Syaoran Li
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- This is a Chinese name; the family name is Li
Syaoran Li (李 小狼 Japanese: Ri Shaoran?, Chinese pinyin Lǐ Xiǎoláng or Li3 Xiao3lang2), is a fictional character in CLAMP's manga and anime series Cardcaptor Sakura. He is known as Li Showron in the English adaptation, Cardcaptors.
Syaoran is also the protagonist in CLAMP's crossover manga series Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE and its subsequent anime, Tsubasa Chronicle. His characterization here is mostly independent of his characterization in Cardcaptor Sakura and is discussed further below.
Syaoran has also appeared in CLAMP's ×××HOLiC.
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[edit] Name
Syaoran's name is Chinese in origin, commonly romanized from Chinese as Xiao Lang. His given name, Syaoran (小狼?), in both Chinese and Japanese, means "little wolf." His last name, Li (李?), is a common Chinese surname that may also be spelled Lee.
In Cardcaptors his name is changed to "Li Showron." Li becomes his given name and Showron his family name.
In the early printing of the English manga, his name was presented in the Chinese naming order (family name then given name), Li Syaoran. Later printings switch the name to the Western order (given name then family name), Syaoran Li.
In the uncut English anime his name is romanized as Shaoran Li.
[edit] Character
Voiced by Motoko Kumai in the anime, Syaoran is a distant relative of Clow Reed, the creator of the Clow Cards. As a member of the Li clan of sorcerers from Hong Kong, of which Clow's mother was a member, Syaoran believes that he should be the one to inherit the Clow Cards, not Sakura Kinomoto. He first appears as an antagonist in the story, capturing a few cards for himself in the anime (though none in the manga). As the series progresses, and especially after Sakura is officially deemed the new master of the Cards, Syaoran drops his rivalistic attitude towards her and becomes her ally and friend, eventually falling in love with her and blushing at practically every sight of her.
Syaoran is shown, or at least implied, to be an excellent martial artist, swordsman (using a Chinese jian), and sorcerer. His magical abilities are centered around elemental spells using his sword or a collection of ofuda.
Although he claims certain Clow Cards for himself in the anime, Syaoran does not actually capture any Cards, as the act of capturing can only be performed using Sakura's sealing wand. However, if Syaoran has played a major role in weakening or cornering the Card entity prior to its capture, credit for the capture is awarded to him (as the materialized Card floats autonomously to its owner after capture). While Sakura writes her name in English on the Clow Cards, Syaoran writes his name in kanji.
Before his relationship with Sakura, Syaoran seemed to appear to have an attraction to Yukito Tsukishiro, often blushing madly and abruptly running away at the sight of him. While Sakura also harboured a crush on Yukito, Syaoran would compete with her for his affections, usually by getting him a better present, making him better food, or giving the better compliment. It is discovered later that Syaoran was just magically attracted to the magical energies of the moon which were residing within Yukito as Syaoran drew his magical power from the moon.
Syaoran and Cerberus often fight in the series, where Syaoran often calls him a "stuffed animal" while Cerberus retorts with patronizing terms like "kid" (小僧 kozō?).
A major change to Syaoran's character in Cardcaptors involves elevating Li Showron to become the male lead character, rather than a supporting character for Sakura in Cardcaptor Sakura. Here, Li is also referred to as a Cardcaptor, while he has no such title in the original series (as Cerberus never selected him).
[edit] Phrases
| To use fire-based magic: | To use wind-based magic: | ||||||
| CCS | God of Fire, Answer my call! | 火神招来 | CCS | Petals of Wind, Answer my call! | 風華招来 | ||
| CC | Now, Element, Fire! | CC | Now, Element, Wind! | ||||
| To use lightning-based magic: | To use water-based magic: | ||||||
| CCS | Emperor of Thunder, Answer my call! | 雷帝招来 | CCS | Dragon of Water, Answer my call! | 水龍招来 | ||
| CC | Now, Element, Thunder! | CC | Now, Element, Water! | ||||
| Syaoran's incantation: | |||||||
| CCS | Imperial king of gods, Your divinity watches over the four corners Metal, wood, water, fire, earth, Thunder, wind, lightning, Whirling blade of light, I summon thee! |
玉帝有勅 神硯四方 金木水火土 雷風 雷電神勅 軽磨霹靂 電光転 急々如律令! |
CC | Source of light with ancient spin, send forth the magic power within. Oracles of gold, wood, water, fire, earth, cloud, wind, rain, and electricity. Force, know my plight. Release the light! |
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[edit] Relationship with Sakura
Syaoran first meets Sakura at school on his first day as an exchange student from Hong Kong. His seat is behind Sakura, a very easy position for the many grueling stares that he gives her throughout the next few manga chapters and anime episodes. That same day, he confronts her about the Clow Cards, claiming that he is the one destined to inherit them.
