Yuri Shibuya was living a pretty normal life. That changed the day he was dunked into a toilet after an attempt to save a classmate from a gang of bullies. Instead of just getting a good soaking, he's pulled in. The next thing he knows, he's in a world that vaguely resembles medieval Europe. If that's not odd enough, he's told that he is to be the next Maoh, just because he has black hair and black eyes. The Maoh is the King of the Mazoku, who are coexisting not-so-peacefully with the humans in this world. Much to his subjects' dismay, he's totally different from the rulers they're accustomed to. He's kind, considerate, a believer in justice, and not willing to use violence to solve conflicts. Not exactly someone they want running a country on the very brink of war. Now, Yuri has to deal with trying to become a good Maoh, while at the same time attempting to adapt to this lands' customs and culture, all in a world where the tension between the humans and Mazoku is reaching its peak.

A high school student who enjoys baseball more than textbooks as yet a virgin.[4] He was 'named' by Conrad when he mentioned to Yuri's mother how, where he comes from, Yuri means July. Early in the show, bullies make fun of Yuri's name by calling him "Shibuya Yūri, Harajuku Fūri" (advantage Shibuya, disadvantage Harajuku) — a reference to popular districts of Tokyo. In the English dub, this becomes a pun on "Yuri is short for urine."

When Yuri arrives in Shin Makoku, he is declared the 27th Maoh of the Mazoku ("Demon Race").[5][6] He has a strange power that suddenly transforms him into the Maoh, deliverer of justice, this form can be recognised mainly by the longer hair and demon eyes.[7] Throughout the story, Yuri gets dragged between the two worlds at inconvenient times.

Yuri's soul was once the soul of the healer Susanna Julia von Winncott,[8] who died during the war against humans 20 years ago.[9] The pendant Conrad gave to him belonged to her. Very close to the end, it turns out that Julia was a key to one of the four Forbidden Boxes, which means Yuri, himself, inherited the key to the final box, 'Mirror at the Bottom of the Sea'.[10]

Yuri has many allies and friends. His closest allies are Wolfram, Conrad, Günter, Gwendal, Murata, and Josak. They help Yuri throughout the series. At his first encounter with Wolfram von Bielefeld he ends up engaged to him due to a mishap: Wolfram, angry that Yuri has been chosen as the Maoh, makes the mistake of insulting Yuri's mother - which earns him a slap. Slapping another noble on his or her left cheek is the way in which Mazoku propose marriage[11] (some consider the slap as unmanly, but Yuri explains in the light novel that he only slapped Wolfram because he has a beautiful face, otherwise he would have punched him). Incensed by this insult, Wolfram challenges Yuri to a duel, which is also mistakenly accepted because of Yuri's unfamiliarity with Mazoku custom (he picked up the knife that fell off the table). During the duel Yuri transforms into the true Demon King for the first time, proving that he has a right to the throne - much to his own surprise.

Yuri can transform into this true Demon King form whenever he feels great anger, usually when some great injustice or cruelty is being carried out by others.[12] In this form he can summon powerful magic (majutsu), even in the human territories[13] (a notable feat as most Mazoku cannot perform magic outside their country). Yuri's magic is manifested in various shapes - usually one or more great water dragons,[14] or some messy magical "creature" made from mud, food morsels etc. After spending time in this form, Yuri becomes worn out and in some cases passes out and doesn't remember what happened afterwards. Later, Yuri learns to control his power and uses it to close the first of the Forbidden Boxes.

His given name is Conrart; Yuri nicknames him "Conrad," which is "closer to English" and easier to pronounce with a Japanese tongue. Conrad is the second child of the previous Maoh, Cecilie von Spitzweig. His father was human (also considered the greatest swordsman in the Demon Kingdom; Dan Hiri Weller). His ancestor, Lawrence Weller, fought alongside the Original King during the war against Soushu[24]. On his 16th birthday, he decided to live as a Mazoku instead of a human.[25] He fought on the front lines for the Mazoku during a war against the humans. He and Yozak are the only two survivours of the Battle of Lütenburg. He was also put in charge of the soul at the request of Suzanna Julia von Wincott, that was to be the new Maoh, and brought it safely to Earth so that it could be born[26].

