Kaho Mizuki

Kaho Mizuki
'Cardcaptor Sakura' character
Manga Anime Clear Card Arc Kaho Mizuki
Created by	Clamp
In-universe information
Alias	Layla McKenzie
Gender	Female
Occupation	Magician Substitute teacher

Kaho Mizuki (観月 歌帆 Mizuki Kaho) is a fictional character in CLAMP's anime and manga series Cardcaptor Sakura. She is a shrine maiden and the daughter of the priest at the Tsukimine Shrine where she lives.

She first appears as the protagonist Sakura Kinomoto’s math teacher. For a time she takes over as the regular teacher of Sakura’s class, temporarily replacing Yoshiyuki Terada. She later becomes a significant character in the second season of the anime and latter chapters of the first half of the manga.

Initially she was introduced as mysterious and enigmatic who appeared to know more than what she was letting on and with an uncertain agenda. It later turns out that she plays an important role in the "Final Judgment" concerning Sakura. Kaho is in possession of the Moon Bell: a mystical artifact, until it serves its purpose in the Final Judgment. The bell gives Sakura a second chance to beat the guardian Yue during the judgment.

Appearance

Kaho is a very beautiful milky white-skinned woman that many characters often comment admiringly on her beauty with long red hair that is parted down at the center with the left side having a slight lift and crimson eyes.

In the garb of a shrine maiden (Miko), she ties her hair back in a ponytail by using a white ribbon that runs down her back. wears a white kimono, a red hakama (long, divided trousers), white socks and a pair of wooden sandals.

Personality

"There are no coincidences in this world, only inevitability."

― Kaho during the Final Judgement

Kaho is a kind, warm, serene and mature woman who is also patient, polite, calm level headed and effortlessly elegant. In her earlier appearances she came across as mysterious and enigmatic – although genuinely cheerful and kind, and seemingly harboring some unknown motivation – fueling Syaoran Li’s initial skepticism and mistrust of her.

She is keenly perceptive and extraordinarily wise - seeing through the group’s antics and providing necessary, although usually subtle, help with a particular situation. Normally, she is content to act as an observer and leave Sakura Kinomoto and Syaoran to own their means. However, when they come up against a particular tricky Clow Card they are unable to overcome she will – subtly – intervene. Whether it’s the Maze or Lock cards her interventions have been extraordinarily helpful.

Her kindness and generosity are demonstrated when she hands over a bag of chestnuts to Sakura and Yukito Tsukishiro as a token of her appreciation when they volunteered to help her to clean up the shrine grounds. After Meiling Li and Sakura unfairly lost their chance to get some charms they’d had their hearts set on, she retrieved some and personally gave them one each, much to the two girls delight.

She strongly believes in the workings of Fate and Destiny, remarking that there is no such thing as mere chance in the world, but only inevitability and predestines.

Kaho is excellent at archery, once entering a competition against Yukito. She narrowly lost to him only after losing her concentration due to sensing Kero’s presence nearby.

Kaho’s hobby is antique collecting and her favorite thing to do is going for walks. Her favorite food is anything alcoholic and her least favorite is marshmallow. She has difficulty remembering street names.

Plot

Clow Cards Arc

Kaho first appears in the series as a mysterious substitute teacher at Tomoeda Elementary School, where she teaches math to the class that includes Sakura Kinomoto and Syaoran Li. The two students have opposite reactions to her: Sakura takes an instant liking, while Syaoran responds with coldness and mistrust.

When Sakura, Syaoran, Meiling Li and Tomoyo Daidouji go to Tsukimine Shrine and are trapped by The Maze, they are rescued by Kaho, who is the daughter of the priest. She also possesses an artifact called the Moon Bell, which can affect Clow Cards. At the same time, it is revealed that not only did Sakura's older brother Touya Kinomoto know Kaho, but also that they had an intimate relationship while she was his junior high school student teacher. Touya reveals that Kaho had broken up with him so she could go to England to study; she also told him that, in their next meeting, they'd be in love with other people, their own relationship sealed as a deep friendship.

In the Final Judgement, it is revealed the Kaho's Moon Bell was created by Clow Reed, and left in the care of the Tsukimine shrine to be given to Sakura to help her to defeat Yue without having to injure him. The bell combines with Sakura's staff to create a new staff of Sakura's own power, and even allows her to use even a card under Yue's jurisdiction (Windy) against him and winning the battle.

