MM04

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MM03

Yo-kai Watch Shadowside the Movie: The Return of the Oni King is the manga adaptation of M04, illustrated and written by Noriyuki Konishi. It was released in Japan on December 17, 2016.

Blurb

Plot

Chapter 1

The manga begins with a description of the Yo-kai watch and how Nate used it to befriend Yo-kai however he forgot about it and Yo-kai as he grew up.

Cole awakes in his bedroom and receives a text from his mother, saying that they won't be home until very late. Cole turns the TV on and gets dressed. The news on the TV mentions a Comet 'Y' that comes to earth every few thousand years. Small creatures watch Cole from the corners of his room. Cole heads to school and a few local women mention how he seems depressed and his parents are never round. Meanwhile, Summer is rushing to get to school because she helped her mother with housework. She rushes to get the bus but is distracted by a crowd by the river. Summer runs down the bank and dives in the river, saving a little boy from drowning. The crowd cheers her and the same creatures that were spying on Cole look at her from the shadows. Summer suddenly remembers school and hurries off, wondering what she'll do about her wet clothes. The people by the riverbank suddenly turn cold, saying they wanted to see the boy drown after all.

Thinking about saving the boy, Summer remembers when she was younger she fell in a river and was saved by something. When she awoke a small key was in her hand which she now wears as a pendant. Summer returns to reality as she sees the bus leaving with her friend Saki waving from the window. Summer pleads her to stop the bus but Saki refuses, stating it's not a taxi. Summer catches up to Cole and they both see a dark orb in the sky.

Meanwhile, Bruno is at home with his Grandma, Mitsue. They too notice the orb and Mitsue is distracted. Bruno doesn't understand why so begins to head off to school.

In the Yo-kai World, Lord Enma, Duke Doggy and Aristokat observe the orb. Lord Enma states that it's arriving at earth 300 years too early. He adds that it is affecting both their world and the human world. He wonders if this means humans need Yo-kai again after Nate lost contact with them. Lord Enma and Zazel wonder if it is time to bestow a new human with a Yo-kai Watch.

Back at the shrine, Mitsue tells Bruno that the Onimaro are coming and that it will destroy the world. Mitsue states that they need the help of Yo-kai and the Yo-kai Watch. Both Bruno and Zazel state that the old Yo-kai Watch is gone but the Yo-kai Watch Arcane still exists as it was created by the Genyozoku tribe in ancient times. Zazel mentions that the watch is already in the human world and that Whisper is searching for a new master. Mitsue presents Bruno the Yo-kai radar which she names the Yo-kai Watch detection radar. Bruno is puzzled but agrees to search for the watch anyway.

In town, people are still staring at the orb in the sky. Jibanyan surveys it too but doesn't seem bothered as he munches on some fish. He then overhears someone shouting as a child runs into the road with a truck coming right at him. The truck manages to stop right before it hits him and everyone believes it to be a miracle but it is revealed that Jibanyan stopped the truck to save the kid. Jibanyan states how he's interested to see how the humans will deal with the orb.

Summer hurries into school but Saki tells her that they closed school because of the orb - much to Summer's delight. Summer heads home but meets someone in the street who is revealed to be Whisper. She is perplexed by his appearance but isn't too shocked. Whisper then takes Summer's hand and put on the Yo-kai Watch. Nearby, Bruno notices the Yo-kai radar reacting. Meanwhile, Cole is walking home when something stops him. Ogu, Togu & Mogu approach him, saying they'll give him something good.

Chapter 2

Saki returns home on the street, noting that its empty, perhaps because everyone is hiding. She notices someone else approaching her however they have the face of an oni. Just then, a Yo-kai jumps into her and turns her into an oni too.

Bruno continues to search the streets for the Yo-kai Watch. He remembers Mitsue telling him that the Onimaro are a virus Yo-kai that infect the evil of humanity. They feed on human evil to survive but are always fought away by Yo-kai. Bruno notices the Yo-kai Watch is close and turns the corner to find a massive oni. Bruno attacks them with his magic, making them fall to the ground. He quickly notices his radar is full and is shocked to see more oni running at him.

