Giant Over Soul
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Giant Over Soul is a technique used by some protagonists of the anime Shaman King, by Hiroyuki Takei. The manga version of Shaman King does not have this technique, though certain protagonists develop oversouls similar to the anime Giant Oversouls.
[edit] Introduction
Giant Over Soul, or Giant Spirit Control, is the next step in shamanic combat techniques, after the mastery of Over Soul. Indeed, most participants of the second part of the Shaman fight are able to perform Giant Over Soul for fighting purposes. There are several ways to learn it : by experience (the way most Shaman learn it, although it is quite long to master), or through the counselling of a greater Shaman. The latter is how we first discover Giant Over Soul : When Yoh Asakura and his friends literally immerse themselves inside the Chou Senji Ryakketsu, or Tome of the Shaman written by the original Hao/Zeke Asakura and afterwards, when we first see the Hanagumi, faithful followers of Hao, who achieved their mastery of Giant Over Soul through his direct teachings.
Giant Over Soul consists in giving a tremendous body to one's Spirit, entirely made out of Furyoku. The Shamanic focus is no longer employed to directly fight the opponent, but more to guide the now huge and extremely powerful spirit into attack (not a patch on the Spirit Unity, the very first Shamanic technique) Like the Over Soul, it drains the {[Furyoku]] from the shaman, however, it requires a lot more potential to sustain that shape than Over Soul.
This is not the ultimate perfection in shamanic combat, since the gigantic body can still be thwarted and disrupted by smaller, more concentrated attacks (as Mikihisa Asakura proved to Yoh's party, to which only Yoh and Ren will adapt, using Spirit Reduction). However, most fighters of the second part of the Shaman Fight do not know and use such techniques.
[edit] Shaman, Spirits and Giant Shapes
Here is a list of different Shaman, with their different types of Giant Over Soul :
- Spirit : Amidamaru
- Focuses : Katana, Antiquity (Crimson Blade)
- Giant Form : Amidamaru's Giant form is a larger-than-life version of the mighty samurai, wielding one katana. However, Yoh and his spirit will grow too strong for this shape, and will have to use a second focus, the Antiquity, to employ their power at its full extent : Amidamaru, on his side will use his second katana. Having mastered the use of two weapons, Yoh will learn the Double Medium. Later in episode 64: Epilogue, Yoh uses the power of all his friends and other shaman praying against Hao/Zeke Asakura to transform Amidamaru into a "complete" Giant Over Soul form. This form is seen to be a fusion of the Spirit Unity and Giant Over Soul, for Yoh is seen inside the center of Amidamaru's soul rather than being held as the rest of the shaman.
- Spirit : Bason
- Focuses : Kwan Dao, Houraiken (the Tao Family's heirloom, also called the Thunder Sword)
- Giant Form : Although the use of the Houraiken will undoubtedly give Ren more power than his Kwan Dao, the latter weapon will enable him to have another Giant Form than his enlarged and robotized version of his spirit, Bason. Using his Kwan Dao, he will be able to make it sprout extra armour at the top and the bottom, including an extra large blade on the top. In the end, he will be able to use those two forms in conjunction, and the Giant Bason will wield a Giant Kwan Dao for him.
- Spirit : Kororo the Koropokkur / Minutian
- Focuses : Snowboard, Ikupasi
- Giant Form : In the end, Horo will abandon his snowboard completely for fighting purposes, and his Giant Over Soul is mostly seen done with his woodcut charm, offered by his sister (the Ikupasi). In Giant Form, Kororo becomes a giant, slim and cristalline Ice-Queen, in tones of white and ice-blue, and dressed in ice and snow.
- Spirits : Tokagero, as a lizard and the Yamata no Orochi
- Focus : Wooden sword
- Giant Form : Ryu will use both forms of his spirit in conjunction, creating a massive tank-like vehicle with the eight heads of the great snake connected for attacking, and Tokageroh encrusted at the base of the vehicle, in a little control-post type area (which resembles like the helmet he usually wears).
- Spirit : Eliza (his wife)
- Focus : Adapted scythe with Guillotine blade
- Giant Form : In her Giant form, Eliza becomes a giant nurse, with a disproportionate syringe and other medical material. To note, Eliza can now attack with fast, precise blows, much like Ren, and unlike her former self with normal Over Soul / Spirit Control.
- Spirit : Mic the Jaguar
- Focus : Himself (see his Over Soul section for more explanation about Chocolove's powers)
- Giant Form : His spirit becomes (naturally) huge, and sprouts several car accessories : wheels, racer-type exhaust pipes, a metallic-type mane... The fact his Jaguar becomes car-like is considered another joke from his part (Jaguar, the car brand).
Note : The X-Laws' Spirits, although massive in size, are not considered a form of Giant Over Soul (since they have no other shape than the huge one). This fact is verified in that Lyserg noticed the impressive difference in power between his own Arch-Spirit and Yoh's group newly found Giant Form Spirits, when he witnesses their exit from the depths of the Chou Senji Ryakketsu. Also, Hao has noted that all the Archangels have is size, implying that they might be much weaker than they look.
- Spirit : Morphine (original)/Chloe (English anime), all eight of the Arch-Spirits
- Focus : Radiesthesist's Pendulum
- Giant Over Soul : When all X-Laws were down, their only hope lay in Lyserg. Thus, they gave him full control of their Arch-Spirits, which he fused together with his own little fairy, forming a gigantic, angelic Morphine, wearing Arch-Spirit-type armor.
| Shaman King |
|---|
| Techniques |
| Over Soul (Spirit Control) | Giant Over Soul (Giant Spirit Control) | Techniques of Shaman King |
| Characters |
| Asakura Family: Yoh Asakura | Anna Kyōyama | Mikihisa Asakura | Kino Asakura | Yohmei Asakura | Hana Asakura | Yohken Asakura |
| Allies/Teammates: Horohoro (Trey Racer) | Manta Oyamada (Morty) | Chocolove McDowell (Joco) | Faust VIII | "Wooden Sword" Ryu (Rio) | Tamao Tamamura (Tamara) | The Lily Five |
| Spirits: Amidamaru | Bason | Lee Bailong | Tokagero |Spirit of Fire |
| Native American Shamans: Silva | Kalim |
| Tao Family: Tao Jun (Jun) | Tao Ren (Len) | Tao Yúan (En) |
| X-Laws: Iron Maiden Jeanne | Lyserg Diethel | Marco |
| Enemies: Hao Asakura (Zeke) | Hao's followers | Opacho |
