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is a fictional character created by
manga are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...
author
Hiroyuki Takei is a Japanese manga artist, best known as the creator of the popular ''Shaman King''. Career Hiroyuki Takei started drawing manga with writer EXIAD on SD Département Store Series which they created for a fanzine. Early in his career, he becam ...
. She appears in ''
Shaman King is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hiroyuki Takei. It follows the adventures of Yoh Asakura as he attempts to hone his shaman skills to become the Shaman King by winning the Shaman Fight. Takei chose shamanism as the m ...
'' as a primary character, while an alternate character with the same name and similar appearance appears in ''
Butsu Zone is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hiroyuki Takei. It was serialized in Shueisha's ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from March to August 1997, with its chapters collected in three ''tankōbon'' volumes. "Buddha Zone" is the concept b ...
'', and ''Itako no Anna'', a one-shot chapter which focuses on Anna (and where she first made her appearance). Takei notes in an interview, that she is like his own personal mascot or good luck charm because Anna appears (albeit usually in cameos) in so many of his works. For both anime adaptations of ''Shaman King'', she is voiced by
Megumi Hayashibara is a Japanese voice actress, singer, lyricist and radio personality from Kita ward in Tokyo and is affiliated with self-founded Woodpark Office. One of the most prominent Japanese voice actresses since the 1990s, Hayashibara is best known for ...
in Japanese and by
Tara Sands Tara Sands is an American voice actress and co-host of Cartoon Network's ''Fridays'' from 2005 to 2007. Sands has voiced in anime dubs and cartoons, including Bulbasaur in the ''Pokémon'' anime series, Spyler in '' I Spy'', Kari Kamiya in '' ...
in the English dub. In some Japanese products and in '' Shaman King: Master of Spirits'', her name is spelled Anna Kyoh'yama.


Overview

In ''Shaman King'', Anna is the fiancée and later wife of
Yoh Asakura is a fictional character and protagonist of the manga series ''Shaman King'' created by Hiroyuki Takei. Yoh is a shaman with a lazy demeanor who is accompanied by a six-hundred-year-old samurai ghost, Amidamaru. When first introduced, Yoh appea ...
, and is an
itako , also known as or , are blind women who train to become spiritual mediums in Japan. Training involves severe ascetic practices, after which the woman is said to be able to communicate with Japanese Shinto spirits, ''kami'', and the spirits of ...
(''spirit medium'' in the English dub) – a traditional Japanese
shaman Shamanism is a spiritual practice that involves a practitioner (shaman) interacting with the spirit world through altered states of consciousness, such as trance. The goal of this is usually to direct spirits or spiritual energies into ...
. Her specialty is channeling, and she can summon a spirit from anywhere, even from heaven where normal shamans can't reach. She is depicted as a relatively thin girl with shoulder-length blonde hair who wears a short black dress, traditional sandals, and blue prayer beads she uses as an
itako , also known as or , are blind women who train to become spiritual mediums in Japan. Training involves severe ascetic practices, after which the woman is said to be able to communicate with Japanese Shinto spirits, ''kami'', and the spirits of ...
. Anna frequently wears a red scarf tied around her head, though she occasionally wears the scarf around her neck. In addition to the prayer beads she wears around her neck, she wields another set of beads called 1080 (pronounced 10, 80) which she uses to fight strong spirits and shamans. Anna attends Shinra Private Academy along with Yoh and Manta and her favorite singer in the manga, Ringo Awaya, is a reference to Japanese singer and guitarist
Shiina Ringo , known by her stage name , is a Japanese singer, songwriter and musician. She is also the founder and lead vocalist of the band Tokyo Jihen. She describes herself as "". She was ranked number 36 in a list of Japan's top 100 musicians compiled ...
. Anna's first appearance in the manga occurs after Yoh narrowly defeats Tao Ren. Thereafter, she starts her "special training" program to help Yoh become Shaman King; she is unrelentingly brutal with his training to the extent that Yoh refers to the regimen as torture instead. Aggressive and decisive, Anna is a
pragmatic Pragmatism is a philosophical movement. Pragmatism or pragmatic may also refer to: * "Pragmaticism", Charles Sanders Peirce's post-1905 branch of philosophy * Pragmatics, a subfield of linguistics and semiotics * ''Pragmatics'' (journal), an aca ...
person who, to most, appears cold and harsh. However, she has shown that she genuinely cares for those important to her, especially Yoh, and merely is dedicated to being "the ultimate Shaman Queen" and wife to Yoh, the first real friend that she ever had in her life. She holds a deep gratitude for Yoh for saving her life, thus she believes it is her responsibility as Yoh's wife to train him hard so he can achieve his dream of becoming Shaman King despite her claim it is so he can realize her dream of living a comfortable life. As a shaman, Anna possesses tremendous spiritual ability and mastery of shamanic techniques; her impressive strength allowed her to seal in
Hao Asakura 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 t ...
's shikigami guardians – Zenki and Kouki – and take control of them as her spirit allies. She shows little fear of Hao, whom she detests, and does not hesitate to successfully slap him. In response, Hao expresses interest in her, possibly because she resembles Asano-Ha, the mother of his original incarnation 1000 years ago, and because of the extent of her power. Despite how badly she seems to treat him, Anna unquestionably loves Yoh and explicitly admits to it. Because she is certain of her assessment of his abilities, she rarely loses her composure when he is in danger unless something completely unexpected arises, such as when she believes Yoh was about to be killed while being possessed by
Tokagero 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 t ...
. She can be extremely possessive of Yoh, beating him up once when she thought that the Oracle Bell he brought home was a woman's pager. Yoh is constantly intimidated by Anna, seemingly fearing her wrath even more than Hao, though his feelings for her are expressed in how the promise he made to her to become Shaman King is the greatest motivation he has to continue fighting. Despite her harsh demeanor and strong will, she is gentle and kind to those she cares about.


