Wonrei (ウォンレイ Wonrei, Wonlay[3]) and Li-en (リィエン Ryien, usually translated as "Li Yen" or "Lee Yen" in the Japanese version) are a major supporting team in the majority of the series. Their spells are based on Martial Arts, as both Li-en and Wonrei already have trained their Kung-Fu abilities. They placed 25th in the tournament overall.
Wonrei has the appearance of a handsome young man with slightly spiky, mid-back length white hair, with several chest-length strands in the front and bangs framing either side of his forehead. His eyes are an empty, pale lavender, giving him a calm but distant expression. He typically wears a white and gold Chinese-style robe, and is often seen with a gold or purple headband beneath his bangs. During the Faudo arc, his outfit changes to a blue variation. Like other humanoid Mamodo, he has thin facial lines under his eyes, though in Wonrei’s case the lines end just below his nose rather than reaching the corners of his mouth, a feature whose significance is unclear. His skin is described as fair and pure. In the manga and original version, his eyes are light blue, and his hair and clothing are primarily white with a faint bluish tint. This pale blue color scheme is emphasized on the covers of both the tankōbon and complete edition volumes. In the anime version, however, his hair is depicted as a light purple-silver, his eyes are purple, and his clothing alternates between white and light blue. While the base palette differs between versions, the overall design remains consistent in style and form.
Li-en is a young woman and kung-fu expert whose appearance reflects both elegance and strength. She has long, dark-brown hair that is most often styled into two buns, each wrapped in red-and-white cloth, with bangs swept neatly to the right side and two strands framing her face in front of her ears. Her large brown eyes give her an expressive and gentle look, balancing her determined personality. Her usual outfit is a red and gold traditional Chinese dress, split at the sides of her legs for ease of movement, worn over light pink pants and paired with simple red flats. This attire highlights her martial arts background, allowing her freedom in combat while still carrying the ornate design of her family’s status. The circlet she wears, inscribed with the word “love,” was a custom piece given to her by her father, serving as both a personal treasure and a visual emblem of her connection to Wonrei. Together, her hairstyle, clothing, and accessories emphasize her dual role in the story: she is portrayed as graceful and traditionally feminine, but also as a disciplined fighter and steadfast partner, capable of standing alongside Wonrei in both love and battle.
Personality[]
Wonrei is a teenage Mamodo whose lifelong goal is to become a protective king. Unlike many Mamodo who enter the battle with selfish desires or ambition, Wonrei’s wish from the very beginning—long before meeting Zatch and Kiyo—was to “protect everyone” and “become a king who can protect all those in the Mamodo World” (chapter 72). This conviction shapes every aspect of his personality. He is calm, sincere, and polite, addressing allies and even elders like Li-en’s grandparents with respect. He never provokes his opponents or indulges in cruelty, making him one of the most composed Mamodo in the story. Fittingly, he is the only male mamodo shown to use the first-person pronoun “I” rather than rougher self-references, reflecting his gentleness.
At the same time, his protective instinct makes him fierce toward anyone who tries to harm Li-en or separate them. Early on, he even tried to shield her by refusing to involve her in battles, but Zatch and Kiyo reminded him that fighting together with her was the true way to protect her. From then on, Wonrei embodied his ideal of the “Protective King” not just as Li-en’s guardian, but as someone who would put himself between danger and any friend in need. He has acted as a shield for Li-en, Megumi, and Tia alike. Wonrei’s warmth is often highlighted in small moments: a bird once fell asleep in his hair, Li-en’s grandfather entrusted him with her future, and he shows loyalty by never forgetting kindnesses done for him. His aura of serenity is matched with unshakable conviction—the determination to devote himself to others, like Zatch, rather than pursue power for his own sake.
