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Syaoran Li
李 小狼
Series Cardcaptor Sakura
Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card
Profile
Also Known As Li-kun
Syaoran-kun (by Sakura)
Syaoran-sama (by Wei)
Brat/Kid (by Kero and Touya)
Xiao-lang (by Meiling, in Cantonese)
Birthday July 13 (Cancer)
Age Manga:
9~10 (Clow Card Arc)
10~11 (Sakura Card Arc)
12~13 (Clear Card Arc)

Anime:
10 (1st season, 1st movie)
11~12 (2nd & 3rd season, 2nd movie)
13 (OVA, Clear Card Arc)

Relatives Yelan Li (mother)
Unnamed father
Fuutie Li, Shiefa Li, Fanren Li, Feimei Li (older sisters)
Meiling Li (1st cousin)
Wang Wei (guardian, cousin)
Clow Reed (ancestor)
Affiliates Eriol (reincarnated ancestor)
Sakura (girlfriend)
Residence Tomoeda, Japan
Hong Kong, China (originally)
Favorite flower Peony
Likes Mathematics and P.E class

Dim Sum, chocolate
green color, studying magic

Dislikes Japanese subject, Konnyaku (Konjac Jelly), Kero calling him "kid"
Powers/Abilities
  • Skilled in martial arts and sword uses
  • Dowsing
  • Ability to use elemental magic
  • Utilize the Rashinban to locate Clow Cards
  • Ability to use the Clow Cards (seasons 1-2, 1st movie)
  • Supernatural detection
  • Use the Sakura Cards (Clear Card)
Characteristics
Gender Male
Hair Brown
Eyes Amber
Blood Type O
Appearances
First Appearance (Manga)
Chapter 7
Last Appearance (Manga)
First Appearance (Anime)
Episode 7

(at the end of the episode)

Last Appearance (Anime)
Voices
Seiyuu
Motoko Kumai
English
Rhys Huber (Clow Cards arc, 1st movie)
Jordan Kilik (Sakura Cards arc)
Mona Marshall (2nd movie)
Candace Moore (Animax dub)
Jason Liebrecht (Clear Card)

Syaoran Li (リシャオラン Ri Shaoran; Chinese: 李 小狼, Pinyin: Lǐ Xiǎoláng) is the deuteragonist of CLAMP's anime and manga series Cardcaptor Sakura. He is introduced as Sakura’s rival for the Clow Cards, but they gradually become friends and close allies. He also falls in love with Sakura, and they start dating in the Clear Card arc.

Appearance[]

Young Syaoran =3

Young Syaoran

Syaoran has short chestnut hair and large amber eyes. He is short in height compared to his male classmates, such as Yamazaki, but is overall taller than Sakura and Tomoyo. He appears to have grown in Cardcaptor Sakura Movie 2: The Sealed Card and, later, the Clear Card series.

It is also said that he looked like his father, when he was young, but there are no pictures of him in his house to actually compare. [1]

Personality[]

Syaoran

Syaoran in the anime

Syaoran Li is initially a cold and cynical ten-year-old boy. As the heir of the famous Li clan of sorcerers from Hong Kong, of which Clow Reed's mother herself was also a member, Syaoran had firmly believed that he should be the one to capture and inherit the Clow Cards, not Sakura Kinomoto.

He first appears as Sakura's rival in the story, capturing a few cards for himself in the anime. His initial attitude towards her was cold, critical, and socially awkward, to the extent of never even addressing her by her first name until the third season, and often criticized her bluntly for her flaws and clumsiness.

He was also portrayed as somewhat of a loner, given that he had been taught to be independent and self-reliant since childhood. However, as the series progresses, and especially after Sakura is officially deemed the new mistress of the Cards, Syaoran drops his rivalistic attitude towards her, and becomes a reliable ally and a beloved friend. As they spend more time together, Syaoran begins to develop romantic feelings for Sakura and becomes annoyed when she pays more attention to another guy.

Syaoran himself would not admit these feelings until late in the series, after the advice from Yue and Tomoyo, the latter of whom served as his confidante about his feelings. However, the naive and innocent Sakura is completely oblivious to these feelings, and thinks of him simply as an intimate friend. It was only after their final magical duel with Eriol did he find the courage to confess to her how he truly felt about her. By the end of the series, he has completely mellowed in comparison to his initial attitude, becoming a genuine caring and friendly person.

Relationships[]

Sakura Kinomoto[]

"I...I love you."

