| Syaoran | |
|---|---|
| Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle xxxHolic character | |
&sq=Qlik&lang=&file=File:Syaoranclone.png) Syaoran as seen in Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle wielding Hien | |
| First appearance | Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle chapter 1: "The World of Beginnings" (2003) |
| Created by | Clamp |
| Voiced by | Miyu Irino (Japanese) Jason Liebrecht (English) |
| In-universe information | |
| Weapon | Dao/katana |
| Relatives | Fujitaka (adoptive father) Sakura (wife) Tsubasa (original self/son) Kimihiro Watanuki (son) Clow Reed (ancestor) |
Syaoran (Japanese: 小狼, Hepburn: Shaoran) is a fictional character and protagonist in Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle, a manga series written and illustrated by Clamp. Syaoran is introduced as a young archaeologist who is in love with Sakura, his childhood friend and the princess from the Kingdom of Clow. When Sakura's memories are scattered throughout parallel dimensions, Syaoran goes on a quest to recover them, at the cost of Sakura never remembering him. Later in the series, Syaoran is revealed to be an artificial human created by the sorcerer Fei-Wang Reed—the sorcerer who wants to use him to collect Sakura's magical feathers. Controlled by Fei-Wang Reed's will, Syaoran becomes one of the series' antagonists in the second half of the series. Syaoran has featured in other works by Clamp, including the manga xxxHolic and the drama CD series Holistuba.
Syaoran's character is based on Syaoran Li, a character from Clamp's manga Cardcaptor Sakura and had several changes to appeal to the series' demographic rather that Cardcaptor Sakura as such series was aimed toward female readers. This included making this Syaoran more heroic and serious to fit the narrative and atmosphere. Clamp took multiple notes about the handling of this character from their editor in order to make him stand out. In Japanese, Syaoran is voiced by Miyu Irino in Japanese and Jason Liebrecht in English.
The character has been well received by readers of the series, placing high in popularity polls from Tsubasa and manga and anime series in general. He also received positive comments by manga and anime publications, mainly due to how heroic he is in order to save the person he loves: Sakura. Syaoran's role as an antagonist has also received positive comments; some writers use nicknames to differentiate his antagonistic self from his original self, often calling him evil.