Kekkaishi

Yoshimori Sumimura is a 14-year-old student who carries a family responsibility most teens don't face, he is the twenty-second Kekkaishi, a guardian who creates magical barriers to trap and destroy malevolent spirits that surface around Karasumori. He sparrs constantly with Tokine Yukimura, a childhood friend who shares the Kekkaishi role, and their rivalry fuels both disagreement and teamwork as they protect civilians from supernatural danger. The show balances everyday school scenes, training in barrier arts, and escalating confrontations with increasingly dangerous foes, while keeping major plot twists and final outcomes out of sight.

Premiered in 2006, the TV adaptation credits Hiroshi Onogi as creator and showcases voice talent including Hiroyuki Yoshino, Rie Saitou, and Asako Dodo. The anime brings the original comic's concepts to life over multiple broadcast seasons, emphasizing action choreography and character interaction.

The original Kekkaishi manga won the Shogakukan Manga Award in the shonen category, a respected industry prize that raised awareness of the series and helped justify producing the animated version, encouraging translations and wider distribution of the property.

Kekkaishi is often recalled for its distinct focus on barrier techniques rather than flashy powers, and for the push-pull relationship between its two lead Kekkaishi. Its mix of everyday school life with yokai battles influenced other mid-2000s supernatural shonen shows, and it maintains a committed fanbase that produces fan art, discussions, and retrospectives online.

Audience responses sit around a 6.9/10 average from listed votes. Viewers tend to appreciate the evolving teamwork, the strategic nature of fights, and themes about duty passed down through families, while critics and fans sometimes point to uneven pacing and episodic filler that can dilute momentum between major story arcs.