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シャーマンキング [Shaman King] #4
Shaman King, Vol. 4: The Over Soul
The "Shaman Fight in Tokyo" is approaching, and talent scouts are scouring the world for contestants. Who's doing the scouting? The Patch, the Native American people who have overseen the Shaman Fight since the dawn of time. But to try and fail means more than just a sharp put-down: if Yoh can't beat Silva and his five animal spirits, he won't get another chance for 500 years! As shamans, wizards and holy folk gather for the preliminaries, Yoh finds himself matched up with his first real opponent, Horohoro - a powerful young shaman representing the oldest culture in Japan!
200 pages, Paperback
First published August 9, 1999
105 people are currently reading
367 people want to read
About the author
Hiroyuki Takei
399 books193 followersHiroyuki Takei (武井宏之 Takei Hiroyuki) is a Japanese manga artist, best known as the creator of the manga and anime Shaman King. His brother, Hirofumi Takei (武井宏文) is also a manga-ka.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews
August 10, 2020
The first introduction to the Over Soul skill among Shamans and it is only as powerful as you could imagine. Untrained, Yoh learns of its existence with a little help and marches on with a newly found talent as the tournament begins.
The second part of this volume also teases us to the first battle against Hora Hora.
This volume also serves as a world-building arc as it links it to Native American culture. It was interesting to see it blend with Japanese culture, especially when it comes to their spiritual beliefs.
Yours truly,
Lashaan | Blogger and Book Reviewer
Official blog: https://bookidote.com/
The second part of this volume also teases us to the first battle against Hora Hora.
This volume also serves as a world-building arc as it links it to Native American culture. It was interesting to see it blend with Japanese culture, especially when it comes to their spiritual beliefs.
Yours truly,
Lashaan | Blogger and Book Reviewer
Official blog: https://bookidote.com/
May 22, 2021
Inizia lo Shaman Fight.
Yoh scoprirà di possedere nuove capacità e poteri.
Il primo scontro eliminatorio ha inizio....e il torneo ha già cominciato a mietere vittime...
Yoh scoprirà di possedere nuove capacità e poteri.
Il primo scontro eliminatorio ha inizio....e il torneo ha già cominciato a mietere vittime...
February 27, 2022
I have read the manga and watched the anime of this series and I am addicted to it. Shaman King not only has a fun shonen-action type of genre to it but at the same time, it teaches me about culture and different types of cultures around the world. This volume introduces a character called Horohoro who is from an Ainu village and a part of the 'proud Ainu tribe' (Horohoro states). Horohoro's goal is to make a beautiful fukibatake (butterbur) field and save the Koropokkuro (the species of his spirit ally) from extinction. Horohoro always wears a headband with ainu patterns on it and always carries a snowboard which gives me the image of Hokkaido's culture.
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October 9, 2024first 3 volumes were so slow, but this volume reminded me why i love tournament-style shounen. the excitement about seeing which creative opponent our relatively blank slate MC will face next is just so fun. i forgot almost everything from this series since childhood so it feels like i’m discovering it all again
also now as an adult… silva is hot af??
also now as an adult… silva is hot af??
October 26, 2020
This is where things start to get really into it. My walk down nostalgia road is lovely
March 24, 2019
Mi favorito hasta ahora. Ahora si comienza a tomar forma las batallas contra los otros espíritus.
October 31, 2024
Un quatrième tome vraiment bien. Celui-ci annonce le Shaman Fight mais surtout ses qualifications.
March 28, 2019
I'm almost running out of steam reviewing these books as I read them. Or, actually, it's the fact that we've finally gotten to the Shaman Fight, so this and future volumes will not be so concretely structured as single-volume stories. Case in point, half of this volume covers the preliminary fight with Silva before beginning the fight against Horohoro, to be concluded in Vol. 5.
I'm not sure if it's "fair" to say Takei's art has improved with this volume, so much as it is that he's gotten a better chance to broaden his art-style. What I mean is Silva's five spirits begin a more overtly cartoonish art-style, previously only hinted at with Manta's design, and which will flourish with Kororo, Tamao's spirits, and BoZ's chimimouryou. Similarly, I'd argue these five spirits have more in common with the oddity of the painter ghost than with Amidamaru/Bason/Pyron. We're not quite deep enough into the series to begin seeing hints at the X-Laws' angel designs, but it's still a neat change of pace.
