Muhyo & Roji's Bureau of Supernatural Investigation

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Template:Nihongo foot also known as simply Muhyo & Roji, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yoshiyuki Nishi. The series ran in Shueisha's manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump from November 2004 to March 2008, with its chapters collected in 18 volumes. The series follows Toru Muhyo and Jiro "Roji" Kusano, a young magical law enforcer and his assistant, as they track down and punish spirits based on the articles written in the book of magical law.

An anime television series adaptation by Studio Deen aired from August to October 2018 on SKY PerfecTV! and Animax. A second season aired from July to September 2020.

The manga is licensed for English release in North America by Viz Media, which released the 18 volumes from October 2007 to August 2010 under its Shonen Jump manga line. The anime series has been streamed on Crunchyroll.

Characters

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Voiced by: Ayumu Murase (Japanese); Todd Haberkorn (English)

The youngest graduate of the Magical Law School to become a magical law enforcer. Partnered with Roji, he exorcises spirits with detached efficiency, showing no hesitation in delivering judgments. His abilities demand significant spiritual energy, leaving him frequently fatigued. Though outwardly indifferent toward Roji, he reveals concern in dangerous situations. Despite his abrasive demeanor, he upholds a strong sense of justice and possesses exceptional power, capable of performing high-level judgments alone. Even after conflict with Enchu, he seeks redemption rather than vengeance. He speaks the underworld's language, allowing him to command summoned creatures and halt punishments.

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Voiced by: Yū Hayashi (Japanese); Khoi Dao (English)

Roji is Muhyo's kind-hearted but overly emotional assistant, often struggling to exorcise spirits with tragic stories. While knowledgeable about spirit types, he lacks formal training in magical law. His power fluctuates with confidence, sometimes revealing unexpected strength. Initially believing Muhyo dislikes him, Roji eventually learns his mentor deliberately chose him despite his lack of qualifications. He excels at creating restraining seals and once wielded an item normally reserved for higher-ranked practitioners.

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Voiced by: Kōhei Amasaki (Japanese); Dawn M. Bennett (English)

Kenji is a mischievous boy who initially dismisses Muhyo and Roji's exorcism business as fraudulent, even vandalizing their sign. His skepticism vanishes after they save him from a blood-drinking ghost he unintentionally released. Developing admiration for the duo, he nicknames Roji "Bean Sprout" and Muhyo "Onion". Despite Muhyo's rule against meeting clients after cases conclude, Kenji frequently visits their office under various pretexts.

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Voiced by: Iori Nomizu (Japanese); Morgan Lauré (English)

Nana is a photographer introduced to Muhyo and Roji by Kenji. Her late father's career producing fake ghost photos strained their relationship. After Muhyo helps purify her father's spirit, sending it to the River Styx for salvation, she becomes a recurring client. Nana's physical attractiveness frequently draws unwanted attention. She later discovers she possesses natural medium abilities.

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Voiced by: Tetsuya Kakihara (Japanese); Ted Sroka (English)

Yoichi is a skilled magical law judge and Muhyo's childhood friend. Despite his lecherous behavior—including groping Nana upon their first meeting—he possesses considerable expertise, nearly matching Muhyo's knowledge. Though he once proposed partnering with Muhyo, Roji was chosen instead. Yoichi masters all forms of magical law except exorcism.

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Voiced by: Hiroshi Kamiya (Japanese); Mark Whitten (English)

Enchu, Muhyo and Yoichi's childhood friend, was a studious magical law student who sought to become an enforcer to support his sick mother. When Muhyo's natural talent surpassed him and Muhyo was promoted first, Enchu snapped. Turning to forbidden magic, he gained inhuman abilities but retained some compassion, ultimately being redeemed before receiving an indefinite sentence in the Arcanum.

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Voiced by: Rie Kawamura (Japanese); Bonnie Gordon (English)

Biko is a skilled magical toolmaker who cannot use the items she creates. Initially disliking her teacher Rio, she grew devoted to her after being saved from a failed experiment. Though shocked by Rio's betrayal, Biko still hoped for her redemption and dreamed of picking raspberries together. After Rio's imprisonment, they lived together under house arrest. Biko has three apprentices and was once mistaken for a boy by Roji.

Voiced by: Satomi Akesaka (Japanese); Cherami Leigh (English)

Rio, Biko's teacher and a master magical toolmaker, secretly allied with Enchu after growing resentful when enforcers refused to save her mother from a spirit attack. Though fond of Biko, she initially believed redemption was impossible. Her desperation stemmed from poverty-driven struggles to care for her mother before her death—later revealed to be orchestrated by Teeki to manipulate her. After confronting this truth, Rio accepted responsibility and reformed. Now under house arrest with Biko, her flirtatious nature earned Muhyo's nickname "kissing fiend".

Voiced by: Yūko Gotō (Japanese); Kira Buckland (English)

Sophie is a formidable spirit originally confined to the Arcanum before Rio released her. During her lifetime, she was ostracized by her sister for her plain appearance, driving her to murder people and steal their faces. As a spirit, she possesses shapeshifting abilities to mimic others. Her power proves so immense that only a high-level magical commandment typically requiring four enforcers working together can subdue her. In her final moments, she tearfully questions why her sister never allowed her to attend parties as she fades away.

