is a fictional character introduced in the manga xxxHolic, created by the group of manga artists known as Clamp. Watanuki is a high school student plagued by his ability to see spirits. In order to lose such powers, Watanuki begins to work for Yūko Ichihara, a witch who will grant his wish once he pays the price for her services. Such jobs often involve Watanuki encountering other spirits attracted by him. Apart from xxxHolic, Watanuki is featured in the crossover manga Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle, which explores his origins. He has also been featured in their animated adaptations, spin-offs as well as other works by Clamp, most notably the sequel xxxHolic Rei.
The character was created by Clamp to fill their need for a main character who would observe Yūko's work and learn from her supernatural activities. Jun Fukuyama voiced the character in Japanese, and Todd Haberkorn did so in English. To indicate Watanuki's growth, the anime staff asked Fukuyama in later animated works as well as the film. Shōta Sometani portrays the character in the television drama.
Kimihiro Watanuki initially generated mixed responses from manga and anime publications, whose reviews criticised his behaviour, while his maturity and wiser characterisation in later chapters was better received. Similarly, his return in the spin-off xxxHolic Rei also earned a positive response for friendlier interactions with the cast, despite acting like his younger persona.
Creation and development
With the manga xxxHolic being conceptualized as the Clamp manga that would connect to other works produced by them, its authors sought to create a character who would fit into the role of protagonist. They initially created Yūko Ichihara; they believed Yūko was so interesting she could be the series' sole main character but felt the need of having an additional. Such character would see Yūko's life and could ask her about the supernatural events. This led to the creation of Kimihiro Watanuki. The dynamic between Yūko and Watanuki was inspired respectively with Doraemon and Nobita Nobi from the manga series Doraemon. Unlike Yūko, Watanuki's personality and design were not difficult to write or illustrate by the manga authors. He is based on a real beautician the Clamp have not identified.
The protagonist of Tsubasa, Syaoran, has his own doppelgänger commonly referred to as "The Other Syaoran", who at the same time is deeply connected with Watanuki for reasons that are revealed late in Tsubasa. Across the series, these characters are developed and choose their own paths to establish their own identities. The constant interactions between Watanuki and the Other Syaoran were made to build up why both of these characters are important in their respective series as well as to explore more the crossover element Tsubasa has with xxxHolic. While the two meet in the first series, they do not have personal conversations until the climax and the sequels through their friends, the two creatures known as Mokona Modokis.
Anime Director Tsutomu Mizushima of Production I.G referred to Watanuki as his favorite character from the series because of his personality, saying that he identifies with him. He also commented on Watanuki's characterisation as having a notable arc while still retaining his attractive design known in Japanese as bishōnen. The staff commented that one of the biggest attractions of the series is Watanuki's skills as a chef as they are well-illustrated and well-animated in the anime. This is most notable in his new way of acting, resulting in the development of a quieter personality years after Yūko's death. Producer Toru Kawaguchi was surprised with Watanuki's development in the narrative despite the difficulties handling his character. Voice actress Sayaka Ohara said that thanks to Yūko's teachings about fate, Watanuki could grow up as an individual.
Casting
In Japanese, Jun Fukuyama voices Watanuki. He was first cast for Bee Train's adaptation of Tsubasa but had no problem in contrast to Yūko's actress. Fukuyama was attracted by how his character was often part of the tsukkomi, a Japanese inspired comedy gag where Watanuki acts irritated when dealing with people most notably Yūko. He also enjoyed interacting with the main cast and thus was glad that the series spawned the sequel, xxxHolic Kei. In casting Fukuyama, the producers had him try a more innocent tone, in contrast to other roles he had played. When first cast to voice Watanuki, the differences between his character and Yūko's surprised Fukuyama. Although Fukuyama noted Watanuki tends to get irritated, he still had multiple traits that appealed to him. During the first audition, Fukuyama was looking forward to his role and was pleased when he was hired. Fukuyama regarded Watanuki as an audience surrogate lead because of his interactions with Yūko and the rest of the cast. Fukuyama aimed to work originally in Tsubasa based on Watanuki's role and felt in retrospective that he also enjoyed xxxHolic during its debut. His role in xxxHolic Rō also impressed the actor based on how much Watanuki changed because of his work as the shop's owner to the point the audience would want another sequel focused on Watanuki.
During the ending of the anime by Production I.G, an episode focused on Watanuki's childhood that moved multiple members of the staff. Fukuyama was impressed by it and expressed curiosity about what happened if something else took place that was not shown to the audience. Fukuyama enjoyed his work and felt nostalgic for it years after the final original video animation was released. For the character's role in Blood-C: The Last Dark, Fukuyama needed to portray Watanuki as a mature despite not aging from his appearance in xxxHolic.
Todd Haberkorn voices him in the English dub of the anime series. Haberkorn said that Watanuki would be the most ridiculed character in his career based on how he often ran away from yokais something that other characters he voiced are in charge of doing.