This attitude continues throughout the first season of the anime where Syaoran constantly tries to capture new Clow Cards before she can, often stating facts about the Cards and about Card-capturing in a condescending manner. Although he would appear to do anything it takes to get the Cards, Syaoran never acts or fights dishonorably (i.e. stealing Cards from Sakura or injuring her in order to get ahead). As Sakura and Syaoran continue to meet whenever a Card-capturing situation arises, they begin to work together and combine their efforts, although he still tries to win the Card in the end. Additionally, starting halfway through the first season, Syaoran begins to blush occasionally when he comes face to face with Sakura, usually after she smiles or makes a sweet comment.
After the Final Judgment, Sakura is declared the new master of the Cards, leaving Syaoran essentially a failure. At the start of the third season, Syaoran plans on returning home to Hong Kong until newcomer Eriol Hiiragizawa comes along and starts (toyingly) charming Sakura. At this point in the series, Syaoran's feelings toward Sakura have slowly changed from that of rivalry to that of an elementary school crush. Sakura's consistently cheerful attitude and warm smiles cause more and more blushes on Syaoran's cheeks. Much to his surprise, Syaoran finds himself jealous over the fact that another student is getting too close to Sakura, and he in turn stays in Tomoeda for the remainder of the school year.
Season three of the anime is where the plot takes a stronger shift towards the development of Syaoran and Sakura's relationship. Though Sakura is still dealing with strange occurrences and using the Cards, each episode gradually puts more emphasis on the growth of this relationship, including Tomoyo Daidouji's involvement in giving Syaoran advice plus one particular dramatic scene in episode 60 involving Syaoran's then-fiancée, Meiling Li. Syaoran finds himself in more and more blushing situations, including those where he is on the brink of confessing his feelings to Sakura but is always interrupted (often in a comical way) just before he utters the climactic syllable.
Syaoran finally confesses his love at the end of the next-to-last episode of the series, 69. The news comes as a major surprise to Sakura, who had always just viewed Syaoran as a close friend. Sakura broods over the thought of it throughout all of episode 70, which ends with Syaoran planning to leave Tomoeda for Hong Kong. Sakura hears about his unannounced trip just in time to find him at the airport. He is holding (after his caretaker, Wei, hands it to him) a homemade teddy bear, which he had considered giving to Sakura but never found the right chance.
Instead, Sakura asks if she could have the bear in his arms. There is a tradition stated in the series (it is not an actual Japanese tradition) that when one person gives another a personally-made plush, if the receiver names the plush after its creator (the giver in this case), then both people will be together forever. Sakura is never seen giving a name to the bear, but the symbolism of her accepting his bear is enough to suggest that Sakura and Syaoran have a special bond with each other.
The TV series concludes there, a cliffhanger of sorts for the upcoming relase of the second movie, which finalizes the Sakura and Syaoran relationship in the anime. Set over summer break, Syaoran returns from Hong Kong for a short visit to Tomoeda. After having time to think about it, Sakura feels that she does love Syaoran back but is shy about confessing her feelings to him. Sakura wishes to tell him in person instead of writing a letter, because Syaoran had confessed his feelings in person (albeit quite randomly) and she wants to answer him the same way. The second movie goes through several situations where Sakura is just a moment away from uttering the next word after "Syaoran, I..." when something else interrupts her. In climactic fashion, Sakura finally completes her sentence in the last few lines of the movie. Syaoran smiles at this and accepts.
The manga concludes the development of their relationship differently, as there is no movie for which to create a cliffhanger. Instead of after a major battle as in the anime, Syaoran finds a quiet moment in Penguin Park to confess to Sakura. Sakura again is left in a mild state of shock as she tries to absorb the words, while Syaoran, satisfied that he has said what he needed to, leaves for home. This occurs near the beginning of volume 12, and the remainder of the volume details Sakura's quiet thoughts about the situation and her reanalysis of her feelings for Syaoran. Here in the manga, Syaoran also is planning to return to Hong Kong, prompting Sakura to hurry to the bus station to confess her feelings. She has the teddy bear that she made and successfully gives it to Syaoran through the window before the bus begins moving. She also confesses her feelings right there, asking to call the bear he gave her "Syaoran" after he asks to name his "Sakura." As the bus begins driving away, Syaoran tells Sakura to wait for him until he is finished with his tasks in Hong Kong.
