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The Subaru born into the TYOB/X world isn’t the only one in existence. There are many parallel dimensions, each of which perhaps contains its own version, with personalities varying according to his different upbringings. However, each one shares some common traits; no matter their pasts, there are some things that will always remain unchanged. In addition, the X movie and TV series give different interpretations of this specific storyline.

 

 

Doujinshi

Subaru began life in a CLAMP doujinshi, though the story never got very far. In this version, Subaru was still an onmyoji but had a different shikigami, a penguin named "Leone", named after the car produced by the car manufacturer, Subaru. (Hokuto-chan was also a medium in this version, with her monkey shikigami, "Minami", whereas Seishirou-san's personality hadn't been developed much beyond having a name and a dark past, and changed greatly after publication.)

The storyline was initally going to be much more comic, but when CLAMP were offered the chance to do a serialisation for South, the story became what we know today; as it was a quarterly magazine with long chapters, CLAMP believed a plot that resolved around society issues would be better suited.

 

 

X Movie

At the time the X movie was produced, 1996, both Subaru and the Sakurazukamori had only just made their first true appearances in the manga. Therefore there is merely one scene towards the beginning of the movie, sparsely hinting at the occurrences in Tokyo Babylon and pitting the two of them against one another. In this X universe, it is their final showdown; both Dragons are dead by the end of the fight, and Subaru’s kekkai falls, destroying a large area of Tokyo.

 

 

X TV

Produced in 2001/2002, not that long before the manga went on hiatus, the X TV series had much more material to work with than the movie. Although there is not as much characterisation or exploration of Subaru and his relationships, primarily that of Kamui, the anime series mirrors much of what is in the manga, up to tragic incident at Rainbow Bridge.

From here, his existence deviates from that of the manga. Until the final battle, Subaru remains in his apartment (in the manga he moved with four of the Seals to the CLAMP Campus), unconcerned with the future of the world now that his love, Seishirou, is dead. Even a visit from Kamui is not able to rouse him from a state of catatonia.

However, Hokuto is able to find a way to communicate with Kakyou despite having passed over to the realm of the dead. Due to Subaru’s catatonic state, Kakyou is able to cross over into his mind. In the hopes that his sister can pull Subaru out and convince him to help Kamui, Dragon of Heaven, she crosses over into his dream. Hokuto tells him that she is sorry her spell, which she cast not just for Subaru but for Seishirou as well, caused him more pain than he had already endured, but that he can’t stay within himself forever. She and Seishirou reside solely within his heart and no longer within his world, but that there must still be something he wants to protect.

Despite their meeting being brought to an abrupt end by ‘Kamui’, Dragon of Earth, Hokuto’s pleas are successful; Subaru is able to raise his kekkai once again to protect those that now live in his heart.

At Tokyo Tower, he takes an almost fatal blow from ‘Kamui’ while protecting Kamui from his blade. With his epiphany, he keeps Kamui focused on making his wish come true, helping his friend save humanity despite the teenager’s ultimate sacrifice. Despite being near death, Kamui’s kekkai is able to heal Subaru’s wounds, enabling him to survive.

The last we see of Subaru is him looking up at the sakura tree in Ueno Park before walking away from it, starting a new chapter in his life, with those he cares for – Seishirou, Hokuto and Kamui – living on in his memory.

 

 

Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE

This instance of Subaru seems quite removed from the version we are used to; he is a vampire. But there are similarities to the events of the TYOB/X universe; he is still a hunted man, and the hunter is none other than Sakurazuka Seishirou.

This Seishirou-san isn't just pursing Subaru, but also his "twin", who seems to be Kamui. Somehow both Subaru and Kamui, crossing dimensions in order to escape the pursuit, end up in a world similar to that of X's; however, shortly after they arrive, they are forcable separated when the water in the world wraps itself around Subaru, forming a cocoon. And within this cocoon are two of Sakura's feather.

On the outside, Kamui searches for a way to free Subaru, and believes that the blood from an appropriate piece of bait will awaken his "twin".

Subaru only wakens when Sakura is in stress, and he holds the unconscious girl protectively. Appearing next to him quickly, happy to see him finally awake, Kamui clasped Subaru's hand, saying that they have to hurry to the next world before they are caught. However, Subaru wants to wait. As he is responsible for the water shortage, he selfishly wants to stay until he corrects the problem he has accidently caused, even at the risk of being found by the hunter.

Subaru asks Yuuko, the witch who originally gave Subaru and Kamui the power to travel between worlds, to grant him a wish: to restore the water. In return he is willing to give his blood, the blood of a pure-breed vampire, to help save a dying Fai. Yuuko agrees, but Kamui isn't so accepting; he doesn't want ANYONE ELSE to take Subaru's blood. Instead, he will take Subaru's place and give his own to Fai.

After the transformation of Fai, the two vampires and the others go to return the water. However, before they are able to do anything, Fuuma and those from the tower (who are in opposition to the ones the vampires and the Sakura group are staying with) return...

Despite being a vampire, Subaru's actions in this world show him to be very similar in personality to his Tokyo Babylon persona. He's not only kind and caring, but also has a calming affect on Kamui's quick temper. Kamui is fiercely protective of the boy and will fight anyone to protect him, and Subaru's constant touching of Kamui's arms and shoulder , along with his comforting words, shows that he feels a need to comfort his friend. Like in X, they have an unbreakable bond, though we don't yet know how this bond form and the meaning between the term "twins".

NOTE: This synopsis for Tsubasa is based upon rough translations, and therefore my be inaccurate/updated in the future.

For more Vampire!Subaru images, please see Gallery // Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE.

 

xxxHOLiC

In this universe, Subaru is still a kind Onmyoji who has a long friendship with the Time-Space Witch, Yuuko. In the first volume of the series, Yuuko describes her colleague:

YUUKO: There is a kind, hard-working medium who we could call.
WATANUKI: A medium?
YUUKO: Really nice. Kind of young. A guy. But his relationship with his twin sister is close. I knew him since he was this tall (indicates the height of about her knee). I wish him a happy life, but there are a lot of definitions of happiness, I'm afraid.

What we do not know, however, is what she means by “a lot of definitions of happiness”. Perhaps this Subaru has not been able to escape hardship either.

 

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