King of Cards (manga)

King of Cards

Volume 1 Cover - Minami & Tamotsu
カードの王様
(Kādo no Ōsama)
Genre Fantasy, Romance
Manga
Written by Makoto Tateno
Published by Hakusensha
English publisher CMX Manga
Demographic Shōjo
Magazine Bessatsu Hana to Yume
Original run 1999 – 2004
Volumes 9

King of Cards (カードの王様 Kādo no Ōsama) is a nine volume shōjo manga written by the manga artist Makoto Tateno.

Plot

A high school student named Manami Minami is a beginner at the new line Trading Card Game, Chaos. Through a great stroke of luck, she obtains "Saghan the Mighty Sorcerer", an ultra rare card that is supposedly out of print. Now suddenly, every Chaos player in Japan is after Manami, attempting to take Saghan from her in a duel. With her cousin Tamotsu and her friends/rivals Miyako and Ko helping her out, and Saghan giving her tips on how to win in her dreams, Manami is on her way to becoming a Chaos champion. But can she balance her gamer life with her normal life?

Characters

Manami Minami
The main protagonist. By sheer luck, she obtains Saghan in a beginner's pack, and is now the target of every gamer in Japan. Her methods of winning come from her dreams, where she receives advice from Saghan himself. She's still learning the rules of Chaos, but she beaten every opponent she's met at least once. Her Deck shifts during every match, but Sahgan is always her main card, and sorcerers and spirits like Pixie and Domovoi as her major cards. She later obtains Faras, the Holy Shrine Maiden. She finds romance harder to understand than the rules of the game.
Saghan
The spirit of the "Mighty Sorcerer" Card, and Manami's constant ally. He communicates with Manami through her dreams, telling her how to win. Other card collectors have given Saghan the nickname "King of Cards". Manami soon learns that the Sahgan card she got was the first trial card for the Japanese version of Chaos.
Tamotsu Kazama
Manami's cousin. He's a Chaos expert, and gets her interested in the first place. His favorite card is The Angel of Destruction.
Miyako Kiyoguchi
At first, she was a disrespectful player, who threw away cards she didn't want, but changes her way of thinking after losing to Manami. She uses the Four Archangels, Four Demon Lords, and the Four Great Sorcerers. While she helps Manami from time to time, she really wants to take Saghan for herself. She soon reveals that Ko is her brother, separated by divorce, and used the rumors of the two being a couple to repel unwanted crushes.
Kō Tōjō
Miyako's brother, and a rival and friend of Tamotsu. He has some respect towards Manami, and may even harbor feelings for her. His favorite card is the Angel of Death, and he uses many other cards associated with the subject of death.
Riki Hikami
A Junior High boy, who known as the "Angel" to other Chaos players, because he is a master with Angel cards, no matter which Army he's playing.
Mr. Nanba
Owner of the Roxy, the store that Manani and her friends regularly play at.
The Ghoul Brothers
A duo of Twin Chaos players who get their nickname from their use of Monster-Type cards. They both harbor a grudge towards Manami, but help her out regardless.
Tsuyoshi Tachibana
Champion of the Kanto Tournament who has the nickname "Salamander". He's an expert with Fire Element Cards. He's the only person who was able to beat Manami and take Sahgan, although she defeats him later.
Misa Tachibana
Tsuyoshi's stepsister. She hates "Chaos", is in love with Tamotsu, and is one of Manami's rivals. She defeats Manami in a duel, but lets her keep Sahgan. She loses to Manami in the Kanto Tournament, and regains interest in Chaos. She plays mostly a Goddess Deck.
Toru Kanemoto
Manami's homeroom teacher. He was a top-notch Chaos player back in the day. He loans Manami a powerful card called Barat's Evil Eye. His collection consists of several hard to find cards.
Koji Suzaki
An expert in Beast cards. He's almost never seen without his dog Fenrir. He often hides cards in his sleeves to add to his hand when he wants. He takes Sahgan from Manami, but loses it in a match. However, he seems to have been working for someone else.
Ryo Araki
Another of Manami's rivals. He and his friends play for money at a shady store called Wapulgris Night. He has the same kinds of dreams as Manami, but chooses not to pay attention to them. He eventually gives up Chaos, and vows to take Sahgan from Manami to end the dreams, but his real intentions are unknown. His appearance is also similar to Sahgan, revealing that his grandfather was the model for the Sahgan card. He holds the rare Taurus the Alchemist card, which like Manami's Sahgan, is a trial card for the game's Japanese release.
Akira Hayatani
One of Tsuyoshi's friends. Nicknamed the "Water Boy" for his use of Water Element Cards.
Kengo Sasa
One of Tsuyoshi's friends. Nicknamed the "Prince of Darkness" for his use of Dark Element Cards.
Tetsu Takanaga
One of Tsuyoshi's friends. Nicknamed the "Light Bringer" for his use of Light Element Cards.
Kayo Sanada
One of Manami's classmates. She seems like an innocent girl, but she is a ruthless player who is nicknamed "The Witch". She has a crush on Araki. Her deck is built around witches and evil spirits.
Kasumi Nire
A girl who is a member of Miyako's game club. She has a major crush on Ko and sees Manami as her rival. Her deck uses evil or mischievous spirits like goblins, dwarves, and the Bogeyman.
Shinya Kuriyama
A friend of Araki. He has an interest in Magic Item cards, like Manami's Tyrfing the Enchanted Sword, and has built his Deck around them.
Kagawa
A member of the Hanyu Gaming Club who, after hearing about Miyako's loss to Manami, researches methods of defeating Sahgan.
Atsushi Nunoda
A card collecter who, at first believes Manami's Sahgan is a fake, and decides to use a duel as a means of comparing it to his copy of the card.
Maalik Fujita
A young boy with a deck based on the Indian or Hindu gods.
Sakuya Konohana
One of Araki's agents, and former champion of the Chaos Ladies' League. Her deck is built around spirits from Japanese mythology, which is a hard to come by series.
Chiharu Aikawa
One of Araki's agents, only because he owes him money. Nicknamed, "The Count", his Deck is based on Salvic mythology,with creatures like Werewolves and Vampires.

Chaos

This Trading Card Game is the main plot device of the manga. The rules are mostly based on Poker (Because the author didn't know much about Trading Card Games at the time).

It's a two player game, where one plays as the leader of the Angelic Army (God) while the other is the leader of the Demonic Army (Satan). Both players use hands of five cards, adding up the levels of their cards to see who wins each hand. The way to win is to reduce your opponent's points from 1000 to 0. The game has many types of cards, such as Angels, Demons, Sorcerers, Monsters, Gods, Dragons, Events, and Items.

There are many powerful hands that can be used. The Four Demon Lords, The Four Archangels, The Twin Angels of Death and Destruction, and the Four Great Sorcerers. When the Great Sorcerers are played with Saghan the Mighty Sorcerer, the become the only unbeatable hand in the game: The Divine Sorcerer. There are even Phantom Configurations that are really rare.

The game also has use of Elements. Members of the Angelic Army are all Light, while members of the Demonic Army are all Dark. The other Monster cards are divided into elements of Fire, Wood, Earth, and Water.

Poker terms such as Pair, Full House, and Straight are used in the game.

The General Cards

God's Side

Four Archangels

Satan's Side

Four Demon Kings
Fallen Angels

Other Mythology

Greek-Roman Mythology

Twelve Olympians

Norse-Scandinavian Mythology

Aesir
Vanir

Chinese Mythology

Ssu Ling Gods
Mythologic Creatures

Japanese Mythology

The Four Great Sorcerers

The Twin Angels

The Ultra-rare Cards

Further reading

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