In writing this week's review and realizing that Ichi the Witch has the same core premise as Jujutsu Kaisen...
Inexplicably strong teen with no living relatives and a unique relationship with death miraculously ends up containing The King of [Power System] within themself and ends up under the tutelage of The Strongest (TM) under threat of execution
...I have realized that I'd very much enjoy getting to write Ichi vs. Yuji in Jump Over if ItW goes long enough to warrant its inclusion
I may also get a kick out of Ichi vs. Asta (strong physical fighters with powerful magical entity partners) or Ichi vs. Deku (otherwise normal kids suddenly shouldered with power so far beyond everyone around them that it's hazardous to their bodies), but again I think I'd need the Magik power system to be much more fleshed out before I could really delve into any interesting choreography
When I think about my Shonen Jump crossover, I often think about the interplay between different power systems
My general rule of thumb is that all "life forces" are comparable, so Ki, Nen, Chakra, etc. can all be used to strike a Devil Fruit user's true body the same way that Haki does
Then I got to thinking about Black Clover
At first, Magic/Mana seemed like it should function the same way, being a form of energy that exists in all living things, and therefore Asta's Anti-Magic should be capable of cutting/deflecting/absorbing/etc. any life energy-based ability within Jump
Buuut then I remembered that Black Clover's Magic very explicitly isn't life energy - much like Dragon Ball has both Ki and Magic, so too does Black Clover include Ki in its power system
So now the question becomes: what power systems does Asta's Anti-Magic work on?
Criteria
The exact definition of "magic" is pretty loose and can vary even within a series, as even Devil Fruits are referred to as either science or magic depending on cultural contexts and understanding within One Piece's world, so it's not as simple as "if it's called magic it's magic and if it's not, it's not"
That said, I think if it's referred to specifically as Magic or Mana and doesn't have a definition that somehow clashes with Black Clover's distinction between Mana and Ki, I think it's safe to just label it as Magic and be done with it. This means that the Magic in Mashle, Dragon Quest, Beelzebub, Muhyo & Roji, Magical Taruruto-Kun, etc. all qualify as Magic
Jujutsu Kaisen's Jujutsu literally translates to Sorcery, so we can reasonably assume it's a form of magic, especially since it's power source, Juryoku/Cursed Energy, is definitely not any form of Life Energy, deriving from negative emotions and needing to be polarically inverted in order to perform healing techniques
Along the same lines, if it's explicitly referred to as Ki or Life Energy, or clearly functions as Life Energy without having a clear parallel to what one would normally call Magic, then we'll put it in the Life Energy category. Dragon Ball's Ki/Chi obviously counts, and so do JoJo's Stands, as they are explicitly manifestations of Life Energy
Stands are also expressions of one's "fighting spirit" or willpower, so we can further extrapolate any willpower-based energy system to be Ki adjacent; this includes things like One Piece's Haki, Hokuto no Ken's Touki, Reborn's Dying Will, etc.
Spirit
Of course, the term "Spirit" has other connotations beyond willpower; it can also mean the soul, which is very literally tied to the concept of life. Therefore, I think that any system that uses Soul or Spirit Energy should, at their core, be considered Life Energies unless otherwise stated to have distinct properties
Undead Unluck, Yu Yu Hakusho, and Bleach all use something to that effect, with a deceased person becoming a ghost upon death and all powers being in some way derived from that fact (though UU kind of reverses that logic)
However, Bleach has an interesting caveat where, while all spiritual things are made up of Reishi/Spirit Particles, effectively soul atoms, which can be converted into Reiryoku/Spirit Power to perform Kido, which are effectively spells. In the same way that Black Clover's Mana exists both within the living and ambiently in nature, so too does Reishi. Obviously Reishi is distinct from Mana, but the usage of Reiryoku is quite similar, so to my mind, Spirit Particles are exempt from being affected by Anti-Magic, but Spirit Power is vulnerable to it. A Shinigami's body, which is made of Reishi, would be susceptible to Ki-based attacks but not Anti-Magic, while their Reiryoku-based abilities can be damaged/deflected/etc. by Anti-Magic
Shaman King's Furyoku/Shamanic Power, is similar to Reishi, in the sense that spiritual matter is made of it, though it isn't stated to exist ambiently. Rather, it's more of a measure of a Shaman's capacity to interact with Spirits and personally manifest them to be capable of interacting with the living world (Over Soul); in other words, while there is a spiritual energy within living things and deceased spirits, Furyoku itself is more akin to Bleach's Reiryoku, the power to bring about outcomes with that energy. Thus, Over Souls are effectively spells cast by the Shaman, and are therefore susceptible to Anti-Magic, though spirits cannot be exorcised or otherwise directly harmed by it. This is fortunate, as Furyoku has more recently been localized as Mana, meaning that we don't have to break the earlier established rule of Mana=Mana just because of an odd translation choice