Aside from this, the series continues to barrel into the JoJo-esque "keep fighting dudes who will become your friends" structure, with the introduction of Horohoro. The volume even ends mid-fight after Yoh declares his respect for Horohoro's dream, noting that as Shaman King he will fight to make everyone's dreams come true (a decent enough end-point for the volume, despite its interruption of the battle).
The action scenes get a little better, what with the strangeness of Horohoro's attacks: summoning ice through his Oversoul snowboard. Previously, battles have been limited to melee weapons. Silva changes this up with his beam cannon, but that counted as more of a coup de grace after a mainly-physical altercation (indeed, Silver Rod's whip form wasn't too big a stretch from Pyron's nunchaku, aside from being shaped like a snake). Horohoro's physical attacks are limited to a "sword" of ice that sticks out from the bottom of his snowboard, acting as a rapier when he plants one hand on the ground and tries to repeatedly jab at Yoh. Otherwise, he shoots icicles from his board while jumping in the air, or he spreads ice from a grounded board in order to summon icy stalagmites in attempts to spear his opponent.
Takei has better fleshed out the "lore" to his manga's fighting system, but at potential cost of being cheesy. After three volumes, Silva comes in to introduce "Furyoku," basically the "Hamon" of early JoJo or "ki" of Dragon Ball Z. Yoh somewhat spontaneously learns how to utilize his Furyoku energy, and the result is enough of an extension of the Hyoui-Gattai method of merging oneself with one's hitodama-form spirit - shamans are instead meant to merge the hitodama into a physical medium. Nothing really novel here, as the whole idea basically mimics Kuwabara's original Spirit Sword technique in Yu Yu Hakusho. Somewhat unrelated, but still arguably silly, Horohoro calls his attacks' names as he spams the moves. I personally enjoy both of these things, but I can see how others may not, and anyway I tolerate these mainly out of nostalgia for this particular manga.
I'm not sure if it's "fair" to say Takei's art has improved with this volume, so much as it is that he's gotten a better chance to broaden his art-style. What I mean is Silva's five spirits begin a more overtly cartoonish art-style, previously only hinted at with Manta's design, and which will flourish with Kororo, Tamao's spirits, and BoZ's chimimouryou. Similarly, I'd argue these five spirits have more in common with the oddity of the painter ghost than with Amidamaru/Bason/Pyron. We're not quite deep enough into the series to begin seeing hints at the X-Laws' angel designs, but it's still a neat change of pace.
Aside from this, the series continues to barrel into the JoJo-esque "keep fighting dudes who will become your friends" structure, with the introduction of Horohoro. The volume even ends mid-fight after Yoh declares his respect for Horohoro's dream, noting that as Shaman King he will fight to make everyone's dreams come true (a decent enough end-point for the volume, despite its interruption of the battle).
The action scenes get a little better, what with the strangeness of Horohoro's attacks: summoning ice through his Oversoul snowboard. Previously, battles have been limited to melee weapons. Silva changes this up with his beam cannon, but that counted as more of a coup de grace after a mainly-physical altercation (indeed, Silver Rod's whip form wasn't too big a stretch from Pyron's nunchaku, aside from being shaped like a snake). Horohoro's physical attacks are limited to a "sword" of ice that sticks out from the bottom of his snowboard, acting as a rapier when he plants one hand on the ground and tries to repeatedly jab at Yoh. Otherwise, he shoots icicles from his board while jumping in the air, or he spreads ice from a grounded board in order to summon icy stalagmites in attempts to spear his opponent.
Takei has better fleshed out the "lore" to his manga's fighting system, but at potential cost of being cheesy. After three volumes, Silva comes in to introduce "Furyoku," basically the "Hamon" of early JoJo or "ki" of Dragon Ball Z. Yoh somewhat spontaneously learns how to utilize his Furyoku energy, and the result is enough of an extension of the Hyoui-Gattai method of merging oneself with one's hitodama-form spirit - shamans are instead meant to merge the hitodama into a physical medium. Nothing really novel here, as the whole idea basically mimics Kuwabara's original Spirit Sword technique in Yu Yu Hakusho. Somewhat unrelated, but still arguably silly, Horohoro calls his attacks' names as he spams the moves. I personally enjoy both of these things, but I can see how others may not, and anyway I tolerate these mainly out of nostalgia for this particular manga.
