki Takei's other works, including her own one-shot, Itako no Anna. Going along with the "Star System" format, while her powers are usually at hand, her personality isn't always the same, going from cheerful to aggressive between works. That isn't to say Anna isn't important to Takei. On the contrary, as he once told Shonen Jump that he wants fans to think of her as his signature character, sort of his mascot and lucky charm. In a French-language interview, he also mentioned that she was the easiest character for him to develop.

3 There Was A Trading Card Series

In the late 90s and early 2000s, the best way to tell if an anime was going to be the next big thing was if they had a tie-in card game. So it shouldn't be too surprising that Shaman King also had a rather short-lived card series.

The initial release of the card game went through different hands. At one point, Blockbuster had an exclusive deal to release and sell the cards. Unfortunately, the card game ended up being canceled when the original TV show got canceled, too.

2 They Had Better Luck With Video Games

As with many popular anime series, there have been quite a few video games based around the franchise. In fact, in addition to games created for the Japanese market, there have also been quite a few games released exclusively in North America and Europe, thanks to Konami and 4Kids Entertainment.

And the characters didn't stop at their own video games. Yoh Asakura and Anna Kyoyama would also appear in Jump Super Stars, a game revolving around characters from Weekly Shonen Jump Magazine and characters would later appear in the following year's Jump Ultimate Stars.

1 Yoh's Son Has His Own Series

Casual fans who were only familiar with the anime series might be surprised to learn that there's much more of the story left to tell. For example, a sequel series, Shaman King: Flowers, was release revolving around Yoh's son and heir, Asakura Hana.

The manga series eventually got a revival, Shaman King The Super Star, and its own spin-off series,  Shaman King Gaiden: Red Crimson.

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