List of Soul Eater characters
The [|Soul Eater] manga and anime series features an extensive cast of fictional characters created by Atsushi Ohkubo. It is set in a fictional universe inhabited by various characters capable of using supernatural powers by channeling the wavelengths of their souls. Most of the characters in the series, including the main protagonists, are classified into two groups: humans who are born with the power to turn into weapons, called "demon weapons", and the wielders of these weapons, called "meisters". The main protagonists attend a school called Death Weapon Meister Academy located in the fictional Death City in Nevada, United States. DWMA is run by [|Shinigami], also known as Death, or the Grim Reaper, as a training facility for weapons and meisters to hone their powers, as well as an organization to preserve world order against anyone who threatens it, including witches, monsters and kishin, which are essentially humans who become monstrous creatures by devouring the souls of innocent people.
The main Soul Eater manga and its anime adaptation follow three meister/weapon partnerships—Maka Albarn and her scythe, Soul Eater; [|Black Star] and his shadow weapon, Tsubaki Nakatsukasa; and Death the Kid and his twin pistols, [|Liz and Patty Thompson]. These three teams and their fellow students act as field agents for their school, reaping the souls of evil humans to prevent them from turning into kishin. The spin-off prequel manga titled Soul Eater Not!, also created by Ohkubo, follows the everyday lives of three other DWMA students—halberd [|Tsugumi Harudori] and her two meister friends, [|Meme Tatane] and [|Anya Hepburn].
Creation and conception
While creating Soul Eater, Atsushi Ohkubo was heavily influenced by the manga series Dr. Slump and wanted to create a story in which serious or intense action scenes would be defused or interrupted with comedic moments. The story element in which characters transform into weapons is an expansion on the idea of weapons being personified, which Ohkubo frequently saw in other fictional stories. Ohkubo decided to make the main protagonist of the series, Maka Albarn, a female in response to other shōnen manga having male main characters, and paired her and the other main characters with those of the opposite sex to demonstrate an equal representation of gender. He also decided to use a scythe as Maka's weapon for its unique fighting style. He resisted drawing influence from other people for most of his characters, particularly the main protagonists, whom he instead based on assets on his own personality—the arrogant Black Star is based on Ohkubo's narcissistic side, the neurotic Death the Kid based on his manic side, etc. However, he did base a few characters on people he was familiar with, such as [|Excalibur], whose personality he based on his own father. He also designed supporting character [|Kilik Rung] to be black after noting a lack of African characters in other manga series. The names of several characters are based on the titles of other films as a form of tribute, such as [|Blair] being named after The Blair Witch Project and Kilik after Kirikou and the Sorceress.Main characters
''Soul Eater''
Maka Albarn
Maka Albarn is one of the main protagonists of Soul Eater. She is a young but dedicated student who takes after her mother, another prodigious meister. However, her relationship with her father, [|Spirit], is strained due to his constant flirtations with women, leading her parents to divorce. As such, Maka is obsessed with turning her weapon partner, Soul Eater, into a death scythe that will surpass her father. She collaborates well with Soul in battle, but sometimes gets frustrated at him when he does something foolish. When in danger, however, Maka does everything she can to keep Soul out of harm's way.Early in the story, Soul is infected with black blood during their first battle against [|Crona], which causes Maka to become infected as well, risking her going insane under the black blood's influence. She later gains some control over the black blood by developing a soul wavelength inherited from her mother called the Anti-Magic Wavelength, which helps her resist the effects of insanity. She is also adept at a skill called Soul Perception, which allows her to detect the souls of other people and measure their strengths. After turning Soul into a death scythe, Maka gains the ability to combine the power of her uniquely shaped soul, called a Grigori soul, with Soul's and grow angelic wings on Soul's weapon form, enabling her to fly. Maka can fully synchronize with Spirit due to their bond as father and daughter. In the anime adaptation, Maka is shown to have demon weapon powers inherited from her father and mother, allowing her to conjure blades from her body while she is unconscious.