September 6, 2021
The Shaman fight in Tokyo is coming, and Yoh needs to qualify before he can join the battles. But that may not be as easy as it sounds when a member of the selection committee arrives to test him. All Yoh needs to do is score one touch in a combat scenario, but this Shaman has several protective nature spirits on his side and knowledge of a technique that Yoh has never heard of, much less used!
Here, Takei gives us more world-building as well as some very nice character development. Silva, of the Patch tribe of native Americans, is overseeing Yoh's selection test. He uses several shamanic totems that are imbued with animal spirits. He's something of a lenient evaluator since he takes the time to instruct Yoh as much as evaluate him. At the same time, the readers are learning a lot about the world, the competition, and more secrets of shamanic magic. The first half of this book is devoted to the testing, but it moves quickly and the characters all have something to do. I'm very impressed with the depth of mythology that Takei is putting into this story. Very intriguing stuff that keeps the reader interested even if it's only providing a lot of exposition.
The second half of the story entails Yoh's first actual event in the Shaman Fight. He's paired against a young man named Horohoro who is basically the Japanese equivalent of a Native American. Horohoro has a powerful, but small, nature spirit as his ally and uses a lot of snow and ice in his battles - in fact, his focus is actually a snowboard! Kind of a fun idea. Sure, there's a lot of action in this battle, but we learn a lot about Horohoro, his spirit, and even more background on this world of Shamans.
Takei's artwork remains very dynamic - capturing the action and the environments so well! A lot of the drama in the book comes from the artwork and it's high-energy style. Even reading "backwards" I feel like I'm pulled through the story naturally and organically. Every character has a unique appearance and style, so there's never any danger of confusing who's who or where the action is happening. Just a smooth, exciting style.
Now that the fight has begun, I'm anxious to see where this story goes. While I'm enjoying the creative and interesting opponents, I really do hope for something more than just battle after battle. But right now, I'm looking forward to reading more of this!
Here, Takei gives us more world-building as well as some very nice character development. Silva, of the Patch tribe of native Americans, is overseeing Yoh's selection test. He uses several shamanic totems that are imbued with animal spirits. He's something of a lenient evaluator since he takes the time to instruct Yoh as much as evaluate him. At the same time, the readers are learning a lot about the world, the competition, and more secrets of shamanic magic. The first half of this book is devoted to the testing, but it moves quickly and the characters all have something to do. I'm very impressed with the depth of mythology that Takei is putting into this story. Very intriguing stuff that keeps the reader interested even if it's only providing a lot of exposition.
The second half of the story entails Yoh's first actual event in the Shaman Fight. He's paired against a young man named Horohoro who is basically the Japanese equivalent of a Native American. Horohoro has a powerful, but small, nature spirit as his ally and uses a lot of snow and ice in his battles - in fact, his focus is actually a snowboard! Kind of a fun idea. Sure, there's a lot of action in this battle, but we learn a lot about Horohoro, his spirit, and even more background on this world of Shamans.
Takei's artwork remains very dynamic - capturing the action and the environments so well! A lot of the drama in the book comes from the artwork and it's high-energy style. Even reading "backwards" I feel like I'm pulled through the story naturally and organically. Every character has a unique appearance and style, so there's never any danger of confusing who's who or where the action is happening. Just a smooth, exciting style.
Now that the fight has begun, I'm anxious to see where this story goes. While I'm enjoying the creative and interesting opponents, I really do hope for something more than just battle after battle. But right now, I'm looking forward to reading more of this!
February 3, 2021
Shaman, n. In animistic religion, a person who communicates with (or is possessed by) Gods, Spirits, and the dead, using magic to cure illness, foretell the future, and influence events. Shamans act as Medicine Men entering into a special trance to borrow these spirits' powers; guides or mediums, forming links between the physical and the spiritual worlds. In ancient times, they were the centers of society, and still are in some cultures today.