Furthermore, he was the one who was the inspiration for Yuri's name. He stated that "Where I come from, the month of July is called Yuri", which made Yuri's mother name him Yuri because he was born in July. For this reason, Yuri dubs him 'Nazukeoya', which is a person who names someone (Conrad is also known as Yuri's Godfather by his mother). Cecilie named the blue flowers she grew "Conrad Stands Upon Earth".[27]

When Yuri first came to Shin Makoku, Conrad was the one to find him (after some humans and Adelbert) and bring him safely to the castle. He acts as Yuri's bodyguard and vows to protect Yuri with his life. He was described by Yuri as almost perfect with fine looks and a mild demeanor but he makes the worst jokes.

Conrad is a swordsman ("the best swordsman in Shin Makoku" - according to Wolfram[28]) who looks after Yuri. Conrad possesses no maryoku (demonic magic) due to his mixed heritage of human and mazoku. Eventually it is discovered that Conrad's left arm is one of the keys to the 4 magical boxes ('The End of the Wind') that have the power to destroy the world. His ancestor, Lawrence Weller, fought along the Original King.[29] As Conrad's father was not a Mazoku noble, he doesn't have "von" in his name.[30]

After he loses this arm in a battle, he disappears after swearing to Yuri that he'll never die and leave him alone. Later, he reappears with a new arm, and seems to have betrayed Shin Makoku by joining their human enemies, Big Cimaron, who were after the four boxes. However, it is learned that Conrad only betrayed them to learn about the whereabouts of the boxes. His plan was, when the four boxes were gathered, to steal them and return to Shin Makoku. He went as far as pushing Jozak off the edge of the cliff to show his alliance to Big Cimaron. When King Belal orders Conrad to execute Yuri, Conrad instead frees them, and protects Yuri from arrows.[31]

He was also very close to Suzanna Julia von Wincott, whose soul is inside Yuri.

A young man who finds himself engaged to Yuri after a mistake. He is a 'bishōnen', which means a pretty or beautiful boy. Wolfram possesses fire magic, as well as being adept with a sword. He is the half-brother of Conrad and Gwendal. He has extremely high pride and is hot-headed. He is arrogant and short-tempered but can also be quite compassionate at times. Wolfram is obsessed with Yuri and insists on following him everywhere as he claims it is his duty to protect his fiancé though he also seems to want to prevent him from cheating on him. His ancestor, Rufus Bielefeld, fought alongside the Original King(the great one).[34]

Near the end, there is a time when Wolfram is possessed by Original King, who in turned was possessed by Soushu. The key he possesses, his heart, is ripped out by Original King in order to open one of the four boxes, 'Hellfire in Frozen Land' ('Hellfire on Frozen Tundra' in Japanese translation). Because of this, Wolfram temporarily dies, but is revived when the Original King returns the keys to their owners.

Wolfram is the youngest son of the former Maoh, Cecilie von Spitzberg. He initially dislikes humans, even Conrad's father. Because of his mazoku pride, he does not like to admit that Conrad is his brother, even though he cares for Conrad (case in point, Wolfram always referred to Conrad by his last name - Lord Weller; however, after Conrad's return from his supposed betrayal, Wolfram refers to Conrad by his first name). In the graphic novels, it is hinted that this hatred towards humans stems from his late father's prejudice against humans. His liking for humans improves throughout the series, progressing to the point that he adopts the human girl Greta as his daughter, starts acknowledging Yuri's parents as his future "in-laws" and also runs into a raging fire to save a human child.

Years ago when he was a child, Wolfram accidentally slapped Elizabeth, Raven's niece, on her left cheek. Elizabeth never forgot this incident, insisting that they swore everlasting love that day, while Wolfram insists he forgot why he slapped her in the first place. Some time after collecting three of the Four Forbidden Boxes, Elizabeth becomes Stoffel's tool to separate Yuri from the three brothers, pronouncing an engagement proposal to Yuri. Elizabeth's real goal is to marry Wolfram Onii-sama, but Wolfram says that his only fiance is Yuri. During the duel which ensues, (as Yuri accidentally picked up a knife and a fork pointing it at Elizabeth; symbolizing a fight to settle a triangle love affair), Yuri turns into the Maoh, protecting Wolfram from being hurt by fire maryoku that Elizabeth summoned. He proclaims the two go on the date and remember their childhood memories. It is eventually learned that Wolfram slapped Elizabeth because he wanted to touch a butterfly that flew past, and Conrad was watching the entire event.[35]

Wolfram is an extremely 'pretty' person - Yuri even calls him so upon first meeting him (specifically using the term 'bishōnen' in the Japanese version and very often in the light novel). This is also why Yuri slapped Wolfram when he badmouthed Yuri's mother instead of punching him, stating that it's a pity to dirty such a pretty face (from the novels).This image is enhanced by his choice of nightwear - a frilly pink nightgown that contrasts violently with his rather quick temper.