Li-en’s personality is defined by her unwavering devotion to Wonrei and her refusal to look away from him, no matter how dangerous the circumstances become. Though she is the daughter of a Hong Kong triad boss and has lived under constant threat, she faces hardship with courage and composure. Like Wonrei, she embodies quiet resolve, showing a maturity that allows her to accept the painful truth that they may one day be separated, yet still choosing to remain by his side. This devotion is not passive—she actively encourages Wonrei to embrace his role as the “Protective King,” reminding him that pushing her away is not true protection. She understands that her presence is a source of strength rather than a weakness, and she stands firm even when confronted with overwhelming enemies or opposition from her own family. In this way, she becomes a partner who shares in Wonrei’s burden rather than one he must shield alone.
Trained in kung fu from childhood, Li-en is disciplined, physically capable, and was even the one to teach Wonrei martial arts. Her strength and skill make her more than just emotional support; she is able to stand alongside Wonrei and contribute to their fights with resolve and courage. Her training also reflects her resilience, showing that she has worked hard to develop herself despite her sheltered and dangerous upbringing. Beyond her bond with Wonrei, Li-en demonstrates loyalty and gratitude to allies such as Zatch, Kiyo, Tia, and Megumi, treating them with kindness and respect while repaying their support with steadfast cooperation. At her core, she balances romantic tenderness with pragmatic strength, embodying a love for Wonrei that is both deeply emotional and firmly grounded in resolve.
Biography[]
Li-en helping up Wonrei
Background[]
Li-en longs for a boyfriend, but everyone who goes out with her becomes too scared once they learn who her father is.
Part I[]
Wonrei met Li-En at a restaurant in Hong Kong when she was overeating in order to express her anger at her date running away at the mere mentioning of her father. Wonrei stopped her from eating any further, saying it was bad for her health, but Li-en insisted on being left alone. She even told him to go away and tried to force him off, to no avail, and was surprised that Wonrei showed no fear of her father. Eventually, the two sat down and talked, eventually beginning their relationship, and as luck would have it Li-an was selected as the owner of Wonrei’s spellbook. Wonrei told Li-en she was like “a bird trapped inside a cage” and should “spread her wings,” encouraging her not to give up too easily on a happy life. As soon as she read the book, Wonrei told Li-en about the battle for Mamodo King, and asked if she would fight alongside him, to which Li-en replied that she would, without a second thought. From then on, the two helped each other prepare for the battles, with Wonrei teaching Li-an how to control her power from within and Li-en teaching Wonrei kung-fu; with these techniques, they easily defeated every opponent that came before them. They became a powerful team and, despite Wonrei being a Mamodo and Li-en being human, they fell in love; Li-en was willing to sacrifice everything from her previous life to help Wonrei reach his goal. However, things became complicated when Wonrei stated that he wanted to quit the battle, out of fear that Li-en would get hurt or worse, something that Li-en didn’t agree with. Wonrei was then encountered by Li Pakron who stated that though he didn’t care about the battle for King, he was upset over the fact that Wonrei was getting Li-en involved; Wonrei complied with Li Pakron’s demands, mostly out of fear for Li-en’s safety. Li Pakron had been secretly watching their battles and, after applying his own brand of “persuasion,” had Wonrei exiled.