Soul "Eater" Evans
Soul Evans, nicknamed Soul Eater, is a demon scythe and the partner of Maka Albarn, and one of the main protagonists. His weapon form has a red-and-black blade and an eye near its heel which expresses his emotions. He has a laid-back and nonchalant personality and tries to maintain a "cool" attitude, but often ends up embarrassing himself instead. He tends to bicker with Maka over unimportant things from time to time, but is fiercely loyal to her and has more than once displayed his will to die for his friends' safety. After he is slashed in the chest by [|Ragnarok] and infected with the Demon Sword's blood, he fights to resist the madness-inducing effects of the blood, which is portrayed by the little demon who appears within his subconscious.As a member of a renowned family of musicians, Soul's innate talent as a pianist cannot be disputed, but it's his newfound powers as a weapon that have allowed him to break ties with his family's tradition and aim for the title of the strongest death scythe. He dislikes being compared to his older brother Wes, a famous violinist, and is reluctant to play music for other people. He can use this talent when resonating his soul wavelength with others, playing the piano within his soul to drastically enhance their power. He manages to become a death scythe after defeating [|Arachne] with Maka and eating her soul, gaining the ability to use sound waves and sabotage enemies with his "Soul Hack" attack. In the aftermath of Asura's defeat, due to Kid's agreement with the witches to make no more death scythes, Soul becomes the last death scythe created.
Black Star
Black Star is a ninja assassin and the meister of Tsubaki. He is exceedingly arrogant and loudmouthed for an assassin, preferring to make a flashy entrance rather than sneaking up on his opponents, and tries to upstage anyone who gains more attention than he does. He frequently calls himself a "big" man destined to surpass God, thus driving himself to his physical limits. He is a skilled combatant even when unarmed, using a skill that allows him to increase his own soul wavelength and channel it through physical attacks. He is one of the last remaining survivors of the Star Clan, a family of assassins who slaughtered others for wealth until they were wiped out by DWMA, whereupon academy Professor Sid Barrett took him in and raised him. He is oppressed by anyone who recognizes the clan's symbol, a star-shaped tattoo on his shoulder. Due to his obsession with power, some believe he will eventually descend down the path towards becoming a kishin like his father, White Star. However, in his final battle with Mifune, he resists such temptation and chooses to create his own new path instead, eventually leading him to become a warrior god.Tsubaki Nakatsukasa
Tsubaki Nakatsukasa is the weapon partner of Black Star, classified as a "shadow weapon" who has the power to transform into a variety of ninja weapons including a kusarigama, a shuriken, a ninjatō, and a smoke bomb. She is gentle, quiet, friendly, and easy going, and provides a soothing influence among her friends whenever they argue. She is also very patient and tolerant of others, which allows her to put up with Black Star's constant arrogance and showboating, and serves as a highly collaborative partner in battle. Her multiple weapon forms are part of a tradition passed down by her family, descended from the first demon weapons created by Arachne. She later acquires her most powerful form, the Uncanny Sword, after absorbing the soul of her corrupted brother [|Masamune]. She primarily takes the form of a black katana in this form, but is eventually able to transform it into other weapons as she ordinarily does.Death the Kid
Death the Kid, called "Kid" for short, is the son of Shinigami. Kid is created from a part of his father's being like his older brother [|Asura] as an incomplete shinigami, modeled after his father’s creator Shinra Kusakabe. Lacking his father's aspect of fear and starting out as a child, however, Kid grows and develops his own personality. His status as a shinigami grants him formidable godlike powers such as invincibility to a point, but he suffers from asymmetriphobia and a crippling obsessive-compulsive disorder for symmetry in everyday life, stemming from his father's "madness of order". This mindset results in him becoming the meister of the Thompson sisters after seeing their matching weapon forms as a means to preserve his personal symmetry, but unable to fight using one of them while the other is missing. Because of his status as shinigami and a polished meister, Kid is not required to collect souls or attend DWMA, but he does so anyway to create custom weapons suited to his desires.Kid's most distinguishing feature is the set of three white lines on the left side of his hair called the Lines of Sanzu, which plagues him at times due to their asymmetry. However, the Lines of Sanzu are revealed to be symbol of his status as a shinigami, and their eventual connection would awaken his full power. Later in the story, upon learning of his origins as the technical brother of Asura, Kid fears becoming a greater threat than his brother if he unlocks his full potential. However, after being assured by Maka and understanding his father's true power in the process, Kid connects the lines and assumes his true form, thus killing his father, as only one true shinigami can exist at a time.