Chichiri
Chichiri (井宿?), a wandering monk, has trained for several years with Taiitsukun, the creator. A 24 year-old native of a village on the Shōryū River (near the northern Kōnan-Kutō border), he variously wields a shakujō staff, kasa hat, and kesa mantle to fight and employs various magical techniques taught by Taiitsukun, the first of which was the ability to form a barrier around himself. His true name is Houjun Ri (李 芳准, Ri Hōjun?), born under the star Well (井).
As the oldest and wisest of all of the Suzaku warriors, Chichiri thinks of himself as the older brother who looks after them all. Appearing superficially light-hearted, he can put on super deformed ‘chibi’ frivolity or suddenly be very serious and grim. While Tamahome and Hotohori are the obvious leaders, Chichiri is the ever-staunch adviser and supporter from behind the scenes, always willing to help when needed. Unconcerned with his own mortality or with earthly desires, he has a Zen master’s detached attitude. He habitually ends many sentences with the emphatic phrase “no da”, translated as “ya know” in the anime’s English version (omitted in the English dub).
When he first appears, Chichiri constantly wears a smile on his face, though he later accounts for his face as a mask with features he can move on reflex in order to make it resemble a natural face. His true face resembles his mask, save that one eye has been scarred by an injury across his forehead. When he was eighteen, Chichiri had been engaged to be married; after his best friend stole a kiss from his fiancée, she called off their betrothal. Chichiri was enraged at the betrayal and the two men began to fight. While they were fighting, a heavy rainstorm caused the Shoryuu River flooded their home village. Most of the inhabitants were drowned, including Chichiri’s family and his fiancee. His friend fell into the rushing water and Chichiri attempted to rescue him, but a nearby log smashed into Chichiri’s eye and gouged it out, resulting in the scar on his face. Unbeknownst to Chichiri, his friend survived, but resentfully believes that Chichiri had abandoned him to die. When they meet again, this mistaken resentment causes him to resume the old battle, but ends when the story behind the dreadful scar is revealed.
At the end of the series, only he and Tasuki of all the Suzaku Celestial Warriors remain alive in “The Universe of the Four Gods”.