Li Pakron had Wonrei bound and locked up along with his spellbook in a steel cage on a deserted island where his organization stored all its valuables, such as gold and weapons. Before this rescue, Li-en had been sent to her grandmother’s house in Japan, where she met Zatch and Kiyo—she even stole their spellbook to get their attention, told them her story with Wonrei, and begged for their help. At the airport she worried she’d asked too much, but they showed up just as her father’s henchman tried to take her back. The mamodo Zabas senses the presence of two mamodos near (Wonrei and Zatch) Eventually, Li-en made her way to the island with the help of Zatch and Kiyo, but were interrupted from freeing Wonrei immediately by the appearance of another Mamodo team, Zabas and Galliont, who Zatch and Kiyo battled while Li-en went to rescue Wonrei. The young Mamodo expresses that he didn’t want her to come and tries to make her leave, but Li-en stated that she wanted to fight with him and was unconcerned with anything else; Wonrei stated then that he hated Li-en and told her to leave him alone, but even then Li-en wouldn’t leave and went so far as to defend him from Zabas and Galliont, stating that what she felt for him was no lie and because of that, she would protect him. Wonrei became shocked and frightened, begging her to leave, but Li-en simply jokingly asked why he was so concerned for her welfare if he hated her; Zatch and Kiyo later spoke out that Li-en would not give up on him, stating that she had come to save him and suffered massive injury because of it, but nonetheless pushed on because she wanted to fight alongside him and would sacrifice everything to help him become king. They asked if he would truly go and dismiss her feelings and if he was truly still afraid of involving Li-en in the battle; they stated that if Wonrei truly cherished Li-en in any way, he should become her shield and protect her from any and all dangers, even those that may cost him his life, and if he won’t protect Li-en and just continue to run away from obstacles, there was no possible way he could become king.
With these thoughts in mind, and Zabas preparing to attacking Li-en, Wonrei broke free of his prison and tossed Li-en the book, breaking free of his prison and heavily damaging Zabas with his Go Boren spell, swearing that he would always protect Li-en from danger and together they would win the battle. Wonrei then went on to easily defeat an enraged Zabas using a combination of spells and kung-fu techniques; after winning, Wonrei refrained from burning Zabas’s book and thanked Zatch and Kiyo for aiding Li-en as well as guiding him back towards fulfilling his dream, but the two stated that the real reason they came so far was because of Li-en’s passion for him, and Zatch asked if Wonrei if he would become a kind king like him, to which Wonrei said he would. Wonrei and Li-en then left after Zatch and Kiyo told them that they would handle the guards and Zabas, but the two lovers soon encountered Li Pakron, who was not about to let Wonrei leave with Li-en, but Wonrei claimed that he would stay with her and protect her, even if he disapproved, as he would no longer run away, no matter who his enemy was. Li Pakron attempted to do away with Wonrei himself but was stopped after seeing Wonrei’s resolve and deep love for Li-en reflected in his eyes, and left them alone. The two then happily left, feeling happy knowing they were together and that they were not the only ones with a noble goal before they shared a passionate kiss with each other. Later, when Li-en spoke with her father after he indirectly allowed them to leave, she thanked him for letting them go.
Wonrei and Li-en are later recruited by Dr. Riddles to fight Milordo-Z, and arrived in time to save Tia, who was keeping Zatch’s book safe from Byonko’s Ancient Mamodo. Although she was frightened at first, the two reassured her that they wouldn’t harm her as they were friends of Zatch and Kiyo and therefore her allies.
Later, when the group of heroes stormed the ruins and were separated by Zofis, Wonrei and Li-en teamed up with Tia and Megumi against Tsao-lon, the first of the Four Supreme Mamodo, and his partner Genso, a human partner who revealed that he enjoyed fighting and who wasn’t being manipulated by Zofis due to him promising Gensou that he would be able to fight many strong opponents if he stayed, due to Gensou not caring about who became king or the battle in general. During the battle, Wonrei insisted on fighting them alone, saying he would protect the others, but Tia and Megumi insisted on helping, and asked Li-en how she could agree to this; Li-en tells Tia and Megumi that they do love each other, but despite this, they are destined to be apart. It is revealed during this battle that after escaping from Li Pakron, they went to live with Li-en’s grandparents and lived a happy life with them; Li-en’s grandparents often joked that the two were already married—in the original Japanese, her grandfather even calls Wonrei “Muko-dono” (son-in-law). Li-en wished that this life of theirs could last forever, but was reminded by Wonrei that because he was a Mamodo and Li-en was human, they would eventually be separated whether they won the battle or not. He then told Li-en that they only way they could be together forever was to hold on to the memories of the joyous times they had together, and leave their hearts with each other. It was here that Li-en said she didn’t care about the Mamodo King battle and only wanted to be with Wonrei forever; he reassured her that their memories would let them live on in each other’s hearts. The two then ultimately accept their destiny and resolve to continue fighting; as the battle rages on, Wonrei continues to fight despite being gravely injured and now unable to use spells due to Li-en’s power from within being completely spent, and as Tia and Megumi learn that Wonrei and Li-en have accepted being two worlds apart from each other one day, they offer all their energy to them, allowing the two to defeat Tsaolon and Genso with a supercharged Rao Diboren that burns Tsao-lon’s book, as well as one final punch from Wonrei rendering Gensou unconscious. Wonrei states that this was the result that would always come to those that tried to harm the ones that he protected; it was Wonrei’s strength and courage that inspires Tia to ask to become Wonrei’s apprentice, swearing that she will learn everything she can from him, and Wonrei agrees, stating that his goal of being a protective king would be an ideal goal for Tia, a Mamodo who fights with shields, and because he sees a bit of himself and his ideals in Tia.
