The fictional characters appearing in the manga and anime series xxxHolic were developed by Clamp, a group of four manga artists. Taking place in a modern Japan, the series focuses on various supernatural themes, leading to various of the characters being spirits or mysterious creatures. Published at the same time of Clamp's Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle manga, xxxHolic often makes crossovers with it, leading to the appearances of various of its characters in the series.
The series' protagonist is Kimihiro Watanuki, a high school student plagued by yōkai and ayakashi, spirits with a strong attraction to him. When bothered by them, Watanuki accidentally enters into a shop that grants wishes where he meets the witch Yūko Ichihara. Yūko decides to grant his wish of making his demons go away in exchange of having him work as her assistant in her shop. Working at Yūko's shop, Watanuki comes to encounter various spirits as well as knowing more of his classmates Shizuka Dōmeki, a teenager who repels spirits and Watanuki dislikes, and Himawari Kunogi, Watanuki's crush who is said to give bad luck to people. Watanuki also meets various ghosts and other spiritual being that take the form of animals or people. Although Watanuki becomes happy with the new friendships he makes, he becomes concerned about Yūko, promising he will try to grant her wish.
The characters from xxxHolic were designed by Clamp's members Mokona and Tsubaki Nekoi with some of their designs being inspired by Ukiyo-e art style. Positive critical reception has been given to the series' characters based on their interactions and personalities. The designs have also been well-received most notably in the manga, where Clamp's work was praised. On the other hand, the designs featured in the animated adaptations have received mixed criticism.
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As the artwork of xxxHolic is influenced by Ukiyo-e art style, it leads to the characters having longer limbs in various illustrations. However, Clamp pointed the Clamp also often uses one-eyed characters or people who lost their sight which is meant to express the feelings from them. This is also meant to serve as a connection with Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle, another Clamp's series which uses this method as well as the artwork influenced by Ukiyo-e.[1] The series' female characters are designed by Mokona while Tsubaki Nekoi draws the male ones and all the spirits featured.[2] The characters' names were made so that people would find different meanings to each of them.[3]
Kimihiro Watanuki (四月一日 君尋 Watanuki Kimihiro) is a high school student plagued daily by spirits who are constantly attracted to him. After meeting Yūko Ichihara, she promises to remove this unwanted ability in exchange for working part-time in her shop until it equals the worth of his wish. He lives by himself due to his parents no longer being around, so he excels in cooking and cleaning, much to Yūko's pleasure.[4][5] She also sends him on various jobs that often have a spiritual nature. Watanuki is known for a having both a volatile and caring nature to him. While around Himawari Kunogi, he is very excited and speaks in a high-pitched voice,[6] while he expresses irritation while speaking to Shizuka Dōmeki.[7] He generally gets enraged at the often insane requests of Yūko, though he will pay close attention whenever she is serious with him.[7]
Watanuki is essentially an alternate self of the second Syaoran who appeared in the series, having been created to fill the gap left by Syaoran after he decided to turn back time and be imprisoned by the sorcerer Fei-Wang Reed as a payment. Watanuki became the child of Syaoran's parents, and fills all of the relationships Syaoran would have made.[8] Before the series' start, Watanuki gave up the memories of his past in order to help Yūko find Fei-Wang, and help Syaoran. As he then could not remember his parents, Watanuki developed a strong guilt, thinking his parents died due to his fault, and it led to the attraction of spirits.[8][9]
After Yūko's death, Watanuki resolves to stay and take care of the shop until he sees her again.[10] In order to both stabilize the shop and break free of Fei-Wang's dying curse with the second Syaoran, Watanuki offers up the remainder of his "existence".[11] As a result, Watanuki can no longer leave the shop. He becomes the new master of the shop and takes up Yūko's role of granting wishes to those who come to the shop.[12] Over the next several years, Watanuki's powers become stronger thanks to the fact he did not remove his ability to see spirits.[13] His lifespan also increases and retains the appearance of a teenager for over a hundred years. Over a hundred years after taking over the shop, Watanuki's powers grow strong enough to allow him leave the shop, but decides to remain there.[14]
