Tao Ren

"I will become Shaman King and destroy all the shackles of the world!"

**Tao Ren** (道(タオ) 蓮(レン), *Tao Ren*?) is a main character in the fan-made series **Universal Warriors**, and fictional character in the manga and anime series of **Shaman King**.

Tao Ren also known as **Dào Lián**, **Len Tao** is the 43rd head of the **Tao Family**, and during the Shaman Fights, he was a member of **Team "The Ren"**. Sometime after the tournament, Ren married **Iron Maiden Jeanne** and together they had a son, named **Tao Men**.

## Personality

Ren is serious, logical, and quite aloof. He tries hard to maintain a tough and confident exterior, but deep down would risk his own life for his allies. Ren is a particularly impatient person with a short temper and isn't afraid to hurt the source of the anger. Because of how he was raised amongst dead corpses and spirits he began applying the survival of the fittest rule as a way of overcoming death. He also believed that his guardian ghost Bason, was only meant to be used as a tool and would to treat him as a friend would only result in the spirit taking highly advantage over him. Ren's anger and hatred came from his father Tao Yúan. Forced to train and study at a very youthful age, Ren had his childhood was stolen from him and thus, hated his father for all of his suffering.

Ren is an egotistical person and usually doesn't care that people think that he's overly proud. He even named his own team, Team "The Ren", much to the annoyance of his teammate, Horokeu Usui. In addition, Ren is also very intuitive, quick-witted, sometimes quite stubborn and he can also be very defiant. He rarely listens to what anyone says or takes their instructions. Before and during the process in which he befriended with Yoh Asakura, he was even bold enough to disobey his father on various occasions.

As the Shaman Fight progresses, Ren begins to trust others even more. Out of all his friends, his bonds with Chocolove and Horohoro seem to be the strongest even though Ren often fights with Horohoro. However, after Ren was fatally impaled by Peyote Diaz, it becomes apparent that they really do care for one another as Horohoro tried his best to protect Ren until the rest could help him.

## Character Design

Tao Ren was shorter than Yoh and most of his friends but he seems to look taller when the length of the tip of the spike of his hairstyle is added up. This spike is a part of his hairstyle called a "**Tongari**". He is relatively thin, and his spiked hair is a shade color of dark purple. Ren's eye color is golden yellow in the anime series, however, in the manga colored pages series, they are usually gold, brown, or the same color as his hair color.

His casual clothes were his school uniform; a pair of short black pants, a tucked-in, white dress shirt, a yellow school jacket, dark green tie and a pair of brown leather shoes. Like Yoh, Ren wears his school clothes as a casual outfit during the Second Rounds of the Shaman Fights. While traveling to America, Ren began wearing long pants and a yellow scarf and as his old jacket was worn out, his mother gave him a new similar one.

When he left for America, he also brought with him a new battle uniform, that is inspired by kung fu cloth. Both the pants and the vest are black and both have a triangular pattern with a yellow lining, and the pants are tied with a white silk belt. The vest also has an opening in the back outlining his Tao tattoo. Even though he brought it with him from before the start of the Shaman Fight, he never wore it during the fights in America because they were all so sudden, that he never had the chance to change.

In the seven years that passed, he reluctantly grew tall and his long hair was braided into a three-pronged Tongari. In his adult years, he commonly wears a black suit with a purple shirt and a yellow necktie.

## Abilities and Equipment

As a normal human being, Ren has a very strong body as evidenced by his tough and constant training. He is very skilled in martial arts and sword fighting, in addition to also learning techniques by just watching them as he was able to learn many of Mikihisa Asakura's techniques simply by experiencing them firsthand, and also learning to use Over Soul by just seeing Chrome use his. It is mentioned that Ren is skilled in more than one area of combat and is a powerful shaman capable of performing feats most shamans of his age would not be able to, such as staring straight into the heart of the Great Spirit without fainting, a feat only a handful of shamans could do.

Ren becomes one of the Five Elemental Warriors and attunes his Furyoku to that of lightning, giving him the skills to move and attack in the blink of an eye. While fighting his way through the Plants, Anna Kyōyama looked through the Furyoku values of Ren and the others. There it is revealed that his Furyoku level is about 100,001.

### Powers and Abilities

#### Technique

* **Golden Punch** (ゴールデンパンチ, "Gōruden Panchi"): Materializing Bason's arms, Ren can use his Over Soul to punch his opponent with great force and speed. This was first seen used again Yoh.