As the two teams continue to travel through the ruins, they find themselves the first to battle Demolt and Roberto Vile, the last of the Four Supreme Mamodo, who fatally stabs Wonrei with his blades, leaving him in a critical condition; even with Tia’s fully charged Saifojio spell used on him, Wonrei doesn’t awaken until the end of the battle, attacking and then finishing off Demolt by making him spit out his partner and burn his book. Wonrei and Li-en then aid in the fight against Zofis, but later stand down as soon as Brago and Sherry appeared. The two then returned to Li-en’s grandparents’ home when the battle was over.
In the Faudo Arc, Wonrei is forced to fight alongside a team of Mamodo working to revive Faudo after the leader behind the plot, Riou, placed the curse of Faudo upon Li-en; the team of Rodeaux and Chita come to meet and retrieve them, and after a quick spar, Rodeaux explained the nature of Li-en’s curse, stating that if they refused or if Faudo wasn’t revived in four days, Li-en would die from the curse. Seeing no other way to help Li-en, even with the knowledge that they were betraying their allies, Wonrei agrees to their demands. Eventually, when Zatch and his friends infiltrate Faudo, Wonrei battles them alonside Zaruchim and Raushin, constantly showing how upset he is for having to harm his true allies; even after Kiyo explains that they have a way to eliminate the threat of Faudo without Li-en having to die, Wonrei continues to fight, due to Zaruchim explaining that there was no way to save those who were cursed other than to remove the seal. Ultimately, Zatch and Kiyo escape along with Ponygon, Sunbeam, Momon, and Elle, but Wonrei and Zaruchim succeed in capturing Tia, Megumi, Kanchomé, and Folgore; Wonrei considers himself an enemy of Zatch’s at this point, but Tia explains that they are not enemies and Zatch will come to save him and Li-en along with them. Eventually, they use their power to attempt to destroy the seal on Faudo before the sunrise, and the end of the time limit; Li-en tries to keep her power from within limited in order to prevent Faudo’s revival, but Wonrei forces her to use all her power. Once Faudo is successfully revived, though, Wonrei and Li-en immediately rejoin Zatch’s group to find a way to send Faudo back to the Mamodo World. During this arc, the curse leaves Li-en bedridden for most of the four days; on the final evening she risks her life by suppressing her inner power to keep Faudo from rampaging. After she’s freed from the curse, she continues helping Zatch’s group—Even in the anime timeline, after Wonrei’s book is burned—and she is brought back to Japan before Zatch and Kiyo destroy Faudo, clutching Wonrei’s headband. She returns to her grandparents’ home and remains there through the end of the manga.