Naruto is a particularly interesting case because while it does have two forms of Life Energy, in a Physical and Spiritual variety collectively known as Stamina, neither is ever really treated as the focus of Naruto's system. Instead, it focuses on the byproduct of those two base energies, Chakra. We've already made the argument that the refinement of basic energy into a manifested outcome leans towards Magic in both Bleach and Shaman King, but even if that argument falls through, Naruto's setting clearly sets it apart from the others; Chakra is not inherent to the people of its world. It was introduced to the world by a higher being, and it was then found to be replicable by mixing what was already present. Chakra is, technically, an external force that was effectively transplanted into the people of the world, making it quite definitively not a Life Energy in and of itself
Miscellaneous
Of course, the majority of power systems don't use either name at all, and need special considerations to be categorized as "Magic" or "Non-Magic"
Saint Seiya's Cosmo is difficult to qualify because technically it's based in science, using the energy from the bonds between atoms to manipulate matter. However, because we've already established that Mana is an ambient energy, that same logic should technically apply to Cosmo, as it is found in all matter, not specifically living things. Furthermore, Cosmo is used to often used to effect miracles and invoke the blessings of the Gods, which implies that Cosmo is a form of thaumaturgy; in other words, Magic
D. Gray-Man's Innocence is a semi-sentient material, so it's difficult to say for sure, but given that it seems to have divine origins, my inclination is to say that Innocence is miraculous, and therefore Magical for the purposes of this crossover. Because it is able to harm Akuma, manifestations of departed souls, I will concede that it has overlap with Life Energy and should still be able to harm Devil Fruit users, though
In contrast, Buso Renkin's Alchemy, while also utilizing weapons constructed of miraculous substances, is strictly scientific in nature. While it's far enough beyond real-world understanding of science to seem akin to magic, it does not draw on magical energies and instead specifically utilizes exaggerated scientific principles
Wholly biological abilities, like the physical enhancements of Demon Slayer's Breathing or the endocrine Someinine of Mission: Yozakura Family, definitely don't count in my book. Psychic powers like Psyren's PSI or abilities that are rooted in one's mentality like Medaka Box's Skills are technically biological in the sense that they're rooted in the brain, but the ability to manifest thoughts into the world is debatably a form of magic, but generally I have to say they're non-magical
However, Nurarihyon's Fear, while based in mentality and perception, is actually based on the perceptions of others; whereas psychic abilities derive from one's brainwaves, Fear is effectively manifesting the imagination of humans. Yokai are mystical in nature, so it stands to reason that their ability, which depends on human belief in the supernatural, would qualify as Magic
Fear in Chainsaw Man, however, is much more debatable. While the relative strength of a Devil is determined by how feared they are, what they're literally capable of is determined by the aspect of the world they represent. Devil Contracts are Faustian deals, which are akin to black magic, but they're never referred to as magical; it almost seems like Devils are a force of nature, simply facts that act as they please and able to affect whatever change in the world they like so long as they're properly compensated. In that sense, they almost seem divine, but their placement is treated so mundanely that it's hard to make a solid judgment. I'm inclined to say no, but I think I could be convinced that it is magical
Conclusion
This list is by no means exhaustive, as there are tons of Jump manga that I'm either unfamiliar with or just didn't go into detail on here, like World Trigger's Trion, Toriko's Appetite, or Yugioh's Ba (all stated to be Life Energies, though the use of Ba to summon monsters or Ka is almost certainly a form of spellcasting), so if there were some you wanted me to cover, let me know
I'm not even against Life Energies being considered magic, I just think they're typically more akin to what Black Clover calls Ki than to what it calls Mana, so if you have a case for why any should be reevaluated, I'd love to hear them
Honestly, I'm not really too hung up on it either way; like I said, Asta's ability to use Ki typically makes up for a lack of Anti-Magic vulnerability in most of his potential matchups, as he'd still be able to interact with spiritual energies just fine. This was just a fun thought experiment, and I hope anyone who reads it will enjoy it too!
Sometimes when I’m bored I just throw the protagonists of every Jump manga I can think of into a big, empty white room in my mind and see who bumps into who
Today Medaka and Hitoyoshi bumped into Andy and Fuuko
Medaka: Zenkichi is such a romantic, he insisted that he become a man who was worthy of me before we got married. He kept me waiting for ten years!
Hitoyoshi: Keh, as if you weren’t willing to wait 100 for me
Fuuko: Aww, that’s so sweet. That reminds me of me and Andy. After our world blew up, we had to wait the whole 4.56 billion years for it to reform and get back to the point where we first met
Hitoyoshi: ...Did you say bil-
Andy: Don’t be misleading, you skipped all but the last 200 years of it
Fuuko: Yeah, but you didn’t, and you waited for me the whole time~
Medaka: ...Zenkichi, what do you say to being in a timeloop for a bit?
"For this next round, let's take a little break from the action," Anshin'in-san declared. "Jump is about more than just fighting: it's also about love! We'll pit some of Jump's most lovey-dovey couples against each other to see who lovey-doves each other the most!
"Now, let's meet our first contestant...
"Bondooo Tairaaa!!!"