Ogu, Mogu and Togu describe Cole and how he is unloved and uncaring. They also explain how he will be easy to manipulate. They ask if Cole wants to make a contract with them but Cole ignores them. They remind Cole that he wants to move out but needs power to do it and they can give him that power. Cole turns back, more interested. The Onimaro tell Cole that he has to let them in to be able to use a great amount of power. Cole agrees instantly but a group of oni approach them. The Onimaro explain that they are humans possessed by other Onimaro and Cole is eager to fight them. The Onimaro possess him and he easily fights back an approaching oni. The Onimaro state that now he's beaten up one of the oni, the rest will follow him. More Onimaro appear and they all agree to give Cole a gift. They give him the Kigan Gear that allows him to control the oni.

Meanwhile, Summer is curious about the watch Whisper gave her. Whisper introduces himself but Summer seems to not be listening as she's admiring the watch instead. She notices the key hole on the watch and tries to put her house key in it. Whisper begs her to stop, thinking she'll break something and instead gives her a keystone. Whisper tells her to put the watch and keystone to use as a crowd of oni run at her. Whisper tells her to try her best but Summer runs away. She notices Saki and runs towards her however is shocked to see another oni. As she stumbles back she notices Saki's bag by its keychain and is horrified. Bruno quickly steps in and saves Summer. Summer begs Bruno to stop as she realises the oni is Saki. Bruno asks if she has the Yo-kai watch and she says she does, albeit surprised he knew. Bruno tells her to call the Yo-kai with her keystone.

Chapter 3

Summer's watch glows and Bruno commands her to shout a summoning phrase but Summer doesn't know what he means. Bruno quickly tells her what to do but she doesn't know the Yo-kai's name. Bruno throws Summer his own keystone, telling her it's for Hungramps. Summer tries again and Hungramps appears though Summer is shocked by his appearance. Hungramps turns into his shadowside form and attacks Saki making her shrink to her usual form but keeping her oni face. Summer tries to talk to her but Saki is still under control of the Onimaro and runs away.

Whisper appears and Bruno is unfazed, making Whisper shocked. Bruno explains to the two of them that he's from the Arihoshi clan that have been searching for the Yo-kai Watch for generations and managed to find Hungramps' keystone. Whisper explains the plight of the Onimaro to Summer and that if she doesn't use the watch the world will be destroyed. Summer thinks about Saki and how precious she is to her and is determined to save her.

Zazel communicates with Whisper, telling him that Cole has been chosen to wield the Kigan Gear and they have to move fast. A new crowd of oni approach the two and Summer tries to summon Hungramps but Bruno pulls her away, realising they're outnumbered. Summer screams as another monster appears but it is simply Mitsue. She tells the two that the town is being overrun by oni but if they target the leader they're more likely to win. She adds that Hungramps isn't suitable and they need Yo-kai that will fight. Whisper mentions that Summer has Jibanyan's keystone and she complains that she only just told her his name now. Summer summons Jibanyan but he's not interested in fighting with them. Just then, a car in the road begins towards a cat. Summer jumps over to save it and it is revealed an oni was driving the car. Bruno blasts the car away with magic before Summer can get hit. The oni jumps towards the two and Jibanyan saves them just in time. Jibanyan finally agrees saying he has nothing better to do but really was impressed Summer saved the cat.

Meanwhile, Cole looks over his army of oni. Cole asks what happens now but gets no response. His phone pings and he receives a text from his mother saying that she and his dad will be home in time for dinner. Cole gets a flashback to when he was younger but ignores it. Bruno and Summer try to sneak towards the oni army but run right into the middle of them. Summer notices Cole above the army. The army try to attack them but Jibanyan and Bruno fight back.

Chapter 4

Summer tells them to stop fighting as the oni are all people but Jibanyan tells her they have to fight. Jibanyan decides to strike Cole but is easily stopped and beaten. Whisper gives Summer Blizzaria's keystone and she summons her. Blizzaria seems to recognise her and transforms into her shadowside form to fight the oni. She freezes them with her breath, stopping them without harming them. Jibanyan strikes at Cole again with Blizzaria helping and Summer tries to talk to Cole. The Kigan Gear tightens on Cole's arm and Summer says she'll try remove it. Whisper butts in, saying it can't be removed by force. It can only be removed if the darkness in Cole's heart is removed but he might be taken over if the darkness is too weak. As they speak, the comet Y stirs, decreasing in size and crashing down to earth.

Elsewhere, a group of explorers find a crater in the ground. They can't see a massive Yo-kai, the Onimaro Leader, standing in the hole.