The eldest son of Cecilie. From the beginning, Gwendal has objections to Yuri becoming the Maoh. He is a skilled tactician and is capable of using earth magic and can cast barriers.[40] When not otherwise busy, Gwendal indulges in his hobby of knitting and sewing but often his creatures look nothing like what they're supposed to (for example a bear got mistaken for a black pig or a cat that looks like a raccoon). He is adamnant that knitting helps him sharpen his concentration but actually its a stress reliever for him since childhood. He is also quite fond of cute animals or cute objects such as the dolphin keychain (Bandou-kun) Yuri received at the dolphin show and later gave to him.[41] His childhood best friend is Anissina von Karbelnikoff, an inventor who often tests out her inventions on him, much to his displeasure. Anissina is also the one who taught Gwendal how to knit.[42]Gwendal's left eye is a key to one of the four Forbidden Boxes, the "End of the Earth".

Gwendal is a tough guy except when it comes to his childhood friend, Anissina, and his brothers. He is afraid of Anissina and often hides from her so he can prevent being used in one of her crazy experiments. He is even seen sweating in panic at the thought of her.[43][44] While he does not outwardly show much affection towards his brothers, he shows in times of great stress that he does care, an example being his decision to stand against the Original King to save his little brother, Wolfram. Jozak, who was sent to locate one of the Four Forbidden Boxes, tells Conrad that Gwendal really cares for Conrad's wellbeing and doesn't want Conrad to worry despite the Original King's wishes for Conrad to find the Boxes.[45] His ancestor, Siegbert Voltaire, fought along the Original King.

A teacher and swordsman who adores Yuuri. Günter is a skilled swordsman and magician, but has retired to teach Yuuri about Shin Makoku and his future duties as the Maoh. Gunter once stated that he was the one who taught Conrad to "become His Majesty's sword and shield" indicating that perhaps Gunter was once Conrad's teacher.[54] When Günter accidentally travels to Earth, he becomes a model in New York City for a brief period of time so that he can earn money to find Yuuri[55].He is a very whimsical person and poetic in his thoughts. Günter is another test subject of Anissina.

Günter, along with the three brothers, helps Yuuri run the country. He is Yuuri's advisor and mentor, teaching Yuuri various aspects of Shin Makoku.[56] He usually spends his time doing numerous duties for Yuuri and Shin Makoku.

When Gunter was shot with a poisoned arrow containing the Wincott poison, his soul was temporarily housed in an Okiku Doll that flies, shoots lasers from its eyes and has hair that grow naturally. During this time his body was known as Snow Gunter and can be controlled by or released from the effects of the Wincott Poison by anyone of the direct line of the von Wincotts like Julia's father and nephew.

Günter's personality is usually bubbly and emphatic, but when he puts on his serious face he can be awe-inspiring. He has an extremely strong attachment to Yuuri and tends to pine(spaz) when Yuri has been gone from the Shin Makoku for any considerable amount of time. He is very popular among females and males because of his good looks.

Günter's political views make a radical change due to Yuuri's influence. In the beginning, he was the one pushing most strongly for the war that would exterminate the human race. As the series goes on, Yuuiri's views are impressed upon him, and he begins to truly believe in and work for a peaceful alliance between Mazoku and humans.

Ken met Yuri in middle school, where they were in the same class. Despite going on to different high schools, Ken still serves as the manager of Yuri's baseball team, and the two get together on a regular basis. Ken is known to smile often and keep relatively quiet. He later finds himself involved with Yuri and the other world when it is discovered he houses the soul and memories of the Great Sage. Dr. Rodriguez was responsible for handling his soul, around the same time when Conrad transported Julia's soul.