―Syaoran finally confessing romantic affections for Sakura

Cheerio V3 PG57

Sakura and Syaoran

In the beginning of the series, Syaoran is extremely antagonistic towards Sakura; spawned from his belief that they should compete for the cards to see who is worthy of wielding them. On his first day at Sakura's school, before he even knows her name, he glares hatefully at her, causing her to worry. [2]

During recess, he proceeded to say she was hopeless as the cards' holder and physically attacked her in an attempt to steal them but was thwarted by Touya and Yukito. This was the start of a rocky relationship between the two. [3]Syaoran would ignore Sakura and reject her constant attempts to befriend him, seeing her as nothing more than a rival. [4]

Despite this, he does at times save her in critical moments and provides her with information about the cards. Trying to capture the cards at the same time, gradually allows the two to learn to work together and they build a friendship that Syaoran doesn't fully recognize until halfway through the series.[5]

Syaoran blushes when Sakura hugs him and the following episodes show him being shy around her and growing increasingly worried for her safety and well-being, something that confuses him. [6]After the Final Judgment, Sakura is declared the new master of the Clow Cards, leaving Syaoran, essentially, a failure. However, he congratulates her and even smiles, showing his respect for her. [7]

At the start of the third season, Syaoran plans on returning home to Hong Kong, now that Sakura is the official mistress of the cards, and promises to visit her someday. Then, the newcomer, Eriol Hiiragizawa, comes from the United Kingdom and starts charming Sakura; much to Syaoran's dismay and disgust. When Sakura becomes quite sad that Syaoran is leaving, he decided to extend his stay in Tomoeda. [8]

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, and then to true love. Sakura's consistently cheerful attitude and warm smiles cause more and more blushes to form on Syaoran's cheeks. Much to his surprise, Syaoran finds himself jealous over the fact that Eriol is getting closer to Sakura. [9]

As he becomes more aware of his deep feelings for her, his denial over the romantic nature of them also increases. However, with advice from Yue and Tomoyo, he eventually accepts that he indeed loves Sakura and wants to be with her. He tries to confess to her several times, but something continuously happens and derails the conversation.[10]

After Sakura confesses to Yukito and is rejected, Syaoran comforts her and assures her that she will find the person she truly, deeply loves. While he feels grateful at being able to help her, he is worried that his true romantic feelings may be a burden to her. Tomoyo manages to convince him that if he does confess, Sakura will really think about it and give him her answer. [11]

Some time later, after the final battle with Eriol, Syaoran finally confesses that he is in love with her face-to-face. The news comes as a major surprise to Sakura, who had always viewed Syaoran as a close, good friend. Sakura broods over the thought, trying to grasp with her own feelings, especially after he tells her that he is glad he met her. [12]

At the same time, Syaoran is planning to leave for Hong Kong. Sakura hears about his unannounced leave. At that moment, Sakura realizes she's developed feelings for him, too, and has found herself to be devastated at the idea of him leaving. She realizes these feelings just in time to run and catch him at the airport. He is holding a homemade teddy bear, which he had considered giving to Sakura, but never found the right time. [13]

Instead, Sakura asks if she could have the bear in his arms. There is a tradition stated in the series (it is not a true Japanese tradition) that when someone gives someone else a personally-made plush, and the receiver names the plush after its maker, 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 returns the feelings, despite how sudden they appeared. [13]

In the second movie, four months after the final episode, Syaoran returns to Japan with his cousin Meiling Li, who had been having secret phone calls with Tomoyo, who helped plan their return. Tomoyo and Meiling attempt to organize outings for Sakura to tell Syaoran about how she feels but, rather amusingly, she gets interrupted until the end of the movie, where Syaoran sacrifices himself to The Nothing card's attack. [14]

In tears upon his return, Sakura confesses her deep romantic love, believing that Syaoran had forgotten his romantic love for her. She begins to cry but Syaoran surprisingly replies "Me too, Sakura." Sakura is so overjoyed by the revelation, that she recklessly leaps across a large hole in the floor to reach Syaoran, despite his protests for her safety. [14]

The film ends with a still of Sakura halfway across the cap in midair. A special bonus poster released with the film along with it's DVD shows that she does in fact makes the leap, right into Syaoran's arms. [14]