Ever since Amazon linked up with comiXology, so that readers could get comics, graphic novels and manga on their kindles, I have been meaning to check out what they had. Under Amazon Prime Reading you get a number of titles for free and this comiXology original is one such series.
The story revolves around a boy called Manta Oyamada, who, whilst cutting through a cemetery in Tokyo to try to catch the last train home after school, runs into a stranger called Yoh Asakura who is talking to ghosts. The next day in school no one will believe Manta's story, even when a new transfer student arrives and is nonother that Yoh. However, Yoh denies their meeting and laughs at the idea of there being ghosts.
This third volume continues the story with Yoh, Manta and Anna discovering that "Wooden Sword" Ryu is also able to see ghosts and is, in fact, a shaman too. Thus, Ryu has found that his "happy place" was not a location but being a shaman.
Meanwhile, a comet is seen lighting up the night's sky. It's coming heralds the beginning of the Shaman Fights to discover who will be the next Shaman King. Has Anna's training prepared Yoh for the fight? Only time will tell.
Easy to read and engaging, I enjoyed this and it felt just like reading a paperback manga, even on Kindle, as you have to click through the book backwards. A nice little touch. A solid 4* and onto the next volume!
Ever since Amazon linked up with comiXology, so that readers could get comics, graphic novels and manga on their kindles, I have been meaning to check out what they had. Under Amazon Prime Reading you get a number of titles for free and this comiXology original is one such series.
The story revolves around a boy called Manta Oyamada, who, whilst cutting through a cemetery in Tokyo to try to catch the last train home after school, runs into a stranger called Yoh Asakura who is talking to ghosts. The next day in school no one will believe Manta's story, even when a new transfer student arrives and is nonother that Yoh. However, Yoh denies their meeting and laughs at the idea of there being ghosts.
This third volume continues the story with Yoh, Manta and Anna discovering that "Wooden Sword" Ryu is also able to see ghosts and is, in fact, a shaman too. Thus, Ryu has found that his "happy place" was not a location but being a shaman.
Meanwhile, a comet is seen lighting up the night's sky. It's coming heralds the beginning of the Shaman Fights to discover who will be the next Shaman King. Has Anna's training prepared Yoh for the fight? Only time will tell.
Easy to read and engaging, I enjoyed this and it felt just like reading a paperback manga, even on Kindle, as you have to click through the book backwards. A nice little touch. A solid 4* and onto the next volume!
December 29, 2020
El ritmo del manga ha sido bastante bueno y creo que superior al animé hasta ahora. Apenas es el tomo cuatro y ya comienza el torneo de chamanes. Tenemos más información sobre los Apaches que lo organizan y sobre el gran espíritu.
El tomo es básicamente el enfrentamiento entre Yoh y Silver, un examinador del torneo para ver si Yoh puede participar. Silver es un personaje muy interesante, su diseño de personaje es muy bueno y destaca a los otros personajes que hemos visto. Además que la manera en la que usa a sus espíritus es diferente y obliga a Yoh a descubrir otras habilidades. La acción de este tomo es muy emocionante y las escenas en las que aparece Silver están muy bien ilustradas.
También se preocupan por construir a Silver más allá de lo que vimos en el animé. Cuando otro examinador aparece muerto, Silver se enfada con la indiferencia que muestran los demás organizadores. Empieza a dudar un poco de lo que está haciendo y de los designios del gran espíritu. Pero el líder Apache le revela un poco de información sobre como funciona el gran espíritu que puede ser interesante para el resto de la trama.
El tomo concluye con el primer enfrentamiento del torneo que es Horohoro contra Yoh. Este personaje nuevamente es diferente y también utiliza a su espíritu de manera interesante. Me gustó también como aparece más Koloro, el espíritu acompañante de este personaje, y como hay una especie de atracción de Koloro hacia Manta, esas bromas aparecían en el animé pero aquí hay más que sólo la broma.
Me gustó mucho el capítulo donde Horohoro habla sobre su sueño, y cómo parece que Yoh se quiere rendir ante un sueño como ese pero decide que cuando sea el rey chamán, también cumplirá su sueño. Eso es algo que no vemos en el animé como tal y que creo que es importante porque muestra las intenciones de los personajes.
