times.
My personal opinion is that Yoh and Hao are just like 2 sets of identical computers loaded with identical software, but differ on the data they got entered. This characteristic is less obvious in the anime, where HAO didn't get portraited much, and the director seems only wanted to concentrate on the action side because of the budget and time limitation..
*SPOILERS WARNING*
Both HAO and Yoh are witty guys. They've got brains and don't lose their head when they fight. In the manga, Yoh had demonstrated his wit when fighting with X-laws and its founder for permission to re-enter Shaman Fight. HAO's witty too. He was able to hide his telepathic ability from all his comrades except 2. And he was able to turn 'brainless' chap into powerful fighters using the 'super book on divinition, tactics, and decision making' (well, this is my own translation...), which he wrote 1000 years ago in the story... May be using 'witty' to describe his intelligence is too weak...
Both of them are very 'relaxed' guys. They can get excited, but they always look 'too calm'. They are more relaxed then others because they have a subconscious confidence in their own perception of situations that is so high that they know they don't have to worry about things when it would have worried others, and the fact that they can usually judge situation more precisely than others.
In simple words, they are wise people who seldom worry unnecessarily.
This ability implies that they have a lot of knowledge about human mind, a thorough and accurate understanding about their own abilities, and ability to judge other's mind and ability.
And they look similar. If you match their faces with the same expressions, you will see that it's often difficult to determine who is who (apart form their hairstyle...).
HAO and Yoh are opposite in their ways of treating 'life'. Yoh treasures life (himself and others) so high that he gained respect from his comrades. HAO sees other's life as insignificant and can use his comrades' lives as we use money...
My personal hypothesis is that Yoh ALSO has the ability to 'read minds' (Yoh said to Anna when they first met at the age of 10, 'It's a pain to be able to read minds...'). Although Takei never said Yoh can read minds explicitly, it is obvious that from the definition of 'shaman' and 'spirits' in Shaman King, (some)shamans may be able to read mind because it is just weird to say shamans can read the memories and desires of the deaths, but not of the living... Surely the living mind is more complicated but with Yoh's inheritance I would bet he can. And Yoh has the ability to 'turn off' this telepathic ability because he has it and he TRUSTS others by default. HAO can't because HAO doesn't trust anybody. I think HAO isn't even aware of the fact that he has the ability to 'turn off' this telepathic ability (and the 'switch' seems to be being able to trusts others).
Anna, on the other hand, seems only to have this telepathic power part only, without the 'wisdom' Yoh had. She was, therefore, unable to trust others and continuously read other's mind, and gave herself trouble (I am not blaming Anna that she is responsible for being hated, but this is the CONSEQUENCE, as a fact) and unhappy memory.
However, when Anna met Yoh, which had demonstrated unconditional love to her, for the first time she was able to trust someone(Yoh) completely and therefore was able to turn her ability off. I think may be she read, out of Yoh's mind, that Yoh was able to read minds too and learnt that reading minds is not a necessary thing to do. Yoh demonstrated his strength and determination in loving and caring Anna by scarificing his first spirit (that kitty spirit called... matamune?). Anna was impressed, and she got to trust Yoh completely and therefore the 'switch' was clicked and she lost the ability of reading minds. (In Manga, it is not explained why Anna lost her telepathic power (and Anna didn't know why too), so what I write here is my speculation, but I think it makes lots of sense :))
Spoiler-free extract Full version
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