God-King (神皇; shinou) is a family in the Battle Spirits trading card game.
God-King spirits premiered in SD33. God-Kings are not restricted to a single color and are based on animals from the Chinese Zodiac, while the "AncientGodKing" God-Kings are based on signs from the zodiacs of other countries. In addition, following Advent cycle, the 12 Chinese Zodiac God-Kings have their own variation with Advent ability.
The 12 Zodiac X-Rares from the Constellation Saga were also made into Revival cards as God-Kings in BS38 and BS39. Birthgem God-Kings also debuted in BS40 onwards.
The Twelve God-Kings have Seal effects, while the Ancient God-Kings come with Soul Bursts that activate when a player uses Seal.
Also, the Ten Crown family supports the God-King family and vice-versa, as a way to represent the Stem-Branches system.