Ken is very smart and calculating, and capable of defending himself[58]. He was the Great Sage in his past life - the right hand man, tactician and strategist to the Shinou, the Original King of Shin Makoku. He still remembers things from that life and other lives that he has had. He is a good friend and ally to Yuri and helps him a lot throughout the series, though it often seems he's working on his own agenda. He even constantly repeats to the Original King that he "likes Shibuya", and won't let anything bad happen to him.

Ken was actually the reason Yuri was given a swirly, since he was the kid the bullies had been picking on[59]. He is always around when Yuri travels between worlds and later on in the anime travels together with him, he actually helps get Yuri to and from worlds although Yuri does not know this for most of the anime until Ken lands up in Shin Makoku with Yuri.

When Shori, Yuri's brother, arrives to Shin Makoku he quickly begins to suspect not only the intentions of the Original King, but Ken himself. The suspicions were rightly justified as later on, near the finale of Series 2, Ken seemed to have "betrayed" Yuri and his friends by not telling them vital information concerning the keys and what he had anticipated on what would come to pass[60]. However, what he did was needed to help free the Original King.

Aoi Hiiragi (柊 あおい Hiiragi Aoi) is a mangaka born on November 22, 1962 in Kamifukuoka, Saitama Prefecture, Japan, though she grew up in Mibu, Shimotsuga, Tochigi Prefecture. Hiiragi currently resides in Hakodate, Hokkaidō.
Hiiragi made her manga debut with Cobalt Blue no Hitoshizuku in the manga magazine Ribon Original in 1984. Many consider stories such as Hoshi no Hitomi no Silhouette and Gin'iro no Harmony to be her masterpieces. However, she is most well known for her Whisper of the Heart manga, which was made into an anime film by Studio Ghibli. Baron, Neko no Danshaku, was also animated by Studio Ghibli and released as The Cat Returns. While a sequel of sorts, it is not a continuation of the story found in Whisper.

The story follows a girl called Haru, a quiet, shy, and unassuming high school student who has a long-suppressed ability to talk to cats. One day she saves a darkly colored, odd-eyed cat from being hit by a truck on a busy road. The cat turns out to be Lune, Prince of the Cat Kingdom. In return, the cats shower her with gifts of catnip and mice - and then she is offered the Prince's hand in marriage. Her mixed reply is taken as a yes.

Immersed in desperation over this unwanted development, Haru hears a kind female voice which tells her to seek out the Cat Bureau. Haru meets Muta, a large white cat the voice told her to seek for directions, who leads her there to meet the Baron, who happens to be a cat figurine given life by the hard work of his artist, and Toto, a stone raven who comes to life much like the Baron. Soon after meeting them, Haru and Muta are taken to the Cat Kingdom by force, leaving Toto and the Baron in the human world only to be followed by them. The Baron and his feathered friend finally find the entrance to the Cat Kingdom on Earth - five lakes forming a cat's paw.

Haru is conducted to a feast at the castle of the Cat Kingdom and she begins to slowly turn into a cat - with tan paws, ears, and whiskers, though still mainly human - so that she will make a suitable bride for the Prince. At the feast, the Baron (in disguise) dances with Haru as part of the entertainment, before being discovered and fighting off the guards so that he may rescue her.During this dance it becomes clear that Haru has feelings for Baron. They are helped by Yuki, a white female cat who works as a servant in the palace and who had tried to warn Haru to leave the Cat Kingdom before she was taken to the castle. Yuki shows them an escape leading to a tunnel.

Haru, the Baron, and Muta's escape leads them through a maze to a tower, which contains a portal back into Haru's world. The King goes through a series of efforts to keep them in the Cat Kingdom long enough for Haru to remain trapped in the form of a cat so that he can still have her as his daughter-in-law, going so far as to actually blow up the tower.

Lune and his guards return to the Cat Kingdom to reveal that the King was not acting on his behalf and he has no desire to marry Haru; he has instead planned on proposing to Yuki. Also, Muta is revealed to be a notorious criminal in the Kingdom (having devoured a whole lake of fish in one session) yet still siding with Haru over his terrible deed then, and Yuki as being the strange voice who'd advised Haru to go to the Cat Bureau. In her childhood Haru had saved Yuki from starvation by giving her the fish cookies she was eating, and Yuki has now repaid her kindness.

