illusions of grandeur_

[home] [rules] [codes] [join] [members] [update] [lost password?] [extras]

About Zakuro - This section will probably contain spoilers. @__@

What to say about Zakuro...XD Well, he appears in both the anime and manga of the Saiyuki series - in the anime, his first appearance is at the end of episode 03 in RELOAD GUNLOCK, and his first manga appearance is in volume two of RELOAD.

From what I have seen of RELOAD GUNLOCK, his character introduction seems to be the same - both versions have him introduced via his mind illusions on Sanzo, Hakkai, and Gojyo. However, the way he is taken care is different.

Both versions of his demise feature Sanzo snapping out of the illusion and shooting him with his gun in "reality"; however, this is where it gets different.

The Manga
In the manga he survives the shot, flees, throws his jacket on the three, and while escaping into the forest, vows revenge for what's been done. Afterwards, you only see him in brief snippets, where he is found wandering in the forest, presumably lost. At the same time, he continues to curse the Sanzo-ikkou for his downfall, with arrows denoting he's talking to himself.

I'm not sure if this holds true for his initial appearance, but I've found that in volumes 5 and 6, he refers to himself in instances of "-sama" - "Zakuro-sama", "ore-sama" - both are rather arrogant, yet fitting of his character. Finally, in volume 6, he has a full-on chapter comeback, but it doesn't work to his advantage. That, as far as I know, is the last we see of Zakuro...for now.

The Anime
In the anime, on the other hand, he falls into a river after being shot, but according to a certain Wiki article (spoilers there, too), he does make a reappearance when Bishop Hazel Glosse/Grouse is introduced in the series. Whether or not he is just as funny in the anime is up in the air, since I haven't seen (or heard) much about that part of the series.

Other things to note are his seiyuu is Horiuchi Kenyuu; you can view his ANN profile here, and his official Japanese profile here. To date, there has not been a song devoted to Zakuro on the Saiyuki CDs. Keep hoping that one day, he does get one! :D

For the English dub of RELOAD GUNLOCK, there are rumors that Zakuro's VA may be Richard Hayworth, who also is credited under Richard Canisino, Edward Villa, and Vincent Hatcher. (Thanks goes to Ashley for the information!)

Contributions to this section are welcome (especially for the anime)!
(You can probably tell that I love him more from the manga. XD)