Watanuki is voiced by Jun Fukuyama in Japanese and Todd Haberkorn in English.[15][16] Director Tsutomu Mizushima referred to Watanuki as his favorite character from the series due to his personality and that he identifies himself with him.[15] In a xxxHolic poll, Watanuki was voted as the most popular character from the series.[17]
Yūko Ichihara (壱原 侑子 Ichihara Yūko) is a woman who runs a shop that deals in granting wishes in exchange for something of equal value to the wish; sometimes this is referred to as a soul. She can take anything from a precious object to abstract concepts, such as love and luck in exchange.[4] She usually displays an immature and free-spirited attitude, drinking saké at all hours of the day and forcing difficult tasks upon Watanuki.[18] While dealing with customers or giving Watanuki advice, she is much more stern and offers cryptic messages to warn him and others of impending danger. She constantly speaks of inevitability and how nothing is a coincidence.[4]
Yūko had a past relationship with the sorcerer Clow Reed and both created the two Mokona Modoki creatures in anticipation for the series' events.[19] While she was on the verge of dying, Clow Reed accidentally used his powers to freeze time for her just by wishing for her to open her eyes. After that point, she opposes the sorcerer Fei-Wang Reed who controls the events happening in Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle.[20] Near the end of Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle, Yūko is revived by Fei-Wang and gives her life as a price to enable the clones of Syaoran and Sakura be reborn as normal humans.[21][22] Following this, Yūko finds Watanuki and tells him her wish is or for him to continue existing just before her death as she is covered by shadows from the Dream World.[10]
Over a hundred years later after her death and Watanuki has become the shop's owner, Yūko appears as part of a dream she left to Watanuki, telling him he has stayed in the shop for a long time and now is able to leave it.[14] In the Holic Rō OVA, Watanuki receives a recorded tape from a girl. When Watanuki plays the tape, Yūko's voice is heard saying "I'm home,".[23] Yūko is voiced by Sayaka Ohara in Japanese and Colleen Clinkenbeard in English.[15][16] Yūko's character has well-received by Japanese readers of the series. In two popularity polls held by Weekly Shōnen Magazine, she placed seventh among all the characters in Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle.[24][25] In the Animage's Anime Grand Prix poll from 2007, Yūko was voted as the thirteenth most popular female anime character.[26] In a xxxHolic poll, Yūko was featured as the third most popular character from the series.[17]
Shizuka Dōmeki (百目鬼 静 Dōmeki Shizuka) is a schoolmate of Watanuki. He lives in a shrine owned by his late grandfather, Haruka Dōmeki, a Shinto priest who taught Dōmeki about folklore and shinto practices during his childhood. However, despite his heritage, Dōmeki has a nearly null ability of seeing ghosts or spirits, though he can sense them, and he has a natural ability to exorcise them.[27] He is part of the school's kyūdō club and often tops school competitions. Dōmeki barely speaks unless explaining folklore or asking Watanuki various of his meals which infuriates him.[28] Dōmeki is voiced by Kazuya Nakai in Japanese and J. Michael Tatum in English.[15]
Despite Watanuki's hatred for him, Yūko often makes Dōmeki join Watanuki in his jobs as his ability to exorcise spirits annulate the attraction that Watanuki has towards them.[27] Utilizing Yūko's shop, Dōmeki gives Watanuki half of his eye after he loses his right eye's vision to the spirits, which allows Dōmeki to see and experience what Watanuki goes through.[29][30] He also gives Watanuki a large amount of his blood, which Yūko states is changing their personalities. Yūko gives Domeki a magic egg obtained by Sakura while working for her, however Dōmeki does not know what it does or when he should use it.[31][12]
Four years after Yūko's death, Dōmeki is a university student studying ancient history and often visits Watanuki in the shop. Because Watanuki cannot leave the shop, Domeki provides assistance both with Watanuki's work and by providing essentials, such as food.[32] After six more years, Dōmeki graduates and has become an assistant to one of his professors at the university.[33] In the xxxHolic Rō Adayume OVA it is revealed that Dōmeki is engaged with Kohane Tsuyuri, having delivered his wedding's invitation to Watanuki.[34] After it has been over a hundred years since Watanuki inherited the shop, Dōmeki's great grandson is Watanuki's new assistant, keeping the egg Yūko gave to Dōmeki.[14]