Voiced by: Mitsuki Saiga (Japanese); Lisa Ortiz (English)

Imai is a magical law judge assigned to guard the Arcanum prison. She narrowly survived Sophie's escape when the spirit deemed her face unworthy of stealing. After nearly being killed by Teeki during the incident, she befriends Roji and later escorts him to Magical Law School. Their relationship deepens, with hints that Imai may harbor romantic feelings for him.

Voiced by: Tetsuharu Ōta (Japanese); Bill Rogers (English)

Teeki serves as Enchu's enigmatic lieutenant and a formidable adversary marked by the Magical Law Association for centuries. His true nature remains ambiguous—possibly a spirit or an immortal practitioner of forbidden magic. Responsible for orchestrating the Arcanum fire, he displays a sadistic nature, reveling in destruction and attempting to eliminate Muhyo's group. Teeki introduced Enchu to forbidden magical law and is distinguished by his four-eyed mask and marked gloves.

Voiced by: Wataru Hatano (Japanese); Keith Silverstein (English)

Page is a renowned magical law instructor who trained both Muhyo and Enchu. Emphasizing physical fitness as foundational to magical practice, he balances his stern teachings with poetic pursuits and paternal care for his students—exemplified when he rushed to Muhyo's side despite the latter's injuries. Unbeknownst to Roji, Page previously exorcised a spirit from Roji's childhood friend, gifting him the tie that later connected him to Muhyo, an encounter Page describes as fate.

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Voiced by: Yūsuke Kobayashi (Japanese); Johnny Yong Bosch (English)

Goryo is a corrupt magical law enforcer who leads the centuries-old Goryo Group Syndicate. Though magically weak, the syndicate compensates through ruthless tactics—extortion, bribery, and murder. Goryo extorts clients by threatening to release captured spirits, abuses his assistants, and obsesses over wealth and family status. After the syndicate's destruction by Ark and his rescue from Tomas, he undergoes genuine redemption.

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Voiced by: Shinya Takahashi (Japanese); Ed Bosco (English)

Ebisu is a magical law judge who served as Goryo's assistant, distinguished by his clown-like appearance and fear of his employer's temper. Resentful of Roji's rapid rise under Muhyo, Ebisu aided Goryo in spirit banishments and syndicate operations until being fired for strategic failures. Despite this dismissal, he remained loyal, rushing to Goryo's defense when the syndicate was attacked.

Voiced by: Ikuya Sawaki (Japanese); Christopher Corey Smith (English)

Tomas is a criminal practitioner allied with Ark. Posing as a teacher and Page's friend, his fraudulent credentials and criminal past were later exposed. Partnered with Beelzebub, he obsessively collects objects ranging from mundane items like teacups to human souls.

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Panza, a spirit assassin in Ark's group, obsessively pursued Roji after his kindness during her outcast childhood. Corrupted by Teeki, she attacked Muhyo before dying tragically. Her final moments with Roji—where he wished for friendship but she clung to her knight fantasy—inspired the group's resolve against Ark.

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Mick, known as "the Slasher," was an unpredictable Ark operative who followed orders in his own unconventional way. A simple-minded warrior who lived for battle, his relaxed demeanor gave way to eccentric combat techniques—morphing his entire body into a sword. Orphaned when the Magical Law Association executed his practitioner parents for attacking envoys, he sought only his next fight.

Ark's spirit master sought vengeance against the Magical Law Association for her parents' deaths. Her attempted destruction of the organization was thwarted by Goryo, leading to her murder by fellow Ark member Buhpu.

Media

Manga

Written by Yoshiyuki Nishi, Muhyo and Roji's Bureau of Supernatural Investigation was serialized in Shueisha's manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump from November 29, 2004, to March 3, 2008. Shueisha collected its 156 individual chapters in eighteen tankōbon volumes, released from May 2, 2005, to June 4, 2008.

The series has been licensed for English–language release in North America by Viz Media, which released the first volume of the series in October 2007 under its "Shonen Jump" manga line. As of August 2010, the company has published all eighteen volumes of the series.

A sequel series, titled was serialized in Shōnen Jump+ app from March 19, 2018, to March 7, 2019. Shueisha released two volumes on August 3, 2018, and April 4, 2019.

Anime

A 12-episode anime television series produced by Studio Deen aired from August 3 to October 19, 2018, on SKY PerfecTV! and Animax. Nobuhiro Kondo directed the series, while scripts were handled by Yasuyuki Suzuki, music composed by Ryo Kawasaki, characters designed by Kouichiro Kawano, and Kazuko Tadano and Hiromi Matsushita serving as chief animation directors. The opening theme song is "Gifted", performed by Screen Mode, while the ending theme song is "Hotohashiru", performed by Oresama. The series has been streamed on Crunchyroll.

On June 16, 2019, a second season was announced, with the staff and cast reprising their roles. It aired from July 7 to September 22, 2020.

Reception

For the week of June 5–11, the 12th volume of the premiered in seventh place in the list of weekly bestselling manga series in Japan. In Jason Thompson's online appendix to Manga: The Complete Guide, he describes the early volumes as having a "haunt of the week flavor", and describes the manga overall as maintaining a "quirky and sometimes creepy" tone, despite the plot becoming "conventionally melodramatic".

External links

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