Zatch Bell and Kiyo Takamine
Encyclopedia
Kiyo Takamine, known in the original version as and his partner Zatch Bell, known in the original version as , are fictional characters
in the anime
and manga
franchise Zatch Bell!
by Makoto Raiku
. A Mamodos are beings from the Mamodo world and wield supernatural powers. The series begins when Kiyo's father sends Zatch to stay with Kiyo. Kiyo is revealed to be the Zatch's book keeper, the partner of the Mamodo who reads the words indicated in the book to allow the Mamodo to use their abilities. Kiyo is then dragged into the Mamodo battle where the last standing Mamodo in the Human World becomes the king of the Mamodo World. In addition to the main series, Kiyo and Zatch appear in the two movies spun off by the series.
Kiyo and Zatch were based on the design of a normal highschool student and a noble knight who combats evil. The knight however was changed into a cuter character. In the Zatch Bell! character popularity polls, Kiyo and Zatch are voted one of the most popular characters ranking in the top three. Plush dolls based on Zatch's appearance have also been made.
ended, Raiku looked at his old drafts he created in the past for an idea for his next series. One of his ideals was a mercenary who uses a giant sword to defeat enemies. After playing with that idea for three months, Raiku decided to abandon it and go with another idea. His next idea was a story where a middle school student, the prototype of Kiyo, finds an old toy and with the help the of a noble knight, combats evil. After taking this up with his agent, he was advised to use a cuter character to fight and thus, Zatch was created. After Raiku worked on the idea for month, it was published. The reason Zatch uses lightning spells because his name had the word "Rai", which means "lightning" in Japanese.
14-year-old junior high school student with an IQ of over 180. His intelligence makes him a target for teasing and harassment causing him to develop an introverted and apathetic demeanor to the point where he skips school on a regular basis. However, his entire lifestyle changes when Zatch Bell arrives in his life. Due to Zatch's influence, Kiyo becomes more outgoing and eventually becomes popular in his class. Kiyo still has a bad temper and is easily irritated, often venting his frustrations on Zatch or his ditzy classmate Suzy Mizuno.
, which he prefers to eat whole. When Zatch arrived to the Human world, he lived in a forest until the day Zeno attacked Zatch and removed his memory of the Mamodo world. Kiyo's father finds him and sends him to Kiyo. During the progress of the series, it is revealed Zatch is empowered with the power of Bao, a powerful dragon created by Zatch's father during the last Mamodo battle. Due to the danger of Bao and Zatch's father's declining health, he transferred Bao into Zatch in order to prevent it from escaping and wreaking havoc in the Mamodo world. He soon sent Zatch to live as a normal Mamodo so he may never discover the power of Bao.
Zatch's primary offense at first is the spell , which causes him to fire lightning from his mouth. During the course of the series, more powerful variations of Zaker are used in the order of , , and . Zatch's most powerful spell is which conjures a giant electrical dragon. He later gains varieties of "Bao Zakeruga" such as which conjures a giant claw which conjures a serpentine "Bao Zakeruga" which attacks by shooting its scales, and , a manifestation of electricity in the form of a giant Lernaean Hydra
.
Zatch also gains a wide range of versatile spells to assist in situations. erects a giant shield that reflect attacks back to the source while also adding electricity to the reflected attack, creates a ball of electricity that magnetizes anything following immediate contact, amplifies Zatch's physical attributes, to guide and increase the powers of Zatch's electrical spells, and generates a huge ball of electricity capable of deflecting attacks and attracting the enemy into its epicenter where they are electrocuted.
After Zofis' defeat, a group of Mamodos plan to awaken the giant Mamodo Faudo and use its power to win the Mamodo battles. Kiyo and his friends realize the threat Faudo could bring to the world and infiltrates Faudo's body in order to stop its resurrection. As they progress inside Faudo, Kiyo is killed in battle but is resuscitated into a catatonic state by Zatch. Zatch and friends move on and meet the one controlling Faudo, Zeno who reveals he is Zatch's twin brother. Kiyo awakens and with Zatch battles and defeats Zeno and sends Faudo back to the Mamodo World.
Later a powerful Mamodo named Clear Note reveals his intention to destroy the Mamodo world if crowned the Mamodo King. Kiyo and Zatch, with the help of friends, manage to defeat Clear Note leaving only Zatch and Brago battle as the remaining Mamodos. Zatch eventually engages and defeats Brago and is then crowned King of the Mamodo World. Zatch returns to the Mamodo world and restores the defeated Mamodos. Some time passes and Zatch sends Kiyo a letter telling him the peace of the Mamodo world.