The manga (as well as the sequel Clear Card Arc anime) concludes the development of their relationship differently. After a major battle, Syaoran finds a quiet moment in Penguin Park to confess his love to Sakura. Sakura, again, is left in a mild state of shock as she tries to absorb the words, while Syaoran, content after revealing his feelings, tells her to be careful going back home and then leaves. [15]

The rest of the volume of Cardcaptor Sakura is focused on Sakura trying to work out her feelings for Syaoran. She eventually runs into Syaoran as he is packing up to leave for Hong Kong. Now that the purpose for his coming to Japan is over. After Sakura realizes (with help from her friends) that she too loves Syaoran, she succeeds in confessing her feelings to him just as he is about to leave; along with giving him the teddy bear she made. Syaoran promises her that he will return once his work in Hong Kong is finished, and she promises to wait for him as long as it takes. [16]

Two years later, a 13-year-old Sakura. now in Middle school is walking home, when she suddenly comes across Syaoran waiting for her, holding the bear that she gave him. Syaoran is happy to announce that he is through with his duties in Hong Kong and is now in Tomoeda to stay; there would be no more need for letters and phone calls any longer. Sakura, filled with happiness, jumps into Syaoran's arms and happily exclaims that they can be "together forever". [16]

From then on, they begin dating. Syaoran is concerned over Sakura's powers increasing as he has been told great power will lead to the unhappiness of the one who wields it.

Yukito Tsukishiro[]

Before his relationship with Sakura, Syaoran had a sensed on Yukito Tsukishiro; often blushing madly and abruptly running away at the sight of him. While Sakura also had a crush on Yukito, Syaoran would often compete with her for his affections.  

As he shows no interest in Sakura in the first season, the impression is given that he and Sakura are rivals, for the cards and for love. It is revealed later that Syaoran was attracted to the magic-energies of the moon, which sometimes gave the sensation of "love". Syaoran drew his magical power from the moon, as Yue, the guardian under the sign of the moon, resided within Yukito. He still admires Yukito as a friend and upperclassman.

Tomoyo Daidouji[]

In the beginning, Syaoran neither liked nor disliked Tomoyo Daidouji, seemingly preferring to not take much notice of her. However, as he grew to open up his heart to others, they became good friends, though it did not stop Tomoyo from frequently teasing Syaoran about his secret love for Sakura, or provoking his jealousy by pointing out how gallant and charming Eriol is. Nonetheless, she proves herself to still be a reliable friend and ally to Syaoran by giving him advice on his feelings for Sakura. Like Sakura, Syaoran gets bemused by Tomoyo’s obsession to record Sakura’s card capturing adventures and he is dismayed when Tomoyo begins making outfits for him in Clear Card.

Touya Kinomoto[]

Toya-and-syaoran

Touya and Syaoran at a festival trying to win the white rabbit. Syaoran for Yukito and Touya for Sakura.

Since the beginning to the end of both anime/manga series Syaoran Li and Touya Kinomoto (Sakura's older brother) never got along well or friendly with each other at first. Their first encounter was when Syaoran harassed Sakura for the Clow Cards. Since then, every time they met, they'd either have a competition or give each other a wicked stare, like they were trying to pick a fight. Even after Syaoran became close to Sakura, both of them still continued to resent each other. In Touya's part, it is due to his overprotective attitude to his sister and his awareness of Syaoran's feelings towards her. When Syaoran and Sakura start dating, him and Touya still did not get along, as Syaoran states he doesn’t know how to act in front of Touya due to the latter’s grumpiness. However, Touya considers Syaoran to be the one person he trusts to protect Sakura.

Cerberus[]

"The Beast of the Seal is...a stuffed animal?"

―Syaoran first meets Kero

Syaoran and kero

Syaoran and Kero fighting

Due to Syaoran’s initial cold treatment of Sakura, Syaoran and Cerberus did not have a good relationship: they often get into passionately heated arguments, Syaoran calls him a "plush toy", or a "stuffed animal", while Cerberus retorts with patronizing terms like "kid", and "brat". It was stated that this was probably because Syaoran draws his magical powers mainly from the moon, while Cerberus draws his from the sun, which is why they do not get along, which is utterly unlike Sakura, whose powers have a balance of both the sun and the moon. Though they do not get along at all, they put up with each other for Sakura's sake, and were shown to be actually capable of civil conversations, especially in Clear Card, despite the fact that such instances are extremely few and far in between.