Some time passes, and Sakura is seen in a secondary school uniform, obviously older, preparing to leave for school. Along the way, she meets Syaoran, who is happy to announce that he is through with his duties in Hong Kong and is now here in Tomoeda to stay. There would be no more need for letters and phone calls; they can both be, in Sakura's words, "together forever."
[edit] First-name addressing
Common courtesy and respect in Japan dictate that people should address each other by their last names, with the addition of an honorific (-san, -sama, -kun) if necessary. Addressing on a first-name basis is mostly reserved for family members or very close friends. A significant moment in Syaoran's developing relationship with Sakura is his shift to addressing her as "Sakura," coupled with Sakura progressing from "Li-kun" to "Syaoran-kun."
Syaoran's case is slightly unique in that, prior to the "Sakura" address, he has never called her "Kinomoto" or "Kinomoto-san" (the only time he even says that name is in Episode 12 when he takes some time realizing that Fujitaka Kinomoto is Sakura's father). In conversation, he usually omits the address and just begins speaking, using "Hey" or "You" on rare occasions. Sakura is often attentive of him whenever he speaks, too, so his lack of address is not usually noticed or viewed as awkward. For Syaoran's character, such a shift from no address to first-name address marks a very notable change in his feelings.
In the manga, Syaoran first says (yells) Sakura's name after losing his grip and dropping her into an abyss while battling The Earthy. Cerberus ends up saving her, but Sakura is happy nevertheless that he addressed her as such. She smiles innocently and asks if she could call him "Syaoran-kun" in return. In a fit of blushes, he eventually stammers, "Sure, do as you like." This occurs in volume 6, just before the halfway point in the series.
In the anime, Syaoran does not use Sakura's name until the middle of season three in episode 57, "Sakura, Syaoran, and the Elevator." In a similar fashion, Syaoran fails to save Sakura before she falls into a bottomless pit and screams her name in anguish as a result. Moments later, Sakura is seen returning to safety riding on The Float. Syaoran is so relieved that she is okay that he immediately hugs her, much to her surprise.
At the end of the day, Sakura makes a phone call to Syaoran thanking him for his help that day and mentioning that his calling her "Sakura" made her happy, that it made her feel like they've become good friends. She asks if she can address him as "Syaoran-kun" in return. Even on the phone, he blushes and can only stammer, "Do as you like," which is Syaoran's indirect way of saying "yes."
[edit] Statistics
- Birthday: July 13th
- Blood Type: O
- Favorite Subjects: P.E. and Math
- Least Favorite Subject: Japanese
- Extracurricular Activities: None
- Favorite Color: Green
- Favorite Flower: Peony
- Favorite Food: Dim Sum and chocolate
- Least Favorite Food: (Konnyaku) Yam jelly
- Favorite Recipe: None
- Wish List: Magic book written by Clow Reed
[edit] Syaoran in Tsubasa
In Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE, Syaoran is an archeologist who is excavating ruins in the country of Clow and the adopted son of Fujitaka. In the anime, he is voiced by Miyu Irino.
He and the princess of Clow (Princess Sakura) are very close childhood friends. One day, Sakura displays mystical powers, but in the process she loses her memories, which are scattered through different worlds in the form of feathers. The lost memories put her life at risk, forcing Syaoran to go on a journey across the many dimensions in order to find them and save the person who is most special to him. In order to travel from dimension to dimension, he must sacrifice his most valuable possession: his old relationship with Sakura. It is a strange twist of fate, as it is shown that Syaoran himself was found without any memories, his name given to him by an adoptive father, and a birthdate given to him by Princess Sakura herself, which just so happens to be her birthday as well: April 1st.
In the series, Syaoran is shown to be an excellent fighter, centered around his devastating kicks (taught to him by Seishirou Sakurazuka to compensate for his lack of reliable depth perception due to being blind in his right eye; he was then trained to sense attacks coming from the left by Kurogane). He is also an experienced archaeologist, with the attendant skills and experience of a hardened adventurer somewhat reminiscent of Indiana Jones. In Outo, he receives a sword named Hien whose blade can be made to burst into flame and trained in swordsmanship by Kurogane.