Eventually Haru, Muta and the Baron escape the Cat Realm, with the aid of Prince Lune and Toto, and Haru discovers her true self and tells the Baron how she feels about him. He tells her he admires her sincerity but it is left unclear whether he returns her affections. Haru leaves the cat kingdom and upon learning that her former flame has broken up with his girlfriend, simply replies, "It doesn't matter anymore."

A bright and energetic young girl, Ran is introduced to her supernatural powers right along with her first year in junior high school. While she is troubled by her powers seeming to instigate ill fortune upon people in contact with her and illuminating their ill intentions in some cases, Ran soon learns to accommodate her supernatural abilities and accept herself as is with the support of her family and peers. Accompanied by Rui, Ran finds herself constantly embroiled in mysterious circumstances and events whose resolution requires that she learn to collaborate with Midori (another girl who also has supernatural powers).

The protagonist in the story, Ran is introduced as a vivacious young lady having recently begun her first year in intermediate school where she engages in track-n-field as an extra-cirricular activity. Ran has always had a sense of insight about things that few other people can match. Ran is part of a traditional nuclear family (biological parents still married to each other) with an elder brother. She is in love with Rui.

Having been her long-standing childhood friend, Rui has artistic affinities and can easily detect when Ran is in distress about something when she starts up with the quick but brief laughing fits. Upon learning of her psychic powers, Rui indicates that he is fond of Ran for the person she is. He has the ability to neutralize and amplify psychic powers.

A recent transfer student that possesses the same kind of supernatural powers that Ran herself does, Midori initially behaves adversarially in order to appraise the scope of Ran's psychic powers and is found to be responsible for the earlier cryptic telepathic warnings about something beginning. It is not long before it becomes apparent that Midori's warnings to Ran about friends being a waste of time and the sweet-talking maintenance of a straight face being a signal of treachery see their roots in Midori's actual experience with her mother rejecting her because of her psychic powers. Midori's reluctance to have it demonstrated that there are people that will behave toward her as Rui does toward Ran once they make her euphoric acquaintance causes Midori to be thrown off the roof of the school during the battle to resolve Rui's abduction. Fortunately, Ran's intercession inspires Midori to soften her heart enough for Ran and her to reconcile their differences to effect Rui's rescue and Momoko's defeat. After the battle on the rooftop, Midori's decision to give friendship another chance inspires an infatuation with Ran's elder brother Rin. The frequent but minor arguments that Midori has with Ran over the course of the Telepathy Shoujo Ran series illuminate the ongoing homeostasis between Midori's dysphoric life experience and Ran's euphoric life experience to teach both girls that there are some cases in which the »evil« things people do are for good reasons or are a direct result of intrinsic human fallibility rather than malice. Midori's experience of being rejected by her mother because of her psychic powers is a prime example. Not long thereafter, the events of Ms. Tobe illustrate that Midori also has a guilty conscience because her grandmother died just as she had mastered a difficult violin song. Before entering the room where her infirm but kindly grandmother is, Midori overheard her mother refer to her as a monster because of her psychic powers. Crushed that her mother would go so far as to pollute the relationships she has with everybody else instead of simply rejecting her, Midori did not feel secure enough to play on her violin. Midori learns that Ms. Tobe made the same mistake with her granddaughter as her mother had made with her and capitalizes upon the heavy circumstantial parallels to help the old lady.

Eighteen-year-old Sophie, who runs her late father's hat shop, has a chance encounter with the mysterious wizard Howl who takes a liking to her. The meeting attracts the attention of the Witch of the Waste, who has been seeking Howl's love for her own, and the Witch places a curse on Sophie, turning her into a 90-year-old woman with the inability to tell anyone about the curse. Sophie decides to seek out Howl in the Wastes, encountering and befriending an animated scarecrow she names Turnip Head. They eventually come across Howl's moving castle; inside, Sophie is greeted by the fire demon Calcifer that powers the castle and recognizes that Sophie has been cursed. Calcifer offers to break the curse in exchange if Sophie can break the bond between Howl and Calcifer. When Howl arrives, Calcifer covers for Sophie, claiming she is a housekeeper to keep the castle clean. As Sophie adjusts to life in the castle, she discovers that the front door is a magic portal that leads to several destinations. She also comes to learn that Howl is vain and immature, and that the Witch of the Waste's vengeful behavior was due to how Howl treated her in the past once he discovered her ugly appearance.