El tomo es básicamente el enfrentamiento entre Yoh y Silver, un examinador del torneo para ver si Yoh puede participar. Silver es un personaje muy interesante, su diseño de personaje es muy bueno y destaca a los otros personajes que hemos visto. Además que la manera en la que usa a sus espíritus es diferente y obliga a Yoh a descubrir otras habilidades. La acción de este tomo es muy emocionante y las escenas en las que aparece Silver están muy bien ilustradas.
También se preocupan por construir a Silver más allá de lo que vimos en el animé. Cuando otro examinador aparece muerto, Silver se enfada con la indiferencia que muestran los demás organizadores. Empieza a dudar un poco de lo que está haciendo y de los designios del gran espíritu. Pero el líder Apache le revela un poco de información sobre como funciona el gran espíritu que puede ser interesante para el resto de la trama.
El tomo concluye con el primer enfrentamiento del torneo que es Horohoro contra Yoh. Este personaje nuevamente es diferente y también utiliza a su espíritu de manera interesante. Me gustó también como aparece más Koloro, el espíritu acompañante de este personaje, y como hay una especie de atracción de Koloro hacia Manta, esas bromas aparecían en el animé pero aquí hay más que sólo la broma.
Me gustó mucho el capítulo donde Horohoro habla sobre su sueño, y cómo parece que Yoh se quiere rendir ante un sueño como ese pero decide que cuando sea el rey chamán, también cumplirá su sueño. Eso es algo que no vemos en el animé como tal y que creo que es importante porque muestra las intenciones de los personajes.
March 9, 2022
I got this book recommended by a friend and I enjoyed it. In this volume, Silva wanted to test the MC, Asakura Yoh, whether he will be worthy of being a Shaman King or not. During that, Yoh discovered his new battle style, the Over Soul, which helped him pass the test. Next, he encountered his opponent, Horohoro, who represents the Ainu culture, then they began the Shaman Fight. I like the comedy and the humor in this book. It was pretty funny and I giggled a bit. I like how Shaman King introduces me to a variety of different cultures, like in this volume, it introduces me to the Native American and Ainu cultures which I found them pretty interesting. But the only problem with this book is the cultural stereotypes in the character designs. But, other than that, I like the uniqueness of the series. I like the characters, they are all unique and interesting. I watched the anime, and I think that the plot is also unique, so I also found it interesting. I would rate this 4.5 stars, just only because of the cultural stereotypes.
February 8, 2025
It's only volume 4...and we get ourselves a super power upgrade.....OVER SOUL!!! I think it's pretty cool how they introduced this, but it does seem rather early in the series. With that said, I feel the fun oozes off the pages from Hiroyuki Takei. Too few series really give you the feeling the creator is having a blast presenting their work to the world. Thats not the case here, and if I am wrong, he's a master at fooling the audience. Yoh needs to pass a test in order to be able to participate in the Shaman Fight, which will be a cool test which helps him grow. I really enjoyed all the characters in this volume and the discussions the characters shared. It was not to the level I believe Rurouni Kenshin achieves, but it's still up there. Also, a murder of one of the Shaman Fight Officiants adds a deeper level to mystery to the series.
August 26, 2021
I really enjoy both Silva and Horohoro, plus the comedy and exploration of "everything will work out." Some great moments in this volume.
Unfortunately, the oracle pager is a cheesy concept--and despite the tongue-in-cheek nature of it, which Takei continues to exploit as a source of humor in the following books, I feel this depiction of Native Americans rests on some stereotypes. I'd be curious to read a Native American's reaction to this series.
This volume is literally titled "the over soul." I find it frustrating that Takei laid the groundwork for this series over the previous 3 volumes and then proceeded to shake up the entire premise, here. It leads to questions, like, "if the Asakuras are an old shamanic family, why is Yoh surprised by this?"
Unfortunately, the oracle pager is a cheesy concept--and despite the tongue-in-cheek nature of it, which Takei continues to exploit as a source of humor in the following books, I feel this depiction of Native Americans rests on some stereotypes. I'd be curious to read a Native American's reaction to this series.
This volume is literally titled "the over soul." I find it frustrating that Takei laid the groundwork for this series over the previous 3 volumes and then proceeded to shake up the entire premise, here. It leads to questions, like, "if the Asakuras are an old shamanic family, why is Yoh surprised by this?"
