Story
3x3 Eyes is a story that follows the adventures of Pai, the last remaining Sanjiyan Unkara (三只眼 吽迦羅), and her new Wu (Chinese reading of 无; an immortal companion), Yakumo, as they desperately try to find a way to make Pai human so that she can forget her troubled past. Yakumo can again become mortal and end his constant need to protect Pai because if Pai dies, then so will he. Along the way, they encounter many followers of the now-dead demon god Kaiyanwang, all of whom wish to kill Pai or siphon off her power in order to resurrect their deity and/or gain immortality.
Main characters
- Pai (パイ), Pai Ayanokoji (綾小路 パイ Ayanokōji Pai), Parvati IV (パールバティー四世 pārubatī yonsei) — The last surviving Sanjiyan Unkara who was discovered by Yakumo's father in Tibet. Yuzo Takada sometimes calls her the three-eyed elf girl from China, but she wears traditional Tibetan clothes. As is typical with members of her race, she developed a split personality as she grew older in order to cope with the problems of an exceptionally long life. However, Pai is the only Sanjiyan ever shown that has true multiple personality disorder. Her first personality, called Pai in the series, has the appearance of a normal human and is that of a cheerful and naive girl. The second personality, that of Parvati IV, usually arises when Pai is defenseless, endangered, or emotionally overcome. The presence of the Sanjiyan in Pai is distinguishable because the normally invisible third eye in her forehead opens when Parvati awakens. Most characters refer to her as Sanjiyan when she's in that state. Sanjiyan is more rigid and stoic than Pai and is able to use powerful magic, unlike her first personality. However, using those powers is draining to the Sanjiyan and requires them to rest, leaving them exposed to danger. Her split personality is a possible reference to the Hindu goddess Parvati, who had many identities, each with their own personalities. Volume 32 introduces a clone of hers, named Kali. In Hindu mythology, Kali was an immensely powerful and bloodthirsty battle goddess and one of Parvati's many identities. Voice: Megumi Hayashibara, Rebecca Forstadt (Streamline), Alexandra Kenworthy (Streamline) Brigitte Bako (Geneon)
Real Name: Pai / Parvati IV
Identity/Class: Sanjiyan (supernatural non-human species)
Occupation: Sorceress / schoolgirl
Affiliations: Fujii Yakumo; Takuhi (bird man, deceased); Youkegisha (Hong Kong exorcism and publishing company), Takuhi
Enemies: Kaiyanwang (ruler of the Sanjiyans, evil incarnation of Shiva and Pai's one-time husband)
Known Relatives: Kaiyanwang (ex-husband); Parvati III (mother)
Aliases: Pai Ayanokouji
Base of Operations: Mobile
First Appearance: Young Magazine Pirate Edition (Kodansha, 14th December 1987)
Powers/Abilities: Pai is a Sanjiyan Unkara, a supernatural, nearly immortal creature. She can absorb a human soul to do their bidding, transforming the person affected into a nearly invulnerable servant. She has other mystical powers usually manifested along with the appearance of her third eye, and used by her Parvati identity - use of these powers is tiring, forcing that persona to rest after using powerful magic.
History: The Sanjiyan Unkara (Triclops) are a race of beautiful, nearly immortal beings who live among humans, passing for mortals until they open the mystic third eye located in the centre of their foreheads. Using this eye they can access immense magical powers, but unfortunately the Sanjiyan suffer from mental degeneration as time passes. Older Sanjiyans often become evil, decadent and uncaring; younger ones tend to have split personalities.
Three hundred year-old Pai is an example of a younger Sanjiyan - her Pai personality is somewhat flaky, but caring and cheerful, while her Parvati personality (manifested when her third eye opens and she uses magic) is more arrogant and ruthless. The two personae are aware of one another, and sometimes talk between themselves. Believing herself to be the last of her kind, Pai seeks to become human through the use of the Ningen no Zou, the Statue of Humanity, which reputably has the power to turn a Sanjiyan into a mortal, by transferring the powers of two of the race into a third member. The Ningen, incidentally, is how the other members of her kind reputedly became human and thus died out.