Meiling Li[]

MeilingSyaoran

Syaoran and Meiling had known each other since they were little kids due to them being cousins. Despite the fact that Meiling had no magical powers, she trained in martial arts alongside with him. Syaoran initially brushed her off and preferred to be alone rather than play with her and other children. Later on Meiling would lose her pet bird and Syaoran runs out into a storm to find it and after hours pass he returns with it. Meiling later pressures Syaoran into becoming engaged with her. Although Syaoran's romantic feelings for Meiling were non-existent, he did care about her as his cousin, or the way a boy would care for his family. She would recklessly join him in collecting the Clow Cards, much to his chargin, as she tended to cause more trouble than help him. Syaoran and Meiling call off their engagement after Syaoran falls in love with Sakura. Despite Meiling’s heartache, they remain friends.

Relatives[]

Unnamed Grandparents
Unnamed HusbandYelan Thumb
Yelan Li
Unnamed Sibling(s)Wang Thumb
Wang Wei
(First cousin of the Li family)
Li Sisters Thumb
Syaoran's Sisters
Syaoran Thumb
Syaoran Li
Meiling Thumb
Meiling Li



Yelan Li is Syaoran's biological mother. Fuutie, Shiefa, Fanren and Feimei are Syaoran's older quadruplet sisters. Meiling is Syaoran's cousin while Wang Wei is his first cousin.

Magical Abilities and Techniques[]

Syaoran using Raitei Shourai

Syaoran using 'Raitei Shourai'.

  • Magical & Supernatural detection: Due to his life long tutelage, Syaoran possesses a greater degree of magical sensitivity than Sakura. He is able to not only sense the Clow Cards in a greater area but is also able to discern their presence even through attempts at cloaking or hiding. He can greatly extend his ability to detect magical activity and Clow Cards with the use of his Rashinban.
Syaoran's Sword -Tsubasa Chronicles Manga

Syaoran's sword as it appears in the Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle Manga

  • Master Swordsmanship: Syaoran is shown to be an excellent swordsman. He wields a Chinese jian, which takes the sealed form of a hanging pendant. This sword serves as the focus for his magical powers.
  • Martial Artist: Syaoran was trained in martial arts since he was a little child. One example that demonstrates this is when he shows a pose that is reminiscent of Chinese martial arts when he first met Touya. He also used his martial arts when fighting with a few Clow Cards, like when he kicked The Fight card aside when it was about to harm Meiling, and when he fought The Twin card with Meiling.
  • Elemental Magic: Through the use of ofuda - slips of enchanted paper - Syaoran can summon and control the four main elements of nature:
Element Incantataion Effect
Lightning (Thunder) Raitei Shourai Project blasts of yellow electricity and thunderbolts
Fire Kashin Shourai Generates fireballs; can be used to illuminate
Wind (Air) Fuuka Shourai Create shields of air for protection, or for a soft landing
Water Suiryuu Shourai Create small waves and whirlpools, douse things in cold water
Ice Hyouka Shourai Freeze a target with ice

Cards[]

Although he claims nine 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 romaji on the Clow Cards, Syaoran writes his name in Chinese characters.

The cards he claimed in the anime are: The Time, The Storm, The Return, The Dash, The Freeze, The Cloud (which he gives to Sakura), The Dream, The Sand (which he again gives to Sakura), and The Twin.

Other than The Return, The Sand, and The Twin cards, all the Clow Cards Syaoran had fall under the power of the Moon; the same as his magic.

During the Clear Card arc, Syaoran used his teddy bear that he made for Sakura, which was enchanted by his mother, to take possession of all fifty-three Sakura Cards. This was done to protect Sakura from her powers as they grow exorbitantly while creating the Clear Cards.[17] With the collaboration of the cards, who also wish to protect Sakura, Syaoran is able to rewrite the contract of the cards, replacing Sakura’s name on them with his name and allowing him to utilize their powers, which essentially makes him the new master of the cards.

When the Cards pass under Syaoran's possession, they receive his Moon powers and appeared the Crescent Moon symbol in their forms. The cards moved by their love for Sakura and their desire to protect her. Left with Syaoran through a spell arranged by his mother to prevent Sakura's powers from growing further while creating the Clear Cards; but doing so is extremely exhausting for him and takes longer than desired.[18] However, when the world is rewritten by a taboo magic, the cards return to Sakura's possession as if they had never left.[19]

Appearance in Other Media[]

Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle and xxxHolic[]

In Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle, Syaoran is mentioned by Sakura Li as she stated she met her counterpart in her dream alongside her boyfriend, as she received the wand, but he was not shown in the dream [20].

