Ushio and Tora is a Japanese adventure franchise written and illustrated by Kazuhiro Fujita.

The manga was serialized in Shogakukan’s Weekly Shounen Sunday from 1990 to 1996. Its chapters are compiled and published into 33 separate volumes. The manga series has over 30 million copies in circulation, worldwide.

An OVA adaptation of the manga was also released in 1992, with the 11-episode OVA adapted by Pastel. There was also an anime adaptation in 2015 produced by MAPPA and Studio VOLN.

The story revolves around the adventures of Ushio Aotsuki, and a gigantic supernatural tiger, Tora, who aids him. The story focuses on their relationship, as they fight supernatural creatures and shows how Tora comes to terms with modern society after being trapped for the past few centuries.

The story begins with Ushio's father telling him about a mythical spear kept in their shrine. He goes on to tell Ushio of the existence of demons, but Ushio doesn't quite take it seriously. The father-son feud seems normal among them as they trade punches, with his father emerging victorious. He then sends Ushio to clear the warehouse.

While cleaning up the warehouse, he comes across a mysterious doorway heading underground that he has never seen before. He walks in and finds a demonic monster impaled by a spear and stuck to the wall. Ushio is scared witless and finally understood what his father was telling him all along.

The beast commands Ushio to free him from his binds, so that he can go back and wreak havoc in the world. The beast mentions that only a human can remove this mythical spear. Hearing that he wants to destroy the world, Ushio further pushes the spear into him.

Ushio leaves him in the underground chamber and hurries home, only to find that his father has left for vacation and entrusted the temple to him. Ushio’s friends, Asako along with Mayuko, visit his house to get back the notebook that one of them had lent him.

Following his encounter with the beast, Ushio begins to see demons in the air. He attempts to warn his friends, but they are unable to see them. He goes back to the underground chamber to face the beast and questions him. The beast claims that the low-level demons have gathered since he let his Youki spill out of the room, and that they will all transform and attack people in due time.

The beast tricks Ushio into removing the spear by promising to assist him in killing the demons, but as soon as Ushio does so, the beast attacks him, claiming that no demon would keep a promise to a human.

Ushio grabs the spear in his hand and takes a fighting stance against the beast. When the beast sees Ushio wielding the spear, he remembers his ancestor, who enslaved the beast for the past 500 years. Fearful of being killed, the beast flees and kills the low-level demons as he promised while begging for his life. Ushio pursues him with the spear, attacking him in the process.

The demons outside have started to take form and some of them grab hold of Ushio’s friends. Ushio orders the beast to attack first while he deals the finishing blow.

The duo defeat the demons and Ushio reverts back to normal. He stops the beast from fleeing since he needs his help to combat the other monsters who would arrive in the wake of his escaped Youki. Ushio gives him the name Tora, and the two of them make up their minds to kill each other as soon as they have the chance.

What will be the result of this strange partnership?