's review of the first two Tankōbon
of the series stated that Kiyo was not a likable character due to his abrasive attitude. IGN however described Zatch as "...a funny, quirky character that's easy to like and easy to get annoyed with fairly quickly". Mania.com's Jarred Pine review of the first volume also commented on Kiyo's irritating and arrogant persona. In the
SPJA Industry Award, Jason Spisak
was nominated fifth in the category "best English voice actor" for the voice of Kiyo. Debi Derryberry
was nominated for "Best Actress in a Comedy" for her role as Zatch at the 2006 and 2007 American Anime Awards
but did not win. Since the series was released, merchandise based on Zatch's appearance has been made such as plush toys and action figures.
Character (arts)
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
in the anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
and manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
franchise Zatch Bell!
Zatch Bell!
Zatch Bell!, known in Japan as is a shōnen manga series written and illustrated by Makoto Raiku. It was published in Shogakukan's Weekly Shōnen Sunday...
by Makoto Raiku
Makoto Raiku
is a manga artist whose works have appeared prominently in Shogakukan's publication Shōnen Sunday. Starting off an assistant for Kazuhiro Fujita on his manga Ushio & Tora, he started creating several one-shots for the shōnen manga anthology such as Bird Man , Hero Ba-Ban and Genmai Blade is a...
. A Mamodos are beings from the Mamodo world and wield supernatural powers. The series begins when Kiyo's father sends Zatch to stay with Kiyo. Kiyo is revealed to be the Zatch's book keeper, the partner of the Mamodo who reads the words indicated in the book to allow the Mamodo to use their abilities. Kiyo is then dragged into the Mamodo battle where the last standing Mamodo in the Human World becomes the king of the Mamodo World. In addition to the main series, Kiyo and Zatch appear in the two movies spun off by the series.
Kiyo and Zatch were based on the design of a normal highschool student and a noble knight who combats evil. The knight however was changed into a cuter character. In the Zatch Bell! character popularity polls, Kiyo and Zatch are voted one of the most popular characters ranking in the top three. Plush dolls based on Zatch's appearance have also been made.
Creation and conception
After Raiku's "Newtown Heroes" series in the Shōnen Sunday SuperShonen Sunday Super
is a bi-monthly shōnen manga magazine published by Shogakukan.-History & Background:Originally billed as a special edition of Shōnen Sunday entitled Shōnen Sunday Zōkan, it was renamed Shōnen Sunday Super in 1995. It is often the home of short term serials by established Shogakukan artists, as well...
ended, Raiku looked at his old drafts he created in the past for an idea for his next series. One of his ideals was a mercenary who uses a giant sword to defeat enemies. After playing with that idea for three months, Raiku decided to abandon it and go with another idea. His next idea was a story where a middle school student, the prototype of Kiyo, finds an old toy and with the help the of a noble knight, combats evil. After taking this up with his agent, he was advised to use a cuter character to fight and thus, Zatch was created. After Raiku worked on the idea for month, it was published. The reason Zatch uses lightning spells because his name had the word "Rai", which means "lightning" in Japanese.
Kiyo Takamine
Kiyo Takamine is a geniusGenius
Genius is something or someone embodying exceptional intellectual ability, creativity, or originality, typically to a degree that is associated with the achievement of unprecedented insight....
14-year-old junior high school student with an IQ of over 180. His intelligence makes him a target for teasing and harassment causing him to develop an introverted and apathetic demeanor to the point where he skips school on a regular basis. However, his entire lifestyle changes when Zatch Bell arrives in his life. Due to Zatch's influence, Kiyo becomes more outgoing and eventually becomes popular in his class. Kiyo still has a bad temper and is easily irritated, often venting his frustrations on Zatch or his ditzy classmate Suzy Mizuno.
Zatch Bell
Zatch is an overly cheerful boy who possess a strong sense of justice, but is clueless about most of the world around him and often gets in trouble when not being supervised by someone. Kiyo makes Zatch a toy named Volcun 300 which he refers to as a friend. Zatch's favorite food is YellowtailJapanese amberjack
The Japanese amberjack or yellowtail, Seriola quinqueradiata, is a fish in the family Carangidae. It is native to the northwest Pacific, from Japan to Hawaii....
, which he prefers to eat whole. When Zatch arrived to the Human world, he lived in a forest until the day Zeno attacked Zatch and removed his memory of the Mamodo world. Kiyo's father finds him and sends him to Kiyo. During the progress of the series, it is revealed Zatch is empowered with the power of Bao, a powerful dragon created by Zatch's father during the last Mamodo battle. Due to the danger of Bao and Zatch's father's declining health, he transferred Bao into Zatch in order to prevent it from escaping and wreaking havoc in the Mamodo world. He soon sent Zatch to live as a normal Mamodo so he may never discover the power of Bao.
Skills
Kiyo's high intelligence and quick decision making makes him an excellent tactician which allowed Zatch to defeat Mamodos much stronger than Zatch. During the battle within Faudo, Kiyo gained an ability called which grants Kiyo the ability to know the answer to any question. Using the ability of Answer Talker in battle allows Kiyo to completely understand an opponent's attack, how to evade it, and how to effectively counterattack. Most of Zatch's spells causes Zatch to lose consciousness when cast. To get around this, Kiyo devised a method of reciting spells by training Zatch to look in the direction Kiyo points to.Lernaean Hydra
In Greek mythology, the Lernaean Hydra was an ancient nameless serpent-like chthonic water beast, with reptilian traits, that possessed many heads — the poets mention more heads than the vase-painters could paint, and for each head cut off it grew two more — and poisonous breath so virulent even...