History

Anna was abandoned as a young girl because her parents became afraid of her strong shamanic powers, which included the ability to see into other people's minds without being willing to. Left on
Mount Osore is the name of a Buddhist temple and folk religion pilgrimage destination in the center of remote Shimokita Peninsula of Aomori Prefecture, in the northern Tōhoku region of northern Japan. The temple is located in the caldera of an active volc ...
, she was found by Yoh's grandmother, Kino Asakura, who took Anna as an apprentice and gave her the surname ''Kyōyama'' (恐山), an alternate reading of the characters for . Recognizing Anna's inherent potential, Yoh's grandparents decided that she would be a suitable bride for Yoh. Before meeting Yoh, Anna's mind-reading power known as reishi (soul sight) was one that she could not fully control. She could not help but pick up the negative emotions of others every time she was around other people; because of this, she began to hate others, and this hatred would involuntarily manifest itself as an
Oni An ( ) is a kind of ''yōkai'', demon, orc, ogre, or troll in Japanese folklore. They are believed to live in caves or deep in the mountains or in hell. Oni are known for their superhuman strength and have been associated with powers like th ...
(demonic ogres, akin to boogeyman in Western cultures). Thus, she tried to avoid going out as much as possible, usually confining herself to her room. Anna and Yoh met when they were ten years old in 1995 at Mt. Osore, shortly after Yoh and Matamune arrive in Aomori to visit Kino. Yoh is attacked by an oni, unaware that it came from Anna, who cryptically warns Yoh to stay away from her. However, Yoh persists in trying to get to know Anna and eventually learns that Anna's negative emotions create the oni, who are beyond her control. Matamune, as one of the Asakura family's most powerful spirits, was chosen to accompany Yoh to save Anna from herself because her powers closely resembled those of Matamune's former master, Hao Asakura. Yoh's positive influence on Anna allows her to gradually open her heart and she accepts his invitation to accompany him to a temple on New Year's Eve. However, the selfish desires of the tremendous number of people present overwhelm Anna, who summons a powerful oni that begins absorbing another oni nearby. The Oh-Oni created gains the ability to speak and kidnaps Anna to take her to Mount Osore to absorb the lurking spirits there. Matamune sacrifices his physical form to give Yoh the power to defeat the Oh-Oni and save Anna, whose heart opens enough to admit that while she will never forget her deep-seated resentment towards humans and the world, she has begun to love Yoh. Yoh and Anna can destroy the Oh-Oni, whose body is forged by Kino to become the 1080 beads. Because Yoh freed her from the darkness that haunted her each day, she grows to love him and resolves to become stronger so as not to feel the same pain in the past and to repay him for everything he sacrificed for her.


