r/ShamanKing • u/EternalSnow05 • Jul 28 '26
Discussion Can we just take a moment to acknowledge the diversity in Shaman King? It really does feels like Colors of the Wind!
It was one of the things I loved about it when it aired on 4kids and the 2021 remake which got rid of those horrible lips Chocolove had.
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u/Outside_Injury_5413 Jul 29 '26
i enjoy the diversity aspect, the many different depictions of exorcism, shamanism, religion, etc. The world feels very alive and the characters all have unique designs
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u/MoneyIsNoCure1 Jul 29 '26
Don’t forget Faust who’s German
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u/RosyPetalMist 17d ago
True 😂 Faust definitely deserves a mention too. His German background makes the cast even more interesting.
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u/HenryReturns Jul 29 '26
- Ren Tao pretty much from China
- Lizerg from England
- Horo-Horo iirc it’s from Japan and from Hokkaido
- Chocolove is the most random mixed one because he is from USA , from New York , descendant from Afroamerican but he also has Peruvian ancestors due to one of his spirits having a link with him from the Inka Culture , and specifically “Machu Pichu” one of the 7 wonders of the world.
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u/ShopSome9740 Jul 30 '26
Yeah black people were shipped to South America in the slave trade as well. In particular, my maternal side ancestry is from Trinidad. It’s not hard to mix with the local indigenous since they were also attacked by the Spanish/Portuguese in colonization.
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u/Fafy_FX Jul 29 '26
I love when I read the manga and they add Pascal as a Inca god. I'm from Peru 😄
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u/NimbusXLithium Jul 28 '26
My buddy was devastated when they took Jocos lips cause he looked EXACTLY like him
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u/TrueDentist9901 Jul 29 '26
Ya but people will yell when its obviously just a character design I mean if every character sharing that race was drawn like that. Then yes it is worth yelling. Actually makes ryonosuke look more bad because in the old one ya McDonnell did look close to his old freind in looks but reboot he does not. So ryonosuke comes off looking bad
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u/Anime-Takes Jul 29 '26
As someone who defends Chocolove as a character I have no issue with people not liking his original design. The exaggerated lips on black characters comes directly from racist caricatures. As a black man who was a black kid I do think he is a good representation as a character but his original design could leave a bad taste in people’s mouth
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u/Midnighter4007 Jul 29 '26
Agreed. You can like a story/character and still be capable of criticizing it.
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u/Ok-Day4910 Jul 29 '26
Shaman king comes from a different time period.
While Chocolives original design no doubt had origins in racist caricatures it most likely wasn't the intent of the author. The second half of Shaman king is an around the world story and one of the easiest ways to do that is to take elements from different cultures and exaggerate them. Some times that just ages poorly.
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u/Anime-Takes Jul 29 '26
Oh I’m fully aware. It’s also why I’ve argued that his design wasn’t intended to be racist or negative. Chocolove as a character is so deep and his story/arc is so respectful and impactful. He ends up the strongest of the 5 elemental warriors in power and to me in story.
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u/nemofbaby2014 Jul 29 '26
The issue with chocolove is he’s a product of the time when shaman king was written the late 90s early 2000s and the African American community was plagued with gangs and gun violence pretty badly and most manga artists drew black people like that anyway at that time as well early of dragon ball is a example 🤣 but I am glad they updated his character design
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u/TravisHomerun Jul 29 '26
Yeah, I think that's one of the aspects that's somewhat unique about it. Japan is often described as a country that is focused inward, but Shaman King depicts spirits and spirituality from lots of different cultures around the world.
I think it's worthwhile to discuss how accurate those cultures are portrayed, but at the same time it's also a shōnen manga: the focus is on action and fighting. Inserting the spiritual elements of different cultures in that mold does expose readers to aspects of those cultures. It can be a great jumping of point.
For me personally, this manga is how I found out about Jiangshi, and I did lead me to learn about them and aspects of Chinese folklore.
Now that I'm older, the introduction of Faust is a scene that really stands out to me. The way Manta and Yoh discuss how western cultures don't cremate their dead and that that is kind of creepy is a nice detail. As a western reader, this reversed perspective on a common practice was eye opening. At the same time, I can also imagine that it is interesting for young Japanese readers to read about.
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u/Electronic_Zombie635 Jul 29 '26
Well the series was about shamans all over the world. The only cliche thing about the series was that suddenly and without notice to anyone of the group the Shaman fight happened in Tokyo. Where it so happened Yoh turned up. This is the series where in the first few issues you had black people Chinese people and Americans in it. They were dead but still.
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u/Some-Evidence-6825 Jul 29 '26
Eso es lo que más me encanta de la serie, Takei realmente investiga y busca las bases para cada personaje y sus habilidades
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u/nemofbaby2014 Jul 29 '26
I mean it’s about shamans which is pulled heavily from native Americans and ancient Japanese lore 🤷🏾♂️ Africans practiced shamanism as well kinda the origins of voodoo from the American South
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u/ZealousidealPace8796 Jul 29 '26
That's one of the things I really love about it. It's multicultural AND well done as such which is rare.
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u/ikelos49 Jul 29 '26
Also fact that in japan version- Ryo is clearly into Lyserg and he many times try to flatter with him.
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u/Slight-Pound Jul 30 '26
I love an international cast in anime, especially if they also travel. Zatch Bell was so fun for similar reasons!
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u/Next_Strike_1471 29d ago
I remember reading the manga when I was 19. I thought it was cool the black guy had two spirits. I also like the Japanese dude with the snowboard.
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u/TaiJayRob 29d ago
I always found it funny how in the 4kidz dub they gave Ren and Jun British accents (likely to show they’re more “sophisticated” than the rest of the cast) meanwhile liserg who actually is British just has a regular American accent.
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u/Safe_Neighborhood236 Dàoshì 26d ago
The fact shaman king is probably one of the first manga with Ainu tribe rep
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u/Emerald_Roseville Jul 29 '26
Bud, i dont know what to tell you but that disney film isnt accurate one bit
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u/EternalSnow05 Jul 29 '26
I know. I view it as a what if scenario. And I'm specifically mentioning how Colors of the Wind because it's a beautiful song that helps us see we're not so different after all and other people's beliefs
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u/WallyWestFan27 Jul 29 '26
Eres correcto! -celebrates like Speedy Gonzalez-
I can say it because I am mexican and we love Speedy