Summer asks Mitsue if they can help Cole and she states that they have to remove the darkness from his memories. Summer doesn't understand but wants to help anyway. However, the frozen oni army are beginning to break out of the ice. They fly up into the sky and Cole goes up too however is grabbed in time. Mitsue quickly grabs Summer and tells her to go into Cole's memories. Summer reappears in Cole's home, looking down at a younger Cole. She sees a note on the table left by Cole's parents wishing him a happy birthday but they won't be home till the evening. Summer notices on the clock that it's already past the time they said they'd be back. The current Cole appears beside Summer, telling her that they're working and that they care more about work than him. He also mentions that he remembers Summer but his birthdays were always sad and lonely. Summer hears the doorbell and is excited that his parents have arrived. However, the young Cole doesn't go to the door. Cole states that his parents wouldn't need to ring the doorbell so it was probably just a solicitor and complains that they kept ringing the bell. Summer suddenly remembers something and laughs. She then ushers Cole to look outside now and they see Summer and numerous other kids standing outside the door with presents. The group leaves and were sad they couldn't see Cole but will try again tomorrow. Cole is surprised, thinking no one cared about him however he mentions that his parents still cared about their jobs more than him. Summer questions his point of view and tells him to go look for himself.

The two of them head to the DNA research lab where Cole's parents work. His parents note that they should return home to Cole but more problems seem to arise with their work. Cole notices a photograph of him on his mother's desk and looks over as the workers try hard to finish the work. A coworker approaches Cole's parents and tell them that their work can help save countless lives in the future. Cole's parents lament that they can't be home to see Cole on his birthday but Cole still wishes they had come home this one time. Summer pipes up, mentioning that she wants to work hard when she's older too. Cole finally realises that his parents were working hard and not just ignoring him. He tells Summer that he wants to go back and they wake up in reality again.

Cole tells the group that the Onimaro Leader is gathering humans to collect their energy and that he found it out by being possessed. Cole states that he's erased the darkness within him and transforms the Kigan Gear.

Chapter 5

Cole's Kigan Gear transforms into the Yo-kai Watch Ogre. Whisper states that it can summon Genma Yo-kai. Jibanyan asks Cole where the Onimaro Leader is and it appears in the sky, sucking in the oni. They wonder how they'll defeat it but Cole tells them he can use his watch to fight them. The Onimaro Leader notices the group and flies over, attacking them. Cole decides to use his watch but Whisper states that it might cost Cole his life. Cole transforms into Goemon and he strikes at the Onimaro Leader, but before he can continue the assault, begins coughing up blood, which Mitsue notes is a consequence of using such power. As the two fight, Mitsue suggests they find a safe place to hide. Summer refuses, stating that she won't run if Cole is risking his life. She pulls out the key from around her neck and Whisper notices it's a keystone. Jibanyan crushes the stone and reveals the keystone inside to be Seiryu's.

The Onimaro Leader strikes Goemon and Cole returns to normal. Summer summons Seiryu and he attacks the Onimaro Leader. Bruno quickly tells Mitsue to help heal Cole as they fight. As Summer watches, she recognises Seiryu's hand as the one that pulled her out of the river when she was young. She then remembers saving a little lizard from a bunch of boys by the river when she was young and realises that lizard was Seiryu. The Onimaro Leader notices Seiryu watching Summer and transforms into Saki's oni form. Summer shouts, making Seiryu stop but the Onimaro Leader stabs him while he's distracted. Summer is distraught as she thinks about Saki. She suddenly speaks up, telling Jibanyan that if she were to turn into a monster, she'd want him to stop her. She then summons Hungramps and Blizzaria, apologising for making them appear again but they're both fine with it. Blizzaria creates a frozen spike for Jibanyan and he throws it at the Onimaro Leader it misses but distracts him so that Bruno can strike him from behind with magic.

Chapter 6

The Onimaro Leader falls to the ground from Bruno's attack and Hungramps shrinks him down to human size, removing the face of Saki off him. Jibanyan strikes him and he falls to the ground. Suddenly, everyone can see the oni inside the Onimaro Leader that are crying out in pain. The Onimaro Leader states that he can always be revived by humanity's wickedness. Cole then transforms into Lord Acala. The Onimaro Leader tries to stop him but Summer gets in his way with a revived Seiryu. The Onimaro Leader then transforms into Cole's mother to try and stop him, hiding that he is preparing an attack, and attempts to stab Cole, but Lord Acala strikes him back and the Onimaro Leader is defeated. All the oni return to their human forms and Summer finds Saki in the crowd. She runs over to her, hugging her tightly. Summer thanks Seiryu and heads home with Saki.

