Doppelganger

Doppelganger 【ドッペルゲンガー Dopperugengaa】 (Sai R. Vol 1-2)

☆ The ghostly phenomenon in which one meets a carbon copy of oneself, or a third person observer witnesses such a meeting. It is said that such a meeting drains one’s life, but there is also a theory saying that it’s a phenomenon due to separation of the spirit from the body. The German “doppel” is equivalent to the English “double”. In Japan too, it’s been said from long ago that there are three people in the world who look exactly alike, but the implication is different.

☆ The Sanzo Party meet many copies of themselves throughout the journey, unusually in the Shikigami or Illusions. An example would be Saiyuki Vol. 4 when Chin Yisou created a shikigami of Goku after he pushed the real Goku off a cliff.

☆ Another Prime example is the Fake Sanzo Ikkou (偽三蔵一行) Shikigami made by an undisclosed youkai. They made pretensions to having completely mastered and incorporated the Sanzo Ikkou’s movements and attack patterns, and although their strength was about equal, they were totally defeated by the real ones. Special characteristics of the fakes are that they don’t speak and they wear the old costumes. The youkai who created them, who must have been quite skillful to make such elaborate creations, doesn’t have a name (laughs). To borrow Gojyo’s words, the appearance of the fakes was “a promise!”