Shichiseishi Name: Chiriko
Real Name: Ou Doukun

Suzaku shichiseishi Chiriko is the last shichisei to be found. Or more precisely, he finds the rest of the Suzaku. He is the youngest Suzaku, and at times, seems to be the weakest. Chiriko's main ability is intelligence, which of course, doesn't do any good when someone is throwing ki blasts into your face. And to make things worse, Chiriko's intelligence (in the manga, at least) only appears when Chiriko's character appears. This makes him rather vulnerable. Chiriko knows that, and works to overcome his weakness.

It is this reason, that Chiriko is one of my favorite characters. Chiriko isn't gifted with strength, power, or beauty. He's more real, because he struggles with insecurity and fear daily, like most thirteen year olds. He isn't as strong as Tamahome, beautiful as Hotohori, powerful as Nuriko, and so on. Chiriko knows that he is the weak link in the chain that makes up the Suzaku shichiseishi. What makes him so human, is not because he knows his weaknesses, but because he struggles daily to overcome them.

Chiriko becomes a real human being, rather than just a character on a page, while he attempts to overcome his weaknesses. HE idolizes strong men, particularly Tasuki, because they are confident, powerful, and always in control. Chiriko strives to become more like Tasuki, the person he idolizes, mostly because Chiriko doesn't have control over his shichiseishi ability and power. That is a struggle that many of us deal with daily, and this makes Chiriko an easy character to relate too. Because Chiriko has to struggle with things that everyone of us do.

And, you can't help but admire his intelligence.

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Article copyright 1999 Kristi Brownfield