Title: Ushio to Tora
Author/Artist: Kazuhiro Fujita
Publisher: SS Comics
Style: Shonen -- Horror
# of Books: 33
Rating: PG-13
Summary written by: Gloria Oliver
Main Characters:
Ushio Aotsuki 
Ever since he was little, Ushio has been forced to train to toughen himself against evil. His father, a guardian of a 500 year old small temple complex, insists its necessary, spewing what Ushio considers drivel about a demon and a lance. Though Ushio cares nothing for this talk of fighting evil, until he can beat his father in combat, he has no choice but to continue on with what he thinks of as useless training. All this changes when Ushio meets Tora and he becomes the keeper of the Animal Lance (Kemono no yari).
Tora 
Tora is a powerful demon, looking akin to a tiger, who's been trapped in an underground vault/cave for the last 500 years. He was trapped here by a young samurai, after he'd gone on a killing spree amongst human kind. (Tora likes how they taste.) He is agile, smart, powerful, and can even turn invisible at will. But the Animal Lance has him pegged to a wall, and unless a human pulls it free, he will be imprisoned by it for the rest of eternity.
Asako and Mayuko 
Asako and Mayuko are best friends, and are also classmates of Ushio. Asako likes Ushio, but would never admit to it. All three have known each other for a long time. While Asako is a tough, stubborn, self reliant type of girl. Mayuko is your more bubbly type of individual. Mayuko is also the first of the two to become aware of Tora's presence and even tries to befriend him. (She gets him hooked on burgers.)
Story Summary
After a morning training session in which Ushio is not able to defeat his father in combat once again, he's sent to a storage area of the temple grounds to go look for an old book his father wants. While looking for it, Ushio trips over a ring set into the floor. The ring is connected to two doors he never noticed before.
Opening the doors, Ushio falls down into an underground area beneath the building. It is here that he gets his first look at a supernatural being--Tora. With elongated eyes, sharp claws, and long hair, Tora resembles what he is--a demon. Ushio sees that Tora is pinned to a wall by a long lance and that the demon is alive. Tora speaks to him, asking Ushio to remove the lance for he can't wait to go out once more into the world to terrorize and eat humans again.
Needless to say this does not sit well with Ushio, who makes his feelings known by kicking the spear in deeper into Tora's shoulder. Ushio then asks Tora to swear not to eat people or he will never let him go. (He obviously feels sorry for him, realizing that being alive, pinned to the wall, can't have been a pleasant experience, not even for a demon.):-) Tora won't make such a vile promise, so Ushio leaves him down there. When he tries to find his father to tell him what has happened, he finds out his father has abruptly left, leaving Ushio to handle this mess on his own.
As if this were not enough of a problem, Ushio notices weird creatures floating around through the air. Visited by Asako and Mayuko, he's even more amazed to discover that his two friends can't see them. When he asks Tora what they are, the demon tells him that by opening the way down there, Ushio also inadvertently released the evil which had been gathering in the hole for the last 500 years.
Still trying to gain his own release, Tora then tells Ushio about the 2000 year old spear and how it can fight the evil he's released. Which would he prefer? For Tora to remain imprisoned here or for Ushio to have a weapon which would allow him to destroy the evil things he released before they start preying on humans. If anyone got hurt, it would all be Ushio's fault.
Driven by guilt and the fact his two friends are in danger, Ushio quickly asks Tora to promise not to hurt anyone and he will free him. Tora agrees. Then he promptly hurts Ushio as soon as he is freed, stating that promises to humans are meaningless. Ushio gets mad at this while holding the lance, and suddenly it's powers manifests. Ushio's hair grows incredibly long and his eyes get bigger. This is the exact same power which had easily imprisoned Tora 500 years before. Tora makes a 180 degree reversal and says that of course he'll keep his promise. (Until he can get rid of Ushio that is!)
In this way is an uneasy alliance born. Ushio uses the lance to fight the evil he's released, while Tora stays close looking for opportunities to get rid of him. Yet, as Tora learns more about the current world and more about Ushio's determination and good nature at work, something slowly, very slowly begins to change.
But that's only the beginning. Why did Ushio's father disappear so suddenly? What does he know about the Animal Lance? Who is the mysterious group which has been guarding the lance for the last 500 years? Why do they want Ushio to prove himself or they will take the lance? Why do other demons acknowledge Tora as a superior force? And how much power does this lance from China hold? What did happen to Ushio's mother? How is it related to the lance? And more!
While the art style is rougher than some, it lends well to this tale of demons and evil. Small gags abound, normally ending with Tora getting his face smashed for his trouble. Inventive, fun, and definitely filled with surprises, Ushio to Tora is a series definitely worth checking out.