is deeply connected with his classmate Shizuka Domeki who assists him during problems. In once occasion, Domeki is forced to exorcise a spirit that is socializing with Watanuki at the same time his health is drained. Watanuki coming in terms with Domeki's actions serves as a major focus on his growth in the narrative. Although xxxHolic is classified as seinen manga (aimed towards adults), Watanuki is still compared with a more traditional shōjo manga character in the book Manga Cultures and the Female Gaze, as scholar Kathryn Hemmann finds that his portrayal and design make him more suitable for female readers. The same book listed him as an opposite to Sakura Kinomoto from Cardcaptor Sakura due to how different are their lives despite sharing similar traits, placing emphasis on Watanuki's loneliness. Domeki is also seen as another opposite to Watanuki due to their different built and linked their close bond to that of a shōjo manga romance. Watanuki's sadness and guilt becomes more prominent when he allows the spider to take of his eyes to protect Domeki's eye. This is a common trope within Clamp's works where a character misses one eye. Watanuki's further guilt portrayed in the manga also serves to expand the crossover the elements of xxxHolic and Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle as Watanuki is revealed to be connected to a character named Syaoran who also suffers a tragic fate. As the narrative passes, Yuko makes a major bond with Watanuki who is interested in granting her own wish instead. Hemmann further argued that while taking Yūko's role, he surpassed the "gendered limitations of [her] role", which was cast as a gendered archetype of a witch. Watanuki's changed characterization following Yūko's death was commented multiple times, with critics finding him to act similar to his mentor, and more mature, making him a fitting new protagonist. Similar to how Watanuki was compared to the teenager Subaru from Tokyo Babylon, his older persona was compared with the adult Subaru from the ending of Tokyo Babylon and X as both became similar to the people they loved but still suffer from grief as time passes. 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