In the live-action drama, Shōta Sometani plays the character of Watanuki. He regarded his character as dignified based on his knowledge of the series and thus felt pressure in portraying him. Nevertheless, he expressed gratitude other members of the staff assisted him, including the director and Anne Watanabe who portrayed Yūko. Clamp also looked forward to the appearances of Watanuki and Yūko in the live-action version.
Appearances In xxxHolic and Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle Watanuki is a high school student who has the ability to see spirits, and the result disturbs him. One day he stumbles, seemingly by chance, upon the wish-granting shop of Yūko Ichihara. She promises to end his ability to see spirits if he works part time in her shop until his work equals the value of his wish. Since he lives by himself, he can cook and clean, which pleases Yūko. Besides doing domestic tasks for Yūko, Watanuki often completes jobs of a spiritual or magical nature. Yuko's often insane requests usually enrage him, though he pays close attention whenever she is serious with him. While around his crush, Himawari Kunogi, Watanuki is usually cheerful and excited, whereas around Shizuka Dōmeki he is much more irritable. Yūko advises Watanuki to become closer to Dōmeki though, as he can exorcise spirits.
In the course of his work, Watanuki encounters spirits who take his right eye for the destruction of a web. He then shares Dōmeki's eyesight, which allows him to detect evil spirits. As thanks for his services, the spirits give Watanuki a protective pet fox named Kudagitsune. He meets a young medium named Kohane Tsuyuri and attempts to bring her a new life after learning how much abuse she has suffered. After nearly dying falling from his school's second floor, Watanuki learns he is related to a teenager named Syaoran, who paid Yūko for his health along with Himawari and Dōmeki. Watanuki learns this happened because of her bad luck, but still wishes to be with her, confessing his feelings for her while healing.
In xxxHolic and Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle, it is revealed Syaoran created to replace his identity after he decided to turn back time. Syaoran paid the price with his imprisonment by the sorcerer Fei-Wang Reed. As a result, Watanuki became the child of Syaoran's parents and filled all the relationships Syaoran would have had. Filled with guilt, Watanuki gave up the memories of his past as the price to find Fei-Wang and help Syaoran. As he could not remember his parents, Watanuki's developed dark feelings, which led to spirits to chase him. Across the story, Watanuki overcomes his selfishness and becomes concerned about granting Yūko's wish. Watanuki's origins and interactions with Syaoran are also explored in Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle where Syaoran constantly tell Watanuki to develop his will to live. When Yūko dies, Watanuki resolves to take care of the shop so he can wait for her return. During the climax of Tsubasa, Watanuki and Syaoran have to pay a price to survive Fei-Wang's dying curse with Watanuki's price being the "time in him", meaning he will never age.
Following Yūko's death, Watanuki becomes the new master of the shop and takes up Yūko's job of granting wishes to the shop's customers during the last volumes of xxxHolic subtitled xxxHolic Rō. His personality changes as he adopts some of Yūko's quirks and habits in order for his body to remember her, afraid of forgetting her. He is also unable to leave the shop, the price he paid to become the owner. Over the following years, Watanuki's powers become stronger, since he retains his ability to see spirits. He works with help from Dōmeki, who brings him materials from the outside along with Kohane. However, Watanuki has to cut ties with Himawari because of the way her bad luck would affect the shop. In the manga's finale, Watanuki has a dream of Yūko that serves as a message that Watanuki has become able to leave the shop thanks to his growing powers. Realizing it has been over a century, he instead decides to remain in the shop, still waiting to see Yūko visits again in person rather than in a dream.
Other appearances Outside the xxxHolic and Tsubasa manga, Watanuki appears in the film xxxHolic: A Midsummer Night's Dream (2005), where he visits a collector's mansion and investigates the mystery behind multiple disappearances. The video game xxxHolic ~Watanuki no Izayoi Sowa~ also features Watanuki. He is also a prominent character in the novelization Another Holic by Nisio Isin. In the original video animation (OVA) xxxHolic Rō, Watanuki, as the new shop's owner, receives a tape with Yūko's voice. In the second OVA, Adayume, the spirit of Dōmeki's grandfather, Haruka, asks Watanuki to investigate his grandson's dreams now that his son is marrying Kohane. Accepting Haruka's constant teachings as his payment, Watanuki later meets Dōmeki, who tells him that Kohane's most important person is Watanuki, regardless of marriage. In August 2011, Clamp wrote the one-shot xxxHolic Shi, where Watanuki meets real life singer Shikao Suga, who performed multiple themes for the xxxHolic animated adaptations. Suga wishes to become more famous, but Watanuki makes the singer become confused about the price needed for that.
Watanuki appears as the protagonist of the manga xxxHolic Rei as Yūko's assistant. While seeing several of Yūko's cases, Watanuki realises his boss is waiting for him to make a decision that he ignores. He remembers he is living in an alternate dimension where Yuko is not dead. After saying goodbye to her, Watanuki returns to reality to give Syaoran a group of items he found in the alternative world. In Tsubasa World Chronicle, he meets Syaoran and gives him the items, but is saddened having to lose Yūko again. Shota Sometani plays Watanuki in the live action TV series.