At this point, their story alters between the anime and manga:
Anime[]
After attempting and failing to send Faudo back to the Mamodo World as originally planned, the main group enters Faudo again and splits into two groups, with Wonrei and Li-en joining Zatch’s group of him, Kiyo, Tia, Megumi, Riya, and Aleshie. While traveling inside, they encounter Rodeaux and Chita, who Wonrei and Li-en offer to fight alone while the rest of the group moves on. At first, Wonrei and Li-en have the upper hand with their combination of spells and kung-fu, but Rodeaux gains an advantage over them using the powers of Faudo to create clones of himself and boost the intensity of Chita’s power from within. After a clash of their strongest spells, Li-en is then shown images of her happy times with Wonrei as he shields her; she is then taken to a space with her and Wonrei, where he says without voice that he is happy she is safe, and after a final embrace, Li-en wakes up to find that Wonrei’s book has been burned and his headband is left behind with the words “We will always be together” engraved on the inside, leaving Li-en in tears.
Manga[]
The group stays as one main group in the manga, and after Kiyo dies, they encounter the empowered Poosophagus, who was pursuing them and had cut off most of the groups escapes by sealing the exits and destroying the ground. Wonrei saves Kiyo from falling and tosses him back to Momon. Wonrei states that he will hold Poosophagus back while they escape, stating that he owes this to them as he attacked them, his friends who were trying to save them both, and was willing to sacrifice the entire world for Li-en to live, apologizing and stating that he couldn’t become a protective king. As the door closes, he asks them to forgive him, stating that he doesn’t care whether he becomes king or not and that he was weak and pitiful, but still wanted to protect everyone. Poosophagus realizes that Wonrei was one of the 100 children fighting for the crown, and sympathized with him because he most likely had to beg and appeal to many humans before finding the right one. Wonrei says this is true, and that there are people he must protect behind him, but Poosophagus refuses to acknowledge Wonrei as a threat, seeing as how he is alone and can’t cast spells without his partner; they then see that the others are trying to break the wall, but to no avail. Poosophagus plays with Wonrei at first, showing his “upgrades” that he was saving for Megumi, but as soon as he tries to go to Megumi, they begin their fight. Poosophagus mercilessly beats Wonrei, mostly expressing his grudge towards Kiyo for solving his riddles and making him appear foolish, but Wonrei still refuses to let him harm the others, especially Kiyo, who saved Li-en’s life and is trying to protect the world; due to his injuries, he becomes unable to fight back, but Li-en, who is brought back along with Tia and Megumi by Momon while the others moved on, saves Wonrei by casting his spells, saying that she will stand by him and fight even though they are not truly next to each other; Tia and Megumi stay behind due to still retaining a small amount of power from within, which they will use to cast Saifogeo if needed. Wonrei then battles by shouting specific phrases which represent the spells, and Li-en casts the spells, but Poosophagus confuses her by imitating Wonrei and using their spells against him, leaving Wonrei powerless again.
Li-en asks Megumi to cast Tia’s “Seoshi” defense on Wonrei, but since they don’t know his position and using Seoshi would use up the last of their power from within so Saifogeo couldn’t be used, such an act would be pointless; Li-en then hears Wonrei asking her to stay by his side and keep his image in her heart. With this, Li-en blindfolds herself and, with the image of Wonrei protecting her in her mind, becomes able to see him clearly and cast spells with perfect timing, despite the wall in between them and Wonrei’s injured body. With Tia’s Saifogeo cast on her, Li-en continues to supply spells for Wonrei, remembering Wonrei constantly training to become stronger and protect her. With their final spell, “Goraio Diboren,” they destroy Poosophagus’s body before Wonrei ultimately collapses from exhaustion, but as soon as everyone celebrates, Poosophagus activates his self-destruct function, threatening to kill Wonrei and himself. With no power from within left and Wonrei with no strength remaining, Li-en asks Tia and Megumi to burn his book, so he can return to the Mamodo World before dying, but Poosophagus explains that the wall can’t stand up to the explosion his self-destruction creates, so everyone on the other side will be eradicated in addition to Wonrei; with this in mind, Wonrei gathers more strength than ever before and stands up to protect the others despite his rapidly fading body, an act that Poosophagus laughs at. Li-en states that she will use her remaining energy to cast a spell, but the book creates a bubble of light that pushes her away and shows her the images of her daily life with Wonrei; seeing a time where they are watching the sunset, she hears Wonrei’s thoughts of how in love he is with her and how he enjoys her smile, and how he will protect the one who gave him that happy life and wore that smiling face even if he is destroyed. With this, Wonrei’s body explodes with light and power, allowing him to shield the girls from the explosion; as Li-en awakens in a space of light, she sees Wonrei looking over an unconscious Tia and Megumi, and tells Li-en they are all right, though his voice is gone. He then looks over Li-en’s body and sees that she is safe as well, and mouths “I’m so glad” and smiles, leading to a tearful embrace between the two lovers, with Li-en thanking Wonrei for always protecting her.