* **Double Golden Sledgehammer** (ゴールデンダブルスレッジハンマー, "Gōruden Daburu Surejjihanmā"): With this technique, Ren's uses both fists of his Over Souled Bason. Gathering both fists together, Bason slams them down on an opponent following the movement of the guandao which does the same thing.

* **Chou Golden Chūka Zanmai** (超(ちょう)ゴールデン中(ちゅう)華(か)斬(ざん)舞(まい), "Super Golden Chinese Slash Dance"): Over Souling Bason's complete upper body at the tip of his guandao Ren allows Bason to wield an Over Soul guandao. Doing this Bason can use the Vorpal Dance with great power and size. This attack also seems to make Ren's hair spike grow. This was first seen used against Yoh.

* **Kanzen Saigen Chūka Zanmai** (完(かん)全(ぜん)再(さい)現(げん)中(ちゅう)華(か)斬(ざん)舞(まい), "Perfect Re-enactment Chinese Slash Dance"): When Bason was still alive he rode into battle on the horse Hei-Tao. The spirit of Hei-Tao can be integrated into another horse kept by Ren, named Bái-Feng. Ren then stands on the top of the giant Bái-Feng holding his guandao that has the materialized upper body of Bason at the tip. Using these two spirits in unison Ren can now do the Perfect Re-enactment of the Vorpal Dance which is also its most powerful version to date, with a tremendous strength and speed to back it up. As noted by Faust VIII who watched his fight, this attack has a risk added as one depletes more Furyoku by controlling two spirits at the same time.

#### Skills

* **Piloting Skills**:

* **Overall Skill**: Ren is considered to be exceptionally gifted for his age due to intense training from his family. He has the wealth of his family at his disposal, granting him a wealth of resources some his age normally wouldn't have access to. Even amongst the talented members of his class, Ren tends to stand out due to his ferocious amount of raw attack power his soul possesses. Ren's ego tends to be the biggest thing that holds him back, he believes he's naturally stronger than everyone and tends to underestimate others.

* **Expert Spearman**: Ren is a very proficient user of a Chinese Guandao, specifically the one passed down through the Tao Family. He wields it with incredible precision and skill after having been trained since he was very young by his father.

* **Expert Hand to Hand Combat**: In addition to training with a wide variety of weapons, Ren was trained in martial arts and various forms of unarmed combat.

* **Enhanced Sense of Sight**: A hereditary trait of the Tao Family is their superhuman vision. Ren can not only see things a great distance away, but he can also see with such precision that the battlefield tends to slow down, allowing him to see and exploit his opponent's openings.

* **High Spiritual Power**: Ren was born with heightened spiritual sensitivity because of his bloodline. He received a Soul Wound at a young age as apart of his training to increase the power produced by his Soul. Thanks to his vigorous training, Ren is a talented manipulator of his Soul Wavelength.

* **Immense Durability**:

### Equipment

* **XXXG-00W0 Wing Gundam Zero**:

* **XXXG-01D Gundam Deathscythe**:

* **XXXG-01D2 Gundam Deathscythe Hell**

* **XXXG-01S Shenlong Gundam**:

* **XXXG-01S2 Altron Gundam**

* **OZ-06MS Leo**:

* **Basontou** (馬(バ)孫(ソン)刀(トゥ), "Bason Katana"): At the beginning of the series, Ren fights with the **Basontou**, a guandao that Bason used to wield and had been passed down in the Tao Family for generations. Ren used it for both his Hyōi-Gattai and later as a medium for his first Over Soul. During the second round of the Shaman Fights, his guandao was incinerated by Hao Asakura, but Ren was later wielded another one, during his fight with Nichrom.

* **Bâo-Lèi Sword** (宝(バオ)雷(レイ)剣(ジェン), "Treasure Thunder Sword"): The **Bâo-Lèi Sword** is a silver sword and the most treasured heirloom of the Tao Family. It was given to Ren by his father After Hao Asakura incinerated his guandao, Ren switched to the Bâo-Lèi Sword. With this sword, he creates two new Over Souls the "Super Bushin" and the "Bushin Fish Fin".