A tattooed figure who appears identical to Syaoran can be seen floating in a tank in Fei Wong and Xing Huo's headquarters (who, instead of being blind in the right eye, he seems to be blind in the left). In the manga, the tattooed figure escapes and, with the assistance from Xing Huo, was sent to the Witch of Dimensions, Yūko Ichihara, (this original Syaoran makes an appeareance in xxxHOLiC in volume 9). It has been revealed that this Syaoran was actually the original Syaoran, but Fei Wong captured him and created a clone, who is the protagonist Syaoran. Fei Wong's intention was to use the copy collect all of Sakura's feathers for him, but the original Syaoran gave half of his own heart to the clone (his left eye) and put the seal on the clone's right eye. At first Fei Wong did not care if Syaoran had feelings, as long as he had the determination to get the feathers and let the child go without removing Syaoran's alterations. Everything had been going as he had planned until he was met with interference in the form of the Witch of Dimensions.
Once the original Syaoran broke free from Fei Wong's hands, the main protoganist's right eye seal also broke (which is the reason why the protagonist's right eye was blind), for the heart did not actually belong to him, but the Syaoran who was trapped by Fei Wong. Though the original Syaoran had hoped the clone had developed feelings of his own after his long journey, the copy became a ruthless being apparently without any feelings or heart, hurting his friends mentally and physically (including Fay D. Flourite whose left eye, since his eyes were the source of his magic, was removed and consumed by the copy) in order to eliminate anyone from interfering with the collection of feathers. Once he collected all of Tokyo's feathers, the copy left behind his companions, including his childhood friend, Sakura.
It is also possible that this Syaoran and Syaoran Li have some physical relation or are the exact same person. For example, when the real Syaoran fights the Syaoran to which half of his heart was given to, he says "but if you ever became a ruthless being without feelings, I would kill you." As he said this he clapsed his hands togeter and using magic created for himself a sword. This sword was exactly identical to the sword that Syaoran Li bears. Also similar to Syaoran Li of Cardcaptor Sakura, the real Syaoran excels in magic and sword fighting skills, furthermore, while fighting his clone, he even uses the very same attack Syaoran Li uses quite frecuently in Cardcaptor Sakura (Raitei Shourai). Also when he is first copied he appears to be around the same age as that of the Syaoran of Cardcaptor Sakura. However, this can be debated as Yuuko explains that people in different dimensions can share the same face but all be totally different on the inside and this has been demonstrated several times over in the manga, however there is no doubting these similarities and it is still strictly possible as all of the Tsubasa manga is not yet complete. However though many crossover characters bear similar weapons to that of Tsubasa's, and all this info is also debatable.
[edit] Syaoran in ×××HOLiC
Syaoran appears in ×××HOLiC in two forms, a clone self and his real self. The clone self appears throughout both the ×××HOLiC and Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle timelines via Mokona, who acts as a communication apparatus for Yūko.
The real Syaoran enters the ×××HOLiC manga storyline in Volume 9, when he visits Yūko after being freed by Xing Huo. In order to travel to the world where his clone is currently located, Syaoran pays an unspecified price. It is later revealed that Syaoran was one of three people who paid a price to Yūko in order to save Watanuki's life after he had fallen out of a window.
[edit] Trivia
- Coincidentally, two of Miyu Irino's other roles have striking similarities to Syaoran and Tsubasa. One is Sora from Disney and Square Enix's Kingdom Hearts series, who has to cross over various Disney worlds, and the other is Daisuke Niwa from D.N.Angel, who at one point must collect Dark's memories (which, ironically enough, manifested themselves in the form of feathers).
- Syaoran's crossdressing in Cardcaptor Sakura, where he played the role of Sleeping Beauty in a play, is repeated in Tsubasa when he stays with the performing Troupe.
- Syaoran has four older sisters who seem to have an affinity for all things cute.
- In both the manga and the anime, Syaoran states that his father passed away.
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| Episode Guide: Clow Card Arc: 1-18, 19-35, 36-46 | Sakura Card Arc: 47-59, 60-70 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Categories: Cardcaptor Sakura characters | Tsubasa characters | Fictional Hongkongers | Chinese manga and anime characters | Fictional characters portrayed by the opposite sex | Fictional martial artists | Fictional magicians | Fictional interdimensional travelers | Fictional adoptees | Fictional archaeologists | Fictional clones