Other appearances

Anna appears in Takei's
short story A short story is a piece of prose fiction. It can typically be read in a single sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the old ...
'' Funbari no Uta''; she has a son named Hana Asakura and she is married to Yoh. The short story takes place 6 years after the conclusion of the ''Shaman King'' manga, implying that she became pregnant soon after or before the final Shaman Fight. While Anna does not appear directly in ''Shaman King: Flowers'', either she or the Anna who appears in ''Butsu Zone'' or ''Itako no Anna'' is responsible for training Silva's daughter, who was named after Anna and possesses a strong resemblance to her mentor. The character that Anna is based on also stars in a one-shot comic called ''Itako no Anna'', which focuses mainly on her character and appears in Takei's other short work, ''
Butsu Zone is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hiroyuki Takei. It was serialized in Shueisha's ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from March to August 1997, with its chapters collected in three ''tankōbon'' volumes. "Buddha Zone" is the concept b ...
'', as an ally to the main characters. Though the character is an itako in both works and possesses a similar appearance and background, the Anna Kyoyama who appears in ''Itako no Anna'' and ''Butsu Zone'' has a cheerful and enthusiastic personality compared to the aggressive and intimidating Anna in ''Shaman King''. She wields the sword ''Harusame'' (which would reappear in ''Shaman King'' as a primary medium for
Amidamaru 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 t ...
) and expresses an interest in traveling to find her birth parents. It is suggested that Anna I, an itako who trained under the Asakura family and moved to Los Angeles, is likely the Anna who appeared in ''Butsu Zone''. She is mentioned as having succeeded in the business and regularly sent information obtained on the Patch Tribe to the Asakuras, which aided Anna Kyoyama and her companions in locating the Patch Village. Anna I is responsible for training Anna III, the daughter of Patch Officiant Silva, who also has a strong resemblance to the prototype for Anna. Anna and Yoh also appear in a flashback of the manga ''Shaman King Flowers'', the sequel to ''Shaman King'' series which took place six or seven years after '' Funbari no Uta'' with Hana Asakura, Yoh and Anna's son as the main character. Anna appears as a playable character for the
Nintendo DS The is a foldable handheld game console produced by Nintendo, released globally across 2004 and 2005. The DS, an initialism for "Developers' System" or "Dual Screen", introduced distinctive new features to handheld games: two LCD screens worki ...
titles, ''
Jump Super Stars is a 2D crossover fighting game for the Nintendo DS, based on ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' characters. It was developed by Ganbarion and published by Nintendo. The game was released on August 8, 2005, in Japan and accompanied the release of a red ...
'' and ''
Jump Ultimate Stars ''Jump Ultimate Stars'' is a 2006 crossover fighting video game developed by Ganbarion and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS.Tor Thorsen, "Jump! Ultimate Stars details dished", GameSpot, September 28, 2006, It is the sequel to '' Jum ...
'' and is the main playable character in the second mission of the ''Shaman King'' world where she fights
Dio Brando , later known mononymously as , is a fictional character and the main antagonist of the Japanese manga series '' JoJo's Bizarre Adventure'' written and illustrated by Hirohiko Araki. He is featured initially as the main antagonist of the series' ...
and
Frieza , also spelled as Freeza in Funimation's English subtitles and Viz Media's release of the manga, is a fictional character and one of the main antagonists of the ''Dragon Ball'' franchise created by Akira Toriyama. He makes his debut in Chapter ...
.


Reception

She has been featured various times in the ''
Animage is a Japanese anime and entertainment magazine published by Tokuma Shoten since July 1978. Notable works serialized in the magazine include Hayao Miyazaki is a Japanese animator, filmmaker, and manga artist. He co-founded Studio Ghibli a ...
s
Anime Grand Prix The is an annual Japanese anime awards giving to recognize the best in anime of the previous year, decided by the votes of readers of entertainment magazine ''Animage'', published by Tokuma Shoten since July 1978. The Anime Grand Prix started i ...
polls, ranking as one of the most popular female characters. Merchandise based on Anna have been released, including action figures, key chains, and items for cosplay. Anna is also the mascot of the
Aomori , officially Aomori City (, ), is the capital Cities of Japan, city of Aomori Prefecture, in the Tōhoku region of Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 264,945 in 136,781 households, and a population density of 321 people per squa ...
prefectural police. Chris Beveridge from Mania.com said Anna "brings that hardass kind of charm that only some women can manage to the show."


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kyoyama Anna Shaman King characters Adoptee characters in anime and manga Anime and manga characters introduced in 2001 Anime and manga characters who use magic Anime and manga telepaths Comics characters introduced in 1999 Female characters in anime and manga Fictional characters with anti-magic or power negation abilities Fictional exorcists Fictional Japanese people in anime and manga Fictional shamans Teenage characters in anime and manga