Kasane

Kasane (カサネ?) is the young main character and Heroin of the Saiyuki interactive game/movie: Kibou no Zaika. She obtains an item called the Pearl Jade that fell from the sky. This item is sought after and coveted by most of the existing cast members of of the Saiyuki universe such as the Sanzo Party, Kougaiji's team, and those back at Houtou Castle. Her story is a tragic one.

Appearance
Kasane has an usual appearance, given the typical Saiyuki anime style of characters past. She has turquoise hair that comes to her waist, tied back into pigtails. She also has large gold-yellow eyes. She wears a Thulian pink blouse, with a white collar that crosses over her chest like a Chinese top. She has a short dark blue miniskirt and loose brown-tan boots. Also she wears an orange arm band on her right arm, a similar orange to the ribbons in her hair. She's about 5'3", most of her height being in her legs. She's super petite, very flat chested for this anime and doesn't look older then 14 or 15 years old.

Story
The Sanzo Party are ordered by Kanzeon Bosatsu, the Merciful Goddess, to go and retrieve a mysterious item called the Pearl Jade. This item is a treasure from Heave that can grant the holder wishes. The Sanzo party change directions and head south to retrieve the tools necessary for finding the Pearl Jade. Goku opens the treasure box containing the tools and finds a ornate knife and a sphere shaped stone. The stone casts a beam of light and it directs them to where the Pearl Jade lies. In a town, they find Kasane who can heal the wounded or injured. The beam of light is drawn to her. Sanzo confronts her, asking about the where-abouts of the Pearl Jade. At first she claims she doesn't know what he's talking about, but as she turns to leave, she drops a strange sphere shaped red stone. When asked to explain herself, she yells at them to leave her alone and run away.

While getting provisions, Goku and Gojyo come across an old lady with intense chest pain. When they take her to her home, she tells them of Kasane's history in there town. She was born there and lived in the slums with her mother and father. But her father was a drunk and was both verbally and physically abusive. Kasane's mother fled and abandoned her, leaving her at the mercy of her father. The towns people sat back and did not do anything to help the poor girl's situation. Then, one day, her father went mad and ran through the village killing people. He was apprehended and put to death, leaving Kasane all alone in the village with no one. The people avoided her and did little to help. But then, when Kasane received this strange new power to heal others, she did not hesitate to use it to help the villagers. The woman claims that Kasane has a good heart.

The old woman's chest pains seem to intensify. Goku and Gojyo take her to Kasane's humble home and leave her in her hands. Kasane ushers the old woman inside and attempts to start healing her wounds, but something seems wrong. She asks the old woman if maybe she is sick. The old woman suddenly leaps to her feet and snatches up the Pearl Jade lying on the floor near the bed. The Sanzo party, staying in an inn across the way from Kasane's home, see the old woman flee the house, carrying the jewel with her. Goku and Gojyo jump out of the window and and give chase. The apprehend the old woman and she begs for forgiveness. She only wanted the jewel so she could posses powers like Kasane. She is simply an old woman and is very lonely.The Kougaiji Ikkou show up soon after and Lirin snags the Pearl Jade. However, the Pearl Jade lights up and returns itself to Kasane. Hakkai says that the Pearl Jade has chosen its owner.

The next day, Hakkai say that it's possible that the Pearl Jade is in the right hand. However, they were surprise when the townspeople bring a dead man to Kasane, begging her to do what she can. Kasane uses her strange power to revive the dead man. This seems to cause unrest among the people. Later that day, Sanzo and Goku confronts her and ask her if she really knows what she's done. She tells them that she just saved a man's life and made the townspeople happy. Sanzo says that death is natural and that she shouldn't interfere with it. Goku tells her to stop using the Pearl Jade power. Kasane refuses because with its power she can make everyone happy. She runs off again, telling them that she will never hand over the Pearl Jade.