Himawari Kunogi (九軒 葵 Kunogi Himawari) is Watanuki's love interest and classmate. She has a cheerful attitude and is very friendly around Watanuki and Dōmeki.[6][7] Despite the fact that Watanuki is very open in showing his feelings and admiration for her, she seems very oblivious to the fact that he likes her. Watanuki always thinks that Dōmeki is more favored. Watanuki often invited her to join him for various outings, but Himawari characteristically has a prior engagement, comically and inadvertently leaving Watanuki with Dōmeki. Himawari is voiced by Shizuka Itō in Japanese and Cherami Leigh in English.[15]
Watanuki originally believes that she is his "goddess of good luck", though Yūko states the opposite, often leaving cryptic statements about Himawari's true nature.[6] It is eventually revealed that Himawari emanates misfortune that affects everyone around her except her parents, as they brought her into the world, and those with spiritual abilities, such as Dōmeki and Yūko.[35] Her luck causes Watanuki fall from a second story window and is severely cut by the shattered window glass, nearly dying.[36] Yūko has them rush Watanuki to her shop, where they manage to save his life. After revealing her secret to Watanuki, she attempts to cut all connections with him. Watanuki, however, states that he is truly happy around her no matter what and refuses to stop seeing her.[37] Watanuki later gives her a small bird he names Tanpopo (タンポポ, lit. "Dandelion") that is immune to her bad luck.[38] The small bird comes from an egg that was retrieved by Sakura from an alternate Tokyo.[39] After Watanuki tells Himawari that he loves her and is glad to met her, Himawari starts developing feelings for Watanuki.
She is the only one of the main cast not seen visiting Watanuki after he inherits the shop. She is attending a university far away from Watanuki's store. Because her natural misfortune causes problems with the shop's magic, she has promised only to enter the shop once a year, always on Watanuki's birthday, though she calls occasionally. Himawari is married to a businessman whose identity is unknown.[40]
Kohane Tsuyuri (五月七日小羽 Tsuyuri Kohane) is a young girl known publicly as a child prodigy, medium and exorcist, having been featured on many paranormal-based TV shows.[41] After first developing her powers, she helped her mother learn that her father was having an affair, causing a drastic change in her mother's personality. She soon stopped touching Kohane, does not refer to her by name, takes away any objects or food not considered "pure", and cuts off all contact with other people. Nevertheless, Kohane states her mother's treatment is her fault for developing her powers.[42] She focuses on having Kohane on as many television shows as possible, and buys large amounts of extravagant items. This treatment causes Kohane to have a quiet and lonely demeanor, though she attempts to stay strong for her mother's sake, blaming everything on herself.[41] Kohane is voiced by Rina Hidaka.
She eventually meets Watanuki, and forms a bond with him.[43] Despite constant protest from her mother, he keeps in contact with her, all while trying to make her feel happy.[44] Her powers of exorcism develop from a magical feather embodied from Sakura, though her ability to see spirits is natural. She asks Yūko to grant her happiness, which Yūko does by fixing the various external problems in her life, such as her reputation, in exchange for her exorcism ability. Yūko cannot fix her issues with her mother, as a person's true character can only be changed by their own will.[9] Four years after Yūko's death, Kohane is a student at Tsuji Academy and often visits Watanuki in his shop.[32] She continues to live with the grandmother fortune teller. After six years, she studies folklore at the same university as Domeki, with whom she also bonded.[33] In the xxxHolic Rō Adayume OVA it is revealed that Kohane is engaged with Dōmeki, who states that nevertheless Watanuki is Kohane's most important person.[34]
Zashiki-warashi (座敷童, lit. "Vestal Sprite") is a spirit girl who lives on a mountain with pure spiritual energy. She is very shy and prone to crying, which causes her Karasu-Tengu Guardians. small guardians, to defend her. Ironically, the guardians will come to her aid even if she weeps tears of joy. Zashiki-warashi develops a crush on Kimihiro Watanuki as his exploits become known among spirits, and she first meets him when she accidentally steals Shizuka Dōmeki's soul while attempting to get a good Valentine's Day gift for Watanuki.[45] He later sees her while giving her a White Day present, while restoring the pipe fox spirit to his smaller form. Watanuki later rescues her from Lady Jorōgumo who captures her after a failed attempt to recover Watanuki's eye,[29] and she appears again briefly with her friend, Ame-warashi, after Watanuki recovers from a near death experience. Zashiki-warashi is voiced by Sumi Mutoh in Japanese and Brina Palencia in English.