As Li-en awakens, she sees Tia and Megumi, who tearfully tell her that Wonrei has been sent back to the Mamodo World, but that he succeeded in protecting them as a fragment of the wall cut in the shape of his body is right in front of them; Tia wonders if Wonrei died while protecting them, but Li-en says it’s fine as Wonrei didn’t say goodbye and left behind his headband as a way of showing them he was alright. They then see the inscribed message in his headband, the same as in the anime (“We will always be together”) and Li-en tearfully holds onto the headband as she thanks Wonrei and says that they will always be together.
During the final fight with Clear Note, Wonrei’s spirit appears to aid Zatch by granting him the use of his strongest spell, “Shin Goraio Diboren,” which was used to destroy Clear Note’s ultimate form.
After Zatch won the battle and became king of the Mamodo world, Wonrei was revived, along with all the other Mamodo in the Mamodo World, and given back his body. He is seen at an Asian-designed school along with Danny and Kamakku, and sent a postcard to Li-en, which included a letter as well as the photo of the 100 candidates in the battle.
Spells[]
Wonrei and Li-en are both masters of kung-fu, and so both can actively engage in battle at any time. However, because of the nature of their relationship, Wonrei often enters battles on his own while Li-en stands behind him and cast spells in accordance with Wonrei's fighting style. Like all Mamodo, Wonrei has incredible physical strength and stamina, as shown when he carries boulders and takes most enemy spells using only his body as a defense. When Wonrei and Li-en go to her grandparent's house, they introduce themselves as husband and wife and are teased because of this relationship.
Because of Li-en's feelings for Wonrei, their spells tend to be extremely powerful despite being only normal melee attacks involving physical enhancement. As shown in their final battle with Poosophagus in the manga, they can even cast spells with perfect timing despite Li-en not being able to see Wonrei physically. Overall, they are one of the most powerful teams in the battle. The nature of Wonrei's powers is derived from martial arts, and often take the form of punches or kicks, sometimes improvised, enhanced with spiritual energy. Examples of this are Go Boren and Go Redoruk. Most of Wonrei's stronger spells take on the form and attributes of a tiger, such as his Rao Dibauren and Goraio Dibauren.
Description: Strenghtens Wonrei's fist with energy and then discharges that energy in the form of a punch. In the games, it can also reflect enemy attacks.
Description: A strengthened version of Rao Diboren with power equal to that of a Dioga-class spell; summons a great white tiger with six tails to attack.
Description: Wonrei's strongest spell which summons an incredibly powerful white tiger with nine tails and blades jutting out of its back to attack. This spell is when Zatch's gains the Golden Spellbook. Kiyo casts it, but the spell is executed by Wonrei.
Wonrei is apparently the first and only Mamodo to have a romantic relationship with his human book owner. Though he is not the first mamodo to have his partner state that they love him as Djem said this to Yopopo before he faded away.
Wonrei is the only mamodo to have a partner cursed by Riou to never fight anyone during the time that the curse was active (he did fight both Umagon and Riya without his partner):
