The manga and anime series Zatch Bell!, known in Japan as for the manga and for the anime, features an extensive cast of characters created and illustrated by Makoto Raiku. The fictional storyline takes place largely in Japan during the early 21st century and focuses on the eponymous character Zatch Bell; a being called Mamodo with supernatural powers fighting in a millennial, royal tournament; alongside an intelligent teen boy named Kiyo Takamine. The series' plot follows Zatch and Kiyo's adventure together as they fight their way through the tournament until only Zatch emerges on top and leaves Earth for his homeworld, the Mamodo world.
During the tournament, Zatch also interacts and befriends a few other Mamodo, who are convinced that he is the best hope for becoming a "kind king", his long-held goal. Among the Mamodo he collaborates with are Kanchomé, a comical duckling-like Mamodo partnered with Italian star Parco Folgore; Tia, a hot-headed Mamodo paired with a congenial teen idol Megumi Oumi; Ponygon, a pony-like Mamodo who finds Kafk Sunbeam midway in the series; and Wonrei, with whom his partner Li En is enamored. Together, they encounter and stave off malign opponents: Zofis, who brainwashes his own partner Koko along with other humans to pair them with Mamodo from the previous tournament; Rioh, who callously risks the entire Earth for the crown; Zeno Bell, Zatch's malevolent twin brother; and Clear Note, who subsequently defeats all of Zatch's allies.
The original manga ran for 323 chapters collected into 33 volumes from May 18, 2001, to June 18, 2008. Other editions of the series have since been published. The anime was adapted from the manga and aired for 150 episodes over three seasons from April 6, 2003, to March 26, 2006. The anime digresses slightly from the manga's storyline in several aspects, with some events and elements altered, and Clear Note's uprising never seen. The TV series also concludes with only Zatch and Brago left, both who are seen making opening rounds on one another to determine the final contender. Viz Media acquired the English-adaptation rights for both the manga and anime, although only 25 volumes were translated to English, and 104 episodes were dubbed in English.
Background Setting In the decennial 2000s, a swathe of 100 mystical beings called arrive on Earth from the Mamodo world for a free-for-all tournament that repeats every 1,000 years, the last rite occurring sometime during the 2nd millennium. Each Mamodo has a specific set of magical powers imprinted on grimoires, or spellbooks, that must be read to use them; therefore, each individual Mamodo must rely on a human partner to cast the spells for them. The Mamodo starts with only one spell but can gain more over the course of the tournament. The Mamodo is eliminated from the competition if their book is burnt, at which point they are sent back to the Mamodo world. The object of the tournament is to be the last Mamodo to survive to be anointed their world's king.
Casting a Mamodo's spell consumes the partner's stamina referred to as , which emerges from professing a bond in their dyad. The intensity of the spell conjured from the spellbook is also determined by the user's . Another key element in the manga is a spontaneous psychic ability called the , which only surfaces in human characters when they are in extreme psychiatric stress. This ability allows them to read others' minds and involuntarily answer any questions or problems raised. Kiyo procures this ability in the middle of the battle against Faudo. The anime leaves out the Answer Talker, although Dufort retains his telepathic powers.
Creation and conception For creating the Zatch Bell! manga, Makoto Raiku wanted a "passionate story about a heartwarming friendship" as a central theme, borrowing elements of otherworldly entities, spells and grimoires. On the influence of his characters, he gave the most credit to Mazinger Z and Reideen The Brave, even taking cues from American superhero comics such as Spider-Man, the latter of which would form a template for the primary character. He also drew inspirations from a number of video games; Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy, and Animal Crossing being his top favorites. In a 2006 interview, Raiku said that he also got new ideas for characters by talking to people and through his everyday activities.
While laying the groundwork for the series, Raiku consulted with Shogakukan's editors for finalizing the original character designs. He and his agents worked out Zatch's Japanese name Gash. In his primitive form, Zatch was portrayed as a toy that magically changes into a noble knight to defeat malevolent forces and summoned by a middle school student. Due to pressure from editors, Zatch was redesigned into a humanoid being with childly qualities, while the middle school student would become Kiyo Takamine. Zatch and his breed were oftentimes misperceived as live puppets or dolls because of the vertical lines beneath his eyes, an idiosyncrasy shared between Mamodo. According to Raiku, the brows serve as visual aid so that the Mamodo would stand out more from human characters. Raiku observed children at play in patterning the Mamodo's motions.
During the manga run, Raiku also created Parco Folgore based on the "Invincible Italian Man" epithet and paired him with Kanchomé for their humorous psyche. He created Ponygon both as an allegory for his affinity of horses and to lend the series an animal mascot. Suzy Mizuno was originally cast with long hair. Sherry was envisioned to have nunchuks in her hair in disguise as rollers.
The red spellbook belonging to Zatch was inspired by The Red Book of Appin, a supposed medicinal treatise compiled in Northern Scotland during the Middle Ages that has since mysteriously vanished. As Raiku interpreted it, the book "allowed you to make all demons into one's subordinates." For the most part, he chose the colors of Mamodo spellbooks at random, though he picked vermillion for Tia's book to accentuate her brightly hued hair.