Bruno asks Whisper why the Yo-kai in the Yo-kai World didn't come to help and he isn't sure how to answer. It is revealed that Lord Enma was in the middle of moving house and that Lord Enma was tired from lifting boxes so couldn't move from his chair. Zazel was also injured in a volleyball tournament so couldn't come either.

Summer asks Cole if he's okay and he thanks her for all her help. The two part ways happily and the Onimaro trio decide to live inside him secretly - though Cole is aware. Summer returns home with Whisper in tow, she meets with her dad as he returns from work and Whisper is shocked at his appearance. Whisper asks Summer to summon Jibanyan and explains that he wants to reminisce. The three of them head inside and it is revealed that Summer's dad is Nate.

Changes

Saki takes the bus instead of walking with Summer
Bruno never makes it to school unlike in M04 where he is cycling to school when he sees the object in the sky
Bruno is never seen in casual clothes and only wears his robes
School is closed because of the object in the sky so Summer never changes into her PE uniform and Cole doesn't skip school. They instead both head home
Tate is completely absent
Lord Enma is still in power as ruler of the Yo-kai World
Lord Ananta and Uula are completely absent along with their subplot
Duke Doggy and Aristokat still appear as Lord Enma's aides
Lord Enma and Zazel remain confined to the Yo-kai World
Cole fights an oni to test his new power instead of delinquents
Cole is eager to accept the deal with the Onimaro instead of being reluctant
The Onimaro Leader's role in Cole's corruption is omitted
Bruno searches initially for the Yo-kai Watch alone instead of with Mitsue
Unlike in M04 and Shadowside, Whisper remembers Jibanyan
The truck that almost runs over Summer and a cat is driven by a malicious oni rather than a regular driver
Only Onimaro turn humans into oni instead of Cole being able to turn humans into oni himself
The plot point about Cole taking over the airport is absent
The comet, Y, is not an actual comet, but the Onimaro Leader transformed
Oniou Rasen is completely absent despite the title 'The Return of the Oni King' staying the same. Instead, the Oni King in question is the Onimaro Leader, who adopts Rasen's role as the main antagonist and many plot points to do with Rasen instead belong to them
The Onimaro Leader is depicted as gigantic
Saki plays a much bigger role, being a major motivator for Summer to fight on. They also seem to share a closer relationship
Rather than separate from their hosts, the oni are fully absorbed by the Onimaro Leader, human hosts and all
Ogu, Togu and Mogu never stop possessing Cole, and feel conflicted between him and their loyalty to their leader, with Togu being more supportive of all Cole's endeavours while Ogu seems more worried about possibly messing with the Onimaro Leader's plans and criticizes his fellow Onimaro for being worried about Cole and Mogu simply flips between them
A young Summer visited Cole with lots of other classmates instead of alone
Cole's transformation into a Genma is shown to be physically taxing, causing him to cough up blood
The Onimaro Leader is shown to have combat abilities and be able to shapeshift into its victims
The Onimaro Leader is a physical fighter rather than using electricity and magic
The small Seiryu is an actual lizard instead of a small dragon
Acala is able to be summoned without the use of the Stormweaver, and does not use it in combat, instead using shockwaves from his palms
The Onimaro Leader is fully destroyed by Acala, and doesn't attempt a final counteract, meaning Cole avoids nearly dying and Ogu, Togu and Mogu do not sacrifice themselves
Kyubi, Blazion, Papa Bolt and Sly are never summoned, however are pictured
All Kitaro characters are completely absent

Debuts

Humans

Summer Adams
Cole
Bruno
Saki Machida
Mitsue Arihoshi
Nathan Adams (Cameo)
Katie Forester (Cameo, mentioned)
Mafuyu Tsukinami
Cole's dad

Yo-kai

Trivia

Instead of revealing that Summer is Nate and Katie's daughter early on like in the movie, the reveal is left until the very end of the manga

Yo-kai Watch Manga volumes
Main manga series	Original series	1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23
	Shadowside	1 • 2
	Y School Heroes	1 • 2 • 3
	Movie adaptations	Yo-kai Watch: The Movie • MM02 • MM03 • MM04 • MM05
Spin-off Manga series	Wakuwaku Nyanderful Days	1 • 2 • 3
Spin-off Manga series	Yo-kai Watch Komasan	1 • 2
Other manga	Yo-kai Watch Busters • Enma no Kyūjitsu
Western comics	IDW comics