"Eh?" Bondo's head rapidly shifted side to side, desperately trying to figure out when exactly this podium covered in multi-colored lightbulbs had been placed in front of him. Or, rather, why he'd been placed behind it
"Hold on a sec!" he protested. "I'm not a romantic protagonist! I'm from a gag manga! I don't even have a..." He wanted to say he didn't have a love interest, but his crush, Madoka's face sprang to mind as he spoke. As his cheeks began to heat up, he hid behind the brim of his cap
"Now, now, no need to be ashamed!" Anshin'in-san chimed. "Your partner already eagerly agreed to participate!" She waved her hand to direct Bondo's attention to his left
"Sh-she did?!" Bondo's heart nearly leapt out of his chest. As if being pulled by a string, Bondo's gaze followed Anshin'in-san's hand, and...!
"Yo," said Roboco, leaning against the podium, flashing a cool salute
"I SHOULD'VE KNOWN!" Bondo shouted, one eye shut and a balled-up fist shaking. "Why is it Roboco?! She's definitely not my love interest!"
"That's strange, she told us you were infatuated with her..."
"Of course she said that! She thinks everyone is!!!"
"There you go again, Master," Roboco said with a smug chuckle, "always with the tsundere act."
"Aaargh! Whatever, I can see complaining won't get me anywhere! Just bring out the other contestants already so we can get this over with!!!"
"Very well, then! Our next pair is..." Drum roll...
Based on everything else I've seen so far, Bondo thought, this author's super-biased towards Medaka Box and Undead Unluck, so I'm probably up against Medaka/Hitoyoshi or Andy/Fuuko, but probably not both...ah, but if Roboco had a say in this, then it might be Taiki/Chinatsu, since she'll want to prove that she's a better heroine than Chinatsu...
"Kenshiro and Yuria!!!"
A blue curtain swished open to reveal an incredibly muscular man bridal carrying a beautiful woman
"Kenshiro?!" Bondo screamed as his eyes popped out of his very skull. "He's the furthest thing from a romance protagonist! And this is clearly some kind of gameshow, he's wildly out of place here!"
"Hmph," Kenshiro grunted as he approached his podium, gently lowering Yuria to her feet. "If you're going to underestimate us...then you've already lost"
"That's not even how you use that catchphrase in canon! Who's writing you?!"
Bondo held his head in his hands, praying that the next contestants would at least be from a legitimate romance manga
"And now, our final pair..."
Whoever it is, they can't be a worse match than Kenshiro....
"Hey, get offa me, wouldja?!" a rough, yet somewhat high-pitched voice complained from behind a red curtain
"...No," Bondo said aloud on reflex
"Oh, darling, there's no need to be embarrassed~!" replied a mature, feminine voice. "You've embraced me before, and this isn't that different~"
"Luffy and Hancock!!!" The red curtain flew to the side to reveal a tall woman with her arms wrapped around a much shorter boy, clinging tightly as her legs clearly trail behind her
Talking about ideas for Ichi in Jump Over got me thinking, at what point should I consider any given series "big enough" to be included?
Like obviously I'm not going to include anything in the U19 Club, except maybe as like...a joke or a special case, but for the sake of limiting my scope, I'm trying to focus on series that would make sense to see in a crossover game
Granted, I suppose Jumputi Heroes kinda shot that in the foot by including canceled series like Bushizawa Receive or Hatsukoi Limited, but again, I need to be a bit more discerning so I don't get too bogged down
My instinct is "when it gets an anime," but that eliminates Psyren, which I definitely don't want to cut on principle
I can't say "anything that wasn't canceled," because lots of series that got big and even had anime still got canceled, like Nurarihyon
I think running for two years is a good metric, but that precludes things like Ninku and DNA^2, both of which were approximately a year and still got anime. ...That actually brings up an interesting question about the industry at the time, but I'm going to ignore that for now
I guess it should be 1) ran two years OR 2) got an anime, since that allows for exceptions to each, but there are definitely series that ran for two years that just didn't leave any notable impact on the industry, or at the very least aren't available state-side
Like what's the difference between Mx0, which lasted 99 chapters and got into Jumputi, and Asatarou Den, which lasted 108 and didn't? Recency bias?
Perhaps I'm overthinking it and I should just go by vibes
This week's Elusive Samurai also reminded me that Tokiyuki wields Onimaru, the blade that Hinomaru of Hinomaru Zumou was named after when he became one of the National Treasures
So that's another fight I'd like to get the chance to write: Tokiyuki, wielder of Onimaru, vs. Hinomaru, aka Onimaru Kunitsuna
I think that Tokiyuki's elusive fighting style would make for a very interesting contrast with Hinomaru's sumo; I don't recall Hinomaru ever facing an opponent who excelled in evasion, as the only character who ever really did (Mitsuhashi) was on his team
I think Tokiyuki's speed would have a great advantage, but if Hinomaru manages to overcome it, I think the sheer power of his attacks relative to Tokiyuki's light frame would be a game-ender
