Suzaku is the red phoenix god who governs the southern part of the sky, including the constellations Gemini, Cancer, Hydra, Corvus, and Crater. He is the god of fire and summer and love. The shichiseishi of Suzaku are Tamahome, Hotohori, Nuriko, Chichiri, Tasuki, Mitsukake, and Chiriko. He is generally believed to be the "Good" God, because of the prosperity of Konankoku, and the fact that the Suzaku shichiseishi are the protagonists of Fushigi Yuugi.
Suzaku chose his miko from episode 1, luring Yuuki Miaka into the Important Documents Room of the library with a vision of a red phoenix. The moment Miaka opened the Shijintenchishou, she became Suzaku no Miko, the one chosen to summon forth the god and become the god's vessel. Suzaku is able to grant his miko three wishes, and it seems that there is nothing beyond the god's power to grant.
Tatara told Miaka and Tamahome that Byakko had been unable to grant Byakko no Miko, Suzuno's wish of staying with Tatara or allowing Tatara to go to Suzuno's world. However, being the god of love obviously has some greater pull as Suzaku granted Miaka's wish and sent Tamahome to her world as Taka, the reincarnation of Tamahome.
When Suzaku and his brother gods, Seiryuu, Byakko and Genbu, faced annihilation by Tenkou's threat, he beseeched his miko to help him defeat Tenkou. The strength of love between Miaka and Taka was the power Suzaku required and in return, he allowed Taka to stay in Miaka's world forever.
Article copyright 1999 Kristi Brownfield and Ng, Kai Ling.