Ame-warashi (雨童女, lit. "Rain Sprite") is a high ranking rain spirit, who has a very hostile attitude toward humans due to the fact that "humans have no care or regard whatsoever with living nature".[46] She is somewhat close and protective of Zashiki-warashi, and greatly teases Watanuki, despite him helping to fulfill her request. She owned the creature Kudagitsune which later becomes Watanuki's guardian. She gives it to Yūko Ichihara as a compensation for fulfilling her wish to retrieve the sick hydrangea.[47][48] Ame-warashi is voiced by Akiko Yajima in Japanese and Kate Oxley in English.
Kudagitsune (管狐, lit. "Pipe Fox"), later named Mugetsu (無月, lit. "moonless" or "no moon") by Watanuki,[31] is a tube fox spirit given to Yūko as payment by Ame-warashi for Watanuki's help. It quickly becomes attached to Watanuki, and protects him during dangerous situations.[48] It is generally a small snake-like being with a fox head, but it can transform into a traditional nine-tailed fox when it reveals its true power. It is able to create "Foxfire" in the form of large fireballs, and it can detect evil spirits.[49] It takes a large amount of pure spiritual energy to revert it to its initial form.[50]
Maru (マル) and Moro (モロ), whose respective real names are Marudashi (マルダシ) and Morodashi (モロダシ), are two artificial beings that keep Yūko's shop in existence.[49] They are two energetic small girls, who often speak in unison and repeat the words of others.[4] They cannot leave the shop, as they have no souls.[49] They help Yūko around the shop most of the time, but often go into long periods of hibernation due to the strain from keeping the shop in existence. Yuko uses the last bit of her power to revive Maru and Moro and send them back to the shop.[12] After Watanuki becomes the new shop's owner, Maru and Moro become his assistants. Later it is shown that they have developed a very close bond with Watanuki similar to the one they had with Yūko.[32] Maru is voiced by Kazuko Kojima in Japanese and Leah Clark in English. Moro is voiced by Hisayo Mochizuki in Japanese and Brina Palencia in English.[15]
Mokona Modoki (モコナ＝モドキ) refers to a pair of two rabbit-like creatures created by Yūko and Clow Reed in preparation for the events in Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle and xxxHolic, as well as to save "two futures". The white Mokona travels with Syaoran's group, while the black Mokona stays in Yūko's shop.[19] Both are based upon the original Mokona, who Yūko and Clow encountered while Mokona was traveling through different worlds. Mokona provided Yūko and Clow with the knowledge of alternate dimensions.[51]
The black Mokona, whose real name is Larg (ラーグ Rāgu), acts as a liaison between the Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle protagonists and Yūko.[52] Mokona likes to be around Yūko, who treats Mokona as a "drinking buddy." He also likes to be around Watanuki and play with Maru and Moro.[33] While allowing the two groups to speak, Mokona can also teleport and receive items from the white Mokona by swallowing them. Like the white Mokona, he has a single earring. It is a blue gem made by Clow Reed and has the ability to seal magical power, and it also holds Sakura's memories of Syaoran and Watanuki's memory of his past.[9] Mokona is voiced by Mika Kikuchi in Japanese and Carrie Savage in English.[15][16]
Haruka Dōmeki (百目鬼 遥 Dōmeki Haruka) is the deceased grandfather of Dōmeki, and a former Shinto priest who taught Shizuka Dōmeki many of his practices. He has the ability to destroy evil spirits, cross into dreams and often appears to Watanuki's dream, taking on the appearance of a teenager. As a teenager, he looks exactly like Dōmeki, though he has a somewhat more cheerful and outgoing personality than his grandson, and he is always smoking.[53] He acts like a guide to Watanuki as Yūko does, often giving him advice, telling him about Dōmeki, and helping him work out problems. Before Yūko's death, Haruka is visited by her in a dream, requesting him to keep protecting Watanuki.[13] In the xxxHolic Rō Adayume OVA, Haruka becomes Watanuki's client as he wants him to free Dōmeki from nightmares.[34] Haruka is voiced by Kazuya Nakai.