Pai travelled to Tokyo searching for the artifact, but shortly after she arrived, a thief tried to snatch her backpack and cane from her. A teenage lad, Yakumo, tackled the crook and managed to get the pack back for her, though the thief escaped with the cane. Yakumo took her to his work, where Pai was able to get cleaned up, and where she discovered that he was the son of Professor Fujii, an archaeologist she had met in Tibet four years previously. The Professor had been researching the legends of the Sanjiyans, and had befriended her and offered to help her find the Ningen, only to fall ill and die. Pai had his last letter to his son in her pack, where he asked Yakumo to help Pai with her quest. Although the lad didn't believe his father's tales of Pai being a monster, he agreed to assist her.
Their discussion was interrupted by news reports of a giant monster flying over the city. Pai recognised the creature as her pet Takuhi, who must have been released from his home in Pai's cane by the thief, and who was now looking for her. Pai set out to retrieve him, with Yakumo close behind. However when Yakumo saw Takuhi fly towards Pai, the lad mistook the beast's welcome for an attack, and shoved Pai out the way; immediately Takuhi ripped into the lad, fatally wounding him. Unwilling to lose the boy she had been hunting for and just located, Pai's third eye opened, and she absorbed his soul. This restored his body, but tied him to her as her undead servant. Linked to her, he can only become human again when she becomes human. In the way of this goal are hordes of monsters and demons from the Shadow World, some desiring Pai's powers, others who seek the Ningen for their own.
- Yakumo Fujii (藤井 八雲 Fujii Yakumo) — The primary male character, he became Pai's Wu and companion when a rampaging Takuhi, Pai's demon friend, fatally wounded him. Before he could die, Pai merged his soul with her own, transforming him into a Wu, which in turn made him immortal as long as Pai lives. His father had previously found Pai and promised to help her become human, so Yakumo tries to keep that promise. Voice: Kôji Tsujitani, Eddie Frierson (Streamline), Christian Campbell (Geneon)
Real Name: Fujii Yakumo (Yakumo is his personal name, Fujii his family name)
Identity/Class: Undead (Pai's "Wu")
Occupation: High school student turned immortal servant; waiter; would-be chef
Affiliations: Pai
Enemies: Anyone who threatens Pai
Known Relatives: Unnamed father (deceased)
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Mobile, wherever Pai goes.
First Appearance: Young Magazine Pirate Edition (Kodansha, 14th December 1987)
Powers/Abilities: Ever since Pai made Fujii her Wu, Yakumo is linked to her, and as long as she is alive, he is immortal. He can feel pain but he won't die, and he will regenerate from any wound, no matter how severe. He has been shot, dropped from great heights and disembowelled and nonetheless remained alive. Even dismembered limbs can grow back - he once cut off his own hand to stop it being forced to hurt Pai.
History: Professor Fujii was an archaeology professor and would-be monster hunter, who visited Tibet to research the legends of the immortal Sanjiyans. There he met Pai, a relatively youthful member of that mythical race, and he made a promise to help her become human. However he fell ill while trying to depart the Chinese province of Yunnan, and died shortly after completing a letter to his son, asking him to take over helping Pai with her quest.
Four years passed. In Tokyo the professor's son Yakumo had grown into a normal high school student, who paid the bills working as a cross-dressing waiter in a gay bar. Witnessing the mugging of a young girl while heading to work, he intervened, and managed to retrieve the girl's stolen backpack, but not her cane. He took the bedraggled waif to his work to allow her to clean up, but when she heard his name, she revealed herself to be Pai, and gave him his father's last letter. Struck by Pai's beauty, he agreed to help even though he didn't really believe his father's claims that she was some kind of immortal monster.
Their discussion was interrupted by news reports of a giant monster flying over the city. Pai recognised the creature as her pet Takuhi, who must have been released from his home in Pai's cane by the thief, and was now hunting for her. Pai set out to retrieve him, with Yakumo close behind. But when Yakumo saw Takuhi fly towards Pai, the lad mistook the beast's welcome for an attack, and shoved Pai out the way; immediately Takuhi ripped into the lad, fatally wounding him. Unwilling to lose the boy she had been hunting for and just located, Pai's third eye opened, and she absorbed his soul. Yakumo became inextricably linked to her, immortal and unkillable so long as Pai is alive. He had become her "wu" (which means nothingness in Chinese), and the Chinese ideoglyph for that word appeared on his forehead to show this. He can only become human again when she becomes human. In the way of this goal are hordes of monsters and demons from the Shadow World, some desiring Pai's powers, others who seek the Ningen for their own. And to complicate matters further, Yakumo has long since fallen in love with Pai.
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