[4] The engagement between Yoh and Anna being introduced at the beginning of the story has been regarded as unusual for a shonen manga for its maturity and it partly reflects Takei's own personal experience, but it is still an ideal relationship in his opinion.

[7] Yoh is the protagonist of Shaman King who befriends a student from school named Manta Oyamada when defeating local delinquents led by "Wooden Sword" Ryu.

Despite Yoh's claims that he wishes to become Shaman King merely to live an easy life, his primary motivation is the promise he made to Anna whom he met when he was a child.

His mentor Silva teaches Yoh how create an Oversoul, a technique where he merges Amidamaru with his sword Harusame to use it as the main weapon.

[12] Upon the second round of the Shaman Fight, Yoh becomes the leader of "Team Funbari Onsen", which includes Ryu and Faust VIII as his teammates.

Anna once again trains Yoh to increase his powers, especially to rival the shaman Hao Asakura who has once tried to win the tournament in his past life but was betrayed by his only friend, Matamune.

Using both Harusame and Asakuras' sword-shaped relic Futunomitama no Turugi (フツノミタマの剣Futsunomitama no Tsurugi), Yoh creates the giant Oversoul O.S.

[13] It is revealed in the series Yoh was born as the younger of a pair of identical twin brothers to Keiko Asakura and Mikihisa Maki.

Before Yoh's birth, it had been predicted that the family's progenitor, Hao, would reincarnate himself for the second time as one of Keiko's children and attempt to become Shaman King.

Several years later, Yoh and Anna have a son named Hana Asakura who is raised by Tamao as the married shamans travel across the world.

[19] In Funbari no Uta, a series of short stories written by Hiroyuki Takei and set six or seven years after the conclusion of Shaman King, it is revealed that Yoh and Anna had a son named Hana.

An older Yoh and Anna do not appear until the conclusion of the short series, apparently on their way to Funbari Hill, as they have been traveling around the world in order to resolve various conflicts.

Shaman King Flowers also show Yoh alongside and Anna escaping from unknown enemies during the time Hana was a baby.

"[34] Alexander Hoffman of Comics Village declared "in this first novel, letting the relationships between Yoh, Amidamaru, and Manta flesh out is more important that developing every spiritual entity that shows up.

[38] In the book, "A Gathering of Spirits: Japan's Ghost Story Tradition: From Folklore and Kabuki to Anime and Manga Edición Kindle", Yoh's encounter with Faust VIII is compared with a folklore tale about how Buddhists have to accept death to properly appreciate life in contrast to Faust's desire to revive his wife.

[42] A reviewer for The Star also noted that Yoh's pacifism often leads to his former enemies to become kinder as well as become his allies as a result of interacting with them which makes his quest memorable.