#### Spirit

* **Bason** (馬(バ)孫(ソン), "Bason Chinese: **Mǎsūn**"): Ren's guardian ghost. A fierce warrior from the era of Kublai Khan, Bason has always served the Tao Family, even now after his death. When Ren used the Bâo-Lèi Sword as a medium for his Over Soul, it increased the strength of Bason several times and evolved him into a Seirei Class spirit.

Ren used his first Over Soul for most melee attacks and later created the Super Bushin that was able to use Bason's military experience to create dozens of different weapons to overwhelm his opponent. Ren´s third Over Soul with Bason, the Bushin Fish Fin, allowed him to generate lightning and electricity to either strike down from the sky or channeled through his over soul in close combat.
After becoming one of the Five Elemental Warriors, Ren gains the Spirit of Thunder, which according to Pascal Avaf, follows the way of Taoism.
After the battle against Xingtian, Tao Ching released the Four Perils for Jun and Ren, hoping the siblings would manage the spirits together.
## Story

### Original

Tao Ren is a shaman from Guizhou, China. He was born on January 1, 1986, and is the 43rd heir to the Tao Family.

## Relationships

### Original

#### Family

* Tao Ching (Grandfather)
* Tao Ran (Mother)
* Tao Yúan (Father)
* Tao Jun (Sister)
* Tao Iron Maiden Jeanne (Wife)
* Tao Men (Son)
* Tao Ginny (Anime Only)
* Tao Soumei (Anime Only)
* Tao Kyou (Anime Only)
* Hakuyuu Ren (Adopted brother; Deceased)

#### Friends

* Yoh Asakura
* Horokeu Usui
* Lyserg Diethel

#### Allies

* Tao Jun
* Yoh Asakura
* Horokeu Usui
* Iron Maiden Jeanne

### Universal Warriors

* The Universes
* The Another World

* Jennifer Amantea
* Natsu Dragneel
* Lucy Heartfilia
* Gray Fullbuster
* Erza Scarlet
* Wendy Marvell
* Aladdin
* Alibaba Saluja
* Morgiana
* Hakuryuu Ren
* Kouha Ren
* Sinbad
* Kougyoku Ren
* Gingka Hagane
* Kenta Yumiya
* Madoka Amano
* Yu Tendo
* Masamune Kadoya
* Benkei Hanawa
* Kyoya Tategami

* Rebecca Bluegarden
* Juvia Lockser
* Cana Alberona
* Mirajane Strauss
* Levy McGarden
* Zeref Dragneel
* Mard Geer Tartaros
* Seilah
* Sonya
* Animus
* Suzaku
* Elie
* Lucia Raregroove
* Weisz Steiner
* Homura Kōgetsu
* Sister Ivry
* Holy
* Eraser
* Feather
* Mashima Heroes
* Yoh Asakura
* Horokeu Usui
* Silva
* Hao Asakura
* Genjo Sanzo
* Snow
* Nanashi
* Sakura Li
* Kurogane
* Fai D. Fluorite
* Eren Yeager
* Mikasa Ackerman
* Annie Leonhart
* Reiner Braun
* Sasha Blouse
* Hange Zoë
* Zeke Yeager
* Pieck Finger
* Porco Galliard
* Colt Grice
* Yelena
* Cecily Fairchild
* Anavel Gato
* Aina Sahalin
* Gym Ghingham
* Cagalli Yula Athha
* Mu La Flaga
* Allelujah Haptism
* Patrick Colasour
* Ali al-Saachez
* Full Frontal
* Akihiro Altland
* Gaelio Bauduin
* Zoltan Akkanen
* Lane Aim
* Suletta Mercury
* Guer Jeturk
* Elan Ceres
* Shaddiq Zenelli
* Yukimura Sanada
* Nobunaga Oda
* Ieyasu Tokugawa
* Shiemi Moriyama
* Shura Kirigakure
* Cheng-Long Liu
* Duke Hyou
* Ou Ki
* Ou Sen
* Kan Ki
* Mou Ten
* Ri Boku
* Ordo
* Ka Rin
* Kan Mei
* Slaine Troyard
* Elizabeth Liones
* Escanor
* Derieri
* Tristan Liones
* Ikoma
* Mumei
* Ayame Yomogawa
* Biba Amatori
* Hikayu Hoshikawa
* Vladilena Milizé
* Anju Emma
* Yuna Akashi
* Kazumi Asakura
* Yue Ayase
* Ako Izumi
* Akira Okouchi
* Misora Kasuga
* Makie Sasaki
* Chizuru Naba
* Haruna Mutsuishi
* Honoka Tsukii
* Chisa Akagawa
* Airi Eniwa
* Miharu Yomine
* Aya Kamuro
* Riko Hinakura
* Rinne Myojin
* Lü Bu
* Kojiro Sasaki
* Poseidon
* Raiden Tameemon
* Qin Shi Huang
* Tomoe Gozen
* Elizabeth Bathory
* Cleopatra
* Mata Hari
* Mary Read
* Musashi Miyamoto
* Kaolan Wongsawat
* Brunhilde
* Manjiro Sano
* Keisuke Baji
* Chifuyu Matsuno
* Kazutora Hanemiya
* Seishu Inui
* Hajime Kokonoi
* Meguru Bachira
* Hyoma Chigiri
* Haruka Sakura
* Hajime Umemiya
* Kyotaro Sugishita
* Hayato Suou
* Ren Kaji
* Naotora Takeda
* Tatsuomi Uesugi
* Tsubasa Tokugawa
* Soma Date
* Seiroku Inukawa
* Aijiro Inue
* Imari Inuyama
* Towa Higurashi
* Akira Renbokoji
* A-drei
* H-neun
* Shion Shishibe
* Tokaku Azuma
* Ryoma Nagare
* Tetsuya Tsurugi
* Anya Alstreim
* Susumu Kodai
* Adeltrud Alter
* Atlee Ariel
* Zetsu Daidan
* Ren Sin
* Kyo Meiketsu
* Fine Forte
* Prax Conrad
* Tughril Mahmut
* Lelederik of Ellvaldez
* Al-Kaplan Balaban
* Nancy Schaal Bancroft
* Daryun
* Shimon Ikaruga
* Noelle Silva
* Fena Houtman
* Alisha Diphda
* Adele von Ascham
* Mischa
* Tenma Tsukamoto
* Suou Pavlichenko
* Koumei Ren
* Lenalee Lee
* Kei Mizusawa
* Virgo Fudō
* Torque
* Mora Chester