January 4, 2025
And thus started the Shaman Wars, Yoh gets a glow up, more powers, and his first fight starts here. Let's find out the result and discover the further adventures of our Shaman King and then let's Keep on Reading.
I have always loved comics, and I have I can. I love comics to bits, may the comics never leave my side. I loved reading this and love reading more, you should also read what you love and hope always to love them. Even though I grew up reading local Indian comics like Raj Comics, Diamond Comics, or even Manoj Comics, now's the time to catch up on international and classic comics and Graphic novels. I am on my quest to read as many comics as I just want to Keep on Reading.
I have always loved comics, and I have I can. I love comics to bits, may the comics never leave my side. I loved reading this and love reading more, you should also read what you love and hope always to love them. Even though I grew up reading local Indian comics like Raj Comics, Diamond Comics, or even Manoj Comics, now's the time to catch up on international and classic comics and Graphic novels. I am on my quest to read as many comics as I just want to Keep on Reading.
May 21, 2020
Takei does a really good job of balancing world-building with characterization in these early volumes. This one sees the introduction of the concept of the oversoul, as well as the introduction of the Patch, a Native American tribe responsible for administering the Shaman Fight. It also introduces us to Horohoro and Takei continues the effective juxtaposition of characters in dialogue and action that allows him to develop his characters in the midst of his action. It's a fun volume.
May 13, 2021
Yoh is tested by Silva, an officiant for the Shaman fight, in order to see if he's eligible to compete for the title of shaman king. This is an engrossing tale which has Yoh learn a brand new style of fighting, Oversoul, making better use of Amidamaru, while the relationship between him and Anna is wonderfully deepened. The story continues moving forward at an excellent rate, with the next one proving to be an important fight for Yoh.
July 24, 2018
The preliminaries for the Shaman Fight in Tokyo have finally begun, and Yoh is already facing tough opponents, starting with the powerful shaman Horohoro! Takei will have readers racing through the pages in this exhilarating entry to the "Shaman King" series. Get ready for a cold shoulder with this chilly battle!
June 25, 2021
Shaman King is consistently good in both story and art. In this volume Yoh is introduced to Silva who is scouting contestants for the Shaman Fight in Tokyo. As good as Yoh is with his Shaman skills he still has a lot to learn as Silva shows him a thing or two.
Then Yoh faces his first opponent snowboarding Horohoro. Will Yoh's new found skills be enough to beat him?
Read it and find out!
Then Yoh faces his first opponent snowboarding Horohoro. Will Yoh's new found skills be enough to beat him?
Read it and find out!
May 20, 2022
🎆 Read for the 2022 KU Shitathon™ challenge – [Mini #2: April-June] – at Weaponized Pineapples 🎆
🔸 Plan A — Book: #4 of 7 🔸
🔸 Plan A — Book: #4 of 7 🔸
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May 12, 2022So fun
The weapons in this are beginning to give me wonderful shades of Soul Eater while this story still maintains its own completely unique take on things. I look forward to the next chapter.
The weapons in this are beginning to give me wonderful shades of Soul Eater while this story still maintains its own completely unique take on things. I look forward to the next chapter.
December 25, 2023
The fight of FIGHTS begin in this volume!
The fights to become the shaman king start now but seeing how many volumes remain i dont know if Yoh will win or even if he wins...will he become the shaman king instantly? I doubt it?
The fights to become the shaman king start now but seeing how many volumes remain i dont know if Yoh will win or even if he wins...will he become the shaman king instantly? I doubt it?
July 28, 2024
The art is getting better and better, the story, at this point, is still following the shonen formula.
But, believe me, it's in a good way.
And the art make it all more palatable.
Gosh, I miss good art in manga.
But, believe me, it's in a good way.
And the art make it all more palatable.
Gosh, I miss good art in manga.
August 10, 2017
Finally, Horo Horo!
August 24, 2017
it was good
December 13, 2017
Al fin arranca el shaman fight! muy buenas las primeras peleas, pinta que lo que viene más adelante va a ser emocionante.
March 24, 2020
Good action scenes. Fun to read. Nothing extra special in this one, though.
August 3, 2020
Horo horo 💜
Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews