Battling companion

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Battling companion is an unofficial name for a genre of anime and manga where the main character, usually a young boy, uses monsters to fight the forces of evil or battle among other characters with monsters of their own. Often (but not always), a character is linked to just one particular monster, which has the role of a sidekick fighting on its owner's behalf or bestowing its powers upon that person. In most cases, the protagonist also travels with a group of friends, each with their own companions, and there is a villain with an ostensibly far more powerful companion than all of the heroes. Storylines therefore tend to be very combat-oriented, with friendships being the secondary theme.

There are multiple variations of the Battling Companion genre. Shaman King, for example, has shamans who can summon spirits to aid them in battle. JoJo's Bizarre Adventure features characters who have "stands"; spiritual sidekicks similar to guardian angels, either to assist in battle or to do things that the person normally cannot. And Beyblade uses tops known as beyblades that contain mythical beasts, enabling them to perform special attacks when they clash with other beyblades.

Some popular examples of Battling Companion anime and manga are Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Digimon, and Zatch Bell.