The second adaptation of Takei’s manga and a 2001 anime reboot, Shaman King, follows the story of Asakura Yoh and his twin brother Hao pitting themselves in a once-in-500 years tournament, to become the Shaman King, the one who can willingly control and manipulate grand spirits. Part 4 is now streaming on Netflix.
Warning: This article contains heavy spoilers
Plot summary
Part three ends with Yoh, Chocolove, Ren, and others convincing the new Golem user to abstain from seeking vengeance on Chocolove for his late father. Yoh has also withdrawn from the competition in a desperate rush to save Tao Ren’s life.
The new part kicks off with Hao realizing that Yoh acquired the Spirit of Sword from Matamune, the Ogre Slayer. Convinced by his growth rate, Hao sends Opacho to convince Yoh to return to the Shaman Fight or he’ll destroy Golem and the children.
Yoh tries to negotiate with X-Laws in a bid to return to the fight but the anti-Hao organization refuses to accept the proposal.
The group encounters the leader of Gandhara, Sati Saigan, who sends Yoh and his friends into hell to retrieve the Five Grand Elemental Spirits. While they train in hell, a suspicious group of X-LAWS attack the scene.
*The five grand elemental spirits are handed over by Sati of Gandhara to chosen candidates. Hao had already stolen the Spirit of Fire from the Patch Tribe. The other three elemental spirits are received by Ren, McDonnell, and Horokeu.
Hao’s men are starting to defect against him while Anna manages to injure Hao with a secret technique. In the background, the Shaman fight heats up as Hao’s men take on another fight in the absence of their leader.
The fight between Team Ren and Yoh ends up with an unexpected person entering the stadium. Meanwhile, Hao wipes out the entire fleet of Mansumi in a single blow.
Hao gets crowned as the Shaman King by default as Yoh and the team strategize to take down the new Shaman King to prevent the extinction of mankind. The Patch Tribe blocks their move to protect the birth of the new Shaman King.
The team faces enormous struggles to reach the company of the king. During the fight with the priests, Rao unleashes the dark energy he has been harbouring for years. After defeating the ninth priest, Silva, the team faces an extremely powerful priest by the name of, Razaho.
Hao is officially crowned as the Shaman King and becomes a new god. Humanity starts to crumble and the countdown to extinction begins. His otherworldly powers start to overwhelm Yoh and the team.
Just when they are about to get vanished by a large black hole, Manta, X-LAWS, and others come to the rescue, riding on an anti-gravitational train. In the following scenes, Hao is exposed to raw truth about his alienation from his mother and inability to read minds.
The final act follows the appearance of Asanoha (Hao’s mother), condemning and apologizing for his son’s actions. Yoh and his friends are finally relieved to see Hao’s reunion with his mother.
Shaman King season 1 part 4 ending explained in detail: (Episode 52: ‘God End’)
Unfettered Resistance
Yoh and the team fight against the extra-terrestrial Shamanic powers of Hao. His power makes the solar system’s sun collapse into a black hole. The huge gravitational pull makes everyone get sucked into the hole.
Out of nowhere, Manta appears and saves everyone from getting annihilated by the black hole.
Hao tries every trick in his pockets to kill them but the unfettering resistance and willpower of the team rattle him to the point of exhaustion and confusion.
A troubling past
The episode reveals Hao’s centuries-old hatred and misunderstandings against humanity and disaffection from his late mother.
The confrontation reveals that his mother’s soul was always by his side but his anger and hatred always pushed her aside from him.
According to Hao, she was killed by humans because of her ability to see spirits. Asanoha (Hao’s mother) was killed by villagers who believed that she was a fox in disguise. They burned her to death expecting that it would make her reveal her true form.
Asanoha finally appears in spirit form, ordering him to get rid of the negative mindset and that a true Shaman King prioritizes love and affection over any other feelings.
Sati crashes onto the scene and quizzes Hao on feelings about becoming the Shaman King and exacting revenge on friends and enemies. She advises him to flush out the remaining vengeful feelings as it leads to nothingness.
“Happiness, sorrow, and anger – you must include these feelings. That’s what being a human is truly about. If you are going to be the Shaman King, you need to learn how to love people first.”
Reunion of the four Great Warriors
Seven years after the apocalyptic face-off, the five great shamanic warriors – Ren, Asakura Yoh, Chocolove McDonnell, and Usui Horokeu, meet again at a restaurant.
Reminiscing about the day, they realize that they have come a long way out. Thanks to the empathetic spirit of the team, a notorious god was convinced to lay beside his hatred against humanity, thus saving the whole of humanity.
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