Syaoran (小狼 Shaoran) refers to two identical teenagers who appear across the series. The first one is from a parallel dimension and visits Yūko's shop to help him save his childhood friend Sakura. He gains the ability to travel across dimension with the white Mokona in order to recover the memories Sakura lost and remains in contact with Yūko.[19] The second Syaoran shortly visits Yūko, as he is sent to another world.[54] While Watanuki does not know him, Syaoran paid a price to save Watanuki from dying after being affected by Himawari's bad luck,[37] and constantly he can hear him yelling him not to die.[55] It is later revealed that the second Syaoran was responsible for creating Watanuki when he wished turn back time, but at the price of losing his freedom to the sorcerer Fei-Wang Reed. Watanuki was used to replace Syaoran in his world, sharing the same parents, but forgot all of this, when he paid Yūko with his memories to locate Fei-Wang.[8] Watanuki later learns of their relationship in the ending of Tsubasa when both are imprisoned by Fei-Wang's curse. To free each other Syaoran has to travel across dimensions forever.[11] Both Syaorans are voiced by Miyu Irino.
Sakura (サクラ) is a girl coming from another dimension in catatonic state under the care of the teenager Syaoran. As Sakura is about to die due to losing her soul, Syaoran goes on a search across dimension to save her. However, the usage of the white Mokona Modoki to travel across dimension requires Sakura to pay to Yūko with all her memories regarding Syaoran, her most important person.[19] As the series continues, Sakura recovers and gives Yūko an egg as part of a job which then becomes two and are given to Watanuki and Domeki. Her soul is later separated from her body and appears in the Dream World where she meets Watanuki.[56] Befriending him, Sakura finds Watanuki similar to the other Syaoran, and later disappears from the Dream World.[55] She is voiced by Yui Makino.
The characters from xxxHolic have been well-received by publications from manga and anime. Although Watanuki's character was initially seen "a little bit weak to be the lead character",[57] his interactions with other characters and his development across the series has been praised.[58][59] Todd Douglass Jr. from DVD Talk agreed, focusing in the characters in general and how they were developed across the anime.[60] The emotional focus on the series has also been well-received due to its comedy and the way characters deal supernatural elements.[61] Yuko has also been called the "star performer" from the series, and her death has received mixed feelings; although writers found events following her death to lack the main characters' comedy, the way Watanuki dealed with her role was enjoyed.[62][63] The connections between the characters from xxxHolic and Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle has also received positive comments as how in both series, an important connection between two characters from the two series is hinted.[64] However, the lack of reading the other series would confuse the readers or it would persuade them to read the other series.[65][59]
The manga's character designs have been labelled as "striking", with focus on the notable traits that Clamp gives to all their characters.[66] Additionally, the large number of outfits characters tend to wear was praised for being notable from each other.[62] Critics have found issues with anime's character designs due to how the limbs were notably extended in most episodes, leading to superdeformed.[67][68] Nevertheless, such designs have been found comical with every character still noted to be distinctive.[61] The voice casting for the English release of the series has been found remarkable with comments focused on the work from Colleen Clinkenbeard as Yuko and Todd Haberkorn as Watanuki; although the former was enjoyed, the latter received mixed responses.[67]
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