What is Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle?
Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle is one of CLAMP's newest works, taking old characters and putting them in new and intriguing situations. The story follows the travels of Syaoran and Princess Sakura (who are extremely different from their Card Captor Sakura incarnations) through the multi-verse in search of Sakura's scattered memories. They are given two new characters as companions and are continually running into a slew of old favorites from CLAMP's previous works (everyone from Nekoi Yuzuriha from X/1999 to the Clamp Gakuen Tanteidan boys to Chun Hyang show up at one point or another). While the crossover element is a major part of the plot, it is no way the entirety of the story and nothing turns out quite as you would expect for Syaoran and crew.
Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle also crosses over with CLAMP's other current work, XXX-Holic, with characters from each frequently making cameos or guest appearances.
Who is Syaoran in T:RC?
Syaoran is the lead character in Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle, because while the story is about the search for Princess Sakura's feathers of memory, it is also about Syaoran's origins and a mysterious past that's only beginning to impact him, to say little about the path his future seems to be taking. Found and raised by eminent archaeologist Fujitaka, the two journey to Clow Country to investigate a series of ruins just outside the kingdom. From the first, we are shown how different this Syaoran is from his Card Captor Sakura counterpart. Disaffected and obviously traumatized, Syaoran is haunted by fragments of memory, emotionally stunting him when it came time to interact with other people, those first early years seemingly filled with nothing but pain. In Clow, he and Fujitaka were welcomed by the King and his family, the young Princess taking an especial interest in Fujitaka's ward, seeking to help him integrate into the world. The two become close friends and when his adopted father is killed during the dig, Syaoran continues to carry on his work despite Sakura extending an invitation to come live at the palace. Sakura intended to confess her feelings for Syaoran on the day her memory was shattered and scattered across the multi-verse thanks to an ancient symbol/device uncovered in Clow. Sent to present day Tokyo to see the Time Witch, Syaoran learned that the only way to save his childhood friend's life was to travel the expanse of the multi-verse, collecting each lost feather which will give Sakura back her memory bit by bit. The price for this is a steep one--Sakura will never remember Syaoran or why he was so important to her. Accepting the Time Witch's conditions, Syaoran was given two companions, Fai D. Flowright and Kurogane, each with their own quest as well as a guide Mokona. Like any good quest, our intrepid little band of heroes are being stalked by someone who wants Sakura's feathers and their power for himself.
Over the course of T:RC, Syaoran's past is slowly being revealed and we are continually learning more about him, not the least of which that his right eye is false and his skills at fighting were taught to him by none other than Seishirou himself. He appears to be adept at languages and is a skilled researcher as well as tireless in his pursuit of Princess Sakura's feathers even as his erasure from her memory is a source of continual anguish.
Who is Seishirou in T:RC?
Not much is known about Seishirou when he makes his first appearance in Volume 6. It is apparent from the first that he and Syaoran know each other and in Chapter 42 of that same volume, it is revealed that it is Seishirou who taught Syaoran how to fight. As Seishirou explains to a young Syaoran, he hunts vampires. Or rather in this case, two vampires--the fabled Sumeragi twins. When they first meet, he saves Syaoran because he needs to see a book the boy is carrying and the two strike up an odd sort of alliance/friendship, Syaoran reading Seishirou the passages he needs (because apparently Seishirou can't read the language of Clow Country) and Seishirou teaching Syaoran how to compensate for his blind right eye and how to fend off those bigger and more powerful than himself. The two meet again in Outo Country which is being overrun by demons, where Kurogane and Syaoran hire themselves out as demon hunters while searching for another feather. This time around Seishirou and Syaoran end up on opposite sides as Seishirou's quest for the vampire twins comes into direct conflict with Syaoran's quest to recover Sakura's feathers. In the end, Seishirou is revealed to have one of those feathers which he manages to escape with, telling Syaoran to grow stronger and stronger so that he can fulfill his Wish and that they'll meet again.
In T:RC, Seishirou is much, much younger than his Tokyo Babylon or X/1999 incarnations -- anywhere from 18 to early twenties. He's also dressed in priestly garb and like Syaoran, has already lost his right eye. Though there's no evidence that he's an assassin in this manga, but he does still exhibit the same callous disregard for life and the same streak of wicked amusement, as well as being just as obsessed with Subaru and the Sumeragi twins as ever.
Questions or comments can be aimed here. Just be sure to title the email something like 'Seishirou/Syaoran fanlisting' so we know what we're looking at.
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