Kasane escapes back to her home, the insides of which are trashed. She curls up near the door, her memories of her life before the Pearl Jade flashing through her mind. She starts to cry and wishes that she'll never have to go back to that life of being unwanted and unloved. As if reacting to her words, the Pearl Jade floats out of her hands and floats towards her chest where it merges with her being. The next day, Hakkai, Gojyo and Goku are watching her from the window. Seeing another dead person is brought before her and the townspeople ask her to revive him. Kasane kneels beside the deceased man and hold her hands over his corpse as she has done many time to heal others, but something feels odd and looks down at her hands. Goku, Hakkai and Gojyo come outside in an attempt to stop her. Something is off.

Then three men come forth from the crowd complaining and demand to know why Kasane can't revive their sensei. Kasane can not answer them. Then another man approaches the crowd and shouts that she is a monster. To demonstrate he takes a knife and slices open his arm. The wound bleeds for a moment, but then heals itself. He said that this has been happening since she healed him. He charges Kasane, but is pushed away by a man that claims to be a wandering monk, but is really Lady Gyokumen's henchman. Then the guy points at her and says that the village would be better off if her father had killed her that day instead of the villagers. The townspeople join, calling a her monster, a youkai, and a witch; They talk of forcing her to leave the town and others shout that they should just kill her instead. Goku and the others grow angry and and think to step in when the townspeople start to throw stones at her, but the young monk stops everyone. Kougaiji, who is with his party nearby, make the observation that the monk is playing her and wants the girl trust on him.

Later, when Kasane is hiding in her home, the monk comes to call upon her. He asks her if she regrets having the power of the Pearl Jade. She tells him that she doesn't know whether she regrets it or not. He says the he can help her. He knows of a place where there are people in great need of her help and her power that the Pearl Jade has given her. He can take her there. She agrees to meet him outside the village that following night. As she meets him on the outskirts of town, the Sanzo party shows up in an attempt to stop her. The tell her it's a trap and the monk is not as he appears. The monk, angered by their interference, dawns his true form; a giant Prey mantis and a fight ensues.

The monk grabs Kasane and Gojyo and Goku confront him. Then Sanzo shoots beat form in the eye and the mantis temporarily released Kasane. Dokugakuji, of the Kougaiji ikkou, catches her. The Kougaiji ikkou prepare to depart, but are caught in the mantis's tentacle that are covered in poison and make it impossible for the Kougaiji ikkou to fight back. The monk gatheres up the girl again and using the ornate knife form the treasure box cuts the jewel from Kasane's chest, leaving her dead the moment the Pearl Jade left her body.

Goku, seeing Kasane die, feels him with rage and he attacks the mantis demon with full force. Impaling the monsters head with Nyoi Bo. As Goku hold the dying monster in place, Sanzo shoots banishes him with his gun. When the monster dies, Kougaiji and his team are relaesed, but seeing as they are too weak from the poison, the retreat to fight another day. Hakkai takes Kasane in his arms, but it is too late to do anything and confirms that she is dead. While Goku was disappointed for not able to save her, Kanzeon Bosatsu appeared and tells them that it was her fate. When she asked to be released, heaven chose this path for her and she became the protagonist in the story passed down. Sanzo tells Kanzeon that he will not play games like this with her in the future. Goku, who feels like he had failed her stands in front of her grave that was set up on a hill over looking the town. He asks Sanzo to pray for her and he indeed does. The townspeople gather around and offer flowers in respect to her.

Character Analyst
The main focus of the story is on Kasane & how her newfound healing powers can be both a blessing & a curse. In fact, she technically doesn't gain healing powers from the Pearl Jade, but rather her wish is to be accepted by the village after her father went on a wild killing frenzy with a knife a few years back, making the village not want to associate with her. The Sanzo Party realizes that, though her powers are being used for good, in the end it's still simply cheating in order to gain acceptance. In fact, the moment Kasane actually revives a man from the dead the village starts to become worried about her powers, & when one villager who was healed by her reveals that her healing results in them feeling no pain when hurt as well as heal almost-instantly, the entire village starts treating her like a monster. It's an interesting way of handling this idea of using something valuable to, essentially, "buy" the acceptance of others, as what Kasane is doing is well-intentioned, but at the same time her reasons for doing so are not selfless.