.
Zatch also gains a wide range of versatile spells to assist in situations. erects a giant shield that reflect attacks back to the source while also adding electricity to the reflected attack, creates a ball of electricity that magnetizes anything following immediate contact, amplifies Zatch's physical attributes, to guide and increase the powers of Zatch's electrical spells, and generates a huge ball of electricity capable of deflecting attacks and attracting the enemy into its epicenter where they are electrocuted.
Plot overview
Kiyo's father sends amnesic Zatch to live with him where he discovers that reading a spell from Zatch's book causes lightning to come out of Zatch's mouth. Kiyo soon learns that Zatch is a Mamodo and is one of the one-hundred Mamodo candidates in the Mamodo Battles where the remaining Mamodo who has their book intact shall become the king of the Mamodo world and thus forcing Kiyo and Zatch to fend off attacks by other Mamodos. As the series progresses, Kiyo and Zatch befriend a Mamodo named Kolulu who reveals that the Mamodo King forced her into the tournament. Zatch upon hearing her story strives to become the Mamodo King in order to bring peace to the Mamodo World. During the course of the story, Kiyo and Zatch befriend a super star named Parco Folgore and his Mamodo Kanchomé, an idol singer named Megumi Oumi and her Mamodo partner Tia, a Chinese girl named Li-en and her Mamodo Wonrei, a genius magician named Dr. Riddles and his Mamodo Kido, and later, a German man named Kafk Sunbeam and his Mamodo Ponygon. An evil Mamodo named Zofis antagonists Kiyo and his friends prompting them to defeat him and prevent him from being the Mamodo King.After Zofis' defeat, a group of Mamodos plan to awaken the giant Mamodo Faudo and use its power to win the Mamodo battles. Kiyo and his friends realize the threat Faudo could bring to the world and infiltrates Faudo's body in order to stop its resurrection. As they progress inside Faudo, Kiyo is killed in battle but is resuscitated into a catatonic state by Zatch. Zatch and friends move on and meet the one controlling Faudo, Zeno who reveals he is Zatch's twin brother. Kiyo awakens and with Zatch battles and defeats Zeno and sends Faudo back to the Mamodo World.
Later a powerful Mamodo named Clear Note reveals his intention to destroy the Mamodo world if crowned the Mamodo King. Kiyo and Zatch, with the help of friends, manage to defeat Clear Note leaving only Zatch and Brago battle as the remaining Mamodos. Zatch eventually engages and defeats Brago and is then crowned King of the Mamodo World. Zatch returns to the Mamodo world and restores the defeated Mamodos. Some time passes and Zatch sends Kiyo a letter telling him the peace of the Mamodo world.
Appearances in other media
Kiyo and Zatch are the protagonists in the two spun off animated films and . The pair appear in all of the Zatch Bell! series video games where the pair are played as a single character.Reception
In the first Weekly Shōnen Sunday popularity polls of the series, Zatch ranked first and Kiyo ranked second. In the second and third Zatch Bell! character popularity contest, Zatch and Kiyo ranked first and third respectively. IGNIGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
's review of the first two Tankōbon
Tankobon
, with a literal meaning close to "independently appearing book", is the Japanese term for a book that is complete in itself and is not part of a series , though the manga industry uses it for volumes which may be in a series...
of the series stated that Kiyo was not a likable character due to his abrasive attitude. IGN however described Zatch as "...a funny, quirky character that's easy to like and easy to get annoyed with fairly quickly". Mania.com's Jarred Pine review of the first volume also commented on Kiyo's irritating and arrogant persona. In the
SPJA Industry Award, Jason Spisak
Jason Spisak
Jason Spisak is an American voice actor in animation and video games, and a Computer Programmer.Spisak is also the co-leader of the Symphony OS Project. He is the designer of Symphony's unique Mezzo desktop environment and wrote the Laws of Interface Design, for which the project tries to adhere...
was nominated fifth in the category "best English voice actor" for the voice of Kiyo. Debi Derryberry
Debi Derryberry
Debi Derryberry is an American voice actress, singer, composer and kids' entertainer who won an American Anime Award.-History:...
was nominated for "Best Actress in a Comedy" for her role as Zatch at the 2006 and 2007 American Anime Awards
American Anime Awards
The American Anime Awards are a series of awards designed to recognize excellence in the release of anime and manga in North America.The first annual American Anime Awards balloting was supervised by Milton Griepp of industry website ICv2. The first gala awards presentation was hosted in New York...
but did not win. Since the series was released, merchandise based on Zatch's appearance has been made such as plush toys and action figures.