King of Cards (manga)

Infobox animanga/Header
name = King of Cards


caption = Volume 1 Cover - Minami & Tamotsu
ja_kanji = カードの王様
ja_romaji = Card no Ousama
genre = Infobox animanga/Manga
title =
author = Makoto Tateno
illustrator =
publisher =
publisher_en = CMX Manga
publisher_other =
magazine =
first =
last =
volumes = 9
chapter_list =
demographic =
OEM =

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

Plot

A high school student named Manami 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 suddendly, 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. She later obtains Faras, the Holy Shrine Maiden.

; 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".

; 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.

; Kō Tōjō: Miyako's friend, and a rival of Tamotsu. He has some respect towards Manami, and may even harbor feelings for her. His favorite card is the Angel 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.

; 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 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.

; 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 has the same kinds of dreams as Manami, but chooses not to pay attention to them. His appearance is also similar to Sahgan. He holds the rare Taurus the Alchemist card.

; 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 hid 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.

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
* Michael
* Raphael
* Uriel
* Gabriel

atan's Side

;Four Demon Kings
* Ulix
* Mammon
* Baimon
* Egyun;Fallen Angels
* Fallen Angel Lucifiel/Lucifer
* Fallen Angel Belial

Other Mythology

Greek-Roman Mythology

;Twelve Olympians
* Zeus/Jupiter
* Poseidon/Neptune
* Hades/Pluto
* Hera/Juno
* Apollo
* Artemis/Diana
* Aphrodite/Venus
* Ares/Mars
* Athena/Minerva
* Hephaestus/Vulcan
* Hestia/Vesta
* Demeter/Ceres

Norse-Scandinavian Mythology

;Aesir
* Odin
* Frigg;Vanir
* Freyr
* Freyja

Chinese Mythology

;Ssu Ling Gods
* Qing Long: Azure Dragon of Eastern
* Bai Hu: White Tiger of Western
* Xuan Wu: Black Warrior of Northern
* Zhu Que: Vermilion Firebird of Southern;Mythologic Creatures
* Qilin: Creature of Luck
* Feng and Huang: Lords of Birds

Japanese Mythology

* Yamata no Orochi
* Amaterasu

The Four Great Sorcerers

* The White Sorcerer
* The Black Sorcerer
* The Blue Sorcerer
* The Red Sorcerer

The Twin Angels

* Angel of Death
* Angel of Destruction

The Ultra-rare Cards

* Saghan the Mighty Sorcerer
* Faras the Holy Shrine Maiden
* Taurus the Alchemist