Syaoran is mentioned in xxxHolic as living in the same world as Yuuko Ichihara and Kimihiro Watanuki. In a later chapter he is mentioned as living with Sakura. Watanuki expresses a desire to one day meet the both of them.

Cardcaptors[]

In Nelvana's English dubbed version Cardcaptors, Syaoran's first and last name are switched around as Li Showron and many other changes were made to his character. Particularly in the English adaptation, his feelings for Yukito (Julian) are portrayed as fear and his romantic feelings for Sakura are watered down but still evident. In Cardcaptors he also seems to be more arrogant and his initial hostility towards Sakura is elevated. While the two still eventually become friends, Syaoran still feels some resentment towards Sakura, instead of developing love.

A major change to Syaoran's character in Cardcaptors involves elevating him to become the male lead character, rather than a supporting character for Sakura in Cardcaptor Sakura. Here, Syaoran is also referred to as a Cardcaptor, while he has no such title in the original series, as Cerberus never selected him, and he has no initial ability to seal cards for himself.

Etymology[]

  • His given name Syaoran (小狼) means "little wolf."
    • Also of note is that it sounds similar to Shao Long, "little dragon", which was a given name of actor and martial artist Bruce Lee (李小龍, pinyin: Lǐ Xiǎolóng, often romanized as Lee Shao Long).
  • His surname is very common in China and means "plum".
  • Syaoran's name has different pronunciations and translations according to the different countries, such as Syaoran, Xiaolang, Shaoran and Showron.

Trivia[]

  • The "Card Captor Sakura Memorial Book" (2001) contained an interview with Clamp and a statement regarding the nature of Sakura's relationship with Syaoran, Ohkawa stating: "I was glad the readers were happy Sakura and Syaoran got together, but that anyone would think it’s because they make a normal couple… it’s a little disconcerting. Sakura didn’t choose Syaoran because he’s a boy close to her in age. If Syaoran had been a girl, if they had been far apart in age, as long as he was still Syaoran, I think Sakura would have fallen in love with him. It’d sadden me if you thought they’re a good couple because they’re normal."
  • Syaoran's father is deceased. In the anime it is implied he is responsible for the wealth of the Li family.
  • In Episode 12 of the anime, Syaoran expresses an interest in archaeology.
  • In Episode 20 of the anime, Meiling mentions that another favorite food of Syaoran's is shrimp shumai.
  • Syaoran's voice actor Motoko Kumai sang Syaoran's theme called Ki ni Naru Aitsu (That Girl I Can't Ignore) which was Syaoran's first song.[21]
  • He is talented in playing the piano.[22]
  • He speaks at least 3 languages: Cantonese, Japanese, and English. In the English dub of Clear Card, he can speak French, too.
  • Syaoran's fifth English voice actor—Jason Liebrecht—also voices his counterparts, Syaoran and Tsubasa Li from Tsubasa:RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE.
  • In Tsubasa:RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE, it is revealed by Yuuko that Syaoran and Sakura are living together as boyfriend and girlfriend.

References[]

  1. Syaoran Mini Drama Album
  2. Cardcaptor Sakura anime Episode 8
  3. Cardcaptor Sakura manga Chapter 8
  4. Cardcaptor Sakura anime Episode 17
  5. Cardcaptor Sakura manga Chapter 17
  6. Cardcaptor Sakura anime Episode 27
  7. Cardcaptor Sakura manga Chapter 26
  8. Cardcaptor Sakura manga Chapter 27
  9. Cardcaptor Sakura anime Episode 47
  10. Cardcaptor Sakura anime Episode 59
  11. Cardcaptor Sakura anime Episode 66
  12. Cardcaptor Sakura anime Episode 69
  13. 13.0 13.1 Cardcaptor Sakura anime Episode 70
  14. 14.0 14.1 14.2 Cardcaptor Sakura anime Movie 2
  15. Cardcaptor Sakura manga Chapter 46
  16. 16.0 16.1 Cardcaptor Sakura manga Chapter 50
  17. Cardcaptor Sakura Clear Card anime Episode 21
  18. Cardcaptor Sakura Chapter 24 (Clear Card)
  19. Cardcaptor Sakura Chapter 71 (Clear Card)
  20. Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle chapter 224
  21. Cardcaptor Sakura anime Episode 57
  22. Cardcaptor Sakura Clear Card anime episode 18

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