## Trivia

* According to his Character Profile:

* Ren's favorite subject is classics, while his least favorite subject is home economics.
* His favorite food is peach bun and disliked food is sweets.
* Ren prefers woman with long hair and he doesn't like vulgar people.
* The people he respects or admires are Lü Bu.
* The people he dislikes or fears are Yoh, Victor Nikiforov and Torataro Kobayashi.
* His hobby is stress release and weaknesses is my short height.
* He is worried about short height.
* Ren has favorite book are chinese manga.

* He cares about his short stature and does not miss drinking three bottles of milk after the bath.
* Ren's name in Chinese means "benevolent", "tough", and "edge of a knife", all of which are reflected by his character. His actual Chinese name, "Lián", means "lotus" and is usually a more feminine name.
* In the Anime series, Ren has an obsession with milk and the number three.
* A running gag in the shaman king anime series is that Ren's Tongari hairstyle grows longer whenever he gets irritated or shocked.
* It is mentioned in the interview part in the official Shaman King character book, that he would like a girl if she is smaller than him and was not very annoying.
* Ren´s seiyu Romi Paku, is also the seiyu for *Bleach*'s Tōshirō Hitsugaya and *Fullmetal Alchemist*'s Edward Elric, both characters who are similar to Ren, are short for their ages and lose their bad temper whenever someone mentions it.

## References

1. ↑ *Shaman King Manga* - Red Crimson Chapter 1
2. ↑ *Shaman King Manga* - Kang Zeng Bang Volume 27 Extras; Shaman File 351
3. ↑ *Shaman King Manga* - Kang Zeng Bang Volume 6 Extras; Shaman File 59
4. ↑ *Shaman King Manga* - Chapter 126; page 12
5. ↑ *Shaman King Manga* - Chapter 108
6. ↑ *Shaman King Manga* - Chapter 276; Page 8-9
7. ↑ *Shaman King Manga* - Chapter 59
8. ↑ *Shaman King Manga* - Chapter 60
9. ↑ *Shaman King Manga* - Chapter 63
10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 *Shaman King Manga* - Chapter 62
11. ↑ *Shaman King Manga* - Chapter 64
12. ↑ *Shaman King Manga* - Chapter 290
13. ↑ *Shaman King Manga* - Chapter 258; Page 13
14. ↑ *Shaman King Manga* - Red Crimson Chapter 16