This is changed in the anime version of the series, however, where Kaho uses the Moon Bell to give the seemingly defeated Sakura a second chance, enabling her to win the Final Judgement and become the new master of the Clow Cards. After this, the Moon Bell disappears. After fulfilling her duty and delivering the Moon Bell to Sakura, Kaho returns to England, after enigmatically telling Yukito to "take care of" Touya.

Sakura Cards Arc

Kaho maintains a steady but guarded exchange of letters with Sakura that are full of enigmatic but helpful advice. When she finally reappears, to everyone's surprise, it is at the home of Eriol Hiiragizawa (the reincarnation of Clow Reed himself) to help arrange for his return to England in her company. She had met Eriol previously, when she first left Tomoeda to continue her studies in England, three years before Sakura discovered the Clow Book.

In the The Sealed Card movie, Kaho is last seen alongside Ruby Moon and Spinel Sun as Eriol is informing Sakura about the existence and great destructive powers of the Nothing card. She warned Eriol of a great power about to cut the phone line. She asked her associate whether he was aware of the outcome, which he explained that he was not.

Relationships

Sakura Kinomoto

A typical reaction by Sakura around Kaho's presence.

"I’m all dazed when I see Ms Mizuki!"

― Sakura

Upon meeting Kaho for the first time, Sakura was struck by how “beautiful” she is and later reverently remarks how kind she is. Sakura comments how happy she is just watching her. She views her as utterly positive and once remarked that she wanted to grow up to be just like her. Unlike Syaoran’s apprehension, Sakura does not feel anything suspicious about her, and always feels ‘happy’ and ‘dazed’ whenever she sees Kaho.

During the latter trials capturing the Clow Cards, Kaho aids Sakura, albeit indirectly, giving her cryptic messages and advice on how to deal with a particular card. Kaho has total faith in Sakura and her abilities and believes she can succeed when the time comes for her to take her part in the Final Judgment.

She also shows deep concern for Sakura’s well-being and worries about her after she falls ill in episode 39.

During the third season after Kaho leaves Tomoeda there is a constant exchange of letters between Kaho and Sakura.

Syaoran Li

Initially, Shaoran was suspicious and distrustful of the new teacher. He sensed her exceptionally powerful abilities immediately and warned Sakura to be wary of her. He appears openly tense and cautious around Kaho’s presence, usually narrowing his eyes and keeping silent.

In return Kaho is bemused by his behavior, favoring him with bright smiles and appeared to goad him on and try and make small talk with him.

Touya Kinomoto

When Touya was in Junior High, he and Kaho were a couple - they first met at the Tsukimine Shrine under a cherry blossom tree, during which they also both sensed each other's supernatural powers. However, it was only the next day did Touya realize that Kaho was the new student teacher for his class. Their friendship eventually grew into a mutual love, which Touya confessed under the same tree where they had met.

Kaho breaks the news she is leaving.

Kaho genuinely loved Touya, commenting that it was fun just to be with him. However, a year after their romance started, she broke it in favor of overseas studies, and she only revealed it to Touya the day before her departure.

When Touya insisted on knowing her reasons, she explained that she only revealed to him at the last minute to prevent their final romantic moments together from becoming sober, and then went on to predict with a cryptic smile that when they meet again, he would have someone else to love - and so would she. She confidently assured him that they would still be dear friends.

True to her word, after she returned, both she and Touya had found new respective loves, though she still treated Touya with the warmth and affection of friendship.

Eriol Hiiragizawa

"I met him when I was in college. When I learned he was the reincarnation of Clow Reed, I thought of helping him out."

― Kaho Mizuki

In the manga, Kaho remarked how kind Eriol Hiiragizawa is, and explained he had grown to care more about one person than anyone else. Kaho then asks if he already knew she loved him - he did, and replies, "if your feelings are the same as mine, we'll have a happy ending." She is last seen holding hands with Eriol discussing their future together.

Since Kaho met Eriol when she was still in college, and because she is a younger teacher; it is possibly implied she was perhaps under the age of 20 at the time, or 18~20. If she was, it is notable that the Japanese age of adulthood is 20, implying Kaho may not have officially been an "adult" yet when she met Eriol.

In the anime, she had met him when she lived in England and sensed that he was the reincarnation of Clow Reed himself. Since then, Kaho was secretly doing all she could to assist Eriol in his mission to have the new Master of the Clow Cards grow stronger and more powerful by transforming all fifty-two Cards' into Sakura (Star Cards in the English version) Cards under her own strength. She had received several letters from Sakura.

Cerberus

Kero and Kaho's very first encounter.

