Trying to prove that Yoh Asakura, the new transfer student, can talk to spirits, thirteen-year-old Manta Oyamada (Morty) gets in trouble with the gang of Ryu of the Wooden Sword. When everything seems bound to go bad for him, however, he gets help from an unexpected source.

Yoh wants the spirit of Amidamaru, the devil samurai, to join him as his Main Spirit. Amidamaru is waiting for someone, though, and can't leave the cemetery. Yoh tries to find out who the samurai is waiting for, while Ryu of the Wooden Sword searches for revenge.

Yoh is challenged to a fight by Ren Tao, an arrogant Shaman who believes Spirits are only tools.

Yoh is injured in the fight with Ren, but there is no time to rest: to defeat his challenger, he must learn to unify his will with Amidamaru's, and reach the one-hundred percent Hyoi Gattai.

Yoh's fiancée, Anna Kyoyama, arrives into town to coach Yoh for the Shaman Fight. Her methods seem abusive, but the training comes on handy when Yoh is attacked by Kyonshii commanded by the Tao family.

Manta brings Yoh, Anna and Amidamaru to watch a movie about his idol, the late Kung-Fu fighter Lee Pai-Long. Things get dangerous when Lee Pai-Long's corpse attacks them, commanded by Ren's sister, Jun Tao.

Freed from his enslavement, Pai-Long goes berserk and aimlessly attacks Yoh. To fight him, Anna summons the spirit of Pai-Long's late master, Shamon.

After witnessing Yoh's fight against Pai-Long, Ryu of the Wooden Sword decides that he wants to become a Shaman too. Meanwhile, Gei Yin, another Shaman under the Tao family, arrives from China to have a go against Yoh.

Yoh gives shelter to a traveler called HoroHoro, only to have Anna worry that he might be a Shaman trying to eliminate opponents before the start of the Shaman Fight.

Ryu of the Wooden Sword believes that he'll never be able to become a Shaman. Down and unhappy, he is possessed by the spirit of Tokageroh, a bandit from 600 years ago who wants to get revenge on Amidamaru.

When Tokageroh kidnaps Manta and threatens to kill him with the Harusame, Amidamaru has to choose between the safety of his friends and the sword he values so much.

After breaking Amidamaru's sword, Ryu becomes even more depressed, and Yoh looks for a solution. Meanwhile, the star that signals the beginning of the Shaman Fight descends from the sky.

To enter the Shaman Fight, Yoh must hit, at least once, the Shaman Fight priest Silva. The task is not easy, though, because Silva uses a different technique to fight with his guardian spirits.

Yoh's first opponent in the Shaman Fight is HoroHoro, and things get awkward between them both when HoroHoro's younger sister and Anna seem to forget that "opponent" and "friend" are not antonyms.

Yoh's second opponent is an eerie doctor called Faust VIII, who Silva believes to be an extremely dangerous man. This is proven to be true when the doctor kidnaps Manta.

The fight against Faust continues. As the doctor harasses Manta, Yoh loses his calm and ends up in a disadvantageous position. Danger only increases when Faust summons the spirit of his late wife, Eliza.

Trying to protect Manta, Yoh pushes his friend away and returns to his grandfather's house to train for the second round. Distraught, Manta embarks in a journey with Ryu of the Wooden Sword to find his friend. On their way, they're followed by Elly and Milly, two Shamans trying to eliminate opponents before the Shaman Fight.

To improve his Shaman abilities, Yoh entered the Hole of Yomi, a place where there is no light and sound. Manta, Anna, Amidamaru and a girl called Tamao wait for him to come back. Meanwhile, Elly and Milly reach their location.

Ren's conflicts and doubts about his way of life and his role on the Tao family are brought into arena when he and Yoh start the third fight.

Yoh's tranquility of mind breaks Ren's resolve, and their fight comes to a draw. Realizing that his ways were wrong, Ren decides to fight his uncle, the source of all his hatred. It all goes downhill, though, when he and June are captured.

Sneaking away from Yoh's house to rescue Ren, Yoh, Manta and HoroHoro meet a duo of Shaman singers, whose technique sends spirits to the other world.

Yoh, Manta, HoroHoro and Ryu of the Wooden Sword reach the Tao family's main house. On their way to rescue Ren and June, they are forced to fight the five Kyonshii who are known as the Five Deities.

The most powerful of the Five Deities turns out to be Lee Pai-Long's late master, Shamon. His Kung Fu moves get the best of the quartet, and only Pai-Long himself can defeat him.

The group of Shamans finally meets Ren's uncle, En Tao. Nonetheless, not even their best techniques seem to harm the enormous man; to defeat him, they need to figure out the secret behind his invulnerability.

Yoh, Ryu, Ren and HoroHoro say goodbye to their friends and family before going to America for the second preliminary tournament. However, before they can leave, the mysterious Hao shows up to assess the group's strength.