Major characters Protagonists Zatch Bell and Kiyo Takamine
Zatch Bell, known in the Japanese version as , is the title character of the franchise. Raiku created Zatch during the series' conception on a suggestion for a cute yet humble lead character. Zatch's spells are based on lightning which he fires from his mouth, alluding to Raiku's pseudonym. Zatch's most powerful spell is Bao Zakeruga, which uses up tremendous Heart Energy and is generally a last resort. Zatch is an overly cheerful and optimistic boy, but he sours at those who try to harm him or anyone else around him. As such, he strives to be a "kind king" of the Mamodo world to make many friends and protect them, as well as abolish future tournaments. Zatch becomes enthusiastic at the sight of yellowtail, his favorite food. The anime complements him with a sharp sense of smell. In his youth, Zatch was brought into a rural life under a pitiless caretaker by his father, King Dauwan Bell, where he was also treated as an outcast by other Mamodo. At the beginning of the tournament on Earth, Zatch lost his memories because of his brother, Zeno Bell, and nearly perished in a dense forest before being rescued. Zatch is also revealed to be inhabited by the spirit of an electrical dragon known as , which has been given to him by Dauwan and forms the bedrock of his potency. This is fully evinced when Zatch is briefly able to use spells of every Mamodo he has encountered to defeat Clear Note. In the end, Zatch achieves his dreams by defeating Brago and becoming the only surviving Mamodo in the tournament, but he ascends back to his homeworld as he is no longer needed on Earth. Zatch is voiced by Ikue Ōtani, and by Konami Yoshida for the final nine episodes in the Japanese version. He is voiced by Debi Derryberry in the English dub.
Zatch's partner is Kiyo Takamine, known as in the original, a 14-year-old junior high school student with an IQ of over 180. Because of his intelligence, Kiyo has been shunned by students so much that he misses school on a regular basis, thus making him introverted and socially withdrawn. After his father, Seitaro, sends Zatch over to him, Kiyo's attitude evolves over the course of the series to a more empathetic and receptive nature, helping him befriend many other characters and gaining their trust. While Kiyo has a habit of shouting at Zatch over minor mishaps, he also proudly attests Zatch's growing influence on him. In combat, Kiyo conducts strategies with Zatch and others allied with the pair. During the skirmish inside Faudo, Kiyo is gruesomely mauled by Rioh and dies only to come back alive with the Answer Talker, which would also be decisive in the fight against Clear Note. Kiyo never acquires the Answer Talker in the anime, nor does he go through any near-death experience. At the end of the tournament, Kiyo turns down Zatch's final offer for a wish so that he may remember him for all time. Kiyo is voiced by Takahiro Sakurai in the Japanese version, and Jason Spisak in the English dub.
Kanchomé and Parco Folgore resembles a duckling with large eyes and a short bill, and donning a blanket sleeper. His powers involve transformations and illusions, including a spell that spawns clones with inhuman strength, and another that traps his targets in a psychological realm and gives him control over their senses. While Kanchomé tends to be acerbic and infantile, often crying and whining, he likewise displays a powerful resolve on parity with Zatch's. Kanchomé also loves candy, and his endeavors to get his hands on one often land him in humiliating predicaments. Kanchomé enters the tournament with a sole objective of eliminating Zatch firsthand but instead becomes his staunch ally. He is also the first of Zatch's allies to identify Faudo and experiences a bout of anxiety as a result. Kanchomé is ousted by Clear Note in a coordinated ambush, an event that immediately spurs Zatch and his friends into action. Kanchomé comes in 7th place on the tournament. He is voiced by Masami Kikuchi in the Japanese version; in the English dub, he is portrayed by Richard Steven Horvitz up to episode 48, and Jeff Nimoy for the remainder of the series.
Kanchomé's partner is , a philandering and charismatic 21-year-old Italian musician and film star whom he views as a role model. His character provides the main source of comic relief for the series. Hailing from Milan, Italy, Folgore mostly tours the world with his two popular songs: and . Kanchomé sings the latter song to prop up Folgore during battle. Although perverted, cowardly and unsteady, Folgore is beholden to a strong moral code and is often more insightful than he lets on. In his childhood, Folgore's irritable and violent tantrums prompted his parents to disown him. He later developed his comedic personality after witnessing a hippopotamus and an oxpecker coexisting, a precept that he shares with Kanchomé. Raiku has stated that Folgore is his favorite character. Folgore is voiced by Hiroki Takahashi in the Japanese version, and Dave Wittenberg in the English dub.
Tia and Megumi Oumi Tia, known as in the Japanese release, is a temperamental, tomboyish Mamodo depicted with hot pink hair. Her powers consist mostly of shields, as well as a healing spell for supporting others. She has a crush on Zatch, despite her penchant of haranguing and physically abusing him. Upon arriving on Earth, Tia encountered her longtime friend, Maruss, who suddenly attacked her. Traumatized by this, she came to believe that no one could ever be trusted. That changes after Zatch defeats Maruss, by which Tia becomes more spirited and warms up to Zatch and others in the hopes that a "kind king" would soon emerge, even encouraging them in battle. Tia loses out to Clear Note, landing in 5th place on the tournament. Tia is voiced by Rie Kugimiya in the Japanese version, and Melissa Fahn in the English dub.