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Shaman King watch order: How to watch and read the iconic manga in order
This manga's publication history gets a little strange at times.
The world of Shaman King is filled with danger, powerful spirits, and deadly tournaments. The original manga ran from 1998 to 2004 and has spawned multiple spin-offs, two anime adaptations, and thirteen video games based on the series. The sheer volume of Shaman King media available makes it difficult to know exactly where to start with the iconic Shonen series.
From Hiroyuki Takei’s original manga through to the upcoming sequel anime coming to Netflix later this year, here is every Shaman King manga and anime in both release and chronological order to make it easier for you to experience Yoh’s adventures.
How to read Shaman King in chronological order
There are currently seven different Shaman King manga series available, with most of them covering one or more side characters in the story. While you can read them in chronological order, doing so might spoil some of the surprises in later chapters of the manga, so we only recommend this for fans who have already read the story once.
Other than Shaman King: Zero, which is a prequel to the events of the original Shaman King manga, and sequels Shaman King: Flowers and Shaman King: The Super Star, most Shaman King series are spin-offs that cover material both before, during, and after the original manga’s story. They also mostly ran during the same 2012-2018 time period, though their plots rarely interacted.
Here is the chronological order for Shaman King manga:
- Shaman King Zero – Note that this is a prequel manga that sets up the events of the original Shaman King run.
- Shaman King
- Shaman King: Red Crimson – This is a spin-off manga that follows Tao Jun and Li Pairon’s adventures.
- Shaman King: Marcos – This is a spin-off manga that follows the X-Laws group.
- Shaman King & a Garden – This is a spin-off manga that follows Canna, Mathilda, and Marion both before and during the main Shaman King storyline.
- Shaman King: Flowers – This is a sequel manga that is set around 16 years after the original Shaman King manga. It stars the son of the original protagonist Yoh.
- Shaman King: The Super Star – This is a sequel manga that picks up where Shaman King: Flowers left off when the magazine that it was serialized in was discontinued.
How to read Shaman King in release order
It is generally better to read Shaman King in the order it was released, which preserves all the big twists and dramatic reveals of later chapters. We would at least recommend picking up the two sequel series, Flowers and The Super Star, after you’ve finished reading the original Shaman King. This is because both Flowers and The Super Star follow the original protagonist’s child several years after the original series ends.
It is worth remembering that most of the spin-offs and sequel series in the Shaman King franchise have had simultaneous releases, so their release dates often overlap without their stories actually interacting.
The release order for the Shaman King manga is:
- Shaman King
- Shaman King: Zero
- Shaman King: Flowers
- Shaman King: The Super Star
- Shaman King: Red Crimson
- Shaman King: Marcos
- Shaman King & a Garden
Which Shaman King anime should I watch?
The existence of two different anime series titled Shaman King has led to a lot of confusion over the years. Is one better than the other? Which one is considered the “canon” version? Essentially, the original Shaman King anime began airing in 2001, while the manga was still running in Shonen Jump. Because of the weekly release schedule, the anime quickly caught up to the source material and the production team created their own ending to the story without knowing what original mangaka Hiroyuki Takei planned for Yoh and his friends.
The 2021 anime had the benefit of coming out years after the original manga had finished its run. This means that it is closer to the original story than the first anime series. It still has some abrupt pacing issues, though, which causes some fans to prefer the original anime. However, if you’re after a more direct adaptation of the Shaman King manga, this is the one to go for.
A third anime adaptation, titled Shaman King: Flowers, began airing in January 2024. It is a direct sequel to the 2021 anime, adapting the manga of the same name.
Where can I watch Shaman King?
The good news is that the 2021 Shaman King anime is readily available in both subbed and dubbed formats on Netflix. It isn’t listed as a “Netflix Original” though so that might change in the future as licensing deals change over time.
However, if you’re feeling nostalgic and want to watch the original Shaman King anime from 2001, then you’re sorely out of luck. Unless you can track down a physical copy of the show, it is difficult to come by. No streaming services currently have the rights to stream the first Shaman King anime series outside of Japan.
Similarly, there haven't been any announcements about who will be streaming Shaman King: Flowers, the new anime adaptation of the sequel manga that began airing in January 2024 in Japan. Overseas fans will simply have to wait to get their hands on an official localization.
What is Shaman King: Flowers and Shaman King: The Super Star?
In 2012, Hiroyuki Takei released a sequel manga to Shaman King in the Jump X magazine. However, in 2014, Jump X was canceled before Shaman King: Flowers could complete its story. When they were ready to continue the plot in a different magazine in 2018, they couldn’t use the original title due to copyright issues. As a result, Takei called the new series Shaman King: The Super Star. It should be viewed as a continuation of Flowers’ story.
In January 2024, a new anime series titled Shaman King: Flowers began airing in Japan. This is an adaptation of this sequel anime series. It is unclear if it will change its title when it begins adapting The Super Star storylines or not.
What’s next for Shaman King?
The big news for Shaman King fans is that the new anime, Shaman King: Flowers is airing in Japan. It began airing in January 2024, with animation from studio Bridge - the same studio that produced the 2021 anime adaptation. The is set 16 years after the original Shaman King story and follows new protagonist Hana Asakura, the son of original protagonists Yoh and Anna.
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