Kaho and Kero initially met in episode 32; albeit under unusual circumstances. Due to a prior mishap sealing The Change card Kero was temporarily in Syaoran’s body. Because Kero was not in his original body at the time he did not sense anything unusual about her. They meet again properly in episode 44 when Kero in his original small body confronts her alone.

Kero was at first skeptical of her and weary of her powerful moon-based magic, believing her to be Yue. Kaho however was polite throughout, greeting him affably and speaking to the little guardian courteously. She did however, when pressed, not reveal what her role would be in the Final Judgment, but reassured him that she believed in Sakura. She had said "Hello" to him when she was invited at Eriol's home for tea.

Yukito Tsukishiro

In the few times they’ve met Kaho and Yukito have got along well and spoken amiably to one another. She gives him a bag of chestnuts when he and Sakura volunteered to help her to clean up the shrine grounds as a token of her appreciation.

During their archery contest, she wished him good luck – which he courteously returned. After she narrowly lost due to a fluke, she graciously congratulated him and commendably shook his hand.

Powers and Abilities

Though Kaho had never been seen to directly use any forms of magic throughout the series, it was still hinted that her magical potential is exceptionally strong: Cerberus remarked upon meeting her face to face that he felt "magic of tremendous power...especially that of the moon" from her, and she herself confirmed that she was a practitioner of "the powers of the moon". In fact, as she sent out moon-oriented signals to conceal Yue's form as Yukito, Kero originally believed that she was Yue in disguise.

Examples of powers Kaho was shown to possess were:

• Shamanism: Kaho had the ability to perceive and contact the spiritual world, as shown by how she knew that the cherry blossom tree at the Tsukimine Shrine was a literal supernatural entity.
• Soul & Aura Reading: Kaho had the ability to see, read, and sense the souls and auras of others. Hence, during her and Touya's first meeting, she realized that he possessed true supernatural powers, and later on, during an archery tournament between her and Yukito, she lost due to detecting Kero's presence.
• Supernatural Concealment: Kaho had the ability to hide and conceal herself from other practitioners of magic, as shown by how she was able to sneak up behind Sakura and Syaoran undetected, with neither noticing until she made herself known.
• Evasion: Kaho had the ability to evade or dodge things, as shown by how she was the only on (besides Sakura and Syaoran) who avoided being frozen by the Freeze card in Episode 33.
• Magic Immunity: Kaho had the ability to be unaffected by magic, as shown by how she was not in the least fazed by the powers of the Sleep Card - she remained awake and standing even as everyone else around her fell asleep. This is particularly significant, as Touya (who possessed some latent yet powerful magic himself), still fell asleep instantly upon being exposed to the Sleep Card's spell.
• Power Negation: Kaho had the ability to nullify the powers of others, as shown by how she was able to pierce through the Return card's protections (which would normally render any detection impossible). This is also particularly significant, as the only other person shown to be able to achieve this feat was Clow Reed.
• Knowledge of the Clow Cards: Kaho was shown to be knowledgeable – or at least have some degree of knowledge – concerning the Clow Cards and their abilities, as shown by how she successfully guessed the Lock Card's weakness and subtly directed Sakura to overcome it.

Clow Reed's Bell.

Clow Reed's Bell: This mystical bell has been passed down through Kaho’s family for generations and was originally left by Clow Reed. Its purpose was to enable Sakura another chance should she fail in in the Final Judgment.

With it Kaho gave Sakura another go to defeat Yue during the Final Judgment and claim rightful ownership over the Clow Cards. After it had allowed Sakura another attempt, it faded into nothingness, its purpose served.

Its possessor own great magical abilities are required to effectively use it. With it, Kaho was able to effortlessly break down the walls of the Maze card and fend off the attacks of the Firey card (only in the manga).

Trivia

• The name Kaho means "flower" (花) (ka) and "to protect; to safeguard; to defend" (保) or "grain" (穂) (ho).
• Kaho's surname Mizuki means "felicitous omen, auspicious" (瑞) (mizu) and "hope" (希) (ki).
• During Sakura Kinomoto's Final Judgment, Kaho said that the fact that Yukito Tsukishiro, being Yue, had moved to Tomoeda, was not a coincidence because "There is no coincidence in this world - there is only inevitability". This phrase is Yuuko Ichihara's signature.
• Kaho does not appear in Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle, but her Moon Bell does, under the ownership of Tomoyo Daidouji.

References

This article uses content from the Cardcaptor Sakura wiki.